Wait 5
Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the encouragement on this story. We're completely off book now.
Let me know what you think.
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Ressler padded around his kitchen in a pair of light blue striped pajama pants with wet hair trying to find honey he was sure he had in his cupboard somewhere. He knew Liz liked it in her tea and he also knew that pregnant women probably shouldn't be drinking coffee. He pulled the jar off the top shelf above his sink and turned to see her walking into his kitchen in one of his t-shirts with her wet blonde hair in a small ponytail.
"I was going to put honey in your tea but…" he said as he gestured to the solidified honey in the jar.
"Nuke a couple of spoonfuls and it'll be liquid again," Liz said, leaning the back of her hips against his counter.
"It's not gone bad?" He asked turning it around in his hand looking for an expiry date.
"Honey doesn't go bad," Liz explained as she took the jar from his hand and opened a drawer to grab a spoon and opened a cupboard to grab a mug.
He picked up his black coffee and watched her get her honey ready and stir it into her tea.
It had been 4 days since she was released, four days he had called in sick to work, four days since Cooper was back in charge, four days of take-out food, chicken soup, and toast, and four days since they'd talked about the baby. Mainly they'd slept. They were both exhausted. Had there been some sex in between the sleeping? Yes, several times, and it had been great. Had they avoided all mentions of a baby? Not entirely. The first time, right after returning from prison, he reached for a condom in his drawer and Liz had started to laugh saying she couldn't get any more pregnant. He had joined her laughter, embarrassed that he hadn't thought of that, and dropped the condom back in the drawer. But had they actually talked about the baby? No, that hadn't happened, despite her throwing up in his toilet every morning, and sometimes a couple other times during the day. Ressler held her hair, rubbed her back, and gave her a wet cloth to wipe her mouth, but the reason for her nausea he had not broached.
"I have to go back to work tomorrow," Ressler said as his eyes shifted toward her.
She nodded and blew on her tea.
"Reddington has been calling my cell," Liz said. "He knows I'm here."
Ressler furrowed his brow he wasn't sure how Reddington knew that.
"I texted him when he got worried," Liz explained, understanding his confusion. "He wants me to pull the band aid off and come into the post office today or tomorrow and get back into a routine."
"Are you?" Ressler asked.
"I might take a few more days," Liz shrugged. "I need to find an apartment."
Ressler swallowed his coffee. "You don't have to rush…"
"No, I need a place," Liz said.
He nodded, disappointed.
He screwed up his courage and finally asked the question that had been the elephant sitting in the corner of the room.
"Are we booking an appointment?" Ressler asked. "By my count you're at 12…"
"14 weeks," Liz interrupted. "They count from your last period, I googled it."
"Oh, good to know," Ressler said.
"But 12 since that night," Liz nodded.
Ressler nodded he knew exactly how long it had been since that night.
Liz turned and looked at him, her gaze meeting his appraisingly.
"Did you mean what you said about wanting to be a couple, but being okay if we weren't?" Liz asked. "Raising a baby that way?"
He nodded. "I did."
Ressler was secretly hoping that her next line was not 'because I think we should just be friends'.
Liz nodded and took a tentative sip of her tea.
He waited, his impatience thumping in his body, but he waited. He put his coffee down on the counter, so it was one less thing he needed to deal with.
"I want this to be our decision," Liz said. "If you don't want this baby then…"
"I do," he said as he grabbed her hips and pulled her toward him a little, smiling. "I don't want you doing this unless you absolutely want to. And, unless you want to explore being a couple, because if it doesn't work out, we can remain good friends and parents, but I don't want us to just say it's safer to be friends and not even try."
She looked at him confused.
"Why would I say that?" She asked him.
He looked at her confused.
"Because you seem very interested in us being friends in this conversation," Ressler explained.
"And we've had sex how many times in the last few days?" Liz asked him, with a chuckle.
He furrowed his brow.
"Ressler," she chuckled. "I am very, very, interested in you, in continuing this…"
She pulled herself a little closer and kissed his lips.
"Oh," he said low and rumbly as she continued to kiss him.
Liz pulled back an inch and looked at him carefully.
"I just want to be sure that if it doesn't work you won't resent our child," Liz said.
