She could hear the hacking cough from down the corridor and it made her cringe. Ellie had thrown a fit the last time she had called, telling her that Tom needed a hospital, and if Liz wasn't willing to give him that then no amount of care in this place was going to help him. She had been angry and exaggerating, or at least that's what Elizabeth Keen hoped. With the terrible, pained sounds coming from the holding cell, she was starting to second guess that assessment.

"Did you make sure that he took the meds?" she asked.

Samuel Aleko, for as intimidating as he might look, had proven very easily spooked by Liz's ex husband. He shook his head. "Not going in there. You do it."

Liz rolled her eyes and grabbed the pills from the table, stopping only briefly at the door to gather herself. That was not Tom in there. He wore his face, he spoke with his voice, but he was not her husband. With a that in mind she reached forward and pushed the door open.

He was curled up on the mattress, the thin blanket that she had given him pulled up around his shoulders and his eyes were squeezed shut. Liz stood there for a moment, watching him, until he gave a weak cough and shifted, those familiar eyes staring at her. Slowly they focused on the pills in her hand and he frowned, curling a little tighter into himself without a word.

"You get that that infection will kill you if you don't fight it, right?"

"Doesn't do me any good if I can't keep it down," he answered, his voice raspy and raw sounding.

Liz kept her expression blank. He had always had trouble keeping medication down when he was sick, and likely the food Aleko was bringing him wasn't helping. She moved forward, her boots tapping softly against the metal floor and she saw him wince with each small sound. She had kept her distance, always just beyond where the chains could reach, but it wasn't like he was in any shape to hurt her.

"Go away, Liz," he groused, offering a sad attempt at a glare as she squatted down in front of him.

"Take the medication and I'll be happy to let you suffer in peace," she snapped back.

"I need a hospital."

"You need to take the damn pills, Tom. Then you need to give me a name. When you do, when you hand me Berlin, then we'll talk about getting you out of here."

"I can't talk if I'm dead."

"No you can't, but if you don't talk, I don't have any use for you."

"So you'll just let me die here?" His voice sounded strangely small and Liz had to steel herself against the rush of emotions. If she would or not didn't matter. What mattered was that he needed to believe she would.

"Remember what happened last time you underestimated me?" she asked tightly. "How's the thumb?"

"Killing me is a long way from breaking my thumb, Liz, and you and I both know that."

She opened her mouth to snap back when a gunshot went off somewhere outside the room, followed by a loud crash that could only have been Aleko taking a fall. Liz froze, reaching around for her own gun, and suddenly Tom's fingers were on her knee, gaining her attention. "Hey, don't leave me tied down here. If someone's broken in-"

"Berlin's men are coming for you," she growled. "Why would I let you go so that you could help them?"

"Berlin doesn't give a damn about me. He probably thinks I'm dead. Everyone thinks I'm dead. Whoever comes through that door is going to kill us both unless you give me a chance to fight back."

Liz looked towards the door. No sound had followed the gunshot and the sound of a body dropping to the ground. It wasn't the police or anyone from law enforcement. She would have heard them. Tom could be lying about Berlin. They had extracted him before. Something in his eyes told her he wasn't, though, and she believed him even if she shouldn't. He didn't know who was on the other side of that door, and that made it just as dangerous for him as it was for her. "I swear, if you try anything," she growled.

"Like what? I'm not sure I can even stand," he snapped back, gaze following her hands as she pulled the key out of her pocket.

Liz frowned and used the key to tear through the most recent round of duck tape on his wrists. He flexed his hands, bending them delicately as she reached for the chains around his ankles. This was stupid, she told herself. For all she knew he was going to reach over and snap her neck.

The door opened and Liz spun, gun drawn in a figure she certainly hadn't expected.

"Gina," Tom breathed, relief in his voice.

"You look like hell."

"Hi to you too," he grumbled.

Zanetakos smirked and motioned with her gun. "Drop it, Keen. kick it over."

Tom blinked as if he were surprised. "No, Gina, she's fine. You're not going to shoot her, are you, Liz?"

Liz looked at him like he's lost his mind.

