"Kensi! You need to get up! You're going to be late for school!" Jane yelled up stairs at her daughter. The 16-year-old rolled over and moaned at at her mother's words. She hated getting up early just to take her brother and sister to school. If only her parents would just take them, she'd have an extra 30 minutes to sleep in. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and savored the last few moments of darkness and warmth that surrounded her. Why did her bed have to so medicinal and entrancing?
"Kensi," Kurt called through the shut door as he fumbled with his tie.
"Alright. I'm up," she said opening the door, her dark hair a chaos and disarray of fuzzy, straight, and curly strands.
"Thank you and good morning," he said as he turned to head downstairs.
"G'morning," the teen mumbled as she sauntered past her father to the bathroom to take a shower and freshen up.
"Good morning beautiful," Kurt said kissing his wife as he entered the busy kitchen.
"Good morning to you too," Jane said surprised at his euphoric tone. Jake, their six-year-old son, made a disgusted face at his parent's display of affection. "What's with the fancy outfit?"
"I have administrative meetings all day," he said as he started to make himself a cup of coffee. "I won't be home til later tonight."
"You're almost as bad as Jake," she laughed adjusting his distorted tie. "Now we know where he get's it from."
"He is my son," Kurt shrugged as he planted a quick kiss on her lips. He recalled the countless days Jake had refused to put pants on or had tried to dress himself and failed. They boy was far from being a fashionista.
"Speaking of your son, Jacob Kurt Weller, finish your food and leave your sister alone," Jane instructed turning to their son and pointing at the untouched plate of breakfast items before him. The little boy made one last face at his one-year-old sister, causing her to cackle more. Jane gave him a disapproving look, and he immediately started stuffing food in his mouth. "Thank you."
"What are you doing today?" Kurt asked taking food out of the fridge and handing it to his wife.
"Just helping Patterson out in the lab. Nothing big," she replied as she prepared lunches for the day. Kensi flew down the stairs with her long, dark, semi-wet hair flowing behind her.
"Mom, Jake is making faces at Kadi again," she announced as she walked by the boy. He scowled at his older sister, but she smiled in response and stole a grape off his plate.
"Hey!" he yelled now annoyed.
"You snooze you lose," the teen said taking a seat at the table. "Mom and dad, is it alright if I hang out with Tesa after school?"
"You have to pick your brother and sister up today, remember?" Jane asked handing her oldest a plate of food. Kensi rolled her eyes and let out a moan of frustration.
"Hey, don't take that tone with us. If you want to keep your car and start filling it up yourself, you can. But we all know you don't have the money for it," Kurt scolded. "So you will pick Jake and Kadi up after class." Kensi shoved the food around her plate defeated.
"Can she at least come over when I get home?" she asked in a last chance effort.
"We'll see. Right now I have to leave," Weller said grabbing his bag and coffee. "Love you," he said kissing his wife. Jane smiled as his stubble brushed against her soft skin. She longed for the days that they could lie in bed enjoying each other's company in a quiet house. "Bye champ," he said ruffling the boy's light brown hair. "Bye Kadi," he said contorting his voice and kissing his daughter's head. The baby smiled at her daddy. "By Kensi," Kurt said hoping to get a response from his oldest.
"Bye," she replied blankly. Kurt stared at his daughter, but she didn't even look up. Jane nodded at him empathetically, and he sighed before turning and walking out of the house.
"Kensi, are you done eating? You have to go," Jane asked cleaning up Kadi and Jake after her husband had left.
"Yeah. I'm done," she replied pushing her plate across the wooden table. The girl went upstairs to get her bag and returned downstairs moments later. Kensi entered the garage where her mother was already getting her sibling strapped into their car seats, and threw her backpack into the passenger seat of her white Prius and started towards the driver's side.
"Kensi," her mom called closing the back door of the car. The teen turned around without saying anything and gave her mom an apathetic look. "He's really stressed out right now," she said calmly.
"I know, but why does he have to take it out on me?! It's not like my life is hard enough with college class and prom," Kensi argued back.
Jane sighed, moving closer to her daughter. "He also doesn't like that fact that his baby girl is growing up."
"Then what do you call Kadi?" she asked gesturing to the car.
"Yes she's a baby, but your our oldest. Everything is new, for you and for us. Please don't be mad at him."
"Mom, don't get all emotional on me."
