Hello! A great thank you again to all of your comments. I am so thrilled every time I check for comments...and I have to admit...I check quite often :o) As I promised the next two chapters...maybe not this one but the next one...are quiet different to the other three chapters...hope you will like it.

I really loved episode 1x06 Gina Zanetakos.

Ressler really got banged up A LOT in this episode...but as in all the other episodes before he was always just fine. Not quite realistic if you ask me ;o) So this is where I got my fingers working ;o)

Chapter 4 - Air

Ressler made his way into the elevator still barking orders into his mobile phone. His mind was so full of the things needed to be done that he didn't even think about checking the elevator he had just gotten into.

There was a group of girls giggling but he didn't even recognize them. Gina Zanetakos was on the run and they needed to find her.

As the elevator door opened Ressler stepped to the site letting everyone out before he waited patiently for the doors to close again. It didn't take long until he could feel the presence of another person right behind him. He tried to turn around but the punch right into his face hit him hard and without any warning. He wasn't prepared.
As they turned around like a dance he could see Zanetakos face but soon her knee landed in his stomach over and over again. He tried to fight her off halfhearted, it was his soft spot. He couldn't through a punch into a woman's face.

Zanetakos continued to throw punches at his face and without any warning Ressler could feel her arm wrapping around his neck. She strangled him.
Ressler tried to fight her off, to take a breath but it was getting heavier for him to move. He knew that she wouldn't kill him but soon sparkles where dancing in front of his eyes. He tried to blink them away but without air there was nothing he could do. The weight of her body on his back got heavier with every second passing by. Slowly he crumbled to the ground still trying to fight her off. The blood floating through his system was now getting his ears to ring. Everything else was just muffled. He could hear the sound of the elevator doors opening in the distance before his world went completely black.

Ressler took in a deep breath as he got back to consciousness. He didn't know how long he had blacked out. He slit against the elevator wall into a sitting position still trying his best to sort out what had just happened. He felt miserable. His throat, his head, his face, his back, his stomach, everything was on fire. He could taste blood in his mouth. But the worst thing was the fact that he couldn't suck in all the air his lungs and his whole body was longing for. He tried his best not to hyperventilate.

The sound of a phone ringing snapped him out of his disoriented state. With shaking hands he fumbled for the phone before answering it. He was still trying to catch his breath and get the control over his aching body back.
"Shubie Hartwell?", Keen asked on the other side of the phone.

"Not quite." Ressler breathed out. His voice was just a shadow of his normal demanding tone.

"Ressler? Why did you got her phone? Did you find her? Could you stop her?" Keen continued to asked anxiously.
"Not quite." Donald answered again the pain now visible in his voice. He couldn't continue to talk to her, even the phone felt just to heavy to hold so he just dropped it, even with Keen on the other side of the line.

"Are you okay? Is everything alright?" Keen asked as soon as she had finally recognized how Ressler was actually sounding.

"Donald?", Keen nearly screamed into her phone as she couldn't hear any answer. The phone was still on but Ressler wasn't answering her anymore.

Within a second she was on her way down. She took as many steps as possible in one time. She needed to find him, needed to know that he was alright. Keen could hear two kids asking their father if the unconscious man from the elevator was going to be alright and what had just happened to him. Keen automatically knew that it had to be Ressler. Was he still unconscious? Had he lost consciousness while they had been talking on the phone? Had Zanetakis shot him? What state was he in? Keens mind was racing.

As soon as she entered the lowest level she ran straight to the elevator that was still in the lobby, the door wide open. It was blocked by a foot. Ressler.
"Ressler!" Keen screamed out as soon as she saw him. He was now sitting on the side of the elevator blocking the door with his foot. He had tried to get up for a few times but still his body wouldn't do what he was telling it. He needed air.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Keen asked crashing down right beside her partner. She could see the blood on his lip and his face which was already turning purple. His breathing was labored and far away from being normal and healthy. She could see the panic in his eyes.
"Talk to me!", she begged.

"She strangled me.", Ressler explained still out of breath.
"You where unconscious?" Keen asked receiving a nod from Ressler.
"Let me take a look at your face." Keen gently touched it, inspecting the cut on Resslers lip and the mark on his face.

"Where else did she get you?"

"Ribs and stomach."

"Did you broke anything?"

Ressler closed his eyes for a second still trying to sort out the pain all over his body.

"No...no I don't think so."

"What about your throat? Everything okay? Can you swallow, can you breath in probably?"

"Yeah. I am alright. I just need a few more seconds."

"Did you call the ambulance?" A paramedic asked showing up right in front of the elevator.

"Yes we did. FBI. We found a body in a hotel room." Keen said before looking at Ressler and than back at the paramedic.

"My partner was strangled. He passed out, can you check him out first?"

"No. I am fine!", Ressler said quickly.

"No you are not." Keen demanded getting to her feet to let the paramedics take care of Ressler.

She knew that he hated to be attended but right now she could see that he wasn't even able to fight them off. His body needed oxygen and they both knew it. Ressler didn't fight as the paramedics asked him to lay down on the ground before they placed the oxygen mask over his face. He sucked the oxygen in and couldn't believe how great it felt to his body. Even if he would never admit it, without the help of the paramedics he wouldn't have made it back to his feet that easily.
"So I think there is nothing broken. I would like you to get completely checked in a hospital." The older paramedic said as soon as he had replaced the oxygen mask from Resslers face. Due to the monitor they had hooked him on his oxygen levels where now stabilized again.

"I am fine thank you." Ressler said before getting back to his feet, using the elevator wall for a little support. He stiffed his shirt back into his trousers and looked at Keen who was standing in front of the elevator sorrow all over her face.

"I am good. Really." Ressler pointed out before stepping out of the elevator. He felt way better after the oxygen and Keen could see it on her own. She stretched her arm out, gently touching the mark on Resslers face. Ressler winced a little but Keen just cupped his cheek for a second longer, looking directly into Resslers eyes.

At first she had demonished him more than once for the way he was acting. He had made her life even more complicated. With every gesture, every word spoken he had shown her that he didn't like her, that he couldn't understand why she was there, why Red wanted her to be there after he had spend more than seven years of his life hunting him down. But as the weeks had passed they had grown closer, they had started to talk even about private stuff. Liz had slowly recognized how much this job meant for Donald and she had understand why he had been so angry against her. They had talked about it and figured out how to work together, how to get along. And with every day passing after they had honestly talked to each other Liz had to admit that she really liked Donald.

As a partner.

As a friend.

…..to be continued!

Next chapter (still episode 1x06) a lot of Ressler whump and a lot of Liz and Ressler!