I have to say I'm loving writing these stories. I've decided to make them a series of one-shots about their relationship, and won't create a case or anything resembling an episode. just Keenler. :D
Ressler woke up starving. They had gone to bed without any food and it was taking its toll on him now. He turned to find Liz sleeping soundly next to him, and stopped for a minute to admire her. She was a beautiful woman, he never had doubted it. And now she was his. All those months barely sleeping, having nightmares of her dead, killed in front of him, finding her lifeless body dumped in an alley somewhere, getting to her too late. It was over now, and she was there with him.
The moment he found her, on the corridor of the post office, minutes after she had been accused of killing the senator, he knew he loved her. Her pleading eyes, desperate, scared, he knew right there at that moment that he would do anything to save her, to keep her alive. and that's why he let her go then. He always knew she had more chances with Reddington, that he was the one that could keep her safe. He needed to find the real guilty ones. but, during the search, his mind was confused by all the information that reached him, the fact that she was stealing, and shooting, and threatening and killing people. That wasn't Liz, and for a moment he doubted his decision to let her go. Now she had said that was the first time someone saved her in all that mess. If they weren't now in her new apartment, her name cleared, maybe he would doubt that.
He took a deep breath as his stomach growled again, and looked at the alarm clock to see that it was 3:40am. The window was open and a light breeze of the night was coming in, making her shiver. He pulled the covers to her shoulder, and kissed her on the cheek before leaving the bed.
He didn't know how she would react if she found out that he was raiding her fridge, but he was too hungry to care. He opened the large refrigerator to find ingredients for a sandwich, and when he turned to search for the bread he found her, grinning, holding the package he was looking for.
"Busted" she said, and he looked down embarrassed, but laughing. She put the bread on the counter and laughed too as she aproached it and sat down on the stool.
"I'm sorry, Keen. I was just too hungry"
"Don't be silly, it's no problem at all. I'm just hurt you didn't call me"
"you were sleeping!" He tried to defend himself.
"But I'm hungry too! Make me a sandwich? Please?" She batted her eyelashes and he chuckled lightly as he took four slices of bread and prepared the sandwiches. She went to the fridge and took a jar of pink lemonade, and then poured it onto two glasses.
They ate their sandwiches in silence, and then she took a pack of cookies from the pantry and guided him to the living room. They sat side by side on the sofa and she took a blanket to cover them. Hudson woke up and came to sit next to her, putting his head and paw on her thigh as they ate the cookies. She had her head gently resting on his shoulder and he had his arm around her back.
"I like this" she said, covering her mouth with her hands as a few crumbles of cookie escaped as she spoke. He breathed in and smiled. "Me too."
They were surprised by a light knock on the door, and they looked at each other as she stood up and walked towards it, and he went behind her, ready to attack if it was someone dangerous. She looked into the peephole and then turned to give him a reassuring look.
"It's okay. It's Tom". A while ago he would never consider Tom being in her house something okay. He had been really close as she discovered little by little the truth about her ex-husband, and knew how much it had hurt her. But now, considering that he got Karakurt to confess his crimes, exonerating her guilt, he had to assume she had forgiven Tom, and would have a relationship with him, possibly. He never thought that he would have the liberty to come to her house in the middle of the night. When she opened the door, confused, he noticed that maybe the man didn't have it.
"Tom? what are you doing here?"
"Liz! please, I need to talk to you." Ressler was listening from behind, hidden from the light of the corridor, so Tom didn't see him there. "I tried, Liz, I swear I did, but I can't. I just can't stay away from you. You have to give me one more chance."
She just stood there, holding the door, startled, trying to process what was going on. She couldn't deny that sometimes she had thought about her ex-husband and what would've been, but now things were different, and she knew that.
Ressler didn't know what to do. He wondered if he should go pick up his things and give them privacy, or if he should reveal himself to the man and claim her. He stood there out of sight waiting for her reaction, but afraid. He knew that Tom still meant a lot to Liz, specially for the risks he had taken to find Karakurt, and was now thinking what he would do if she asked for time to consider. It would crush him, no doubt. 5 minutes ago they were eating cookies holding each other in the middle of the night, and now he might be taken out of the picture. his stomach turned.
