Red cocked his head and said to Liz as she got out of the car, "Are you sure you don't want to join us? A weekend in Paris would be a great celebration of our victory."

Liz smiled, "I need to find a new apartment, before I start my new job. You go and have a nice time together. I'll be waiting for you."

She waved to them and took her small bag from Dembe. Red held Maya's hand and nodded to Dembe, "Take us to the hanger, my brother."

"""""""""""""""""""

Maya looked around the luxurious suite astonished, "Red, that looks amazing."

He smiled and held her to his chest, "I'm glad you like it, Maya."

She kissed his lips lightly, "Thank you, my love. I really needed that vacation, after all we've been through during the last few months."

He kissed her forehead, "Well, I'll leave you for only one hour, till you have some rest and get ready to our trip."

She pulled back annoyed, "I thought we're here to spend some time together?"

He nodded, "Sure we will, sweetheart. I'll only visit a friend and will be back before you miss me."

She looked him in the eye, "I miss you in the moment I blink with my eyes, Raymond."

He sighed, "It won't take long, I promise. I love you."

He followed his words with another kiss to her head and left in a hurry with Dembe. She sighed and headed to their room to unpack their baggage.

Red came back after an hour as he promised. He called her but got no response. He looked at Dembe amazed. Dembe checked the two rooms and bathrooms, but he didn't find her. He got out from the master bedroom and shook his head to Red. Red put his hand reflexively on the gun at his belt and went to check her cupboard, "Her swimming suit is not here, let's go check the pool."

Dembe rushed with him to the stairs, not even waiting for the elevator. As they reached the swimming pool, Red sighed in relief, when he saw her swimming. In a second, she saw them, so she waved and swam to them. Red walked to her as she reached the edge. She smiled, "Come and join me."

He shook his head, "You know I can't."

She scanned his annoyed face for a moment, then nodded towards her chair, "Okay, bring me my towel, please."

He brought her the towel as she got out of the pool and walked to her. She turned her back to him and he wrapped the towel around her body slowly, and leaned to whisper into her ear, "You know you scared me to death?"

She held his hands on the towel and whispered, "I left you a note, on the dresser."

He bit her earlobe, "We didn't see it. We only saw you were gone."

She turned to face him leaving the towel drop, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you."

He scanned her still wet body, and watched the water drops moving from her wet hair down to her neck to the cliff between her breasts. He licked his lower lip in lust, "Then let's go back to our room to see what can you do for me."

She chuckled and put on her chiffon dress, then hanged to his arm. He looked at his sleeve which got wet and shook his head smiling, "My love, you've just ruined a pretty expensive suit."

She laughed and pressed her body to him, "I'll buy you a new one."

He laughed and embraced her waist with his arm, "So, where do you want to go first? Eiffel Tower or The Louvre?"

She rested her head on his shoulder, "I'll let you decide. I'm going wherever you go."

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and headed with her and Dembe to their suite.

""""""""""""""""

Maya opened her eyes next morning to find Red lying awake next to her. She smiled at him, "Good morning, my love."

He held her naked body tightly to himself, "Good morning, sweetheart. You slept well?"

She chuckled, "Of course I did. It was a very exhausting night. And you wasn't much merciful to me."

He smiled and kissed her hair, "We still have the whole today. Although I don't feel much active. I'd prefer to lay down here with you the whole day"

She moved her hand over his hairy chest, "That sounds delightful. But don't expect much from me. I'm still sore from last night."

He traced his finger on her lips, "We can try some tricks that can relief your soreness."

She laughed, "Like what? Foreplay for another two hours?!"

He laughed and opened his mouth to tease her, but he was interrupted with knocking on the door and Dembe calling his name.

He frowned and sat up amazed. Maya looked at him confused, Dembe has never interrupted them like that before!

Dembe knocked again, so Red replied, "Coming."

He got out of the bed and put on his robe de chamber. He glanced to Maya. She has already covered her body with the sheet, so he opened the door and got out.

Few minutes later, he came back to Maya. She knew there was something wrong from the upset look in his eyes. She got out of the bed and put on her t-shirt, "What's wrong? What happened?"

He opened the cupboard to get his suit, "We're leaving. We have a situation back in D.C."

She held his arm concerned, "What situation, Red?"

He sighed, "Mr. Kaplan. She's been attacked. Three of her assets were killed."

She gasped panicked, "Oh my God, is she okay?"

Red nodded as he pulled his arm from her grip and headed to the bathroom, "She's fine. But she had a message for me. This is why she wasn't hurt."

""""""""""""""""""

Red and Maya didn't say a single word all the way back to Washington. He left her several times to make some phone calls during their flight back. But she didn't dare ask what he was planning for. When they got into his car and Dembe drove, Red turned his face to her and looked into her eyes, "We're going to drop you at my place in Bethesda. I need some time to deal with a special problem. Dembe will pick you up tomorrow."

She swallowed and nodded silently. He could feel her internal frustration, so he patted her cheek gently, "Everything is going to be okay. You'll be safe there. I just need you to trust me. I need you to trust your feelings and follow your heart."

