Please see first chapter for disclaimer regarding Blacklist. (Of course I don't own it! I'm just borrowing for entertainment purposes.) I've attempted to reply to everyone's reviews if I could (I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment) and anyone I could not reply to Thank you as well!

2 months to the day of my last update, I'm starting to feel like Steven Moffat with these long delays in updates. *wink* I can only say I hope it doesn't disappoint.

On to our story:

"Hello Sweetheart." Red replied smiling at the beautiful woman before him. Grasping tightly to the small hand in his much larger one he gently lifted it to his lips, placing a soft kiss beside the IV imbedded in the back of her hand. "How long was I asleep?" He asked taking his seat at Liz's bedside once again, refusing to lose contact with her.

"Just barely an hour," Dembe answered from beside him, taking the opportunity to check his phone as he moved to the end of Liz's bed.

Red nodded as he turned back to Liz, "And how long have you been awake? Has the doctor been in?"

Slipping her hand out of his she lifted her hand up- touching his cheek lightly to stop his barrage of questions, "Long enough to know that you snore…" This earned her a raised eyebrow followed by a small grin at her observation causing her to smile softly back at him. "And no doctor yet. I asked Dembe to wait because I felt ok and so you could get some rest." Liz offered before grimacing slightly at a particularly fierce pain that shot through her chest.

Expecting his old friend to know better than to leave him so exposed and vulnerable on top of the delay for medical attention Red threw an upset look at Dembe before returning his attention to the pained expression on Liz's face, "What's wrong?" The panic in Red's voice was clearly evident as he checked her over for any obvious trauma.

"My chest is starting to throb a bit," Liz mumbled as she tried to remain calm and composed in his presence. "Whatever they were giving me for pain appears to be wearing off rather quickly, I must have been in pretty bad shape when you brought me here."

Before Red could reply Dembe interrupted, "Dr. Ware just arrived, I will go retrieve her." he exclaimed, closing his phone and retreating quickly for the door.

While Dembe was never one for idle chit chat in the entire time she had known him, Liz could feel the man's pain at what had transpired. She knew from experience that he would protect Red with his life and by extension those he cared about; clearly he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders due to this catastrophe that landed her in this bed. It was clearly written all over his face every time he looked at her and while she didn't remember much of him after she was shot she could only imagine how he felt. "Dembe-" Liz called out softly stopping the bodyguard in his tracks causing him to turn slowly to the injured woman lying in the bed. Liz smiled at him through her another jolt of pain, "Thank you- for everything."

Dembe offered her a small nod before taking his leave to track down the good doctor leaving Liz and Red alone in the same room for the first time in the better part of a year.

Red was so overcome with emotions at the sight of Liz awake and smiling at him that he didn't consider his actions much before acting on impulse. What he did was against his better judgment and had blown propriety all to hell, but all of that was negated the moment his lips touched hers.

In one slow movement he had leaned forward, gently caressing her cheek a mere seconds before his lips met hers. He was pleasantly surprised when she responded immediately to his kiss was short but full of raw emotion from both parties; so much that when he pulled away they needed to catch their breath. Resting his forehead on hers, he took a few deep breaths to get himself under control.

Liz was beyond shocked but not in any way upset at Red's actions. Keeping her eyes closed she just relished in his contact and enjoyed the feeling of familiarity and comfort he seemed to bring to her whenever they were together. After a few long moments she opened her eyes, looking up at him, "What was that?"

Red kept his eyes closed even though he could feel her gaze burning into him, "Something I should have done a long time ago." At that he moved back slightly to check her over and had to chuckle when her blue eyes glared up at him. "Please- I've had some terribly wretched days recently and it was just something I needed."

"Ever the... consummate criminal aren't you Red." Liz coughed a few times before she caught her breath. "Want-Take-Have."

"Well us criminal types aren't known for respecting boundaries or lines in the sand." He retorted, adjusting the chair beside her bed so he could maintain close contact with her without jostling her injuries.

