Author's Note: All of my WIPs are really angsty and depressing right now, and I found myself wanting to write something that's a little bit lighter and fluffier. It's going to be 100% predictable, but the whole 'only one bed' thing is such a classic trope, and I just can't help myself. :D
This is set between 2x19 (the escape room/polygraph episode) and 2x20 (the Zapata's undercover in jail episode). I know the transition between those two episodes is really fast in canon, but I decided to fiddle around with things a little bit. So imagine that Kurt got to say his 'all this led me to you and you to me' line in the bar, but he was interrupted before he started leaning in to kiss Jane, and then they all finished drinking and went home, without any more romantic overtures or getting any tattoo leads (I dunno, maybe Kurt got cold feet or something).
So that was at the start of the week, and this fic starts on the Friday of the same week, wrapping up a case that's ended up with the team in North Dakota (no, I have no idea why, but that's not important). Reade is still on leave with his PTSD, so that's why he's not with them at the start. Oh, and the Roman-killed-Emma-Shaw thing isn't happening, because that's way too depressing for the fic I want to write. :p
Bismarck, North Dakota
"So we can't go home?" Zapata asked in disbelief.
"Not on the FBI jet. There are only so many takeoffs they're allowing before the storm gets too bad, and we're not a priority because we're just on our way home, without a suspect in custody." Kurt shrugged. "Nothing we can do about it but wait for the storm to pass."
He glanced over at Jane, who was frowning up at the sky outside the large airport window. The wind was already driving raindrops hard against the glass, and the storm would only get worse from here.
"No, Weller, you don't understand. My eldest niece's quinceañera is tomorrow. My brother will disown me if I'm not there." Tasha pulled out her phone and frantically typed something into it. "There has to be a commercial flight we can take before everything shuts down."
Jane joined them, sighing. "Guess I'll need to call Roman and tell him I won't be back tonight."
"Ah! There are seats left on a flight that leaves in thirty-five minutes…" Zapata jabbed at her touch-screen, then groaned. "But there are only two of them. Damn it."
"You guys go," Jane said. "I'm not afraid of flying like I used to be, but I'd still rather wait this one out on the ground. And hey, it's almost the weekend, right? If Kurt's okay with it, I can maybe take Monday off and take a road trip back in a rental car."
"In a storm this bad?" Kurt asked uneasily. "It's not exactly road trip weather."
"I might be able to drive far enough to get clear before it hits. And if not, I'll just hit a motel and take shelter until it clears up." Jane shrugged. "It's not a big deal."
"Weller, I'm booking this flight, with or without you," Zapata warned, inputting details.
Kurt hesitated for only a moment before he made up his mind. Leaving Jane to drive back alone, potentially through a storm strong enough to ground planes, would just lead to a weekend of him worrying about her safety.
It was stupid, really. Jane was one of the most resilient people he'd ever met. But if he flew home without her now, he knew he wouldn't relax until he saw her again.
"Room for one more on your road trip?" he asked Jane, keeping his voice as casual as he could. "I don't want you driving back alone, not in this weather. If there are two of us, we can take turns behind the wheel, make sure neither of us gets tired."
Jane's eyebrows lifted as he spoke, but she quickly schooled her expression. "Sure, as long as you mean that, and you don't insist on driving the whole way back."
"Okay, so that's a no, Weller?" Zapata looked stressed.
"Go ahead, Tash. I'm good."
A few tense seconds later, a relieved smile dawned on Zapata's face. "Oh, thank god—it went through."
She gave them both a quick hug goodbye and disappeared towards the security checkpoint, leaving Jane and Kurt to exchange a slightly awkward glance.
"We should probably get going if we want to leave the storm behind. I'll find us a rental car while you grab us some snacks?" he suggested.
"Shouldn't I be hiring the car? It was my idea," she said.
He pulled out his wallet. "Under normal circumstances, yeah. But since this was a work-related trip, I can put it on the FBI's tab."
Jane gave him one of the small, soft smiles that always made his pulse quicken. "In that case… I'll come find you in a few minutes."
As they walked off in separate directions, Kurt firmed his resolve. This isn't leading to anything. It's just a road trip with a friend.
A friend, and a co-worker, and not someone you had to talk yourself out of kissing a few days ago. Not someone who was dating someone else until recently, while it ate you up inside that she wasn't with you.
Fuck, this is a bad idea. But it's too late to take it back now.
The last thing Jane had expected was to be spending the weekend road tripping back to the East Coast with Kurt, but she couldn't help but smile as she buckled her seatbelt. "Okay, I have one condition for letting you drive the first few hours."
He manoeuvred the car away from the airport, shooting a swift glance her way before returning his attention to the road. "Yeah? Looks like I'm already driving, so…"
"Yeah, but this whole thing was my idea, so you owe me for letting you tag along. Here's my condition: you only get to listen to one Johnny Cash album between here and New York."
He gave her a frown that was mostly for show. "Blasphemy. What else are you supposed to listen to on a road trip?"
