The Heart of Life

CHAPTER 12: "Family Ties..."

It was a total of two more months before Liz and Red came back to work. It looked like as if nothing happened at all, Red was usual jovial and sassy self making all the women in the post office drool and flirting shamelessly with those who treads his path.
All was well in the life of Elizabeth Keen. She finally decided to move out of that grubby motel and take the place that he had offered her before. Red was more than happy that she finally came to her senses about her her living agenda. He was more than happy to help her move all her stuff into the penthouse. And the team, were happy for her too.
All that is until one day...

Aram walked into the war room with a very confused look in face "what's up Aram?" Liz asked, Aram looked up at him and furrowed his brows; "I think we just spotted Mr. Reddington yesterday in Boston posing as a lawyer. "That can't be..." Liz said a little more than confused now. "And why would you say that Liz?" Donald asked her "because, Red flew to Milan day before yesterday when we last saw him. He came back this morning." Liz almost dead panned. Aram pushed in a USB device to the laptop while it all appeared on the big screen. "There are some pictures, and a surveillance video that a man that looked like Reddington was indeed in Boston..."
"Could you get to that one right there..." Ressler pointed to a picture where he was near the bench, "Reddington posed on a toupee?" Donald asked very confused, Liz only glared at her but chose not to speak; "Aram, could you pull in the surveillance please..." A.D Cooper asked "yes, sir..." A few seconds later, a surveillance video came up and they watch it play before their eyes.

They watched the man that is claimed to be Reddington go through a trial ordeal, and actually acing the whole thing. "He's very much like him..." Samar said, "yeah, he flirts shamelessly with any woman around..." Ressler said which earned him a punch from Lizzie "he even sounds like him!" Aram said surprised and confused. They looked at each other, and then to Liz to help them at least answer a tenth of the millions of questions spurring right now. "Look, I swear, Reddington was in Milan day prior, that couldn't be him..."
Aram pulled out a few specs about the persona that they thought was Red. "It says here, that he's born on 7th of February 1960 in Massachusetts and goes by the name Alan Shore, a lawyer for the Crane, Poole, and Schmidt. Married once, and now widowed with no children." Aram finished. "They share, the same birthday, and place of birth Liz what does this say to you?" Ressler asked Lizzie; clenching her jaw, Liz knew there's only one thing to do. "Aram could you please call Mr. Shore and meet us today, here at the Post Office at 14:00... I think there's one way to solve this." Lizzie pulled out her phone and called Dembe; "hi, Dembe I need to talk to him..." After a few moments of silence his voice came through "Lizzie! To what do I owe-" but he was immediately cut off "you need to be here in the post office at exactly 14:00..." She said in a rather cold voice "fine." He replied after a little silence "what's wrong?" He asked "just be here..." She said before cutting the connection. "I think we're in it for a treat..." Donald said smiling a bit, which in turn made Samar smirk just a bit. Liz's heart was pounding in her chest, what could've Red done now?

Before 2:00 PM a man who looked a little younger a little fuller, with a head full of hair that looked, and walked exactly like Reddington strolled into the building. "Good afternoon, I think my presence may have been called to your attention." He stated with so much sass "he sounds like him too..." Aram whispered to the three of them. Lizzie could not move, if this is Red he's really playing the "I do not know you very well" card. "Mr. Shore, A.D Cooper for the FBI..." Harold said, moving forward and giving him a shake of the hand which Alan took smiling back "what do I Owe the pleasure you of?" He asked with a jovial smile "he looks so much like him..." Samar whispered "I think that's really him... He's just making us not let on..." Donald said s little more than a bit confused.

A few minutes later, Reddington walked his way inside the Post Office letting his presence be known; "Lizzie..." He said with a big smile on his face. The man who was deemed to be Reddington's grew wide, and so did their eyes; most of all Lizzie's eyes almost popped out of her head, their jaws were all slacked and all had gone eerily quiet; Reddington, titled his head sideways, very confused. The man slowly turned to face the other man from which the voice came from; "Raymond..." He started before fully turning around; Red's eyes grew wide, and he could not believe his ears and now his eyes "Alan?" He said with utter shock. "All right, Interrogation room, NOW." Cooper ordered rather than have said.