"Liz, I'd never…"
"Then why are you…?"
"You're going apartment hunting," Ressler said.
"Because I want my own place until we decide otherwise," Liz smirked at him. "Ressler, we're just figuring this out. Let's not place extra pressure on ourselves by living together right now."
He nodded.
"Are we good?" She asked with a small smile.
"Yeah," he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. "We're having a baby?"
Her smile grew and spread across her face.
"We're having a baby," Liz said.
His hand fell to her stomach for the first time since he'd found out. He hadn't wanted to think this was real until it was actually real. Even in bed while sleeping, he had wrapped an arm under her breasts or draped one over her hip, but he had not touched her stomach. When making love to her, he had kissed his way down her body but, when he got to that region, had veered to a hip and kissed her down the side until he came back to centre and continued lower. He felt her hand come over his and he looked up to have her lips against his in a passionate kiss. He moved his hands under the shirt she was wearing and, feeling skin still damp from her shower, rubbed at a couple of the droplets on her ass with his thumb.
The next morning, he left for work with Liz still in his bed still sleeping. He placed an extra set of keys on top of her jacket and secretly hoped she would not find a place and would stay with him for longer. He liked seeing her as soon as his eyes opened, sneaking around so he wouldn't wake her, and leaning down and kissing her cheek before he left; he could get very used to this. Ressler felt rested, calm, and self-assured when he walked into the Post Office that morning.
"You're back," Aram said from his desk. Ressler could sense the cool welcome back from Aram who felt betrayed by both him and Samar.
"I needed the sleep," Ressler said with a smile.
"I imagine you did," Aram said back, flatly. "Have you heard from Liz? She replied, kinda cryptically to a couple of my texts and…"
"Mine too," Samar said as she stopped and stood next to Ressler.
"Cryptic? What do you mean?" Ressler asked.
Samar pulled out her phone.
"I texted her congratulations on being released and charges dropped, and she said thanks and she was happy to be out," Samar said.
"That sounds super cryptic," Ressler said sarcastically.
Samar gave him and annoyed look and continued.
"Then I asked if she needed somewhere to stay," Samar said. "She said she had it covered. Then I asked if she wanted to go out for a night of drinks to celebrate, and she passed. Liz never passes on drinks."
"Maybe she's just tired, like we all are, and trying to just get back to normal," Ressler offered.
"I asked her if she needed anything and she said she was being well taken care of, but thank you," Aram started. "So, I assumed Mr. Reddington had her at a spa or a fancy hotel, but Mr. Cooper said she wasn't with Mr. Reddington."
"Cooper said that?" Ressler asked, suddenly worried. He and Liz had not discussed what to tell and not tell everyone.
"He said Mr. Reddington actually asked him if he knew where Liz was," Aram said. "Strange, isn't it? Mr. Reddington not knowing where she is after everything they went through to clear her name."
"It is strange," Samar said.
They heard Cooper starting down the stairs from his office behind them and all turned to see him approaching their little group.
"Nice to have you back Agent Ressler," Cooper smiled at him. "Well rested?
"I am, thank you for the days, sir," Ressler said with a smile.
"I have left a couple of messages with Elizabeth, do you…?'
"She might just need some space, everyone," Ressler said as the elevator doors behind them started to open. "With everything she's been through, Liz may just need some time to process…."
"Ahh Donald, I see you are back, how's Lizzie doing?" Reddington asked.
When he saw the young man's face turn to him with a look he couldn't quite identify, Reddington elaborated.
"She's still staying with you?" Reddington asked.
Cooper, Aram and Samar all looked at him surprised; not once had he indicated that his place was the place where she had been staying for 4 days, 4 days that he had also been off and at home.
"Yes, but she's starting apartment hunting today," Ressler answered Reddington and then turned to his co-workers and friends "She's been staying on my couch, but I wasn't sure she wanted to share…"
"Of course," Cooper interrupted. "Thank you for taking care of Elizabeth and helping her transition."
Ressler gave a quick nod and tried to ignore the inquisitive look Samar was giving him.
"So, you and Agent Keen have been together for the last four days?" Aram asked as he looked perplexed.
