Liz stirred, instantly awake. Holding her breath, she listened to the darkened room, only hearing silence. Turning her head on her pillow, she looked at the clock. Only an hour had passed since Red had left.
Red's side of the bed was still empty. There wasn't any light, the room was pitch dark. What had awakened her?
Rolling over, she grabbed her phone, dialing, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. She heard someone pick up, speaking instantly, her tone a husky whisper which sounded abnormally loud in the silence which surrounded her.
"Is that you?"
"Are you all right?" Red sat up straighter in the seat of the black Mercedes.
"I thought I heard you pull up." the woman's eyes darted about frantically, making out vague shapes now as her eyes adjusted. "How far off are you?
"A few minutes." the information was given over hastily. "What the hell is going on there, Lizzy?"
A loud thumping sound hit a wall somewhere very near to her location. She jerked visibly, gasping into the phone. "Shit!"
Red grasped Dembe's shoulder, his fingers sending a signal. The dark man instantly pushed his foot harder into the gas peddle.
"Call for Silas!"
"I heard something hit the wall." she whispered shakily. Another loud crash and the sound of breaking glass silenced her instantly. But she sucked in a harsh breath, her hand slapping the panic button.
Red had instructed on the security procedures the day the alert was installed.
The man was actually able to hear some commotion on the other end of the line now.
"Get on the floor." Red barked over the phone. "Under the rim of the bed, there's a gun." he instructed. "Move, now."
The woman threw back the blankets, dropping to the floor. Reaching under the bed, she felt for the hidden weapon.
"Stay there." he ordered, hearing even more ruckus coming from her end of the line. "Don't move."
"Red..." her voice was shaking.
Liz's eyes darted frantically about her surroundings, seeking an escape route.
"Don't even think about leaving that room. Get under the bed, now."
She slid the phone under the bed, wiggling under the frame. It was so dark, she couldn't see where the the dark plastic had gone.
"I can't find the phone." her voice betrayed her rising panic.
Red spoke continually as she searched blindly, her fingers finally landing on the object she so desperately sought.
She gripped her lifeline, focusing on the reassuring sound of his voice.
"How far away ar–" She fell silent as a sliver of light grew wider, the door easing open.
Her eyes widened with terror, her hand flying to cover her mouth.
"Are you there." he demanded. She heard him urging Dembe to drive faster.
Her body stiffened as footsteps slowly crossed the expanse between herself and the door.
"Calm down. Control your breathing." Red took control of the situation. "We're turning the last corner."
She took deeper breath, watching the feet as they moved stealthily about the room. Angry voices carried through the open doorway. Her head flitted back and forth, her eyes wild, her heart pounding.
"I'm almost there, I promise."
"Where the hell is she?" a coarse whisper asked anxiously.
Red heard the muffled voice of a man feeling the blood rush from his head.
"Don't make a fucking sound." Red stated tautly.
She tensed, watching as yet another man entered the room.
"Look in the closet." anger laced the first man's tone.
Elizabeth Keen shut her eyes tightly, desperately trying to halt the tremors shaking her entire frame. She lay her forehead against the carpeted floor, silently saying a fervent prayer.
"I'm here." her prayers were answered.
Dembe pulled around the corner, shutting down the lights, coasting into the drive.
She tensed further, the voices down the corridor growing louder, the tremors in her body intensifying.
Liz started jerkily, the man's voice above the bed cursing vehemently. "Damn it! Keep looking for her!"
Then all hell broke loose.
The front door unceremoniously crashed open. There was shouting and indistinguishable chaos. A table flipped over, crashing it's contents onto the marble floor.
Red's booming voice commanded attention. "What the hell is going on here!"
Liz gripped the weapon in her hand, hearing the scuffle escalate. Angry voices and the sound of shattering glass was just too much to process for her fragile state at the moment. She curled into a fetal position, placing her hands tightly over her ears, shutting out the horror in her mind.
"Break them apart, damn it!" Red ordered viciously. The demand was carried out instantly.
The silence was deafening for all of two seconds.
"What the hell do you think you two were doing!" Red's tone was ice cold. "You scared the living shit out of her!"
There was murmured discontent.
"Either of you two move again... or say one damn word," Red warned, "I'll blow out your fucking knee caps."
Liz was vaguely aware once more, of foot steps approaching. She had heard those footsteps before... they stalked after her that night. So unhurried, so casually...
"Lizzy..."
She opened her eyes, focusing on the phone which lay directly in her line of vision.
"Red?" she was not sure where the sound originated.
"Do you hear her fucking voice!" Red barked at some unseen person. "You two idiots did that!"
A pair of hands appeared in the shadows of her safe place, beckoning her forward.
She stayed put.
"When I get her out from under here," Red growled, "I'm going to beat the living shit out of both of you."
