Liz found him in the nursery when she got home from ballet with Agnes, readjusting things. The walls had been painted grey and white, back before they knew the babies were boys, which was fine because it wouldn't have to be repainted in the future should they ever be blessed with a daughter of their own as well.
Ressler had painted two walls gray, one white, and one was zigzag of the two. He'd also assembled both cribs, the change table and the dresser, all of which came in white. They'd chosen to paint those blue though, and all the bedspreads, the bookshelf, the teddies, the rocking chair, the blankets and everything else in the room was themed to match as well. It wasn't a big deal because all the furniture was all the same brand, wooden and painted in white. Painting blue on top was not difficult, and should they ever, hopefully, have a daughter it would be very easy to paint over the blue furniture with pink without having to repaint the room.
They had pictures on the walls of animals, colorful ones, which added finishing touches to the perfect nursery. There was an empty space above both cribs which was awaiting names when they chose them.
"Hey" said Ressler at her entrance in the doorway. She seen Ethan sitting in the rocking chair in the corner with a book. "I think it's almost done. We just need to pick names. Well, and keep the door closed and locked when our friends are here because one step inside this room and everyone knows what we're having."
"It looks perfect" said Liz, spinning to take in the room. "Absolutely perfect. You did good, honey." He got to his feet and she came over to him, hugging him. "Thank-you." He'd done it alone, and he'd put hours of work into it, out of love and the desire to do so.
She prayed that they weren't nearly there yet but should something go wrong or should the babies come early, they were ready. Everything was ready - down to the diapers on the change table.
"Look at that" she said, "we're all ready. They just need some names."
"I know" he said. "Now I can get onto Aggie and Eth's rooms." Both of the kids' rooms were still the same white as the house and they had been eagerly waiting their turns for the makeover. Agnes had requested purple, not pink (which was apparently very important) and her room was going to be upstairs right away so the one she currently occupied could become the guest room. Ethan wasn't as particular as his sister, but he liked vehicles and especially ones with flashing lights so his room was going emergency vehicles theme with red and white walls and the matching toys.
"Okay" said Liz, "well let's get our kiddo's to bed and we can discuss those names. And we need a good night's sleep because tomorrow is your birthday."
They didn't have much planned for the day but they had Cooper and Charlene watching the kids at night so Liz was taking Ressler out for dinner and she intended to keep him up late as well.
"Ugh" he said, taking her by the waist and kicking Ethan out of the room, following behind him. "Don't remind me. I'm not ready."
She knew he felt he was a bit late to the game, but 42 wasn't so old, and she hoped that she could actually remind him of that. So far, it was a work in progress.
"So?" asked Liz later that night. She lay on his chest, his arms around her holding her tight as she prodded the fine ginger hairs that spattered across his pecs and breastbone. "What do you want to name our two little redheads?"
"Why are you so sure they are redheads?" asked Ressler.
"I don't know that" admitted Liz, "but that's just what I imagine they look like. Why I want them to look like."
"Oh!" said Ressler and she twirled a chest hair around her fingertip. "Well, I guess when I imagine them I see them kind of like Ethan. I know they'll be their own people but until I know them, I - I picture that too. Solid, redheaded - your smile. With the dimples." His finger found her cheek and settled into the dimple in her lower right cheek. She smiled in response and felt his finger move with it.
"So seriously" she pushed, "any ideas? For names I mean?"
"I guess I like it when twins have names that start with the same letter or at least have a theme of some form."
"Okay, I agree" she said, "but like - I'm talking specific names."
"Oh I don't know. Of course I have thought about it - for years - but I want to hear yours first. I mean you - you should get the first choice. You're the one doing the work." He gently ran his hand over her belly, swollen with new life.
"Come on, tell me" she poked his chest purposefully.
"Okay" he agreed, "I'll give you my long time favorite for a boy, but first- you have to give me your favorite."
"Fine" she caved. "I've always liked 'Danny'."
"Danny?" he said. "Danny?"
"Well, Daniel technically. But I'd call him Danny."
