A/N: We told you we'd be back, didn't we? So here we are! Hi, guys! Here's a little BTS to our writing process (not necessary for the story):

The very first draft of this fic was created during that time, when "jealous Weller" themed stories were still a pretty cool idea and 90% of this Part1 was written before 3.09…

And then -like our personal schedule problems and delays weren't enough already- dear Mr. Clem decided to appear and throw us completely off track…

So, we were stuck with this half-finished story that (unfortunately?) had a couple of similarities to the actual events, two freaked-out over that fact writers and an "audience" absolutely unwilling to read anything more challenging for this new sweet-little-puppy Kurt…

Thankfully, we decided to maintain our positivity and keep going. So, instead of giving you the original story we had planned, here's our second alternative for this season. Cause, if our first co-fic was an alternative S3 premiere, this is for sure an alternative S3 mid-season finale…

HOLD YOUR HORSES

PART 1

"Hey, stranger!" - Jane greeted the man walking into the SIOC with a warm smile.

"There's my girl!" - The guy returned her excited welcoming with a surprising hug. "I was expecting your phone call ages ago, you know." - He laughed, holding her tightly in his arms.

From Tasha's point of view the situation looked suspicious enough even before the hugging-show took place. Another mysterious guy from Jane's past that none of them had ever heard of. And then Jane herself, from being the grumpiest person in the office for a whole month, to happily enjoying this shady arrival. And he was really handsome, too. Yep, totally shady! - She silently decided, relieved that Weller was still looking towards her direction.

"Tasha! Are you listening?" - Kurt's voice brought her back to their conversation. But it was too late for her to hide her expression. He soon followed her gaze behind his back, only to find his wife's affectionate reunion with… who was he anyway?

Jane had been giving him the silent treatment since the day his Berlin secret came out. Well, not silent exactly, but that would have probably been much easier for him. They were still talking to each other as part of the team's procedural discussions and they were still working together in the field, but nothing more than that. She would ignore his painful looks and avoid all forms of contact, shutting him completely out of any personal moments.

And then she had insisted on calling that friend of hers to help them out with their current case. And he was nothing but unwilling to play partners with a stranger coming straight out of Jane's mysterious past. How had she met him and why was he so much better than any of their normal FBI assets, he wouldn't know. That was none of his business and her look had made that perfectly clear. But watching him hug her, touch her in a way that wasn't allowed to him anymore, that was too much for him to handle.

"You're staring!" - Tasha hissed at him, when he'd stopped responding to any of her previous calls. "Weller, they are coming here." - She tried to unfreeze him with a quick punch on his arm.

Jane and her friend approached them, both forcibly unaware of the intensity they met on the team's faces.

"This is…"

"Gabriel Fernandez" - The stranger interrupted her to introduce himself properly. His eyes traveled through every single one of Jane's colleagues, greeting them kindly but confidently, too. "Nice to meet you"- He went on, holding his hand steadily in front of Weller, sensing that he was the guy he'd have to deal with entering this group.

"Special Agent Weller" - Kurt replied with a deadpan expression, giving him a firm but clearly not very friendly handshake.

"Weller? Kurt Weller?" - Gabriel wanted enthusiastically to know, returning his absolute attention to Jane, noting discreetly her back.

She bit her lip and waved positively, while trying to avoid the extra tension that Gabriel's revealing question brought in the room. This wasn't going to be any easy. She looked slowly up at Kurt, immediately regretting most of her choices for the day. She knew that he hated the hidden aspects of her life during the 18 months apart and his mind was always running a million miles per hour; and judging from the look on his face, he'd already pictured things she wished she could erase from his thoughts.

"I'm Zapata" - Tasha joined the conversation, hoping to calm the electrified atmosphere. "Reade's not coming today, but Patterson's waiting for us" - She went on, before this Gabriel or Jane could say anything else to sharpen the tension. She then shot a confused look towards Jane, right before leading the way to the lab.

"OK, quick update" - Patterson continued her briefing once they were finished with the introductions. "This is our primary suspect, Alexander Wood. He's been laying low for the past months, but we have a solid info that he'll be attending an art exhibition in Manhattan, later this afternoon."

"The problem is that only certain people are allowed to attend the event, all of them already having a personal invitation from the artist himself." - Tasha explained the rest.

