The One Where Liz and Ressler Reunite

Ressler pulled his car off onto a large patch of grass, comforted by how little traffic plagued this area of D.C. at 3 a.m. To the north of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, he could just barely make out the illuminated silhouette of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. He'd always found a strange sense of peace on this bridge. Perhaps it was the sound of the rushing waters of the Potomac River that calmed him; perhaps it was merely the otherwise silent evening. Washington D.C. was breathtaking at night. During those hours when the self-serving politicians were asleep, the beauty of the architectural structures could be appreciated for the symbolism they were meant to convey.

Of course, he hadn't come here tonight to ponder his choice of career or to question the character of the people his countrymen had deemed trustworthy. He had come here after failing to make it to his former partner's "name-clearing" party. Her gift had taken a lot longer to obtain than he'd expected, and he hadn't made it back to the black site in time to attend the party that welcomed her home. He had made it in time to follow her, as she drove away from the party, to this bridge. He wondered if she came here for solace too. Was she looking over the waters, pondering their first case together ... the case that had led them to a bridge much like this one?

"Three years," he murmured incredulously, as he removed the keys from the ignition, preparing to exit his car. Had he really known Elizabeth Keen for only three years? He felt like he'd known her for a lifetime. It was easy to feel that way about someone when you'd been through what they had been through together.

He climbed out of his car, and pulled his coat tighter, to fend off the cold air. There would be no sound of the rushing waters of the Potomac tonight; the river was practically frozen. As he approached her, his footsteps fell nearly silent in the freshly fallen snow. She stood on the bridge, just a short distance from him. She was facing the other way, and her dyed blonde hair blew wildly as a burst of cold wind cut through the night.

"Keen," he called out as he grew closer to her.

She spun around, startled. Relief washed over her face as she recognized him. Lights from the street illuminated the bridge, and he could see her eyes as he approached her. She looked like she might have been crying. She stood still, seemingly unable to move. He wondered if she was thinking, as he was, about the last time they had been this close to one another. He had been trying to arrest her. Tonight, the discomfort on both of their parts was understandable.

"You aren't planning to jump, are you?" He asked dryly. It was a feeble attempt to relieve some of the awkwardness between them.

"Not unless you're planning to arrest me," Liz replied, as she gazed at him, taking in every one of his features. During her time on the run, she'd been worried that she might never see any of her coworkers - her friends - again. Now, she drank in the sight of him, committing every detail to memory. The chiseled jaw; the guarded expression; his eyes, which harbored an unusual amount of warmth for such a cool color. And the way he tucked his hands in his pockets when he didn't know what to say. He still walks the same way, she thought with a smile, as he strode confidently toward her.

Ressler smiled slightly in response. She thought that she detected an uncharacteristic unease as she studied him and he replied, "Unless you've committed a heinous crime in the past six hours, I think we're good."

She swallowed, working to keep her emotions in check. "Well," she said a bit shakily, "I'm contemplating taking a shot at you for missing the party tonight. Aram obviously went to a lot of trouble to put it together, and it was a great time." She looked away and was silent for a moment before quietly adding, "I assumed you were too angry with me to come."

Ressler raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I'm still angry with you Keen. But that's not why I wasn't there tonight."

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to warm herself. "Oh?" she replied. "You always could carry a grudge."

He nodded. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and held it out toward her. "It's rude to show up to a party without a present."

Liz was stunned, and she suddenly found herself fighting off the urge to throw her arms around him. She knew her partner wasn't much of a hugger, period. Now, after she'd broken his trust, she knew better than to expect him to be comfortable with her so soon. "You didn't have to …"

"Open it," he interrupted her half-hearted protest.

"Ressler ..."

"Come on, Keen. It's freezing out here."

She took the gift from him, unable to prevent a slight smile as she noted the poor job he'd done wrapping it. "They make gift bags for people who can't wrap, you know."

Ressler impatiently took a pocket knife out of his jacket and cut a slit in the wrapping paper.

She pulled the paper away, revealing a black pouch, one that was instantly recognizable to her. . "Ressler… Oh, my God…" She slid her hand in the pouch as tears welled up in her eyes. It was her badge, and a new clearance card for the black site. She looked up and met Ressler's eyes. Shaking her head, she was unable to find the words to express what this gift meant to her. "I ,,," she stammered. "I can't take this." She held the badge out to him.

He placed both of his hands on top of hers, making sure she held the badge securely. "Yes, you can."

"No." She shook her head adamantly. "I don't deserve this again. I don't-"

"Yes, you do," he said sternly.

She stared at him incredulously as first one, and then another, tear rolled down her cheek. Now she broke into a full smile. Instead of holding the badge, she squeezed his hands. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she was afraid that if she tried to speak, the tears would flow more freely. She worried that , after all she'd been through and then the emotion of this entire evening, if she began crying in earnest, she might never stop.

Ressler, too, was moved by the moment, though his emotions didn't show in the same way Liz's did. A warm feeling stirred inside of him, a feeling he'd been a stranger to for a long time. As he stood in her presence, he was reminded of how much he missed her. The last few months had been painful, but not only because she'd put him in such a terrible position. It was also because he had missed her. He'd spent every moment of every day trying to catch her, trying to clear her name, trying to beat the Cabal, so that he could "uphold the law." But it had hadn't only been about the law or justice. He was realizing that everything he'd done had also been for Liz. He had hoped for the opportunity to work on more cases with her and to share more moments like this.

