The contractions had turned out to be Braxton Hicks, and Liz couldn't think of another time in her life where she'd been more disappointed; including the situation with Tom. She wanted this baby out of her now, not in two weeks.

For the next week, she tried everything that "Supposedly" caused women to go into labor. She ate spicy food, walked around the lake by the house every day, had sex often, had Red massage her body, but nothing worked. There weren't even any more Braxton Hicks contractions.

The house was put together and the nursery was finished, but Liz felt like they were in limbo and she hated it. Red had been patient with her, but she knew he was at the end of his rope with her too. She hadn't exactly been sweet and loving the last month, but she was beyond feeling guilty about it.

OOOOOO

"Lizzy, do you feel up to going out to dinner?" Red strode into the room, dressed to the nines like usual. It wasn't fair that he got to stay trim and gorgeous, while she looked like Shamu in anything she wore.

Liz looked up at him from where she sat on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table. She glanced at her ankles and winced; they were really swollen. "I don't know, Red. I'm tired."

He walked over and sat next to her, a sympathetic look on his face, "Sweetheart, you haven't left the house in four days now. I think some fresh air will help." He gave her a closed mouth smile.

She looked longingly at the TV show she was watching and sighed, "I guess, but I don't want anything fancy. None of my nice clothes fit anymore." She ran a hand over his suit clad thigh, "I think you'll be overdressed anywhere we go."

He huffed a laugh, "That's not anything new, Lizzy."

"True, you just look so damn good in a suit. It's all I can do to not throw myself at you constantly." She gave him a teasing smile.

He pursed his lips, "Well, if you'd rather do that than eat, it can be arranged"

She shook her head, "Sorry, Red, I'm starving." She moved her feet off of the coffee table and sat forward. The baby kicked a few times and she smiled, rubbing a hand softly over her belly. She really did love the kid, even if she was miserable because of her.

Liz looked at him, "Can you help me up, please?"

He stood up, then held his hand out for her to take. She took it, then he pulled her up and into his arms and enveloped her into a hug. Since she was so large, he could only half hug her, and she hated that. She wanted to feel his whole body against her, it had been far too long. He ran his hands down her back, massaging it with his fists as he went. She moaned a little, and said into his ear, "If you keep that up, we might not ever leave this spot on the floor."

He began leaving little kisses on her collarbone, then moved up her neck, then finally found her mouth and kissed her softly. "Sorry, Lizzy, I'm hungry." Then he stepped back with a smirk and pulled her after him, with her groaning in protest.

They walked upstairs, then he helped her change into a soft purple sweater with black maternity dress pants. They were surprisingly comfortable, so she didn't mind wearing them. After finishing with her hair and makeup, she sat on the bed and watched as Red took off his cream colored suit (her favorite), and changed into a white dress shirt, black pants, black vest, with a purple tie that matched her sweater. As he finished, he looked over at her to see her smiling at him.

"What?" He walked over to her, finishing tying his tie.

She shook her head, "Nothing, I love you."

"Lizzy, I love you too, but sweetheart you might want to close your mouth. The drool's starting to leak out of the corner of your mouth."

She ran the back of her hand over her mouth and frowned when it came away dry, then glared at him, "That's not very nice to trick your pregnant wife, Red."

He rumbled a laugh, "You're not my wife, so I can still get away with it."

"Fine, life partner then, the sentiment is still the same."

He sat next to her on the bed, suddenly serious as he put his hand on her back and started massaging it again, "Do you want to get married, Lizzy?"

She pursed her lips thoughtfully and leaned slightly into him. She hadn't thought about it much since he'd asked her over ten months ago, but now that he was asking again, it might be a good idea.

"I think I do, actually."

His hand stopped, "Are you certain? I don't want to force or coerce you."

She shook her head in amusement, "As if you could do either of those things. I'm too strong-willed."

He nodded in agreement, his hand resuming its movement on her back, "You are, but I wouldn't have you any other way."
She smiled and rolled her head back and forth, enjoying his ministrations.

"Lizzy, you have knots on top of knots. No wonder you're miserable."

