July 11th
Grasping Lizzy's hand, Red pulled the woman along with him, hurrying towards the main hall.
More importantly, he wanted away from that room. Away from where she had almost been taken from him.
Red released his tight grip on her hand, allowing Lizzy to rush to Francis' side when the man fell behind.
Danny had slowed for his patient was tiring somewhat, more from the emotional shit going on in Francis' head, more than the physical, Red imagined.
Falling in step beside her best friend, Liz looped her arm around Francis' waist, taking some of his weight. Danny brought up the rear, looming large in case of any missteps, Red knew.
Walking the darkened corridor, all breathed a little easier when they stepped into the light.
Make-shift medical rooms had been set up. One large enclosure was completely blocked off with sterile plastic sheets.
Red hated such rooms for it meant some one was hurt and hurt badly. He supposed it also meant, that person now had a better chance of survival with all the medical shit about.
Heading for that area, Red breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped into the partitioned room to find Lister diligently working over Silas.
The guard was hooked to an IV and a series of monitor machines blipped and flashed numbers for blood pressure, heartbeat, etc.
Securing an unobtrusive spot, Liz fixated on the unconscious man all the activity was centered about.
Silas' face was obscured by an oxygen mask. His massive body was stripped down, covered only by sterile sheets from the waist down. His lower abdomen was bandaged with pads and layers of gauze covering two separate gunshot wounds beneath the pristine white wrap.
What those bullets did to Silas' insides, only Lister knew at this stage, but Red could hazard a pretty good guess.
Danny helped Francis to a chair outside the operation area, once the young man had seen Silas for himself.
"Lister will get to you soon." Danny smiled reassuringly, but stepped aside as a nurse came on scene quickly assessing the damage done to Francis' shoulder.
Matthew lay reclined just to the left on a gurney, an IV and oxygen mask in place. His blue eyes watched everything about him attentively. Those eyes met Danny's, each man attempting a smile of sorts.
The sound of the downed guards' hearts beating through the machines beside them, was a blessed relief to anyone wishing Silas and Matthew well.
Taking a few hesitant steps, Daniel tentatively approached Elizabeth, his jaw pulsing erratically, his eyes traveling her small frame in open concern. "Did I hurt you?"
Red frowned his confusion, for the man had just saved the woman's life.
"I yanked on her real hard." Danny explained.
"No, you didn't hurt me." Liz's lip trembled before grabbing the man in a crushing hug. "You saved my life. Thank you, Danny." Pulling back, she rolled to her toes, kissing the man's cheeks. "...Thank you."
Grasping the man's hand, Red squeezed it hard, hoping he conveyed how damned grateful he was for the cowboy's quick thinking. Holding Red's eyes steadily, Daniel nodded awkwardly.
"You need to sit down, Lizzy." Red settled his hand on her back, steering her out of the way of the team who was clearly in the process of wrapping up the procedure on Silas.
"I'm fine here." She moved from his vicinity. "Really, Red. I won't get in their way."
Red knew better than to try to persuade her otherwise at such a time. Dembe found a chair for the woman and stood stoically aside as she absently sat down, her eyes for Silas' quiet form only.
Sighing mentally, Red went in search of Francis. He didn't have far to go. "Looks like you're next in line." He gently teased, watching the nurse cut the shirt from the boy's upper torso.
"That's a three-hundred-dollar shirt, lady." Francis' tone lacked the usual lightness and airy quality it possessed but the kid was making an effort, Red sensed.
"And these are five-hundred-dollar scissors, so shut up and let me get you prepared for Dr. Lister." The older woman snipped right back.
Francis tried a grin which failed miserably. "Must be a military operation with those prices. I can get a pair at Trader Joe's for five bucks."
The woman gave him a look but returned to her pastime diligently. Francis suffered through the indignities quietly for once.
"How's it going with you?" Red stepped to Matthew's bed side.
"Can't complain." Matthew nodded his welcome. "You got her, huh." He motioned to the enclosed room to their left. "We tried to hold out as long as possible. We knew reinforcements were near."
"...Yes," Red nodded. "Thank you for staying with her... helping her."
"I'm sorry I couldn't do more." Matthew closed his eyes, fighting off the sudden wave of exhaustion.
"There are no words to express how grateful I am for your...sacrifice." Red knew. "I will find a way to show my gratitude. I promise this to you."
"No need, sir." Matthew smiled. "Really. Just doing the job."
"I think it was so much more than that, but..." Red let it go, "know I will always be there for you, just like you were for Lizzy...if the need arises. Don't ever think I won't."
Turning towards his wife, Red's eye ticked as Lizzy flustered nervously at Silas' bedside. Red knew the guard would not know of the woman's presence but being close helped Lizzy. Lister had obviously given her a moment before they vacated Silas to a more advanced medical facility.
Silas would shortly be ushered out...Francis in. Lizzy was going to fight the fact Silas had to be taken elsewhere. She would want to go, of course.
Red was hoping she could get some down time after such a traumatic event. He would cross bridges when they appeared on the horizon.
