This story was written as a christmas present to FrostyFingers. I know I'm just a tad bit late, dude, sorry for that! An i trully hope you like it hahaha

Thanks to the amazing redisthenewblackington for betaing it. If you think this is good, thank her. If not, then it's entirely my fault :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

They say that you can see lightning forming in the air before you hear its loud, crackling sound because the speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound. Well, not for Elizabeth Keen.

She remembers walking down the street and hearing a loud explosion coming from her immediate right, just before she was engulfed by a sudden blackness, with bricks flying everywhere, dust coming up around her, and the sharp pain of something hitting her head.

She remembers that something heavy must have fallen on top of her, and how desperately she had tried to move, or to reach anything that could give her support.

She found nothing.

She remembers using every last ounce of her strength to scream, and then realizing that there was no one to her it. She was alone. Nobody would be looking for her. Not even him. Especially not after their fight, which had led her to being exactly where she was.
He tried to warn her that this would be dangerous. He knew it. He always knew when something was off, and he had tried to make her see it as well, but she had just been so blinded by rage that she simply didn't care.

Well, if nothing else, at least she had learned not to be so stubborn.

She closed her eyes, letting her thoughts drift off to the one person that she had left in this world. She thought about how devastated he would be over the outcome, and she wished that she'd had another chance to tell him how much she loved him, only one last time. She didn't wish for him to keep on thinking she had died hating him. If anything, she wanted him to know that she had never stopped loving him, even when he was acting irrationally in her own eyes. She loved him even more because he was doing everything possible to guarantee her safety, but she just couldn't keep still. No. Not her.

It felt as if the skies had heard her prayers, for when she opened her eyes again, there he stood, with the utmost look of concern on his face. She could even see the tears in his eyes, and she didn't want to waste another minute. She had to get the weight off of her heart.

"I…love you. I'm…sorry for…being such an…idiot." She could only hope that he had heard her words. The ringing in her ears was so loud that she couldn't be sure. Perhaps she was deaf. Would it even make a difference after she had died? Would she go to heaven as she was at her time of death, or would she forever be as she had been before it? Was there even a heaven? She supposed that she was about to find out anyway.

Deciding to focus entirely on him while she still could, she reopened her eyes and tried to lift a hand to touch him. She needed to. Had to have his touch memorized within her for eternity. When she finally felt his warm cheek against her cold fingers, she noticed his stubble and smiled, remembering all the times she had asked him not to shave, just so she could feel it.

Liz felt his hand press over hers to hold it in place, giving a slight squeeze. She could feel his lips moving, but she couldn't hear a word he was saying. She knew then that her last regret would be not hearing his amazing voice one last time before she parted from the world of the living. Even so, she couldn't help the small upturn of her lips at what she had a pretty good idea would be a 'don't worry, sweetheart, you'll be fine.' It was so like him to always reassure her somehow. He would never know how much she appreciated the faith he had in her, especially when she had none.

She felt herself starting to doze off, knowing that he could see it as well. His head came down, and her nostrils were suddenly filled with his unique scent. The next thing she knew, his lips were touching hers, and the darkness surrounded her completely once again.

Xxxxx

"Lizzie, it is too dangerous, sweetheart."

"You know perfectly well that this guy isn't dangerous at all, Red. I can do this in the blink of an eye. Everything is going to be fine."

They were at his latest safe house, the one he knew to be her favorite. It seemed only appropriate for their three-month anniversary, since he hadn't managed to take her away yet.

"Lizzie, you have to listen to me. There is something wrong with this meeting. None of my men could verify all there is…"

"They couldn't verify it because there is nothing wrong with it! For once in your life, stop thinking that everybody is targeting you!"

"It's because of that that I'm still alive, so I'll hang on to that a bit longer, thank you. Lizzie, you must know deep down that I'm right. Don't be too stupid to just open your eyes!"

"Excuse me? What did you just call me?"

"You know I didn't mean it like that, sweetheart. Please, let's just stop this…"

"I'm not stopping anything, Reddington! And yes, maybe I am very stupid because I still put up with this! Now, if you excuse me, I have to go and do my job."

"Elizabeth! Listen to me, right now! I forbid you to step foot in that place, unless-"

"You what?! Who do you think you are to forbid me of anything?! The only person who has ever had the right to do that is dead, thanks to you! We are done, Reddington, and don't you dare come after me!"

Liz stormed out, the door slamming loudly after her as she quickly made her way to the Post Office. She had to get her wits about her. She knew that she'd later regret some of the things she had said to him, but she was still too furious to objectively think about any of that.

