AN: I'm not a medical expert, so please don't flame me if I get something wrong. I tried to research what I could, but I'm not perfect. ;)

Liz nervously smoothed her dress over her stomach as she walked down the street towards the restaurant to meet Thomas. She kept glancing over her shoulder expecting Red to show up and ask her what the hell she was thinking. She knew it wasn't smart to see Thomas again, but she needed to tell him in person that there was no chance of her changing her mind; that she loved the father of her baby. She smiled at the thought. She felt bad that she had essentially used Thomas to get over Red, but that plan had failed spectacularly, and now she was dealing with a two potentially dangerous men. The only difference being she knew that Red would never harm her, while Thomas was an unknown.

She reached the restaurant five minutes early and decided to go inside and get a table while she waited for him to show up. She was shown to a table in the corner where she could watch the door, then ordered a water and told the waiter she was waiting for someone. They brought her her water minutes later and she sipped it as she glanced at her watch. Thomas was late.

She dug her phone out and checked to make sure he hadn't tried to call or message her. Nothing. Ten minutes passed. Twenty minutes. Forty-five minutes passed, and during that time, the waiter had come by three times to fill up her water. She had also become progressively angry as he continued to stand her up. Why message her to meet him if he wasn't going to show up?

Another fifteen minutes passed without him showing up and she decided enough was enough. She'd waited longer than she should have, and she was pissed. She picked up her phone and typed out a quick text to him.

I'm not waiting any longer. Don't contact me again.

Liz pushed send and stood up slowly; her back ached from sitting in a hard chair for so long. She used the bathroom, then walked out of the restaurant and pulled her coat tightly around her. There frigid wind that met her was uncharacteristic for this time of the year. She glanced up and noted the dark clouds beginning to move over the sun. She shivered and began to walk back towards her house. She kept feeling like she was being watched, but unlike before, it felt menacing this time. She quickened her pace as the temperature continued to drop and the wind whipped her hair around her face.

Thankfully, she reached her house without incident and dug her keys out of her pocket with numb fingers. She opened the door and sighed when the warm air of her apartment hit her face. She quickly closed the door behind her and locked the deadbolt, then shrugged her coat off and turned to hang it on the hook by the door. That's when she saw a shadowy figure sitting on her couch.

She let out an involuntary noise of fear and flicked on the light. It was Dembe.

Liz put her hand over her heart and tried to speak as the cold grip of fear began to loosen its hold on her throat. "Dembe," she choked out and bent over to pick up her coat from where she'd dropped it. "What are you doing here?"

Dembe didn't smile or greet her. In fact, he looked angry. "Where have you been, Liz?"

She turned and busied herself with her coat while trying to come up with something to say. She couldn't tell him she had went to meet up with a scorned ex-lover, but she was a terrible liar. So she had to be careful. She turned around and approached him, pretending to adjust the sleeves of her shirt to avoid eye contact. "I went down the street to get some lunch. I was hungry and nothing here was appealing." She put on her most innocent smile and sat down next to him, then put her feet up on the coffee table.

His facial expression didn't change as he leaned forward to study her. "Why are you avoiding looking at me then? What are you hiding, Elizabeth?"

She frowned and looked at him angrily. "What's with the twenty questions? I'm an adult, I can do what I want without you or Red treating me like a child."

Dembe sighed and sat back again. "I'm only doing what Raymond asked of me. Don't shoot the messenger."

She grimaced. "Well you need to tell "Raymond" that can stop being so paranoid. I'm fine. I'm pregnant, not an invalid." She picked up the remote that rested on the arm of the couch and flipped the TV on to fill the awkward silence. She turned it to the Game Show Network and tried to concentrate on the program, but constantly found her mind wandering back to Thomas and why he had stood her up. That wasn't like him, and it bothered her. Was he stalking her? Did Red have something to do with it?"

She sat up a little straighter and turned to Dembe, who was staring at the screen with glazed eyes. "Dembe, where's Red?"

He blinked and looked at her. "He had a meeting that he insisted he needed to attend. He refused to tell me anything else and told me to protect you."

She had a sneaking suspicion that Red had something to do with Thomas' disappearance. She pulled her phone out of her pants pocket and pushed number one on the speed dial (he'd come a long way since being number seven). It rang a few times, then went straight to voice mail. She sighed in frustration and tossed the phone on the coffee table. Dembe looked at her with raised eyebrows, but she didn't try to explain. She was sick of explaining herself. Her stomach rumbled. She was hungry, but she'd just told Dembe she had already eaten, so she laid her head on the back of the couch and closed her eyes. She would try to sleep so she could ignore how hungry she was, but the baby was practicing kick boxing on her kidneys.

