They were up on time the next morning, not entirely sure when his family would get there but wanting to be ready. Liz had made space on the floor in Ressler's office room and pumped up the air mattress, then made up the bed for Agnes.

The spare bed sheets she changed so the bed was ready for his Mom and she got some stuff together for Robbie on the couch.

Ressler spent most of the time sitting and watching her, still not allowed to stand for more than 5 minutes or put any weight on his foot, but he supervised Agnes' bath from a chair beside the tub and helped her get changed. He even tried his hand at braiding her hair. It was far from perfect but it held and he was proud of it so they kept it in.

Only when Liz had cleaned every horizontal surface in the kitchen and living room, even though they weren't dirty, and made sure that no dishes were visible did she finally sit next to him on the couch and drink her coffee.

She was obviously nervous and Ressler knew that nothing he could say would change that so he didn't say anything, he just rested his hand on her knee for support.

She had never met his Mom and the only time that she had met Robbie was under extenuating circumstances. She had never really been in a "meet the family" type situation, because with Tom there was no family to meet.

She knew what his family looked like from the various pictures in his apartment, but she had never actually met them. Add to that the fact that they didn't know Ressler was in a relationship at all and she was scared shitless.

Liz jumped at the knock on the door, and bolted to her feet. Ressler stood more slowly.

"Let me get it" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and reaching for his crutches.

"Alright" said Liz and inhaled as much air as her lungs would hold, exhaling slowly. "Has to happen sometime, right?"

It was intended as a rhetorical question but Ressler said "Yup. Don't worry Liz, they will love you", on his way to the door. Liz took Agnes' hand and pulled her in front of her.

He opened the door to reveal his mother and brother. Liz had seen pictures of Ressler's family around his apartment but those were a little old. His Dad had died when he was only 14 but it was clear to her that he strongly resembled his Father. The woman in the door frame was older than any pictures Ressler had but she still seemed spry and healthy. She was more than a head shorter then both of her sons, not even making it to Ressler's shoulder. Her hair was clearly dyed, a shade of red, but judging from her complexion she likely used to be a red head anyway. Ressler's Dad had been as well, so it was no suprise that the ginger stuck around for the next generation. Ressler's Mom stepped forward and embraced her son in the kitchen, disregarding his crutches. "Donnie!" she exclaimed, clearly elated to see him. Her face split in a huge smile and her eyes twinkled green in the light.

Maybe the smile, thought Liz. Ressler smiled like that too when he it was genuine. But that was about the only physical similarity that stood out. The eyes and nose were clearly from his father, as was his body build. Physically she wouldn't have recognized them for mother and son at all, but she could already tell right now that Ressler had gotten his mother's personality. The wide and gentle smile, the open pose, the level of expression in the eyes.

Liz knew at first glance that she was the type of woman who was a mother figure to everyone who knew her. The love and gentleness flowed from her, and Liz smiled as she thought of all the times she had seen the same things in her son. There wasn't a harsh bone in the woman's body. The temper must be from his Dad too, she thought with a grin. Ressler could be a hothead sometimes too, Liz had seen it. Scottish temper, she thought. The nation was known for their temper from time to time, usually not in a good way, but there was a reason for it. Obviously she would never meet the man to blame for that, but she smiled anyway. So he was a mixture of his parents. She loved the idea of seeing family traits shine through like that and only for a second wished she could pick some out in herself.

Robbie stepped in after their Mom with the bags and dropped them to hug his little brother as well. The group hug went on surprisingly long for a guy who didn't like to hug, but Liz knew that she was seeing a soft spot. Family clearly meant a lot to the group in front of her.

Robbie looked a little more like his Mom, but like Ressler, he took after his father as well.

Still, the love was plain between them and Liz was glad for it. She hoped that someday in the future she would learn to fit in instead of standing on the outside.

Ressler pulled away from his Mom, balancing on his crutches and making his way back to the couch to sit down. Once he was sitting he introduced her and Agnes to his Mom.

"Mom, this is Liz and her daughter Agnes", he said, pointing to them in turn.

"Hello, Lisa - Mom" said Liz haltingly as she was swept into a hug. Ressler smiled but she didn't think it was funny, she didn't know what to call her.

"Call me whatever you want dear, it doesn't matter". Well that answers that.

"So you're the partner. Heard a lot about you". So Ressler has mentioned me to his Mom before. It felt good for some reason, to know that she was important enough to be included in phone calls for a while. And a lot, she knows a lot about me. So it had been happening for some time.

"Yes" said Ressler, turning a touch red at his Mom's mention of what he assumed was a private conversation. "Partner and - girlfriend."

This caused a look to come across his Mom's face. A little on Robbie's too, but not as much. Robbie smiled at her, she knew that he was still probably feeling indebted to her.

