Author's Note: Fully honesty – I've got mental illness and can't write while I'm in a depressive episode. Hence the long delay in posting this. Promise I haven't forgotten about it. I love this little story and thanks to everyone who is following along.

"It's when you think you have found perfection that all is suddenly lost." Unknown

His back hurt when he woke up. Even weeks later, that was the main thing he remembered – how much his back hurt.

It only took a second for the rest to come flooding back – why he was sleeping in the chair in the first place, the attack, Jane.

Life had been so peaceful, nearly idyllic in Colorado. It had just been a month since they moved west. Most of that time was spent fixing up their new house. But that didn't matter. It had felt like home the moment he carried Jane across the threshold. It was theirs. Looking back, Kurt couldn't believe how natural it felt. He had Jane, Bethany, and his heart was as full as it ever had been. Life made sense.

Last night had changed all that.

He stood up, stretching his arms above his head. It was still dark outside, so Kurt figured they could at least sneak a few more hours of sleep before they had to face reality.

He did a quick check of Bethany, laying his hand on her cheek. She shifted at his touch, lightly pressing into him. She was safe. That was all that mattered right now. He couldn't believe how close it had been. Of all the fears that had plagued him since becoming a father – killers attacking him at home had never been one of them. His job was dangerous, but he always worried about making it back home, not what happened after he was home. Kurt was so certain he could keep his daughter safe – the right crib, sleeping on her back, taking her to the doctor. That was what he could control. He never realized that was the easy part.

Kurt wearily walked towards the bedroom. He knew what they would have to do – Keaton's warning was very clear. Whatever peace they had felt just twelve hours before was gone. But he didn't have to face that, not yet. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around his wife, and know that she was safe. "Whatever we face, we face together," he told her earlier. Everything was better when they were together.

The bed was empty and cold, and Kurt's life changed forever.

Kurt's first thought was that it was the end – somehow Jane had been taken while he slept. His mind raced as he tried to piece it together. If they had taken her, Jane would have fought; it would have woken him up. There had to be a clue. His heart raced as he looked around the room, trying to find anything that was out of place.

He would have missed it if it hadn't been for the tiny glint that caught his eye. He walked closer, feeling a catch in his throat. He knew what it was even before he saw it. He knew what it meant.

She left her ring.

It wasn't the attackers; it wasn't some random assassin, or a criminal. Jane had left on purpose. And she left her ring behind so he would know. He couldn't help the anger and hurt that started to rise up. He knew it was some misguided attempt to protect him, but her absence was more painful than any bullet wound ever could be. She had to know that. He couldn't do this without her.

In desperation, he called anyone he could think of, trying to find someone who knew where Jane went.

Allie looked around the broken chaos of their living room, holding Bethany tightly. "Kurt, no, for the last time, I did not help her. You didn't even call me, for god's sake. Your house gets broken into and our daughter is at risk – " Kurt's glare cut her off. "I get it. But she's not with the Marshals. No matter how many times you ask."

"She's somewhere, Allie. She couldn't disappear without help." Kurt said tensely, walking around the living room grabbing item after item, picking them up and placing them down again. He couldn't stop moving – if he stopped moving, it felt like he was giving up. He needed to be moving, to be making progress, to be getting closer to her.

"Listen, Kurt. I know you're upset. Rightfully so. But, I promise, I've searched every database. She's not in WitSec. There would be a paper trail, a notation, something. Wherever she is… she's on her own."

"She's safe."

Kurt's head whipped around to see Keaton standing in the doorway. "What did you say?" His eyes narrowed as he walked closer. "Where is she?"

"Listen, Kurt, I know you don't understand…."

"What I don't understand is how you took my wife and aren't telling me where she is."

Keaton shifted his weight, standing up straighter as Kurt approached. "She's on a plane, that's all I know. She wouldn't tell me anything else."

