Disclaimer: I do not own The Blacklist, or any of its characters or plots. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners.

Nat was about to give up and call it a day and return home when she noticed someone that looked very much like Don skillfully skating towards her. The more he approached her, the more certain she was that it was indeed him, but she had to blink repeatedly to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks with her. Tired after what had turned to be a long Sunday and quite angry at herself for not being able to overcome the fear she felt every time she put on her skates and tried to slide on the ice, Don Ressler was the last person she wanted to witness her defeat after the past two days.

Their reunion after sixteen years hadn't gone the way she had hoped it'd go. Deep down she had been ready for some awkwardness, even some hostility given her past behavior, but reality had hit Nat full force when he had made it crystal clear that he didn't want her in his life. That had taken her by surprise as she was not expecting anything so blunt. And seeing him again had brought back too many memories from happier times that she had managed to bury since Jack had passed.

Encouraged by the time and the confessions they had shared in her SUV after running into each other at a NA meeting, of all places, Nat had sent him an email apologizing for her radio silence over all those years, only to hear nothing back from him, except a request for assistance in a medical matter made by his partner while he silently stood by her side. Then he had been totally quiet during dinner at Lisa's, not even paying much attention to Liz or his mom, and even less to Robbie, which came as no surprise, as Don's relationship with his brother had taken a turn for the worst after their father's death and that didn't seem to have changed over all the years that she'd been away.

So after the events of the weekend, still too fresh in her mind, Nat had no idea how to treat her former best friend, or if she even should bother to address him in any way. After all, he'd be gone back to DC in a few days and she had plenty on her plate right now to worry about someone that had bluntly let her know that she wasn't welcome in his life: not only her demanding job, but her relationship with her brother Connor, among other things like her living situation (as happy as she was living with her parents, she was well aware that it was only temporary, no matter how Gerry and Mary clearly intended to make it permanent). Hadn't she survived without her best friend since she severed all ties with her past after Jack had been gone? She could very well continue to do it... But why was he here now, skating towards her no less?

"Hey," he said as he came to a stop before her, interrupting her train of thought.

"If you're here to laugh, I'm really not in the mood…" she greeted him, keeping her gaze down and holding tighter onto the side barrier. She hated that apparently she was unable to hide the way she felt, but after a rough weekend, both personally and professionally, she wasn't in the mood to pretend.

Her reaction surprised Don. He wasn't proud of his behavior towards her during the last couple of days and therefore he wasn't expecting a warm welcome, but Nat actually sounded on edge, so he decided to be honest and do his best to express what he felt, which, he had no doubt, was going to be a challenge. Expressing the way he felt had never been his strong suit. Far from it, actually. "Look, I know I can be a jerk sometimes, but…" he started.

"Sometimes?" Natalie snorted, raising her brow and fixing her gray eyes on his ice blue ones for the first time since he'd approached her. She regretted her blunt comment as soon as she noticed a passing hint of vulnerability in his eyes, and wondered how far he was willing to go on letting his guard down. She was well aware how hard that had always been for him, and silently hoped this would be one of those rare times.

Don sighed and ignored her comment, thinking that she had her reasons to be angry at him and that shouldn't stop him from doing what he intended to do. He hadn't come looking for her to make things worse between them. "But I remembered what you said about the ice rink and I came to apologize, if you let me…" he continued, guessing that she was about to interrupt him.

"Don, I… " she muttered, equally surprised and confused by his words. He sounded like he wanted to mend fences or, at least, look for a truce, but that implied a complete change of scenery from only a few hours before. What would have caused such a change? Was he actually apologizing? The Don she knew until their early twenties was kind and caring, in fact now she could say that he's the best person she's ever come across in her life, but he was also stubborn and cocky and on a general basis apologizing didn't sit well with him.

"I'm sorry about what I said when I walked you home on Friday. I guess…" Ressler shook his head, trying to find the right words, "I guess I'm mad at you, and disappointed and I told you in the worst possible way. I was cruel and I'm sorry…" he apologized again before narrowing his eyes. "What, what are you smiling about?" he added, noticing her lips slightly curving at the end.

Nat did her best to erase the incipient grin from her face. She was certain that his apology wasn't going to automatically fix things between them, as there was a lot to discuss and talk about if they were both willing to resume their friendship, but it was definitely a start, and the mere possibility of a new beginning made her happy. "Nothing…" she mumbled.

Don sighed once more and carried on. "And I got your email, and I'm sorry I never got to read it…"

Nat nodded, thinking that hearing Donald Ressler apologize three times in less than a minute was unusual and unprecedented. Well, not really unprecedented, but almost, as they had both agreed to never ever broach the other time it happened. "Don, it's okay, really. I understand and respect how you feel…" she offered, still holding onto the side barrier and wishing they were having this conversation on solid ground instead of ice, so she could focus on the conversation itself and not on keeping her balance.

"No, I mean…" He took a deep breath and briefly looked down before locking eyes with her again. "I'm still mad, Nat, but the least I can do, for the old times, is listen to you if you still wanna talk and explain or whatever…" he trailed off.

Natalie felt a lump on her throat as mixed emotions washed over her. "Oh, I do, I really do," she finally managed to say as she nodded again.

"But before that, maybe you could use a hand on the ice?" he inquired, stretching out his right gloved hand in front of her. She frowned at that as she thought that it was most likely that she'd fall if she let one of her hands go off the side barrier. And a bad fall was the last thing her damaged knee needed. "Like an offer of peace?" he added, sensing her hesitation.

