Author's Note: Hey, guys! Thanks for the fun suggestions for their second bed-sharing scenario. I now have ideas for other fics with this trope - I might have to do some kind of 'five times' fic at some point! Even though, yes, that would be a little unrealistic (that they'd have to share a bed five times without doing anything naughty, I mean). But hey, it's fanfic. Anyway, here's the next part of Jeller's journey!
"So, I have some good news, and some bad news." As they headed for the car, Kurt tossed the car keys across to Jane.
She caught them deftly, alert despite the early hour, and raised an eyebrow. "Is the good news that I'm driving?"
He grinned, anticipating what her predictable reaction would be. "No. That's the bad news. The good news is that I'm in charge of the music."
Jane gave a good-natured groan. "Isn't it a little early for Johnny Cash?"
"No such thing." He popped the trunk and slung his go bag inside, then reached over for hers. "How did I end up with a partner who doesn't appreciate the Man in Black?"
She waited until they were both in the car to reply. "I told you before, it's not like I hate him. I've just heard every single one of his songs a hundred times already, and I didn't even know who he was when we first met."
It was an exaggeration, but he was in a cheerful enough mood to let it slide. Hooking his phone up to the car's sound system, he scrolled through his music collection. "I promised one album, right? I'll even split it over two days."
She gave him a quick smile, turning the keys in the ignition. "You can sneak a few more tracks in if I look like I'm falling asleep."
He started with a classic—Folsom Prison Blues—and relaxed back in his seat, humming along with a few bars. Jane pulled out of the parking space before glancing over. "You're in a good mood this morning."
You could say that…
His morning had started in a much more interesting way than he'd ever dreamed it would. He'd dozed off again after he'd first woken, and when he'd stirred awake again, he'd been stunned to find Jane spooned right up against him, sound asleep. He'd somehow managed to gather enough self-control to work a fold of the blanket between her tempting ass and his morning wood, but that had been his limit.
Unable to compel himself to draw away from her completely, he'd draped one arm around her—realising too late that her shirt was bunched up so his fingers brushed her bare abs—and just enjoyed holding her. Maybe he didn't have the right, but he'd only meant for it to be for a minute. When she'd stirred awake, her breath had caught as she'd taken in the situation, and he'd been ready to apologise and move away—but then she'd melted back against him, her body language interrupting him more plainly than words ever could have.
He should have moved anyway. Consent was important to him, and he'd never have let things go any further without her clear, enthusiastic agreement. But for a second, she'd begun to press her ass back against his cock, before catching herself and becoming still again. Her breathing had trembled a little, and he'd felt his carefully corralled desire begin to break free in earnest. Only by focusing on his own breathing had he been able to remain motionless. Even so, his resolve had weakened fast. He'd just decided to throw caution to the wind and kiss the back of her neck, when his alarm tone had shattered the moment.
They'd both jolted out of the dreamlike embrace in the same instant, and if he hadn't been so damn frustrated that he'd missed the opportunity, he would have burst into laughter. As it was, her poker face was damn near perfect, giving no sign that she'd been awake as she'd wished him good morning. He'd feigned early-morning lethargy, hiding his aching hard-on beneath the blanket and his emotions beneath a veneer of drowsy friendliness.
He might even have convinced her he really had been asleep, too—but when she'd finished with her makeup and ceded the bathroom to him, the furtive glance she'd shot his way told him she'd caught on. Not that she'd been trying to let him know she knew—it had been a very brief slip, one he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't spent so much time analysing her behaviour this year—but now he was sure.
They'd been circling each other for months now, first with wariness, then with gradually more confidence, until something happened to make one or both of them drop back again. At the bar the other day, they'd almost broken through the barriers between them, and this morning had been an even closer moment. Kurt knew better than to try to predict the way things would happen between them by now, but if their usual pattern held, something would happen to distract one or both of them today.
And tonight, they'd be in separate rooms, wherever they ended up staying. He wasn't selfish enough to try to pressure her—she wasn't just a friend; he also held a huge amount of power over her at work, and that was an imbalance he refused to wield against her—so if she wanted to resume where they'd left off, she'd have to invite him into her room tonight. Into her bed.
