I don't own Blindspot or any of the wonderful characters. I was going to post this on Wednesday...but close enough. Hope you enjoy! I am living on fanfiction...otherwise I would have expired from withdrawals. Why won't they just renew this show and put us out of our misery? WHY?
Jane entered Patterson's lab silently. She stopped and took a moment to study the dynamic of the people waiting. Patterson, Tasha, Reed and Kurt stood together. It was the woman that stood near them that made her pause. This woman was watching Kurt with a look that was easy enough to interpret. The fact that he seemed oblivious to her regard didn't make Jane feel any better. The woman was stunning.
Just then Kurt looked up and saw her standing there.
"Jane," He greeted her with a smile.
She smiled back and joined them.
"Sorry I'm late," She told them.
"We were waiting," The woman told her.
"Jane," Kurt looked over at the other woman briefly, "This is Special Agent Jenna McKnott she's assisting us on this case."
"What case?" She moved over to look down at Patterson's computer desktop.
"I cracked a tattoo," Patterson told her with triumph.
Jane smiled, Patterson had been doing that for as long as she had memories, but she never failed to become excited each and every time. She doubted Patterson experience much that challenged her, so these tattoos satisfied that need.
"What'd you find?" She asked.
"She's already gone over her process," Janna explained, "The reason I'm here is because I've been investigating Zach Carson, the man implicated in the tattoo, for more than a year now."
"Zach Carson?" Jane looked over at Tasha. Just as she suspected, Tasha hated this new dynamic.
"He's a special prosecutor and there have been allegations that some of the cases he's tried have been set up to remove key individuals from preventing Carson from achieving his goal of becoming governor." Janna explained.
"So it's corruption," Jane verified.
"Alleged corruption," Janna insisted.
Looking over she saw Kurt watching Jenna with a frown.
"Alleged corruption," Jane repeated with a look back at Tasha.
Tasha shared an understanding smile with her.
"How does he tie into the tattoo?" Jane asked Patterson. She didn't care if Janna became impatient, the information was critical.
"This flower tattoo on your lower right hip is a combination of Morris Code and cipher. It spells out Carson's name with a reference to a case he brought against an up and comer in the governor's office, Jerry White."
"What is White accused of?" Jane asked her.
"Espionage," Janna answered for her.
It was Patterson's turn to frown at Janna.
"You've been working on this for a year," Jane looked at Janna, "What have you been able to uncover so far?"
"Nothing concrete," Janna was forced to admit.
"If you don't have any evidence," Jane asked bluntly, "What began your investigation in the first place?"
"We had an informant," Janna told him, "He provided us with Intel on several of the cases, but the most convincing information he provided was on cases that hadn't yet been pursued. Once charges were brought against some of those people listed, we realized that it was a systematic and methodical plan."
"Didn't your informant provide you any evidence?" Tasha demanded.
"No, he just provided intel," Janna denied.
"Have you been able to identify him?" Kurt asked.
"No," Janna denied, "He hasn't been in contact for a number of months now."
"He just stopped contacting you?" Jane asked in surprise.
"I tried to set up a meeting," Janna admitted, "We were going to bring him in, see if we could tie him to Carson is some substantial way."
"What happened?" Patterson asked.
"I don't know how," Janna told them, "But the information was leaked. There was a shooter on the roof waiting for their chance to take out the informant."
"Did they get him?" Reed asked bluntly.
"I don't know," Janna admitted, "They either got him or he went underground. We haven't heard from him since."
"Did he know you were going to bring him in?" Jane asked.
"No," Janna denied, "Otherwise he wouldn't have shown up."
"So you turned on him," Tasha said bluntly.
"He's a criminal," Janna insisted, "He needed to be brought in."
"He was an asset," Jane insisted.
"Well you would say that," Janna told her looking at her tattoos with scorn.
Jane immediately tensed. Looking over she caught Kurt's eyes.
"Jane is a key member of this team," Kurt looked over at Janna, "You've been included on this investigation as a courtesy because of your knowledge of the file. If, however, you don't feel that you can work with us, the information that's been compiled is part of the case study."
