#Liz x Dembe

[itscherrylipsforme]

Every second matters: Donald Ressler x FBI!fem!reader

Summary: Desperate times call for desperate measures. Your teammate’s and "crush-you-are-not-willing-to-admit"s disappearance is definitely one of those times, so you reluctantly have to ask the FBI’s most wanted criminal for help. Surprisingly, Raymond Reddington is also an excellent matchmaker

Warnings: Mentions of kidnapping and small injuries

Requested: yes

Words: 1300

Author rambles: Sorry because this took me ages (how many times have already repeated that?) Thanks to the amazing @zizzlekwum for her request and patience. Had to change the name while editing because this sounded better. Also this was edited late at night with mint tea as fuel and queued on the bus on my way to campus this morning, so blame any mistakes on those...

Masterlist Characters I write for

Likes and reblogs are appreciated ღ

I do not authorize any of my works to be copied, translated or plagiarized ✗

In the time you have been in the unit you have learnt two basic facts.

Fact number 1: There is absolutely no phone number, location or person Aram Mojtabai cannot find.

Fact number 2: You and the team never, I repeat, never go against Reddington’s plan. And that's for your own sake.

Yet, in the last hours everything you knew had come down in pieces. Ruins of the rules and statements you once held to, now they are left broken much as yourself. You look at Aram, clinging at the last straw of hope that remained.

“These guys are completely analogical! No digital footprint. And the last camera which got a glimpse of them only helps to reduce the search to a ten miles radius which is all covered by suburban houses. It just doesn’t make sense, the house’s cameras should have recorded them.”

His hands tangle in his short locks trying to find out a clue, something he is looking pass. Hostages just don’t go missing. Agents just don’t vanish in the air. Ressler can’t have just disappeared.

“What about Reddington?” You finally gather the courage to ask it, voice determined, you not so much inside.

“Still unwilling to talk with us.” Dembe, the gentle giant you have got used to call coworker and even friend in the last months, sights while crossing his arms. You have already seen the look in his eyes, the weight of the decisions you should both had taken as it that could ever change the current situation.

Things were easier when Liz was around, the idea hangs out in the air as if you could nearly capture it. Nobody says it, but all of you know is true. Liz was the only who could talk some sense into him, if someone could ever talk sense into Raymond Reddington. A few years ago, you could trust in Dembe to try it at least too. But since he has become Agent Zuma, the relationship has run cold. A worry for another day, you have more important matters in your hands now.

“Do we know where is him?”

Another question coming from your lips without even realizing, a silent nod the only answer you needed. Before turning to face your unit chief, Harold Copper.

“L/n, you have my permission to go.”

A fancy cocktail bar at six pm on a Monday afternoon. Lately Raymond wasn’t being too careful while choosing his meeting point, but with all you had in mind that was the last of your worries This shouldn’t have happened, nothing of this shouldn’t have happened. If things had been different, now you blamed yourself. Should have told him to stay in the car as Reddington had said, it was a recognition mission after all. But no, Donald Ressler always had to play the hero, and you didn’t have the guts to stop him.

“Y/n, my dear, sit down.” Reddignton retires a chair for you, a far too kind gesture considering how he had acted just an hour ago when Donald went missing in the mission. “Would you join me for a drink?” He pours another glass of a wine, which seems to cost at least a ten percent of your monthly salary, before you could even reply.

“Ressler has disappeared. He is probably being tortured at the moment, maybe even…” That’s another thing you learn in the field. Never say the forbidden word. If you do, you lose any kind of faith in seeing them again. If you lose faith, you lose everything. Even the possibility of them. "And you are thinking about wine?”

“Well, news like that is better taken while tipsy, isn’t it?”

Classical Reddington. Joking in the most inappropriate moments. Well, you also have an habit of storming out when angered. He will have to deal with that.

“You know how much he has lost because of you, right? Liz, his old girlfriend..." That gives you a bitter taste while rolling off your tongue at the same time you stand up. "You know what he has gone through. Don’t you care at least a bit? Once he dedicated his life to see you behind bars you, now he works by your side."

Your words are rushed, agitated. You can't even stop to catch a breath. Not that you want you, not until you are sure Ressler can do the same.

"You should respect that at least, I thought Raymond Reddington cared about his team.”

You see a strange glimmer in his eyes. Not mockery this time, but there was a small smirk in the curve of his thin lips. Laugh? Perhaps a hint of pride?

“First of all, you are well aware I do." He takes a long sip until the glass in empty. " Second, Donald is not in risk. Maybe bruised, but not deeply hurt. Those guys know better than to mess up with my team, as you have put into words.”

“Then why don’t you do something?”

Now there is a full grin on his face as he stands up takes his jacket from the hanger, not without leaving a generous tip on the table.

“I was waiting for you to ask me. And you did, half an hour earlier than I had bet by the way. This case may be even worse than I thought.”

“Cut out the riddles, Reddington.”

“You know he’s in love with you, right?”

How could he say it so blatantly, sweeping his fedora with such a calm manner while you had lost all your words? Mouth hanging and unable to stammer something coherent.

“He what?”

“And it seems pretty mutual to me” With that he puts the hat on and opens the door for both of you. Still trying to process everything you can't help following him in silence.

The rest of the rescue passes bluring infront of your eyes. Reddington telling you the exact location. Entering the housing development which had been carefully built as a cover for the criminal network (only a few houses were actually being used by its members). Dembe and Siya watching your back as the suspects were aiming at you. Clearing the area. Immobilizing the suspects. And finally arriving to Ressler's side.

You try to be gentle as you untie him from ropes which are holding him to a chair. However, your attempts are futile, hands to clumsy and brain dulled by all the emotions coming for you at once. You can't even recall when a few timid tears have started rolling down your cheeks, but you don't mind either. Donald is an equal mess right now, it's the first time you have seen him like these. Vulnerable. Human. And it only adds to the feeling you don't dare to voice. Not yet.

As soon as his free you wrap your arms around him. His nose in your hair as an anchor to remind him you are finally here. A considerable bruise under his eye and his bloody knuckles would usually worry to death (yes, even considering your field). But now you can't bring yourself to care, just wanting to hold him close. An urge to kiss his lips until you are both restless reaches your mind, yet the need for this. Just a hug. Just a simple gesture to assure you he won't be leaving anytime soon is enough for the moment.

"I think you have some things to discuss. I will leave you to it.”

Raymond's words take you by surprise, and between the falling tears you and Donald start laughing at the situation.

"Maybe we should talk about this" You whisper as you try to calm down and reluctantly pull away from him.

Too bad he has no intention of moving, but neitheir of saying what is really going through his mind.

"Maybe. Later. Not now. Just..."

Without further ado he rests his face on the crock of your neck. He had always been a man of action, not too good words. You didn't mind. As long as you could feel his breath on your skin, his warm body relaxing. Working in the unit every second matters. And you will treasure these and enjoy them as long as you can.

[writingbyshiloh]

Part 1: Samar

Series Masterlist

CW: Brief mention of the reader having a mother. Minor Aram x Samar (my fave paring). Implied sex with Reddington. not beta read (as usual).

AN: see the end of the fic for the full flower meanings! This is part 1 of a 5 + 1 series, but could also be a Valentine's Day stand-alone! 

Part 1. Samar

You didn’t know how to define your relationship with Reddington. He was still officially one of the FBIs most wanted, and you were an agent. Officially dating sounded too old school and formal, but friends with benefits sounded too casual and young. 

However you define it, you knew that if it came to light, your career would go up in smoke along with your reputation. Which is why you stressed to Reddington that no one could find out. That lasted about 10 minutes before an unfortunate encounter with Dembe. He was the only exception because Reddington swore that Dembe kept worse secrets. 

When asked if you could stay late on Valentine's Day you couldn't think of a good excuse to say no. It also got you out of any plans that may arise. 

Still trying to be in the holiday spirit you brought in a large box of chocolates for the team, complete with a bow, not surprised to see a few boxes already on Aram’s desk. Samar probably got Aram his own box, but there were still a few from team members for team members. 

What was surprising was Reddington, always the gentleman, with bouquets of flowers in stunning reds, whites, purples, and yellows in his arms by the desk.

You were the last to arrive, dumping your box on Aram’s desk. The others were in casual conversation comparing plans for the day while Reddington shuffled the flowers. 

“Apologies, Donald, I didn’t think you were the flower type.” Red didn’t look too apologetic, while Donald looked relieved that he was not on the receiving end of the flowers. 

“Agent Mojtabai, for friendship” Red handed him the yellow bouquet, full of coreopsis. You smiled. The relationship between Aram and ‘Mr. Reddington’ as the younger man called Red was adorable. 

“Lizzy, classic choice for a classic lady, white roses”. Liz thanked him before taking the flowers. Reddington turned his attention to Samar, holding out the purple flowers. 

“Flowers of the gladiators for you, Samar.” Samar smiled, clearly pleased she had the flowers of strength and victory. Unfortunately, that left you, to receive the red bouquet. 

“Red gardenias, like your mom used to grow.” He extended the last bouquet to you, which you took it gently, noting the card with writing on it. You thanked him but wondered if he was mistaken. Your mom never grew gardenias, and even if she did you never told Reddington about your childhood. 

You pulled out the card tucked into your bouquet and quickly stashed it back in the flowers. In his handwriting, it read There are no flowers which describe what you did two nights ago, thus, gardenia, for secrets. - Red. 

You glanced around to see if anyone noticed how quickly you dropped the card. Everyone was already buried in their work, minus Reddington, who looked pleased that you understood the real meaning of the flowers. 

---

“Gardenias also represent secrets,” Samar told you as she was getting ready to leave. You knew she was smart but had no idea how she knew that. You glanced at the flowers. 

