3.

They were a pair. That's all Liz could think as she looked over to where her ex husband was leaned up against the window of the train and watching the countryside pass by. He'd barely spoken since they had boarded and she had barely let go of his hand long enough for them to get settled. They sat in silence now, his blue eyes half shut and she wasn't sure if he was looking at or through the pretty scenery.

Liz looked over to see Red speaking flirtatiously with the pretty young woman taking drink orders and she turned back. "Thank you," she said softly and he jumped a little.

"I can't stay."

"I'll talk to Red. He won't-"

"No," he answered firmly. "That... should never have happened. I knew better than to trust Gina, but I... I should have known better."

"Why didn't you?" Liz asked, scooting a little closer to him. Their conversation was hushed, which seemed unnecessary considering they were in a private compartment. He looked entirely drained though, like everything that had happened in the last few months - hell, in the last couple of years - was finally weighing on him and it was just a little too heavily.

He shrugged. "I didn't at first, but then there was an explosion on the boat and she helped get me out. I thought... thought maybe she was telling the truth. Guess I'm slipping."

Liz reached out and touched his arm, finally drawing his gaze. She tried for a smile, but she could feel all the old demons working through it. "I've thought a lot about how I didn't see it with you... You're good, I think is part of it, and a lot of it was true." She watched his shoulders relax ever so slightly with those words. "But it's hard to see the worst in people you love."

He blinked at her. "Liz, Gina and I aren't-"

"Pretty sure that's not the way she sees it," Liz murmured. She had always thought that the scuffle she had had with the Russian woman had seemed a bit too personal. She had done her best to put it out of her mind after Tom had been cleared, but it all made more sense now. He'd told her enough that she thought she had a pretty decent understanding of their dynamic, no matter how twisted the relationship might be. She wasn't sure Tom had normal relationships. Theirs certainly wasn't.

She sighed and looped her arm through his, leaning in. "Please don't go."

He frowned a little, but didn't pull away. "My judgment is off in this, Liz. I don't want to put you in more danger than I have already."

"I don't care."

Tom snorted and she thought there might have been a small chuckle mixed into it. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, so don't go."

He leaned into her, her head resting on his shoulder and his against the top of her head. They sat like that for a stretch of time and Liz wanted to freeze the moment. No one was shooting at them, no one was trying to kill them. Just them and... The thought was immediately replaced by a realization and she sat up straight, startling him. "Your boat was blown up?" she demanded. "You said they tried to kill you, but I thought-"

"They got close." He gave a humourless chuckle. "Maybe Gina set the bomb for all I know. She knew it would gain my trust."

Liz watched him. She had felt so empty since leaving - emptiness highlighted with fear and anger - but Tom's presence brought other emotions bubbling forward. He made her feel safe and protective, strong and loved. Even with everything that had happened, she was more comfortable with him than she was with most anyone else. She needed this, or she was fairly certain that she was going to drown beneath the weight of everything. She needed him to stay.

The door to the compartment opened all the way and Red re-entered, taking a seat on the bench across from them. His gaze was locked on Tom, studying him. "You do have a way of throwing off even the best laid plans," he groused after a moment.

"A gift, apparently," Tom snarked, but his voice remained flat.

Reddington sighed. "With the way Elizabeth has been clinging to you, I'd say you're staying."

Her gaze swiveled over to him. That was far too easy.

He seemed to read her expression and his own fell just a little. "It's been a while since I've seen you very determined over anything, Lizzy," he explained softly. "If it must be Tom that brings you out of the shell you've buried yourself in, so be it."

She felt the tightness in her chest ease a little. "See?" she prompted and he gave her a very thin smile.

"Liz, you don't need me to fight for what you want."

"I want you," she said sternly. "That hasn't changed. Not for me, anyway."

"Not for me either," he breathed and she leaned up to kiss the tip of his nose, the action more playful than anything had been between them since she had seen that damned toy in the photo that had sent her life spiraling.

"Then you'll stay?"

The smile seemed to grow a little more real. "Well, I know better than to argue with a woman that's armed," he teased.

She leaned into him again and he wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her head. "If it's what you want, I'll stay," he promised.

"Good," she breathed and settled in. She didn't know where they were going, but for the first time since she and Red had taken off it didn't matter. There were exactly two people in the world that made her feel safe, and they were right there with her.

