Agnes
Part 15
Author's Note:
BBBBBBB
It was 4pm and Don needed to speak with Liz. He texted her: Ready for a video call? Your ticklish knee.
His phone sprang to life and he clicked the app and answered the video call.
"Hey," she smiled at him. "Ress, I'm sorry about yesterday I…"
"We're in Iceland," Don said clearly as he met her eyes. "I hated not telling you and called Reddington yesterday to tell him I didn't give a shit about his rules."
She looked at him and smiled.
"So that's why he was so gruff last night," Liz said as her smile grew. "I wondered what was going on."
Don raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. "We're a four hour time difference from you. Right now, it's late afternoon."
"Thank you," Liz said softly. "You don't know what it means to me to keep things honest between us."
Don nodded, that was exactly why he did this.
"I'll go get Agnes, but I wanted to tell you that first," Don said as he rose from his seat and walked with his phone through the house they were living in toward the room where Agnes was painting with Bianca in the kitchen.
"Sweetie, mummy is on the phone," Don said as he turned the camera to face Agnes and her face lit up.
"Mummy!" Agnes yelled as she clapped her fingers covered in paint together.
"Let's wash your hands before you get paint all over daddy's phone," Bianca said to Agnes as she walked her toward the sink.
"Thanks Bianca," Don said as he turned the phone back to face him.
"Bianca?" Liz asked him, knowing the significance of the name from Don's life.
"Don't even go there," Don said quietly.
"Well, at least she's not a redhead but the bust…"
"Liz, shhh, she'll hear you," Don cautioned.
Liz smirked at him. "Only you, Ressler. Only you."
He chuckled with her, it was a ridiculous situation to be in.
"How's Iceland?" Liz asked.
"Cool," Don said. "Temperature-wise and as a culture. They make the most hip Americans look old-fashioned. And this is the first time I've worn wool in July."
"And you've got the facial hair going," Liz flashed him a smile.
"Keeps you warmer," Don said as he absent-mindedly ran a couple of fingers across his prickly chin. "Agnes hates it."
"I think it's sexy," Liz said with a sultry voice. "Why does she hate it?"
"She hasn't said," Don smirked.
Just then Agnes ran into the room and made a grab for his phone.
"Hold on a second," Don laughed as he handed her the phone.
"Mummy!" Agnes called as she took the phone and started to talk about how they got there and all she had been doing. Don had told her they didn't need to keep where they were a secret from mummy anymore.
Don watched Bianca leave the room, so Agnes had privacy, and he went to the kitchen to get started on dinner. They were having lamb chops tonight and he hoped Agnes would eat it, she hadn't tried lamb before.
He stood in the kitchen getting the lamb ready and chopping the potatoes while the oven warmed up half listening to their conversation and half trying not to listen. Agnes shared her art with her mom, talked about hot chocolate that's real chocolate. When Liz questioned it being actual chocolate, Agnes would have none of that.
"Daddy, tell mummy it's actual chocolate," Agnes demanded as she showed up at his side with the phone.
"It's actual melted chocolate with cream and cinnamon and salt in it," Don said. "How these people don't all weigh 600 pounds with that they eat, I'll never know."
"Told you mummy," Agnes said angry.
"Hey," Don said to her. "Don't talk that way to your mummy."
"Sorry," Agnes said.
"Not to me, to her," Don said as he pointed to the phone.
"Sorry mummy, daddy was right," Agnes said.
Liz smiled up at her.
"Daddy is right a lot of the time," Liz said, her voice sounding funny.
Don stopped chopping and looked down at the phone, biting his lip.
"Agnes, honey, go get your bike to show mummy," Don said.
Agnes took off for the garage.
"Liz," Don said as he looked at the phone. "I'm sorry about the daddy stuff, it's easier if we don't switch when we're at home or out in…"
He watched her wipe her eyes.
"God, I'm sorry, I should have…" Don said.
"No, I love it," Liz said as she cried and wiped at her face. "I didn't think I'd ever hear her say that…she was so young when Tom died that…"
"I'm sorry, if it hurts you to hear…"
"It doesn't," Liz insisted. "It makes me happy."
