I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…
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"We know how they're passing the information." Patterson told the team with excitement in her voice.
"How?" Kurt demanded.
"They're hiding it in the trophy," Stewart told them.
"They get the trophy…" Jane insisted, "How is that helping them?"
"That's just it," Patterson insisted, "They are awarded the trophy, but they don't keep it. It goes to the people responsible for hosting the venue."
"So the corruption isn't just the team," Kurt realized, "It's the entire program?"
"Exactly," Stewart agreed, "They're hiding it in plain sight."
"So they're essentially broadcasting espionage?" Jane shook her head.
"Who's in charge of this program?" Kurt demanded.
Patterson pulled up a woman's picture on the computer, "This is Petra Slovic. She's a Russian citizen. She came to America as a Russian Bride, but she never denounced her citizenship and makes several trips to Russian every year. Any idea when?"
"After the program finishes," Reed realized.
"She goes all over promoting the series," Patterson confirmed.
"And taking the trophy with her," Zapata realized.
"It's the perfect cover," Stewart agreed.
"So the big question is the information already in the trophy or does it still have to be placed?" Kurt wondered.
"The trophy hasn't left the case since the games began. They have a ceremony at the end when the trophy is giving to the winners." Patterson explained.
"So if the Invincibles need to win…so that they can place the stolen secrets. That's probably not good for us." Tasha realized.
"No," Patterson assured her, "The former winners are either re-crowned in ceremony or they are the ones that deliver the trophy. It's kind of like passing the baton. No matter what happens for the rest of the games, the Invincibles will be able to place the stolen information."
"So the only time we will know for sure that the information is in the trophy…is during the Awards Ceremony." Jane realized.
"That means that you have to continue to compete," Rich worried.
"We'll watch out for each other," Kurt agreed looking at his team in concern.
"Jane," Patterson looked at her in regret, "You need to head over to the lake. The swimming begins in twenty minutes."
"I better get changed." Jane agreed.
"We need a boat," Rich insisted.
"They don't allow contestants on the lake during the competition." Patterson denied.
"So the only people on hand are the other competitors or the potentially corrupt officials." Tasha realized.
"I'm good in the water," Jane assured her.
Kurt didn't say anything.
He followed after Jane when she went into the bathroom to change.
"You've got this," He told her.
"I've got it," Jane insisted.
She pulled on a one piece swimsuit before reaching for her wetsuit. Kurt looked at the tattoos that brought them together. Despite all of their cryptic meanings, they represented the woman he loved. He knew that she sometimes worried about them, but they were a part of her and he loved everything about her.
She reached for her swim cap and he noted the orange color with a smile.
"You haven't been training to swim for a while," He worried.
"I'm fine," Jane insisted.
He walked over and pulled her against him.
Looking up at him Jane smiled before reaching up and kissing him with a quick peck.
"What was that?" He demanded with a little smile.
"It's all you get…until later," Jane teased him.
"What if I want more?" Kurt asked her with a little smile.
"Then meet me at the finish line," Jane suggested.
Kurt's smile faded. "How are you going to avoid jostling in the water?" Kurt worried.
"I'm going to swim under the water at the beginning," Jane explained. "I won't come up for a little while, so don't panic. The only competitors that can beat me in the water are the SEALs and they have no reason to hurt me."
"Just be careful," Kurt insisted.
"Always," Jane agreed.
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Kurt joined the team and warned them about Jane's plan.
"She can hold her breath for a really long time," Patterson admitted.
"How long?" Tasha demanded.
"When she first arrived, she was over four minutes." Patterson remembered.
"That was years ago," Reed argued.
"She knows what she's doing," Kurt insisted.
"Of course she does," Rich agreed, but without his usual levity.
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Jane deliberately moved to the opposite side of the starting dock as the competitor from the Invincible team. She waited for the starting gun and once it was fired, she leaped for the water.
It was cold, but she'd been in colder. She swam beneath the surface for as far as she dared. Once she hit the surface she was relieved to see that most of the competitors were far behind her. As expected the Navy SEAL was slightly ahead of her.
She fell into her rhythm and it helped her that she had the SEAL so close. She was able to adjust her technique so that she wasn't gaining or losing ground. This was how she trained, Jane suddenly remembered. She'd been a part of a team. Faces flashed in through her mind of the men she'd been so close to. The men she couldn't remember.