Dropping his hat to the floor, the man leaned his weight onto his hand, stilling his movement, his tone reassuringly gentle.
"Don't shoot me sweetheart." He slowly lay flat, his eyes skimming the darkness. He saw instantly the state the woman was in... the panic-stricken blue eyes stared at him vacantly, as she pulled further away.
"Scratch that!" he turned scathing eyes to his new found nemesis. "I'm going to fucking kill you both." He looked up at the two men angrily, then back at her, gentling his features.
"Come on sweetheart. It's okay." He reached under the bed, holding out his hand, waiting patiently. "It's all right." his tone was even and calming. "I'm here."
The man closed his eyes to the silence.
"I'll tell you what..." he was an expert negotiator. "What we're going to do," he peeked under, his eyes locking with hers, "we're just going to sit here and wait until you're ready to do whatever it is that will make you comfortable." he smiled at her briefly.
Through the haze of her nightmarish state, the woman recognized the gentle smile.
"Are you cold under there?" he motioned slightly with his head and suddenly a blanket appeared by his side. He held the offering out and again... that smile.
His eyes held hers easily. "See, everything is fine. I can explain everything." he shifted into a more comfortable position. "Just as I can see how you could have misconstrued all that has occurred."
She had taken her meds to fall asleep and had awoken to this fucking farce. She was having trouble now, distinguishing fact from fiction. The meds had side effects... paranoia being among the top two listed.
Red held out his hand, yet again. "Take it, Lizzy."
She breathed out a cleansing breath, her fingers inching closer until they tentatively touched the comforting warmth.
He did not force the issue and soon, the slender fingers gripped his in a tight embrace.
"Good girl..." he smiled happily. "Come to me."
The woman slid forward until she felt a secure embrace draw her into the light.
She instantly retreated, because she was suddenly surrounded by menacing looking males. All of whom were heavily armed, dark scowls etched on their faces.
The tight hold on Red's hand turned rigid. He halted his intended rising, sensing her hesitancy.
"It's just Security." he soothed, gesturing to the men. "See, there's Silas." he smiled down at her. "It's just Security, I promise."
Red studied the paled, distrustful features, noticing her dilated pupils.
His jaw tightened angrily, the man holding himself in check. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." He sat down beside her, his arm laying casually on the bed.
"I should have never left you in the care of these..." He apologized before turning on the men. And he did so with all the force of his fury behind the statements he was about to make. "Your job is to make sure she feels safe. Does she look like she feels safe!" Red waited impatiently but no reply was immediately forth coming. "That was a fucking question!"
Reddington checked on the woman who to his great surprise, scrunched herself into his side. He felt little tremors traverse her entire body.
Red grimaced for his loss of control, afraid he'd upset her all the more, astonished when she seemed to relax further into him.
"No, sir." both combatants answered in unison, obviously bothered by their total lack of professionalism.
"She pushed the panic button, because she felt the need to push it. And then couldn't trust who the hell came through that door." he pointed meaningfully. "What does that tell you?" he did not wait for the answer transferring his ire elsewhere for the moment. "...Silas, I don't want them any where near the inside of this house again. Do you understand me."
"I believe what happened is worthy of termination." Silas stated his opinion quietly. The woman's eyes darted to the man's handsome features, a certain type of fear showing.
"We'll discuss that later." Red spat the reply, then gently kissed Liz's temple.
She closed her eyes, her free arm wrapping tightly about his waist, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Right now, I want you to get the hell out so I can fix the damage you caused." His eyes flicked their rage to the men in question. The room was vacated quickly.
"Do you need anything?" Dembe asked solicitously of the pair sitting quietly on the floor.
"No, we'll be fine, Dembe. Thank you." Red smiled at the man, gesturing with his eyes that he now had control of the situation. "Go, get some rest."
Dembe nodded as he lifted from his crouched position, "As should you..." he said, walking away.
"Good night." Red said softly over his shoulder. The door closed finally, leaving them alone.
"Termination?" the woman's voice sounded weak and tremulous. Her eyes searched his for an answer to her fretful state.
"He meant, fire them." Red clarified immediately, hoping at least, that was what Silas had meant. "Are you all right now?" He asked tentatively.
"Yeah..." She breathed, the tremors easing as the minutes passed.
He sat up, pulling his coat off, laying it over her. His arms embraced her tightly. He eased the weapon from her still clutched hand.
"May I take this?"
She held her hand up, watching him pull her fingers back from their tight grasp on the black metal.
"You're okay now." He crooned softly, finally removing the gun from her hand and setting it beside him. "It's over."
"I'm sorry." she shook her head, taking a deep breath.
Red pulled his head back, looking at her, confused. "What the hell are you sorry for?"
"Talk about being a baby." she tried to laugh the situation off unsuccessfully then looked down at her hands. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't stop shaking."