"I'm not. I'm just saying. Take it easy on your father."
"I'll try..." Kensi answered looking at her feet.
"Thank you," Jane said smiling. "I love you."
"I love you too," the girl said hugging her mom. "I'll see you later."
"Bye," Jane said as her daughter got in the car and drove off. Kensi dropped her sister off at daycare and then her brother at the elementary school before making her way to the high school.
The cool autumn breeze filled Kensi's lungs as she sat in the shade of a large oak tree in front of the high school.
"So can you hang out this afternoon?" Tesa asked as she twirled a strand of her curly red hair between her fingers. The sun shown through the leaves and hit the girl's face, bring to life her fiery hair and brown freckles.
"No. I have to pick up the two terrors today," Kensi replied leaning against the strong trunk of the tree as she picked at blades of green grass.
"That sucks."
"Yeah, but my dad said we can discuss the topic of you just coming over."
"Okay. I'll text my parents and let them know that the location has changed," Tesa said as she dug through her bag in search of her phone. Kensi's friend was the opposite of organized. Everything she owned was a disaster: her room, her closet, her bathroom, her backpack, her locker, and her car. It was a miracle she found anything.
"You have rehearsal this afternoon right?" Kensi asked closing her eyes and enjoying her surroundings. She loved to sit outside and enjoy the peacefulness of nature. It was a nice way to relax and escape her crazy life and crazy family.
"Yeah, like every Tuesday afternoon."
"And it's done at 5:20?"
"Yes. Just like every other day. I thought you knew this?" her friend asked concerned. "It's been like this for the past five years."
"I remember. I just wanted to make sure," Kensi said picking her bag up and standing to leave. "Did you remember your music?"
Her friend glared at her. "I'm a wreck, I know, but not that bad. Geez."
"Okay, just checking. I'll call you if I get the all clear," Kensi said laughing as she stood to leave.
"Okay. Talk to you later," Tesa responded laying down on her back.
"Talk to you later," Kensi waved as she walked down the sidewalk towards student parking. At least it was a nice day out. Hopefully her white Prius wasn't too hot from sitting in the sun all day. As she approached the car, she noticed it was unlocked. "I thought I locked it," she said aloud. She shrugged it off and climbed into the driver's seat. To her distaste, the car was still extremely hot. She tossed her bag into the seat next to her and started the car. As she pulled out of the parking lot, she rolled her windows down hoping to let in some of the breeze to cool down the furnace that was her car. Then Kensi felt cold metal against her neck. She froze and slammed on the brakes.
"Turn left," the voice from the backseat instructed. Kensi didn't move. "I knew you wouldn't listen to me. You're just like your mother, hard headed and beautiful. You look just like her, except you have your father's eyes," the voice said calmly. "You will want to start driving, or this will end badly for you," he said cocking the gun as the man climbed into the passenger's seat. Kensi forced herself to take her foot off of the brake and press the gas. She turned left and followed the commands she was given. Tears began to sting her eyes and fall down her pale cheeks as she drove. "Why are you crying Kensi? I'm not going to kill you, at least not now. Here, let's turn on some music," the man said retching up to turn on the radio. He flipped through the channels until he stopped on a jazz station. "And you don't have to worry about your brother or sister. I'm not going to touch them. I had your aunt pick them up for you."
"How do you know them? How do you know my mom? How do you know me? Who are you?" Kensi asked fighting back the dam of tears that was ready to burst.
"I've known your parents for years, particularly your mother. We used to be good friends and kept in touch, but we had an incident years ago," the man said soothingly. "Go ahead and get on the interstate south." Kensi followed his commands and started driving south. "As for who I am, you can call me Oscar."
"I'll see you tomorrow," Jane said as she slid her chair in preparing to leave.
"You're leaving already?" Patterson asked turning away from her computer.
"Kensi had a small incident with Kurt this morning over hanging out with a friend. I know they're both under a lot of stress right now, so I was going to go home early and watch Jake and Kadi so she could go out."
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay. See you tomorrow," Jane replied. She left the lab and swung by her locker to pick up her jacket before leaving. On the way out she walked past the conference office and glanced in at her husband. He looked away from the conversation just as she was walking by. She smiled and waved to him and he smiled and winked at her. Even the simplest actions from Kurt made her heart flutter.
