AN: So here it is... the final chapter. A little epilogue after this. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone who read and commented. I really enjoyed writing this little ficlet.
Alice somehow managed to avoid too much scrutiny and an onslaught of questions from Patterson and Afreen as she sent them off to pick up where they left off— starting with securing them new accommodation— and reschedule all her meetings and talks.
"Are you really going to go to the hospital?" Afreen asked.
"Alice, I don't think you should... I mean..." Patterson tried to argue but both women were left without a proper answer.
"I'll see you soon," Alice said as she handed them their things, "I'll personally call the ambassador back but please make sure you take care of everything else."
"No, Ms. Kruger," Mayfair sighed, "you can't just walk out of here—"
"But you got them. The case is closed," Alice argued.
"The case is not closed," Mayfair insisted, "you and your tram are still under the FBI's protection."
Alice crossed her arms and frowned.
"I understand your team has already left with one of our agents," Mayfair said, "so if you want to leave then you can, as long as you are accompanied by one of our agents."
"I want to go see agent Weller," Alice said.
Mayfair gave her a look, followed by a long pause, and then she sat back in her chair.
Mayfair was going to have a very long talk with Weller when this was over.
"Very well then," Mayfair said, "we have an agent on their way right now. You can go with her."
The moment Alice stepped into the hospital, she realized she couldn't really justify her presence to the nurses, so she stepped back as Agent Rose walked up to the nurses' station.
"Agent Rose with the FBI. I'm here for Agent Weller," she said with authority.
The head nurse stood up and walked over to them.
"Yes, this way please," she instructed and they followed her quickly.
"He's in surgery right now," she said, "he'd been caught under his vest and by the time he'd gotten here he'd lost a lot of blood. Fortunately, the doctor doesn't think any irreversible damage has been done."
Alice realized then that she's been holding her breath.
"You can wait here," the head nurse said as they entered a small waiting area, "if you need anything, please let me know."
Alice stepped in after Agent Rose and realized there was someone already there. Before getting a proper look at the person— she was sitting with her back to the entryway— Alice assumed it must be Kurt's sister. But as they walked around, she realized she'd seen that woman before. It was Allison Knight.
Agent Rose gave Allison a small nod as she silently sat down while Alice lingered back for a moment. She dug her hands into her jacket pockets and moved in.
"Hi," she said as she approached Allison and gave her a polite smile, "I don't think we were properly introduced the last time... at the children's museum... I'm Alice."
"Oh hi!" Allison stood up and took her hand, "of course! You were incredible— I'm sorry, I'm Allison. Allie."
The two women shook hands and then stepped back and sat down. "How are you doing? After last night?" Allie asked.
"I'm... I'm fine," Alice replied, "I'm sorry. But how do you know about—"
"Oh, I'm a detective with the NYPD," Allie explained, "my precinct was the one that responded to the shooting."
"Oh, ok," Alice said, "yeah... I'm ok."
They were quiet for a moment before Alice moved forward in her seat. "Are... are you Agent Weller's emergency contact?" She asked curiously— not sure why she suddenly felt a surge of jealousy.
She knew the woman was the mother of Kurt's daughter and that they were close friends— and that she had no right feeling jealous— and yet.
Allie shook her head and chuckled.
"Oh no," Allie replied, "that would never bode well for anyone. One would us would've killed the other a long time ago."
Alice relaxed back in her seat, finding herself surprisingly comfortable in the presence of the other woman— she had something about her that Alice liked and she was starting to realize how Kurt and Allison were such good friends.
"Sarah, his sister, is his emergency contact," Allie said, "but she's out of town for a few days and called me after the hospital got in touch with her."
"Oh," Alice replied, "she must be worried though—"
"I don't know," Allie shrugged, "this idiot gets himself stabbed or shot or blown up at least once a month. You'd drive yourself mad if you worried about him every time he ended up here."
Alice laughed at that but also felt a shudder run through her at the thought of Kurt always putting himself in such positions— and after the way he downplayed the gun shot last night, she knew it was him putting himself in such situations.
Idiot, she thought to herself.
Just then Allie's phone beeped and she glanced at it and smiled.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I just gotta make a quick call."
"Of course," Alice nodded.
Allie made no attempt to step away for the call, just sat forward and quickly dialed a number.
"Hey sweetie," she said into the phone, "are you having a good time with Nana?"
She paused for a moment and Alice could hear a toddler's voice on the other end.
"That's great," Allie replied, "now you be good and I promise I won't be too long. Ok?"
Allie ended the phone and sat back. "I swear, my mom was a healthy food maniac when we were kids," she laughed, "but now she stuffs Bee full of sugar every chance she gets. I don't know what happens to moms when they become grandmothers but I swear it has to be studied by scientists."
