Chapter 2

Jess was sitting in the chair in the kitchen, while Kate stood in front of her, waiting for her to say something, anything but the silence that was currently occupying the room.

"Jessica, tell me what you're thinking?"

Jess finally looked up at Kate, a confused look on her face before she finally said something.

"Kate, I don't know what you want me to say, what can I say. You worked for a criminal, a man who supposedly a good friend and yet he shot you in the head. Your migraines suddenly make so much sense to me now."

Kate took one of the other chairs from the table and brought it over so that she was sitting on front of Jess.

"Dearie, there have been so many times when I've wanted to tell you, tell you about who I really was, what I did in my life but I was afraid that if I did tell you then you'd leave."

"You've killed people Kate, you've buried god knows how many bodies for this man, by rights you should be in prison."

"Are you going to the police?"

Jess heard the slight shake in Kate's voice when she asked the question, looking back at the older woman who had become such a big part of both her and her daughters life. Jess reached out, taking tight hold of Kate's hand.

"The woman you're telling me about, that isn't the same woman Paige and I have been living with for the last year and a half, that's not the woman I've fell in love with."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring all of this to your door."

"This Reddington guy, he thought you were dead?"

"Yes…when I jumped from that bridge, I honestly thought I would be. I didn't think I'd survive the drop but…"

"Well, if you survived a bullet to your head then I guess anything can happen."

"I didn't want to have to call him."

"Then why? Let's just get rid of the body out there and forget all of this."

"He's in danger, I have to warn him."

Jess got to her feet at Kate's last sentence, anger on her face.

"Oh my god Kate, the man shot you. You don't owe him a damn thing."

"I know, I know. I just can't shake the feeling of guilt if I didn't. We go back a long way Jess, we meant something to one another once."

Jess was about to speak when Paige appeared in the doorway, hugging her small bear, looking scared. Kate followed Jess eyes, seeing the young girl watching her.

"Paige sweetheart, I though your mother told you to go back to bed."

"She said she'd read to me, will you read to me Kateeee."

"How about you go to sleep and I'll read to you first thing in the morning and I'll make you some blueberry pancakes."

Paige smiled when Kate mentioned pancakes.

"Would you like that honey." Jess smiled.

"Okay, Kateee?"

"Yes dearie?"

"When you and mommy get married, does that mean you'll be my mommy too?"

Kate looked over at Jess who just smiled at them both.

"Jess?"

"You already know how I feel about it."

"I guess it does dearie, is that okay with you?"

"Love you Kateeee."

Paige moved forward, wrapping her small arms around Kate's neck, causing Kate to nearly fall back. Kate held the small child, a warm feeling coming over her, wishing she had met Jess so many years before.

Dembe pulled in to the road, driving past all the large houses in the area, pulling up outside the address that Kate had given to Red.

"Raymond, we're here."

Red looked out the window at the big house, the large front garden with the children's slide in the middle.

"It would appear that she doesn't live alone."

"Are you sure about this?"

"You and I both know she wouldn't have called me unless it was life or death, come on."

Red got out of the car, Dembe coming around to Red's side as the other man looked towards the house, not moving at first.

"I need to ask you something Raymond?"

"What's that then?"

"Kate, you tried to kill her, she acted out her revenge, took you for everything you had, destroyed you."

"You want to know if I'll try again?"

"All the anger, it hasn't helped anyone. All it's done is destroy you both and caused nothing but pain. You were close once, there was a time when you would do absolutely anything for her, hurt anyone who tried to harm her."

"Dembe…"

"She made a mistake, a huge one but revenge didn't solve anything, all it did was make everything worse. Maybe it's time to move on, put the ghosts to rest and start fresh. You wouldn't have come here tonight if she still didn't mean something to you."

"There's no guarantee that Kate will want to forgive and forget, by the looks of things, she's made a new life for herself."

"You said she sounded worried on the phone, maybe some things from your past can't stay buried."

"Well standing out here isn't going to help us find that out, will it. Come on, we should go and see what Mr Kaplan needs."

Red walked ahead, Dembe watching his friend and boss, seeing the remorse was still very much present in him.

To Be Continued…