I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…
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Kurt and Roman arrived back at the NYO and headed to Patterson's lab.
"We found the drive," Ivan passed it to her.
"Great," She didn't look up at him.
"Where's Jane?" Kurt worried.
"She's still sleeping," Patterson admitted, "She must be really wiped out because she hasn't even moved."
Kurt frowned at that bit of information, "I'm going to go check on her."
Patterson watched him go with a troubled expression.
"What gives?" Ivan asked her bluntly.
"For a scientist…you fight pretty well," Patterson noted.
"I was raised just like Jane and Roman," Ivan reminded her. "That kind of training doesn't just go away."
"Yeah," Patterson finally met his eyes, "But it does. If you don't train and use those skills, you get slower, less accurate, less flexible. You aren't any of those things."
"What are you asking me?" Ivan said.
"You say you're not Roman," Patterson said in a low voice.
"I'm not," Ivan insisted.
"Then what are you? Who are you? You aren't just a scientist." Patterson held her breath while she waited for him to respond.
"I'm not a criminal," Ivan assured her.
"That's not answering the question," Patterson insisted.
"What do you want me to say?" He asked her.
"The truth," Patterson insisted, "Whatever that actually is."
"Why is this so important to you?" Ivan asked in frustration.
"Two of the most important people in my world are counting on you. I'm counting on you, if you have some other agenda…"
"I don't," Ivan insisted, "I'm not going to just watch Jane die. I will do everything I can to save her. You have my word."
She didn't say anything and Ivan watched her turn away with a frown. He didn't know why he was bothering to reassure her, when she so obviously didn't believe him. He was compelled to do it and he didn't even understand why.
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Kurt entered the room where Jane lay sleeping and walked over to the side of the cot quietly. Leaning down he gently moved her hair away from her face and felt her forehead. Her temperature was normal and her breathing was regular. Something inside him loosened at that realization. Just as he went to stand she opened her eyes and looked up at him silently.
"How'd it go?" Jane worried.
"We got the drive," Kurt assured her.
"Did you have any trouble?" Jane worried, scooting over so that Kurt could sit on the edge of the cot.
He didn't make her wait. Sitting down he brought his hand up to cup her head, his thumb caressing her cheek.
"A little," He admitted, "Nothing we couldn't handle."
"What was on the drive?" Jane turned her face into his hand.
"I don't know yet," Kurt denied, "I left it with Ivan and Patterson to come check on you."
"I guess I should probably get up," Jane said with a little smile.
"Take all the time you need," Kurt insisted, his face serious.
"I really do feel better," Jane assured him sitting up.
He watched her with an assessing look.
"How's your side?" She worried, her eyes running over him.
"It's still a little uncomfortable," He admitted, "But for the most part, fine."
Once she was upright, he leaned back against the wall and pulled her unresisting body against him. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm a mess," Jane told him in the darkness, "Do you ever wish it had been someone else's name tattooed on my back?"
"No," Kurt didn't hesitate. They'd been through a lot, but he would never give up what they'd found for an easier path.
"Do you?" He worried.
"No," Jane admitted, "I can't imagine not having you in my life."
His arm tightened around her.
"About Tasha…" Jane trailed off.
"I know," Kurt's arm pulled her closer.
"I want to understand why she did it," Jane admitted, "But I still feel betrayed."
"Telling Blake who Roman was…wasn't done as a way to hurt you."
"She paid for her cover with Roman's life," Jane said painfully.
"She probably didn't anticipate that Blake would kill him. There was no indication that she was at all a part of her father's plot. Killing Roman was outside her normal behavior." Kurt argued.
"Do you think if she had known she would have changed anything?" Jane asked him.
"No," Kurt was forced to admit. Roman had kidnapped, tortured and tried to kill them. Tasha was responding to what she knew. The fact that Roman was sick had played no part of Tasha's decision and secretly he doubt it would have even if she'd known.
Jane took a deep breath. She knew what he said was true, but she didn't want it to be.
"Reade wants us to help her," Jane worried.
"What do you want?" Kurt asked her.
"I want the relationship I thought I had with her back." Jane explained.
"If we've learned anything these past few years," Kurt reminded her, "You can't undo the past. You just need to find a way to move forward."
"You want me to forgive her for Roman's death, the way she forgave me for Mayfair's?" Jane realized.
"No," Kurt denied, "I know how important Roman was to you, I'm not making any kind of comparison. I want you to do what you can and if accepting Tasha's role in Roman's death is beyond what you can do, then I understand. This isn't a contest. You lost your brother."
"I don't know if I can," Jane admitted.
Kissing her forehead, Kurt said nothing.
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Tasha had been climbing an uphill battle with Blake for almost a week. Since the night she'd given in and gone back with Reade to his apartment she knew the entire mission was at risk.
"You gave me the gun I used on Roman," Blake was sitting with her hand on her forehead, "If he's not dead…"
"He has to be dead," Tasha insisted.