Bracing his arms on the table beside him, Red hung his head, allowing himself a moment to breathe... to comprehend the fallout of all that just occurred. Squeezing his eyes tight, he fought to slow down the images to no avail.
It had all happened so fast, all his mind could register at the moment were pictures of Lizzy frozen in fear... Francis, Ben and Michael in their standoff... then Ben lying dead on the floor.
It had been so long since he experienced such pure unadulterated shock, he couldn't quite assimilate it.
More to the point, he couldn't believe just how close he came to losing Elizabeth.
Glancing towards the woman in question, it appeared Lizzy was experiencing the same stunned stupor. Red noted she looked haggard and wane. A shadow of her former enthusiastic, energetic self.
She divided her attention between her guard and Francis, her mannerisms stiff and mechanical. She smiled wanly as Mark walked in and nodded in her direction before taking his place beside Francis.
"Francis," Liz pointed to a nearby table, "... please, sit down.
Helping Francis ease back onto the table behind him, Mark attempted a teasing smile, clasping Francis' one good shoulder in a reassuring grasp. "This shouldn't be a new experience for you, right?"
Glancing up, Lister gave the man a once over. "That all he's got... the shoulder wound."
"That is all...physically, yes." Red nodded solemnly.
"I'll be there in a minute." Lister muttered, returning his attention to Silas.
"He's so quiet." Liz's voice shook as she watched Lister's preoccupation with her guard and friend with open concern.
"He'll be fine." Hunter assured, stepping to block sight of Lister hurriedly working over the man. "Silas has taken worse than that." the man pulled a face. "He has the constitution of a bull moose."
Checking Silas' oxygen mask, and the drip supplying him fluids, Lister stepped back, removing his gloves only to reach for a fresh set.
Poking at Francis' wound, Lister hurriedly set to work, mindless of the quiet chatter going on around him.
"What the hell brought all this on?" Harper asked, gesturing to the bloodied group.
Mark's smile slipped away, his expression contorting into one of anger. "Ben... the dirty fucking traitor." he grunted angrily. "Ben brought this on us all!"
Red watched Francis' quiet face intently.
"What?" Harper's scowled sharpened.
"We'll talk about this later, I want to be with my men," Red said tiredly, "and my wife right now." He glanced at Lizzy, their eyes meeting for a long moment. The woman smiled at him, and his spirits lifted somewhat. Red smiled back.
"Did you see to Lily?" Red redirected. "Samantha... Steven? They're all right?" He wanted to know.
"Yes," Harper confirmed. "Crocetti is with them, all is well."
A short time later, Francis was patched up and also hooked to an IV, and Matthew detached from his. The young security man hung around, particularly anxious about Silas' fluctuating condition, as everyone else through that long, difficult hour.
Lister and his team were a constant presence as well, reassuring or giving out information and hope.
Red had to excuse himself for business reared its ugly head all too soon. Dembe reminded discretely that Michael Fairfax was still in the holding area. Red had the man brought over for he did not wish to leave, either Elizabeth, nor Silas or Francis.
He waited out the move, his heart heavy. Matthew insisted upon remaining for he had found out some of the particulars that occurred in those underground battles.
Antonio came through the doorway, looking over the crowded room with a critical eye followed closely by a professionally bandaged, Michael Fairfax.
"Matthew, why don't you go get some rest." Red suggested as Daniel helped the man upright.
Matthew eyed his boss, who was now bound to a chair. "I feel my place is here, Mr. Reddington."
"We won't do anything permanent to him, we just need questions answered." Mark assured for Red was clearly torn, what with the young man having assisted Liz earlier in the debacle surrounding Ben's betrayal.
"Matthew, it's not what you think. Do as they say." Michael said. "I'll be fine. Just... check on Susan and rest. Don't tell her where I am."
Matthew looked at all the men in the room, uncertainty in his expression.
"Matthew, please." Michael stressed. "Susan is all that matters."
Nodding his understanding, Matthew took his leave. Hunter stepped to the man's side, should he need assistance.
"Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going on?" Harper asked.
"I, too, would like to know what has transpired." Antonio's tone said, immediately. "You have a valued guard down and our Francis...is hurt." He motioned to the boy who sat all too quietly, head bowed, across the way. "Your wife is most distraught. What the hell has gone wrong here?"
Lizzy leaned closer to Francis, her head falling to the young man's shoulder, the sadness in her expression unbearable for Red to see.
Taking a breath, Red related events as he remembered them.
"This Vanessa Carlson," Antonio narrowed his eyes, "was posing as Ben's dead fiancé...why?"
"It's all convoluted...most gaps will never be filled in completely." Red confirmed. "I believe when Edward mentioned Amy Reese," he sighed heavily, "while it was a shock for Ben to learn the reason why the woman... died," he exhaled heavily, "it also gave him the opening he needed to bring Vanessa here."
"Here for what reason, exactly?" Antonio persisted in his inquiries.