She had fallen into an unconscious rhythm when it happened. The swimmer in front of her began to show distress.
Jane slowed her pace. She looked back and realized that they had gotten so much further than the pack of competitors that they safety boats were too far away. If she tried to help him, she knew she made herself vulnerable. She could only hope that his training was good enough to remain calm in light of just such an emergency.
She came up behind him and called out, letting him know she was there.
"What's wrong?" She demanded.
"I'm cramping," He called to her.
"Where's you wetsuit?" She demanded when she got close enough to see he wasn't wearing one.
"Someone took it," The SEAL explained, "I didn't have time to replace it."
Jane knew a set up when she saw it. She just hoped he wasn't in on it, or they were both going to be in trouble.
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"Wow," Reed smiled, "Look how far ahead she is from the pack."
Kurt watched her finally emerge from beneath the water with a relieved breath and rueful smile.
"There's someone in front of her," Roman noted.
"Who is it?" Tasha said impressed.
Looking at the color of his cap, Patterson checked the schedule.
"It's the Navy SEAL," Kurt told her without waiting for confirmation.
"Yes," She agreed looking up with a smile.
"They're nearing the finish line," Tasha said in elation.
"Why are they stopping?" Roman worried.
Kurt pulled the binoculars he'd brought up and looked through them.
"Something wrong," He realized.
"With who?" Roman demanded.
Seeing Jane approaching the struggling SEAL, Kurt realized, "It's not Jane."
"Where are the safety boats?" Reed demanded.
"They're back by the pack," Tasha pointed.
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"We're almost finished," Jane assured the SEAL. "We'll get there together."
She wrapped her arm around him and began to tow him with her. He kicked with her to assist, but she could tell he was suffering. If it hadn't been for his iron will and training, she knew they would have been in real trouble. As it was they were able to continue, the pack gaining on them, but far enough back that she knew they would still cross the finish first…as long as nothing else happened.
Suddenly it seemed that the officials had been notified of their difficulties. The safety boat headed into in their direction. They crossed the finish line just as the boat arrived. Jane supported the SEAL as the boat drew alongside them. The official leaned over to help him up and Jane released him in relief. She was tired…really tired. After the man disappeared into the boat, Jane lifted up her arm so that they could pull her aboard, but instead of the assistance she expected suddenly the boat seemed to come to life. The engine roared and the boat swung around. She knew she was suddenly in terrible danger. She didn't try to swim away, because she knew there was only one way to avoid the lethal propeller, she went down.
Looking up from depth she saw boat traveling in wild circles above her. It stopped abruptly. As she watched, a body suddenly hit the water. She was going to need air soon. Before she could decide if it was safe yet or not, the swimmer in the water seemed to see her. As they neared, she realized it was the SEAL she'd been assisting earlier. He grabbed her and pulled her in close and began to head to the surface.
They broke the surface together and he demanded, "Were you hit?"
Jane gasped in breath and denied, "No."
This time he pushed her aboard before he joined her. She was surprised to see one of the officials lying on the bottom of the boat, unconscious.
"What happened?" She demanded looking over at the SEAL in concern.
"I don't know," the SEAL admitted, "He said he lost control of the boat, but he wouldn't let anyone near him and wouldn't turn off the engine. The only way I could stop the boat was to stop him."
"Are you okay?" Jane demanded crawling over to his side. He still seemed to be in distress, but he nodded with a clenched jaw.
He'd jumped back into the water to help her she realized, when he clearly should not have. She knew he was in danger of hyperthermia and pushed down her wetsuit and pulled him into her warmth, her hand attempting to message out the painful cramping she could feel rippling in his arms.
The medical expert covered them with a blanket and head toward the shore.
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"They finished," Patterson said in relief.
"The safety boat's got them," Roman agreed.
Kurt lowered the field glasses and shared a rueful smile with Roman.
"I'm going to go and meet the boat," Kurt told the team.
"We need to head over to the driving range," Reed told him.
"I'll get Jane and we'll meet you over there." Kurt assured him.
Kurt was walking toward the dock when the boat began to go in tight circles. He looked on in puzzlement, suddenly the boat abruptly stopped. When someone jumped off he stopped and lifted up the field glasses once more. He was puzzled when he didn't see Jane.
Suddenly two people appeared and one of them was clearly Jane. He watched as she was hoisted aboard in a maneuver that would have been very difficult to do for the man in the water. She then leaned over the side and assisted that man into the boat with her. They both disappeared from view and the boat headed toward shore.
