-Sweet Dreams Are Made of This-
Elizabeth Keen closed her eyes and tilted her seat back and tried to take a nap while waiting for the seemingly never ending flight to just be over. She turned and glanced at her partner, who had somehow managed to fold all six feet of himself into the tiny, uncomfortable seat. He had a file spread across his small tray table and was trying to read the contents as the plane bumped and wobbled along through turbulence.
"We should have taken Red up on his offer," she said as she wearily glanced out the tiny window next to her partners arm.
"Yeah, I gotta admit, that Lear jet sounds pretty good right about now. Remind me again why we turned him down?"
"He had that awful cough."
"Ugh...I forgot about that. All the snot and hacking. Still though, this is pretty shitty in itself."
A particularly strong jolt of turbulence caused Liz to quickly and subconsciously grab Resslers arm as she took a sharp intake of breath.
"Hey, take it easy there Top Gun, you'll wrinkle my suit," he groused but didn't remove her hand. He watched her exhale and try to visibly relax. 'When would this crapass flight end' he wondered. He focused back on his file when the large sweating man seated next to Liz, who had apparently never heard of deodorant, reached up and twisted his air vent all the way open.
Liz turned towards Ressler and rolled her eyes and whispered under her breath "Are you kidding me! it's already freezing and he wants to blast his air…"
Ressler reached up and pushed her call button. "Just get a blanket form the flight attendant."
She nodded and in a few moments the flight attendant came by and asked what she needed.
"Could I have a blanket please?"
"I'm so sorry Ma'am, but all of our blankets have already been distributed. Perhaps a glass of wine would help warm you up a bit?"
"No, that's okay. Thanks." She let her head loll back on the impossibly uncomfortable head rest and decided to try and catch a few winks. Just as she began to relax and clear her thoughts, Ressler stirred next to her and removed his seat belt.
"I'm going to hit the head. I'll see if I can snag a blanket from one of those rich pricks up in first class." He stood and loomed over her, ignoring her seatmate as he stretched his legs over and around the man and headed off to the restroom.
Liz snickered to herself as she imagined Ressler stalking down the aisle of the plane snatching blankets from unsuspecting passengers all the while challenging them to say or do anything with his usual scowl. She found herself staring out the small window of the jetliner and pondering her relationship with her partner. They'd definitely come far in their working relationship. And, as of late, given all that had happened in her life, and in his as well, she realized they were now friends. "Yep," they fit nicely in that category she mused.
A few moments later, as she peered over the seat in front of her, she saw the perfectly coiffed strawberry blonde hair that belonged to her partner approaching their row. She noted he was empty handed and had apparently not been able to procure a blanket for her. Glancing at her watch, she realized they still had two hours until they landed and she was getting colder.
Before he began the awkward manoeuvre it would take to get back into his seat, he removed his suit coat, all the while looking down at her. The overhead light shined perfectly into his bright cerulean eyes and she couldn't help but swallow as his broad shoulders rolled gracefully as he shed the coat. His dress shirt fit him well enough that she could see his strong, hard muscles rippling underneath the fabric as he swung the jacket off of his frame and held it out to her. "Here, put this over you."
She took it from him, all the while glancing up at his passive face and nodded. To most anyone else, it would have sounded like a command, and almost a rude or curt command at that, but, she knew differently and her heart warmed at the tiny gesture. "It'll keep you warm" he mumbled as he cleared her large seatmate with the ease of a gymnast and plopped back down in his seat.
He was by no means a chatty or overly friendly person, but she understood the deeper meaning of what had just transpired. Ressler wasn't selfish, but he'd gotten to where he was by looking out for himself, and now, apparently, he was looking out for her as well.
As he buckled his seatbelt and pulled out the file folder he'd been studying, he glanced over at her. "The only blanket I saw was wrapped around some screaming kid. I figured it would be covered in snot and drool, so I passed. You'll have to make due with my jacket."
