I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…
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I'm sorry this story is taking so long. Thanks for sticking with me! :)
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"And then the puppy licked me on the lips!" Bethany said excitedly.
Kurt looked down at her animated expression with an indulgent smile.
"I can't believe you and Connor came all the way over here," Jane said to Allie while she was watching Kurt interact with his daughter.
"I know how much Bethany was missing you two." Allie explained, "When I knew we were going to have to go into hiding, I had to bring her to you."
"Are you still ticklish?" Kurt demanded listening to his daughter's squeals.
"We needed this so badly," Jane admitted, "It's been hard."
"I know," Allie empathized, "When we got the notification that Kurt had been killed…"
"When that drone hit the cabin…" Jane took a deep shuddering breath and they shared a moment of silent pain, "I thought that was it. If it hadn't been for the radio and underground tunnels he would have been."
"I'm so glad we didn't tell Bethany right away," Allie told Jane.
"There was a moment," Jane admitted quietly to Allie, "When I thought Kurt was dead, that all I could think about was making them pay. The law didn't matter. Right or wrong wasn't even a consideration."
Allie was listening quietly while Jane admitted to her the secret she'd kept to herself.
"You're strong," Allie denied, "You would have done the right thing."
"No," Jane insisted, "I had nothing to lose at that point. Remi is always so close to the surface."
"You still had us," Allie reminded her, "We will always be there for you. We're your family."
When Bethany turned the tables and began tickling her Dad, Jane watched Kurt convulse and pretend to try and get away.
"Even knowing how thin that line is between who I was and who I am now?" Jane worried.
"Always," Allie said with certainty.
Jane turned to hug her. "Thank you."
"I wish Avery could have come," Allie said as she pulled back. Jane needed a reminder of all the family she still had just as much as Kurt did.
"It's better for her to stay as far away from us as possible. At least we know she's safe at school." Jane said in a tired voice. "She refused to leave. She's very stubborn."
"I wonder where she gets that?" Allie teased her.
Jane smiled over at her in weary acceptance.
"I just hope that's all she got from me." Jane shook her head.
"Determination, savvy, intelligence, independence…" Allie listed.
"Okay," Jane stopped her, "I get it, she's a handful."
"It was really hard on her when she thought you were all dead," Allie worried, "And then when she found out you weren't dead she was told you were terrorists."
"I wish I could call her, but after everything she's been through as my daughter," Jane worried, "She's probably relieved to be rid of me."
"That's not true," Allie denied, "She knows how lucky she is to have you, just like the rest of us."
"How can you even think that?" Jane worried, "All of this started with my family."
"No," Allie denied, "It started with Hank Crawford and the orphanage. You're just as much a victim in this as the rest of us, even more so when you realize how young and vulnerable you and your brother were."
"I'm sorry you had to walk away from your entire life," Jane said sadly.
"I walked away from my job," Allie denied, "I took my life with me. Bethany and Connor are all I need, everything else is just filler. I'm just sorry I'm not in the position to help anymore."
"You're doing the most important thing for us already. Bethany is always our priority and knowing she's safe with you and Connor is more than enough help." Jane insisted.
"When this is all over," Allie looked over at her seriously, "We need to figure out a way that you can see her more often."
"Kurt and I were already talking about looking for a place in Colorado," Jane admitted, "All we want to do is be a family."
"Bethany is going to be overjoyed." Allie looked pretty happy too.
Looking over at where Bethany was currently riding Kurt like a horse Jane smiled. "It would be nice if she could have a sibling or two…"
Allie put her arm around Jane and hugged her tightly, "It will happen."
"It never seems like the right time," Jane worried.
"That doesn't matter," Allie insisted, "Bethany wasn't only the wrong time, it was the wrong woman, but it still turned out."
"Don't say that!" Jane protested, "Kurt wouldn't change anything."
"If you could have seen his face when I told him," Allie could laugh about it now, "You wouldn't say that."
"We weren't…" Jane protested.
"That doesn't mean he didn't want to," Allie shook her head.
"It worked out the way it was supposed to," Jane insisted.
"I agree," Allie smiled over at her, "Now my daughter has two Moms and two Dads and couldn't be happier."
"Says the woman standing in a bunker." Jane reminded her.
"I'd rather be doing the right thing in this bunker with you and Kurt than going along with what's happening at the NYO right now." Allie insisted.
"And we're lucky to have you," Jane leaned against her.
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"Higher!" Bethany insisted as she swung between Jane and Kurt her feet off the floor.
They looked over at each other with a laugh and accommodated her.
Seeing the breathtaking smile on Jane's face and hearing the sound of their little girl's laughter lightened Kurt's heavy heart. This was all he wanted, Jane and a family, but to have that he needed to clear their name and get their life back.
"I don't want to go!" Bethany said, her little face clouding up.
"You have to," Kurt knelt down and pulled her close, "Mom is going to take you someplace safe."