The car ride home was enjoyable. It was nice to have some peace and quiet every once and a while. Jane turned the radio down as she pulled into the driveway and took a deep breath before going in. Life could get chaotic with an introverted teen, hyper six-year-old, and a one-year-old, but she loved every second of it. Thinking back to when she sat under the cold, harsh exam lights the night she was discovered, she couldn't have ever imagined having a life like this, let alone with Kurt Weller. Now, she wanted nothing more. Jane entered the front door expecting most of the lights to be on, the TV blaring some cartoon, and a wild, shirtless Jake running around like a maniac with his toy gun, but to her surprise it was quiet and dark.
"Kensi? Jake?" she called out looking around. "Kensi?" She hung her jacket up then went upstairs to investigate. "Kensi?" she asked looking in her daughter's room. It was empty. "Jake," she called looking into the boy's room. Even the nursery was empty. Her heart rate sped up and her palms started to get sweaty with every second she couldn't find them. She quickly checked her bedroom, then searched downstairs. The whole house was empty. She opened the backdoor and stepped into the grass. "Jacob! Kensi!" she yelled hoping her children would be outside. No response. Panic mode started to set in. Where were they? Jane ran to the garage, but it too was empty. There was no sign of Kensi's Prius. They weren't home. Then her phone rang. She yanked the device out of her pocket hoping it would be her daughter calling, but the number was blocked.
"Hello?" she asked answering the phone.
"It's good to hear your voice again," said the man's voice on the other side. Jane's body froze when she heard the familiar voice. It couldn't be him.
"Oscar?" she asked confused.
"You thought I died back in that barn all those years ago. The funny thing is, we all know people," he said calmly.
"You were stabbed! I watched your body fall to the burning floor!" she yelled aggravated.
"And you've been sleeping with the enemy," he replied, still calm.
"What do you want?" she asked with a harsh, bitter tone.
"Your children aren't home, are they?" he asked, pausing to listen to her response.
"You son of a bitch," she said through gritted teeth. Nothing compared to a mother's wrath.
"There is no reason to get angry. They're all fine. Jake and Kadi are with Sarah. And Kensi, well, she is enjoying the wonderful jazz music," he paused to think before continuing. "You see, many years ago when I first came to you, I told you that if you failed to comply with the missions, they'd kill Agent Weller. Well you haven't exactly been following our request, and it was only a matter of time until they found him, but something of more value has come up."
"What do you want?" Jane asked enraged.
"Kensi dear, do you want to say hi to your mother?" he asked holding the phone up to the girl's ear.
"Mom?" asked the scared voice of her daughter.
"It's okay Kensi-"
"You see, she's alright. Now, if you want her to stay like that, you will bring us Agent Weller and all of the information the FBI has on Bethany Mayfair. Meet me at the apartment under the old jazz session. And don't bother calling anyone. There is a jammer in the area blocking all calls to and from your phone. You have two hours," he instructed before hanging up. Jane pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the words on the screen 'Call Ended'. Her blood surged with rage and her fists were clenched tight to the point her knuckles were white. She had a choice to make: Go after her daughter alone hoping she was at the meeting site, or follow Oscar's orders to bring in her husband. She couldn't go after Kensi. He'd have someone watching her every move. She ran to her car and drove back to the FBI building. Tears stung her eyes as she navigated the streets of New York. This was the most difficult decision she had ever had to make, but it was a simple one. She and Kurt would die for their children in a heartbeat and without second thought. Jane knew that if there was any hope of seeing Kensi alive again, it'd mean she'd have to bring Kurt in.
Jane parked her car and rushed upstairs to the level she worked on. The floor was empty except for the conference room were the meeting was still going on. She snuck into Patterson's lab and quickly downloaded the needed files onto a USB. Then she made her way towards the conference room. She approached the glass doors and took a deep breath as she placed her hand on the handle. She had to keep the tears back, at least until she knew she had Kurt.
"Jane. What are you doing here? I told you I had a meeting until late tonight. Why aren't at home with the kids?" Weller asked when she finally entered the room. The five other men turned to look at her. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"May I speak to you in the hallway?" she asked locking eyes with him.
"Can't it wait? I'm in the middle of a very important meeting," he asked frustrated.
"I need to speak to you in the hallway," she said trying not to let her voice crack. He walked over to her and gripped her arm.
