Tom was parked only a hundred feet from Liz's car, waiting for her to leave the hospital. She was currently visiting Harold Cooper. Tom had done research on every member of Liz's task force. He knew Agent Cooper was a relatively honest member of the FBI. He knew the Cooper had a wife and children. Now the man was dying and Tom was at least partially responsible. He'd provided the list of names to Berlin's mobster asset, who had happily gone to work crossing them off one by one.

This wouldn't be happening if Liz had just done what he'd expected her to do. Without Liz, Reddington would never have honored his agreement and the task force would have been dissolved without any bloodshed. Why hadn't she left him? Reddington killed Sam, the person she'd loved most in the world and yet she'd gone back to him. The only explanation Tom could think of was that her instincts knew what her mind didn't. Somewhere in her bones, she knew Reddington was her biological father.

Liz exited the hospital and slowly made her way to her car. Tom slouched low in his seat, but it turned out to be a unnecessary precaution. Liz wasn't being vigilant by any stretch of the imagination. She was walking in a fog, alone, completely unprotected. If Tom had been a bratva hitman and had orders to kill her, she would be dead in less than three seconds. Fortunately for Liz, neither or those things were true.

Berlin wanted Liz alive. Tom wasn't 100% certain why, but he was confident it was connected to the scar on Liz's wrist. Berlin believed Liz belonged to him. Right now Tom was grateful for the fact because it would keep Liz safe until Tom had the opportunity to do what needed to be done. He' had time to think over the few weeks and he'd realised that been fooling himself when he'd imagined running away with Liz.

As long as Berlin and Reddington were out there, they would never stop searching for her. To hide from one of the master criminals would require an extraordinary amount of luck, to hide from both of them would be impossible. There was only one solution: he would have to kill Reddington and Berlin. It was the only way Liz would ever be free. Unfortunately the only way to do that was by using the one thing that they both wanted so badly.

Liz got into her car, just as Tom exited his. He moved swiftly, staying low out of Liz's eye line. In under ten seconds he reached the passenger side door. He yanked the door open and slid in with gun trained on Liz.

"Hey, babe." Liz said nothing in response, she just stared at him, her red-rimmed eyes bright with hatred. He couldn't exactly blame her. "Start the car." Liz paused a long second before complying, turning her eyes away from him as she pulled out of her space and drove down the street.

He gave Liz short, clipped directions to the warehouse, which she obeyed without comment. He found himself longing for her to scream at him, to hurl insults, to do anything to break the oppressive silence.

Tom saw the bodies the second the car turned into the street. Reddington had found the warehouse. Tom suddenly found himself facing two options: take Liz elsewhere and notify Berlin, or corner Reddington now and cross off one of the two major threats to Liz's safety. He calculated the risks and decided the opportunity was too good to pass up.

He walked Liz through the warehouse at gunpoint, making a mental note of all the corpses Reddington had left in his wake. Tom had been following Reddington long enough to know how dangerous he was but seeing it first hand was useful reminder. Reddington was a ruthless, efficient killer and must never be underestimated.

He nudged Liz into the back room. Reddington had the mobster tied to a chair. Clearly he'd been interrogating him. "Slide it. Slide the gun now." Tom could shoot him now, but if he did Reddington might involuntarily pull the trigger and hit Liz. Reddington needed to drop his weapon, then he would put the son of a bitch down.

"No." No? That had not been the answer he'd been expecting. "Are you hurt?" How dare he act concerned. If Reddington really gave a damn he would have done as he was asked. Unless Reddington didn't believe Liz was in danger. Was that possible? If Reddington knew the truth, then Tom was truly fucked. He'd have no leverage and without leverage he wouldn't be leaving this room alive.

"Do it! Kill her!" Tom needed to make Reddington believe he was serious, to believe he was truly a threat to his daughter's life. "Pull the trigger! Do it!" Tom put the muzzle of the gun to Liz's head. The mobster continued to screech in his ears, ordering Tom to murder his wife, but he had eyes only for Reddington. As they stared each other down Tom couldn't help but noticed that Reddington had Liz's eyes. They were older and colder, but there was undoubtedly a resemblance.

"Don't do it. Tom…" Liz sounded so scared. Reddington may not believe that he was capable of killing her, but Liz most certainly did. It was almost enough to make him want to toss the gun, and throw himself on Reddington's dubious mercy.

"Shut up! This man he take everything from me! For nothing! For what? Business! He snaps his fingers and my life is nothing-" With one bullet Reddington removed the background noise.

"Well that simplifies matters. Just the three of us." The older man spread his arms, not dropping the gun, but no longer pointing it at Tom. "Put the gun down before you do something you'll deeply regret." Reddington did know, he had to, otherwise why would he be talking to Tom like this? "I'm the one you want. Make the right choice Tom." The right decision? Tom wasn't so sure he knew what that was anymore. The plan had been to use Liz to get to Berlin, but what if he could use Reddington instead? "But make it fast, because when I get over there, I'm going to take that gun away from you." With Reddington approaching he made the split second call to incapacitate the criminal by winging him in the arm. He barely had time to pull the trigger before Liz threw her weight back into him, throwing him against the wall. Her forearm smashed across his face, causing him to loss his grip on the gun. He and Liz wrestled for possession and then there was a deafening bang.

Pain shot throw his stomach. He stumbled back into the wall, all the while his eyes riveted on Liz's face. Horror was written across her beautiful feature, horror at what she's done to him. He instinctively stepped toward her. Bang. Bang. She'd shot him twice more.

He once again fell back against the wall, but this time he knew there would be no getting up. He was dead. Liz, the person he loved most in the world, had killed him. Reddington strode forward and put a gun to his head. Tom glared up at the man who had ruined his life.

"No!" Liz's exclamation took him by surprise. Despite the rapid coldness spreading his extremities, he felt a flicker of something warm in his chest.

"We can't leave him alive." Of course Reddington wanted him dead. It didn't matter that he knew that Tom would never have harmed Lizzie. Tom knew too many of his secrets.

"I'll finish it. This is between us." Lizzie's voice was cool and impartial, completely at odds with her plea for his life. Had her early outcry been mere instinct, and this was her more considered response?

"Do it quickly. I'll be waiting outside." The second Reddington left the room Liz threw her gun away and dropped to her knees. She gently held a hand to his stomach, her face an unspoken testimony of remorse. Despite everything he'd done, she didn't want him to die. That fact was unquestionably the best gift he had ever received.

"I'm sorry." The words were so paltry, so insufficient to communicate the agony he felt over what he'd done, but as the life drained from him it was the best he could manage. Liz gave the smallest of nods. She forgave him. It was far more than he deserved. He needed to give her something in return, something she'd always wanted, but no one, not him, not Reddington, not Sam ever gave her: the truth. He opened his mouth, but found he didn't have the strength to force out the words.

"What?" Liz leaned into him and Tom tried again with the last bit of energy that he possessed. Your father's alive. It's Reddington. I love you. Tom felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, unsure how much, if any of his final thoughts had reached Liz's ears. He supposed it no longer mattered. He knew Liz would stay with him and in the end that was enough…

Author's note: And so ends my season one take on Tom Keen. I went back and made a couple of adjustments to earlier chapters, based on what was revealed in the finale. For the record I 100% believe Tom is alive and kicking thanks to Liz. Anyway, thanks for sticking with the story and here's to hoping for a Tom and Liz filled Season 2!