Ressler turned his eyes towards Liz, who stood completely in shock. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape. He could see the confusion and pain in her eyes, lost in a whirlwind of emotions.

"Leave us." Tom said to the guards. "We'll be alright."

Hesitantly, the men stopped pointing their guns at Liz and Ressler and filed out of the door. Tom then produced a key and began unlocking their handcuffs.

"I know you probably have a lot of questions, but right now—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Liz gave him a rigid fist right to the mouth as soon as her hands were free. Recoiling, Tom grabbed his jaw, scoffing and showing off the blood on his teeth.

"Okay, I deserve that." He groaned..

"Who are you?" Liz asked with anger in her tone.

He sighed and shook his head. "Look, I'll tell you everything I can, but right now, I wanna make sure you're alright." Tom nudged his head by the door towards a woman whom Liz had failed to notice in her rage.

She had long, blonde hair and wore a white lab coat over a purple dress shirt and a black pencil skirt. She also wore black heels that made her almost as tall as Ressler. She stood quietly as she looked at them, her eyes kind behind a pair of glasses.

"This is Doctor Karlsen." Tom introduced.

"You can call me Alice." She said with a wave and a smile.

Liz shared a look with Ressler at the mention of the familiar name.

"She'll go over you two; make sure you're alright. I've got some things to take care of right now, but once you get checked out, I'll come find you." He said to Liz before turning to the doctor. "Take them to their room afterwards."

Alice nodded and Tom exited the room.

Liz looked at Ressler, hoping he had the same idea of getting information out of the woman whom Liz had remembered. It would be easy now that they were alone with her. Before she could move, however, the woman quickly walked up to Ressler and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

"Oh, thank god you're okay." Alice said quietly.

Ressler's eyes grew wide, his arms stiffening at his sides. He looked at Liz with confusion and she gave him a similar stare. The woman then pulled away and gave Liz a hug as well.

"Umm…" Liz could barely speak.

Alice then stepped back with a look of realization.

"Oh, that's right…" she said apologetically. "You don't remember me…"

Liz was a little stunned by how disappointed she seemed.

"That's alright. Hopefully you'll remember soon. For now let's see if you two are okay."

She gestured over to an exam table, waiting for them to sit on it. When neither of them moved, she sighed.

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person you'd trust right now, but I need to make sure you're not too injured."

Hesitantly, Ressler walked up and sat on the table. She shined a light in his eyes and listened to his heartbeat, looking him over the way any medical doctor would. Then Liz came up to the table.

After she listened to Liz's heart, the doctor's penlight flashed into her eyes and the moment the light left, she felt as if she were on her back, feeling like she was shaking off a groggy unconsciousness.

"I'm sorry." Alice said. "I should've stopped them sooner."

Liz felt a tired smile come to her face. "You stopped them. That's all that matters. I'm glad you're here."

The bright light passed over her eyes and suddenly she was staring at Alice, with Ressler standing behind her. She blinked away the glare in her eyes and got off the table, sneaking glances at the woman as she jotted down notes on her clipboard.

"I'll have to examine you two more thoroughly later, but for now, I should take you to your room so you can get yourselves cleaned up." She said with a friendly smile.

"We have a room?" Liz asked, glancing at Ressler, who shrugged.

"They want you to stay here." Alice said cautiously. "It's safe...for now…"

They followed her to a single room, away from any of the people they had run into earlier. Upon entering, Liz noticed that it looked just like a hotel room. There was a door to a bathroom, a dresser against the wall with a TV on top, and a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room flanked by two nightstands. There was also a kitchenette in the corner.

"There are clothes in the drawers. You two should get cleaned up and get some rest." Alice explained. She then looked at the door and continued in a hushed voice. "Tom will be here soon, but I'll come find you afterwards. We'll talk then."

She exited the room and the two of them were left standing, looking at each other.

"What do you think?" Liz asked with a sigh.

"My first instinct is to get the hell out of here and never look back." Ressler replied.

"But?"

"This might be our best chance at finding out what happened to us." He sighed. "And we're still wanted out there."

Liz nodded in understanding. She sat on the edge of the bed, silently pensive.

"What do you think about this doctor?" He then asked.

"I don't know what to think." She shrugged. "I just remembered her. Felt like she helped me...but I'm not dumb enough to trust her just from that."

Ressler crossed his arms and nodded. "We'll find out what we can. First sign of trouble, we get the hell out of here."

"We'll be okay." Liz said assuredly, though she felt as if she was saying it more to herself.

