A/N: Your feedback will be appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Blacklist.

Four

By the time Liz completed all the tasks, she was exhausted. She didn't think she'd be able to manage paying Ray a visit. It would be even more exhausting to face him tonight. As she went back to her motel (she still didn't know what to do with the house Ray had procured for her), she thought she'd just fall on the bed and sleep. She was so tired, that she couldn't even make herself get dinner. When she entered the room, she took off her jacket, put keys on the table and fell on top of the sheets. Only then did she notice his presence. He was not in her sight. But she could smell him. His unmistakable scent lingered in the air.

"Ray?" she asked. To her own ears, her voice sounded weak and she hated it.

He was next to her in an instant.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Is it the baby? Do you need a doctor?" He asked in rapid fire while his hands roamed on her body, coming to rest on her lower abdomen.

His gesture wasn't lost on Liz. She smiles inwardly. "No. I'm fine. Baby is fine too. I'm exhausted. You can go back now. I'll call you tomorrow." She told him.

"Lizzie, I can't leave you like this!" he ejaculated. "I'll stay for the night. But tomorrow, you're coming with me. Let me take care of you". He said.

"I'm fine. I can take care of myself." She said.

"You're carrying my baby" he said as if it explained everything.

She didn't argue. This was giving her hope. She already knew Ray wouldn't force her to have an abortion. But this was huge. He was having a change of heart. She was content with that for now. But she'd try and make him come around.

"I'll just go change into something comfortable", she told him.

It took her half an hour. She thought a hot shower would help her relax. She wore an old comfortable t-shirt and shorts. When she came back to the room, Ray was waiting with dinner. He had probably asked one of his helpers to deliver it. Liz felt grateful. And knowing it was Reddington, he had definitely gone overboard.

She saw the label of a top restaurant on the bag and rolled her eyes. He was predictable. She enjoyed watching him while he set the table. Seeing him as a very domesticated man was very amusing. He had ordered duck. In that moment, she realized how hungry she was. As she sat down, she saw a carton of milk cooling in the ice-bucket and smiled at the gesture.

When she was settled, Ray served her. He poured milk for her into a wine glass and then proceeded to pour some for himself.

"You don't have to abstain from alcohol if I can't have any" she told him.

"It's only fair" he said with a smile.

She shot him a quizzical look.

"I got you pregnant". This was the second time in the hour that he had acknowledged the presence of the baby.

Liz decided not to push her luck and go slow on the topic. The remainder of the dinner was quiet. Ray insisted on clearing away the dishes. He packed them up and opened the door. One of his men was there. Liz heard Ray hand out instructions to him as she went through her night-time rituals. Of course, he had security! By the time she brushed her teeth and her hair and came back to the room, Ray had undressed and now stood in his white undershirt and boxer shorts. Whatever she had imagined, it wasn't him sliding into bed with her. They hadn't shared a bed since they learnt of her pregnancy.

Liz slid under the sheets. A few minutes later she heard Ray shuffling around the bathroom. She kept track of his footsteps. She counted each till he stood beside the bed and lifted the sheets. She felt the mattress dip under his weight and then his arms came around her. He pulled her close, into his body and she let him. It felt familiar and comfortable. Liz closed her eyes to savor his warmth. She had missed this. Promptly she fell asleep.


Ray felt at ease after weeks. Having her in his arms again was immensely peaceful. He noticed that her t-shirt had ridden up, exposing her belly. He could see the slight swelling. Oddly, he felt pride in it. He was responsible for this, he had put the baby in her. Gently, he put his hand on her belly. It made him sad when he thought back to when they found out about the baby. He had reacted strongly. And had even went as far as saying that he didn't want the baby. The thought hurt, it felt like a dagger in his heart. And this morning, at the post office, when Samar had assumed that Tom was the baby's father, it just set Ray aflame. He had wanted to stake his claim then and there. But his concern for security, had stopped him. Having him around would endanger Lizzie and the baby. And he couldn't part with Lizzie. Or with the baby. With these thoughts still swirling round in his brain, he fell into a fitful sleep.

Ray was back in one of his safe houses. He had been there before. He walked through the house opening doors and looking for something. He didn't know what it was. Until, he opened the last door and found Lizzie in it. She held a bundle of white in her arms.

"Lizzie", he called her name, conveying his frustration at not being able to find her earlier.

She looked up and smiled at him. Her blue eyes shone with happiness. He walked closer and noticed that the white bundle was their baby.

He looked at Lizzie's face again in shock. He stepped closer and moved the white blanket to see the newborn's face. At that moment the baby opened its eyes. The baby had his green eyes. Something swelled in his heart. He silently asked Lizzie's permission to hold the baby. She obliged transferring the baby to his arms. For a moment, he felt complete. Tears ran from his eyes. Through the tears he looked at Lizzie again. She had tears running down her face too. But they weren't happy tears. She looked dreadfully sad. Her eyes held accusation. He looked at the baby once more, only to feel a kick in the vicinity of his heart – the pristine white of the baby's blanket was now marred a rapidly growing bloodstain. Ray tried to get the baby to wake up, to look at its intense green eyes but he failed miserably. He clutched the baby close to his chest and wailed.

"Ray", he heard Lizzie's voice from a distance, but he couldn't look at her. He felt ashamed. He had failed. He had not kept the baby safe.

"You're hurting me" Lizzie spoke again.

This time, Ray woke up. His heart was thundering. He was sure he could hear it thump loudly against his chest.

"You're hurting me", Lizzie said again.

Then he noticed that his hand was still digging into her abdomen. He let go immediately and sat up.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie. I didn't mean to hurt you", he wasn't sure if he was apologizing for holding her too tight or for the dream.

"It's okay. It'll be fine. Did you have a nightmare? Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Ray shook his head. He didn't trust himself to speak. He swallowed hard and lay down on his back, not touching Liz. She put her head on his chest.

"Oh my God! Your heart!" she exclaimed. One of her hand came to rest on his chest and rubbed it, as if trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

"I'm fine", he said. There was no conviction in his voice.

"Ray?" she looked concerned.

"Just hold me", he implored.

He slid down a little, and rested his head on her breasts, keeping the rest of his body off hers. Her arms came around him and rubbed his back. She could still feel his heart beating fast. It took a few minutes for it to slow down. She heard him take a deep breath and then felt his hand on her abdomen once more. And she understood whatever nightmare he had had centered on the baby.