#A hole needs to open up right under the Aegis and swallow it whole

[akumanoken]

for the record this au gives us heartburn

[takadasaiko]

Breathe Again Beneath the Flames: Chapter Thirty-Five

FFN II AO3

Summary: Tom publicly comes out as Christopher Hargrave, Ressler and Cooper have a talk about loyalty, and Katarina makes a decision to protect her daughter.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Whoever had decided to hold this press conference outside at eight in the morning in New York City in January needed to be fired. Tom thought that might be the first thing he did as the CEO. It was freezing out there, and his usual peacoat and scarf just wasn't enough. He ran his hands together, leather gloves crinkling, as he waited. They still had more news crews that were supposed to come in and Halcyon's PR manager was determined that they couldn't start without them.

"You look like you could use this."

He turned, finding Liz with a cup of coffee in either hand and one slightly closer. "I love you," he said by way of a thank you and took it, the liquid scolding down his throat and it warmed him up from the inside out. "I guess at least they can't tell if my hands are shaking."

"How're you feeling?"

"Fine. Okay."

Liz reached out with her newly freed hand and pulled him closer by the lapel of his jacket. "You nervous?" she asked with a small smile.

Tom swallowed the immediate denial. "A little," he confessed instead.

His wife smiled for him and he felt her gloved fingers wrap a little tighter. "You're going to do great."

"I've spent the better part of my life trying to stay off camera," he murmured thoughtfully. "This could open up more than we ever thought. It's not like I don't have enemies out there. What if-?"

She tipped up on her toes and Tom felt her cold lips on his. Somehow it flooded him with more warmth than the coffee ever could. "I love you," Liz said softly and caught his eyes.

A lopsided smile tilted his lips. "I love you too. I'm glad you're here."

"I wouldn't have missed it."

It was easier to say after she'd gotten home and as she was already standing here, but Tom still knew it was important. Reddington had come between them a lot over the years. He'd dampened the support system. Every missed dinner, every cancelled plan had eaten at him in their first marriage, but here and now he knew. This was where she wanted to be. And likewise, he'd support her. They were a team.

"They're about ready,"

Tom turned, finding Nez approaching from the other side. Her expression was serious, all business, but there was a glint in her eye he recognised. Finally her lips quirked up. "You ready, boss?"

"Guess that's official today, huh?"

"Solomon's thrilled," she said, the sarcasm dripping from the words finally causing her to break into a full grin.

Tom rolled his eyes good naturedly. That wasn't something he had any business getting into, and if he even hedged close to it she'd be the first one to tell him.

"Dumont has eyes and ears on the whole event and we have people all around," Nez said lowly.

"You think the Cabal might try to kill him rather than take the deal?" Liz asked softly.

Nez shrugged. "Better to be prepared for the worst case and never have to deal with it. Your husband has had enough new holes put in him over the years."

"Yeah, let's not add to them," Tom chuckled, his gaze sweeping the area. He spotted a few faces he recognised. "And it's just as much to protect Scottie and Howard."

"The whole thing is a ticking time bomb of things that can go south," Nez agreed.

Tom loosed a breath and saw it cloud out in front of him. The plan was laid out and Reddington was confident in it, but that required a lot of faith in a man Tom was relatively sure didn't deserve it. He had switched things up last second, still holding pieces of information back. These were the people that had taken him when he was a child. Certain members could be more interested in making sure he didn't remember anything rather than striking a deal with him for the company. Nez was right. This was a delicate situation on all ends.

Movement caught his attention and he turned just in time for Scottie to lay a hand against his arm, her dark eyes meeting his own. She gave him a small smile and Howard offered him a wink that made him snort.

"Showtime," Nez murmured.

Liz's hand slipped down into Tom's and he took one last gulp of coffee. No matter what happened, they couldn't turn back now.

Donald Ressler hadn't gone back to his apartment after they finished the op with Reddington in the earliest hours of the morning. Instead he had found himself out on the streets of DC, wandering through snow drifts as the night stretched on. The cold was all that felt good, that chill hitting him right in the face and keeping his thoughts sharp. He had spent a lot of time in this city in recent years. Memories both good and bad were fixed all over town and he still had trouble wrapping his mind around some. Audrey, Reddington, Liz and their team, the Cabal, and Prescott. There were times it felt like watching a movie. So much had happened. Too much, and somehow he had lost himself in it. Somehow he'd given in and he had bent too far, like a rubber band stretched past its capacity. He'd popped back every other time, but now... now he was broken and there was only one way to fix it.

He found himself at the Post Office earlier than anyone else by the looks of it and ghosted his way to his office, fully intent on grabbing his spare suit to change into so that he would be ready for the day. Instead he found himself taking a heavy seat in his chair at his desk, numb fingers reaching for the folded confession tucked away, supposedly waiting until they finished this case. They would take down the Cabal, Reddington would bow out, and Liz would get her life back. The Task Force would disband and she might even move to New York if Tom chose to stay with his parents' company. Ressler would have to face what he had done in the end, and as his fingers played against the paper he wondered if he could wait that long.

A knock at the office door made him jump and Cooper leaned in. "I didn't expect anyone in this early after last night."

"I couldn't sleep," Ressler mumbled, standing.

Cooper shot him a skeptics look, eyeing the tux he still partially wore, the jacket and bow tie discarded. "Did you make it home at all?"

"Thought I'd get some work done." His boss still didn't look convinced and Ressler cleared his throat. "Sir, there's something I need to talk to you about." He held out the letter before he could talk himself out of it and Cooper's brows drew together in question. "It's a signed confession. I've been lying to you, sir. I do know what happened to Laurel Hitchin. I know because I…" He swallowed hard.

"Agent Ressler, stop," Cooper cut in.

"Sir?"

He held up the paper, letting it crinkle a little between his fingers. "I have a feeling I know what this says. I've known for a while. I don't need to hear it and I don't need to read it. You are one of the most dedicated, loyal agents I've come across in my career."

Ressler drew in a breath that he had hoped would steady him and he shook his head. "I've put this team in danger, sir. Hitchin is dead and instead of going through the proper channels, I covered it up. I-"

"You protected them, Donald. You know what would happen if this-" he waved the paper for emphasis- "were to get out? This entire Task Force would come under scrutiny. We have all done things we may not be comfortable with. Not one of us is the same person he or she was before this Task Force began, but we have a job to do, and we do it until it's been completed."

"I can wait until this is finished. Liz told Reddington to take a hike. The Task Force won't stay together without him."

Cooper raised an eyebrow. "We'll see about that . Does anybody else know?"

"Liz. And Tom."

"Those two can certainly keep a secret," Cooper chuckled, pulling his glasses from his nose. "I'll make you a deal, Agent Ressler. The moment this Task Force disbands, you are free to do what you feel you need to, but until then I expect your loyalty to be to your team. They need you to do the job that you have proven you do well."

