Previously...

"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."

June 15th, The Post Office, 9AM

Ressler shifts his weight from one foot to the other in an attempt to seem like he's paying attention to Aram and Reddington (who, by the way, has not yet wiped the shit-eating-grin off of his face) when really all of his brainpower is devoted to the woman standing next to him.

How had he never been aware of her like this before?

It's like his senses are supercharged. He can feel her next to him, even though she's several feet away. He can feel her restlessness (could she be restless for the same reason he is?) but he refuses to believe that this new development is because they kissed. He is a man of logic, and kissing someone does not make you hyper aware of their presence.

Regardless of his beliefs, he's distracted as Reddington relays the information they'd gathered while he and Liz had been making out like teenagers with Sammy squished between them. Ressler sighs and wipes a hand over his face, trying to make himself focus on the case (kidnapped man, baby in limbo, body parts being shipped to them daily, really this was important stuff).

"Am I boring you, Donald?" Reddington pipes up, grinning as he pauses in his speech of greatness. There's a picture of Anton on the screen, clear and sharp - Reddington had taken it and was clearly very proud of himself. To be fair, he should be, it was the first clear picture of Anton in many years and demonstrated the changes the man had undergone. He may have never been caught using old photos, he looked so different - his hair was longer, darker, and his face was sharper, no longer the cushioned face of youth and wealth. Compared with pictures taken around the time Reddington and James Madison had ruined his business and his life, he almost looked like he could be a completely different man.

Reddington waited patiently while Ressler forced himself to refocus on the case. Then, smugly, "Is there something else you'd like to be doing?"

Yes, damn it, Ressler thinks, and snaps his mouth shut so he doesn't say something he'll regret. He knows Reddington is baiting him - he won't out them, but he'd be perfectly fine if they outed themselves through his gentle prodding.

"No, carry on," he grits out, and as Reddington turns back around, Ressler hears Liz snicker quietly beside him.

"Shut up," he snaps affectionately, and Liz snorts softly as she bites her lip, trying (and failing) to hold back a grin.

As much as it feels wrong to do so, Ressler moves a few feet away so he can force himself to focus.

"So Anton himself has been following us," he recaps, and Reddington looks positively pained as he's forced to repeat himself.

"Yes, Donald, do keep up!" Reddington admonished, eyes glinting as his outburst causes Cooper, Aram, and Samar to all look at him questioningly. He bristles under the attention but redoubles his efforts to keep current with the briefing. Reddington continues, flicking to the next slide which is a photo of Anton walking in the park, head down, hands in his pockets. Ressler hears Liz gasp, and he knows it's because she can clearly see them - and Sammy - sitting no less than twenty feet away from Anton. How had they not noticed?

Aram speaks up as he notices Ressler and Liz's discomfort. "Anton and his men were first spotted yesterday, as you were leaving the park. We have reason to believe that they have been following you for longer than that, but Mr. Reddington and Mr. Zuma were able to follow their trail this time. They continued trailing you until you reached Agent Ressler's apartment. We almost lost them there, but they entered a building across the street and set up to keep watch."

"We decided that we could wait no longer, because additional men were approaching to join them. We were certain they would have tried to grab Sammy in the night," Reddington broke in, and Ressler couldn't stay away from Liz as she sniffles quietly. He knows what she's thinking - they were right to be extra careful last night, to keep Sammy with them. "We didn't capture Anton, because we wanted him to lead us back to the nest, but we took out a few of his men and captured a few more. He's spooked, but he hasn't moved Mr. Madison yet."

Liz tightens her grip on Sammy, who has been sleeping soundly since the beginning of the briefing. He's in a sling around her chest and seems perfectly content to stay where he is forever.

"We were right," she says, and everyone turns to look at her because she hadn't spoken in a while. "We kept Sammy with us last night because we both felt ... wary, I guess is the word. We kept him in the bedroom with us last night instead of in the living room, like normal."

Ressler wants to both hug Liz and also put a hand over her mouth to make her stop talking, because if Reddington looked smug before, now he looks positively gleeful.

"It was a good idea," the older man says, radiating amusement. "That you kept him in the bedroom. With both of you. All night long."

If it weren't for the fact that he could be suspended and lose Sammy and this case, Ressler might have punched the smug bastard.

Thank god FBI agents aren't known for their ability to pick up on subtle hints involving relationships - they were only good at that if it meant catching the bad guy. In fact, that inability to pick up hints is probably what took him and Liz so long to quit dancing around the subject of feelings. Regardless, the rest of the task force moves on without paying attention to Reddington's highly suggestive comments, though it doesn't seem to dull his amusement at all. He's still grinning and prancing around the workstation as he gathers the information he'd brought and shared.

"Agents Ressler and Keen, I'm placing you under house arrest with Sammy until we figure this out. Don't argue, Agent Ressler," Cooper warns, catching Ressler before the planned argument could pass his lips. "Reddington has plenty of men on this, and I'm adding Agent Navabi onto his team. They can do this one without you, keeping Sammy safe is our first priority."

"Fine," Ressler grumbles, and realizes as he does that while they may be bored (they both hate sitting still while others do all of the work) they will have more time together...

"Oh, don't worry about Donald and Lizzie," Reddington pipes up. "I'm sure they'll find plenty to occupy themselves."

DAMN THAT MAN!