Alice laughed at that. Something told her her own mother would probably be the same— that phenomenon was an international one.
"Bethany is lucky to have you guys," Alice said— she remembered the way Kurt gushed about his little girl when he talked about her.
"We're the lucky ones," Allie replied, "she may have been a mistake but... you know it's funny. In our line of work, you rarely find yourself eager to have kids. When Kurt and I were dating, it wasn't ever that serious that we thought about it, but the topic hypothetically was discussed and we were both on the same length. Kids and our line of work didn't really mix."
"So it was never an issue while we were together," Allie said, "but then one weird drunken night... and nine months later Bee is born and she becomes the most important thing in our lives."
"It must have been... terrifying when you found out," Alice said.
"It was," Allie replied, "neither one of us handled it that well at first but Kurt came through for me. He somehow got a handle on things faster than I did and he's been unbelievable ever since."
Allie chuckled slightly and then smirked. "When it comes to Bee, I mean. He's still a complete pain the butt with regards to everything else," Allie teased, "but as a dad and a co-parent... he's amazing."
"Can I ask you something?" Alice said, "if it's not too—"
Allie shrugged. "Ask away," she replied.
"Why didn't it work between you two?"
"Ha!" Allie laughed and shook her head, "did you miss the part about him being an idiot and a complete pain in the butt?"
"No, I mean—"
"Look, Kurt is an amazing guy. One of the most wonderful people I have ever known," Allie said— her tone serious. "I don't think I've ever met anyone as good and honest and kind and loving as he is… but he's also the most introverted guy I know. He has these walls up and to be honest it took me years of knowing him before I could even get a glimpse of who he really is. And even then, he still found a way to lock me out. He's one of my best friends. I love him so much and would do anything for him," Allie said, "but it's gonna take someone special to be really able to get through all his walls. She's gonna be one lucky woman but… she probably doesn't exist."
Alice let that sink in for a moment, sitting quietly as he eyes shifted between Allie and the door to the operating room.
"You know what? I don't think Kurt has actually dated anyone since Bethany was born," Allie added nonchalantly, "except for a few blind dates that Sarah has set him up on."
They fell into a comfortable silence after that. Alice focused on her phone, catching up on messages and emails and coordinating with Patterson on what's to come. She sighed when she realized she had a meeting in an hour that could not be rescheduled or postponed.
It was not long before the door to the OR opened and the doctor stepped out.
Alice almost jumped out of her seat to meet the doctor, but then pulled herself back, perfectly aware how even her presence there would be considered inappropriate. She didn't want to push things even more. So she waited as Allie got up and walked towards the doctor before she followed her and stood a couple of feet back.
"He's fine," the doctor said, with a smile on her face that indicated she and Allie knew each other, "he was pretty lucky. Again."
Allie shook her head and smiled back. "At least he was wearing a vest this time," she sighed, "is he awake?"
The doctor shook her head. "Still have him sedated," she replied, "figured he probably hasn't slept in a few days so I thought we could let him get some rest."
The two women in front of Alice chuckled and Allie turned around to look at Alice. "I told you, he's a regular here," Allie said, "Alice, this is Doctor Horne. Doctor Horne. Alice."
The two women shook hands. "He has a habit of trying to get discharged the minute we wheel him out of surgery," Dr. Horne said, "so sometimes it's the only way to have him stay put."
Alice gave the doctor a small smile and nodded. Yeah, that sounded like him, she thought to herself.
"He's being transferred to a room right now," Dr. Horne said, "if you want to go up and meet him. I'll have one of the nurses tell you which room."
She excused herself after that and left.
"So, should we head on up?" Allie asked as she grabbed her bag off the chair.
Alice rocked back on her heels and shook her head. "Oh, umm… I should… I need to head out," she mumbled, "I just wanted to make sure he was going to be okay… but I… I've got a meeting I should get to."
"Alright," Allie smiled, "thanks for keeping me company. I'll let him know you were here if you want—"
"Yeah, sure… you don't have to, I mean—"
"I hope we get to see each other again, Alice," Allie smirked, "good luck with the rest of your trip."
Four Days Later
Alice's case was closed within twenty four hours of the arrest and the FBI was officially relieved of their protective duties. And the days after that had been hectic. Alice and her team had to catch up on everything they had missed. There were meetings and talks and speeches almost back to back every single day.
Alice had checked in on Kurt once after she'd learned he had left the hospital. It was a short phone call— comprising mainly of her making sure he was ok, making him promise repeatedly that he was not downplaying it, and both staying away from any other topic.
