What If? Part 12

Authors Note: I know Ressler and his women have required some keenler patience from you. Thank you for sticking with this story! This one is longish as well. We probably have 1-2 more chapters after this one.

Let me know what you think.

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"You need to stop squirming," Liz said as she attempted to unstick his pant leg and untwist it. "I told you to just wear..."

"I am not wearing shorts to a formal hearing about...I hate this cast..." he groaned as he tried to lean over and help her.

"Stop," Liz said as she swatted his hand away.

"Liz, I still need to get Lucy..."

"Already taken care of, " she said as she got up and walked from the room.

She and his mother had continued to help with Lucy in the weeks after he was allowed out of the hospital. Aram, Samar and Cooper had continued with their weekly babysit of Lucy as well. He could do most things for himself and his daughter but she needed to get picked up and dropped off from daycare because he couldn't drive. He also needed help getting her ready every morning and out the door. He had just started back at work this last week. And he needed someone to watch her when he went for appointments. He had noticed in that time how at ease Liz had become with not only Lucy but living in his home; which she did for a few overnights, but mostly in the daytime. She knew where everything was, helped herself to whatever she needed, and just did things without seeming like an invader.

Truthfully, he could see how attached Lucy was to her Aunt Liz. They had some jokes that he didn't get, she helped Lucy with countless tasks, and seemed to have both infinite patience and silliness for his daughter. It was really, really nice to see. They'd also enjoyed movies together as a threesome as well as meals and time at the park. He liked that time and hoped it would help Lucy understand and accept better her connection to Liz when he told her about it one day.

His cast was coming off Thursday and not a moment too soon. His leg itched. He hated being dependent on everyone. He didn't like his sloth-like existence. He hated being away from work and was thrilled when he was allowed to go back to desk work part-time this past week. The task force had done well without him but he needed to get back to his task force and off his couch. He also would appreciate no more visits from Reddington with corny leg jokes and stupid fruit baskets.

"What do you mean already taken care of?" Ressler called. When she didn't answer, he called out "Lucy?"

His daughter skipped into his bedroom and proudly stood before him smiling in a red polka dot skirt, striped shirt, yellow tights and fairy wings. Liz had been letting Lucy dress herself and he had been not the biggest fan of the idea. What a 3and a half year old chose for herself was not what he would have chosen for her. Usually there were clashing colours, tiaras, princess costumes, wings, cowboy boots, and the odd time a bathing suit.

"Nice outfit," he said as he looked at the explosion of color before him. Prior to his hospital stay he had picked out her clothes but after almost 4 weeks of Liz letting her choose her own clothes, it had become a hard habit to break. Lucy tended to put up a stink when he tried to pick her clothes or even suggest clothes...

"I picked it all by myself daddy," Lucy said proudly.

"I can see that, " he smiled at her. Truthfully, he wanted her to go change into something less crazy looking, but knew from the proud look on her face, that wasn't happening. "The wings are going to daycare?"

Lucy nodded vehemently.

"Okay, " he said with a smirk.

Lucy ran around his room pretending to fly like a fairy just as Liz walked in with scissors.

"You're cutting my dress pants?" Ressler asked, surprised.

"It's the only way, Ressler," she said as she sat on the floor in front of his leg. "Be a big boy about this. "

"Yeah daddy, be a big boy!" Lucy mimicked.

Ressler gave them both a dark look and they giggled. Their giggles sounded exactly the same and he was taken aback for a moment.

He sighed and nodded and Liz cut his plant leg so it fit around his cast.

"Yay! Daddy was a big boy!" Lucy cheered as she ran from his room to sing along with the children's show on the TV.

"Daddy is always a big boy, " Ressler chuckled as he winked at Liz.

She laughed at his joke. He liked this. Them easy and comfortable with each other. Them working together to get him and Lucy out the door.

Ressler stood back up and finished pulling up his pants over his underwear.

"Thank you for destroying another pair of my pants, " he smiled at Liz.

