Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who's still excited about this fic! I can't believe it's getting as long as it is - but at the same time, this is me, so I don't know what I expected. Anyway, because this fic doesn't have enough tropes in it, I'll add another one. Time for some fake dating! Even if this is a little more devious and dishonest than canon Jeller probably would be (outside of a life-or-death situation, I mean).
"Sawyer would love this stuff." Kurt gestured to a group of laughing young people in outrageous costumes, heading in the opposite direction across the street. "I see at least two characters from his favourite show, in that group alone."
Jane smiled, thinking of his tousle-headed nephew. She hadn't seen either Sawyer or Sarah since they'd moved to Portland, and that had been before she'd been black sited. "How is Sawyer?"
"I spoke to him last week. Sarah finally got around to setting up a video chat. He's good. Growing up a little faster these days."
"I guess when you're that age, everything changes so fast." She looked over at Kurt. "How about Sarah?"
He shrugged. "Portland makes her happy, I think. New boyfriend, a good job—things seem to be working out for her over there."
"I'm glad." As they passed yet another restaurant with a line of convention-goers stretching out onto the street, Jane shook her head. "Are you getting the feeling the food situation will be a lot like the hotel room situation, or is it just me?"
"Maybe. Let's head a little further up this way, see what we find."
As they walked, Jane once more thought back over what had happened in the hotel room. She'd been close to packing up and going home tonight, worried about Roman, when Kurt had taken her hand, pulling her to stand between his knees as he'd suggested getting Patterson to look in on Roman instead. The warmth and concern in his eyes had calmed her, but also distracted her from imagining worst-case scenarios—as had the intimate way they'd been positioned.
She could have just climbed into his lap right there, and kissed him until they were both breathless. She'd taken refuge in the bathroom before her urge to do just that had overridden everything else.
While she'd showered off the sweat from her run, she'd realised just how difficult the rest of the night would be, if Patterson was successful at dispelling her worries about her brother. The more time Jane spent with Kurt, the harder she fell for him, and those feelings had never gone away, not even when their relationship had been at its most complicated.
This weekend, things seemed to have become simpler than they had in months. It was obvious Kurt still felt something for her. They were both single, attracted to each other…and even though she feared romance would destroy the strong friendship they'd forged this year, Patterson's words about David had come back to her—the same ones that had spurred her to kiss Kurt for the first time.
Shepherd was still planning something monstrous, and she could decide they were too much of a liability to live, at any time.
Jane could lose Kurt before either of them felt ready to give it another try. All it would take would be one lucky shot.
Maybe if they just took this one night, made it whatever they wanted it to be…then they could leave whatever happened here in Chicago behind them when they left, if things got too messy.
It wasn't what Jane wanted to happen, but if the awkwardness overwhelmed them the next day, and it was the only way to save their friendship...
Her thoughts had been confined to 'what if' while she'd been showering, but when Kurt had been able to calm her fears about Roman without making her feel like she was being hysterical, she couldn't help but take a first, tiny step towards letting her guard down. She'd stepped in close, thanking him for being there for her, without trying to hide the depths of her feelings for him.
He'd distracted her with the reminder that they had to go find something to eat, but she'd seen the flash of desire in his eyes. Only the knowledge that they really would need food soon had stopped her from kissing him.
Now, as they walked, she let the back of her hand brush Kurt's, hoping he would take her cue and lace his fingers through hers. He either didn't notice, or didn't pick up on her suggestion, and disappointment crept into her mind. Maybe this was more one-sided than she'd thought, and Kurt would rather not go there again.
The last thing she wanted was to become the creepy friend who couldn't get over the times they'd kissed in the past. But somehow, despite her self-doubt, she couldn't quite believe that was the case.
They wound up on the edge of the park, looking down towards the lakeshore, just as sunset bathed the sky in an orange glow.
"This is beautiful," she said, half to herself. "Almost wish I had my sketchbook. Do you mind if I take a quick picture? Maybe I can draw it later."
"Sure. Take as long as you need." Kurt leaned against the rail in front of them, and from her peripheral vision, she could tell he was watching her, but she was too self-conscious to return his gaze.
It was one thing to decide to seduce the man you wanted, and another thing entirely to put aside all the memories of how much it hurt to be distant from him. The idea of taking a leap of faith and being rebuffed was terrifying. Kurt was one of the few people she could count on, and it had taken so long for them to build back up to this level of friendship.