She sighed. It was going to be a long day with a pissed off Dembe and an absent Red.

OOOOOO

That night she dreamt of Red doing horrible things to Thomas, then disappearing never to be heard from again. She woke up with a racing heart and in a cold sweat, and never could quite fall back to sleep again. So she just laid there on her side and stared out the window lost in thought. She was officially thirty one weeks pregnant as of today. Only eight or nine more weeks. She was more than ready to be done. She watched as the sky slowly brightened through thin slats of the blinds and glanced over at the clock; 6:00 AM. She'd only slept two hours.

She heard the front door open then close and wondered if Red was back. She hoped he was so she could ask him about Thomas. A few minutes later, her bedroom door opened quietly. She didn't turn around so she wouldn't give herself away that she was still awake. Footsteps made their way towards her bed, but then stopped at the foot. She heard soft breathing, but no other sounds; it was odd. Red should be undressing or at least removing his shoes.

She rolled onto her back and squinted into the dark room at the shadow in front of her. It was too tall to be Red. Her heart began to race as she turned to reach for the bedside lamp. "Stop right there."

Her hand halted mid-air as she immediately recognized the voice. Thomas.

"Wha-", she cleared her dry throat, "What are you doing here?"

He laughed quietly and moved towards her so she could see him better. He looked menacing, and looked an awful lot like Tom had when she'd seen him for what he really was.

Thomas leaned down so he could look her in the eye. "I came to take you away. I know you don't really love that other man. You're just staying because you're afraid of him." His English had improved dramatically.

She suddenly remembered Dembe and her breathing became ragged. "What did you do to Dembe?" She prayed that he hadn't killed him.

"He is unconscious and tied up. He's not a very good bodyguard now is he?" He laughed again. The sound terrified her.

"Look, Thomas..I-"

He cut her off, "Shh, shh, shh. I want you to stand up and get dressed. We need to leave soon. Our flight leaves in two hours."

His face was shrouded in darkness again so she couldn't see him well, but his voice scared her more than anything. "No, I don't want to go."

He suddenly reached forward and grabbed her bicep and yanked her upright. She winced in pain as his fingers held on to her arm painfully, his fingers digging into her flesh. "Well too damn bad. You're coming."

He pulled her up, and that's when she saw the glint of a gun in his other hand, and it was pointed at her head. She hastily wiped a few stray tears off of her face and said, "Fine, but you need to let me go so I can get dressed." She didn't know what else to do. She didn't want to do anything to harm the baby, and she didn't know what Thomas was capable of. She was seeing a side of him that she hadn't thought possible.

He let her go, but dug the barrel of the gun in the small of her back as she made her way towards the closet in the dark. She knew the room like the back of her hand, so she wasn't worried about tripping, and she could hopefully use that towards her advantage.

She reached the closet and opened it, then walked inside and pulled one of Red's white undershirts (his t-shirts were the only shirts that fit her these days) and a pair of black yoga pants down off the shelf. She had just placed them there yesterday, and was happy that she didn't have to turn on a light to find something.

She turned around and looked at him. "I need to change, and you need to leave."

Her eyes had finally adjusted enough that she could see his face. His grin was cold and leering. "I don't think so. Now change!" He yelled.

She flinched, then shakily pulled her sleep pants down and her white tank top over her head leaving her in only a pair of blue panties. She hardly bothered with bras these days because her breasts were so tender.

He openly stared at her body as she pulled on her pants, then the t-shirt. When she finished, she put her hands on her hips and looked at him. "Now what?"

He took a step back and gestured with his gun that she should walk in front of him. "Now we leave."

She was running out of time, she needed to do something now, because if she didn't she probably wouldn't ever see Red or Dembe again. That couldn't happen.

"I need shoes."

He sighed loudly. "Fine, but hurry. If you try anything I'll go and put a bullet in your bodyguard's knee."

Liz winced at the thought, but she didn't see that she had much choice. She sat down on the chair by the dresser and felt around for her shoes. Her fingers landed on one of Red's dress shoes. They were heavy and her best chance to get out of this situation. She found her own tennis shoes and slipped them on, then pretended that she couldn't tie the laces. "I can't tie my shoes."

