AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello there! Heres another chapter; hope everyone enjoys! Thank you to everyone that has left reviews, they make me happy! :)

Russian Beauty / American Psycho

This feature is rated T, for obscene language and mild gore. But mostly the language.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but Natasha and Dimitri Angelov. Things that are unfamiliar and original in plot, also belong to me. Anything recognizable, does not but to its respective owners.

This is gospel for the vagabonds,
Ne'er-do-wells and insufferable bastards
Confessing their apostasies
Led away by imperfect impostors

Panic! At the Disco

Four

July 31, 2001

It'd been a month and a half nearly since she took on Elizabeth as whatever exactly she was to her. Elizabeth called her a friend and to the girls face, she did too. Natasha hadn't ever really had any friends, so she was suspicious of the very thought. Especially in the moments when her patience would wain with the thrill seeking, bar hopping, bill skipping teenage lunatic currently passed out on her couch.

Natasha wondered sometimes if she herself was supposed to be so out of control. In a brief call to update Reddington on the girl in the first week, she had asked him that very thing. His laughing response hadn't necessarily answered her question, but she had accepted the whole 'you're different, Natasha' and carried on.

Speaking of Raymond, she sent a conspiratory glance to the black square on her kitchen counter and frowned. He'd left a creepy voicemail from some creepy pizza place demanding that she call him immediately. Hadn't said why, or even that it was him and it was an emergency. What kind of emergency could he even have? She was barely involved in whatever criminal business he may or may not run. Shit, Natasha figured she was in more danger trying to keep up with Liz than she was in Red's circle of fire.

With a quick glance to the oversized clock hanging on the wall over her television, she decided now was as good of time as any to figure out what the hell was going on with Red. Especially when her friend had just passed out maybe an hour before from her consumption of overly alcoholic and fruity drinks. She clearly wasn't Russian, Natasha had decided their first night drinking, she couldn't hold her alcohol for shit. Which basically boiled down to Natasha being her body guard on their very frequent nights out. Natasha didn't know what exactly Elizabeth was running from, but she damn sure hoped it never caught up with them.

Natasha strode quickly over to the counter and scooped the tiny square into her hand before making a beeline to the other side of the loft, to the bathroom. It was the only damn place in her open square of a home that was private, it unnerved her to no end, but that didn't mean to didn't use it to her full advantage for her talks with her family. Elizabeth had asked one night after she unceremoniously moved herself into Natasha's loft, who she ran off to talk to in the bathroom all the time. First thing that came to mind? Her family and boy had that one been a mistake. She'd endured an entire week of questions about her so called family. Wasn't making that mistake again.

Natasha stepped into the five by five bathroom with a frown, Elizabeth had taken over yet another space. It was like she was taking over poor Natasha's life and Natasha didn't know how to stop it. Not that she could, a voice always reminded her. This was her job, she was getting paid after all. Reddington made sure she had anything and everything she needed over the past month or so. She had a bank account under this Amber's name and only had to leave a voicemail on one of his phones about a doctors appointment to get more added to the account. If she really wasn't happy with her situation, she would've been stashing the money away. But was the young Russian girl? No. She just wasn't too sure what to do with all Elizabeth's stuff.

Natasha shook her head as she closed the considerably thick bathroom door behind her and turned the little lock on the door knob, definitely wasn't the best line of defense but it did the job of keeping nosey little Liz out there. She flipped open the phone and punched the tiny little one on the keypad before bringing the phone to her ear and plopping down on the closed toilet with a sigh.

She figured she'd come pretty far since she'd come to America. Before she could barely even figure out this goddamn phone – not that she admitted it to anyone – and now look at her, your regular American angsty teen. Still not as bad as Elizabeth, mind you but still. She was blending and Natasha was proud of herself.

This entire thing was going far better than she expected, even if her new little friend was quite the handful and hadn't to give up any information she really deemed useful. Natasha still hadn't quite figured out why Red was so interested in Elizabeth Scott but, she didn't have much time to dwell on that question to be honest.

"Peppy Piper's Pizza, what can I do for ya?" The once unfamiliar voice asked on the other end of the phone, stirring Natasha from her thoughts. She honestly didn't understand why the fuck Raymond insisted on whatever the hell cover that was supposed to be, but smiled none the less. It was the only normal thing she had to look forward to every week and she wasn't admitting it to anyone, but it'd actually rather grown on her. Much like the hungover little American dozing just outside. Still wasn't admitting it though.

"Whet kind of Red sauce do you have?" Natasha asked the usual question with a quirk of her brow. She always felt silly asking that damn question, like it was some kind of joke and she supposed it was in a way but still. She figured she'd never get used to the damn code Raymond thought protected all of them.

"Hello, Natasha," Reddington greeted stiffly causing Natasha to pause. He sounded stressed and even though she had only seen him stressed once and that was when she was a child, she had an aching feeling in her gut that it was something to be lax about. Her own nerves were suddenly on fire as she could hear the drumming of his fingers through the phone. He really wasn't happy.

Biting at her lip, Natasha took a deep breathing, dreading the answer to her next question. "What's wrong?"