"To assist him in getting closer to Elizabeth." Red rubbed his eyes with a weary hand. "To find some kind of opening, I guess."
"Aside from Francis here, Silas would never allow anyone to get to close...except a woman." Danny made mention. "Ben needed to know specifics where Liz's movements were concerned. He hoped for some kind of opening that would help him get to her easily."
"That's fucking sick." Mark grumbled his disgust.
Francis' eyes closed, his brow furrowing darkly, but still, he kept his thoughts on the matter private. He did have a question himself though...
"You really FBI?" Francis muttered quietly, his tone dull and lackluster.
Harper jerked his head upright, glancing at the others in the room, unsure who the hell it was Francis was addressing exactly.
Straightening to his full height, Antonio glanced between the two young people, alert to their body language.
Grimacing, Red shifted his eyes towards Elizabeth, knowing this was killing her inside.
Everything was falling apart around her, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to make it better, or even lessen the blow.
The family she created, and loved with all her heart, was slowly collapsing one by one in the most painful of ways.
Now, the man she loved like a brother was calling her to the carpet... in front of everyone.
Swallowing at the lump in her throat, Liz nodded slowly, her fingers playing nervously with her rings.
"Yes." She replied meekly, her voice husky and filled with despair.
Shifting his eyes towards the men opposite him... Red held his breath, knowing there wasn't one fucking way he could get Elizabeth out of this room without mass casualties. He knew these men...he fought beside these men. He instinctively sought out his one ally.
Dembe lifted a hand, a minute gesture signaling... wait.
All Red could do was hope Francis remembered their conversation days back when he said... Lizzy loved him like a brother, no matter who Francis was or what chosen lifestyle he undertook.
The silence was overwhelming as each man stared at his wife with varying degrees of disbelief etched on their faces.
All except Michael Fairfax who seemed to empathize with the young woman, were his expression any criteria by which to judge.
At that exact moment, Red knew, Michael had known of Lizzy's profession. Had he always known? What did it mean? What did any of this shit mean...now.
"That is so cool." Francis exhaled shakily. "Do you have a badge?" he glanced up at the woman, his eyes devoid of any true emotion as yet.
Snapping her head upright, Liz stared longingly at Francis as the man slid off the table. Her face crumbled as he held his hand out to her, beckoning her to come to him.
Afraid the gesture would vanish before her very eyes, Liz grabbed at it quickly, then burst into tears when Francis gripped her hand hard in his.
Red breathed his relief when the man pulled her towards him, enfolding her in his embrace.
"We're okay." Francis crooned quietly, swaying her back and forth. "We're okay." He dropped his nose against her hair, squeezing his eyes tight against the threat of his own tears. "I still love you, even if you are a Fed."
Too distraught, afraid she lost her best friend... her family... Liz burrowed her face into his shoulder, squeezing him hard around his waist, heartfelt sobs racking her slight frame.
When she finally settled down, Francis leaned back slightly. "So do you?"
"Do I what?" Liz accepted a tissue Harper handed over, her true interest for the sincere stare of Francis' blue eyes that watched her so very closely.
"Have a badge?" Francis smiled softly.
Chuckling through her tears, Liz shook her head. "Not on me, I didn't think it was important enough to bring along."
Francis looked up over Liz's head, glancing at Red. "You knew."
"Of course, I knew." Red said. "I helped her get there."
"Just like I told Ben. You've got your hand in everything." Francis nodded, then scowled hard. "Fucking fool." He sighed, then looked to Red once more. "This is what you were warning me about?"
"It was." Red confirmed.
"Do you love her?" Francis asked, rubbing his hand along Lizzy's back.
"Excuse me?" Red frowned.
"Do you love Lizzy?" Francis frowned right back. "You married her because you love her, right?"
"Yes, I love her," Red nodded. "Very much."
"And you love him?" Francis jerked a chin Red's way.
"Yes, I do." Liz wiped at the tears falling down her cheeks. "He is my life now, Francis. I hope...you are still part of it, as well."
"I just... I needed to know some relationships were real," Francis shrugged sorrowfully. "That some things were...what I thought they were."
"You know about the Cabal, don't you." Red asked warily.
"I heard Ben talking about it with that dead guy." Francis said. "At least, I hoped I heard it right. I was so afraid I'd say the word wrong when I was talking to him."
Francis had been the best ears on the street at one time, and apparently, still carried that gift. If Red had only taken the time to listen to Francis earlier, maybe all this shit could have been avoided completely.
"The Cabal is still hunting your ass?" Harper asked Red.
"How the hell do you know about this... Cabal?" Mark asked.
"When you've been in the business this long, you know who all the enemies and trash are." Harper shrugged, like it was no big deal. "I've known about Red since most of you guys were still in school."
Michael looked at the others, his face plainly saying, I told you so. "Anyone who is someone knows. Has known...for decades."
"What's this shit about a fulcrum?" Danny asked. "More to the point, what the hell is a fulcrum?"
"I don't know," Francis shrugged, then grimaced painfully. "I only remember, Michael mentioned it before."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Michael scowled.
