I write this little fic on tumblr yesterday to celebrate kate-dammit-run's birthday (she's awesome; go tell her so!). I've been posting my shorter fics on tumblr, but I'm trying to get better about posting here, too.
Jane was engaged her least favorite task at the FBI—completing paperwork—when she realized the rest of the team had disappeared. Even Roman was missing from the workstation beside hers. A quick glance confirmed that Weller's office was empty, too.
It had been a slow day—no new tattoo leads—but still. Clearly she needed to step up her "avoiding paperwork" game, because the others were beating her by a landslide.
She sighed and scrolled to the next screen, just as the phone in her pocket buzzed with an alert from Patterson.
With no small amount of relief, she practically catapulted out of her seat and headed toward the lab.
Only Patterson was visible through the window in the door, when she got there. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"SURPRISE!"
The team stepped away from their hiding spots—along the wall, out of view from the window—and Patterson turned to push a cart into the middle of the room carrying a sinful-looking chocolate cake with a single lit candle on top.
Jane blinked, trying to recall the birth certificate Patterson had found for Alice Kruger. For some reason, she'd been more focused on finding out how old she was—thirty-three, well, thirty-four now—than on the day of the month. But today was March 24th, so that must have been it.
"Happy birthday to you," her friends lurched into song. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Jane, happy birthday to you!"
Roman tried to keep them in key—he had a beautiful singing voice, she suddenly realized—but the rest of the group had more volume and enthusiasm than tunefulness. Weller was both particularly loud and utterly tone-deaf, she noted. But the grin on his face more than made up for the assault on her ears. Jane couldn't help but smile at their over-the-top enthusiasm.
Tasha gave her a small push toward the cake. "Blow out your candle. I've been looking at that cake in Patterson's fridge all morning."
"I'm gonna check the icing for your fingerprints," Reade told Tasha, then mimed a dramatic wince when she jabbed her elbow into his side.
Jane drew in a breath.
"Make a wish!" Patterson ordered, throwing an arm around Jane's shoulders.
Jane froze. But I have everything I want. Roman was free, she was free, they were closing in on Shepherd, the team had accepted her again, and she and Weller had rebuilt their friendship. Well, maybe not everything she wanted, but more than she'd ever thought she'd have again.
She closed her eyes—I wish for everyone I love to stay safe—then blew out the candle with a puff of air.
Her birthday cake turned out to be a chocolate fudge cake with chocolate buttercream frosting that Patterson claimed—entirely truthfully—was to die for. And apparently Tasha wasn't the only person who'd been checking out the cake, because as soon as Patterson started cutting slices, people from the rest of the department started wandering in on ever-flimsier pretexts. Brianna scored the last piece when she came in to ask Weller if he'd gotten her vacation request. For August.
By the time the cake was gone, the workday was pretty much over, and the department cleared out quickly. Jane hugged Patterson and thanked her profusely, said goodnight to Roman, and then wandered down to the locker room to collect her jacket. She had just closed the door to her locker when Weller came in.
"Thanks again," she told him. "That was really nice."
He shrugged. "Patterson baked the cake, so she did all the hard work. The rest of us just ate a light lunch to leave room."
She grinned and patted her stomach. "No one warned me, but I still managed to finish my slice." Patterson had cut her a very generous wedge.
"So." He shifted his weight. "You have any exciting plans for celebrating tonight?"
"For the birthday I'd forgotten I was having, you mean?"
"Yeah, you didn't say anything this morning. I wasn't sure if you'd remembered."
She smiled and shook her head. "It made it extra-surprising."
He chuckled. "Yeah, that it would. You're probably not hungry yet, but do you want to grab a drink and get something to eat later?"
Surprise rendered her temporarily mute.
"You don't have to, if you don't want to," he assured her, misreading her silence, "or if you have something else to do."
"No! I don't have anything." She hesitated. "Is the rest of the team coming? Reade and Tasha cleared out already."
His lips curved up slightly. "No, I meant… just us."
"Oh." She must be confused, because it almost sounded like–
"A date, Jane. I'm asking you out on a date."
A date. "Oh," she said again, this time more softly. "In that case… Yes."
"Yes?" His blue eyes lit up.
She nodded, finally letting a shy smile escape. "Yes." She nudged him with her elbow. "Go get your coat."
It was her birthday, and she had a date with Kurt. Maybe getting older wasn't all that bad, after all.