A/N This is the final chapter. I hope if you've enjoyed this you'll leave me a review, be it good or bad. I would love to hear from you.

Red didn't wake up until they were back in his safe house. He'd managed to sleep through their landing and being loaded into the private ambulance that Mr. Kaplan had arranged to meet the plane. She supervised the transfer of Red from the plane to the safe house. She wanted to make sure he wasn't jostled too much. Luckily the trip to the safe house was a short one.

"Carry him up to his room. I'll examine him once he's settled." Kaplan ordered the attendants and guards.

She left Red and the men helping to carry him to his room in Charles's very capable hands. When Dembe made to follow the stretcher she held him back with a firm grasp on his forearm.

"Wait a moment Dembe. I need to speak to you while they are getting him settled." Kaplan said quietly, but firmly.

Dembe stopped and waited impatiently for her to continue. He wanted, no needed, to get back to Red. He knew that nothing would happen to him if he wasn't there, but he wasn't thinking very clearly at the moment.

"I've heard what happened at the airport from both Edward and his two bodyguards, Alan and Dan. They all agree that they had no reason to suspect a shooter was there. This is not your fault." Kaplan told him.

"I know that, but I can't help feeling that I let him down. He almost died." Dembe said miserably.

"I can guarantee that he will not feel that way. No matter how much you've learned from him and his other guards, you are not his bodyguard. You are his friend. Now, obviously he won't be able to take that vacation with you, but I know he will want you to go off to college as planned."

As much as Dembe would like to argue that this isn't what Red would want, he knew that it was exactly what he wanted for Dembe. He wanted him to experience something of the college life that Red himself experienced. While Red's college years were very different from what was awaiting Dembe, it would still teach him independence and allow him to learn to make friends outside of Red's associates. Red had told him many stories over the years of what Annapolis had been like for him, balancing his school work with his naval training that took place both on land and at sea.

"I know he wants me to go. If he's able to get up and about on his own by the time I'm scheduled to fly out to Boston I'll go. If he's not mobile by then I'm not going anywhere."

His compromise was better than she could have hoped for from him. She feared that they were going to have to drug him and load him on to the plane for Boston. Not that she didn't think Red would be up and about in three weeks, she just knew Dembe would use this as an excuse to stay by Red's side.

"Let's go up and see how thy are faring with the world's worst patient." Kaplan motioned Dembe to follow her up the stairs.

Luckily for everyone involved that when the time came for Dembe to leave, Red was recovered enough to get out of bed and resume conducting his business. He was forced to do it over the phone instead of face to face, but he was still able to prove to the criminal world that he was still alive and well. Since he wasn't able to travel yet he was forced to give Anslo more responsibility in making deals than he was comfortable at this point. He would either sink or swim and if he sank it would be with a bullet in his head.

Dembe boarded the plane to take him to a new life away from Red and the world he'd grown comfortable in. The only reason he agreed to go was because he trusted Red's feelings on the matter. He would be back on holidays and school breaks, meeting up with Red in whatever city he was in at the time.

In only a few weeks Dembe was settled into college life. He found that he was actually enjoying his classes and he was making friends that he hung out with after class and on the weekends.

His college life ended after what seemed to be a very short four years. He graduated magna cum laude with a BA in English literature. Sitting in the family section of the university's auditorium was Red. He sat proudly watching Dembe walk across the stage to accept his diploma and golden cord that signified that he earned his degree with honors.

After the graduation ceremony was over Red took Dembe out to a celebratory dinner. As they ate Dembe shared stories of what he'd been doing since their last visit. He waited until dessert to discuss what he'd decided he wanted to do with his life. He wasn't sure if Red would agree with his choice, but he knew it was what he wanted.

"Raymond I've been thinking about what I wanted to do next." Dembe started in his normal quiet rumble.

"What have you decided to do with your literature degree?" Red asked with a smile.

Dembe didn't return his smile. He was so nervous he wasn't able to smile. He didn't think he'd even been this nervous when he'd first met Red.

"I'd like to come work for you. You keep saying that there are so few people around you that you trust. You know you'll always be able to trust me."

Red would really love to have him with him, but he also wanted him to experience more of a life away from him and his influence. He didn't want to dominate Dembe's life the way he'd done for years after rescuing him.

"What would you do if I said you could work for me, but only after you waited two years?" Red paused to gauge his reaction before continuing, "Have you given any thought about doing anything else with your life?"

"Why do you want me to wait? I don't understand what another two years away from you will do for me. My decision has been made." Dembe said showing a determination that Red had rarely seen before the boy went off to college.

"You haven't spent much time doing something you really want to do in your life. The closest you have come is during your years here in school. We both know you only went to college because I wanted you to go. I want you to take two years and do whatever you decide you want to do. You know you don't have to worry about money. You can do whatever you want to do. Outside of working for me I bet you haven't seriously thought of anything else that you want to do." Red said seriously. After a pause he continued, "Dembe you don't owe me anything for saving your life, most of all you don't owe me a life of servitude in working for me. If you want to come work for me after experiencing life a bit more, I will be happy for you to join me."

