Author's Note: I'm holding firm on Kurt and Jane not having any more sex until his leg is healed, so here's a chapter that's basically angsty fluff and cookies, and moves the plot along not at all. But next chapter, Jeller finally get their celebratory drinks with the team. :)

The next evening…

"What do you think about inviting the team back for drinks tomorrow night?" Jane looked up from loading the dishwasher—a task she'd insisted on, since Kurt had cooked dinner, and she didn't want to sit around being waited on—as Kurt pulled an unlabelled plastic container out of the freezer. "I feel bad that I interrupted the fun they were having by taking you away from them. Patterson still looked sober, so you guys must have only just started."

Kurt limped past her to the oven, powering it up and adjusting the temperature. "You don't need to feel bad. It's not like we kicked them out. They…made a strategic retreat."

And Jane still felt a little embarrassed every time she remembered it. "I know. And I guess it would have been way more uncomfortable for them to watch us trying to act normal all night."

"Not as uncomfortable as it would have been for us." Kurt pulled her into his arms, giving her that unguarded grin that always made her heart flutter. "When Reade started making his excuses, I swear, I could have kissed him."

Laughing at the mental image, Jane brushed a kiss over his lips, then leaned away to put the final couple of items into the dishwasher. "But even so… We just wrapped up the case of a lifetime, saved the entire government from toppling. And I cut the celebration short just by showing up. I think we owe them a second attempt. I have so much I want to say to them all. And to everyone who works in SIOC, too. It will feel unfinished until I can thank them."

"Maybe you shouldn't have skipped my end-of-case speech the other day," Kurt teased. "You could have made your own speech while everyone was gathered."

"I do wish I'd been there to hear it. Did it bring tears to people's eyes?"

"Well, Brianna did start crying at one point, but I think she'd been crying on and off since Shepherd convinced her to hand over my security code. It's hard to tell if she was grieving for Pellington, or overjoyed at the case being solved."

Kurt paused, as though waiting for something, and Jane realised he was hoping his mention of Shepherd would get her to talk about her family some more. Her stomach turned over at the thought of her adopted mother at the CIA's mercy, but she forced the images away, keeping her reaction hidden from Kurt.

After a few moments, he gave up, continuing, "I think I managed to get across to everyone how much we appreciated everything they did. I know we were the ones on the front lines—you, me and the team—but without all the hours they spent combing through data and connecting dots in the background, we'd never have stopped Phase Two in time."

Jane nodded, unsurprised that Kurt had thought to thank them. "You're a great leader, you know that?"

Kurt shrugged off the compliment, drawing out of her embrace to pull a baking tray out of one of the kitchen cabinets. "I'm no Mayfair, but I hope she'd be proud."

"She'd be so proud, Kurt. I didn't know her as well as you guys, but it was obvious how highly she thought of you." Jane's throat tightened a little at the thought of Mayfair, and of her own role in the death of a woman she'd admired very much. "Maybe it's not my place to say this, after everything that's happened, but… I know you never wanted her office, but the way you've led all of us through this… She couldn't have done a better job."

Kurt glanced over, and Jane was startled to see tears in his eyes. His voice remained steady, though quiet, as he said, "Thank you. I guess we'll never know if you're right, but…I tried my best."

Jane hesitated, then reached out to touch his arm. "What are you thinking?"

He looked down at the oven, then returned to embrace her, his arms tighter than she expected. She returned the hug just as fiercely, her heart breaking for him. He'd endured so much loss and heartache, and some of it was her fault. She didn't know how to make that better, but anything he needed, she'd give.

After a few moments of just holding her, Kurt said, "I was just thinking about everyone we lost. I know you'll say that it wasn't my fault. Maybe you even think it's your fault—which it's not, by the way. But all those agents Shepherd blew up at her compound, and the ones she killed at the NYO—I can't help but think that if I'd been a better leader…if I'd been on that raid instead of trying to get to Allie at the hospital, when she wasn't even there…if I hadn't gotten romantically involved with Nas…if I'd realised that Shepherd might actually try to get into the NYO…"

"No." Jane drew back, cupping his face in both hands, so that he'd give her his full attention. "Kurt, you always think everything is your fault, but it's not. You can't control every variable, and unless you somehow have the ability to read the future…"

To her surprise, Kurt smiled wearily. "Isn't this kind of a 'pot calling the kettle black' situation?"

Realising he was right, and the same words could have come out of his mouth, directed at her, Jane smiled too. "My point still stands. You did everything you could to solve this case. Above and beyond the call of duty. And if there's a single person who worked my case who thinks you screwed it up, give me ten minutes in a room with them, and I'll set them straight."

Kurt kissed her gently. "Ditto."