She just groaned in response, and he continued, "As for the marriage plans, I think we should get married tomorrow at the courthouse. This baby could come anytime, and I don't want you to go into labor as we're getting married. What do you think?"
She looked at him, then reached over and straightened his tie, "I think that's a good idea. I don't want to plan anything big."

He stood up quickly, then walked over to his drawers and opened the top one. "What are you looking for?"

He rummaged around for a few more seconds, then pulled out a small box and walked back to her, "This." Then he handed it to her.

She opened it and smiled, It was a ring, but it wasn't overly extravagant like she thought it would be. It was white gold, with three princess cut diamonds running along the top and small diamonds on either side of the larger ones running halfway on either side of the band. It was absolutely perfect.

"Red", she breathed, "I love it." She took it out and slipped it on her finger; it was a perfect fit.

She looked up at him where he was standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets, and smiled at him. He helped her up, then she kissed him deeply and a little desperately.

After a few moments she pulled back and smiled at him, "It really is perfect, and it fits just right." Leave it to Red to know her ring size.

"I'm glad you like it. I've had it for months, but haven't found the right time to give it to you."

He took her hand and brought it up to his lips, then kissed the ring softly and looked at her with a softness that he didn't often show, then mumbled, "Elizabeth Reddington has a nice ring to it,"
She smiled happily, "I've always liked your last name better than mine." Then she ran a hand over his cheek and said, "Now come on, let's go eat."

She took his hand, and led him as quickly out of the room as she could waddle.

OOOOOO

They had just finished eating when Dembe approached the table with a worried expression on his face; something that she'd only seen a few times. He leaned over Red and whispered something in his ear, and Red glanced at her with a worried expression.

Dembe walked away quickly and Liz moved her eyes to Red, "What's wrong?"

She could see his jaw working as his left eye twitched; that was never a good sign. "Just a small matter with a former nemesis."

She sighed, "Red, I'm not in the mood to guess. What's going on?"

He grimaced, "Dembe just saw some suspicious movements outside and wanted to make sure I was aware."

"What kind of movements?"

He glanced away, then looked back at her, "It's probably nothing."

"Raymond, are we in danger?"

He winced at her use of his full name, "Possibly, we should probably be going."

She took a deep breath and stood up slowly, and he stood and walked around to help her with her coat.

Just as he slid it over her shoulders, gunshots rang out from the front of the restaurant. Red grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her quickly towards the kitchen doors at the back. Just as they reached the doors, they heard a low, deadly voice say, "Raymond Reddington, you old dog. I never thought I'd see the day where you would run away from a fight."

Red whispered in her ear, "Keep your back to him and stay behind me." Then he turned around with his hands up and a grin on his face. "Ah, Fernando. I thought I killed you three years ago in Italy, that's quite a miraculous recovery."

Fernando stepped closer, his mouth in a sneer, "I was laid up in a hospital for six months because of you. Now I'm here to kill you because of that."

Red chuckled and said sarcastically, "What took you so long? I'm guessing you haven't improved your terrible skills as a criminal. You always have been one of the worst."

Fernando walked forward quickly and stood face to face with Red, then tilted his head, "Who's the one that's being held at gunpoint? Hmmm, Raymond? It's not me." His eyes moved past Red's shoulder and he said, "Ah, and who do we have here?" Then he said in a loud voice to Liz, "Turn around or I'll start shooting parts of Reddington's body until you do." Liz turned around reluctantly with her hands up, but her face betrayed nothing.

Fernando smiled, "Well isn't she a pretty thing. Robbing the cradle much, Reddington?"

He didn't wait for Red to respond as he motioned with his gun, "Step out from behind him, I want to get a good look at you."

Liz stepped to the side of Red, then walked forward into the light. Fernando raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Wow, you look like you're ready to pop. This complicates things." He rubbed his chin dramatically, "Now what am I going to do with a pregnant woman after I kill you, Red?"

Red just pursed his lips and shrugged, "I don't know who this woman is. I was just trying to get her away from danger."

Fernando laughed, "You're such a liar. I'd heard rumors going around that you'd retired from the criminal life and got yourself a wife and kid, but I thought they were just that, rumors. I can't believe they're actually true." He pointed his gun at Liz, "How the hell did you snag someone so beautiful, and young to boot."