"You said," Francis thought back. "It does involve, Elizabeth." he quoted. "She is the fulcrum of the matter, now isn't she."
"You are aware the word fulcrum," Michael rolled his eyes, recalling the words now, "means a thing which plays an essential role, correct!"
"That's all well and good, asshole," Francis glared at the man, "but what Ben wanted... was a physical object that was supposedly in Lizzy's possession."
Remaining silent, Red allowed things to play out, listening to how much information was being bandied about outside these walls.
"It was merely a bad choice of words on my part." Michael damned the fact.
"You have to admit, that's a hell of a coincidence," Mark pointed out. "Don't you think."
"I'd also like to remind you," Francis' stony gaze held Michael's, "you knew exactly what the fuck Ben was talking about... this, Fulcrum." He said. "You were also talking to him before I came in, about what?"
"For as long as I can remember," Michael began, "there's been a hunt for this Fulcrum. No one really has any idea what it is, I don't believe. Red and shit about the Cabal? Who doesn't know of it?" He explained. "But suddenly, all of it coincided, when Elizabeth's name came into play."
"And how did you know who she was? Because we," Francis gestured to himself, Danny and Mark, and Harper for that matter, "didn't know."
"It's always been a general description of this woman out in the world we frequent, the price on her head fluctuates daily...but recently, a picture of her became available." Michael continued. "Imagine my shock and surprise when she showed up here, on Red's arm."
Shifting a dark stare Antonio's way, Red fought to rein in his temper.
"Tom Keen..." Antonio grated angrily, his own gaze softening as it fell on Liz's bowed head.
"There's a shit load of people looking for her... and Red." Michael said. "I was feeling Ben out to see who he had set his target on exactly."
Francis stared at Red, worried. "So, you've known all this time that she was a Fed and didn't do anything? Didn't say anything."
"I was going to, but then..." Michael sighed mentally, "we saw them together. Susan said...there was more to it than appearances suggested."
"What does that mean." Danny scowled.
"Oh, for God's sake, man...it was obvious that Red loved her." Michael was at his wit's end. "There was no act being played out for anyone's benefit. Something was up, yes...but I had no idea what until I spoke to Xenakis that night. Things began to fall into place."
"I don't see your point." Mark glanced at Red, shrugging apologetically for the question.
"To be honest, at first, I thought maybe Elizabeth was undercover and maybe Red didn't know." Michael admitted. "Which, when I say it out loud, is really stupid. But it could have been a possibility."
Red's eyebrow raised, letting Michael know just what he thought of such a possibility.
"Then, before the wedding, we talked," Michael focused on Red, "...and he intimated that he knew she was in danger." He said. "Then of course..."
"They got married." Francis assumed, glancing at the woman by his side.
Liz simply sat, listening and occasionally, getting up to go check on Silas who slept fitfully throughout this entire session. Her expression seldom altered. An almost sad, melancholy acceptance of things as they now stood, perhaps. Francis assumed she was in shock.
"Yes." Michael nodded. "Again, it could have been to throw the scent off. A criminal, married to a Fed?" he scoffed. "That's a unique ploy to infiltrate our little family."
"What changed your mind, that they weren't here just to nail us?" Mark asked.
"I saw how scared shitless Red was when Natalia fucked with them at the wedding. How devastated Elizabeth truly was." Michael frowned, continuing after a long pause. "But then, if anyone was going to turn a Fed to the dark side, and a woman at that, it was Red Reddington, I suppose. I kept fluctuating as well, in my theories on the matter."
The man took a moment. "I know how I would feel if something...anything came between me and Susan." He spoke softly, so quietly, men had to strain to hear. "All I could do was wait and hope something jelled somewhere along the line."
Red supposed any other time, he might be pissed about how he was being portrayed and how manipulative he sounded, especially in regards to Lizzy.
Even when she had just been his handler, he loved her. Fate had actually been kind to him this time around and made her fall in love with him.
But it didn't matter what anyone thought...not now. Because he knew he would do whatever it took to keep his marriage intact. If it meant breaking with these men...
He loved his wife. She would always take top priority.
Red looked at Michael, both men silent as they studied each other. "You ever hurt her, Michael..." His tone was listless, pain filled, his eyes saying how shitty the words he had to say made him feel. "I hurt Susan."
"Red!" Liz objected instantly, her mouth falling agape. "You will not even think of..."
"No." Red held up his hand, silencing her. "No..." That quiet tone and stare held Michael Fairfax's easily. "He has to understand I love you as much as he does Susan. That...it is one thing I could never forgive. That I would exact vengeance."
Michael lifted a noble head, nothing more at this point.
"You understand what I'm saying to you, don't you." Red's eyes filled voicing the threat. "Don't ever make me keep this promise, Michael, for it would kill me just as much as it would you. You and Susan are a part of me. I'm not even sure I could survive the..." The man choked up.
"I haven't turned my back on you in all the time I've known you. I'd be a damn fool if I did." Michael responded in the same intense tone. "And I am no fool. Francis is right. You always come out on top and always will. That much has been made apparent, but that aside..."