Jane wasn't sure she agreed that she was beyond reproach—after all, she was the one who'd helped set this whole whirlwind of death and destruction into motion—but she kept her thoughts to herself, gesturing behind him. "What's in the tub?"

The atmosphere lightened again as they returned to everyday conversation. "Frozen cookie dough. I always make enough for two batches, so I can have some on hand for emergencies."

Jane suppressed a grin as he transferred the balls of dough to the microwave to defrost. "And this is an emergency?"

"Yeah. We're out of cupcakes and you still won't let me go to the store, so this is my only option for a sugar rush."

"I can go to the store," Jane offered, taking a step towards the door.

Grabbing her wrist before she could get too far, Kurt shook his head. "Nope. You're not recovering from surgery, but that doesn't mean you don't need to rest."

Jane rolled her eyes, hoping it would cover how touched she felt at the way he was considering her lesser injuries. "It would take me twenty minutes, tops."

"Yeah, well…I need my rest, and since I can't rest without you, that twenty minutes comes off my recovery time, not just yours."

His logic was getting more ridiculous by the second, and she loved him for it, knowing he was masking his concern for her behind humour. It was obvious he was still worried that she wouldn't talk about the way the case had ended, or the time she'd been out of touch before coming over to tell him she returned his feelings. She'd have to face it sooner or later—but she and Kurt had earned this time together. Discussing her family would be an intrusion on their happiness.

She nudged Kurt affectionately. "I'd be happy to help you rest, if you'd just sit down."

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "I promise, as soon as the cookies are in the oven, I will sit down until they're done."

He was as good as his word, and they spent that time snuggled up together on the couch, their attention half on the sitcom on TV, half on each other. Jane was still adjusting to the idea of spending all of her free time in the company of another person. A couple of times over the past twenty-four hours, Kurt had jokingly asked her if she had somewhere else to be, or something she vitally needed to do. She'd had to apologise and explain that she was getting jumpy, waiting for the next crisis to hit.

Anyone else would probably have laughed and told her to stop worrying so much, that the danger was behind them and she should relax. Kurt, however, seemed as though he understood, distracting her with kisses or suggestions for something they could do together.

For the most part, Jane was enjoying the peace, and Kurt's near-constant presence. They spent most of their time in close contact, either on the couch or in bed, and not once had Jane wished for some time alone. Her body was still aching as it healed from her fight with Roman, and Kurt's body heat seemed to make it easier to bear.

Or maybe it was the aching in her soul that Kurt was easing. It was hard to tell.

Since Jane had insisted they stop aggravating his leg wound with sex, and Kurt had reluctantly admitted that it was hindering his recovery, they'd mostly been able to push carnal desire to the back burner. With the exception of a few kisses that had gone a little further than first intended, they'd kept their physical closeness free of expectation, though more than once she'd caught him eyeing her with a hunger that sparked her own.

Mostly—though neither of them would admit it out loud—they were too exhausted to think about anything more physical than cooking, showering and clearing up after themselves. The constant stress of worrying about the case had mentally burned them both out, and between the heavy bruising they'd both suffered in fights and the ambulance crash, Jane's intermittent headaches and Kurt's leg wound, they were both suffering physically, too. Sex had added extra strain, though it had been worth it in that first incredible twenty-four hours of connection.

Kurt stretched in preparation to move, bringing Jane out of her thoughts. "Want a cookie?"

Jane blinked. "Don't we have to wait for them to go cold first? You haven't even taken them out of the oven yet."

Kurt stared at her as though she'd said something scandalous. "You've never eaten cookies fresh out of the oven before?"

"Uh…I probably have, but I don't remember."

This was obviously a life experience Kurt considered vital, and soon Jane was holding a plate containing half a dozen chocolate-chip cookies, steam still rising from them.

"Give it a couple of minutes, so you don't burn your mouth," he said, his own mouth half-full.

Amused, Jane waited for him to sit down, then leaned against him once more, pointing to the cookie with a conspicuous bite-sized amount missing from it. "Like you did?"

Kurt picked up the cookie, holding it by the edges so it didn't burn his fingers. "I was taste-testing."

"Am I dating the Cookie Monster in disguise?" Jane teased, her mouth watering at the delicious smell rising from the treats.

"Nah, the Cookie Monster is Sarah. If you think I'm bad, you should see her. I'm more like Oscar the Grouch."

For a moment, Jane was sucked into the past, remembering how Remi had teased her fiancé with that exact nickname when he'd been pissed off about something. She covered the unwanted memory with a smile, telling Kurt, "Grouch? Not that I disagree that you can get grumpy, but you're actually surprisingly mellow these days."

"It's the pain meds." He didn't seem to have noticed her wavering attention, too focused on finishing his cookie. He nudged one towards her side of the plate they held between them. "Okay, try that little one. It should be cool enough now."