Janna attempted but couldn't completely hide her surprise.
"That won't be necessary," She insisted, "I'm honored to work with you all."
Kurt looked at her a moment longer before looking back over at Jane.
"Fine," Kurt relented.
"So where do we go from here?" Jane asked them.
"We need to pull all of Carson's files and try to identify which cases either directly or indirectly benefited him." Kurt told Patterson.
"I think that we should try to set up a sting." Janna suggested.
"Using what exactly?" Kurt asked.
"Another informant." Janna told them.
"You have another informant?" Tasha demanded.
"No," Janna denied looking at Jane, "You do."
"Are you saying that you want to use Jane as bait to see if you can catch whoever Carson sends to take her out?" Kurt asked in disbelief.
"No," Janna denied, "I'm saying that now that one of her tattoos has been linked to this corruption case, Carson's bound to hear about it. She's already bait, we just need to catch the person sent to take her out."
"How would she be linked to this case in any way?" Kurt demanded with a hard jaw.
"I updated the case file as soon as you notified me of your findings." Janna admitted.
"But your office has a leak," Reed reminded her.
"A leak we know about," Janna corrected, "We can use that information against them."
"So you set up a member of my team, as bait, without notifying me of your intension?" To say that Kurt was unamused was an understatement.
"I didn't mean to offend you," Janna told him, "I didn't realize that you considered her a part of your team. Since she is not officially an FBI agent and been linked to one of the biggest terrorist organizations in the country, I didn't think you'd object."
"Well, I do object," Kurt was furious.
"I can't change it now," Janna told him.
Kurt swung to face Jane, "Why were you late this morning?" He demanded abruptly.
Jane looked away. She didn't want to tell him and after his ultimatum at the hospital yesterday she hadn't been going to.
"Jane?" Kurt moved to stand directly in front of her.
"I was pushed off the platform trying to catch the subway this morning." She finally admitted.
"Are you okay? Why didn't you ride in with Roman and his detail?" Kurt demanded as he stepped into her personal space.
"I'm fine. Dr. Sun wanted to meet him outside her office this morning." Jane explained, "She thought a change of atmosphere might trigger some new memories."
"Thank god the train wasn't coming," Patterson said.
Jane didn't answer her.
"There was a train coming," Tasha realized, "Wasn't there?"
"It was close," Jane reluctantly admitted.
"Patterson," Kurt turned to her, "I need the footage from the subway."
"I'm on it," Patterson began typing.
Jane rubbed her face before finally looking up into Kurt's worried eyes.
"What time?" Patterson asked Jane.
"Around 7:30," Jane told her.
"I've got it," Patterson exclaimed.
Jane turned to the screen, "I reported it to the police," Jane explained, "That's why I was late."
"You weren't going to tell us," Kurt accused her.
"It didn't require a trip to the hospital," She hastily assured him.
"Didn't require or you didn't go?" Kurt asked bluntly.
"Didn't require," Jane insisted.
"There's Jane," Tasha drew their attention.
Jane saw herself walking down the steps to the train. She then watched as an elderly woman dropped some money. Walking over to the edge of the platform, Jane had just called to the woman and was bending down to pick it up, when a man with a hoodie came over and pushed her over the side. She just missed getting electrocuted. Rolling to the side, she avoided getting hit by the very train she'd been waiting on. The crowd on the platform was screaming and she watched as both the elderly lady and the man with the hood calmly moved away. -
"I need to know who that woman is and anything you can tell me about the guy that pushed Jane." Kurt told the team, "Janna, you can leave."
"What?" Janna looked stunned.
"Nobody recklessly puts my team at risk. Before we were even aware of the situation, you set Jane up. She was almost killed." Kurt said bluntly.
"This is my investigation," Janna insisted.
"Not anymore," Kurt denied.
"This isn't over," Janna insisted.
"You still have your job," Kurt told her, "It's more than you deserve. Jane, come with me."
She looked at Janna's furious face before turning and reluctantly following Kurt.
He went into his office and closed the door. Turning to look at her she shifted uncomfortably while he watched her saying nothing.
"I should have told you," Jane admitted with regret.
