More Than A Favor

A/N: I KNOW I have couple of unfinished stories, and I love writing them, but this idea popped into my head. And you know how it goes…I need to get it out of my system. Keenler fluff!

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Chapter 1

"Ressler, I need to talk to you."

"OK…give me a sec…I'm just about done."

He didn't look up from the computer screen at the sound of Keen's voice, as he was just two clicks away from finishing the witness report due in about five minutes. The case of the missing Ambassador from Belarus turned into an assassination attempt case, and the witness report became more intricate and stringent than he had estimated. He had been working on them for the past three hours, without a break, and certainly without a regard to anyone else in the office. The voice of his partner jolted him to the present, but this report came first…and she knew that as she waited for him patiently on the other side of his desk.

"Keen, what is it?" Ressler stood up from his chair, and walked to the printer located against the far wall. He threw her a lazy side glance as he stretched his back, giving it a good twist to loosen up the tightness that had settled in his joints. He didn't even try to muffle the old man's groan that escaped from his lips as his legs grudgingly remembered how to walk.

"Can we talk?"

"Yeah…shoot."

"Not now."

"OK…then when?" Ressler retrieved the report from the printer, but by now he was thoroughly distracted by Liz, and her muted tone of voice that unnerved and troubled him. He studied her face, and couldn't help the scowl as he pressed her, "Is something wrong?"

"No…no…nothing's wrong." She produced a meek smile, for his benefit, "Can we meet after work today?"

"Yeah, sure…the Belleview?"

"No…" She rejected the nearby bar, the usual place they had gone with Aram many times, "How about the coffee shop down the street?"

"The Rose Garden?"

"Yeah…it's quieter."

"Sure, Keen…"

"Great…then, I'll see you there around ten?"

"Yeah….I just gotta do couple more things…" Ressler nodded toward her direction as she walked out of the office, and watched her discreetly as she made her way across the floor. He couldn't shake off the gnawing sense of alarm that had taken place as soon as she suggested a quieter place to talk. He believed her when she said nothing was wrong, but he also knew that she may have fronted such sentiments to ensure that he won't worry about her.

"I gotta stop trying to figure this out…" He chided to himself, and decided to focus on the work instead, attempting to distract his mind until ten o'clock rolled around. But he was only lying to himself, as his heart only thumped to the beat of the anxiety overtaking all of his senses.

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"Hey, Keen." Ressler spotted her sitting by the window in the corner, against the far wall. If she wanted a quiet place with privacy, she sure found it at the near-empty cafe, secluded in a corner and shrouded in dim shadows. Liz had been watching the door, and upon seeing him, she produced a small smile and a quick wave. He walked to her gingerly, noticing how she was mindlessly fiddling with a small flickering candle on the table, as if she was nervous and agitated.

"Ressler…"

"Sorry, I'm a bit late."

"No, that's fine…do you want a drink?"

"I'll get some coffee." He motioned to the tall waitress nearby, and upon her prompt arrival, he quickly ordered a cup of coffee. He turned his attention back onto Liz, who had not ceased her off-rhythm tapping of her fingers against the candle. Her face bore an odd expression of suppressed fear and anxiety, and he could only deduce that indeed she was distressed, and felt himself falling into unease as well. He waited until the coffee was brought and the waitress was long gone before he addressed Liz. "Keen, are you alright?"

"Yeah…"

"Keen, what is it? What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Ressler, what I need from you is…a favor."

"A favor?"

"Yes…a favor."

"Anything, Keen…you know that. What do you need me to do?" Ressler was relieved to hear that all she needed from him was some favor, and she must've been nervous about asking him. How could she not know that there isn't anything he wouldn't do for her? He would buy her the moon if that's what she wanted.

"You see, Ressler…I've come to accept that my life is what it is, right now. You know what I've always wanted…a family with a man who loves me, raising children together, building a life together. But I've accepted the fact that I'm not going to have that in my life."

"Keen…you can't think like that…"

"I'm just being truthful…to myself. I can't lie about where I think my life is headed."

"Keen…" Ressler couldn't believe the words he was hearing, and it pained him to see that her view of her life was of defeat and loss…and never attaining what she truly desired. It grieved his own heart to see the disappointment and loneliness reflected upon her softened face. "It doesn't have to be like that…you don't know what's ahead of you."

"You know I've always wanted a family, to raise a child…"

"Yes…"

She hesitated for a moment, with a face that bore a deep mystery, "Ressler, I wanted to let you know that…three months ago, I've started an adoption process."

"A what?"

