Author's Note: I may no claims of ownership over Blindspot, it's characters, or ideas. I do however, own a necklace. But, it's not the necklace in the story, so I guess that doesn't count. Don't sue.
Also… Happy Birthday Terp4Life. You're kind of amazing.
Kurt felt the handcuffs click around her wrists, tightening them a little more than necessary. In twenty four hours, she had taken everything from him – the girl he had lost so long ago, the woman he thought he loved now. Everything was gone. He yanked her to her feet, ignoring the tears streaming down her face. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as he led her outside; she was a liar, a traitor, a common criminal. The streetlight shone bright, and a few curious onlookers stood around as he led Jane to the back of the SUV. Suddenly, almost before he could process it, a small glint caught his eye. The necklace he had given her, Taylor's necklace. Without even thinking about it, he grabbed at the pendant, ripping it off. He heard her small gasp as the chain broke, and he felt an odd sense of perverse delight at the pain he caused. He shoved the necklace into his pocket before locking Jane into the car.
Hours later, after paperwork, after the CIA, after it was all over, he finally returned home. He collapsed on his bed, feeling sick, mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. Just yesterday, life had seemed almost perfect. Now it was gone. Everything was gone. He reached down, pulling the necklace out of his pocket. A new wave of sadness washed over him, and he couldn't stop the tears.
He remembered the first time he saw necklace. Taylor had just turned one, and her mom had brought her over for a visit. Taylor, Sarah, and he were running around, and Taylor had tripped. As her mom reached down to comfort her, Taylor grabbed at the necklace. Kurt remembered his mom asking about it and how Ms. Shaw had bought it because it reminded her of Taylor's eyes. In that moment, Kurt noticed Taylor's eyes as if for the first time. Her pure green eyes, still glistening with tears, felt as if they could pierce his soul.
Those same eyes had followed him around for the next four years. They sparkled as she laughed, danced as they played, or wrinkled when she was concentrating. The same eyes that he had thought he had seen in Jane. How the first time they met, they shone with a fierce determination, a spirit that would never give up. The same eyes that made him feel as if everything was right in the world, if only for a moment.
He forced himself off his bed, ready to get rid of the necklace once and for all. Ready to get rid of Jane. He walked over to the trashcan, the chain dangling from his hands, as an image of Jane flashed through his mind.
It was about a week after they first met, right after the DNA proved she was Taylor Shaw. She had been having memories, or whatever those were, and ran out of the room, upset. He couldn't help but follow her in that moment, needing to do anything to protect her. And now, all he could remember were her eyes. How they looked the same as Taylor's had, all those years ago. Behind the tears, they still shone with an inner light that could see into his soul. Without thinking about it, he quickly shoved the necklace into a random drawer instead.
And there it stayed for months, shoved into the back of his sock drawer, forgotten.
Years ago, Sarah had bought him these crazy socks as a gag gift. They were bright green and covered with dancing Santas, and Sawyer had howled with laughter when Kurt had put them on and made his feet dance. They had quickly become a holiday tradition, as much as Christmas trees and snowmen. Which is why Kurt Weller was now digging around his sock drawer at 5 am.
Sarah had called him yesterday, discussing plans for Christmas. Although she had invited him out countless times, he had never taken her up on her offer. Work always seemed too important. He knew how terrible it sounded, but just the idea of leaving, of flying off and leaving it all behind, even if only for a few days, seemed more than he could deal with. So, Sarah had long since accepted the idea that if she wanted to see her brother again, she would have to be the one to fly out to New York. Besides, he'd teased her, he was doing her a favor – New York was so much prettier at Christmas time than Portland could ever be.
Towards the end of the conversation, Sarah had mentioned the socks, asking if he had worn them yet, or maybe now that he was the FBI Assistant Director (which she had said in a mockingly haughty tone), he was too good for goofy socks. He assured her he wasn't, and although he had honestly forgotten about them, promised her he would wear them tomorrow.
So that's why he was digging through his drawer at 5 am, trying to find those stupid socks. And that's when he felt his fingers brush up against the thin gold chain. He knew instantly what it was, even before he saw it. He hadn't remembered putting it in there – he barely remembered that night at all. It all seemed like a blur now. But right now, in that single moment, everything came rushing back. Jane. Taylor. The lies. The heartbreak. Everything.
But now, instead of the hatred and anger he had felt before, it was sadness and longing he felt now. How had everything gotten so messed up in so little time?
Sighing, he laid it out on the dresser, running his fingers along the length of chain. He felt just as confused as when he had shoved it in there. Why had he kept it at all? This was all that was left of Taylor Shaw anymore. She had no family. All that was left were the memories and this necklace. And even the memories were slowly fading. He should have just buried it with her, he thought.
"But you gave it to Jane. Not Taylor," the voice in his head reminded him. He hated that it was true. The jewelry may have been meant for Taylor, but it was Jane he had the relationship with. He had always assumed their intense connection was because she was Taylor, but before, he knew it was more than that. Taylor had been a childhood friend, a memory frozen in time. But Jane wasn't Taylor. He knew that now, and he knew that then. Sometimes he could see glimpses of the girl he knew, but it was always filtered through Jane.
