Dangerous Games

She hadn't been entirely sure that Chris would be willing to put his neck out for Red just because she asked. He had launched Grey Matters as an entity separate of Halcyon and they were struggling to prove their worth. One wrong move could kill his project before it really got off the ground, and she knew how much he had put into it. The hours, the money, his team's trust… but he hadn't hesitated, reminding her that part of the reason that Grey Matters had broken from Halcyon was to cut the strings that the Cabal had so obviously tied to his parents' company. He was in this all the way as long as it led to an eventual Cabal takedown.

So when he stopped her outside of Peter Kotsiopulos' office and asked her if she was ready to put a target on her back, Liz paused.

"I'm with you either way, but the Cabal already knows they have an enemy in Grey Matters. They don't know you yet. If you do this, you're declaring war."

"I have to, or they'll throw him in some dark hole or worse."

Her fiancé gave a firm nod and a thin smile. "Then let's do this."

Liz held tightly to a special projector that Dembe had given her along with a key to turn it on. They had sat in a little apartment together - Liz doing the best she could to ignore the fact that Red had photos of her growing up, including one she'd snagged a quick photo of on her phone while Dembe had been setting the projector up of her as a toddler in a woman's lap on a swing - watching the terrifying images, some that even Aram and Dumont hadn't been able to uncover, the information proving just how deeply this conspiracy went.

The door to the office was opened for them, and Kotsiopulos looked as if he were on his way out. "Mr Hargrave, it's about time. What intel was so important that… Agent Scott. I was not aware that you would be accompanying him."

Liz steeled her expression. "You'll want to make time for this, because if you don't, there are a few papers that would love to see it."

Kotsiopulos stared at her, his gaze fixed, as Liz set the projector down. "I don't have time for games, Agent Scott, and I would have expected Howard Hargrave's son to have a bit more respect for my time than to-"

"Raymond Reddington doesn't have the Fulcrum, Director," Liz cut him off. "I do." She turned the key and the projector jumped to life, incriminating images displayed across his wall. "And unless you release him into our custody and respect the arrangements already made, the world will know exactly who you and your colleagues are."

The bespectacled man stared at her for a long moment. "Bold move, Agent Scott."

"And the information doesn't end with the Fulcrum," Chris assured him.

A short chuckle left the Director. "These are dangerous games you children play. You're not the first to play them, but for now you've reset the status quo. Well done." He picked up the phone. "This is Director Peter Kotsiopulos. The threat has been nullified. We no longer need Mr Reddington's assistance in the matter." He hung up the phone and looked over to them, a smirk playing on his lips. "Say hello to your father for me, won't you, Christopher?"

Liz saw Chris bristle ever so slightly at her side. "You'll find out pretty quickly that I'm not my father, Director, and my company won't be so easily bullied into doing your dirty work for you."

The smirk didn't fade. "You're more like Howard than you'd care to admit. And you, Agent Scott, are looking more like your mother every day."

"The truce is back in place? You'll stay away from Reddington?" Liz pushed, doing her best to ignore the uncomfortable jab.

"The truce is back in place," Kotsiopulos answered and Liz took the projector, holding tightly to the Fulcrum as she and Chris left the office. They'd won, but somehow it didn't feel that way with his words chasing after them.