"Look, Liz...Halcyon is a private military firm. I'm not sure if it's true, but I've heard their work involves covert ops for rich clients. And that they're not scared of breaking laws or crossing boundaries. They've got a ton of firepower, but who knows what they can do with us. They're not just going to let us go."

She noticed the apprehension behind his eyes. Like her, he wanted the truth, but was unsure whether or not it was worth the risk. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's like you said, we'll figure it out." She said confidently.

She then tilted her head towards the bathroom. "Mind if I just wash my face? You can take the first shower." She looked down at his blood-crusted, torn clothes. "You definitely need it more than I do."

He chuckled. "Go ahead." He turned and began looking through the drawers for fresh clothes. He then turned back to her, holding up a gray t-shirt. "Should I be worried that this is the right size?"

"I guess that proves we've been here before." She replied with worry.

They shared another look, until Ressler turned back towards the dresser and returned to contemplative silence. She took that as her cue to leave.

Liz went into the bathroom and scrubbed her face clear of the dried blood. As she watched the water turn red and swirl down the drain, she could feel her throat clench at the memory of Ressler; his skin pale and drenched in sweat and blood. Shaking her head, she splashed her face with more cold water and forced herself to take a deep breath.

He's alive, She told herself.

The two words reverberated in her mind and brought back a familiar echo. The same thoughts she'd had long ago.

Her boots echoed loudly as she rushed through the hospital, seeking the right room. As soon as she found it, Liz felt her heart drop. She looked into the open room, seeing a middle-aged nurse checking the equipment attached to an unconscious Ressler.

"Is he alright?" She asked with concern.

The nurse looked at her, clearly surprised. "Are you Liz?"

She nodded frantically. "They called me and said he was getting surgery and I was busy at the time and I didn't recognize the number so I sent it to voicemail, and now I'm not sure—"

"He's fine." The nurse interrupted to assure her. "He was shot in the leg, but he should be fine. The surgery went well."

Liz tried to calm herself and sighed in relief, pulling up a chair by the bed and holding Ressler's hand in her shaking one. She looked at his face; peaceful, but marred by cuts and bruises. His hair was unrestricted and he seemed a little more pale than usual. Liz could only try to find comfort in the warmth of his hand and his calm breathing.

"Your boyfriend's lucky," the nurse said with a smile. "The bullet barely missed an artery. He would have bled out."

She was a little startled by the title, though thankful for his luck. "Oh, he's not my boyfriend, he's just…uh, someone...a good friend." She could feel herself blushing as she stuttered and suddenly realized how she must've looked.

The nurse gave her a knowing look. "Well, your 'someone' is very lucky."

"I'm glad he's okay."

"He's going to need to stay here for about a week, but he seems to be in good shape for recovery." The nurse then took notice of her shaking leg, and how her eyes frantically looked over his unconscious form. "Don't worry. Worst case, he gets some time off. Maybe take some Oxy for the pain."

Liz could only look at the nurse and give her a sad smile, though her words were calming. The nurse then turned to leave, but stopped at the door. She then turned back to face Liz.

"You know, he was muttering your name in his sleep. Right before the surgery. And after."

When the nurse left, Liz couldn't help but smile at him. She rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand as she thought about how close they were before they were suddenly so busy. It had been a month since she'd last seen him. Clearly a call from the hospital wasn't the best way to reconnect. Especially when she didn't even know that she was his emergency contact. Though it made sense; he had never talked much about his family. And she was certain he wasn't in a relationship.

They'd spent a lot of time together until he was promoted and was suddenly much more busy in the field. In turn, she had been busy with finishing up at the academy and looking for a job.

Liz realized that out of all the hardships; the lack of sleep, the long days, and the stressful interviews; not spending time with him took a big toll on her. One that she couldn't believe was so critical in her life. But now that she was with him, she could breathe a little easier. All of that stress went out the window. Nothing else was on her mind. She didn't even want to dwell on what the nurse had told her. All that mattered was that he was alive.

All too quickly, the sound of water rushing from the faucet returned, and she was back staring at the mirror.

She looked at her reflection and sighed as she saw the outright exhaustion in her eyes. Though she had gotten some sleep earlier, it felt as if it made her more tired. Bruises marked her chin and her forehead and a few cuts had formed on her cheek, though they seemed to have already been healing.