If she did, he already knew what his answer would be. He just wished like hell he knew whether this was the right time—for either of them.
But he didn't have it in him to refuse her again.
After lunch, Kurt wandered off over the parking lot to call Allie, while Jane cued up her playlist for the afternoon's drive from the passenger seat of the car. When he slid behind the wheel, looking glad to be back in the drivers' seat, she glanced over at him. "It's a shame the case didn't take us to Vegas or something. We could have driven back through Colorado, so you could stop and talk to Allie's bump for a while."
Kurt snorted. "Hey, you say that like I wouldn't at least say hi to Allie first."
Jane tried to keep a straight face. "I know you'd talk to her. But first?"
His smile became a heart-stopping grin, and Jane reached for the notebook where she'd written down their route the day before, hoping he was too distracted by starting the car to notice her appreciating him.
"Honestly, I'm gonna be over there bugging Allie enough, once my little girl is born. Best I leave her alone for now."
Jane lost the battle for composure. "She yelled at you again, huh?"
"I wouldn't say 'yelled'. Complained a little, maybe." He sighed, a little guilt creeping into his expression. "She didn't sleep well because of the baby kicking around last night. She'd just started taking a nap when I called."
"Hey, you're not psychic. She just gave you a tough time because she's tired. She'll probably apologise later."
He shrugged. "I know. And she has a point. She's already taken a desk job, like I wanted for her while she's pregnant. Having me hovering around when they're both fine and there's nothing I can do…that doesn't help."
Jane laid her hand on his arm for a second. "You're just trying to be a responsible parent. You know what didn't help with that? Allie moving two time zones away. So she's gonna have to deal with your worrying, because you're already dealing with her absence. If she doesn't give you a break about calling her, you should tell her that."
"Thank you." He gave her a rueful glance. "It'll be fine. Just needs some adjustment on both sides."
Jane looked down at their route, a little uncomfortable. She had no issues with Allie, but since it was hard to know where she herself stood with Kurt these days, advising him on how to relate to the mother of his child felt as though Jane was pressing against a boundary somewhere.
She changed the subject. "So, two options. Are we still thinking South Bend, Indiana before we stop tonight, so we don't actually have to take Monday off work? Or do we go more relaxed, and stop in Chicago tonight, Buffalo tomorrow night?"
Kurt tilted his head. "Either works. Let's see how it plays out."
"Works for me." Jane leaned back in her seat.
He gave her a quick frown, pulling back onto I-94. "You sure? You've been looking a little penned in today."
A little taken aback that he'd noticed, Jane took a moment to react. She'd been fidgeting all morning, wishing the rain hadn't been so bad that she'd had to skip her morning run. "Oh, I… It's not a huge deal. I'm just not used to so much sitting. Even with a full day of paperwork at the office, I still go for a run first thing in the morning, or hit the gym afterwards."
He nodded slowly, processing that. "How does the weather look in Chicago later on? If we stop there, we could go running in Grant Park before it gets dark. And if you want to hit the art museums tomorrow, we could just fly back to New York tomorrow night instead of driving the rest of the way. The storm's heading north now, anyway."
Art museums… Jane's interest was piqued, but then she shot Kurt a sceptical look. "Art museums don't sound like your idea of a fun weekend activity."
He gave an easy shrug. "No, but I could hit the aquarium while you were busy."
Already excited about turning the rest of the weekend into a sightseeing trip, Jane searched the internet for information about the art museums' current exhibitions. "When do I get to see the aquarium, then?"
Kurt laughed. "Okay, so we both go to the aquarium, then you can go be cultured and I'll find something else to do."
"Are you sure?" she asked, hesitating. "If you'd rather keep driving..."
He shook his head. "No, we might as well have a little fun in a new place. New for you, anyway."
"How many times have you been to Chicago before?"
He drummed his fingers against the wheel for a second. "This'll be the fourth. I headed down a few times to watch the Cubs with an old Quantico buddy. He worked at the Chicago field office for a while."
Sensing there was more to the story, Jane stayed quiet, waiting.
After a second, Kurt unclenched his jaw enough to speak. "He was taking kickbacks. We don't talk anymore, but last I heard, he'd surrendered his badge."