Tom..." she whispered, feeling sorry for the man clearly drunk humiliating himself in front of her. After she was exonerated, they went on his boat for a weekend and in this weekend they had a long and understanding conversation, where she tried to make clear that, although she was thankful for him, and didn't hold any grudges, she couldn't stay with him. she didn't love Jacob, she had loved Tom, a Tom that would never exist even if he changed his name, which he did. She didn't think at the moment, but most of her decision was based on the love she felt now for Donald, as she hadn't yet talked to her partner, but felt a deep sorrow because of that.
Now, he was here, 4 months after leaving on his boat to Australia. She thought he was having a nice live there, he even mentioned a girl in one of his emails. What happened?
"Why are you doing this, Tom? What about your life in Sydney? What about Jenny?"
Tom hiccuped and pressed his thumbs on his forehead as the alcohol had a bad effect on him. He wasn't thinking straight, she knew that.
"I couldn't. Jenny was great, but she wasn't you. Please, Liz, give me one more chance, I beg!" he made as if he was going to enter the apartment, and she stoped him with the door at the same time she reached her hand to call for Ressler. he took a few seconds to understand that she wanted him next to her, and she had to turn her head to make him understand. He took a step forward and tangled his fingers on hers, revealing himself to Tom.
"Oh... oh" Tom said, taking in the new information, observing the new couple in front of him. He immediately excused himself, tumbling as he made his way towards the elevators. Liz looked at Donald worried, tears gathering in her eyes.
"Tom, stop." Ressler said, going towards the man and grabbing his shoulders. "Come on in. Liz will make you some coffee and I'll get dressed to take you home." Tom looked at his rival with swollen red eyes, both for crying and the booze. Ressler took a deep breath and guided the man towards the apartment, and as Liz opened the door to welcome them in, she mouthed a 'thank you'. He kissed her nose lightly and kept pushing Tom towards the sofa, where he sat and Hudson imediatelly sat next to his former owner.
"Hey, buddy!" Tom petted the dog, his stomach turning as the drinks were coming back. "Liz? bathroom?" she pointed at the door to the restroom, and he ran there to vomit.
With the room to themselves, Liz ran to Ressler and started apologizing, her eyes beginning to cry.
"Oh my God, Ress, I have no idea, I don't know why he's here, I'm sorry, I swear..." he interrupted her with a kiss, and stroke her arms to calm her down. she kept whispering 'sorry' as he took her in an embrace, peeking over her head to see if Tom was okay.
"I'll go upstairs and get dressed, okay, and then I'll take him home. don't worry, it's okay. I'll be back after."
"Promise?" she whispered, concerned.
"Yeah, sure!" he kissed her eyes, feeling the salty taste of her tears. she went to the kitchen to prepare some coffe as he went up the stairs to get dressed. As he found his clothes lying on a armchair next to her bed, where they left them when they got up the couch to come to bed, he heard the conversation that was going on downstairs.
"So, how long has this been happening?" Tom said.
"Since two days ago," she confessed, and then whispered 'here' as she handed him a cup of steaming coffee. he took a sip and immediately growled
"Uh, this is horrible!"
"you need it strong and no sugar, Tom"
"yec" he complained, and kept drinking the beverage. a few seconds later Ressler heard the cling of the cup being laid on the coffee table, and the conversation resumed.
"Do you love him?" Tom was straightforward, and Ressler stoped to listen to her answer. He didn't expect her to say yes, as everything was still too new for them, but he was curious as the subject came up.
She looked up and noticed that he was making an effort to look as if he wasn't listening, but he had stopped to hear after the question. She sighed and sat next to Tom.
"Yes, I guess. I don't know, Tom, it's too recent. But I love him as my partner, I respect him as the man he is and what he means to me. I do believe I may love him even more than I loved you, though." Tom sighed, looking down. Ressler couldn't hide a smile as he heard her words, agreeing to each of them. He had loved only once, Audrey, but had a feeling that he would love once more, and love even more than he could ever imagine possible.
"You have to understand that what I told you on your boat that day I meant it, and I can't go back. I'm sorry, Tom. I don't mean to hurt you!"
He took her hands on his and looked at her deep into her eyes. The sight of his green eyes took her breath for a while, all the memories coming back to her and he smiled faintly.
