At some point in the night Ray must've pulled more blankets over them both because when Liz woke up the next morning, despite being naked, she'd never felt more cosy. Ray was spooning her from behind, his breathing tickling her ear, his arms wrapped around her torso. The blankets were over them both, cocooning them from the world and from the reality of whatever fresh threats they had to worry about today.

Liz turned in Ray's embrace and snaked her own arms around him, snuggling her nose into his neck. Her movements caused him to awaken too and she could feel him smile against her forehead.

'Good morning, sweetheart', Ray rasped out in his grumbling morning voice.

'Good morning, mister'

'How are you feeling today?'

Liz stretched out her arms and legs and sighed softly, 'Better I guess. But I really don't want to go to work'.

Ray stroked her hair and kissed her gently on her temple, 'I know, I understand. But I'll walk you there and once you're inside you've got a security lock on your inner door, haven't you?'

'Yeah… It's not just that though. I'm just not sure I'm fit to see patients right now. I'm so stuck inside my own head with all that's happening that I don't know how much use I'd be to anyone else'.

Ray pulled Liz close to his chest, his brow furrowed with concern. Stroking her back, he nuzzled his nose into her hair and kissed her just behind her ear.

'Well, even therapists are allowed a day off. Why don't you call your patients for today and let them know? Just say you're sick. It happens to everyone, sweetheart, and I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable doing right now'.

Liz pulled back and looked up at Ray, who was smiling down at her, 'Yeah, you're right. I'll cancel today's patients. Maybe even tomorrow's too. But I do still need to go into the office as all their contact details are there. And I need to do it right now if I'm gonna be able to reach my first patient in time'.

Ray sat up, pulling Liz up with him, 'Okay, no need for a shower, you get dressed and I'll quickly make us up a couple of coffees to go. See you by the front door in five'.

'Er, Ray, you forgetting something…?' But by the time Liz's words had left her mouth, Ray had already pulled on his pants and his t-shirt and was working on his socks.

'Hmm?'

'Oh, nothing', Liz giggled. She'd never seen anyone get dressed so fast in her life. Standing up, she reached for her own pants and headed to the bathroom.

As promised, Ray was at the front door within five minutes, standing with two travel cups of coffee in his hands.

'You musta been a very punctual Captain', Liz said, still amused at how quickly Ray had gone from half-asleep to ready to go.

'Of course I was, my dear. Timeliness is next to godliness on the ocean's waves'.

'I thought that was cleanliness?'

'Oh, that too. But I had minions to take care of the cleanliness', he said with a wink.

Liz took one of the coffees from him and they headed out of the apartment, through the front door and straight down to the street. She took one of Ray's hands in her own and they set off into town. Despite the fact Ray was walking with her, Liz couldn't help but feel nervous. She felt like she was being watched. And for all she knew, she was. Tom could be anywhere. He'd clearly been surveilling them for some time to be able to follow them to the zoo and to break into her apartment when they weren't there. She shuddered and gripped Ray's hand a little tighter. He looked down at her and smiled, leaning down quickly to kiss the top of her head.

'It's okay, Lizzy, I'm right here. And that scumbag isn't going to get the drop on me again, let me assure you'.

Liz released her breath and smiled back at him, touched by how in tune with her thoughts he was.

In no time at all they had reached her building and Liz opened up the doors, showing Ray into her inner office. She hurried to the desk and found her contacts book, eager to get hold of her first patient for the day. As she was making that and a few other phone calls, Ray looked around the room, studying her Board Certification and her Harvard degree and feeling impressed all over again by what a smart, capable woman she was. He turned to look back at her as she sat at her desk and his heart skipped a beat. In that moment, he knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with this woman. He was so in love it physically hurt him to think of her scared or in pain. Striding quickly over behind her, he rested his hands on her shoulders and bent down, dropping a long, loving kiss to the top of her head as she finished off her second call.

'What was that for?', Liz asked, smiling up at him.

'No reason at all. Just needed to', Ray replied, his voice breaking slightly as he did so.

Liz squeezed his hand and then pulled it to her mouth, kissing his knuckles. 'You're such a softy, Raymond Reddington. Now let me just make two more calls and that'll be it for the morning patients. We can go home to do the rest'.

Liz looked down at the next name in her diary. It was a new patient, Jacob Phelps. Great, she thought, that's going to make a wonderful first impression, me cancelling our first appointment. She picked up the phone and dialled the number next to the name.

'Hello?'

'Hi, this is….'

'Who is this? Oh…..'

And then the call ended. Liz looked in surprise at the telephone as if it held answers for her.

'What's wrong?'

'That, that voice….. That was Amber Gordon. Why would she….'