Red allowed the man the time he needed to voice what Michael had to voice.
"We've been through so much...you've been there when it mattered most. Not to me, but to my family." Michael nodded thoughtfully. "Nothing matters more to me than my family. I know, should anything happen to me, you will be there to take care of them in my absence. I know this as surely as I know the sun will rise on the morrow."
Red closed his eyes, believing Michael's words, his world finally clicking back into place.
"Stop!" Liz's voice shook with emotion. "Stop talking about this. No one is ever going to hurt Susan. Not ever! Do both of you hear me? I can't do any more right now so just...stop!"
"I will not harm her in anyway." Michael's tone and manner had softened. "I will protect her as you do Susan. That is what I was trying to do. I have gone against you to a degree." The man seemed perturbed suddenly, something finally breaking his collected calm. "You're going to be pissed, I suppose. It has nothing to do with...this situation. Which I can explain in detail."
"Before you go any further," Daniel waylaid the man, "explain who the hell this Cabal is?"
"They're like a secret society, a shadow government that isn't supposed to exist." Mark shared the information.
"Yes, thank you." Danny exasperated. "I know the definition of Cabal. I meant, who are they? In connection with us... this?" He waved a hand around at their present situation. "What the hell is this Fulcrum supposed to do that they would kill so callously to possess it? And...how does it concern Liz?"
"Anything wrong with the world at large today, is most likely due to these people and their influence." Red stated. "I've been hunting them for twenty years, but I know they were around before I came into the picture. Who the hell knows how long they've been pulling strings." How often had he pondered the facts he knew to be truth.
"To what ends?" Mark had pondered as well. "To manipulate events in their favor, of course. To retain some sort of power." He shrugged. "Is this as simple as the eternal battle between good and evil? Blows my fucking mind." He shook a woeful head.
The silence came and went as each man sorted through the information revealed.
"The Cabal, the Fulcrum, it all has to do with how you ended up where you are now, doesn't it." Michael had time to discern that much over the years he had known Red.
"Yes." Red didn't deny it. He watched his wife. She gently stroked Silas' fevered forehead, smiling tenderly at the man.
"Her parents." Michael had also made a connection, having access to a more extensive network of data. "It had something to do with Liz's parents."
Red shifted a glance to the man. "My involvement with them ended up labeling me a traitor, eventually landing me on the most wanted list."
The others listened raptly; brows furrowed.
Red's tone softened. "An unfortunate event took place one night..." he closed his eyes, inundated by flashes of the fire and all that occurred, "... it was bad." He refused to share more, his gaze gentle on Elizabeth. The woman had taken a seat close to her guard. She was all too quiet for Red's liking. "She was there when it happened. I had to get her out somehow. Keep her out of it. Safe."
The man laughed mirthlessly. "Did a sterling job so far, right?"
"In light of what just occurred with someone we considered one of our own, I'd hate to think what would have happened had you not been on the scene all these years." Michael stated the obvious, to his way of thinking. "So, yes...you protected her from whatever these insidious people attempted. You've looked out for her in every conceivable manner."
"What are the odds." Francis mused. "She goes and joins up with the FBI, of all agencies." He sought out Liz. "Were you pissed at him, Lizzy?"
The woman seemed to pull back from far away, her gaze not really trained on anything as yet. "Pissed?" She had half-heartedly listened to the narrative. "No. I didn't know Red then." She said. "I just...thought I could do the job."
Red sighed mentally. "Dembe." He motioned the man closer. "Could you get the counselor on the phone. I think we need a session or seventy." He tried for a lightness he wasn't feeling. "You?"
Dembe had studied the woman for a while now, nodding minutely. He stepped aside discretely.
"Now you're trying to figure out who fucked you both." Mark was seeing more of the larger picture finally.
"In a nutshell. Yes." Red stepped to Silas' bedside, gazing down at the whiteness of the man's usually darkly tanned features. "So now you know most of it." He caught his wife's eyes, offering over a gentle smile of reassurance. "So...what's the verdict?"
The man turned his attention to those gathered.
"You first." Michael's wry grin broke the mounting tension.
"I believe you had nothing to do with Ben's...decisions, Michael." Red said. "I think he acted on his own in that department. That you were trying to ferret out some logic or truth to the entire sordid mess."
"Then my verdict is unanimously in your...and Elizabeth's... favor." Michael sat back, easing his aching shoulders this way and that. "Can someone, anyone, at least loosen these torture devices?"
"Your vote doesn't count yet." Francis stopped Harper's trek to the man. "You said a few minutes ago...you crossed Red somehow, and that Lizzy was involved. Want to explain that little tidbit?"
"Harper and I are working together. We're teaming up, with the Irish." Michael grimaced, waiting for the fall-out. "Long story short."
"The Irish aren't that bad." Danny was confused. "Are they?"
"Not the Irish." Harper smiled listlessly. "Reddington and I haven't exactly been...bosom buddies in the past."
