Coming Back

Author's Note: A Prequel to Counselling Session #12. I've decided to make this a short series so expect another story between this one and Counselling Session #12. I picture this during Pattie Sue Edwards.

Let me know what you think.

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She walked out of the coffee shop blowing on her coffee and thinking about all the pieces to the puzzle.

"Keen!" a familiar voice called.

She knew that voice anywhere and wasn't sure she wanted to face him, but had no choice.

"Hey," she smiled in his direction. "I'm just…"

"Avoiding me," he supplied as he approached her.

She sighed.

"I'm not avoiding you, I just have…a lot on my plate," Liz said as she stopped in front of him.

"You're avoiding me," he said quietly.

"Ressler…" Liz hedged.

"Look, I know you need to find Tom's killer, I just…"

She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue.

"Can we go for a walk?" He asked as he gestured with his head toward a nearby park.

She nodded and they walked side by side.

"I heard Agnes is with Scottie," Ressler started.

Liz nodded.

"How are you with that?" Ressler asked her.

"I'm the one that sent…" she started as she turned to look at him and then stopped when she saw the look on his face, he could always see right through her.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I miss her," Liz admitted. "But I'm not in a place where I can't be a good mom to her right now."

Ressler nodded.

"Then I'm glad she's with Scottie," Ressler admitted.

"Thanks," Liz gave him a small smile. "I think everyone is looking at me like I'm the worst mom…"

"No one is," Ressler said, wrapping an arm around her reassuringly.

She took a deep breath, inhaling all that was Ressler and suddenly felt calm again. She missed him, missed this. Why had she been denying herself Ressler?

"Do you talk to her?" Ressler asked.

"Almost everyday," Liz smiled at him.

"Good," he smiled back.

He went to pull his arm back and she wrapped her arm around his waist. His motion to pull his arm away stalled and he put his arm back around her shoulder.

"So, why have you been avoiding me?" He asked.

She looked at him, shook her head in the negative, and said nothing.

They walked a half a dozen yards in silence before he spoke.

"You know the case right now?" Ressler asked.

She nodded.

"A woman seeking revenge and answers about her husband's death…" Ressler said as he looked sideways at her.

She swallowed hard.

"She's taking people out in the process," Ressler said before he squeezed her shoulder. "And destroying herself in the process."

"Ressler, I'm not…"

"I'm worried you are," he said quietly. "Very worried, Liz."

She scoffed and smiled at him. When she saw he didn't smile back, her smiled disappeared.

"Do you want to know why I've been avoiding you?" She asked.

"So, I was right, you have been avoiding me," he smirked.

"That's exactly why," Liz nodded toward him before she took a sip of her coffee.

He looked at her funnily, needing more explanation.

"Because sometimes I feel like you know me better than I know myself," Liz smiled at him. "Like you see right through me. Right into me."

She watched his neck get red and heard him clear his throat.

"That's because I'm a card-carrying member of the Liz Keen fan club," Ressler joked.

"You are, are you?" Liz laughed; happy he took the chance to lighten the mood.

"My card is getting laminated right now, or else I'd show it to you," he chuckled with her.

She handed him her coffee and he took a drink; they had a habit of sharing coffees before everything went south and her life went off the rails. It started when she was pregnant and craved coffee and would still a sip from his every once in a while, to satisfy that craving. She wanted him to know she hadn't forgotten what they were like before. He had helped her after she came out of her coma, with physio, but things were strained between them, never relaxed. She had sent him a letter from the cabin in the woods, telling him where she was if she was needed, and apologizing for not telling him she was leaving. And, when she returned, she'd left a message on his phone saying she was back, but not back-back and she'd need time. She had not been a best friend to him, and with everything she'd done recently, Liz worried that he'd see it all the second they were together again. It seemed she was wrong.

"Look, I know you've gone to some dark places," he said softly. "Probably done some things that you're not going to share with me…"

Or, Liz suddenly thought, maybe she was exactly right about him seeing all of her and what she had done as soon as they were back together again?

"But none of that will change my status as the President of the Liz Keen fan club," Ressler said seriously, despite the levity of his words. "I need you to know that."

She nodded and he handed her back her coffee.

"But avoiding me is not the answer," he said quietly.

She nodded.

"So, I'm here if you want to talk about the darkness, or, if you want to avoid talking about the darkness," Ressler offered.