"Well, you just had the shit scared out of you. I can see where someone might be a little upset by that."
"I'm an FBI agent."
"An FBI agent that's been injured by a psychopath and then wakened by a couple of jackass idiots fighting in the fucking foyer." He shook his head in open agitation, placing the gun back in the holster under the bed.
"What?" She asked, for the man had mumbled something incoherently.
"I was just cussing their lineage." he stated bleakly, halting his narrative abruptly. "Lizzy, you're injured. You're on medication that dulls the senses, makes you numb... heightens anxiety." he reminded.
"You aren't on guard," he pulled on his suit jacket irritably, taking his frustrations out on an inanimate object, "because you aren't supposed to be. You've trusted me to see to your care and believed yourself safe with me."
He rubbed his palm in the center of his forehead, looking around aimlessly. "You didn't know what the hell was going on. You were still on edge about what was happening on my end of things, and don't say you weren't." he forewarned. "You have every right to feel the way you do."
"Divide and conquer." She mumbled.
"What?"
"I thought..." She exhaled, slumping against his strength, "I thought Carver got you out of the house to get in here... divide and conquer."
"He wasn't here." Red assured himself more than the woman. "So, don't worry about that."
"What was going on out there?" Her curiosity was finally aroused.
The man sighed, "I'm sorry they frightened you."
"It's okay," she dismissed, so grateful it had not been what she imagined, "I just–"
"It is most assuredly not okay." Red stretched his legs out, getting more comfortable, leaning into the bed frame. "A fact I will explain to them personally tomorrow in no uncertain terms."
"Is there a need for that?" she fretted. "They do their job well, for the most part... very well."
"Do they? Because as I see it, you're supposed to be sleeping right now, while they quietly guard the house." Red's temper was returning. "Silas is right, they should be fired."
"I don't want to be responsible for that."
"I don't think the responsibility lies with you." he reminded.
"You took care of it, Red." she placated.
"And had I not been here? What would have happened had I not shown up?" he demanded. "Stoned on pain pills or not, your training would have kicked in sooner or later. Silas would have checked your hiding place, I guarantee it." he stopped for a breath. "When he knelt down next to the bed, you would have blown a hole through him."
The woman's eyes widened to such a realization. "I would have recognized his voice, surely."
"All I heard was a threat." he interrupted. "You... hell, I need to know... who's coming through that door if anything like this ever happens again."
Red reached up, grabbing a radio, speaking curtly into the device. "Silas, come here, please."
"What are you doing?" Liz demanded.
A knock at the door interrupted the conversation. The large guard scanned the room hastily, seeing the pair in the same position he had left them. He approached cautiously, never certain the older man's moods.
Silas instantly apologized. "I'm sorry, Ms. Keen." his voice held his sincerity.
She was feeling incredibly embarrassed by the whole thing, her eyes lowering sheepishly.
"I'm the one who should be apolo–"
"No, Ma'am. Absolutely not." the guards eyes tried very hard to be stern, but clearly his heart was not in it. "I'll not have you thinking that." the blue eyes shifted hastily to Reddington.
"We need a safe word, something to tell her who is coming through that door." Red stated succinctly.
Silas crouched down next to them, "I agree. When I came in and didn't find her..." The man breathed out, controlling his own anxiety. "Totally unprofessional, agreed." he shook his head, perturbed. "But I was so damned freaked by your absence in the bed..." he let it go. "So what did we come up with?"
Red looked at Lizzy, "Something that isn't specifically tied to you?"
The woman looked around, searching mentally, her eyes happening to land on... her safe word.
"Fedora."
Red smiled, pleased she chose an object relating to himself.
"Who else do you trust besides me?" Silas asked.
"Joe." He was the only other guard that she saw on a regular basis, so she was comfortable with him.
"All right, we will be the only two that know the word. I do not want a repeat of tonight." Silas stressed. "If you hear either of us say anything other than that," he pointed to the stylish object in question. " you stay where the hell you are because something is wrong."
With that settled, Silas left them alone.
Red offered his hands, lifting her from the floor onto the bed. He watched as Liz settled into the blankets, exhaling a deep breath.
He smiled down at her. "Better now?"
She released the tension in her body, smiling wanly at him. "Are you okay?"
He shook his head slightly, amazed at such tenacity. "I'm going to get dressed. Be right back."
Minutes later he settled beside her, watching her stifle a yawn. "What happened tonight, with Ress?"
"We'll discuss that later. You need to rest and quiet frankly, I don't want to think for a while." Red turned to the light switch. "Just know, everything was as fine as it could be, under the circumstances." the cool darkness bathed the room, and this time Liz felt only safe and secure with this man beside her.
"Now, sleep, Lizzy."
She closed her eyes, reaching instinctively for that security. Her fingers curved about two of his, holding tightly until sleep finally came.