When Liz raised a questioning eyebrow at his 'line in the sand' reference it made Red chuckle. Turning her head to rest more comfortably against her pillow she asked softly, "Where did you go?" all the while keeping her eyes solely focused on Red.

"Never far from you." He answered, taking up her hand again as he watched her.

Sighing she shifted against the uncomfortable bed, "Why didn't you reach out to me? Let me know you were ok? You're last call was so cryptic, I didn't know what to think."

Rubbing the pad of his thumb across the back of her hand was soothing to both of them, they needed this physical connection after what they had suffered. "You were close once or twice- I had half a mind to wait for you at one of my safe houses that you visited, if for no other reason than to see your face when you saw me- to see how you'd respond."

"Why didn't you?"

"I feared the outcome-" he admitted to both of them. "Our last call was-awkward to say the least. You had doubts about the validity of my claim to your paternity question."

The color of her cheeks darkened at the memory of the question and how her feelings afterwards had grown in extremely non-paternal ways, "I don't know why I even asked to be honest."

"Yes you do." Red shot back, " It was a logical assumption based on the information you had gathered. I've said before that you've been so trained to think only in black and white: logical processing of obvious information. To do that you needed to hear the truth straight from the horses mouth so to speak."

"I didn't know what to think after everything," she admitted.

"Do you doubt me?" he inquired, maintaining eye contact so she couldn't shy away from the answer or him. "After everything do you doubt my answer now?"

"No." She admitted then using his own classic deflection tactic against him, Liz changed the subject. "When things started to get bad I just kept thinking-" here a far away look began clouding her blue eyes as she recalled the trauma she had suffered. Squeezing her eyes shut grimaced, "I kept thinking that Red-You- would save me. That nothing bad would happen so long as you were coming for me."

Red's chest contracted at the intensity of her statement, she had clung to one thought during her entire ordeal and it had been him. Part of him found this endearing that she trusted him so absolutely that it never crossed her mind that he wouldn't save her. Tthe other nagging part of his mind tried to block out what was really bothering him: she would always be his weakness and one day he would fail her just like he had his family.

Thankfully her soft voice drew him out of his reverie, " Was there really a live feed?" Liz asked, gently reaching up to lightly touch his stubbled jaw.

"Yes." Red's answer came out sounding more like a strained whisper.

"You heard what he said?"

"Yes."

Swallowing hard Liz continued, "Saw what he did to me to get to you?"

At this Red didn't say anything, the memory of her suffering at Lucian's hands would join the countless number of others that kept him up at night when he lie alone in bed pretending to sleep.

"You stopped him right before he-" here she choked up, swallowing the bile that rose from the mere thought of Lucian's intentions.

Red squeezed her hand but shook his head, "My finger was hovering above the send button but someone else beat me to it." At her confused look Red continued, "This is a conversation for another time, we will talk later once you get some more pain medication and we get you to a safe house." he said softly reaching for her hand. "Please rest now, I'm not going to leave your side."

Pain had a way of bringing out the stubbornness in Liz as she moved her hand away from his, she wasn't ready to end this conversation. Squeezing her eyes shut through a particularly intense painful throb across her chest and abdomen Liz glared at him. "I remember what you said. I might not remember everything that happened but I could hear you and feel that you were here and you made promises to me. About answers..."

"You heard me?" Surprise was quickly replaced with relief as Red searched for words that would help to assuage her. "Seeing you like that was the second worst event I've ever experienced," he said softly, his voice was rough with emotion. "I almost lost you-"

Liz watched him for a moment before replying, "But you didn't, I'm right here."

Swallowing back his emotions he replied. "I made a lot of promises to you and any divine presence that would listen and I will make good on those promises as soon as we can get you out of this hospital and into a safe house where I know I can protect you."

Liz was too tired and in too much pain to argue with him any more today. "Ok."

