Ressler shivered as a gust of wind blew across the deserted park. It was nearly 12:30 a.m. and there was still no sign of Liz. He jammed his hands in his coat pockets as he stood up and began to walk briskly to try to warm himself up. As cold as he was on the outside, on the inside he felt like he was about to boil over. He wasn't angry at Liz for not showing up. He was angry at Rakitin and Reddington and anyone else who'd had a hand in what had gone down that day. Suddenly, he heard a branch crack and he whirled around, hand on his holstered weapon.

"Ressler, it's me," a familiar voice whispered. Ressler let go of his gun and caught his breath as Liz stepped out from behind a bush into the shadow cast by a tree.

"I didn't think you were coming," Ressler murmured as he stepped forward and clasped her icy cold hands in his.

Liz hung her head. "I wasn't," she admitted softly. "I saw you sitting on the bench from my car. I listened to your voicemails. And then I drove away."

Ressler cleared his throat as he digested that. "And yet here you are."

Liz met his gaze before she cast her eyes downward again. "I got maybe five blocks away and then I started having second thoughts," she whispered.

"About what?" Ressler tightened his grasp on her hands slightly.

Liz shook her head. "About all of it. What I'm doing, what I'm asking you to do." She lifted her eyes and met Ressler's gaze again. "You said you missed me and wanted me back."

"We do – I – I do," he stuttered. "Liz, I don't know what I can do, but I want to help. I want you to get your life back."

Liz licked her lips and looked away. "I know you do," she said slowly. She stared off into the distance at the empty park as she exhaled. "But I can't risk you losing everything to do that."

Ressler was about to protest when another gust of wind swirled around them and Liz shivered visibly at the sudden chill.

"Look, I think we need to talk more," Ressler replied as he let go of her hands and wrapped an arm around her, drawing her close. "There's an all-night coffee shop two blocks from here. How about we get out of the cold and I buy you a hot drink?"

Liz chuckled softly as the fabric of his jacket grazed her cheek. "I'm the one walking around with millions stolen from Reddington. You let me pay, we have a deal."

"Sure, I'll drink to that."

They linked elbows and set off towards the coffee shop. "How's Agnes?" Ressler asked casually as they made their way through the dark and empty streets.

"Surprisingly great," Liz replied. "I think she likes having me around and she really likes Mrs. French."

"That's the lady whose husband got killed for helping your mother, right?"

"The same."

"You sure you can trust her?"

Liz exhaled audibly. "I'm not sure I can really trust anyone – including you," she replied sharply. "For all I know you're walking me right into federal custody right now. But I have a good feeling about Mrs. French and right now I have no choice but to trust my instincts."

Ressler stopped abruptly and placed his hands on Liz's arms as he spun her to face him. "Liz, I promise you, you can trust me. Don't let Skip tell you otherwise. There's no ulterior plan here. Just coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Your choice."

Liz stared at him for a moment before her expression erupted into a smile and her laugh bubbled to the surface.

"What? What did I say?" Ressler was genuinely confused.

"For a minute there, I thought you were offering 'coffee, tea or me,' like that book by the flight attendant!" Liz linked her arm back through Ressler's as she was rewarded with his soft rumble of laughter.

"I wasn't, but that could certainly be arranged if the lady prefers," he replied with a rakish wink as he pushed open the door to the coffee shop.

The coffee shop was lined with bright red booths, each with their own jukebox. Ressler headed directly for the farthest booth in the back corner of the restaurant and gestured for Liz to sit with her back towards the main door in order to prevent anyone entering the shop from seeing her face.

"I feel like I'm in a mob movie," Liz said. "Shouldn't we have an exit plan?"

"I'm sure there's a rear exit through the kitchen if we need it," Ressler replied evenly. "But if we need it, it's not gonna be on account of me."

Liz held his gaze for a moment. "Thank you," she said softly as she reached across the table and took his hand in hers.

"For what?"