For a moment, she thought about how she would look if she had never taken on this harrowing campaign; if she had never committed herself to Ressler's struggles. She quickly shoved that thought out of her head. It wasn't just about him. It involved her as well. Though he was right about her having been able to live her life happily unaware, it wouldn't have been real. Now that she knew her 'husband' was involved with what happened to them, she realized that the life she wanted would have never been truly possible with Tom, or whoever he really is. And after that memory, she wasn't completely against being by Ressler in his time of need.

Dejectedly, Liz turned off the faucet, grabbed a towel, and dried off her face. She took another deep breath before she exited the bathroom and was greeted by Ressler sitting on the bed, a stack of clean clothes in his hand. She gave him a ghost of a smile and headed towards the dresser.

Before Ressler could walk into the bathroom, Liz surprised him.

"Hey," she said, grabbing his arm.

He looked into her eyes. He seemed confused at first, but at the sight of the emotions she was trying to hide, his eyes softened.

"I'm…glad you're okay…" she said faintly.

She watched as he clenched his jaw and nodded, briefly searching her eyes again before heading into the bathroom. When she heard the water running, she began digging through the dresser in search of clothes, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Liz opened the door and was met by Tom, standing before her with a grin. He looked completely different now. She had seen him without glasses before, but now it felt as if she was talking to a stranger. She stood still at the door, crossing her arms and giving him a serious look.

"Where's Ressler?" He asked, throwing his eyes across the small space she had opened.

"In the shower." She said flatly.

"Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"To talk." He said with confusion.

"We're talking now." Liz retorted.

Tom sighed and searched her eyes. "Look, I know you feel betrayed and confused…and that I probably hurt you…and I'm sorry for that. Nothing I say can change that."

He watched as her stare stayed rigid, aimed directly at his eyes, as if willing them to show the truth.

"But I want you to know that everything I did was to protect you." He continued. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Kidnapping us? That's your definition of protection?" She scoffed.

"Protection from the bureau. The police. Reddington." He said sternly. "You don't have to be on the run here, Liz, and you certainly won't be assassinated."

Liz could feel her breath catching. She turned and looked at the wall, biting her lip and scolding herself for having the emotions that were threatening to make themselves known. She let out a frustrated sigh and glared back at him.

"So? Who are you really?" She asked. "And why are we here?"

"I was tasked with keeping an eye on you." He explained. "I think you know by now that you're pretty important. Well, the easiest way to do that was—"

"To marry me…" she finished, then laughed dryly and shook her head. "I was an assignment."

Tom stood silently, looking at the floor in response.

"What else?" She asked sharply.

"We want to figure out what this...thing is." Tom continued. "How it works."

"And what happens if you do?" Liz challenged.

"We try to get rid of it." He offered. "Get you back to normal."

"Normal's gone, Tom." She said, shaking her head. "There's nothing I can do to make things go back to the way they were."

"It doesn't hurt to try…besides," he gave her a gentle smile as he searched her eyes. "You might have started out as a job, but…it wasn't hard to fall in love with you."

Liz could feel her heart thumping at the confession. And she hated it. She should be angry, hurt, and vengeful. Not…whatever this was.

"For now, try and get some rest. God knows you both need it." He then looked into the room and back into her eyes, his face suddenly serious. "I'll see about getting separate beds for you."

With that, he gave her another disarming smile, and turned to leave.

Ressler sighed in relief as he shut the water off, finally feeling somewhat clean. Stepping out of the shower, he quickly dried himself and wrapped the towel around his waist. He wiped the condensation off of the mirror and stared into the foggy glass.

Leaning against the sink, he looked at his reflection. The hot water had brought out a healthy flush from his pale skin, and he felt much better after scrubbing all of the dried blood off. He still noticed the slight bags under his eyes, likely from the nonstop fatigue that came from being on the run and not being able to sleep, along with the bruises and cuts that he could barely feel.

His eyes then fell lower, moving across his chest, and focusing on the scar that had appeared. He ran his fingers over the small mark, just above the right side of his chest. It was the only thing left behind by the bullet that killed him. The only true evidence of his death.

He realized that he still hadn't had any chance to process what had happened. He died. He was assassinated; shot and his heart stopped beating. And Reddington's medical team had been killed while Liz was right next to him. Ressler felt that the further they go down this rabbit hole, the more questions they unearthed. The more pain pulled out from both of them.

He looked back up at his eyes, and found himself suddenly staring back at bloodshot eyes, unstable with defeat. He felt his shoulders burdened by the weight of fatigue, and pain radiated throughout his body. His skin prickled, clawing in search of numbness. His throat felt raw and his stomach gnawed at his insides, having been recently emptied.