Strange, how she could dive through a plate of glass to drop, roll and tackle a terrorist fifteen feet below her, without hesitating for more than a split-second—but the idea of offering her heart to Kurt for a third time made her feel like she was standing on the edge of a precipitous drop, afflicted by vertigo. Her earlier confidence was gone, replaced by a fluttering stomach and a pounding heart.
More than anything, I'm scared of losing him. Losing the closeness that we had last night, when we were lying in bed talking about pillow fights, of all things. We weren't even touching then, but at the same time…we almost were. Just not physically. And that's what I'm scared to lose.
Does that make me a coward?
She took a couple of pictures of the view with her phone, concentrating on the skyline in order to return to the present, then asked, "Which way do you want to go now?"
After a moment's indecision, they headed in the opposite direction to the convention centre, hoping there would be fewer hungry tourists that way.
"You okay?" Kurt asked, obviously picking up on the way her confidence had fallen.
She smiled and shrugged, playing it down. "Yeah—just hungry, I guess."
He grimaced. "Yeah, me too. Even the takeout places are crammed full. So either we drive somewhere a little less central and try there…or we wait an hour or two for things to get less crazy."
Jane glanced through the window of a restaurant as they passed, one of the few that wasn't crammed with convention-goers. Registering that it was geared towards couples, most of its tables seating only two people, she sighed. "I'm hungry enough to suggest going 'undercover' as a couple again, but everyone else in there is dressed way better than we are."
Kurt nodded ruefully. "The thought had crossed my mind. They wouldn't even let us through the door in jeans…"
Unless…
The idea that formed in Jane's head was a little ridiculous, but it might work, if they got lucky. She slowed her pace, thinking it through.
Realising he was leaving her behind, Kurt dropped back to her side with a frown. "What?"
"I'm coming up with a plan." The moment she'd had the thought about being undercover with Kurt again, her romance-preoccupied mind had leapt upon it, despite her logical side doing the equivalent of rolling its eyes and sighing. "The odds of success are only about forty percent, and it would need us to tell some outrageous lies and add a little PDA, but if it works, we could be eating steak inside thirty minutes."
He gazed at her, a gleam in his eyes that she couldn't quite interpret. Knowing Kurt, the word 'steak' had overruled everything else. "You really think you can get them to let us eat there, in what we're wearing? This, I have to see."
"Like I said, it's sixty-forty that we won't be able to make it work. My tattoos are gonna work against us as much as the dress code will. But it's worth a try. You in?"
For a moment, she thought he'd back off, but then he offered her his arm with an intrigued smile. "So am I your husband again tonight?"
Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach as she leaned in to his side, Jane held up her free hand. "No rings, so I guess not. But we've been together as a couple four years, and tonight is our anniversary."
He cocked his head to the side in acknowledgment. "Happy anniversary, honey."
"Thank you, darling." As they reached the restaurant door, she wiped the smile off her face. "You're disappointed and a little stressed out. You'll get the rest as we go along."
"Got it." Just like that, the amusement was gone from his face, replaced by the emotions she'd described. If she hadn't known him so well, she'd have believed his act completely.
The stakes of this 'mission' were low, and Jane was pretty sure they'd fail, but she couldn't help but become a little more tense as they entered the restaurant. It smelled delicious inside, and she was getting hungrier by the second—not to mention, she wanted to spend as long as possible playing this role as Kurt's girlfriend.
A server came forward, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, but the restaurant does have a dress-code—"
Jane put on an air of distress, slumping her shoulders as she glanced up at Kurt, then back at the server. "I know, that's what I was afraid of, but I just… We're having the worst time finding somewhere else to eat, with the convention and all, and it's our anniversary—"
Sympathetically, the server shook her head. "I'm so sorry, but our dress code is pretty strict, for the sake of the other patrons, you know?"
"Isn't there a table out of the way you can put us? Somewhere away from everyone else?" Jane massaged her temple to imply a tension headache, feigning stress. "We have formal outfits in our luggage, but our luggage is still in New York, and they can't even locate it, let alone send it on. God knows where it is."
Kurt rubbed her back soothingly, speaking to the server. "There's no way you could make an exception, just this once? We booked this anniversary trip back to Chicago months ago. It's where we first met. We had no idea everything would be so chaotic this weekend, and with our bags going missing, things are all going to hell."
"Please?" Jane asked, putting a plaintive note into her voice.
The server wavered, glancing behind her. "Let me just go have a word with the owner. This isn't really a decision I can make on my own."
"Of course," Jane said, and turned into Kurt's loose embrace as they were left at the entrance.
He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head and murmured, "So traumatic, to have our perfect anniversary ruined by airline incompetence and flocks of comic book nerds. I might need therapy."
