Lizzie and Don sat awkwardly on opposite ends of her couch. They'd been sitting there in silence since they had arrived 10 minutes ago. Lizzie didn't know where to start with this conversation and didn't think she was the one who should have to start it anyway.
Lizzie looked up from her lap at the sound of Don's awkward cough. "So uh… where's Sammy?" He asked gruffly.
"He's upstairs playing with Dad and Dembe in his room." Lizzie replied softly.
Don nodded slowly, his eyes cutting over to her before darting around the room. "Can I see him?" He asked hesitantly.
"No." Lizzie replied shortly, her lips pursing in almost sympathy at the pained look marring Don's face at her refusal.
"Liz – "
"No, Don. I'm not letting you see him until we clear the air." Lizzie said sharply before turning her body to face him. "How could you say such things, Don?" Lizzie questioned heatedly.
Don looked away, his cheeks reddening with shame. "Liz I – "
"If that's how you truly feel, then you're never going to see Sammy." Lizzie interrupted him, then sighed as Don closed his eyes against the hurt, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry Don, but I am not going to have a relationship with a man who only views my family as a bunch of criminals and assets." Lizzie explained, her voice strong with conviction though it tore her up inside.
Don scruffed his hair with his fingers, shaking his head furiously. "No! I don't, I swear." He stated passionately. "Liz, I love you. I love Sammy. I was just… I was so afraid of losing you and I lashed out – "
"Why the hell would you lash out at the exact person you were afraid of losing?" Lizzie asked, incredulous.
"Because I was scared!" Don shouted. Lizzie stiffened in her seat but remained silent as Don seemed to struggle with what he needed to say.
Don sighed, his eyes closing as his head dropped down until his chin met his chest. "I was so afraid of losing you and all I could think was 'not again. Please not again.' I can't…I couldn't bear to lose the woman I love. Not again." Don sniffed and it sounded suspiciously more like a sniffle. "And I guess… a part of me thought it'd be easier to cut ties. Maybe if I hurt you, you wouldn't want to be with me and …and it'd be easier if next time – " Don choked, his face crumbling and he was unable to continue.
Lizzie looked away, her eyes misting over with hurt. "Well it seems like you succeeded." She murmured. She could almost understand him lashing out in fear, but to consciously try to hurt her? It felt like a knife was flaying her chest wide open.
Don's head whipped up to look at her in horror. "Don't say that, Liz. Please don't say that." He begged. "I regretted it the moment the words came out. I don't… I don't know what I'd do without you and Sammy. I love you. I'm so sorry for what I said. Please. I'm sorry!" Don pleaded, inching closer to her on the couch, desperate to touch her but afraid of being rebuffed.
"Don, you hurt me. You hurt me and disrespected my family. On purpose. How can I forgive that?" Lizzie's voice warbled as she spoke.
"Because I love you. I love Sammy. And you love me." Don swallowed. "I know you do."
Lizzie stared at Don for a moment before shaking her head slowly, tears leaving tracks down her cheeks. "That's not enough." She whispered brokenly.
Devastation slammed across Don's face as the tears he'd been holding at bay finally fell. "Liz, don't say that." He whispered brokenly. "Please, I'll do anything."
Lizzie wiped at the tears on her cheeks angrily. "Will you really? When the day comes, will you go on the run with me and my family? Will you become a fugitive and do what it takes to protect our family, no matter what?"
Don grasped onto the way she'd said our family. "Yes. Of course I will." He promised earnestly. "Liz, the moment I agreed to continue with the task force, go rogue, I knew what I was getting into." Don shook his head. "And then when we got together…I was already so in love with you. You were my best friend but I wanted more and I knew what that meant." He stated hotly. Unable to stand it any longer, he reached forward and grasped her hand in his. She didn't pull away.
"Liz, it was a defense mechanism." Don quickly held up his hand when Lizzie opened her mouth to speak. "I'm not saying that excuses what I said. It doesn't and you don't know how sorry I am for hurting you. If I could take it back, I would. But I can't." Don took a deep breath and held Lizzie's gaze. "But I swear I will do everything I can to make it up to you, please just give me a chance."
Lizzie's lips pursed as she stared at Don, her eyes darting across his face as she tried to read his sincerity.
"I now what it's like to live without you, Liz. And I never want to do that again. Please."
Lizzie continued to gaze at Don, biting her bottom lip as Don squirmed anxiously in his seat. Finally, her head began to move slowly in a hesitant nod.
Don immediately perked up, his eyes alight as a smile spread across his face. "Yea?" He asked, hope brightening his tone.
"Yea." She murmured, giving him a small smile.
Don lunged forward, pressing his lips to hers. In his excitement, the kiss lacked finesse but he made up for it with passion and Lizzie hesitantly parted her lips, allowing him entry. At the first hesitant swipe of tongues, there was a small moan and neither could tell who it originated from, neither cared.
God I've missed this. Lizzie thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around Don's neck, pulling him closer until he was draped over her, bearing his weight on his arms.
