Wing Yee's Year 7
Author's Note: Liz's birthday, season 7. I went more AU on this then the series went with their relationship—in my mind they were knocking boots for much of season 7.
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"Come on," Don said to her as he stood at the doorway to her washroom. "You're going to be late for your own party."
"Party?" Liz chuckled. "It's you, Aram, Park, Cooper and Charlene, who doesn't even like me."
"Why do you think that?" Ressler asked.
"Because Tom and I brought havoc into her life years ago and she hates me," Liz said as she applied eyeliner.
"I kicked her gnome," Ressler admitted. "If she hates anyone, it's me."
"I heard you replaced it," Liz snickered.
"Yeah, a week later I hit a garden centre and had it shipped to their house with an apology," Ressler admitted as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe. "So, why is Charlene coming?"
Liz laughed at his joke and put her eyeliner away. "No clue."
She turned and kissed him before she squeezed past him to grab her coat.
"Come on!" She called to him. "You're going to make me late for my party!"
Ressler snickered and grabbed his jacket before he followed her out of her apartment. "Yeah, if we're late it's on me."
It was these moments that Ressler liked most, when it felt like they were a couple. In truth, he didn't know what they were, and he'd resigned himself to just taking it one day at a time. After Jennifer had left Liz, and Hannah had left him, he and Liz had fallen into bed together. And, over the course of the last ten months they'd fallen into bed together more and more, spent weekends together, went on what would be considered dates. She never mentioned that he'd said he loved her on her last birthday, and he didn't mention that she'd been interested in him far longer than she let on. They were in this weird, happy place of a relationship where the sex was amazing, the laughter common, the expectations low, and any talk of the future non-existent.
"Agnes comes home from Scottie's when?" Ressler asked, knowing she had been on the phone with her daughter an hour ago while he was in her shower.
"In three days," Liz smiled at him before they started down the stairs.
"You sad she's not here for your birthday?" Ressler asked as they continued down.
"No," Liz said. "She hates Wing Yee's."
"What? How is that possible that your daughter hates Wing Yee's?" Ressler ask as they exited her building and walked out onto the street.
"I know, right?" Liz chuckled. "I keep trying, but, no luck."
"Wow," Ressler said as they started to walk down the street the five blocks to the restaurant.
Liz took his arm and walked next to him, so he shortened his pace to match hers, otherwise she had to walk pretty fast to keep up. He knew when they got within a block of the place, she'd drop his arm; no one at work knew about them and they were in silent agreement to keep it that way.
"So, what are you going to do about Robbie?" Liz asked him.
He sighed. They had been back from Alaska for two days and she had not brought it up yet, he was hoping she'd forgotten.
"He's your brother," Liz said.
Ressler looked at her sideways and wasn't sure if he should get into this larger discussion on her birthday with the loss of Jennifer still stinging all these months later.
"I know, from what you've told me, that you two don't see eye to eye often but…"
"Liz, he's involved with some pretty shady characters," Ressler said.
"And so are you!" She laughed. "Hello? Raymond Reddington?"
"That's different," Ressler said.
"Is it?" Liz asked.
Ressler sighed.
"Are you telling me that if I became a criminal, you wouldn't stay involved with me?" Liz asked.
"Since when are you becoming a criminal?" Ressler asked.
"The attorney general?" Liz asked.
"My job was to bring you in, safely," Ressler said. "And that was different."
"How?" Liz asked, teasing.
"Different," he chuckled.
"You and I were tap dancing around something back then," Liz said, stepping into the conversation that they never seemed to have.
"And we're still tap dancing around something," Ressler added, thinking if she was going there, so was he.
"Are we?" Liz asked, her voice higher than usual.
Ressler turned and looked at her perplexed.
"I'm just saying, this is really good," Liz said as she settled into his frame a little closer. "Would you agree?"
He nodded slowly.
"So, you feel like we're still tap dancing around…us?" Liz asked.
"Okay," he said as he stopped walking and turned to face her as he gestured between them. "What's this?"
She furrowed her brow.
"Liz, maybe we shouldn't get into this tonight," he sighed as he started to walk away from her toward the restaurant.
She stood still and didn't follow him. A few paces away, he stopped and turned to look at her.
"Come on Liz," he said. "Forget I mentioned it, let's get to your party. We're already late."
She nodded and walked with him toward the restaurant again.
They were greeted by Cooper and Charlene, happy with two drinks in her already, Aram trying to appear not upset about Elodie, and Park who seemed jubilant over being invited to a private event with her work companions.