The two men stood there for a long moment and Ressler found himself wanting to believe him and maybe even to find a little peace through it. Cooper truly believed that he'd protected the Task Force in doing what he'd done, and maybe he had. In a way he knew he had. "Okay," he conceded. "As long as the Task Force is together, I'm here."

Cooper nodded, accepting that. "I was on my way out to the war room to switch on the news. I hear there's an announcement being made out of Halcyon this morning."

Ressler nodded, following him out the door. Someone had already turned on the news and they saw a familiar face standing in front of the reporters. Tom looked perfectly at home there, if he was or not. It was hard to say with Tom Keen. They shouted question after the question at him and the answers rolled off his tongue, that charming smile plastered across his face.

A laugh rode out on a breath and Cooper shook his head. "Look at that. He's already got them wrapped around his finger."

"No denying that he's good," Ressler acknowledged.

"I'm glad he's on our side."

Ressler didn't answer, but his eyes were fixed on the screen. The Cabal would be watching, and when they saw this they would know that Reddington had been telling the truth. Christopher Hargrave was alive and well and in full control of Halcyon Aegis. It wouldn't be long now.

It was like opening the floodgates. Liz hadn't realised just how big the story surrounding her husband's disappearance thirty years before had been. The reporters certainly seemed to know. Or maybe they were just grabbing hold of it to make sure it was still the story that would get their name on the byline.

Cameras flashed and microphones were shoved in Tom's face. Liz watched her husband carefully hide any discomfort he was feeling behind a bright smile that they loved and her eyes scanned the crowd that had formed. Most were innocent enough. Curious New Yorkers and tourists alike, but there was one that had stepped up just before Scottie and Howard had begun. He was nondescript in his dark overcoat and beanie pulled down over his ears. It wasn't in the way that he looked, but the way that he was looking at Tom.

"Dumont's running facial recognition now."

Liz looked around at Nez's quiet words. She'd seen him too. "He was one of the first on the scene."

"Almost like he knew it was coming," Nez agreed.

"Cabal?"

"Even if he is we may not have him in our files. Unless you guys have something you're not sharing?"

Liz pushed a long breath out through her nose. "Reddington probably does, but that leaves us all on the outside."

She felt Nez's gaze on her. "I don't envy you. Tom hasn't told me everything, but it's enough to know it hasn't been easy in you."

"I don't think Reddington dropped into my life with the intention of making it easy," Liz answered sharply.

Nez moved for her phone and Liz spotted Dumont's name as she pulled it to her ear. "Talk to me, Dumont."

Liz turned back to look at the man in question as Nez nodded and confirmed with Dumont. He was gone. She had only let her attention wander for a moment and he'd vanished.

"Good. Keep eyes on him," Nez said. "I'll confirm and let you know. Just don't lose him."

"Dumont's got him?" Liz asked.

"Yeah." Nez's gaze flickered to Tom. "I know Reddington's convinced that this will work, but there's no guarantee that they won't be more worried about shutting him up than bartering. They took him. As far as they know, he may know exactly who is responsible."

"He doesn't," Liz murmured, "which makes it more dangerous."

Nez made a small sound of acknowledgement and looked over Liz's shoulder. Liz turned in time to see Matias Solomon approaching, his gaze focused on Nez. "Dumont has him a couple blocks away. Let you know if he tries anything."

"Mattie?" He paused for just a beat and Nez gave him the smallest of smiles. "Watch yourself."

"Absolutely," he chuckled and winked at her before starting off.

Liz shook her head and Nez grinned. "You don't get to talk. You married that one." She nodded at Tom. "Twice."

"What'd you do twice?" Tom asked, finally breaking away from the hoard at least for a second.

"Married you," Nez answered lightly.

Liz's husband grinned. He stepped closer and his arm snaked around her back, careful of her still-battered ribs. "You don't have to make that sound like a bad thing," he chuckled and kissed the side of her head. To anyone still snapping photos it just looked like a sweet moment between husband and wife.

"We're tracking a possible Cabal member," Liz said as she leaned into him.

"In the crowd?"

"Yeah. He didn't make a move, but-"

"Not too close," Tom warned and Nez shrugged.

"Solomon's on him."

Liz felt him nod. "I guess it's a waiting game now."

"Not for you," Nez said cheekily. "You just volunteered to run a multi billion dollar corporation. C'mon. There's a car waiting and everything."

Liz smirked at the look Tom shot his partner for that. It softened as he turned back to her. "I love you."

The words were weighted, like he knew things could go wrong at any instant and didn't dare risk letting a chance to tell her pass him by. She reached for him as he turned, fingers latching onto the material of his coat. She pulled him in and he met her readily, his gloved hand immediately moving to the side of her face as they kissed. For just a moment everything else faded away and they were the only two in the world.

Finally they broke and Liz reached a hand up to the side of his face, holding onto his chin and his gaze at the same time, her voice catching in her throat. She couldn't face losing him again.

Tom leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. "You remember what I told you when Kirk had Agnes? You're going to have us both."

"That a promise?"

He pulled back just enough to press a kiss to her forehead. "Yeah."

Liz managed a smile. "Okay. Go. Before Nez drags you."

Her husband flashed a grin and stole one more kiss before turning to the waiting car.

The Cabal had had a man at the press conference, which hadn't been a surprise for any of them. Halcyon had set Matias Solomon on him and Raymond had his own people follow up to a point. The Cabal member lost his tail at somewhere along the way, and it was anyone's best guess where he'd gotten to. To Conrad Davis, they hoped, but realistically it could be days before they heard anything.

Katarina hated the waiting pattern. It was a necessary evil in their line of business, but the not knowing made her antsy. She assumed that's why she found herself in the Bronx. In Riverdale. Scottie and Howard had played their part in returning home after the press conference and Tom had gone to Halcyon. She paused halfway to reaching for her lock picks and stopped, opting to knock instead.

She stood waiting for several long moments. It was hard to tell in a house as large as this one if anyone was actually moving inside and she had about decided to go for the picks again when she heard a squeal from the other side and a shout that followed. Katarina blinked at the door as it was tugged open with all the effort that a three and a half year old had in her. Agnes Keen beamed. "Hi!"

"Agnes, sweetie, what did I tell you about the door?" Scottie shouted after her and rounded into sight. "Kat."

"It's Kat," Agnes said and she almost sounded like she knew that before Scottie had said her name.

Scottie's expression shifted,serious and focused. "Have they made contact?"

"Not yet." Katarina motioned and Scottie nodded, inviting her in without a word. She could feel the other woman's dark eyes on her.

"Did you see Daddy on TV?" Agnes asked her.

"I did."

