Just for a night

Just a night

A/N: This is my first Keenler oneshot I started writing before I wrote and published my other Keenler oneshots, so I'm going to finish this one and the other one that's currently on my hard drive, enjoy another Keenler oneshot, Angels. 

I know I'm meant to be working on my NCIS stories but Blacklist has overtaken my heart for the time being, Enjoy Angles. 

The knock comes at his door at 9:00 at night when he's drinking beer and reading a book with the tv on for background noise. He puts his book down and walks to the door, opening it to reveal a crying and wet Elizabeth Keen, his partner. He sighs to himself e and immediately steps to the side, allowing her into his home. He closes the door and watches as she walks to the window, staring at the DC skyline. He goes to the kitchen, pulling out another beer out of his frigid and handing it to her.

They're silent until she finishes her drink.

"Thank you." She says quietly, tears still trailing down her cheeks. He takes the empty beer bottle from her hands and leads her to his bathroom.

"Take a shower and get warm. I'll get you something of mine to wear." He tells her, walking into his bedroom and getting his smallest pair of sweatpants he owns and his most recently worn t-shirt. He hears the shower running and the sounds of his partner sobbing and knows she's in the shower, wanting to get a few tears out of her before they talk.

"Keen, I'm in the living room if you need me." He says to her over the sounds of the running water. Even though there's a door between them, Ressler knows his partner has heard him.

With his partner now in his apartment and obviously upset about the day, Ressler puts his book on the coffee table, turns the tv channel from ESPN sports centre to the romance movie channel where a Nicholas Sparks movie is scheduled to play in 15 minutes, deposing of the two empty beer bottles in the garbage can and goes to the fridge, getting her a bar of chocolate along with two wine glasses and a new bottle of wine before setting them all on the coffee table before getting a blanket from his bedroom and sitting on the couch, waiting for Liz.

Liz enters Resslers living room wearing a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt of his, her hair still wet. Ressler is sitting on the couch, leaning back against it. On the coffee table in front of him are two wine glasses with an unopened bottle of wine along with a bar of her favourite chocolate. On the couch next to Ressler is a fluffy blanket. It's clear to her that he's trying to make her feel better after the day they've both had. He looks at her with a little smile on his face.

"Come here." He says, lifting the blanket up. Liz walks over to the coach and sits next to Ressler, leaning against him, inhaling his scent.

"This case was a hard one for you, huh?" Liz hears him ask her rhetorically. Liz rolls her eyes. You think so, Ressler? She thinks to herself.

The case that they had wrapped only a few hours ago hit home for her in more ways than one.

The case was a house fire set by The Arsonist, number 50 on The Blacklist, killing a family of four, a mother, father and a set of disabled four year old twins. She remembers getting out of the car before it had even stopped and ran towards the burning house, attempting to run into the house and save the family or at least the twin girls but Ressler had caught her by the waist and restrained her before she could and he held her in his iron grip, being joined by Cooper who also moved to restrain the hysterical agent who was fighting against them, screaming at them to let her go, then simply held her as she screamed and cried. The two men held her tight as she screamed for the family who were killed without anyone helping them get out.

Her own screams echo in her ears as she leans further into Ressler.

"I'm proud of you, Keen." Her partner says quietly. Liz looks up at Ressler. How is he proud of her?

"How are you proud of me?" She asks him incredulously.

For the duration of the case, she'd been yelling at Redington, disobeying Cooper, made Meera cry, made Aram speechless, when she did go home, she destroyed her kitchen and swore at her husband. The one she hadn't gone off on is Ressler but he'd had the hardest time getting her to eat, sleep and go home, things she rarely did.

"I'm proud of you because you didn't let this case take hold of you and sit this case out." Ressler says. Liz scoffs. "Let's be honest, Ressler: I was a bitch during this case." She says to him. Ressler hums in agreement. "Yes, you were," He agrees. "but we all understood why you were a bitch. Keen, there was nothing you could've done for that family even if me and Cooper hadn't held you back. They couldn't be saved, Keen." Ressler tells her gently. She sighs, leaning further into his side.

"What if they could've been?" She asks, sitting up and pouring herself a glass of wine and looking at Ressler. Ressler frowns at her.

"Keen, when The Arsonist set his fires, they were intended so that no one could get out, so that no one could be saved. He set them to kill." Ressler says, taking her wine glass out of her hand and putting it on the coffee table, tears fill her eyes again and Ressler pulls his partner closer to him.

"It's okay, Keen, it's okay." He soothes, rubbing her back and kisses her hair.

"C..can I stay here, just for a night?" She asks once she can talk again. Ressler carries on rubbing her back. "You don't even have to ask, Keen you know you're always welcome here anytime you want." He tells her. Keen doesn't respond verbally but she buries herself deeper into his shoulder.

"Thank you, Don." Liz says hoarsely. Liz sighs into Ressler's shoulder.

"You're welcome, Liz." Ressler whispers into her hair. Both agents are quiet until Liz speaks quietly to him.

"Thank you for making me feel so safe." Her voice is almost a whisper but he can hear her just fine as he allows a smile slip on his face at her revelation.

"You're always safe around me, Keen." The agent tells his partner just as his friend and partner falls into a much needed slumber, wrapped in Donald Ressler's arms.

A\N: Another Keenler fanfiction, that's 2 in a day, hope you enjoy this one, Angels.