Liz hears a knock on her door.

She takes a moment to prepare herself, takes in the bare desk before her where remembrances and memories long gone used to sit including a picture of her and Tom on a trip they took in the earliest stages of their relationship.

Now empty, that is until this case was finished and her desk would become one great paper stack.

'come in' she says fully expecting Cooper at the door but it is Ressler who pokes his head in

'we are all set Audrey agreed to meet me for dinner at the Sheraton at 8'

She didn't know what to say that wouldn't sound contrived given the situation so foregoing the usual 'great' or 'good' she replied 'ok I'll be on standby'

8 hours later a seemingly innocent cable van pulled up to the curb across the street from the Sheraton Hotel.

Ressler had protested a wire considering it to be too risky but they were adamant on having a visual on him at all times as a precaution they had installed cameras especially for the occasion.

Liz hoped Ressler would be able to pull this off and keep his cool at least she hoped he could repeat his performance of the day she was suspended.

As Audrey sat down she looked around and exclaimed

'this is beautiful, what made you choose the hotel for dinner?'

'oh I just thought I would treat you given its our first date in…'

'six years' Audrey finished for him when he failed to remember their first meeting.

If he seemed nervous or uncomfortable Audrey didn't notice, Liz felt that even with his own fiance Ressler was emotionally unresponsive as he was with everyone else that was good at least she wouldn't become suspicious of Ressler trying to avoid eye contact.

She decided it was time to move the operation on.

'ok suits I want you ready to go on 3,2,1'

Their waitress came to give them their menu's while Audrey kept the conversation going

'so have you ever been here before?'

Liz held her breath as Ressler choked on his water as he digested the question.

'yes actually on an undercover job couldn't afford to eat here on my wages I had the soup, it was good'

Nice recovery Liz thought as she saw the two pinstriped covers walk into the lobby and past the restaurant into the main hall and she wasn't the only one who noticed either.

'oooh I wonder what's going on there?'

Ressler turned to follow Audrey's eyes and found a man and woman both dressed in high-end pinstriped suits walking into another part of the hotel.

Ressler shrugged trying to seem disinterested before the waitress came back to their table

'I'm sorry for disturbing you but I've been told to inform you that due to a corporate meeting in our main hall the hotel bar is closed off but we have a secondary walkway to the bar if you wish to use it its just on your left as you see'

The waitress smiled at both of them but her eyes lingered on Ressler momentarily longer which he filed away for later when he would berate Liz.

She had sworn to him he was flying solo inside the hotel Audrey was bound to catch on now surely.

As soon as the waitress left Ressler could have sworn he saw a sparkle come to her eyes as if she were looking into a flame.

They waited in silence for the waitress to come back and take their orders while the only sound that broke the peace was Audrey's phone buzzing.

Ressler took note that this was a different phone to the one she had at the hospital, it had all the looks of a burner phone, lightweight and compact to be disposable.

'will you excuse me Donny, girl trouble'

'ya sure'

Audrey excused herself from the table and Ressler assumed she would go into the lobby to talk to her friend but instead she walked towards the emergency walkway for the bar.

Meera heard Liz thorugh her earpiece as she followed Audrey out of the restaurant

'keep on her Meera, everybody get ready this could be it'

Meera followed Audrey down a long corridor and stopped before Audrey turned off at a corner. A corner that wasn't supposed to be there.

'she's turning into an entryway that isn't there'

Meera spoke into her hand and waited as Liz moved around the van furiously poring over the hotel's blueprints.

'there is another corridor to the right that was blocked off years ago I don't understand how she would know that? Can you keep following her Meera we cant lose her'

Meera risked another peek

'she's tapping at her phone I think maybe she has her hands on the floor plan what if this is a trap?'

Liz weighed up her choices carefully, Meera being cornered and trapped or catching this prestigious and dangerous criminal?

'ok Meera can you do a bit of improvising?'

Meera looked herself over, dressed in plain clothes passing as just another restaurant diner she would never give off a suspicious vibe.

'on my way to the bar got lost?'

'as good as any cover I suppose ok Meera keep it cool'

'got it here goes'

Meera walked around the corner smiling but Audrey was gone. Before panic set in she heard a scuffle going on to the right of the corridor.

Running to the end she came to a door and bracing herself opened it

Liz was on tenterhooks waiting for an update on Meera's progress when she heard Meera shout 'freeze keep your hands up' she went stone cold

Minutes passed and after what seemed like eons Liz finally heard

'we have her, this mystery corridor led her to the hall we have her'

Liz both emotionally and physically spent fell into the seat and threw off her headphones.