Previously...

She doesn't know what possesses her, but the next thing she knows, she's doing that, curling close to Ressler's warm, solid body. His breath hitches, and she tenses, afraid he'll pull away or (worse) push her away.

But he doesn't.

Instead, he wraps an arm around her and tucks her head under his chin, breathing heavily against her ear. She can hear his heart beating furiously in his chest, and she wants to say something, anything, because maybe what she's been feeling isn't one sided, maybe he's been feeling the same way, too -

But, she falls asleep before she can make a decision.

Ressler smiles as Liz's breathing evens out. His heart is still stuttering in his chest, and if he leans down to press a kiss to her forehead, who's to blame him?

Good night, Liz.

June 15th, Ressler's Apartment, 6:00 AM

Liz wakes to silence, and it's strange, because for the past few days she'd woken up to the sound of Sammy's cries. But she peeks over Ressler's arm and - yep, the baby is still in his pack and play, sleeping soundly with his limbs thrown about and his cheeks flushed (is he too warm? Maybe they should have dressed him in something lighter for bed).

Sighing happily (sleepily), Liz curls back into Ressler's arms. It's a testament to how tired she really is that it takes her about that long to realize that, oh, she's warm and cozy and curled around her partner like an octopus. She blushes as she takes stock of their bodies. She's pressed against Ressler's (really very nicely sculpted) chest, and his arm is thrown over her back, holding her close to him. One of his legs is thrown over hers, keeping her in place as he sleeps on.

Liz smiles (and panics) as she stares at Ressler's face. He's sleeping soundly, his lips open slightly as he breaths in and out. His arm and leg are warm on her, making her woozy with sleepiness. She wants very much to stay exactly where she is, and never move again, but -

"Gotta move before he wakes up," she mumbles sleepily, knowing that he won't be as happy as she was to wake up entwined. She winces when he groans, shifting closer to her and tightening his hold. He's not thinking about you, she tells herself as he sleepily nuzzles her neck, making quiet happy noises. Definitely not thinking about you, probably about Audrey.

"Liz," hr murmurs, and she gasps, because maybe he is thinking about her. But then, "Liz. Stop twitching, I'm trying to sleep damn it."

Oh, God. Oh, God. He's thinking about her and he knows he's cuddling (Special Agent Donald Ressler, cuddling) and he would like to continue said cuddling.

"Uh," she says intelligently, and she's saved from having to say anything else by Sammy's cries coming from their bedside. He doesn't sound angry, like he does some mornings (usually the mornings he's hungry or woken up unnaturally) but instead his cry sounds like a cry for attention.

"Guh," Ressler complains, reluctantly untangling himself from Liz's body. She feels uncomfortably cold as he rolls away, stumbles out of bed and sleepily staggers two feet away to peer into Sammy's crib. "He's like an alarm clock," Ressler comments, and Sammy squeals happily, apparently agreeing with Liz that Ressler looks funny in the morning with messy hair and in bed pants (really, anything other than his regular suit or plaid). This morning he has decided to forgo the T-shirt, and Liz is finding it especially hard to concentrate.

When he turns around, Sammy in his arms (sharing the same mussed-hair look as Ressler) she can't help but feel her heart clench painfully, because this, this, is what she wants. She wants Ressler and a baby (Sammy) and the sleepy morning cuddles and the attention he pays her and Sammy and the smiles like he's giving her now.

"Gonna change the poop machine," he comments, ruffling Sammy's already messy hair. The baby protests, reaching up to swat at Ressler's hand. He misses, but continues to smack at Ressler's arm, giggling happily at the new game he's invented.

"'Kay," Liz finally manages, falling dramatically back onto the bed as her partner walks out of the room. Her heart is thumping in her chest and she frowns down at herself. "Shut up, heart," she mumbles, groaning as she flips over and sits up. God, she's gone and fallen in love with her partner. How dumb can she be?

"Wanna jump in the shower?" Ressler asks, peeking around the corner with a mostly-naked and shivering Sammy. He has baby clothes hanging from the other hand, and he's headed toward the bed to deposit Sammy upon it before dressing him. "I'll need to get in after you, so be quick," he cautions, and briefly Liz wonders, will he join me if I'm too slow?

It's a dangerous thought, so she smiles at him and the baby, nods, and walks into the connected bathroom. She's becoming disturbingly familiar with Ressler's bathroom layout and finds what she needs easily. She hops in and lets the warm water both calm her and massage the tension in her neck. Caring for a baby is fun, sure, but she's more tense than she's been in a long time. (Probably since the whole Tom ordeal, but that was enough to require extensive massages. A hot shower wasn't enough then).

When she hops out and dries off, dresses, and heads into the living room, the sight that greets her causes her mouth to become suddenly dry and her breath to catch.

God, she's so in love with him. She doesn't know when it happened, and she's beginning to believe she doesn't care very much.

