Disclaimer: I do not own The Blacklist, if I did Tom's secret affair would be exposed by now.

"Audrey, honey I just got home." Ressler sighed as he walked through the door of the apartment.

"Ressler, you have avoided me for the fourth time this week, what is wrong with you keeping your promises?" Audrey spoke into the phone, her face covered in tears from crying.

"Aud, I thought we were having dinner here-" Donald replied anxiously.

"I've made plans for dinner at the diner downtown, and you fail to show up!" She yelled.

"Audrey, I'm serious, I didn't know-"

"You know what? I'm moving out. When you finally make up your mind on whether you want to be with me or stay up long nights looking for Red, tell me. I'm done with all your shit." Audrey ended the call swiftly, and left the phone booth.

"Hey! Listen to me! I have to explain!" Ressler shouted at his phone, not realizing Audrey hung up.

"You've got to be kidding me." He murmured as he slid down the door, and sat with his back resting on the door.

The dream felt so real to Ressler, as if it happened yesterday. Where he was left by the person he cared so much about. He looked at his phone to see if what happened last night were real. It was. It made him feel like the dream was trying to make him realize what she may end up doing because of the past. She might end up breaking his heart all over like she did the first time.

"Ressler, coffee is waiting for you on the counter!" Liz knocked on his door, hoping it would alarm him, unlike the clock.

Donald slumped from his bed, and grabbed his suit out of his closet before he replied back. "Okay, I'll be out there in a minute or two."

Liz was already made up, she woke up two hours before Don and she knew she should do a kind thing for him since he's done so many nice things for her. Just something like that, she hoped, would make him feel okay. She didn't hope for the worst towards him at all. He had brought her into his life, and brought her up from the ground, she hoped he wouldn't have to feel the pain like she did.

Don walked out his room, with his hair in a mess, but put together besides that. This brought a smile to Liz's face, and then she looked down at her coffee cup in her hands.

"Good morning to you too," Donald said, walking over to sit next to Liz.

"I hope the coffee is the way you'd like it."

"It is, thanks," he said, taking a sip of his coffee, then setting the cup down on the table. "Why are you up so early?"

"We have work, I might as well, get up early unlike the day before. Get into better habits, I guess." Liz said, looking back up at Donald. "I heard you talking in your sleep last night, what happened?"

Ressler tensed up. He didn't know what to say. It wasn't much of a secret that he still loved Audrey, but the thoughts of her ran through his head all night, so that's why Liz probably heard him. "Just her."

"Who?" She asked.

"Audrey." He sighed.

"What was the dream or nightmare about?"

"It was the last time we spoke, and it was just like when she broke off the engagement."

"Oh," Liz paused, "I'm sorry about that." She looked back down at her coffee cup again.

"Liz, it's fine, you weren't the one who caused the nightmare, no need to apologize."

"Do you know what caused the nightmare?"

"Well, she texted me last night. Before I fell asleep."

"Was it something bad, or?"

"She invited me to go have coffee or have dinner with her, with no interruptions. I bet she was referring to me chasing Red. Does she realize she's a married woman who doesn't need me around anymore?"

"Ressler, just because she's married, doesn't mean you guys can't be acquaintances." She said, placing her hand on Ressler's shoulder, hoping to calm him down.

"I know, but knowing her, she might try something to make me want to be with her again."

"Well, whatever happens, happens, and you'll only know what will happen if you go."

"I know, but I never told her I could."

"Oh. It's never too late to text her back."

"But to her, time ruins everything."

"Ressler, when you decide whether or not you want to go, tell her. I'm not making up your mind for you."

"I guess we should get going to work." Ressler said, trying to avoid the topic.

"Sure, whatever." Liz rolled her eyes as she got up from the table to get her coat from the coat rack on the wall.

"You can drive this morning. I'm okay with that." He got up and brought the empty to the counter.

"Good, I have your keys." She said, shaking the keys in her hand.

Once Liz and Ressler got to work, they knew this day wouldn't consist of therapy speeches or off topic nonsense, especially when they still have to track down this criminal they've been looking up for a few days. They both walked their separate ways, Elizabeth to her office to gather all her files, and Don to go talk to Cooper.

As Liz got to her office, she saw Red sitting at her desk.

"Lizzie, hows everything going?" Red smiled as she looked confused.

"I'm fine, I need to get everything prepared to capture this guy. If you're interested in a chat, you'll have to find me at a better time." Liz dropped her bag beside her desk as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, as Red was in the way of her work space.

"Well, I have something you might want, more secrets about your past, but you'll have to do something for me to make it worth while."

Liz rolled her eyes at his sly comment, "Red, I'm serious, no more bets, I want to know what it is about my past that you know."

"Like I said, you have to do something for me."

She gave in, "What do you want me to do for you?"

"It's not just benefiting me, it's also benefiting for you."

"I don't want to know how it is for me, just tell me what you want me to do."

"Fine, apparently Audrey is coming back to Agent Ressler right?"

"I don't care about her Red, she belongs to Ressler. If this is a bet to do with him, I don't want anything to do with it."

"Lizzie, dear, I know you care a lot about Ressler, you can't hide it."

"Seriously, Red! I don't care about him! I'm very thankful that he let me stay with him, but we're not anything more than co-workers."

"Whatever you say. Back to what I'm asking, I want you to go with Agent Ressler on his 'date' with Audrey."

"Oh hell no, I do not want to become a third wheel in a date that she asked for no interruptions."

