A/N - ok, so one day I'll learn that one-shot means 1 chapter, nothing more. until that day, thank you for reading my always long stories. xD Besides, I had to write more cute Keenler, as the writers of the show keep insisting on taking things the other way.

He parked his car in the guest space in her building still awed that it was a thing. They walked through the hall hand in hand laughing as he mocked her for living in such a fancy place. They entered the elevator and went each to one side, and as the heavy steel doors closed, she admired how easy it was to be with him.

She had never though of him like that. When they met, she was married and in love. But so much has happened since then that it wasn't much of a surprise to have these feelings now. They have been through so much. He has been her protector, her friend, her partner, her accomplice, her pain in the ass multiple times. Why not add "lover" and "love" to this list?

They look at each other's eyes and smirk simultaneously as he moved forward and pinned her to the wall of the elevator, his eyes piercing through her eyes as he touches the panel where a red button should be. He frowns when he doesn't find the button, and she laughs while he turns his head and opens his mouth perplexed.

"What do you mean there isn't an emergency break?"

They have a side generator just for the elevators. It never stops. Brand new technology."

"Rubbish" he scorns, and she laughs again, leaning her head against his chest. He ignores the buttons to hug her and kiss her on the back of her head. She puts her head back and looks up at him, and they smile.

"Hey" she says, in a whisper. He chuckles and then leans to kiss her, but the elevator doors open and another person comes in.

The woman is so distracted, talking on her phone that she doesn't even notice either their presence or that they were going up. When the elevator moves again she finally realizes it.

"Is it going up?"

"Yes" Ressler answers, pulling Liz closer. She muffles her laugh on his chest.

"Oh, darn!" The woman goes back to her phone "Honey it will take me another minute I took the wrong elevator" and hungs up as the elevator stops on their floor.

"Oh, look at you two!" The woman had a nasal voice, and kept pointing at them with her long manicured fake nails. "I interrupted something, didn't I? Oh, dear ones, you enjoy this moment, before you start going up the elevator to avoid seeing each other" Liz bit her lip to try not to laugh and Ressler was too much of a cop. "Have a good night, ma'm" he said as he pushed Liz out of the elevator and pressed the lobby button for the woman.

As soon as the doors closed, they burst out laughing. "Oh my god! What was that?"

"The result of not having an emergency break button"

He follows her through the corridor and when she stops in front of the door and starts searching her purse for the keys, he hugs her from behind.

"Ressler" she moans, as she gives up looking for the keys and gives into his touch, putting her head back on his shoulder, opening access to her neck. After a few kisses he speaks in her ear "just open the door, Keen"

"So let me look for them" she hisses, and he stops, stepping away from her and cleans his throat, trying to recover. She stuffs her hand into her purse again and finds the keys. "A-ha! Got'em" she celebrates by shaking them in front of her face, then turns to put them into the keyhole.

As she opens the door a loud bark comes reminding them of Hudson, who comes running and jumps on Liz's legs, asking to be petted. She pets him and talks to him in a funny voice, and Ressler can't hold back a laugh.

"What? Are you trying to tell me that you don't break that serious robot cop voice not even with dogs?" He let out a loud laugh.

"Robot cop voice? Is that what you think of me?"

"You can't deny you are a bit too excited with the whole cop pose, hun?"

"You're saying that I am boring, is that it?"

"No. I'm saying that you're serious, and I'd like to see a more laid back side of you"

"I think we've been there, Keen" he scorns, while she goes into the kitchen to refills Hudson's food dish.

"There! Why keep calling me Keen? Aren't we past the formalities?"

"Are you going to call me Donald from now on?"

"I don't know." She teased, swaying towards him "I can call you Donald. Or Donnie."he laughed out loud when he heard the nickname only his mother used. "Please don't." She came close to him and threw her arms around his neck, resting her hands on his hair, twirling the locks with with her fingers, "or I can call you Don." She whispered, her bright blue eyes deep inside his, the sound of her voice roughly whispering his name driving him insane. He pressed his hands against her waist and groaned as he went against his wishes and asked her to show him the house. She took his hands in hers and dragged him through the big apartment.

"Ok, so here's the kitchen, and there on the back there's a small laundry room, but the building has a laundry service."

"Of course it does." he mocked, and she clicked her tongue.

"Here's the living room, there's a room there in the back with an office, a restroom and upstairs is my bedroom suite." She pointed at a small set of steps that took to a kind of mezzanine. He wanted nothing more than carry her up those stairs, but he didn't know if they were there yet in their relationship. Hell, they were in a relationship. A few days ago he was hunting her as a fugitive, now they were in a relationship. And he loved this newfound status. He understood that when he pushed her away after her name had been cleared was because he had no idea how to deal with his new feelings for her, the feelings that had appeared while she was on the run, and he wanted to protect her. It was all a mess, but now it was all back into place. And he was the one in her apartment. Score!

