To Me

Author's Note: Here's the final chapter of the series—and probably the shortest. This goes back to the idea that Liz needed to do more grand gestures and romance Ressler a little more.

Please let me know what you think. If you have not left a review on ff please do so for the final chapter. Thanks everyone!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ressler sat down across the table from her on the deserted patio with heaters all pointed down at them. She had sent him a mysterious text that he needed to meet her at this place at 7pm tonight.

"So, what's this all about?" Ressler joked as he looked at her confused.

"I wanted to wine and dine you," Liz chuckled as she poured him some wine.

"Wine and dine me?" Ressler chuckled as he looked around, still amazed and confused about this. "You trying to get into my pants?"

"I've already been there," Liz chuckled. "It's my favorite destination."

He chuckled with her and winked at her.

"I wanted to…" Liz started but then stopped when she saw the waiter walking toward their table.

"Miss has chosen the menu," the waiter said with a slight bow. "Are we ready for the appetizers?"

"Yes, please," Liz smiled at him.

Ressler watched the man leave with a furrowed brow.

"Miss has chosen the menu?" He asked with a snicker. It was a very fancy, high-end restaurant and he felt incredibly underdressed in fitted grey cotton pants and a black crew neck sweater, as she sat across from him in a nice bright blue bouse that brought out her eyes and dress pants.

"Okay, I know our style is more pizza and beer," Liz smiled at him. "But I wanted this to be different…special…"

He reached for his wine and nodded, still taking it all in.

"So, I notice no one else is here?" Ressler asked, looking around.

"I booked the space, not difficult in the fall on a cooler night," Liz smirked at him. "But I knew they had space heaters, so I thought, worst case scenario, we cuddle."

"Worst case?" He asked with a smirk. "I'm thinking that's a great scenario"

She smiled broadly and nodded.

"Why tonight?" He asked before he took a drink.

"You don't know what tonight is?" Liz asked him, knowing he had forgotten because he'd said nothing all day and Ressler was a guy to mark occasions.

Ressler's face fell, suddenly he worried he missed her birthday or…

"Shit," he said quietly. "Games Night, right?"

She nodded and reached for her wine.

"It's our anniversary, babe," Liz smiled at him across her glass.

"And here I am without flowers or…" he said, apologizing.

"Next time," Liz smirked.

"Roses?" Ressler asked her.

She shook her head. "Too trite. I like carnations."

"Carnations?" He asked, surprised.

"Purple ones," she said putting back her wine. "But, you know, any flower is a good flower."

"Well now I feel like an ass, showing up empty-handed when you've done all this," he sighed.

"You're not an ass," Liz assured him.

"I feel like an ass," he countered.

"Then you're my ass," she smiled at him. "And I don't care that you didn't remember, I did."

He looked at her surprised.

"You can remember the next one and I'll forget it," Liz smirked at him.

"The next one?" Ressler asked, not sure he was believing his ears. Liz almost always spoke about the present, she rarely spoke about the future.

"Yeah," she nodded as she reached across the table and took his hand in hers. "I think we can alternate every year for another 50?"

"Fifty years?" He chuckled, surprised.

"Well, maybe not you, men die sooner…" Liz smirked.

"Liz," he said running his thumb across the back of her hand. "What are you saying?"

"I'm…" the waiter appeared with two plated appetizers that looked like little stacks of tiny food. "Thanks."

Liz dropped her head and nodded; she had the worst timing.

"I love you," Liz said as she met his eyes. "And you were right, I got there."

"You got there," he smiled broadly back at her.

"No 'I love you' in return?" She asked him, scoffing.

"You have known I've loved you for a year, probably more," Ressler said leaning forward and raising her hand to his mouth to kiss the back of it. "I didn't hide it well."

She chuckled. "No, no, you didn't."

He chuckled with her. "I love you, Liz."

"Ressler…" Liz smiled at him with watery eyes. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He swallowed hard; he didn't expect her to be that direct.

"I want that too," he said softly.

"I'd like you to get to know Agnes and…."

"I'd like that," he smiled at her. He was surprised by her directness about love, the future, and Agnes…she hadn't indicated she was getting there; not that he'd noticed.

"And I just want to be together," Liz smiled at him. "I think we have to figure out what that looks like, but for me, at least, it looks like a lifetime of you."

He leaned forward across the table and kissed her lips soundly. "I accept."

"You accept a lifetime of you?" Liz snickered as he pulled back.

"I accept a lifetime of us," he said as he chuckled with her. "You, me, and Agnes. Liz…I accept."

She smiled and got up from her chair and went to him, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck before she leaned in and kissed him again.

When she pulled back, he looked at her intrigued.

"I honestly, didn't see this coming," he said quietly as he looked into her eyes. "I mean, eventually, but nothing recently that you've said or done that…"

Liz nodded her head from side to side and turned a little pink.

"I have been speaking to my counselor about you, a lot," Liz said. "She's helped me see through all the crap that's been holding me back."

"Well, that's a counsellor I can get behind," Ressler said with raised eyebrows.

"You'd like her," Liz said as she played with his earlobe. "She is supportive but doesn't put up with my bullshit. She's a lot like you that way."

He chuckled and rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"She brought you to me," Ressler said as he nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "That makes her someone I like."

"I was with you before today," Liz reminded him. "And I think you and I made this happen as much as she did."

"True," he hedged and then took a breath and exhaled it. "But right now, right here, you're fully with me. There's been a shift tonight, Liz. I don't know how to explain it, but it's there."

She nodded and leaned down and gently kissed his lips.

She started to get up from his lap and return to her seat when he held her in place.

"I'm a little cold," he said with a devilish smile and a wink, as he reached for some stacked salmon thing on his plate and fed it to her. "I think we need to eat like this."

She chewed and chuckled.

"I think this will be difficult when the soup arrives," Liz said as she chewed.

"Then I'll wear a bib," he smirked back as he pulled her in a little closer. "And if we get dirty, that just means I get to wash everything off of you later tonight."

She turned a deeper shade of red and reached blindly for something on his plate to feed him, and put a mango stack in his mouth.

He chewed and smiled.

"Shit, that's good," he said.

She laughed.

"I went high end to romance you, babe" Liz smiled at him. "And it's worth every penny."

He finished chewing and leaned forward kissing her deeply.

The end.