Raymond Reddington was left feeling strangely empty once Liz had departed his hotel suite. There were very few things in his life that Reddington had come to regret and having to end Sams life was was at the top of the short list. In truth, any action that caused Lizzie some form of pain, whether it be physical or emotional, was an action he regretted but unfortunately, a large portion of the time it was unavoidable. Protecting Elizabeth Keen was, and always had been, his number one priority. From this moment onwards, and until Lizzie was ready to forgive him, he would once again have to return to protecting the young Agent from the shadows.

There were certain things, certain secrets, that Elizabeth Keen did not need to know about, at least some of them not yet. It was prudent that she be kept in the dark about the greatest event in her life to date and how it came about. If Raymond had let Sam see Lizzie one last time, he would have divulged the truth about how she came to be his adopted daughter, and that was a truth he rathered she never know. That wasn't a big request was it? It was better, no, safer, for her not to know the event surrounding the fire when she was four years old.

Reddington heard light movements somewhere behind him but he didn't bother to turn his body around as Dembe approached him. He was slightly irked that his faithful bodyguard had failed to give him the much needed time alone with Lizzie but at the same time he didn't blame the man. Dembe had done so much for him over the years. The younger man hadn't been there when Lizzie had attacked him with a pen all those months ago but Reddingotn had been forced to tell him about it after he witnessed him give a small, involuntary flinch when the Agent walked past him with one in her hand after an argument. Since hearing the story, Reddington had noticed how reluctant Dembe had been when it came to leaving the two alone in a room, and he couldn't help but smile at the thought. Dembe was one of barely a handful of people who knew the truth about Reddingtons connection to Elizabeth, having helped him protect her a fair few times. He had once told Reddington, when asked, that as much as he didn't agree with some of the things the Concierge of Crime did, he had to admit that keeping Elizabeth in the dark was the best possible thing for her.

"Raymond, I am sorry for what went on here tonight."

Reddington finally turned to face Dembe. He studied the face of the man who was probably one of his only true friends. Dembe's face was one of pure sympathy and Reddington smiled sadly back at him.

"My dear man, there is nothing that you have to be sorry for. No, everything that has happened here has been my fault, and mine alone. I'm afraid I have pushed Lizzie too far tonight, and that is something I must deal with." Dembe continued to stare at Reddingotn as he spoke. "I will need someone to watch her, will you make the necessary arrangements with one of our most trusted associates? Offer double the usual price and I will require regular updates. Be sure to tell him I require his services immediately, and if he is not available, move to the next. Whoever takes the job will need to find her so I suggest tracking her cell as she most likely will not have returned to her home. There is a strong possibility that she will have gone to someone whom she trusts. Dembe, be sure to make my instructions clear. I will not tolerate slip-ups."

Dembe stared at the fire in Reddingtons eyes before leaving him standing alone in the room, pulling his phone out as he did so. Reddington waited until the soft click of the door closing sounded before he walked over and grabbed his long forgotten tumbler of whiskey. He stared longingly in to the still blazing fire, thinking about Lizzie. He wished he could have Dembe watch out for her, but he needed the man's services for himself, but he trusted Dembe's thoughts on a suitable candidate. He wasn't willing to guess how long it would take Lizzie to start talking to him again but he was certain that she would. He knew there was a high chance that she would never actually forgive him for what he had done but he hoped that in time she would come to understand.

Glancing at the large clock hanging from the wall opposite, he wondered what was taking Dembe so long. In his mind, the phone call should have taken a few minutes at most but Dembe had been gone almost ten. Reddington needed to make sure Lizzie was safe, and the longer he didn't know where she was, the more danger she would be in. He silently decided to wait another five minutes and if Dembe still hadn't reappeared, he would take over.

He kept his eyes fastened on the clock, slowly slipping his whiskey as he waited. It wasn't until there was barely a minute left of the five that Dembe came walking back in to the room.

"Well?"

Dembe stayed by the door, knowing he would be dismissed after giving Reddington the information he needed. "Salvador is tracking Agent Keen as we speak."

Reddington raised an eyebrow. "You went with Salvador?"

"I called both the German and the Englishman, neither were willing to work with you again, Raymond."

Reddington was slightly amused at the revelation. "Really, well that is a shame. I suppose Roger still holds me responsible for him losing his job at MI6." Dembe nodded. "Now that is something I will have to rectify at a later date. For now, I think it's best you turn in, there's nothing left for you to do tonight. Leave the phone."

Dembe walked over and placed the phone on the small table next to where Reddington was now sitting, then left the room. Reddingotn wasn't sure how long he had sat nursing the remainder of his drink, but it seemed like hours before the phone started ringing next to him. He studied the caller ID for a brief moment before answering the phone.

"Salvador, what do you have for me?"

"Straight to the point as always, Reddington. I do not get a hello no?" The man's Italian accent had faded somewhat since they had last spoken, nevertheless, his arrogant tone remained firm.

"My apologies. Hello Salvador. Now, what do you have for me?"

The man chuckled on the other end of the line. "I tracked you girl to her home. Dembe, as organised as always, gave me a list of possible addresses. She left her home with a large duffle bag, packed it in her car and drove to an apartment building which I believe houses one Donald Ressler. She went in ten minutes ago - without the bag - and has yet to reemerge. Would you like me to update you on her movements by text or do you wish to actually talk to me?"

"If her movements signal danger then call, otherwise a text will suffice. Until then, I bid you good night."

Reddingotn ended the phone call feeling ever so slightly relieved that Lizzie had sought comfort in Agent Ressler. He had observed their budding partnership ever since Donald had taken care of her after ordeal with 'The Stewmaker'. They had had their moments but at the end of the day, like true partners, they had each others backs. On top of that, Reddington had noticed how increasingly watchful Donald had become of Lizzie as her problems with Tom became more prominent. Oh, he was sure Donald didn't know exactly what was going on, but like the good agent he was, he knew there was something. He doubted that Lizzie would leave Resslers residence tonight, more for the fact that he knew Donald would convince her to stay if she was upset. Reddington replaced his tumbler on the small table and headed to the bathroom, phone in hand, with the intention of getting ready for bed.

It wasn't long before he was settled in his king size bed, kitted out in silk pajamas and plumped up by an army of pillows. Sleep would not come easy for him tonight, but at least he would be comfortable.

Hey! I apologise for this chapter being really short; it's more of a filler. I'll be switching back and forth between following Liz and then following Red but this will mainly be a Liz focused fic. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! Please review, would really like to know how you guys are feeling about this!