She looked at him confused, "I trust you with my life, Raymond."

He smiled, "Good, I don't want anything to change that. Whatever happened."

She nodded not understanding, so he pressed a soft kiss to her palm and looked back in front of him.

When they reached his apartment, Dembe got her bag and took her up, before he went back to Red in the car.

She looked around her before getting into the room and place her bag on the bed. She lied down on the bed sad for the ruined weekend with Red.

"""""""""""""""""

Maya stepped into the Post Office next morning. She saw Liz standing with their colleagues and them congratulating her for coming back. She smiled at them and hugged Liz, before heading to her desk next to Aram's. Liz scanned her for a moment, then followed her. She leaned to the desk whispering, "Something wrong? I thought you would come back a little happier."

Maya started her computer without looking at Liz, "I didn't have enough time. I believe he will call you soon."

They heard Liz's phone beeping. Liz checked it to find a message from Nick's pizza. She smirked, "Talk about devil."

Maya sighed as she watched Liz leaving to meet her own man.

Aram approached her, "Maya, I believe I have something belongs to you."

She raised her eyes to him, so he gave her a bunch of keys, "Your car keys, and your apartment's. I don't think you still want me to sell them for you."

She nodded smiling, "Thank you, Aram you're right."

He smiled at her and went back to his desk and she whispered, "I don't want him to keep me in his apartment with his precious secrets. Or have Dembe stuck with me everywhere I go."

""""""""""""""""""

Two hours later, Liz came back with the new case, The Shell Island. She told them about Howard Jasnock, who knows where the meeting of the criminals will be. Maya was confused. She thought the next name will somehow be connected to the attack on Kate, but she swallowed it and listened to her colleagues. As they talk, Aram was already searching on his computer and he had an address for the guy. Ressler and Navabi moved to get him.

As they got Jasnock, they interrogated him and got an address for the criminal who called for the meeting of the Shell Island. Ressler and Navabi went with the force to get him and come back with a shocking surprise.

Maya looked at them confused, "What do you mean this is Raymond Reddington?! We know he isn't."

Ressler shrugged, "We can't disprove it with DNA, there's nothing on file from 1990."

Cooper commented, "Whoever he is, he's got Intel on nearly every blacklister our Reddington has brought us."

She shook her head not believing, looking at the guy on the screen, "He doesn't even look like Red."

Ressler replied, "Well, in the five years I hunted Reddington, we had one photo of him. It only had a passing resemblance to your man."

Maya swallowed and her eyes glowed, as Cooper said, "He disappeared 25 years ago. He could have had surgery. Truth is nobody really knows what he might look like today."

Aram look at her sorry as she shook her head again and said with broken words, "This can't be happening. There must be something wrong. I don't believe it."

They looked at her with pity, and Ressler sighed, "Sorry, Adam. It seems we all were deceived."

Cooper said with firm voice to end the hard situation, "Whoever he is, he has too much classified data not to take him seriously. I want to know what he knows and how he knows it."

Maya took a deep breath trying to hold her tears, "I'll talk to him."

Cooper held her shoulder, "I don't believe this is a good idea, Adam. Let's see what Keen can get from him. It's her job."

Maya looked at Liz, who nodded to her and moved to the red box.

Maya stood with her colleagues, watching Liz talking to the new Reddington on the big screen. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and kept biting inside her cheek till she felt the taste of her blood. She shook her head impatiently, "I guess you should bring our,... man here. He's the only one who can give us an explanation."

Cooper glanced at her, "You're right. Go ahead, give him a call."

In less than half an hour, our Red was standing among them watching the guy in the box. He could notice Maya's pale face and the nervousness obvious in her movements. She hasn't actually say a word, but he knew she was on fire.

She heard Red's explanation that the man was sent to make sure about the rumors he was working with the FBI.

Their conversation was interrupted by the new Red talking to them. She moved her hands through her hair tresses. The guy was so sure and so clever. He knew her Red was there. He talked directly to him. He knew he gave them each criminal for a price. And he worked the same way. He told them about an FBI executive that's going to be abducted. He gave them the information in exchange of meeting their Red for ten minutes.

Every word of him brought her more tension. She had to take deep breath in a desperate trial to relief that tension. Red pursed his lips listening to the man and to her breathing.

Liz shook her head, "He's bluffing."

Cooper said, "If you agree to talk to him, you're acknowledging we work together."

Ressler commented, "Yeah, but if he doesn't, an innocent person could die."

Red ignored both of them and walked to the microphone, "Hello, there. Are you enjoying the accommodations?"

Maya's legs couldn't carry her anymore, so she dropped to her chair listening to the guy telling them about the potential victim.

Aram worked fast on his computer to get the information about the agent. They identified where she was, so Ressler and Navabi moved fast to warn her.

Maya raised her desperate eyes to her Red. He cocked his head and smiled to her, "Cheer up, my dear. You don't believe him, do you?"

Cooper looked at them, before nodding to Aram to follow him to his office. Her eyes followed them before looking back at Red, "Is he really bluffing as Keen said?"