And then he did something surprising, something he hadn't ever done before in all the years she had known him. He turned his head and kissed her quickly on the forehead, close to her hairline.

"I know you need to find his killers," Ressler said. "But I also know you need to find happiness going forward and I hope I can, we all can, all of the task force, help you do that."

She turned and looked at him, surprised by his words. She expected him to tell her to stop, that looking for Tom's killers was the wrong path, that she should move on and move forward. But he had not. Of course, he had not. He was Ressler, the man that always let her make her own choices, even the wrong ones.

"Hunting killers doesn't mean you can't go for a drink, or out to dinner, or to Aram's for his stupid games night, or…what I'm saying Liz, possibly badly, is that you can do both. Be the woman looking for your husband's killers and be Liz Keen who needs a break from that," Ressler said as he gave her a soft smile. "In fact, one probably compliments the other and makes you better at both."

She nodded and gave him a soft smile. "I needed to hear that."

"I know," he said as he reached for her coffee and took another drink. She always got it sweeter than he liked, but he also liked sharing her coffee so he really didn't care about the added sugar.

"I forgot how cocky you can be," Liz smirked at him.

"Cocky seems like a word you're not supposed to use anymore," he winked at her as he grinned and then took another long drink of her coffee as she snickered next to him. "But you've been living in the woods so maybe you're out of touch."

She elbowed him and took back her coffee.

"You almost drank the entire thing," Liz said as she lifted the considerably lighter cup to her mouth.

"I was thirsty," Ressler shrugged as he felt her fingers dig into his waist slightly in annoyance.

"Maybe I want an excuse to owe you a coffee?" Ressler offered with a smirk.

"Oh, you owe me a coffee alright," Liz said as she took the last drink and then tossed it in the garbage.

"Then my evil plan worked," he said as he gave his best impression of an evil villain.

"Your villain still sucks," Liz chuckled.

"I've been working on him," Ressler said, slightly deflated. "I've decided to call him Drago."

She smirked and nodded.

"Seems like a good name," Liz said as she noted they were rounding back on a path that led them back to the coffee shop.

"It's far better than Sable," Ressler teased.

"It's Slavic for dark," Liz defended her villain's name. "It's the perfect female villain name."

"Not as good as Drago," Ressler countered.

She nodded her head back and forth. "It is a pretty good name."

"I know," he smirked, satisfied.

"See? Cocky," Liz said as she pinched at his waist.

He shook his head and chuckled.

"So, you're going to stop avoiding me?" Ressler asked.

She nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," he said. "Just stop."

She nodded.

"We all care about you Liz," he said softly. "We…I…just want you to know you can tell me anything, and I won't judge. But we can also just be normal again too. One doesn't cancel out the other, okay?"

She nodded.

"Thanks," she smiled up at him.

"I care about you, Liz," Ressler said softly. "I want you to know that."

She squeezed his waist and nodded.

"So, when am I buying you the replacement coffee?" He asked as they stopped in front of the coffee shop again.

"Aram asked me to games night this weekend," Liz said shyly. "Maybe I can take you up on the coffee when you pick me up?"

"I didn't say I was going, just that you needed to…" Ressler hedged.

"Oh no, mister," Liz teased she pulled from his embrace and pulled at his tie. "You want me to be social, you are included in my social calendar as well."

"Liz, I went once and it was weird," Ressler sighed.

"And you need to give it another try," Liz said. "It's part of my agreement."

"Agreement?" Ressler asked.

"You want me to not live in the constant state of hunting for Tom's killers, right?" Liz asked.

He nodded.

"And in order to do that I need to be more social?" Liz asked.

He nodded.

"Well, in order to not be a bundle of nerves, or say inappropriate terms like 'cocky' I am going to need you to be there with me," Liz smiled at him. "That's the support I need, Ressler."

He knew she was playing him to get him to go as well, but, like the sweetener in the coffee, didn't care.

"Fine, but I have the right to exclude myself from any game that…" Ressler started.

"I'll give you charades and any game that involves singing," Liz offered. "But everything else you participate in, deal?"

He sighed. He knew that even with out that deal he would go with her to support her and get his Liz back.

"Fine," he said reaching out his hand to shake. They shook hands.

"Don't make me regret this Liz," he said.

"Oh, I'm sure you will," she smiled back.

To be continued…