"I decided that I wasn't going to wait until whatever the life handed to me. And I certainly wasn't going to wait until a man was in my life in order for me to start a family. So, I applied to adopt a child through the county agency."

Ressler simply stared at Liz, with confusion and bewilderment at the news that were thrust upon him way too fast, and as he processed the words, he also couldn't help but to smile in elation and delight. "Liz…what can I say? That's a huge decision, and I'm truly happy for you."

"Thank you…" She finally smiled for the first time that night, and she sighed in relief at his joyous acceptance, "And, Ressler…"

"Yeah…?"

"After months of waiting, the agency has accepted my application. And they have a child for me."

"That's wonderful…I'm speechless…"

"It's a baby girl…five months old. She's coming home with me this Saturday."

"Liz…" Ressler didn't know why, but he broke out in a loud and guttural laughter. It must've been that he was too happy for words, and simple smiles and hugs just won't do to fully express the overwhelming elation that profoundly gripped his heart. Liz joined in the laughter, as she must've understood what he was trying to say to her. "I'm truly, most absolutely, happy and excited for you."

"Ressler…I'm so happy…and scared…it's almost surreal."

"Yeah…" He took in the sparkle of life that had now lit up in her eyes, and it'd certainly been a long time since he had seen her this befuddled and happily so. Without a doubt, Liz was a woman already deeply in love with this little baby girl. "So, in four days, huh?"

"Yup…"

"Are you ready? Do you have all the supplies?"

"Supplies?"

"Well, you know…baby supplies. Baby things…"

"You mean like, diapers?" She was laughing at something, quite possibly at him who was obviously not versed in the realm of baby terms.

"Yeah…diapers, wipes…creams, ointments…and stuff."

"Creams and ointments?"

"You know, the white stuff that they spread on the baby's…er…"

"I see that this is like a foreign language to you…"

"More like an alien language..."

"Like a whole new world..."

"Basically."

They shared a quiet laughter together, and in that moment of hushed solace, Ressler wanted to indulge in her company as long as he was allowed. There was much joy in their connection, but at the same time, he felt a sharp prick to his heart, of certain intangible emotions that left him feel tormented. And he couldn't explain, even to himself, why he felt that way. "So…I'm assuming you will be taking some time off from work?"

"Yup, a month off. Cooper consented to maternity leave."

"You told him…"

"I had to, for the paperwork."

"What was his reaction when you told him?"

"He was very supportive, very happy for me. He said he considered all of us to be his family."

"So, we're his kids?" Ressler laughed at the thought of Harold Cooper chiding him like a father would to a son. "Can you imagine him teaching me how to drive? Every command…would be so imperative and direct. Must get it done! Turn to left, now!"

"Ressler…" She sighed with an amused smile, "He even volunteered to drive me this Saturday, to pick up the baby girl."

"Really…"

"But, he's not who I wanted."

"Huh?"

"Ressler, this is the favor I need from you." And she leaned closer to him, and he did as well in response, "Since I'm a single parent, there are additional stipulations…or requirements…that I'm held liable, in order for the adoption to go through."

"OK…"

"One of those stipulations is that I must provide a second party of responsibility, which is a designated person who will become a guardian for my baby in case something happened to me."

"A guardian…"

"It's just a formality, that's all…a precaution. In any case, a name is required and it is a legal proceeding."

"I see…"

"Ressler, you know that I don't have family, and there is no next of kin."

"Right…"

Liz paused a slight, and she studied his face carefully, "Ressler, I wanted to ask you to be the second party of responsibility."

He heard her words, and if he was a bit quicker to understand, he may have even expected her request along the lines of that conversation. But nonetheless, the words uttered left him dazed in impact, and all of his faculties of mind seemed to slow down to a grinding halt of speechlessness. "Umm…"

"I know…I know I'm asking a lot from you."

"Keen, it's not that…"

"Ressler, you're the closet person I've got in this world that I'd consider as…family. There is no one else I trust more than you…and I wouldn't ask you if I didn't absolutely trust you with my life, and the life of my baby girl."

"Keen…"

She saw his befuddlement, but also the unease, "You can take some time to think about it. It is a big responsibility, and it isn't something you should agree to do in a moment's notice."

"Uh huh…"

"But if you do decide to do it, then I need you to come with me on Saturday, to finalize it before the judge before we…I mean, I can take the baby girl home."

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A/N: I'm trying a different format, mixing it up a bit. I'm going to try to write shorter chapters and update more often, rather than my usual long chapters updating once a month (sorry…I'm so busy…). Hope you find some interest in the premise…and who wouldn't want to see Ressler with a baby girl?! Thanks for reading!