"How about Dan? I could get behind Dan" he suggested.
"You can call him that. His name would be Daniel after all. Now, how about yours? Does it start with a 'D'?"
"Luke" he said simply. "Not Lucas, cause Lucas isn't nice at all. Just Luke."
"Oh, Luke. Luke. I like. We can work with that."
"They're not the same letter" said Liz, touching a drop of sweat that hadn't quite evaporated from his chest. She liked a man who could be bothered to break a sweat when he took her to bed. "But if you're thinking 'L' then I like Link or Lincoln."
"But Luke and Link?" asked Ressler, his voice making it obvious he wasn't a fan.
"Then how about we do 'D's and we do David and Danny?" she suggested instead.
"Uuuhh, I guess" said Ressler, but his nose wrinkled and Liz smiled.
"You really want Luke don't you?" she asked.
"Yah, kinda" he admitted, "I have ever since... Well ever since Audrey and I talked about having babies. Probably earlier."
"Okay, well how about we do Danny and Luke. Both of our first choices. And we can switch the others for middle names. You know - Daniel Lincoln and Luke David. Then they are still the same letters, just switched."
His grin was visible, even in the dark.
"I like that" he said, chuckling quietly as his finger traced her spine. "I like that a lot. Daniel Lincoln and Luke David. Let's do it."
"You sure?" asked Liz, "you don't want 'Donald'?"
"No" he said quickly, "God no." He hugged her tight. "You have no idea how many kids made fun of me in school."
She laughed. She could only imagine.
"How about Robert?" she asked, this time seriously. "Even as a middle name?" It was his Dad's name, a family name, and his brother who carried it would never have a son who received it. Ethan's middle name was Malachi, which she had to admit she loved, but there was no guarantee they'd ever have another son. Realistically, there was a decent chance they wouldn't.
"I don't know" he said. "It doesn't fit with the L and D thing and I like that."
"But we can change that if you want" she offered. "But only if you want."
"I don't think so Liz. I mean, I know what you're trying to say and I'm sure my Dad would have loved that, but it's not a name I completely like and I want us to name our children something that we both like. Let's name these two just for us. If in the future there's ever another, we'll consider it then. For now - lets do Luke and Danny. For us."
"Okay" said Liz, agreeing. "Now we have names to put on the nursery wall."
"Yah and then we can lock the door so that nobody else can see it" Ressler suggested, yawning.
Liz yawned in response and then turned in her side and nestled into her pregnancy pillow, leaving Ressler to lay beside her.
Noticing her fatigue and feeling the hour himself he gently rolled behind her and pulled her into his arms, cuddling.
"Goodnight my Love" he said quietly to Liz and seen a smile flicker across her face before it went out and she slept. "Goodnight all my loves" he said, his hand running her belly softly. Then he let sleep take him as well.
"Liz, this is delicious" said Ressler the next night, balancing a fork load of food.
"What can I say?" said Liz lightly. "I know my man."
Ressler looked down at his nearly empty plate. She really did. She reached for his hands across the table and took them into her own.
"Happy birthday, honey" she said, looking deep into the greeny blue depths of his candle-lit eyes. "I love you. I hope you know that."
"I do" he said, and she seen his eyes glass over for a second before she felt the reassuring weight of his hand on her belly and the answering sway of his sons beneath.
"Look at you" she said. "42 years old. Next in line for assistant director of the FBI, happily married to the love of your life, Daddy to two kids and soon to be to two more. You never thought you'd see this day even a year and a half ago, did you?"
He shook his head. He hadn't thought he'd ever see this day.
Eventually they finished eating and paid the bill.
"Come on birthday boy" said Liz, "let's get you home. I've got one more present for you."
He looked at her with interest, brows raised.
"I'll give you a hint" she said, leaning against his side as they walked and whispering in his ear, "It's considered an article of clothing but it shouldn't be."
Some time later Liz lay on her side with her head on Ressler's lower belly. From her position she had a perfect view of his recovering anatomy and currently heaving flat belly. He had one hand buried in her hair, strands wrapped around his fingers.