"This is very unprofessional of you," he whispered in her ear.
"I need to speak to you," she said again, this time at a barely inaudible whisper. "It's urgent."
"Gentlemen, please excuse me for a moment," Weller said excusing himself. He lead Jane around the corner to where their conversation could not be viewed. "What were you thinking? I am-"
"I'm sorry," she said as she pulled out her gun.
"Jane. What the hell are you doing?" he asked shocked to see the gun pointed at him. He'd been in this situation countless times before, but having the gun aimed at you be controlled by someone you loved, that was even scarier.
"Kurt, I'm so sorry, but I need you to turn around with your hands on your head," she demanded, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.
"I'm not going to do that Jane. Put the gun down," he said raising his hands.
"Please just do it. I'm not going to ask you again," she pleaded. Kurt saw her weak spot and reached to disarm her. He was successful, but she had a sedative in her pocket that he was not aware of. She injected it into his arm, and soon Weller was passed out on the floor of the FBI building. Jane wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her leather jacket. What had she done? She had just sedated the man that she loved more than anything else in the world..
Jane carried the limp body of her husband out to her car and placed him in the second row behind the passenger's seat. She covered his head with a black cloth bag and hand cuffed his hands together. She quickly gave him a drug to reverse the sedative, and jumped into the driver's seat. She had obtained the USB with the needed files already. Now she had Weller. As she drove, she heard him start to move and wake up in the back. It didn't take long until he was completely lucid again.
"Jane. What the hell are you doing?" he asked angry and confused.
"Kurt, listen to me. Someone from my past has returned, and it's not good. I'm afraid if I tell you more, something worse is going to happen," she said fighting to hold back the tears. "Take this," she said reaching into her boot. She pulled out a small knife and and key and handed it to Weller. "Keep this hidden in your sleeve. You will know why shortly." Kurt did as he was instructed and slipped the weapon up his sleeve.
"Jane, just tell me what's going on. I can help you," he begged. Tears began to sting her eyes again and a knot form in the back of her throat.
"This is one thing you can't help me with..." she said trailing off. "Please just trust me." She pulled off to the side of the road, the apartment complex a few buildings in front of them. She climbed out of the car and went around to Weller's side. "Just remain quiet. I've got this under control," she instructed opening his door. "No matter what happens, I love you," she said pulling the bag up just enough for her to kiss him. She allowed her lips to linger on his for a while, savoring the feeling of their contact, the taste of his lips on her's. This could possibly be the last time she kissed her husband. She choked back a sob as he raised his hands to caress her face as she lowered the hood. She had to get herself under control. She lead her husband down the sidewalk towards the meeting point, wiping away tears as they walked. The facade gave the building a dark and eerie feeling. Jane took a deep breath as she pressed the buzzer that called up to the floor. There was a buzz in response and she opened the door to enter the building. They boarded an elevator and rode it up. A ding signaled it's arrival, and Jane proceeded to guided Kurt off and towards the door she had entered in before. She knocked, and almost immediately Oscar answered.
"Glad to see you listened to the instructions. Come in," he said gesturing for the couple to enter. Jane's eyes lit up when she saw her daughter. "He can have a seat over there," Oscar said pointing to a vacant wooden chair by the girl. Jane forced Weller to walk over and take a seat in the chair with his back facing his daughter. When Kensi saw her mother she started to fight the gag in her mouth.
"Quiet!" Oscar demanded of her. Kensi quieted down and looked at the floor. "Go ahead and take the bag off. And here, put this over his mouth." Jane took the piece of duct-tape from the man and tore the black sack off of Weller's head, throwing it to the side. She placed the piece of tape over his mouth, trying her best to angle it is so that it missed most of his stubble. "I'm going to have to make sure you don't have any weapons on you. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just, you know, you've tried to kill me before," the man said walking towards Jane. She glared at him as he started to feel her, checking for any gun or knife. "I'm not going to be rude and touch you the wrong way, but I need to know that you do not have a weapon in your bra, you know, just to be sure. That scythe left a pretty decent scar," he said placing his hand on his abdomen. He pulled his shirt up just for emphasis, revealing the one-foot scar down his chest and stomach. He let go of his shirt and it fell back to meet the top of his pants. "And everyone here has seen you without clothes on before. Well, everyone except your daughter, but I don't think that's going to be an issue." When Kurt heard this his blood boiled. Who was this man and when had he seen his wife naked? He turned his head so that he could see him. "Go ahead. We're all waiting." Jane slowly started to remove her jacket, and then her tank top, until she was standing in the cold room with nothing covering her top except for the black lace bra. Weller cursed in his head as the stranger started to circle his wife. "You're just as beautiful as when we were engaged," Oscar whispered in her ear, but it was just loud enough for Kurt to hear. "Did you ever tell him about us? You probably didn't for his protection. You're one lucky man, Kurt Weller. I was this close to being her husband, but things got, complicated."