"That picture says otherwise," Blake insisted.
"Maybe the FBI is playing with you," Tasha told her, "Made someone look like Roman to throw you off your game."
"You think that this is a game?" Blake demanded, "My Father is dead. The man I thought I loved is supposed to be dead…because I killed him!"
"Blake," Tasha tried to sooth her.
"No!" Blake stood up and started to pace in agitation, "My life is falling apart and I trusted you completely. Now I see just how foolish I was."
"I'm on your side," Tasha insisted.
"Prove it," Blake demanded.
"What do you mean?" Tasha asked.
"You offered to kill Roman for me," Blake reminded her, "Then do it."
"You want me to kill the man that looks like Roman?" Tasha confirmed.
"Yes."
"What if that's what they want us to do?" Tasha demanded, "It could be a setup."
"Can you do it or not?" Blake didn't comment on her concern.
"You can't run this company by emotion," Tasha warned her, "You need to be smarter than that."
"Can you or not?" Blake repeated.
"Fine," Tasha accepted defeat, "I'll take care of it. I'll let you know when it's done."
Blake actually laughed, "You think I trust you to tell me the truth?"
"What choice do you have?" Tasha pointed out.
"I'm going to send some men with you," Blake explained
"To help?" Tasha demanded.
"To make sure you succeed." Blake explained.
Tasha nodded in understanding. Even as she turned to go all she could see was Jane in her head. She couldn't kill Jane's other brother, but she couldn't not kill him either.
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Jane sat down next to Ivan and watched him silently.
He looked over at her and gave her a little smile.
"Everything okay?" He worried.
"Tell me about your life," Jane implored.
"It wasn't so different than your own." Ivan explained.
"Roman and I had each other," Jane told him, "Did you have anyone like that?"
"The man that I eventually called Father protected me for the most part." Roman admitted, "When he could."
"Why?" Jane asked him bluntly.
"He'd lost his biological son a few months before our parents were killed." Ivan explained, "I think I reminded him of what he lost. His son and I were the same age, both blond."
"What happened to him?" Jane asked him, "Is he still alive?"
"No," Ivan denied, "He was killed in a freak accident."
"That must have been hard," Jane empathized, "Are you married, do you have a family of your own?"
"Not married," Ivan denied, "I find it …difficult, depending on other people. They tend to let you down."
"You can depend on this team," Jane told him, "They'll never let you down."
"They let you go to a CIA black site." Ivan reminded her.
"I betrayed them," Jane admitted, "They didn't send me and when I came back, they learned to trust me again. They gave me a second chance."
"Sounds like you gave them a second chance too," Ivan pointed out.
Patterson hadn't meant to listen, but she turned her head and met Ivan's eyes with a look of deep pain.
He turned away uncomfortably. He knew Roman thought Jane was too invested in this FBI team, but the more he witnessed the lengths they were willing to go for each other, the more he understood why she felt that way.
"Where do you work, what do you do?" Jane encouraged him. She wanted to know everything about him. How he felt when he met Roman and learned that she was still alive. What he gave up to help them. Everything.
Ivan understood her questions because he wanted to get to know her too.
"Why don't we go out and grab a bite," He suggested, "I have some questions too."
Jane looked over to where Weller was sitting.
"Take your time," He encouraged her. "We'll get started on the drive."
She smiled her appreciation. She loved Kurt, but she needed to find some type of connection with her brother. She knew just how quickly things could go badly. She didn't want to live with any more regrets.
"You want us to bring you anything back?" Jane asked Kurt and Patterson.
"We'll have something delivered," Patterson insisted, "Don't worry about us."
Kurt watched them go with a frown of concern.
"She needs this," Patterson reminded him.
"I know," Kurt agreed, "I just worry."
"She's one of the most capable people I've ever met," Patterson reminded him.
"Normally," Kurt agreed, "But right now she's vulnerable."
"He's not going to hurt her," Patterson insisted.
"It's not only him I'm worried about." Kurt denied.
"Then what is it?" Patterson asked him.
"Blake, the effects of the poison…Tasha," Kurt admitted.
"You don't think Tasha would hurt Jane!" Patterson protested.
"I don't know anymore," Kurt admitted, "Do you?"
Patterson thought about it before she reluctantly admitted, "I don't know."
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Jane walked with Ivan to the deli just up the street.
"Where do you live?" She asked him.
"Once my Father passed away," Ivan explained, "I began traveling extensively. I didn't really settle in one place until Roman found me. Then we set up a lab in the European countryside."
"You and Roman…" Jane hesitated, "He hated me so much, I'm glad he had you."
"He didn't hate you," Ivan insisted, "He loved you too much. He couldn't share you, even with me."
"What do you mean?" Jane was puzzled.
"I wanted him to bring you to me," Ivan admitted, "So that we could work on the cure together, but he refused. He insisted that we find the cure without you. Even when he tattooed you again, I didn't know about it until it was over. He couldn't share you even with me."