"Do you think you can meet me somewhere, Natasha? This information is nothing we can trade over the phone." Oh, that sounds optimistic. Her eyes immediately darted to the door at the thought of her charge she supposed she could call her. Being the nosey thing she was, Natasha wasn't optimistic about the story she'd have to tell Elizabeth later but consented none the less with a grunt of agreement. "Go outside, Dembe will retrieve you." Then click. The line was dead.

A deeper frown formed on Natasha's face, and not just because of all the inevitable wrinkles on her face because of one Raymond Reddington but because of Dembe. From what Luli had told her a month or so ago, he was only around if the situation was dire. He was another lost orphan Reddington had saved like her and he seemed to show up if Red was in trouble. Luli had said he was Reddington's bodyguard. A shitty one in her opinion if he was on the other side of the country for business school ninety percent of the time, but she'd keep that thought to herself she decided as she shoved the phone into the back pocket of her shorts.

Opening the bathroom door quietly she paused as she glanced at Elizabeth on the couch. She looked knocked out enough, maybe had a few more hours before she'd wake up with a pounding head and considering it was three in the morning, that didn't leave much time for Natasha. Time to get moving then, she thought to herself moving quickly and quietly through the apartment.

Once she'd gotten down to the ground floor and outside to the street, she immediately noticed the sleek black SUV parked on the curb. It strongly resembled the one she'd been dropped off her in her first night in the loft and the one Luli had retrieved her in before she had met the tropical storm upstairs. Much simpler times, she decided.

She was within arms reach of the passenger side of the vehicle when suddenly the window was rolled down to reveal an African American in the drivers seat, a raised eyebrow in her direction paired with a rather stern face. It left Natasha maybe just a little unsettled, he wasn't what she had expected from what Luli had told her. But, she supposed, a man that was supposed to protect Red from whatever and whomever should be rather intimidating.

"Natasha?"

"Dembe?" Nodding his head at her similar question, the doors were unlocked. She figured that was her signal to get her ass in the car. The perpetual creeps she was getting from the two gangly men loitering at the end of the street, she was rather eager to be up and off the street. Even if Dembe was intimidating.

Climbing into the car, she immediately buckled herself in as Dembe revved the engine. What an impatient man! He must get along with Red famously she decided cynically. The city flew by the car in a rush, Dembe obviously having no belief in a speed limit. Before she could even figure out what part of the city she was in – which wasn't an easy task considering she had literally no sense of direction and she hadn't had the time to map the city in her head – they were at the semi familiar town house Raymond had claimed. She wondered if the real owners of the place were ever coming back…

"Just go inside. I park around back." Dembe instructed sternly, causing Natasha to jump. She hadn't thought he could even speak but in one word questions there for a minute and his baritone voice left something to be desired.

Nodding her head at his instructions, she unbuckled and exited the vehicle, apparently not quick enough as Dembe nearly took her entire top half with him as he sped around the block. Not have even waited for her to be fully out of the vehicle. She cursed the dark skinned man the entire way to the door.

"Good morning, Natasha," Reddington greeted at the door, a semi relaxed look on his face as he stood in the doorway, light from the interior casting every shadows on his face. He looked tired and Natasha half chalked this up to it being three thirty in the bloody morning and him not at all being a night owl.

"Not really morning, Red." She snarked, moving past him and into the town house easily. It looked the same it had the last time she was here, which wasn't saying much but still. She did however make notice of the increased man power in the house. Usually there had just been a handful, but now? It was doubled and they didn't at all look friendly. She was becoming increasingly more interested in this emergency of his more and more.

Clearing his throat from behind her, Raymond closed the front door and motioned to the French double doors off to the side. It was the one room in the town house she'd never gotten around to snooping to, the main reason behind that being it was more or less Raymond's unofficial office and well, Luli was a bitch when it came to his privacy. Speaking of Luli, where was she?

"Where's Luli?" Natasha asked as she followed Red down the short hallway. She didn't mean to sound so curt with the question but she couldn't help it, it was Luli they were talking about here. She was hoping to hear that she'd returned back to Asia; one less problem in America for her to deal with.

"She went back to Vietnam for a business deal of mine." Red explained shortly as the two stepped into his office. It didn't look anything like Natasha expected it to, more like the office of a doctor with all the medical awards hanging on the wall and the dramatic art of skeletons and the insides of bodies. It left Natasha uncomfortable to be honest. The monks hadn't believed in modern medicine, so by association she didn't either. Not to mention one of the girls she'd learned with was the daughter of a doctor and had been one fucked up bitch. So did Natasha like doctors? No, no she did not and did not enjoy their décor either.

"Take a seat, we need to talk." She only nodded mutely at his instructions and went to take a seat in one of the high backed leather arm chairs sitting in front of the desk. They looked like the belonged in some ranch back in Texas.

"I feel like we could've done this over the phone," She sighed, leaning into the plush leather. As much as she planned on dissing the ugly furniture, she wasn't above admitting it was still pretty fucking comfortable.

Shaking his head quietly, Raymond took his seat behind the desk and folded his hand atop it, a serious look forming on his face that had Natasha frowning again. Why did they always have to be so damn serious? Why could nothing be light with them? Her mind immediately drifted to the knocked out Elizabeth and she stopped wishing for light conversations. Heavy and serious was better, she decided quickly. At least it didn't end up with one of them passed out on the toilet…

"I need you to start tying up things with Elizabeth. I've already found a replacement."