Nat fixed her gaze on his stretched hand and swallowed. She was tired and maybe it wasn't a good idea but she could really use the help if she wanted to bond with her niece over ice skating, as she had been attempting to improve for weeks and she had made very little progress. And Don Ressler was one of the very few people she would trust on the ice. "You know I'm terrible at this and you'll probably regret that offer in less than five minutes," she stated, timidly grabbing his hand with her gloved one.

Too afraid to fall, at first Nat not only held his hand but clung to his arm for dear life. "I know it's not very sensible to be skating with my knee and all that, but I'm terrified … I mean, how are you supposed to get to know a pre teenager you've never met before?" she rambled as he masterly slid on the ice taking her in tow, holding her tight so she wouldn't fall.

Meanwhile, Liz was flying home. Exhausted as she was, she was finding it very difficult to drift off to sleep without Ressler by her side. After being partners for six years, with a single brief impasse when she went on the run with Reddington, it really felt strange not to have him sitting next to her whenever she boarded a plane. In fact, there was something soothing and relaxing only knowing that he was in the seat next to hers, and she usually ended up silently resting her head on his shoulder and sleeping throughout the flight. "And he never seemed to mind up till now," she sighed.

But tonight her partner and best friend was not there and she felt completely lost, and that sensation of loss was only enhanced by her memories of the events of the weekend. Because his current absence was not what was really bothering her. When she had impulsively flown to Detroit she didn't know what to expect of her reunion with Ressler, after he had left in a hurry for an unplanned vacation, but it certainly didn't go the way she would have liked. And, above all, she deeply regretted her answer when he had directly asked why she cared if he had something with Natalie Kelly. She wished she could turn back time and go back to that specific moment and change her reply, but she was well aware that wasn't possible and she'd have to deal with the consequences.

Unlike Liz, who couldn't get rid of the idea that she had probably ruined any chance at having something else but friendship with Ressler, that question and that reply were no longer in Don's thoughts by the end of the night. The skating distraction had definitely done the trick. After arriving home, and while he was watching tv with his mom, Natalie Kelly was the only one on his mind. He was really glad that he had stopped by the ice rink, and although he was still hurt and disappointed by the way she had handled things after Jack's death, he couldn't stop thinking that she deserved the chance to be heard.

There was no doubt that Audrey's passing had turned his existence upside down when he was well over thirty, dragging him down the rabbit hole, and it had taken him several years to find some balance again. Nat was only twenty two years old when her fiancée Jack died. And, anyway, who was he to judge? He felt he owed her something more than an impromptu and quick skating lesson: the opportunity to explain herself.

That conversation between the former friends took place two days later, when they unexpectedly met when Nat was coming home from work and Don had just started his daily running session. Lisa had kept him busy all day with various chores, seeking his help in moving some furniture around the house and taking him shopping with her, and by the time they had finished dinner and done the dishes he had decided on going for a run, despite the late hour and the cold outside. He had been fighting the urge to call Liz and also struggling to avoid anything work related for the last couple of days, and he had to admit that so much spare time on his hands was killing him. Plus Keen hadn't contacted him either since he had seen her off at the airport two nights before, and that fact itself, along with her reply to his question, was stirring some mixed emotions he wasn't ready to analyze. At least not yet.

Natalie was slowly driving to turn onto her parents' driveway, less than two hundred yards ahead of her, when she recognized Don as the man that was running on the curb of their street. Clad in winter sport clothes and a dark cap, it took her a few seconds to realize it was him. Surprised to see him there at that time, she brought her SUV to a halt, and rolled down the passenger side window.

"Hey. Your mom kicked you out?" Nat inquired. No one in their right mind would go for a run at this time with this weather. "Unless they're in urgent need to engage in a physical activity," she thought, from her own experience.

"Hey," Don replied, coming close to the vehicle and leaning his arm on the door frame as he brought his face near the rolled down window. "Just needed some distraction after a long day at home," he added. "Long day at work?"

"You could say that, half the department is in a conference in Chicago and I stayed late covering the ER consults," she explained. The freezing wind that was coming into the car made her rub her hands together and blow into them absentmindedly.

A heavy silence came upon them as they both considered what their next words should be. Apparently the two of them had had a stressful day, due to different reasons, and there had been a time when they had liked to commiserate together after a long day. But a lot had changed since then and none of them seemed to be ready to take the initiative.

"Well, I should let you go before you freeze to death…" Nat finally said, thinking that she shouldn't rush things. After all, she was the one that had severed all ties sixteen years before and she understood you can't just resume a friendship after something like that overnight. If Don needed time, she was happy to oblige. It was a start, and she wished she and her brother Connor could be in a similar place.

"Yeah, good thing I heard there's a doctor living nearby," he chuckled as he considered that it was late, she'd probably be tired and the last thing she'd be willing to do right then was to have what he was sure would be a painful conversation.

"Yeah, well, see you around," she replied, waving at him and putting the vehicle into gear to drive the short distance to her driveway.

But he was not moving from his spot, thinking that he should say something to let her know that he was open to listen to whatever she had to say. Plus there was no doubt in his mind that he'd do almost anything to distract himself from his urge to hear from Liz. "Nat, wait!" he softly exclaimed at last. "I don't know if your offer to talk still stands, but … if you're still up to it I'm in."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, but she tried to mask her reaction behind their usual banter. "Is life at home actually that dull?"

Don shook his head thinking that she wasn't taking him seriously, and he didn't blame her after his behavior over the weekend. "No, I just… nevermind…" he stammered, distancing himself from the door frame.

"No, wait, I'd really like to talk," Nat quickly replied after watching his reaction. "Mom and dad aren't back yet. You up for some hot chocolate?" she hopefully asked.

Neither of them knew it back then, but the conversation that ensued was going to set the course of their lives.