Jane tentatively bit into the sweet, crumbly warmth, and was instantly in heaven. "Mmm… That's so good that I might have to learn how to make these, just so I can eat them warm all the time."

"Thank god," Kurt said, grabbing another cookie. "For a second, I thought I might have to break up with you."

Only the mischief in his eyes betrayed that he was joking, but Jane burst into laughter, surprising both of them with the strength of her reaction. She took a few seconds to calm down enough to explain herself, Kurt's bemusement just making things seem funnier.

"I'm sorry. It's just…after everything that's happened, everything that went wrong between us—the idea that the relationship deal-breaker would be me disliking warm cookies…" She swallowed more laughter, shaking her head. "I know, it's not that funny."

Kurt kissed her forehead, a flicker of concern behind his amusement. "I get it."

"But it's not that funny." Finally calm again, Jane ate another bite of cookie before admitting, "I guess I've spent a little too much time obsessing over whether we'd ever get together, after what I've done, and what I am."

Kurt took her hand, and squeezed it reassuringly. When Jane looked up, she immediately knew he could empathise. "I know things haven't been easy for us, on both sides. But we got here, after all this time, all those false starts. No matter what happens, we already told each other how we feel."

"No more wondering and what-ifs, right?" Jane nodded, but had the feeling her smile wasn't as convincing as it could have been. "I guess…part of me is still waiting for you to realise you made a mistake."

Frowning, Kurt set aside the cookie plate and shifted to face her more fully. "Nope. You remember what I said to you, right before I kissed you in Roman's cell?"

I know your heart. As his words echoed through her mind, she nodded.

"Do you think I'm wrong? That I don't know who you are, don't see you clearly?"

As Jane opened her mouth automatically, wanting to put him at ease, he shook his head. "Don't just tell me what you think I want to hear. Take a second. Think about it."

She looked into his face, so serious right then, and let her mind run back over the time they'd spent together, not only since they'd stopped Shepherd, but before that. Her mind snagged on a particular moment—of them confronting one another about the lies they'd told. Both of them had admitted that they'd done each other harm because they'd wanted Jane to be Taylor Shaw, 'more than anything'.

When she'd echoed his words back at him, she'd meant them with everything in her soul. She'd ignored the small suspicions she'd had that Oscar might be lying about her being Taylor, and the gut feeling that something about her identity didn't fit, because she'd desperately needed that connection to Kurt. And though his own reasons for needing her to be Taylor had been very different, she'd seen the way her words had hit home when she'd spoken them.

Despite how broken and disillusioned their relationship had become by that point, in Kurt's face she'd glimpsed a tiny seed of forgiveness. It hadn't been much, but it had been a precious strand of hope to cling to—that he saw how her need to believe, and to return his fierce protectiveness, had led to her being misled by Oscar. Through all the pain and shame, they'd understood each other, and how their own biases had led them astray.

That was where their getting to know one another had truly begun, untainted by the ghost of Taylor Shaw. Jane had stopped trying to fit into anecdotes from his childhood, or wondering if she behaved the way Kurt would expect Taylor to behave. And Kurt had abandoned the unearned affection and support he'd granted her when he'd thought she was his childhood friend. She'd had to start over, his justified distrust and anger making things much more difficult. And he'd probably second-guessed every positive feeling he'd had about her for a long time, punishing himself for the way Sandstorm had used Taylor's memory against him.

All of her uncertainties about her future with Kurt stemmed from how he might feel about her past actions. But he knew everything she knew about her past, and everything important about her involvement with Mayfair's downfall, yet still deemed her worthy of his trust.

If anyone knew her heart, it was Kurt Weller, because he'd needed to understand her, just as much as she'd needed him to.

"I believe that you know who I am," she finally answered. "And that you love me."

"Doesn't that tell you everything you need to know?" He ran his thumb soothingly across the back of her hand, back and forth, helping to ease her anxiety about the conversation.

"It's just… Every time I think I've found something to hold on to, it disappears. I'm okay most of the time, but I guess there's this tiny part of my brain that's trying to protect me from getting my hopes up." Feeling small and vulnerable, she waited for his response.

"You think I'm going anywhere, now I've made my mind up? I don't know if you ever noticed, but I'm kinda stubborn."

"Good point." Jane tilted her head up to meet his kiss, an overwhelming wave of love making her fears seem tiny in comparison. It probably wouldn't be the last time she worried about losing him, but here in his arms, she couldn't let it bother her for long.

When they parted, Jane noticed the flash of self-consciousness in Kurt's eyes. This kind of conversation was still new ground for them, and she tried to lighten the moment. "So, are you gonna save any cookies for the team?"

"Hell, no. These are our substitute-for-sex cookies." Kurt reached for the plate.

Jane grabbed the largest cookie from the pile, the second he brought them within reach. "In that case, I'm gonna need this giant one."