I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rich was startled awake when he heard an explosion followed by rapid fire. She was here! He couldn't prevent the smile that transformed his battered face. Wincing as his split lip protested he ignored the pain and reached under his pallet on the floor until he found what he was looking for. It only took a few moments to get the cuffs off.

He knew she was coming for him, but he didn't want her to think she was saving him. She was, but he didn't want her to think she was… Moving over to the door he listened. When everything remained silent, he began to work on that lock. Before he could get it, the knob began to turn from the outside.

Stepping hastily back into the shadows he waited to see if death or freedom was coming.

"Rich?" The voice that called to him wasn't the one he was expecting…

Rushing forward he doubted his own eyes. She sounded like Patterson, but she didn't look like her. The short pixie brown haircut made her look like a little elf!

"Patterson?!" He all but gasped.

"Rich!" Patterson quickly moved further into the room, "We need to get out of here."

Suddenly she was enveloped in a crushing hug.

"They told me you were dead!" He protested.

"So far as they know," Patterson explained, "I am."

"You came for me," He said sentimentally as he followed her over to the door.

"Don't let it go to your head," Patterson insisted.

"Are the others….?" Rich asked hesitantly.

"Holding off reinforcements," Paterson explained.

"Weller, Jane, Reade and what's her name?" Rich confirmed.

"Tasha," Patterson said in exasperation, "You know her name is Tasha and yes they're all here."

"Wait!" Rich stopped abruptly, "I'm not the only prisoner!"

"We aren't breaking everyone out," Patterson insisted.

"They have Nigel and Cade here," Rich explained.

"What?" Patterson was clearly stunned.

"They know Jane's alive," Rich hissed, "They're trying to find her by getting information on where she might go from her old associates."

Patterson hesitated. That did change things. Jane was using Remi's old resources and if either Nigel or Cade broke, it would be a way to trace them. She couldn't leave them here, but she knew just how dangerous both men were. She didn't exactly have a holding cell to transfer them into and she couldn't just let them go free…

"Contact the others," Rich encouraged her, "See what we should do…"

"I don't have any coms," Patterson reminded him impatiently, "We aren't here as FBI…"

"Just release them and let them go!" Rich insisted.

"We need to get them," Patterson reluctantly conceded.

Rich didn't comment on her decision. She'd come for him and he would follow her anywhere.

Suddenly Jane came down the steps, "Let's go!" She called over.

Rich blinked a couple of times, but the woman before him still sounded like Jane, but looked like a stranger. How hard had they hit him?

"Jane?" Rich confirmed.

"Not now Rich," She said with tone.

It was definitely Jane…Rich ignored the pain as he rushed forward and picked her up clear off the floor.

"I knew you were coming for me," He told her.

"Don't let it go to your head," Jane warned him.

"Why does everyone keep saying that? You know you love me," He insisted, "How could you resist this?"

Seeing his battered but hopeful expression, Jane hugged him back, "I did miss you."

His eyes jerked over to Patterson, "Are you sure this is Jane?"

"I'm sure," Patterson was watching the two of them with an indulgent expression, "But we have the bigger picture here."

"They have Nigel and Cade," Rich explained to her.

"What?" Jane hadn't expected to hear that.

"They know you're alive," Rich explained, "They're trying to get information from known associates."

"We need to get them," Patterson insisted.

"Both of those men have a reason to want us dead," Jane reminded Patterson.

"They've been here for weeks," Rich told her, "And haven't told them anything."

"They haven't known anything," Patterson reminded him.

"How do you know they haven't been talking?" Jane demanded.

"Oh, please," Rich argued, "You think I don't know what's going on around here? I might have been a prisoner, but when has that ever stopped me from gathering information?"

"He has a point," Patterson reluctantly admitted.

"She said I was right!" Rich looked over at Jane with a triumphant expression.

"I said no such thing," Patterson denied.

"I was tortured for months without giving you up and you can't even agree that I was right?" Rich demanded in outrage.