"I want you and Mama to come too!" Bethany pleaded.
Jane watched Kurt's eyes fill up and she blinked away her own tears. Bethany had curled up between them last night and Jane had woken several times to find Bethany still holding onto her tightly. She knew how much Bethany missed Kurt, but she was beginning to realize Bethany also missed her. She hadn't slept much after that. Between savoring the feel of her little body snuggled tightly against her and worrying about just how they can bring all of this to an end before even more precious time was lost Jane couldn't sleep.
"We want that too," Kurt assured her, "And as soon as we get everything straightened out we'll find a way to be together."
"When?" Bethany demanded impatiently.
"Soon," Jane promised her solemnly.
"Promise?" Bethany pleaded.
"As soon as we can," Kurt assured her.
Watching her go from person to person giving each one of them a hug goodbye Jane looked over at Kurt in concern.
"Are you okay?" She worried.
"No more than you," He admitted. He knew how little sleep Jane had gotten. Snuggling with his wife and daughter had filled a small part of the big hole his daughter's absence created. He hadn't wanted to miss a moment of it.
She looked back over at where Bethany was laughing at Rich's antics.
"Why don't you go with them?" She offered.
"What?" Kurt's eyebrows lowered in confusion. "I'm with you," He stated emphatically.
"No," Jane denied, placing her hand on his arm in assurance, "I know that. I don't mean permanently…why don't you go with them while they scout out transportation. It will give you a little more time with her."
"Aren't you going to come?" Kurt frowned.
"I draw too much attention," Jane denied, "We need for them to get out of the city without anyone noticing them. If I go…"
Kurt understood.
"I'm coming back," He assured her.
"I know," Jane leaned up to kiss him.
After they'd left Jane went over to Patterson and Tasha.
"I miss her already," She confessed.
"She brought life into this hovel," Rich agreed.
"You okay?" Tasha worried.
"Define okay?" Rich growled.
"Not you," Tasha denied impatiently, "Jane?"
"It's hard," Jane admitted, "I feel sad and guilty."
"It's not your fault," Patterson protested.
"Roman pursued all of this," Jane reminded them.
"Crawford had to be stopped," Patterson insisted.
"And Madeline's insane," Tasha reminded Jane, "None of that is your fault."
"Uhhh," Rich looked up from his monitor, "We have a situation."
"What kind of situation?" Patterson worried as she walked over to join him.
When she looked down at the screen her shattered expression had Jane and Tasha rushing over.
"Is it Kurt?" Jane demanded in concern.
"Jane…" Patterson was looking over at her reluctantly.
"There was a shooting at Brown," Rich explained.
"What kind of shooting?" Jane looked down at the screen.
"Sniper," Rich admitted.
"Was anyone hurt?" Jane's emotions had gone into lockdown.
"It says that one female student was critically wounded," Rich admitted.
"Was it Avery?" Jane asked faintly.
"Jane…" Tasha was trying to buy some time. "We don't know if this has anything to do with Avery."
"Rich?" Jane demanded, ignoring Tasha's voice of reason.
"The victim has been identified as Avery," Rich admitted.
Jane lost the color in her face, but her lack of expression didn't change.
"I need to go…" Jane suddenly turned away.
"You can't go!" Tasha argued.
"It's my daughter!" Jane reminded her with a catch in her voice. It was the first crack in her armor.
"We'll go with you," Patterson insisted.
"This could be a set up," Rich worried, "How often does the media report a story and disclose the name of the victim at the same time?"
"He's right," Tasha realized, "They might have attacked Avery to draw you out."
"It worked," Jane said going to the cabinet where they kept their weapons.
"What are you going to do?" Rich worried as he watched her draw out numerous weapons.
"Stop this," Jane said simply.
"That doesn't sound good," Rich worried, his fingers flying over the keys to his computer.
"Jane," Patterson wanted to stop what was happening, but had no idea how.
"Tell Kurt…" Jane hesitated, "I love him."
"Tell him yourself," Rich denied and suddenly the door burst opened and Kurt was there.
"Kurt!" Jane was shocked.
"Thanks Rich," Kurt said, but his eyes were only for his wife. He was thankful he hadn't gotten very far before Rich contacted him.
"They shot Avery!" Suddenly Jane's emotions broke and tears began to pour down her face.
Kurt pulled her against his chest tightly.
"We need Intel," Kurt looked over to Patterson. The look on his face so closely mirrored Jane's determined expression that Tasha blinked.
"I'm on it," She assured him, relief in her voice. Having Jane running into such an obvious setup without Kurt's strong voice of reason had scared her.
"I have to go to the hospital!" Jane insisted, her face buried in his chest.
"We'll head that way," Kurt assured her, "Keep us updated."
Watching them leave Patterson looked over at Tasha. "Would she shoot Avery?"
"Without question," Tasha confirmed turning to go get Reade.
"What are we going to do?" Patterson worried.