"And this is where we need you…" - Jane turned towards Gabriel. "I figured you could maybe help us get in, since the gallery owner is Robert Braida…?"

"Oh, my old pal Roberto! Let me see what I can do…" - Gabriel got her point right away.

One phone call later and their mission was almost set. The gallery owner took some persuading to let Gabriel and his plus one enter the exhibition, but the guy knew how to play his part perfectly well.

"OK, we're in. But you might not like this one…" - He walked over Jane once he returned back to the lab. "Long story short: you are my girlfriend, it is your birthday and the event is my surprise to you... This was the only way he'd let us in." - He explained in one breath, feeling Weller's eyes throwing flames at him.

And just like that, the elephant came right back in the room. All eyes were at once on Kurt, awkwardly waiting for his reaction. Would he look too jealous if he actually punched that smug face?

"You should both go get ready" - He put his feelings aside, trying his best to maintain his professional status. After all, showing how sick this arrangement made him would only make things worse...

"He's right. And these take ages to get covered…" - Jane pointed her tattoos, feeling already exhausted from the process ahead of her.

"Why on earth would you ever cover your tattoos?" - Gabriel jumped in.

"It's an undercover mission." - Tasha filled immediately the gaps. "We need you to mingle with the crowd." - She shot at him, subconsciously stepping a little bit closer to Kurt.

"Jane, your body is a work of art." - He ignored the intense looks, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Everyone in that room will appreciate your tattoos; they're beautiful!" - He closed the distance between them.

"OK, none said otherwise!" - Kurt couldn't help himself anymore. "But…"

"The chances are your wanted guy is an art lover." - He interrupted him. "Don't you want him to come straight to us, instead of us chasing him down?" - He tried once again to persuade her, never leaving her side.

And he was right.

Kurt Weller had experienced his fair share of terrible missions, but their current one was shaping up to be the worst of them all. He hated every single aspect of it: this Gabriel and his easy going relationship with Jane and how much he wished he could have that back with her these days.

This guy was about to be her new field partner, posing as her boyfriend, while he'd have to waitin a van outside the Gallery. He could already feel helpless with the idea that the only connection with the pair would have to be through the comms.

He took a couple of deep steading breaths, willing himself to calm down for what was coming next. He would be of no use to her or anyone else if he let his personal feelings interfere with the mission. Focusing on his part of the plan seemed like his only choice; the only way this operation could work without him going crazy.

His mind started replaying each of the steps they carefully schemed and he was so distracted by his own thoughts that he literally bumped directly into her as he rounded a corner.

His hands automatically shot out to keep her from falling and an electrifying feeling spread through his body as he touched her after a whole month of barely even looking into her eyes.

He had every intention of immediately letting her go and apologize; but as his eyes roamed over her body, his brain short circuited and the only thing he could do was take her all in.

She was wearing a black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places and ended just above her knee. It had a V cut in the front, showing just enough skin and leaving the rest to people's imagination - not that he needed to imagine anything. And her tattoos… They were there in full display for the whole world to see.

She was breathtaking.

She cleared her throat and his eyes snapped to hers. She had a ghost of a smile on her face and definitely a blush in her cheeks and he couldn't remember another time he wanted to kiss her as much as he wanted now.

"Jane, you are,"

"There you are!" - Gabriel came out of nowhere, cutting him off and walking right into their moment - the very first one they had since the day she left the apartment.

Kurt clenched his jaw and for a fraction of a second, tightened his hold on her. He knew she could feel the possessiveness of his touch, could clearly read it in his eyes and part of his brain was screaming at him to stop it before she kicked his ass. The other part ironically had Rich Dotcom's voice, telling him to not waste his life on missions and grab Jane now before somebody else did... before Gabriel did.

He hated his brain.

It was the feeling of Jane's hand gently resting on top of his arm that brought him back. He slowly let go of her, his eyes never leaving her face, as she turned her head to address her friend.

"Are you ready?" - She asked Gabriel, acutely aware of Kurt's intense stare.

"Yep. And you," - He let a low whistle leave his lips. - "You are definitely ready."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Kurt's hands closing into fists, his whole body going tense, and for the first time after weeks she felt like she had to protect him. She shot a warning glare at Gabriel, hoping to stop him from saying or doing anything more inappropriate, relieved when Tasha finally joined them again.