She grinned and tugged the jacket closer around her exposed body. "Well, thank you for taking a look. After your description of the drool situation, I think I'll be much more comfortable with your jacket."
"Good. I guarantee it's snot and drool free."
She immediately felt the lingering remnants of his body heat seep in and begin to warm her. She was shocked at how delicious it felt and how as she snuggled deeper into it, she could smell him. The aftershave he used, that smelled of lime and spice was mixed with his own unique and heady scent that now wafted around her and made her feel warm, secure and blissful. Well as blissful as one can feel while stuffed in a tiny uncomfortable seat in a freezing airplane that was cruising at thirty-five thousand feet in the air she thought. She must have mewled her contentment aloud, as he turned to her and their eyes momentarily locked with each other. She felt an instant electric shiver go down her spine and her covered body, that was snuggly tucked under his warm jacket broke out in goose bumps.
As Ressler watched his partner snuggle into his suit coat and shiver, he felt an odd possessiveness wash over him. Without warning, he leaned over his huddled partner and roughly twisted her seatmates air valve closed. "Sorry Pal, but she's freezing. Why don't you take off your jacket or something?" He knew the guy wouldn't say or do anything in protest, so he abruptly focused back on the file in front of him. He felt a tiny elbow gently jab him in his side and glanced down at his partner who winked her thanks up at him. He briefly grinned down at her then continued trying to read the damn file. He read the same paragraph for the fifth time as his partner snuggled next to him.
Liz contentedly began her nap in her warm, testosterone laced Ressler-nest. Was that a small smile she'd just seen grace his stern features? She'd seen his eyes crinkle at the corners as the almost imperceptible smile quickly played across his handsome face. Thoughts of Red and the Blacklister they'd just hunted down and arrested faded into warm oblivion as she felt herself drift off.
As she fell deeper into sleep, another jolt of turbulence made her aware that she was slightly leaning on a pudgy, moist and sweaty arm. She unconsciously flipped around in her seat and tucked her legs under her and snuggled into the warmth on her right once again deeply dozing off.
Ressler looked down when he felt her head lean against his bicep. She'd curled up like a cat and her neck was awkwardly tilted up against him. Without much thought he raised the armrest between them allowing her more space to snuggle into his side. He propped his left arm on her hip and decided to ignore the file. He sat, with his arm slung over her and watched the clouds below until his eyes fluttered shut and he too began to doze off.
It seemed like just a few moments had gone by when he was awakened by the flight attendant.
"Sir, excuse me...I'm sorry to wake you, but your wife asked me earlier for a blanket and we didn't have any extras then, but, I just found this in one of the overhead bins."
Ressler froze momentarily while his brain pondered the fact that she thought Liz was his wife. He must have had a strange expression on his face as the flight attendant politely questioned him again.
"Would you still like the blanket for her, Sir?"
"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks." Ressler reached over and took the blanket from her.
She moved on down the aisle as Ressler laid the plastic wrapped blanket on his tray table and shifted his arm a bit off of Liz's hip so he could unwrap the blanket. He felt an exposed cool spot on his side and noticed there was a small patch of drool about the size of a quarter on his shirt where Liz was slumbering, or slobbering as was the case. He chuckled and shook his head a bit as he quickly spread the blanket over the both of them.
He quickly drifted back into a slumber and began dreaming. He was in the box with Reddington and he was dying. He saw Liz on her knees in front of the glass looking at him in silent fear as Garrick held her at gunpoint demanding the code. It was then he broke and told Reddington the code was "Romeo."
