Chapter Thirty-Five

Whoever had decided to hold this press conference outside at eight in the morning in New York City in January needed to be fired. Tom thought that might be the first thing he did as the CEO. It was freezing out there, and his usual peacoat and scarf just wasn't enough. He ran his hands together, leather gloves crinkling, as he waited. They still had more news crews that were supposed to come in and Halcyon's PR manager was determined that they couldn't start without them.

"You look like you could use this."

He turned, finding Liz with a cup of coffee in either hand and one slightly closer. "I love you," he said by way of a thank you and took it, the liquid scolding down his throat and it warmed him up from the inside out. "I guess at least they can't tell if my hands are shaking."

"How're you feeling?"

"Fine. Okay."

Liz reached out with her newly freed hand and pulled him closer by the lapel of his jacket. "You nervous?" she asked with a small smile.

Tom swallowed the immediate denial. "A little," he confessed instead.

His wife smiled for him and he felt her gloved fingers wrap a little tighter. "You're going to do great."

"I've spent the better part of my life trying to stay off camera," he murmured thoughtfully. "This could open up more than we ever thought. It's not like I don't have enemies out there. What if-?"

She tipped up on her toes and Tom felt her cold lips on his. Somehow it flooded him with more warmth than the coffee ever could. "I love you," Liz said softly and caught his eyes.

A lopsided smile tilted his lips. "I love you too. I'm glad you're here."

"I wouldn't have missed it."

It was easier to say after she'd gotten home and as she was already standing here, but Tom still knew it was important. Reddington had come between them a lot over the years. He'd dampened the support system. Every missed dinner, every cancelled plan had eaten at him in their first marriage, but here and now he knew. This was where she wanted to be. And likewise, he'd support her. They were a team.

"They're about ready,"

Tom turned, finding Nez approaching from the other side. Her expression was serious, all business, but there was a glint in her eye he recognised. Finally her lips quirked up. "You ready, boss?"

"Guess that's official today, huh?"

"Solomon's thrilled," she said, the sarcasm dripping from the words finally causing her to break into a full grin.

Tom rolled his eyes good naturedly. That wasn't something he had any business getting into, and if he even hedged close to it she'd be the first one to tell him.

"Dumont has eyes and ears on the whole event and we have people all around," Nez said lowly.

"You think the Cabal might try to kill him rather than take the deal?" Liz asked softly.

Nez shrugged. "Better to be prepared for the worst case and never have to deal with it. Your husband has had enough new holes put in him over the years."

"Yeah, let's not add to them," Tom chuckled, his gaze sweeping the area. He spotted a few faces he recognised. "And it's just as much to protect Scottie and Howard."

"The whole thing is a ticking time bomb of things that can go south," Nez agreed.

Tom loosed a breath and saw it cloud out in front of him. The plan was laid out and Reddington was confident in it, but that required a lot of faith in a man Tom was relatively sure didn't deserve it. He had switched things up last second, still holding pieces of information back. These were the people that had taken him when he was a child. Certain members could be more interested in making sure he didn't remember anything rather than striking a deal with him for the company. Nez was right. This was a delicate situation on all ends.

Movement caught his attention and he turned just in time for Scottie to lay a hand against his arm, her dark eyes meeting his own. She gave him a small smile and Howard offered him a wink that made him snort.

"Showtime," Nez murmured.

Liz's hand slipped down into Tom's and he took one last gulp of coffee. No matter what happened, they couldn't turn back now.

Donald Ressler hadn't gone back to his apartment after they finished the op with Reddington in the earliest hours of the morning. Instead he had found himself out on the streets of DC, wandering through snow drifts as the night stretched on. The cold was all that felt good, that chill hitting him right in the face and keeping his thoughts sharp. He had spent a lot of time in this city in recent years. Memories both good and bad were fixed all over town and he still had trouble wrapping his mind around some. Audrey, Reddington, Liz and their team, the Cabal, and Prescott. There were times it felt like watching a movie. So much had happened. Too much, and somehow he had lost himself in it. Somehow he'd given in and he had bent too far, like a rubber band stretched past its capacity. He'd popped back every other time, but now... now he was broken and there was only one way to fix it.

He found himself at the Post Office earlier than anyone else by the looks of it and ghosted his way to his office, fully intent on grabbing his spare suit to change into so that he would be ready for the day. Instead he found himself taking a heavy seat in his chair at his desk, numb fingers reaching for the folded confession tucked away, supposedly waiting until they finished this case. They would take down the Cabal, Reddington would bow out, and Liz would get her life back. The Task Force would disband and she might even move to New York if Tom chose to stay with his parents' company. Ressler would have to face what he had done in the end, and as his fingers played against the paper he wondered if he could wait that long.

A knock at the office door made him jump and Cooper leaned in. "I didn't expect anyone in this early after last night."

"I couldn't sleep," Ressler mumbled, standing.

Cooper shot him a skeptics look, eyeing the tux he still partially wore, the jacket and bow tie discarded. "Did you make it home at all?"