"Fine," Patterson scowled at him, "You're right."

"I'm right," Rich looked over at Jane with a big grin.

"Let's go," She turned away from the squabbling pair. She would never say it out loud, but she was relieved at Rich's apparent normal behavior. She'd come out of the CIA black site changed forever. It probably helped that they'd come for him. Would things have been different if someone had come for her? Shaking her head at these dark thoughts, she tried to focus on the present.

Suddenly Kurt was coming down the stairs.

"You okay?" He worried looking at her serious expression.

Looking up into his worried face she let the past go. He'd come for her now, of that she had no doubt.

"We're good." Jane assured him, "Nigel and Cade are here."

"Why?" Kurt looked perplexed.

"They know Jane's alive and are trying to find her," Rich piped up.

Looking past Jane's shoulder Kurt took in Rich's battered expression.

"You okay?" He worried.

"You….shaved!" Rich all but accused him.

"It grows back," Patterson teased him.

"But…" For the first time Rich looked truly distressed.

"What's taking so long?" Reade called from the deck.

When Reade's full beard and long hair appeared in the opening Rich looked over at Patterson and demanded, "What kind of alternative universe is this? Did I die and this is my version of hell or what?"

"Rich," Patterson chided, "Reade looks…"

"Like he's homeless," Rich hissed, "Is what's her name a boy now?"

Just then Tasha appeared behind Reade, "Are we trying to get caught?"

Seeing her chin cropped blond hair, Rich just stared.

"Is he okay?" Tasha demanded.

"I…" Rich cleared his throat, "All good."

"I know how you feel," Reade assured him, gesturing him to precede him.

"What?" Tasha demanded.

"Same attitude," Rich whispered to Reade.

"That's the best part," Reade insisted.

"Sure," Rich rolled his eyes.

"We need to release Nigel and Cade," Jane warned the others.

"They're here?" Reade demanded.

"They know Jane's alive," Rich explained, "They're using her old contacts to try and find her."

"We can't take them with us," Tasha protested.

"We can't let them go!" Reade argued.

"We don't have any other choice," Kurt insisted, "If they roll over on Jane, we lose her old contacts."

"Fine," Reade didn't look happy.

When Patterson turned toward the other cells, Jane stopped her.

"Let me." She argued.

"They might not like you very much." Patterson worried.

"All the more reason," Jane insisted.

"Jane and I will release the other prisoner's and catch up with you," Kurt insisted.

"You want us to just go?" Patterson protested.

"I don't want you to have to stay," Jane explained gently.

"I'm not leaving any one of you behind," Patterson insisted, "Plus, what if they try to kill you?"

"Then we wouldn't have to worry about catching them again," Reade pointed out.

"Not funny," Jane scowled.

"Do it," Kurt insisted, "We don't have much time."

Jane walked over to the first door. She inserted the key and hesitantly turned the lock. Expecting the door to burst open she shared a puzzled look with Kurt when it didn't move. Opening it she looked into the dark room expecting the worst. Cade was sitting on the floor, chains around his wrists. He didn't even look up when they entered the room.

"Cade?" She called softly.

Nothing.

Moving closer she looked over at Kurt in dismay.

"Cade?" She placed her hand on his shoulder.

Just that quickly he moved. Her feet were swept out from under her and Cade reached for her throat. Before he could get her he seemed to become aware of his surroundings.

"Remi?" He demanded in shock.

Kurt didn't waste any time seeing what he did next. Placing himself between his prone wife and her attacker he kicked Cade backward.

"You want us to leave you here?" Kurt demanded.

"NO!" Cade denied.

Jane went to re-approach him more cautiously.

Kurt stopped her. She passed him the keys.

Cade didn't look away from Jane while Kurt unlocked his cuffs.

"What are you doing here?" Cade demanded, "You know they're looking for you."

"We came for Rich," Jane admitted.

"I'm hardly surprised you aren't here for me," Cade stood up.

"We didn't know you were here," Jane denied, "When we found out we came for you."

