Liz was sitting in her car with her hands on the steering wheel, staring out over the water in front of her. Red had called her for another Blacklister who insisted on meeting at a container at the docks. She drove to the site in her own car to meet Red at the pier. The meeting was over now and they had said their goodbyes. Liz had returned to her car probably ten minutes ago, but hadn't moved to leave yet. She just sat and thought about all the things that had happened over the past few months. She never seemed to have a moment for herself, where she could just think. Every time she thought she could relax, the Post Office would have something for her or Red would call. At home, she'd spent her time painting and furnishing her new apartment.
So here she was, thinking of her relationship with Red. How nothing had really changed after she came back for him with the Berlin case. Berlin was still out there and she knew Red needed her, but she would probably never be able to forgive him for killing Sam. Even in her head it felt painful to say.
With a sigh, she let go of the steering wheel and reached for her keys to start the car and go home. Just then, her passenger door opened. Speaking of the devil… Red sat down and turned towards her, titling his head and closing his mouth in his characteristic way. When she didn't say anything, he turned right and faced out the front window.
'I once went to a little village in the South of France. It was called St. Jeannet if I recall correctly. I indulged the most amazing view of the ocean that I have ever seen. Astonishingly crystal blue, framed by parasol trees. Less is to say of this view, however.'
This time, he didn't look at her, but his intentions were clear as always.
'I really don't want to talk about this right now, Red.'
It was a God's miracle, but he let it go. For now. With a little nod he acknowledged her silence.
'Where's Dembe?' Liz asked, curious now.
'I sent him home. I thought I'd catch a ride with you.' He said, as he turned to her again, wide smile on his face. Liz gave him a watery smile.
'Fine, but only because you asked so nicel-'
Before she could finish her sentence, both her and Red were slammed against the dashboard. Something had hit the car from behind. When she turned around, she saw a black SUV, again slamming into the back of the car. The SUV was pushing the car towards the water and Liz hurriedly slammed on the brakes. Red besides her pulled the handbrake, but it was too late. With loudly screeching tires and shrieking metal, the car plunged into the water.
With a loud splash, the car landed in the water. Liz had her hands wrapped so tightly around the steering wheel her knuckles had gone wide. She kept her mouth clamped shut, while the smell of salt water filled her nose. She could feel the downwards pull of the car and the sloshing of water around the car. While the car sunk slowly, she came back to her senses. She looked over at Red and saw him looking out the front window, his right hand on the dashboard for support, his left on the armrest. Briefly, she touched his arm and saw him come back to his senses as well. With a curt nod and a little twitch beneath his eye he assured her he was alright.
'Are you hurt?' he asked her, although he couldn't see any alarming injuries. She answered him the same way he did, with a nod. 'Yeah, you?'
His face turned grim as he answered: "I am for now, but if we don't get out this car soon, I might not be.'
A shuddered breath escaped Liz, before she began pulling on her car door. She knew of course the door wouldn't budge. The pressure of the water against the door was too much, she would only be able to open it when the car had filled completely with water. She now realized that she wouldn't have to wait very long for that to happen, as the water already reached to her knees. With the door not being an option, she started to look for her gun. She fidgeted around, but couldn't find it. Frustrated, she tried to loosen her seat belt. However, the seatbelt was jammed and she couldn't get it to open.
'Red, I'm stuck.' Red could hear the panic slowly seeping into her voice now. When she still had a plan of action, she had a determined look on her face. Now, when she was losing grip on things, her face got a hint of anxiety. Red could feel it himself too, but he wouldn't allow the fear to overcome him. Fear was what got a man killed. Regaining his calm, he reached for her seatbelt, trying to loosen it himself. It still wouldn't open however, so he changed tactics.
'Lizzie, what were you just looking for?' Averting her mind from her seatbelt, she refocused. 'My gun. I was looking for my gun to shoot us out of here. I think it fell when we crashed, I need you to look for it.' His clever Lizzie. He sent her one of his genuine smiles and went looking for the gun.
The car was now completely submerged and it was hard to see anything. The cold water reached to their waists and Liz could feel her legs tingling from the cold. She kept staring at Red, hoping he would hold up the gun triumphantly any minute now.
'I'll be right back.' He smiled at her, laughing at his own little joke, before he ducked under water, leaving Liz was alone with the rising water. She could feel Red moving beneath her, groping for the gun between her feet. She knew it was pointless; Red wouldn't be able to see anything in the dark.
Just when she began to get worried he wouldn't come up again, he resurfaced.