A gruff cough from the hallway had them jumping apart like two guilty teenagers. They both turned their heads, their cheeks aflame at the sight of Red bouncing a giggling Sammy on his hip.
"Well I assume from that display that all is well." Red stated as he walked closer. "I believe I am going to go back to my safe house and wash my eyes out with soap." He muttered, carefully handing Sammy over to Don before turning around quickly and hastily grabbing his things before exiting the house.
Lizzie's amusement at her dad's discomfiture was cut short when she looked to Don. He sat on the couch, reverently holding Sammy close to his chest, his hand gently petting the hair on the back of the baby's head as he brought their foreheads together, his eyes closed. Sammy uncharacteristically seemed to sense the gravity of the moment and stayed still, bringing a little chubby hand to Don's cheek and patted it gently, babbling softly.
Lizzie's heart clenched guiltily at the sight of Don's obvious relief and love for Sammy.
"I'm never letting you go." Don whispered, kissing Sammy's forehead before turning to look at Liz, reaching out a hand to grasp hers once more. "Either of you."
/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie walked up the sidewalk to the place her dad told her to meet him and saw Samar leaning against a car. As she drew even with her, Samar pushed herself off the car and walked in step with Liz.
"So, what exactly did Reddington say?"
"Uh, it was Dembe." Lizzie corrected. "He said Red had another case but he specifically asked that you come along."
"Does that bother you?" Samar questioned hesitantly.
Lizzie's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would it?"
"I thought he only spoke to you." Samar shrugged. "Don't want to step on your toes."
Lizzie smiled reassuringly over at Samar. "I'm fine. My toes are fine." She stated light heartedly as she opened the door to the record shop.
Lizzie immediately spotted Red where he stood at the back of the store, perusing the records. The man's head popped up at the sound of the bell as they entered and his face broke into a wide grin. "Ah, ladies, thank God you showed up. I took a left turn in the Rostropovich. I've ended up completely lost in the Chico Hamilton." Red shook his head and gave a self-depreciating smile. "This is an addiction."
Red walked over towards Samar and leaned towards her. "I just can't decide between – Please pour some cold water on me, will you?"
Lizzie rolled her eyes at her dad's antics. She really hated when he flirted with Samar. The woman was around the same age as her, for Christ's sake. "Why did you want both of us here?"
Red glanced between both Lizzie and Samar, his eyes wide as if he just realized that there were two of them. "Both, you're right. Thank you. Great idea." Red turned to set down the records in his hands before turning back to face the two women. "Anyway, funny story – stop me if you've heard it. Persian man walks into a bar, meets a beautiful woman, has a few drinks. Next thing you know, he's falling from a 12-story balcony."
Lizzie looked at her dad, confused, then over at Samar whose back had gone ramrod straight as she stared at her dad unblinkingly. "I don't get it." Lizzie said hesitantly, glancing back at her dad.
"I imagine Agent Navabi does." Red stated solemnly.
"You're referring to Kian Nouri, the Iranian businessman who committed suicide in Dubai." Samar stated stoically.
Red smiled pleasantly at the woman. "I am, except he wasn't a mere businessman. He was one of Iran's top nuclear scientists in Dubai to supervise purchase of several borehole gamma something-or-others. And he didn't commit suicide. He was assassinated in a joint C.I.A./Mossad venture to undermine Iran's nuclear program, but, then, you know this already." Red turned his unflinching gaze away from Samar and over to Lizzie. "My understanding is, she took a little detour to Dubai for a rendezvous with Mr. Nouri so she could toss him off a building."
Lizzie's eyes widened in shock as she listened to her dad speak. Once he'd finished, she turned towards Samar. "You killed him?"
"If you're asking me to comment on a Mossad operation, you know I can't do that."
Red chuckled breathily. "I wasn't asking. But I'm hardly one to judge. George Orwell wrote, 'Those who abjure violence can do so only because others are committing violence on their behalf.' What a visionary, but, Good Lord, his books are a downer." Red stood for a moment, shaking his head with a far off look in his eye before shaking his head as if to clear it. "In any case, the bad news is, I was sharing a bowl of shisha with a Misiri minister, and they plan to retaliate. You kill their top scientist, they intend to kill yours, and they've dispatched a man known as 'The Scimitar' to do it."
Lizzie perked up as it finally seemed as this conversation was winding around to another name on the list. "The Scimitar?"
Red's head bobbed in acknowledgement. "This is not your average killer, Agent Keen. He's one part hit man, two parts con man."
"I'm familiar with his work." Samar said softly.
"In 2009, his target was a Sunni tribal leader named Majeed Abd Bawi. The Scimitar gained access by joining his militia." Red let out a bark of a laugh that echoed through the quiet store. "Oh, that's right! Fought for the man for seven months until the day he got close enough to aerate Bawi's carotid with a fork. He's dedicated, resilient, cunning, responsible for the murder of dozens of high-value targets, and, according to my sources, he's already on U.S. soil."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie was heading over to Cooper's office to drop off some files when she was suddenly grabbed by the waist and pulled into an alcove. She only had time to let out a small squeak before lips descended upon hers. Lizzie smiled against said lips as she realized they were very familiar lips.
