5.

"Are you alright?"

Dembe looked around from the controls as he spoke, and the boy he'd seen grow into one of the best men he knew nodded. "I have our course set for New York."

"Perfect," Reddington sighed as he took a seat in the co-pilot's chair, eyes scanning the horizon. Things had not gone as planned. Tom should have stayed away. Lizzy had made her choice - the best one that she could in these circumstances, in his opinion, and the one that would keep her the safest - and Tom should have learned to accept that. But there he was in Salzburg, bringing the dangers back to Elizabeth's doorstep. It drove Reddington just about mad.

"I take it after today's events that you haven't spoken to Bill's people yet?" he asked, slouching a little and huffing. He wouldn't let Lizzy's ex husband see how frustrated the younger man made him, but he was certainly distracted in the back. Reddington just hoped he had enough sense not to let her fall asleep just yet.

"They refuse to speak. All the rumours indicate that the Cabal has very dangerous leverage against them."

"There has to be a weak point. Tom-" Reddington's lips twitched down at the name - "indicated that this Masterson can't be bought off directly. We know that Bill can. We just have to find the price to bring him into our corner."

"Will Tom be staying?"

Reddington's frown deepened. "He's a liability," he grumbled. "We don't have room for liabilities right now."

Dembe lifted an eyebrow and he didn't have to speak for Red to know what he was thinking. He was fond of Tom. The two had backgrounds that included manipulated childhoods that stole any level of innocence that they might have otherwise found. Dembe had little patience for Bill McCready and the way he often recruited some of his top operatives. The fact that Tom had come back for Elizabeth and had continued to fight for her since had only endeared him more to Reddington's most trusted friend.

"I did not expect to see her smile quite so readily when I met you at the cafe," Dembe said. "She seemed to have forgotten how the last time I saw her. Perhaps he is what she needs."

"She doesn't need him."

Dembe chuckled to himself and Red knew he'd already lost the argument. If he could keep his emotions out of it, Tom could prove useful in this. He already had, truth be told, and as much as he was loath to admit it, he couldn't question his love for Elizabeth any more than her for him. They were drawn together in a way that might turn dangerous should Red try to separate them at this juncture.

"Fine," he groused sulkily. "Tom stays. Let's find Bill's price. I don't want to rely on Keen to kill Masterson."

Dembe nodded and Reddington settled in for a very long flight. The people closest to him seemed to trust and respect this former operative, but Red only saw the betrayal of an operative that couldn't keep his emotions in check. He could only hoped that it wouldn't be a continuing issue. If it was, he could likely get them all killed.

"I did speak to Agent Navabi," Dembe said after a stretch of silence, catching Reddington's attention.

"We haven't heard from her in some time."

"The Cabal has reached deeply into the task force. Agent Ressler has been pressured to bring you and Elizabeth in."

"Nothing new there."

"Agent Navabi was wishing to meet with you."

Red nodded, humming softly to himself. "We'll need an updated report on who we can trust. Set the meet. We may also need Agent Mojtabai, though that will need to be done quietly. Have you heard from Harold?"

"He is under too much surveillance to contact currently."

"We'll fix that. I think it's time to set everything straight, Dembe. Lizzy can't run forever."

"Has she found the fight she had lost then?"

Reddington heard the insinuation and he rolled his eyes. Tom Keen was not the reason Lizzy fought. She had been strong and determined long before him and could certainly be without him, but perhaps he had been a reminder. A kickstart to what she already knew. Whatever the case, Red supposed he was stuck with him.

There had been a day when Donald Ressler's job had been something he lived for. He did good work. He saved lives. He put bad people away. He had always intended to climb the ladder eventually and, he had thought, continue that good work.

Now he was the head of the task force he had grown to love so much and he felt like he was chest deep in the muck that he fought so hard to beat. His partner was on their most wanted list and might or might not have been manipulated into doing what Cooper admitted she did because of a shadow agency that had their claws sunk so deeply into the FBI that he didn't know who to trust and who might rip his team apart to keep them in line. He had been assigned as the lead on the hunt for Liz and Reddington and he could feel the constant conflict weighing on him with each passing day. She had shot the AG in cold blood. Part of the Cabal or not, the man hadn't been armed. She could have brought him in and had chosen not to.

The knock at his office door startled him out of his thoughts and he looked up, finding Samar lingering there. It was late and she should have been gone by then. Most everyone should have been. "Hey, Aram and I are going for a drink. You look like you need one."

Ressler pulled in a deep breath, looking at the piles of paperwork still on his desk. He was sorting through evidence again, making sure that he'd covered everything he could. While he couldn't be sure exactly what he'd do when he found her, he did know that their task force needed to be the one to find Liz, not anyone else. He could trust Samar and Aram, if no one else that surrounded them. "I'm still looking through-"

"You were here before anyone else and you, Aram, and I are the last ones to leave save the security detail." She tilted her head a little to the side, studying him. "We want to find her too."

If she were trying to relay some secret message - and it seemed that he and his team never spoke plainly anymore - he was too tired to catch it. He looked back down at the photos and the bare leads and frowned. "Alright," he breathed out finally and piled them back into their folders as he purposefully ignored Samar's victorious smirk.

He finished his quick clean up and grabbed his jacket, following her out. Aram was waiting and he nodded briefly to the security that had come into play when Liz had gone on the run. Their lives had all been turned upside down and he had no question that they were being watched for any signs that they were helping her. The security never really acknowledged them and Aram looked ready to have a nervous breakdown before the elevator reached the top and they stepped out into the garage.

"Is it just me or do they glare more now than when they first showed up?"

Ressler snorted as they started down the street towards a little bar they hadn't been to in months. It used to be a regular stop off before everything went to hell.