Leaning forward Red brushed his lips against her forehead, "Try to get some rest, Dr. Ware should be in shortly." Closing her eyes when she felt his lips against her forehead Liz tried to get comfortable as they both waited for the doctor to arrive.

XxXxXxXxXx

Dr. Ware strode purposefully through the hospital towards the ER recovery rooms where her patient was being housed for the time being. She had worked per diem here on occasion when they had been short staffed and knew the layout and locations she needed by heart. It didn't take her long to find the head nurse and be directed to Doctor Roberts who was now covering the shift on the floor. "Doctor Roberts." Jax said softly as she approached a heavy set gentleman leaning against the nurse's station making some notations on a number of charts stacked beside him.

Doctor Roberts looked up from the chart he was working on, "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Doctor Jaclyn Ware," Jax extended her hand and shook the large man's mammoth hand as he looked at her quizzically, "I believe a patient of mine was brought in here quite recently: Elizabeth Smith?"

Raising a skeptical eyebrow to her he scanned down a list of his current patients coming to stop at Liz's name, "Ah yes. Gunshot victim; sketchy situation. She's your patient you said?" Shuffling through other charts he was able to pull Liz's and scanned her paperwork. "She doesn't have you listed?"

Jax rolled her eyes, "Really? You're checking her charts to see if in the confusion and panic of her almost dying- her family was able to properly document her medical physician." Reaching out and snatching the chart from the other man she shook her head at him.

"Hey! Those are confidential records," Doctor Roberts grumbled reaching for the chart once again. "I need to verify your credentials before HIPPA is all over my ass."

Before his large hand could connect with the chart- another hand shot out blocking his reach and just as quickly- pressed his hand to the counter.

Both Jax and Doctor Roberts turned to follow the arm attached to the hand and only Doctor Roberts was surprised to see the large body guard at the other end. Jax smiled at Dembe before she turned back to the other doctor, "There you go. He is my verification of credentials. Now I need release forms for my patient – we would like to move her to a private facility to continue her recovery as soon as possible."

At this Doctor Roberts started to laugh, "You're joking right? She isn't going anywhere any time soon, for no other reason than the suspicious circumstances that she was brought in for." Doctor Roberts gestured to the ever stoic Dembe, "Not to mention-"

"I'm going to go ahead and stop you right there." Jax snapped, cutting him off. She took offense to the man's atrocious behavior. "Let's check some facts real quick about these suspicious circumstances: A- Bodyguard." She replied, tapping Dembe on the forearm that still held the good doctor in check. "B- Armed guards stationed at all three stairwells and the elevator and last but not least Mr. and Mrs. Smith –"

Watching the other man slowly start to put things into perspective almost made her laugh but keeping up with appearances she continued on, "Why exactly do you think that no one has contacted the police? Hmm?" Flipping the chart open she slammed it down onto the counter before him, "She is an undercover asset for the FBI who was wounded in the middle of an operation. Now you are going to sign your little scribble right here releasing her into my care and go make your rounds to the rest of your patients while I take her off your hands."

"You're going to move her? Now?" The shock clearly evident on his chubby features.

"Yes."

"You can't."

"Why?"

"Her heart stopped!"

"But it's beating again so I fail to see the issue here?"

"She was clinically dead! Moving her now could cause extensive damage to her compromised system."

"The key word doctor in that whole sentence is 'was' I'm well aware how to handle my patient and she will be more than adequately cared for."

"This move is expressly against my professional opinion and I will note as such on every chart that carries her name." Doctor Roberts stopped and looked from Jax to Dembe and back to Jax again before just scribbling his signature across the bottom of the medical transfer document. "If she dies in transit – it is on your head not mine. My conscience is clear."

"Not a problem Doctor. She is in good hands now." With that Jax snatched up the chart and winked at Dembe. "Lead the way sir."