Small tremors came and went as he struggled to steady himself. The sight that stared back could barely fulfill the strength he'd been begging for. That is, until a sympathetic face looked over his shoulder.

With eyes softened by pained tears, Liz spoke gently. "You're gonna get through this…I know you will."

As quickly as the feeling came, it went away, leaving him standing at the sink; his body suddenly getting cold as the humidity from the shower began to dissipate.

Pulling his focus back to reality, he got himself dressed and exited the bathroom. Upon entering the main room, he found Liz sitting at the edge of the bed. Neatly-folded clothes sat on her lap as she buried her face in her hands.

"You okay?" He asked with concern.

She quickly looked up and gave him a faint smile. "Yeah. Just...tired."

He looked at her as she made her way to the shower, not believing her one bit, but he couldn't bring himself to challenge her. He knew there was a lot on their minds, but he also knew those old words of hers would ring true. They were both going to get through this.

By the time Liz had finished cleaning up, it had gotten dark. Or it would have been if they weren't in an underground facility. With a sigh, she went into the room and found the lights turned low. Ressler was lying on the bed, on his side and facing away from her.

She realized that they hadn't talked about sleeping arrangements. She didn't mind sleeping next to him, but she wasn't sure how he felt about it. But seeing him there pushed the worry right out of her mind. He seemed to have fallen asleep from pure exhaustion, and he certainly deserved the rest.

Resigning to getting some sleep herself, she gently pulled up the covers and slipped into bed, moving carefully to avoid waking Ressler. She sunk into the comfortable feeling of the bed, slightly cool and refreshing, yet cozy under the covers. She glanced back towards Ressler and smiled as she noticed he was completely at rest. She turned around with her back to him and let her eyes close; finally able to relax and sleep.

"Liz." Ressler said gently, squeezing her shoulder. "Liz, wake up."

Her eyes still felt heavy, though she felt the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck. His voice had sounded soft, but close, as if he were only inches away and she reveled in the deep, comforting tone. She let her lips crest into a smile as she was suddenly so aware of the weight settled on the bed so close behind her. She was about to turn around when she heard another familiar voice.

"I'm sorry it's late," Alice apologized.

Liz's eyes quickly shot open and she realized she hadn't been dreaming. Not daring to glance behind her, she sat up and pulled her legs over the side of the bed. Looking at a clock on the wall, she realized it was two in the morning. She finally turned and saw Alice standing patiently by the door with an apologetic smile, bathed by the warm light of one of the lamps on the nightstand.

"It's hard to sneak around in here," she continued. "I barely convinced the guard that I needed complete privacy for umm...invasive tests."

"What's going on?" Liz asked, shaking off the sleep and forcing herself to focus on Alice.

"I said we would talk." Alice said, stepping forward and settling herself on the foot of the bed. "First things first, I can tell you right now that I don't know exactly what happened to the two of you that made you...the way you are…"

Liz heard Ressler scoff in frustration. "What else is there to know?"

"I can help you remember." She offered. "Fill in some blanks."

"And why should we believe you?" Liz asked. "You say you know us, but how can we be sure?"

"You don't." Alice responded. "But no one else is going to tell you what you've been through." Alice sighed as her eyes moved between the two of them. "You two aren't the first ones to go through what you went through. But you are the first ones to survive."

"Survive what?" Ressler asked.

She looked them in the eyes sympathetically. "You two have forgotten some really horrible things that happened here." Alice looked down at her hands, clearly bothered by the recollection. "There were...experiments. To test the limits of what you can do."

"What kind of experiments?" Ressler asked cautiously.

The doctor shrugged. "Just about any horrible thing you can think of. Blood loss, organ trauma, beatings…one of the experiments was to test the effects of drug dependency..."

Ressler's eyes widened and he slowly shook his head. "No…no, no, I got hooked on pills because—"

"You weren't shot in the leg." She interrupted resolutely. "It was forced into your system."

"No, no there were pills!" Ressler said, clearly upset. "It was me…"

Alice sighed sympathetically, "To keep your condition secret, Halcyon went to great lengths to cover it up. Most of all from the two of you. They implanted fake memories so that you wouldn't remember anything about the experiments or anything having to do with what happened to you. I know your addiction was one of them."

Ressler sat completely silent, lowering his head and absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry Don," Alice said. She then took a deep breath, clearly affected by the heavy subject. "Have you two remembered anything?"

Liz nodded in response. "There've been…bits and pieces coming back. Since we met."

