Chapter 6 part 3
They were in the kitchen one day, Sawyer was with Reade, they were supposed to be getting lunch ready but they somehow got distracted and seemed hungry for each other. Jane had her back to the kitchen counter and Kurt was in front of her they were devouring each other and why not, the apartment was kid free for the foreseeable future and they intended to take advantage of it. Kurt's hands were everywhere and Jane loved it but she loved his mouth even more. His kisses were addictive; she couldn't get enough of them. When their mouths fused together she was in heaven, then his mouth moved to her neck and she couldn't help but groan in pleasure something which spurred him on. The feel of his stubble on her cheek and neck was sublime, she would cry if he ever decided to get rid of his stubble. Even though his hands roamed her body, they only ever roamed her clothed covered body well they did until his thumbs found her waist under her t-shirt and she flinched. Then he froze. He pulled away from her quickly and removed his hands.
"I'm sorry Jane!"
"I'm sorry Kurt!"
They apologised at the same time, something which confused Kurt.
"Jane, why are you apologising? I went over the line…"
"NO! You didn't. It was a natural progression and the way my hands were over your body, we both wanted, want the same thing…"
"Jane you flinched from my touch…"
"Kurt you have to know that I love you and trust you. I don't know why I reacted like that…"
"Jane, it's fine. You can't remember being with anyone so it's natural that you're feeling a little anxious about the next step of our relationship, whenever that may happen…"
"No! Maybe. Kurt I do want you but…"
"But?"
"Supposing I don't know what to do? What if I'm bad? Supposing I don't like it?"
"Well, you're assuming that I know what to do. Supposing I'm bad and you think 'is that it?'"
"Well seeing as you have a kid, I assume that you know what to do and I doubt that there's anything in your life that you do badly!"
She watched as Kurt blushed. She watched as he gathered his thoughts.
"Jane, we don't have to do anything right now. You're not ready and that's fine. You'll know when you will be."
"How will I know?"
"I don't know, but I do think you will when the time comes."
"How do I know you'll wait for me?" Jane whispered
Kurt gave her a tender smile and cupped her cheek in his hand; he felt her lean into his touch.
"I will wait for you until the day I die. You're it for me."
"Supposing I'm never ready…"
Again, Kurt smiled at her.
"Jane, I know you can't remember any sexual relationships that you've had but I remember the ones I had and yes, I enjoyed them at the time but there was always something missing. I didn't know what it was. Until I met you…"
Jane looked at him in shock.
"…everything just felt right with you. Holding your hand, kissing you. Yes I would like a physical relationship with you but only if and when you're ready, not a second before. If we only have what we have now then I'll still be the happiest I've ever been. When you're with the right person then every moment, in whatever capacity, is the best moment ever and that's true of us. I love every moment with you."
Jane looked into his eyes and saw the truth in them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they held each other for a long while. When they pulled slightly apart, Kurt placed a quick kiss on her mouth.
"C'mon, we were supposed to make some lunch."
They enjoyed the lunch that they made. But it didn't escape Jane's notice that whenever they were alone, Kurt's hands firmly stayed on her thighs and or her back, they never rested anywhere where they could come in contact with her skin well apart from her face, neck and hands. The kisses didn't diminish in their ardour.
It was a few weeks later when Sawyer was having a sleepover at Reade's, it was the first since speaking again and Kurt was anxious about it although he was really good about not showing it in front of either Sawyer or Reade but Jane knew. Jane hugged Sawyer goodbye when Reade came to collect him, she also watched as Kurt hugged Sawyer for a little longer than usual. Jane placed her hand on Kurt's back and that seemed to bring him back to the present. They watched as Sawyer waved bye until the front door of the apartment closed. Jane swore Kurt wanted to walk them down to the lobby but he refrained from doing that.
"I don't know why I'm so…so…so I don't know." Said Kurt as soon as the door closed
"Hey, it's ok. I would be worried if you didn't allow the sleepover!"
"Even I know that would be overkill. I trust Reade with Sawyer, I do. I don't know why I'm acting like this."
"C'mon, let me try and distract you even for a little bit."
"Thanks."
They ordered take out and Kurt picked at his food. They tried to watch a film but Kurt kept on looking at his cell, hoping for a text or call from Reade saying he was returning with Sawyer. Kurt was a little more attentive once he spoke to Sawyer when he called to say goodnight. Jane gave up trying to distract him. She had hoped that with Sawyer having a sleepover they may start to take things to the next level but Kurt seemed too distracted and he would end up feeling guilty for not giving her 100%, she had a feeling on his worst day his attentiveness would be above the average man's. He wasn't in the right frame of mind and he needed her and she was going to be there for him. She left him on the sofa and went to her room to retrieve her duvet and pillow. He got up when she asked him to and she got the couch ready. Jane could feel Kurt's eyes on her but she just ignored it until she was finished.
"You once said the best way to watch a film, in Sawyer's opinion is lying on the couch, I thought I'd like to give it a try and I want to be comfortable, it would be great if you could join me…"
Kurt smiled and nodded his head. He knew he was behaving weirdly and he couldn't even explain it. He didn't think this would be how they would spend the night, if he read Jane right, she may have wanted to take the next step with him or at least start in the right direction but he managed to mess that up. He watched as Jane put a film on and waited for him to get comfortable on the sofa first before she lay in front of him. She fit exactly against his body, they were both on their right sides, Kurt secured her to him with his left arm and she rested hers on his. They settled and Jane's body lotion scent was soothing to him and helped him relax. He focussed on the images on the screen in front of him but he felt tired all of a sudden and he decided to close his eyes for a few seconds.
Jane knew the exact moment when Kurt fell asleep, she felt him relax completely against her but he didn't loosen his grip on her, something which made her smile. She decided to close her eyes for a few minutes.
Kurt woke up early in the morning, he was slightly confused as to why Jane was plastered against him especially as they weren't in his room then it all came back to him. He was acting weirdly because Sawyer was on his first sleepover since beginning to talk again. He remembered Jane trying to distract him but he was too far gone to pay attention. Then he recalled how she set up the sofa and he relaxed. It was exactly what he needed. They spooned at the beginning but sometime during the night Jane turned in her sleep and now she was facing him. The TV was still on and he moved to reach for the remote which caused Jane to moan at the movement, he quickly switched the TV off and settled back when Jane gave a groan of approval. He knew he should wake her and take her back to her room but he was so comfortable that he just didn't want to so he pulled her closer to him, not that there was much space between them to begin with but still, and closed his eyes.
Jane was having a great dream of sleeping in Kurt's arms when she could smell freshly baked goods. She took a good sniff then her pillow was moving, no in fact her pillow was chuckling. She didn't want to but she had to know why her pillow was chuckling. She pried open one eye only to come face to face with the most gorgeous blue eyes she ever knew, and then it all came back to her. Last night, sofa, Kurt, falling asleep.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. You should have woken me up." Declared Jane
"Why would I do that? I enjoyed it. Thanks. Sorry for being a little insane last night…"
"No worries. How did you manage to get up bake some really nice smelling treats and get back here on the sofa?"
"I didn't!"
"Then…huh?" asked a confused Jane
Kurt tilted his head and she followed to see Sawyer and Reade staring at them with wide grins on their faces.
"Oh hey guys, how was the sleepover? Why are you guys back so early?"
She watched as Reade and Sawyer shared a look.
"Aunt Jane it's after 11!"