"Uh… What?" She asked, shock lacing her voice. Was she not good enough! Was he not happy with her lack of results? But it wasn't her fault! Liz didn't even have any information to give, all she liked was booze and food, like literally that's it. She was more shallow that a goddamn puddle. And yeah, she'd kinda grown on Natasha so why the fuck was he taking her away?

Leaning back, Reddington took a deep breath. She could tell by the brief closing of his eyes that he hadn't expected her to be this difficult. Thus forth she'd been rather easy to deal with. She'd listened to his instructions and followed whatever brief rules he had laid down for the job. He had expected her to breeze right through this part of it too. But she didn't want to. She liked Elizabeth as much of a handful as she was. She had learned a lot from her to be honest. She kinda doubted she'd be so well acclimated to New York without the girl.

"Things are in motion, Natasha. Things that will change everything and we can't be here for them. You need to make up a believable story for leaving the city and execute it by September first. We can't be here any longer than that."

Natasha took a deep breath, trying to quell the rising anger in her chest. She felt like he was making her waste her time. She'd already spent so much on Elizabeth and now, he wanted her to spend more before just simply dropping her and not only that but she had to think of some elaborate goddamn reason to suddenly leave New York! What the actual fuck!?

"Are you crazy or what!?" Natasha finally demanded irritably, her arms crossing over her chest defensively. He had been so adamant about her befriending the girl, so what exactly was so big and scary to make him run off?

"Don't be irrational," Red advised calmly. "I can have Luli come up with a cover for you if that's easier." He added with a thoughtful frown, which only left Natasha that much more annoyed, she could come up with her own goddamn cover story! She just didn't understand. What were they running from? And not all that quickly either if she had until September…

Taking a deep breath, she flattened her hand on her things and tried to organize her rage and thoughts. She couldn't act like a child, even if she felt like he was and really really freaking wanted to. "But why? Just last month you were adamant I had to get close to her and now this? I don't get it."

"I've caught wind of an event in the making and if we're here when it does, it won't be good for either of us. I've already found someone to take your place, you just need to aid the process and we can be on our way."

"What event, Reddington?" He seemed desperate to not share that information with Natasha. It left her angrier than she was to begin with and her stomach in knots. She had thought that he was trying to be honest with her since she had taken on Elizabeth. She had felt like he was anyways. Any questions she had, he'd answer; be it the truth or not she wasn't sure, but she pacified herself with the fact that he was trying. And if he was trying that meant she was actually getting somewhere in whatever shady business he was behind and that meant she had a future, be it whatever kind it may be, it was still a future.

"I don't feel that I can share that, Natasha. I don't wish to worry you." He answered somberly.

She scoffed, "Because telling me that I'm basically fired isn't worrisome at all. Just tell me. If you think it's so important to pull me out, then I have the right to know."

Raymond laughed as he looked across the desk at the young woman, it was hard to believe that just a few months ago she was a child trapped on a mountain. He was realizing more and more every day how much of handful she was, maybe not in the way most American teens were but it was still enough. She was stronger than he let himself realize too. She was doing so much better with Lizzy than he expected. They were the perfect match he had thought they would be and as much as it pained him to separate the two so soon, he had to. He couldn't leave Natasha here and he couldn't stay in the States with everything about to happen. He'd be the first to be looked at and as hard as he was to find, he wasn't risking his freedom on it. It was time to fly the coop once again.

"A radical group of Islamics plan on attacking the city. I haven't gotten a hold of all the details, but from, what I can tell, they'll be successful. I'm sure you understand why the two of us can't be here in the city if that happens." Yeah, because I'm illegal and you're a criminal, Natasha thought sardonically. That sick feeling that had been gnawing at her permanently settled in her belly now, twisting and turning like a storm.

Natasha didn't want to admit it, because she really wasn't eager to leave New York just yet, but she understood the method behind Raymond's madness. She knew from all the reading she'd been doing and maybe just her sheer abundance of common sense, that the country she was currently in wouldn't take lightly to an attack. She anticipated much like Reddington, that a war was sure to break out over it. And being here in the country's famed city? Not such a great idea. Especially not when he was on the most wanted list and she was the daughter of some dead Russian and not everyone was over the whole Cold War thing.

"Oh," Was all she found herself saying as he stared expectantly at her. It wasn't the best answer she knew, or even much of one, but she found herself fretting over how she was going to say goodbye to her new friend and who exactly she was handing her off too. "Who's my replacement?"

"Don't worry, I picked a good one." Raymond replied with a smirk, relaxing further into the desk chair. It had been easier than he expected to give away the information to Natasha and he surprisingly felt lighter over it. Maybe she really was going to be a good second after all.

"Oh wow, reassuring there, Red." She muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"You'll meet him soon enough. Get Dembe to take you back. I'll be in contact with you soon."

"Wait, did you say him?" She asked, struggling against him as he pulled her up from her seat and pushed her out of the door. Why did he say him? Why would he put a him with her!? She was careless, she didn't need a he with her!

