This is a first for me, so bear with me as I really don't know what I'm doing. This story has just been floating around in my head. Keen and Ressler need to have some undercover time together, just to make things uncomfortable for a while. It's too early to have them hook up! More will follow as I figure it out...if it's any good.
AD Harold Cooper gathered the team for a briefing on a the latest criminal they will be after. This one is not on the blacklist, but is one on the FBI's most wanted list. His name is Jim Franks, and he is a dangerous man who preys on couples on vacation at high-end resorts. He is constantly on the move, and his tactic is to make friends with well to do couples on vacation, partying with them until he can catch them unaware, which is when he takes them captive for a ransom.
AD Cooper give the team the background on this fugitive, finishing up by telling them that Agent Keen and Agent Ressler have been assigned to go undercover as a married couple to apprehend this fugitive. The agents give each other a quick glance to gauge each other's reaction to the news, but each manages to keep a poker face for how this assignment affects them. Agent Keen's first thought was if Agent Ressler even had a swimsuit or knew how to relax and Agent Ressler's mind went to evaluating how awkward this was going to be for him after losing Audrey. Each went home to pack and meet back at the Post Office to coördinate their background story.
Two hours later, they were back in their office, Ressler eyeing Keen's entourage of luggage compared to his two bags he packed. She saw his expression and glared at him, daring him to say anything out loud. She did ask him if he managed to pack some nice evening clothes along with beach wear, as their cover included them going out to a variety of restaurants and clubs in the evenings. Agent Ressler said "Of course, I packed some of my good suits along with the right shoes. Why, do you need to approve my clothes before we go out, like a real wife would?" Keen just smiled and said "Of course, dear. We're undercover you know. Have to keep things real!"
Just then, Aram walked in, giving them their cell phones and a variety of instructions on how to keep in contact with the FBI while undercover. He had micro cameras and listening devices that they could use as needed, along with a high tech camera and laptop, all programmed and ready to go. After that, they were off to catch their plane.
As they sat on the plane, they worked on their background story. Ressler could care less, so he let Keen plan most of it out, since she was the one who had been married before. "How did we meet ", he asked. "Isn't that the first thing married people are asked?" "And how long have we been together?" Keen looks at him and decides to stay as close to the truth as possible. "Let's say we met at work, and initially didn't like each other." Ressler glances at her and actually lets a little smile show when he hears this. It was true, they had a rough start. "OK," he says, "how long ago? Kids – do we have any?" Keen says "We met 4 years ago, but we started dating 3 years ago, after meeting again and deciding there was something there. We've been married for 2 years. No kids yet, and we're arguing about when or if to start a family. I want kids, you aren't sure because work is so busy." They talk through some of the other basic things couples should know about each other, favorite music, favorite movies, and find they actually have more in common than they ever thought they would. Soon enough, the plane is ready to land and they are off to start their mission. As the plane comes to a stop and they stand up to get their luggage, 'Donnie and Liz Weston' exchange a look and head out to the sunshine.
The hotel is beautiful, right along the beach, and their room has sweeping views of the ocean. They walk in, looking around to settle in and unpack their clothes. Keen looks at Ressler from across the one king sized bed in the room, eyebrow raised, asking him what side of the bed he prefers. He glances at her, and says "I always sleep on the side closest to the door. If anyone comes in, they will have to go through me to get to you" and proceeds to hang up his suits on his side of the closet. I guess that means no one will be taking the floor, Keen thinks, as she starts laying her clothes out, shaking out her dresses and then walking over to hang them up next to Ressler's suits. Seeing them together like that gave her a bit of a jolt, but she just had to remember that is was part of the job. Not that she was complaining, because she was actually secretly looking forward to seeing Ressler out of his element, in a swimsuit, lounging by the pool. She was pretty sure he hid a great body under that shirt and tie, so what girl would complain about that!
Ressler glanced at Keen, noting her opening a few drawers and putting some lacy bras and underwear away, along with some bright scraps of material that would pass as swimsuits. He closed his eyes and groaned, clenching his jaw, knowing that it was going to be tough to not let his non-professional interest in his partner show during this assignment. He opened his eyes and caught Keen looking at him curiously, like she could guess what he was thinking, so he cleared his expression quickly and started talking about their assignment. Anything to keep their focus on the job and away from anything too personal. This was going to be a long week!
They decided to walk around and get a feel for the layout of their resort, so Liz changed into a light sundress and Donnie went for shorts and a casual shirt. Liz looked him over, and stopped Donnie, stepping in close to him, slowly reaching her hands up to run her fingers through his perfectly controlled hair, messing it up just a bit. "There" she said, "that looks much more like vacation mode!" Donnie tried hard not to notice how good she smelled and pulled away, reaching for a box on the dresser. "Oh wait, we can't forget these" he said, pulling out their matching wedding bands. Liz looked a bit uncomfortable as Donnie put her ring on her finger, holding her hand just a bit longer than needed. She smiled and returned the favor, putting his on for him, then boldly grabbed his hand, laughing as she pulled him out of the room. "Let the vacation begin!" She said loudly, and off they went, hand in hand, looking like any couple ready for some R&R.