Harold Cooper chuckles, but from the look on his face, Ressler is pretty sure he doesn't understand what's being said, which is good, because this whole new... thing, is something they - he and Liz - need to talk about first before telling other people.

Ressler hears Liz sigh deeply (annoyed) and he rolls his eyes as Reddington shoos them out of the room.

"Go home!" he chirps. "Enjoy your day off. This will all be over soon!"

Famous last words.

June 15th, Ressler's Apartment, 12:05 PM

Lunch has been eaten, the laundry is put away, the baby is sleeping, and Liz and Ressler are standing awkwardly in the living room on either side of Sammy's pack-and-play when the rushed atmosphere of the morning fades away.

"So..." Ressler attempts, running a hand through his hair. Liz has noticed that running his hand through his hair seems to be what Ressler does when he's nervous, which she thinks is endearing.

"We should talk," she decides, taking a seat on the couch and tucking her feet under her. She'd changed back into comfortable clothing, opting for sweats and a t-shirt instead of her slacks and blouse. Ressler had dressed down as well, though he hadn't gone as far and had changed into worn jeans and a flannel.

"Yeah, we should, huh?"

He joins her on the couch, keeping to his side. He meets her eyes and smiles - he feels confident that they're on the same page (they sure had been earlier, and he'd sure as shit like to get back on that page) but he feels a little awkward and uncertain of what will happen now.

They're silent for a while, and Ressler realizes eventually that he'll have to make the first move. Liz had been brave enough to make the first physical move but he had spoken of his feelings first, and he realizes that her past experiences and her failed relationship, the relationship built on lies and betrayal, had probably made it harder for her to put herself out there emotionally. Physically was another story - she felt comfortable kissing him. But saying I love you and talking about feelings was more difficult, harder to take back and more permanent.

"It was a few months ago I started realizing it," he finally says, his hands suddenly busy worrying one of the buttons on his shirt. He meets her eyes and grins again but finds it hard to hold her gaze as he continues. "After we got The Deer Hunter. After I saw you... hanging there, and after you told me you were going to turn yourself in. It... hit me pretty hard. I realized I cared for you more than a partner, more than a friend. But it wasn't a good time. It was... crazy, with Tom and the lawsuit and everything. And I realized that if you turned yourself in I'd never see you again and that terrified me. I still didn't know ... I still couldn't put a name on it, but it was new and scary and I tried to ignore it."

Liz opens her mouth to speak, but Ressler has more and he's afraid if he doesn't say it now he won't say it at all. So he continues on without stopping, taking her hand in his to let her know that he wants to hear what she has to say but he has to say this now.

"At first, I didn't like you. I didn't respect you at all, because you were a profiler and I don't like psychology. And then after the Stewmaker, I realized I cared for you and your safety - you were my partner. It was a slow development, but you grew on me. I started caring for you as a friend after our base was invaded and I realized I'd rather break the rules than watch you die. I confided in you - you were a friend. I think our relationship steadily grew from there, but it wasn't until you found me in Sitka drugged to the gills and in withdrawal after breaking my own finger that things started changing again. You sat with me, you were there for me, and you didn't turn me in for drug abuse even though I fucking turned you in for giving your gun to a suspect. And then you told me that the idea of living without me was terrifying and I realized that it was. It was terrifying. And then you tried to turn yourself in and I was a dick to you because I was afraid that I'd lose you and that's when I realized I loved you even though I didn't have that label for it yet."

He takes a deep breath, because not only was that a lot of words, it was a lot of feelings and truth and he's put it all out there and he hopes to God she'll accept him and his confessions.

Liz chuckles, but she's smiling and her cheeks are flushed and he thinks that's a good sign.

"I don't know how to follow that," she admits, scooting closer to him on the couch and leaning against his arm. She's having trouble looking him in the eye, but he knows that admitting her feelings will be hard enough so he gives her that comfort. "I think I realized I cared for you as more than a partner around the same time, but the turning point for me was when you agreed to come with me about Tom, no questions asked. You didn't turn me in and you remained by my side through it all, not judging me and not seeing me differently. You didn't look at me like I was a crazy person who kidnapped and questioned her ex-husband for months, because that's freaking crazy but you didn't judge me. I realized I wanted to be with you then, when I realized you'd never leave me no matter what dumb thing I do."

Ressler cups her jaw in his large, warm hand and she finally turns to look at him. He's smiling very softly, his usually hard features contorted into a soft expression. She's not seen him like this often, normally only so gentle with Sammy, and having such adoration aimed at her makes her heart beat fast.

He leans in to kiss her, but before their lips meet, there's a knock on the door.

Ressler jumps up. "I'm going to fucking kill him!" he shouts, stomping to the door in anger and frustration. Cock blocking, smarmy bastard!

"Reddington, I swear to God - "

Oh, that's not Reddington!

Shots ring out before Ressler has time to react, and he's pushed harshly to the side, his head connecting with the door jam as someone shoves past him and into the room.

The last thing he hears before passing out is Liz scream.

Dun dun duuuuuuun! Sorry this took so long. Life has been nuts. I feel bad not updating as much as I should, but I promise I'm doing my very best! Also, I love this chapter, especially Reddington. :) Love him SO MUCH!

Please Review! I'll send a 2-3 paragraph sneak peak of the next chapter to those who review!