A Second Act –Part 7
Author's Note: Probably only a few chapters left of this one—it's about a moment in time for them—just a few months (maybe a year?) when everything starts to fall together for our Keenlers. Anything in italics is a flashback.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Ressler could get used to this; waking next to Liz every morning. It was their last day at her place and he, Liz and Agnes were hopping on a plane to Florida in a few hours to see his girls.
He hadn't realized how hard it would be seeing his girls get on a plane without him and just with Helen and Hank, who he knew would never let anything happen to his kids. He had been anxious for days before they left, read too many secret communications about terrorist activities in the air, contacted the local FBI agency to get a handle on who he needed to contact if there was an issue, and placed plastic tracking chips Dembe had got him in their shoes.
He may have gone overboard with the chips... maybe with everything. They were having fun with their grandparents. Had arrived safely, had not been in any accidents, had not been lost, and he got regular texts from Helen or Hank throughout the day with pictures of his kids smiling. He'd kept his anxiety to himself and really only Liz picked up on what was going on, but somehow his in- laws knew he needed to know where they were and what they were doing that far away from him. He sensed Liz had something to do with it; he knew she had texted Helen a couple of times, possibly requesting she update him regularly.
"Mmmm," Liz hummed as she turned over and flung her arm above her head.
He'd learned that she dreamed most nights, talked in her sleep throughout the night, and was a cuddler until the morning when she usually rolled away and slept away from him for a good half hour before waking up. The few nights they had stayed together before this had not been normal like this; they'd been in hotels, or he'd left or got up before Agnes woke, or they'd been in a tent. The last four nights he had really got to see what it was like to sleep with Liz, in her bed, all night. It was nice. Really nice. Ridiculously nice.
She didn't kick like Audrey who seemed to be in some kind of battle in her dreams most nights. He had spent most of their marriage sleeping as far away from her as possible so he didn't get whacked. Audrey was a quiet sleeper hardly making a peep, unlike Liz who didn't stop talking most of the night.
He chuckled to himself softly.
Liz and Audrey had been the best of friends and yet, besides being amazing people, there was little on paper that was alike. Audrey worked part time at a florist shop, despite her commerce degree, because it worked better with the kid's schedules. Liz worked more than full time as a member of the task force, putting her life on the line for years despite being a mom. Audrey was an amazing cook and baker, keeping their home immaculate. Liz cooked simply when she had to but preferred take out or pre-made when she could, and her house, although neat, was not immaculate. Audrey worried about every decision regarding their family and Liz seemed to not worry about much. Liz was easy going with finances and didn't deny herself or her child anything, whereas Audrey kept track of every dime they spent and made their girls wait for things until they'd saved.
He obviously didn't have a type.
"Uncle Donnie, " Agnes called from the doorway as she walked into Liz's bedroom.
"Hey sweetheart, mommy is still sleeping, " Ressler said as he rose from the bed in track shorts and a t-shirt.
They had decided the first night that being dressed by morning was a good idea.
"Want some bacon and eggs for breakfast? " Ressler said.
"Ohhhh..." Agnes smiled.
"Go pee and I'll get mummy up," Ressler said as he watched her walk from the room. He crawled quickly under the blanket and sucked on a nipple through her tank top.
"Ohhhh," Liz replied as he felt her arms wrap around him.
"We need to get breakfast and get to the airport," Ressler said with a muffled voice under the covers.
"Don't stop..." Liz groaned and felt him latch back on her nipple.
He followed her orders.
"Oh yeah, " Liz huffed.
A minute later, they heard Agnes' voice.
"Breakfast?" Agnes asked.
Ressler and Liz both jumped.
"Jesus Agnes, " Liz huffed as she sat up.
"I'm hungry, " she whined.
"Yeah, well...uh..." Liz stammered as Ressler turned beet red.
"Bacon and eggs?" Ressler asked and walked from the room adjusting the hard on that had just happened.