“That's pretty cool. I think my mom grew them because she liked the smell.” You lied, praying that she would drop the topic. Her gaze flicked between you and the flowers a few more times before she shrugged on her coat. 

“Happy Valentine's Day,” She said before leaving your shared office. 

“Yeah, you too!” you called out from behind her. She totally bought your lie. Right?

------------

Reddington tag list: (Dm to be added or removed), @soraya-daydreams, @horrorqueen22, @wild-rose-35, @anonymoussherlockandmarvelgeek, @zombieskullxz, @rhepworth

Flower meanings:

You -red Gardenia - you're lovely, secret love

Aram - yellow Coreopsis - always cheerful 

Samar - purple  Gladiolus - Flower of the Gladiators, Integrity, Strength, Victory

Liz - White Roses - Innocence, Heavenly, I’m worthy of you

[raymond-reddington-ruminations]

Title:By The Horns

Date:July 14th, 2023.

Series:The Blacklist

Category: Finale fix-it fic

Main characters: Donald Ressler, Raymond Reddington

Rating: PG-13

Tags: The Blacklist, Redarina (implied)

*I made up the quotes from Liz in here because I figure they must have had these conversations, even if we didn't see them on screen.*

It was damn lucky that he'd come in a helicopter. As tiny as it was they managed to get Reddington onto the collapsible emergency backboard, and maneuvered him inside. Donald Ressler got Reddington to a medical center inside of 20 minutes of noticing the seemingly dead man twitch.

Now Ressler sat in a side room off of a short hallway. Calling it a waiting room was too generous a term for this tiny little emergency medical center. His elbows rested on his knees and his forehead in his hands. He was shaking, and his vision was off somehow, as it had been since he found Reddington stomped into the ground by the bull. A tornado of conflict like he'd never quite known ran through him. He should be doing something else. He should be calling Cooper back. That wail that had come from Dembe when he'd told them he was standing over Red's body.

But then the twitch, the pulse check, the noise of the helicopter and the urgency of the doctors and nurses. He hadn't had a chance to call them back, to tell them that the man was still alive.

"Not yet," a voice in the back of his head whispered.

Reddington might not make it. Ressler would wait for the doctor to give him some news first.

"There's another reason," the same voice in his head responded.

Shut up, he told it. Are you the devil or the angel on my shoulder?

The voice smiled back. It had Reddington's smug little smile.

The Doctor who had taken Reddington into another room off the hallway charged back out and began loudly calling for the attention of everyone in spanish. He pointed to different people in turn, demanding something. Most people shrugged or shook their heads, but some responded with at least one letter of the alphabet and Ressler understood that.

"A…".

"AB…".

He charged to his feet and quickly advanced to the doctor. "Blood types? Is that what you're asking for? Blood types??! I'm B negative!"

Ressler proffered his arm and slapped the inside of his elbow. "B negative! We're a match! We've done a blood transfer before!"

"Yes, yes!" The doctor grabbed his arm and ushered him into the room where Reddington lay on a stretcher. An oxygen mask was over his face, a brace around his neck, a heart monitor was beeping threadily, and a battered looking portable x-ray machine was being maneuvered over him by two nurses.

Ressler was ushered into a chair next to Reddington, and in short order Resslers blood was trailing through an IV tube into Reddington's arm. The beep of the heart monitor became stronger, more certain of itself. Red's chest began to noticeably rise and fall, something that Ressler hadn't been able to see out in that field.

The nurses finished their scans of Reddington's body and left. They were suddenly alone in the small, cramped room together, with the beep of the monitors and the ticking of a large wall clock. Resslers slow, controlled blood loss was combining with jet lag, and taking its effect on him. He felt drowsy and light, as if he was floating. He found himself looking over at his long-time nemesis, battered and bloodied, unconscious beside him. What a long road this had been. There had been so much loss. Liz. Where did it all end?

There were things he should be doing, like making that phone call. Why wasn't he?

"It'll limit your options. Wait. No one knows but you."

Son of a bitch. It out and out sounded like Reddington in his head now.

He drifted for a bit, not the least bit comfortable with deciding not to decide. Wait and see. Wait for the doctor. Ignore the fact that Red's condition should have nothing to do with Resslers' job.

The doctor returned, going to the wall and turning on a light board. He put up an x-ray of Reddington's skull, and began talking and gesturing to it. When he paused to look back at Ressler, he took in the other man's complete lack of comprehension. After a moment of hesitation, the doctor pointed to Reddington's nose area on the x-ray. He held out his fist horizontally, with the thumb extended to the side. Then he turned his fist so that the thumb was pointed up. He pointed to the area on the x-ray over Reddington's left eye, another place that was still bloody on Reddington's face. Again he started with the thumb extended to the side, and turned his fist so that the thumb was part way up.

"Ok, I got it. Injured, but not so bad."

The doctor put up another x-ray, and pointed his finger down the spine, continuing to talk, but not stopping there. Red's ribs and left forearm each got a big thumbs down, not that Ressler needed that interpretation. He could see for himself the shattered bones in the image. He shifted in his seat, registering his own sore ribs, thanks to Red's marksmanship just days ago. He didn't want to think about that. The voice in the back of his head had been all too convincingly suggesting that in Red's shoes, Ressler would have had to pull the trigger on Hudson himself.

The doctor moved on to an x-ray of Reddington's pelvis, but after just a moment he took it down again. He began flipping through the folder of x-rays in his hands, muttering to himself. He took the X-ray of the pelvis, and compared the numbers on it to the numbers on several of the other x-rays. He seemed confused. Then he left the room.

Donald waited, blinking hard and trying to shake off the faint dizziness. The clock on the wall told him it had been just over an hour since he had first found Reddington in that field.

The doctor returned with a younger woman, in different colored, more decorative scrubs. He put the pelvis X-ray back on the wall, and pointed at it accusingly, seemingly demanding something from the woman. She took the X-ray down, and again compared the numbers on it to the other x-rays. Then she put it back up, gesturing to it and speaking in a deliberately reasonable tone of voice. The doctor cut her off heatedly, gesturing to Reddington and back to the x-ray.

"What's going on?" Ressler leaned forward in his chair, reminding them of his presence.

"Ah. English." The woman spoke haltingly. She pointed at Reddington. "Friend?"

He stared hard at her for a moment. Then raised his fist horizontally, with his thumb out to the side.

"Ah," she replied, though her expression was clearly confused. She pointed to the X-ray, and then pointed to Reddington, and fumbled for the english words. "...tr….uhm…g…ch, change?"

He looked at her blankly, and shook his head that he didn't understand.

She turned back to the light board, and moved Reddington's pelvis x-ray to the side. She shuffled through a folder of x-rays in her own hands, and put up two more x-rays, both of them pelvises. She pointed to the first one, which was longer, narrower, with a smaller oval in the center, mostly taken up by the tail end of the spine. Then with the same hand she reached down and seemingly grabbed her crotch, Michael Jackson style. Ressler blinked, hard, and leaned back, baffled.

The woman pointed to the second new x-ray, where the pelvis was shorter, wider, and had a larger oval in the middle with far less of the tail of the spine showing in it. She then pointed to her midsection, and with her arm drew the shape of a pregnancy belly in the air in front of her.

"Yeah, I do know that. Men and women have different shaped pelvises." Basic forensics had been a long time ago, and he'd never had to make the identification himself, but in theory he could.

The woman slid the two x-rays apart, and popped Reddington's in between them. Then her finger shifted back and forth between all three.

Reddington's x-ray was in between, literally and descriptively. Wider, but also taller. A larger oval, with less tail bone in it. The areas that made the pelvis look taller had different levels of brightness on the outer edges, which Ressler knew from looking at his own x-rays over the years denoted bone growth.

But that large oval in the center, with the small amount of tailbone. That was distinctive.

"No," he said. He pointed at the X-ray, pointed at Reddington, and shook his head. "That's not his x-ray. Obviously."

The woman also pointed to the X-ray and to Reddington, and nodded her head insistently. She took the pelvis x-ray down, and lined it up in her hand with the skull x-ray, the arm x-ray, and x-rays of Reds clearly broken leg after it. She pointed to the upper right corner where the numbers were, and Donald could clearly see that the numbers were sequential. Each x-ray changing by only one number. The pelvis x-ray belonged in the middle of the bunch. He stared in confusion.

The doctor spoke up again, sounding annoyed and arrogant. The woman slapped the pelvis X-ray back up, drawing her finger around the oval in the center emphatically. She pointed to tiny, long-healed cracks that showed around the oval, speaking to the doctor sharpley, and again drawing the pregnant belly in the air in front of her. She pointed at Reddington, threw her hands up in finality, and stalked out of the room.

There was an awkward silence. Then the doctor shuffled his files, stared at the floor, and left.

Ressler sat alone again in the room with Reddington, looking at the X-ray in confusion and dizziness. A group of nurses came, bringing him some orange juice. They quickly and efficiently cut off most of Red's clothing, put his arm in a cast, and bound his leg in a brace. They elevated the bed and carefully supported Red's unconscious upper body as they wrapped his ribs.

Red's entire upper back and the backs of his upper arms were covered in burn scars.

"My father died in a fire when I was 4. He was fighting with my mother. I think Reddington was there."

Liz.

"He killed your mother right in front of you, you tried to kill him for it. Why are you forgiving him now?"

She hadn't answered him, that last time that he spoke to her, in his hospital bed just hours before she died. He never did learn why she backed down on going after Reddington for the seemingly unforgivable act of killing Liz's mother.

But there was that letter that Dembe had given to Elizabeth when he wasn't supposed to. It had seemed to cause such a rift between Red and Dembe. A secret, THE secret, revealed to Liz, finally, on the last day of her life.

