I do not own Blindspot or its characters.


They would always wonder, afterwards, how it was Rich Dotcom had discovered that they were having what he memorably termed "a lover's quarrel."

Not that either of them ever admitted that, even to the other. They both preferred to keep the skeleton of how they had become a couple firmly in the closet, though for very different reasons. The events of those days remained shrouded in mystery to all but the handful of people closest to them, and even they always suspected they weren't getting the full story.

And they were correct.

However, find out about it he did, and in typical Rich Dotcom fashion, he made up his mind to do something about it.

Seven weeks after Jane rejoined the team, they got a tip that Shepherd was going to be meeting an associate of his at one of the few remaining casinos in Atlantic City this evening. Kurt gritted his teeth as he looked at the clock. They would have to leave now in order to make it in time, but Reade and Zapata were more than an hour away in the other direction running down a lead on the case they were currently working. "I guess it's just you and me this time," he said, not looking directly at Jane.

They both had been doing their best to avoid alone time with one another since her return. "I guess it is," she agreed reluctantly, evading eye contact with him as well.

They ascended the stairs to the heliport on the roof in stony silence.

Infuriating woman, Kurt thought as they started toward the helicopter. It was that preoccupation with Jane that kept him from realizing they were in danger until it was too late. "Who the hell are you?" he started to demand as he realized the flight crew was unfamiliar, but before he could even finish the question, he felt a stinging pain in his neck and fell to his knees as his world started to go dark. He turned to Jane, only to see her beginning to slump over as well.

Her name was the last thing on his lips before he passed out.

He awoke to his worst nightmare.

Kurt groaned as he began to come to. He was laying on something soft, but his head ached unmercifully. His eyes flew open as the memory of his last waking moments returned, and he sucked in a breath at the sight before him.

Jane was asleep on the bed next to him, her face mere inches from his.

What the hell . . . he started to wonder, but just like earlier, he didn't have the opportunity to complete the thought. The large screen on the wall across from the bed came to life, and Rich Dotcom's cheery face appeared.

"Good morning, Stubbles." Rich's grin widened at the look of absolute fury that descended on Weller's face as it dawned on him who was responsible for his current predicament. He had been anticipating that look for weeks, and Weller didn't disappoint. "I'm sure you're wondering what's going on, so I'll cut right to the chase: I was very upset to learn that you and the missus were having a spat, so I'm providing you with an all-expenses paid vacation to give you the opportunity to iron out your differences."

"I'll pass," Kurt said coldly as he began to take stock of his surroundings. He felt his heart sink as he noticed the bars across windows overlooking a beautiful beach and the doors with no knobs. The furniture was minimal as well: apart from the bed he was currently laying on, there were only two nightstands beside it and a small bookshelf along the far wall.

Nothing that would aid him in an escape.

Rich noticed the grim look that settled on his face as he completed his inspection. "Yeah, no. That's not really an option. And you can forget about leaving until I release you. I had this really dedicated team of contractors that has been working around the clock to finish this suite of rooms just for you. The walls and doors are reinforced with steel, so even if you could find a weapon to bore through the wood—which you won't—it wouldn't do you any good. And as you can see, the windows are escape proof. Also bulletproof, not that you have your guns any longer. Or your cellphones either, though there's no service where you're at."

"Of course not," Kurt muttered viciously, struggling to rein in his temper as he looked at their abductor once more. There was no way the tech genius would make such a rookie mistake. In fact, as far as Kurt could tell from his cursory examination, he hadn't made any mistakes at all. "What do you really want, Rich? What's your real purpose in doing all of this?" No way had a criminal like Rich Dotcom spent so much time and money on a plan to kidnap them simply to repair their relationship; he had to have an ulterior motive for getting them out of the way.

Rich clasped his hands over his heart theatrically. "Now that hurts, Cousin Stu. I go out of my way to give you and your lovely girlfriend a romantic getaway, and how am I rewarded? With hostility and suspicion. I don't expect an invitation to your wedding, but a little gratitude would be in order."

"Jane's not my girlfriend," Kurt said savagely. "And the only thing that you'll get from me is a long stay in a federal penitentiary for kidnapping an assistant director of the FBI."

Rich laughed. "I'll pass," he parroted back to Kurt before turning serious. "So. Here are the rules for your stay. Or really it's only one rule, but it's a very important one. Have you noticed the entryway to the dining room on your left?"

Kurt simply stared at him, stone-faced.