"What now?" Cade asked them.

"You can go," Jane encouraged.

"Where?" Cade scoffed.

"Wherever you want," Jane insisted.

Cade turned away before stopping, "They're looking for you."

"Well, I'm coming for them," Jane replied.

"I want in," Cade told her.

"What about your family…your son?" Jane demanded.

"It's been too long," Cade insisted, "They must think I'm dead. I can never go home, they'll find me there and I'm not willing to destroy my family's lives by uprooting them to run with me."

"No," Kurt denied.

"I can help," Cade insisted.

"Can we discuss this off this boat?" Rich demanded from the doorway, "You know reinforcements are coming."

Jane and Kurt didn't argue any further. Once they joined the others in the hallway, they found Nigel already standing with the others.

"I knew you were alive," Nigel told her holding his arm against his chest. His face was battered and blood had run down his neck from his ear.

"Let's go," Kurt looked over at Patterson in concern.

Her stoic look only worried him further.

Rich was glaring at Nigel even as he turned toward the stairs.

The team made it off the boat without intervention. It was Patterson's idea not to come from the land, but from the sea. It was the only way they could ensure that their change in appearance would remain undetected.

Patterson grabbed the device she'd used to generate the EMP that fried their systems. The last thing she wanted to do was leave evidence behind.

"Is that my EMP design?" Rich asked.

"I modified it," Patterson denied.

"What? You changed the color?" Rich reached for it, but Patterson dropped it into the backpack and zipped it up with a glare.

"So you could say I had a hand in saving myself," Rich insisted.

"I'm going to throw you overboard," Tasha warned him.

"Yeah," Rich looked over at her, "I thought you looked pretty hot when I saw you, but nothing is worth this."

When Tasha just glared at him he turned to Jane, "How could you let him shave?"

Jane's head fell back against Kurt's shoulder and his arm tightened around her waist.

"Maybe we should focus on getting out of here," Kurt suggested, "Unless you want to return to your cell."
"Now there's no need to be grumpy," Rich denied, "Has anyone contacted Boston? Now that I've escaped, they might try to use him to find me."

"He went into hiding right after the man hunt for us went public," Patterson denied, "I couldn't even find him."

"You think he's with Chet?" Rich worried.

"I have no idea," Patterson denied.

"I hate Chet," Rich insisted, "It would be just like him to be sitting on some beach with Chet while I'm being tortured by the CIA!"

Knowing how Rich got when he was on a roll Reade interrupted his tirade, "I'm sure he's just lying low."

"Yeah," Rich agreed, "Chet's a weenie. He'd never help Boston hide from the CIA!"

"Focus Rich," Jane insisted scanning the water for anyone chasing them.

"Does anyone want to explain exactly what's going on?" Nigel asked pragmatically.

"The Government tried to kill us with a drone." Jane explained, "Now they think the teams dead and I'm a fugitive wanted by the FBI."

"For what exactly?" Nigel demanded.

"We were trying to bring down Madeline Burke and HCI Global, but she has money and influence. She was able to leverage the FBI." Jane explained.

"This is what made you a fugitive to begin with," Nigel noted, "So it all starts again…"

"Well," Jane agreed, "You could say I'm not a big fan of the drone program."

"I never thought I'd see the day that Kurt Weller would be a wanted felon," Nigel shook his head.

"I'm fighting corruption," Kurt insisted, "Not the Government."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Nigel asked him, "You can gloss it up, but this is how it all starts."

"I'm not going to end up like you," Kurt insisted.

"The only difference between you and me," Nigel insisted, "Is that your wife is still alive. If Jane had been killed in that attack you might not feel the same way."

Kurt's arm tightened around Jane. He didn't argue any further, because he knew what Nigel said was true. If Jane had been killed…he would never be the same.

"Well, as much fun as the first time was," Nigel said with irony, "I want out."

"Where are you going to go?" Jane worried.

"As far away from you as I can get," Nigel admitted.

