"Anything and Everything"

Lucy was sitting down for dinner with her family; her mother, brother, and surprisingly father; at, even more surprisingly, her father's apartment. Matt was absent, but her dad had already reassured her that he was meeting up with the hacker after they were done. It was Matt's birthday after all. They all had had a good dinner if you ignored the fact that Holly and Jack tensed and glared whenever Matt was mentioned or referred to.

They were just sitting down for dessert when John's cell hone rang and judging from the smile on the detective's face when he checked the small screen, it was Matt. Lucy hid her grin behind her spoon of chocolate mousse. John rose as he flipped his phone open and started out with an affectionate, "Hey Matty..." But the small smile, the closest thing Lucy's father ever came to a grin, disappeared.

Lucy frowned when her father's relaxed form turned rigid and the warmth seeped from his eyes. Lucy stood abruptly when she heard the low, dangerous growl erupt from the cop's throat.

"He had better be unharmed, Gabriel, or so help me..."

Lucy's eyes widened when she realized just who was calling from Matt's phone. She spun around, ignoring her mother's eye roll, and flipped the TV to the local news.

"...It has just been discovered that Thomas Gabriel, the mastermind behind the terrorist attack last July, has escaped from prison..." Lucy heard her dad's land line ring and didn't hesitate before picking it up.

"McClane? This is Bowman..." Lucy let out a growl of her own.

"Bowman! How could you let this happen? Why didn't you call us earlier?!" There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line.

"Ms. Genaro?"

"It's McClane."

"Right... Is John there?" Lucy growled again.

"Not for long, Bowman. Where's Gabriel now? He has Matt." Another pause came from Bowman's end.

"...We have men on the way---" Lucy was about to make a rather colorful threat when Bowman seemed to think better of it. "---He's at a coffee shop on Broadway and 5th... Just tell McClane to get here and get a vest first at least." Lucy grunted her confirmation and Bowman ended the call.

"Dad!" John would have been pulling out his hair if he had had any.

"John!" The cop spun toward her. "That was Bowman. They're at the coffee shop on Broadway and 5th." John nodded and practically raced toward the bedroom that he both shared with his hacker and kept the safe that held his gun and badge. He came out and immediately started for the door, still buckling his gun holster, when Holly stepped in front of him, eyes practically spitting fire.

"Where the hell are you going, John?! The Feds are handling it, you don't need to get involved. It's just another person, John! Stay with your fucking family for once!"

"--Mom!" Lucy tried to interrupt but her father's low, calm, angry voice halted her defense of him.

"He is my family. He was there for the Firesale, he was there for my recovery, and he's been there since. Where were you, Holly? It's been a year and a half since the Firesale and only just now are you coming to make amends. He's been there through the worst. And now I'm gonna be there for him."

"John, if you walk out of that door..." John turned, about to answer his ex- wife's empty threat, but Lucy cut in.

"Dad! Just go, bring Matt home. I'll hold down the fort here." John's anger melted. He laid a quick kiss on Lucy's forehead, and was out the door before anyone could open their mouth to yell.

"That selfish, son-of-a---" Holly began and Lucy could see the rant coming a mile away.

"Mom--!"

"Lucy, don't defend your father! What he just did was unforgivable!"

"Why?! What was it that he did wrong? Was it that he went to go help his lover, the man who makes him happy?"

"That little delinquent..."

"He helped Dad save the country, Mom. And he saved my life!"

"That doesn't change the fact that---"

"Why? What is it that's pissing you off, Mom? Is it that Matt's a guy?" At Holly's incredulous look, Lucy suddenly understood. "Or is it that Dad's rushing off to save Matt and he's not rushing off to save you?"

Holly looked completely scandalized, but Lucy saw right through it.

"Well Mom, you had your chance! Every time Dad saved the country or your life, you gave him the hope of getting back together with you. You took him and then you dropped him when you got bored!"

"Lucy Genaro!"

"No Mom! Dad's happy, he's finally happy! Matt makes him happy! Matt doesn't try to change him, he loves Dad just the way he is and Dad loves taking care of 'that little delinquent' as you put it. Just leave them alone because they just don't need your jealousy and hate!" Lucy finished, nostrils flaring wide. Holly looked shocked and stunned.