"Why would you keep something this serious from me?" Kurt asked with a clenched jaw.
"I thought it was just and accident," Jane insisted, "And you threatened to take me out of the field. How can I watch out for all of you, if I'm here?"
"Why do you feel like you have to watch out for us?" Kurt asked with incomprehension.
"None of you would be out there if it wasn't for me," Jane insisted, "If something happens to you… it's all on me."
"Jane," Kurt closed the space between them, "We were FBI agents long before you came along. We know what we signed up for. Nothing is going to happen, but even if it does, it's not because of you."
"Says the man that feels responsible for everyone…all the time." Jane reminded him.
"I'm in charge of this office," Kurt reminded her, "Keeping everyone safeis my responsibility."
She knew where she stood with Kurt, but hearing that she was a responsibility to him hurt.
"That's not true," Jane denied, "When Mayfair was killed, you did hold me responsible. I didn't know it was going to happen, but I do know that it's my fault that it did. I won't make that mistake again. I will do whatever it takes to prevent anything else happening to you or the other members of your team."
"You're a member of our team," Kurt reminded her in frustration.
"I'm an asset, as Janna just pointed out." Jane reminded him.
"That's not all you are," Kurt denied vehemently.
"I'm not your responsibility Kurt," Jane insisted.
"Jane," Kurt moved to stand between her and the view of the entire NYO, "You've always been more to me than that and you know it."
"Of course when you thought I was Taylor, you felt the need to watch out for me, but finding out I was a terrorist changed everything. How could it not?" She smiled without any humor.
"It changed nothing," Kurt told her in mounting frustration, "That was the problem. I couldn't stand to be in the same room with you because it should have mattered, but it didn't. I still worried about you. I still looked for you every time I walked into the room. I still insisted every time we went out that you were with me.
"I thought that was because you didn't trust me with any of the others?" She said in confusion.
"It wasn't." Kurt forced himself to admit.
"What are you trying to tell me?" Jane asked him bluntly.
"I need for you to stop acting like your expendable, because you aren't now and you never were." He explained with vulnerability that she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Kurt," Jane placed her hand on his arm.
"If you can't do it for me," Kurt insisted, "Do it for Roman. He needs you. You are all he has."
"Kurt I would do anything for you," Jane looked at him in surprise.
"Then you need to take better care," He told her, "I can't wake up every day wondering if today is the day I'm going to lose you."
"I promise," Jane assured him, "I'll do my best."
"You also need to tell me immediately when something happens. The thought that you almost…died…this morning and you didn't even call me, is making me worry every time you aren't within sight. I need to believe you're okay and know immediately if you're not."
"You'll be the first person I call," Jane reassured him, "But you need to promise me you won't take me out of the field. I need to be a part of this."
"Fine," Kurt agreed, "But you're with me."
"I won't let you down," Jane promised him.
"The only way you could do that is if you get yourself killed," Kurt said bluntly.
"What now?" Jane asked him.
"Now we find out who's trying to kill you and stop them," Kurt told her.
"Janna's going to cause problems," Jane warned him.
"Let her," Kurt dismissed, "She put you at risk. There is nothing anybody could say that is going to get her back on this case."
"What did you find out?" Kurt walked back into the lab followed closely by Jane.
"We couldn't identify the man in the hoodie," Patterson told them, "But the elderly woman's name is Cynthia Arnold."
"It's unlikely that she's a part of all this," Jane speculated, "She's not making any attempt to conceal her identity."
"She's connected in some way," Reed insisted, "She didn't react to you getting pushed. Everyone else in the crowd expressed some type of reaction, but not her. She knew."
Re-watching the clip of Jane getting pushed, Kurt forced himself to look away from Jane and at the faces of the people surrounding her.
"Reed's right," Kurt agreed.
"So where do we find her?" Jane asked Patterson.
"She's a resident of an assisted living center," Tasha told them, "The good news is that anytime she leaves the center, she needs to be checked out and back in."
"Maybe that will lead us to the man in the hood," Kurt suggested, "Let's go pay her a visit."
"I'll run a background check on her and see if I can tie her to Carson." Patterson called after them.