XxXxXxXxXx

Ressler moved quickly through the underground passage into the lower command center of the Strategic Information and Operations Center or SIOC at FBI headquarters. By the time he had arrived at the conference room all major parties were already accounted for, leaving Ressler the last to arrive. Taking his seat at the table he nodded to AD Cooper and Director Fowler as well as SECDEF Fitch.

"Now that we are all here: What is the status on Reddington?" Director Fowler inquired.

Ressler shook his head, "We have not been able to make contact nor actually confirm it was Reddington who attacked Lucian and took Agent Keen."

"We've been monitoring all local hospitals for anyone matching Reddington or Keen's description, but we have no way of knowing what condition either would be in to narrow down our search results." Harold Cooper explained turning to both Fitch and Fowler.

"Talk to me about damage control with Lucian?" Fitch pressed, sitting forward and glancing between Ressler and Cooper.

Ressler just shook his head once more, "His entire crew is dead. If this was Reddington, he left no loose ends."

Fowler couldn't help the little grin on her face, "So there is nothing to tie Lucian back to us then?"

Both Ressler and Cooper shook their heads-No.

"Now we are back to square one though- We still can't find Reddington." Fitch pointed out slapping his hand on the table in frustration. "This entire situation was an exercise in futility."

"The plan was flawed in the first place- Lucian was too volatile to control." Cooper shot back attempting to defend their actions.

Standing from her chair Diane pointed at Cooper, "No! You're the one who broke and compromised this operation by calling Lucian."

Cooper glared at Diane, "We gave him strict instructions and he-"

Diane interrupted him, "He was escalating his actions in order to draw Reddington out. Lucian wasn't stupid; he was well aware that torture wasn't going to draw him out if he had lasted that long. Reddington knew very well Lucian wouldn't kill Keen if she was bait…"

"ENOUGH!" Fitch cried out silencing the whole room. Slowly Diane took her seat and glared at Cooper over the table as the whole group sat quietly glaring at one another. "The fact of the matter is we have lost the element of surprise in retrieving the information Reddington has and we cannot hope to utilize Keen again."

"This information Reddington stole - it's over 20 years old. Why not just kill him and let the chips fall where they will?" Ressler arrogantly stated trying to pigeonhole a simple resolution to this frustrating problem. "20 years is a long time to be blackmailed where the information is still pertinent."

Fitch leaned forward slowly glaring at the younger man, "You know Agent Ressler. It's comments like that, that make me wish Ray had let you die in the box."

Ressler paused for a moment and before he could respond Cooper spoke up, "We will work our side of the situation, reaching out to contacts but we need assistance with facial recognition or anything that might narrow down our search area."

"I'll see what I can do-" Fitch replied turning to Diane. " I will send information as it becomes available. Don't contact me again unless you have Reddington."

With those last words Fitch stood up and took his leave, followed closely by Diane leaving the two FBI agents sitting quietly at the table.

Harold shook his head and ran his hands over his tired and stressed face, "Why do I feel like we've just signed our own death warrants?"

"Probably because once Reddington realizes who was responsible for Lucian's attack on Keen, there won't be a safe place anywhere in this world that he won't be able to find us." Ressler responded sitting back and resting his head against the back of the chair pinching the bridge of his nose to relieve the tension headache that was quickly building.

The room was silent for a few moments before Cooper responded, "God Help Us."

A/N: I apologize for the extremely long delay in posting. Not only did I have writers block (which is a demon in itself) but RL has been beyond hectic. I've taken a new job at work which is tons more stress as well as now that it's summer my boys bedtimes are later and less time in the house. It's not an excuse for leaving my faithful readers waiting for so long but it really is the truth.

Please don't hate me, I will continue updating this until it is complete I will not leave it unfinished. As always please leave love or hate, I just like to know someone is still reading this and being entertained. BTW I am also looking for a Beta at this time: I have 2 one shots that need a second pair of eyes and I'd like to clean up this story from the beginning. If you are interested please message me either here or on Twitter.

Always,

Lady