"I, uh... excuse me." Lucy calmed down as her mom all but bolted to the bathroom. When she heard the door click shut, Lucy turned and almost ran into her brother.

"Wow, Luce." Lucy shrugged and jumped from the offensive to the defensive.

"I just wanted to open her eyes a little." Jack chuckled.

"You didn't just open her eyes, you ripped off her eyelids." Lucy just grinned at her brother.

LIVEFREE or DIEHARD

By the time Holly came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, she saw her children sitting on the sofa watching CNN. They had live broadcast coverage as they kept tabs on the deemed 'hostage situation.'

Silently, Holly sat between her two children on the middle cushion and gave Lucy a somewhat watery smile when her daughter threw an arm around her waist. Slightly overwhelmed by her daughter's immediate forgiveness, Holly glanced at her son. Jack just raised an eyebrow at her, referring to her earlier outburst. Before tonight, she had always kept her disapproval quiet and Holly had a feeling that it was one of the only reasons why Jack had stuck by her. So when he turned back to the TV, Holly followed his gaze.

An hour and a torrent of emotions later, Holly was relieved when both John and Matt walked out of the coffee house. Though she could see John limping, Holly was glad to see that he was smiling at the hacker, who had flung one of John's arms across his shoulders to try and support the detective's weight. The younger man looked relatively unscathed, except for a dried stream of blood on the left side of his temple.

Holly scrutinized her ex-husband's lover as he helped John to the nearest ambulance. A paramedic started patching John up right away as the cop gave his younger lover a gentle smile and tugged him closer.

The camera was shifted as it recorded Thomas Gabriel being led out in cuffs toward the second ambulance. The con's entire right side looked rubbed raw and scorched and Holly was almost glad she didn't know exactly what had gone down in the coffee house.

A loud cheer went up suddenly and the camera swung dizzyingly back to the ambulance John was situated in. Holly gasped at the sight that the news camera provided. Her ex-husband was leaning his forehead against Matt's and Holly could see his lips moving, but the camera's microphones didn't pick up what was being said. The hacker's eyes were closed confidently as he melted into John.

A slow smile spread across the hacker's lips as John wrapped his hands around the back of the younger man's neck to tilt his head up for the right angle. Holly couldn't stop the tender smile from crossing her lips as John leaned down and covered Matt's lips with his own.

This was the most awe-inspiring chick flick she had ever seen. The two of them truly looked in love and Holly had never seen John this content and happy. She guessed it was because she had a more independent, almost tougher personality. She had made it hard for John to shield and care for her the way is character said he should.

John and his hacker were good for each other. This Matt looked like he needed someone to love and look after him and Holly knew that John needed an escape from his loneliness and bad cooking.

"Hey, Luce? Do you have Matt's cell phone number?" Her daughter studied her expression before suddenly grinning.

livefree OR diehard

Matt pulled back, very dazed from John's kiss, when a cop tapped him on the shoulder.

"Mr. Farrell?" Matt turned and nodded. The cop held out a small silver cell phone.

"This was found ringing. I believe its yours?" Matt nodded again and took the open phone from the cop.

"Ah... hello?" Matt cleared his throat, his eyes widened tot he point of popping, before he swallowed roughly. When his jaw dropped, John tugged him closer in concern.

"Matty..." But Matt didn't respond to his lover, he just pulled the phone away from his ear and stared in a bewildered awe at the tiny screen where a "Call- Ended" flashed.

"Matty, who was that? Mathew..."

"It, uh... It was your ex- wife." John growled, ready to go, yet again, defend himself and his lover rather loudly against Holly.

"No... John... She, uh... She wants to see us both at Christmas at her place. She said that she's cooking, no excuses."

John raised his eyebrows with a stunned, "Really?!"

Matt swallowed and nodded before he looked up into John's eyes.

"Did I just get her blessing?" John snorted.

"Yeah, kid, you did. And it's about time she realized that you're my everything." The grin that John got lit his entire world. Yeah, John would do anything for this kid and it's about time everyone realized it.

The End: For now...

I just wanted to thank everyone for the awesome reviews that have suported this "series". They never failed to make my day! Sad to say, but this fic is at an end until the plot bunnies return; which to tell the truth,won't be that long from now. So please check back in occassionally for updates and as always:

Read, review, and tell me what you think.