Donald Ressler was not by any means stupid or slow. That damn voice in the back of his head was putting the pieces together, but the rest of him was resisting. He looked at the man in front of him, whom he'd been chasing for 15 years. It couldn't be, could it? It just wasn't possible, Reddington was far from being celibate. Someone would know, someone would talk.

"CRISPER gene editing was in use 20 years before anybody thought it was. Men can be implanted with uteruses and carry babies to term. Hooker robots. What exactly isn't possible, Donald?"

No. Not this. It couldn't be.

Alexander Kirk let Reddington go. Reddington would never say why.

Damn it, it fit. It fit so perfectly. It explained every. Damn. Thing. Why Reddington would give his very life to protect Liz, why he forgave her, and only her, every single time.

What the hell?! What the actual hell was he going to do with this??! It just couldn't be right!

A ringing cell phone made him jump, and he fumbled for his pocket one handed before realizing it was coming from the pile of Reddington's clothing nearby.

Shaken, he flipped open the basic phone, seeing the identifying name come up at the same time that the call became active.

Agnes.

"Pinky??! Pinky!!"

Away from the speaker for a moment; "He picked up! I told you! Pinky?? Pinky, say something! PINKY!!" She was escalating into higher panic with every plea.

Agnes. His goddaughter. That bright, beautiful little girl that was the last surviving piece of Liz.

"Not the last, Donald."

He cleared his throat, and spoke her name, in a voice that was clearly not the one she wanted to hear.

"NO! NO, I WANT PINKY! SAY SOMETHING PINKY, PLEASE!! " She was screaming now, and he could hear Cooper in the background, sounding tearful himself, trying to calm her.

Agnes and her Pinky were so close. Closer than Red and Liz had ever been. And he might actually be her Grand….oh god. The implications of it swirled around his brain. Even the lowest criminal, if they qualified as human at all, they couldn't not love their kids. Jesus, no wonder. Now it all made such terrible, tragic sense. Liz. Reddington should have told her.

"Cooper…Agnes, listen…" he tried to cut through her hysteria.

"Ah…nez…" Resslers' head snapped around at the muffled voice. Reddington, one eye flickering slightly, the other swollen shut, was trying to lean his head within the neck brace towards the phone.

"Hang on", he told them all, and pulled Red's oxygen mask just slightly offside, to hold the phone to his face.

"Ag..ness?"

"Pinky??! Is that you??!"

"Izz me…Izz you?"

"Oh God, oh God. Pops said a bull attacked you. He said you were dead! I told him I'd just talked to you!" She'd settled into sobbing her words out.

"Well zaz bullshi'. Heh. We gonna have burgers nex' time."

Bloody, bruised, and bound, Raymond Reddington still managed one of those little grins. Asshole.

"I love you so much, Pinky. Please come home. Don't stay away, just come home."

"Love you, see you zoon."

Ressler took the phone back, and clearly so did Cooper.

"Donald? What the hell??"

"Sorry, I..I really thought he was gone. Then I had to get him help…"

"I had to wait for Dembe to be sedated before I could come home. God, I've got to go back and tell him."

"Yeah. Cooper?"

"Yes?"

"…. I didn't call anyone. I'm here on my own."

There was a long pause of understanding.

"…. You're far from home Donald. Way out of our jurisdiction. I don't know what you can or can't do, or what you want to do. I only know what I would do in your place. I never want to hear her like that again."

"No. Me either."

"This isn't a bureau phone, Donald. This conversation didn't happen. The last one we had earlier, when you did call on a bureau phone, stands."

Ressler closed Reddington's phone.

Red was watching him out of one bleary eye, which seemed more alert by the second. He noticed the IV of blood connecting them.

"Full circle?"

"10 years…not that I really think I ever owed you anything. Except maybe a goodby."

He looked down, not sure where to go from here. He had committed to a course of action with Coopers unspoken consent and support. He was going to take no action at all.

There was no reason for him to stay here now. He could walk out, and Raymond Reddington would remain dead to all the world, with one hell of a tall tale about how he'd died gone out into the world, via the FBI.

Red watched him, picking up the situation easily. Softly, he asked; "Why?"

Red waited, the silence pregnant with tension.

Donald didn't know what to say. He wanted to talk, he wanted to question, and he wanted to forget.

"What…what is Agnes's blood type?"

"Why would you…." Red's working eye had finally managed to focus behind Ressler, to the light board on the wall, where the image of his own pelvis was brightly lit. He was quiet for a minute, and then spoke slower more carefully than he had before.

"I knew how you felt about 'lizabeth, before she did. Before you did. I knew if I said anything good, she'd run the other way."

"So you made fun of me for eight years? Gee, thanks. Why'd you keep it up?"

"Habit. I wish you a good life, Donald."

"Yeah, you too. Red."

The end.

Note; The show is over. They can't say this didn't happen.

[katarinas-redemption]

The Blacklist on social media. The Blacklist official subreddit. Instagram Facebook X (formerly Twitter) YouTube Reddit (Redarina subreddit) Award winning The Blacklist Exposed Podcast on Golden Spiral Media Select posts. Imposter hints (episodes per Jon Bokenkamp) A a list of ppl who urge Red to tell liz the truth. B Konets/Liz's dying scene and Redarina reveal to her C Liz's death scene. Red: As if for the first time seeing me for who I really was. D Red: because if you knew beforehand you'd never agree to kill me. E (Dembe: This funny little family who all share that laugh). F. Fakerina (Fake Katarina dialogue in Nachalo confirms when taken in context with her and Red's final scene in episode 8.02 that she had found what she was looking for the whole time. Katarina Rostova. Also see the scene from Episode 8.02 where Fakerina tells Red he was right in front of her the whole time.

Link One.

Link Two.

Link Three. Redarina discussions/posts on Tumblr

Link Four - Master link on Google Drive.

Link Five (Random links)

Dom: You took it but he has it and so do you.

Lilly: He doesn’t own her. He is her. Liz: Don’t do this. Lilly: And she is him.

Redarina YouTube video.

Link Six - Redarina (Lotte Verbeek/Katarina & James Spader/Raymond Reddington parallel scenes.

Season 1 DVD/Blu-ray commentaries with Joe Carnahan, John Eisendrath, and Jon Bokenkamp.

Pilot Commentary

Anslo Garrick Commentary

Berlin Commentary

The Blacklist STAFF confirms Red's identity.

What Eisendrath said about Red Back Burns.

Video clip - Red: I know how far a parent will go to protect their child.

Nachalo answers eight years of questions.

Rewatching those cryptic lines of dialogue from Red in earlier seasons and how they now make sense knowing that Red was Katarina the whole time. Also see my reddit post. X

Cape May and the show's first glimpse at The Mother Theory

The Blacklist Showrunners press interviews.

NBC The Blacklist showrunners on The Imposter Reveal/Bones (interview excerpts)

NBC The Blacklist showrunners - The Imposter revelation goes back to the beginning (interview excerpts.)

NBC The Blacklist showrunners on the shows endgame. Google Drive Link || Tumblr Link

A list of Liz questions to Red

Liz Keen dialogue about her "Mother

Audio clips on SoundCloud.

Joe Carnahan on James changing the word "more" on the "One More Time Monologue"

The Blacklist - Nachalo - Episode 8x21 - "You, Me, Your Mother" soundclip

[thetwistedargent]

[ So, this is a fic that is weird and 100% out of my comfort zone. It’s a Liz x Dembe fix with Redarina. Need I say more? Slightly NSFW. ]

Dembe always had a soft spot for Liz, so Red supposed he really shouldn’t have been surprised at the sight he walked into. The two of them sprawled out on the hardwood floor with Dembe’s large, dark hands encircling his sweet Lizzie’s porcelain skin around her waist. Dembe’s treacherous head buried between her thighs. His dark t-shirt lay discarded somewhere, and his pants were already unzipped.

Lizzie was under Dembe, wearing very little. Just a black bra and what looked like a slip of thin material beneath Dembe’s head.

Dembe was too engrossed in the task at hand to realize that Red had walked in, gun in hand. Liz’s moans had drowned out the sounds of the rest of the world, and her own eyes snapped shut as Dembe’s tongue teased her over her panties.

“Dembe!” Red said with a harsh, animalistic growl.

The anger was steadily building inside Red. He had expected to find his oldest, most trusted friend consorting with the woman who had nearly gotten him executed. A wound so fresh that it still bled. And here was Dembe, sticking another knife into his back and twisting it. The two of them together, against him.

Dembe’s head popped up in shock and horror. He looked straight ahead to see Raymond standing there with a gun aimed towards his head and look of rage and betrayal like he’d never seen before. He barely recognized the man in front of him.

Liz wrapped her legs protectively around Dembe, pulling his body in closer towards her, partly to protect Dembe and partly to give herself a little more cover. She would be eternally grateful that Dembe liked to tease her slowly.

“Red, it-“ Lizzie said in a cautious tone.

“I’ll get back to you in a minute, Elizabeth.” Red spat at her, cutting off her words in an instant, scolding her like she was a child.

He’d never been so harsh to her. Never. Not even when she confessed to him what she had done. She could see the anger in his face then, but it was eclipsed by betrayal and sadness. Her heart hammered in her chest. A wave of fear coursed through her body. She was utterly terrified of the look on his face. He almost didn’t even look human. He looked like some kind of monster.

“Raymond, please.” Dembe said, his words desperate, pleading, and tinged with fear.

“Of all the betrayals I have endured, nothing compares to this.” Red snarled. “How could you, Dembe?”

“It’s not what you think, Raymond.”

Red’s jaw twitched.

“My oldest friend. My brother. Like a son to me. The one person I trusted with everything, and you go and do this to me behind my back? With my child, my own flesh and blood. My entire reason for existing.”

Liz’s gasp broke the silence that has filled the room and was sucking all the air out of room.