"Girlfriend, Oh. That calls for a longer conversation. But first, tell me how you are feeling." She touched his crutches, rearranging them against the coffee table.

Liz was releived. Apparently the fact that he was hurt still took precedence over the fact that he had a girlfriend. She took that as a good sign.

Ressler opened his mouth and then faltered. Looking at Agnes he asked, "Aggie how about you go find your new doll"

"Okay!" she agreed, skipping out of the room. He hoped that she would get distracted and it would give them a few minutes to talk without little ears.

"You haven't said exactly what happened or what's wrong, Donnie. I want to know everything." His Mom was persuasive at the least.

"It's not so bad Mom" Ressler began. He was downplaying it again as usual. Liz knew that was his fallback but she wasn't one for lying to family. It never amounted to anything good.

"Bad enough" she cut in. His Mom turned her attention to Liz and she looked at him to see if he was okay with her talking. He nodded at her so she continued. "There was two bullets and a knife."

"Oh Donnie, you know you have to be careful".

"I was Mom, it was unavoidable. You had to have been there to understand, but I did what I could."

"It's true, he was wearing a vest and it saved his life" supplied Liz. "It caught 4 bullets, he still has the bruises."

"Let's see" insisted his Mom. Ressler was wearing a button down shirt and he obediently started undoing the buttons.

"One bullet was a through and through in the shoulder" continued Liz, gently peeling his shirt back to expose the fresh healing bullet scar and the faint yellow-green bruising on his side. It looked beautiful compared to what it had but she didn't think she needed to add that.

"God Donnie" said Robbie when he seen his beat up torso. His Mom just gasped. Liz could understand, that wasn't something anyone wanted to see on their child, she could just imagine if it had been Agnes. She would be handling it much worse than his Mom was. She decided that she would only say what was necessary to tell the truth, but not expand anymore than needed. What was done was done and it could stay safely tucked away in history. They would all be better off that way.

His Mom reached out a tentative hand and pressed it on her son's side, as though trying to erase his wounds and pain. But gone were the days when she could kiss him all better again.

"You said there was two bullets, where's the other?" she asked. "Is it in your leg? Is that why you have crutches?"

"In my hip actually" said Ressler. He wiggled the waistband of his sweats down, pulling them halfway down his hip and exposing the wiry hairs that started under his belly button, the line that ran down to his groin, and the bullet hole scar nestled in between.

It had been two weeks by now and the skin had covered over again, but it was fresh and pink and it stood out.

"It took out a tiny circle of bone from the top of his hip as it passed" explained Liz. "He can't put any weight on it in because that would stress it and cause it to break."

"Donnie" said his Mom again, as though not sure what else to say.

"It's not so bad Mom" said Ressler, "it could have been much worse. If it were a little lower it would have shattered my joint and I would have needed a replacement. I got lucky, Mom."

"I know. That's what worries me Donnie. Someday that luck is gonna run out."

"I'm careful Mom, but this job is risky, I knew that going in. So did Dad, but we take the risk because we know the good we do. I need that, Mom. I want to know that there is good in this world, now more than ever."

"Just be careful okay?" Ressler nodded, trying to reassure her.

"What about - you said something about a knife" said Robbie.

"Yah-" began Ressler, taking the lead on that. He was interrupted by Agnes running back into the room. "Later" he said "when there are no young ears around." His Mom and Robbie nodded.

"Daddy!" said Agnes excitedly, "I got the dolly. I had to put clothes on her first though."

"Alright" said Ressler, hurriedly putting his shirt back on to cover his injuries.

"Daddy?" said both his Mom and Robbie in shock. They were looking up, expecting a explanation.

Damn, they had both forgotten about that.

"She's yours?" asked his Mom. "Donald Ressler have you been hiding a grandchild on me for years?" She was serious, Liz realized. She could understand why. Agnes looked like Liz, like a lot, and almost anyone might have been her biological father for the physical difference that made.

"No Mom" said Ressler in shock himself. "I would never hide something like that from you. She is Liz's late husband's child, not mine."

"Well she calls you Daddy, man" said Robbie. "You gotta know how that sounds."

"Yah. Well she's too young to remember Tom and she needs a Dad. We've always been close and when it came up, it just seemed right. I love kids, I've always wanted my own - you know that. She wanted a Dad and well - it just happened." He spoke rapidly and quietly for the benefit of Agnes. It meant little to her he knew but still.

Agnes was showing her doll off to both Robbie and Ressler's Mom who dutifully commented that they loved it and then she wandered away again, to go find more outfits for it.

Ressler's Mom looked like she was drowning in information, but she pressed on. "What about you two? If you don't mind me asking?"