"Let us know what you find." Kurt agreed.
Jane sat in the front seat of the car and glared at Kurt.
"This is ridiculous."
"You want to be out in the field when someone is trying to kill you," Kurt told her, "You wear a vest."
"We are going to an assisted living center," Jane reminded him, "If I walk in there like this, someone is likely to have a heart attack."
"You could just call it a fashion accessory," Tasha suggested from the back seat.
"They'll probably be more interested in your tattoos than the vest," Reed offered.
"You aren't helping," Jane looked over her shoulder at them.
"Hey," Reed held up his hands, "We're all for keeping you alive. Sue us."
Seeing that she would get no assistance from the back seat, Jane fell silent.
"This is the first time I've been targeted because of what my tattoos might tell us," Jane realized.
"Unfortunately," Kurt looked over at her, "It might not be the last. I've had any information about you removed from Carson's case file, but anybody that could be potentially brought up on corruption charges, might consider getting rid of you to stop the investigation into your tattoos."
"That's why you case was considered classified," Tasha told Jane.
"I can't believe that Janna would risk her career just to bring down Carson. It sounds personal to me," Reed suggested.
"You're right," Kurt said from the front. "Call Patterson," he waited for the phone to dial.
"Nothing yet," Patterson answered.
"We need you to look into the connection between Janna and Carson, Reed pointed out that she's taking this case too personally."
"Makes sense," Patterson agreed, "I'll get started."
"You already have all my tattoos logged," Jane reminded them, "Even if someone killed me, that wouldn't necessarily stop the investigation."
Kurt gripped the wheel tightly at that scenario.
"She right," Tasha realized, "Someone would need to have the investigation stopped internally."
"Someone with clout," Reed agreed.
"Everyone we're investigating has clout," Jane reminded them.
"Not within the FBI itself." Reed denied.
"Pellington shut down the Jane Doe investigation," Tasha reminded them.
Kurt stiffened at that.
"When I was brought back in," Jane reminded them, "He didn't object."
"At that point what could he do?" Tasha argued, "It was now a joint task force, if he objected it would have looked bad."
"So you think that Pellington might be corrupt?" Jane repeated thoughtfully.
"I don't know," Reed admitted.
"Someone must have notified the CIA that night Weller was bring you in," Tasha argued, "They picked you up before we could even process you. We never had time to talk before you were gone. Who knew that you'd arrested Jane?"
Jane looked over at Kurt to find him studying her with troubled eyes.
She looked away. Suddenly her heart was racing. What if Pellington did have something to hide? She and Roman were vulnerable to his decisions. He had gone from wanting to turn Roman over to the CIA to agreeing to his house arrest with Jane. Had he done that to make Roman more accessible?
"I only notified Pellington," Kurt admitted.
"Kurt…" Jane trailed off.
Kurt dialed Roman's detail. After a brief conversation he looked over at Jane, "They're going to escort him directly to Patterson's lab once he's done with Dr. Sun."
Smiling in relief, she pulled her thoughts back to this investigation.
Jane looked down at the belligerent elderly woman and listened to her tirade.
"Young people today don't understand the meaning of the word sacrifice. My husband served his country to protect us from people like you." She spat at Jane.
"I'm working to protect this country," Jane told her.
"Look at you," The woman scoffed, "You're trouble. My nephew knew it right away."
"Were you with your nephew this morning?" Kurt asked her with a scowl.
"I don't have to tell you anything," She insisted.
"We can bring charges against you for accessory to commit murder," Kurt warned her.
"I won't be prosecuted," The woman denied, "I should get a medal for doing my part to protect this country."
"Ms. Arnold you are under arrest," Kurt told her.
Jane looked over at him in surprise.
"You're arresting her?" She asked in surprise.
"She tried to kill you Jane," Kurt reminded her while he placed the woman in handcuffs, "Yes, I'm arresting her."
Heading back outside Kurt placed her inside a city police car for transport back to the NYO.
Tasha and Reed joined them on the street and watched the police car pull away.
"Did she confess?" Reed watched them leave.
"Practically," Kurt explained, "She doesn't feel any remorse."
