Part Two.

He was in and out as they moved, desperately trying to focus on Liz's voice to keep himself conscious. Pain laced through him, the bullet buried inside of him and he felt sick as they walked, the floor rocking and swaying under his boots. Scottie had sent Solomon of all people. If this was some sort of payback for forcing the issue, she'd gotten them killed with it. She was supposed to be a brilliant strategist. He was questioning that now.

"Sit and don't move."

He wasn't sure who gave the order, but he felt Liz easing him against the wall and he slid down, taking a hard seat on the floor. "You still with me?"

"Yeah," he managed, his eyes cracking open sluggishly. She was looking at him worriedly as she tugged her blazer from her shoulders and pressed it against the wound, quietly vocalizing her options back and forth if she should try to get the vest off of him to put more direct pressure on it. "Leave it," he managed through clenched teeth. "That's more trouble than it's worth. I've had worse."

"I know," she answered softly, her brows drawing together and she leaned in, her forehead touching his.

Tom pulled in what he hoped was a steadying breath and forced himself to focus, shifting a little to see others all around them. Most looked like their hands were zip tied and a few looked utterly terrified. He and Liz probably looked like a cautionary tale covered in blood and moving at gunpoint. "You see Rowan?" he managed after a moment.

Liz's eyes flickered over and Tom followed her gaze. Nez Rowan was, slowly but surely, inching closer to them, her hands fastened in front of her and her ankles tied together too. Apparently she'd given them hell. Good.

"What the hell happened to you, Keen?" she asked when she scooted close enough to speak quietly.

"Apparently Solomon was our backup."

Her expression darkened as her eyes flickered over to where Solomon was chatting with their captors. "That opportunistic little bastard."

"Did you know?" Tom managed,, leveling a dangerous look at his partner.

Rowan sighed, tilting her head a little to the side as she spoke very quietly. "Solomon has been following an assignment for Scottie that is connected to these guys. Not necessarily this op, but to them and the people running it. I'm not surprised Scottie's using it for his in."

"Opportunistic little bastard," Tom echoed, loosing a breath and squeezing his eyes shut against another wave of pain. "He's going to walk away from all of this, isn't he?"

"We're going to need to let it look like he slipped away, yeah."

"He shot Tom," Liz argued. "There's no way that he's going to help us. Why on earth should we watch his back?"

"He's still working with us," Rowan answered. "He just can't blow his cover. He would have known your husband was wearing body armour and he made sure to keep him alive. It was an asshole move, sure, but let's be fair. Tom shot first."

"Thanks for that, partner," Tom grumbled and she flashed him a grin.

"Any time. Told you it'd bite you in the ass someday. Today's that day. Just don't die. That's when things start getting complicated."

He snorted. "Wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone." He glanced over to where Liz was staring at them both in disbelief and he let his head fall back against the wall, thumping lightly and he sighed. If nothing else, decisions had been made and loyalties clarified, no matter how twisted. He reached up and she took his hand. "We're getting out of this," he promised.

"Well now, you do not look good, Keen," a voice said, causing him to look up. Solomon smirking down at him. "Being gut-shot hurts, doesn't it?"

"You're a bastard and a half, you know that?" Tom growled, shifting and Liz's hand came to his shoulder as if she were worried he'd try to stand.

"Just keep down and maybe I can even help you get out of here," he said very quietly. "Comms are still down, but I let a couple of my team in with me. Get out when the shots start flying."

"We're not leaving without General Ryker or the other hostages," Liz snapped.

"You don't get a say in it, sweetheart. You want to sacrifice your husband's life for these people? That's on you, not me. I gave him a fighting chance."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Enough. You get to walk out of here. That's it. Pick one person that's useful to take with you and get them out when it starts. Your new friends are watching you."

"Better give them a show then, shouldn't I?" Solomon asked, his expression leaving Tom uncomfortable.

Liz gave a sharp cry from his side, but didn't see what Solomon was doing any faster than her husband, and Tom was being yanked to his feet before his mind snapped what was happening into place. Solomon slammed him hard against the wall, pain causing shadows to dance across his vision and he went limp. Solomon leaned in. "This has taken far too long to set up. You ever screw with my op because your wife finds herself in the middle of it again and I will let you live long enough to watch her bleed out in front of you. I don't give a damn if Scottie Hargrave is protecting you or not. Clear enough for you, Keen?"

He couldn't pull enough of a breath in to do much more than choke on the words, but Solomon didn't have a chance to say anything more. Liz was on her feet, pulling Solomon off of him. Tom felt something cool in his hand as the other man was dragged off of him, though, and immediately slipped the small knife out of view as he sank against the wall. "Liz. Liz, stop," he managed. The last thing they needed was for her to get hurt or worse.

