11:00 p.m.

He stares at her empty desk without seeing it. All he sees is the image of Liz lying lifeless in a pool of blood. Bleeding out like Audrey. Like Meera. Today was close. Too close to his nightmares. Thank God it wasn't real. There's still time to make it right. To keep her safe. At least he hopes so. Because the alternative is… terrifying. No doubt about that.

He swallows hard and lifts his eyes to the clock on the wall. It's late. Time to go or he will be of no use to anyone tomorrow. He stands up and grabs his jacket from the back of his chair, reaching for his keys with his other hand. His eyes linger on her desk again. He remembers how her eyes lit up when he surprised her with dinner on her birthday. Her laughter as they shared her bottle of wine. He felt so close to her that night. Like it was the beginning of something. But now it feels like a lifetime ago. God, he misses her. More than he will ever admit.

The war room is quiet – screens dark – everyone has left for the night. Today was rough on all of them. Even though the team at the Post Office knew the scene was fake, it was still gut-wrenching seeing her like that up on the screen. It affected everyone. Even Samar, who just last week was telling him how he shouldn't try to save Liz.

And then there was Kotsiopoulos. He could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the Director sitting there in Cooper's old chair smugly eating a cake pop and acting all buddy-buddy with Laurel Hitchin. So much for her impartiality. Nothing good will come from having the Director around. He's sure of that. They are all going to have to be very careful from now on. He's not sure who he can trust anymore. Well, other than Aram. He has no doubts about Aram's loyalty to Liz. Samar? He can probably trust her. It seems like they are increasingly on the same page. Reven Wright? Yesterday he would have thought she was above board. But after today, he's not so sure. He can't forget that Connolly appointed her to investigate Liz in the first place. He'll have to be careful and keep a close eye on her.

As he pulls away from the Post Office he thinks back to Laurel Hitchin's advice before he testified. "The red velvet cake pops are to die for." Was she trying to send him a message? A warning? He shakes his head. It has to be a coincidence. How could she possibly know that Aram made red velvet cupcakes for Liz's birthday? That they had all joked that it was because of Reddington? There's no way she could know that. He hopes he hasn't put a target on his back or on the Task Force by declaring his belief in Liz's innocence today. Reven warned him to keep his opinions to himself and he tried to do that, but Hitchin wasn't letting him off the hook that easily. So he told her the truth. Exposed himself. What choice did he have? And next thing Hitchen and Reven are in his office with the Director telling him they have to work together. Right. But it's clear that if he refuses to play ball they will just find someone else to fill his role. Someone who may not care about bringing Liz in alive. So he has to continue to play along. For now.

As he drives through the dark streets, he wonders if Liz will hear about his testimony today. It's sure to be in the press. He hopes she will. Their last conversation when she called him in Iowa did not go well. After today, he wishes he could go back and tell her himself that he knows that she is innocent. That he believes in her. And that everything he is doing is to help her, not hurt her. If he brings her in, he can work on trying to clear her name. He wishes she could see that. But she's so caught up with Reddington – with this wild quest for whatever it is they are searching for – that Reddington is now her savior and he is the enemy. She has a new partner now. So be it. His only concern at this point is keeping her alive. The rest they can figure out later. As long as she doesn't die first.

What is Reddington's end game? That's the question he keeps asking himself night after night as he stares at the board in the war room, staring at the ever-growing cast of characters in this tangled web. The only path he can see for Liz to get some semblance of her life back is a full acquittal at trial. Is Reddington building evidence for a defense? Or does he have some other scheme in mind? Is Reddington going to call him up one day and hand Liz over like a package when the time is right? Or will he have to continue to hunt her down? Slap her in cuffs at gunpoint? Don't go there.

And even if there is a trial – even if they can prove she had nothing to do with the OREA bombing – even if they can prove that she did not knowingly infect the senator – how can she be acquitted of Connolly's murder? She pulled the trigger, no doubt. Fired the fatal shot. He has seen the video himself. It was enough to make him doubt her. At least until the point that she shot that Russian to save him and he realized his gut was telling him to keep trusting her.

Samar said the other day no one made her do it. And it certainly seems that way. But … he can't get Dr. Linus Creel out of his head. Creel turned seemingly normal people into assassins by destroying their lives bit by bit until they snapped. Is it really a coincidence that they learned about his scheme right when they did? That Keen's whole world collapsed right before she shot Connolly? Hell, they were calling her Masha Rostova in interrogation right before she busted out. Questioning her whole identity. He called Creel's patients perps at the time but Liz had called them victims. Maybe she was right. Maybe there is some excuse for what she did. His head hurts just thinking about it.