Liz had fallen asleep against him at some point, Jacob's fingers toying idly with her hair. It was meant to soothe her, but it was doing wonders for his own nerves as well. He had missed her more than he had been willing to admit to himself, but now that she was there he felt something like peace starting to work its way in. He let it nudge the guilt aside and begin to smother the betrayal left over from Gina's actions.

He caught sight of Reddington's watchful gaze and swallowed hard. "What happened after she left?"

The Concierge of Crime blinked, startled out of his own thoughts by the question. "She remembered."

It took Jacob a moment, but his mind supplied what he thought the older man meant. "The fire?"

"Mm. It was... Traumatic."

Jacob pulled in as deep of a breath as he could without disturbing her. "She'll tell me if she wants to talk about it," he murmured. "She hasn't been trying to clear her name, has she?"

Reddington's lips thinned out. "Her fight has been to keep her head above water and keep from drowning."

"I've never known Liz to turn down a fight."

"It's been... She will. When she's ready."

"I've kept my ears open for anything best I could. I had some files on my boat, but they burned up."

Reddington straightened where he sat, eying the younger man carefully. "Tell me about Justin Masterson. I've never met the man personally, though he has quite a reputation. Bit of a rarity for one of Bill's."

"Yeah," Jacob answered softly. Liz trusted this man. He didn't, but she did. He had gotten her out of the country when everything went to hell and it seemed he had kept her from hitting the absolute bottom. They had to put their disdain for each other aside. For her. "He's a tracker and an interrogator. He runs them down and rips them apart. His skills are top notch for what he does, but he leaves a trail of blood behind him."

"He's not on the FBI's radar."

"No. Usually he'll find someone else to take the fall for the body count."

"Can he be bought?"

Jacob considered it. "Not without Bud's say-so. He won't switch sides without orders."

Reddington nodded thoughtfully. "If the Cabal has gotten Bill involved they've either made him an incredibly generous offer or a very dangerous threat."

The younger man steadied himself, making sure his expression and tone remained all business, even if his fingers were still working their way through Liz's hair. "My guess is the latter. I think he was trying to make peace with you by taking me out completely."

"The damage had been done," Reddington answered with a shrug. "All he's doing now is sinking himself deeper. I'll have an associate set a meeting with him and we'll assess the situation."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jacob asked carefully.

"Because if I like it or not, it would seem Lizzy has made her choice. I could only lead her to the truth. If I try to pull her away from you now..." He'd lose her. That was what was left unsaid.

"So we become allies out of necessity," the former operative murmured.

"Necessity? Certainly not. Let me be very clear, Tom. I don't need you. Lizzy thinks she does, but she doesn't either. We'd both be much better off with you six feet under. She has chosen you and your life depends on her whim."

Despite what was being said, Jacob felt a small smile pull his lips as he looked down to where the woman he loved was stirring against him, not quite waking up. "I know she doesn't need me," he said. But he needed her, and just as Reddington had said, she had chosen him. She wanted him. Why and how, after everything, he could barely wrap his mind around. The only answer that he had was that she loved him too.

"As long as we're clear," Reddington said as he crossed his legs at the knee. "And it shouldn't have to be said, but Gina-"

Jacob's expression immediately darkened. "She could have stayed out of this. That's on her. So is anything that happens to her."

"Good." The career criminal looked out the window as he continued to speak. "I don't like you. I found you to be nothing of what Bill claimed you were. Defective, really."

"Your point?" Jacob growled.

Reddington smirked. "But you are as stubbornly attached to her as she is to you. I expect you'll do what's necessary to keep her safe."

"Yes," he answered without hesitation, and he meant it. He'd give his life for her if it came to that.

"Good. It's settled then."

"What's settled?" Liz asked groggily.

"That your husband gets to live a bit longer," Reddington said cheerfully.

Liz laughed a little at that but didn't move. Jacob continued to stroke her hair as the train moved on, taking them to whatever location Reddington saw fit. Jacob didn't bother asking. It didn't matter. Liz wanted him there, and he'd always been fairly bad at telling her no and sticking with it.