As Donnie and Liz walked through the lobby and into one of the hotel bars, Donnie spotted their target leaning against the bar, ordering a drink. He pulled Liz in close, his arm around her shoulder, and leaned in, his mouth close to ear to whisper that he spotted their man. Liz laughed and smiled, pretending he had just told her something sweet, leaning into his chest, her hand smoothing across his cheek. Her touch sent a jolt through Ressler, and he unconsciously leaned in towards her as if he was going to kiss her. Liz's eyes widened as his mouth came towards her, but Donnie stopped himself at the last second and kissed her cheek instead. This was going to get complicated, he thought…
They walked up to the bar, sitting in two of the chairs at a table not far from their target. Ressler walked up to the bar to order some drinks, looked over at Jim, and introduced himself, telling him that he and his wife were celebrating 3 years of married bliss and the closing of a huge business deal with a well-earned vacation. Their company had just gotten bought out in a very sweet deal, and this was part of their celebration of all of their hard work. First a vacation, then a new house and his and her cars! Ressler was laying it on thick, bragging how much money they had now as part of this deal. Keen came up and put her arm around Ressler, snuggling in and introducing herself to Jim as well. Ressler noticed how Jim's eyes traveled up and down Liz, and he drew her closer to him in a protective gesture. After talking for a few minutes, Jim told them that he was hosting a pool party later on and invited them to join him. Liz laughed with delight and accepted, saying they wouldn't miss it! Donnie agreed and they finished up their drinks and said they would see Jim later, walking away, arm in arm, back to their room.
Once there, they went over the files on their target again, talking through their tactics on how to apprehend him when the time came, and agreed to stay on their toes for anything suspicious. Liz went over to the dresser and pulled out a hot pink bikini top and a black one, holding one in each hand, and turned to Donnie, asking "What's your preference?", with a smirk on her face. Typical to Ressler fashion, he glanced at them, said "both look great, dear" and went back to looking at the file, pretending not to care. Liz rolled her eyes, and decided on the black one, as it was a bit riskier than the pink one, and she was wanting to make sure she caught Jim's eye again today. She took the two small scraps of material into the bathroom, closed the door, and changed, emerging just a few minutes later, almost running into Donnie as he walked by the door. He put his arms out to steady her and looked down her body, his jaw dropping open despite himself, quickly pulling his eyes back up to hers. "Wow" he said, trying to recover. "You look good Keen", dropping his hands and stepping back from her to let her pass. Liz smiled and said "Bathrooms open, your turn" and walked over to put on her shoes. Donnie grabbed his swim trunks, a basic blue pair, and went into the bathroom to change, coming out just a minute later. Liz turned stopped in her tracks, running her eyes over him from head to toe, taking in his wide muscular shoulders and the smooth chest and strong arms, lingering at the way his trunks hung low on his hips before bringing her eyes back up to meet his. Donnie was staring back at her, an uncomfortable expression on his face, like he wasn't sure how to respond. Liz broke into a grin, saying "Oh this is going to be fun" and making him give her a questioning glance before rolling his eyes in exasperation at her flirting. "Behave Keen", he says as he grabs the sun screen, sunglasses and towels and heads towards the door. "Ready to go, honey?" he asks, holding the door open, then following her out, willing himself to keep his target in mind and not Liz's how swimsuit showed off her curves. He did allow himself to think that this job did have its perks once in a while!
Once they got to the party and got a couple of drinks, they found a spot to sit down and enjoy the sun and the views. Liz reclined on a lounge chair, handing Donnie the bottle of sun screen, with an innocent look, asked him sweetly if he could please put some on her back so she didn't burn. She turned over, looking over her shoulder and crooking her finger at him, teasing him as she would a lover. Donnie uncapped the bottle and sat down next to Liz, squirting some of the lotion in his hands, rubbing them together to warm it up before rubbing it on her shoulders and down her arms. He put another dollop on his hands and then proceeded to rub her lower back, lingering at the top of her bikini briefs and then again rubbed down the length of each leg, taking his time and enjoying the job thoroughly. Liz lay there, trying not to show how affected she was by his hands touching so much of her. Donnie, she thought warmly, knows what he's doing with those hands of his. His sigh of regret and his leaning away from her brought her back to reality, and he realized he was done. "Your turn" she said, rolling over and sitting up. Donnie gave her the bottle and it was his turn to enjoy the feeling of Liz rubbing warm lotion all over his back and chest, lingering over the tightness of his stomach and the breadth of his shoulders. He found himself getting aroused by her hands, and abruptly caught her by the wrists and pulled her to him, stopping her from applying any more. Covering his movement by pulling her arms up around his shoulders and pulling her close to him, nuzzling her neck, whispering in her ear "Watch it Keen" before patting her on the ass and stepping away. Liz laughed and watched him walk away, admiring the muscular figure he presented as he went to find their target, or host, and get to work. Sighing, she turned to sit on her recliner, only to stop short as she almost ran into Jim, who had come up behind her silently, and who was obviously admiring her figure. Immediately, she wished Donnie were here by her side, but thought she needed to use this opportunity to get Jim to fall for them as a power couple who may be easy pickings for him.