Agnes just smiled and Scottie leaned down. "Why don't you go see what Grandpa is up to?" The little girl nodded enthusiastically and slipped off, leaving Katarina to watch her until she turned the corner. "What are you here for, Kat?"

Blue eyes shifted focus and there was something clawing at her that she couldn't quite place. This had always been so much easier at a distance. Now she was so close. She was in deep. Masha, Raymond, even Agnes.

"Katarina?"

"I don't think they'll take the deal."

"Red seemed certain they would."

"Davis will. Davis would, but he's not in charge." Scottie shot her a questioning look, but Katarina waved it off. "They need more, but I don't think Raymond will give it to them."

"He knows what's at stake. This is our last shot. If we fail it's over."

"For all of us," Katarina murmured, gaze drifting back to where Agnes had last been seen. At best, the little girl would have to grow up like Masha did: stored away and protected from the evils after her parents. At worst she'd grow up as her father did. Katarina could stop that though. "I don't think Raymond will let me go again."

"Even if it puts Masha's life in danger? Agnes'?"

"He'll convince himself he can protect them."

"He's proven he can't," Scottie said darkly and Katarina wondered briefly if she blamed Raymond for what happened to Christopher. She supposed Scottie might see it that way.

"I'll handle it," Katarina said after a moment, the decision made.

"How?"

"I'm going to sweeten the deal. I'm going to give them me."

Notes: The writing process is a funny thing. Originally I'd thought Red would offer Kat up, but as the story progressed it just wasn't fitting in anywhere. Then I realised it shouldn't be Red and that Katarina needed to be the one to make that call.

We're edging closer to the end. Only a few more chapters to go!

Next Time: The Cabal finally makes their decision, but there's one more condition.

[abakersquest]

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - THE STORM OF THE CENTURY

With the somewhat turbulent weather of the floating isle, it would take three to four more hours to safely fly to Stormyard. It may not have been much in the way of time, but it was certainly a welcome break to the embattled warriors.

“So they kept me around to maintain my own invention,” Poda answered, sipping the tea Wistea had made him. He smiled not only at the sweetness of the Planaetian’s take on tea, but the atmosphere in the space she’d found to work and sleep in. He’d told her it was meant for storage but she insisted it was perfect for her needs. He didn’t know what to think when that large supply cart of the ship’s new crew rolled in, but seeing her turn a glorified closet into something better stocked than most apothecaries in just a day was certainly a sight to behold.

Not to mention her amazing use of space and beaded wall hangings.

“So then this was a prototype for the Aegis?” Wistea asked.

“Yes, for test flights at first, then I was going to give it as a gift to the empress. That, and my time aboard the God’s Fortune, are why it has such a homey interior. The Aegis was always going to be a tool of peace, a way of connecting our disparate nations across not only the vast distances between us, but the walls we built around ourselves… Both literal and spiritual.”

“I cannot imagine what it must be like to have lived since the dawn of intellect itself. What you must think of us…”

Poda laughed, it a raspy sort of noise appropriate to his age. “I think you’re all astonishing. The way the young and ambitious rise from beneath what the old have built to say ‘that was good, but this will be better!’ Living long enough to see bright children become stars in their own right? It’s always been a blessing… Even if it does attract the occasional ANNOYING GRASSHOPPER.”

Argus, outside the room and elbow deep in an opened floor panel sighed and rolled his eyes. “I already apologized. Wistea you heard me apologize, right?”

Wistea sipped her tea and spoke over the rim of her cup. “I heard you make a long speech that we were all supposed to assume was an apology, yes.”

Argus continued working as he spoke. “Just because I saw through that ridiculous absent-minded genius act you put on…”

“Like that’s an excuse for always following me around,” Poda huffed. “I barely had a moment’s peace with you constantly yelling about how you ‘knew the truth about me.’”

“BUT I WAS RIGHT!” Argus shouted, slamming the floor panel back into place. “You were the original isopoda the legends spoke of, just as I’d theorized!”

Wistea put her cup down and looked at Argus, her tone calm and sincere as she said, “Yes, but did being right about him help anyone?”

The trained instinct to argue raised his hand and filled his lungs before any possible counter could be formulated. He stopped, sought the words, and realized the only possible conclusion. Wistea had soundly put him in his place.

He said nothing. He simply bowed his head to his fellow scholars and set about his next task.

Poda laughed. “See, look at that, you’re what? Fifteen? And here you are changing the entire way of thinking for an old and practiced scholar.”

“Oh! N-no I do not think I did that much.”

“Trust me, dear. You just changed his life with one question.” He finished off his tea. “You live long enough, you can spot that sort’ve thing right away. Kinda like how I knew to come down here and ask you for this cup of tea.”

Wistea tilted her head curiously, “Why?”

“Quiet moments like this don’t come often enough when you’re fighting to survive.” He pushed his cup back toward her. “Best to make them count.”

Wistea hummed in agreement and happily poured him another cup.

---

Wally plopped back into the bed with a relieved groan, the Stellar Flare may have been impossibly light for its size, but it was still good to get it off his back and lie down. Fighting two Halcyon Knights so soon after getting back on his feet had been more exhausting than he’d care to admit. He’d have to use whatever time it took to reach Stormyard to rest up and finish recovering.

Rozzi, who’d shown him to one of the still empty bunkrooms on the ship, stayed in the doorway for a moment. As the door started to close on its own, she bit her lip and quickly walked forward, dropping onto the bed beside him.

For one moment it felt as if his entire muscular system had been spontaneously replaced with concrete, save for the fact he could still move and managed a somewhat nervous glance Rozzi’s way before focusing back on the dull silver ceiling above them. It wasn’t the first time they’d lied side by side, but the improvised sleeping conditions in Arborledan resembled the feelings of a hammock. As wallabies are all raised in pouches its only natural they’d feel safest sleeping in something hanging off the ground. Really, Wally and his family only slept in beds because they were a lot warmer.

As his head tried to sink into his own neck in a futile effort to allay the onset of bashfulness, he certainly felt a lot warmer.

Eventually Rozzi spoke, the soft tone something Wally hadn’t heard since they’d tried to fuse their magics together. “Wally… What do you think’s gonna happen to us after all this is over?”

“Well…” He started slowly. “I’d imagine we’d all go home, right?”

“I don’t mean all of us…” Her hand slid over to his and held it. “‘Us’ as in you and me. What happens to this when we win?”

Wally wasn’t entirely certain what his heart just did in his chest, possibly some manner of failed somersault, but it certainly didn’t feel good. He swallowed hard and managed to say “Oh”, just before his throat closed up.

“You’d want to go back to your bakery, right?”

It suddenly wasn’t nerves keeping him out of joint or drying out his throat, it was the total understanding of the strange emotions he’d felt at her side. It was that quiet little pain that comes with the realization that you might be happy now, but it could come crashing down with but one act.