“What did you just say?” Liz practically cried out.

Her chest was heaving up and down. Her heart was beating faster than humanly possibly. Her entire body already shaking from adrenaline.

The only sound she could hear was the beating of her own heart. It was making her dizzy.

She sat up and twisted her body until she was kneeling, looking up at Reddington. Her entire body was shaking.

Dembe’s arm wrapped around Liz’s waist protectively to steady her.

Reddington was white like a ghost. All the color had drained from his face. His arms dropped to his side as the realization of what he’d said finally hit him. His gun dropped to the ground as his fingers uncurled on their own. He was in shock. His entire body had stopped working. His mouth. His muscles. All of them were frozen.

“What did you mean when you said that I was your daughter?” Liz questioned.

Red swallowed, but said nothing. He barely even moved.

“You’re not my father. You can’t be my father. He’s dead.”

Red’s jaw twitched. His brain was firing as fast as it could, desperately trying to fix the stupid thing he had just done. Wondering if maybe there was a way to just undo the damage.

Liz’s anger was rising.

“Answer me!” She yelled.

Again, Red said absolutely nothing.

And then all of sudden, Liz lurched forward towards the gun.

It all happened too fast. Before either Red or Dembe could stop it, Liz was standing in front of Red, gun aimed at his chest. A look of shear determination was splayed across her face.

“Elizabeth, you can’t do this.” Dembe said calmly as he reached for Lizzie.

She flinched away, gun still aimed at Red.

“Give me the truth, Reddington, or so help me I will shoot you!”

Dembe took a step forward. “Elizabeth, my love, look at me.”

She turned her head slightly towards Dembe, but kept Red in her sights.

“Please, just give me the gun.” He said reaching out towards her, slowly.

“I can’t, Dembe.” She said, desperation filling her voice. “I need to know the truth.”

Dembe nodded. “I know and I promise you will get it.”

His hands wrapped around hers.

“Just give him a chance to explain.”

He lowered Liz’s hand.

“If not, I will tell you everything.” He said as he finally unwrapped her fingers from the gun and took the weapon into his own hand.

Liz fell into Dembe’s arms, and he wrapped his arms around her protectively for a while as she calmed down before she pulled away and turned her attention back to Red once again.

She gripped Dembe’s hand as she looked Red over, waiting for the truth.

Red looked towards Dembe. Dembe gave him an encouraging nod.

Dembe meant what he told Elizabeth. If Raymond didn’t tell her the truth tonight, he would, regardless of the consequences. She deserved to know. This had gone on for far too long.

“I’m not your father.” Red said softly.

“You just said that I’m your flesh and blood!”

“Yes, I did, and that’s the truth.”

“So then you are my father?! I am your daughter?”

“You are my daughter, but I am not your father.”

“What does that even mean?!“

Red was silent, and looked utterly vulnerable standing there in front of her without his armor. The truth was out in the open. All she has to do was accept it.

Dembe squeezed her hand as he waited for it to hit her.

And then all of a sudden, like a tsunami crashing onto land, everything hit her all at once.

“Oh….”She breathed out. “Oh….Ooooh!” Her words got louder.

Liz whipped her head back and forth between Red and Dembe in almost disbelief.

After a minute, she turned to Dembe, her eyes pleading for something— a confirmation, a denial, a laugh that this was just some cruel joke.

“It’s true, Elizabeth.” Dembe confirmed.

She turned back to Red. Her eyes had softened, but his entire body was still rigid almost as if he was preparing to take some massive hit.

She looked at Red with a harsh concentration, and for the first time, she really saw him for what he was. She saw the sacrifices. The heartbreak. She finally understood why he did the things he did. It was for her. It was always about his love for his. His love for his daughter.

Tears streamed down her face. She let go of Dembe’s hand and took a few steps closer to Red.

“You could have told me.” She said as she placed a soft hand on his cheek. “I’m your daughter, if anybody would understand, it’s me.” Her voice was soft, almost child-like.

He let out a sigh that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. His entire body relaxed into her touch. His eyes fluttered closed for just a second as he absorbed the moment.

“Lizzie…” He breathed.

“I spent my entire life wondering if you cared about me or if I ever even crossed your mind. Wondered if one day you would I come looking for me, but now I know the truth. You were there all along.”

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

A Case They’ll Like

Characters: Raymond Reddington x Reader (platonic)

Warnings: None.

Summary: You and Reddington drop by the ‘Post Office’ to deliver a delicious case to the team...

Reddington looked around the Post Office and chuckled at the various personnel wandering about doing their jobs. He hadn’t paid a physical visit in so long that he almost forgot how much they reminded him of worker ants.

He leaned over to you, ready to repeat his thoughts when you spoke first. 

“Don’t compare them to worker ants today.” You advised with a small shake of the head.

Reddington couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the comment and bite his tongue as you both approached your favourite team of agents.

“A house-call?” Ressler smirked. “To what do we owe this displeasure?”

His sarcasm was noted by the criminal and Ressler found himself pinned under a very unamused glare.

“Donald, if you want to continue this partnership then I’d suggest toning it down.”

Noticing the way that the agents smile dropped slightly, you shot Ressler a quick wink before tapping your hands on the table and drew attention to yourself.

“I know you’re wondering why we’re here, but I think you’ll really like this one.”

Reddington clapped his hands, rubbing them together and laughed. “Oh, boy - I recently learned that the Great Star of Africa was being transported back to England. I had organised a heist to lift it at the docks before it reached its destination but when my people got there, the shipment was missing.”

There was the sound of speed typing from behind Aram’s computer and the large screen lit up to display a large tear-drop shaped diamond beside the Crown Jewels.

“You want us to help you steal that?” Elizabeth scoffed and Reddington shook his head.

“Good heavens, no. My sources say that the lucrative Prism Brothers have a hand to play in this so I’m meeting with a contact at the Como Shambhala Estate in Ubud to get their location.” He explained and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out two rectangular pieces of paper. “And as it so happens...”

You smiled brightly, eyes glimmering with anticipation. “Here it comes.”

“I was kind enough to pick up two extra passes - so which of you want to take a spa day?” Reddington asked as he gently waved the tickets. The man then quickly added that it had all been approved by the director in case they had any qualms in regard to their jobs over the next two days.

Elizabeth smiled at how excited Reddington was but then sighed, “As much as I’d love to join you on this little ‘retreat’ in Bali - I can’t leave Agnes without a nanny.” She replied, reminding everyone that her duty to her daughter came first.

Turning to the woman, Reddington gasped as if he had forgotten something. “Ah yes, I have a solution for that.” He gestured to his side and you sent a small wave to Elizabeth. “Y/n’s staying grounded while I’m away and, from what I hear, Anges adores Y/n.”

“I can’t just expect them to drop everything and...” Elizabeth began to argue but you stepped forward.

“Honestly Liz, I was going to order in and watch movies until Red got back. Staying with Agnes is a much better plan and besides, you deserve a small break.”

Elizabeth went quiet as she considered her response. She trusted her daughter with you more than Reddington so she knew that Agnes would be kept safe. Plus, two days away would help her focus on a strategy to find Ilya Koslov.

“Okay, I’ll come along.” The agent finally replied. 

Reddington chuckled and looked around at the others.

“Excellent. Who else?” He wondered aloud, eyes landing on Ressler.

The blonde-haired agent realised and quickly shook his head. “Parks and I have a lot of paperwork to get through after your last Blacklister. Why don’t you take Aram? He could do with a spa day.”

The man behind the computer swallowed nervously as all eyes turned on him.

“Well, I do enjoy the occasional sauna.”

Reddington was grinning now that this has been sorted. “Wonderful, I’ll have Dembe pick you all up tomorrow morning so pack light.”

Masterlist here

[piketrickfeet]

for the ship ask: Ressler/Samar, Dembe/Samar, Liz/Dembe

ressler x samar

vomit / don’t ship / ok / cute / adorable / sexy / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

samar x dembe

vomit / don’t ship / ok / cute / adorable / sexy / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

liz x dembe

vomit / don’t ship / ok / cute / adorable / sexy / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying /i will ship them in hell

[glowstar826]

Heyyy, comrade)

For give me a character thingy:

Dembe or Aram from TBL

Tom Branson or Henry Talbot from Downtown Abbey.

Happy summer <3

Oooh, you’ve watched Downton Abbey? Well, we will need to discuss that sometime, won’t we? 😏

Anyways. Let’s do this.

ARAM MOJTABAI:

I feel pretty great about this character—a sense of kinship, if you will. The similarities Aram and I share are so specific that I could, for once, relate to a fictional character in a creative medium. It felt nice, seeing my personality being played out on the screen.

The only person I ship with him is Samar Navabi. They were a match made in heaven and I am so sad that Samar had to go. Their romance was so wholesome and tumultuous, and they went through so much…it’s almost like how Matthew and Mary danced around each other in Downton Abbey. Or how steadfast Anna and Bates were in that same show. Saram (the ship name for Aram x Samar) is like a mix of M&M and Anna/Bates.

My non-romantic OTP with Aram has to be him and Reddington. Even though Red is a criminal, Aram still holds him in high regard and respects him deeply. I also love how Red respects Aram in return and never takes advantage of his innocence. They as a non-romantic OTP are perfect! My favorite scene was when Red told Aram that he owed him a life debt because of how Aram saved Liz from danger. That scene was so powerful, it made my heart swell.

I don’t know whether it’s an unpopular opinion or not, but it is of my opinion that Aram should’ve kept Agnes away from Liz. Agnes didn’t need to be moved around from place to place and be traumatized for life. She needed to be under the care of someone who Liz knew and trusted, and that person was Aram. Aram would have taken way better care of Agnes than this mysterious Mrs. French. Aram would’ve been able to tell Agnes lovely stories about Liz and Tom, and he would’ve been able to give Agnes what Mrs. French couldn’t: safety and stability. It’s ironic, seeing as Aram is an FBI agent, but Mrs. French had a notorious connection to Liz as opposed to Aram, who was on the side of the good.