As he steps out of the car, he shivers at the chill in the air. It was spring when she first ran and now the leaves are swirling around his feet. Will he still be chasing her when the snow falls? As long as we're not burying her.

He wonders where she is tonight. "Be safe, Liz" he whispers as he opens the door to his apartment.

3:00 a.m.

He's running down a long corridor with SWAT team members all around him. The sound of gunfire blasts in the distance. "Move! Move!" he yells. His feet can't move fast enough. Rounding the corner, he freezes. There are bodies strewn all over the room and right in the middle – blonde hair surrounded by a rapidly expanding puddle of blood. "Keen!" he screams, his heart pounding. He drops to his knees in front of her, cradling her head in his lap. Her eyelids barely flicker. "Keen! Stay with me! Stay with me! Come on, don't leave me. Stay with me!" Tears run down his cheeks as his hands search frantically for the wound to stop the bleeding. But as he holds her, he feels the life slipping from her. As the sirens wail in the distance, she's gone. He's too late.

He jolts awake, heart pounding. He's soaked in sweat. It takes him a minute to register where he is. God, that felt real. He flips on the bedside lamp and stares down for a moment at the twisted covers. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he makes his way to the bathroom and splashes cold water on his face. He looks up and sees red eyes staring back at him in the mirror. Pull it together, Don.

Returning to his room, he sits on the edge of the bed and stares through the blinds at the streetlight below. They went from partners to hunter and hunted in the blink of an eye. How much longer is this going to continue? How much longer can he continue? His head throbs. Turning away from the window, he pounds his soaked pillow and stretches out again on the bed. He closes his eyes, willing himself to forget the image of a blonde haired, bloody Liz that is seared into his brain.

5:00 a.m.

Their fingertips brush as she refills his cup, and it's like a charge of electricity passes through him. She's laughing – her smile for once reaching all the way to her eyes. It is so good to hear her laugh. She needs to do that more often. She's had a rough year – so has he. But they are both coming out on the other side. He feels his pulse quicken as he watches her, her deep blue eyes shining at him over the rim of her cup, her dark hair framing her face. Her smile so big that it brings out the dimples in her cheeks. He would do anything to make her smile like that all the time. Impulsively, he puts down his cup and reaches across the desk and grabs her hand, gently rubbing it with his thumb. She's quiet then, looking at him. But she doesn't pull away. And she's still smiling. He pulls her hand towards him and gently kisses her fingers. "Happy Birthday, Liz."

The beeping of his alarm clock jolts him awake. He rubs his hand across his eyes. Well, then. With a sigh, he swings his legs out of bed and heads to the bathroom. He steps into the shower and stands under the steaming spray, willing it to ease the tension in his body. Maybe a cold shower would have been a better idea.

6:00 a.m.

The Post Office is already a hive of activity when he steps out of the elevator and starts to cross the war room.

"Ressler." Samar walks briskly towards him. "I have to show you something." She follows him into his office and closes the door.

"We recovered a burner phone at the scene yesterday where Wendigo attempted to take out Liz. It was definitely her phone – her prints were on it. And there's a voicemail on it I think you need to hear."

He takes the phone from her hand and presses the voicemail button on the phone. His eyes narrow as Tom Keen's voice fills his ear, spewing platitudes about love and loyalty. He finishes listening to the message and looks up at Samar. "Have Aram track that call. We need to find Tom Keen and figure out what the hell he is up to now. " Samar nods and turns towards the door. "Samar - don't tell anyone other than Aram about this, ok?" She looks back at him over her shoulder, meets his gaze, and nods again. God, I hope I can trust her.

After she leaves, he leans back in his chair twirling his pen. So Tom Keen made contact with Liz after he turned down Tom's offer to help. More than once from the sounds of it. He's not sure how to feel about that.

Looking through the window, he sees the Director step off the elevator, followed closely by Reven Wright. He sits up then, taking a deep breath. It's going to be a long day. But maybe it's time to rethink Tom Keen. He still doesn't trust him, but maybe he can use Tom Keen to find Liz. To keep her safe. Maybe it's time to bend the rules a little bit. He's gotta start somewhere. He straightens his tie and steps out into the war room and meets the Director's eyes. Game on.