"You two live near here?" Park asked, she was still the outsider in their group and hadn't been to anyone's apartments yet.
"No, I park at Liz's, and I walk her home afterwards," Ressler offered. In truth, he had stayed with Liz since they'd returned from Alaska; with Agnes away, it was the perfect opportunity to be together more.
"Ahhh," Park said. "I'm across town, I didn't even know about this neighborhood except for what I hear on the news…"
"It's in the process of gentrification," Liz said with a smile, "but there are still some shady characters."
Park nodded. She had a fairy wealthy boyfriend who worked for State, that they had just learned about last month, who she lived with. Ressler wondered if they should have invited him, in retrospect, but in looking at Park she seemed fine.
Liz went to the waiter to order food for the table.
"How are you doing with Elodie?" Ressler asked Aram as he sat down across from the man.
"I hope I made the right decision," Aram said.
Ressler sighed, he wasn't sure Aram had, but he'd never tell him that.
"I think you couldn't be happy with her if you felt that cloud over your relationship," Ressler supplied instead.
Aram nodded.
"Hi Charlene, Cooper," Ressler said as he smiled at them.
"Hi Don," Charlene smiled at him. "How are you?"
"My rehab for garden gnome destruction is working," he joked. "Haven't hurt one since yours."
Charlene laughed at his joke, and he was joining her in that laughter with Cooper when he felt Liz's hand on his shoulder as she leaned over him slightly from behind.
"That's good to hear," Charlene laughed. "Everyone gets a little out of control every once in a while, Don."
"How are you, Charlene?" Liz asked her. Don could feel her body pressed into his back and wasn't sure why she wasn't maintaining the distance they always did when around others. He purposefully chose a seat with Park on one side and Charlene on the other, so he and Liz weren't sitting together. Park's question about them arriving together set off some red flags already.
"Good, thanks for having me, Elizabeth," Charlene said to her, a little stiff.
Don felt Liz stiffen slightly behind him. Charlene had not been as warm to her as she had been to him, he wasn't sure why, but Liz knew it too.
"I ordered a bunch of different things," Liz said to the table. "Hopefully there's a little something for everyone to try."
"Great Elizabeth," Cooper said with a smile. "I liked this last year as well."
"The food is great here," Ressler offered.
"I forgot you left last year before Liz got a little…" Aram started.
"What happens at Wing Yee's stays at Wing Yee's" Ressler offered before Aram started to talk about drunk Liz.
"Last year I got pretty drunk at my birthday," Liz admitted. "It was a tough year."
"Isn't every year a tough year for the task force?" Charlene asked. "I swear, you people never get a break."
Liz laughed at her observation. "Yeah, I guess that's true."
Charlene laughed with her, and the mood lightened between them.
"Charlene, I'm getting some red wine, would you like one?" Liz asked, noting that her glass was empty.
"Are you driving?" Charlene asked Cooper.
He nodded.
"Then let's see if we can get to last year again," Charlene said. "Alina, are you in?"
Park laughed and nodded, and Liz went to the bar.
"Oh shit," Aram whispered as he leaned across the table and looked at Ressler.
"It's her birthday, let her have fun," Ressler said.
Minutes later, Liz leaned over him and placed a beer in front of him at the table and squeezed his shoulder.
"Thanks," he said as he turned to face her. She smiled down at him and left for the bar again to pick up the glasses of wine.
The women all got wine, Cooper got a scotch, and Aram got a kombucha.
Cooper rose and lifted his glass. "I have known Elizabeth from the time she was a rookie agent, and now she has become a seasoned agent. She is someone I am happy to call friend, think of like my daughter, and rely on as a co-worker. And she's 37 years old today!"
Liz groaned from her spot next to Aram.
"And I look forward to seeing that the next 37 years bring to her life," Cooper laughed. "If these last ones are any indication, I expect some excitement, some intrigue, and a whole lot of adventure. To Elizabeth."
Everyone raised their glasses and cheered her, and she smiled and laughed at the group of them.
"Thank you for reminding me of my age," Liz said with a groan. "And, really, thank you all for being here with me tonight. I look forward to my Wing Yee birthday every year, and the wonderful group of people I am honoured to spend it with. Thank you, truly."
Everyone smiled and clinked glasses and had a drink.
"And, while we are talking about amazing people," Liz said with a smile. "I want to particularly mention Ressler."
He looked at her confused and surprised.