“Do you…” She fidgeted to get the words out, it was so unlike her. “I mean… If you asked me to…”

“Rozzi,” he quietly interrupted.

She quickly turned away from the ceiling, seeing his soft, sympathetic expression and sad little smile. It got that much harder to blink back the tears forming in the corners of her eyes, a million terrible possibilities boiling in her thoughts all at once.

Wally forced himself to ignore both the obvious and empathic signs of her distress. He also buried his own doubt and shyness, pinning them under the unassailable truth in his heart. “I could never ask you to give up the Circus… Those people, they’re your family. You need them as much as they ever needed you.”

Something, possibly an ethereal aspect of her being, tightened for a knock down blow. Then she saw him shift to his side and put his other hand atop her own.

“That said? I’m…” A bit of timidity managed to escape along with his honest response. “I’m not sure I’d look as good in that outfit you all wear.”

Rozzi was so taken aback she had to sit up. “W-what?”

His confidence surged somehow, he didn’t question it. “Although two ‘Feat of Strength’ performers might get a bit redundant, I can probably take up acrobatics. That works in pairs, right?”

“Wally…” She searched for some sadness; some surrender in his eyes but only found that same honest and kind smile he wore in the best of times. She quickly shook her head, both to disagree and to shake off her surprise. “No… No, no I can’t. I can’t let you do that! You worked hard for that bakery! It’s your dream isn’t it?!”

He sat up slowly and laughed very slightly, scratching his chin. “Rozzi, that’s just a building. One that had a very sizable hole in it when I left” He joked, trying to ease the tension of the moment for the both of them. When he saw her calm down slightly, he continued. “It was nice having a place of my own, sure. Saving up for it was a chore, yes. But that’s not the part I loved. It was being in the kitchen, it was baking something for someone that’d brighten their day, or save them from going hungry. I can do that anywhere there’s a stove…” A memory flashed across his mind and he laughed. “Heaven knows you all could use a good chef with that cricket running your kitchen!”

It must have happened when his eyes were closed, because when he opened them again Rozzi was mid-spring. Her arms outstretched, she caught him in a tackle of a hug, pinning him flat on his back while she buried her face into the crook of his neck. He demanded his body ignore the dull ache in his ribs as he returned the embrace.

The quiet reflection was brief, as Rozzi started to giggle a bit.

“What? Already picturing me in clown make-up?”

She shifted slightly to look up at him and shook her head, “it’s just funny you mentioned Cri’tet. Seeing as how he’s the cause of all this.”

“Oh so HE’S the one who threw this magic god sword at me, he always did look a little shifty.”

She stopped herself from laughing as best she could. “Stop that, I’m trying to be serious.”

He made a lock and key gesture in front of his lips.

“It was in the kitchen back home… You’d been a nervous, fidgeting mess the whole time until you got into the kitchen and started reprimanding Cri’tet. I thought it was just you showing off at first, but then you started teaching him.” She closed her eyes as she recalled the scene. “You were so confident and controlled you lit up the room… It was the first time I ever understood what people meant when they said that. Also the first time I felt the way I do about you now.”

Wally reflected on the scene quietly for a moment before he spoke. “You remember back when we first met Blackeye and he tested me and said ‘my fire burned away falsehood’ or something like that?”

She nodded slowly.

“So that partly means I’ve always been a good judge of character even before I could use magic, it just got better as I went along.”

“So you’re sayin’ you always knew you could trust me then?”

“I’m saying that the fact I got lost in your eyes the first second I saw you meant a lot more than I thought it did.”

She snorted uncontrollably into a short laugh. “You are never allowed to be that corny in front of anyone else, y’ hear?”

“I’ll certainly do my best, ma’am”

“You’d better.” She tapped him firmly on the chest for emphasis, catching him off guard and causing him to wince visibly. She gasped as she recalled his chest injury and instantly propped herself up on her arms above him. “Oh! Oh Wally I’m so sorry!”

“Rozzi, if a hammer the size of my torso couldn’t break any of my ribs, I doubt you could do any more damage.”

“Still, I should’ve-”

The pneumatic door hissed loudly as it opened, either because it hadn’t been properly oiled, or simply because it knew the scene called for a loud and abrupt noise. Hector walked in saying something neither of them heard as the realized exactly how provocative the scene must’ve seemed to him.

“OH! Um, I… I probably should’ve… I’m terribly sorry to-”

Rozzi instantly sat up and glared angrily at him.

He held up his hands and backed away slowly. “N-now Rozzi, there’s no need to be angry. I’ll just… I’ll turn around and leave and pretend I didn’t see anything so you two can-”

She hopped onto her feet and stomped toward him.

“Rozzi please remember this ship is brand new and we can’t go putting all sort of holes-” His back hit the wall outside. He winced, knowing that he was well and truly cornered by the fast approaching red panda.

When nothing happened, he opened eyes to see her standing before him with a rather happy smile. She playfully jabbed him in the ribs and said, “You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood right now, or you’d be wearin’ your tail as a hat.”

He watched in silent shock as she almost skipped down the hallway toward her room, humming some tune to herself.

When he finally turned back toward Wally he spoke in the hushed awe of someone who’d just survived a terrible accident unharmed. “Good heaven’s Wally, whatever you did just saved me the beating of a lifetime…”

Wally sat up from the bed and, with a strange sort of smile, rubbed the back of his head. “I’m… Pretty sure I just proposed…”

Hector looked back down the hall as Rozzi just turned the corner with a bit of a pirouette. “… That’d do it.”

---

The God’s Providence shook hard and tilted abruptly as it made its final approach toward the city of Stormyard. Through its metal hull its passengers could hear the almost constant sound of thunder.

“IT’S LIKE TRYIN’ TO SAIL INSIDE A DAMN ROCK QUARRY!” Blackeye shouted. “I’M GONNA HAVE TO SET HER DOWN!”

“THERE’S A CLEAR SPOT! THIRTY DEGREES PORT!” Polly shouted back.

The captain pressed down hard on the blue button in the center of the wheel that sent his voice all across the ship. “EVERYBODY HANG ON, THIS LANDIN’S GONNA NOT JUST BE MY FIRST BUT A ROUGH ONE!”

Captain Blackeye was no stranger to fierce winds, but he was far more used to having even the vague promise of something solid under his ship. He couldn’t lift his sails and worry more about the rolling waters, here the wind was all, and the fast approaching ground a danger. With throttle controls in his right hand and the wheel in his left, Blackeye slalomed the ship, dropping and raising the spin of the props on either side, cutting through the wind shear like a leaf as they descended. With a stomp to a paddle by the wheel’s base, landing skids jutted from the bottom of the God’s Providence. They did as well as their name implies as the ship skidded along the cloud coated earth to an eventual, if somewhat startling halt.