I wish that Aram had taken Agnes and stood up for himself for once. He needed to make Liz understand that she wouldn’t have fit as a good mother for her daughter at the time. He needed to not bend to the will of others. It’s very sad that the narrative gave Aram a chance, but he blew it.

TOM BRANSON:

I like him. He’s quite energetic, and though we disagree politically, he’s a good man. His character growth in the show is something that makes me smile, because of how much he actually grew.

I ship him with Sybil Crawley and only Sybil Crawley. Any other ship with him just makes me cringe. I suppose I’m also open to a friends-to-lovers type of romance with Tom and Mary, but only in fanfics (and even then, I’m iffy). Maybe I wouldn’t have minded if that happened when I first watched the show at age 11, but now, my beliefs are more hardened and solid. I wouldn’t be able to even stomach Tom x Mary. On the other hand, Tom x Sybil are a match made in heaven (like Saram is in TBL). That’s the good thing about this show. They leave you no room to wonder about any other ships because the canon ones are written so bloody well! When it came to romance, this show always hit it right on the money. It had the initial attraction, the development, and then the final product. It also helps that all the actors had such wonderful chemistry with one another. I guess that’s the Downton Abbey charm, isn’t it?

The non-romantic OTP question has an easy answer: Tom and Matthew. They were friends, comrades, and brothers in everything but blood. The on-screen chemistry they had was beyond excellent. One of my favorite scenes was when Matthew jumped up to Tom’s defense after the latter was drugged by Larry Grey, and I loved how Matthew announced that Tom would be his best man. I thoroughly enjoyed how Tom was the one who convinced Matthew to not call off the wedding with Mary. I will always remember when he said, “You won’t be happy with anyone else while Lady Mary walks the Earth.” It makes me bubble up inside to know that it was Tom who convinced Matthew in the end. I also love when Matthew said an episode or two later, “We’re brothers-in-law with high-minded wives. We’d better stick together.” This makes me really want to know how Tom reacted to Matthew’s death. Did he cry? Did he brood? Because I know he’s the emotional type for sure.

I don’t have any unpopular opinion regarding Tom, I don’t think. I also don’t have anything that I wish happened in canon.

Thank you so much for the asks, @skiesfallithurts! It was so terribly fun to answer them!

[theblacklistrareshipsweek]

Ship List

Ship list for reference, it doesn’t mean you’re limited only to these characters/ships!

M/F ships&dynamics Samar Navabi x Aram Mojtabai Gina Zanetakos x Jacob Phelps (Tom Keen) Liz Keen x Tom Keen Raymond Reddington x Alina Park/Madeline Pratt/Katarina Rostova, etc. Donald Ressler x Alina Park/Gina Zanetakos/Samar Navabi, etc. M/M ships&dynamics Raymond Reddington x Donald Ressler/Berlin/Dembe/Cooper, etc. Donald Ressler x Henry Prescott/Tom Keen, etc. F/F ships&dynamics Liz Keen x Samar Navabi/Meera Malik/Gina Zanetakos/the Djinn, etc. !Crackships!

Donald Ressler/lamppost/badge/booze/service weapon, etc. Raymond Reddington/wine/fedora/gun, etc. Harold Cooper/office/scotch hooch, etc.

Or anything you come up with.

——————————————————————————————

*Reverse ships also count.

*Romantic or platonic—it’s up to you, we’re game for all. You can appreciate the dynamics, it’s also awesome!

*Genderswapped (e.g., Red becomes Regina, Liz becomes Liam) ships are also allowed.

*Сrossover ships (one character from TBL and another from other TV show) are allowed.

*In case some of you like a character and ship it with Original Female/Male Character, you’re also welcome to join us.

[donaldresslerfanfic]

Unpredictable

Rating: M

Warnings: Strong Language, Sexual Content.

Word Count: 2867

Donald Ressler X OC Maggie Waters.

Chapter: Eighty-Two

Chapter Index

Story on Wattpad

Ressler. 

After Liz was reinstated, things against Garvey moved fast. Liz saw the littlest sign of hope when she found a witness who could identify him as the killer of the detective that was helping Liz, but quickly lost it when the witness was snatched from Aram's custody.

I'd seen Aram looking over at files and  security cameras and CCTV footage in his off time, non stop.

We were stalling in reports so we could get moving. I received an update later in the morning.

"Forensics says the report’s gonna be ready later today." I informed as I walked to Aram's station.

"I promised that we would protect him – that I would protect him." Aram said with a sad look on his face.

"Aram, we’re gonna find out whoever took this witness, all right?" I tried to cheer him up with a pat on the back.

"Tony Mejia was gonna testify that he saw Ian Garvey murder a cop. And thanks to me he probably never will." My eyes fell from him to the side

"Whoa, wait. Is that what I think it is?" I said referring to a little bag I saw peaking from his first desk drawer.

"Oh, uh – it was my grandmother’s. Amethyst is Samar’s birthstone." I chuckled a bit as he handed me the little bag. Birthstones were like zodiac signs to me, how that meant anything related to the day you were born was always going to be a mystery to me.

"Now, here I thought you were all doom and gloom." I opened the box and gave the ring a look, it was a nice ring, definitely fitted Samar. "When are you gonna pop the question?"

"What?" Aram asked with a chuckle and a frown "No. No, no, no, no" he said as I placed the ring back in the bag. "This is not an engagement ring. It’s just a ring."

"But you guys have been dating for over a year. You give her just a ring, she’s gonna think it’s a proposal."

"That’s insane. How can she think it’s a proposal if I do not propose?"

"I can guess what a woman’s gonna do, but why she does it, I got no clue."

"Apparently, I don’t, either."

"Well, why don’t you ask one"

I motioned with my head at Liz, who was walking towards us. Her and Samar tried to convince Aram once again that it wasn't his fault the witness was taken. Upon revising the events, it was obvious it was an ambush. Liz received a call from Reddington and left to meet with him.

We were stalled for a bit until Liz came back, and whilst Samar and I headed out for a case, I leaned that Aram did ask Liz the question about the ring.

"She told me that Samar would only think it's a proposal if she wants to marry me"

I frowned and shook my head a bit. "I guess I really don't know what women want"

He let out a little chuckle and sat down in Samar's chair in our office. "You already have one woman, I guess you only need to know what she wants"

My eyes landed on a photo I had of Mags and Alma when she was a baby. I guess I need to update it. Alma was on her way to her second year already.

"About Liz" I diverted "I don't think we're going to get too far"

"Why do you say that?" he said a little offended by my pessimism.

"Because Reddington is working for his own benefit as always, and we've learned before that even though he cares about Liz, he's always his first priority"

He frowned a bit, confused.

"Do you know about the car? How could you?"

"No, what car?"

"The car we used to transport myself and the witness, it was hijacked, and after I did some digging I got an ID of the person who placed the device. He works for Reddington"

I let out a dry laugh and shook my head.

"See? Reddington is hiding something from Liz, and he values that more than helping her get to the person who killed her husband"

I stood up from the chair with a grunt.

"Makes me sick" I said in a sigh.

I heard someone walk from the stairs, and I exited the office to meet up with Samar and Cooper, he gave us our last directions and we were off again.

That day we resolved the case of the vigilante child bride. I had the chance to go home early and leave the investigation to Samar and Liz. I still couldn't believe she was willing to help Reddington retrieve something he wanted from the girl.

"Don" Maggie called from next to me, I led my eyes to her and then down to Alma who was handing me something.

"Oh look at this" I said taking a piece of paper scribbled all over "what a masterpiece, thanks cupcake" she smiled sheepishly and was off again to  continue drawing in the floor in front of us. Mags was watching a movie after we'd had dinner, I was just there to make company.

"Ever since you came back on the taskforce you've been different" she noted. I stopped watching Alma draw and looked up at Mags, she was hugging her legs on her chest, waiting for me to answer.

"I've always hated secrecy and lies and... That's all Liz is getting and I don't think it's fair. I also had a car bomb explode next to me and some idiot stopped me from getting the unsub but that's beside the point"

"I see" she said with a little nod "but is it just the Liz thing that has you worried?"

"Yes" I answered with certainty, because it was. "Everything else is fine. Because we're fine right?" I asked her, she gave me a little smile and ran a hand on her hair.

"I mean we haven't had sex in a week"

"Oh I see, that's all you want me for" I teased as I leaned over her, she gave me an eyeroll as she looked sideways with a smile.

"No" she said with an obvious tone. I grabbed her by the legs and pulled her to me, leaning over her and latching her legs on my sides "the kid is watching"

"She's not" I downed my lips to hers and kissed her. I realized only then that we had been doing our own things and hadn't been together all that much, because I felt like I hadn't enjoyed a kiss with her in a while. She rounded my neck with her arms and I hummed against her lips. "I guess it has been a while uh?" I said quietly over them. She smiled a little and leaned in to kiss me again. I rubbed her waist and pulled her up, sitting back on the couch with her on arms.

"That's not all I want you for" she excused, hugging me by the neck "I just miss you"

"I know" I hugged her tightly by the waist, pulling her closer to my chest "we should go out tomorrow"

"I don't know, you're kind of unpredictable now" the corner of my lip pulled down to give her a sad smile.

It was crazy how we talked about how unpredictable everything was and the next day I got sent to Paris. After we rode in Reddington's private jet to Paris, he left us in the hotel to wait for him. For hours.

I hated when he left us waiting.

