"Raymond?" said Kate softly.

"I'm right here."

Donald who had stayed behind to keep an eye on Reddington looked at Kate's face. It was soft, gentle and almost showed a feeling of remorse.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did."

"Shh.. you don't need to worry about that."

"No, that's where you're wrong. These may be my final hours Raymond and I want and need to set things straight."

"Kate…", he said as his voice trailed off.

"I was scared Raymond. It's like standing at the edge of a bridge ready to bungee jump. You know that you'll be safe, that nothing will happen to you but you can't seem to take that single step into the big wide open. That big wide open that is going to send all your emotions into a frenzy, make you feel things you never dared to feel before. And instead of embracing it and all it could bring, I walked away like a coward."

"We all get scared."

"I've never seen you scared."

"You can't see my right now, but I'm scared shitless."

There was a beeping sound and they all looked at the timer. It's countdown was accelerating.

"What the hell?" said Donald.

"I guess I didn't mention that Alfonso is a sore loser. He must know we're close."

"So how much time do we have?" asked Donald.

Aram quickly made a calculation based on the number of hours left initially and the speed at which the time was going.

"I'd say an hour, maybe a bit more or a bit less."

With one hour left on the timer and going fast, the search team had cleared the first three observation towers. It took them twenty minutes to walk over to the next two and by that time there was only twenty minutes left on the timer. Suddenly the light went off and the only thing lighting up the box was the red light coming from the digital countdown. It resonated in the dark like an alarm beacon.

"You know, when I was a little girl and my parents would put me to bed, I always begged them to close the curtains. Whereas most children were afraid of the dark, I was afraid of the moonlight. This big round thing that lit up the sky. I preferred being in the dark. I felt safer there.

Raymond tried to smile. "There was and is nothing ordinary about you Kate."

"Now, at this very moment, I'm scared of the dark Raymond. I'd do anything to see the moon one last time. Because now, I know it's a beacon of hope, that ensures that I'll live to see another day."

The timer came to a stop.

Donald took Aram quietly to the side. "How much time does she have with the oxygen level left in the box?"

"Five maybe ten minutes. It all depends on how big the oxygen flow was initially."

Donald grabbed his walkie-talkie. "You have three minutes to find her and dig her out of there or we're going to lose her and that is an option I won't accept!"

Raymond knew that time was counted and he only wished one thing, was that he was alone with her, that he could be able to tell her everything he had always held back from saying. He was confronted and torn between speaking his heart out to her and dealing with Ressler's wrath. He gave Ressler a look of determination and looked back at the screen.

"I promise you that when all of this is over, you'll see the moon again. Do you remember that night at Paraiso?"

"On the balcony?"

"Yes. Do you remember what I told you?"

"That it would always be and feel like that moment."

"I promise you that from now on, there will be no more obstacles Kate, it'll be like that every day. I don't care anymore about what people are going to think. I thought that if we hid from the world, that you would be safe and I was wrong. I can't keep you safe if you are not with me. I want to wake up by your side every morning and fall asleep with you in my arms every night like in Paraiso…"

Donald turned red with rage. It all became clear. All these months, ever since he had taken her away after she had killed her best friend, they had been together, they had fallen in love, they had been intimate. Reddington was the father or Kate's unborn baby! Reddington didn't deserve Kate, he didn't deserve to love, to care or to have a normal life. He was a criminal and he was going to put him behind bars, where he belonged. He pulled his gun out and pointed it in Raymond's direction. Dembe cocked his gun in Ressler's direction and placed himself in front of Raymond.

Suddenly, they heard Kate's breathing rate accelerate, the first signs of respiratory distress. Her body was compensating trying to take in as much oxygen as it could.

Raymond looked at Ressler with pleading eyes. Aram stood and walked over to them and looked at Donald.

"Don't do this. Kate is in there alone, she's dying. This has got to stop. Do it for Kate. Respect her choice."

