Notes: So, I just want to say very quickly that I blame AnonAuthor-a for this. She was the one that gave me the premise and the plot bunny took hold. Oops.

The Point of it All

Jacob Phelps had never had a lot of use for holidays in general. Bouncing around the system like he did, he was rarely in one place long enough to celebrate Christmas or any other major holiday that every other kid in America besides him seemed to experience year after year. More than that, he had never really cared. Holidays were for families, and he'd never had one of those. The older he got, the more useless he had found them, but Valentine's Day topped that category for him. He'd never understood why people would bother.

Not until Lizzie.

Now, years after she had changed his life, Jacob Phelps may not have understood, but Tom Keen certainly did.

"Not enough pink."

Tom - because that's who he was now, really, this time by choice - couldn't stop the smile at the determined young voice that accompanied the littering of what looked like a thousand little glitter hearts all over the table where he was trying to get everything set up. The little girl - his little girl, with Liz's eyes and his own slightly mischievous smile - grinned at him as she threw another handful at him directly. "More pink, Daddy!"

A laugh escaped him as he was covered in glittery hearts. "Thank you, Hope. I'd never get this done without you," he told his little one and scooped her up, receiving a squealing laugh for the effort.

"More!"

"I think you've put them all out, kiddo," he chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Look how pretty you made it."

Hope Keen turned her big blue eyes on the mess of glitter and gave a firm nod. "Very pretty. Mama's going to love it!"

Tom's smile only grew as he marvelled at the treasure in his arms. She was so innocent, so perfect. If he'd ever feared that she was going to be like him, his little Hope had proved him wrong. She loved everything, as if she felt every emotion with the intensity of the sun. She laughed and cried and held onto her parents like she would never let them go. He had never known he could feel like he did about his baby girl, but she and her mother were his world, and he had never felt so lucky in his life. He didn't deserve it, he knew, but somehow there they were.

The sound of the lock being undone sent Hope squirming and he set her down. She took off towards the front door, Hudson at her heels, and he turned back to the food and found himself grinning when he heard Liz's voice. "You are covered in glitter, cutie. What has your daddy let you get into?"

"All sorts of mayhem," Tom answered.

"Well something smells amazing," his wife said as she rounded the corner. "I thought we weren't doing anything this year?"

"I made it pretty," Hope said from her mother's arms. "Daddy made it smell good."

"I told you once I was never going to take you for granted again. I meant it," Tom answered. "Anyway, I have the two most amazing ladies ever. How could we not celebrate that?"

"Smooth," Liz chuckled and pressed a kiss to his scruffy cheek. "But I like it."

He grinned and caught her just as she set Hope down. He pulled her into a kiss and felt her arms lock around his neck and pull him just a little closer.

"Silly!" Hope announced, causing them both to break away and laugh.

"Yeah we are," Liz grinned as she turned.

"Happy Valentines Day, babe," Tom murmured, pulling her into a hug from behind and wrapping his arms around her.

She leaned back into his embrace and he heard her sigh. There was something so peaceful about that moment that he felt like he could close his eyes and just drift. It was perfect. Completely and utterly perfect.

Jacob Phelps jolted hard, blue eyes flying open and everything hurt. It was such a contrast to the kitchen with Liz in his arms and their daughter giggling that his mind didn't know what to make of it at first. Then it did. Very slowly Gina's betrayal, the bullets ripping through him, and the painful hours that followed came back in pieces. Everything hurt, but nothing so badly as the realization that that life he had been living was a dream. Just a dream as his body tried to shut down perminantly.

"We've got him back. Hey, Tom. Look at me. Stay with us, Tom."

Jacob blinked hard and he couldn't quite place the face or voice. He should, he thought, but his mind just wouldn't wrap around it. "Liz," he managed to cough out, but the name was more of a struggled breath.

"We'll call her. Promise. Just hold on for us, okay?"

Jacob couldn't answer, instead he found himself losing the battle to stay conscious and he wondered if he slipped if he would ever hear his daughter's laugh again.

"... nearly bled out before the ambulance was called. He should be waking up soon, but we'll know more in the next twenty-four hours."

"Thanks, Nick. I… Are the cuffs really necessary?"

"Cops were saying he broke into a place. It'll be up to the family if they press charges."

Jacob blinked his eyes open very slowly, Liz and that same familiar voice filling his ears. Nick. She had called him Nick. He shifted, finding his left wrist cuffed to the bed and knew instantly what they had been talking about.

His movement caught Liz's attention and Nick excused himself as she moved to his side. She was going to be so angry, he thought. He'd just proven that her fears were real and legitimate. He had never felt so stupid in his life. He opened his mouth, ready to try for the best apology he could manage with all the drugs coursing through him, but found his voice was nonexistent. His free hand went to his throat and he grimaced.

Liz reached over out of his line of sight and returned with a glass of water and a straw. "They just took the tube out," she explained and he sipped in the water, feeling it burn all the way down. "So take your time."

Jacob cleared his throat painfully. "Sorry," he managed to croak out and he hoped she knew how sincere it was. "I'm… stupid. So sorry."

She pulled in a shaky breath and he saw tears gather in her eyes, but instead of yelling she reached got his hand and squeezed his fingers tightly. "You are stupid," she whispered. "What… I've been so worried. What happened?"

"I was stupid," he repeated again, swallowing hard. "I trusted… the wrong person. Went about it the wrong way, I think."

"No kidding?" she grumbled and pulled a chair up to sit, never letting go of his hand.

"So sorry." He couldn't tell if she was angry or worried or both. Fear slipped in and he held onto her hand. "So sorry."

"I know," Liz said softly, glancing up as one of the monitors started to beep a warning. "Tom, babe, you have to settle down. We'll talk. I promise. You like talking about… everything. When you feel better, we'll talk."

"Please don't send her away," he managed, feeling the edges of his reality starting to darken dangerously. They had probably just sent another round of painkillers through him and he wouldn't be awake long, but he needed to know. Before he passed out again, he had to make sure.

"Who? Tom, open your eyes. Don't send who away?"

"Hope," he murmured. He forced his eyes open and saw the confused look she was wearing. The machines started howling at him as he tried to force his thoughts together. "I was dreaming," he tried to explain. "Little girl. We called her Hope."

He felt her hand tighten around his. "Our daughter? You want me to wait."

"Tried to protect you. Both. That was... the point of it all. I'll do better." The last promise escaped on a breath and he grimaced.

"He has to rest. Liz, the man nearly died and he's not out of the woods yet. You can't rile him up."

Jacob felt Liz's hand start to pull from his and he tightened his grip. "Liz?"

She was standing now and bent over. He felt her lips press against his forehead. "Nick's right. We'll talk later. I won't do anything until we talk. Promise."

He breathed a relieved sigh. "Stay?"

There was a beat of silence before Liz nodded. "Only if you rest."

"Yeah," he managed, already feeling himself sinking again. Her hand didn't leave his, though. It was a tether holding him there. He would sleep, but he wouldn't slip. Not so long as she held him firm.

Notes: So, yeah. That was an emotional roller coaster to write on today. I had a request the other day for a Valentines Day fic (that might have been AnonAuthor-a as well, now that I think about it) and then this one today and it just sort of fit together. So, general reactions to last night's episode?