"I am not responsible for the paint on your daughter's hands that landed all over the legs on your sweat pants, " Liz said as she too stood and tapped his chest.

"Oh yeah?" He asked as he towered over her.

She stood on her tip toes in an attempt to meet his eyes as she laughed.

"Lucy's actions with her paint and hands were no longer my responsibility the second you walked in...or hobbled in... and furthermore..." Liz smirked at him as she poked his chest.

He grabbed her poking finger quickly and she lost balance on her tip toes and he on his one good leg and the two of them tumbled back together into his unmade bed.

Once they landed, they started to laugh, and just as they were untangling to get up, Lucy launched her fairy-self onto the pair of them.

"Be careful with Daddy's..." Liz started to protect Ressler.

"It's fine, she barely weighs 30 pounds, " he chuckled as he pulled the giggling fairy up to give her a kiss.

Liz was about to get up when Lucy settled in between them and grabbed her hand.

Liz lay there with Lucy and Ressler for a moment thinking he probably felt very uncomfortable when Lucy started to talk about choosing her outfit for today and the reasons she picked everything. Liz knew the outfits were getting on Ressler's nerves but was proud of him for embracing his daughter's fashion creativity.

They both lay they listening intently to Lucy for a few minutes. Then the fairy jumped up when she heard her favorite show come on the TV in the living room. She ran from the room calling out her favorite character's name.

"I'll never break her of choosing her own outfits that now that weeks have passed," Ressler sighed as he rolled onto his side and faced her. His full leg cast was heavy as it hung off the end of his bed. It smelled and itched and he couldn't wait to get the fucking thing off.

"She likes doing it and it makes your mornings a hell of a lot easier, " Liz turned her head and smiled at him. She secretly liked that she had some small impact on Lucy when it came to something. She knew that everyone liked a sweet little girl in crazy clothes and knew that Ressler would realize whatever she wore didn't really matter.

"But that outfit..." Ressler winced.

"Is she dressed for the weather?" Liz asked him as she rolled to her side and faced him.

He nodded. He liked when she got all bossy and parental. Secretly he really liked when she got all bossy and know-it-all.

"Then let her pick her own clothes Ressler, " Liz smiled at him. "She's a cute little kid that everyone will think..."

He leaned in and kissed her softly. It was without warning or fanfare or any sort of discussion. She had unexpectedly kissed him when he woke in the hospital and it wasn't until he woke again, hours later, that he realized she had done that in front of both Lucy and his mother. He had kissed her back, almost instinctively in that moment and then all of his attention went to Lucy. He hadn't thought about it until he was alone and rested hours later. He wished he knew why she kissed him then. Truthfully, he wasn't sure why he kissed Liz now; why in that moment he took the leap and kissed her. Caught by surprise, she pulled back.

"I'm sorry, I..." he started.

"No," she said as she leaned back in and kissed him back. Her kiss was passionate and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him more; awkward position, dangling heavy leg, and unmade bed be damned.

Their kiss continued until they heard Lucy call from the other room "I need more cereal."

They pulled back and looked at each other, their breath caught between them.

"Ressler..." Liz huffed.

"Hey, " Ressler said as he pushed some hair behind her ear.

"Hey," Liz smiled back at him.

"That was..." he started.

"The outfit is not the only surprise this morning," Liz smirked at him.

"No, it's not, " Ressler chucked.

"Can we..." Liz started and then stopped when Lucy walked into the room.

"You're snuggling?" Lucy asked the pair of them.

Ressler cleared his throat and Liz quickly got up and stood straightening her clothes. His daughter had never seen him with another woman. Rania was very separate from being a dad. And Nora, well, her time with him and Lucy at the museum that they didn't go to because of his accident, was going to be the first time he exposed her to him dating anyone. That date, of course, hadn't happened so this was the first time Lucy saw her father 'snuggling' with any woman. And that woman, in this circumstance was her Aunt Liz.

"I'll get your cereal, sweetie," Liz said as she took Lucy's hand and they walked from his bedroom.