As much as Dembe would like to argue further with Red, he could see Red's point. He'd spent years living and traveling the world with Red before leaving for college, at Red's insistence. His breaks from college were again spent with him. He knew that he wouldn't change his mind about working for Red. He would take these two years to find a path of his own before letting that path lead him back to Red's side.

Two Years Later

Red sat in his most recent New York City safe house. He and Dembe had spoken frequently over the phone, but they hadn't seen each other face to face since that dinner two years earlier. It was during their last call that Dembe had requested to meet with him in person to discuss the matter they had shelved two years previously.

While Red had told Dembe he wanted him to experience life away from him it didn't mean that he wasn't going to make sure he knew what Dembe was doing. If Dembe had ever needed help it would have been provided by someone in Red's organization immediately.

It was through this surveillance that Red found out that Dembe was in Africa working as a freedom fighter in the Sudan. When Red first heard this he almost reached out to one of the extraction teams on his payroll, to find and retrieve Dembe. But, he realized that he'd told Dembe to find himself and what he wanted his future to be. This would never happen if he felt it was up to him to decide if Dembe was acting recklessly. It went against all of his protective instincts, but he maintained his distance and did nothing to "save" him from his choice.

A few minutes after their appointed meeting time Newton knocked on the library door before letting himself into the room. Red was unsuccessfully attempting to read a book. He was thinking too much about what Dembe wanted to be able to concentrate. He read the same page three times before Newton's interruption.

"Dembe has just arrived. Do you want me to show him in?" Newton asked.

"Yes, please do."

Moments later Newton returned with a much changed Dembe. He had filled out over the last two years and he radiated a confidence that he didn't have before.

"Dembe!" Red greeted him with a wide smile and walked over to where Dembe stood just inside the room.

"Raymond." Dembe responded with a matching smile.

Red wrapped Dembe in a big hug and placed a kiss on each cheek. He felt Dembe return his kisses before releasing him.

"Come in and sit down. Would you like something to drink? I can have Newton brew some tea, unless you want something stronger."

"Maybe a little later." Dembe responded after taking a seat on the couch at the opposite end from Red.

"The last time we spoke you were working in the Sudan. How did that work out for you?" Red asked.

Dembe smiled as Red's obvious ploy in trying to pretend he didn't already know all about everything he'd been doing.

"After two years it seems like nothing has been achieved. I don't see freedom coming to the Sudan until a world power steps in to take sides." Dembe responded calmly.

"I don't see that happening unless a group of terrorists is found to be using the country as a base."

Dembe nodded his head in agreement before getting to the point of this meeting.

"The two year break that you insisted on has passed. My decision has not changed. I want to come work for you in whatever capacity that you want or need."

"I didn't expect you to change your mind. I just wanted to give you a chance to decide for sure that it is what you want. Did I ever tell you that I really didn't want to go to Annapolis? I wanted to go to Harvard and study law. My father wanted me to go to West Point, but was willing to settle for Annapolis. He wouldn't accept anything, but a military academy and I didn't have the courage to stand up to him. If I'd waited a couple of years after high school to make my decision, there is a good chance that I would have found the courage to stand up to him. The course of my life would have been changed dramatically. I didn't want to be like my father and expect you to live your life the way I demanded. I accept that you know what this decision means and of course you can come work for me. Welcome back and I hope you don't come to regret this choice one day."

"Thank you Raymond. I'm happy to be back and I don't think I'll regret this decision."

Over the following decade Dembe had moments when he wondered how his life would have been if he'd never returned to Red's side. Sometimes these thoughts occurred to him after sitting next to Red's sickbed wondering if this was the time that Red's luck would run out and at other times it was when he couldn't stop Red from taking some nearly suicidal action against one of his enemies.

The most recent moment of regret surfaced when Red informed him of his plan to surrender to the FBI. He tried to convince him that there had to be another way to protect Lizzie from the man who was pretending to be her husband. Red would be taking a terrible risk that might see him thrown into a deep, dark hole somewhere, never to see the light of day again.

Red had been in the FBI's hands for nearly ten days before Dembe received instructions that he and Luli were expected to meet Red at some old post office building within the hour. He and Luli sat in one of Red's many Mercedes Benz sedans waiting for Red to make an appearance. From this point forward they would be walking a terrible tightrope. They needed to help the FBI in tracking down the names on Red's personal Most Wanted List while still maintaining the image of the Concierge of Crime for the rest of the world.

He looked up at the sound of voices and footsteps drawing near. He opened the door as soon as he saw Red walking towards him. When Red saw Dembe waiting for him he smiled and called his name, "Dembe!"

As Red turned away to greet Luli, Dembe got his first up close look at the woman who was as important to Red as he was. Lizzie looked very young, confused and angry all at the same time. It would be interesting to see what it was that Red found so fascinating about her. When he heard Red warn the male agent about Luli he recognized the agent that had been put in charge of Red's capture. Dembe had gathered all the information he could about the task force that had hunted Red for over five years. He didn't see anything remarkable about Agent Ressler and Red spoke of him in mocking tones. Ressler was unable to capture Red due to narrow mindedness, he couldn't think outside of the box enough to devise a trap that Red couldn't see from a mile away.

Red and Dembe both knew that the coming months and years would be difficult. As long as each of them had the other to watch the other's back they knew they'd have a better chance in surviving the Blacklist.