Jane scoffed "No it isn't!" but at their look she grabbed Kurt's wrist to look at his watch and was shocked to see the time.
"Oh wow!"
She turned to Kurt "How long have you been awake?"
"Only a minute or two longer than you."
"Why are you guys on the sofa? Did you spend the night there?" asked Sawyer
Reade had a massive grin on his face as he could guess the reason from Kurt's sheepish look.
"Yeah, Aunt Jane wanted to try watching a film while lying on the couch and we must have fallen asleep until you came in."
"Ok." said Sawyer.
Jane and Kurt shared a look before they got up and made their way to the kitchen after stopping off in their respective bathrooms first.
Jane couldn't stop thinking about that night on the couch. She loved it. She loved being in Kurt's arms and she couldn't wait for the next time whenever that may be. It was on her mind constantly. At work she was fine but at home she was distracted. Kurt noticed but knew that Jane would talk about it when she was ready. It took Jane a couple of weeks to finally talk to Kurt about what was on her mind. They had put Ella to bed earlier and Sawyer had just gone to bed. Their usual routine was to relax, talk and make out on the sofa once the kids were in bed but before Kurt got up to make them their customary cup of cocoa Jane grabbed his hand.
"Can we talk?"
Kurt looked at Jane and she seemed nervous for some reason.
"Of course, is everything alright?" said Kurt as he faced Jane again
"Remember when we got together? We agreed to be honest with each other…?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, there's been something on my mind and I've been in two minds whether I should bring it up or not…I didn't know if it would be fair to you or not or if I would be taking advantage of you and I've been so confused…"
"Jane you can tell me anything."
Kurt watched as she took a deep breath.
"Remember when Sawyer had his sleepover?"
"You mean when I freaked out for some bizarre reason? Yeah, I remember, it wasn't my finest moment."
"Well, remember when we spent the night together on the sofa, in each other's arms?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I really liked it!"
"So did I."
"No I mean I really liked it!"
Kurt just looked at her but he didn't know what she was trying to tell him.
"Ok, I don't really know what you mean…"
"I mean that I wish we could do that every night!"
There was silence after her declaration.
"You want to sleep on the sofa every night?"
"Yes! No! I want to sleep in your arms every night."
Before Kurt could even respond Jane carried on.
"I want to move into your room but I don't know if I'm ready for anything else? Does that make me a tease? I don't want to put you in a difficult position…"
"It's a great idea!"
Kurt watched as Jane did a double take.
"Excuse me?" asked Jane
"I think it's a great idea. When do you want to move into our room?"
"Kurt you do understand, I mean to just sleep right?"
She watched as he nodded his head.
"Are you sure you don't mind that nothing else would be going on…?"
"Jane, I meant it when I said I'd wait until the day I die and if you're never ready then I'd still be happy with what we have. I loved that night as well but I couldn't justify sending both kids out on sleepovers just so I could sleep with you in my arms."
"And you're sure that I wouldn't make you uncomfortable?"
It took Kurt a few moments to realise what Jane meant.
"Jane, you could never make me uncomfortable."
"So, should I move into your room tomorrow?"
"Why not now?"
"I think we should let Sawyer know that I'll be in your room."
"Ok."
Both had smiles on their faces for the rest of the night.
The 'move' went smoothly, it consisted of Jane moving her few possessions into Kurt's room. He made room for her few pieces of clothing in his wardrobe. She placed her underwear in his drawer where his resided, it was an intimate gesture and something that made her smile, her panties next to his boxers. It didn't take long. Sawyer was unfazed by the new development he just nodded his head as he ate his breakfast.
That night should have been awkward but it wasn't. They got under the covers and kissed but settled down for the night in each other's arms, both had smiles on their faces.
It was a several nights later that Jane heard a noise, she checked the clock and it was after midnight. Kurt was dead to the world, he only got home an hour before and barely had enough energy to eat. She carefully lifted his arm that was around her middle and placed it on the mattress after she got up. She carefully made her way to the living room and saw Sawyer sitting on the sofa reading a book with his flashlight.
"Sawyer? Are you ok? What are you doing up?" Jane whispered
"I couldn't sleep…"
Jane noticed the tear tracks on Sawyer's cheeks.
"Hey, did you have a nightmare?" She watched as Sawyer nodded his head.
"Why didn't you come into your Uncle's room?"
Whatever she was expecting wasn't the incredulous look that she received.
"Aunt Jane, I'm almost a teenager. I can't sleep with Uncle Kurt like I'm a baby besides…"
"Besides what?" asked a confused Jane
"Besides, Uncle Kurt sleeps with you now!"
"Well, yes we sleep together but you know there's enough room for you if you need to sleep with us…Ella did last night!"
"Ella's a baby!"
"Yes, she's younger than you but still, if either of you need your Uncle then his door is always open, you know that right?"
Sawyer nodded.
Jane pulled the throw on the back of the couch onto their laps; Sawyer looked at her in surprise.
"What? You expect me to leave you here by yourself? No chance!"
"But…"
"No 'buts', I'm here if you want to talk."
"Thanks Aunt Jane."
"You're welcome!"
Jane knew the instant when Kurt was awake, she felt and heard him move into the living room and he sat on the other side of Sawyer. Kurt looked at Jane over Sawyer's head and indicated that she could go to bed if she wanted to but she gave him such a fierce look and shook her head that he got comfortable.
"Do you want to talk about it buddy?"
Sawyer opened and closed his mouth a few times before anything came out.
"I just dreamt that you didn't survive the shooting, and when Aunt Jane came to get me from school it was to tell me that you were gone."
The tears rolled down his cheek as he retold them about his nightmare. Kurt wrapped an arm around the young boy.
"I know it's not true but it felt so real in the dream…"
"I know. I heard you talking to your Aunt and I know why you don't want to sleep with me anymore and I get it although I am going to miss you but I want you to promise us something. If you feel you would rather stay out here because you had a nightmare or there's something on your mind then please knock on our door, one or both of us will come out and stay with you."
Sawyer was going to protest when Kurt beat him to it.
"Hey, it's more for us than for you. I get that you're getting older but you have to remember, it's hard for us to realise that, sometimes we forget that you're almost a teenager, remember I changed your diapers!"
"Uncle Kurt!"
"What? It's true. Look you don't have to tell us everything but we want to be there for you, ok?"
After a while Sawyer nodded his head. Kurt kissed his temple and ruffled his hair. Jane and Kurt settled next to the youngster and they closed their eyes. Kurt felt something fall against him and when he opened his eyes he saw that Sawyer was asleep against him and he'd dropped his book and flashlight. Kurt recovered the flashlight and switched it off and closed his eyes once more.
A couple of days later, Kurt was ready for bed and was waiting for Jane to enter their room. It hadn't been long but he enjoyed sharing a room with Jane even though they weren't intimate yet. He loved waking up with her in his arms, it always made him smile. He was wondering where she could be when he heard something but couldn't understand what he heard, he knew what he heard but didn't understand the reason for it. He got up to investigate and walked to Jane's old room, he was surprised to see the door closed, since moving into his room, the door has remained open. He quietly knocked on the door and heard a 'come in' before he pushed the door open; he was surprised to see Jane in bed.
"Er Jane, why are in here? Did I do something wrong?" asked Kurt as he tried to figure out what he could have done to make Jane feel so uncomfortable that she felt happier in her old room.