Her hand was still on him, not having moved when he'd finished and she'd fallen to rest beside him. Now he was gasping for breath and laughing with joy. It was infectious and she found herself beaming too. Oral sex wasn't necessarily a regular occurrence for him, it not being her favorite of such activities, but she knew he loved it when it happened. And she figured - if ever, his birthday was a good time.
Besides he loved her and tried desperately to please her in bed which usually included doing the same for her. And she must say she loved it. Of course it was only natural that he should too. She'd have to do it more often, she decided. Seeing the pleasure it gave him, like in this exact moment, made it worthwhile.
"God I love you" he said breathlessly, his fingers moving in her hair, "I've wanted that forever. Thank-you."
"You don't have to thank me" she said. "I love you too. And I love showing you that I do."
"Oh" he said. It was a strange response. "I thought - ahhh, nevermind."
"No, what?" she pushed.
"You'll laugh at me. Or maybe even get mad" he insisted.
"No, I won't. Tell me."
"Ahh, fine" he sighed. "I thought you were only doing me a favor. So I was thanking you. I didn't mean for it to sound..." He was rubbing her head now, disentangling his fingers. "I know you hate doing that."
It was true. She had in the past. She'd had a bad experience with it as a teenager, when the man she'd been with had been too pressuring, and again with Tom for the same reason and now she generally tended to avoid it. But it wasn't like that with Ressler. He never pushed her or pressured her. If he so much as put his hand on her head as he had now, it was more to ground himself then anything else. And his touch had been gentle the entire time.
"I don't hate it" she said, running her hand slowly up the length of him and making him twitch in response. "I - I just had a bad experience once."
"With Tom?" he asked.
"Yah" she admitted. "I - I don't hate it though. Not with you."
"But you never do it" he observed. "I - this is the first time I've ever finished in your mouth Liz, and the one or two other times when it began that way you never seemed to like it."
"I did this time" she said, "honestly. And you like it, don't you?"
He didn't laugh like she'd expected. Instead he smiled softly. "Of course I do, Liz. Seeing you... the entire sensation of it. Of course I do, Liz. I love it."
"Yet you never push me to do it" she said.
"Because you don't like it. And I don't want to push you. I love you and I'd never ask you to-"
"See" she said. "You love me."
"With everything I have" he agreed. It wasn't even a question. "You know that."
"And you yearn for me" she said.
He nodded. He did. "Sometimes my heart actually burns" he said. "You know that sensation? You know what I mean?"
Now it was her turn to nod. "That's how I felt just now" she agreed. "You show me all the time how much you love me. I'm just doing the same for you. Because I want to please you too. The way I know you try so hard to please me. And I mean not every night or anything - but every once in a while if you want to - you can ask me. Or tell me. Or show me. Okay?"
He nodded and she was surprised to find tears in his eyes. She hadn't realized that it meant so much to him. She wrapped her fingers around him and he moaned. She moved in response and felt his body respond back. His chin fell to his chest and he looked down at her.
Men are visual creatures. She knew that. It should have been no surprise, this whole conversation. She should have known. All this time, he was starved for her mouth. It was a natural desire, of course he'd have it. And if it was never filled it would only continue to grow. She should have known. She should have done something sooner.
Feeling bad she found herself moving towards him again, felt him reposition to lean against the headboard so he could watch her. Heard him grunt and watched his eyes fall shut for a moment.
Twice in one night. Man, he loved his wife. And he'd show her, guaranteed. But they both knew that. And if between now and then it happened again? Well, then so be it. He had a very short refractory period. Shorter then any man she'd ever been with. He could, and had, gone half a dozen times before collapsing. He'd recover. He always did.
So she filled his fantasies and found that she enjoyed every minute of it. Then she let him fill hers and eventually they settled on their sides in bed, him behind her, one of few positions that worked well with the baby bump in consideration.
And by the time they actually gave way to their body's need's for sleep she knew that they were both exhausted and looking forward to tomorrow when they'd get to see those babies again for the 28 week appointment. It was a great way to start the last month of the year.