Jane winced, knowing how seriously Kurt took the integrity of the Bureau. "I'm sorry he wasn't who you thought he was."
He shook his head. "It happens."
Before she could think too hard about the other people in his life who weren't what he'd thought they were, he gestured to her phone. "So, does the weather look good for a run tonight?"
She ran a quick search before answering. "Actually, yeah. We might even get a little sunshine."
The remaining tension drained from his demeanour. "Sounds like we have a plan, then."
"Sounds like." She smiled over at him. "Thanks, Kurt. This'll be the first time I've played tourist, outside of New York State."
"You're welcome." He glanced over his shoulder for theatrical effect. "Are there still M & Ms in that bag back there?"
She rolled her eyes, twisting her body and leaning into him as she reached for the bag. "With the amount of junk you've eaten already this weekend, I hope you're coming on that run with me."
"Hey, road trip food doesn't have calories," he told her, amused. "Anyway, I eat better than you do most of the time, Ms. I-Don't-Cook."
She smothered a laugh, digging out a handful of candy before relinquishing the bag to him. "Sometimes I make salads to go with my takeout. And now Roman lives with me, sometimes he cooks."
"Uh-huh."
They lapsed into silence for a while, before Jane thought to check the hotels in downtown Chicago and book rooms for them. There was no way this counted as something they could charge to the FBI's expenses account, and she refused to let Kurt pay for her room tonight.
She was stunned when hotel after hotel's online booking pages told her that there were no vacancies for that night. "I think we might have to ditch our plan."
Kurt frowned over at her. "What's up?"
"There's some kind of comic convention in Chicago this weekend. None of the hotels I've checked so far have vacancies; everything's fully booked up."
He sighed. "Keep looking, just in case. We might get lucky."
Jane fought her disappointment as she continued her search. "Well, unless you want roaches in the bathtub and rats under the bed, this is the last place I can check that's reasonably priced…"
A few seconds later, she stared down at the result of her query, her pulse skipping.
"There's one," she said hesitantly. "But…only if you don't mind sharing a bed again tonight."
Kurt was quiet for a moment. "The way you just said that, I should be asking if you mind." His voice held the barest hint of a question.
"No, I—" She stared out of the window, her face heating. "Last night was different; we didn't have a choice. I just don't want to assume, that's all."
"If you're comfortable with it, then so am I. But, Jane?"
She looked over at him, and he took his eyes off the road to meet hers, his expression serious.
"Only if you are," he finished softly, holding her gaze for a moment more before turning his attention back to the empty road.
Jane nodded, looking down at her screen again as her stomach fluttered a little. "Then I'll book it."
They were quiet again as she entered her details and clicked through to the confirmation screen. After she was sure their room was reserved, she let her phone fall into her lap, the screen going dark.
If there was ever a time to bring up their closeness this morning, it was now—to make sure the air was clear, that their expectations were aligned. Before they shared their second bed in two nights. But she didn't know where to start.
"Jane?"
"Hmm?" She looked over to find a small smile on his face, though his eyes were on the road.
"If you want to snuggle up to me again tomorrow morning, just try not to wake me before eight."
The words were so unexpected that all she could do for a moment was stare. Then she saw the funny side, laughing softly as she brushed her hair back behind her ear. "Whatever. You were the one with your arm around me, Weller."
"It was comfortable. And for the record, you were right there when I woke up, so…"
She bit her lip. "If I moved in my sleep, I can't be held responsible."
He inclined his head, conceding her point.
Feeling mischievous—and also testing him a little—Jane added, "If it makes you feel better, we can put a few pillows between us before we go to sleep. Then you'll have plenty of space."
"No, the pillows will have plenty of space, and we'll be hanging off the edges of the bed. No deal."
"Well, just remember that I offered," Jane said.
"Offer acknowledged…and declined."
Author's Note: I wasn't sure if I was going to bring up the elephant in the room (well, car), but thought that it seemed a little childish if they didn't, since they each know that the other knows that they were awake. So this is going to be a slightly different dynamic for the second night, but they're not about to fall into bed the second they get there. Because even though there's plenty of fun to be had in that, they can also have a lot of fun waiting, too. ;)