"NO! I thought it would be better for the next several days…" Jane whispered
Kurt knew he was missing something and judging by the fact Jane was blushing it was something she was embarrassed about but he couldn't figure out what it could be. Jane was watching Kurt's facial expression and could tell that he was trying to work out the reason why she was not sharing his bed that night or for the next couple, she couldn't stand the thought of him doubting himself so she decided to enlighten him no matter how mortifying it was going to be.
"Kurt, it isn't you or anything that you have done…it's me!"
Kurt looked at her as if she had a second head. Jane took a deep breath and explained. She patted the bed by her and watched as Kurt came to sit by her.
"I've got my period and the first few days are a little…full on…"
"Do you mean cramps? Because Sarah used to swear by a hot water bottle and lots and lots of chocolate."
"Yes and no. I do get cramps but it's only for the first couple of days and I'm lucky that they're not that bad. What I'm worried about is the…flow"
Jane chanced a look at Kurt and saw the confusion on his face. She would bet that he would have the same look in ten years' time if he had to explain periods to Ella. Jane took pity on him.
"Kurt, my period is what you'd call 'heavy', which means that I have to change my tampon…" Jane smiled at the look of horror on his face "every twenty to thirty minutes or so and it can be distracting to you if I'm getting out of bed that often over the next few nights."
"Ok, first of all, that's a stupid reason. If I can help then I want to. I'm not in this for just the good times; I want to be there for you whenever you need me even if that means for a few nights each month that we don't get a restful night of sleep. Second of all, how have I not noticed this before?"
"Well before, we weren't together and I wasn't going to say, 'Hey Kurt, do you mind if I go and change my tampon?'"
"Why not? Zapata has on occasion!"
Kurt watched as Jane's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Why am I surprised?"
"And after we got together?" asked Kurt
Jane shrugged her shoulders.
"It didn't seem like something that I should bring up, I know I lost my memory but even I know that guys and periods do not mix…"
"Ok, usually I would agree with you but I'm not just some 'guy', I'm your guy! C'mon, let's get to bed and I'll get up with you if you want?"
"The whole point of me sleeping in here is so I don't disturb you!"
"But I want you to disturb me c'mon."
Kurt wasn't going to take no for an answer so he pulled the covers back and pulled Jane into his arms and took her into their room, where he placed her on her side of the bed but instead of joining her he left the room to return a few minutes later with a hot water bottle. They settled down for the night, true to his word, Kurt woke up each time Jane got up to visit the bathroom, each time he would gather her up back into his arms with a kiss to her temple. This went on for the remainder of her period with two exceptions, the next night Ella didn't want to stay in her bed for some reason, every time either Jane and or Kurt placed her into her bed she would cry and give them that look, the look that broke their hearts so they brought her to their room and miraculously, she calmed down and fell asleep straight away.
"Hey, if you want an uninterrupted night's sleep do you want to go to your old room?" asked Kurt
Jane didn't even deign to respond to him; instead she snuggled up to the both of them. The second time was when, two nights after Ella spent the night with them, Sawyer had another nightmare and as promised, he knocked on their door on his way to the sofa. He didn't really expect either his Aunt or Uncle to come out but he did wish one of them would. He was pleasantly surprised when they both came out. Since that first night he spent on the sofa, there were a couple of new throws on the back of the sofa, even a small one for Ella, which she absolutely loved. They each settled on either side of him and they all took their own throw. He noticed that his Aunt would get up regularly but she would always come back. He fell asleep leaning against his Uncle.
A few weeks later Kurt had to go undercover to help out an old friend. Jane was worried, it wasn't a cut and dried operation. He hugged Sawyer and Ella tight and kissed Jane goodbye as if he may never see her again. The first few days without him were good, the days were normal. Sawyer had to be nagged to do his homework and wasn't allowed to play his computer game until Ella was in bed as his games were a little too violent for the toddler to see. Jane and Kurt were used to the nightly eye rolling that Sawyer gave them, things were slightly better when Ella wasn't staying with them as he was allowed to play his game earlier, however regardless if Ella was staying with them or not Sawyer had to switch the game off at least 30 mins before his bedtime so he could read before bed and calm down. During the weekend sometimes Kurt would play the game with Sawyer, Jane watched the two play for hours. One Sunday, Sawyer offered her the controls and she played she had the coordination for it but once she finished her stint she turned to see both Sawyer and Kurt looking at her in awe. A couple of days after Kurt left for his undercover mission, Jane was slightly distracted, she heard that Kurt had not checked in at his specified time, it wasn't something to be overly concerned about as sometimes things happened that prevented agents from checking in but then it became over 24 hours since Kurt had last checked in. She knew she was probably overreacting but she couldn't help it, she had a bad feeling about it. Sawyer and Ella noticed the difference, that night when Sawyer asked to play his game even though Ella wasn't in bed yet he knew that the answer was going to be 'no' and was so surprised when his Aunt said yes, he knew she wasn't being as strict as she usually was and she was preoccupied and only one thing made her that way and that was if there was something wrong with one of them, and seeing as he and Ella were fine that left Uncle Kurt. Sawyer helped with Ella, he put on her favourite cartoon which at the moment was Scooby Doo. She always said "Dooby dooby doooooo" when she saw the big dog, it always made him smile and he knew she was going to love the large stuffed toy that his Uncle Kurt and Aunt Jane had bought for her birthday.
After Ella was put to bed, Sawyer put the food network on instead of playing his game, his Aunt didn't even notice. When it was time for him to go to bed he hugged his Aunt Jane tightly and Jane squeezed him back, Jane thought that she didn't manage to conceal her concern for Kurt, lately it had been a battle to get Sawyer to hug them before bed but tonight, he sensed that she was worried about his Uncle and he hugged her.
He didn't know what woke him but something did, he got out of bed and went to the living room and he saw his Aunt just sitting there staring into thin air. He went to sit next to her, he pulled down her throw and placed it over her, and she didn't even acknowledge him. He and Ella must have been on the same wavelength as she started to whimper, he watched as his Aunt turned to the sound and flinched when she saw him sitting next to her, she quickly grabbed his hand in support before she got up to get Ella. He noticed that she was wearing one of his Uncle's shirts, the one he was wearing just before he left. His Aunt came back after a couple of minutes with his cousin in her arms. His Aunt sat back down next to him but this time taking his throw down and placing it onto his lap while she took Ella's one and placed around the toddler and retrieving her own. Ella settled down, Sawyer was leaning against his Aunt, no words needed to be said, the two were in their own little worlds, thinking about the man they loved. They must have dozed off for the next thing they knew there was movement on the sofa and when Sawyer looked around he saw his Uncle sitting next to him.
"Kurt?" asked Jane in disbelief
Sawyer threw himself at his Uncle and heard him wince as Kurt caught him, Sawyer pulled back quickly but Kurt caught him again and hugged him. Once they finished their hug, Sawyer immediately stood up, Kurt didn't understand what was going on until Sawyer indicated he should move up, and once Kurt had moved Sawyer sat on his other side while Jane snuggled into Kurt.
"Daddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" said a sleepy Ella as she made grabby hands towards Kurt
Kurt took Ella from Jane's arms and she settled into her daddy's embrace with Sawyer on one side and Jane on the other. There was no need for any words, tomorrow would be soon enough, he turned to kiss Jane on the temple and the four of them fell asleep like that.
From that night Jane always slept in Kurt's shirts or t-shirts, she had no shame in stealing his clothing, not that he minded in fact he seemed to love the fact that she slept in his clothes. Since that night she couldn't help but think about what could have happened if things went wrong. She could have lost the love of her life and without knowing him intimately. She knew he loved her, she knew he would never take advantage of her, she knew whatever they shared would be memorable.