"If 'together', you mean the two of us sleeping and occasionally waking to eat before she went back to the couch and I fell back into my bed, yes," Ressler outright lied.
"How's she seem?" Samar asked.
"Still pretty rattled" Ressler admitted. "But good. I think she meets with her probation officer today."
"That's got to be so hard to be on the other side of the law," Aram said. "We should plan a surprise night out at that bar she likes…The Tasmanian."
Reddington stepped forward. "Why don't you let Lizzie tell you when she's ready to go out, Aram? She'd just trying to get her life together. I'm having lunch with her today, as a matter of fact, so we should probably discuss your next case."
Aram nodded and Reddington looked up at the screen.
"Harold," he said as he nodded to the man. A series of images popped up when Cooper hit the clicker.
"He's called the Politician," Reddington started. "He can negotiate any deal and his clients are geo-political organizations and some of the most corrupt governments in the world…"
Ressler heard his phone buzz and he pulled it out of his jacket pocket and looked down at the text.
You're all out of body wash.
Followed by a kiss emoji that made him smile. Ressler put it back in his pocket and looked back at Reddington's case.
After the case was explained Ressler went to his office to text her back when he noted Samar walking in the office behind him.
"You seem chipper," Samar said as she closed the door behind herself.
"Well rested," Ressler said as he sat down at looked up at her. "What can I do for you, Samar?"
"You wrote an email to Cooper admitting it was a mistake to fire me, citing my exemplary record, good intentions in helping Liz, and your own stress as the reason I should be re-instated and my record cleared," she said as she sat in Liz's chair.
"It's all true," Ressler said.
"It is," Samar nodded.
Ressler furrowed his brow waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"Ressler, about that night…" Samar started.
"I think we can both chalk it up to…"
"Something that shouldn't have happened," Samar said.
"We were both really…raw, emotionally, and…" Ressler started. "You with your brother…"
"And, you were mad about Tom," Samar said. "I heard about the fight with Tom and the gnome from Cooper. He said he'd never seen you that unhinged before. I didn't…I wish I'd known, or I would have stopped…"
He looked at her confused.
"Neither of us were right in our heads," Samar smiled at him.
"Agreed," he said. "And, I'm sorry I fired you, I really am, Samar."
She nodded.
"Aram is very hurt," Samar said as she looked toward the man typing outside on his laptop.
"Were the two of you…?" Ressler asked.
"No," Samar chuckled. "I know he quite likes me, and we've gone for a hike or to a museum as friends, but sleeping with you tipped him over the edge a little. I'm not sure he feels the same way about me anymore."
"How are you with that?" Ressler sighed as he looked at the man who was trying to covertly watch Ressler and Samar talking in the office with the door shut.
"Aram is one of the kindest, most wonderful people in the world, but…."
"But?" Ressler asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I tend to go for me who are little harder on the outside, not expressive," Samar chuckled. "But I know there's goodness inside."
Ressler nodded.
"You, Levi, and plenty of others fit that bill," Samar chuckled. "Aram is all heart on the outside."
Ressler nodded and suggested, "Maybe it's time for a change?"
"Maybe," Samar gave a small smile.
"Aram is a good guy and…well, let's just say you aren't the only one getting the cold shoulder from him for a couple of weeks," Ressler said.
Samar looked at him appraisingly.
"I've always known you were in love with Liz," Samar said as she met his eyes. "And I know everything with Tom has probably been your worst nightmare. I really hope she sees what she's got."
He swallowed hard and didn't indicate any sort of agreement in her statement with his facial reactions.
Samar, seeing no reaction sighed and pushed off the desk, standing.
"We better get started on those files," she said as she walked toward the door.
"I'll be out in a minute," Ressler said as he reached for his phone. It was almost lunch time and he'd not been able to reply to her all morning.
I'll pick some up on the way home. Any requests for supper?
Ressler sat looking at the line and wondered if he should add a heart or a smile or…something…after all she had sent him a kiss. And he'd really liked seeing that. Maybe he should send something funny to make her laugh.
I'll pick some up on the way home. Any requests for supper? Something that won't make you
He finished the text with a barf emoji and hit send hoping it was the right call, you could never go wrong with funny, right?
