*finale spoilers, don't read the A/N if you haven't watched!

A/N: I'm back and all moved in to the new place (and by moved in I mean I've unpacked like two boxes)! I've been trying to wait til the finale to write more because I had no idea what they were going to throw at us. I still don't buy that Red isn't Liz's father. The way the whole scene played out, his questioning what she knew and not assuming—it just wasn't nearly as revealing as I thought (and hoped) it'd be. I still loved the ending with Lizzie's head on his shoulder. Anyway, I'm going to run with my little make believe story and build my theory out like I planned. I can't believe how hugely long this has gotten already. Thanks for sticking with me!

21: Echo

Emotions roiled through Lane as she booted up her laptop—concern, anticipation, apprehension. She didn't know what to feel. It made her slightly uncomfortable to have Raymond there, just watching her. She glanced over at him to find him studying her intently but with a faraway look on his face. Her brow puckered a bit.

"What?"

"Just thinking," he replied, mildly.

"About?"

"You."

"What about me?"

"How different things are. How maddening you are. How I never would have expected us to end up here or that I'd have…."

"Feelings for me?" she asked, her voice deceivingly calm. She knew. On some level, she knew he cared. She just wished he'd let himself go enough to admit it. She needed to hear it.

"If only it were that easy," he said with a sigh.

"It can be."

"It's a lovely, simplistic, romantic notion, Delaney."

"The best kind."

"And completely naïve."

"It's not naïveté. It's absolute acceptance of circumstance and denial of self."

"And in a perfect world, that would be enough."

"You're wrong. It's that conviction in the face of adversity that makes it worthwhile." Raymond sighed heavily.

"How can we view things so differently?"

"We're two sides of the same coin," she said with a shrug. "Complete opposites but still the same."

"Accurate."

"Hmmm," was her response as she opened up her email. "Hey, Micah sent me the information on Petra Kilesso."

Navigating the keyboard in a splint was a bit challenging but she got the file opened as Raymond came to stand behind her. There wasn't much information available. Running her tongue over the bruised part of her lip thoughtfully, Lane scrolled down to a grainy picture. She squint her eyes and tilted her head a bit.

"She totally reminds me of that exchange student we had when we were still in Massachusetts. You met her a couple times, right? What was her name? Katya…Alexandrova! Not much information on her. Definitely FSB. Highly decorated." She glanced over her shoulder to where Raymond had straightened, his face pinched. "What? What am I missing?"

"Nothing," he said, too casually. "It's just not much information."

"No…it's not," she said, narrowing her eyes at him and turning more fully. "What are you seeing that I'm not?"

"We're looking at the same file, Delaney."

"I don't think we are, Raymond."

"Do you have to bicker with me about everything?"

"When I know you're not being honest with me? You bet your ass," she retorted. "I don't like being lied to."

"I haven't said anything untruthful!"

"Lying by omission is still a lie."

"God, you make me crazy," he said, throwing up his hands and flinging himself back onto his spot on the couch.

"Yeah, well that shit's mutual," she muttered, turning back to the file. There was a knock on the office door. She motioned for Liz to enter.

"Morning," Liz said, entering with a cup of coffee.

"Morning, sunshine," Lane said, leaning back. "How was the first night in your new place?"

"Oh, a little weird but it was good," she said. She turned to Ray. "I know I seemed very ungrateful about the whole thing. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry and I appreciate you looking out for me."

"You look well rested," he said, shrugging off her apology in that way of his. Gratitude made him uncomfortable, Lane had noticed.

"How are you feeling?" Liz asked Lane, studying the bruises on her face.

"Meh, I'll live. We received the file on Petra Kilesso. It's pretty vague," Lane said, motioning to her screen.

"It's pretty Cyrillic," Liz retorted with a laugh. "Do I need to have Aram get it translated?"

"Please. Laney could speak six different languages before she started elementary. She's a whiz at that stuff," Ray replied with reluctant admiration.

"Seriously?" Liz asked. Lane shrugged, embarrassed. They'd really think she was a freak if they knew how many she could speak now.

"Diplomat's kid. When you live all over Europe during your pragmatic development, it comes pretty easily."

"If you say so," Liz said doubtfully. "So what do we know about Petra Kilesso?"

"Well I know that she is indeed former FSB, highly respected. She's got tons of commendations. She left a couple years ago to become a private contractor and basically fell off the face of the earth until she turned up here. Raymond, however, seems to know more than he's willing to share."

"Delaney," he warned.

"Seriously? This isn't really the time for secrets, is it?" Liz scolded.

"Oh my God, why don't you just tell her I kick puppies so she can castigate me for that too?"

"You're so histrionic today, darling," Lane said, mildly.

"Probably because I got very little sleep, sweetheart," he retorted. Liz sipped her coffee, amused.

"You two are in rare form today."

"She's insufferable this morning," Ray groused.

"Yeah. I'm the problem," she said dryly, rolling her eyes at Liz. Her phone rang, effectively ending the petty arguing. She hit the speaker. "Hello?"

"Auntie Lane!"

"Hi, Bethy-boo! What are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready to go to school but guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm making my first communion next weekend and me and Daddy want you to come!"

"Daddy and I, baby," Lane heard Danny correct in the background.

"Hey, Danny."

"Hey, Sis. Mass is in two Saturdays at eighteen hundred. Beth would like her godmother to be there."

"Will you come, Aunt Laney? Pleeeease."

"Of course I will, ladybug."

"She said yes, Daddy!"

"Of course she did. We gotta go, Sis, but I'll call you next week."

"Sounds good. Have a good day, you guys."

"Love your brains!" Beth yelled.

"Love your guts!" Lane replied, with a laugh. She hung up and turned back to the others, her grin fading when she saw the stunned look on Liz's face. "What? What's the matter?"

"Wicked case of déjà vu," Liz said, giving her head a hard shake. Lane's eyes met Ray's behind Liz's back. His mouth was tight, his face expressionless. "So Beth is doing okay? No lasting damage?"

"She seems okay," Lane said, letting her change the subject on her own.

"She's a sweet kid."

"She's the best," Lane agreed.

"Keen!" Ressler shouted from the main room. She rolled her eyes and went to go see what he wanted.

"What did I say?" Lane asked, turning to Ray, worry on her face.

"I have no idea," he said, pushing to his feet and running his hand over his head.

"I'm not crazy, right. That was some sort of echoic memory flash."

"Yeah, I think so," he said pacing. Her heart hurt for him, watching him panic just a bit.

"Raymond," she said, standing and moving into his path. He stopped but didn't look at her. She took his face in her hands. "It was just déjà vu for her. It's okay."

"That means the block is failing."

"Sweetheart, she has no reason to associate me with her as a child. It's okay. Don't borrow trouble."

"What am I doing, Delaney? I fool myself into thinking I have control over this situation but I don't. I'm going to screw this up and she's going to pay the price." His eyes misted, pleading, his hands going to her wrists.

"That's not going to happen. We're not going to let it, okay? We'll figure this out. I promise."

He allowed her to gather him into a hug and she was gratified to hold him close, just for a moment.