The hammered gold circle gently encasing the bright green gem – the gem that so perfectly matched Taylor's eyes. That matched Jane's eyes. He remembered how much her eyes had shone when he first had given the necklace to her. She'd worn it the very next day, and every day since. At least until that one night. So yes, maybe the necklace was meant for Taylor, but it belonged to Jane.
Letting out a small sigh, Kurt laid the necklace back down on his dresser, and grabbed the elusive Santa socks. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do with it yet, but he knew he had to make a decision.
The next few days, Kurt found himself watching Jane more and more. He would glance up from his desk, catching her as she did paperwork, or when she would be walking across the bullpen, going to the lab to talk with Patterson. He started trying to leave when she did also, so they could walk together to the locker room like they had earlier, but most days she was nowhere to be found. So he took what he could get, watching her, once again cataloguing every moment, every behavior.
What hurt most of all was when he noticed her reaching for the nonexistent necklace. She was staring at some paperwork, her brows furrowed in concentration. She reached up, bringing her hand close to her neck. Then when she realized it wasn't there, a pained expression came over her face. It was as if in that moment, she was reliving that night over again. It was just a moment, then she regained her composure and her normal, stoic expression returned.
Kurt Weller knew one thing for sure – he was absolutely helpless when it came to Jane. He'd tried to be stronger, build the walls around himself, protecting his heart, refusing to allow himself to ever get close to anyone again. But Jane was always the exception. Without even trying, she found the way in.
That night, he once again picked up the necklace from where it laid on his dresser. He hadn't known what to do with it until now. He gently fingered the broken clasp. He remembered the feeling, the gentle pressure as the clasp broke, the chain going slack in his hands, the small wince on Jane's face. How that small action had brought him relief, a physical way to show his anger. Now it just felt sickening.
It didn't look too bad, perhaps something could be done. He grabbed his phone, and before he could talk himself out of it, texted Sarah. "Where's a good jewelry repair place? Something small."
"Greenwhich St Jewelers"
"Wait! Why! What jewelry? What haven't you told me? Who's the girl?"
"Thanks"
As it turned out, the jewelry store was less than a mile from the office, so the next day, when it was still relatively slow, he walked down during lunch. He still couldn't explain exactly why he was doing this, all he knew was that it felt right. He had expected the repair to take a few days, so when they said it could be fixed while he waited, he nearly panicked.
It had seemed so obvious to him last night. The necklace was for Jane, simple as that. But now that he was actually faced with the idea of giving it to her, well, that was something else. He remembered the first time, how he had tried to pass it off as casual, just a simple birthday present, something she deserved to have. But he remembered he was just as nervous then as now. They hadn't talked much about her being Taylor, he had been afraid maybe she would think he was overstepping his bounds or something. This time was no different – well, it was different. This time he knew for sure who he was giving it to.
It took a few days before he was able to catch her before she went home. He had stayed late one night, finishing up paperwork. He thought the office was empty when he saw her, slowly gathering her items, walking towards the locker room.
He watched her for a minute; she was almost at the hallway when he remembered what he had to do. He hurried out of his office, hoping to catch her before she got too far. "Jane?" he called out.
She looked panicked for a second when she turned, but her face softened. "Oh, hey," she said softly as he came closer. Jane had thought she was alone, it was nearly 8pm, and the office was empty. She hadn't even thought to look into Kurt's office. She stood, staring at the ground. She wasn't even sure why he had called out. Even if he was still there, it wasn't as if there was anything left to be said between them.
He took a deep breath, walking closer, closer than he had since she came back. He reached down, feeling the jewelry box in his pocket. "I, uh, have something for you," he said, his voice just barely above a whisper.
Jane finally looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time. His expression was soft, kind. It reminded her of before. She'd noticed the small change in his behavior over the past week or so, but this was the first time she'd seen it too. The edge was gone, it seemed. She felt herself holding her breath, her eyes searching his face.
Those eyes, those beautiful emerald eyes. He lost all train of thought as he stared into them. "Uh, here," he thrust the box towards her, trying to remember what he had planned to say.
Jane stared at the box, gently taking it from his hands. She opened it slowly, letting out a small gasp when she saw what was inside. It couldn't be. "Kurt?" she asked, her voice soft.
"I realized… it was yours."
Jane glanced once more at the necklace. It couldn't be. After everything she'd been through – that they had been through – was he really giving it to her? "But…" she weakly protested.
Kurt felt a familiar ache in his chest. "It was never about Taylor Shaw."
Jane felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She gently lifted the chain from the box. "May I?" she asked, still not believing it was true.
Kurt nodded, taking a step closer towards her side. As she lifted the necklace up, he gently took the two ends from her hands. Their fingers touched for just a second, and the familiar sparks returned. Jane reached back, pulling her hair to the side as he clasped it behind her neck.
Kurt let his hand linger on her neck a moment longer than necessary. He pulled it away slowly, enjoying every second of contact.
Jane's eyes were brimmed with tears, but her smile was all he needed to see. Her hand was already up, feeling the familiar cool metal between her fingers. "Thank you," was all she was able to say.
Kurt simply nodded. No more words were necessary. Seeing the necklace around her once again, he knew he had made the right choice. It was Jane, it was always Jane.