"I'm heading out," Ressler said as he reached for his keys. "You should too. Our flight's at 8 am, so I'll pick you up at 6. I hear TSA has been crazy lately." Liz glanced at the clock. It was after 7 pm on Friday and they were among the last ones left at the Post Office. She felt a sudden rush of panic as she realized she hadn't given any thought to what she would wear to the wedding.

Ressler caught the fleeting expression of panic that crossed her face and paused. "You're sure you still want to do this? If you're having second thoughts, I get it. No hard feelings."

"No, it's not that all all," Liz reassured him. "I'm looking forward to it. I can't remember the last time I did anything fun."

"I'm not sure fun's the right word for a family wedding," Ressler remarked drily. "At least not in my family. But I'll do my best to show you a good time." He hesitated in the doorway. "So we're good?" he probed. "There's nothing else...?"

Liz shook her head. "I just realized I have no idea what I'm going to wear," she admitted.

"Oh." Ressler visibly relaxed as he spun his keys on his hand. "Don't go crazy, Keen. The wedding's at a ranch. Nothing fancy. Anything will be fine."

"Well, you're right that I better get home so I can figure it out. I'll walk out with you." Liz reached for her jacket.

"Does Reddington know you're leaving town for the weekend?" Ressler asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"I didn't mention it, no," Liz replied. "If I told him where I was going, he'd want to know why, and that would just open up a whole host of questions."

Ressler chuckled softly. "Smart move. Anyway, I'll see you bright and early."

"I'll be ready. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Keen, and thanks."

"For what?"

"You're the only reason I'm not completely dreading this weekend," Ressler replied with a grin as he headed towards his car. "I can't wait to see my cousins' reactions when they find out you're a fed too."

Liz rolled her eyes and laughed. ""I'm sure we'll give them plenty to talk about."

An hour later, Liz huffed in exasperation as she stared in dismay at the wreckage she had created in her room. Her bed was littered with discarded dresses while a dozen empty hangers dangled in the closet. For one reason or another she had managed to find fault with every choice. She held up one dress and then a second and ended up dropping both on the rapidly growing pile as she glanced at her watch. It was too late to go shopping for something new. Liz pressed her fingers against her lips as she surveyed the options and then gave up and reached for her phone.

"Aram, hey. Is Samar there?" Liz asked as she fingered the pile.

"Hey Liz. No, sorry, she's at the gym," Aram replied. "She'll be home in an about an hour. Is everything ok?"

Liz groaned as she rubbed her fingers across her forehead. "Yes and no," she admitted. "I need a second opinion on what to wear to a wedding tomorrow. I've pulled out just about every dress I own and none of them are working for me but it's too late to buy something new."

"Well I can help you with that if you want," Aram replied cheerfully. "I love weddings. And I'm not too bad with fashion either if I do say so myself. Who's getting married?"

Liz hesitated. "Ressler's cousin."

"Wait - he asked you to go to the wedding with him?" Aram asked incredulously.

"Not exactly," Liz replied slowly, already regretting having said anything at all. "I offered and…he accepted."

"Well I think that's great," Aram replied enthusiastically. "FaceTime me so I can see the options."

Liz did as instructed and then propped up her phone on the dresser as she held up various dresses for Aram's consideration.

"The wedding's in Idaho, right?" Aram asked as she held up the fourth dress. Aram shook his head disapprovingly.

"Yes, late afternoon tomorrow, at a ranch," Liz replied as she reached for the next dress, a short black shift with beading around the neck. "Ressler said it wouldn't be overly fancy."

"If the wedding was here in DC that little black dress would be fine," Aram mused, "but maybe not for this."

"That's exactly the problem," Liz exclaimed as she tossed the black dress back on the bed. "Everything I own just seems wrong." She picked up the next dress off the pile and held it up for Aram's consideration.

Immediately, Aram's demeanor changed. "Whoah, hold on. That one might work. That color would look incredible on you."

Liz frowned as she studied the dress. It was a sleeveless pale blue-grey chiffon, with a fitted halter top and a flowing knee length a-line skirt. She turned the dress so that its open back faced the camera. "Look at the back, though. You don't think it's too much?" She fingered the tag that dangled from the side. She had bought it while Tom was still alive because she loved the color, but she had never actually had an occasion to wear it before his death.

"You're overthinking it. Forget the wedding part, meeting Ressler's whole family…"

"Aram! You're not helping!"

"No, I'm serious. Forget all that. Forget all the reasons why you think the dress is wrong. If it was just the two of you going out, what would you wear?"

"Jeans and boots," Liz replied impatiently. "I don't know. I never get dressed up to go anywhere anymore."

"Exactly."

Liz rubbed her hand across her forehead again. "Aram, I don't see how any of this is helping me find something to wear to this wedding. I'm sure Ressler expects to see me in something better than my usual jeans and a black shirt. That's a little too casual, even for an Idaho ranch."

