Welcome Home

"You've been awful quiet the whole trip," Liz's voice rang in his ear as her arms wrapped around him from behind. He could feel her press her cheek against his back and somehow her touch helped to ease a bit of the stress away. Things were in flux, and while a few days away from the chaos might do them both some good - even if she couldn't possibly understand why he had been so off the last day or two - there was no telling what would happen while he was away. Bud was in talks with someone about a secondary assignment and Tom was not comfortable with the idea. Somehow he was going to catch the raw end of all of this.

"Everything okay?" Liz asked, circling around him with a concerned look when he didn't respond.

Tom cracked a smile for her and hoped it didn't look too forced. "Just nervous, I guess."

Liz mirrored the smile as she tipped up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips, the luggage conveyor belt giving off a loud sound as it started to turn behind her. "Don't be. Dad is going to love you."

"Been a while since you brought a boyfriend home, hasn't it?" he asked, hoping that the conversation would help to distract him.

"It has. I guess that means I dated all the wrong guys before meeting you, huh?" She looped her arm through his and stood, watching the bags fall onto the belt.

"Guess so."

Liz squeezed his arm, laying her head against his shoulder as they waited. "Don't worry, babe. I won't let him shoot you or anything."

Tom blinked from behind his glasses. "Should I be worried that he might try?"

"Well, I am his only little girl. He gets kind of protective."

"Oh look. Bags," Tom said and his girlfriend laughed at him as he jumped forward to get them. Sam Scott knew Reddington, that much Tom had put together so far. If Reddington had been the one to drop Liz off at his door when she was four, he had no idea, but any connection would mean that this could get tricky. He had to make sure he was focused and at the top of his game. He had become comfortable with Liz, and while that was all well and good for the day-to-day, it made this sort of thing more difficult to balance, especially with her there.

There was another added stressor to the situation, as if the idea of working a second, potentially conflicting assignment and meeting Liz's father weren't enough, and it weighed heavy in his jacket pocket. He had bought the ring on impulse, a rarity enough for him. He told himself that it was the natural next step. He needed to stay close to Elizabeth Scott, and as quickly as their relationship had progressed, this would be what any normal guy would do.

The fact that he wanted to propose was entirely irrelevant.

"Tom?"

Liz's voice cut through his thoughts as if she had called the name several times. He turned, the bags still in his hand. "Hmm?"

Her brows were pulled together and she reached up, her fingers going to his face and he leaned a little into her touch. "I was just asking if you were hungry yet. Dad'll talk our ears off and it will be at least an hour once we get there before we go for food." She paused, studying him. "Are you okay? You haven't been sleeping like normal the last couple of nights and you look tired."

There were times when he wondered if she saw right through everything. "Just a little off kilter. It's okay," he promised and wrapped his free arm around her. "And I'm not starved just yet. I know you want to see him. Let's get going."

Her smile made all the stress worth it and, not for the first time, Tom wondered if he might be in over his head.

Sam Scott was a gruff man, a bit rough around the edges, but he just about melted around his daughter. If there were any question in Tom's mind about the closeness of those two, it was absolved immediately. Whatever Reddington had in store for her, at least Sam had given her a fairly steady childhood.

It was certainly more than he had known in his own life.

"So Lizzy tells me you're a teacher," Sam prompted as they took a seat at the burger joint where they had decided to have lunch.

"Fourth grade," Tom answered.

"Fun age. Lizzy was an absolute terror in those years. Boundless energy and all over the place." His lips quirked up. "Some of the best years."

"They can be a handful, but it's worth it."

"Tom's great with them," Liz added in. "Sometimes I kind of think he might have a little bit of a ten-year-old stuck inside of him that never grew up. He never gets tired of it."

Sam snorted a laugh. "I bet so."

Liz's phone buzzed and she glanced at it. "I need to take this. Dad, don't scare him while I'm gone."

"'Course not," he answered easily and Liz stepped away. As soon as she was out of range Sam leaned forward, his cheerful demeanor not changing, but his voice held a threatening tone. "I know who and what you are, Mr Keen. I know who hired you, and while I can appreciate Red taking steps to keep her safe, I swear to you on everything I hold dear that if you break my little girl's heart-"

Tom stared at him for a minute, his mind whirling to assess the situation. He knew. There was no sense in lying. "I'm here to keep her safe, Mr Scott. I'm not here to hurt her."

"She's been through a lot and I can see it... She thinks there's something different about you. She loves you, Mr Keen, and what exactly do you plan to do when your assignment ends?"

"There's no way to know when that'll be. It could be tomorrow or thirty years from now." That had been the argument he'd told himself, anyway. It had worked so far. Reddington had told Bud that it would be a long assignment. As long as Elizabeth Scott needed to be kept safe. He needed someone with no ties, no connections, and that could shadow her for as long as necessary. Bud had chosen Tom.

"And your boss won't pull you if it's longer than expected?"

Tom caught Sam's gaze and held it. "I will protect her. No matter what that takes."

Liz's adopted father sat back, studying him. Finally a chuckle left him. "I'll be damned. You're either the best I've ever seen or you really do like my Lizzy." The younger man stiffened and Sam raised his hands, palms outward. "Red won't hear it from me, kid. He won't like it, but hell, the best protection for her is someone that'll love her. You do that, and you won't hear a peep out of me."

Tom blinked, unsure of exactly how to process that and that only made Sam's grin broaden a little. "Here's a secret that'll you'll learn if you live long enough, kid: those of us that have been down the rougher roads can spot things a little easier. You may be burrowed down in that persona of yours, but I can spot you there. Lizzy can too, even if she doesn't realize what she's seeing on a conscious level. You going to take care of her?"

"Yes sir," Tom found himself saying.

"Good. Then you've got my blessing."

"Blessing for what, Dad?" Liz asked at his shoulder, but Sam didn't flinch. Tom didn't know who this man was in his life before he took Liz in, but he'd been good at it. Whatever it was.

"Dating you, of course. Now, Tom, you hurt my little girl and you won't see what's coming before it hits you, you hear me?"

"Yes sir," Tom said again, managing to twist his expression into a little bit of worry as he pushed down the innate need to push back against the figure so readily establishing authority. This was Liz's father. Of course he was worried. That was normal, wasn't it?

"Dad," Liz groused, slipping into the booth next to Tom and taking his hand. "I like him. Don't freak him out. The scariest thing he's used to us a classroom of sugar-hyped ten-year-olds."

"Just got to make sure I'm clear, sweetheart," Sam said and Tom didn't miss the look. He believed this man and every promise, both good and bad, that came out of his mouth.

"I'm not going anywhere, babe," Tom said with a smile and she beamed at him.

"Good. I'm not sure what I'd do without you."

She leaned against his shoulder and Tom felt himself relax as she chattered on about a highschool friend that had heard she was in town and had called. Sam nodded at all the right points and asked her about potential job offers coming out of her graduate program. They talked and talked and Tom just listened. Everything else could wait. In the end it was all just noise that would likely pass away without one word being said directly to him about it. His assignment was to keep her safe, and if he spent the rest of his days doing that, he thought that might be alright.

Notes: One of the requests was for the time that Tom met Sam. It's been swirling around for several weeks now, but thankfully it finally came out to a place I'm happy with. I feel like Sam could have a been a very cool guy. If you have any requests for shorts, let me know!