"He thought I chose Weller and the team over him," Jane explained sadly, "He didn't trust my love and why would he? I left him over and over again."
"You aren't being fair to yourself," Ivan insisted, "Roman wasn't you sole responsibility."
"He didn't have anyone else," Jane insisted.
Before Ivan could respond he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head he scanned the crowd to see what had caught his attention.
Tasha watched the pair from the alley outside. She felt her heart pounding as she watched Jane and her brother talk. Jane was completely open. She'd known her long enough to realize just how devastating losing this sibling would be. She couldn't do it, but she didn't exactly have a choice.
She couldn't do it…
Just then Jane looked up and their eyes met. The fear Jane didn't even try to hide hurt Tasha's heart.
Jane moved in front of her brother as though to shield him. Suddenly, Tasha jerked as the shot was fired. Her head turned in shock to see the men Blake sent to watch her lining up another shot.
Jane's arm was bleeding and Ivan tackled her to the ground to shield her when Tasha was finally able to react. The weapon she'd brought to do the impossible became the tool she used to try to stop the inevitable. She turned the weapon on the man trying to kill Ivan. She succeeded in stopping him, but the second man was able to get off a shot. Tasha felt the fire in her side.
Before Tasha or the man could do any more damage Ivan and Jane went into action.
For siblings that hadn't seen each other in over twenty years, they worked seamlessly. Jane went for the man threatening Tasha and Ivan ensured that the wounded man was no longer a threat.
Tasha could only watch them in action before the world began to spin around her. She honestly didn't even know or care if she was next on their list as she slowly began to lose the strength in her legs.
It was Jane that reached her first and not knowing what to expect, Tasha couldn't prevent the moisture that filled her eyes when she felt Jane's arms come around her and gently lower her down to the ground.
"I'm sorry," Tasha whispered looking up at Jane, her naked emotions easy enough to see.
Before Jane could answer, Tasha lost her battle with consciousness.
Jane looked over at Ivan with pain filled eyes as he reached for his phone to call for reinforcements.
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Patterson was going through the files when her phone rang. She looked down at it impatiently before she realized it was Ivan.
Seeing her look Kurt asked her, "What?"
She held up her hand and answered the phone.
"What's wrong?"
She listened before her fingers began flying over the keys.
"I've got an ambulance in route," She told him.
"Patterson," Kurt's voice demanded answers.
"That was Ivan," Patterson explained already heading toward the elevator, "They've had an active shooter."
"Are they okay?" Kurt demanded already reaching for his phone.
"Jane was grazed," Patterson admitted, "But another woman was more seriously injured."
"A bystander?" Kurt was already dialing Jane's number as they ran.
"I don't know," Patterson admitted.
"What's going on?" Reade came out of his office when he saw them running.
"Active shooter," Patterson explained, "Ivan called for backup."
Reade joined them in the elevator.
"What did Jane say?" Reade looked to Kurt.
"She hasn't called," Kurt said. His jaw clenched as he hung up the phone. She hadn't answered.
They arrived on the scene and Kurt cut through the crowd looking for Jane. His heart was racing and he could feel moisture beading his upper lip. She would have called if it hadn't been bad. His desperation was building when he finally saw her. The fact that she was on the ground, but sitting upright had him stopping dead in his tracks. She was alive. The relief he felt was overwhelming and for a moment he was frozen in place. The next moment he was sprinting directly toward her. All he could see was her.
Jane looked up as Kurt ran toward her. She knew he was worried, she could see it in every line of his body. She should have called him, but her hands were currently the only thing keeping Tasha from bleeding out.
Reade realized what was going on first.
"What happened?" He demanded falling to his knees beside Jane and helping her stem the flow of blood.
"My guess is that Blake sent men to take out either Ivan, me, or both and Tasha was shot when she tried to stop them." Jane explained.
"Oh, no!" Patterson joined them. Her distraught face saying everything she didn't voice.
Kurt eased Jane away and let Reade and Patterson take over.
"Are you okay?" He demanded, his hands running down her arms and his eyes over the rest of her.
She winced when he hit her graze.
"It's just a graze," Jane assured him.
His eyes zeroed in on the wound. He tore her sleeve open and began inspecting it for himself.
"Ivan," Patterson looked up at him, "You good?"
"I'm fine," Ivan assured them, "Do you know this woman?"
"It's Tasha Zapata," Patterson explained, "She was a part of our Task Force."
"She's the one that exposed Roman." Ivan realized.
"Yes," Patterson confirmed.
"She saved our lives," Ivan told them.
"Now it's our turn to save hers," Reade insisted.
"Let me see," Ivan urged him.
Reade looked up at him before reluctantly moving aside.
Ivan didn't waste any time, while the others watched he tried to save the life of the woman that had played a part in taking his brother's life. His actions told them what all his words could not…that they could depend on him.