"It's not like I hate Johnny Cash…but there's a big difference between driving across the city and driving halfway across the whole continent," she told him, rolling her eyes. "There's only so much I can take."
Kurt reached for the radio dial. "Okay, but I have a condition, too."
"Name it."
"We don't drive more than three hours before we stop for burgers."
Jane grinned. "I think I can just about deal with that."
They'd been sharing a car since the first day Jane had worked a case with the team, so the atmosphere was familiar and comfortable as they drove the first few miles of their journey, despite the novelty of the overall situation. Jane planned their route while Kurt drove, the radio playing quietly in the background of their discussion.
When a Johnny Cash song began on the radio, he turned it up, insisting that it didn't count as part of his one-album quota because it wasn't something he'd planned to listen to in advance. Jane gave a token grumble and reached for the potato chips she'd bought at the airport, unable to hide her amusement.
They stopped on the outskirts of Fargo to eat—not a big deal, just dinner with a friend you're travelling home with, even if he's way more relaxed than usual, and it's hotter than it has any right to be—then got back on the road as the rain intensified. Their meal hadn't taken long, but the storm quickly caught up with them.
An hour later, Jane was struggling to see the road, the wipers barely able to clear the torrential downpour from the windscreen before more rain replaced it. Strong gusts of wind battered the car, and she glanced across at Kurt, slowing her speed.
"What do you think? Call it a day and start again early tomorrow?"
He looked up from his phone. "Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. Take the next exit and there should be a motel within a mile."
"A half-decent motel, or a creepy, run-down, perfect-set-up-for-a-horror-movie motel?" she asked wryly.
"No major complaints in the reviews, but I can't promise there won't be a serial killer there."
Jane snorted, remembering the movie she'd seen on late-night TV the previous weekend. "You watch Identity last week, too?"
He glanced over, seeming a little surprised. "Yeah. You watch with Roman?"
"He was reading. I was watching." She noticed the signs for the exit up ahead. "Let's just stay out of the laundry room."
He laughed under his breath, the sound almost drowned out by a loud rumble of thunder. "Deal."
They managed to book the last two available rooms—other travellers had obviously had the same idea they had—and grabbed their go-bags from the backseat of the car. It was barely seven o'clock, way too early to sleep, so Kurt suggested he'd drop by Jane's room in an hour, after they'd both had time to shower and settle in.
The two rooms were on opposite sides of the U-shaped, single-storey motel. Luckily, it was possible to walk around from one side of the U to the other without stepping out of shelter into the downpour. Jane quickly located her allocated room and fitted the key into the lock.
"Oh, great." She stopped in the doorway, staring at the leaking ceiling directly over the bed, and the large, spreading wet patch across the pillows and comforter. This was one bed she definitely wouldn't be able to sleep in tonight.
But there were no other rooms available, so she'd just have to deal with sleeping on the floor, assuming she could get the motel staff to supply a dry blanket and pillow.
She sent a quick text to Kurt. My room has a leak right over the bed, so we should probably hang out in your room instead of mine.
A couple of minutes later, there was a knock on her door, and she opened it to admit Kurt. "You really didn't have to come over here—it's fine. I'll just sleep on the floor."
Kurt took one look at the bed and shook his head. "Let's…just get a refund on this room, and you can take half of my bed. I promise not to steal the blankets."
Oh, god. Spending time in Kurt's room was already gonna be a little awkward, but sharing a bed with him? With all the history between us?
Flustered, Jane scrambled for words that wouldn't betray her conflicted thoughts. "We're already spending so much time together this weekend. I don't wanna drive you crazy by sharing your room, too."
He rolled his eyes. "After all the time we've spent together on the job, I think I can handle a few more hours. Sure, it's not ideal, but it's just one night, Jane."
She hesitated, mentally searching for some other solution—one that wouldn't end up with them in the same bed, trying to pretend they'd never attempted to be more than friends. Those days were far in the past now. He was over her. But she would never be over him, not entirely, and if he realised that, it would make the rest of the road trip—and their working relationship—far more complicated.
Sensing her reserve, he said, "If you really would rather have your own room, you should take mine. I'll take the floor in here."
Now that was completely unacceptable. "No, I…" She sighed, giving in. "Okay. Let's go get a refund before the storm takes out the power or something."
Kurt's hand grazed the small of her back as they left the room, and Jane fought a thrill of arousal. Don't get ideas. This is the most logical arrangement in an unusual situation. It's not going to lead to anything.
Not even if he did sort of look like he wanted to kiss you a few days ago, after the case with the escape room and the polygraph. That was wishful thinking. If he'd wanted to kiss you, he'd have done it at the end of the night, after Zapata and Patterson left.
You ruined any chance you had with Kurt before you even met him for the first time, and then you made it worse by lying to him. You're lucky he ever got to a point where he was willing to be friends again.
Nothing is going to happen.
Author's Note: Oh, no... Whatever might happen now? I'm sure no one can guess. :D