Author's Note:
Hello! So, it's been quite a while since I last posted, my apologies! But I will get the next chapter up even quicker! And more apologies as I am really unsure on whether or not I replied to most of the reviews! It's been a busy few months!
Thank you to those who reviewed: Elislin; Renee; gilmorefan1; Thestrainlover; Howarand; Guest; Becky Boop XOXO.
Jane - no, Abigail, she has a name now - closed the laptop, ceasing her obsessive research on her team to see how they are. Concern had filled her as soon as she'd heard about Mayfair being at the scene of a crime. That was never good, she considered calling Mayfair to check on her, but decided against it - she had barely been gone a week.
She put all of her worries away when Oscar walked in, she couldn't stop herself from checking the time - he was back early. "Hey." She greeted, standing from the bed and placing the laptop on the side. Her eyes scanned him and he appeared unharmed.
"It's going down today," Oscar informed her, placing the groceries onto the counter.
Jane approached him. "What is?" She questioned, glancing into the bag curiously, but turning her nose up - she really didn't fancy bacon today.
"Phase one." He replied cryptically. "Should be on the news within the hour."
Jane had wished right then that she hadn't shut the laptop because now she wanted to do another extensive search of her team, especially if Oscar wasn't planning on elaborating. But, as it would be rude to just go back to the laptop, she decided to see what she could get out of him first - besides, he said an hour, therefore, she didn't need to look right now anyway. "Care to elaborate? What is going to happen?"
Oscar sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Phase one is… some personnel changes at the NYO. We kept as many people out of it as we could. Just…" Oscar paused. "We just needed Mayfair out of the way."
"Mayfair? You didn't kill her, did you?" Jane asked quickly, unable to stop the utter dread and panic that filled her suddenly. She felt like her emotions were ready to bubble over - but then again, she did cry after listening to a song yesterday, it was just beautiful. She quickly forced herself to forget about the song, as her eyes began to water just by the mere thought of it. She looked at Oscar with the strongest expression she could muster at this time, willing him to answer her question about Mayfair.
"No!" he exclaimed. "We know… we all know how important they were to you. We just needed to get her out of the FBI." Oscar paused, knowing he needed to tell the whole truth. "The pen, the car, it was all to connect Mayfair to Carter's disappearance. Create enough of doubt and circumstantial evidence that they would have no choice but to remove her from power. That's all we did. We - I - insisted that that was as far as we take it."
Jane blinked at him, processing his words. She remembered each task he mentioned, switching her pen with a seemingly identical one, changing the tracker on the car - all so they could connect Mayfair to Carter's disappearance but… "But she had nothing to do with his disappearance. We both know she didn't do anything." She replied. "We know that yo-" She drifted off quickly, not finishing the sentence. They both knew that it was his fault that Carter disappeared, whether or not that was planned, she didn't know and right now, she didn't want to know.
"We had to change plans, yes. But, the end result was the same. Mayfair's gone and Weller will be put in charge of the unit. And, we kept you, and our baby, safe. That's what's important." Oscar walked over, placing his hand on her growing stomach.
Jane started to step back but halted, not wanting to stop him from touching her, especially with the affection he held in his eyes as he neared their growing, unborn child. "She shouldn't be kicked out because of something she had no involvement too, that's not right." She insisted, not letting it drop.
"I know. This wasn't the way we planned. I know you were close to her. There were too many loose ends. We had to explain Carter's death. We had to remove Bethany Mayfair from power. They were not good people Abby. If there was another way, we would have done that. But this was the only way."
She nodded with a small sigh, leaning against him. "I'm not sure I like it." She commented stubbornly but left matters alone. For now, anyway.
"I know, Abby, I know," Oscar said, gently rubbing her back. "But it will all be worth it."
Jane hoped he was right about that. She really did.
He had refused to answer any of her questions during the drive. He had packed the truck earlier this morning before Jane had woken up. After breakfast, all he had said was that he had something fun for them to do and that they would be going for a drive. Two hours later, he was sure she was getting suspicious, but he wanted her to be surprised.
When they reached the campsite, about a mile back from the main road, he was sure she had probably guessed. He pulled out a chair first, so Jane could relax as he set up the tent and got the everything ready for the evening.