"So, uh, do you want to eat something?" He turned to look at her, and she interrupted his attempt to go PG 13 by devouring his lips. He had no idea she could be so wild, and was loving this new side of hers. He lifted her up and put her sitting on the back of the sofa, not sure he would have time enough to go up the stairs. She untucked his shirt and unbuttoned really fast as he tried to do the same with hers, but failed. What's up with him and buttons today? She removed his shirt and helped by unbuttoning hers, revealing a beautiful black and purple bra. She swung her hair back as he removed the fabric from her shoulders, replacing it with his mouth. He kissed her from shoulder to shoulder, stopping at her throat to feel the vibration of it as she groaned and moaned to his touch.

"Liz, I can't stand it anymore." He said between kisses, and she laughed and pulled his face up to hers. She looked at him for a few seconds, drawing in his features, caressing his forehead as she admired his blue eyes. He was mesmerized by her face under the moonlight coming from the wide glass window in front of them. It seemed like time had stopped when she slowly put her mouth to his, both her eyes open, taking her time to eliminate the few inches between them. As the kiss progressed, she pulled him towards her and they both fell onto the couch, her back landing comfortably on the cushions as he cared not to crush her with his weight. Then she held the back of his head tight in place to keep kissing as he slid his hands downwards to unbuckle his and her pants.

Xxxx

They were lying on the couch, both naked, lit only by the moonlight. She had her head resting on his biceps, and was making circles on his palm with her finger as he kissed her shoulder and caressed her belly. They were both tired, sated. Curiosity made him break the silence.

"How was it, Liz? Can you tell me?"

"What? Are you one of those guys who just need to know?"

He laughed and hid his face in her hair ashamed when he realised how his question sounded.

"That's not what I meant! I mean, how was it to be a fugitive. To be with Red?"

Liz breathed in deeply and turned over to lie on her back next to him. He held her in place as they adjusted to their new position on the small space.

"It was... Weird. And good, at the same time. As strange as this sounds. I was scared, but with him I felt safe. I had to do things I never imagined I'd do, but I don't think I would've done it any differently. Red has this incredible personality and each day with him was a new adventure, and I discovered something new about him. What I learned is that he really cares about me, like no one else, I think."

"Did he tell you why? What your connection is?"

"No. And I don't expect him to tell me anytime soon. I think it scares him, if I knew, it's deeper that we can think. I've decided to give him this time. One day he'll tell me. I think."

"So, you felt safe?"

She chuckled.

"Yeah, I know it sounds impossible to feel safe with Raymond Reddington, but I did. I do. I really trust him. He saved me, he kept me alive. And he cleared my name, like he promised."

Ressler downed his eyes, a bit hurt to remember that in great part of this story he's featured as the anti-hero, hunting them and going against them. Hearing Liz's stories of her time with Reddington was far more interesting that he would've thought, and he noticed he was beginning to respect Red, or at least his affection to Liz. Whatever Red did, legal or illegal, had brought Liz back to him, and took them to that moment.

He wanted to ask her about Tom, too, but thought it would be way too awkward to ask her about her ex-husbands efforts to help her now. Instead, he payed attention to Hudson, who was resting quietly on the armchair across from them.

"He's so quiet and calm over there" he pointed at the dog.

"He must be traumatized after what he saw us do here" they both laughed, and the dog turned his head to the back of the chair.

Liz then surprised him with a kiss on the cheek, honest as a thank you.

"What was that for?"

"Thank you. For what you did for me. I know that in your head you think that you did nothing, or that I think you did nothing, but I know. You let me go in the first place, so you were the first to save me. And then with the Russians, you not only let me go, but nearly caused an international comotion to save me, even though I know you were pissed at me for going to the embassy. I could see it in yor eyes through the gates, you were. And then working with the director. Each day with you leading the search for me was a day that I knew that even if the FBI found me I would be safe, because it was you who would find me."

"Even when you told me to back off?"

She felt sorry for that call. The only time she spoke to him she told him to stay away. It had been unfair.

"I was close to a lead against the cabal, and there you were at arms length. I was nervous! C'mon!" She gently pushed him, and they both giggled.

"But thank you, really. For believing in me, and protecting me on this side."

He looked deep into her eyes, and for what felt like hours they swam inside each other's pool-colored eyes. She opened a smile that made his heart swell, as if there was nothing more beautiful in the entire universe. He leaned and kissed her, slowly, deeply, breathing in each of the emotions and sensations that moment brought them.

Then he kissed her forehead and lodged her head under his. He felt her warm breath in his collarbone as she yawned, and felt tired himself.

"I think it's time you showed me your bedroom, Keen."