Hey Jim, good to see you again, and thanks so much for inviting us tonight!" Jim and Liz talked for a while, going over her and Donnie's vacation plans and asking a ton of personal questions on their business they had just sold, plus their plans for the future. "My daddy is in the oil business and wants Donnie to join his company, so we're thinking that over on this vacation as well" said Liz, planting the idea of old family money with Jim as well. "I'm all for it but Donnie likes to do things his way, so we'll see." Just then, Donnie sees her and Jim and makes his way over to them. He sits down beside Liz, pulling her on to his lap while she talks, curving his arms around her waist and laying one hand across her legs, cupping her thigh. Liz is immediately distracted and she leans in to him, the skin on skin contact heightening her senses and making her skin burn from his touch. She absently runs her hands over him, following the outline of solid muscle down his arm, admiring the cut of his wide shoulders under her arm. Donnie realized his mistake as soon as he pulled her on to his lap and was now thinking he needed to make a change quickly, before things got out of control for him. Liz squirmed on his lap, twisting as she reached for her drink, and heard Donnie suck his breath in and freeze, grabbing her hips to keep her from continuing to move around so much. She lost her train of thought as she gazed at him, watching his eyes dilate with desire and his breath deepen as he gazed at her mouth. Not wanting to break their cover, Liz leaned in and slowly kissed Donnie in front of Jim, making it look like they were very much in love and devoted to each other. It was easy pretending they couldn't keep their hands off each other, because at the moment, that was so true.
Donnie couldn't believe his luck, Liz Keen was sitting on his lap, almost naked, kissing him like there was no tomorrow. Her lips were soft and seductive, parting slightly across his, her tongue teasing his lips until they opened and she had access to his mouth, her tongue claiming his in a duel of passion. He claimed her mouth as his own, dominating and demanding, taking what he wanted, until a slight cough came from Jim, reminding them of his presence. They broke apart, dazed, looking completely confused as they realized they were in public, making out like a couple of teenagers. Jim was laughing at them, saying "I can tell you two are going to have fun tonight, so I'll let you go enjoy yourselves" and walked away, giving Donnie a thumbs up as he pointed at Liz, who was still hanging on him. "You are one lucky man!"
Liz and Donnie sat there until Jim walked away, glancing at each other, trying not to show how that kiss had affected both of them so much, although for Donnie, it was pretty hard to hide the obvious reaction his body had to it. Liz must have suddenly realized his situation and said "Oh!" and tried to slide off of him. Donnie just held her in place, looking at her a bit painfully, saying "I think it would be good if you just stayed put for a minute or two, please". That made Liz look at him and despite herself, burst out laughing at his condition and how awkward he felt having to say anything about it. "OK," she said, "I can do that. Think about snow, winter, cold showers… that always helps me. Then we can jump in the pool and cool both of us off after that kiss." Donnie looked at her, realizing that it had to have affected her as much as it did him. "Well, if you say so dear" he said, and he stood up, holding Liz in his arms and stepped off the edge into the pool, listening to her screech in surprise as they went under. She came up, sputtering, eyes flashing at him, catching him around the shoulders and hanging on as he got her breath. "That," she said, "was NOT fair! You'll pay for that later, mister, just wait." "Promises, promises", said Donnie, swimming away to the edge and pulling himself out of the pool. Liz watched him admiringly, watching the water run down his chiseled body, then decided she had better stay in the water and cool off for a bit longer, and swam a lap or two. The rest of the party was uneventful, and they called it a night early and headed up to their room, arms wrapped around each other as they walked away.