She made up her mind to talk to Kurt about her feelings and what she wanted but the 'perfect time' never seemed to arise. It was a few weeks before she could broach the subject, cases came and were solved, there were soccer matches, swim meets not to mention a toddler with a nasty cold plus a team member who had been injured during a case, they had put a cranky Ella to bed where Scooby had to share her bed and their bed when she slept with them, as well as grudgingly getting a goodnight hug from a cranky tweener. Jane was already in bed waiting for Kurt to get under the covers, she didn't have to wait for long. Kurt got under the covers and moved towards her, Jane wrapped her arms around his neck and they kissed as was their routine. When Kurt started to pull away Jane didn't let him, instead she hooked her right leg around his left, and there was no confusion about her intentions. Kurt looked up, his eyes meeting hers in question.
"Jane?"
"I want to be with you Kurt…"
Kurt looked into her eyes to make sure he understood what she was saying.
"Now? Are you sure?"
"I was waiting for the 'perfect time', but I don't think that actually exists so…"
"What about the kids?"
"What about the kids?" Jane asked
"You don't mind our first time being with them in the apartment?"
"Kurt, I don't want to wait until we're alone because that may only happen a few times a year anyway we need to get used to being together when they're here, they're part of our lives…"
Kurt smiled.
"Ok, but you're going to have to be quiet!"
"Why?"
"Well, if you wake the kids up, you're the one explaining to them what happened!"
"Why would I be the loud one?"
Another smirk from Kurt.
"You're definitely the loud one!"
Kurt moved his hand to her leg that was hooked over his and as he ran his hand up her smooth leg and he groaned when he got to her hip and there were no panties. He stroked her hip with his thumb; the sensation was causing Jane to squirm in the best possible way and was she was anticipating the best night of her life if the indications were anything to go by.
"Are you sure?" Kurt asked
For an answer, Jane started to move up the t-shirt she was wearing, Kurt got the message and helped her remove the item of clothing so she was completely naked under him, then he removed his t-shirt but he kept his boxers on. Before moving forward he looked into her eyes again.
"Promise me something; if you want me to stop at any point or I make you uncomfortable please tell me."
"Kurt, I'm not going to want you to stop and I know that there is nothing that you could do that would make me feel uncomfortable."
"Jane.." said Kurt in his determined voice
Jane rolled her eyes but understood that Kurt wanted to make sure that she was in control.
"Fine, now can we get back to you rocking my world?"
This time Kurt rolled his eyes, "great no pressure!"
The next morning neither Jane nor Kurt could keep the smiles off of their faces, they kept on glancing at the other, their eyes would lock then they would share a smile that held secrets. Whatever Jane had dreamt about their first time it was nothing compared to the reality, Kurt had indeed rocked her world. Several times in fact. After the last time, Jane put her t-shirt back on which confused Kurt.
"I want to be decent in case Ella or Sawyer needs us, plus if Scooby shares our bed!"
"Scooby takes up a third of our bed!"
"Hey don't blame me…"
"Why not? You're the one that showed me that stuffed toy that 'Ella just had to have!"
"You bought it!"
Kurt put his boxers back on and gathered Jane into his arms and they fell asleep.
It was a couple of months later when Jane, Kurt and Sawyer were sitting at the table eating breakfast but there was no talking, at least not between the adults, not one word. Kurt finished meal got up and washed his dirty dishes and went to his room without a word.
Kurt was leaving the bedroom when he heard Sawyer speak.
"Aunt Jane, are you and Uncle Kurt splitting up?"
Jane choked on her coffee.
"NO! Why would you ask that?" said Jane
Sawyer gave her an incredulous look "because you're not talking to each other and haven't been for a couple of days…"
"Oh, that. We're just having a disagreement…"
Sawyer just looked at her.
"Ok, both your Uncle and I are stubborn, him more than me…" another look from Sawyer "…fine, we're both as stubborn as each other but that doesn't change the fact that we love each other. We do. I love him so much and I know that he loves me but we're going to have arguments, every couple has arguments. Maybe giving each other the silent treatment isn't the best thing but it works for us."
"How do you know that you're not breaking up?"
"Ok, well I don't but your Uncle and I have discussed about both of us being honest with the other especially as it could and would affect you and Ella. If one or both of us thought the relationship wasn't working then we would have said something and seeing as neither of us has said anything along the lines of 'we need to break up' means that we don't want to break up. We honestly do love each other and I don't see anything changing that. If we do split up, not that that will ever happen, but if we ever do, your Uncle will make sure that we can still spend time together, ok? You're not going to get rid of me that easily! He's still more stubborn than I am!"
Sawyer really had the 'Weller' scowl down.
"Fine, I may, emphasis on 'may', be just as stubborn as your Uncle!"
Sawyer smiled and took his dirty dishes to the sink.
Kurt smiled as he leaned against the doorframe.
They took Sawyer to School, as soon as he was safely in school Jane spoke.
"So how much of that conversation did you hear?"
"All of it. Do you want to talk about our 'argument' now or this evening?"
"We can start it now. We're professional enough not to let it interfere at work…"
"Fine, I still think you're wrong!"
"Kurt, I honestly don't get what the big deal is, I paid the utilities, why do you have such a problem with that?"
"Because!"
"Well that's a great reason! How old are you again?"
"Look, there's no reason for you to pay the utilities or anything else for that matter…"
"But I want to. I want to contribute to the running of the apartment; I thought we're a team?"
"We are!"
"But only on your terms?"
"Look, I earn more than you, New York is an expensive city, and I don't want you spending your money when it isn't necessary…"
"Have you always been like this? Have you never shared the financial responsibilities with a girlfriend before?"
"Jane, you're the first woman that I've lived with."
"Really?" Jane couldn't believe it
"Yes, really! The only other adult woman that has lived in the same place as me was Sarah but she doesn't count."
"Oh, OH!"
"What does that mean?"
Jane shrugged her shoulders.
"So you didn't accept rent from her?"
"Well, to be fair she couldn't really afford it which is why she moved in with me in the first place until she was on her feet again…"
"And when she was I bet you didn't accept it!"
"It would have been wrong to take money from her, she was a single parent and I didn't need her money, if I could help I did. She was stubborn too you know, she didn't want to accept my help either!"
Jane rolled her eyes.
"So stubborn is a 'Weller' trait? Great, Sawyer's and Ella's teenage years are going to be great!" Jane muttered
There was silence for the rest of the journey. Work was fine although both were quieter than usual, the others were concerned about what they saw, Patterson and Zapata tried to talk to Jane about what was bothering her and Reade did the same with Kurt, they each told their own side hoping for understanding and confirmation that they were right.
"Well Weller is a protector and he's probably thinking that it's one less thing for you to worry about…."
Jane opened her mouth to complain about that but Patterson just held up her hand for her to stop.
"I didn't mean that it's ok for him to think that. I was just explaining what was going through his mind…"
"Yeah, I have to agree, it's not as if he's trying to control you…" chimed in Zapata
"I know that but I thought we were equals? It doesn't seem right for him to take the financial burden for me as well especially as I'm working and earning my own money…"
"Hey, I totally understand you but you've got to understand where Weller is coming from, he's a control freak but in the best possible way, there's no way that he's controlling you." Added Patterson
"I know but it's so frustrating!"
"Jane, is it a deal breaker?" asked Zapata
…
"She's being totally irrational!"