"Baby, maybe knock or let us know if you're here, okay?" Liz asked.
Agnes nodded.
"I love you and Don loves you, just some warning if we're in my bedroom, okay?" Liz asked.
"Okay, mom," Agnes agreed.
"Go help Don with breakfast " Liz smiled at her.
Agnes left her room and Liz flopped back down on her bed her body humming and no relief in sight.
Twenty minutes later she and Ressler were sitting at the table eating while Agnes walked around eating bacon and talking with her grandmother Scottie on the phone.
She had called just as everything was being plated. Tom had virtually disappeared from their lives 3 years ago. Besides the odd call they didn't hear from him much. He showed no interest in seeing Agnes, but his mother still did. She called every couple of weeks, visited when in DC, invited them down to Florida, and sent gifts to the house every few months. She made it clear she was not pleased with the choices her son made but didn't want his actions to keep her from having a relationship with her granddaughter.
Liz noticed Ressler had been looking at her while she ate.
"What?" She asked s she smiled at him.
"You know Scottie is only 3 hours away, we could take a day and visit, while down there?" Ressler asked.
"Maybe," Liz sighed. She still wasn't sure how she felt about promoting more involvement with the woman.
He nodded and looked at Agnes absently walking out onto the back covered porch to continue her chat.
"How do you see this working, us joining into one family?" He asked.
Liz looked at him surprised. They'd always talked as if it was inevitable but never really discussed the practical.
"We could both sell our houses and buy something together?" Liz asked. "But honestly, I wouldn't want to move Agnes for school and your girl's catholic school isn't far, 6 or 7 minutes? So, ideally more this neighborhood, if possible?"
He nodded.
"How do you feel about leaving the home you built with Audrey? I'm being honest here, I'm not sure I could ever see that house as mine. "
He nodded. Instead of answering right away he asked her another question.
"How would you feel about putting an addition on this place? Doing a renovation?" Ressler asked.
"Here?" Liz asked surprised. She didn't think it would be an option considering her Palisades house was only 900 square feet and his Glover Park row house was double that.
"You'd want new?" He asked, surprised.
"No, I just assumed it would be hard for you to leave your house and you would want new," she said.
"Honestly, there are too many memories there; good and bad. I want a fresh start for the girls and for me." He told her honestly.
"Oh wow, I hadn't..."
He looked at her confused.
"But my house?" Liz asked.
"Liz, it was just an idea and I can't see you don't want to..."Ressler said.
"No, I love my house. I'd be happy to stay and renovate and maybe put on an addition for more space, " Liz interrupted. "I was just surprised you suggested it, that's all."
"You have a lot of land and room for expansion and your neighborhood is nicer than mine..."
"You have a great..." Liz interrupted.
"I have a nice neighborhood, you have a great one, " Ressler chuckled. "And your house is the same distance to the girl's school as it is from my house. "
"You've put some thought into this, " Liz teased.
"Possibly, " he smirked at her. "We haven't really talked money, but my house would get about a million, maybe a million two. We bought it for 600 000 thirteen years ago and I still owe 300 000 on it. I have the cabin in the woods that's not really worth much because it's so remote. And I have blown through all the money Reddington left me with Audrey's care, but we could use my house sale to pay for the reno..."
Liz smiled at him.
"What?" He asked.
"We're really doing this?" She smiled broader.
He smiled back and winked at her.
"What do you think about what I've suggested? Doable or stupid? Be honest." He said.
She got up and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Let's do it," she smiled.
He smiled back. "We'd need to live in my house during the reno and get Agnes back and forth to school...we could...maybe you could make some changes in the bedroom to make it more...you?"
"Thanks," she sighed. They hadn't slept together in that room yet and the thought of living there with him for months in the bedroom Audrey decorated, in the bed where they made love, in the space where they lived intimately for over a decade was...scary? Intimidating? She wasn't sure.