Ressler smiled and grabbed Liz's hand, folding it in his own. She could tell he was a touch nervous, but she was still scared and it was his family after all so she let him take the lead.

"Well, we've been a little slow to get the ball rolling, but the feelings have been there for a long time - on both sides," said Ressler. "We've only really been together together since the accident. It's new, Mom, but it's real. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted." He fell back on humor again. His Mom picked up on it too and she let it drop.

"Well you seem happy" said his Mom. "That's enough for me Donnie, I just want you happy."

"I am" said Ressler. "Like I didn't know I could be" he turned to Liz as he said the second part, meeting her eyes and letting her know the truth behind it.

"We both are" she said, looking at him return and then leaning against him and nuzzling his chest for a second.

They showed his Mom and Robbie their respective places and they settled in in a few minutes. Things felt slowly more natural as time passed and helped smooth things out. They spent all morning talking with coffee and cookies, explaining everything a few more times for his Mom's benefit. Liz could tell that she didn't really know the half of what her and Ressler did for work and there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between Ressler and Robbie to keep it that way.

Robbie had only gotten three days off because he left on such short notice so they couldn't stay as long as they would like, but they were happy to see each other again.

Liz took to calling her Mom herself and she seemed okay with it. When Ressler told Agnes to call Lisa Grama, Liz could have sworn she seem tears in Lisa's eyes.

When lunch rolled around, Lisa insisted on helping Liz prepare some sandwiches so they went to the kitchen, leaving Robbie and Ressler on the couch, watching Agnes play in the corner.

Robbie seen the way that Ressler's eyes followed Liz's every move and the way he looked at Agnes.

"Wow, you're really a goner for them hey" he said.

"Huh?" said Ressler, pulling out of his reverie.

"You really love them."

"With everything I have" replied Ressler without a doubt.

"Good for you" said Robbie, "I haven't seen you like this since the day you came bursting in the house for Christmas with Audrey on your arm."

"Yah" said Ressler wistfully.

"You should seal the deal" said Robbie.

Ressler looked surprised that he had picked up on the tension. "In time" he said, "I fully intend to".

"Why wait?" asked Robbie.

"Because I can't" said Ressler.

"Sure you can, just-"

"I know what to do dimwit" said Ressler, "but I really can't. I was releived of that ability with a knife."

Robbie did a double take, speechless. "You mean - you?" he gestured at their laps, mindful of the child in the corner.

Ressler nodded, "Vas Deferens, artery and nerve damage. It could be a while until I know anything or it could tomorrow. Everything is kinda uncertain. And as much as I want to, I can't put a ring on her finger until I know one way or another for sure. It wouldn't be fair to her."

"But it's temporary, right?" asked Robbie.

"God, I hope so" said Ressler, "my doctors think so. But nerves are slow to heal apparently and apparently it's a 'not gonna know until it happens' type situation so... Until then - well - here we are" he lifted his hand and let it flop onto his leg.

"You know Donnie when I first saw you with Liz I envied you. Now I'm not so sure I do." They both laughed a little.

"I'm going to tell Mom, later, because either way I might never be able to have kids, and what with you already being in the same boat and all, I think she should know that, but I'm not going to go into detail and I'd prefer if you helped keep it that way." He met his brother's eyes.

"Of course" agreed Robbie, then he rested a hand on his younger brothers shoulder and squeezed. Ressler made a brave face and shrugged, but when Robbie pulled him into a hug he didn't fight it.

"You know" said Lisa in the kitchen, "I know I'm getting older and all but I know there are some things that my boys keep from me. And I leave it because it doesn't hurt anyone and it helps them think they are protecting me. And maybe they are. Whatever the case, I know that I don't have the full picture here and that's okay, but I need to know that my boy is okay. He's been through hell in his life. He was a good boy, you know, straight A's, loved school, idolized his father. When Rob was killed, a part of Donnie was too. He had some bad years as a teen. Drugs, alcohol, dyed his hair even. Somehow he came back from it, with little help from me, even though it pains me to say it.

"Then he met Audrey. He loved her so much. I'll never forget the way they looked when they came visiting those few times. And I know it wasn't easy when he was promoted and given his own taskforce, but that's in his blood, he couldn't turn it down, no matter the consequences. I don't think Audrey understood that. I thought it was over between them. Donnie called me in tears once saying he'd lost her. He was drunk and I don't think he remembers, but I could hear the life draining from his voice. So when he called me out of the blue again saying that she'd come back, it - it sounded like he'd swallowed the sun.

"And when she died, I came down here for the funeral and it was pretty ugly. He barely had the strength to show up, and her family was less than understanding. He told me that was it, he'd never love like that again and at the time I thought he was probably right. I've never loved anyone after his father either.