"Back them up," Tasha insisted, "If they wanted a war, that's what they'll get."
Watching her leave Patterson turned to share a moment of fear with Rich.
"This is a set up," She was sure.
"Agreed," Rich confirmed, "But keeping Jane from going to her daughter is not an option."
"Then we need to give them something more important to do…" Patterson insisted.
"I think the World could end," Rich argued, "But Mad Maddie will still be focused on this…"
"She will," Patterson confirmed, "But if we thin out her ranks…"
"Take away her government cronies," Rich started to nod, "They at least stand a chance."
Suddenly Reade and Tasha reentered the room. They both wore the same determined expressions. Without a word they grabbed their own weapons and followed after Jane and Kurt.
"We need to hurry," Patterson insisted.
"I'm already on it," Rich assured her.
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Jane had gathered her composure as she sat silently next to Kurt.
He kept glancing over at her in concern.
"You okay?" He worried, reaching for her hand.
"I thought she was safe away from me," Jane whispered.
"This isn't your fault," Kurt insisted.
"Fault doesn't matter," Jane denied, "Avery has been shot and is critically injured. That's all that matters now."
Kurt felt his heart break for Jane. She'd worked so hard to establish a relationship with Avery. After having her stolen away and working so hard to win her back, for this to happen was beyond cruel.
He didn't want Jane to blame herself, but he felt a huge sense of responsibility for what's happened. After all the time he'd thought he was at fault for Avery getting killed to realize that he actually might be devastated him. He should have insisted that she go into hiding. She'd been so determined not to let the actions of others affect her life she'd been adamant about remaining in school. They had her false identity ready. Sara had wanted Avery to go with her and Sawyer…
"She's strong," Kurt reminded Jane, "Like her mother. She's not dead."
"We can't leave her there where they can still get to her and we can't take her away from the care she needs." Jane worried, "What do we do?"
"We call in a favor," Kurt insisted, "Get someone we trust to watch over her until she can be moved."
"Who?" Jane worried, "Keaton, Allie, Sara…"
"I think I know who we can trust," Kurt looked over at her.
"Who?"
"Nas," Kurt suggested.
"She's NSA," Jane reminded him, "We can't just expect her to turn her back on that…again."
"Let her decide," Kurt insisted. He knew asking her to risk her career for them again wasn't fair, but this was his family, he had to ask.
Jane watched him dial silently her thoughts on her daughter. She felt her hand shake as she pushed her hair behind her ear. Was Avery even still alive?
Kurt hung up the phone and realized that Jane was staring blankly out the front windshield.
"Jane," He drew her attention back to the present, "Nas is on the way over to the hospital, she's going to ensure Avery is taken care of. She's authorized to place Avery into protective custody as a potential witness to our alleged crimes."
"If Avery is even still alive," Jane worried.
"She has your fire," Kurt reminded her with a catch in his voice, "Don't count her out yet."
Looking over at her husband, Jane felt her love for him catch her heart. He loved Avery, she knew he did. Reaching over she threaded her fingers through his and they became each other's lifeline, the overwhelming burden of their concern tempered by the unconditional support that was always waiting for them within the other's embrace.
"I love you," Jane whispered.
"I love you too," Kurt pulled her hand up and kissed the back of it. "Let's go see what we can find out about our daughter."
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"You wrote a manifesto?" Patterson said in disbelief.
"Every crazy, government hating, nuclear bomber writes a manifesto," Rich insisted, "We have to sell this."
"It's like…" Patterson leaned over his shoulder, "Twenty pages. How'd you write that so fast?"
"I might…might…"Rich held up his hand, "Have saved this as a rough draft years ago before I was reformed."
"Tell me you did not ever have a nuclear weapon," Patterson pleaded.
"I didn't use it," Rich reminded her.
Shaking her head she elected to abandon their conversation, "Did it work?"
"Oh," Rich confirmed, "Of course, every Federal Agency in New York and the East Coast is on high alert. We are currently their priority."
"I hacked into the hospital records," Patterson told him, "Avery made it through the surgery."
"That's great!" Rich said in relief.
"I've already called Kurt," Patterson explained, "It was never a life threatening injury. It was a trap."
"So what are they going to do now?" Rich worried.
"Nas is on the way to the hospital to take Avery into her protective custody," Patterson explained.
"So the others are on the way back?" Rich asked in a relieved voice.
"Reade and Tasha are," Patterson agreed, "Jane is determined to see Avery for herself."
"That's…" Rich hesitated at Patterson's raised eyebrows, "Understandable…but they know it's a trap. Can't they wait until Nas takes her from the hospital."
"You want to call Jane and suggest that?" Patterson asked him.
"Nooooo," Rich denied immediately.
"I didn't think so," Patterson said pointedly.
"I just hope they don't get killed or worse," Rich worried.
"Or worse?" Patterson scoffed.
Thinking about his time with the CIA Rich said seriously, "Or worse…"