"We think it might have been her nephew with her this morning," Jane told them.
"It was," Tasha agreed, "He checked her out first thing. She was back here before Jane even was able to make it to work."
"Let's go get him," Kurt said with a hard look.
"Patterson called," Reed told them, "She wasn't able to find any solid connection between Carson and Arnold or her nephew."
"Tell her to keep looking," Kurt insisted, "Family connections, bank accounts, everything."
"I'm on it," Tasha agreed.
Turning toward the car, Jane pulled her jacket more full around her. Wearing the vest was making her feel even more conspicuous than she normally did.
She didn't hear the shot that was fired from the roof across the street until the impact of the bullet had laid her out on the sidewalk. The sound reverberated through her head as she struggled to draw in air.
"Jane!" Kurt fell on top of her before rolling her over to take cover by their vehicle.
"Is she hit?" Tasha drew her gun while crawling past Reed to check on Jane.
"It got me in the plates," Jane panted when she was finally able to draw a breath.
Kurt had already pulled her jacket wide to check for himself. She would never forget the naked emotion on his face when he realized she'd taken it in the plates.
"Stay down," He insisted when she tried to sit up.
"I'm okay," Jane assured him.
"Tasha, stay with Jane," Kurt told her, "Reed you're with me."
Jane watched them sprint toward the other building with concern.
"We should back them up," She told Tasha.
"Jane they've got this," Tasha denied.
When Kurt and Reed returned, they were indeed successful. The subject looked somewhat worse for wear and was bleeding.
Reed was leading him and Kurt sprinted over to where Jane was still sitting on the ground by the car.
She looked at him in surprise when he knelt down and began to rip the fastenings off her vest before pulling it off completely. It was only when he was satisfied that she was unharmed that she saw him relax and sit down next to her.
"What was that all about?" She asked him.
"He was carrying armor piercing bullets and a modified gun." Kurt admitted.
"Why didn't he use them?" Tasha looked over at him with a frown.
"He must not have realized that she had a vest on underneath her jacket," Kurt rested his head against the car wearily.
Once the subject was taken away, Reed looked down at Jane in concern, "Maybe you should go to the hospital and get checked out."
"No," Jane denied immediately.
"You might have broken a rib," Reed insisted.
"I'm just bruised," Jane denied.
Kurt turned to look at her with troubled eyes. They still sat on the ground next to the SUV.
"I can check," Tasha offered the others.
"I've got it," Kurt insisted, reaching over he ran his hand along Jane's ribs, pressing gently. She winced when he reached the impacted area, but he was satisfied.
"Let's get back," Jane pushed herself off the ground.
The ride back was silent.
Patterson greeted them with good news. "I was able to establish the link between Arnold and Carson."
"What is it?" Kurt walked over and looked at her monitor.
"Arnold's nephew is an aid in Carson's office. It's an unpaid internship. However, he seems to be doing pretty well for himself in spite of that." She pulled up the nephew's bank statements.
"That's a lot of money," Tasha said.
"The deposits correspond with milestones in Carson's litigations." Patterson explained.
"This is definitely a payoff." Tasha noted.
"We just need to break him," Reed insisted, "Get him to roll over on Carson."
"What do we use as leverage?" Tasha speculated, "His Aunt?"
"Maybe," Kurt agreed, "One way to find out."
Jane watched them head for the interrogation room before sitting down on Patterson's stool.
"You okay?" She worried.
"I'm fine," Jane assured her, "Did Roman ever get here?"
"No," Patterson denied, "Was he supposed to?"
Jane pulled out her cell phone and dialed Roman's detail.
"Agent Hutton," The man answered.
"Hi," Jane told him, "Its Jane, I just wanted to check and see if you were about ready to bring Roman in."
"We aren't with Roman," Hutton told her, "We were pulled from his detail."
"By who?" Jane demanded immediately.
"Pellington," Hutton told her.
Jane looked over at Patterson and she immediately came over at the fear on Jane's face.
"What is it?" She worried.
"Thanks," Jane hung up.
"Pellington pulled Roman's detail," She told Patterson, "Can you track his ankle monitor?"