Liz hesitated. "For still caring, for still…believing in me despite everything I've done."

Before Ressler could reply, a waitress placed two menus and two coffee cups on the table with a bang. "Coffee?" the waitress asked tersely.

Ressler nodded, "Yes, please," and arched an eyebrow at Liz.

"I'll take tea instead, thank you," Liz replied.

The waitress poured Ressler's coffee and returned with the hot water for Liz's tea. "You want to order food?" the waitress asked brusquely.

"Give us a minute to look at the menu," Liz replied as Ressler shrugged. The waitress spun on her heel and returned to the front counter, which was filled with an enormous display of pies, cakes, pastries and other desserts.

"She's friendly," Ressler remarked as he rolled his eyes. "You hungry?"

Liz bit her lip as she perused the menu before tossing it aside. "Yes and no. You want to share something?"

"Sure. You pick." He would eat anything, do anything, as long as he got to spend more time with her.

"That strawberry shortcake in the case as we walked in looked really good."

"The one that was three layers high?" Ressler exclaimed. "Sure, why not."

Liz flashed him an impish grin as she nodded and then signaled for the waitress to take their order.

Ressler couldn't keep his eyes off Liz as they enjoyed their drinks and dessert. They filled the jukebox with 90's music and reminisced and kept the conversation light before eventually veering into the more serious subject of Rakitin and how to proceed now that he was gone. Neither of them had a good idea as to where things were headed or what the next steps should be but it was good to talk and to bounce ideas off each other for how to move forward.


By the time Liz paid the check it was nearly 3 a.m. "You have a…" Liz reached out and gently swiped a tiny, barely visible blob of whipped cream from the corner of Ressler's mouth. Her finger lingered a bit longer than was necessary as she grazed his cheek with the rest of her hand.

"Thanks," he said in a low voice. Liz could practically feel his eyes burning through hers.

"You're welcome," she managed as she dropped her hand and fidgeted. They stared at each other wordlessly.

"I'll walk you to your car," Ressler said gruffly. Liz nodded. As they stepped back into the cold air, Liz intertwined the fingers of her right hand with the fingers of his left. Ressler eased their intertwined hands into his coat pocket to ward off the chill. When they got back to Liz's car, Liz leaned against the driver door and slipped her free hand into Ressler's other pocket.

"Where's your car?" she asked.

"Didn't bring it. Took an Uber," Ressler replied. "Figured there was less of a chance of being followed so I got dropped off a few blocks away and kept an eye out."

"Smart move," Liz murmured. Her fingers moved restlessly in Ressler's pockets.

With a fluid motion, he unlinked his left hand from hers and cupped the back of her head with both of his hands as he drew her in for a kiss.

Liz felt a warm glow spread down her spine as his lips grazed hers. She pulled him close against her as their kiss deepened and slipped her hands under his jacket and shirt and caressed his bare back.

"I don't want to say goodbye again," Ressler breathed as he leaned into her, his face buried in her hair. "Not yet. Please, Liz. Don't go yet."

Liz closed her eyes as she weighed the options. She didn't want to say goodbye either. Hell, she wasn't sure she could say goodbye again. After a long pause, she took a deep breath.

"Get in," she said curtly before she could regret it.

Ressler didn't hesitate as he slid into the passenger seat. He didn't question where they were going or what Liz's intentions were. He was just grateful to be with her for however much longer she would allow. He could feel the tension radiating from Liz as she gripped the steering wheel. She was clearly conflicted over what to do.

"Is Agnes here? In DC?" he asked in an effort to break the silence.

Liz shook her head. "No. I only came back for tonight. I left her with Mrs. French." Liz shot him a piercing look but Ressler wasn't about to question her further.

Eventually, after a circuitous drive around the city, Liz pulled over and parked on a narrow street in Georgetown. She turned to Ressler, the engine still running.