Remembering where they were, however, Lizzie pulled away with a chuckle before the kiss could deepen. "What was that for?" Lizzie asked lightly.
Don shrugged, a small grin on his face as he ducked his head, scuffing his shoe against the floor. "I don't know." He coughed awkwardly. "Just cause I can, I guess."
Lizzie's eyes softened and she leaned forward to give him a quick peck on the lips. "You're adorably romantic sometimes." She murmured against his lips before she pulled away. "Now, as much as I enjoyed this prelude to our evening – " Lizzie paused with a salacious grin. "I've got to go hand these to Cooper before someone finds us in a compromising position." Lizzie joked, waving the files in front of her.
Don chuckled and they both moved out into the main hallway. Turning to leave, Lizzie walked a few feet before spinning back around. "Hey!" She said just loud enough to get his attention as he walked away, causing him to turn on his heel to look back at her. "Could you pick Sammy up after work? Red said he needs me to do something for him."
A giant grin crossed Don's face. "Yea, that's fine. Could do with some bonding time with the little man."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie slid into the back seat of her dad's car of the week. "So what's up?" She greeted.
"Hi Dad, how are you? Did you have a nice day?'" Red muttered in mock exasperation. "I did, Sweetheart, thanks for asking."
Lizzie laughed but leaned over to give her dad a quick hug which was quickly returned. "Sorry Dad…" She said unrepentantly. "Hi, how are you? Did you have a nice day?" She asked teasingly.
Red looked over at her flatly, his lips pursed. "The moment's gone now." He sniffed.
Lizzie laughed as Red cracked a smile. After a moment, Red seemed to start, his face turning solemn. "I need you to run a little errand for me. I got news of a source – someone who may know where Berlin is."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie got out of the Mercedes she'd borrowed from her Dad, leaving it running as she walked down the alley where she was meeting the possible informant.
"Sevan Volkov!" She greeted as she came closer. "Thank you for meeting with me."
Volkov leaned against the trunk of his car and rolled his eyes. "And what choice did I have?"
Lizzie ignored him and got straight to business as she took a step closer to get directly in front of him. "Berlin. I know you supply him with arms shipments."
Volkov's eyes narrowed. "And how do you know this?"
"Tell me where to find him." Lizzie demanded.
Volkov scoffed, shaking his head. "If you know anything about Berlin, you know I can't do that."
"Thought you might say that, which is why I nominated you for our 'Most Wanted' list. C.I.D. has approved it. We're just waiting for the Director's signature." Lizzie smirked at the slight widening of his eyes before Volkov's tough guy image steeled across his face once more.
"Eh, if you're gonna arrest me, arrest me." He stated, putting his arms out in front of him, his wrists touching as if preparing to be cuffed.
Lizzie chuckled darkly. "So you can sit silent in a cell with an expensive attorney? Mm, I'd rather leave you out there, let the world know we're looking for you. Once news of this hits the streets, Berlin will know the U.S. government is spending limitless resources and time looking for you a man who has intimate details about him and his business affairs." Lizzie smirked at the man. "You have two options either you lead me to Berlin or I lead Berlin to you."
/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie and Samar both walked over to Aram's desk the next day. "What's going on?" Samar questioned.
Aram smiled up at them before looking back down at his desk and began fiddling with what looked like a camera with its plastic casing taken off. "D.O.D. discovered a hidden surveillance camera at their Annapolis field office during a routine sweep."
Lizzie raised a brow. "How is that relevant to us?"
"Technology was Iranian." Aram answered simply.
Lizzie and Samar traded an interested look. "What were they recording?" Samar asked.
"Okay, uh, the camera was placed outside the building with eyes to the front entrance. It was relaying a live stream to some off-site location. If I reactivate it, I should be able to triangulate the location where the feed's being transmitted." Aram placed his hands on his keyboard before pausing. "Um. Oh, man. I almost forgot." Aram reached out and hastily grabbed a post-it note and placed it over the camera's aperture. "In case someone's watching on the other end." Aram turned back to his keyboard and his fingers began their techy dance as he whistled happily. "Okay. Camera is live. Okay, RDF is up. Signal strength looks good. Oh, accounting for time lag." Aram paused as the computer let out a small beeping alert. "And we have a lock. It's a property just outside New Carrollton, and it looks like it's a construction site."
/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie and Ressler waited as a few agents stormed the construction site's temporary office. Once they gave the all clear, Liz and Ressler walked in.
"Lock it down." Ressler ordered. "I want eyes on all access points." Ressler looked around them at the empty space. "So, where the hell is everyone?"
"No idea." Lizzie murmured as she walked over towards the lone desk and picked up a small folder, grasping the photo which was clipped to the front of it and turned to face Don, showing him what she'd found. "But could this be the man they were surveilling? Jonathan Reese."
Ressler walked over and read over her shoulder as Lizzie opened the folder. "Agent Jonathan Everett Reese, Defense Security Services."
