Hello everyone!

First of all I have to say, that English isn't my first language but I am doing my very best here so please be a little patient :o)

This first chapter was already posted under the title "Just some pain in a lonely alley" but I decided to post it here again because it fits pretty well into the Ressler whump I want to write about.

I will post a 2nd chapter soon.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU LIKE THE RESSLER WHUMP idea. Hope ou want me to continue! :o)

I really and absolutely got addicted to Blacklist, it's one of the greatest show I have ever seen. And of course Donald Ressler….wow! ;o)

This story is just a really small oneshot. Here in Germany we haven't seen all episodes but due to some promos, pictures etc. I picked this scene of 1x17 and decided to write something about it.

Here we go….

Just some pain in this lonely alley.

Ressler checked himself in the mirror. His bullet proof vest was tightly striped to his body. He knew that it would possibly hurt but all that didn't matter to him anymore. With loosing Audrey he had lost such a big piece of his heart that he felt numb. This whole operation was getting his mind out of the bad and dark thoughts that where hunting him all day. Liz had tried to talk to him for a few times but he had just brushed her off. Before Audrey stepped back into his live Liz was all he could think about. He had learned more about her and he had felt it, deep down in his gut. She had become his partner and he had slowly felt that he cared about her not only as his partner, as a person, as a woman.

But Liz was married. He knew that something was wrong with Tom and that their marriage was in trouble but he hadn't thought about it any further. Liz wasn't showing him anything than that she cared for him as her partner and that was okay. A relationship at work was nothing Donald Ressler would be okay with anyways,

As he entered the alley he took in a deep breath. He knew that Reddington was really going to shoot. They had talked it through. As soon as the bullet would hit his vest the fake blood was going to soak his white shirt.

Ressler could feel the adrenaline rushing through his body. He had never known before that he was going to catch a bullet in a few minutes. He actually had never cached a bullet into his vest before. It had ended up in his leg and the pain was reminding him daily what it meant to be shot.

The door opened and Reddington stepped out of the building.

"Ressler!", Donald imagined that he heard Liz calling out for him but he didn't have time to react on it, he had to proceed.
"Stop!", Donald shouted out and got into action. He could see the gun Red was pointing at him and it took a lot of afford to not grab his own gun out of instinct. The shot was ringing in his ears and seconds later he could feel the bullet hitting the vest.
Reddington was a pretty damn good shooter, the bullet got him right at his sternum, getting all the air to leave his system immediately. He had imagined that it would hurt but this was more than just a little pitch, this was a whole lot more.

Elisabeth Keen got out of her car and looked around for Ressler. Meera had told her that he was with Reddington but all she could see was his lonely car.

"Ressler." Liz called out. She had to talk to him. It was so wrong that he was already back on duty but they still hadn't found the time to talk about it. Liz had learned over the month that Ressler wasn't a friend of big words or of talking about emotions but they had grown closer and Ressler had talked to her about Audrey and about everything they where going through. Now it was her time to talk to him, to help him through this difficult time.

"Ressler!", she called out again just as she could hear him scream.

"Stop!", just a few meters away. The single shot ringing out made her jump into cover, getting her own gun ready.

"Ressler!" This time it was more than just calling out for him. It was a pleading scream. As she didn't got any answer Liz took in a deep breath and rounded the corner, her gun still drawn.
She felt like her world was turning upside down as she spotted Ressler unmoving on the ground, blood all over his upper body. Not again.
"NO!" Liz screamed crashing down right beside Ressler's unmoving form. He had his eyes closed and Liz didn't hesitate to put pressure on his wound immediately, pressing hard onto his sternum.

Ressler moaned out as soon as he felt the pressure, getting the pain in his upper body to explode immediately.
"Shhhh, everything is going to be okay. Just stay with me. Stay with me Donald!" Liz begged.

Ressler tried hard to focus on what was going on .He was just getting the pain in his sternum under control as soon as he felt the pressure on his body. He could hear Liz words and tried his best to focus on her, so he could tell her that it was just a fake, that he was alright.

Liz fumbled for her phone while still pressing one hand onto Resslers sternum.

"Not again Donald, oh please not again.", she said while Ressler was now able to blink through the pain and open his eyes to look into Liz wonderful eyes. Her mascara was running down her cheeks together with the tears she was crying, panic was written all over her face.
"I am okay!", Ressler said, trying to wipe her hand off of his sternum. Liz just looked at him, not believing a single word he was saying.
"It's in the vest. I am okay." Ressler said again, his voice stronger this time.

"No, you are bleeding all over. I will call for an ambulance, you just have to stay with me okay? It is going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright. You just have to stay with me!" Liz continued.

Donald hold on for just a second and got his mind away from the thoughts he had just lived through before. What if he had really been shot again? Was it worth fighting? For what? He had lost everything and he couldn't imagine anything better than getting back to Audrey.
Ressler snapped out of his thoughts as Liz called out for him again, pleading. He took Liz hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I am okay. It's not my blood." He said while Liz ripped his shirt off without hesitating a second longer. She could see the bulletproof vest and the bullet in it, just right above Ressler's sternum.

"Where is all this blood coming from?" Liz asked still in panic.

"It's just fake Liz. Red pretended to shoot me to keep his cover up."

"He shoot you?", Liz asked shocked that Red had really blown a shot at Ressler..
"Yes but it was all part of the plan expect the fact that it really hurt. This bastard had to shot at my sternum." Ressler said and tried to sit up, Liz helping him immediately. Ressler moaned out again while slowly laying back down.

"You sure you don't need an ambulance?"

"I am. All I need is to get this damn vest off of me. I can't stand the pressure on my sternum a second longer." Ressler said before trying to rip it off, moaning out again.

"Shhhh. Just lay still, let me help you." Liz said in a gentle voice her eyes giving away so much caring, so much love that Ressler nearly lost himself in them.

It felt unbelievable good as soon as Liz got the vest over his head but now he was laying here in front of her, his upper body completely naked in this trashed alley.

"It's already turning purple. I think it will hurt for a while.", Liz said after inspecting the mark on Resslers body, her fingers gently touching his naked skin.

"I am sorry I have scared you."

"You know I get used to it. You where shot before and I watched you nearly bleeding to death right in front of me. It wasn't the first time I was really scared because of you."

"I am sorry."

"I know you are but it's you….you know. It's who you are. You are jumping into danger, into situations like that without hesitating. That is what makes you the poster boy FBI agent." Ressler had to laugh a little together with Liz. He accepted her hand to get back to his feet before he hold onto her for another second to stabilize his blood pressure.

"I need a new shirt"

"For sure you do. Come on let's get your wounded self back to the blackside."

"Liz wait." Liz turned around to face her partner.

"What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to be out here."

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About?" "It can wait. I don't want you to get a cold out here, it's pretty cold."

Ressler smiled before he got into his SUV. He was glad to have her by his side.

As a partner.

As a person.

As a woman.