Silence
Title: Silence
Author: Diane
Entry: 08
Fandom: The Blacklist
Pairing: Donald Ressler/Elizabeth Keen
Rating: Teen Rated
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing!
Spoilers/Warnings: This takes place after the events in episode 1.04 “The Stewmaker”.
Word Count: 1,099
Summary: Walking further into her office, Donald set down a half-empty bottle of scotch onto her desk along with a couple of plain white mugs.
Author's Notes: This has been written especially for Megan at her request. I hope this is the sort of thing you were looking for and that you like it. :)
It's another submission for TheOctober Writing Challenge.
Elizabeth sat in her office staring into space. The noxious smells from the chemical bath The Stewmaker had prepared for her still permeated her brain as did the sound of it bubbling and she had a feeling it was going to take some time for both to fade.
It was late but she wasn't ready to go home yet, though being at work didn't seem to be helping much either. She knew there was paperwork she could be getting on with but her mind was a total mess from not only the events of today but also with everything going on with Tom... not to mention, of course, this whole confusing situation with Reddington. She was still none-the-wiser as to why he had selected her to assist him.
“Hey,” Ressler's familiar gruff voice broke into her thoughts.
She glanced across at him standing in her doorway. “Hey.”
“You okay?”
“No, not really,” she admitted. It would have been easy to just lie and say yes but, given the circumstances, she didn't think he'd buy it.
He gave a small head nod of understanding. “It's been a long day... Maybe you should go home and get some rest.”
“I will,” she told him, “in a little while.”
Walking further into her office, Donald set down a half-empty bottle of scotch onto her desk along with a couple of plain white mugs.
“What's this?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I didn't figure you one for breaking the rules.”
The tiniest of smiles tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I think you know by now that in this job it's often a necessity.”
“Yeah,” she mumbled, watching as he unscrewed the cap and poured some of the amber liquid into each mug. Taking the one he held out to her, she took a small sip and felt it burn as it slipped down her throat; immediately feeling its warmth settle in the pit of her stomach.
In stark contrast, Ressler downed the contents of his mug in one go. “So, what happened in there?”
His words sent a shudder up Elizabeth's spine and she brought the mug up to her lips again and took another drink. “He was going to kill me. He... he said he'd been told to make me suffer.” She paused before continuing. “If Reddington hadn't got there when he did...” she trailed off. “I'd actually managed to get away from him but his damned dog found me hiding behind a tree.” A wave of nausea rolled through her as she remembered regaining consciousness and finding herself back in the cabin, her whole body feeling heavy and sluggish due to the effects of the paralyzing drug he had injected into her. She had feared the absolute worst until she spotted Red standing behind The Stewmaker and, for a brief moment, she had thought that maybe she was hallucinating.
“I know what you told Cooper when he debriefed you... but I want to know what really happened when Reddington got there.”
Raising her drink, she said, “So this wasn't a friendly, supportive gesture between colleagues. You just wanted to pump me for information.”
He ran a hand through his hair as he recalled he way she had broken down as he'd led her to safety and he felt bad for her now thinking the worst of him but he couldn't help feeling that she was holding something back. “Look, I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been inside the cabin... being alone with that sadistic son-of-a-bitch but—”
“Which one?” Elizabeth asked. “Red or The Stewmaker?”
He cocked his head. “You tell me.”
“I think you know the answer to that.”
“On this occasion, yeah, I probably do. For the record, the drink was a friendly gesture but I know something went on that for some unknown reason you've decided to keep to yourself.”
“Like what?”
“Like Reddington coming to your rescue so he could use it for his own agenda.”
She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to quell the nausea that continued to linger at the memory of hearing Red pushing her would-be killer into the chemical bath. It didn't matter that she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. Sometimes, hearing could be worse than seeing. “I don't know if or what history they had together so that's something you'll have to ask him.” She knew only a monster could do what he had done but, at the end of the day, she owed him for having saved her life. God, she always seemed to be owing him.
Finishing off her scotch, Elizabeth logged out of her computer before getting up from her chair and then pushing it under her desk. She could feel Ressler watching her as she picked up her bag and checked that she had everything she needed. “What?” she finally asked him.
“Nothing,” he said, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders. “I just... I'm sorry you had to go through any of that.”
“Thanks. And, uh, I don't think I said it to you earlier but thank you... you know, for... uh... comforting me.”
Ressler shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “You're welcome.”
They stood there in awkward silence for what felt like hours but, in reality, was probably just a minute or two.
“So, I guess I'd better get going,” she finally said, her voice sounding too loud in the quietness of her office.
“You okay to drive?” he asked.
“Yes,” she lied. If she had said no, she was fairly certain he would offer to drive her home and she felt vulnerable enough as it was without spending more time alone with him. She still felt pretty embarrassed at how she'd broken down in his arms. Her fingers gripped the shoulder strap of her bag to try and disguise the fact that her hands were shaking. She'd already decided to take a cab home tonight and now she had the excuse of having had a drink to hide behind should Tom ask her about it.
Retrieving the bottle and mugs, Ressler turned back to face her. “I'll see you in the morning.”
She nodded and whispered, “Yeah, see you,” to his retreating back. After he had gone, Elizabeth continued standing there before pulling her chair out and sinking down into it again.
She still wasn't ready to go home.
Fin