"Hmmmm." Was the only sound Reade made
"You agree with me right?"
Reade took a breath.
"Kurt, you know when Sarah and I argued it was about money right?"
Kurt shook his head.
"Look, when we became serious, I wanted it all. I wanted to help her and help with Sawyer but Sarah wasn't having any of it! She was fine, she didn't need my help and she certainly didn't need me to help with her son!"
"I never knew."
"Huh, I assumed she told you everything."
"She probably knew that I would be on your side and I would have told her she should accept the support and that if she wanted you as a part of her and Sawyer's life that she wouldn't be able to pick and choose how you loved them."
Reade just stared at him and wondered how long it would take Kurt to realise how much their situation was similar…it didn't take him as long as he thought.
"Shut up! My situation is totally different!"
Reade smiled.
"Yeah, I can see that! I loved Sarah and I love Sawyer as if he was my own just like Jane loves you and loves Sawyer and Ella as if they were her own…I wanted to help financially as well as emotionally…Jane wants to do the same but the Wellers in our respective lives don't or didn't want that, hmmmm, I wonder what the common denominator is…?"
"You think you're so funny but let me tell you you're not!"
"Ok, but listen to me. Sarah and I nearly broke up because even though she loved me she was too scared to let me in fully, we got through it but it was touch and go for a moment…"
"I never knew that!"
"It's old news and it never happened but it was close. Let me ask you something, are you that determined to have your own way that you would risk Jane leaving you and the kids?"
Kurt looked at Reade in shock.
"Look man, I'm not saying she is going to leave you but you need to understand that Jane isn't some meek woman who will do as you say when you say…" Reade held up his hand as he saw Kurt was going to protest "…look, I'm not saying that you want Jane to be that way but you know she's independent and she won't put up with something if she feels so strongly about it…just think about what you want and is it totally worth it?"
Later that day, when they were in bed, Sawyer was already in bed for at least an hour, Jane was sitting crossed legged facing Kurt and he was sitting up leaning against the headboard.
"You trust me in the field, why don't you want me to help with the bills? Can you please explain it? I just don't get it." Said Jane with frustration
Kurt exhaled.
"It just feels wrong to accept your money. I earn enough to support all of us, I can support us…"
"Kurt, I know you can, my paying the bills doesn't mean that I think you can't support the four of us but why should you have to? I want to be your partner in every sense of the word. I don't want to be a kept woman!"
"I'm not trying to 'keep' you."
"It feels like it though. I know you don't give me money for personal stuff but me not being able to contribute makes me feel…I don't know…like I'm in your debt and I don't like…that."
"That's not my intention. I just want to provide for you I guess, you haven't had an easy time and I just want to make things easier for you…"
"Kurt, I love you. I don't need you to make things easier for me; since we met you've never treated me as anything other than an equal until a couple of days ago."
They stared at each other.
"I want to be your partner in every way Kurt…"
Kurt heaved a deep sigh.
"I want that too. I just want you to be happy. I don't want you to worry about money or anything I want you to be happy."
"Kurt, you make me happy, well most of the time!"
Kurt rolled his eyes.
Jane leaned forward to capture his lips with hers in a tender kiss. Once they broke apart a weight seemed to have been lifted from both sets of shoulders.
"Don't you want the kids to see how compromise is made and that relationships are about each person being equal? Can you imagine Ella being dependent on a partner; wouldn't you want her to be an independent woman? Wouldn't you want Sawyer to be a confident young man who is proud of his partner, even if they earned more than him or if they shared everything equally?"
"Yes of course…"
"But?"
"I always thought that the reason my mom left was because my dad wasn't a good enough husband. Maybe if he could buy my mom whatever she wanted instead of her penny pinching then she would have stayed…"
There was more silence. Jane knew what she wanted to say and it may blow up in her face but she was willing to risk it, she took one of his hands in hers.
"Kurt, you haven't really talked about your mom, which is fine and I may be overstepping the line here but I honestly think that your mom would have left no matter what. Your dad could have been prince charming, I know he wasn't and I know you and Sarah didn't have a great time after your mom left but if he was then she still wouldn't have been happy. Some people can never be happy with what they have, they'll always want more. If she really cared about you two, she would have taken you with her. She thought your dad had something to do with your friend's death? So she left you and your sister with him? That doesn't make any sense. She wanted out and she took it the first chance she got. Tell me something, would Sarah have done the same thing? If she was in a relationship like your parents had would she have left Sawyer with his biological dad?"
"NO!"
Jane cupped his cheek. "Exactly!"
Jane leaned forward again to place a quick kiss on his lips.
"I don't need you to take care of me or buy things for me however if you want to bake for me I will not stop you, it would be rude to do so!"
Kurt rolled his eyes.
"I love you, I love when you hold my hand, I love when you kiss me. I love when you make love to me, I love when we go out as a family."
"I love you too." Whispered Kurt "So where do we go from here?"
"Well, what would you be happy with?"
"We…we could split the utilities…" Kurt hesitantly said
"Ok, what about your mortgage?"
Jane saw Kurt open and shut his mouth several times and not a sound came out, Jane knew she overstepped the mark and took back what she said.
"The utilities are fine, for now. Thank you."
"Hmmmm."
"Kurt, remember I said how I loved how you make love to me?"
Kurt nodded.
"Well, Sawyer is in bed and has been for a while now and we're here…if only there was something we could do…?" said Jane with an impish smile
Kurt wasn't slow and proceeded to show Jane just how much she meant to him.
Days, weeks and months passed. There were more arguments, they were two of the most stubborn people, Ella learned to roll her eyes, or the best that a toddler could do, when the two of them argued, something she learnt from Sawyer. They went on many dates, both family and just the two of them. Cases came and were solved. Each of them as well as the team were injured to different degrees of seriousness, Sawyer and Ella got used to being at the hospital whenever someone was hurt. Jane and Kurt surprised each other, at different times, with a night's getaway, times they cherished as they could be as loud as they wanted. They could also be loud when Ella was with her mom and Connor and when Sawyer was having a sleepover with Reade, these were rare occasions but when they did happen, Jane and Kurt took full advantage. But most of the time things were normal at least normal for them. Sometimes as they were going to or were being intimate they would hear a knock on their door or Ella would end up calling for them, they took everything in their stride.
A month before their 1st anniversary…
"Are you sure?" Reade asked
"Yep, the bigger the better!"
"Seriously? Do you know her ring size?"
"Yeah, I borrowed one of hers…"
"And you're sure about the diamond one?"
"Yep!"
"Are you sure it's not too…big?"
"Are you kidding, size does matter! The bigger the better, it should be big enough to blind people when the sun shines! Plus I don't want her to doubt my love for her."
"If you're sure that ring is 'Jane', then go for it, when are you going to propose?"
Kurt heard the weary tone but ignored it.
"On our anniversary. I've already made a reservation at our favourite French restaurant…"
"That's great man!"
They both looked up when they heard his office door close shut and they saw the computer geek walking away quickly, Reade was standing by Kurt and looked like they were staring at his computer monitor which they were but they were watching a live feed of the bullpen and knew exactly when Patterson was at the office, they pretended to be so absorbed at the screen that they didn't hear her open the door.
"You know you're a dead man when she figures out what you did, don't you?"
"Oh please, Patterson and Zapata will be too happy planning our wedding for them to be upset about our…"
"YOUR, not 'our', let's get this straight, your."
"Chicken, fine, 'my' little rouse."