Jane frowned up at him to hide the urge to laugh. "Do you want the steak, or not?"
Kurt gazed down at her with a softly loving expression that made Jane want to weep with jealousy towards the fictional character she was playing. "More than that, I just want to give my girlfriend the anniversary dinner she deserves."
"Well, if the FBI doesn't work out, I'm pretty sure you could win a few Oscars down in Hollywood…"
Fighting sudden, irrational irritability—where the hell did he learn to act so well?—Jane turned to watch the server return with an older blonde woman in tow.
"I'm the restaurant owner, Beverly Harrison. Tara has just filled me in on your situation."
Jane gave her the most pleading, 'nothing about this situation is life-or-death, but I'm going to act like the world is ending anyway' look she could manage. "Is there any way you could consider bending the rules, just this once? If the restaurant was fully booked, I wouldn't even want to ask, but since there are a few free tables…"
Despite the fact that the owner didn't look unsympathetic, Jane sensed they were out of luck—but as Beverly drew a breath to speak, Kurt pulled out the big guns.
"The thing is—I know you don't think you're far enough along to worry about it, baby, but I do—we just found out my girlfriend is pregnant." Kurt slid a protective hand over her abdomen for emphasis, while Jane sighed, taking his cue that she thought he was overreacting. "I don't think it's a good idea for her to be skipping meals, in case it harms the baby. If it was just that we didn't have our luggage, or that we didn't want to wait two hours in line for a place in a less classy restaurant, I'd just say we should grab some junk food from a corner store and take it back to the hotel, even though it's our anniversary. But this is our first baby, and I really don't want to take any chances, you know?"
Swayed by his apologetic tone and the existence of the imaginary pregnancy, the owner glanced over at Tara, the server. "Just this once, and only because there's a baby to think of."
Kurt and Jane reacted with over-exaggerated relief, thanking her profusely. Jane let herself snuggle against Kurt for a few moments, knowing as she did so that she was just taking advantage of the situation to be close to him. For his part, Kurt tightened his arm around her, his lips grazing her brow for a second.
"Seat them at the back, and if other customers come in asking for the same, tell them this is an extenuating circumstance," Beverly instructed, then touched Jane lightly on the shoulder, her eyes becoming warmer. "Congratulations on the pregnancy. You should listen to your boyfriend—taking good care of yourself is how you take good care of the baby, at this stage."
Jane nodded, putting embarrassed resignation into her voice. "I know. I guess I just haven't even fully accepted that it's happening yet."
"Oh, you'll get there. Enjoy your meal, you two." With a smile, the owner retreated back through the restaurant, leaving Kurt and Jane to be seated by Tara.
Conscious of her 'pregnancy', Jane rejected the wine list, but indicated to Kurt that he should take a look. He decided to stick to water along with her, probably guessing she'd give him hell later for drinking, when he'd fabricated a baby that would stop her from doing the same.
Once they were left alone with their menus, Kurt looked up with a grin. "I actually feel a little guilty now."
"On the one hand, I get that. On the other hand, they have free tables, we have money, but they were going to kick us out just because we were wearing casual clothing, so…" She shrugged.
"You have a point." He studied the menu for a second, then glanced up again, humour in his eyes. "Sorry I made you pregnant, by the way."
She couldn't help but laugh. "Is that what you said to Allie?"
He snorted, looking a little embarrassed. "What I first said to Allie…contained a few more expletives. Aimed at the situation, not at her, I should add." Before Jane could figure out how to respond, he continued, "Anyway, since it's my fault you can't have any wine, or any rare meat, I figured I should apologise."
Jane opened her mouth to respond, but changed tack when she noticed an altercation going on towards the front of the restaurant. "Looks like it's not just the restaurant owner who hates jeans. I think we're gonna be attracting enough attention through the whole meal that we can't drop the romance act now."
Kurt glanced over at the patrons she'd indicated—who seemed to be put out that an exception ot the dress code had been made—then reached across the table to take Jane's hand. "Well, my love, it is our anniversary."
Why did she want so desperately to buy into that affection in his eyes, so much more intense and genuine-looking than their act required?
She was out of her depth, but there was no point lamenting that now.
"We got what we wanted. We should celebrate," she said, lifting her water glass to imply a toast.
Kurt's attention drifted behind her for a split-second, making it a good bet that their server was returning. "To us," he said simply, lifting his own glass.
"To us," Jane echoed, unable to tear her gaze from his as she sipped her water.
It could easily have meant their friendship, their work partnership, their successful bid to be allowed to eat here…but in that moment, it seemed like so much more.