A/N: Ok, this one is a little darker, still lots of angst. Liz is mistreated pretty badly, but there's no hint or mention of non/con. Rated M for Liz whump! Thank you for being so awesome and for all of your support.

Disclaimed, as always.

Chapter 4

Three months prior

"I don't want to go shopping. We can do that another time. I have plenty of lingerie. I'll just take a long nice bath, touch myself and think of you."

Red's groan on the other end of the phone had her grinning like a Cheshire cat. She lived for teasing him. It kept him on his toes.

"Never mind. I'll be home in two hours."

She laughed "Red. No, you'll just have to take care of it later. Get it over with and come home to me. I'll be there, waiting and naked, I promise."

He sighed "I hate leaving you alone. I just don't want you near…this. I love you, sweetheart. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Love you too. I'll miss you. Laters." She never said goodbye. It was a habit she'd started with him after he's taken her out of the country. She'd been so anxious, so worried that every time he walked out of the door would be the last time she saw him. So she refused to say goodbye. As if nothing could happen as long as they were missing those words.

Truthfully, she was glad for the reprieve. She needed to go to the doctor. She'd had terrible cramps lately and it was getting harder and harder to hide from Red. She knew something was wrong, but didn't want Red hovering over her, terrifying the physician.

And he would. He was like a junkyard dog with a bone when it came to her and her well-being.

And she couldn't possibly love him more for it.

Tomorrow was their five month anniversary. She wanted an answer because she planned on making the most of their day alone together. Her breathe hitched just thinking about it.

He hadn't wanted to marry her, but she wore him down. She already knew that he loved her.

His reticence came not from loving her, but from loving her too much to tie her to a criminal. So she just politely reminded him that she too was a criminal, so they were perfect for each other. It hadn't hurt that she was naked while she said it.

Once his formidable wall of control had begun to crack, it didn't take long at all for him to come around to her thinking.

She thought she knew what marriage was. Nothing could have prepared her for marriage to Raymond Reddington. A bottomless well of pleasure and love, more that she bargained for, but everything she wanted, needed. He was an extraordinary man and every day she loved him more than the last.

She made her security team stop at the local clinic and although Mark put up a protest, he knew who was ultimately in charge. He was a nice man, but a little stuffy. She'd be stuffy too though if her boss would make you disappear should she fail.

It didn't take but a few minutes for her to finish her appointment and leave with a prescription.

She was overly complacent, distracted as they stopped at the pharmacy to drop off her script. They didn't need to wait because she had enough samples to last her through the end of the week.

They drove in silence, as usual, to the helipad. Mark opened her door for her, but stiffened and tried to shove her back into the SUV. "What the hell, Mark?!"

But he didn't answer, he fell silently to the ground, her driver meeting the same fate as he tried to help. There was no blood. She scrambled to help Mark, to pull him in when she noticed the dart in his neck.

She dove for the vehicle, knew that the bullet proof glass would buy her time. Her attempt was fruitless because her driver had left his door open. She couldn't get to the door in time.

The vehicle was surrounded. One of the men pushed the button to release the lock from the front. She held her door closed, but the door on the opposite side was opened, a gun shoved inside. She felt a sting in her arm and then nothing. Her blackout was instant.

She jerked awake with a gasp. She was tied. She had no idea where they were or how long she'd been out. The oppressive humidity led her to believe the rainforest, but she honest to god thought that she saw smoke coming out of a mountain, which pointed to volcano territory. So she guessed South America on the Pacific coast, or near it.

A lot of good that information would be. Those two factors covered thousands of miles.

Her captors spoke either Spanish or Portuguese, she wasn't really sure which.

The only information she had been able to figure out was that she hadn't been taken to turn into the authorities for the reward. She heard 'Reddington' twice so at least she knew that there was hope.

Because she knew without a shadow of a doubt he would come for her. And when he did, he would raze this third world hell-hole to the ground. No one would be safe from his wrath.

Her first night there she had learned that although they never spoke English to her, they certainly understood it.

When she was presented to the leader, she could have been a bit more tactful than telling him that when her husband came for her they would be dead and she would skull-fuck his corpse.

Red always told her that her smart mouth would get her spanked. Unfortunately, it earned her a beating of the likes she'd never felt before.

She was pretty sure that she had a few broken ribs, her left eye was swollen shut, and the pinkie of her right hand was broken in a particularly brutal kick that she tried to block.

Lesson learned. She wouldn't speak again.

Tbc…

A/N: Let me know what you think!