At the Post Office, she touched base with Cooper and the others, hopped into one of the many FBI SUVs parked in the garage, and drove to the location of the meeting. After parking the car a few streets down, she had only walked two blocks before the loud boom.

Xxxxx

He screwed up and he knew it. He had said the one thing that ruined it all for him, and he didn't even know why he had done it. He only knew that he had to stop her from going. The whole ordeal smelled funny to him, but before he could say another word, or at least try to apologize, she had stormed out.

He just stood there, unable to move, losing precious minutes that could have saved her. For that, he would never forgive himself.
When he finally got it together, he set off to the Post Office, knowing she'd have to go there before embarking on her suicide mission. He was barely out of the elevator when he got a look from Agent Navabi that told him his Lizzie wasn't there. He immediately turned around and exited the building. Less than ten minutes later, after Dembe had turned the last corner towards the address, he saw her. As he opened the door, preparing himself to jump out of the car and drag her forcefully with him if need be, it happened.

It was as if all the air had been sucked from his lungs. Raymond Reddington was able to testify, first hand, how the speed of light is a thousand times faster. It was as if everything had stopped after the building came down in shambles. He couldn't even hear his own voice, but he's certain that at some point, he had screamed her name with all of his might. Ignoring the onlookers who tried to stop him, he sprinted into the wreckage to find her.

All he could see was the dust and stones that had once comprised the building. He desperately searched for her everywhere that he could, scrambling over every obstacle until he heard that weak scream. Her voice. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, giving him the strength to clear a path that lead in the direction of her pleas. In his desperation, the long minutes to reach her felt more like hours. He would have gladly traded places with her, if it were possible.

Finally, he found her. She was lying limp on the floor, pinned down by a large block of concrete on top of her midsection, and her eyes were closed. Red's mind reeled, imagining only the worst. His own eyes were filled with tears of desperation when her eyelashes fluttered and parted, revealing the blue orbs that he so loved, looking straight into him. She flashed him a smile, as beautiful as spring, just before mumbling a few words and closing her eyes again.

As he hastily looked her over, trying to determine the best way to free her, Liz reopened her eyes, lifting one trembling hand in his direction. He kneeled down to make the contact easier for her and brought his own hand to cover hers. She felt so fragile, so cold.

He wanted to reassure her that no matter what, he was going to get her out of there, even at the cost of his own life, but "Don't worry, sweetheart. You'll be fine," was all he could say before her lids began to fall again. Helpless, he leaned down and kissed her, trying to put all of his love into that single touch of their lips.

When he pulled away, she had already lost consciousness again. As he started to push the heaviest stone, he felt Dembe's hand on his shoulder, always ready to help before he could even ask. Red couldn't have done it without him. Together, they lifted away the entrapping debris and carried her to the car, rushing through the gawking crowd. No one tried to stop them.

Xxxx

Liz had been in surgery for six hours now. Time and time again, the nurses and doctors assured him that they were doing their best to save her. She coded once during the surgery, and had to be defibrillated. Neither her heart rate nor blood pressure had stabilized yet.

For the second time in his life, Red felt completely powerless, incapable. Once should have been enough, but no. Now, after he had finally found happiness again, something or someone was trying to take it away. He just couldn't let that happen. God please, never again. There was nothing he could do.

Members of the taskforce rushed to the hospital to give their support, offering both coffee and kind words of encouragement to Red. It was clear that they were unaccustomed to seeing him in such a vulnerable state, but none were surprised to see him there, and no one tried to take advantage of his vulnerability in the situation. Red would be eternally grateful for that. They were, after all, more decent agents than he had given them credit for.

After nearly two more hours, the doctor returned to give them another update.

And once again, Red could finally breathe. Debris from the collapse had given her a concussion, fractured more than a few bones, perforated several internal organs, and weakened her heart. The road to a full recovery would be long and difficult, but in the moment, that didn't matter. She was here with him now, and she was a survivor.

Red entered the post-op room and quietly closed the door behind him. Grabbing her hand, he took in the surprisingly-peaceful sight of her, still alive and breathing. He gratefully lowered his lips to her forehead. "I will never be away from you, Lizzie, even if the skies start to burn."

He thought that he felt her respond with a slight squeeze of his hand, but when he looked down, she was still as immobile as when he first saw her. 'It doesn't matter', he thought, 'we have the rest of our lives, sweetheart.'

And indeed they had.