"It's because you two are together again."

Suddenly, it all made sense. The memories that were flooding back. Dr. Orchard's warnings. All of the facts about what had happened. They weren't just missing, they were taken. Replaced.

"How many times has he…" Liz couldn't find it in her to finish the question.

"Including today… six times."

Liz felt her breath catch and she turned to Ressler, who looked back at her with an unreadable expression. He then turned back to the woman before them.

"What about Liz?" Ressler asked.

Alice looked at him with confusion.

"Has she died?"

Liz looked at Ressler in surprise, then back to Alice, waiting impatiently for a response.

"...Not that I know of…" Alice said apologetically. "I don't know if she can come back like you can."

They sat in silence, attempting to come to terms with the revelations the woman had brought forward. It was hard to think about the possibilities. The pain they must've gone through. Perhaps it was better that they didn't remember what sounded like torture.

Liz then spoke up. "Are you saying that all these memories, everything we're remembering. They're all fake?"

Alice looked between the two of them again, unsure about how to answer. "I'm not sure. Some are, but some might have been real. I don't know all of the memories they gave you." She then looked up at the clock and stood from the bed. "I've gotta go. I've been here long enough. I'm sorry, I know it's a tough subject to leave you to sleep with, but I don't want them to get suspicious. We'll talk more in the morning."

Liz and Ressler had too much on their mind to stop her as she left. They sat quietly on the bed, left to contemplate everything they'd just learned. Eventually Liz forced herself to lie down, and turned to face Ressler.

"I don't know about you, but I don't think I can sleep right now." She said, half-joking.

Ressler reached over and turned off the light. He slid down onto his back and kept quiet, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. Liz couldn't help but look at him, wondering what exactly he was thinking. His face was stonelike and expressionless.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

He turned his head and searched her eyes.

After a moment, he asked softly, "Do you remember me?"

Liz was taken aback by the question. She knew there was a lot on their minds, but she definitely wasn't expecting that.

"Of course." She said, her eyes roaming over the freckles on his face, barely visible in the low light coming through the gaps of the closed door.

"What about…us?"

Liz sighed, though she maintained eye contact with him. "I remember some things…good things. We…cared about each other. Everything else is kind of…fuzzy."

Ressler looked back up at the ceiling as his lips slowly turned up into a small smile. "Me too…" he then licked his lips and his smile disappeared. "Do you think it was all real?"

"...I don't know…" Liz said softly.

The silence returned, and Liz wasn't sure if it was a comfortable one, but she didn't dare break it. It was a lot to think about, but Liz felt that every thought led to a thousand more, and mental stress was the last thing she needed right now. Eventually, she fell into a quiet, restless sleep.

I hope so.

When Ressler's eyes opened, the room was still pretty dark, though the light in the bathroom was on and the door was closed. He realized that Liz had gotten out of the bed and found himself hoping she had gotten some rest. After everything they'd learned last night, it was the least they deserved.

He pulled his legs over the side of the bed, and stood. Stretching and shaking the sleep off, he was about to dig through the dresser, when he heard a knock on the front door.

He looked back towards the bathroom, then answered the door.

"Morning." Tom said, a little too cheerfully. "Liz up yet?"

"She's in the bathroom." Ressler replied. "What's up?"

Tom gave him a look before smiling and shaking his head. "It can wait. I'll tell Doctor Karlsen you two are up. She'll want to check in on you." He then gave Ressler a slap on the shoulder. "Hope you got some rest, buddy. I'm sure you needed it." He then walked away.

As soon as it happened, the feeling of Tom's hand on his shoulder had Ressler in a trance. Suddenly there was soft music around him. A cacophony of conversations surrounded him and a sweet buzz warmed his bones. He was enjoying the atmosphere until a hand clapped him on the back.

"Sorry about the wait." Tom said with a grin, before seating himself across from him in the booth. "Glad you found the place alright."

"Took you long enough." Ressler chuckled before taking another sip of his coffee. "So what's so urgent?"

Tom looked around the coffee shop for a moment then nudged Ressler in the arm. "See that woman over there? The pretty brunette with the blue eyes?" He gestured to a corner of the room where the woman was alone, papers scattered on the table in front of her with a laptop open.

"What about her?"

"She's got ties to Reddington." Tom said slyly. "You get close to her, you'll find him for sure."

Ressler watched the woman with interest as she shuffled through her papers busily. Then the barista called out.

"Small coffee for Liz?"

The woman then got up and walked towards the counter.