"Have a nice day, Natasha." Reddington said with a look that was a mix of annoyance and amusement as he slammed the doors in Natasha's face. Kicking the door in annoyance she turned around to find Dembe staring at her with a blank face. Talk about keeping your emotions in check, she thought in annoyance.

"I can take you to get food." Dembe mentioned flatly after a few moments of dead silence between the two of them. She couldn't tell if Dembe liked her or not, or if that was just his normal self, but at the offer of food, she couldn't help but not care. Food trumped world problems, she decided. She'd worry about Elizabeth and whatever he Raymond was putting with her later.

August 25, 2001

Natasha was stressed. Elizabeth was beginning to notice her friends unease and was constantly fretting over the Russian girl. So Natasha was constantly denying her unease and pretending to be happy and carefree when she was anything but. Raymond had yet to fill her in on who exactly this he was and was adamant that she couldn't leave until she introduced the he to the her and it was beginning to exhaust Natasha, especially as the deadline he had given her fast approached.

Every time she actually began enjoying herself with Liz again, she'd remember what she was supposed to be doing and close herself back up. The past month was a new form of punishment for Natasha. Which is why by the time Elizabeth had decided that there had been enough drinks between them and it was late enough into the evening, Natasha was exhausted. The two girls had dragged themselves into a cab, slurred the address to the Indian driver and giggles between each other the entire drive. It was one ornate few nights Natasha actually drank, as illegal as it was in the country, she didn't care. She'd be leaving soon enough and her nerves were just about fried, she had justified it to herself all night.

Once they had arrived at the shoddy apartment building they called their, Natasha had thrown a wad of cash at the cabby before Liz had slurred something that sounded like 'thanks' to the man before the to clumsily climbed out. The crisp summer air of the city blew in their faces as they both tried to use the other to steady the other as the cab sped off into the night. Each step they took had them dangerously close to meeting the cruel, cruel pavement.

"We really should've grabbed some coffee at that place, we passed… You saw it right?" Liz giggled as they leaned against the building. Natasha only nodded her head dumbly at her, trying to center herself as the world took a dangerous dip.

"You ladies okay?" A strange voice asked from their side, cause both girls heads to whip in his direction. He looked normal enough in the dim street lamp lights. A vintage looking denim jacket over some sort of shirt and basic jeans, not the least bit intimidating. He had a charming nerdy look to him to be honest, with the way his hair was gelled and parted and with his hands clumsily shoved into his jeans pocket. He didn't make any warning bells go off in the little drink Russians head.

"We're fine," Natasha drawled, squinting her eyes at him. He kept multiplying and disappearing, she wondered for half a second if he had a twin. She also wondered why her head was so foggy.

The man laughed, a musical thing that didn't put either of the normally defensive girls on edge. "Don't look fine to me."

"Good thing you don't know us, so we're not your problem huh," Elizabeth hiccuped, trying to urge Natasha further into the building, but Natasha wouldn't budge. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was some thing about him…

"My name is Tom. Now I know you,"

Natasha and Elizabeth both frowned, as the statement seemed to confuse them, which only illicited a grin from the boy. "I don't think that's how that works, Tom." Natasha commented, trailing off uneasily.

"Then what's your girls' name?" He asked with an easy smile. Natasha noticed half heartedly that he was closer than he had been. When exactly had that happened? Liz suddenly elbowed her in her ribs, making Natasha's head snap to face her drink friend who was making a jerking motion with her head. Natasha couldn't quite figure out what she wanted her to do, in her incapacitated state she wasn't so keen on the whole silent communication thing.

"What do you want, Liz?" Natasha finally groaned in aggravation.

"Oh hey, Liz! Nice to meet you. Now what's your name?" Damn, he was getting creepy fast.

"Uh, Nat—" Natasha paused and frowned, her eyes dropping to her feet. That wasn't right, she wasn't supposed to tell people that name, what was it again. "Amber, it's Amber." She answered after a delay and deciding that it was actually the right name to be giving people.

"Now we know each other then, so can I help you girls?"

Both of them looked at each other, a look of indecision and just sheer drunkeness shared between them. Natasha had a niggling feeling in the back of her head to not even bother with him, even if he seemed competent enough because, she wasn't right now and well that wouldn't mix well now would it? But then Elizabeth opened her mouth and it all sort of went downhill from there.

"Could you help us upstairs?" Elizabeth asked with a slur. Natasha couldn't quite tell if she was being flirty or not, and the way her blue eyes were fluttering in the mans direction wasn't much of a hint either because she was pretty sure it was just part of the boos. She was however definitely being stupid she decided as this Tom character nodded his head at her question and was quickly right beside them.

"What floor you girls on?" He asked with a smile as he held the buildings door open for them. Natasha would've thought he was pretty charming if it wasn't for his easy demeanor. He was too calm for some dorky boy in the wrong part of time, he was too calm for anything at this time of night. But why was he here? What did he want? Why was he being so goddamn helpful? Warning bells began ringing in her head the further into the building they went, she was trying to chalk it up to her hangover already coming on but how blurry things were to her still, she kind of doubted it. Which only left him.