He knew that she didn't remember, couldn't be expected to remember, but this was where they had spent so many nights before. They loved getting out in nature, the crackle of the fire, the stars overhead. But maybe now they would create new memories in this place. Just the three of them.
He felt Jane watching him as he dragged the tent from the back of the truck out to the clearing. It felt like second nature, threading the poles in, hammering it into the ground. Every action was tied to a memory - how the first time they went camping, the pole broke, the tent collapsing in on them in the middle of the night. How they saw the black bear off in the distance that one time, and they stoked the fire to make it larger, but still didn't sleep all night long. How they spent so many nights together, in this same tent, talking about the future they knew they would never get.
"Did you want some help?" Jane questioned looking straight at him. There was the obvious sense of surprise at what he was doing, but she had also obviously figured out why they were here. She stood up and picked up a few sticks. "With the fire?" She added as she picked up a few more sticks.
"Yeah," Oscar smiled. "The best ones are … well, those," surprised that she had remembered, instinctively picking up the dead pine branches from the ground. "Grab a few of those big ash branches also," he said, pointing out a tree not far away.
Jane instantly walked off and picked up the required ones. He was about to tell them where to do the fire, but she already seemed to know, placing the sticks down in the exact spot they have always put the fire. Then she hesitated, "the best way to start a fire is… with a match?" She asked. "Do you have one?"
"Even better, a lighter," he said, tossing her the lighter from his pocket.
Catching the lighter, Jane didn't hesitate to start the fire, it took her longer than it usually would have and then when it did light, it was only half lit and she moved around to light the rest before the fire was strong. She looked up at Oscar with a smile, "So far, I am liking camping."
Oscar couldn't help but smile. She may not remember all their times of camping, but in so many ways, she hadn't missed a beat. He quickly grabbed the last box from the back of the truck, pulling out their sleeping bags. He had even found an extra air pad since he knew Jane had been having trouble sleeping the past few nights. He wasn't quite sure how her back would feel after a night on the ground but hoped this would help. "Here," he said, tossing Jane her sleeping bag. "Just lay it down in the tent for now, we can arrange them later."
Jane looked at the sleeping bag for a few moment, almost suspiciously before laying it down like he said. She then looked around. "Have…" she paused, looking back at him. "Have we been here before?"
He paused, trying to figure out how to answer her. He didn't want to overwhelm her, sharing all the times they had been there together, all the nights spent together. "Yeah, yeah, we have," he said simply. "You loved camping, being out in nature."
"It's a great spot," Jane replied with a genuine smile before she sat back down. "Are we going to make camp food?" She asked, a glint of anticipation and excitement over that prospect in her eyes.
Oscar grinned. "You'll see," his eyes gleamed in anticipation. "Want to go for a hike first? I packed some trail mix for lunch,"
Jane instantly agreed. "Only if you promise to not take me on an easy route." She compromised with her smile almost smirk-like - like she knew he wouldn't take her on a hard one.
Oscar grinned, throwing their bag over his shoulder. "Never." He quickly headed off, glancing behind him to make sure Jane was following. This had been their favourite camping spot for a reason - this hiking trail was one of the best in the area. It started off slowly but quickly gained altitude. And a few miles up, there was a cliff face that offered a great view of the valley below. It wasn't an easy climb but that view always made it worth it.
Jane stood beside him as they came to a stop, she hadn't faltered once during their hike. "That view is amazing," she said softly, a small smile on her lips. She looked around and took a seat on a few large rocks - sitting specifically on her usual rock.
Oscar grinned watching her. It was just like before. He thought back to the last time they had been here. It was a few weeks before it started. They wanted one last night, just the two of them. It was nearly sundown when they finally reached the cliff, and Abby had been sitting there, in that exact same spot, as the sun went down. They had sat there for hours, watching the sun set and the stars coming out. They knew they were risking it, staying so far away from the camp site as it was getting darker, but neither one could bare the thought of moving. Oscar smiled at the memory before settling down close to her once again. "Here," he said, handing her a bottle of water and trail mix.
"Thanks," Jane said with a smile accepting the food and water. She had a swig of water but looked up at him before even opening her trail mix. "How often did we come here?" She asked.