"Liz, I want you to be comfortable so whatever you need to do, do it," he nodded.
She kissed his cheek.
"With Reddington's money, I paid off my mortgage when I bought Tom out," Liz said. "And you may think this was stupid of me, but I gave half the money to Jennifer. We were both his daughter in some capacity and he left nothing for her. I felt it was wrong."
He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. "I think that's amazing of you."
She smiled widely. "Tom was very angry I..."
"Well, I'm not Tom, and family is important," he said as he bounced her a little on his lap and she giggled. "I'm glad you did that for Jennifer."
"Reddington gave me a lot of money, tens of millions..." Liz said. "And I thought a long time about what I could do with it..."
Ressler waited for her to continue.
"Dembe was a child soldier and he...Reddington, that was a cause close to his heart," Liz said softly as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I financed a start-up organization in Cameroon to help get kids out of that situation; provide them with safe living, education,...Jennifer runs it. We're involved with UNESCO now and..."
"Jesus Christ Liz, I thought you just donated to an organization, I remember you gave a lot of his money away..." Ressler smiled at her. "That's..."
"Jennifer runs it," Liz said. "It's really her baby and I..."
"Started it," Ressler said, proudly. "That's amazing babe."
She smiled shyly. "You're the only other person besides Dembe and Jennifer that knows about my connection to it. He helps too, visits the kids more than Jennifer even..."
"What's it called?"
"Red's Kids," Liz said with a chuckle.
"Perfect," he chuckled too. "You've been a couple of times...I thought just as a donor."
"It was nice to see what his money was accomplishing with the kids," Liz smiled. "I went after Audrey died...I needed to see some good in the world."
She heard him clear his throat.
"So," she changed the subject. "I have a few million in the bank that's mine, an education fund for Agnes, the house...that's my financial situation."
He chuckled. "Just a few million in the bank?"
"What?" She laughed.
"You kill me," he chuckled as he shook his head.
She smirked at him.
"We'll get a lawyer to draw up some papers before we move in together, because you've got a lot more money than I do and..." Ressler started.
"No," she shook her head. "Ressler, you're it for me. You and your girls, me and Agnes. What's mine is yours..."
"I want you protected," he said quietly. "Liz, you have more to lose."
"And I love you for that," she smiled at him. "But do you think you'll leave me?"
He smiled and shook his head in the negative. "Never."
"Then please don't make this awkward and lawyer-y. We're it, you and me. So, let's hire an architect and figure out how to turn this place into a house where we call can live, okay?"
He nodded. "But if you change your mind, I won't be insulted."
She leaned in and kissed him soundly.
"Am I supposed to knock on something?" Agnes' voice called out as she walked toward them.
Ressler and Liz pulled apart laughing.
"No baby, not for kissing," Liz chuckled.
Agnes smiled at laughed and sat down at the table opposite them and ate her toast.
Ressler was happy they had a clear idea of their financials because of all areas of his life with Audrey, that one was the most contentious.
He looked down at a text and threw his phone down on his desk in frustration.
"Everything okay?" Liz asked him.
He swiped a hand across his brow; he was getting a headache.
"Yeah, fine," he sighed as she walked in a tight circle.
"Looks really fine," Liz teased.
"Audrey's just pissing me off," he admitted.
"What's up?" Liz asked, surprised. Ressler and Audrey rarely complained about each other; as far as Liz knew as their good friend, they were pretty ridiculously perfect for each other. It was maddening.
"I want to take the kids to Disney; my mom asked for it," Ressler said. "She's finally recovered from her heart attack and wants to celebrate with the kids and...and I think it scared her and she wants more time with her grandkids."
"Seems reasonable," Liz nodded.
"Well not to Audrey," Ressler sighed. "She wants to do it next year instead when we've saved..."
"Don't you have money from Reddington? I know you guys used some for the reno but..."
"Audrey's put it into some fund that's locked for another year with stiff penalties if we touch..."