"And Lizzy, how does she play into everything?" Francis was keen on details.
"I was..." Harper shifted a grimacing glance towards Elizabeth, "a prick to Elizabeth at the poker game." he explained. "Considering everything, Michael knew he was going to make some waves by associating with me."
"Untie Michael." Red motioned. "He's old. His circulation must be dead by now. Are any important digits falling off?"
"My important digit is just fine, thank you. No thanks to you ruffians handling of me." Michael sighed blissfully when the ties were cut.
Harper grinned down at the man, who flexed his arms and fingers gratefully.
"You lot are unconscionable." Michael grumbled. "Why I hang with you, is anyone's guess. I usually frequent a much higher social circle, I assure you."
Red sought out his one-time, arch enemy. "I know there are hard feelings–"
"Not on my part...not after what you and your wife have done for Lily." Harper held out a hand which Red took immediately. "Besides, the government screwed me on my taxes... which is why I stopped paying the fuckers. Any pay backs I can assist with? Count me in."
"I have a question." Francis asked. "Why are you messed up with the FBI at all? Did you cut a deal?"
Red cocked his head, his eyebrow raising. "Of sorts. As you all know, there are certain elements of our society that even we abhor. The tactics and unnecessary violence they employ keep the government agencies focused on our activities."
Each man present seemed to be drawing a blank were their expressions evidence.
"I've been giving a list of criminals to Lizzy." Red explained further. "I needed the FBI's data bases...manpower... to assist me."
"You've turned traitor?" Francis arose hastily but his world twirled unexpectedly from blood loss, and he was assisted by Dembe to...sit.
"If you think taking the Stewmaker, Alchemist and Carver down is worthy of being labeled a traitor, then yes." Red shrugged any concern away.
"So, you're taking down the undesirables." Harper put it more succinctly.
"Well, we try." Red didn't know how effective his plans had been to date, but some were better than none, he hoped.
"Oh, thank God." Francis took a swig of orange juice Dembe insisted he drink. "My heart stopped there for a minute."
"Which would make you technically dead...did you go toward the light?" Danny was trying for lightness for everyone's sake.
"You never go toward the light, man." Francis shook visibly at such a thought. "Aliens are at the end of that light, you know that!"
"Hey, are you the one who took down that asshole, Nicholson?" A light came on over Danny's head. "He operated here for a couple months, then vanished into thin air. He's a complete fucker, but smart. Cagey bastard."
"Yes, we finally got him." Liz looked at Red, not recognizing the name. "Baby Sam...was the end product, sweetheart."
"Oh." Liz was suddenly even more sad with the reminder...she didn't have, Baby Sam, either. Everyone she ever loved was systematically being taken from her. "...Baby Sam." Her tone caressed the name.
Red's brow furrowed darkly, having caught the swing in moods. He wished this horrible, shitty day would come to an end so he could address the woman's obvious troubles.
"I don't know no, baby Sam." Francis was immediately suspicious.
"We found a little over forty kids, ready to be sold for profit. Nicholson playing, stork." Red absently filled the boy in. "Not what one could call an upstanding citizen, Nicholson...the son-of-a-bitch. Baby Sam was among those found that night, and the youngest."
Red soothed the woman's hair. "Lizzy couldn't let the little boy go to an institution, like the others, even for one minute, let alone how long it might actually take to find his real parents."
"You named him baby Sam...why?" Danny was smiling but curious.
"Why not." Red avoided any further involvement in Lizzy's life.
"So, you work with the FBI." Michael wasn't certain about that part. "Man, it would be like me working for MI6."
"They would never accept you, Michael." Mark was relatively certain.
"True...true." Michael nodded his agreement.
"I work with her team...morons that they are."
Liz heard that part. "Oh, they aren't that bad, Red."
"Okay." He placated. "Perhaps Aram and Samar." He glanced to Silas' silent countenance. "Don't forget that raven beauty, Silas. You haven't scored with her, have you. Can't leave us with that little failure hanging over your head, can you."
Even Lizzy smiled gently at that dig, Red noted.
"A woman Silas hasn't managed to conquer?" Mark was appalled. "My god! I'm glad I'm sitting down."
"And who is this Wonder Woman when she's at home." Michael's interest was caught as well. "Does she wield an invisible lasso."
"If she did, Silas would let her rope him in...wouldn't you." Red continued to needle the man, hoping the large guard would somehow hear the teasing.
"It's not an invisible lasso...it's an invisible plane." Francis commented. "What are you guys talking about." He noticed his shoe was untied. "Wait." He bent to remedy the job, then raised.
Everyone waited for him to continue.
"...What?" The man was lost, clearly.
"At any rate." Red continued on. "You are all up to speed on my connection with the FBI, can we move on, now?"
Francis swayed in place and would have managed a face-plant had it not been for Dembe's quick reflexes.
"You need to lie down." Liz was instantly up on her feet, concern on the pretty face.
"I'm all right." Francis glanced about for more orange juice.