"The sixth," Elizabeth answered after Natasha's pregnant silence. Natasha only frowned half heartedly at him as he helped them into the ancient elevator, the whole thing creaking under their weight. "What's wrong?" Liz whispered to Natasha as he pressed the right button for their floor, except she didn't really whisper, it was more of a harsh shout into Natasha's poor ears. It left her cringing and with more of a frown than she had already had. She was seriously going to have to invest in Botox early, her drunk mind decided.

"Why are you girls out so late huh?" Tom asked as the elevator made its slow ascent. Natasha inwardly groaned, even drunk she hated small talk and by the noisy sound of displeasure from her equally drunk friend, she wasn't feeling it so much either.

"None of your business." Natasha replied sternly as she tried to cross her arms over her chest and stay upright. Basically it was one of the other and she decided rather slowly, that staying up right was the winner. She didn't need Tom picking her up. He seemed kinda handsy.

Holding his hands up in surrender, he laughed, "No worries, no need to get upset there, Amber." God, she really did hate that name the more people called her it. And maybe it was just in her head, but she swore the way he said it was just to annoy her.

Once the elevator dinged for their floor, the three of them spilled out into the hallway. Clumsily, the two girls wobbled their way down the hall, Tom close on their tails. Once they had reached the door of their apartment, Natasha couldn't help but wonder why he was still following them. Getting them up to their floor was a gallant enough of an action in her opinion, but no. He was still there.

"Do you want to come in?" Liz asked as Natasha shoved the key into the door. Natasha couldn't help but groan in response. She wanted to get away from him. The longer she was around him, the more she sobered and the more she sobered the more he made her uncomfortable. She wasn't too interested in finding out what exactly. She was nearly to the end of her stint with Liz and in New York. She didn't need any trouble.

"Sure," Tom smiled, following the two of them in with ease. The loft that had always felt far too big and open to Natasha, suddenly felt smaller with this new addition to it. She didn't like it. "Nice place." Tom added after a cursory glance over the room. Natasha didn't like it. Not one bit.

"I'm sleepy." Liz yawned as she kicked off her heels and ambled to what Natasha considered her friends unofficial bed. She didn't understand how she ever got any sleep on the damn thing to be honest, but wasn't damn near ready to offer up her own. She wasn't that good of a friend. But, it looked like Liz was making up for it because here she was sleepy and inviting complete strangers in all at the same time. Talk about friend talent.

Looking at Natasha, Tom raised an eyebrow both at her standoffish drunk stance and Elizabeth's sheer oddness. "She always like that?"

Lips twitching slightly, Natasha nodded her head. "Only when she's drunk. Sure the life of the party." She answered quietly as she watched Liz fall back onto the couch with a loud sigh followed by the annoying sound that was her drunk snoring. Well, between that and the boy to her side, she definitely wasn't sleeping anything off tonight.

"She passed out? Just like that?" Tom asked her thoughtfully as he peered over the back of the couch to the sleeping beauty in question. Natasha merely grunted in annoyance as she kicked off her own shoes and clumsily made her way to the cupboards in the kitchen. Tea. She needed tea.

"Natasha," At the sound of her actual name, her back stiffened, her cloudy mind cleared and her left hand immediately reached for the butchers knife sheared in the knife block on her kitchen counter. She'd known something was off and it looked like she was about to pay for it. Her muscles tensed when she heard his feet moving on the old wood floors, her body turning completely to face him and her arms poised and ready to strike with the large knife. His hands were immediately up when he noticed her defensive pose and his feet backpedalled as quickly as they could.

"I'm a friend!" He exclaimed in a sharp whisper, she could tell he was hoping not to wake her friend. The gesture was lost on her. How did he know her name? And what the fuck was he doing here?

"Who the fuck are you!" She demanded, pointing the knife at him threateningly. She hadn't been the most talented at knife fighting but she sure as hell wasn't letting the weasel standing in front of her take her down easily. How was she getting Liz out of this, she found herself wondering in a brief second before the imposter answered her question.

"Tom Keen. Reddington sent me." He answered calmly, his hands remaining raised and his body relaxing when Natasha didn't lash out at him with her blade. He was more hopeful about the situation than he should've been to be honest.

"What do you mean he sent you?"

"I was told I'm your replacement." Tom responsed casually with a shrug, his hands dropping at what was now a familiar frown on Natasha's face.

She didn't understand and she didn't like not understanding. Red hadn't said anything about her replacement meeting them, hadn't said anything about him showing up so soon either. Even if she was becoming more and more anxious to leave. As she looked him over again, she realized that he was too easy and normal. She should've noticed the ulterior motive of it all earlier. That's what she got for getting drunk fucking once.

"He didn't mention you." Natasha commented harshly, her body relaxing not even an inch. It wasn't much of a lie, Red hadn't mentioned who he was exactly in the slightest. Just that she was supposed to be that gateway for him getting close to Liz. From what she had seen in the last twenty minutes, he definitely had that whole thing down. Didn't need any of the help she didn't give.

"Well here I am," He said, shrugging again. "You can call him if you're concerned." The idea wasn't a bad one, not that she was going to admit that to the casually smiling boy in front of her. He couldn't be much older than her she concluded. How could he be so calm?