"Come on, Lizzie, I don't think she'll mind."

Liz walked to the filing cabinet, not facing Red. "No, she will, and Ressler wouldn't want me there."

"Lizzie, you can also do this. Stay home, wait for him to leave, then once he's gone, get a ride to go to the restaurant they're going to and then you can crash the date. I can supply you the ride there if you want."

"Absolutely not." She retorted, turning back around fast.

Ressler walked into the office, noticing there seems to be a bit of tension between Red and Liz. It made him a little confused, but he didn't decide to question it.

"Keen, do you have everything from this case, besides the report?" Donald asked, looking at her, standing at his side of the desk.

"Yeah, let me get the file."

"Take your time." He started tapping his fingers on the desk, showing that he's impatient.

"So, Agent Ressler, how's Audrey Bidwell?" Red said.

"Fine. It doesn't really matter, nor do you even care."

"You're right, I don't care much about her. I just hope you guys are alright."

"Okay, so how are we going to capture The Lodger?" Liz said, getting up from the bottom shelf of the cabinet, the folder in her hands.

"Lizzie, you and Agent Ressler will have to go undercover to get him. He's usually in ally ways around here, and he's not too hard to find. He claims he's homeless, but obviously he is not. What you'll have to do is say you're going to bring him home, but really you're bringing him back here. It's not hard, but knowing him, it will be."

"Great." She muttered under her breath.

"So when do you think we should do this?" Don asked.

"Soon. I heard from him that he's going to try to go to another state after he kills enough families."

"I guess we're going to get him today then." Don said as he walked over to Liz.

Donald took the file out of Liz's hands and looked through it quickly to see if there was new information in there he didn't know about. Nothing new, and that was good to him.

"Nice seeing you, Red. Thanks for the help."

"Not a problem, also, good luck with Audrey tonight." He winked before the pair left the room.

After Liz and Ressler arrived to one of the ally ways nearby, they realized The Lodger committed suicide. He seemed to bleed to death on the concrete. It was a surprise that this criminal gave up so soon from killing families to rob their homes. Elizabeth was really hoping to profile him, but there's no chance of that happening now. Instead they reported back to the Post Office that the man had died before he would have been sent to jail for killing and robbing people. By the time everything was put into the system, it was perfect time for them to go back to the apartment, and get ready for the long, awaited date for Donald and Audrey.

Liz didn't want to follow through with Red's conniving plan to become a third wheel at the date, but she knew it would be the only thing to get some more information from Red. Liz sat in the living room, waiting for Donald to leave so that she could leave shortly after him.

Don entered the living room with his tie undone. "Liz, can you help me for a second?"

She looked up at him, then walked over to face him, "What do you need?"

"Can you tie this for me?" He pointed to his tie.

"Yeah, sure. I used to do this for Tom all the time." She grabbed the tie, and looped it around a few times until it looked right.

"Thanks," Ressler coughed.

"No problem." Liz said sitting back in the couch.

"Liz, what was Red talking about before I came in today?"

This struck a cord to Liz. She wanted to lie to him, but she knew there were consequences for that. She knew being honest with him was her only option.

"Red wanted me to be a third wheel on your date with Audrey." She sighed.

Donald didn't know how to feel about that, he didn't know if he should be angry or upset. Either way, he knew it wasn't the time or place to show his true emotions.

"I never wanted to go through with it. He was baiting me with information about my past in order for me to do so."

"Did he ever tell you why?"

"No. I was about to ask, but I never did."

Don took a deep breath, "Well, if you want to join us, I promise she won't try anything to get rid of you. I'll just tell her some excuse of why you're there."

"Well, I think you guys need your time to each other. I don't need to be apart of that equation."

"Liz, it's okay. I don't mind." Don walked over to the couch and sat beside Elizabeth.

"It's okay, I don't need to go. I'll probably find out more things about my past another time."

He held Liz's face with his hands, "Lizzie, you don't need to stay here alone, I'm inviting you."

She held Don's wrists gently, "Don, I mean it. I don't need to go."

"Liz, I mean it too, you should come with me."

"Really? I don't want to end up ditched."

"Yes, and you won't, I swear on it." He let go of her face and put out his hand towards Liz.

"Okay, only because you promise." She shook his hand firmly, then let go.

"One more thing, do you still have that long blue dress I helped pick out for you?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, yeah I do."

"You should wear that."

"You think that'd be appropriate? I'm only accompanying you on your date with Audrey, I'm not your date."

"I'm aware, but the restaurant she might have picked out is probably fancy, and not so casual."

"Okay, give me ten minutes." Liz said, getting up from the couch to run to the bathroom.

"Okay!" Donald yelled from the living room. Leaving him with a smile on his face.

Liz stepped out of the bathroom, fixing her right shoe on her foot, her hand on the wall, trying to keep her balance. She put her foot back on level ground, and stepped in the living room. Donald heard the footsteps, and looked up as she was standing in front of him on the couch. His jaw dropped as he looked at her from toe to her face. All put together.

"You look gorgeous." He said looking at her face.

Liz blushed and covered her face, "Thanks."

"Are you all good?" He got up from the couch.

"Yeah, let's get going!" She ran to the coat rack to grab her black jacket, then ran out the door.

"Remember, I'm driving!" Donald grabbed the keys and his wallet before closing the door to the apartment.

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this long awaited chapter. It took a bit of motivation for me to write this up, especially with the new episode. (I loved the part of Madeline Pratt where Donald and Liz talked.)