"Okay, enough" I said standing from the rather cozy loveseat in the living room, Samar looked up at me with a little frown "where is he? We need to call him, we need to get moving"

"Okay, I'll call him" she said standing and pulling her phone from her jacket.

After finding out that Reddington was kind of planning things as they went, we met up with him later that day.

He went on with the information he had about Mosadek and his security, and by the end of it I was sure it was impossible.

"No way, this could take weeks to plan out correctly, there's no way we're getting in"

"Let alone get Mosadek out" Samar chimed in.

"Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure?" He stressed.

"So you've got a way to get this lowlife out without getting us all killed?"

"The elevator" he replied simply.

"Oh the elevator?" I asked with sarcasm.

"Oh my God, you had the same idea!"

Few were the times when I actually felt like I could jump to Reddington's throat, because I wasn't in the mood the joke, and most definitely not in the mood to die. The elevator sounded like a terrible idea already.

We went on with the plan barely got the guy, and after Reddington interrogated him and somehow involved us all in a bigger thing that the one we signed up for, I had to call Cooper to get authorization. Later that day I face timed Mags to let her know the news.

"Hey princess" I saluted, Maggie smiled.

"Hey love, how are you"

"Daddy!" I heard Alma yell in the background, Maggie chuckled and moved the camera to focus Alma in the background, she was sitting in a chair eating.

"Hey cupcake" I saluted "where are you guys?" I asked after I didn't exactly recognized the furniture of the place.

"Well" Maggie said and turned around to focus Aram on the background. "I'm with Aram, he invited us over for dinner"

"Oh, it's uh, agent Ressler"

Maggie frowned and gave him a side look.

"I know it's hard but you can at least try to call him Donald, his first name is not Agent" she joked, Aram was clearly flustered.

"Okay, hi Donald" he saluted, then frowned "that sounds awful"

Maggie laughed and shook her head.

"What are you two doing?"

"You left me" she stressed "and went out to Paris with his girlfriend"

I stood up and walked around the suite, finding Samar sitting in front of a computer in the living room.

"We're being cheated on" I announced, sitting next to her and focusing us both in the camera.

"Hi Samar" Maggie saluted.

"Oh, hi Maggie. What are you two doing?" Samar asked, clearly weirded out as well.

I don't think either of them were too comfortable knowing that we were hanging out with eachother's partners, but I'd walked on James having breakfast with Mags too many times to be weirded out at this point.

"I think Aram and I would make a better couple, you know why?" Maggie said holding Aram by the shoulders.

"Because you ramble too much?" Samar answered.

"No, because we-" she motioned between them "believe in ghosts"

It was unbelievable how Samar and I grunted in reply.

"Oh yeah, Samar doesn't believe in ghosts" Aram interjected.

"Neither does Donald, he laughs at me"

"Everything that has happened to you, is completely explainable" I said. Aram and Maggie looked at eachother in surprise, I guessed that Samar must tell him the same thing.

"Anyway" Maggie said walking away from Aram "what are you two doing?"

"I saved Dembe from a falling elevator whilst Samar talked to a Parisian old man" I answered, standing up from the chair and heading back to the couch near one of the windows "I'll have to stay in Paris for a few more days"

"Oh, okay" Maggie replied with a little look I couldn't pinpoint "say bye to your dad" she moved the phone to focus Alma. She was still a little weirded out by the FaceTime method, so she kept looking at Maggie while talking to me "say bye"

"Bye" she complied

"Say bye dad"

"Bye dad" she said, then threw me a kiss and a hand wave. I bet Maggie made her do that.

"Bye love, I'll talk to you later" Maggie yelled, then ended the call.

My time in Paris lasted two more days between shots and not so nice runs in the catacombs of Paris. We arrived back home, then Cooper gave us our leave, even though we didn't catch the blacklister, our case was finished.

I arrived home by the time of lunch, though Mags wasn't at the house.

I was rolling my suitcase down the hall towards the bedroom when I heard a scream on the other side of the hallway, I looked up when I heard hurried steps coming down the hall, I bent down to catch Alma in my arms as she came crashing to me.

"Hey cupcake" I said with a chuckle, picking her up and holding my suitcase with my other hand.

"Hi Daddy" she said showing me some kind of dough she had in her hands.

"Did you miss me?"

"Yes" she replied, I set my suitcase near the door of the closet and left Alma on top of our bed

"Really? How much?" I made conversation as I took off my jacket. She extended her arms at her side "wow, that much? That's a lot" I said with a smile. I finished unbuttoning my shirt and headed into the closet to put on a shirt, then changed my pants to some sweatpants and headed out.

Alma was focused on her dough, I picked her up again and headed to the kitchen, Carol was there setting up something for Alma to eat.

"Hey Donald" she saluted "how are you?"

"Half tired" I replied, leaving Alma on the high chair, I'd eaten something on the way, because we were still on Reddington's jet and he doesn't take a "no" for an answer, so I sat next to Alma as she ate.

The phone of the house rang, I picked it up after a few rings because no one called landlines these days.

"Yes"

"Who is this?" I recognized Mags voice.

"This would be Donald Ressler"

"Oh, then this would be your wife" she answered with a chuckle "what are you doing at the house?"

"Just arrived, what are you doing calling the landline?"

"Carol doesn't pick up her phone while working, which I think it's great, but I wanted to let her know I'll take a little longer today, but if you're home then-"

"Yeah, I've got you covered, why do you need time?"

She let out a kind of annoyed sigh "my sister is going to some doctor for some operation and I'm going to take care of her during the post op"

"Something serious?"

"No" she said with a chuckle "not at all, you'll laugh when I tell you"

"Okay love. I'll make you something nice for dinner" I offered.

"Oh, can't wait" she said with a low voice "I'll see you tonight love"

"Love you" I saluted, then hung up.

Maggie.

"A breast augmentation?" Don asked confused, placing a plate of barbecue ribs in front of me, my mouth watered instantly, and even more when he set French fries in front of me.

"Oh my God I love you" I muttered, taking one and eating it quickly "yes, she wants-" I motioned at my breast.

"I mean, don't take me wrong, but your sister doesn't need bigger breasts"

"She's on a 2 for 1 deal, I wanted to check with you"

He looked at me with a twisted eyebrow, then gave me a sly smile.

"You're not against it!" I exclaimed.

"I'm not against it, but you definitely don't need it either" I laughed and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for the confidence boost, but I would never get anything done. And my sister is going through some weird middle age crisis thing, even though she's not even 40."

"What's in it for me then?" He joked.

"Is it good?" I said looking at Alma going to town at the ribs. I grabbed a napkin and cleaned up her face. "She's going to surgery in two weeks."

"And the kids?"

"Ethan is going to take care of them for that week"

"Alright then" I looked at him, giving him a smile "I'll take care of the kiddo" he reached to me and rubbed my cheek.

"I love it when you cook for me" I said leaning into his hand.

"I'm trying" I took his hand and kissed his palm, then continued eating because his barbecue ribs were actually heaven.

"What about your whole Liz thing?" I asked, giving that he hadn't talked about it in a while.

"She's working on it, so far not getting us involved all that much" he replied shortly.

"Does that upset you?" He gave me a look over his glass as he took a sip, then twisted his lips.

"A little. She'll come around, Reddington will leave her no choice"

I gave an understanding nod, then leaned my hand to place it on top of his arm.

Sometimes I felt guilty for wishing that Don didn't get involved in Liz's things, I felt bad for wishing he wasn't the way he was, so helpful, so righteous, so overall good. Because when things went bad, they went terrible.

[laraslandlockedblues]

Does anyone else watch The Blacklist? Because I started around Thanksgiving and I'm only on season 4 but I've decided 2 things:

1) I will ride the Raymond Reddington is Liz's father theory all the way to the series finale no matter what

And

2) If I was ever inclined to write anything for it, it would just be Dembe x Reader fluff in which you and Dembe cuddle and watch a movie in peace.

[roominthecastle]

post--“620″ ramblings about stuff & things

so 620 picks up one week after the succulent goose incident. Despite those 7 days, our Red remains as angry and hurt as he was before (if not more), which is our first key point. “I can neither kill... nor trust... nor forgive.” It’s quite an unsettling thing to hear, to say the least, and Liz, unsettled, immediately counters w/ “You forgave Dembe.” This Liz vs Dembe thread that’s been earnestly pulled on since 618 gives us the second key. It reaches all the way back to the first episode of this season where it gets established why such a comparison is not working as an argument: “That’s different.”

In both 620 and 601 we have a moment where Liz and Red try to drag poor Dembe in between them as an “example” to deflect pressure, but each immediately rejects this stunt bc they both know that the nature of their relationship is different. The forgiveness of a parent (figure) is not forthcoming for Liz bc Red’s feelings for her are not really those of a parent. This exact issue emerged after her faked death, too, and Bokenkamp touched upon Red’s point of view already, i.e. how the parent figure would have to forgive but the romantic partner is, in fact, conflicted [x]. But I’ve already written a longer piece on this duality, so I won’t get into it here.

And Red’s been struggling. He is heartbroken again and not as a parent. A parent’s heartbreak is equated to “being impaled by a unicorn” and -- still barred from being in her life -- it’s little Agnes whom Red watches riding a unicorn on the carousel. :)

With Liz, Red is suffering through something else that 100% parallels what Liz went through w/ Tom re, love, betrayal, and forgiveness. She was in limbo where she couldn’t kill, she couldn’t trust, she couldn’t forgive. She lost control and cold fury was the only way to get some of it back. And then she gave in to hope and “forgave every lie and believed every promise” only to get betrayed again. Red describes his predicament the same way: she “has lied and deceived me and I've forgiven her every time” and “I knew but I let my hopes convince me that she wouldn’t betray me.” This ties straight back to the idea of being in love == being rendered powerless, which is part of a larger quote from James about self-deception vs true romantic love. Part of this had a cameo in S2 and another is echoed at the end of this episode (the greeting card bit).