"He has been a part of Wing Yee birthday tradition since my 30st and I can't imagine the next 37 without him," Liz smiled at him. "In fact, I'm not sure what I did for 29 years without him."
Ressler smiled at her and nodded.
Liz sat down and looked at him across the table. He wanted to know where they stood and, without giving anything away to the others at the table, she had told him. She wanted him for the next 37 years. And Ressler knew that thirty-seven was an arbitrary number for 'the rest of my life'. She may not be able to say she loved him, but no one longed to spend the rest of their life with someone they didn't love.
The conversation was light and fun, there was a lot of laughter, and way too much food ordered. Charlene tied one on, but Liz only had 2 glasses of wine that she nursed all night, Cooper kept it to one scotch and Ressler to three beers. Ressler found himself carrying a bag of takeout back to her place as they walked through the dark streets after the party.
"I'd say that was a great birthday," he said as he walked beside her.
"It really was," Liz smiled and looked up at the few stars you could see in the city.
"And you have enough food to live off of until Agnes gets home," Ressler said, noting her stargazing.
"Not if there's two of us eating it," Liz smiled, but stayed looking at the stars.
"You think I'm staying with you for another three days?" Ressler chuckled. "I don't have enough clothes."
"It's clothing optional," she snickered.
"Not for work it's not," he chuckled. "I've only changed my shirt and underwear for the last two days. Someone is going to notice if I keep showing up in the same suit."
Liz smiled "I'll buy you a suit and a couple of shirts and ties tomorrow, we'll go shopping at lunch."
"I can buy my own shirts," Ressler chuckled low and deep. "Or I can just leave early, and stop by my apartment to…"
"No, I want to," Liz said softly, her voice far away. "I want to know when I see you in one of them, that I picked it out and you're wearing it because of me."
Ressler looked at her perplexed. This woman perplexed him more than any other he had ever met.
"I remember what you said last year," Liz said quietly, her gaze not going to him still as she stopped walking.
"What was that?" Ressler asked.
"That you have tried not to love me for a long time," Liz said quietly. "But you do."
Ressler swallowed hard and nodded.
"I'm not good with the word," she said. "I know I have feelings for you, or, at least I think I do, it's really messed up from Tom…"
Ressler waited for her to continue, and she went quiet.
"Liz…" Ressler started.
"I know I always want to be with you," Liz said as she met his eyes. "And that's not easy for me to say, or easy for you to do. I know I'm…complicated, and every day I get more and more complicated."
Ressler stepped toward her and gently took her face in his hands and looked at her.
"You don't think I've known that, always?" Ressler asked.
She nodded and a tear fell from her eye.
"I hate that I'm…" she started and stopped. "You deserve…"
"I want you," Ressler said, still holding her face and looking at her with a watery gaze. "Liz, I love you."
She nodded and a few more tears fell. He leaned in and softly kissed her on the lips and pulled back, wiping a stray tear with his thumb as he did.
"I want you to spend more time with Agnes," she said as she wiped at her tears, and he let go of her face.
"I'd like that," he smiled at her.
"Are you sure?" Liz asked him. "Because things are probably going to get very complicated with Reddington and you may not like some of the choices I'm making."
He narrowed his eyes at her, Liz was always thinking of the worst case scenario and he wished she'd stop that.
"Remember if you asked me if I'd stay with you even if you were a criminal?" Ressler asked her.
She nodded, thinking this was probably a distinct possibility for their future.
"I would," he said as he held her shoulders. "I would, Liz."
She nodded quickly and threw herself into his frame, hugging him tightly, almost to the point of clutching him.
"I love you, Liz," he said quietly into her hair. "And I hope you can tell me that too one day, but until then I'll take 37 years."
She laughed against him and sighed deeply.
"I may need more than 37 years because I don't intend on being dumped in my eighties," Liz said as she pulled back and looked into his eyes.
"Let's start with 37 and go from there," he chuckled deeply as he pushed some hair out of her face. "Come on, let's finish celebrating your birthday. And get out your AMEX for tomorrow, I plan on picking out some really nice clothes that you're going to buy me at lunch."
She laughed and tucked into his frame and walked with him back to her place joking that whenever she saw him wear a certain tie it was a sign they needed to go to one of their places to not eat lunch at lunch time. They came up with silly secret codes his clothing choices could mean all the way home and he had her in hysterics as they opened the door to her place. But once the door was shut, her mouth was on his and the bag of leftovers abandoned on the floor while they made their way to her bedroom.
The end.