"A few times. We've tried out nearly every trail in the area. But this one… well, this one is special." He paused, not sure if he should continue. They'd been sitting right here when he proposed. It was a day nearly exactly like this. They had left early in the morning, set up camp, and climbed up, resting here for lunch. "We saw this deer once here. She came so close, we thought about giving her some of our lunch. We were trying to stay still, but I was trying to make you laugh. And then you finally broke, and the deer ran away. You were so mad at me," Oscar couldn't help but laugh. Right after that was when he had proposed. It had seemed so comical at the time. She had been playfully hitting him, upset that they had scared away the deer, but all he could think about was spending the rest of his life with her.
Jane laughed and shook her head with amusement. "I don't believe that I cracked and laughed - surely you'd be the one to laugh first." She countered.
"Who me?" Oscar grinned. "Never. Especially not when I was tickling you, right here," he reached out, gently rubbing her side, right where he knew it drove her crazy. He started gently moving his fingers, lightly tickling her, just as he had that day. Sometimes all he had to do was just act like he would tickle her and she couldn't contain her laughter. It was his favourite sound in the world, the pure joy and happiness, knowing that he was the one that brought that out in her.
Jane gasped, almost jumping out of the way. It was obvious she hadn't been expecting for her to be ticklish there. "What?" She laughed out, the shock in her voice evident. Then something crossed over her face, another wave of shock but not due to his actions - well, not his actions this time. "You proposed here. Right after the deer ran away." She stated.
Oscar's hands immediately dropped in shock. "You… you remember?" He stared at her, his voice hopeful. He couldn't deny that maybe somewhere, deep inside, he had brought her back here in hopes that she would remember. But he never really thought it was possible. He had just wanted a moment, a break from everything else with the mission, with the baby. He bit his lip, hopeful that maybe she really did remember.
Her expression mirrored his. "I was sure you were kidding, that you were just trying to distract me from the fact that you scared away the deer." She answered, almost in a daze at what she remembered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I couldn't, I guess. I didn't want to know what it felt like if you didn't remember." He gently grasped her hand, rubbing her finger, remembering how it felt as he slid the ring on. His voice was quiet, "I wasn't kidding, though. I had the ring for weeks, just waiting for the right moment."
Jane chuckled lightly, placing her free hand on his cheek. "And you thought that the best moment was when you had annoyed me?" She shook her head with amusement again. "I'm glad that, if I don't remember anything else, I remembered that." She admitted.
Oscar turned his head slightly, kissing the hand that was resting on his cheek. "You were so cute, I just knew, right then, that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. And I didn't want to wait any longer."
She shoved his shoulder back slightly and stood up, holding out her hands to him. "You're such a sap - let's explore these woods… see if we can find somewhere that you haven't been yet." She challenged.
Oscar laughed, grabbing her hands as he pushed himself up. "You lead the way then." He gestured, waving his hand. He loved seeing this all through her eyes, for the first time. The way she always seemed to remember everything, but it was still a surprise to her. He couldn't wait to see what she'd do next.
Jane looked around for a few seconds before looking over the cliff. "Have we ever tried to climb down?"
"No!" Oscar gasped in disbelief. "We couldn't." He knew it was useless, though. Once she got an idea in her head, it was nearly impossible to talk her out of it.
Jane grinned and looked over it again, then she hesitated before looking at him with confidence. "The second this baby is out of my belly - we are climbing down that cliff. But for now, let's choose a safer route and head east." She decided to take a swig of water.
"Good, because I think we'd need some serious gear before attempting that. But for now, eastward bound," he said.
They headed off eastward, just as Jane suggested. They had never ventured much past the cliff in their previous hikes, so, just like Jane had wanted, most of it was new to both of them. They stopped every few miles for a break, quickly finishing up the trail mix that Oscar had packed. But every time they turned a corner, they found a new path to explore, a new area that had not yet been discovered. The sun had started to set before they even realised how late it was getting. Neither was ready to call it a day, but he gently tugged her hand, leading her reluctantly back to their campsite.