His wife pulled back, tense and angry, as if it were taking every ounce of her self control not to break Solomon's nose. The arrogant bastard grinned at her. "Sit down, Ms Keen. Wouldn't want to get yourself in trouble, would you?"

Tom swallowed hard. "Lizzie?"

She turned, worry shining in her eyes, and he wondered just how bad he looked as she dropped down next to him. "Easy, babe," she whispered, and Tom felt her hand move to smooth back his hair.

"You going to make it out, Keen?" Rowan asked.

Tom glanced around to make sure no one was looking their way before sliding the knife over to her, a smirk tilting his lips. "I'm not done yet."

She didn't like it. Tom was leaned back against the wall again as Nez worked secretly on her zip ties with the knife Somin had left them. His eyes had slipped closed and his colour was worrying her. They couldn't just sit around and wait for Solomon's snipers to take out one or two of their captors. They needed to get out then, and they needed to take the hostages with them.

Liz scanned the room, noting terrified faces and the fact that General Ryker was being held over with the man that seemed to be leading the whole fiasco. Solomon was standing with him, speaking lowly with his hands dancing in his animated fashion. She felt her temper flare at the sight of him. Even if they got out okay, if Tom got the medical help he needed and Beth got her father back in one piece, she was still going to be expected just to let Solomon walk. Tom was going to be expected to work under the same company as that lunatic. He'd shot him point blank, all in the name of keeping his cover. It was an excuse, both of them knew it, but the fact that that wouldn't matter made Liz sick to her stomach. She'd pushed him to take this job, and now… now she couldn't ask him to leave as he got closer and closer to finding out about his biological family. It wouldn't be right, but neither was working with Solomon. She heaved a sigh. Okay, she might be able to understand why Tom had been so hesitant to tell her about to revelation.

A shot rang out without warning, taking one of the armed men down to the ground hard. Liz's gaze swiveled up to look for the shooter, but she couldn't see them at her angle. She heard Nez cursing and working harder and faster at the restraints around her wrists. "Come here," Tom said quietly, motioning for the knife. "They're distracted."

Movement caught Liz's eye and she saw Solomon haul Daniel Ryker to his feet, starting towards the exit. "He's taking Ryker."

"Let him," Nez answered as Tom snapped her restraints and she rubbed at her wrists. "He's not as important as Moore thinks he is. The security risk isn't-"

"He's a little girl's father," Liz all but snarled, her gaze darting to Tom. He looked ready to argue and he had to have known what she was thinking. She couldn't give him time. "Nez, keep him out of the line of fire. I'll be right back."

"Liz, no-"

She didn't give him time, but was on her feet and taking the best path she could to cross the space and avoid the shots. The room was in chaos, the snipers taking out the captors, but the hostages were screaming and trying to dodge out of the way, which in some cases put them in more danger than if they'd just stayed put. Liz growled as she raced forward to the door she'd seen Solomon lead Beth's father through, stopping only long enough to make claims on a discarded weapon, and rounded into the hall. Solomon turned and she saw irritation flash through his eyes as she leveled the gun at them. "You're not going anywhere with him."

The man Solomon appeared to be working for shook his head. "I don't care about Reddington. Kill her," he told the man at his side.

She was outgunned. She knew she was, and the desperate need to fulfill her promise to Beth had driven her into the situation without giving it time to think through. Solomon snorted, leveling his own gun at her, and she wanted to kill him. She could get the shot off in time and kill the man that had hurt her husband, that had nearly killed both she and Agnes, but then Moore would kill her then and take Ryker in turn. In an instant Liz made a decision. She fired, and Solomon blinked in surprise when Moore fell just behind him. Liz pulled in a breath, surprised that her voice remained steady as she spoke. "General Ryker, please step around this way. This man's going to let you go."

"Am I?" Solomon chuckled.

"Yes you are, or I'm going to put you down right here and now."

"Not if I shoot first."

Liz tensed and risked a glance back at the sound of Nez's voice, not entirely sure if she was talking to her or to Solomon. The gun was aimed at the woman's former partner and a knowing smile rested on Nez's lips. "Don't be stupid, Solomon."

"Well then," Solomon answered, raising his hands. He hardly looked worried, even as Ryker moved around and Liz motioned him towards the door.

"SWAT's inside. Tom's just outside the hall. I'll be out as soon as I get him handed off," Nez promised as if the two of them were there on official business. Liz let it slide and nodded.