"Yeah, ok, you need to remember this conversation and the fact that Patterson doesn't forget a thing!"
"Yeah right, I'm so scared!"
"It's your funeral man!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Patterson walked as quickly as she could to her lab and she had her cell in her hand and sent a message to two certain colleagues to meet her in the lab.
She didn't have to wait too long, Jane and Zapata rushed into the lab.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"See! Look, I told you Patterson wouldn't be able to keep this a secret!" said a smug Kurt
They watched as Jane and Zapata looked at their cells then at each other and got up at the same time and made their way to Patterson's lab.
"I'm not denying that, I'm worried about when she finds out that you tricked her!"
"You worry too much!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So, what's the emergency?" asked Zapata
Patterson opened and closed her mouth but all that came out was a high pitched scream which caused the other two to jump in shock.
"Patterson what happened?" asked Jane
A squeal was the only answer the two friends got. Then Patterson rushed to Jane and caught her in a bone crushing hug. Jane had no idea what was going on, neither did Zapata judging from the shoulder shrug. Zapata tried to pry the computer geek from Jane but she was deceptively strong. Eventually Patterson let go of Jane.
"I need to tell you something but I can't tell you!"
"Well that was helpful!" quipped Zapata
"Can we go somewhere?" pleaded Patterson
"Why?" asked Zapata
"Well what I have to tell you can't be said here…please?"
"Fine! C'mon let's go!" said Zapata
As one, they left the lab and made a great picture, the three of them walking side by side with determination through the bullpen. Kurt tried to stop and see where they were going, he got a bone crushing hug from Patterson as an answer, Zapata shrugged her shoulders, something she was doing often recently and Jane just looked at him as she walked past him.
"We're going for lunch!" declared Jane
Kurt looked at his watch.
"It's 10:30!"
"Are you going to deny us three food?" asked Zapata in a menacing tone that almost, almost caused him to take a step back.
Before Kurt could say anything the elevator doors closed.
"Dead man walking!" whispered Reade as he walked past which caused Kurt to scowl
The three got to their local diner and they grabbed a booth at the back, Zapata and Jane sat opposite Patterson and waited patiently for her to speak but when no words were forthcoming the two just looked at each other. The jumped when they heard Patterson squeal out aloud. Everyone in the diner turned to look at them, Jane wanted to hide under the table, she hated being the centre of attention but until they knew why Patterson was squealing and now crying they would be on their guard.
"I'm SO HAPPY!" cried Patterson
The waitress came to take their order then she retreated to give their orders to the chef.
"Ok, do you want to share before our food gets here?" said Zapata with a tone that was completely lost on Patterson.
"I'm just so happy!"
"You've already said that, are you going to elaborate?" questioned Zapata
"Jane, Kurt's going to propose, you're going to be engaged, he's bought you a big diamond ring and he's going to ask you on your anniversary!"
Jane sat there with her mouth hanging open in shock. Kurt proposing? Kurt bought a diamond ring?
Jane was brought back to the present after Zapata clicked her fingers in front of her face, Jane shook her head to try and clear it.
"Are you sure? Maybe you made a mistake or you misheard…" said Jane with a pleading tone
"I know what I heard! One minute."
The two shared a look as the resident computer wizard was on her cell quickly typing things in. A few seconds she let out a satisfied sound.
"Look, I told you, Kurt is going to propose!"
The two leaned forward together to look at what was on Patterson's cell. They saw the rings, the very large rings. Gaudy would be how Jane would describe them.
"These photos don't mean anything…" said Zapata as Jane was just sitting there still in shock
"Of course they do, these are from Kurt's computer!"
"Are you saying that you hacked into Kurt's computer to search his browser history?" screeched Zapata
"Like it's hard? Oh please, it took me seconds you saw and you needed proof…so what's the problem?"
Zapata just shook her head.
"Patterson, you could get into trouble if Kurt ever figures it out…"Said Jane
"Oh please! It's not as if I'm looking at classified reports or anything and it's his fault anyway…"
Another shared look between the two more sane members of the party was completely oblivious to Patterson.
"How do you mean?" asked Zapata
"Well, he shouldn't being using his computer for personal business!"
"Oh, like you who uses all the computers in the lab to get tickets to Comic Con?"
Patterson huffed and puffed.
"That's different!"
"Because?" nudged Zapata
"Because it is! Anyway, what's more important my tickets to Comic Con or Kurt proposing?"
"Fair enough!" Zapata conceded
Zapata and Patterson shared a look and as one without saying one word they squealed much to Jane's embarrassment, she wanted to slouch down in her seat once again she was the centre of attention. Thankfully their order arrived so the squealing stopped but Jane was sure it was only a temporary fix.
"So, c'mon tell us all! You never said you two were talking about marriage…" said Patterson
Jane picked at her food.
"Because we haven't, not really. Anyway, those photos don't mean a thing, those rings are not my style and I can't believe that Kurt would actually think I would like them, he's got better taste than that!"
Zapata and Patterson shared a look at Jane's response.
"Are you saying that Kurt has never talked about marriage? At all?" asked a gobsmacked Zapata
Jane could feel her face getting all hot and she just knew that her face rivalled the red of the ketchup on the table.
"That's all you got from that?" muttered Jane "Not really."
Patterson and Zapata looked at each other.
"What do you mean 'not really'?" asked Patterson
"We haven't talked about it. Don't people talk about it before one half of the couple goes out and buys a ring?" pleaded Jane
"You're asking the wrong people!" said Zapata
"But…"
"Are you going to say no?" asked Patterson
Jane shrugged her shoulders.
"Isn't it a big step? Especially as we haven't even talked about it!"
"Seriously, Kurt hasn't mentioned anything, ever?"
"Not marriage. We've talked about having kids together at some point, we both want at least one to keep Ella company and we may have to move out of the city to be able to afford a family home…but that's it!"
Both Patterson and Zapata let out the breaths they were holding.
"He's totally going to propose!" declared Patterson
"What makes you say that?" asked Jane
"The fact that Kurt is talking about having kids…"
"Probably kid, as in singular, one!"
"No way! Kurt loves being a father to Sawyer and Ella. Face it Jane, you're going to be barefoot and pregnant for the next few years!" butted in Zapata
"I agree, plus Kurt is traditional, he's not going to have kids out of wedlock…"
Jane and Zapata just stared at Patterson.
"You know what I mean! He doesn't regret Ella but I know for a fact that he didn't even think about proposing to Allie just because she was pregnant. With you he's talked about the future, kids, a home which equates to marriage!"
"I don't know." Said Jane
"Look, I agree with Patterson, Kurt is a marriage kind of guy and he wouldn't mention kids if marriage wasn't on the cards. I know he was concerned that he may not be as involved a father; as he wanted because he wasn't married to Allie but that didn't for one moment make him think of marriage. Thankfully both Kurt and Allie are reasonable and the shared custody works a treat, it's a shame that all parents who are no longer together can't put the kids first!" Zapata said
They finished their early lunch, Patterson and Zapata kept an eye on Jane who would start to drift off and get a glazed look on her face, the two kept on giggling which would cause their friend to return to the present blushing at being caught about dreaming about her wedding.
They returned to the office to come face to face with Kurt, Jane just blushed, it took everything for Kurt not to chuckle and not to get down on one knee right there and then but no way was he going to propose at work let alone in front of Patterson and Zapata, those two would tease him unmercifully for the rest of his life. The next thing he knew Zapata was squeezing him tight, he didn't even see her move, one second she was by Jane the next her arms were wrapped around him. The whole office stopped what they were doing to stare; the Latina wasn't exactly known for her soft squishy side. Kurt sort of patted her awkwardly on the back.