"She shot you, Jacob, and then this." The Russian woman motioned to the boat around them.

Tom shook his head. "No, you've got it wrong. Liz was getting me out. See? She has the key in her hand. She was rescuing me."

"She shot you."

"Aleko did," he argued and Liz couldn't understand why. If she shot Gina, he was close enough to kill her and get the key. Even armed, Liz wasn't sure she could take them both on at once. It didn't make sense for him to lie to a woman that was obviously his ally. Possibly more.

"Jacob," Zanetakos sighed and Liz wondered if that was Tom's real name or just the one he had given her.

"Apparently his ticket to a clean record got her throat slit by Berlin," Tom said, motioning for Liz to hand him the key. She shoved it into his hand, not having much of a choice, and resisted the urge to lash out at the way he casually mentioned Meera's murder. He fit the key into the lock and shrugged, that little bit of effort seeming to tire him out. "No clue what he was going to do with me, but this is where I woke up. Liz followed the trail. Gina, put the damn gun away. I owe her my life."

Slowly she lowered her weapon, studying Tom before turning her dark gaze on Liz. "Is that how it happened?"

"That's how it happened," Liz answered coldly.

"Good, then you won't have any problem helping me get him out of here."

"She doesn't need to get any deeper than she already is," Tom answered, his gaze shifting over to her. "She's done enough."

"I can't carry you out of here by myself, Jacob."

"I'm fine."

"Not one of your more believable lies," she murmured, kneeling down next to him and reaching a hand out to his face. It was strange watching another woman touch her husband in such a familiar fashion. Gina turned to look at her. "Let's go."

Liz didn't seem to have much of a choice. She moved to take one of Tom's arms around her shoulders and with Gina, helped lift him up.

He stifled a cry at the movement, his weight sagging dangerously and his head lulled so that it was propped against her shoulder. "I'll keep you safe, Liz," he said in a quiet, tight voice. "I promise."

She tightened her grip on him and didn't dare say anything in return. How he was going to keep her safe in his condition was almost as important of a question in her mind as why he would bother at all.


It had been an impulsive move. He hadn't expected Gina to bring her along. Liz was supposed to simply walk away from all of this. Her friends were still dead, she still hated him, but at least he would've able to keep her safe one last time. He shouldn't want to after all of this, but he shouldn't have fallen for her to begin with. Nothing about Liz had been planned. Sometimes it didn't even make sense.

Gina had a vehicle waiting and between she and Liz, they got Jacob loaded into the back. He was struggling to stay conscious at that point, the pain and the fever threatening to overwhelm him. He almost didn't notice as Liz slipped in the back with him, putting his head in her lap. "We're good back here," she said.

"Hold onto him."

Jacob looked up, his vision dark around the edges, but he could still see her. He reached up and she caught his hand, the touch hesitant, but more gentle than it had been since everything had come crashing down around them. She was confused, he knew, but he couldn't explain it there. Gina needed to believe him.

"Thank you," he managed, squeezing her hand. "You did save my life."

It wasn't untrue and he saw the conflict flash through her blue eyes. "Just don't let go now," she murmured. She knew. She knew that if he slipped away her life would be in the hands of a woman that hated her.

"Jacob?" Gina called from the front.

"I'm awake."

"Better be."

"Where are we going?" Liz asked.

"Home."

Jacob blinked hard. "Kind of a drive from here."

"Let me worry about that. You just stay alive back there."

Liz's fingers worked their way through his hair in a habit of hers whenever he was sick. He leaned into the touch, his eyes drifting closed. "Gina?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't let them hurt her. Promise me."

The fingers in his hair stilled and Liz must have known what he meant. Her. He was asking for her.

Gina sighed from the driver's seat. "Bill's overseas. It'll be a few days before he gets back. Unless she does something to prove you wrong... I trust you, Jake."

He nodded. "Thanks."

"You get to deal with Bill though."

"'kay," he managed, feeling himself sinking.

"Tom?"

"Love you," he whispered, the words escaping without permission. He didn't hear her reaction, though, as he slipped under the surface and into sleep.