He turned off the water in what seemed his first relaxing shower in months. He rolled a towel around his waist and looked at himself in the foggy mirror. He was happy, and it was hard to erase the stupid grin off his face. He washed and cleaned and then went back to the room.
He was buttoning his shirt when she woke up. Her blonde hair was scattered all over his pillow, and she was hugging the one he had used, probably missing him when he left to shower. The sheets barely covered her naked body, a view that came straight from his dreams.
"Hey" she said, sleepy. She stretched her arms and then turned to lie on her back, looking at him. She covered herself with the blanket and he felt a little upset.
She opened a smile that melt his heart and all the little fears he had that she would regret last night. It had all been a turmoil.
The cabal, lead by Solomon, invaded the post office with the sole purpose of killing her. What they didn't know is that he was still there. He hadn't gone home ever since she was caught. He was sleeping in his office, the only way of knowing for sure that she was safe as he promised. He hid from the cabal men who were shooting down his and went straight to the room with the cube.
When he entered there and opened it, she was sleeping. She woke up startled, but then understood as she heard the shots being fired on the upstairs level.
"I told you! I told you they would kill me here!"
"Ok, you can punch me later Keen, now c'mon!" He said, holding her hand and dragging her out of the place through a back door. He shielded her behind him and shot down two men who were coming after them, and then kept running through the corridors until they found the street. They went straight to his car, and as he turned the engine on and moved, she was keeping guard with his gun.
Then, as they hit the road, she pointed his gun at him.
"Let me go" she said, and he only noticed the gun with the corner of his eye, never taking them off the road.
"Keen, stop it" he screamed, hitting the accelerator and turning at a corner to lose any tails.
"Now, Ressler, stop the car!"
"And how do you intend to run from those heavy armed men alone in the middle of the street with a handgun?"
Only now did she realize that he was right, she would be helpless if he let her go. She dropped the gun to her lap but kept pointing at him.
"Are you going to keep me at gun point all the way?"
"You did when you arrested me" she said, looking out the window, but turning the gun away from him. He took a deep breath and slammed the steering wheel.
"Damn it, Keen! What do you want from me? You want me to say sorry for doing my job, going after a fugitive?"
"I'm not a terrorist!"
"And yet you chose to ran! You killed the attorney general"
"Because he was threatening everyone! He was threatening you!"
"You shot a cop!"
She silenced, remembering the cop she shot in a diner after she called him and told him to back off.
"Do you know if he's okay?" She whispered, upset.
"Yes, he's okay. And he's not gonna press charges because you took him to the hospital. And let's just say someone was very convincing to him." She knew immediately that he had talked to the cop, convincing him not to charge her. She looked at him and for a second he took his eyes off the road and accepted her thanks.
"I just want to keep you alive, Liz, why can't you see it?" He said, both calmer now. She observed as he took a right and she didn't know where they were going.
"Locking me up in that cage didn't really help, did it?"
"No, it didn't, and I'm sorry, okay? I'll try it your way now."
"Where are we going?" She asked as he took another right. He seemed to know exactly where to go.
"To the end of my career" he said, turning left to enter in the garage of an apartment building.
They entered his apartment and she noticed it had changed since the last time she was there. It was clean and tidy, as if nobody lived there for a while.
"How long has it been since you came here?" She asked, and he chuckled.
"Once or twice since you went on the run, and I haven't been here since I caught you."
She looked at him with pity. He looked exhausted.
"Ress, you're going to kill yourself like this"
"Well, wouldn't you like that?" He scorned.
"I wouldn't. Don't you say that. I worry about you" he looked at her, regretting what he said.
"So, what now?" she rubbed her hands against each other and sat on his couch.
He sat on the arm of the armchair opposite her and took off his jacket.
"Now you wait here until I figure out our next move"
"Our?" She raised an eyebrow "you don't have to do this, Ress, just give me a phone, I'll call Red and..."
"Let me do this, ok Liz? I'm sick of you going to Red to help you. He's a criminal, you should 't have to rely on him."
"You'll ruin your career! Even if we destroy the Cabal, you're still harboring a fugitive"
"Fuck my career! Do you think that's what I care about?" He looked nervous, and had tears in his eyes. She stood up and went to him. When she got close enough, she put a hand on his cheek, and he leaned on it, closing his eyes.
"Thank you, then" she said, and he opened his eyes, still leaning his head on her hand. She was now stroking her thumb under his eye.
"You have no idea what I've been through, Liz, since you went away, I had to live everyday with the fear of seeing you dead. When Reven Wright assigned me for this case, I knew you would think I was against you, but I also knew that If I didn't take it, someone else would, someone who probably wouldn't care if you lived or died. I never doubted you, I promise you that"
She took his head with both her hands, cupping his cheeks and looking deep into his eyes. "I know that"
He took a deep breath, and what he did next was unexpected for both of them. He held her waist and pulled her close, capturing her lips on his. He felt her stiff under his touch, and for a moment thought she wouldn't reciprocate the kiss, until she relaxed and kissed him back. He fell onto the armchair and took her on his lap as she deepened the kiss, exploring his mouth with her tongue. After a few minutes they broke apart and gasped for air, eyes closed. He didn't wait long to kiss her again, holding her head with his hand to keep her close. She started laughing mid-kiss.
