Disclaimer: I do not own Person of Interest or any of it's characters.

Chapter 1

"Rise and shine!" Taylor said as he walked into his mother's bedroom with a tray carrying her breakfast.

Joss groaned into her pillow and buried herself deeper into the covers. "Five more minutes," she grumbled.

"No way, mom. I woke up at the crack of dawn and worked hard on this breakfast."

"Breakfast? You cooked?" she asked as she lifted her head from under the covers and saw her son standing at her bedside with a tray to serve her breakfast in bed. She couldn't hide the look of joy and surprise from her face as she sat up. "Taylor! Baby, this is so sweet of you!"

She propped her pillows against the headboard so that she could comfortably sit against it and accept the tray. When he placed it on her lap, she saw a small vase with a single pink rose, a glass of orange juice, a small bowl of mixed fruit, and a plate with scrambled eggs, overcooked bacon, and overdone heart-shaped pancakes. She smiled and looked back up at him to see the proudest look on his face. Her son was a sweetheart, but she would have to teach him how to cook before he went off to college.

"This looks amazing baby, thank you. But why the royal treatment this morning?" She had no idea what the reason was behind such a sweet gesture and she hoped that he wasn't about to give her any bad news.

He looked at her strangely and replied, "It's Valentine's Day. I know you've been so busy lately and I wanted to do something nice for you."

Joss smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Oh, no. I completely forgot." She looked back up at him and said, "Thank you for being so thoughtful. How'd I get so lucky to get you as a son?"

Taylor gave a smug smile and replied, "Yeah, you are pretty lucky." His words were met with a thrown pillow hitting the side of his head. He ducked away in time to miss the second pillow Joss threw at him.

"Boy if you don't get outta here and go clean up my kitchen!" Joss shouted playfully.

He laughed on his way out of the room. "It's not that bad, mom. But... I don't know if I'll have time to clean all the dishes before I have to leave."

She sighed and shook her head. "Just go get ready for school. You don't need to be late today."

He flashed another bright smile at her and closed the bedroom door on his way out. He was beginning to look so much like his father, Paul. She picked up a fork and took a bite of the eggs. She grimaced before she hurriedly washed them down with a large gulp of orange juice. Apparently, his smile wasn't the only thing he inherited from his father. She picked at the rest of her breakfast and consumed what was edible.

Joss carried her tray downstairs, fully dressed and ready for the day. She went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and to view the aftermath of Taylor's Valentine's gift. The kitchen was worse than she imagined. Flour was all over the floor and countertops, the eggs, milk, and butter weren't put back in the fridge, and several dirty pans and bowls were piled in the sink as the faucet drip, drip, dripped.

"It's not that bad, mom," she muttered, imitating Taylor's voice.

There was no need to fuss because he had already left for school. She placed the tray next to the sink and rinsed her breakfast dishes, adding to the already tall pile of dirty dishes stacked in the sink. She made the decision to forgo making a fresh pot of coffee and decided to take a gamble with the brew from the precinct.

She placed the butter, milk, and eggs back in the refrigerator. When she turned to head out of the kitchen, a flash of yellow caught her eye. There was a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses sitting in the center of her breakfast table. She smiled and walked to the table to admire the bouquet and read the card that came with it. She sniffed the roses while she opened the small envelope to pull out the card. Initially, she thought they were from Taylor, but was pleasantly surprised when she read the note.

Happy Valentine's Day to an incredible woman who is strong, kind, and beautiful. A woman who was there for me when I didn't want to be there for myself. We're no longer together, but I will always have a place in my heart for you.

Love, Paul

P.S. I hope Taylor didn't burn your breakfast. I'll be picking him up from school so enjoy your evening.

Joss couldn't keep the grin off her face. She and Paul had come a long way. They won't ever be the happily married couple they once were, and they both knew there would be no reunion or trying again, but she was happy with how things were right now. She was happy that he was back in Taylor's life and that they had found a way to build their father-son bond over the past year. She snuck another whiff of the fragrant bouquet and set the card on the table.

She may not have had the best breakfast this morning, her kitchen was a disaster, and she was single once again on Valentine's Day; but she felt loved. She grabbed her keys, purse, and coat and headed off to work.

Author's Note: I promise this isn't where it ends. New chapters will be posted daily through Valentine's weekend. Special shout out to my beta/baby sis Bug Evans and to the rest of awesome Careesers I chat with almost daily.