"Are you guys ready?"

Jane nodded and sidestepped both men, glad to get out of there. She started making her way to the SIOC with Tasha by her side.

"Who the hell is this guy?" - Tasha hissed, matching Jane's quick stride.

"I can't talk about this now, Tasha."

"Are you trying to kill Weller?" - She took Jane's arm and pulled her away from the two men behind them, waiting as they went ahead to meet Patterson near the elevator. - "I mean, look at him."

He was standing across Gabriel, way grumpier than usual, his arms crossed over his chest and an anxious expression on his face. She knew it was killing him. The new guy, her going on the mission without him... all of it. Gabriel's timing was terrible, but he was the only one who could help them solve this case.

"Do you trust him?" - Tasha pulled her out of her thoughts. - "Jane, it's gonna be just the two of you in that Gallery. No backup. I don't know this guy's skills but,"

"It's not me you should worry about." - She immediately addressed her friend's concern. - "I'll be fine. And Gabe… Gabriel, he's OK, I promise."

Hell she was… she was trying to kill him! Tasha moved even closer, her eyes dead serious. - "Remember we will all be hearing everything you're saying."

Jane knew exactly what that meant. She shot a quick look towards Kurt and nodded to Tasha's reminder, while her eyes turned to focus on her mission-partner. She could be easily careful with her own words, but she could only hope that Gabriel's improvisations would also be appropriate. Her relationship with Kurt was already strained and the last thing she wanted was this operation to create a whole new mess between them.

Gabriel smiled at her as if he'd read her mind, but once the elevator arrived he chose a careless wink to invite her back to him. No one really noticed their silent communication. No one, except for the man who shouldn't have…

She was the last one to approach the rest of the team, deliberately avoiding Weller's eyes. But right before she entered the elevator, her elbow was trapped inside his hand, holding her decisively back. He let the doors close in front of them, signaling the others that they'd catch up using the next ride.

He had nothing to lose and he was losing everything at the same time. He wasn't gonna let her slip through his hands like that; not without his final send off.

"I need you to be careful out there." - He whispered meaningfullyinto her ear, keeping her body close to his. He paused for a second, while tracing her temple with his nose; using the moment to memorize her scent all over again. "Anything you need, anything at all, you say the word and I'll be there." - He underlined his promise by tightening his grip, right before he pressed a soft kiss to the side of her head.

They weren't looking at each other. They didn't have to. And she didn't argue with him. Not this time…

The trip from the NYO to the gallery was supposed to take 30 minutes but to Tasha, it felt like they would never arrive. The tension inside the van was palpable and while no one had said anything since stepping inside, the silence was unbearably loud. She wanted to scream. Scream at Jane for choosing such a flirty and handsome guy as her partner. Scream at Weller for starting this mess with his lies. Scream at the world for this ill timed mission.

Weller was currently by her side, a tablet with the specs of the gallery on his hands. She knew he was memorizing every entry point and every route Jane might need from the inside. Jane and Gabriel were in front of them, passing another tablet with the same specs between them from time to time. They hadn't shared a word, probably Jane's way of making sure her friend wouldn't say anything to intensify the awkwardness of their situation.

There were moments Tasha caught her friend looking over at Weller; a mix of worry, longing and seriousness in her eyes and that was when she wanted to scream at both of them so they could get their shit together and put all of them out of their misery. Everybody knew they belonged together and Tasha could only hope this mission reminded them (especially Jane) of that.

She had to restrain herself from letting out a relieved sigh, when the van finally came to a stop. They were in an alley two blocks away from the gallery. She cleared her throat making the trio look her way.

"This is your dropping point." - She turned her own tablet so the others could see a map of the neighborhood where the mission was going to take place. - "There's a car in the main street outside waiting to take you there. We are staying here, but we'll be following your every move through the CCTV cams Patterson managed to access. Remember, once you are inside, you are on your own." - Jane and Gabriel nodded.

"There is a CCTV camera pointing directly at the entrance of the gallery." - Tasha glanced discreetly but pointedly at Jane, her look saying it all; Start the undercover part of it only when you are inside. - "And another one at the back door. We'll be following all movements in and out of the building. If anything suspicious or our target -Alexander Wood- appears, we'll let you know."

Tasha took a little box out of a bag and handed it to Jane.