Ressler wiped at his face and sighed. What was he doing? He and Liz were friends, she'd been involved and helping with Lucy but... why did he need to complicate things? His life was already complicated enough. Nora had asked to come visit now that he was out of the hospital, Rania had come with Elijah to check in on him a few days ago. Liz left to go to the grocery store when she arrived and returned over an hour later after Rania and Elijah had long been gone. She seemed off for the rest of the day and left right after dinner, not staying to watch a TV show with him and Lucy or help tuck her into bed. He knew she seemed to have issues with his relationship with Rania but she was his friend, not his girlfriend, so he didn't think she had a say in who he chose to spend time with.

He took a deep breath and rose, finished dressing and crutched his way out of his bedroom. Where he discovered Liz getting Lucy's backpack on her over her fairy wings and plonking a hat on her head.

"Come on, I need to get you to the hearing on time, " Liz called to him.

"We've got lots of..." Ressler started; noting that Liz seemed off again. He shouldn't have kissed her. Things had been going so well with him and Liz and Lucy and then he ruined it with a moment of weakness. He shouldn't have kissed her. He needed to get things back to how they used to be.

"Daddy looks like daddy again, " Lucy smiled at him in his suit.

He smiled back.

"Daddy does look like daddy again, " Liz smiled at him.

Ressler reached for his laptop bag and looped it carefully over his shoulder. He needed to talk with Liz after they dropped off Lucy. This was not territory they should be stepping into and he shouldn't have kissed her.

They got into her car with a lot of work and maneuvering, dropped Lucy off at daycare, and he found himself being veered off into a small park near Lucy's daycare and Liz placing her car in park.

"Liz, I'm..." he started.

"I've been waiting years for you to kiss me, " Liz interrupted him.

He swallowed hard. He hadn't been expecting that.

He looked at her confused.

"We have such shitty timing, " she said under her breath. "Is it too late to try?"

His mind immediately went to Lucy's giggle sounding like Liz's giggle. He then thought of all the women he had kept at arm's length because he couldn't picture anyone else as Lucy's mom. He then thought of how he had tried since he'd known Liz to stop his heart from loving her. It had been an almost impossible task. He thought of his daughter and the uncomplicated relationships he'd had over the years to protect her and himself. And finally, Ressler thought of how much he had wanted a romantic relationship with Liz and wasn't sure, now that he could have it, if he should risk his heart and his daughter's.

All of this ran through his head in seconds and Liz looked more and more nervous as he thought.

"What are you doing for dinner Friday?" Ressler asked her, taking that leap without thought. He hoped it didn't turn out to be a huge mistake.

"Eating with you?" Liz asked, her voice nervous and hesitant.

He licked his lips.

"Years?" He asked. He needed to clarify what she's just said.

She sighed and smiled and dropped her head slightly.

"I didn't want to complicate your life," Liz admitted. "I went away to the cabin to try and... to try and get over you. It didn't work."

He looked at her confused.

"I thought it was because of Lucy that you...?" Ressler started.

"No, I knew that was the right decision, but you... that was...I needed some time, " she said quietly. "Not that I don't love Lucy because I love Lucy. But I could have continued to be Aunt Liz...and...and feel so lucky I'm that."

He shook his head. All of his ideas about why she did certain things were wrong.

"Years?" He asked again.

She nodded.

"And then you had Rania and seemed happy with...with...the relatinoship you had, " Liz said, her cheeks pinking slightly.

Ressler swallowed hard. He had no idea his time with Rania had also been time Liz had been interested in having a relationship with him.

"And lately I know you've been...I know Nora has been in the picture and... and I thought it was too late. And if it is, please just say so because I don't think I..."

Ressler leaned in and kissed her passionately, his upper body moving to press against hers and his intent clear in his kiss. There was no hesitancy, no second-guessing, no doubt.

"Not too late?" Liz asked with a smile as they parted. Her voice worried and hopeful.

He shook his head in the negative and smiled.

"Never too late for you, Liz," he smirked before he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss.

To be continued...