Gan was the first off the cargo bay ramp, a giddy grin about his beak as he turned around the ship and met Stormyard face to face. “Wow! I ain’t ever been this close to Stormyard before! All the flights into the city are done with the help of the big fliers; they don’t mind all the weather at all! Father always said I shouldn’t try getting to close, even if I could deal with all the wind and lightning because the guards’d eat me up!”

“He’s not joking,” Rozzi said. “They’re awfully big fellas with dagger worthy claws on their hands n’ feet. Had to deal with’em last time I brought my circus here, especially since we had some Sau-… Oh.” Rozzi slowly turned to Hyla, a bit of worry in her eyes.

The young frog put on a brave face and smiled to her friend to ease her concerns. “I’ll be fine Rozzi. There’s nothing in there I haven’t dealt with before. Although,” She tapped Wally on the shoulder just as he passed by. “Our Flarebearer might want to brace himself; Stormyard can be quite the assault on the senses.”

“Hell, just from the racket and winds coming in I can tell the place lives up to the name.”

“Y’ don’t know the half of it Mister Walter.” Blackeye said, carrying Rollo Poda on his shoulder.

Wally would’ve said something about that if it weren’t for the fact it was the only logical choice. Poda could get them to Stormstone Keep so he had to come along, and Blackeye’s shoulders were the broadest perch available. The small Insicai would look rather silly riding on his back. Those thoughts however flitted about his mind as he turned the corner of the ship and got his first look at Stormyard.

First he saw tall thin pagodas of stone and metal, their edges coated in what looked like gold, gleamed brightly in an almost constant shower of lightning. This was merely the opening entrée to a feast for the eyes that was the massive swirling vortex of pitch black clouds behind them. The occasional explosion of lightning inside the spinning storm created a collage of colors in the dark clouds; bathing the city below it in an almost kaleidoscopic light.

“It settles during the day, but surges at night. I never did figure out how or why.” Poda began. “Stormstone and skystone are offshoots of brightstone you see, they were created when I was cooling the Stellar Flare. Skystone is benign enough; it floats and mimics the colors of the sky around it. Stormstone absorbs energy like nothing you’ve ever seen and creates all manner of clouds. When the two are combined, powered by the Lock Bolt, you basically have a massive generator of weather that contributes greatly to the world. It’s some of my finest work, if I do say so myself.”

“So then without it,” Argus posited. “The different purity levels of the skystone that make up the island would cause it to tumble out of control and with it the stable weather of Mondia.”

“We can’t let that happen!” Gan flapped his wings in distress.

“Calm down Gan,” said Hector. “We won’t let that happen. Now, how do we reach the Lock Bolt?”

Poda pointed his walking stick toward the massive tempest. “There’s a safe path I mathematically calculated that will take us through the storm. I marked the entry with a landmark but… Someone went a built a city around it. We’re looking for a tall lamppost with a blue light. From there it’s a simple yet terrifying walk.”

“Not sure that qualifier was at all necessary, sir.” Argus grumbled.

“Maybe we can ask the local authorities for help?” Wally asked. “It would make the search faster.”

No one disagreed, and with a press of a button on the ship the cargo bay door rose and the fog rock emitters cloaked the ship.

“Everyone remember where we parked now.” Poda joked.

The path to the city’s gate was flanked by more ornate golden towers, steaming in the cold night air as errant strikes of lightning were drawn away from where people walked. Gan’s head was on an almost constant swivel, fascination glinting in his eyes just as bright as the flashes that snapped around them.

“That’s far enough!” shouted someone ahead of them. “Stormyard’s closed up for the night, no visitors!”

“It’s a bit of an emergency,” Wally called out, peering at the stranger in the distance, a flash of lightning finally illuminating him.

It was a falcon Orni’Hulan, his armor made from treated red leather plates and broad metal studs. His hands rested on the grips of two katar hanging off his hips. “I’ve heard THAT one before. Look there’s a safe spot east of here; if you run you can make it and camp out until morning.”

“A stubborn guard, who’d’ve called that,” Rozzi quipped sarcastically.

“I got this,” Blackeye said before clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. “BARBATUS IS A LOW DOWN, EGG SUCKIN’ SCOUNDREL WITH ALL THE CLASS OF A DUNG HEAP IN SUMMER!”

The guard recoiled in shock at the great white shark’s bellow, looking up to the sky in abject terror as a terrific and horrible noise seems to roar out from above them all. “W-WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!” The guard shouted. “NOW HE’S MAD!”

The great figure cut through the thunderous night air like a catapulted boulder, crashing hard against the ground with all the intent of one as well. The constant cloud cover on the ground was dispersed violently by his so-called landing. His wings were a mess of broad black and white speckles and his armor was forged steel around his torso that looked as if it’d almost been poured into a mold to fit him and only him. At full height he stood almost as tall as Captain Blackeye himself. In each hand this gargantuan bird held long and deadly hook swords whose glow disregarded all other sources of light.

“ALRIGHT,” the enormous bearded vulture Orni’Hulan bellowed. His normal speaking voice was a timber shaking boom, his sharp talons clacking loudly on the unseen stone path as he approached. On his beak a crack ran up to his nostrils where a streak of black feather lead the onlooker straight to his horrifying eyes, the whites of which were instead a deep and disturbing red. As he scanned the group the large billowing plumage on his head made him seem even more imposing. “WHO’S THE DEAD FELLOW NEEDS ME TO SHOW HIM THE WAY?”

“ME, Y’ GREAT FEATHERY EXCUSE FOR A RIGGER!” the captain shouted.

The towering bird recoiled and narrowed his eyes through the darkness just as a flash of lightning illuminated the voice’s owner. “… WELL PLUCK MY HIDE AND MAKE ME A PILLOW! CAPTAIN!” He charged forward forcing Gan, Wally, and Rozzi to dive out of his way as he crashed against Blackeye with a hug and bone rattling laughter. “BEEN A MOON’S AGE SIR!”

Blackeye hugged him back, “GREAT T’ SEE YA STILL WINGIN’ ABOUT!”

The guard at the gate stood shell shocked at the sight when Rozzi walked into his view and winked. “Still not gonna let us in?”

---

Barbatus Tridae had served under Captain Blackeye for almost forty years, so when the captain asked for help searching the stormward side city for a lamppost with a blue light, he got it in spades. It was easier than they’d initially thought searching would be, as the city always shuttered up at night when the storm was stronger and more dangerous. The great array of lightning rods above were a considerable aide, but lightning has a way of being so unpredictable that it can still make it through and strike some innocent citizen.

It also meant the search had to be done on foot.

Everyone split up and searched sections of Stormyard with the help of the local authorities. Those closest to the storm were witness to great stones being flung out of the churning clouds and into a mesh fencing that surrounded the stationary cyclone. The mineral offshoots were a byproduct of the storm’s magical nature as a unique and sturdy ore was forged in its tumult that could be processed into all manner of materials. The sale and trade of said materials made up large percentages of Orni’Hu’s economy.