Back in the room, Liz told Donnie to grab the shower first, so he knowing that he would be in and out quicker than she would. He noted all of her personal items around the room, the scented shampoo in the shower and the body lotion by the sink. He got through his routine and shaving and hair gel quickly and efficiently, putting everything back in its place when he was done. Dinner was going to a casual meal in the resort dining area, so khakis and a nice shirt would work fine tonight. Hopefully Keen would approve of his choice, and he knew she would tell him if she didn't. "It's all yours" he said as he stepped out of the bathroom. Liz looked him over approvingly, nodded her head, and said "I'll be quick". Famous last words, thought Donnie, half an hour later. What takes women so long to get ready, he thought, frustrated at how his thoughts kept going to imagining Liz in the shower, soaping up those long lovely legs….STOP! he told himself. Don't go there. Just then, the door opened and Liz stepped out, wearing a sexy LBD that showed her assets off nicely. "Donnie, I can't get this zipped up, can you help me please?" she said as she pulled her hair out of the way and turned her back to him. "Sure," said Donnie, as his hands skimmed down her back, looking for the zipper. It was obvious she couldn't have much on underneath this thing, and again he had to stop himself from thinking too much about that. He slid the zipper up and let his hands rest on her shoulders when he was done. She turned to look at him, and they gazed at each other for a minute before he broke eye contact, saying "Are you ready to go?" and walking towards the door. "Sure thing, let me just grab my purse so we can take pictures of any of anyone who may be working with Jim on his jobs." Liz grabbed her purse, linked her arm in Donnie's and they went down for supper.
Liz did get a few good pictures during the evening of several men who met with Jim, ones they could send back to Aram when they got back to their room and logged in to the laptop he had provided. She and Donnie had a relaxing meal, along with a couple of bottles of good wine, and just enjoyed the moment they were in. It was a beautiful resort and they let their guard down and talked about life and their personal experiences, including Audrey and Tom, and how that loss affected both of them. Liz had never seen Donnie this open about anything, and it gave her a new perspective on her partner, making him so much more human and approachable. They finished up, nothing that Jim had finished and left a few minutes before they did, leaving with a woman. They walked back to their room, Donnie's hand at her lower back, tired and slightly tipsy from the wine, ready for bed. Liz was yawning as she sat down on the bed, pulling her shoes off, trying to stay awake long enough to get her PJs on. She used the bathroom first, changing into her short nighty, hung her dress up carefully, and climbed in on her side of the king sized bed. Donnie went next, stripping down to his shorts, brushing his teeth, and climbed into bed and turned the lights off. "This bed is big enough we can each have our own side," he said, "Goodnight Liz". "Goodnight Donnie" she said in response, and both fell asleep quickly, exhausted.
Donnie came to slowly the next morning and found himself on top on Liz, her legs wrapped around his hips, her arms around his shoulders, and his lips kissing down her neck as she arched her back and groaned as his hands caressed her breast, sculpting the hard nipple he found underneath her shirt. He froze, his hips thrusting up and into hers, his hardness pressed against her heat with no doubt on what they both wanted. He pulled back slightly, letting his breath out slowly, looking to see if Liz was awake, and saw that she was just becoming aware of their situation, her eyes opening and focusing on him above her. He watched her expression change, from intense desire to awareness of what she was doing and what he was doing to her. She gasped, and looked at Donnie, trying to gauge his reaction. "Um, good morning", he said haltingly, trying to casually remove his hand from under her shirt, releasing her breast and pulling her top back into place. Liz closed her eyes, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she replied "good morning" back to him, trying to drop her legs and release his hips without causing her to grind against him more than she already was. That they were both very affected by their proximity was obvious to both of them, so they just had to make the best of it. Ressler lifted his hips from between her legs and rolled off of Liz, unwittingly taking the covers with him. "Hey!" she said grabbing for the sheet to cover herself with, looking for anything to distract her from the heat raging through her veins. "Sorry" said Ressler, "for…that. I didn't mean to cross that line. I mean, we were obviously tired out and didn't know what we were doing in our sleep, right?!" he said hopefully, looking at her for confirmation. "Sure" said Liz, "it's fine, it meant nothing. No big deal." He thought he could see a flash if hurt in her eyes, but figured he had to be wrong. She had never given him any indication she wanted to be more than partners with him and neither of them wanted to complicate their partnership by getting involved, plus they were both just coming off relationships that ended badly. All of these reasons made sense, but it couldn't change the fact that they were attracted to each other.
Donnie jumped out of bed, grabbed his clothes and went to the bathroom to get his shower done and get ready for the day. Liz watched him close the door, released the breath she was holding, and slammed her pillow over her head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she shouted into the pillow. She lay there for a minute, then got up and got ready for the day. They planned on more pool time, hoping to zero in on Jim and his gang before they had a chance to kidnap another couple. She made a resolution to keep things profession between her and her partner, no matter what!
Aram called them before they left the room. He had used the pictures they had sent him and identified 3 men who were Jim's accomplices, and gave them a heads on who to watch for. Donnie and Liz agreed on a code word in case one of them was in a situation that they needed help. "How about sweetheart? That we could easily work into a conversation." "Sounds good to me" said Donnie, and they set off for the beach, dressed casually for the day, Liz with her swimsuit under a beach wrap and Donnie in a black set of trunks with a white t-shirt.