"Thought I'd get some work done." His boss still didn't look convinced and Ressler cleared his throat. "Sir, there's something I need to talk to you about." He held out the letter before he could talk himself out of it and Cooper's brows drew together in question. "It's a signed confession. I've been lying to you, sir. I do know what happened to Laurel Hitchin. I know because I…" He swallowed hard.

"Agent Ressler, stop," Cooper cut in.

"Sir?"

He held up the paper, letting it crinkle a little between his fingers. "I have a feeling I know what this says. I've known for a while. I don't need to hear it and I don't need to read it. You are one of the most dedicated, loyal agents I've come across in my career."

Ressler drew in a breath that he had hoped would steady him and he shook his head. "I've put this team in danger, sir. Hitchin is dead and instead of going through the proper channels, I covered it up. I-"

"You protected them, Donald. You know what would happen if this-" he waved the paper for emphasis- "were to get out? This entire Task Force would come under scrutiny. We have all done things we may not be comfortable with. Not one of us is the same person he or she was before this Task Force began, but we have a job to do, and we do it until it's been completed."

"I can wait until this is finished. Liz told Reddington to take a hike. The Task Force won't stay together without him."

Cooper raised an eyebrow. "We'll see about that . Does anybody else know?"

"Liz. And Tom."

"Those two can certainly keep a secret," Cooper chuckled, pulling his glasses from his nose. "I'll make you a deal, Agent Ressler. The moment this Task Force disbands, you are free to do what you feel you need to, but until then I expect your loyalty to be to your team. They need you to do the job that you have proven you do well."

The two men stood there for a long moment and Ressler found himself wanting to believe him and maybe even to find a little peace through it. Cooper truly believed that he'd protected the Task Force in doing what he'd done, and maybe he had. In a way he knew he had. "Okay," he conceded. "As long as the Task Force is together, I'm here."

Cooper nodded, accepting that. "I was on my way out to the war room to switch on the news. I hear there's an announcement being made out of Halcyon this morning."

Ressler nodded, following him out the door. Someone had already turned on the news and they saw a familiar face standing in front of the reporters. Tom looked perfectly at home there, if he was or not. It was hard to say with Tom Keen. They shouted question after the question at him and the answers rolled off his tongue, that charming smile plastered across his face.

A laugh rode out on a breath and Cooper shook his head. "Look at that. He's already got them wrapped around his finger."

"No denying that he's good," Ressler acknowledged.

"I'm glad he's on our side."

Ressler didn't answer, but his eyes were fixed on the screen. The Cabal would be watching, and when they saw this they would know that Reddington had been telling the truth. Christopher Hargrave was alive and well and in full control of Halcyon Aegis. It wouldn't be long now.

It was like opening the floodgates. Liz hadn't realised just how big the story surrounding her husband's disappearance thirty years before had been. The reporters certainly seemed to know. Or maybe they were just grabbing hold of it to make sure it was still the story that would get their name on the byline.

Cameras flashed and microphones were shoved in Tom's face. Liz watched her husband carefully hide any discomfort he was feeling behind a bright smile that they loved and her eyes scanned the crowd that had formed. Most were innocent enough. Curious New Yorkers and tourists alike, but there was one that had stepped up just before Scottie and Howard had begun. He was nondescript in his dark overcoat and beanie pulled down over his ears. It wasn't in the way that he looked, but the way that he was looking at Tom.

"Dumont's running facial recognition now."

Liz looked around at Nez's quiet words. She'd seen him too. "He was one of the first on the scene."

"Almost like he knew it was coming," Nez agreed.

"Cabal?"

"Even if he is we may not have him in our files. Unless you guys have something you're not sharing?"

Liz pushed a long breath out through her nose. "Reddington probably does, but that leaves us all on the outside."

She felt Nez's gaze on her. "I don't envy you. Tom hasn't told me everything, but it's enough to know it hasn't been easy in you."

"I don't think Reddington dropped into my life with the intention of making it easy," Liz answered sharply.

Nez moved for her phone and Liz spotted Dumont's name as she pulled it to her ear. "Talk to me, Dumont."

Liz turned back to look at the man in question as Nez nodded and confirmed with Dumont. He was gone. She had only let her attention wander for a moment and he'd vanished.

"Good. Keep eyes on him," Nez said. "I'll confirm and let you know. Just don't lose him."

"Dumont's got him?" Liz asked.

"Yeah." Nez's gaze flickered to Tom. "I know Reddington's convinced that this will work, but there's no guarantee that they won't be more worried about shutting him up than bartering. They took him. As far as they know, he may know exactly who is responsible."

"He doesn't," Liz murmured, "which makes it more dangerous."

Nez made a small sound of acknowledgement and looked over Liz's shoulder. Liz turned in time to see Matias Solomon approaching, his gaze focused on Nez. "Dumont has him a couple blocks away. Let you know if he tries anything."

"Mattie?" He paused for just a beat and Nez gave him the smallest of smiles. "Watch yourself."