"Can we get on with this?" Jane asked closing her eyes. It made her feel disgusted to be exposed like this, even if she still had a bra on.
"The flash drive?" Oscar asked.
"In my jacket pocket." He bent down and pulled out the USB.
"Perfect," he replied pocketing the item. "But we are still missing one more thing," he said walking behind her. Kensi closed her eyes and Jane bit her lip as he reached up and slid his fingers behind the clasps of her bra. "I know you better than anyone else," he said pulling the hidden knife out. Jane closed her eyes and sighed silently in relief when he didn't remove her bra. "What is this?" he asked holding out the switchblade. He pressed the trigger button and the blade flipped out of it's sheath. "You have good taste. You always preferred your switchblade over a gun," he said walking towards Weller. "How ironic would it be if I were to use this knife to kill your husband?" he asked twirling the blade between his fingers. Kensi and Kurt's eyes widened when Oscar finished speaking. Jane nodded slightly at them, and Kurt knew what she meant. She quickly reached into the cup of her bra and pulled out a small revolver. She aimed it at the man, but he was quick to hold the knife to Kensi's throat. She whimpered in fear as the cold metal pressed against her pale skin.
"You were right Oscar. Bras are good places to hide weapons," she said through clenched teeth.
"Bravo Jane, but what are you going to do? You have no good shot, at least one that doesn't involve your daughter," he seethed. At that moment Kurt sprang from the chair, having silently unlocked his handcuffs with the key Jane had given him, and jumped at Oscar with the knife. He knocked the man to the side as they started to wrestle, the handcuffs and duct tape scattering across the floor.
"Kensi!" Jane yelled at her daughter. The girl threw herself on the floor as her mother aimed at the fight. Oscar kicked Kurt against the wall with a loud thud. Jane took this moment of separation and shot at Oscar. The bullets pierced his back and he fell on knees, then his chest onto the floor. Kurt rushed to Kensi's side and comforted his traumatized daughter.
"I'm so sorry for how I acted earlier," she sobbed into his shoulder. "I love you so much."
"Shh. It's okay. It doesn't matter. You're safe now," he soothed holding her close. Jane rushed to them and joined the hug as they tried to quiet their daughter's tears. Her body trembled under their's as they wrapped her in loving arms.
Soon Kurt had everyone standing and was guiding the frightened teen towards the elevator. Jane walked towards Oscar's dead body and stared at the man she once loved. Her body locked in fear, anger, and sadness. Then she collapsed on the floor in sobs. She had just shot the man she had once loved with a deep passion, the man she at on point trusted more than anyone else. Even if he had tried to wipe her memory in the past and then almost kill her, even if he had almost killed her daughter and husband, there were still indescribable feelings there for him. She had even been slightly relieved to hear his voice again. Kurt kissed his daughter's sweaty forehead then moved to comfort his wife. He knelt next to her and pulled her tight into him, her bare skin hot and clammy to the touch. Jane sobbed into his shoulder, all of her emotions pouring out of her. She reached over and gently closed Oscar's eyelids with the tips of her fingers. His face looked so peaceful. Kurt waved for his daughter to grab her mother's clothes as he helped her stand. He threw her jacket over her shoulders and guided her and Kensi downstairs to the car.
Kurt drove to his sister's and picked up Jake and Kadi.
"What happened to mommy and Kensi? Are they okay?" the little boy asked seeing the tear stains on their cheeks.
"They're okay champ. They're okay," Kurt said ruffling his son's hair. Jane held Kadi with one arm and wrapped the other around her son, laying her hand on Kensi's shoulder. Earlier that day she couldn't have imagined losing them. Today was a reminder that she couldn't keep them completely safe in this cruel world. All she wanted to do was go home and sit with her husband and children.