It was nearly completely dark by the time they reached the campsite again, only the moon lighting their way. Oscar insisted Jane rest for a moment as he finished setting up the tent, laying out their sleeping bags and putting out the fire for the night. He knew she wasn't happy about staying still, but they had walked a lot that day and he was nervous. He didn't know how she would sleep overnight, and he wanted to let her rest while she could. As he gathered a few branches for the fire tomorrow, he realised how exhausted he really was. He couldn't want to climb into the tent, to just lay there, with Jane wrapped up in his arms.
"Our castle awaits," he said, opening the tent flap for Jane. She willing went in and he was sure he caught her stifling a yawn.
She climbed in, quickly relaxing on the sleeping pad that Oscar had brought. "You're surprisingly good at making beds - I'm sure there's a story behind it."
"The first night we went camping, you hated the idea of sleeping alone, even though I was right next to you. So after a few hours of tossing and turning, we figured it out that it was better to lay out the sleeping bags, that way," he laid down next to her, wrapping her in his arms. "We could do this."
"I like this," Jane muttered, curling up to him.
"Yeah," Oscar replied, his voice low and raspy. They both drifted quickly off to sleep, happy in each other's arms.
Hours later, the sunlight streamed into their tent, gently rousing them from their slumber. Oscar stretched out, he hadn't slept that well in a long time. There was something about being outside in the fresh air that just felt so refreshing. He gently placed his hand on Jane's stomach. "How did you sleep?" he asked, giving her a small kiss.
Jane rolled over, burying her head in his chest - usually, she woke up pretty easily, but it appeared today she didn't want to. "Shush, O, it's not morning yet."
He gently rubbed her hair, brushing it back from her face. "We can spend all day right here if you'd like. I can't think of any place I'd rather be."
"Here works, all day," she muttered into his chest.
Oscar pulled her closer, gently rubbing her back. He couldn't remember any other time it felt this perfect between the two of them.
Soon enough, their rumbling stomachs demanded that they start the day. Oscar had packed some Pop Tarts that they ate while still in bed, and then slowly got ready to start the day. Oscar had seen a lake off in the distance the other afternoon, while they were hiking. He hadn't mentioned it to Jane at the time, hoping maybe she hadn't noticed and therefore would be surprised today. After they got refreshed, he started leading them back the same way they came the day before. It had seemed further yesterday, as they wandered around aimlessly, but today, they arrived there after about 15 minutes. And sure enough, it was even better than Oscar could have imagined. Wide open, with brilliantly clear water that was reflecting the sunlight. The beach was rocky, and he quickly picked a smooth stone, expertly sending it skipping across the surface.
Jane walked beside him most of the way but fell behind as they got to the lake, mild surprise on her face. "There's a lake here?" She breathed out, a smile making its way to her lips. "You could have told me… or did I already know?"
"No, this is new to both of us. I just saw it yesterday. It's beautiful though." He walked closer to the water's edge. "I can't believe we never knew about this place."
Jane smiled again, more brightly this time. "Really?" She questioned with glee. "I think it's time we make the most of the new discovery then."
Oscar smiled, seeing the glint in her eye. "Well, what do you recommend we do then? To properly celebrate this moment?"
With a thoughtful expression, Jane looked around the lake and stepped closer to it bending down. Before Oscar knew what she was doing, he was splashed with water. How he didn't see it coming, he didn't know, because that was exactly what Abby always did! Why should this half Jane, half Abby person be any different!
He laughed, quickly stepping into the lake, splashing her back. "You have no idea what you just started!"
They laughed, both continuing to splash and trying to dunk the other in the water. Within minutes, both were soaking wet. "Truce, truce, truce," Oscar called, finally venturing closer to Jane. He pulled her into his arms. His eyes were bright, staring into hers. He felt her breath catch as he leant forward. He whispered, his lips grazing hers, "You know I love you, right?" Then kissing her.
Jane pulled him closer during the kiss and pulled back only enough to mutter an "I know," before returning her lips to his. However, the kiss didn't last longer than a few minutes as he felt himself being pushed underwater once again and resurfaced to Jane laughing. "Love you too, by the way," she added innocently.
He quickly splashed her, "See, this is why we can't do anything nice," he said, laughing, trying to dunk her underwater before she could retaliate. But she wriggled out of the way.