Blackeye, still carrying Poda, was joined by his old friend Barbatus on their search.

“SO IT’S A BRIGHT BLUE LIGHT ON A LAMPPOST?” The bellowing vulture asked. “CAN’T SAY I’VE EVER SEEN IT.”

Poda winced. “Why does he talk like that, I thought bearded vultures were primarily silent.”

“Not this one, loudest fella I ever met. Never did figure out why. Barba! We’ll split up here, just shout if you see anything.

“AYE AYE, CAP’N!” the great bird saluted and headed down another side street.

“Heaven help the nearby glass.” Poda mumbled.

“So Poda, what makes y’ think the lamppost is still standin’?”

“Two things, captain. One, I built it. Two, it fits the aesthetic. There’d be no reason to take it down.” Poda poked the end of his walking stick into Blackeye’s cheek. “Unlike with someone who tore down my lighthouse.”

“Ah… Well I thought it best-”

“To tear down part of my great work, yes. I know.”

Blackeye sighed. “Would it help if I said, ‘sorry’?”

“It’s a start.”

Above them a ball of fire exploded like a firework, lingering as a ball of dancing light slowly drifting down. As the others gathered at the source of the fire burst they saw Wally in the middle of a field of jioon, gently herding the large friendly livestock away from the well aged, once austere, lamppost.

The blue furred, six footed behemoths made low yet unconcerned moos as the wallaby corralled them. Rozzi watched from the fence as a member of the city guard calmed the field’s owner. The sight of one of the younger jioon propping itself on it’s third set of legs, draping the first over Wally’s shoulders and licking his face was certainly a stark contrast to the terribly storm at their backs.

Hector leaned on the fence next to Rozzi. “I get the feeling he’s done this before. Just look at the smile on his face.”

Rozzi laughed softly. “I can picture him in a big straw hat with a milk bucket, and a full grown jioon on his off shoulder.”

“You know you could be helping me instead of just watching!” Wally called out laughing as he finally managed to get the jioon calf off him.

When Blackeye approached he set Poda down on the other side of the fence. He quickly hobbled over to the lamppost and stuck his walking stick into an unseen plughole in the base. The distinct blue light at its top turning into a narrow beam that shone toward the storm.

“There we are… Now, we just follow that and we should get to Stormstone Keep no problem.”

As they left and Blackeye said his goodbyes to Barbatus, no one quite knew what to expect. The winds picked up more and more the closer they got, the roar almost deafening and the gale just shy of picking them up off their feet. Rozzi tried to shield them all from the wind to no avail, the semi-mystical nature of the storm was too much for her to handle. With no choice and only a bright blue beam of light to guide them, the intrepid warriors soldiered on through the tempest.

After a half hour of trudging through the worst weather any of them had ever experienced they finally emerged on the other side of the storm wall. There they came across a calm field of bright green grass, the brilliant light of two moons directly above them, and an army of Shades lying in wait.

Beyond the shadowy foot soldiers stood a massive black tower with veins of brilliant light constantly dancing on its surface, and in its doorway, garbed in the black and red armor of a Halcyon Knight stood a male skink Sauroian, his long dark blue tongue the iconic symbol of his breed. He cackled madly as they emerged from the storm, almost doubling over. “THE LOOKS ON YOUR FACES! AHAHAHA, PRICELESS!!!”

<[Chapter 30]–[Index]–[Chapter 32]>

[takadasaiko]

Demons at the Door: Chapter Thirteen

FFN II AO3

Summary: Tom and Howard meet with the Halcyon Aegis Board while Liz confronts Red.

Chapter Thirteen: Cards on the Table

Liz had offered to go with him, and while her support would mean everything to him that day, he knew how busy she'd been chasing down the latest Blacklister Reddington had given them. It was a forger, one Tom didn't know off hand, but he would be very difficult to catch if he was half as good as Red had described him. She needed to be there, and the fact that she'd offered to come had meant more than she knew.

The doors to the lift opened, emptying him onto the executive floor where Nez Rowan was seated in a chair outside of his father's office. "Hey. You clean up nice," she offered, motioning to the suit.

"I've played the role before, but never thought I'd be doing it for real."

"What time's the meeting?"

"Not sure. Sometime this afternoon. We're going to go over all the last minute details this morning."

She offered him a knowing smile and stood. "Listen, I'm glad Howard came around-"

"We'll see," Tom answered noncommittally. He wasn't ready to hang all of his hopes on the fact Howard had chosen to side with him on this after he'd realized that there was no stopping Tom. He might have chosen to do it because he was choosing his son, but this also might be damage control.

"-but I'm still not convinced there's not a third party, and if there is you're putting a target on yourself by telling these guys who you are."

"I've been looking over the reports. These two have been undermining each other for years, but I don't see anything yet that convinces me that any of Scottie's handlers are here. Not in any place of power anyway. Howard never would have been reinstated if they were."

"Maybe, but we still don't know who really sabotaged Howard's plane. Is it worth the risk?"

"It's going to have to be. We don't have much of a choice right now."

"Mr Keen, Mr Hargrave is expecting you," Tanya called from the door.

"Just… be careful. It's a whole different type of dangerous."

"Careful, Rowan, or I might think you were worried."

She smirked at him. "You've grown on me."

"Nez, you have any last minute additions?"

Both operatives turned to see Howard standing at the office entrance and Tom shot Nez a look. She returned it with a shrug. "No sir. Good luck, Tom," she offered as she started towards the elevator.

"No, she wasn't my source about you going to the Board," Howard said as Tom turned back around. "I've known she was checking into things for a while. If you're going to pick two people out of this company to earn the loyalty of, Nez and Dumont are the ones." He motioned and the younger man followed him into the office, the door closing behind them. "I was starting to wonder if you owned a suit."

"Thought I might want to show up in something other than a t-shirt and jeans," Tom answered as he followed. "What time did you set the meeting for and how much did you tell them?"

"Four o'clock and I told them to be there."

There was a flash of mischief in those blue eyes and Tom smirked despite himself as he shook his head. "You know there's a chance they won't let us handle this internally, right?"

"These things are all politics, but yes. There is that possibility."

"And you're still okay with it?"

"No. I think I did what needed to be done. What I'm doing today I'm doing it for you, son."

Tom nodded, not trusting his voice in that moment. He swallowed hard. "Nez thinks there might be someone higher up that Scottie answers to."

"I imagine so. Your mother is a strategist, but even she can't pull this off alone." He paused, looking like he was playing something over in his mind. "Tom, something you should know going in. Reddington came to my home the same night that you did. He was looking for something that he said you took from him. A suitcase."

"Thought you weren't buddies with Reddington," Tom said pointedly.