In his slumber, his arm curled tighter around Liz and he began breathing slightly harder. Now he was laying in the hospital again, but, this time he was smiling up at his partner and they both seemed to be fine. In his dream, the wound wasn't nearly as bad and was stitched up and lightly bandaged and he wasn't in any pain. Liz smiled down at him and examined the healing wound on his leg asking if it caused him much pain. She was gently stroking his thigh with her nails and it felt so good. As their eyes met, she continued to lightly stroke and tickle his thigh, he said something that made her laugh and she leaned down and kissed him on the mouth. In his dream he pulled her to him and she bent down low enough that her blouse slightly gaped open and he caught a flash of white skin and a sheer black lace bra. He deepened the kiss and felt her respond to him as her silky tongue slipped into his mouth.
After a particularly rough jolt of turbulence Liz woke to the sound of her partner groaning ever so slightly in his sleep, the deep, guttural sound did something to her and she snuggled even deeper into Resslers side noting that he now had his arm draped over her as they both slumbered under a blanket that showed up out of nowhere. She was momentarily horrified as she realized that her hand was gently stroking his thigh and was dangerously close to his groin. She could tell by his deep, even breaths, that he was asleep but it was also apparent that his body definitely was not sleeping. Her eyes widened as she noticed the impressive situation she was currently presented with.
Fighting the urge to touch him there, she closed her eyes and sighed realizing how long it had been since she'd felt any stirrings like this. She blamed it on what had happened when the idiot, whose name she did not want to mention or even think of, had left her. It was also with a sigh that she realized the feeling that had stirred deep within her was apparently directed at her partner. She delved deeper and analyzed the situation.
A) It was a fact that Ressler was "that guy" who exemplified the traits of the classic Alpha male. B) He was handsome, well built, smart and witty and was literally the All American Boy. C) It only made sense, that given their close working relationship, she, or any woman for that matter, would find him attractive and gravitate towards him. D) She worked closely with not one, but two classic alpha males, three actually if she counted Dembe as well as Red and Ressler, and given all the testosterone the three of them oozed, this could explain the feelings she was currently experiencing.
She continued to profile the situation. Given her lack of sexual activity, her body would undoubtedly and naturally respond to her partner as she worked most closely with him She chalked it all up to hormones. Yep, that was what this was all about.
Then her thoughts shifted to Red, who shared the same swaggering confidence and bravado that Ressler did. At times the two of them almost seemed like Father and Son she mused. But, she somehow didn't feel like touching Red that intimately. 'Ugh'..just the thought made her wince and she slammed her eyes shut to clear the thought.
Ressler awoke and noticed his pants felt rather constricted and tight. Jesus, he was sporting wood he realized as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He glanced down and was thankful that the blanket was covering his situation. He noted that Liz was apparently still napping and also that her hand was resting precariously near the tent in his pants.
He recalled the scorching dream he'd been having that had involved her. He should be ashamed he thought to himself. Dreaming of her in such a blatant and sexual manner, but, he chalked it up to the fact that he hadn't gotten any in a long time. And, the fact that his partner was an ass-kicking stunner whom he spent most of his time with. It was all of those wild hormones women emitted. She must have been spraying the stuff around as they napped. 'Well, there's a first time for everything' he mused.
He remembered getting razzed pretty hard by his buddies downtown when they'd found out that he'd been partnered with a newbie agent who just so happened to be a profiler and a female to boot. They'd teased him mercilessly about getting in touch with his feminine side. He found "Cosmopolitan" magazines on his desk one day and "Cat Fancy" the next. He'd even showed up in his office one day to find a gift basket addressed to him sitting on his desk. When he opened it, he'd found a box of tampons, a manicure set, nail polish, a bottle of midol and a DVD of "Bridget Jones Diary" as well as that crappy "Fifty Gray Shades" or whatever the hell the book was called that all the women in the department were apparently reading at the same time. He'd been pissed at the time, and had thrown all the crap away, but now, he could inwardly smile and not get all worked up about it.