"They've got everything on this guy – addresses, phone numbers, employment history. DSS is the division tasked with protecting our nuclear scientists. They're logging his movements. Probably trying to find the most vulnerable point of attack."
Ressler set his index finger on a page so that she couldn't thumb past it. When Lizzie paused, she noticed that it was a crudely drawn map. "It's the DSS shuttle stop. He takes the train back from Annapolis every afternoon. He'll be at the park-n-ride off Route 50. We got to get there before they do."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie and Ressler swerved into the parking lot, the SUV's sirens blaring. At the sight of Jonathan Reese walking to his car, they pulled up and Ress slammed on the breaks.
"Jonathan Reese FBI!" Lizzie yelled as she and Ressler quickly jumped out of the SUV. She flashed her badge as they walked closer.
Reese looked between the two, appearing flummoxed. "What's this about?"
"We need to move quickly." Ressler's tone brooked no argument. "I'll explain in the car." Ressler stated, placing his hand on the other man's back, guiding him towards the SUV. As they drew closer, the sudden sound of rapid gunfire had everyone ducking. Lizzie ducked around the hood of the SUV as Ressler and Reese ducked to the other side of Reese's car. Lizzie and Ressler began returning fire in the general direction of where the shots were coming from.
"Shooter's on the ridge! I don't have eyes!" Ressler yelled over the mayhem and pushed Reese forward, directing him back towards the SUV while still keeping low. Once they'd all piled into the SUV, Ressler peeled out with a screech of tires. They sped out of the parking lot, gunshots following after them.
"I got threat assessments this morning of a possible Iranian Misiri action." Reese stated, looking around them in panic. "They want the names and locations of cloud top personnel. You need to notify your people, activate all security protocols."
Liz took out her phone to do just that but was distracted by the sound of a motorcycle engine revving. Craning her neck towards the right back side of their vehicle, she glimpsed two men in all black atop a motorcycle right beside them just before they opened. Everyone in the car ducked under the barrage of bullets and broken glass.
Swerving to avoid the gunshots but unable to see where he was going clearly as he ducked, Ressler ran over a middle median, losing control of the SUV.
/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie woke up with a groan, turning to her side, she quickly hissed in pain and looked down to where the pain had originated from. Her eyes widened at the sight of her arm in a cast. Looking around, Lizzie quickly realized she was in a hospital. Sitting up gingerly, wincing in pain, Lizzie frantically looked around the room, her shoulders slumped in relief the moment she sighted Don. However, at the sight of his bandaged head, she bit her lip in worry and tossed her legs over the side of the bed.
"Take it easy, Agent Keen." A voice murmured from behind her and a doctor quickly came into view and placed his hand on her shoulder to keep her from standing. "You're at Bethesda. I'm Dr. Rivera. You and your partner were in an accident."
"Is he okay?" Lizzie asked worriedly, trying to shake the fugue in her head away with no success.
"Agent Ressler suffered significant head trauma in the crash. He's had a C.T. scan. Radiology will take him for an M.R.I. shortly."
Lizzie's brow furrowed in concern as she nodded in understanding. She then looked down at her arm and then back at the doctor in clear question.
"Fractured in three places. We set it for now, but to be honest, you may need surgery to restore full mobility."
Lizzie pursed her lips but stamped down on any annoyance or worry. It wouldn't do her any good now. "John Reese. The man who was in the car with us." She muttered, annoyed and frustrated that her brain seemed so slow for some reason.
The doctor looked at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry? Nobody else was transported from the scene."
Lizzie shook her head, everything coming quickly into focus as her adrenaline began to surge. "No, no, no, no, but he was in the car."
The doctor shook his head. "I'm the attending on duty. No one else was brought in."
Lizzie sighed heavily. "I need a phone." With a groan, Lizzie leaned over, swinging her legs out once more. "Listen –"
"Easy." The doctor placated as he gently guided her to lay back down.
" – That crash was no accident." Lizzie uttered as she allowed the doctor to push her back into a laying position.
The doctor stared at Lizzie in contemplation for a moment before nodding his head. "Understood. I'll have one brought in right away."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps. She'd been dozing lightly, keeping an ear out for any noise from Don, but so far he'd shown no signs of waking. Turning her head, Lizzie caught sight of the doctor.
"Here you go." The man murmured as he handed her a phone, leaning over the table by her bedside to plug it into the jack for her.
"Thank you." Lizzie murmured, grasping onto the man's hand and squeezing gently to express her gratitude. The doctor smiled awkwardly and nodded his head in acceptance before making a hasty retreat out of the room.
Lizzie took deep breaths, trying to clear the continuous fog once more before dialing her boss's number.
"Assistant Director Cooper." He answered.
"It's me." Lizzie murmured.
"Agent Keen." Lizzie smiled softly at the clear relief in his voice. "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, but, uh Ressler he's hurt." Lizzie's brain skirted over this fact clinically, not able to deal with it at the moment. "The Iranians have John Reese. I heard some men's voices before I passed out. They were speaking Farsi. Someone needs to find Professor Collins. The D.O.D. needs to cancel that speech and put her in protective custody now." Her dark tone conveyed the obvious seriousness of the matter.