As Kate exhaled, she started to make a grunting sound.

"I want to share your joys and fears, your laughter and your tears. Before I met you, I thought none of this would ever be possible. I was selfish and I didn't need anyone in my life that I could emotionally get attached to or fall in love with. Now, all I know is that I need you. I want you."

Kate put her hand over her chest, it was so hard to breathe and she could hear the grunting give way to wheezing.

Slowly Donald put his gun down and away as Dembe mirrored his move.

"Raymond…..pro..mise…me."

"Kate, you need to save your oxygen."

"No," she said her voice quavering. "Take….care of…Liz. It's not….too…..late…. She needs her….father."

Raymond put his hands to his face as tears started to fill his eyes. "I promise. I love you Kate. Please hang in there. Stay with me!"

"I lov….".

They heard one last exhalation, like a soft whisper or breeze.

"Kate? Kate!?" yelled Raymond.

The screen went black. Blinded by rage and the tears rolling down his cheeks, he grabbed the first thing he could and sent it smashing against the wall. He leaned against the wall and looked at Aram, then Ressler and finally Dembe before letting himself slide down the wall to the floor. He sat on the ground, staring into oblivion as tears uncontrollably fell from his eyes.

"We found the box! We're opening it now," said Samar's voice over the walkie-talkie.

Raymond picked himself from off the floor and walked over to Aram who was holding the walkie-talkie.

"The paramedics want to know how long she's been down?"

Aram looked at the time. "Not more than five minutes!"

At the scene, the paramedics decided first to give Kate oxygen through a mask before intubating her. She hadn't been deprived too long from oxygen and her heart was still beating.

"Come on Kate.. breathe," said Liz as she watched and waited.

Fog filled the mask and her heartbeat started to accelerate and her blood pressure was rising again. The paramedics lifted the backboard to start their walk out of the forest. Liz walked over and took her hand.

Kate slowly and difficulty opened her eyes, she was tired.

"I told you I'd come for you didn't I?"

"She's OK. We're heading back."

Dembe smiled and patted Raymond on the shoulder. Aram was so happy that he grabbed Dembe and Reddington in a group hug. When his euphoria died down, he realized the awkwardness of what he had done and stepped away carefully.

Donald looked at Raymond. "This doesn't change anything."

"This, Agent Ressler, this changes everything", said Raymond as he stepped out of the van.

They watched as they got closer, the sun was slowly starting to rise over the horizon. The paramedics placed the backboard on the gurney just outside of the ambulance. Raymond walked over.

"How is she?" he asked one of the paramedics.

"She's stable".

Upon hearing his voice, Kate opened her eyes and searched for Raymond. When she saw him get closer to her, a tear fell down her face.

"Hey beautiful," he said as he caressed her hair. She moved her hand towards the mask and pulled it down.

"I didn't have the chance to finish my sentence earlier. I love you too."

Raymond bent over and kissed her lips under Ressler's judgmental look.

When he pulled back he placed her mask back on and let the paramedics place her in the ambulance and drive off.

He turned to Liz. "Where are they taking her?"

"At a warehouse located 2405 Douglas St NE."

He looked at her. "I don't understand."

"I called Bass and told him to get the mobile hospital in place. He should be here any minute to take you there".

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you need to be together. And I want you to be able to do it knowing you're safe and don't risk getting arrested. I think that is the last thing you or Kate need right now."

He took Liz in his arms. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure".

Bass arrived as Raymond held Liz in his embrace.

"Go. I'll come when all of this is sorted out."

Raymond nodded and walked towards the car with Dembe.

As they drove back to DC, he was more grateful than he had ever been in his life. Maybe even if this had been a traumatizing experience for all of them, it had become clearer to him how valuable Kate and Liz were to him. It was time to forget the past and look towards the future, to build bridges back with Liz, be the father he never had been able to for her. To love Kate unconditionally, to vow to protect and love her for the rest of his life and furthermore, be there for their unborn child!