'I found the gun. However, luck is not on our side today as it is stuck under your chair. I am going to try again of course. I just wanted to let you know that your chair might be shaking a little bit.' With that he duck under again. She now could feel him pulling her chair with hard trusts. Breathing became more difficult as the cold water pressed on her chest and rapidly rose to her neck. She knew it wouldn't be long for the car would be completely filled with water. Claustrophobia and panic flooded her, but she pressed them away with the knowledge that Red would be able to open the doors and get away safely as soon as the car was filled.
She tried to scoot higher up her chair, but the belt wouldn't give. With her chin tilted to the roof she patted Red on the back, signaling him to get up, before she took a gulp of air and the water encompassed her. She felt Red moving beside her and she felt relieved to know that he could get out, that he would be safe. She shut her eyes and said her goodbyes. To her dad, whom she missed so much and Ressler, who had become a much appreciated friend. Finally to Red, who had turned her life upside down. She always resented him for it, but right now she was glad he came into her life. This way, she could die free, only feeling regret for all the secrets she hadn't found out. But all those things wouldn't matter anymore in a couple of seconds as she felt her lungs burning and her head pounding. Three lights flashed before her eyes and then everything went black.
Red gulped for air, his nose brushing the ceiling as he did so. Finally, he had managed to free the gun from under the chair. He had felt Lizzie tap on his back and contemplated a brief second if he should go back up. He still had some air left, however, and he finally managed to get some movement in the gun. A few seconds later he freed it and now he was panting just above the surface. The car would be filled with water any minute now and he hoped Lizzie was able to keep her breath.
With another gulp of air he duck under again, bringing his face nose to nose with Lizzie's to see if she was conscious. He couldn't make out the glimmer of her eyes and when he brushed her cheek he only felt her cold skin. There was no reaction so he knew he had to act fast. The adrenaline rushed through his veins, but his lungs began to burn. With the gun tightly gripped in his right hand, he felt for the seatbelt. When he found it, he pushed Lizzie to the side as far as he could, placed the gun on the clip and prayed it would still work. With his eyes pressed tightly shut, he pulled the trigger.
He felt a rush of relieve when he saw the flash from the gun and almost let the air in his lungs escape. Turning to Liz' window, he shot it with two more shots, breaking the sharp edges off with the gun handle. With his left hand, he dragged himself out of the car and turned around quickly. He put the gun in his waistband and began to pull Lizzie from the car with his hands secured in her armpits. He could only hope they weren't very deep, because he could feel the darkness pull on him. With a grunt he pulled Lizzie free and pushed her up towards the surface. Kicking his feet as hard as he could with his last strength, he hauled the both of them to the surface.
When his head broke through the surface, all he could do was gulp for air. His head was spinning and he had the feeling he could sink back any moment. Lizzie kept him to his senses. When he regained his breathing, Red turned himself on his back and wrapped his arms around her torso, effectively keeping her above the water. His guess was that she was unconscious for about three minutes so he had to act fast. With his legs paddling and kicking, he maneuvered his way back to shore. The pier was luckily not that high and with some struggling he managed to haul Lizzie up on shore.
He laid her down on her back and searched for a pulse, finding none. With a newly restored determination he tilted her head and began CPR. When he completed two sets, he felt for her pulse again, this time finding a weak, but steady one. He turned her on her side and began rubbing her back, trying to get the water out of her longs. After what felt like hours, Liz started to cough and water poured from the corner of her mouth. When he thought most of the water was out, he gave her mouth to mouth again. This time, she did breathe after he finished. With a sigh of relieve, he picked her up bridal style and walked down the pier, towards the harbor and the main road. Arriving at the road, he laid down Lizzie gently and started motioning to a car to pull over. When finally one did, everything else happened very quickly. Red explained the story to the lady driving the car and soon the ambulance was called.
With a grunt, Red flopped himself down besides Lizzie, checking on her pulse again. She was still nonresponsive, but her eyes were open and her breathing was steady. Red indulged in the sight of looking at her, knowing he would be leaving her side pretty soon. He had to inform Dembe and get after the people that pushed them of the pier. For now, however, he enjoyed the soft rising and falling of Lizzie's breathing and the sun warming his face.
"Never mind what I said earlier, Lizzie. I am looking at the most breathtaking view I can imagine right now." He smiled at her, before pressing a kiss to her forehead. Lizzie was going to be okay and he knew he would be looking at his new favorite view for many more years to come, if it was up to him.