"Right," Rich continued. "I'll take that as a yes. So the door is open at the moment so the two of you can eat dinner, but once you're done, you'll need to leave so the staff can close the door and clean up. That will be done electronically before they enter the room, so don't bother plotting to get the jump on them. It wouldn't do you any good anyway. There are armed guards on the premises who know it's worth their lives if you manage to escape before I tell them to let you go."

"And if we don't leave the room?" Kurt growled.

Rich shrugged. "Then you won't get your next meal. But you still won't be able to get out until I decide to release you, so I'd advise you to reign in your angry little munchkin, and do as I ask. Much better to keep your strength up for other, more pleasurable activities rather than fighting me.

"Oh, don't worry," he continued as Weller stared at him in speechless rage, "much as I would have liked to, I didn't install a security camera in your bedroom. I know that you're not really an . . .open person, so I chose to respect your privacy."

"If you had chosen to respect my privacy, we wouldn't be here," Kurt pointed out, but the observation rolled off Rich like water off a duck's back.

"Sorry, Stubbles, but this lover's quarrel has got to end. It's distracting me from my . . . other obligations, and I'm sure it's disturbing to the kiddoes back at the FBI to see mommy and daddy continuing to fight. Oh, would you look at that," Rich added as Jane began to stir, letting out a soft moan. "The missus is beginning to wake up. You'd better see to her."

"Rich—"

"Don't worry, Stubbles," Rich said sympathetically. "I've provided you with a gourmet chef and all the creature comforts of home. There are spare clothes in the closet for both of you, by the way. Kiss and make up, and this will all be over soon. I'll check in on you again in the morning."

And with that, he was gone.

It was a good thing there wasn't anything at hand to throw, or Kurt would have smashed the now-dark TV screen. He took a deep breath, trying desperately to reign in his temper as Jane came to.

"Kurt?" Jane asked, her brow furrowing in confusion as she saw him propped up in bed next to her. "What happ—" Her voice trailed off as she became fully aware of their proximity and sat up quickly, scrambling to the edge of the bed and almost falling off it in her haste to put some distance between them.

Kurt's eyes widened. Jane definitely hadn't been wearing that when they were abducted. She followed his gaze, glancing down at herself and making an outraged noise in the back of her throat as she caught sight of the skimpy nightgown she was currently clad in. She grabbed for the blanket to cover herself up, and her own eyes grew large as the action inadvertently revealed Kurt's own state of undress.

The look on Jane's face clued him in that she wasn't the only one showing a fair amount of skin. Kurt glanced down at himself, cursing under his breath as he realized his boxers were the only thing Rich's minions had left on him.

"Weller?" Jane asked, her voice an octave higher than normal. "What the hell is going on?"

Kurt hesitated.

"Tell me," she insisted, her voice hard. He was insistent that she not keep any secrets from him and the team, and he damn well could extend her the same courtesy in this situation. Whatever was going on, it affected her just as much as him.

Kurt reluctantly gave her an abbreviated version of his conversation with Rich Dotcom.

Jane couldn't believe her ears. "When hell freezes over," she spat, drawing the blanket more tightly around her to completely shield herself from Kurt's view.

The action wasn't lost on Kurt. "Don't flatter yourself that I'd ever have you, honey," he retorted, wanting to make her hurt as much as he still was. He had the satisfaction of seeing her bite her lip, her face paling a bit before her jaw hardened, but the brief flash of pain in her eyes made the victory hollow.

Jane glanced away to clear her head. Much as she would have liked to hit back at Kurt, she couldn't afford to let this situation devolve into a dogfight, not if she wanted to get out of here and away from him as quickly as possible. Like it or not, the two of them were going to have to put aside their differences and work together if they had any hope of getting the upper hand over Rich Dotcom. "So, umm . . . what do we do now?"

Kurt swung his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet. "Rich mentioned there were some clothes in the closet for us. I'd suggest we get dressed and eat dinner, then go over every inch of this place to see if we can find a way out." It was unlikely, given the ingenuity of their captor, but he wouldn't be able to rest if he didn't at least try. Not that he would be able to rest well if he failed. The loss of control was already eating at him.

Jane sighed as she got up as well, keeping the blanket wrapped firmly around her. "Well, at least it's nicer than the BHL4 lab at the CDC." She ignored the incredulous look Kurt shot her as she followed him into the walk-in closet.

Both of them were stunned into speechlessness by the assortment of clothes awaiting them there, though upon further reflection, neither of them could say why they were surprised. It was Rich Dotcom, after all.

And his taste was on full display as Jane gingerly held up a bra and panty set that contained so little fabric she wondered what the point would be of even putting it on. "Do women actually wear this stuff?"