"All of it?" Liz asked surprised.
He nodded. "I'm a very financially prudent person, but she takes it to a new fucking level and...my mom just wants to go to Disney with her grandkids and..."
"Maybe explain it that way?" Liz asked.
"I did," he sighed.
"Oh," Liz swallowed.
"You know, if I knew when we got married, she would be this tight with every fucking penny I would have kept our money separate so shit like this didn't happen."
She could tell he was mad at Audrey; a rare event. Audrey tended to only get mad at him for working too late.
"Do you want to borrow...?" Liz asked.
"No, I'm taking a few thousand out and fuck the penalty," he said as he opened the app on his phone and started to make a transfer. "I'll go to the travel agent at lunch and just get it done and send my mom her ticket."
"You're not discussing it?" Liz asked, surprised.
"We did, and we disagreed," he said, obviously still annoyed. "And I'm making an executive decision, one executive decision in five years after her many, many, executive decisions."
Liz raised her eyebrows. He was pissed.
They were 2 days into Harry Potter World and the kids were on a sugar high. They had gone on rides, waved wands, went to shows, walked around in robes, drank butter beer...it had been a lot of fun. When Erin started to cry because it was 'exactly as she thought it would be' they knew this trip was the right choice for their families. Today however, they were going to visit Scottie because it was the right thing to do when you were so close.
"The car rental is being dropped off," Ressler said as he looked at his phone. "How nice is that?"
She looked at the man smiling across the bed from her wearing a towel from his shower and smiled.
"What?" He asked.
"How nice is all of this?" Liz said as she walked around and placed her hands on his towel-clad hips and leaned forward and kissed his clavicle. "I don't want to curse us, but the girls are getting along great, everyone seems okay with us staying in a room together..."
"I know, right?" He asked as he leaned down and kissed her, placing his hands on her bikini clad hips and pulling her a little closer.
"Daddy, Liz's phone..." Erin said as she walked into their room, unannounced with Carolina trailing closely behind her.
He and Liz pulled away from each other; they were just kissing, but she was in her underwear and bra and he was in a towel.
"Oh, sorry," Erin said as she turned red and stopped walking. Caroline bumped into the back of her.
"No, it's fine girls," Liz said as she walked toward them in her underwear and looked at her phone. "It's Agnes' grandma Scottie who was calling."
Carolina and Erin stood looking a little perplexed for a moment.
"Girls, is everything okay?" Ressler asked as he walked toward his daughters as well.
They both nodded.
Liz cleared her throat.
"Maybe I should..." she pointed to the door.
"No, stay Liz. What's the matter girls?" Ressler asked as he gently tugged them by their shoulders and sat down on the edge of the bed facing them. Liz stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.
"You and Liz are like you and mom now," Erin finally said.
Ressler furrowed his brow.
"What do you mean, honey?" Ressler asked kindly.
"I used to come into your room and you and mom would be getting ready and talking and...it was like this, sort of..." Erin said.
"Except mom didn't ever put lipstick on you," Carolina said quickly.
"Uh, sorry about..." Liz apologized as she walked toward their washroom to grab a robe so she wasn't standing around half naked anymore.
Ressler looked down at his chest, saw the lipstick kiss on his clavicle, and sighed.
"How do you feel about this?" He asked them, remembering the counsellor said to focus on feelings.
"A little sad," Erin admitted. "I won't see you and mom like that again."
Ressler nodded. "That's true, you won't, sweetheart. Carolina?"
"Uh, dad..."
"Just say it," Ressler sighed.
"Weird," Carolina said as she watched Liz sit down in a white robe next to her father. "We used to be able to always walk anywhere and now..."
"Now?" Ressler asked.
"Now I feel like there are places we aren't allowed..." Carolina said.
"Honey, you can always..." Liz started.
Ressler interrupted, remembering the counselor said kids worked well with clear boundaries.