"What is it with you guys!" The woman's tone was almost shrill. "You have a hole in your body that isn't supposed to be there, you are not all right." She blanched, stopping only for emphasis. "And this ass! He had to be the hero! Had to get himself all shot up to prove what a big man he is!" She had pointed a shaky finger toward her guard.
Red stepped closer to Liz, ready for any and all eventualities which might occur.
"Look at you all!" She motioned curtly. "Blood over every inch of you! And you all just sit there talking away over stupid, non-important shit! What about your women? Do you not even care if they see you like this?"
The men did as commanded, glancing each other over.
"Stupid macho assholes...the lot of you!" Liz...sat, all the fury and indignation drained. She placed her hands over her face, tears starting quietly but soon enough, the emotional dam burst.
Red stepped to comfort her, gathering her into his arms. "Let it out, baby."
Francis watched the scene, his stare an empathetic one. "It won't help." He muttered dejectedly. "Nothing helps the shit going through your head...does it, Liz."
The woman hastily stifled her emotional outburst to Red's dismay.
"It does help, Francis." He corrected a little peevishly. "Especially a woman."
The young man shook his head, staring straight ahead. What he was seeing, Red could only surmise.
"I...c-can't ever do that again." The boy's face hardened. "Don't you fuckers...any of you, ever make me have to do that again."
The men in question seemed to instinctively know where the anguish was coming from, remaining quietly respectful of Francis' reaction.
"This is a piss poor feeling, Liz knows." Francis gestured aimlessly. The woman in question had stayed within the comfort of Red's embrace, but now, only stared idly at the tiles of the floor. "This feeling...sucks." The man's tone turned cold. "This can't happen again. Not ever!"
Liz closed her eyes, leaning into Red's shoulder. The man could feel the tremor run through her body.
"If you need...anything, money, someone giving you the business and you're backed into a corner." Francis lifted haunted eyes. "Just ask me. I'll give you everything I have. I would have given him..." he trailed away, slowly returning to the stupor of minutes before.
Liz gripped his hand, her lip quivering.
"Now...when I think about the future." Francis seemed lost for a moment. "Is there going to be one for any of us? Other than..." He wouldn't say it.
The vocation those gathered had chosen was one which usually ended badly, one way or another, each present knew.
Speaking of girlfriends or any viable connection with them in terms of a real, true future happiness... seemed tentative at best.
Francis swallowed hard. "I can't lose this... lose you guys." he murmured. "Promise me none of you will do what Ben did." The boy ducked his head, ashamed of his sorrow and fears. "We're different, right?" He lifted hopeful eyes. "Michael and Susan made it...Red and Lizzy have a fighting chance. Otherwise, what is it all for?"
Each of the men looked to their counterpoints, wondering if they were capable of keeping that promise. In this business, friendships, if there were any, were very loose and tentative at best.
Here, at Mark's refuge...all things seemed possible for a short period of time.
Liz watched the stoic faces, reading their thought process, knowing how difficult it would be for them to form a bond outside these walls. The thought made her incredibly sad...it actually broke her heart.
She squeezed Francis's hand. "I don't know about them, but I promise, I'll never turn on you, Francis. You mean more to me than anything in the entire world. My work?" She dismissed curtly. "Up beside you? It means nothing. We are family. We will always be family." She forced a smile. "I've finally found exactly what I've searched for all my life. No way in hell I'm ever going to lose it. No one will ever take this away from us."
And Red had his answers as well. He couldn't go against Lizzy, he couldn't go against the only family she had. But the question still remained.
"What about you, Francis." Mark asked quietly. "Could you promise the same thing. I didn't think Ben would turn, but he did. Can you honestly say that you would never give into the power or money your position brings?"
"I thought, at one time, all those things would make me the happiest guy on the planet. Well..." Francis laughed humorlessly, "I've got all those things, Mark, and you know what? I would give the shitload up for one more second to convince Ben...the error of his ways."
The silence felt unnatural to those present.
"I'm not happy." Francis snapped. "I'm about as far from happy as a man can get. I've still got the power and money. What's that say to you?"
The silence returned as each man considered the kid's words.
"Ben is...was," Francis corrected listlessly, "my soul mate. Every time I close my eyes, I see that idiot laughing at some stupid thing we did, or dancing with Amy with that insipid look on his face." He smiled wistfully, then...didn't. "Now, they're dead. They are no longer here to laugh with or..." He stopped, choking up. "And it's because of money and power. Ben thought that was more important than what he had with us."
Red held Lizzy tightly, his palm pressing the side of her head to his chest.
"I will never understand the why of it all." Francis knew. "I feel...sick inside. Like I'm unclean or something and I don't think any amount of water and soap will ever take the feeling away."
Each man began to feel uncomfortable.
"No one thinks too much, I suspect, about what we really do in life." Red stated the obvious. "Necessity says...sometimes, violence, in our world must take precedence over common decency. The people with whom we associate are not always of the best quality."
No one disputed the fact.