Don looked at her perplexed. She was crying, so she didn't seem too happy.
"I love that she loves you," Liz clarified. "I love that you are her dad."
Don smiled at her as the door whacked open and Agnes pushed in her bike with training wheels.
"Take a look at this, Liz," Don said as he turned the phone to show her Agnes standing next to her bike. "She's been doing really well riding it."
"She wears a helmet and…?"
"What do you take me for, an amateur?" Don scoffed.
Liz smiled. Of course, Don would be all about safety.
"Can I see you ride it?" Liz asked.
Agnes nodded and Don propped up the phone so she could see them. He helped Agnes get up on the bike and walked behind her holding the seat as she peddled through the hallway. Don grabbed the phone as they passed it and followed Agnes with the video as she peddled into the kitchen, the sturdy training wheels keeping her upright.
"WOW!" Liz cheered for her. "You're an expert!"
"Daddy said that too!" Agnes laughed.
Don helped Agnes turn around and let Liz watch her head down the hall in the other direction.
"She's good, huh?" Don asked as he looked at the camera. Agnes rode back and forth down the hallway until she got bored and then said she was going outside to ride. Don called Bianca to accompany her, and Agnes yelled goodbye to her mother over her shoulder as she was helped out of the house on her bike.
"She's amazing," Liz smiled.
"She's got great stability, so I imagine the training wheels won't last for long," Don added.
Liz sighed and looked at him with a wistful expression.
"What?" Don asked, worried,
"I love you," Liz said. "And not just to say it, but like I feel how much I love you with every cell in my body, that kind of love Ressler.",
Don turned slightly red and smiled bashfully at her.
"Do I get an engagement ring out of this?" Liz asked him.
"I haven't asked you," Don said.
"Yes, you did," Liz nodded.
"No, no, I didn't," Don said clearly. "Not yet."
"You said you wanted the premium Liz and Agnes package and I said deal," Liz explained. "What's more to ask?"
Don rubbed at his temple.
"Liz, I'd like to ask," Don said.
"You have," Liz insisted.
"Okay, I'm not arguing with you, but I have not," Don said, annoyed.
"So, ask me," Liz said. "If you insist you have not asked, which you have, then ask me."
"Not on a video call," Don said, his brow furrowing.
"It's a very modern way to propose," Liz offered.
"Call me old fashioned, but I'd like us to be in the same room so I can kiss you when you do say 'yes'" Don explained.
Liz smiled at him. "Fine, you want to be all romantic…"
"Normal," Don chuckled. "Not on a video call across continents, with you trying to kill…"
"Okay, I get it," Liz smirked.
"Thank you," Don sighed.
Liz looked at him and smiled.
"My ticklish knee?" Liz chuckled.
"You know the one," Don smirked.
"It's never been ticklish until you," Liz said with a chuckle.
"I have the touch," Don chuckled.
"More like the tongue," Liz whispered.
Don let out a deep rumble of a laugh and nodded.
"Thank you for coming back to honesty with me," Liz said seriously.
"Always," Don said softly.
Liz smiled at him.
"I better go get dinner started," Don said. "Be safe."
Liz nodded. "I will."
"Tomorrow?" Don asked.
"Maybe in a few days," Liz said. "We will be travelling."
Don nodded.
"We'll show you bike riding progress," Don smiled.
"Any word from Cooper?"
"No, we're keeping low," Don said. "Keeping safe."
Liz nodded and kissed the air and Don winked at her before they ended the call.
Don went back to the potatoes and got supper started. The pit in the bottom of his stomach was gone, she was no longer in the dark, and he felt better about that. Don quickly picked up his phone and texted.
I love you, Liz. Rochester fucked Bertha over.
It was her favorite classic novel, and she hated the way Bertha was treated in it. Don knew she'd laugh when she read that.
I love you with every cell in my body. You're a great dad. Jack Reacher should have stayed with Jodie.
And, in true Liz form, she had turned him to mush and made him burst out laughing with just a couple of lines.
"I miss you," Don said softly as he looked at her words.
To be continued…