On his end, Kurt was also swamped with work— finishing the paperwork and building a case against the assassins and coordinating with Interpol. A part of him was glad the workload meant he was to preoccupied to think about anything else. But another part really… missed her. He'd searched for reasons to have to call her or talk to her or see her. But unfortunately, Mayfair had found a way to make sure every question he had could be answered by either Patterson or Afreen.
He knew she was doing it on purpose but he was not about to start that conversation with her.
Even though technically that time should have allowed him a chance to think and make sense of the situation and more or less come to his senses, he found himself four days later, living work early to attend a talk she was having at Columbia University.
He stood at the back of the large auditorium, once again finding himself in awe of her. She was taking questions from the students when someone walked up and stood right next to him.
"You're the guy who saved Jane's life, huh?"
Slightly startled, Kurt turned towards the man.
"You're the guy who saved my sister's life, aren't you?"
Kurt nodded solemnly. "You must be Ian Kruger," Kurt said extended a hand.
The man in front of him took it and firm firmly. "And you must be Agent Kurt Weller," he replied.
"I'm glad to see you're out in one piece," Kurt said, "you're sister was worried about you."
"Thanks," Ian replied, "And I believe the same could be said about you. She told me what happened... thank you. For everything you did."
Kurt gave him a short nod. "Just doing my job," he said.
Ian chuckled and turns to watch Alice for a moment. "I can imagine it wasn't an easy one," he said, "my sister can be a handful at times."
"No, no she..." Kurt's eyes were back on her, "she's incredible."
The two men watched the rest of the event in silence and then waited as the attendees slowly emptied the auditorium before they walked over together towards the stage— Kurt staying a few steps behind Ian to allow the man a proper reunion with his sister.
First to see them approaching was Afreen.
"Oh my God! Ian!" She gasped and behind her Alice swiftly turned around.
Ian gave them both a smile and hopped up onto the stage while Kurt remained behind him. He watched as the brother and sister embraced and Kurt silently waved a hello towards Afreen before looking back at the siblings and finally catching Alice's gaze. She smiled sweetly at him and he nodded, returning the smile, and silently communicating that she should properly welcome her brother first.
Ian gave them both a smile and hopped up onto the stage while Kurt remained behind him. He watched as the brother and sister embraced and Kurt silently waved a hello towards Afreen before looking back at the siblings and finally catching Alice's gaze. She smiled sweetly at him and he nodded, returning the smile, and silently communicating that she should properly welcome her brother first.
"When did you fly in?" Alice asked him as she stepped back from their hug.
"A couple of hours ago," Ian replied, "dropped my stuff off at the hotel, room a quick shower and came here."
"I didn't know you were coming," Alice said.
She saw Kurt get up onto the stage now and start helping Afreen put their stuff away.
"I wasn't gonna miss the big event tonight," Ian said, "it's not every day my sister gets a Medal of Honor."
Alice rolled her eyes. "I'm not getting a Medal of Honor," she said, "it's just a little... whatever."
"Well,either way, it's incredible," Ian insisted.
Alice looked at him for a moment, studied him closely, and then she spoke softly. "Are you ok?"
Ian gave her a tight smile and nodded. "I'm fine," he insisted— and then over her shoulder he saw someone walk onto the stage and he felt his throat tighten.
"Patterson," he said gently and Kurt looked up to see the typically composed blonde almost shudder and turn pale.
"Ian," she whispered.
Suddenly, Alice's brother was almost sprinting across the stage and pulled Patterson into a desperate hug.
"I was so worried about you," he sighed into her shoulder.
Patterson let out a sob and hugged him back just as tightly, her face buried desperately into his neck.
"Well, it's about damn time," Afreen chuckled from beside Kurt.
She looked up and noticed, the man next to her and her boss sharing an intense look and took that as her cue. "Well, I'll just...yup... I'm... I'll just be over there," she mumbled and took her things and walked off the stage.
"Well, that's interesting," Kurt commented with chuckle at Ian and Patterson.
"Yeah... good thing it only took both of them almost dying for that to happen," Alice laughed, "you have no idea how frustrating it's been watching them pine for each for almost half my life."
Kurt smiled and turned to look at her. Last time he'd seen her felt like a lifetime ago but he realized the urge to reach for her was still as strong, if not stronger, and at that he shoved his hands into his pockets.
She kept her eyes on Ian and Patterson for a moment longer than he did and when she finally looked away, she found him looking at her.
The look in his eyes took her breath away and suddenly a rush of emotion took over her.
She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around herself to stop them from reaching for him. "You promised me you wouldn't die," she whispered emotionally.