Patterson immediately began tracing it.
"I don't understand," She looked up at Jane, "It's been deactivated."
Jane felt her heart rate triple. Gasping for breath she was at a loss of what to do.
"Where's Dr. Sun?" She demanded.
"She's in her office," Patterson told her, "I saw her come back while you were gone."
Jane left her seat and ran over to Dr. Sun's office.
"Jane," The Doctor greeted her when she burst in, "We don't have an appointment."
"Where's Roman?" Jane immediately demanded.
"You know I can't discuss Roman with you," Dr. Sun said calmly.
"His details been removed and his ankle bracelet is deactivated."
"I'm aware," Dr. Sun admitted.
"Tell me where he's at." Jane demanded.
"He's being evaluated," Dr. Sun admitted.
"Where?" Jane was becoming frantic.
"Someplace designed specifically for his needs." Dr. Sun assured her.
"Who authorized this?" Jane demanded.
"Pellington," Dr. Sun told her.
Jane turned away.
"Jane," Dr. Sun walked over to her, but she was already leaving.
Jane rejoined Patterson, "Did she tell you where he was?"
"She said that Pellington had him transferred someplace for evaluation." Jane told her, her face pale.
"We should tell Weller," Patterson worried.
"Can you call Pellington for me?" Jane asked her.
"Sure," Patterson pulled up the contact information.
"This is Pellington," The man answered.
"It's Jane," She identified herself, "Where's Roman?"
"Someplace safe," Pellington assured her.
"Take me to him," She demanded.
"This is for his own good," Pellington insisted.
"I need to see where he is," Jane insisted.
"If I take you there," Pellington warned her, "You'll have to remain until the evaluation is completed."
"I understand." Jane feared she knew just where this was leading.
"Meet me in front of the building in ten minutes," Pellington relented.
"I'll be there." Jane agreed.
"What's going on?" Patterson demanded once Jane was off the call.
"Pellington's going to take me to where they are holding Roman," Jane told her, "But I won't be able to leave until Roman's evaluation is completed."
"Jane," Patterson looked worried, "This doesn't sound good."
"I might have just talked myself into another visit to the CIA," Jane agreed seriously.
"You can't go," Patterson denied.
"I don't have a choice," Jane insisted.
"If they take you to a black site, we will never find you," Patterson insisted.
"I have to go," Jane told her, "Or we will never find Roman."
"I'm getting Weller," Patterson warned her.
"I don't have time," Jane denied, "Pellington only gave me ten minutes. Is there some way you can track me?"
"I still have a bottle of the isotopic water that Nas gave Rich to track him." Patterson remembered.
"Let me have it," Jane insisted, "Make sure you at least locate where I end up, even if you can't come right away."
"We aren't going to lose you again," Patterson promised.
Taking the water Jane headed toward the elevator with lead feet.
"She went where?" Kurt demanded once Patterson pulled him from interrogation.
"With Pellington."
"Why would she do that?" Kurt demanded.
Patterson explained about Roman.
Kurt turned and headed to Dr. Sun's office, "Where are Jane and Roman?"
"I'm sorry," Dr. Sun told Kurt, "I'm not at liberty to divulge that information."
"You either start divulging or you're out of here," Kurt warned her seriously.
"Pellington had Roman transferred to a mental facility." Dr. Sun admitted.
"Why?" Kurt demanded.
"I recommended it," Dr. Sun admitted.
"Why would you do that?" Kurt looked at her suspiciously.
"You and I both know what that man is," She explained, "I will not be responsible for someone else getting hurt, just so that Jane can continue to delude herself that he has a conscious."
"Give me the address of this facility," Kurt told her.
"No," She denied.
"Pack up," Kurt told her, "You're done."
She watched him leave with no expression.
Kurt pulled out his phone and dial Pellington's number. It went straight to voice mail.
Heading back over to Patterson's lab he demanded, "I need to know where Jane is right now."
She attempted to locate Jane's cell phone and then Pellington's to no avail.
"So we've lost them?" Kurt demanded.
"She drank the last bottle of water Nas gave to Rich," Patterson denied.
Kurt closed his eyes in relief.