His father lifted an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware I'd clarified my relationship with him." Tom snorted and Howard continued. "He wanted me to tell him where you'd stored it away."

"And did you?"

"I didn't know. I also don't like being threatened."

Tom tilted his head a little to the side. "What did he threaten you with?"

"Taking out a key forger that we use for our black ops. Marcus Fischer."

"Fischer. That's-"

"Mm. I'm well aware. I've been biding my time with Reddington just as much as he's been biding his time with me on it. His resources aren't what they used to be, so I had a bit more room to move without setting off too many of his alarm bells. I was on the phone with your wife just before you came in. I think we've found a way that both the FBI and Halcyon can come through this without too much hurt and -" he caught Tom's gaze, holding it - "allowing you to find the answers your wife deserves to know."

"Howard, if you're trying to buy something from me on this-"

"Funny, Liz said the same thing, but no." He pulled in a deep breath and reached out, his hand hovering just shy of Tom's arm. "You're my son. No matter how… complicated this gets, you will never owe me anything."

Tom stared at him for a long moment, wondering what on earth Liz had said to spark the more open approach he was trying to take. He was wading through it, as if honesty weren't something he was entirely comfortable with, but he was trying, and Tom had to give him that. Slowly he nodded. "Thanks."

A smile perked the older man's lips. "You're welcome." His gaze drifted over to the door and Tom followed it, finding a woman making her way in. She was dressed in a suit, perfectly pressed, and had an armful of documents with her. "Maggie, good to see you. Thanks for coming."

"Never a dull moment for legal counsel in Halcyon Aegis," the woman answered and her sharp grey eyes turned to Tom, looking him up and down. "I'll be damned."

"Tom, Maggie Ellis. She's head of legal."

"I'd seen your name pop up quite a bit in the last few months, but I had no idea."

"I take it you told her?" Tom asked after a moment, resisting the urge to fidget under her intense gaze. Instead he shoved his hands in his slack pockets and turned to Howard.

"I want to make sure to cover all of our bases."

"Legally, you're dead, Mr Hargrave," Ellis said and it took Tom a moment to realize that he was talking to him.

"It's Tom. Keen. I haven't been Christopher Hargrave in a lot of years, and yeah, Scottie mentioned something about signing a death certificate."

The lawyer nodded. "Of all the complications this presents, reversing the death certificate may be one of the least of them. We'll set a meeting with a judge to legally reverse it. I have a DNA test that our teams ran, though there are a lot of holes in what happened to you."

"For you and me both," Tom answered. "I'm hoping that this investigation is going to turn up some answers."

"Maybe more than anyone likes," Ellis murmured, looking over at Howard. "I've been looking over your statement. You'll be open to legal action for manipulating those financial records and hiding the fact."

"A point you've already made," Howard answered. "I'll take what comes, but Tom will have the legal right to the company."

"He'll be the majority shareholder, but I wouldn't expect a warm welcome."

"I just need time to get to the bottom of this," Tom said firmly.

"And resources. If you do get to the bottom of everything, there's a better than even chance they'll expect you to take on the company."

"One thing at a time, Maggie," Howard said calmly. "Now, we have a few hours. Let's get this to the best place we can get it before meeting with the Board."

"I spoke to Agent Navabi and she said you'd had a break in the Fischer case," Reddington said as she pushed through the shop door, the bell announcing her entrance.

He was focused on the hat he was inspecting and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Broke it wide open."

"So Fischer is in custody."

"No."

That caught Reddington's attention and he turned to look at Liz who held his gaze, her chin tilted up just a little. "I got a call from my father-in-law this morning. He had some very interesting information."

"Howard Hargrave usually does," Reddington answered noncommittally as he turned to study the hat a bit closer.

The curtain to the back room shifted and the shop owner came through. Liz motioned at him as she came to stand next to Red. "You don't want to be out here right now," she warned, her voice not quite dangerous, but he seemed to get the hint as he scampered into the back.

"Something on your mind?"

"We're well aware that the cases that we take on benefit you, Reddington. Some of them are more obvious than others, but each and every one of them helps you in some way."

"Of course they do, Elizabeth, but I give as much as I take. Your task force has quite the arrest record with the Bureau."

She ignored him and continued. "This one… I assumed that Fischer was one of your competitor's forger or that he employed a forger that your competitor used. I thought it had to do with rebuilding your business. What I didn't expect was that you were using us to help blackmail Howard Hargrave into giving up the location of the lab working to identify the bones Kaplan left me."

She watched him carefully, and while his mask of calm fit snugly over his features she could see the slightest twitch just next to his left eye that showed she'd struck the nerve she'd meant to hit. "Tom told you."

"Of course Tom told me," Liz snapped, her voice exasperated, "but I was hoping you would too, even if it was only because it would be a matter of time before I found out. I still would have preferred hearing it from you, but instead you went so far out of you way to keep hiding the truth from me that you've had us chasing a ghost of a Blacklister and dangling just enough that we'd almost catch him before he got away to help bully Howard into betraying his son."

"Howard doesn't need help to betray his son," Reddington huffed.

Liz felt her blood boil and she grabbed the hat from his hand, pulling his gaze around to her as she spoke in low, threatening tones. "Don't you dare. Howard may have been backed into a corner, but at least he had the decency to come clean. You wouldn't even do that."

"It was a strategic move to manipulate-"

"I guess you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Reddington's mouth snapped shut with those words and Liz held her ground, setting the fedora down hard on the counter just out of his reach like she would have a toy she'd taken from Agnes when she was in trouble.

Liz closed her eyes, gathering herself. "Howard reached out to me this morning and already had the deal in place. I met with Marcus Fischer, and while we do not get him, we are getting seven wanted criminals that he's helped escape. On a silver platter. Halcyon keeps their forger, the FBI gets to lock away criminals, and you, Reddington, will not find that suitcase. You're not going to take this from me. Whatever Kate left, she left for me."

"She had no right."

"She seemed to be the only one willing to tell me anything, so excuse me if I disagree."

Reddington pulled in a deep breath, shaking his head and he finally turned fully towards her. His shoulders went back and he pulled himself up to his full height, those piercing blue eyes fixed on her from behind his aviators. "I've told you before that there are many enemies, Elizabeth. Katarina had many enemies and they've become yours. As I've also told you, I will always do whatever I think is necessary to protect you. Stay away from this."

"I'm not a child. You get that right?"

"I'm well aware."

"Then stop treating me like one. I meant what I said when I told you that I don't want or need space from you. I know who you are and I know how dangerous that can be. I'm aware of that and I accept it because I trust you."

"Elizabeth-"

"But this can't be a one way street, Reddington. Not anymore. I need your trust in return. I need you to trust me to do what's right for me and for my family and for my team. I need you to trust me that I won't run at the first sight of trouble."

"I do trust you."