"This isn't Jane's fault!" Patterson all but yelled.

"I never said it was," Nigel chided, "But unlike you I've already been on this ride. It's not going to end well."

"Not even for a chance at freedom?" Reade asked him.

"You can't even guarantee that for yourselves," Nigel reminded him, "How can I trust any of you anyway?"

"You can't trust us?" Tasha couldn't remain silent any longer.

"Don't lie," Cade warned her, "You turned your back on the deal with me."

Tasha couldn't deny it.

"That's what I'm talking about," Nigel insisted, "This won't end until you're killed. You can't beat them and they won't ever stop."

"We can beat them," Kurt insisted.

"How?" Cade demanded, "You follow your rules and they have no rules. How can you possibly ever win?"

"If we become like them," Jane argued, "We can't win, but if we stay the course and stop them…"

"Even with all of your memories back you still believe justice will prevail. Sometimes the bad guys win." Nigel insisted.

"Only if the good guys do nothing," Kurt answered for Jane.

"The only one that thinks you're the good guys is you," Nigel reminded them.

"Well," Jane insisted, "If we stop believing in what we're doing, then we have a bigger problem."

"Fine," Nigel just looked at them, "I'll help you, but only because dying is better than going back to the CIA."

Jane turned her face away from Nigel. She couldn't argue with that.

Kurt felt her tremble and pulled her more fully against him. He'd seen her face when she approached Cade. He knew her mind was right back in that cell. He wanted to reassure her, but had no words to make any of this even remotely better.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked her sometime later.

"I'm fine," Jane immediately replied.

Kurt just looked at her.

"It's just…" Jane all but whispered.

"The Black site," Kurt finished for her.

"It brought back some… not so great memories." Jane admitted.

"You are never going back there," Kurt tried to reassure her.

"No," Jane agreed, "I'm not. I would die before I let them take me again."

"No," Kurt denied, "I would die before they take you away from me again."

Jane looked up into Kurt's earnest expression and felt some of her pain recede.

"Rich seems….so normal. Well, for him anyway." Jane ran her hand down Kurt's face absently. "When I came out of that hole…I was far from normal."

Remembering the closed off woman who had fought so hard to remain free, Kurt suddenly realized how telling it was that Jane hadn't shot him when they'd found her at that motel. She'd been completely desperate and facing the thought of going back to the Black Site and she still hadn't killed him to get away. She might be willing to die to stay out of that Black Site, but even when they'd been at their lowest point, she hadn't been willing to kill him to save herself.

"Jane…." Kurt ran his lips over her face gently.

"What?" She pulled back to look up at him in concern. The pain on his face took her total focus.

"I was looking for you," Kurt insisted, "I would have come for you."

Jane closed her eyes to hide the tears his words had evoked. How did he always know what she needed?

"I…" She didn't know what to say.

"Even when I didn't trust you, I was determined to get you back. If I had known what you were going through…" Kurt could hardly go on.

"It's okay," Jane insisted, "I survived."

"It's not okay," Kurt denied, "It will never be okay, but I will do whatever it takes to keep it from happening again."

Jane leaned in to meet Kurt's lips with her own. She suddenly realized that she wasn't the only one carrying scars from her time with the CIA. Kurt carried his own. For a man used to protecting others, losing her on his watch must have devastated him. Finding out what happened to her had only added to the burden he was carrying.

"I don't blame you," Jane told him, meeting his eyes directly.

"Well, that's one of us," Kurt rested his forehead against hers.

"Kurt," Jane ran her hands through his longer hair and turned his face up to her, "I got myself into all of that. My choices. You can't rewrite the past."

"But I can do whatever it takes to ensure our future," Kurt looked completely invested.

"Our future. I like the sound of that. We'll fight for it together." Jane reminded him.

"Together." Kurt agreed before closing the distance between them.

Jane fell into Kurt's embrace. She needed this closeness to push away the dark memories that were constantly trying to invade her mind. He knew that of course. He knew her better than anyone…