Patterson typed for a few minutes, before she looked back over at Kurt in fear.
"What?" He demanded.
"I'm not locating her."
"How is that possible?" Kurt demanded.
"She would have to be underground or in a lead lined box," Patterson insisted.
"The subway?" Kurt asked.
"No," Patterson denied, "Someplace deeper than that."
"So we've lost her?" He demanded.
"Yes," Patterson admitted.
Jane climbed into the back of the van and sank down onto the bench across from Pellington.
"Why did you do this?" Jane demanded.
"Dr. Sun expressed real concern about Roman's state of mind," Pellington explained.
"You just allowed him to move into the safe house," Jane argued.
"That was before Dr. Sun called me to express her concerns personally." Pellington argued.
"I know my brother," Jane insisted.
"You knew your brother," Pellington denied.
The rest of the drive was completed in silence. When they arrived, Jane felt her heart sink when the van traveled down into a tunnel.
"What is this place?" She worried.
"It's an old military compound," Pellinton explained, "They've turned it into a treatment center for PTSD suffers."
"It feels a little confined," Jane looked at him suspiciously.
"That's the point," Pellington agreed.
Jane followed him outside the van once it came to a stop.
"You need to surrender your weapon," Pellington warned her, "The men and woman at this treatment facility cannot be trusted with weapons."
Jane pulled out her gun and passed it over.
"Follow me," Pellington removed his own weapon and placed both into a secure locker before leading Jane inside.
She was relieved to see that it did appear to be some type of hospital. Unlike the black site she had escaped from, this place was teaming with activity.
Moving over to a door, Pellington knocked and waited.
The door opened from the inside and Jane followed Pellington through a labyrinth of hallways.
He took her to an observation room and she could see Roman sitting across the table from a man. He didn't look distressed, she was relieved to see.
"How long do we have to stay here?" Jane turned to Pellington.
"Depends on the Doctor's findings." Pellington told her. "Roman might not be leaving."
"How long until we know?" Jane worried.
"I don't know."
Jane looked through the glass and closed her eyes. Nothing was ever easy, but at least they weren't at a black site.
Kurt paced his office in agitation.
Pellington remained off the grid with Jane and Roman. His mind was tortured with all the scenarios. Jane returning to the CIA black site, Pellington killing them outright, Sheppard getting her hands on them…all played like an unending nightmare in his head.
"Pellington's phone just came back online," Patterson told him from the door.
Kurt immediately reached for his phone. The Director's phone was answered on the second ring.
"Weller," Pellington greeted.
"Where are Jane and Roman?" Kurt demanded immediately.
"They are with me," Pellington assured him, "We are on our way back in."
"Let me speak with Jane," Kurt insisted.
"I'm beginning to think you don't trust me," Pellington warned him seriously.
"Taking Jane and Roman without notifying me of your intensions can destroy trust," Kurt told him bluntly.
"Be careful," Pellington warned Kurt.
"Kurt," Jane came on the line.
"Are you both okay?" He demanded immediately, the tension leaving him so abruptly he felt shaky.
"We're fine," Jane assured him, "We should be back in under a half hour."
"Come to my office," Kurt told her.
"We will," Jane assured him.
Once she hung up, Kurt looked over at where the team anxiously waited. "They're fine. On their way back in."
"Thank goodness," Patterson walked over and hugged him in relief.
"What did you find out from the nephew?" Kurt looked at Reed and Tasha.
"He rolled over on Carson," Reed admitted, "He taped him."
"Do we have the tapes?" Kurt asked.
"Already picked them up," Tasha assured him, "They are damaging."
"Good work," Kurt approved.
"What about Janna?" Kurt looked over at Patterson.
"She was in a relationship with White before he was arrested." Patterson explained.
Watching them leave, Kurt moved back over and pulled out his chair. Sinking into it he checked his watch. This probably meant that Pellington wasn't dirty, but he wasn't going to let his guard down just yet. Picking up the pen he looked down at the paperwork on his desk, but didn't open any of the folders. He found himself checking his watch again. Only five minutes had gone by.