Red had requested some time alone with this man, but still hasn't declared their "relationship".
"Raymond we need to talk." Alan said with a matter of fact and went to the end of the room where Red stood. He knew they were listening but he couldn't care less. Red sat himself down on the chair and pointed the other one to him, gesturing him to take a seat as well. They looked at each other for a minute when Red asked Alan without looking at him
"Why didn't you run away?" He asked referring to the FBI's call. Alan took a deep breath and put this thoughts in order, maybe his relationship with Red had never been the best but they had always been honest with each other. Always. Maybe that was the source of the fire of their not so ordinary relationship. "I'm tired or running away, Ray." Alan's voice was small but strong. "And I think I've been far away for far too long."
"You could be mistaken for me."
"Yes, I could, but I also couldn't. I think it's time for me to be back around..."
"You are related to a criminal, who works for the FBI, you look exactly like me-"
"Maybe you are, maybe not. But what you don't know that I don't have any arrangement with them. I haven't given them any bad records, you're even helping them giving away bad guys and before you ask; no one else is on this."
"You never...remarried?" Red asked.
"I-never...she just..." Alan rubbed the nape of his neck. "I tried to... I just sex-nothing-more... Can't find one."
"It's not your fault you have a monster for a brother Alan..." Red said which in turn made the people behind the closed doors gape, with their jaw slacked and eyes wide. "I believe that what you did in the past, it happened with reason. I'm sure you had the reason why you hadn't said goober to me before you disappeared."
"Alan..."
"I spoke with with them, they thought it was you when I was doing trial in Boston, I knew you were in the country but I couldn't find you... I knew if the FBI saw me, they can somehow lead me to you, and I can find you. They haven't told me anything else, just told me to come here... And I didn't know you were working for them too. But I'm glad I found you."
Alan stood from where he sat, leaving his card behind. "Call me, whenever you want...I'm back Ray... I hope you understand that." Alan walked to the door, and watched the agents before him and gave them a small smile "this is so much more than i have hoped for, thank you..." He said walking to the other door "I'll be taking my leave now..."

A few minutes later, Red stood and took the card in hand and went out of the room; "you will no longer look for him, you understand? Harold?" He looked directly at him, "he has of no business with you. My little BROTHER has no business with you..." He said while he worked his jaw "I'm here, and you will let him be... He's just as good as hiding as I am." His voice dropped an octave lower; "and if something happens to him, because of you... You're going to answer to me." He said finally putting in his coat and fedora; "if there isn't anything else, I'll be taking my leave..." He smiled at Liz and kissed her temple "I'll see you tonight..." They smiled at each other.

Red left the post office with one thing on his mind, to get things straight with his brother. And how would he tell Liz that he had a brother. A younger brother for that matter. Red always had a soft spot for him; he always tried his best to keep him safe, make him happy. Alan had the "word salad" night terrors, and has a fear of clowns, and Red wad always there to help him get through and to tell him it was all going to be okay. He had made a promise that he'll be there for m when their do father can't, but none of those things ended that way. Leaving him behind was one of the hardest things in his life. The other one was when he had to leave his family behind. He tried to keep him safe all the while. He was there for him the shadows protecting him, and all. He had been there for his graduation in high school, paid for his College fee, when he decided to pursue law, he was happy for him. He was there when he graduated, and took on his first trial. He had him tracked down when he went out of the country after the news about him broke out. He was there when he married and when he lost his wife. Hell, he even attended her funeral. He knew he was back in the country but didn't know that he had been looking for him. Fishing out his wallet, he took out a photo of them together when they were young. On the other hand, he saw his picture with Liz and he knew he had to make this right for the both of them. They were his family, and they're all he has left. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to them now. Not if he can help it.