"I didn't," he found himself chuckling.
"You came pretty damn close though," she said, with clenched jaws, "I was so scared when they told me what happened. I—"
"I'm fine," he whispered, pulling one hand out of his pocket and brushing his fingers against her arms, "I'm right here."
She closed her eyes for a moment, the gentle touch against her arm almost too much— and the flashbacks to how scared she had been, the fear of something happening to him— it was all too much.
She couldn't see him step closer but she did feel him do so. She could also feel his fingers travel down the length of her arm until he reached her hand and grabbed it in his. And then he was pulling it away from her body towards his. She opened her slowly just as he lay her hand over his chest and pressed his above hers so tight that she could feel his heart beat under her fingertips.
"I'm right here," he whispered, "I'm right here with you."
She closed her eyes again, unable to bear the weight of the emotions, and then leaned into him and sighed against his chest when his free arm wrapped her in a tight embrace.
"Thank you," she whispered against him, "for... for everything."
They stood like that for a moment, both oblivious to the fact that those around them were watching them— at least briefly before they gave them their privacy and stepped out of the auditorium as well.
They finally pulled back and they smiled.
"Hi," Alice said sweetly and Kurt chuckled.
"Hi," he replied.
"How's your…" she slid her hand down his side to where she knew the bandages should be covering his stab wound.
"Good," he said, reaching for her hand and taking it in his.
He rocked back slightly— almost nervously as she watched intently— and then squeezed her hand. "I wanted to ask you something," he finally said.
"Sure," she said.
"I was wondering if you'd extended your stay in New York a few days," he said, "I know you're leaving on Friday but… I was hoping you'd stay at least till later on Saturday…"
She raised an eyebrow and her mouth twitched. "Why's that?" She asked.
"Well… I was hoping I could ask you out… I mean… I've got this thing on Saturday that I'd like you to come along to… it's just that—"
"Are you asking me out on a date Agent Weller?" She but her lip.
"I… I guess I am, ma'am," he replied.
"Wouldn't the FBI frown upon that?" She teased.
"I don't see how it's any of their business," he replied, "now that your case is closed… it sorta means we could do this."
He caught her slightly by surprise then, tugging her forward and pressing his lips to hers. It was a soft at first, gentle and tentative and cautious. But then it was her to took it a step forward, after her initial shock had subsided, and she brought her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him closer.
The only pulled back when they were interrupted by the auditorium's custodial staff taking the stage.
The jumped back, both giggling at the ridiculous situation and apologizing to the workers.
With her hand still in his— both of them flushed and out of breath— they swiftly stepped off the stage and made their way out of the auditorium. Standing right outside the door, they could see Patterson, Afreen and Ian waiting for them a short distance away.
"So… about Saturday?" He asked.
"What did you have in mind?" She replied.
"Well… it's actually Bee's fourth birthday and I'd love it if you would come with me, but if that's… if you're not comfortable with that—"
"I'd love to," she replied and then chuckled, "never in a million years would have I thought that Kurt Weller would take a woman to his daughter's birthday party for a first date."
"Not just any woman," he said, brushing his fingers against her cheek, "just you."
One Week Later
They were in his apartment, cuddled on the couch, their drinks on the coffee table in front of them and the take out boxes still sitting there as well.
"I'm going to have to leave eventually," Alice said somberly. Kurt just nodded, held her tightly against him and pressed his lips to her shoulder.
They both knew this was inevitable. Even when she decided to extend her stay a few days longer, they knew it was all just temporary— which was why Kurt had done something he'd never done before. He took the week off work to be able to spend every possible minute with her.
"I know," he whispered.
They'd spent the whole week together getting to know each other better, but the knowledge that it would all have to come to an end soon always lingered painfully.
She'd surprisingly enjoyed Bethany's birthday party a lot. It was a small event and luckily she already knew Allie so there was more than one familiar face there. She got to know Kurt's sister and nephew— and of course Little Bee. And the best part of it all was that she got to see Kurt— not Agent Weller but Kurt— and she got to see him with his family and his daughter.
Every day since then had been perfect.
Alice sighed and turned around to face him, brushing a soft kiss against his lips before she spoke. "I can't keep ignoring it anymore," she said, "and… and we have to talk about…"
Kurt nodded and pulled her towards him to rest his forehead against hers.
"We'll figure something out," he said, "if… if you want to, I mean… if you want this… us… to be more than just this week—"
"Of course I do," Alice interrupted him, "you know I do."
She pulled back and brought her hands up to his face, tenderly brushing her fingers against his cheeks.
"We can make this work," she insisted.
He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes.
"We will."