"I've already alerted the D.O.D. I'm heading to the event site myself to make sure she's on lockdown. Agent Keen, the Neurology team at Bethesda's one of the best. They'll take good care of Ressler. Agent Navabi's on her way to you. Get some rest."
Lizzie hung up and put the old corded phone back on the receiver. Lizzie's brow furrowed as she felt something oily on her fingers. Bringing her hand up closer to her face, her confusion growing as she looked at the substance. She could swear it was… make up.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
"How's everything in here?"
Lizzie turned over onto her back at the sound of the nurse's voice. "Okay." She said despondently.
Noticing her mood, the nurse raised a brow. "You're doing okay, hon?"
"Yeah." Lizzie said on a sigh. "What happened to Radiology? They were gonna take him for another scan."
The nurse gave her a placating smile. "Oh, well, I'm sure someone will be down soon. He's your partner, isn't he?" At Lizzie's nod, the nurse patted her on the knee. "I understand. I'll call them right now."
The moment the nurse left the room, Lizzie sprang up out of her bed and headed over towards Ressler's bed. Something was wrong. There was something not quite right with this hospital. For one, it was too damn quiet. Lizzie quickly grabbed Ressler chart and flipped through it, her eyes widening as, other than the first couple pages, it was filled with blank pages.
Lizzie's head snapped up at the sound of foot steps. She quickly put Ressler's fake chart back on the table and walked over to Ress, tapping him on the cheek as she hung over him, feigning as if she could barely stand.
"Ma'am, A-Agent Keen, you can't be up." The nurse said from behind her and Lizzie clumsily turned around to face her.
"No we need to get the radiologist now!" She argued groggily.
"Oh, o-okay." The nurse hesitated before walking over. "Okay, you're fine. You're all right. Oh, I'm sorry." Once Lizzie cottoned on to what the woman was attempting, she allowed her to put her arm around her waist and Lizzie placed her own around the other woman, allowing all of her weight to lean against the nurse as she stumbled back to her bed. "We need to get Radiology in. Let's get you back in bed. You're fine."
"Okay." Lizzie muttered before turning around, as if attempting to go back to Ressler and ended up bumping into the nurse. "Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry." Lizzie apologized profusely as she held onto the woman, her hand slipping into the woman's pocket.
"It's all right." The nurse uttered as she got Lizzie to her bed. "You just relax."
Lizzie poured into the hospital bed, covering her body with the blankets. "We need to get Radiology." She mumbled.
"Okay, take it easy. Take it easy." The nurse soothed.
"Thank you." Lizzie murmured, closing her eyes tiredly.
/\/\/\/\/\
Red sat on the back of the coffee truck, a small platter laid out between he and Zoë.
Looking down at the platter as he spread a bit of paste onto a cracker and handed it to her, Zoë let out a large sigh. "I never eat anchovies unless I don't know I'm eating them." Red chuckled along with her. "But I have to say, this is pretty delicious."
Red shook his head with a small smile. "Anchovies get a bad rap." He murmured as he poured a bit of wine into a plastic cup. "Try the wine." He offered as he handed her the cup.
Zoë took a sip, allowing it to settle on her tongue a moment before swallowing. "It would be better with beer." She declared.
Red laughed heartily. "It might very well be better with beer."
"Mm. Do you have kids, Kenneth?"
Red's eye began to twitch and he looked away, into the middle distance. "I do, two daughters."
Zoë nodded quietly. Red could feel her gauging stare on his face as she tried to figure out how far she could take this line of questioning. "Are you close?"
Red chuckled darkly as he wiped his hands with a napkin. "It's complicated."
Zoë raised a brow. "They don't like anchovies?" She teased drily.
Red let out a breath of a laugh and looked down at his lap. "You know, I don't know about that." He stated with a small sniff. "I wish it were that simple."
Zoë nodded and this time it was her turn to look away. "My father – he and I – My father did things I hated him for. Things that were unforgivable." Zoë bit her lip, sniffling.
"Have you told him?" Red asked quietly.
"I haven't seen my father in a long…long time."
Zoë took a deep breath and blinked heavily, swaying in her seat. She looked to Red, her eyes growing in horror as she realized something wasn't quite right. "What have you done?"
Red moved towards her and was easily able to pull her towards him to have her lean against him. "It's okay." She attempted to shove away from him but was clearly too weak. "It's okay."
Zoë breathed deeply, whimpering.
"I'm not gonna hurt you." Red murmured with a wince, his face twisting with guilt.