Reaching into her pocket she pulled her trusty black square out and flipped it open, pressing one and holding it to her ear, she kept the knife steady in her hand. The phone rang twice before the typical greeting echoed in her ears, mindlessly she gave the code and waited for Red to pick up the phone. She didn't let her surprise show when it had been Dembe to answer first, but found herself impatient for Reddington to give her answers.

"Natasha?"

"Did you send someone here without mentioning it to me?" She asked flatly, watching with little interest as Tom's arms tensed. She wondered briefly if he had actually expected her to call Red or to just take her word.

"Oh! You met him already? What a quick fellow," Raymond laughed. "Quite an efficient one too from what I've been told. Can't say from personal experience though.."

Natasha frowned at his answer, it sounded like he was saying he hadn't even met this Tom character. What the actual fuck? With how important she had found Elizabeth to be to him and how important she'd grown to be to her, she'd expected better than that. "Are you saying you haven't met him?" Tom smiled sheepishly at her from across the room at her question. If that wasn't answer enough.

"Don't fret over it, Natasha, I've paid good money for him. Do you think you could write that letter we've been talking about? I think now would be a wonderful time."

Why was him paying good money for him supposed to comfort her? It only left her even more unsettled, if he was bought and easily paid for, who else could buy him? And she wasn't ready to write that letter or more of a note really.

It was supposed to tell Liz that she'd gotten a call from her mother saying how ill her father had suddenly turned and how she needed to return to Chicago immediately, how she didn't even have time to say goodbye to her it was urgent. She'd been dreading it since Dembe had suggested it and Red had liked it so much, it had become the plan for her departure. It was cold and bitter and more of a lie than any other part of their friendship had been. She had never done friends before, never had any interest in anyone but herself and anyone that could help her personally and she supposed Elizabeth fell into that bracket. But she had really grown on her, the more she thought about it the more she realized how much she'd miss the boozy book reading American.

"You want me to leave now?" She found herself sputtering, her knife wielding arm dropping to her side in upset. She wasn't ready. No matter how much she'd been trying to push Liz away the past month, she was ready.

"Time is running out, Natasha. Just the other day you mentioned the same." She sighed in defeat. She had made that observation. She was ready to get away from the disaster awaiting this country but she wasn't ready to give up her new friend. She'd never been able to master the monks teachings of living and let live; the teaching of letting things go in hope that they would return. She was far too selfish and controlling for such a narrative in life and she'd happily admit it.

"I-"

"It's okay, Natasha. It's time to go. Trust me." Raymond assured her easily, his voice so calm and even it caused her pause. She was not calm. Not at all. She was in the middle of a freak out. She was having to leave behind the person that had become her life over the past month with a complete and utter stranger. A good looking one to be honest, but still.

Taking a deep breath she ran her free hand over her face in exhaustion, trying to force her thoughts to quiet and her feelings towards one Elizabeth Scott to cease. She had known from the beginning that none of this situation would be permanent. Just a mere test that she had doubted from that start, but had ultimately become her first friendship. She'd known that she was just temporary, just taking the first step into her new life. But, it still hurt the young Russians heart to thing of leaving. For the cold hearted monster they'd all believed her to be in her childhood, she'd sure let herself get attached to something so temporary.

"Natasha?" Reddington asked carefully over the phone, the silence from the young girl putting him in his own seat of unease.

"I'll be ready in ten. Send a car." She instructed curtly before flipping the phone shut and sliding it into her back pocket. Keeping the knife in one hand, she moved around the kitchen and found a pen and a menu with a blank back.

"Are you even sober enough to write a note..?" Tom quipped from across the room. Snapping her eyes to his turned form, she frowned both T his question and just him. When had he even moved? And who the bloody hell did he think he was? Going through all the trinkets and knick knacks the two girls had come across at flea markets and antique stores around the city. "Because no offense, but you did let me in." He added, like it was supposed to take the sting out of whatever burn he thought he had delivered. Natasha couldn't help but roll her eyes at him as she began scribbling on the restaurant menu.

"Liz let you in, idiot. Good luck with that one," Natasha snapped back to him after a breath, her writing becoming sloppier as he laughed at her. Sounded like she had a future as a goddamn comedian if you asked him.

"Yeah, bu-"

"Can you just shut the fuck up?" She snapped crossly, her eyes narrowing on the short note in front of her. It was straight to the point and lest no room for questions. Liz would have no choice but to accept it, especially with mister sunshine over there. It didn't leave Natasha comforted in the slightest. She was having to leave her with one arrogant son of a bitch and like all things that made Natasha unsettled, it left a dirty taste in her mouth.

"Look," He started, crossing back over to the kitchen where Natasha stood, her back facing him and her patience draining. "It's easy to get over jobs, you won't even remember her in a few months so don't get your panties in such a twist." He surely was ballsy and over confident with his reassurances, Natasha decided silently as she tried to ignore him and his placating. She wondered briefly if Liz would be able to tolerate him any better sober and sans her.