"You ok there Zapata?" Kurt asked as he looked to the other two who looked just as shocked by the behaviour. "Er what did you three have for lunch?"
Zapata mumbled something but Kurt didn't catch it even though he was the closest but it appeared that both Jane and Patterson did as the first turned red and the second turned a laugh into a cough as Jane elbowed her.
"Huh?" asked Kurt
"She said she had a large RING doughnut!" sang Patterson
Jane covered her face with her hand, she was so mortified. Kurt wanted to burst out laughing but that would ruin all of his plans.
"She picked the biggest because she says they're better, it had a lot of sparkles…" a nudge from Jane "…I mean sprinkles, it had a lot of sprinkles, I think the sugar rush is getting to her!"
"Ok, so no more doughnuts for Zapata then, ever. Can you two help get her off of me please she doesn't seem to want to move?"
Jane and Patterson moved as one, they each grabbed a hand and tried to pry her off of Kurt but she held on tight but they knew her weakness and they quietly threatened her with it before actually carrying out their threat in front of the whole office which were still openly watching, it did the trick. Zapata just behaved as if nothing weird happened.
Over the next couple of weeks, if Jane didn't know better, she would have thought that Kurt was playing with her. She would see him at home with a small velvet box in his hand and he would quickly pocket it when he saw her, sometimes he left it out on his bedside table then the next time she looked, a few seconds later, it would be gone. She swore he carried it with him as there was a velvet box sized bulge in his trouser pocket when they weren't at work, when they were at work she saw him staring at it just before he put it in his locker but she was the only one that saw all of this.
When she was deep in thought she tended to doodle, it wasn't a secret, everyone knew but thankfully the latest episode happened in front of Zapata and Patterson, it was a blessing, it could have been in front of Kurt, she would have died if he ever saw. It was second nature to her to always have a pen or pencil in her hand but she didn't realise what she'd been doing until she heard the tell-tale snickers from her so called friends. When she looked at her notebook it was covered in 'Jane Weller, Jane Doe Weller, JDW and JD 4 KW in a heart', embarrassed didn't even cover how she was feeling. Obviously Patterson and Zapata didn't let the matter drop because why would they? Patterson being Patterson kept on sending her images of her new name and she always timed it so she would be with Kurt. Zapata went one step further and ordered items like keyrings, mugs, baseball caps and anything else that could have her 'new name' on it and had them delivered to her home address where Kurt was likely to see it. Little did Jane know that Patterson also sent Kurt the images so he knew exactly why Jane was blushing, cursing and trying to hide her cell. Jane also didn't know that she accidently left one of her many notebooks open on a page with all her doodling of her new name, the sight made Kurt smile, he also liked seeing her flustered because he may have seen the page but he didn't let on if he did.
She thought about their wedding since Patterson told her about Kurt proposing she couldn't help it. Would he want traditional one? A simple one? A themed one? She really hoped that the last one was not an option. She actually had nightmares about it. She woke up sweating and screaming about not wanting a Mickey and Minnie mouse themed wedding, it didn't matter how cute Ella and Sawyer would look. She carried her bouquet of flowers in a handbag like Minnie used instead of her hands. The ring was in the shape of the ears and it was huge it weighed down her hand and Kurt's ring was a thick platinum band that was engraved with ears all around, they'd be dressed as the couple, him in a black long sleeved shirt, tight black trousers with a pair of red shorts on top, yellow shoes and white gloves, whereas she was in a red polka dot dress with matching shoes and a massive red bow in her hair, both had ears included as part of their wedding outfits. Kurt had to calm her down when she woke up screaming, she was so loud she woke both Sawyer and Ella.
Sawyer went to see Ella as she was calling for Aunt Jane and Uncle Kurt but Uncle Kurt was comforting Aunt Jane. He picked her up, Scooby included, and walked to their room where he knocked on the door and opened it when he heard 'come in'. When he opened the door he was shocked to see his Aunt in that state. His Uncle was hugging her and whispering into her ear.
"Ann Jan? Ann Jan?" Ella cried
That seemed to get Jane out of wherever she was. She looked up and was shocked to see both kids, and Scooby, there staring at her. It was bad enough that she woke Kurt let alone the kids, she was so embarrassed. She held her arms out for Ella and Sawyer after sharing a look with his Uncle moved forward so Jane could to take the toddler and her stuffed toy into her lap.
"I'm fine sweetie; I just had a bad dream."
"Bad dweam? Daddy save you?"
"Of course your daddy saved me!"
Kurt blushed.
"Can I sweep with you?" Ella asked she then looked at Kurt with her big blue eyes and her bottom lip poking out, she knew exactly how to play Kurt, and everyone knew it even Kurt.
"Of course." Said Kurt
Ella smiled.
"And Scooby?" Ella asked hopefully
"…Yes, of course Scooby too." Declared Kurt hesitantly
"And Sawya?"
"There's not enough space for me Ella." Said Sawyer although he didn't seem to upset by this
Ella looked at the bed and back at Sawyer and her eyes filled up and her bottom lip trembled.
"Hey, why don't we go and sit on the sofa for a while?" suggested Jane to stop Ella having a meltdown
Ella nodded.
"Scooby too?"
Jane grimaced "Yes, Scooby too."
So off they went to the living room, Jane switched a couple of lamps on. Kurt was in the centre of the sofa, Sawyer on one side with Scooby, Jane on the other and Ella on top of Kurt, he was their personal pillow and no one minded least of all him. They had their throws over them and they fell asleep.
If that wasn't bad enough they caught a case, it was a horrible one. No one wanted to take any time off, they all worked as long as they could. Thankfully Allie and Connor insisted that whenever they had a case and Reade wasn't able to take Sawyer, he would stay with them. They had a spare room and it was his whenever he stayed. He didn't mind it, it was nice to see more of Ella and Ella loved it.
The case was a harrowing one; the team worked for nine days straight with only a few hours off and that was at the insistence of Mayfair. Neither the team nor Mayfair left the building to go back to their homes. The only time they left the building was to follow a lead which more often than not didn't pan out. They were trying to locate a container full of kidnapped children who were being trafficked and time was of the essence. Mayfair threatened them with suspension if they didn't take a minimum of three hours downtime in the medical wing of the NYO, she herself relaxed on her sofa. The rest of the office had to carry on with the rest of the cases and they tried to help the team as much as they could, they all knew what they were working on and how much was riding on them getting to the children before they could be sold and never seen again. Their luck turned at the end of the eighth day, they got a tip that a container would be on the way to a certain cargo ship, and they had to stop the container before it got to the ship. They managed to divert the container to a deserted road thanks to Patterson reprogramming the GPS system the driver was using. Once the container was where they wanted it and the driver was in custody Kurt and Reade opened the container, they called in all free agents to help out and every single agent whether they were free or not turned up, regardless if they were already off shift or not. The sight in front of them would be in their nightmares for a long time to come.
There were children as young as six or seven and up to 11 and 12. The condition of the children was just heart breaking to see, some were in their underwear, those that were clothed were filthy, and some of the clothes were too small and or were falling apart. They all had a look in their eyes, a look that no child should have, when the doors to the container opened they all huddled as far away from the door as possible, the 'older' children trying to protect the younger ones. The agents that could see all of this wanted to throw up but kept it together, just. Kurt, Jane, Reade and Zapata went into the container and talked to the kids, there was silence outside, no one said a word, and no one wanted to spook the already frightened kids. It took a while for the older children to accept that the adults in front of them were there to help instead of what the previous adults wanted from them.