She hoped he wasn't smart enough to catch on. "You don't need your shoes tied."

Dammit. She searched for a reason. "Yes I do. I don't want to trip on the laces while we're walking and fall down and go into labor. That would put a kink in your plans."

She could practically hear him rolling his eyes. He set the gun on the dresser, then said, "Put your leg up. I'm not going to kneel down."

She raised her leg up as far as she could and watched as he bent over her shoe. She allowed him to tie this one, then as she set that foot down, she reached down carefully and picked up Red's shoe from the floor as Thomas bent over her other raised foot. She would need to get a good swing in.

As soon as his fingers busied themselves with her laces, she moved as fast as she could and swung the shoe at his temple with her right hand. She heard a sickening crunch as Thomas crumpled to the floor in a heap, unconscious. That's when she felt a warm wetness between her legs and a horrible pain in her abdomen.

She stood up in fear, worried that the placenta might have ripped from the uterine wall or something equally as horrible. She flipped the light on and blinked at the sudden brightness. Her eyes finally adjusted, and she pulled down her pants and looked down reluctantly, bracing herself for blood.

There wasn't blood, but it wasn't urine either. The liquid was clear; her water had broken. She was in labor.

No, no, no, no. It was too early. She bent over in pain as another, what she assumed was a contraction, overwhelmed her. As the contraction passed a few moments later she looked down at Thomas to see that he hadn't moved, and that blood was trickling from his temple. He had a welt the size of a shoe on his head. She couldn't bring herself to care if he was alive at the moment. All she could think about was the well-being of her unborn child.

She peeled her pants and panties off of her and grabbed a towel to dry her legs off, then she pulled on a pair of athletic shorts without underwear and made her way slowly into the living room. She didn't see Dembe anywhere and wondered where he was. She spotted her phone still lying on the coffee table and breathed out a sigh of relief. She sat down heavily on the couch and picked it up, then dialed Red's number again.

He picked up on the second ring. "Lizzie, I-

"Red," she cried agonizingly, "I'm in labor."

"What? How?" He sounded panicked.

"Thomas," she breathed out as another contraction hit her and she grunted in pain.

"I'll be there in ten minutes, sweetheart. Where's Dembe?"

"Don't know," she gritted out as wave after wave of pain rolled over her.

"I'll be there shortly. Hold on, Lizzie."

She hung up the phone and leaned back against the couch as she tried to breath through the pain like they taught in the books while praying that her baby was ok.

OOOOOO

Red burst through the door eight minutes later and immediately spotted Liz on the couch moaning in pain.

He ran over to her and touched her leg. "Lizzie."

She opened her eyes and looked at him fearfully. "Red, we have to go to the hospital."

He nodded and picked her up from the couch, the adrenaline coursing through his veins making it easy.

"I already called them. They're expecting us."

She nodded weakly and laid her head on his shoulder as he hurried out to the car. He placed her in the passenger seat, then as he pulled her seat belt around her she suddenly remembered Thomas. "What about, Thomas?"

"I've already notified the authorities. They should be here shortly."

She closed her eyes as another contraction began. They were coming close together now. She wasn't sure if they were going to make it to the hospital.

Red drove faster than he should have, but they made it to the hospital in under ten minutes; which she was eternally grateful for. During the drive over she kept having the urge to push, but she continued to resist as he pulled in to the ER entrance.

Doctors and nurses rushed out to meet them. They opened her door and began to ask her questions in heavily accented English. How long ago did your water break? How far along are you? What were you doing at the time of your water breaking? How close together are your contractions?

She tried to answer them as best she could, but the pain continually distracted her. They laid her on a gurney and she listened to the doctors and nurses speak to each other as they wheeled her in. "Her contractions are too close together to stop labor, she's dilated to a eight", "The baby's lungs won't be developed properly", "We need to do a C-section, the baby isn't turned."

She couldn't take the stress as her heart rate skyrocketed. All she wanted was for her baby to be ok.

"Ma'am, you need to take deep breaths. Your blood pressure is dangerously high."

She nodded and took deep gulping breaths as they wheeled her into surgery prep. They undressed her and helped her into a gown, then gave her an epidural. She continually asked for Red, but they told her that he was filling out her paperwork. She didn't give a damn about paperwork, she needed him.

Once she couldn't feel the lower half of her body, they wheeled her into the OR and draped a curtain in front of her face so she couldn't see what they were doing.

Red was finally allowed in before they began. She blurted out before he could even sit down, "Red, I don't know what's going on. No one will tell me anything."