Natasha decided quickly as Tom finally slipped into silence, that she needed to haphazardly pack a bag to really sell the whole leaving for good and in a rush thing. The thought had occurred to her before, clearly, as she'd been planning her departure for quite a while, but she was suddenly at a loss at what to take. She'd acquire far more in just her short stay with Liz, than she had had her entire life. She'd always known she'd be a materialistic person once she got into the real world, the monks had even agreed to her snide comments on the matter, but she hadn't expected it to be so easy. She had piles of clothes and shoes littering her half of the loft, along with books and vhs' she had picked up with Liz. There were piles of old vinyls and cd cases all over the coffee table and she'd admit, that she was attached to it all just like she was Liz.

Taking a deep breath Natasha crossed the loft quickly to the room divider and her bed and snatched up the duffel bag sitting at he foot of her bed. Liz had forced Natasha into doing the one week trial period at a gym just to get the goddamn complimentary duffel bags. The American girl was certainly worse than the Russian, Natasha constantly found herself thinking. Without much thought to what she was grabbing, Natasha went around the foot of her bed and grabbed any article of clothing she could get her hands one. After filling the poor nylon bag to its brim, she zipped it closed with a sad sigh and turned to face her replacement. An interested look on his face as he leaned against the room divider.

"What?" She snapped with narrowed eyes, not enjoying the once over he was giving her.

Tom laughed as he uncrossed his arms, head tilting at the little Russian doll in front of him. Coming into this job, she wasn't what he had expected in the slightest. "You're not what I expected is all, Natasha."

"What does that even mean?" Her tone was full of accusations as she threw the strap of the duffel bag over her shoulder. She was suddenly very happy with her choice of ignoring Liz and her impractical mini dress she'd almost forced Natasha into. Leaving was easier this way, that much was for sure. Now where were her damn shoes, she wondered.

Tom shrugged, "Even the underbelly of society talks, Natasha."

Why did that not leave warm feeling in her stomach? She swore her stomach dropped at his very words. Why hadn't she ever thought of that? Red had always been honest with her about where she had come from and how he had come to find her. She let herself forget some times, it's not like she even knew that part of her life and it had never reared its ugly head into the one she had, so she ignored it. She was suddenly having a very hard time ignoring it. There were a lot of things she wanted to discuss with Raymond once she saw him, and the list was only growing.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Nat-" He had begun to apologize when the sudden blaring of a car horn interrupted him. Natasha felt relived, she knew it was Dembe. Her escape was in motion and she felt relieved over it. As much as it pained her to leave the city she considered hers and the unconscious friend on the couch, she was relieved. A new can of worms was suddenly in her lap and she didn't know what to do with it. So she did the only thing that felt right in her gut; she left and didn't look back.

Her feet carried her quickly out of the apartment and to the stairs, her panicked thoughts not even allowing her to consider the elevator or shoes. Half of her regretted the last decision as she broke through the door on the main floor. This wasn't a grade a apartment building to be honest and her feet had seen a lot of sketchy things. She was owed a bath. Once she was outside of the building, she immediately noticed the oh too familiar vehicle with Dembe in it, the passenger side window rolled down so that she would know it was him. Her body sighed in relief once her hand touched the door handle.

Dembe had become more of a kindred soul than she likes ninety percent of the time. He was curt and quiet, straight to the point whenever she rambled and a pillar of strength for her in this new life. He was the first that Red had saved and he gave her hope. Hope that she could escape the ghosts of a family she didn't know. Of a name that meant nothing to her, but certainly did to what little native Russians she'd met at school. Of a name that crept up on her like a bad storm in June.

"Are you alright, Natasha?" Dembe inquired as she threw her body into the vehicle. He had known better than anyone just how upset she was over leaving Elizabeth. Since Red had enlightened her to the fact that she was leaving, she had been reaching out to him more and more. Dembe hadn't known what to do with the young girl at first, but had adapted to the big brother roll quite easily.

"I'm fine." Natasha sighed as she buckled herself in while haphazardly trying to throw the good sized bag into the back seat. She had definitely bitten off more than she could chew with that one as she ended up half in the back and half in front and stuck.

"Why do you not have shoes?" He asked as he pulled away from the car, trying to ignore the struggling girl next to him. He could've helped her, but helping her usually ended up in some self righteous speech from the young Russian and he wasn't in the mood.

Huffing as she fumbled with the seatbelt to release it, she frowned at Dembe. Out of all the goddamn questions to ask her, he would ask about her shoes. She loved those shoes too, looks like they were going to be Liz's new pair. "It's complicated." Was Natasha's short answer as she finally got the bag off of her body and settled back into the seat. She decided to ignore the amused look Dembe was giving her. She had enough problems tonight without him adding on to them.

"Are you excited, little doll? I believe Mister Reddington is taking you to Europe." Dembe asked with little enthusiasm. She knew he was just trying to be kind and fill the silence she was letting permeate. She also knew he was trying to get a rise out of her, she hated when he called her little doll.. It wasn't her fault she was so tiny! It was whatever fucked up genetics she'd been blessed with.

"Wait, don't you mean us? I thought you were coming!" She found herself whining as the realization had dawned on her. Natasha didn't know why she was so surprised. Dembe had a life here in America. He was going to some renowned school to help Reddington later in life and had only taken off time strictly to babysit her in the simplest way to put it. She didn't know why, but the idea that this new place they were going was somewhere she didn't need to be babysat left her uncomfortable. Was Reddington getting rid of her again? The one singular question that her panicked thoughts would always boil down to.