"Liz and I don't care about you coming into our bedroom, but," he said as he looked at his girls. "You need to knock and get permission before you come inside. Unless it's an emergency."
"Is Liz's phone ringing an...?" Erin started.
"Not really honey," Ressler chuckled. "But a fire, or someone hurt, or something dangerous...those are the emergencies we're talking about, okay?"
"Is this because of sex?" Erin whispered to him.
He couldn't help but smile.
"No, it's because adults like privacy sometimes, to talk, or get dressed...which is what we were doing when you walked in," he reminded them. "Or sometimes because we're being intimate and that's not for kids to walk in on."
"You kiss when you get dressed?" Carolina asked.
"Sometimes," Liz smiled at her. "But not always. We were actually talking about a car rental and you guys and I kissed him there..."
Liz placed her finger over her lipstick kiss. "...because he's pretty cute."
Erin giggled and Carolina chuckled.
"And I'm sure Liz didn't want everyone walking in while she was in her underwear..."
"I don't care about that," Liz interrupted. "We're all girls..."
Carolina and Erin chuckled as well.
"Agnes sees me running around the house half naked most days," Liz chuckled. "You girls may need to get used to that."
Ering laughed and Carolina sighed. Ressler knew they weren't used to that; Audrey always was dressed, even if it was pj's. The most undressed his kids ever saw their mother was when she was in a bathing suit. And there was never a risk of their girls walking in on them mid-act because the only time they had sex was in their bed, door locked, after the kids were asleep for at least an hour. Liz was more about spontaneous sex; like in the shower this morning. The door locking was probably something they should do though.
"Things can be a little messy figuring stuff out at first when you're becoming a family," Liz said as she smiled at the girls. "But we'll figure it out."
"Figure what out?" Agnes asked as she walked in.
"Being a family," Ressler said to the girl who had suddenly realized everyone was somewhere she was not.
"We are a family," Agnes smiled as she climbed onto Ressler's lap and popped a chocolate covered peanut in her mouth and then opened her hand for anyone who wanted one to take one.
Erin and Liz did.
"And Scottie will be your grandma too," Agnes said to the girls. "She has a huge pool!"
"Which is why everyone needs to get their bathing suits and put them in the bag daddy put by the front door," Liz said as she stood and smiled at all of them. "I'll make sure we have sun screen."
Carolina and Erin nodded and Agnes hopped off Ressler's lap.
"Five minutes everyone," Ressler called to the three girls as they walked out of their room with Agnes telling them about Scottie's three dogs as well.
Liz followed them and gently shut the door behind them before she turned and looked at Ressler with bug eyes.
"We need to start locking our bedroom door," Ressler said as he walked toward her.
"But I'm feeling good about the talk...you?"
He nodded. "It's going to take some time...you're very different from Audrey."
She looked at him confused.
"In every good way," he smiled as he kissed her forehead. "You don't freak out over every nickel and dime, you are spontaneous, you are very independent, and you, apparently, have no issue with public nudity..."
She smacked his arm and laughed before she turned to walk away.
He grabbed her from behind around her waist and she gasped as he pulled her against his front and kissed her neck.
"And I loved her and I love you," he said into her ear. "You are and were both perfect."
She smiled at his words and leaned her head back against his shoulder and kissed the underside of his jaw.
"Now," he said as she whacked her ass. "We need to get going, so stop distracting me."
"Oh? I'm distracting you?" She asked as she quickly reached for his towel and whipped it off his body leaving him standing naked in the middle of their room. "Looks like you've got a distraction of your own you're dealing with."
He looked down at his erection and nodded.
"You are responsible for that, not me," he laughed as he walked to his luggage and pulled out a fresh pair of boxers.
Within minutes they were finally dressed and corralling their three girls to go visit Scottie and swim in her huge pool and three dogs while Liz and Ressler visited with her.
To be continued...let me know what you think!