"Absolutely," he chuckled and winked at her before starting off.

Liz shook her head and Nez grinned. "You don't get to talk. You married that one." She nodded at Tom. "Twice."

"What'd you do twice?" Tom asked, finally breaking away from the hoard at least for a second.

"Married you," Nez answered lightly.

Liz's husband grinned. He stepped closer and his arm snaked around her back, careful of her still-battered ribs. "You don't have to make that sound like a bad thing," he chuckled and kissed the side of her head. To anyone still snapping photos it just looked like a sweet moment between husband and wife.

"We're tracking a possible Cabal member," Liz said as she leaned into him.

"In the crowd?"

"Yeah. He didn't make a move, but-"

"Not too close," Tom warned and Nez shrugged.

"Solomon's on him."

Liz felt him nod. "I guess it's a waiting game now."

"Not for you," Nez said cheekily. "You just volunteered to run a multi billion dollar corporation. C'mon. There's a car waiting and everything."

Liz smirked at the look Tom shot his partner for that. It softened as he turned back to her. "I love you."

The words were weighted, like he knew things could go wrong at any instant and didn't dare risk letting a chance to tell her pass him by. She reached for him as he turned, fingers latching onto the material of his coat. She pulled him in and he met her readily, his gloved hand immediately moving to the side of her face as they kissed. For just a moment everything else faded away and they were the only two in the world.

Finally they broke and Liz reached a hand up to the side of his face, holding onto his chin and his gaze at the same time, her voice catching in her throat. She couldn't face losing him again.

Tom leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. "You remember what I told you when Kirk had Agnes? You're going to have us both."

"That a promise?"

He pulled back just enough to press a kiss to her forehead. "Yeah."

Liz managed a smile. "Okay. Go. Before Nez drags you."

Her husband flashed a grin and stole one more kiss before turning to the waiting car.

The Cabal had had a man at the press conference, which hadn't been a surprise for any of them. Halcyon had set Matias Solomon on him and Raymond had his own people follow up to a point. The Cabal member lost his tail at somewhere along the way, and it was anyone's best guess where he'd gotten to. To Conrad Davis, they hoped, but realistically it could be days before they heard anything.

Katarina hated the waiting pattern. It was a necessary evil in their line of business, but the not knowing made her antsy. She assumed that's why she found herself in the Bronx. In Riverdale. Scottie and Howard had played their part in returning home after the press conference and Tom had gone to Halcyon. She paused halfway to reaching for her lock picks and stopped, opting to knock instead.

She stood waiting for several long moments. It was hard to tell in a house as large as this one if anyone was actually moving inside and she had about decided to go for the picks again when she heard a squeal from the other side and a shout that followed. Katarina blinked at the door as it was tugged open with all the effort that a three and a half year old had in her. Agnes Keen beamed. "Hi!"

"Agnes, sweetie, what did I tell you about the door?" Scottie shouted after her and rounded into sight. "Kat."

"It's Kat," Agnes said and she almost sounded like she knew that before Scottie had said her name.

Scottie's expression shifted,serious and focused. "Have they made contact?"

"Not yet." Katarina motioned and Scottie nodded, inviting her in without a word. She could feel the other woman's dark eyes on her.

"Did you see Daddy on TV?" Agnes asked her.

"I did."

Agnes just smiled and Scottie leaned down. "Why don't you go see what Grandpa is up to?" The little girl nodded enthusiastically and slipped off, leaving Katarina to watch her until she turned the corner. "What are you here for, Kat?"

Blue eyes shifted focus and there was something clawing at her that she couldn't quite place. This had always been so much easier at a distance. Now she was so close. She was in deep. Masha, Raymond, even Agnes.

"Katarina?"

"I don't think they'll take the deal."

"Red seemed certain they would."

"Davis will. Davis would, but he's not in charge." Scottie shot her a questioning look, but Katarina waved it off. "They need more, but I don't think Raymond will give it to them."

"He knows what's at stake. This is our last shot. If we fail it's over."

"For all of us," Katarina murmured, gaze drifting back to where Agnes had last been seen. At best, the little girl would have to grow up like Masha did: stored away and protected from the evils after her parents. At worst she'd grow up as her father did. Katarina could stop that though. "I don't think Raymond will let me go again."

"Even if it puts Masha's life in danger? Agnes'?"

"He'll convince himself he can protect them."

"He's proven he can't," Scottie said darkly and Katarina wondered briefly if she blamed Raymond for what happened to Christopher. She supposed Scottie might see it that way.

"I'll handle it," Katarina said after a moment, the decision made.

"How?"

"I'm going to sweeten the deal. I'm going to give them me."

Notes: The writing process is a funny thing. Originally I'd thought Red would offer Kat up, but as the story progressed it just wasn't fitting in anywhere. Then I realised it shouldn't be Red and that Katarina needed to be the one to make that call.

We're edging closer to the end. Only a few more chapters to go!

Next Time: The Cabal finally makes their decision, but there's one more condition.