He raised an eyebrow annoyed, "Does it really matter to you Adam? Will it make a difference to you if I'm Reddington or not?"

She waved with her hand in the air, "Don't start, please. You can't blame me for feeling so bad about that. The guy knows so much about us and about our cases. He has a good point here."

He leaned to her desk, "If you don't trust me, Maya, trust your heart. Trust your instinct."

She sighed and buried her face between her hands. He pursed his lips and walked to Cooper's office.

In less than half an hour, Ressler and Navabi were back with bad news about their target. The woman already got kidnapped. Cooper looked at Red wondering, so he shrugged and headed to the glass box.

They all stood to watch Red meeting Red on their screen. Cooper was amazed the new guy knew about his operation in Kuwait. And all of them were when they knew their Red hosted the Shell Island four years ago.

When Red walked back to them, everyone had a question to him. But he didn't answer any one and pointed to Cooper, "If I were you Harold, I would let him talk and tell me where I can find Janet McNamara before she talks."

He didn't wait anymore and walked to the elevator.

An hour later, Maya called her Red, "Raymond, I have important news for you. We cut a deal with... Reddington we have."

She could hear his smile, "So, you decided to follow your heart. That doesn't sound very FBI."

She sighed, "Red, this is important. The guy had immunity in exchange for taking us to the meeting."

Red chuckled, "Oh, God. Harold is nothing but predictable."

She replied, "Raymond, I know you've said you don't know where the meeting is. And I want to believe you. But if this is one of your games, and you have a hidden agenda. If you plan on going, please, don't. If the FBI shows up and you're there, that will confirm their suspicions."

She heard his quiet voice, "Thank you for your concern, Maya."

The line was hung up, so she sighed and walked back to her desk to help Aram in wiring the guy.

Minutes later, Maya was sitting with Aram and Liz in the SUV monitoring the new Red as he walked into the Shell Island.

They heard the wired Red getting into the meeting.

A familiar voice was heard, "How fortuitous. We were just talking about you."

Aram wondered, "Wait, is it me or..."

Liz cut him off, "That sounds like Reddington!"

Maya sighed, "How stubborn."

Aram commented, "That can't be good."

They heard Ressler, "I believe he deceived us. He was lying the whole time."

Samar said through her mic., "Why would he do that?"

Ressler said, "I say we breach now."

Maya interrupted, "No, if you do this now, you'd prove Reddington is working with us. You'll put him in extreme danger. He knows our protocols. He knows we're listening. If he's doing this on purpose, we should follow his lead."

They listened to the conversation and to Red's explanation trying to convince them he wasn't the FBI asset.

Aram frowned, "I'm now totally confused."

Maya looked at him, "They know each other. Our Red planned for this."

They listened to him talking about Janet McNamara, and the place she's being held in. Liz yelled, "You got that?"

Ressler replied, "I got it. I'm on my way."

As the conversation went on, Aram looked at them amazed when Red told them that the fake Red was wired. They heard the noise and Red talking about his reputation then tell them to check the cuff-links. In a second, the transmission was ended, so Liz yelled, "Go, breach, now!"

As she gave her orders, the force has moved, as well as Samar and got into the hotel.

After sunset, Maya was getting into her apartment after a long time of absence. She wandered the place as if she's missed it. She had to take the bus to go to Red's place to get her bag before heading to her's.

She didn't hear about Red since the force broke into the Shell Island. She tried to call him, but it seemed he's already got rid of that phone. At least she knew the FBI didn't get any of them, although two dead bodies were found, including the fake Red. Her heart skipped a beat when she knew that. For a moment, she imagined it was her own Red.

She heard a key turning in her door, so she held her gun instinctively. Before she moves, she saw her Red stepping in. She sighed and put the gun back to her belt. He cocked his head, "You're expecting someone else breaking into your place, my dear?"

She sighed and walked to him, "I learned to be more cautious after what's happened to me lately."

He embraced her and pressed a kiss to her lips, "Why are you here?"

She put her arms around his neck, "I'm not staying there alone. How are you?"

He smiled pulling her with him to the couch, "If you insist. I'm fine, sweetheart."

She put her hand on his cheek, "Why didn't you tell me about your plan? Why did you put me in such situation? It seems you're the one who doesn't trust me."

He frowned, "Of course I do. I just thought your reactions would be more natural if you didn't know."

She bit inside her lip, "Maybe you are right. That fake Red, he worked for you?"

Red nodded sad, "He was one of my assets. He had a progressive stomach cancer, he's asked me to do that."

She moved her hand over his shaved head, "I'm sorry, Raymond."

He nodded and looked at her, "Now we can go finish our trip?"

She wondered, "What trip?"

He pulled back, "Our trip to Paris."

She laughed, "You must be kidding me, the weekend is already over, Reddington. Maybe next week."

He twisted his lips, "I don't think I can wait until the next weekend."

She looked at him confused, "Wait for what?"

He smiled and brought a small box out of his pocket, "I took you to Paris for a particular reason. I wanted to do this in different circumstances."

She swallowed and opened her eyes confused, "Raymond, what..."

He cut her off opening the box, "Maya Adam, would you marry me?"