This is my first fanfic.

It's totally AU. Agnes is back with Liz, and Tom has toddled off to film Redemption. I'm thinking no one knows why he left and why he and Liz aren't together anymore, other than him and Liz. It might be something revealed if I end up doing more than one chapter.

Also, I haven't seen any of season 4 yet because it's not aired in the UK yet. Forgive me if I get any information wrong.

"I didn't know where else to go." She stood helplessly at her ex partner's apartment door, holding her daughter close to her chest. Liz's eyes were swollen from crying, and Agnes was fussing. The baby was clearly concerned about her mother. It was incredible how perceptive someone a couple of months old could be.

Without hesitation, Ressler opened the door wide to let her in. She had been through so much, it wasn't a surprise she'd hit this point, but he was concerned something had happened. "Tom?" He thought out loud. He had been her crutch since her time on the run. No Tom meant something had happened with him.

"I have a bag outside." Liz bounced Agnes on her hip, trying to sooth her daughter as she walked in to his apartment as if he was expecting her. Oddly enough, smelling the familiarity of Ressler and his apartment made her breathe a sigh of relief. She needed to feel safe; she needed her daughter to feel safe. Ressler was safe. He'd understood her reasons for what she'd done. He'd showed her nothing but respect. Ressler made her feel like a real person, not like any of the things portrayed in the media or the pleasantries she'd exchanged with Samar.

His eyes widened. "Bag?" He poked his head around the doorframe to the hallway, and there it was. She'd brought luggage?

"We need somewhere to stay." Her tone was matter of fact. Liz sat on the sofa and placed Agnes on her lap to face her. "I can't stay in that apartment anymore."

Ressler dropped the large bag on the floor, before closing the door behind him. He wanted to ask what was up, but she would tell him in her own time. The last thing she needed was a big deal to be made out of this. "Well you can stay as long as you want." He shrugged.

"Tom left us." She was unable to make eye contact with Agnes or Ressler at this point. Liz had spent too long crying over her life, she needed to pull it back together. She had spent a week hiding it from her friends; it was time to come clean. The apartment did nothing but remind her of her failed relationship, the people hunting her and everything else that had happened over the past year.

"I'm sorry." Ressler's tone was genuine. The brunette knew full well about her ex partner's hatred of Tom. It wasn't something he was shy about. The sincerity in his voice meant a lot to her. The man wanted to pry. Heck, of course he was curious to what straw was the piece that broke the camels back, but it wasn't the time. It was something he'd expected – Tom leaving. He didn't think he'd feel this way. He never thought he'd feel sad for Liz. For some reason, telling her she'd always deserved better and how much of a piece of shit he was, it wasn't something he wanted to do. Seeing her sad – made him sad. Liz had wanted so badly to have a normal life, a family, a career and so much of it had been stripped away from her. Finding out about her pregnancy and clinging to Tom was all she'd had.

"It's for the best." Liz sounded like she believed her words. Maybe she did. "I guess, I just need…" She couldn't finish her sentence. She didn't know what she needed.

"Hey, whatever you need. I got your back." Ressler nodded, his smile sincere as he sat himself down next to her. "And yours, my little rugrat." His tone was cheerful, as he pulled a silly face at Agnes who grinned at his friendly light hearted tone. She could tell he was playing with her. He poked at her belly, before blowing on her cheek to make a farting noise, which made the child let out a small giggle.

Liz's heart melted at the sound of her daughter's laugh. It was a beautiful laugh. She let out a delayed laugh in aw of the human she'd made.

"I'll push my bed against the wall for tonight. You and Agnes can stay in there. I'll have the sofa bed." He nodded. It was an excellent investment. The man grinned ear-to-ear, proud of his suggestion. Sure, she had a baby but he had made a grown up decision by having a sofa bed in his spare bedroom.

"Thank you." Her lips softly brushed his cheek. "It means a lot to us."

He had been about to climb to his feet to make said arrangements, but feeling the warmth of her lips against his cheek took him aback. Ressler stopped everything he was doing, everything he was thinking and looked at Liz. He was trying so desperately to think about something else, anything else. Even with swollen eyes, makeup from sixteen hours ago and hair all over the place, she was still beautiful. Her life was so complicated, and it had stopped him so many times from addressing the spark he'd initially had which was now burning a hole in his chest as he looked directly in her crystal blue eyes

He let out a manly cough, to snap himself back to reality. "Well Keen, what can I say? I'm the best partner in the world?"

"Don't I know it."