They took their old seat, one chair left open, and the drinks were ordered. Then, as casually as if she were talking about the weather, Samar said, "Reddington is on his way Stateside."

The acting director nearly choked on his beer. "Why would you tell me that?" he nearly growled.

"Because I have faith in you that you'll do the right thing, not what the Cabal wants you to."

It was a bold statement and one that told him things were about to move quickly. He took a long sip of his drink. "This conversation is not happening," he told her and she didn't have a problem catching the insinuation.

"I've spoken with Dembe and he will contact me when they land."

"Liz is with them?"

"He didn't say."

"I've been building a case against this Cabal," Aram said, leaning across the table and speaking lowly. "I've followed the money trails and any other virtual paper trail that I can uncover. I have a list. Maybe not a comprehensive list just yet-"

"How long have you two been working on this?" Ressler asked.

"Since Agent Keen left."

"I've been working on it for a bit longer," Samar added.

"You obviously need me for something if you're bringing me in," the blond agent said a little gruffly.

Samar shrugged. "Things are moving. I thought you might want to be involved in clearing your partner's name."

Ressler nodded. "This has to be done quietly, but I don't need to tell you that."

"No sir," the former Mossad agent said with a smirk, "you do not."

Liz startled awake in a strange place and it took her mind a moment to pull the information forward as to where she was this time. She was leaned in, nestled close to her ex-husband that was slouched down in the bench seat with an arm wrapped around her shoulders. They had been sleeping, but for how long she wasn't sure. He was awake, though, and she thought that he must have just woken as well with the way he was blinking up at Reddington who was looming over them. "What?" Tom demanded irritably.

Reddington snorted. "We're landing in half an hour. I'd prefer to be ready for anything."

"You've only given me pieces of the plan, Reddington. Where are we coming in?"

"New York."

Liz felt Tom tense beneath her and he looked ready to unleash on Red. "You've got to be kidding me. You get that that's where Bud is based out of, yeah?"

"I'll handle the Major," Reddington answered firmly. "I don't want you anywhere near that situation."

"So I'm just a piece for you to move around," the younger man growled, a little bitterness in his voice. It was time to put a stop to the argument before it really blew up.

"Why are we coming in into New York?" Liz asked sleepily, stretching.

"I have business there that may lead to answers we need," Reddington answered her. "Are you ready to fight this, Lizzy?"

She watched him, her mind a little clearer now than it had been after the blast. "And get my life back?"

"That is the point."

It had been some time since she had felt that certainty that had once driven her in her life. Certainty that questions needed answers and that she could be the one to uncover them. She'd sunk so deep into her depression after they had gone on the run that she hadn't pushed for it. Clearing her name was a distant hope, likely unattainable, but now... It looked like things were finally changing. Maybe even for the better. "Yes. I'll do whatever it takes."

Tom shifted in his seat, looking stiff as he did so, but he took her hand in his. His lips thinned out in what may have been an attempt to smile and she squeezed his fingers.

"I'll be meeting with several people almost as soon as we touch down," Red said as he fixed a glare on Tom. "I need you to get Elizabeth to the safe house quickly and without mishap. Instructions so easy even you can follow them."

Liz felt her ex bristle and his gaze turned cold and hard. "It was never a question if I could keep her safe," he growled dangerously and she tightened her grip on his hand, hoping he caught the unspoken request just to let it slide. Red pushed buttons, and apparently he knew exactly which ones would make Tom squirm.

"The fact that Ranko Zamani got one over on you would say differently."

"After how many others that you sent after me?" he bit out and Liz filed the conversation back to talk to him about later. It was important, but they couldn't risk fracturing their own small alliance now, so if Reddington had sent assassins after Tom because he'd married her, she didn't want to know the details of all that. Not until this was over.

"Okay," Liz said firmly, "you two have some past issues. Red isn't going to try to kill you, Tom. Jacob," she corrected herself and he managed to ease back on a little of the aggression with that. "And Red, Jacob's not going to betray me. That's what you can trust. Are we good?"

"It's Jacob now, is it?" Reddington almost sneered and Liz glared hard.

"If it's beyond both of you to act like adults in this-"

"I'm not the one..." Tom stopped himself when Liz turned her glare on him and she saw his shoulders sag a little when he knew he was fighting a losing battle. "Okay," he grumbled after a moment.

Liz shot Red a glare of the same caliber and he raised his hands in surrender. "Very well. I'll do my best not to trample across Tom's feelings."

She rolled her eyes. This was going to be trying.

Half an hour later they were on the ground and she and Tom had an address. Mr Kaplan would be waiting there, they were told before Red and Dembe left for whatever meeting they were going to.

Tom let out a frustrated sound. "I don't know how you've handled being on the run with him," he grumbled.

"He's just trying to get a reaction from you," Liz answered, looping her arm through his and she felt him relax a little at the closeness. "And you let him." He snorted and she found herself laughing a little. "I know you're good at the blank stare. I hate it, but next time Red tries anything just don't react. He'll get bored."

"He's an ass."

"Yeah, well you can be too, you know."

Tom looked a little offended at that, but then shook his head a little. Liz felt her lips perk upward just a little, tightening her grip on him and leaning against his arm. "Tell me we're going to be okay."

"Of course we are," he answered quickly. "Liz, I'm not going to let anything hurt you."

"Or you." She stopped, chewing on her bottom lip as she looked up at him. "We can protect each other."

He watched her carefully for a moment and smiled. "Yeah. That sounds like a plan," he said and leaned in to kiss her. Liz wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into it. Somehow things might be right soon. They had to be. She didn't think she could lose anyone else.

TBC

Next time - Red meets with Samar, Jacob cooks, and they discuss Red's lack of faith in Jacob being able to handle the people he grew up with.