"Then start acting like it. Who do the bones belong to, Reddington?"

"I can't tell you that."

She stared at him, wondering if he ever realized just what he sounded like. Finally she shook her head and gave him a thin smile. "Okay. Fine. We'll do this the hard way." She turned to start out the door, part of her wishing he'd stop her. She wanted him to prove that he respected her more than he feared losing her. She knew their relationship was complicated and that the truth was likely even more so, but she needed his honesty. She deserved it, and that was one thing she wouldn't back down on.

They had gotten there a few minutes early and found the Board room only half full. Men and women in suits sat around chattering with each other and Tom found himself watching their movements and expression, deeply ingrained habits ready to echo what he needed to to put them at ease.

"Keen, wasn't it?"

Tom turned, finding a vaguely familiar smile and an outstretched hand. "Albert McKinney. We met in Howard's office the other day. You're heading up investigation into Ms Carlson's murder, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Must be a hell of a find if Howard brought us all here for the announcement."

"The investigation's expanded," Tom answered carefully, glancing over to where Howard was chatting with another board member. Maggie Ellis leaned in to whisper something in his ear and Howard motioned for his son to join him towards the front of the room. Tom offered a brief nod before moving to take a seat to Howard's right.

"No turning back after this," Howard said quietly.

"For you or me," Tom acknowledged.

The older man quirked one eyebrow up and stood, gaining the room's attention. Those still lingering at the door took their seats and Howard flashed a charming smile. "Thank you, everyone, for clearing your schedules. Halcyon Aegis has undergone some upheaval recently, but as the company's leadership, it's our job to do the best we can with what we're presented with. That is what I'm here today to do. What is discussed today remains in this room. Any exceptions to that will pass through our legal department. If anyone is uncomfortable with this, you're welcome to leave now." He paused, but no one stirred. After a moment he cleared his throat to continue. "I've known many of you for years. Some of you have been around long enough to remember my son Christopher. Those that haven't, I know you're aware what happened to him. He was taken. It was my search for my son that led me to the first hints of my wife's long-running deception, which eventually led her to the jail cell she now sits in."

Tom's gaze swept the crowd and he saw confused but curious looks as to the point of the story.

"I've been determined to prove what I've known to be true, but in that determination it's been brought to my attention that I may not be the best one to lead that investigation. Tom Keen and Nez Rowan have been leading the investigation into the murder of one of our own and have confirmed the man responsible for her death to be Daniel Pool. Pool was an operative in my employ that was inserted where he was to gain information about Scottie's intentions with Whitehall and her attempt on my life. While his objective was intelligence gathering and never to harm anyone, this has happened on my watch and I feel it's necessary to take a step back as CEO of Halcyon until this investigation has been completed in full. Tom has been leading the investigation. He can continue to do so under the Board's authority."

"That's a grand gesture, Howard, but with Scottie in jail that leaves the company in a very precarious place," McKinney said from his place. "The PR would be-"

"So we handle it internally until everything's out in the open," Tom said and suddenly all eyes were on him.

"You came in as Howard's man on the inside to investigate Scottie," another member piped up. "What makes you unbiased?"

"Because it affects me either way."

"With Scottie indisposed and Howard stepping down, Tom remains the majority shareholder," Maggie Ellis said.

McKinney wasn't the only one who looked confused by the lawyer's statement. "An operative that's been in the ranks for a few months? How so?"

"Because he's my son," Howard answered.

Tom straightened a little in his seat and Howard opened the packet in front of him. "I've been looking for nearly thirty years and I found him. The DNA test has been done and-"

"Listen," Tom said, noting the uncertainty sweeping through the room, "I know you don't know me. Most of you have never met me, but Howard approached me several months ago and asked me to go undercover in Halcyon because he thought Scottie had tried to kill him. I took time away from my own wife and little girl to try to get to the truth. He hasn't been above board on this whole thing with you or with me, but I'm in deep in all this now. There's evidence that we've uncovered that does show that Scottie was working for someone. She has a handler or an organisation she's working for. Until we know who that is, until we know what the purpose of it was, just tossing her in prison isn't going to do anything other than put a bandaid on the situation. I want to get to the truth of this."

Board members leaned in, hushed whispers exchanged between them, and Tom risked a glance over at Howard. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, because he shouldn't be looking to him for reassurance. As quiet conversation happened all around him - about him - Tom wondered if this was part of the struggle Liz regularly found herself in with Reddington. She would be tying up her case that afternoon. A case that's sole purpose had been to manipulate Howard into giving away evidence that Reddington wanted to keep from Liz to keep her from some truth. It was a constant roller coaster of trust and tricks and half truths and agendas. He'd lived that life before, but the difference was he'd never expected or hoped for a great deal more from Bud. Maybe he'd hoped that his mentor wouldn't be as eager to put a bullet in his head as he had been, but there was something different about this. He didn't know if it was the blood tie or something else. He wanted to trust Howard despite everything saying he shouldn't.

"We'll need to see the evidence you've gathered so far," Albert McKinney said, breaking Tom from his thoughts. "Give us twenty- four hours and we'll have a proposal for you."

Tom nodded and stood, he and Howard moving out of the boardroom. "I'm going to catch a flight home. I have a feeling it's going to be a while before-"

"Tom." Howard all but dragged him over to the side, glancing at the boardroom. "You and I both know there's a possibility that I'll be behind bars when they're through looking at all of that. I can't help you from jail."

"Help me with what? The whole point of this is to have some space so that I can do my job."

"I know, but this is personal. The most personal piece of it all."

"What are you talking about?"

"I haven't been entirely honest with you-"

"Also the point of the meeting we just had."

"-but I want to be. I can be. It's why I called Liz to tip her off this morning and it's why I'm not fighting you on this."

He was working himself up and Tom forced his voice to remain calm. "Okay, Dad. What do you need to tell me?"

"Of all the things your mother did, all the lies that she told, there's one that I could never forgive her for. One I… can't forgive myself for. She told me, in a way. She said she was responsible, but I thought she was blaming herself. I didn't know what she was."

"Blaming herself for what?"

Howard drew a deep breath. "Your kidnapping."

A chill swept through him as his father held his gaze, and Tom reached forward, his fingers latching onto Howard's coat. "Do you know who took me?"

He nodded slowly, and Tom was pretty sure the guilt and the pain was genuine. "Your mother is responsible."

Notes: Oh, Red. Just tell her the truth. lol

So, we're swinging back into Redemption mode here and will be for a while. I tend to write several chapters ahead (3-4 usually) and I just wrote what I realized is my first Scottie POV scene for this story. It actually helped me break through some writer's block. Apparently Scottie's good fro that. Who knew?

Next time - Tom, Liz, and Howard visit Ocean City to try to recover some of Tom's missing childhood memories and the Board makes their decision.