Zoë continued to gasp and whimper as she fought the drowsiness. A black BMW quickly pulled up along side the coffee truck and Red stood, leaning Zoë against his side and fumbling with her towards the car until Dembe came around the vehicle to assist.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie sat up in her hospital bed, the heavy duty scissors she'd stolen from the nurse's pocket in her hand. Lifting the arm which was in a cast up to inspect it, Lizzie's brow furrowed in concentration. She began to wiggle her fingers and, realizing that it didn't hurt to do so, she paused before quickly beginning to cut through the poorly done cast with the scissors. With plenty of tugging and a few grunts of effort, the cast was finally off her arm. Lizzie wiggled her hand a bit and began to twist her arm to check to see if anything hurt and her eyes widened as they fell upon the sight of two pins in her arm. Grasping the head of one of the pins, she watched with morbid fascination as she pulled it out of the crook of her arm before quickly doing the same to the other. Twisting her arm once more, Lizzie realized that those pins had been the source of her previous pain.
At the sound of foot steps approaching once more, Lizzie quickly got back under the covers, stuffing the severed cast under the blankets and grasping the knife in her hand. She settled just as the door to the room opened once more.
"Good news." The nurse announced herself as she walked towards Lizzie.
"Hmm?" Lizzie hummed with fake grogginess.
"Radiology called. They'll be down for your partner in the next 20 minutes."
"Oh, that's great. Thank you. What's that?" Lizzie questioned, pointing to the syringe in the nurse's hands.
The nurse's lips turned upward in a smile as she flicked the syringe, removing any bubbles. "It's just a little something so that arm of yours doesn't get infected."
Lizzie sprang up, crouching on her knees and quickly overpowered the older woman. Wrestling the syringe out of her hand, Lizzie turned the woman so that her back was to her chest and held the syringe to the woman's neck. "You tell me what's in the syringe – " Lizzie grunted and brought the needle closer to the nurse's neck as the woman elbowed her in the stomach." – or I will stick it in you and find out for myself."
"It's a sedative." The nurse gasped, her hands coming up to grapple at the arm that Lizzie had wrapped around her throat. "Please don't."
"What's in his I.V.?" Lizzie grunted as she held the squirming nurse in place, nodding towards Ressler to indicate what she was referring to.
"Same thing."
"Okay, who are you? Where is this hospital?"
"Doctor!" The nurse suddenly called out and quickly let out a gasp as Lizzie stuck the needle into her neck.
Once the woman was completely out, Lizzie carelessly let her flump backward onto her bed and sprang up, running over to Ressler's bed. She quickly removed the IV from his arm and then bent over him, patting his cheek. "Ressler?" She whispered urgently, trying to get him to stir. "Don? Don! Can you hear me? Come on babe, we got to get the hell out of here!"
/\/\/\/\/\
"It is Agent Navabi." Dembe said softly as he passed the cell phone behind him, to Red in the back seat.
"Yes Agent Navabi?" Red greeted jovially.
"We need to meet."
/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie drew her jeans up her legs and with a hop and shimmy, pulled them up her thighs to button them, wincing in sympathy as Don grunted in pain as he dressed. She may have gotten off easily but he'd clearly been roughed up in the accident.
Both Lizzie and Don froze as foot steps and the sound of radio chatter drew closer and closer then passed their room and quickly receded.
"Come on." Lizzie said urgently. "We've got to go. Now."
/\/\/\/\/\
"It was a trap. John Reese never existed. They wanted Liz to call Cooper and give away Professor Collin's location. It's been over two hours. I don't need to tell you his reputation. Once he has the intelligence he needs –"
"Yes, I know, Agent Navabi." Red interrupted her shortly, not needing nor having any wish to hear exactly what the Scimitar would do to his daughter. "And we're sure that The Scimitar is after this astrophysicist – Professor Collins?" Red questioned.
"Yes. The D.O.D. had three lead scientists working on the new nuclear project. The other two were easily hidden Professor Collins, unfortunately, has made quite a name for herself as an astrophysicist." Samar sighed. "She has a lecture scheduled. They couldn't make her cancel without raising any flags."
"Tell me about this lead of yours."
Samar pursed her lips. "He's not my lead. His name is Ali Hassan. He's the target of a major Mossad initiative."
Red's brow raised in intrigue. "I have a slight but memorable acquaintance with Mr. Hassan."
"Mossad has been tracking his movements for months. My superiors believe he's the key to unraveling a dozen covert Iranian ops."
"But you think he knows where to find The Scimitar."
"Perhaps." Samar replied stoically.
"Mossad has no tolerance for any agenda except Mossad's. You'll be sanctioned for this indiscretion." Red murmured softly.
Samar took a deep breath before nodding sharply. "So be it. I can't work with this task force unless my partners are my highest priority. So this has become quite personal."
"I understand." Red said, a small sympathetic smile on his face. "But you may have an even more personal stake in this case – than perhaps you realize."
Samar looked to Red, her brow crinkled. "And why is that?"
"Because one of The Scimitar's little-known aliases is Walid Abu Sitta."
Samar stiffened in her seat. "Walid Abu Sitta is the man who ordered the bombing that killed my brother."
"Yes. That's why I brought this case to you."
/\/\/\/\/\
"Fareed, what's going on?!" A very portly Middle Eastern man with an excessive amount of body hair came running out into the back yard of the rather ostentatious mansion in nothing but a towel. He ducked as another golf ball wizzed past him, breaking another window. "Hey! What are you doing?" He shouted, running up to Red just as he teed off another ball.