She hadn't slept that well in months. By the time Tom woke her to tell her they were switching trains she felt like she'd slept for days and she was ready to take on the world. Apparently the guys had taken the ride to come up with a gameplan, because they seemed shockingly on the same page as they switched over. They were on their way to London, though not by any straightforward route. They wound in and around, taking a couple, nearly three days to get to their destination. Tom was quiet, not bothering to share what he was thinking. He stuck close and Liz had a hold of his hand. It wasn't that she thought he was just going to vanish - really she didn't - but it seemed that he hadn't quite convinced himself that the slip up with Gina wasn't going to end in all of their deaths.

The betrayal was weighing in him, and Liz was trying very hard not to let that bother her. He had assured her that his and Gina's relationship hadn't been intimate in more years than they had known each other, but Liz wasn't sure what to make of his silence. Tom had been a talker, wanting to discuss most everything, but Jacob's silence was a stark contrast. It made her wonder how much he had internalized things during their marriage that she didn't even know about.

By day three, she was done waiting. "So am I going to have to pry it out of you?" she asked a little teasingly, her hands going to his shoulders from behind.

Tom jumped very slightly in his chair. They were at a small cafe, waiting for the scheduled time to meet with Dembe, and her ex husband was staring through the cup of coffee he had his hands wrapped around. He looked back at her, offering a small - and very forced - smile. "I learned a while back not to test you on that," he answered and it sounded like he was trying to make a joke about it. It wasn't a good one, but there was no malice behind the statement, so she popped him lightly in the back of the head before circling the table to take the seat across from him and look him in the eye.

"I promise not to break your thumb this time," she answered, trying to keep her voice light. They were past those things. They had to be.

His smile turned a little more real. "I appreciate that."

Liz reached forward, taking his hand in hers. "Talk to me?" she murmured the words he had used many times to get her to open up to him when they'd been married.

"I'm just..." He sighed, turning his hand over so that their palms were touching. "I trusted her. I don't trust a lot of people in my life, and it's..."

"It's making you question your judgement," she said quietly.

"Yeah." His fingers tightened around hers a little and he raised the back of her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "I just need to make sure you're safe. If I'm the one bringing the danger your way-"

"Stop." He blinked at her and she squared her shoulders. "If you want to leave, then go, but don't you dare say it's for me. I want you here."

He swallowed hard, a small twitch in his face a sign of stress she had picked up on years before. It was more prevalent when he wasn't hiding behind a persona, but she's seen it now and again throughout their marriage.

"You really don't want me to go?" he asked tightly, like he was afraid she'd change her mind suddenly.

Liz tightened her hold on his hand. "I really don't."

He seemed to relax a little then, possibly for the first time since Gina had just about gotten them killed and his eyes met hers. "Okay."

"For real this time, because you said okay a few days ago and you've looked ready to bolt at the drop of a hat since."

"Really this time," he promised.

"Let's just avoid crazy ex's, okay?"

That pulled a small chuckle out of him. "Okay."

There was something comfortable about sitting at the table with him, their fingers intertwined together, even with all the dangers surrounding them and the heavy conversation. They had been through so much and, somehow, they were coming out on the other side. How he trusted her after everything, she still wasn't sure, but there he was: willing to lay down his life for her. Again.

"Listen, Lizzy," he started, his voice soft, but he was cut off.

"Elizabeth?" Reddington called from behind and she turned to see Dembe standing with him.

She stood automatically and looked back to see Tom frozen where he was, hand still clutching hers. "Let's get moving. We can talk on the plane, okay?"

It was impossible to miss the flash of frustration that flickered through his eyes, but it was immediately put away. She wasn't sure exactly what he'd been about to tell her, but they would talk about it. He wasn't going anywhere and neither was she.

She took the seat next to him in the back of the suv and promised herself that as soon as they had a little privacy in the plane, she would let him get whatever it was off his chest.

They had gotten across Europe without mishap, so there was no reason to think they would have trouble making it to the airstrip. There was no reason to imagine the vehicle that came it of nowhere, slamming so hard into the passengers' side doors that Liz felt the SUV they were in roll before everything went black.

TBC

Notes: I am utterly exhausted after my trip up to the East Coast this weekend, but it was well worth it. Crazy things happened and I got to meet Ryan Eggold at his play! He's such a sweetie. I'm still a bit excited over the whole thing.

Next time - Jacob faces off with Justin Masterson to protect Liz and Liz finds out about more about her ex-husband's past.