"After all I did to you, Liz, it surprises me that you are good enough to say that you don't mean to hurt me. Thank you for allowing me to have that." he looked over her shoulder to find a fully dressed Ressler approaching them.
"Let's go, big guy. We need to have a serious conversation." and he stood up from the couch, turned to pet Hudson one more time before going to the door.
"I'll come back, later, ok?" Ressler said as Liz approached him, her hands on his chest.
"You better!" she said, sound muffled on his shirt. he kissed her on the forehead and moved to follow the man.
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Tom was still growling with pain and disgust on the seat next to him.
"Don't vomit in my car, you hear?" Ressler said, as he clicked the button on his side that opened the opposite window. a strong wind came into the car and hit Tom in the face, and he welcomed the cold feeling, that helped relieve the nausea.
"Never again, man, don't ever mix vodka and whisky and beer and sadness"
"What happened to you?"
"I got dumped. twice." Tom sat straight on the seat and looked forward as he shared his story. "First I got dumped by Liz. We spent two days on my boat, two days that I thought were going to become forever as I really believed she was going to stay with me. and then she hit me in the gut with the "I'm sorry, I can't." I understand, man, I was stupid to think that me finding Karakurt was enough to erase what I did to her. It wasn't. I just thought..."
They stayed in silence, Ressler keeping to himself the opinion that absolutely nothing he did would be able to erase what he had done to Liz. he was right there next to her when it all happened, and he knew.
"Anyway" Tom continued. "I went away on my boat, went to Australia, and settled there when I got a job, a decent job in a bar, and a girl. Jenny, her name was. We had fun, for 3 months and I thought I could fall in love with her. But for her that was all that was. fun. The moment I hinted I could want something more serious, she bolted. Then I don't know what came on to me. I sold my boat and came back to the USA. and tonight I had too much to drink and did something stupid. I never really thought Liz would ever take me back. It was the drinking." he admited, as the effects of the alcohol were slowly leaving him after he vomited, the coffee and the wind on his face. He turned to look at Ressler. "You'll be good for her. It's the right thing to happen. I'm pleased it's you"
"Oh yeah? So no punching me in the face?"
"No man, so what? You come back to her with a black eye and she comes to give me a black eye for it. I know that woman. She chose you. I won't go against that. it's her decision"
"That it is" Ressler agreed.
They remained in silence for the rest of the trip, and Ressler dropped him off in front of the reception desk of the hotel Tom was staying. The man left the car and shut the door behind him, turning back and leaning to look at him from the open window.
"All you need to know is that if you hurt her, you're in big trouble. I bet if Reddington knows, and he probably does, he already made himself clear on what would happen to you. Be aware that after he's done with you, it will be my turn."
"I won't hurt her" Ressler affirmed.
"I know you won't." Tom winked and then walked slowly, still a bit tipsy, towards the door.
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She ran to the door as she heard the lights turning on in the corridor, a sign that someone was coming out of the elevator. she opened the door and found him coming back, looking tired and stern. She jumped onto him and kissed him, not giving time for him to say or do anything else. He pinned her against the wall beside her door, waving her hair back as he kissed her neck. She bit his ear and tugged at his hair, gasping for air as his hands moved to her thigh, pressing it slighly as she raised it to envelop him, and going under the tshirt she was wearing.
They found each other's eyes and took a moment from the frenzy of the scene to breathe, as she put her foot back on the floor and took his hands to guide him back to her apartment.
The moment they closed the door, they went back to what they were doing, and she jumped and envolved him with her legs as they kissed, and he carried her up the stairs back to her bed. clothes flew everywhere as they kept kissing each and every inch of one another. Sitting on the bed, one in front of the other, legs tangled, she grabbed his head and whispered in his ear, between light kisses."I chose you"
He stopped her and pushed her lightly so they could look at each other, and looking at her confused eyes he said it, not caring it it was too soon, of it she would take it the wrong way.
"I love you, Liz" she breathed in and opened her mouth a bit, taking in that information. He stood there not knowing what to say or do, just waiting for her reaction. she leaned and kissed him lightly, framing his head with her hands, and then said it too.
"I love you too." and kissed him again, as he put his arms around her taking her as close as he can, as they fell onto the bed.
Some people asked for Tom to appear so I decided to write this. I love Tom, and in my humble opinion this is what should happen to him in the show. hope you liked it.