He was determined to meet them.
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Jane felt the SEAL begin to shiver in no time and she was secretly relieved.
"I'm Jane," She told him.
"Riley," He answered.
"You shouldn't have risked going back into the water with this cramping." Jane worried.
"Like I was going to leave the SEAL that saved me," He scoffed, "You know better than that."
"I'm FBI," Jane explained.
"No you aren't," The SEAL denied, "Once a SEAL…"
"Always a SEAL," Jane smiled.
"Thanks," He told her.
"Thank you," She smiled.
He had his head buried in her neck breathing in her warmth when they pulled up to the dock. She had both arms wrapped around him sharing her body heat.
Kurt looked into the boat and shook his head in confusion. Jane and a man he'd never met seemed to be extremely intimate.
"What happened?" He demanded climbing aboard in concern.
"Riley's hypothermic and cramping," Jane explained.
A member of the medical team joined them. Jane released Riley and he reluctantly drew back.
"When they release me…" He looked down at her with a little smile.
She smiled up at him ruefully, "Good try."
"Come on…" He encouraged not giving up.
"My wife…has a date with me." Kurt warned him, unamused.
"Too bad," Riley smiled over at Jane in regret, letting his arms fall away.
Kurt helped Jane stand, before pulling her wet body against him possessively.
"Man I don't blame you," Riley said going with the paramedic.
"What happened?" Kurt demanded, looking down and seeing that she'd partially removed her wet suit.
"SEALS never leave each other behind." Jane explained.
Kurt had the strongest need to imprint himself on her. He understood she'd been sharing her body warmth with the SEAL, but seeing her holding another man in any type of intimate way was messing with him.
"Let's go," He insisted, pulling the blanket she still wore around her shoulders closed.
She looked at him, puzzled as he grabbed her hand and towed her away.
He didn't get far. She found herself pulled into the boathouse at the end of the dock. Expecting him to demand a recount she was surprised when instead he pushed her up against the wall and began to ravish her mouth. Her surprise was only momentary and she returned his adore with more than a little enthusiasm.
Before long her body temperature was more than a little hot.
"I might internally combust if you keep this up," She warned him with a little laugh.
"I'm feeling a little warm myself," Kurt admitted hoarsely.
"Just a little?" Jane taunted, feeling the evidence of his arousal.
"Okay I'm burning up," Kurt admitted, leaning down and claiming another kiss.
"Maybe Riley didn't need a hospital after all…" Jane mused, "Maybe he just needed a little mouth to mouth."
Kurt stiffened at that teasing.
"Are you saying you would consider doing this with anyone else?" Kurt demanded, burying his hand into her hair and holding her gaze steady with his own.
"What?" Jane didn't understand what he meant.
"You were holding him against you inside the blanket…" Kurt reminded her, "His face was buried in your neck…"
"No!" Jane denied finally understanding, "I just meant it was very effective…but I would never…" She trailed off in confusion.
"It's alright," Kurt insisted seeing her distress. "I guess I'm just a little possessive."
"You know I'm all yours," Jane denied seriously.
"And I'm all yours," Kurt assured her.
"Do you want to…?" Jane looked up at him with a little smile.
"I always want to…" Kurt said with a little laugh, "But Reed is driving in just a little while and we need to go meet the team."
"Let me get changed and we can head over there." Jane smiled to hide her disappointment, pushing her wetsuit the rest of the way down and off.
Kurt watched her bend over and remove it with possessive eyes.
"We might have a few minutes," He finally told her hoarsely lifting her back up and pressing her between him and the wall.
The others looked at them in puzzlement when they arrived just as the race was starting.
"Oh," Patterson worried, "You got a little sunburnt."
Jane reached up and felt the stubble burn on her face and neck and knew she was blushing.
Kurt laughed as he watched stammer her reply. He pulled her against him and smiled as she buried her face into his shoulder.
Patterson just looked at them with a puzzled smile before looking back at the track.
Tasha elbowed Jane in the side and she pinched her in return.
Tasha just shook her head at Patterson's naiveté.
Roman looked between his sister and Patterson with a smile. Nudging Patterson's shoulder his smiled grew when she reached over at claimed his hand absently.
It almost made Reed getting to drive instead of him worth the sacrifice.