"Here's the tracker you need to place on Wood."

"Got it." - Jane carefully hid it inside her purse.

"We'll park the van in the gallery's street. So if you guys need anything, use the comms and we'll help you." - Tasha paused, giving Weller a chance to add anything else he might deem necessary. When he kept quiet, she wrapped it up. The sooner they started it, the sooner this nightmare could end. - "Good luck and be careful out there."

"We will." - Jane determinedly got up, more than ready to get this over with. She didn't dare looking in Weller's direction. This was already hard enough without seeing the dismay on his face.

The short way to the gallery was blessedly spent without any comment on Gabriel's part. By the time they arrived, Jane started thinking that he might behave; but the moment they got out of the car, she knew how wrong she was.

Gabriel made his way around the vehicle and stopped beside her. His arm shot out, pulling her to him, the side of his body molding to hers as his hand snaked around her waist.

"Just relax and we'll have a wonderful time, girlfriend." - He whispered in her ear and it took everything in her not to punch him. He knew there were cameras. He knew Kurt was watching.

And he was listening, too. He said nothing, though. He kept staring at the screens, quiet and focused, but just for a few meaningless seconds his lungs seemed to forget how to pump any air into his body.

She didn't say a thing either. She just resumed walking towards the front door.

This was going to be one long mission.

Gabriel took charge from that moment on, like they had planned, giving their names to the security guy at the entrance. After checking they were on the list, he allowed the pair to enter the gallery. They both plastered a smile on their faces, pretending to enjoy the exhibition, while scanning the room for their target.

However, it was Robert Braida who found them first, his bass voice startling them.

"Gabriel Fernandez!" - They turned around to find a huge man in a wonderfully tailored suit beaming at them. He was about to say something else, but as his eyes caught sight of Jane, he was left with his mouth hanging.

"Hello to you, too, Roberto." - Gabriel chuckled at the man's reaction. It was exactly how he imagined it would be and he was pretty sure Jane was glad Weller couldn't see it. - "This is Jane."

Robert seemed to snap out of his trance and with a brilliant smile, extended his hand to her.

"I was wondering why in God's name Gabriel subjected himself to something he always vehemently stated he hated, but now I can definitely understand." - He let out a laugh and squeezed her hand. "And you," - He turned to Gabriel and pulled him into a hug. - "You are one very lucky bastard."

"Oh, you have no idea." - Gabriel winked at him, throwing a sweet smile at Jane.

Should he remove his earpiece? He could still help if necessary, even without listening to every detail of that torture. There was something stuck in his throat that wouldn't leave no matter how hard he tried to clear it. He shut his eyes, desperately trying to stop the ugly images taking over his mind; but it was too late…

"So you are the art lover in this relationship." - Robert addressed her again. "And I can see your tattoos are art in itself. Did you design them? Are you an artist?" - Robert's eyes traveled through her tattoos and Jane had to stop herself from flinching under his intense gaze.

"No, I'm not an artist. I just really enjoy it. " - She didn't elaborate. It was none of this man's business.

"George and Alexander are going to flip when they see you."

"George? As in… the artist George?" - Jane didn't need much to crash her fangirl part. - "Oh, I wish I could meet him. I'm such a big fan of his..."

"And he'll for sure become a big fan of yours when he meets you." - The gallery owner couldn't hide his excitement. "His cousin, too. Alexander. He actually has a dozen tattoos himself. But nothing as marvelous as yours, of course." - he kept babbling.

"Are they here yet?" - Gabriel tried to speed up the process.

"Oh let me see." - The man looked around the space and then back at the couple in front of him. - "George should arrive anytime soon. I'll make a round to talk to the guests and I'll come back to the two of you as soon as I spot them."

"Thank you, Robert." - Gabriel tried to sound as sincere as possible, nodding slightly towards the "birthday girl".

"No. Thank you, Gabriel." - He gestured to Jane, a maniac glint on his eyes. - "For bringing this masterpiece."

"Yeah. Take your eyes off her, Roberto. She is taken."

"Breathe." - Tasha's look reflected his terrified expression. "It's all an act, remember?" - She grabbed his arm as if her touch could give her words the believable status she wished they had.

"Yeah…" - He cleared his throat once again, taking his gaze away from her; hoping that silence could actually block his fears. His whisper slipped unintentionally through his lips then, filling his eyes with two heavy drips - "Is it?"