The anger boiled inside Kurt. He never liked Keaton, that much was for sure. The man was evil – he'd tortured Jane, lied, withheld information. They'd had a rocky truce since Sandstorm, but this, this crossed the line. Keaton was a husband, a father – he knew what it was like to love somebody and face losing them. And even with that – he took Jane.

"Where. Is. She?" Kurt asked between gritted teeth.

"I told you, I don't know."

Kurt didn't even realize what happened until he saw the blood streaming down Keaton's face. His eyes still glaring at Keaton, he shook out his fist. It had felt good. Long overdue in fact. He'd wanted to punch the man since they'd first met. He let out a low growl, intending to do it again if Keaton didn't give him answers.

"Kurt!" Allie's voice sounded in the background, just barely in Kurt's awareness.

"Tell me what you do know then."

Keaton dabbed at his nose with his sleeve. "It's Jane we're talking about here. She was going to do it with or without me. At least this way she's safe."

"How do you know that? She could have been killed the second you left her at the airport!" His voice was raw, pleading. "You could have stopped her. You chose not to."

"You know that wouldn't work."

"He's right, you know," Allie said, her voice finally breaking into the chaos into his head. "She's stubborn as hell. Just like you."

Kurt stared at her for a moment. He knew she was right. Jane had made up her mind the second she heard about the threat. She was stubborn and worse yet, he knew he would have done the same thing. He wouldn't have put Jane at risk, no matter the personal cost. He couldn't decide what he hated more in that moment – Jane for doing it – or himself for knowing he would have done exactly the same thing.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. He had to make a plan. Kurt leaned over, pressing a kiss to Bethany's forehead, and without saying a word, walked towards the bedroom. He grabbed his suitcase from the closet, haphazardly grabbing and dumping clothes in from the drawers.

"Kurt, what are you doing?!" Allie stood in the doorway, her eyes wide as she watched him.

"I'm going after her," Kurt marched into the bathroom, quickly grabbing the essential items.

"Where? Keaton said he didn't know where she was!"

"She's out there, Allie. And I've gotta find her."

Kurt was agitated throughout the entire flight, causing more than a few glances his way as he fidgeted and repeatedly checked his phone. But as soon as he stepped off the plane in Venice, he felt a calm envelop his body that he hadn't felt since the attack. He knew she was here, she had to be.

He hurried to the canals, catching the first vaporetto he found to St. Marks Square.

He'd researched everything, planned it down to the last detail. It had to be perfect. It was her first vacation, and she kept insisting that it was too much. But she didn't know what he was planning – what he had been planning for weeks. He'd made the reservations at the fanciest hotel he'd found – roses, bottle of champagne, the whole works. That first night was heaven, spent wrapped up in each other's arms, never feeling more at peace. The next day was filled with sightseeing and canal rides, ending in a romantic dinner at Terrazza Danieli. The sun had set when they ventured out to St Mark's Square, but the lights still glistened all around. They walked slowly, taking in all the sights, making plans to come back. They were in front of the basilica when he stopped suddenly. Her face was lit by the lights, shining brightly as she smiled.

He fought so hard to get the words out. Everything that he practiced and rehearsed was immediately forgotten. She meant everything to him, and he needed to tell her, but it came out messy instead. At some point he must have asked, because all of a sudden she was kissing him and saying "yes, yes, yes."

The line to get back into the canal was too long for them to wait, and Jane gave him a sly smile as she tugged his hand. They ran back the way they came, Jane leading the way to a small, hole in the wall hotel that she had seen earlier that evening. All thoughts of roses and chocolate covered strawberries were forgotten as they locked the door behind them, collapsing into bed together.

"Please, sir, she has to be here." Kurt reached for his phone, trying to find a picture of Jane. "We were just here a few months ago."

"No signore," the old man behind the desk replied. "Very beautiful. But not here."

"Can you ask anyone else? She has to be."

"She not here, sir. I know every guest." He tapped the phone. "She not here."

He left the hotel feeling even more defeated than he had been the day before. He had been so certain she was here. No one else knew about this place – no one could have traced it back to them. She would have been safe here.

If she wasn't here, then where?