"Don't be silly, Natasha. I've taken enough time away from school as it is. I can't always be around to hold your hand."

Natasha rolled her eyes, "I just thought you were going to be around. I don't need you to hold my hand."

"You're very defensive, Natasha. Is there any cause?"

"Are we going straight to the airport or what?" Natasha asked sullenly, choosing to ignore him. She wasn't in the mood for his psycho analyzing bull shit. It had to be literally the most undermining and demeaning thing he could do to her.

"Yes. Mister Reddington is waiting on the Tarmac." Peachy, she thought to herself. More airsickness. She was definitely not looking forward to this flight. This very sudden flight. Trying not to think about it? Was making her sick, just in the quickly moving car. She was suddenly cursing Dembe's need for speed.

Her stomach leaped into her throat as Dembe through the car into a turn, the audible sound of the tires squealing making her top half double over. Don't throw up, don't throw up, she kept chanting to herself. She had a feeling Dembe and Red wouldn't be too happy with her if she ruined the interior.

"Natasha?" Dembe asked unsurely, eyes flicking to the young girls position. She seemed ill and he had just had the car detailed. "Please don't vomit, Natasha." He sighed at her sharp intake of breathe.

"I'm trying not to!" She groaned, wrapping her arms around her torso as her stomach continued to rock. She didn't understand why the fuck she was getting motion sick! It was planes and heights that bothered her, not plain and simple fast cars.

"I can tell," Dembe sighed. "Do I need to stop?"

"Let's just get it over with." Natasha mumbled. God, this flight really was going to be terrible. Here she was with her pre-sickness. She wondered briefly if this was like some bad sign from above. Had it really been a good idea to leave Liz? Was it really a good idea to even be leaving in the first place?

"Do you know anything about my family?" Natasha blurted out, her head lifting slightly and her eyes going to Dembe. She didn't know where the question came from. Which was a lie, if she really tried. What that Tom character had said, had bothered her. She didn't like her name being a topic of conversation amongst criminals; even if she had come from the biggest batch of them in Russia.

Dembe frowned, his grip tightening on the wheel as he turned into the private airport entrance. From the car, you could see Reddington's plane fueled and ready to go and the Tarmac lit for their take off. Raymond himself was pacing beside it. "I don't think that's something for me to answer, Natasha."

"Well he can't tell me anything either," She huffed, forcing herself to straighten up in the passenger seat. "Both of you are useless. It's like you don't know anything at all. And it's not fucking fair because that little Tom character he bought? Yeah, he fucking knew who I was! He knew about my family and everything. So why can't you two fucking tell me anything reliable about my family?" Natasha seethed, her sick stomach becoming less and less of a problem the higher her voice raised.

Dembe stopped the vehicle, right next to Raymond and what both could tell was a sour attitude. He was taken aback by Natasha's admission. He hadn't personally met the boy, but he had liaised with Red while he contracted him and he hadn't expected anyone to know of Natasha's background. It was something that would have to be dealt with he knew, but not something he was interested in dealing with. He was already behind in his studies and that was the most important thing to him as of present.

"I don't have anything to tell you, Natasha."

Natasha had just opened her mouth to object – she knew he knew something, he was freaking Dembe! – when Raymond was suddenly opening the door, his usual kind and serious smile on his face as he stood patiently there and waited for her to get out of the vehicle. She felt herself becoming annoyed, but more at Raymond's fake behavior than at being interrupted. She was tired and annoyed. He had rushed her into leaving by pushing this creepy Tom character in on her, was making her leave the city tonight and he was acting like everything was peachy. Like everything was fine. He was keeping secrets from her and she just knew it, she could feel it dammit.

"Good evening, Natasha. You look disgruntled. Did everything run smoothly?" Reddington asked evenly as the young girl climbed out of the vehicle. He could tell she was upset. He knew she had been putting off leaving Elizabeth since he had first mentioned it and for that he was thankful but the upcoming situation was not something the two of them could be near, that he was sure of. So, broader horizons was what was on the menu.

"Not it did," Natasha answered just as evenly as she opened the door for the backseat and grabbed her bag. She was determined to be calm. She was going to get the details of where exactly he was taking her and what exactly were the plans for her before she released her anger and rage on the man. She could be patient every once in a while.

"Good news to hear then!" He congratulated happily as he clapped his hands together, quickly turning and heading towards the plane. "I have some dramamine on the plane for you. To avoid a repeat of last time." Reddington commented over her should. Natasha tried to keep herself from feeling too grateful as she followed behind him. She would've said goodbye to Dembe, but the moment she had grabbed her bag and shut the door, he was speeding off in the direction they had came.

"Rude," Natasha muttered to herself as she stepped onto the plane.

It was the same one from before. Lush interior, with deep browns and reds and two plush single chairs and a couch, along with the bar in the back and a small ensuite to the side. She noticed immediately the small bottle of pills on the table in front of one of the chairs. She certainly wasn't having a repeat. Dumping her bag on the couch she grabbed the bottle and opened it before popping the pills into her mouth and dry swallowing. She was certainly ready to be back on solid ground and they hadn't even taken off yet.

"I believe we have a lot to discuss, Miss Angelova."

No shit, Sherlock.