"Go put on the blue dress and come back," Aram instructed. "Let me see what it looks like on you."

Liz reluctantly picked up the dress and padded into the bathroom. She discarded her t-shirt and jeans and then slipped the dress over her head. The chiffon felt light and airy and the skirt swished slightly as she turned to study the back of the dress in the mirror. The open back didn't allow for a regular bra so she edged hers off and deposited it on top of her t-shirt. But the dress had built in padding in the front and she had to admit the color was lovely. It was why she had bought it in the first place. She stepped back into the bedroom and stood in front of her phone and spun slowly for Aram.

"Wow. Just — wow" he breathed.

Liz stepped closer to the phone and squinted at him. "Is wow good or bad?"

"That depends on what you're hoping to get out of the weekend," Aram replied as a slow grin spread across his face.

"What I'm hoping...? Aram, I agreed to go to this wedding so Ressler's family stops bothering him for not having a date and so I can have a couple of days away to clear my head. That's all!"

Aram chuckled softly. "Whatever you say. But even so, if you're playing the part of his date, you want to look the part, don't you?"

"Aram," Liz replied impatiently.

"Go with the blue dress. You look fantastic. Ressler won't know what hit him."

Liz exhaled loudly. "Thanks, Aram."

"You're welcome. Have a great time. I can't wait to hear all about it."

As promised, Ressler arrived early the next morning to drive them to the airport. As he bent down to grab her suitcase, Liz couldn't help but admire how handsome he looked in dark blue jeans and a white button down shirt with the sleeves casually rolled up and a few buttons undone at the neck. As he straightened, she fought a blush at being caught staring.

"What's wrong? Do I have a spot on my shirt?" He glanced down and then met her eyes curiously.

Liz stifled a laugh. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just not used to seeing you dressed down for the weekend instead of dressed up for work."

"Oh," Ressler flashed her a bemused smile. "I don't think my standard work attire would go over so well in Idaho."

"No, probably not," Liz agreed with a laugh.

As Liz slid into the passenger seat of Ressler's car, she found two cups of hot coffee waiting in the cup holders.

"Is one of those for me?" she asked hopefully.

"It is," he replied with a grin as he gestured towards the closer cup. "And there's an egg and cheese on a bagel waiting for you in a bag on the back seat. We've got a long day ahead of us. Figured we could both use a boost."

"Thank you," Liz replied gratefully as she carefully extracted the cup from its holder and wrapped her hands around it. One of the things she loved most about Ressler was his thoughtfulness. She took a sip and the closed her eyes in pleasure as the warmth permeated down to her belly. After a few minutes, she reached for the bag of food on the back seat and unwrapped her bagel.

"So tell me about this cousin of yours - the one who's getting married," Liz said. "Why does he love perps and hate cops?"

Ressler shrugged. "Ok, maybe I overstated the perp loving part a little bit. But Matt definitely hates cops, and feds most of all."

"But how can your cousin hate cops when your dad was a cop? Because I'm sure if your dad was anything like you, he was incredible," Liz replied. She immediately blushed as she realized how that sounded.

Ressler's soft chuckle put her back at ease. If he'd had any reaction to her words, he gave no sign. "Matt's related on my mom's side. My mom's sister married a guy from Idaho. One of those anti-government, anti-rules types. Hates the feds especially. They don't live on a compound but they would if they could. You know the type. Anything to avoid interference from the law."

"You must get along well," Liz replied, barely able to stifle a laugh.

"You think?" Ressler retorted as he rolled his eyes. "There's a reason I don't go to family functions much. I'm making an exception here."

"Because your mom asked you to?"

Ressler held her eyes for a moment before he lowered them and glanced away. "Yeah. I've missed a lot over the years. I'm trying to make up for that."

Liz could see Ressler was uncomfortable so she quickly changed the subject. "How is your mother? And your brother and his family? Catch me up before we get there."

Ressler visibly eased as he filled Liz in on what Meg, and his brother Pete's family, had been up to in the years since Liz had last seen them.

"I probably wouldn't recognize Abby if I saw her now," Liz remarked as he finished. "Kids change so much at that age." She swallowed hard as she thought about how much her own daughter must be changing in her absence. She turned her head towards the window in an effort to hide the sudden, unexpected rush of emotion.

"She'd still remember you," Ressler replied quietly. He hadn't missed the expression on Liz's face or her sudden turn towards the window and he knew she wasn't really thinking about Abby. "They don't forget that easy."

Liz turned back and smiled faintly, her eyes slightly glistening. "I hope you're right," she replied simply. She knew if she spent any more time talking or thinking about Agnes, she might not be able to hold it together. The only way she got through each day was by pushing thoughts of her aside and telling herself that Agnes was better off without her.

Ressler nodded and attempted to smile reassuringly. As much as he had tried to understand Liz's reasons for keeping Agnes with her grandmother, he didn't fully agree with them either. He'd rather walk over hot coals than leave a child — any child — with Scottie Hargrave, but it wasn't his place to comment on Liz's choices.