"Agent… Keen, wasn't it? You were the one that was on my daughter's kidnapping case," Ryker said as Nez led Solomon out of their line of sight. "She was in my office. She's-"

"Safe. We got her out before coming to try to help the hostages." Liz motioned for him to start forward and out of the hallway. Once they moved through the doorway she could see Tom leaned heavily against the wall, on his feet, and talking with someone in a SWAT uniform. Something told her he wasn't with SWAT with the way that Tom seemed to be giving him instructions.

Her husband pushed himself off the wall, hand pressed against his injury as he winced, and nodded towards Ryker. "General, Officer Taylor here'll get you out safely and get you reunited with your daughter."

Liz offered him a reassuring smile and waited until they were on their way before covering the space between she and Tom. His breathing was ragged and he looked ready to pass out. "Please… don't do that again," he managed, and it took her a second to see the small smile perking the corners of his lips as he leaned in, his forehead against hers and she closed her eyes, feeling the relief at the small tease.

"No promises," she answered softly and reached up. "We need to get you to the hospital."

"I hate hospitals," he groaned, making a face and shifting. He nearly went crashing to the floor for his efforts, but Liz caught and helped to steady him.

"I know, but I think it's a better idea than bleeding out, don't you?"

"Well, when you put it that way," he answered as she shifted so that she could put his arm around her shoulder. "That little girl's dad is going to be okay, Liz. Promise. Scottie just wants to talk to him."

"I thought that was one of your people," she grumbled as they eased forward. The medics wouldn't start to make their way inside until the building had been cleared, so they would have to make it out to them. "You okay?"

"I will be. I hate to admit it, but he wasn't trying to kill me."

"Nez is going to let him walk, isn't she?"

"He's got a job to do. No clue what it is, but it can stay that way for all I care. I just want him away from us."

"Tom…"

He tensed and she risked a glance up at him as he spoke, his words halted and pained. "I'll handle it, Liz, and… And we'll talk about it. Just not right now, okay?"

She snorted. "I just hate that he gets to walk around free and-" There wasn't any warning before he tilted, nearly pulling her off her feet as well. Tom dropped to the floor and Liz did everything she could to ease the decent, calling for help. There was a flurry of motion around her as she called his name, desperately trying to get him to open his eyes. He didn't respond, even as she was pulled away from him, or when two paramedics closed in.

"Hey, we've got him," a voice said just behind her and Liz whirled, finding Nez standing there. "He's going to be okay, but you have to let them do their jobs."

Liz nodded numbly, watching as they worked on him, and she closed her eyes. If he died, if anything happened to him, Solomon wouldn't last any time at all. She didn't care who he had on his side, she would put a bullet between his eyes.

Tom hated hospitals. He hated the smell, the bright lights, and the way that no one ever let you sleep. He hated the way that the drugs they put him on to counteract the pain left him floating and his tongue looser than he liked. The only thing he didn't hate about them was waking up to see Liz sitting by the bed, ready to fuss at him for being stupid and take his hand.

She wasn't there, though, when he opened his eyes. He winced as he forced himself to focus through the fog to find a very different woman standing by his bedside, and Susan Hargrave did not look happy.

"Welcome back," she said, her tone flat and even.

He resisted the urge to close his eyes again. It wouldn't take much to pull him back under, but that would only delay whatever she had been waiting to say to him, and likely leave her more irritated than she seemed to be now. Somehow he seemed to be the one in trouble for Solomon shooting him. Go figure.

Tom swallowed hard, trying to clear his throat to speak, but he couldn't until she shoved a glass of water with a straw in front of him. "You had a tube down your throat up until a couple of hours ago," she said, even as the room-temperature water proved her point as it burned all the way down his raw throat.

"How long?" he managed.

"Three days all together. I'll let your wife give you the details." A small smirk played on her lip. "She's a force to be reckoned with, isn't she? If I thought she could ever fully understand how this business works, I'd put everything I had into bringing her on too." Her dark gaze caught his and something in it made him uncomfortable. "But right now Elizabeth isn't my concern. You are. I told you when you went in that you were there on my business, not your own."

"You knew why I was there."

"You let your business get in the way of mine. I'm not going to defend Solomon. You boys need to set your private war aside and stop shooting each other. The next time it happens you'll both be answering to me, is that clear?"

"He's staying on, isn't he?"

"He's good, and if I pay him right, he's loyal. You and I both know I pay him right. This is how this business works, Tom. You don't always like the people you work with, and you don't even need to respect them, but you do have to act like adults. You knew that getting into it. It's not your last job. I'm not going to put a bullet in you myself when you screw up, but if you or Solomon step out of line again with each other, if you're both gone. I give my best operatives a lot of room to move, but I expect you to keep the rules that I do have. Am I clear?"