"I'm only in DC for tonight. I have to leave in the morning. I rented an apartment for the night but I'll be gone after that and I won't be back…I'm saying all of this because I want to have the rest of tonight with you, but that's all it can be, at least for now. I'm sorry. Can you do that? Can you give us tonight and not more? If you can't, I totally understand and I'll drive you home."

Ressler swallowed hard. He knew she needed honesty from him and he'd made up his mind as to what he wanted during their long and silent drive.

"Yes."

Liz stared at him for a moment. "Yes? That's it?"

Ressler put his hand over hers and squeezed it gently. "Yes. You have my word."

Liz bit her lip as she turned off the car and stepped out into the cold night air. "Come," she said simply.

The streets were deserted as they made their way to an apartment on the second floor of a brick townhouse-style building a couple of blocks away from where she had parked. As they entered the apartment, Ressler took in the simple, sparsely furnished living room. Before he had much chance to process his surroundings, Liz crashed into him and pressed him up against the door. Ressler could hardly catch his breath as she kissed him deeply.

"I've missed you," she breathed as she moved her hips against him.

Ressler could hardly breathe as he put his hands on her waist and lifted her so her legs were straddling his. Their hands roved over each others' bodies, caressing and stroking away the months of absence.

"Not as much as I've missed you," he replied in a low voice as he kissed the nape of her neck so gently it sent shivers down her spine. She tightened her arms around him, hungry for more.

Still carrying Liz, Ressler made his way towards the back of the apartment, instinctively assuming where the bedroom was located. As they moved, they shed their coats and shirts, leaving them abandoned in their wake. The bedroom was spacious and the blinds were open, bathing the room in the soft glow of the streetlight outside. Ressler gently deposited Liz on the bed and hooked a finger to undo her jeans as she reached for his belt buckle.

Afterwards, Liz snuggled into the crevice of Ressler's chest as he stroked her back with his fingers. She could both hear and feel his heart pounding as she grazed her fingers lightly across his abdomen.

"I guess it's my turn to thank you for letting me stay," Ressler murmured. His soft voice rumbled pleasantly against her ear.

Liz propped herself up on her elbow as they locked eyes. She blinked rapidly as her eyes glistened. "I really have missed you." Ressler stroked her cheek gently as he wiped away a tear. They spooned until eventually they drifted off to sleep.


Ressler woke with a jolt to the sound of a distant siren as the first fingers of daylight filled the room. He blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings and then turned quickly towards the opposite side of the bed, fully expecting Liz to be gone. He was both relieved and surprised to find her still curled on her side, facing away from him, the sheet slightly exposing her bare chest and back. He watched her even breathing as he rotated onto his back and eased his arms over his head. He wished he could freeze time.

Sunlight bathed the room by the time Liz stirred. She slowly rolled over until she was facing Ressler.

"Good morning," she said softly.

"It is now," he replied as he leaned in to kiss her.

By unspoken agreement, time remained suspended while they indulged in another round of lovemaking, a shower in a space better intended for one than two, and strong cups of coffee. Eventually, the reality of the clock could no longer be denied.

"Where should I drop you?" Liz asked as shrugged into her jacket, which Ressler had unceremoniously deposited on the floor the night before.

"Home," Ressler replied. "You drop me at the Post Office looking like this and people are gonna have questions I'm not prepared to answer."

The corners of Liz's mouth curled into a smile. "You don't think they're going to have questions anyway?" she asked playfully as she fingered a mark on the side of Ressler's neck. "You're already late."

"Late, I can manage," Ressler retorted as he retrieved his own jacket from the floor. "But I need a clean shirt and tie to hide the rest."

"And if they ask how you spent your night?" Liz replied with a smirk.

"Then I'll say I got kidnapped and taken to Neverland," Ressler replied evenly. His expression gave away nothing.

"You will not!" Liz exclaimed.

"No," Ressler chuckled as his passive façade evaporated. It was impossible to maintain an even countenance when she looked at him that way. "But that's how it feels. Come here," he murmured, as he drew her close for another kiss.