I'm kind of addicted to writing at the moment. Thank you for the reviews, it really means a lot. Any kind of feedback is welcomed. I'm not sure how much I like this chapter. I might alter it, or delete it completely and start again. WHO KNOWS!
They were both woken by the cry of her daughter, hungry and in need of attention. Liz sprang out of the sofa bed and in to Ressler's bedroom, where she'd left her daughter for the evening in the travel crib.
Ressler half opened his eyes, to see her leave the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Still in sleepy-I've-just-had-crazy-sex-with-my-partner mode, he grinned to himself and rolled over to the other side, falling back to sleep just waiting for her to return to him.
The next time he woke, it was 6am. He rolled back over and stretched his arm to find an empty side next to him. Ressler opened his eyes wide, fully taking in what had happened last night. He sighed, rolling to his back and looking at the ceiling.
He would be lying if he said he'd never thought about sleeping with Liz before. Sure, he'd thought about it when they first started working together – even when he didn't trust her. As time went on, it became more than that – feelings had developed. Ressler couldn't put his finger on the exact moment he realised just how crazy about Elizabeth Keen he was. What he was certain of was she had successfully managed to hurt him more than he ever thought humanly possible. Less than six months ago he found himself standing over her "dead" body. Now he lay naked in bed after spending what had been one of the best nights of his life, now alone.
"Ressler?" She questioned, hearing him pottering around the kitchen she approached him with Agnes on her hip. The sex hair was still there, but she had thrown on some old sweats to make herself decent around Agnes.
"Huh?" Ressler, looked at Liz before shaking the pan of bacon to flip the rashers over. He grinned at her messy hair, and her sheepish expression. Shy had never been a trait he'd experienced in Liz, and he found it captivating. "Oh, er… I thought I'd make breakfast." He pointed at the pan, as if she were completely blind. It was an icebreaker, albeit a not very good one.
Liz tried her best to stop herself smirking, but she couldn't help herself. She hid her face by kissing the top of her daughter's head. "I've been here two weeks and you haven't once made me bacon and eggs…"
Ressler raised his brow. "I thought I'd wake you both up in style!" He tried his best to sound casual. He demonstrated the bottle of formula he had made up for Agnes, so she could feed her before breakfast. He'd watched her do it so many times, and there were instructions, it was impossible to get wrong – in theory. "How are you, beautiful?" He approached them both, looking at Agnes, but of course he was talking to them both. Their eyes locked momentarily as Liz's heart fluttered at the contact. Ressler kissed the top of her Agnes' head, as Liz bounced her to hide how nervous she was.
"Sorry for waking you up, Ressler." Liz's tone was childlike to mimic Agnes.
"Hey, don't you worry about me." He grinned at Agnes crouching down to her eye level on Liz's shoulder. "Damn, she's getting so big. Aren't you little lady?" He kissed the baby's cheek, before returning to plate up breakfast for Liz and wrapping his in a tortilla wrap, burrito style, and tin foil for the road. Ressler ran his kitchen like a military operation. It was immaculate. On the counter top he'd put Agnes' bottle, a plate of breakfast for Liz and his ready to take to the office. The order made Liz chuckle, but realising he was leaving without eating with her made her frown.
"You're not staying with us?" She asked, her tone almost offended. His hair was gelled as per usual, all he needed was his jacket and he was good to go. Ressler grinned, it was nice for her to be somewhat put out by this. It gave him a better indication as to where they both stood after last night. He then felt the guilt wash over him. Feeling as if they'd just had a one-night stand and he was bolting. He'd gotten up early to prepare breakfast for them all, as a gesture of what last night had meant to him, minus the pressure.
"Yeah." He pulled his jacket over his shoulders. "Confession time, Red's coming to the post office today."
Liz looked as if she'd just been slapped in the face. "Oh…" She placed Agnes in her stroller, to allow her some freedom to bounce around the living room.
"You can come in, if you want. I mean, it'd be nice for you to be there. I'm sure he'd want to see Agnes too."
"Why is…?"
"I don't know. He just said he has a new blacklister for us." Ressler tried his best to downplay the situation, but he knew how much it hurt Liz.
"Who…?"
"Liz." He couldn't help himself. Ressler wrapped an arm around her and pulled her tightly to his chest. "I'll tell you everything tonight, unless you want to come?"
"Ressler… I…"
He lifted her chin up with his index finger, gently touching his lips against hers with a soft kiss.
"Don." He corrected.
Liz smiled in to another kiss, this one a more playful, happy kiss. "Don." She nodded in agreement.
"I love you." He whispered before realising what he was actually confessing. Liz's eyes widened as her heart came to a halt. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
Ressler's cheeks began to burn like the sun. He needed to get out of the situation. He kissed Agnes before heading to the post office, completely forgetting his burrito.
Elizabeth stared at what he'd left behind; sighing at how she'd reacted to his confession. Did she love him? Heck, she'd thought their relationship was completely platonic until 12 hours ago. She'd spent so long lost in a toxic relationship, she'd given little thought to being involved in one that would actually make her happy. Ressler – Donald – Don – would make her happy. He would do anything for her. She knew that. He was that kind of guy. She would trust him with her life. He was passionate, but kind. He was honest and loving. He was serious yet playful. He was loyal. Donald Ressler was the most loyal man she'd ever encountered – and yes, she loved him too.