Standing up he moved over to the door and watched the elevator. Turning he moved back to his desk. It took an endless twenty five minutes more before the elevator finally opened and Jane and Roman stepped off. Kurt was instantly on his feet.
They came over to his office and he held the door for them.
"Everything okay?" He looked them over as they stepped past him.
"The doctor didn't keep me," Roman smiled at him, "So I guess that's a good sign."
"So Pellington is allowing you to stay on at the safe house with Jane?" Kurt verified.
Roman lifted up his pant leg and showed him that the ankle monitor had been replaced.
"I dismissed Dr. Sun," Kurt told them.
"Can you do that?" Jane worried.
"I'll have to replace her," Kurt admitted, "But I'm in charge of this office and I can replace anyone here."
"Why did you replace her?" Roman looked surprised.
"She was projecting her prior work experience on your situation," Kurt explained, "She wasn't objective."
At Jane's relieved expression, Kurt knew he'd made the right decision.
"Is my detail back?" Roman asked Kurt.
Looking past him, Kurt saw the men once more waiting for him.
"They are," Kurt agreed.
"I'm going to head back," Roman looked over at Jane, "I'm tired. You coming?"
"I'll drop her off," Kurt told him.
Jane watched Roman go.
"What happened with Carson?" Jane turned back to Kurt.
"The nephew confessed," Kurt told her, "He had tapes."
"So we got him," Jane said in relief.
"Yeah," Kurt agreed looking at her strangely.
"What?" Jane looked at him suspiciously.
"You went with Pellington," Kurt accused her.
"Patterson was tracking me," Jane reminded him.
"We weren't able to find you," He denied.
"Then I'm glad he wasn't dirty," Jane said.
Kurt didn't say anything for a moment, "Let's go grab a bite to eat, then I'll take you home."
"Okay," Jane agreed.
Kurt grabbed the jacket from the back of his chair and Jane followed him out.
"What do you feel like?" He asked her.
"Maybe we can grab some burgers," Jane suggested.
"I know a place," Kurt agreed.
It was quiet in the car.
Jane turned to look at him, "Kurt, I'm sorry Patterson wasn't able to track me."
"Are you sorry you left without telling me?" He asked her.
"You were in interrogation," Jane reminded him.
"You knew I would stop you," Kurt accused her.
"I knew there was a possibility," Jane admitted.
"No," He denied, "You know me, you knew I would never have risked you like that."
"I couldn't just leave him," Jane pleaded.
"Jane," Kurt turned to face her, "I would have gone with you."
It was obvious that hadn't occurred to her.
"We didn't know if Pellington was dirty," Kurt reminded her, "And you went with him, after promising me you would stop risking yourself."
He pulled over and stopped. Turning to face her he demanded, "Do you want to die?"
"No," Jane protested immediately.
"I'm trying to open up to you and talk, but you aren't listening." Kurt accused her, "Do you care about me at all?"
"You know I do." Jane said seriously.
"How would you feel if every time you turned around, I was in the hospital or missing? Bruised or shot?" He asked her.
Seeing the pain in her face he turned away. He couldn't even stand to see her hurting when it was his words causing it.
Jane reached over and touched his arm. Looking back he felt her touch the side of his face in remorse. Leaning into her touch he closed his eyes.
Opening them he looked at her.
"Are you feeling okay?" He worried looking down at where she was shot.
"I'm sore," She admitted, "But okay."
"With the week you've had, the doctor at the hospital probably has a room ready for you." Kurt said seriously.
"Not funny," Jane denied.
"Let's go eat and I'll run you home." Kurt opened the door.
Jane joined him on the street and waited for him. He stopped in front of her and leaned down to hold her against him gently. She let her arms encircle him and held him back. When he stepped back he reached down and grasped her hand with his own. Smiling up at him she followed him inside.
"I'm picking you up from now on," Kurt warned her holding the door for her.
"I'm with you," Jane agreed squeezing his hand.
"Yes you are," Kurt agreed squeezing back.
Standing in the hospital the doctor looked down at his watch, he'd been illogically expecting to see her again. Smiling at his wayward thoughts he moved on to his next patient, hoping all the while that she wasn't dead…