"What?" He looked at her puzzled. He had never been so scared in his life. She took his head on her hands and caressed his cheek, still laughing and looking into his eyes.
"Nothing. Never thought that would happen, that's all" she said, and he reacted immediately trying to stand up and be away from her. She held him on the armchair, and kissed him lightly.
"I'm not saying it's bad, though. Just... New. So let's see, you're aiding and abetting, harboring a fugive and now romantically involved with her. You're in big trouble, agent Ressler."
"I'll say" he raised his eyebrows, then moved forward to capture her again on a kiss, while she laughed and he smiled. He tried to stand up, but she didn't let him, and then moved to put her legs on both sides of him, kneeling on the armchair. Then, she moved away and took off her shirt, kissing him again. He touched her bare back slightly, feeling his body start to shake. He couldn't believe this was happening, and never realized before how much he needed it. He raised his hand until he found the clasp of her bra, opening it and feeling the underwear fall between them. Then, he held her head with an open hand as he straightened up on the chair and went down to kiss her neck and cup her breast with the other hand.
"How do you know I'm not trying to seduce you to escape?" She said as he took her nipples into his mouth, sucking it lightly.
"At this point, I don't care, seduce me all you want, go away, I'm fine."
She laughed and kissed his neck lightly as she unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it out out of him. Then, she flattened her palms on his chest and felt his muscles as they stepped out of the armchair. They stood up in front of the other, wearing only their pants, and looked at each other. Whatever happened there would change their lives forever. He had to be sure.
"Are you sure this is what you want, Liz?" He asked, his thumb stroking her waist gently. She responded by opening his pants and leaning closer to him, asking for another kiss. He took her head between his hands
And looked at her deeply into her eyes before kissing her with open eyes first, feeling her melt under his touch. He lead her to his bedroom, and removed her pants, kneeling in front of her to kiss her on her thighs and crotch, feeling her over her underwear. He stood up again and took her on his arms, tilting together until they fell on the bed.
He went through her body, kissing and feeling her all over and giving her chills. She started to pant and moan and whisper his name, and it drove him crazy. He took her panties off and positioned himself on top of her, hearing her whisper his name one more time under her breath as he kissed her and entered her at the same time.
Right now, she was sinfully lying down on his bed, a dream come true. She moved towards him, letting the sheets fall down revealing her body, as she grabbed his half-buttoned shirt and pulled him down on the bed.
"Liz! I have to go!"
"Why?" She said, kissing him all over his face, and then looking at him. Her face was so close he didn't resist and kissed her on the mouth.
"Someone needs to clean the mess we left yesterday at the post office, and justify your disappearance"
"What are you going to say?" She was now kissing him on the neck, making him shiver.
"That you escaped while the post office was under attack. That it wasn't related, someone was aiming at you. The truth, basically."
"Excluding the fact that it was you who took me from there, brought me to your home and made love to me" he laughed
"Yeah, I was thinking about leaving this part out. But I'm sure that Laurel Hitchens will understand that the Cabal attacked the post office and you only took a chance to escape before they got to you. We will be able to turn this around. If I can convince her that the cabal exists, it will be much easier."
"Hum" she sighed, more interested in unbuttoning his shirt than on his plan. He gave up by kissing her full on the mouth, allowing her to turn them over to be on top of him.
At this moment, his phone rang. She was leaning over him kissing his chest as he tried to reach the device on the bedside table.
"Ignore it"
"Can I at least see who it is?" He asked, "it could be Reven Wright about the attack" she sighed, disappointed, and then took the cell and looked at the visor. It said "nick's pizza.
"It's Red"
He sat up and answered the phone. "Reddington?"
"Donald, if you answered the phone I presume you escaped the attack and took Liz with you, please tell me I'm right?" He looked at her and confirmed "yes, she's here." Reddington sighed relieved. "Where are you?"
"At my apartment"
"Get out of there now! The Cabal will be coming for you. At this point they already know you helped her and will definitely search there."
"I was going to go to the post office, talk to Laurel Hitchens and Reven Wright about..."
"Listen to me Donald, Reven Wright is dead! Laurel Hitchins is part of the Cabal, she killed Reven. They are so deep into the government at this point we should presume everyone is dangerous. There's no point you going to the post office now. If you care for Lizzy, you'll leave this behind and listen to me. are you up for it?"
He looked at her, now getting dressed on the side of his bed. "Yes. Where should we go?"
"I'll text you the address. It's a cabin outside the city, it belongs to a neighbor of the Coopers'. They are there with Tom and Karakurt. It's time we join our forces. This is the last battle, Donald, and we need to get out of it alive.
He trembled at the thought of joining forces with Tom Keen, but accepted and hung up with an "okay". Not one minute later he felt his phone vibrate with the address.
"Let's go. I'll explain everything to you on the way" he lead her out of the apartment touching the lower part of her back gently, and she turned to him as he closed the door and gave him a kiss.
"We'll get out of this, and you'll be safe, you'll see" he said, seeing that she had fear in her eyes.
"I know. I have you now" he smiled faintly and then kissed her again before they both ran through the corridor towards the elevator.