"Some women do," Kurt said as he shrugged into a pair of shorts and a tank top that were far more revealing than he'd like. He much preferred Jane's typical underclothes to those little scraps of lace, but he could see that she had misinterpreted his statement. Which was probably for the best. He shouldn't be thinking along those lines at all. His talk with Rich Dotcom had clearly addled his brain. "I'll, uh . . . I'll go see what he's left us for dinner and give you space to get dressed."

What for? Jane wondered as it occurred to her for the first time just how pointless the blanket had been. He had already seen every inch of her naked and tattooed body, after all. Though to his credit, after his first shocked perusal today, he had kept his eyes above her chest. Whereas she, on the other hand . . .

It's not your fault, she told herself as she reluctantly donned the underwear and pulled on the most modest tank top and shorts she could find. He's seen pictures of you naked. You've never seen him without his clothes on. And he was incredibly good-looking. It was only natural that she had stared.

Kurt had waited to be seated until she joined him, ever the gentleman, even with a woman he despised, and Jane's mouth watered as she eyed the delicious spread. The main dish was some sort of pasta, with breadsticks and stuffed mushrooms, and chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert. There was even a bottle of wine—uncorked—to go with it. Despite his warning to Kurt earlier, he apparently didn't want to leave them with anything that could be used as a weapon.

Including tableware. Despite the gravity of the situation, Jane couldn't help but smile at Rich's cunning as she noticed the table was set with Styrofoam plates and cups and plastic silverware. It was an incongruous sight with such a fancy meal. "It smells wonderful."

Kurt quirked an eyebrow as she began filling her plate. Clearly, now was not the time to tell her that Rich's omniscience extended to the food he'd had his chef prepare them. Several of these foods were aphrodisiacs. He picked up the wine and poured Jane a glass before serving himself, and they ate, if not in companionable silence, at least not the sharp discord that had marked the majority of their interactions of late.

Contrary to Rich's instructions and no doubt as he'd expected, when they were done, they didn't immediately vacate the dining room. Kurt studied the space closely, but just as Rich promised, it was secure. No surprise there. "Come on," he said to Jane, glancing up at the security camera and wondering if someone was actively monitoring it. If they were being watched at this very moment. "We might as well do as Rich asked. At least for tonight."

Jane followed him back into the bedroom, and Kurt got his answer: the steel door between the rooms instantly slid shut with a snap. He resumed his inspection of their prison, pacing the space with a restless energy reminiscent of their time at the CDC, and Jane meandered over to the bookshelf to try to keep his nerves from getting the best of her as well. She could certainly use a distraction right now.

She picked up one of the books at random. The title read Fifty Shades of Gray. "I didn't know there was more than one shade of gray," she muttered as she opened it to a random page and began reading.

Kurt glanced over at her. "What?"

"Nothing," Jane murmured distractedly as she kept reading, her cheeks warming as the words leaped off the page at her, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. She dropped the book back onto the shelf as if it were a hot potato, the thud causing Kurt to whirl around.

He frowned as he took in her red-as-a-beet cheeks. "Jane? What is it?" He glanced from her to the bookshelf she was standing next to and suddenly had a very good idea what it contained. He crossed to her side and picked up the book she had tossed down haphazardly, confirming his suspicions. He replaced the book on the shelf and glanced at the other titles. Unsurprisingly, they were all more of the same. It was a collection of erotica worthy of . . . well, Rich Dotcom.

"Jane," Kurt said with far more gentleness than he had used toward her in as long as either of them could remember, "Rich put us here with one purpose and one purpose alone." He frowned. "Or at least, he wants us to believe that. Everything in here is geared toward . . . toward . . ."

"I get the picture," Jane mumbled, taking a deep breath to cool the burning in her cheeks. "So I take it you didn't find anything that can help us?"

Not unless they wanted to have a month-long orgy. The nightstands were filled with numerous condoms and lubricants and sex toys. All things Rich Dotcom no doubt used on a regular basis, but which Kurt wanted no part of. Well, except for the condoms. "No. There's no apparent way out."

Jane took another deep breath. "Okay then. Let's figure out our next move." Surely if the two of them suspended their differences and put their heads together, they could find a way to thwart Rich's diabolical plan. He couldn't force them to admit their feelings for one another, after all.

Not that they had feelings for one another, of course.

At least not any longer.

Still, by the time they finished working out their plan for the morrow, anyone who had observed them would have believed them to be, if not already a couple, certainly well on their way to that end.

From his post on the other side of the world, Rich Dotcom smiled.

His plan was working just as he had intended it.