He also knew for a fact that Liz kept a small zippered pink polka-dot bag in the Suburban glove box that contained all the same type of girly shit that had been in that basket. He'd found it one day after he'd been cleaning out the mammoth SUV after a job, and had opened it out of curiosity wondering if she had a small saturday night special or a jack knife tucked inside of it. Horrified at discovering it's contents, his first impulse had been to toss it out the window like a hot potato, but he decided to put it back exactly where he'd found it and never, ever acknowledge its presence again. Although he admitted to himself that he also had learned that tampons worked well in a pinch when someone was gut shot and started to bleed out. He'd draw the line if and when she ever asked him to fetch it for her on the job. That's when he'd put his foot down. He also smirked to himself when he recalled that son-of-a-bitch Bobby Jonica's face when he'd first met Liz. That look pretty much said it all. Jonica had even called her a hot piece if he recalled correctly and, he wasn't wrong. Being partnered with her had turned out just fine, but, now he found his thoughts straying into unchartered territory.
The Pilot's voice came over the PA system and he informed them to prepare for landing. He'd flown so often he recited the instructions aloud to Liz in a high, shrill girly voice; "Please place your seatbacks in the upright position and stow your tray tables. When your attendant comes by, please place all trash in the bag."
Liz looked over at him like he had three heads causing them both to grin like school children. "Here, thanks for your jacket, it was warm and cozy."
"Hang onto it for me until we land, okay?"
"Sure." She smiled and remained snuggled under his coat watching as he pulled the file he'd been studying from the elastic pocket in front of him. He stood and again, did his gymnast routine to get to the aisle where he stowed the file in his briefcase in the overhead bin.
"You want anything from up here?"
"No, I'm good. Thanks."
He sat back down and they sat silently as the plane landed and taxied to the terminal.
Once the plane landed they waited until it was their turn to exit into the aisle. Liz' seatmate got out and Liz quickly stood next and backed up as much as she could to let Ressler stand in front of her and get his briefcase and her purse and tote from the overhead bin. He handed down her purse and tote and she slung her purse over her shoulder and draped his suit coat over her open tote and waited patiently. She felt a surge behind her and was horrified to feel the large man behind her fully bump into her backside. Ignoring it, she stepped closer to Resslers back. The man behind her bumped her again and this time she could swear she felt his hand on her butt. She whipped her head around and made eye contact and gave him a hard glare. He looked back at her with an innocent and puzzled look, so she turned around again heavily exhaling into Resslers back. So hard in fact that she saw his shirt ruffle as it was buffeted by her breath.
"Quit breathing down my neck, Keen. They're all stopped-up at the damn door!"
"Sorry" she huffed. "I think the guy behind me just grabbed my ass."
"What the fuck?" They felt a small surge as the line of over-tired passengers began moving again and made their way out of the plane onto the jetway. Ressler pulled Liz tightly against him and slid her in front of him. He turned back and snarled "If you try grabbing my ass, I'll break your jaw you prick!"
As they walked into the terminal Ressler watched the man walk off, and clutched Liz to his side with his arm around her. "You better run asshole, I'm coming after you!" he shouted causing the man to speed up and waddle away in fear.
"Stay here! I'm gonna go rip him a new asshole."
"No, no don't."
Ressler looked at her, tilting his head incredulously. "Come, again?"
"Don't do anything. I'm too tired and he's halfway down the terminal by now. Just let it go. I'm fine."
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna pull my badge, I just want to rough him up a bit."
He stopped and after hearing what he'd just said, he snorted causing Liz to emit a small giggle. They momentarily stared at each other.
He sighed and exhaled putting his hands on his hips. "Seriously, Liz, this isn't funny! You're my wife, If he grabbed you, let me deal with him."
"It's okay, Ress. Let's just get out of here. I can deal with him if I want to and I don't!"
They resumed walking towards the exit and stood in the shuttle line to the parking lot.
"God, let's not ever do this again."
"Damn, straight. I'd rather deal with Reddington coughing up a lung then get on another commercial flight."
They quietly rode along in the park and ride van, both exhausted and both wondering if the other had picked up on his "my wife" slip.