The topic of appearance vs truth is the third key that slides neatly into the broader question of Red’s identity. We have two important scenes that poke this issue:

one w/ Ressler when he questions Dom’s story and Liz’s willingness to gloss over the holes to preserve a neat surface appearance: “But is it the truth? Does it make sense that this is the answer?”

and the other is w/ torture master Teddy who points out how Red lives a charade: “The code's like the suit and the hat. You feel good wearing it. Look good, too. Million bucks. But, and I gotta think deep down you know this, it's like lipstick on a pig. It can cover a lotta sins. End of the day, it's still trayf.”

and all this nicely echoes Dom’s words from the previous episode (the “architect of this charade” who’s “stepping into the lie”) and the way Red kicks off the whole show in 101: “Everything about me is a lie.”

Red wears a disguise, is the point. “Raymond Reddington” is a lie he’s been inhabiting for a yet to be fully uncovered purpose. But ever since he met Liz, he’s been longing to break from this. It’s clearly expressed in all those emotional moments he shares w/ her, e.g.:

“I haven't been home in years. But if anyone can give me a second chance, it's you.”

“Sailors have been navigating by the stars for thousands of years. Odysseus spent a decade at war. But his biggest battle was finding his way home. That's Polaris, the North Star. That's how sailors used to find their way home. When I look at you, that's what I see. I see my way home.”

“It may be hard for you to imagine, but I once had a relatively normal life... bills to pay, play dates, family, some friends, people to care about. Lost all that. // Lost how? // In Mexico, there are these fish that have colonized the freshwater caves along Sierra del Abra. They were lost. They found themselves living in complete darkness. But they didn't die. Instead, they thrived. They adapted. They lost their pigmentation, their sight, eventually even their eyes. With survival, they became... hideous. I've rarely thought about what I once... was. But I wonder...if a ray of light were to make it into the cave, would I be able to see it? Or feel it? Would I gravitate to its warmth? And if I did, would I become... less hideous?”

When Red looks at Liz and Agnes, the deep longing for that past self w/ a wife and daughter stirs in him. It surfaces when she tells him her simple yet distant dream of walking in the park w/ her husband and daughter. They want the exact same thing. This is consistent throughout the seasons. He’s been gently signaling this to her and she’s been fleeing from it bc he is just... too much and the idea of him in that role in her life is an attractive yet scary image (see her steamy dream of him in S2 that blends sensuality and dread as Red, having murdered her husband, stalks up to her bed asking what she really wants).

Red’s anger as a way to reestablish a semblance of soothing control and Liz’s refusal to face the truth to protect herself are what we have in that last scene in 620. “father figure” is a buffer zone, always has been, it’s part of the charade Red lives while wearing Reddington’s identity. Despite having pushed for the truth, she is now trying to lock him into this lie, telling him that that’s what he will always be. And if you keep in mind those quotes above that show how Red longs for a past life around her, then you can see how her words likely inflict more pain.

This brings another quote from Red to mind:

“You said something before. The truth doesn’t matter, that the only thing in this world that matters is just the appearance of truth. I fear you might be right about that. Lately I find that the truth has become… so elusive. Often imaginary. But in the end, it’s all that we’re left with, isn’t it? What is real, what you can taste and touch and feel. The words that pass between us as we look each other in the eye are… all we have to hold on to. The truth. I hold it dear.”

In their first scene where Liz talks about finally having the opportunity to be completely honest w/ each other, they sit face to face. And then promptly dance back from it all, esp Red. Then she soon admits to Ressler that she might be closing her eyes to the whole truth to keep things simple, safe and "sweet”. And so in their last scene, there is no eye contact at all as she tells Red that it doesn’t matter who he once was (never mind that months ago she was willing to put him in jail to find out) bc this fake identity is who he is and who he will always be, which apparently dictates that he must play father and grandfather.

The sheer arrogance and presumptuousness of this statement are already begging for a strong rebuttal but it also nicely reflects Liz’s tendency to make things about herself while brushing aside how others might feel or think. She did this w/ Tom when she refused to see who he really was and tried to convince herself he’d changed. And she does this to Ressler, too, when she tells him she knows he did everything bc he thought it was what was best for her, never mind that that was not Ressler’s motivation at all and he, in fact, said that to her already. Her last scene w/ Red has this vibe to it.

The fact that Agnes is part of this park scene is no coincidence, imo. Red is not comfortable w/ playing Liz’s dad. If he were, he wouldn’t have denied being her dad when she asked him in S1 (since wearing Reddington’s identity provides the wiggle room here), he wouldn’t have winced and cringed every time she referred to him as “father” in S5, and he wouldn’t have had the same reaction at the end of 620, either. He doesn’t embrace it, he doesn’t like it, he just endures it. There was a (sadly discarded) line back in S1/S2 about how he would be willing to play any role she wanted him to play but I believe something has changed since then. Even back in 102, he enthusiastically offers her the role of girlfriend and when she refuses, he flatly tells her that she can play daughter then. The preference on his part seems consistent but it will always be up to Liz to give the green light. Or the red one.

He wants to be a father to Agnes and he’s already confessed it in 319 (“I would give anything to be a part of that child's life... hold her... watch her grow.”). And the only time during the park scene when we can see the cold tension melt off him is when he sees the little girl. And when he hears Liz’s decision to bring Agnes home, his stony demeanor crumbles completely.

This is also where another part of that quote from James mentioned above seeps into the dialog: when Red remarks that Liz’s code is not a code but a greeting card -- confused, self-deceiving bullshit (just like Teddy called his code part of a charade designed to hide the scary truth). They are still not being honest w/ each other, they don’t look each other in the eye, they are still dancing around the actual truth at the core of their relationship. Red is deeply hurt, all his hopes seemingly dashed, which drives him to clam up even more and detach to mitigate the pain. He can’t kill but he can try and kill his true feelings for her, I suppose. And Liz is still afraid to face what it is exactly that fuels his intimate commitment to her, so she draws a line in the sand, declaring it permanent. But...

“You know the problem with drawing lines in the sand? With a breath of air, they disappear.”

James stated -- while talking about TBL -- that he’s not interested in material that doesn’t have a romantic/sexual aspect to explore. He also said that he is fascinated by Red and Liz’s relationship, that Red’s feelings for her are strong, complex, and complicated, and that neither is sure of the true nature of their relationship.

so bottom line (to quote Ressler who’s fast becoming the only voice of reason now that Dembe left): Red locked in the surrogate parent role just bc he wears Reddington’s identity for a different, still mostly unknown purpose -- is it the truth? does it make sense that this is the answer?

nope.

And I think it’s interesting that Cooper was designated as a “spokesperson” when he is in the dark about what happened between Red and Liz: the one who is mostly in the dark speaks about a family bond but his assessment (of love, faith, commitment) could easily pass for a wedding vow, too. It’s nothing but fitting, imo.

This latest fallout created a huge fracture in the Red/Liz relationship and I don’t expect them to repair it in the 2 episodes we have left this season. But Agnes is back and I think she will be the glue for these two idiots in the long run, allowing them to slip into a family rhythm that could potentially coax some buried feelings to the surface -- feelings both are trying to ignore at the moment.

[kiss-my-freckle]

“He told you not to trust him.” That’s why they’re name-dropping Tom and Krilov is back in show. This is still about Red vs Tom, despite woman from Paris being their big bad. Because Liz is becoming more like her dead husband than her mother. She’s not a true Rostova right now, but a Keen. Woman from Paris is the Wicked Wolf, Red is the grandmother, Agnes is Little Red. It’s all there, and they currently have two themes going. 

The first, comparison.

good - better - best bad - worse - worst 

This is - who my mother is to me - an aura that surrounds me. For better or for worse, I don’t know. - Liz, 7x1

He’s a much better person than I gave him credit for. - Cooper, 7x4

But this - I have a sinking feeling this thing is gonna get worse before it gets better. And whatever he’s up against - I just don’t want it to end up on our doorstep. - Park, 7x8

Your mother was not as bad as - I understand why you might think she was, but she wasn’t. - Red, 6x21

There’s no shame in hoping for the best, even for the worst of us. - Cooper, 4x15

You know, I’m no worse than your buddy Reddington. - Tom, 2x18

When they throw these dialogue parallels into show and add clues like Little Red Riding Hood, one should question whether Red is the Wicked Wolf or if he’s the Grandmother. They include these dialogues for Tom FOR A REASON. 

He’s not my buddy. And you are worse. - Liz, 2x18

I want to take care of you for the rest of our lives, for better and definitely for worse. - Liz, 3x17

Because woman from Paris runs opposite Tom Keen. She’s preying on Liz’s emotions just as Liz did to Red in S6, and as Tom did to Liz throughout. 

I learned that from you, how to prey on the emotions of those that love you most. - Liz, 5x22

That’s why it’s gonna get worse before it gets better, just as Park said. Because woman is the Wicked Wolf and Agnes isn’t Tom’s daughter. 

This is - who my mother is to me - an aura that surrounds me. For better or for worse, I don’t know. - Liz, 7x1

I want to take care of you for the rest of our lives, for better and definitely for worse. - Liz, 3x17

The second, religion. Heaven - hell (Insert Polaris and Southern Cross)

The sky's north pole has a moderately bright star - the North Star, aka Polaris - approximately marking its location. The sky's south pole has no such bright star. But, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, you can indeed use the Southern Cross - also known as the constellation Crux - to find celestial south. [x]

That’s why there are stars lit up in Agnes’ princess palace. Tom isn’t her father, and Liz has a home without him. When Cooper spoke at her funeral in 3x20, he was actually talking about Ressler -

Elizabeth followed her heart, and against all odds, it led her back to the man she loved.