"I think what Francis is asking..." he hoped he understood the parameters the boy was attempting to propose. "We can build a powerful alliance inside this room today. Each of you possess unique talents. Our networks, if united...would be one of the most extensive in existence. Our capabilities would be staggering to any foe, including...the Cabal."
Francis lifted his head, staring at Red, his eyes wet and red.
"Dembe, Silas and I have fought this war alone for many, many years." He glanced at his friend and then...his head of security. "It is our war, granted. But in the long run, if we falter in our efforts, you men will be facing the threat this entity presents, for you are its enemy simply because you possess power."
Mark sat up straighter, his intelligent brow knitting drastically.
"Perhaps...together, we might just take the bastards down." Red shrugged. "Because our family has a bond that can't be broken, if we decide upon that factor right now. If one of us is under attack, then we all are under attack and we all respond with every resource at our collective disposal."
"Does this family include Antonio Crocetti?" Eric Harper wanted to know, checking out the up until now, silent listener to all said.
"Reddington and I have an understanding which goes way back." Antonio spoke quietly. "Nothing to date has broken our arrangement. Even me shooting the man one or two times." He sighed lightly. "Nothing said here has altered my opinion of the man... or Elizabeth. Of course, Francis is actually the power behind the throne now, you all understand."
Francis laughed brokenly. "Yes, sir...we all know that."
Antonio smiled benevolently. "Well, it is true. I have stepped down. I will defer to whatever he decides."
"Yes, sir." Francis nodded listlessly. "And...what have I decided?"
"That you will back Reddington in whatever venture he undertakes if it does not interfere with the running of my...your business, of course."
"Of course." Red smiled respectfully over, he held out his hand to Francis Holbrook.
Francis glanced at the appendage, still in somewhat of a stupor, Red sensed. "This is my promise to you, boy... I won't turn my back on you, if you promise the same to me."
Francis sought Liz's input.
"In most cultures, a handshake solidifies a bond, a man's word." Red motioned accordingly. "Are you going to leave me hanging?"
Grabbing Red's hand, Francis grasped it tightly in his own. "That's not what I'm going to do." Red was assured.
The quiet of the room filled Red's heart with dread. What would these men decide?
Daniel Courtland stepped up to Francis, a stern scowl on the man's face. Francis took the initiative, offering his hand.
Danny's scowl darkened, and he only stared at the offer.
Francis' face fell and he slowly retraced his palm.
Danny grasped it hastily, pulling the man into a bear hug, which ended in a rough-house noogie which messed Francis' hair into a tangled mass of comically fluffed disarray.
"Now what sort of family would I be," Danny held tight to his squirming, bitching victim, "if I didn't fuck with you now and again?"
"You bitch!" Francis tugged on his captured head to no avail, the muscled arms locked too tightly to break the vice. "I'm injured here! I'm a sick man!"
"No argument there." Danny released his prey, helping the staggering man to a seat. "Look at your hair. I'm embarrassed for you."
Francis scowled darkly up at his antagonist. "I know people who can take your sorry ass out, you know. I'm an important guy!"
Danny pursed his lips into a sensual kiss.
"Yeah, well...you're a prick." Francis decided then and there.
"But I'm a prick you can love cause...I'm family." Danny held up a reminder of a finger. Unfortunately, it was the middle one.
Liz cuddled to Red's side, happy and relieved to feel Red's deep chuckle vibrating against her side as handshakes ensued and were shared by all. The smile faded quickly enough when she remembered Silas, Red noted.
"Lizzy, Silas will come through this." He whispered soothingly. "He wouldn't do anything to hurt you...not ever. And he knows how much he means to you. So stop feeling what you're feeling. He would kick your sweet ass if he could see you now, and you know it."
Liz smiled softly. "He would try."
Red chuckled lowly. "He can hear you, you know."
"I hope he can." Liz's tone was soft. "I'm going to kick his scrawny ass once he is up and about. From here to Timbuktu."
"All right gentlemen... and lady. We are all in agreement, then." Red turned his attention to the problem at hand. "We've given our word to be each others support through whatever the hell crops up in future times." He checked to see if any dissident would belie his words.
None did.
"We are only one phone call away. We will pick up that phone...we will always be there." He continued, searching each and every face. "We are the only ones we can rely on. This, gentlemen...and lady, is one fucking formidable alliance. I, for one, am honored to be a viable member."
Antonio stood, a formidable presence in himself. "We are an army. One which will wreak havoc upon our enemies. Fuck them all."
The announcement was met with boisterous enthusiasm.
"And does anyone head this alliance?" Francis made a motion.
"Personally, I think we all need a voice in this, so I say, no." Red was quick to defer such a title. "Unless Antonio..."
"I will defer to whatever Francis decides."
"Do I decide that you will be the..."
"Depending on any given circumstance, and keeping in mind, sometimes experience counts for much," Antonio deferred with a lift of his hand, "I say...we play it by ear."
"We play it by ear." All echoed the sentiment.
Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad thing, after all, Red mused silently.
He turned his attention back where it was needed most... to his wife.