Ressler stared at his computer screen as he fiddled with the paper wrapper from his chopsticks. The Post Office had long since emptied out, but he had stayed to try to complete his report on the day's events. The remnants of his takeout dinner littered his desk. With a grunt, he leaned forward and began to type another sentence of his report. "Fenberg was last seen meeting with Vitaris…" He blinked wearily as he gave up and brushed a hand across his eyes. The whole report was taking him far longer than it should have but he just couldn't seem to focus. He leaned back in his chair as he reached for a pencil and began to twirl it absently between his fingers.

Vitaris. Ressler couldn't shake the image of his son. Just a kid. A young, healthy kid whose life had been ruined by an addiction to prescription painkillers. He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. It all hit a little too close to home.

He didn't even realize Liz had stepped into the room until she spoke. "You're here late," she said softly.

Ressler's eyes flew open as he sat up abruptly and nearly lost his balance. "Keen - what are you doing here? I thought you went home?" he stammered.

Liz shook her head as she sat down at her desk and rummaged through a drawer. "I went to see Reddington. He needed to drop me off so he could go to the airport. It was closer to come back here and get my car than to have him bring me straight home."

Ressler nodded slightly. "Did you ever ask him about your mother?"

Liz glanced up from the drawer as she finally found her car keys and gave him a wry smile. "I did. Twice, actually. The first time he kind of dodged the question with typical Reddington-speak. The second time, he actually said she was a fake."

"And do you believe him?" Ressler asked cautiously. He wasn't sure what to believe, himself.

Liz shook her head. "No. He's clearly hiding something. What and why I don't know, but he's definitely not telling me the full story." She bit her lip before continuing, "I spent months with this woman and while she wasn't telling me the truth either, I got a feeling about her, you know? I'm not ready to accept Reddington's word on her just yet."

"Makes sense," Ressler replied slowly.

"So what's keeping you here?" Liz asked as she gestured towards his computer.

Ressler exhaled. "I'm trying to finish the report on the Fenbergs but it's taking forever. I think I may need to call it a night and finish it tomorrow."

Liz closed her drawer with a bang. "That's a good idea. Go home, get some rest." She paused for a moment as her smile slowly turned into a broad grin. "You really had me going for a moment earlier, telling Cooper I was keeping a secret!"

Ressler chuckled slightly as he closed his document and turned off his computer. "I couldn't resist. Sorry if I scared you."

"I knew deep down you'd never betray me like that," Liz replied, "but I really did have that moment where I was like what the hell…?"

Ressler's expression was entirely serious as he met Liz's eyes. "I would never betray you. I hope you know that."

"I do," she said softly. They held each other's eyes for a long moment before Ressler turned to grab his jacket.

"You've convinced me to quit for the night. I'll walk you out."

Liz waited for him in the doorway of their office until he collected his things and then flipped off the lights. They walked in companionable silence to the elevator. As the doors closed with a bang, Liz darted a glance at Ressler.

"About my mother — I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. I didn't think — and maybe I should have — that it would bother you like that."

Ressler hung his head as the elevator doors opened and they stepped out into the parking garage. He slung his jacket over one shoulder and turned to face her.

"Keen, I —" he began as he cleared his throat. "I know what it's like to lose a parent," he managed as his voice cracked slightly as he kept his eyes focused on the far wall of the garage. "And it's not something I would wish on anyone. So when I thought that it was my fault, that my investigation was the reason…"

"It wasn't," Liz interjected quickly as she put her hand lightly on his arm.

Ressler swallowed hard. "I know that now. But at the time…"

"You blamed yourself for weeks and didn't tell me," Liz replied softly.

Ressler met her gaze for a moment before he lowered his eyes. "It doesn't matter now," he replied tightly. "She's fine, and that's good."

"It does matter," Liz replied firmly.

Ressler slowly raised his eyes to meet hers and frowned slightly. "It matters because you cared," Liz continued. "About me, about Agnes and about what all this meant for us. You're a good friend," she added as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him and pulled him tightly against her.

Ressler caught his breath as he leaned into her embrace and rested his head against her shoulder. After a moment, he shifted and wrapped his arms around her too as he drew her closer. As he did so, he was suddenly conscious of the slightly perfumed scent of her hair and he inhaled deeply.

After a few minutes Liz drew back slightly and placed a hand on his arms. "I still can't shed that image of you in tights, though," she whispered conspiratorially.

Ressler threw his head back and laughed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to escort her to her car. "You're welcome," he remarked for the second time that day.