"Stop! Stop!" She shouted with a laugh. "No more dunking! Baby Oscar needs its air!"
He put his hands possessively on her stomach. "Does that mean you think its a boy?" he said with a twinkle in his eye. He knew this was sure to get her riled up, it had long ago become an ongoing joke between the two of them.
She wrinkled her nose up. "Nah… I'm thinking we could call her Oscaretta." She teased.
Oscar couldn't help but laugh as he leaned down, kissing her stomach. "Well, I love you, little Oscaretta. Even if Mommy does name you that."
They stayed in the lake a little longer, until Oscar saw Jane give a slight shiver in the cool water. "Let's go home," he said, without much protest from Jane. He knew that they would come back here. Perhaps he would even propose again in the same spot, he thought to himself. This time with Oscaretta with them.
They walked back to their campsite, throwing their gear into the back of the truck, before heading back home.
Jane groaned slightly in frustration, the baby was kicking her relentless and it was becoming more and more uncomfortable. She pushed herself up, hoping to relive some of the pressure, and hopefully halt the baby's kicking - or at least stopping it from kicking her spleen. "Stop kicking me." She muttered.
Oscar couldn't help but chuckle as Jane tried to adjust her position. "I think it's still a bit early to expect this kid to listen to you," he joked. "I don't even think he has ears yet."
"She." Jane countered, they still hadn't found out the gender, even though it was possible. They had a few more days until their next appointment, and that's when they were going to see the gender. "And you're right, she's not listening, she's just kicking me." She complained - it was really uncomfortable.
"You always say that, but I don't believe he could be kicking that hard." Oscar smiled. He gently rested his hand on her stomach, hoping to feel something this time. Jane had been complaining about the kicks for a few weeks now, but he had yet to feel his child move. Suddenly, Oscar let out a small gasp. "Was that it?" he asked Jane, his voice quiet.
Jane looked at him, her eyes slightly widened. "You felt it too?" She questioned - the little peanut was getting stronger. Fascination filled her. She rested her hand over his and moved it down slightly. "It'll be stronger here."
Oscar smiled, tears brimming in his eyes. "That's our baby." He leant over to kiss Jane. "We made that."
She smiled at him, kissing him back, all thoughts to how aggravating her stomach and the kicking completely left her mind. "Yes, we did."
Jane flicked through the TV channels, trying to see if any program jumped out at her - there must have been a show that she enjoyed. Also, TV shows and films were easier to catch up on than real life, because you could just rewatch it - you can't relive your own memories. She lingered on a show about the FBI but ended up changing the channel.
She almost shot up out of the chair when she reached the news channel, with a clear bold headline announcing that Mayfair had been arrested. Quickly turning the volume up - even though it was clearly loud enough already - she listened to the newscast in full and then proceeded to watch more and more newscasts and searched the internet regarding this. By the time Oscar walked in carrying freshly brought fruit, she was fuming.
"What is this?" Jane demanded, standing up and indicating the television before Oscar even had a chance to greet her.
Oscar stopped suddenly, perplexed by Jane's outburst. His eyes glanced at Jane before he saw the TV screen. "Abby, I know this is hard to understand… but this had to happen."
Jane's mouth almost dropped in shock. "She's being framed for somebody else's murder." She couldn't stop her arm movements, but she was just so annoyed. None of what was happening was right, and he couldn't convince her that it was.
"I know," he said, keeping his voice level. "She didn't kill Carter. But she isn't innocent. It had to happen this way."
"But she shouldn't go down for something she didn't do! She should go down for those crimes!" Jane argued back instantly. How was he being so calm about this? How could he simply accept doing this?
"The FBI, the government is too corrupt to prosecute her for those crimes. But, we are certain the facts will come out during the trial. And then everything else will start falling into place. It just takes time."
Jane shook her head repeatedly, and for the first time since leaving the FBI and the only people she knew, turned and walked away from him. She barely gave herself time to grab her jacket - but it was chilly outside and she didn't want people to stare at her tattoo's. She allowed the door to slam behind her.
Thank you very much for reading! Shoutout to my co-writer: MonkeyPajamas!