Ray crouched down next to Liz and peered up at her curiously, 'What do you mean?'

'I…I was calling to speak to Jacob Phelps, he's a new patient, I've never met him. But a woman answered the number next to his name. It was Amber. I don't understand what….'

Ray frowned and looked down at Liz's diary, 'How was the appointment made? Have you not spoken to this Jacob before today?'

Liz looked at Ray, processing his words. 'No, no… I remember now. I got a letter from a doctor in town, referring him to me. I called this number and left a message with an appointment time. This was only on Friday I think. I remember thinking he was lucky as I'd just had a cancellation for this morning. Then I got a text back confirming that the time was okay. But it's obviously Amber's phone. And who on earth is Jacob Phelps?'

Ray started to get a tingling feeling in his gut. Suddenly all the pieces fell into place and he stood up, flexing his fists as he did so.

'I think I know exactly who 'Jacob Phelps' is. And I think I now know exactly who contacted Tom to let him know that we had been seeing each other'.

Liz looked up at Ray, realisation and shock writ large across her face, 'Oh my god. You think Amber told Tom about us? But, but why?'

'Well, without wanting to sound too arrogant, I think I did rather disappoint Amber when I spurned her advances. And I wasn't maybe quite as polite as I could have been when I did so. Maybe she thought with Tom back in town, you'd decide to give him a second chance and I'd be available again?'

'That's crazy. I'd rather hack off an arm than go back to that bastard'

'Well, I know that. But Amber won't. And she doesn't know anything about how he beat you'.

Liz dropped her head down into her hands and took a long, shuddering breath.

'Okay, let's say you're right. What do we do now?'

'Well, I think we should maybe pay Amber a visit, don't you?'

'Shouldn't we call the police?'

'Best not until we're sure. Let's go there now. Hopefully 'Jacob' will be there too'.

Liz blanched at the thought of seeing Tom again, 'I don't think I can, Ray. I…, I really don't want to see him'.

Ray took hold of her hands and led her to the door, 'Okay, sweetheart. I'll walk you home. But I'm going to go see Amber right after'.

After hanging up the phone on Liz, Amber quickly rang Tom's number. He'd left early that morning, had said he had a few errands to run before his appointment with Liz at ten. He picked up after two rings and she filled him in on what had happened.

'You idiot, why didn't you just pretend to be someone else?'

'I don't know, I panicked. I didn't recognise the number, it must've been her office phone. I'm sure she'd have recognised my voice anyway. I'm sorry, Tom, but now she might be more wary of her ten o'clock appointment'.

'You think? God, there's no way I can show up there now, she'll be too suspicious. Fuck!'

Amber waited nervously to see what Tom would say next. She'd grown increasingly wary around him of late and was glad this conversation was taking place over the phone, not in person.

'Okay, I'm going to go see what's going on at her office anyway. I'll talk to you later'.

Tom hung up and Amber bit her lip, suddenly sure that what was about to happen was not going to be in anyone's best interests. But short of calling the police and getting into trouble herself, she had no clue what to do about the situation.

After walking Liz to her apartment and ensuring she locked herself securely in, with the deadbolt engaged, Ray jumped into his car and headed to Amber's house. Liz had known where she lived as she was still living in the house her parents had left to her when they had died. Pretty much everyone in town knew where the notorious Amber Gordon lived. It was a beautiful, palatial home and Amber made sure everyone knew it was hers.

Within five minutes, Ray pulled into the driveway and strode quickly up to the front door, a look of pure fury on his face. He was desperately hoping that Tom would be inside and that this whole thing could be resolved right here and now, one way or another.

After realising that Liz wasn't in her office, Tom turned away from the door and kicked out in frustration at a trash can on the sidewalk. A woman walking past gasped in shock and he swore at her so angrily she broke into a run to get away from him. He was fuming. He had to see Liz right now. He wanted to wipe that smug, self-satisfied smile off her face once and for all. Turning towards her apartment he started running up Main Street, eager to get there and reacquaint himself with his ex-wife.

Ray hammered on the door for over thirty seconds before Amber opened it. She looked terrified and Ray instantly took a step back. As angry as he was, he had no intention of causing her harm or scaring her.

'Is Tom here?'

Amber looked stricken. She knew the game was up but she couldn't find the words she needed in that moment and so just continued to stare at Ray, feeling tears starting to form in her eyes.

'Amber, I really don't care how or why you did what you did. Not right now. But I need to speak to Tom. Is he here?'

Amber shook her head, still incapable of speech.

'Do you know where he is?'

She nodded and Ray stepped towards her, eager to hear her answer. However, this caused Amber to take two steps back and try to shut the door.

