Ressler, Listen to Me

Part 4

Author's Note: I know the last chapter was intense, but Don is going through something here and we're going to stay with it for a bit. A short-ish one.

If you have not read Agnes or The Long Game, please take a look at them.

Please leave a review.

BBBBBBBBBB

When the cargo ship docked in Genoa, Italy two days later, Don and Liz emerged from their luxury cargo apartment with a new understanding of each other. They had, truthfully, spent most of their time naked, and most of their understanding had not been reached with words. His entire body ached but he was relaxed and somewhat resigned to the road ahead for the next few weeks. Her entire body vibrated whenever he touched her, and she felt alive again for the first time in a long time, in a very long time.

The car that Liz had arranged had been waiting for them and they started the long trip to Austria stuck in an Italian traffic jam.

"Traffic is traffic, no matter where you are," Don said as he honked the horn at a man who had got out of his car in front of them to, apparently, buy something from a street stand. "Has Agnes come down from Oslo yet or is she staying there until you get to Graz?" Don asked her.

It may have been the most he had said in days.

"They are coming after we get there," Liz said as she watched Don shift the car into gear and go around the man who seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he was holding up traffic. "I forgot they all drive sticks here, I need to learn."

"I can teach you," Don said, distractedly. "It's not that hard, you just need to get a feel for the car and the engine revving."

Liz nodded. She found everything about him sexy; her body seemed to tuned to him in a way it hadn't before. His gear shifting, his loose t-shirt, the week of beard he had grown, the way his arms looked at they held the wheel; all of it was causing her heart to skip a beat.

"Liz?" Don asked her.

"Huh?" Liz asked, realizing she had missed something.

"I asked how long the drive was to Graz? You said long, but how long? It's across a couple of countries and in the Alps?" Don chuckled, he knew the effect he was having on her, and it made him smile. For once, it was him taking the lead, she was the one a little out of control.

"With stops about 10 or 11 hours," Liz said. "With this traffic…we may need to spend the night somewhere."

Don nodded.

She reached across and placed her hand on his thigh, needing that connection.

"Where did you learn to drive stick?" Liz asked.

"Japan," Don said as he glanced at her briefly. "The entire world drives stick except the USA, you need to learn."

"Because the world is my oyster?" Liz chuckled.

"Because you are running from assassins and you need to know how to competently drive a car in any country," Don said, his worry for her safety apparent.

"Thanks," Liz said as she squeezed his thigh a little.

He nodded.

Liz watched him shift as they got faster and shift as they got slower and use his two feet. She was good at a lot of things, but she wasn't sure she would be good at this.

After two hours in traffic, Liz was starting to open up travel books in the car to find a good location to stay because, at this rate, they were not arriving in Graz until about 2am and neither of them had slept much over the last few days.

They stopped at a light on the way through a town and a woman crossed in front of their car with a baby buggy.

Don's stomach fell and he closed his eyes.

"Liz, do you have an IUD or are you on any kind of…" Don started and then heard her gasp.

Apparently, in the heat of everything, neither of them had thought this through.

"Oh my god," Liz said, realizing what they had possibly done without even thinking, without considering the ramifications…

Don looked around the square they were stopped at and, spotting a pharmacy sign, made a sharp right and parked in front of it.

Without a word, Liz got out of the car and went inside. It wasn't until she was inside, that she realized she shouldn't have left him in the car alone, he possibly saw this as an opportunity.

She went to the door, looked outside and saw him still parked there. Fearing she was about to be abandoned in some small town in Italy, she motioned for him to come inside with her, and Don got out of the car and went inside. In broken English with two teenagers as interpreters, Liz secured a morning after pill and Don threw some condoms down on the counter as well. They made their purchase, and when they got in the car she took the pill and sat with her head back on the head rest.

Don grabbed the insert and flipped it around trying to find any English information.

"Can be effective for up to three days," Don said, not sure if that brought him any relief.

"Up to," Liz said absently.

Don sighed and placed the insert in the cup holder.

"We were stupid," he said as he started the car.

"There wasn't any…I didn't have…" Liz stammered. "I didn't expect that. I wasn't prepared."

"I should have stopped us," Don said. "I wasn't thinking."

"Neither of us were," Liz said as she sat up and grabbed the insert. "It just says three days, not the number of possible acts?"

Don shook his head, "Not that I saw."

Don dropped his face into his hands and tried to breath deeply. How many times had they? Did either of them actually know? It felt like an out-of-body experience and he wasn't cognizant of the specifics, even now. He doubted she was either.

Not only was he kidnapped, and a fugitive, but another fugitive could, right now be pregnant with his child. He needed to be smarter from now on. This was a stupid, stupid, mistake that they both made. He could tell Liz was no happier with this situation than he was.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Don said, trying to not panic as he put the car in gear and got back on the main road.

"Agnes was after once with Tom," Liz said. "Once."

Don clenched and unclenched his jaw.

"You and Audrey weren't even trying, and she got pregnant," Liz said, adding fuel to the fire.

Don's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"Well, whatever happens, if this works or if it doesn't," Don said resigned. "It's done now. We can't go back and…"

"I wouldn't go back," Liz said as she turned to face him in her seat. "Would I make sure we had birth control? Yes. But would I change anything else about those days? No. I see you, Don. I think I'm the only one who really does."

Don swallowed hard and nodded infinitesimally.

To be continued…