"Hassan! I love this club!" Red said jovially, bringing the club up to his face as if to inspect it before quickly lowering it once more and wacking another ball towards the man.
"Son of a bitch!" Hassan hissed, ducking for cover.
"Carbon fiber?"
"Reddington, stop! – Ooh! – Stop!" Hassan put his hands out in front of him in supplication, his gun hanging loosely in his right hand as Red took another swing. Another golf ball through his dining room window. "Damn it! What have you done with my guard?!"
"Fareed is taking a rest." Red answered happily before sighing as the man stepped closer. "Keep your plum covered. We're not alone." Red indicated towards Hassan's towel which was slipping down his waist. Hassan quickly scrabbled to get a hold of his towel but his head snapped upward at the sound of a gun cocking directly next to his head.
"I'll take your weapon." Samar's tone clearly indicated an order and she put one hand out. Hassan sighed before placing his gun in her outstretched hand.
"I've always regretted sparing your life that night in the Strait Of Hormuz." Red stated as he sat in one of the Adirondack chairs. "But I see pity has its rewards. Live and learn. You've been very careless, Ali."
"My unit has been surveilling you for months, and the intelligence we've gathered has been very helpful – so helpful that I fully expect to be disciplined for coming here without authorization." Samar placed the muzzle of her gun directly against Hassan's temple. "Just by being here, I have everything and, therefore, nothing to lose."
"What do you want?" Hassan demanded.
"The Scimitar. My friend here thinks you may know where to find him. He would've needed support when he got to the States. I'm guessing that support came from you. I know what you must be thinking, Ali. Imagine your future, the rest of your life spent in a dismal Israeli prison, some dark hole they put you in, bending your fingers and pulling your toes until they forget you ever existed. Think carefully, Ali, because, as you are my witness, that future will seem very bright, indeed, if you don't tell us what we want to know." Red's voice became gruffer the more he spoke until it was a menacing growl.
Hassan sighed. "He did make contact. Asked to use one of my warehouses. Said he needed building supplies. For what, I don't know."
"Tell me about this warehouse."
/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie and Don quickly made their way down the hall and turned a corner. The moment they opened the door, they froze. They had just stepped out of a hospital and directly into a warehouse. Stepping forward hesitantly, they looked around themselves. The hospital hallway was apparently nothing more than large sheets of dry wall set up in the middle of a warehouse. Their hospital was basically a movie set.
Once they shook themselves out of their shocked stupor, they began trying to find a way out. Leaving the main room of the warehouse, they quickly made their way through the hallways, hiding behind pillars at the sight of any guards. It was one such time when they heard gun fire right behind them. They'd been hiding behind a pillar as a guard passed by when, with a single gun shot and a light thump, the man's arm came into view to their left.
Lizzie dared to peak around the corner of the pillar and smiled in relief at the sight that greeted her. Samar stood there, agents swarming around behind her as she pulled out her cell phone with a smirk.
"Reddington, I have them."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie hung up her phone. She stood with Ressler outside the hotel where Collins was supposed to give her presentation. "Collins is missing. Cooper thinks she's still on site."
Ressler frowned before turning to the crowd of people who'd been evacuated when the alarm had been raised about the possible threat. "Okay, listen up, folks! We have a situation here! We need everyone to move inside!"
"Now! Let's go! Please." Lizzie shouted as people continued to mill about.
"Move into the lobby!" Ressler shouted gruffly and that finally got people moving.
Lizzie lazily scanned the surrounding area for any stragglers. Her eyes skittered over the sight of a tanned man pushing a luggage carrier away, a single red suitcase placed onto it. "Sir?! Sir?" Lizzie paused when she got a look at one of the hands that was pushing the carrier. It had a tattoo of multiple Scimitars. "Sir, don't move!" Lizzie shouted, raising her gun. "Hands where I can see them! Slowly!"
The man did as she said, raising his hands and turning slowly. As he turned, Lizzie could see a wide grin on his face. "Hello, Agent Keen. I see you've made a spectacular recovery."
At that moment, with the screech of tires and pop of rapid gunfire, an SUV pulled up beside them and the Scimitar quickly hopped into the SUV. Lizzie immediately began shooting at the vehicle, popping a single tire and blowing out the rear window, but the SUV continued to drive away as the panicked crowd continued to scream.
/\/\/\/\/\
"We've suffered a setback. No, no, no, no, no. I'll need the full package – new credentials, a safe house, and $50,000 No. I'll need it within the hour."
The man who was speaking hastily into his phone stopped abruptly at the sight that greeted him when he walked into Ali Hassan's living room.
"All this running around." Red said cheerfully. "Really? I'm so relieved when the people I'm chasing come to me." Red smiled benignly from where he sat in an over stuffed chair, his gun pointed at the Scimitar with Dembe stood behind him, also aiming his weapon at the man.