"I know my boy. He's been protecting me his entire life and he is again. But he's emotional, always has been. When he was little he'd haul baby birds into the house and try to keep them alive after they'd fallen and broken their wings. He cried when he watched sad movies. And he's still the same. So I know this is hard on him. This being laid up, and not being able to take care of himself. And I know that he probably won't talk to me or let me stick around any longer than necessary because he doesn't want to burden me.

"But he loves you and he trusts you, so I know that you know what's really going on. You're probably the only person who does. So tell me, how's he really doing?"

The entire time she talked Liz listened and they both kept busy with making some grilled cheese sandwiches. When she was done Liz knew she owed her the truth.

"Well physically, he's doing okay. He's strong and he's healing well, fast even his doctors say. But mentally - it's taking it's toll. Like you said, not being able to do anything for himself and the - the not knowing - it's hard on him. He has kind of being burying himself in taking care of Agnes lately and I Iet him because it seems to help. She adores him anyway so-" Liz smiled. "But he's talked to me some and he's cried with me and it's - he's taking it hard. It's an uphill climb and I know it's gonna get worse before it gets better, bit I'm gonna be here. He won't be alone." Liz assured his Mom.

"Yah, I know."

You don't really, thought Liz, at least not all of it.

But that was Ressler's to tell, she wasn't going to do that for him.

"You really love him don't you?" asked his Mom.

"I do" said Liz. "I guess you know I was married before, but Tom - that was my husband- he's been dead 3 years now, and I really love Don. I guess I thought at first that I'd never love again, like you - and him - but we were wrong."

"I'm glad we were" said Lisa. "I hope that it works for you two. I'm glad I finally have a daughter" she dropped the knife she was holding and pulled Liz into her side. "You know, Rob and I - we wanted a daughter. But Donnie - well - he was two and half days coming into this world and we knew before they were up that he was the last baby we'd ever have."

"Ouch" said Liz, "two and a half days?" she asked in shock.

"Yah. Medicine then wasn't all it is now and the doctors - they were hesitant to convert it to a surgery. But Donnie was a thick baby and fat, almost 11 pounds, and I almost couldn't pass him. When he finally did come, I almost bled out. They had to do a total hysterectomy to save me. So no daughter for us. Donnie was the baby, he's still my baby. But he loves you, I can tell, and he seems serious. Now he's given me a daughter." She reached over and squeezed Liz's arm. "And a grandbaby. I can't believe it."

"I know. They are close" said Liz, following the conversation, still a little shocked at the information she had just learned. She glanced into the living room where Ressler and Robbie talked, Agnes playing safely under his watchful eye. "He calls her Aggie, and she says it's his special name for her and only he is allowed to call her that."

"Well" said his Mom, "he's gonna be an amazing Dad. He's so like his father that way." There was sorrow in her eyes and Liz knew that she wished that his father was still here. "I wish he could have seen the man Donnie's become, I wish he could see him with Agnes."

Liz didn't say anything because there was nothing she could say. She just flipped the grilled cheese sandwiches in the frying pan.

Later that night after Agnes was sleeping, Ressler told his Mom, in general terms, about his last injury. She understood the magnitude of it but she didn't ask for any specific detail. It was a little awkward for both of them, but she was glad he told her.

Then they spent several hours playing games before Robbie and Lisa felt the tiredness of thier travel kick in and they retired to bed.

Liz and Ressler lay together in their bed, Ressler on his back again as usual and Liz nestled into his good side. He was lazily stroking her hair over her shoulder and she had her hand pressed over his heart. The comfortable silence between them was broken by Ressler saying "thank-you".

"For what?" asked Liz, confused.

"For making me tell my family. I'm glad they are here. It's been a long time, it's good to see them again."

"They are amazing people" Liz said. "Although I should have known that. I mean they raised you." She prodded him in the chest, which earned her a big grin.

"See, I told you they'd like you."

"Yah, you're right. They seemed to take it all very well all things considered."

"Yah" said Ressler sleepily.

"I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect."

"Hmm-mm"

"And your Mom loves Agnes. She was good with her today, I'm glad it worked out so good."

Ressler nodded against her head.

"I'm sure that tomorrow will be just as good, even if we can't leave the apartment".

"Liz" said Ressler, "sleep. My Mom's gonna be up before you know it, making eggs and bacon and who knows what else."

"Yah, I will" said Liz, laughing at Ressler who had had his eyes closed for the last ten minutes already and was 75% asleep. "It just hit me you know. What with your family being here. We are a family too, a family of our own. You, me and Agnes. We're a family."

With that Liz settled in and fell asleep fast, lulled by the comfort of his arms.

Ressler lay there, staring up at the ceiling and listening to her breathing, suddenly not tired in the least. A family.