He sat down on the chair next to her head dressed in a ridiculous sterile outfit and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. "I was told the baby's heart rate is too low, and that they're worried about his lung development. As soon as they take him out, they'll give him steroids to help develop his lungs, then they'll take him to NICU."

She nodded and held back the sob that threatened as she gripped his hand tightly. There was no use in crying, it would only distress the baby further.

The doctor's worked quickly, and she listened as they spoke in German. Red whispered in her ear what they were saying, and when he told her they had taken the baby out she smiled widely, only to be replaced quickly by a frown when she saw Red's facial expression.

"What is it?"

He swallowed and looked at her. "He's not breathing."

She heard shuffling and raised voices as they took him away to work on him. Red continued to translate for her in a strained voice. All she could do was lay there and cry.

After a few minutes, he breathed a sigh of relief. "He's breathing."

She moved her hand up and ran her fingers over the top of his head as he leaned his forehead down next to her. She knew their baby had a long way to go, but as long as he was breathing he had a chance.

The doctor came into view and tried to smile. "We had a hard time getting him to breathe at first, but he's now breathing with the help of oxygen. His lungs aren't fully developed, so we're going to give him steroids in hopes that we can wean him off the oxygen in twenty-four to forty-eight hours."

"Everything else is ok with him?"

The doctor nodded. "He seems ok, but he'll have to be in the NICU for a few days at least. After we have you sown up, we'll take you to see him."

She closed her eyes in relief and thanked the doctor, then he turned to finish up with her. She turned to Red to see tears in his eyes looking blankly at the wall in front of him. She squeezed his shoulder to get his attention. "I want you to go to him."

"Lizzie-"

She cut him off. "No, go. I'll be fine."

He nodded reluctantly, then leaned over her and kissed her softly. He ran his hand over her cheek and sighed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. It was selfish for me to leave."

She shook her head. "Now isn't the time to discuss it. Go stay with our son, and I'll see you soon."

He kissed her once more, then turned to leave. She caught his hand. "Have you heard anything about Dembe?"

"Yes, he was outside speaking on the phone when Thomas snuck up behind him and hit him over the head, then tied him up and dragged him to his van. Other than a headache, he'll be ok."

She smiled at the good news, the squeezed his fingers and watched him walk away, but he stopped and turned back once again. "Oh, and in case you were wondering. Thomas was alive but still unconscious when the authorities arrived. You'll need to give the police your statement when you're up to it. Good thinking on your feet, Lizzie," he said proudly, then turned and walked out.

The doctor finished with her soon after, then they moved her to another bed and wheeled her to her room. She wanted to see their baby more than anything, but she couldn't walk on her own, and they didn't seem inclined to take her to see the baby as the doctor had promised.

Over an hour passed as she tried to tell the nurses that she wanted to see her son, but they mostly ignored her pleas and went about their business. She was furious.

Red walked through the door with a small smile on his face, but it quickly faded when he saw how angry she was. "Lizzie, What's wrong?"

She glared at him. "They keep refusing to let me see our son."

Red turned on his heel without another word. She laid her head back down and sighed as she stared at the ceiling waiting for him to return.

Minutes later a nurse walked in with Red close behind. She looked annoyed, but said in a pleasant voice, "I've been instructed to help you into a wheelchair so you can see your baby."

Liz nodded, then found herself being wheeled towards the NICU moments later with Red at her side. She couldn't wait to see what their son looked like.

They entered a room that had five or six glass covered stations that were used for babies who needed more time to develop. They were wheeled to one in the back closest to the nurses station. The others were empty. They stopped on the side of the pod and Liz straightened up to see their son. He was tiny, weighing in at only four pounds, but he was perfect. He had light brown hair with long eyelashes like his father, and had all ten fingers and toes. Liz couldn't help but let her tears loose as she looked at him. Red crouched down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him as he put his mouth by her ear and whispered that he loved her. She reached over and clasped his free hand tightly as they stared at the tiny miracle that they created by accident, but was no less loved because of it.

Scott Carter Reddington was going to have a different life, but a good one all the same. She didn't know if they would ever return to the states, but as long as she had Red and Scott with her, she didn't care where they lived.

AN: Well, that's it folks. I might write an epilogue if people are interested. I've had so much fun writing this story, and I really appreciate each and every one of my readers. You guys are the absolute best. Let me know about the epilogue and what you think about the ending. Have a great day! :)