Sorry, I guess this isn't a one-shot anymore…. This is definitely AU now with the morning after!

Ressler woke up with a dry mouth and a slight headache at the back of his head. Throwing blankets off the lower part of his body, he sat up in bed and grabbed the glass of water on his nightstand and downed it. But that still didn't cure the faint pounding in the back of his head so he got up and stumbled in the direction of his coffee maker.

Too late, he realized that someone was already in his kitchen and hogging the space around his coffee. Still in his morning stupor, he stood there dumbly, waiting for the figure to move and wondering why he still felt perfectly safe and unalert at this anomaly of another person in his home.

"Oh good, you're up. I think Aram called your phone but I didn't pick up since I figured you might want a chance to sleep in some more.

"Um," was all Ressler managed to get out. He blinked a couple of times, willing his eyes to adjust to the bright morning light and the sunlight bouncing off the blonde hair in front of him.

"Ressler?" Uneasiness filled her voice and a hand waved in front of his face, "Ressler is everything okay? You're not hungover are you?"

And then everything came flooding back, the exoneration, setting up Liz in his guest bedroom, the date, the wine, coming home after the date…"

"Keen." He mumbled and saw her relax in front of him before shoving a mug in his hands which he lifted to his lips gratefully. As the first sip of hot coffee traveled into his body, he felt a sudden lurch in his chest, accompanied by the random urge to take her in his arms, draw her to his chest and blurt all the apologies and pleas for forgiveness that he had promised to stop saying.

Instead, all he came up with was, "You're still blonde."

Wow, good one, Donnie.

Liz's mouth quirked up as she gave him a puzzled look, "Ressler are you still drunk?"

"No," He blurted, Donald Ressler was NOT a lightweight and he wouldn't have anyone start thinking that he was. Nor did he ever plan to go to work while still drunk in the morning. Ever.

"You're acting really weird. Well don't worry, I'm still adjusting to everything being back to normal too. Which reminds me, is it okay if I get a ride to the Post Office today? Cooper asked me to come in."

"Yeah," Ressler grunted, taking another long pull from his coffee mug. Liz had been in his room last night…what exactly had he said to her? She must have seen The Wall. It was probably her that put the glass of water at his bedside too…

"Right." Liz hesitated and Ressler realized that he hadn't spoken for a few seconds, "There's toast on the counter there, I'm going to go get dressed." She pushed herself away from the sink where she had been leaning and hurried into the guest room, but not before Ressler noticed that she was wearing his old tshirt and sweats again. It was rather endearing to see the way the bottoms of those sweats pool around her ankles and the sleeves of the shirt hitting closer to her elbows than her shoulders.

His phone rang again and he located it on the coffee table, answer with a brisk, "Ressler."

"Ah, Agent Ressler. Good morning. I've called to let you know that I have positioned Baz and his team around your building, so do not be alarmed when you see them standing by."

Ressler straightened up, all it took was the sound of Reddington's voice to return him to full-on alert agent mode.

"Hey, I don't need your men swarming my apartment, okay? Call them off, Reddington." Great, this was exactly what he needed. A call from Reddington to set the tone for the day.

"Rest assured, Donald, My men are not interested in your apartment or your daily living habits. They are there to keep Liz safe."

Ressler opened his mouth to argue back, but Red seemed to have sensed this and began talking again, "I would not have put Lizzie in your care had I thought you were not capable enough of protecting her. Think of this as an extra precaution until I am sure we have eliminated all possible threats. Goodbye."

The agent shook his head and passed a hand over his forehead as he tossed his phone onto the chair where his coat lay draped over the back.

Wait, did Keen kiss my forehead last night?

The car ride to the Post Office was tense and quiet. Ressler had tried to start a conversation a couple of times but it was clear that Liz was uninterested in small talk. Ressler reasoned that her sudden quietness was due to nerves. Reentering the same place she had thought meant her certain death just days ago was never easy. He sensed her getting emotional as he pulled into the garage and had to resist the urge to reach over and take her hand resting in her lap.

"Hey," He said quietly as he put the car in park. Liz turned and looked at him, her anxiety clear on her face, "Everything's gonna be fine, yeah?"

She gave him a small smile before turning to open her door. Even as much as that smile reflected her nervousness, man was it good to see her in his car again.

The elevator ride up was excruciating. It was achingly familiar but at the same time, the air between them was thick with the changes of the last few months and Liz's silence was suffocating. What happened to the friendly and warm exchanges of a day ago? Had he said something wrong last night when he was drunk? Or maybe he was reading too much into it and she was just anxious about her first appearance as free woman in front of the rest of the task force. As soon as the doors opened, Liz rushed off to see Cooper, leaving Ressler victim to Aram's questions about his date.

Finally, Liz came down from Cooper's office and gathered them and Samar together. Ressler watched as she fought for composure, swallowing her tears that he knew she had been avoiding for days, maybe even months now. And when she called him out with a small smile, he met her tear-filled eyes and felt another ache in his chest, which was weird because it also made him feel warm and tingly inside. And that second they shared the smile, he knew that no more words needed to be said. She was Elizabeth Keen. Of course he would give her the benefit of every doubt. That was why he was here.

Wait. No it wasn't.

When they disbanded, Ressler lead Liz to their office but she hesitated at the door.

"Ressler, I'm just a consultant now. Shouldn't Samar…?"

"Samar is fine where she is," He said tightly, gesturing for her to come in, "Listen, do you want me to drive you home so you can rest? I promise I'll come get you if anything comes up."

Before Liz could answer, her phone trilled and she glanced at it with a small sigh before holding it up to Ressler so he could see the address texted from Nick's Pizza.

"Alright, let's roll."

Once in the car, he turned to her again unable to take it any longer, "Keen," he started, but she cut him off.

"Ressler can I ask you something?" Her uneasy tone was back and Ressler braced himself.

"Sure,"

"Do you… should I find a new place to stay until I can find an apartment?"

"What?" Ressler turned to look at her sharply, caught off guard. "Of course not, Keen. You'll stay with me, it's safer that way." As if he would trust anyone else to protect her.

She shifted slightly in her seat, "it's just that… this morning, you seemed to be have second thoughts. Maybe it would just be easier if I stayed somewhere else. I'm sure Reddington-,"

"Don't be ridiculous. You'll stay with me until you can get back on your feet. No way in hell I'm going to let him put you up in some house where the dead body of his associate is probably rotting away in the foundations." He sighed looking over at her as they pulled to a stop at a red light. "Look, Keen, I'm just not a morning person, alright? Especially if I had a few drinks the night before." And I was still trying to remember any game changers I might've put out there in my inebriated state.

Liz relaxed visibly and let out a breath of air that she must have been holding in. Throwing him a smile, she said, "That's good to hear. For a second, I thought it was going to be weird again with everything I did in the last three months."

"Nah," Ressler said gruffly, "I'm just glad to have you back." He said sincerely. "Besides, I think I got you back on all of it when I tackled you to the ground in the woods."

"So we're still on for tonight?" He asked her as they pulled up to Reddington's address.

"Yeah, we are." Liz smiled back at him before getting out of the car. She threw him one last look before she entered the building and Ressler knew that things were finally falling back to normal.