Chapter Text
"Working late?"
Ressler looked up to see Liz standing in the doorway of their office. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hand over his eyes as he glanced at the clock.
"Lost track of time. Besides, I've got nowhere better to be, right?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. The last thing he wanted was for Liz to know that her teasing had actually hit a nerve. The truth was, he had spent far too much time that afternoon dwelling on what she'd said and not enough time being productive. As a result, he was behind on the day's work. "You're still here too," he observed.
"I guess that makes two of us with nowhere else to be," Liz replied softly as she crossed the room and perched on the edge of his desk.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He pushed his chair back to put some more distance between them but he could tell by the expression on her face that Liz had something on her mind. "What's going on?"
Liz shifted slightly and pursed her lips. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have teased you in front of Samar and Aram. It wasn't fair. Forgive me?"
Ressler exhaled audibly as he sat up abruptly and began to shuffle the folders on his desk while avoiding Liz's eyes. "There's nothing to forgive, Keen. It's the truth. I am pushing 40 with no prospects."
Liz put her hand on his arm but quickly withdrew it as he flinched at her touch. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure plenty of women would love to be your date if you'd get out of the office and spend some time trying to meet someone."
Ressler snorted and shook his head. "You make it sound so easy."
"Well it shouldn't be hard," Liz exclaimed. "Look at you. You're smart, you're handsome. How do you not have women beating down your door?"
Ressler flicked his gaze towards Liz and arched an eyebrow. "Is this your way of going from calling me a loser to calling me a stud?"
"I never called you a loser!" Liz retorted as she punched him playfully in the arm. "Seriously, though, don't you date?"
"Apparently not as often as I should," Ressler replied. He leaned back in his chair again and licked his lips. "I was thinking maybe you're right."
"Maybe I'm right about what?"
"Maybe I should hire a date for this wedding. Shake things up a little bit."
Liz gaped at him. "You're not serious. I was kidding. You know that, don't you?"
"I know you were. But I'm not. I'm tired of the whole family wondering when I'm going to move on with my life, settle down. If I take someone, I avoid all that." He shook his head. "I don't know. I've been wrestling with it all afternoon but – I think I'm gonna do it. It's only a weekend – how bad can it be, right?" Ressler shrugged as he picked up a pencil and spun it.
Liz got up wordlessly and sat down at her own desk as Ressler returned his attention to his screen and began to type. She watched him furtively as he worked. She really didn't understand why he didn't have someone in his life. He was handsome, kind, all the things a woman should want. He was the last person in the world who should need to hire a date. But yet, here he was, considering it. And all because of what she'd said. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt.
"Are your mom and your brother going to the wedding?" she asked eventually. "You said your cousin is the one getting married, right?"
Ressler glanced up from his computer. "My mom's going, with Ed. That's the only reason I'm going. Pete and Amy are tied up with the kids and can't make the trip. My mom made a personal appeal for me to show my face at an extended family gathering for a change. Why?"
Liz shrugged. "I guess I'm surprised you'd try to deceive your mom by bringing a hired date."
Ressler shook his head. "It's not my mom I'm worried about. I'll tell her it's nothing serious. It's the rest of them – my cousins, my uncle – I show up alone and I'll be drinking in the corner all night trying not to get into a fistfight with one of them." He turned his attention back to the computer.
"I really liked your mom that time I met her," Liz remarked. Ressler glanced up again and smiled faintly.
"She liked you too. She asked me about you a lot when you were…" his voice trailed off and his smile faded. Liz didn't need him to finish the sentence to understand what he meant. When you were in a coma.
Ressler turned back to his work as Liz silently recalled how unhappy he'd looked when she'd teased him earlier about the date. He'd barely managed a flicker of a smile when Aram had offered to go with him. Suddenly, Liz sat up straight. Maybe there was a better solution.
"What if I went with you instead?" she offered. Ressler raised his head abruptly and blinked at her. Liz flushed slightly as she waited for his response.
Ressler held her gaze for a long moment before he lowered his eyes and shook his head. "You don't need to do that, Keen. I didn't tell you my plans so you'd feel sorry for me," he replied tightly. A crimson flush began to creep from his collar up to his face and Liz realized she had inadvertently embarrassed him again.
"I didn't offer because I feel sorry for you," Liz protested. "I offered because I genuinely like your mom and I'd love to see her again and I thought maybe it would be fun to meet the rest of your family if you were going to go out and hire someone to do that anyway. Forget I mentioned it." Liz quickly got up and grabbed her bag and started heading for the door.
With a fluid motion, Ressler pushed back from his desk, stood up and blocked her path. "Whoah, Keen, calm down," he protested as he put his hand on her wrist.
Liz blinked rapidly. She didn't know why she was suddenly feeling so emotional. Or why she had expected him to react differently after everything that had happened.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly as she avoided meeting his eyes. "Forget I mentioned it. Hire your date, have a good time. It was a dumb idea."
"It's not a dumb idea if you actually want to go and you're not offering out of pity," he replied quietly.
Liz took a deep breath and forced herself to look him in the eye. "It's not pity. I just thought it might be fun," she admitted slowly. "Like an undercover mission. And I've never been to Idaho. I hear it's lovely." She glanced down and realized he was still touching her wrist.
Ressler chuckled softly. "An undercover mission to save my reputation?"
"Something like that," Liz replied. And she couldn't help but smile at the bemused expression on his face.
"You do remember I told you my cousin is a perp loving cop hater, right?" he asked as he let go of her wrist and folded his arms.
"I do. What better way to stir the pot than to have you show up with another cop as your date?"
"And what about Reddington? Can he spare you for a weekend away?" Ressler was only half-kidding. Even though the man was incarcerated, Liz seemed to be constantly at his beck and call.
"He's going to have to because I think I may go crazy if I don't get out of here and clear my head," Liz admitted. "I could use a distraction." It had been a rough few weeks and the idea of escaping all of it for the weekend was becoming increasingly appealing.
Ressler grinned. "Look, I'm game if you're game. My mom would love to see you again. But are you really sure about this? We're talking about a whole weekend with my crazy relatives. That's a lot to endure."
Liz nodded. "I'm sure. Let's give your family something to talk about. After all, your relatives can't possibly be any crazier than mine," she added.
Ressler rolled his eyes and laughed. "That's a frightening thought. Ok, Keen, you win. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'll make the arrangements. We'll fly out early Saturday morning, come home Sunday evening. Does that work?"
"That works," Liz agreed. As she gathered her things and headed for the elevator, she glanced back. Ressler was already on the phone, presumably making the necessary travel arrangements. She smiled faintly. Suddenly, she was very much looking forward to the weekend.