He was just walking out of his office when his phone buzzed, he looked down at her reply. It was a bitmoji of Liz holding a heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie and she'd written And WonTon Soup in the text line.
He smiled, she wanted cookies and won ton soup. Were these the requests he was going to be fielding for the next 6 months?
On it
He texted back and his finger hovered over a heart emoji. Was he the type of guy who sent those? He hadn't ever with Audrey, but she also never used emojis, so it was never an issue. He clicked on the wink emoji and hit send.
Liz looked at her phone and smiled when she saw his winking emoji. She could totally picture him winking at her as he said that.
"You're in a good mood," Reddington said as he pulled out the chair across from her in the empty restaurant. The place only opened for dinner, but Reddington had made arrangements for them to be the sole diners for lunch today.
"I am," Liz smiled at him. "It's amazing how happy freedom can make you."
"And whatever you were looking at on your phone as well," Reddington nodded toward the device.
"Uh, yeah," Liz nodded.
The waiter showed up and asked if they wanted some wine.
"I'll take a glass of the '88 Merlot," Reddington said as he looked across the table at Liz.
"Uh, I'll just stick with water," Liz replied uncomfortably.
The waiter left and Reddington eyed her carefully.
"So, you know," he said, more than asked.
"Know?" Liz asked as she avoided his eyes and picked up her water.
"That you're pregnant," Reddington said.
She gasped and looked across the table at him. "How do you know?"
"I knew when we were on the run," he said. "Your skin, your hair, you were sick or queasy in the morning…"
"And you didn't tell me?" Liz asked, surprised.
"You had enough going on," Reddington admitted. "I knew you'd figure it out eventually."
She shook her head perplexed. "You knew."
"Have you told Tom yet?" Reddington asked.
"Tom?" Liz asked.
"He doesn't know?" Reddington asked.
Liz swallowed; he had assumed she had hooked up with Tom at some point.
"I'd like to keep this quiet, please," Liz said to him.
"You're not telling Tom?" Reddington asked.
Liz looked around and wasn't sure what to say. She and Ressler hadn't spoken about what to say or not say to everyone. But knowing Reddington, he wouldn't let this rest, so she needed to just tell him and be done with it. Luckily the waiter brought their drinks and bought her some time.
"It's not Tom's," Liz said. "I haven't been with him since he went on the run."
Reddington looked at her confused.
"And I debated keeping it," Liz said. "If I went to prison, I was going to get rid of it. But now that I'm not…"
"There are plenty of single mothers, Lizzie, that are fantastic…" Reddington started as he leaned over the table and placed his hand over hers to bring her comfort. "I think you'll be a great mom, and I would be happy to help support you having this child. I can hire you a nanny, we can get you a home…"
"I'm not going to be a single mom," Liz said.
"You're not thinking of giving the child up for adoption, are you?" Reddington asked, thinking this was not what he wanted for her.
"No," Liz said as she smiled timidly at him. "The dad, uh, he is going to be involved. He and I have talked about…"
"Were you seeing someone before…?" Reddington interrupted.
"Can you just let me finish?" Liz asked him. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."
Reddington nodded and looked at her confused.
"Ressler is the father of this baby," Liz said a little loudly. "He and I are going to raise it together."
Reddington sat back slightly, taken aback by this revelation. He had no idea Donald was involved with Lizzie.
"I didn't know you and Donald were involved," Reddington admitted.
"We weren't," Liz hedged. "Then we were, then I ran, and now we are again."
Reddington nodded, not sure that this was the best start for the young family.
"And Donald knows?" Reddington asked.
"Of course," Liz said. "He was the one who put it together when I was being taken in at the Courthouse."
"And, I imagine, you two are keeping this quiet?" Reddington asked.
"We haven't really talked about what we were sharing, yet," Liz said. "You're the first to find out."
Reddington smiled at her. "Well, I'm honoured, Lizzie. And this little girl or boy is going to be very lucky to have you and Donald as their parents. We really should talk about me buying you both a house…"
"No," Liz shook her head. "We're still figuring everything out. I need an apartment for the time being, and I've got a meeting with my parole officer after this. Let's not rush into anything."
Reddington nodded as the waiter appeared again for their order.
To be continued…