"Fernando, can you believe the décor in this restaurant?" He gestured with one of his hands towards the wall in front of him, "Isn't that wallpaper atrocious?"

Fernando shook his head in amusement, "I know you're just trying to distract me. It's not going to work."

Red smirked, "It was worth a shot. So what are you waiting for Fernando? Why haven't you killed me yet?"

"Because I want to enjoy it and drag it out as long as possible. I've been thinking about this for a while. Dreaming about it actually."

"Ah, Fernando. I'm flattered that you dream about me, but I like woman." He winced dramatically and dropped his voice an octave lower, "Sorry to let you know in front of these people."

Fernando walked back to Red and punched him hard in the gut, "Shut up, I'm sick of listening to you talk."

Liz had been silently watching the situation, and didn't see a way out. There was no sign of Dembe, and two of Fernando's men were standing in the back, waiting for their boss' order. It didn't bode well for her and Red's chances.

She was so lost in thought, that she didn't feel the contractions that had started after the gunshots began to go off. She didn't feel any pain because her adrenaline was running high, and she certainly didn't feel her water break until she heard Fernando say, "What the hell, woman?"

That broke her out of her reverie, and that's when felt the wet, stickiness between her legs. Shit.

Fernando said in a disgusted voice, "Did you just pee your pants?"

She smiled, "No, dipshit, my water just broke."

His face went pale and she could see him swallow thickly, "Well don't be going and having a baby now. We're in the middle of something."

Liz laughed incredulously, "You think I can just hold it in? It doesn't work like that. The baby is coming soon whether you like it or not."

She glanced at Red and saw that he was staring at Fernando stoically. She could tell he was planning something; she just needed to keep Fernando distracted long enough.

A wave a pain finally hit her, and she groaned loudly, "Oh, I need to sit down."

Fernando waved his gun towards a table to the side of him, "Sit down then, geeze woman get a grip."

Liz made her way slowly to the chair and sat down heavily. She was beginning to feel the effects of her contractions and knew they were only going to get worse. If Red was going to do something, he better do it quickly.

Fighting down the urge to vomit, she saw Red begin moving his right hand towards the waistband of his pants where he kept his gun. She needed to get Fernando to turn back towards her.

"Hey Fernando. I need to ask you something, can you come over her for a second?"

Fernando heaved a deep sigh, "Fine." The walked over to her and looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Well bitch, what do you want?"

Liz smiled sweetly at him, then sucker punched him in the gut as hard as she could. He doubled over, and she grabbed a wine bottle from the table and hit him over the head with it. He went down like a ton of bricks, and didn't get back up. While she had been dealing with Fernando, she'd heard gunshots, and hoped that Red was successful in taking out the guards. Another contraction hit her, and she hugged herself around her middle, taking deep breaths to try to focus on her surroundings.

A hand touched her back, and she sat up quickly, intent on hurting whoever it was; but it was Red and he was looking at her with concern. "Are you ok, Lizzy?"

She swallowed a few times then breathed out of her nose, "Not really. We need to get to the hospital. Is everyone ok?" She tried to look around the room, but Red was standing in her way.

He nodded, "As soon as you took out Fernando, well done by the way, the guard's attentions were on you so it was easy to take them out. No one else was injured." He pulled her up, "Now we must be going. I don't want you to have the baby in this horribly decorated restaurant."

Liz rolled her eyes and let him lead her, but then she remembered Dembe, "Is Dembe ok?"

He nodded over his shoulder, "He's a little worse for wear, but he's fine. Don't worry about him, worry about yourself."

They reached the front doors and Liz saw Dembe holding the back door of the car open for them. He had a cut over his eye, and his nose was bleeding, but at least he wasn't dead. She wouldn't be able to handle that.

Red helped her into the car, then slid in after her. The expression on his face was calm, but she could see the worry behind his eyes. She knew him well enough to know that he was raging inside, and she hoped no one got in their way or he might snap.

OOOOOO

They arrived at the local hospital in record time. The ride over had been hell for her because her contractions were coming every two minutes. She was worried they weren't going to make it in time.