'Amber, I'm not going to hurt you', Ray said as he reached out a hand to hold the door open. 'Please, I just need to find Tom. You know this has gone too far, don't you?'

At last Amber found her voice, 'Yes….. Yes, I know. I'm sorry…..'

'Okay, good. But I need to find Tom right now. Please just tell me where he is'.

Amber nodded and pushed Ray by his chest off her doorstep, 'He's gone to Liz's office to find her. That's all I know. Now please leave'.

Ray allowed himself to be pushed away from her door and turned quickly to his car. Once Tom realised that Liz wasn't at her office, he may well head to her apartment. He had to get back there immediately.

Tom was out of breath by the time he reached Liz's. He stood with his hands on his knees for a minute to steady himself before stepping forward and starting to push all the buttons on the intercom. Nobody seemed to be home, which wasn't too surprising for this time on a Monday morning. But it just drove Tom to push the buttons harder and faster, his frustration growing by the second.

Ray pulled up and leapt out of the car, running around the back of it and straight onto Liz's pathway. He instantly saw Tom at the door and stopped himself. Tom didn't seem to be aware of his presence as he continued to work the call buttons at the door. Ray stepped up close behind him and readied himself to introduce himself to Tom in much the same way Tom himself had introduced himself to Ray. Sucker punching someone wasn't something Ray had ever done before in his life but at this moment, Ray figured Tom had brought this on himself. He pulled back his fist and drove it hard into Tom's kidney.

Tom yelped and fell straight down onto the concrete. Ray stood over him, wanting nothing more than to continue beating him, but he held himself back. He wasn't going to do more than he had to and right now Tom seemed incapable of doing anything more than groaning and writhing about.

Liz heard a cry from outside her apartment and headed to the window to look down at the front path. She gasped when she saw Ray there, standing over what could only be Tom. Oh my god, he had actually come here again to look for her. Despite her terror, she grabbed her cell phone and headed on downstairs.

Pulling open the door, she saw that Tom was still floored and Ray was just standing and staring down at him. However, her presence was instantly noted by Tom and he made a lurching movement to try to grab her leg. This gave Ray the opportunity to do what he'd been dying to do ever since that first punch. He kicked him once, hard, right in the same place he'd just hit him. Tom squealed again and all attempts at trying to reach Liz were forgotten.

Liz jumped around Tom's legs and into Ray's arms, pulling him away from Tom, 'Please, no more…. He's down. You stopped him. I don't want you getting into trouble'.

Ray pulled Liz into his chest and held her close, forcing himself to calm down, 'Okay, sweetheart, okay. No more. Now call the police, would you?'

Liz nodded and dialled the emergency number. As they stood there, awaiting the arrival of the cops, they just held each other and said nothing. Tom made no attempt to move or to speak. He knew he'd be incapable of launching an attack on either of them or even running away, he was simply in too much pain. Instead he glared at them both, an almost insane look painted across his features, his breath ragged, his eyes blazing.

The police arrived in under five minutes and Tom was taken into custody. Ray and Liz both agreed to give statements and the cops said that they'd send over the detectives who were working on the case later that day.

Ray took Liz's hand and led her up the stairs and into her apartment. Shutting the door behind them, he leant forward and rested his head against the wall, suddenly exhausted.

Liz stepped up behind him and reached around his chest, holding him tightly.

'Thank you, Ray. Thank you'.

Ray reached up and grasped hold of her hands where they met, right over his heart, 'No need to thank me, Lizzy, I did that for both of us'.

He turned then and pulled her into a proper embrace, one full of love and relief in equal measure. After a few minutes, they broke apart and went to sit down together on the couch. They were still holding hands but neither of them could think of anything else to say in that moment.

Eventually, after a few minutes, Liz smiled and looked at Ray, 'It's really all over, isn't it?'

He looked up and couldn't help but smile back at her, so happy that this terrible ordeal would no longer plague his beautiful Lizzy.

'Yeah, yeah…. All over bar the shouting I'd say'.

Liz broke out into an even bigger grin and stood up.

'So, I guess that we should celebrate. At least, a little bit'.

Ray raised a quizzical eyebrow at her, her mood enchanting him with how different she suddenly seemed after the last few days of anxiety.

'What do you have in mind?'

'Well, I was thinking… And obviously this is entirely up to you…. But maybe I could…..'

'Yes?', Ray asked, expecting Liz to drag him off to the bedroom. Or maybe the shower. Or maybe even just to launch herself at him on the couch.

'Maybe I could make you the biggest brunch you've ever eaten in your life? Pancakes, bacon, waffles…..'

She got no further suggestions out of her mouth before Ray had bounded off the couch and grabbed her hand, leading her into the kitchen.

'Oh, sweetheart, you are most definitely a keeper'.