/\/\/\/\/\
A door slammed in the distance and Red smiled as Samar walked into the living room.
"Agent Navabi, you got my message. We were just admiring the view."
Samar took a sharp breath at the sight that greeted her. The Scimitar was tied to a chair with duct tape over his mouth. "How did you know?"
"Mr. Hassan provided for our friend before, and most criminals return to the same trough time and time again. Indolence, I suppose. Personally, I make it a habit to avoid habits."
Samar hesitantly reached for her phone. "I can call it in."
"Yes, I suppose you can. The question is, do you want to?" Red questioned, his voice grave. "I offer him to you as a gift."
Samar's brow furrowed. "What am I supposed to do with him?"
Red shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you like. Nobody else knows he's here."
Dembe walked into the room, clutching a cell phone. "Agent Keen just called. Her source provided Berlin's location." He murmured.
Red smiled innocently over at Samar. "Forgive me. I have an appointment that can't be rescheduled. – Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He said as he heaved himself out of the chair and quickly left the building.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Lizzie walked into their office, closing the door behind her and leaned against Don's desk, beside his chair where he sat. "I thought for a second we might lose you back there." She said softly, revealing her fear.
Don smiled up at her. "Prospect of having to live without me must've been terrifying." He teased, trying to lighten the mood.
"It was." Lizzie said shortly.
Don froze for a moment before his shoulders slumped. He took her hand in his and drew her to him until she had no choice but to sit on his lap or fall over. "Hey, I'm fine. We're both fine."
Lizzie wrapped her arms around Don's shoulders and rested her cheek on Don's temple, nodding her head as she sniffled.
"Tonight, we're going to go home and cuddle with Sammy. And then when we put him to bed for the night, we're not going to sleep for at least two hours. Got me?" She murmured, a hint of a tease in her tone.
Don chuckled and kissed her neck. "Yea, I got you." He murmured gruffly.
/\/\/\/\/\
Cooper walked into their office without knocking. Thankfully, Liz and Don were at their own respective desks, filling out paper work. "I just got a call from MPD Harbor Patrol. They fished a man's body out of the Anacostia." Cooper stated. "Matches your description of The Scimitar. Get there." He ordered Lizzie.
"Yes, sir."
/\/\/\/\/\
"That's him. Shot point-blank to the head." Lizzie said softly as she stood on the small beach with Samar. "This was an execution. Who would have done this?"
Samar remained silent.
/\/\/\/\/\
Red climbed out of the back seat of his car as Dembe got out of the driver's side. He met Berlin's eyes as his men frisked him. Once they were finished, Red walked up to Berlin, knowing that Dembe would stay near the car.
"I know you were expecting Volkov, but as luck would have it, he sold you out to Agent Keen. It's surprising she came to me instead of the Bureau with the hope that I would kill you. I have other plans." Red stopped once he got within a couple feet of the man. "First, understand I didn't have to come here alone. In fact, I didn't have to come here at all. I could've sent" – " Red looked around at the number of men Berlin had. There were at least fifteen. " – seven men and put an end to this war."
Berlin scoffed. "Why didn't you?"
"Because this entire affair, every ounce of pain and suffering that all of us have endured has been the result of a tragic and, frankly, mysterious misunderstanding – one I intend to correct." Red shook his head woefully. "There's not much left I truly cherish in this world, but I swear on those few things I still hold dear, I did not kill your daughter." Red's voice grew impassioned as he spoke until he was almost shouting.
"Words, words." Berlin's gravelly voice mocked and Red wanted nothing more than to knock the psychotic bastard six ways from Sunday. "The greater the words, the larger the lie. My daughter is dead. But yours – my men tell me you've been spending a lot of time together. Maybe, when I've done to your daughter what you did to mine, we can finally be even."
Red's eye twitched as he took a step back, lifting his hand towards Dembe in an obvious signal. "I'm sorry." He stated as he heard the car door open and close. He waited a moment for the sound of foot steps to come closer before speaking once more. "Is this the daughter you're referring to? Because she's not my daughter. She's yours."
/\/\/\/\/\
Don walked into Lizzie's – well, unofficially their – bedroom, bare naked and cradling a crying Sammy against his chest. It was the middle of the night and Sammy was needing fed. He shushed and cooed at the baby as he climbed into bed, quickly and carefully handing the baby over to Liz.
He watched, mesmerized as the mother cradled her son and helped him latch on. It seemed as though they had just fallen asleep after a fantastic round of god-we-could-have-died-today sex – a category which occurred rather frequently for them, to be honest. Don was dead tired but he refused to fall asleep. Not when he had perfection right in front of him.
"God you're beautiful." He murmured before his brain could catch up to what he was saying. When it did, he felt his cheeks heat up and he quickly covered his discomfiture by crawling under the covers and settling back into the bed.
Lizzie merely let out a gorgeous tinkle of a laugh and smiled down at Don, watching his embarrassment recede quickly. She could see the clear love and adoration on his face as his eyes danced over the sight of her and Sammy in this intimate moment. And she just knew.
"I think you should adopt Sammy."