"Is she? Well..." - Robert said teasingly, looking from Jane's face to her ring finger and back to Gabriel. - "A friendly advice? Put a ring on it before someone else does."

Jane felt as if this guy had just punched her in the stomach, as if the air had been knocked out of her. Her mind flashed to that day, almost a month ago...

Still on the kitchen counter. He buried his head inside his palms, wishing to stop the inevitable replay. Not even a lobotomy could have prevented that though… Her words never stopped burning his skull.

Cry, scream, beg, pray… he'd do anything. Anything to check out of the hell she'd isolated him into. But none of that would probably work. And that was his biggest fear; cause maybe the verb he was actually looking for was "let go".

She only noticed Robert was gone when Gabriel touched her arm, bringing her back from the unpleasant memory. She could sense he was going to say something, possibly to ask if she was alright - her face must had showed him her despair - but she cut him off before he could start.

"Let's walk around. As soon as we meet Wood, I'll put the tracker on him and we can get the hell out of here."

And until she did, she'd kept pretending the happy girlfriend to the man she had no intention to love...

"Is that what you do every day over here?"

"No." - She chuckled, finally free from the doll clothes she was forced to fit into. "We usually have more action during the missions." - She mentioned casually, her eyes concentrating on the couch seams again.

"There was action today!" - He playfully complaint and paused for a while. "Plus... you were shaking the entire time." - His hand moved and carefully covered hers. "That should at least count as a calories burner, right?" - He tensed his grip, just enough to make her look up at him.

"So, how haven't you left already?" - She quickly changed the subject, avoiding any painful explanations.

"Well…" - He sighed, letting go of her hand - "I'm heading to sign all those don't-you-dare-share-anything-you-heard-or-saw documents right now, but Patterson said I should probably stay until Wood's tracker leads you to the next location."

Long day at the office… and she was living it in all its glory.

She brought her legs on the couch and hugged her knees tightly, as if they were her last chance of peace. She was tired… no, she was exhausted. It felt like both her body and spirit were abandoning her with a terrifying synchronization.

How many were her sleepless nights? She wouldn't even know. Not that she actually cared. Her guilt and anger had already wiped everything away; her energy, her thoughts, her feelings… She was just wandering; her heart and mind numb from the cold inside her.

And then there was Kurt. How much longer could she live away from him? Pretending that it was ok, that she was fine without him? Her life was a mess and yes, he was the one who helped it get that way. But was that enough to keep him -her other half- away? He was her friend, her family, her lover. He was her rock. And she missed him.

She hated him and she needed him at the same time.

He was now looking at her. A few unprocessed seconds of happiness when everything he ever wanted was within arm's reach. She was pale and seemed raddled, fast asleep on the break room couch. And for the first time after a whole month full of nothing but a shielding defense against him, he could finally cross her comfort zone without any casualties.

That should probably count as cheating in their current hide and seek game, but so be it... even if that meant chasing vulnerable moments like this in order to steal a instant near her. Just to look at her without feeling as an offender. After all, how much harm could one final encounter cause?

He walked cautiously towards her, his eyes never leaving her face. He kneeled silently right in front of her, taking a minute to appreciate their proximity. His hand moved without waiting for permission, finding the places where it used to belong. He carefully brushed a wisp of hair away from her face, tracing a soft, almost non-existent caress onto her cheekbone. God, he'd missed her. But she wasn't his to touch anymore, was she? And she for sure didn't need him while going on with her life. She was a strong woman; always has been one.

And betraying this strong woman would apparently be his biggest love penalty.

He stayed still in front of her, his eyes closed and his head facing the floor. The lump in his throat felt alive as he placed the piece of paper in her hand. Thankfully, she was too tired to wake up from that, giving him some time to stabilize his breathing and find his composure. Eventually, his legs found the strength to move him away from her face level. He pressed a soft kiss on her hair and walked away, relieved that he got to do that his way, avoiding her terrifying flinches.

He didn't look back. He closed the door, leaving her and their apartment's sale arrangement behind. That place had stopped feeling like home the second she moved out. It was pointless holding on to something she'd clearly had left behind. And then... he had to set her free.

Please comment us your thoughts (there are two of us, we can take it!).

Part 2 is on its way…