She followed what her head told her. Because she had her memory manipulated by Krilov a second time. Those dialogues go back to her pilot introduction. 

What heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten - 5x8 soundtrack

Who the hell’s Elizabeth Keen? - Ressler, 1x1

This takes us to Keenler’s soundtrack in The Capricorn Killer

It curves in through the weather It's coming from above And it brought us together It guided us to touch

Insert Orion, The Hunter, his arrows and his dogs, and take that back to Dembe, Kate, the Hunter, his arrows, and his dog in S4. Because Agnes is next to get hit. That’s why she ran side-by-side with Kate. Why Kate flat-out told Liz she did this for Agnes. But she didn’t fail Liz. What she and Red did - they did for her. She’s gonna fail Agnes in unearthing the sutcase. 

Angel - devil (Insert Little Red)

I’m expecting a little devil of my own. - Liz, 3x12

She’s an angel. - The woman, 7x3 Blessed - cursed (Insert the Wicked Wolf)

Blessed is he who walks not in the council of the wicked. - Samar, 3x5

Some memories you want to hold onto. Most haunt you like a curse. - Dom, 6x18

Purposeful stuff. Because Liz is still a Keen. She’s just like her husband. She’s just not wearing his face as Katarina does Raymond’s. I think Agnes will be. I think Liz is gonna be taking care of “Thomas” for the rest of her life. Because Agnes has two false grandmothers. It’s of no coincidence that Tom falls into every single dialogue parallel. 

Never knew the best was yet to come 

[raymond-reddington-ruminations]

Red, with Dembe's help, has avoided hospitalization numerous times. The one one time it couldn't be, season 8 when Liz tried to blow him up, Dembe is seen adamantly refusing to give medical history.

On the subject of pelvis bones....why would anyone bother X-raying there unless he was injured there?

And the show deals in medical theory-as-practice all the time. Men pregnant by surgery? CRISPER gene editing curing a blood disease? Ect.

We have medical theory now about using stem cells to grow new organs. It doesn't have to be just internal organs. There is medical theory now about specific hormones related to infant and puberty growth being used to trigger a second puberty growth, allowing bones to change. 100 years from now gender transition may be seamless and far less invasive. In the Blacklist world, the illegal medical underground is much closer to the future.

Also, to the original post....medical science says gender is determined between your ears, not your legs.

just throwing this on here. feel free to ignore. Facebook things. 

my response: 

My point in this whole exchange is to say that this show plays fast and loose with the depiction of “scientific accuracy” (Fiction vs reality). Your argument about the hips is valid in the real world. Red could have gender-affirming surgery but the hips cannot be changed. DNA cannot be changed. But remember, Red has his own medical team. He is specific about who gets to see his body and even how his remains should be disposed of. Season 8 Ep 22 >>> Red: And the remains?  Dembe: Spread over the Yenisey.  Dembe:  Our man on the inside will handle transport via their ambulance. The city will never take possession of your body. Full Disclosure: I’m not a medical expert so the following is just my opinion. Anyone can feel free to add or correct me if I’m wrong. The show is under no obligation (if Red is Redarina) to tell us how Red was able to evade being discovered for over 3 decades as we know he’s been captured. At any time someone could have done a BONE SCAN or an MRI. or something if he was injured. The gender-affirming surgery would be perfected in this show I imagine so I doubt there would be scars on his chest and his package would be a work of art. But his insides… Not to mention, no one has run DNA. The first thing that would happen when he surrendered and asked to speak to E. Keen is that ppl would wonder if he’s her dad and would immediately do a DNA test. But that didn’t happen, did it? The show evades what they don’t need or have to explain to the audience. Red was able to fool everybody including the FBI. In terms of Red’s DNA - The show avoids talking about it like the plague. Instead, they constantly deflect the DNA and instead refer to fingerprints or blood tests for identification. Fingerprints in the pilot, in Anslo Garrick, fingerprints mentioned by Agent Gale, fingerprints of the real RR that Katarina had in her possession and was able to do all sorts of things. Samar mentions there is NO DNA on file for Raymond Reddington. Liz said she swiped Red’s glass for DNA but threw out the results. In what universe does Liz wonder who Red is for 8 years and doesn’t run a DNA test as a starting point?

[thetwistedargent]

If you don't mind a random question, what do you think of Red and Anne as a pairing/couple? Do you ship them?

Personally, I'm rather conflicted, because, on one hand, I liked Anne – she was a nice woman and did/could give Red the peace he's craving – and she and Red were pretty cute together – honestly, I could watch these two being all soft and lovey-dovey for days on end – but this storyline was just so inappropriate timeline-wise (I mean, with everything that was going on in Red's life, both on professional and personal front – with Liz descending into madness/criminal underworld and actively trying to destroy/kill him, with Townsend, Ivan Stepanov etc., with his health deteriorating because of his mysterious illness – at the time he decided that it was the ideal time to also enter a relationship on top of everything else? Seriously? Not to mention the fact that by entering a relationship with Anne, Red was putting a good, kind, innocent woman who had had nothing to do with the criminal world before she met him in grave danger and that's just... not a canonical Red, Red we've known for years. He's not selfish enough to put his own desire to play house and have a place where/person with whom he could rest from the darkness of his world and just be Raymond instead of the Concierge of Crime from time to time) and the way it ended was just so predictable and gross (Making Red lose yet another person he's grown close to while also making it Liz's fault? Don't TPTB have hearts / tastes / enough sense to know what's OK or at least allowed to put your characters and viewers through and what's not?) that I'm seriously leaning towards wishing it never existed...

I LOVE random questions, btw.

Sorry it took so long to answer this, I've been busy with school and haven't really felt like writing anything Blacklist related (even just to answer asks). Ok, so here it goes.

I actually really liked Red and Anne. It was so different. I loved seeing Red so vulnerable. I loved that he just met some random woman and couldn't get her out of his head. I loved how pure and innocent she was (and their relationship). It was nice seeing Red happy for a minute. It was nice seeing him as human.

I will go down on the Red x Anne ship; however,

I agree that the timing was off episode wise. It made no sense to just stick that episode in. I didn't mind it in terms of the story timeline. Sometimes, people get complacent. Sometimes, even Criminal Masterminds, let their hearts get the better of them and make mistakes.

And what Red did with Anne was a mistake. It was stupid and selfish. He should have known the second he entered into this innocent's woman that she would become collateral damage. Even Dembe tried to warn him, but he enjoyed the way she made him felt. He was too concerned with his own feelings and comfort. He sacrificed Anne so that HE could feel better.

I hated that Liz was the one to kill Anne, but at the same time I understand why it needed to happen for Liz and Red to reconcile. He's taken so many people from her, whether directly or indirectly. He's hurt her deeply. This was a way for Liz to unintentionally hurt Red in the same way. It was a way to give Red a chance to understand what he's done to Liz. Only once they both accepted how toxic they were for each other and how much harm they continually caused each other could they begin to work towards reconciliation. It was a truly beautiful idea, too bad they ruined the execution of it with the rest of the season.

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Club Abyssinia (1/7)

Pairings: Reader x Donald Ressler (implied), Reader x Raymond Reddington (platonic)

Warnings: None.

Summary: New case - new danger.

Mini-Series Complete.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

It was a matter of great importance to Raymond Reddington. Such great import that he needed to involve the skills of you, Dembe and the Task Force. His plans for the latter were already underway as he had asked them to look into the recent criminal family on his Blacklist.

The Maratoni family.

Reddington and you stood on the floor briefing the team on the plan. Aram had already pulled up the images and family tree from what was available across the database.

“Meet the Maratoni’s.” Reddington introduced. “They’ve become active in the last two days with their procurement of priceless art pieces which also means that their underground business of illegal weapons trade has also kicked back up.”

The team studied the faces intently on the screens.

“That’s one hell of a family.” Aram noted. You walked over to him and passed a thumb drive. He inserted it onto his computer and the family tree extended on the large screens - making the job more complicated.

“They run off black money and the deluded notion that they’re untouchable.” You added.

There was a scoff from behind and you heard Ressler’s voice. “Like you?”

You whipped back and sent him a scowl. The exchange went unnoticed by the rest of the team and Red continued the brief, turning to the people in the room.

“Is no one curious as to why they’re on my radar?” He wondered, clearly looking for some kind of attention which made you roll your eyes. Liz, tired of the charade, crossed her arms and asked the question that he wanted to hear.

“We’ll bite. How did they catch your attention?”

“My beloved, and quite frankly expensively procured, painting of the Meguro River in the prime of blooming cherry trees was stolen.” Reddington told them rather annoyed with the matter.

Harold, who had been standing to the side, frowned. “How is this related to-?”

“They sent their youngest son Gerald to my home in Santa Monica. He tripped the security feeds.” Reddington addressed the man before he could finish the question.

“So is this about the painting or the illegal trade?” Liz wasn’t quite clear on Red’s motive.

“Both, Lizzy. In any case, I’m setting up a meeting with Mr and Mrs Maratoni tonight, I think they’d like to know.”

“That’s blackmail.” Samar frowned and you stepped forward with some folders and placed them on the desk.

“It’s leverage. We’re prepared to cut a deal, so they get the painting and footage in exchange for giving up their manufacturer.”

“So the Maratoni’s are the middlemen, acquiring the weapons and then selling them here.” Samar realised.

You nodded. “Yes. There’s a new player who’s importing their crap and we need to find out who it is. Stop the supplier...”

“...stop the trade.”

The agents huddled around the stack of papers that you gifted. It was a list of known buyers of the Maratoni’s. Reddington turned to Harold and smiled.

“I also need to poach one of your agents, Harold. There’s a lead to pursue and I need someone who isn’t from the underworld scene.”

Masterlist here