Ressler smiles at her from across the room as he waltzes with Sammy. The baby is shrieking happily, his hands gripping Ressler's hair tightly, pulling on the blond locks and stretching them out to their surprising length as they sway around the room. Ressler's humming, too, and he doesn't care that she's watching him or that he hasn't slicked his hair back perfectly, and that she's seeing a side of him that no one at else will ever see.

"Say 'hi' to Aunt Liz," Ressler says, taking one of Sammy's hand and using it to wave at Liz as she grins like an idiot and waves back.

"I'm gonna make breakfast," she says weakly, and Ressler barely acknowledges her as he ramps up the dance, leading Sammy in a new direction, exploring the living room as they listen to their own, secret music and continue their dance.

Liz pulls out eggs from the fridge and sets a pan on the stove. The butter is melting and the eggs are cracked inside the pan when she hears Ressler murmuring to the baby, and when had he (and she) become so attached and how were they ever going to give him up? She'd never seen this side of Donald Ressler and she knows that without Sammy, this could have taken years, and the thought that she might not have realized these feelings for years makes her panic so much that her chest hurts.

"We're so dumb," she says, silently cursing herself as she flips the stove off.

Years. It could have taken her years to realize this, to realize that Ressler wasn't all Special Agent Donald Ressler with a stick up his ass. One of them could have died before she wrapped her head around what had (honestly? always) been there.

"Ressler," she says, because she figured it's fair that she give him some type of warning, but he doesn't have time to do anything more than turn his body in her direction, his lips opening to form words as she takes Sammy from him and comfortably rearranges him on the couch.

Then, she kisses him.

He makes a surprised sound, his eyes fly open in shock as her lips meet his. It's not electric and no sparks fly (not like in the books or movies). It's not even the best kiss of her life (it's uncoordinated and a little sloppy, actually), but the feeling that explodes in her chest as he wraps his arms around her, pulls her close, and kisses her back in earnest, makes it all worth it.

"Ressler," she whimpers, and he pulls back, smiling against her skin as he tucks her head into his shoulder.

"Does this mean that I'm not the only idiot that fell in love with their partner?" he whispers, and she can feel his fingers trembling, knowing that he's still unsure but he is recognizing that she took a leap of faith in kissing him and so he'll take one in revealing his feelings first. She's appreciative that he realizes how hard it is for her to say things out loud, and silently thanks him for broaching the topic (she kisses his neck softly and he shivers).

"No, I realized this morning that I love you and I probably have for a while, but as I was making eggs, I realized that if it weren't for Sammy, I may have not realized it for years, until it was too late, until one of us found someone else or died or - "

Ressler cuts her off with another kiss, and oh, this one is much better. He's leading and his lips are surprisingly soft and really, he's quite good at this. Liz melts into the kiss, sighing as she rests her weight on Ressler, and he holds her up easily, crushing her body to his, and -

"Ahhhhh!" Sammy yells, tossing his sippy cup at them. It hits Ressler in the legs and the older man chuckles.

Liz blushes and ducks her head.

They stand there for a few seconds longer, and as it seems Sammy is no longer protesting their union, Ressler takes the chance to kiss her again.

His hand is on her waist, fingers dancing across the soft skin of her lower stomach and all of her fingers are knotted in his hair, messing it up even worse (but he doesn't seem to care) when there's a knock on the door.

"Oh, God, that got to be Reddington," Liz moans, trying frantically to make herself presentable (because explaining to Reddington why you look like you've been making out with your partner does not sound fun).

"Bastard," Ressler growls, annoyed at being interrupted, and his mind flashes back to his original thought when they'd first gotten into this situation, which was Raymond Fucking Reddington, and he knows his hair is a lost cause and besides, Reddington knows everything anyway, so it's pointless. He does help Liz tuck her shirt back in, however, because she'd already dressed for work. He hands her Sammy in an attempt to appear as though they'd been having a normal morning as he wipes his mouth with the back of his his hand (in case of lipstick) and walks to the door, clearing his throat as he answers it.

He isn't even able to open his mouth before Reddington is chuckling, walking into the room like he owns the place.

"While I'd love to comment on the fact that you two look like teenagers who just got caught making out - thank God, by the way, I just won the office pool, and now I can finally take that nice vacation I've been planning with the funds you just provided me - I have important news."

Ressler doesn't even bother answering, because Reddington doesn't give him time and also because he knows it's pointless.

Reddington continues on, taking his hat off and perching it on the table by the door.

And though the news Reddington delivers is expected, it still causes Liz to hold Sammy tighter and for Ressler to take a protective step closer to Liz and the baby.

"You're being followed."

Woo! Ok. So, they're together (ish) and the case is moving forward. We're more than halfway done! I'm SO FREAKING SORRY it took so long to get this up, but your response to the last chapter was overwhelming! :) I appreciate it!

Please Review! (A review earns you a 2-3 paragraph sneak peak of Ch. 9!)