Red had called ahead, so when they pulled up to the ER entrance, nurses were already waiting for them. They quickly helped her into a wheelchair, then wheeled her inside.

A male nurse stopped Red before he could follow, "Are you her husband?"

Red nodded, "I am." He wasn't going to explain their situations, it was easier just to say he was.

The nurse smiled, "Good, we have some paperwork that you need to fill out, so if you would follow me we can get that done, and you can get back to your wife."

He didn't want to fill out paperwork, he just wanted to be at Liz's side, but he didn't want to cause problems for her, so he nodded and reluctantly followed the nurse inside.

OOOOOO

"Raymond Reddington, I hate you!" She had his hand in a death grip and had hurled insults at him for the last ten minutes. He didn't mind though, they weren't things he hadn't already heard a thousand times before.

"I know, sweetheart, keep breathing in through your mouth and out your nose."

"Shut up, Red." She let go of his hand and wiped the sweat off of her forehead.

Just as she was about to continue her ranting, the doctor walked in and smiled, "I hear you're about ready to have this baby. Let me take a look to see how close you are to pushing."

Liz glared at Red instead of at the doctor, and Red just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She didn't dare say anything to him in front of the doctor.

The doctor lifted up the sheet and said, "Whoa, you're ready to push now." He looked at the nurse next to him, "Get everyone else in here, she needs to push."

Liz looked over at Red with fear in her eyes, she'd never done this before and she was terrified. Seeing that she was silently panicking, he stood up and leaned down to speak in her ear quietly, "You're going to be fine. We'll have our daughter here in no time, and you're going to forget about all the pain and suffering you've experienced the last nine months." He kissed the spot right under her ear and continued, "Thank you for doing this, and for giving me another chance. I love you, sweetheart, never doubt that." She nodded and whispered, "I'm ready." He pulled away slightly, kissed her softly, then stood up to look at the doctor, "She's ready. Let's do this."

The doctor nodded, "Good. She's strong, she'll be fine."

OOOOOO

It only took ten minutes of pushing until the baby came. When they put the baby on her chest as Red cut the umbilical cord, she was happier than she could ever remember being. She didn't think this day would ever come, and was so glad that it was Red, not Tom, that was at her side.

They took the baby away to clean her up and take her stats. Red walked over to her with a grin on his face, "She's perfect, Lizzy, in every single way." He sat down next to her and pushed some hair back that was plastered to her forehead by sweat.

She smiled, then dropped her head back on the pillow tiredly, "I'm so glad that's over."

Red nodded, "I'm just pleased that we made it here in time. Have you thought about what you want to name her?"

She grimaced. They had disagreed during the previous two months about names so many times that she didn't want to get into it with him again. "You know I like Ellie, it goes well with your last name."

He liked that name Ok, it was one of the only ones that he liked of her suggestions.

He picked up her hand and kissed it, "Then we'll name her Ellie, it fits her. What about a middle name?"

She shook her head, "No middle name. Ellie Reddington sounds perfect."

Red smiled as the nurse handed the baby to her and said, "Yes it does."

They both stared at their little girl as Liz held her in her arms. She had a mass of dark hair, and dark blue eyes, with a perfect little nose and face. They couldn't have asked for a more beautiful baby.

Red ran his finger over Ellie's cheek softly, then leaned down and kissed Liz's jaw and whispered, "She's beautiful, just like you."

Liz turned her head and smiled at him, "And you."

He smirked, "Really Lizzy, that much is obvious."

She rolled her eyes then turned back to the baby. She couldn't pretend to know what was going to happen in the future, but she hoped that things would turn out well for them. She had the man she loved at her side, and a beautiful baby girl with him. Life couldn't be better.

AN: Well that's it. It's been so much fun writing this story, but I think it's time to end it. I have 3 other multi-chap fics that I'm trying to keep up with, plus one-shots, so I'm ready for this one to be over. Thank you so much for your support, it really has meant so much to me. Please let me know what you think, I love feedback and since this is the last chapter, It would be nice to hear from you guys one last time. I know this was super fluffy, but it's the future and they just had a baby, so it had to be fluffy. Have a great day and you'll be seeing more from me soon. Much love to you all! :)