"Pull yourself together, Keen," he said quietly, though he was also directing the words at himself.

Liz pulled her hands away from his to wipe her eyes. "I held it together for everyone except you," she said. "I got through Aram and Samar's card. I got through Cooper's speech. Tom's necklace. God, Reddington even gave me the key to a new apartment…" She shoved him lightly, smiling through her tears. "Damn you, Ressler." She took the badge and gave it a warm look before sliding it in her pocket.

Ressler's kind smile disappeared when he noticed the necklace she was wearing. "Tom has terrible taste in jewelry."

"Really? Out of everything I said, you got that?"

Ressler reached out to inspect the necklace. "Did he steal this? The guy has no legal form of income to ,,," He stopped when the necklace suddenly broke in half and fell over the side of the bridge. He dropped his hand, as though that would take away the fact that he had just broken the necklace.

They both stood still for a moment. Liz couldn't believe her eyes. "Ressler!" she chastised, looking over the side of bridge, as if she could see the necklace.

He held his hands up in a mock surrender. "Hey! That was an accident!"

"That necklace probably cost him a fortune!" she exclaimed, now looking on the bridge for the necklace, though she knew it was no use...

Ressler looked away, trying to hide a grin. "It broke so easily, it must've been cheap," he said, beginning to chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.

Liz shot him a sharp look. "This isn't funny."

Something about the seriousness of her expression made him start to laugh, and he leaned back against one of the street lamps so that he wouldn't buckle over. The more he laughed, the funnier the situation became. Perhaps it was because he hadn't gotten any sleep in twenty-four hours, but he couldn't make himself stop. He only laughed louder when Liz shoved him again.

Liz was only trying to be concerned about the necklaced. She hadn't really cared for it. It was a bit flashy for her taste. She was more concerned with why this was so damn funny to Ressler. She knew the two men didn't like one another, but this was just juvenile. She took a deep breath and listened to his laugh though. She wasn't sure she had ever heard it, at least not like this. It was a loud and infectious laugh, not the kind you would expect from someone as closed-off as Ressler.

She allowed herself to loosen up, and then, she began to laugh with him. This entire night had been a whirlwind of emotions, and at least she wasn't crying anymore. She walked over to the street lamp he leaned against, taking a stance beside him. The two grew quiet again, and she watched Ressler's stoic front return as quickly as it had vanished. She looked over to him, wishing he'd smile again.

"I missed you," she told him suddenly, feeling like she needed to make sure he was aware of this.

For just a moment, she caught a glimpse of something vulnerable in his expression. It was gone far too quickly for her to decipher what exactly it was.

"I know," he said loftily, looking out into the night. 'I can't imagine how meaningless life was without me for three whole months."

She rolled her eyes. Here, on a bridge, in the middle of the night, in subzero temperatures, she felt more normal than she had in months, in years maybe. Reddington's words from a while ago came back to her. "You need to find the peace below the winds," he'd told her. And here, with Ressler, she had found peace, if only for a moment. She tilted her head back against the cold metal of the street lamp, inhaling deeply.

Ressler was watching her, unable to tear his eyes from her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Something Reddington told me."

He appeared troubled. "Me too."

She gave him a wistful smile. "I think I need to head home. I can't feel my fingers."

Ressler nodded, moving from his spot against the street lamp. He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out her final gift.

Liz eyed him in disbelief. "Another one?" She hadn't expected this kind of welcoming from him. Truthfully, she hadn't expected one at all, not after everything that had happened. Perhaps he'd missed her more than he was letting on.

Ressler gave her a boyish grin. "Open it. This one might reduce you to sobs."

"Very funny." She took the package from him, digging her nails into the wrapping paper. She really hoped he hadn't gone over the top. She actually was afraid she was in danger of crying again, simply because she was so exhausted.

Ressler's grin widened as she broke through the wrapping paper.

This time it was Liz who tilted her head back in and laughed. "You have got to be kidding me." The present was a kit of brown hair dye.

Ressler shrugged. "The blonde's awful."

She smiled slyly, knowing exactly how to irritate him. "Tom liked it."

"All the more reason to get rid of it," he snapped. Ressler couldn't understand why she would have anything to do with Tom Keen. If she hadn't looked so happy, he might have given her a lecture about it.

Liz chuckled, turning the box over in her hands. She sighed, looking up at him, her blue eyes softening. "Thank you."

Ressler gave her a gruff nod, and she gave his shoulder a friendly pat before walking back to her car. He remained on the bridge, his mind racing as he thought over Reddington's words from a few months ago.

"What you feel about her could make all the difference," Reddington had told him wisely. Ressler hadn't thought much about his words at the time. He had been too preoccupied thinking about how much Reddington frustrated him. Now, as he stood alone, still able to feel the warmth from Liz's hands just moments ago, he worried that Reddington had been hinting at something beyond his friendship with Liz.

"Son of a bitch," he swore, irritated that even in personal matters, the guy was always one step ahead of him.

Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my first ever Blacklist fanfiction, and because of that, I was very nervous about posting it. I set this oneshot a little ways into future, after Liz's name is cleared. (We know Red and the gang will make it happen somehow!) After Red's comments about Ressler in the Season 3 Premiere, and the new dynamic between Ressler and Liz, I couldn't help writing about them some. I hope I was able to do their characters justice, and I really hope that you enjoyed it! If any of you have any requests, you can comment on here, message me on here, or you can message me on tumblr. My URL is lizziekeen. :)