"He threatened Liz."

"It was an idle threat. He doesn't want Reddington or even Halcyon after him. He has enough enemies. Stop letting him goad you. You're smarter than that."

Tom swallowed hard, shifting in the hospital bed and the pain it caused helped to cut through the fog that was swallowing up his usually very quick mind. "Don't put us on the same assignment again."

"He has his and you'll have yours when your back on your feet. If they cross, I expect you two to act like professionals. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

She flashed him a smile that couldn't have been real. "Good. Rest up. Once you're back on your feet there'll be plenty to do."

"And if I want out?" he asked, the question leaving him before he'd even thought it through.

Scottie snorted. "Like I said, I'm not your former handler. You may leave whenever you wish, but I'd make sure that's what you really want before making a decision like that. As much as you tell yourself you want a simple life, I don't think you'd be very good at it for very long. This kind of work is in your blood, Tom. That much is obvious." With that she turned, her heels clicking against the hard floor. She paused halfway there, and didn't bother to turn to look back as she spoke. "We got the deal with Ryker. Good job."

He watched her leave, poised and in control, and she passed Liz in the doorway. She had a cup of coffee in her hand and glared a little as Scottie passed her.

Once she seemed to realize that Tom was awake his wife covered the space between them and set the coffee cup down. "Hey. How're you feeling?"

"Hurts."

"Yeah, that happens when you get shot."

"Gotta stop doing that," he breathed.

"Yeah, that might be good." She reached out for him and Tom felt her hand in his against the bed, her other hand against his face. He leaned into her touch, her hand cool and soft and familiar. "I'm sorry."

He hadn't realized that his eyes had drifted closed again until she spoke, but he blinked them open. "For what?"

"I pushed you to take this job. After everything that we've been through… I shouldn't have."

"I'm good at this job," Tom answered softly, Scottie's warming about rash decisions playing through his mind. He cracked a small smile. "Most of the time."

His wife shook her head. "You said you wanted out of this life. There have to be other ways to find out about your parents." She turned an irritable glare towards the door. "Or maybe you were right before. Maybe they're not worth finding out about."

"I said that before I knew anything about her. Scottie's a hardass, but… She loves Christopher. If I'm him or I'm not…" He shifted, feeling the distant pull of pain through the drugs racing through his system. His fingers tightened around hers to catch her attention and he found those beautiful blue eyes watching him, waiting for him to finish. He tried for a smile. "It was a choice. One we made together. You didn't force anything. This…" Tom grimaced, waiting for the wave to pass before he continued. "This isn't your fault."

She nodded slowly and he barely registered that she she was leaning over him until he felt her lips press gently against his forehead in a kiss. "About Solomon-"

He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "I just had a conversation about the idiot. Can we leave that for another day? How's the kid? Beth?"

Liz's expression softened and she reached back and pulled the chair closer to the bed so that she could sit without releasing his hand. "Good. Well, okay. The poor kid has been through a lot, but she's tough. Ressler and Samar were taking care of her, and I saw her yesterday. She asked about you."

Tom cracked a smile. "Sweet kid."

"Yeah." Liz shifted and squeezed his hand. "Get some sleep, babe. You need it."

"I've been sleeping,"

"And you need more."

"Stay?"

"Yeah. Aram and Samar are watching Agnes for us, so I'm all yours. I'll be here when you wake up. Promise."

"Glad you're safe," he murmured sleepily.

"You too. Stop being stubborn and get some sleep before I ask the doctor to up your morphine."

Tom snorted a short laugh and let his eyes slip closed, her grip on his hand a warm anchor against the floating sensation, an assurance, that she was with him every step of the way, no matter what they faced. The fear that she couldn't accept who he really was had nearly devoured him in their first marriage, but now, with the truth so firmly between them, she held him above the raging storm and he knew beyond any doubt that he could face anything as long as it was with her.

End.

Notes: So, while it's not shown because I was keeping it to a two-POV story, I feel like Scottie was a lot harder on Solomon than she sounds like she was when she was talking to Tom. Some threats lobbed, maybe, and not just firing lol. I'm still not sure if Scottie knows that Tom is her son or not, but I do think that she feels a connection with him. She may suspect that he's Christopher, and I think that mother instinct would rear it's head in a very dangerous way, even if she's not aware that that's what's happening. If Solomon ever killed Tom, it might be a race between Liz and Scottie to see who got to him first.

I hope you guys liked this one. I feel like my expectations for the spinoff have grown so much. I can't wait until it comes around!