By the time their flight landed in Idaho, it was late morning but with the time difference it was lunchtime back in DC. Ressler glanced at his phone.

"It's about an hour drive to the ranch and the wedding isn't until 5. You ok with waiting to grab lunch until we get there? Or do you want to eat along the way?"

"I'm ok with waiting," Liz replied as she slid into the passenger seat of their rental car. Ressler dropped their suitcases in the trunk and then slipped into the drivers' seat beside her.

"So, you told me a little about your cousin but you never mentioned anything about his bride," Liz remarked as Ressler set up the GPS with directions to the ranch. "Who is she?"

Ressler shook his head. "I don't know much. High school sweethearts, maybe? I know her name is Melissa from the invitation but I couldn't tell you much beyond that. My mom can give you all the details, I'm sure."

"Does your mom know I'm coming?"

"She does. And she knows you're just doing me a favor, too," Ressler added as he turned the car towards the highway. "The rest of the family's none the wiser though. Mom will play along."

"I'm looking forward to seeing her," Liz replied truthfully. She had felt an immediate bond with Ressler's mother during the one weekend they had spent together so long ago.

As they drove along the interstate, they fell into a comfortable silence and gradually Liz felt her eyelids grow heavy until she eventually drifted off to sleep. Ressler glanced over and smiled at the sight of her curled up peacefully in the sun with her lips slightly parted.

As Ressler turned his attention back to the road, he felt a nervous rush of anticipation at the charade they were about to play out in front of his family. He drummed his fingers lightly on the steering wheel as he recalled his conversation with his mother, Meg, earlier that week when he had called to tell her that Liz would be coming to the wedding. She was surprised and pleased at first, but was vastly less pleased when she learned of his plan to pass Liz off as his girlfriend to the rest of the family.

"That doesn't seem very fair to Elizabeth," Meg had remarked reproachfully.

"It was her idea, mom."

"Well - " Meg's voice had trailed off.

"I'm not going to ask her to do or say anything she's not comfortable with. I'd never do that. Honestly, I think she really just needs a weekend away. I don't know exactly what's going on with her, but something's off. Something's not right. She won't tell me, but the way I figure, the more time we spend together away from all the crazy, maybe she will."

"I hope so, Don. She's been through so much."

"You think I don't know that? I lived it. I'm still living it!" Ressler had snapped.

"I know. I know you care about her. I guess that's part of what worries me. I wish you had the time to spend investing in a new relationship outside of work. One with real potential," Meg had replied quietly. "I hate to see you so alone."

"Look, this is between Liz and me, how we handle this," Ressler had retorted. "I'm just asking you not to blow it."

"Of course I won't say anything," Meg had replied, sounding hurt. "You're both adults and it's not my business."

"Look, I'm sorry, mom. I don't mean to cause problems." Ressler had replied more gently.

"You're not, sweetheart," Meg had sighed. "I just want you to be happy. I want both of you to be happy. If this weekend helps in some way, I'm all for it. And I'm all for letting your cousins know she's also FBI," Meg added. "It bothers me that they give you such a hard time every time we see them."

"You and me both, mom. You and me both."

"We're here," Ressler said softly as he touched Liz's arm. Liz opened her eyes to see snow capped mountains in the distance with a sweeping hill dotted with wildflowers leading up to them. On the other side was an imposing wood framed lodge.

"Oh it's so pretty," Liz exclaimed as she stepped out of the car. "I'm sorry I slept through the drive. I'm terrible company."

"There wasn't much to see until the last few miles," Ressler replied. "You didn't miss anything. And I'm glad you slept. It's gonna be a long day with the travel."

"This is magnificent, though," Liz said as she walked around the car and inhaled the lightly perfumed scent of the wildflowers. Ressler came up behind her and stood for a moment glancing at the mountains.

"It's beautiful," he agreed. "If you're not too tired, we probably have time to explore the place a little after lunch before we have to get dressed for tonight."

"I think I slept enough, so as long as you're not too tired, that sounds perfect," Liz replied.

"I'll feel worse if I sleep. I'd rather be outside." Ressler retrieved their bags from the trunk and headed into the lodge with both bags with Liz following behind him.

"Donald Ressler, reservation for two rooms," Ressler said as they reached the front desk. Liz fought a smile. Ressler was always the gentleman. She hoped it hadn't cost him an exorbitant amount to rent the second room last minute and she wondered fleetingly if he would have done the same if had he rented a date. Probably not. As the clerk handed Ressler the envelopes, Ressler glanced at the room numbers and frowned slightly as he handed Liz her key.

"Looks like we're right next door," he remarked as he grabbed both suitcases and headed towards the elevator. "You want to meet in 15 minutes or so for lunch?" he added as they reached their rooms.

"Sounds perfect," Liz agreed as he handed over her suitcase and she wheeled it into her room.