Jane and Reade went back to the front of the container to ask for some blankets. In silence a few agents went to collect said blankets. Jane and Reade took them back to Kurt and Zapata. The four of them started to cover each of the children in a blanket, they deserved some modesty. Due to the sheer scale of the case, Patterson had tricked the GPS into taking the driver to a disused warehouse where a team of medical professionals were waiting for the kids so the extent of their ordeal could be documented and the healing process physically, mentally and emotionally could begin even though everyone involved knew it wouldn't be a quick fix, it would be a lifetime of heartache and challenge for every child involved.
The team stayed with the kids until they were all examined, evidence collected and they were allowed to shower. Somehow there was a bunch of small FBI t-shirts, sweatshirts and shorts which swamped all of the kids. A few of the agents that were on the scene but didn't have a specific job took note of the size of the kids and went to the 24 hour Walmart and bought shoes, socks and some pyjamas for the kids. A few packs of markers, colour pencils, sweets and cakes also made it into the trolleys. The agents brought the full bags into the warehouse and left them with the team. Once they were given the go ahead by the medical team they distributed the treats, it was a sad scene when the kids didn't even stuff their faces with the cakes and sweets, and they just looked at them wearily. The team just thought of Sawyer and Ella, Ella who wouldn't even wait, her face would be covered in cake. Sawyer was a little more controlled but not by much. The younger ones looked to the older ones for a cue. The older ones were looking at the team not at the food in front of them and they seemed to like what they saw so they took a bite out of a cake, the others followed.
It was early morning, around 5 am, when they took the kids back to the NYO, they commandeered the conference room, moved the conference table and chairs out, moved Mayfair's sofa plus the ones from the break room into the conference room. A bunch of cushions, raided from all the FBI floors found their way into the room along with sleeping bags. All the kids were tired but weary of falling asleep which was understandable, the team stood or rather sat guard, against a wall, over the children, Kurt and Jane on one side and Patterson, Zapata and Reade on the other. It took some time but eventually the kids started to fall asleep, Kurt and Jane fell asleep against each other just like Reade, Zapata and Patterson did, they were all so tired and the fact that they got to the kids before they were shipped was a weight of their minds so they could stand down for a while.
All the frantic parents were contacted and making their way to New York. Kurt didn't know what woke him but when he did, he and Jane were surrounded by children, they were sleeping on and around them, when he looked over the same could be said for Patterson, Zapata and Reade, the surprising thing was the fact that none of them woke up when the kids came next to them, they were dead to the world. Kurt mentally shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes once more, they were all safe now, and that's all that mattered.
One by one the kids were reunited with their worried parents, not one member of the team could keep their tears at bay when they witnessed the first, last or any of the other reunions, and they were so heartfelt. It felt as if they were intruding and they tried to stay in the background but they would come and shake hands or hug them. It was early evening once the last kid was on their way home, they could have gone home themselves but they wanted to complete the paperwork ASAP. So they each sat at their respective desks and completed form after form, the other agents didn't envy them at all. None of them even noticed the time, they were focussed on their task, they didn't notice when the office emptied.
The next morning when agents started to arrive, they took one look and quietly got on with their day. Each member of the team was asleep, Kurt's head was on his folded arms which were on his desk, Jane was contorted into her chair but sound asleep, Reade was leaning back in his chair, Zapata was face first on her keyboard and Patterson was perched precariously on her stool, her hands on the keyboard but her head was against the monitor, how she hadn't face planted no one knew but everyone took care not to make too much noise and surprisingly none of them woke up, no one had the heart to wake them up even though they knew they would be so stiff sleeping in such a way for so many hours. It must have been around 9 pm when they began to stir, first Zapata then Jane, Reade and Kurt then Patterson last. They all woke up to find a handwritten note on their desk. It was a missive from Mayfair, they had the next 72 hours free and they were not allowed to enter the office before that time. Kurt knew that their mandatory sessions with Borden would start the day they came back to the office, he'd requested the sessions as soon as he knew what the case was about, Mayfair approved wholeheartedly. An agent took Patterson, Reade and Zapata back to Reade's place so they could all crash there while another agent took Kurt and Jane to Allie and Connor's.
Allie woke up and was surprised that Ella wasn't calling out for them; Connor made his way to the kitchen to start the coffee, Allie went to check on the kids. She went to Ella's room and was shocked that she wasn't there although sometimes when Sawyer stays, she makes her way to his room and sleeps with him. So Allie went to the Sawyer's room and found that room empty as well. She quickly went to the kitchen to tell Connor when she saw him staring at something in the living room, as she entered she saw what he was staring at, Jane and Kurt on the sofa, Sawyer on Kurt's side while Ella was in Jane's arms, they were all in a deep sleep.
Things got back to normal or their normal quickly, Sawyer was back to sleeping in his own bed, Ella was back to her routine of one week with them and the next with her mom and Connor. Each child caught a cold, thankfully it wasn't that bad and they were right as rain a couple of days later.
The night of their anniversary dinner had arrived, Kurt insisted on exchanging gifts that night not in the morning. Jane was getting dressed, they managed to leave the office at a decent time, Reade was having Sawyer for a sleepover and Ella was with Allie and Connor anyway. They took slightly longer to get ready than they would usually as they literally couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Jane banished Kurt to Sawyer's bedroom so she could get changed without Kurt distracting her. Both looked gorgeous in their outfits, Kurt in his three piece suit and Jane in her black off the shoulder dress. Kurt was speechless when he saw Jane. Jane noticed that there seemed to be something in his pocket, she already had almost thirty texts from Patterson and Zapata asking for a photo of the ring as soon as she could send one. Jane was feeling nervous, she knew she wanted to marry him but she didn't like the whole idea of a public proposal and she was kind of surprised that Kurt wanted one; she knew what her answer was going to be regardless of where the question was asked. Kurt was ever the gentleman, he took her wrap when they arrived and gave it to the host. They were seated and had a nice meal, Jane kept on thinking about when he was going to propose, they had just finished their mains after wonderful starters and they were waiting for their desserts when the man from the table close to them got down on one knee and proposed to his date, she said yes and the other customers clapped, Jane noticed that Kurt kept on touching his left pocket as if to make sure a certain velvet box was still there. Their desserts came and they were excellent, they shared their afters, Jane thought that maybe he was going to propose before dessert but that didn't happen, it didn't happen after dessert either. Kurt paid their bill and they were on their way home. Jane was confused, relieved but confused, maybe he changed his mind, and maybe he was never going to propose she thought. They arrived at their place; Jane started to make her way to their room when Kurt stopped her.
"Jane…." Began Kurt, he was rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, his nervous habit.
"Yes?"
He took her hands in his.
"Jane, I love you, this year has been so amazing, the good and the bad! I…I have something for you and you may think it's too soon but I think it's the right time, you make my life whole!"
Jane watched as he let go of her right hand and used his left one to get something out of his left pocket, when she saw the black velvet box, she gasped, and knowing about it and seeing it in his hand were two different things. Everything was bleary due to her tears but she was nodding her head before he asked her the question or even opened the box. It was as if it was in slow motion as he lifted the lid to reveal the most gorgeous…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
…emerald studs.