I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters. I had difficulty writing, because after last week's episode, what more could you want? Then I started writing and I was shocked when I discovered angst… I am obviously scarred from Season 2 and need my Blindspot angst…it's a sickness. Anyone have Dr. Sun's number? Oh well, this is probably the last chapter in this story…hope you enjoy. I've said that before though…we'll see.
Jane watched Kurt, Nas and Keaton leave with a concerned expression. Kurt walked over and pulled her against him in reassurance.
"We won't be long," He insisted.
"I think I should go," Jane argued.
"The world thinks you're dead," Kurt reminded her, "We need to make sure there is no question. If you're seen by anyone, Roman is dead."
Jane knew he was right, but she didn't trust anyone else to have Kurt's back. Even Nas seem to have a bigger agenda.
"Be careful," She whispered into his ear before reluctantly releasing him.
"Do not leave here for any reason," Kurt insisted looking down at her seriously.
"I won't," Jane agreed.
"Promise me," Kurt held her eyes.
"I promise," Jane agreed.
He stepped back and the three of them left.
"So," Tasha walked up to Jane and asked her teasingly, "How'd you sleep?"
Jane could feel her face heat.
"Good for you," Tasha laughed and pushed against Jane's shoulder.
"Leave her alone," Patterson smiled.
Jane was at a loss for words, she trusted these women with her life, but she could never share something so personal with them. What happened was private between her and Kurt.
"Leave her alone," Reed chided Tasha walking over to get some coffee.
"I for one am relieved," Tasha joined him, "Watching them dance around it has been painful."
"What's painful is this conversation," Reed denied.
"What'd I miss?" Rich asked from doorway.
Jane looked over at Tasha in dismay. Tasha immediately looked over at Jane in reassurance. She might tease her, but nobody else was going to while she was around.
"Nothing," Tasha denied.
"Where's stubbles?' Rich looked around expectantly.
"He went with Nas and Keaton to get the gas," Jane explained.
"Now?" Rich looked surprised.
"We don't exactly have a lot of time," Boston reminded him coming into the room.
"You're very trusting," Rich walked over to Jane.
"Not exactly," Jane denied. She could never remember a more inaccurate statement.
"Okay," Rich agreed, "Not trusting…forgiving."
"What do you mean?" Jane looked uncomfortable.
"Well," Rich looked around the room, "By my count, the only two people present that haven't tried to kill you are Boston and Ava."
"We haven't tried to kill her," Tasha denied, angry.
"Didn't you shoot her? Anyway, you were remarkably effective for all your intensions." Rich shook his head.
"What do you mean?" Patterson was upset.
"Well," Rich continued, "I ordered Jane and Kurt killed in the Hamptons, Cade tried to kill her in a very memorable occasion, Nas sent her to Keaton who tortured her for months, killed her once and none of you did anything to find her. Let's not forget Roman's recent interactions with you."
"What?" Patterson looked over at Jane in dismay.
"Rich," Jane warned him.
"They don't know?" Rich looked at her in surprise.
"What do you mean Nas sent her to Keaton?" Tasha demanded.
"She ordered it," Rich looked between them in surprise. "If I didn't know better I would almost think you don't want to know…"
"That's enough," Jane warned him.
"No," Tasha denied, "Explain what you're talking about."
"I've been incarcerated and I was able to find out what happened to Jane when she was sent to that black site, how is it a team that specializes in information, you know nothing?" He demanded.
"Rich," Jane's tone broke no argument, "That's enough."
"Why are you still protecting them?" Rich demanded incredulously.
"They're my team," Jane whispered.
"What are you to them?" Rich asked bluntly.
"Expendable?" Boston volunteered for her.
Jane looked down, hurt. She knew she wasn't like the others, but having it shoved down her throat seemed cruel, even for Rich.
"Did you know about Nas?" Rich asked Jane.
"Yes," Jane admitted.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Patterson felt like her heart was breaking.
"Kurt…" Jane looked away, "He needed her."
"What about you?" Tasha was furious.
"What about me?" Jane shored up her defenses, "Nothing's ever easy, I didn't expect to be welcomed back and I wasn't. Working with Nas was easier than working with each of you, because she never meant anything…" Jane abruptly stopped.
"Why are you doing this?" Jane demanded at Rich.
"Because they need to know," Rich argued, "They won't look for themselves and you won't tell them."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Jane insisted.
"If you ever want to be a team again," Rich argued, "It needs to be faced."
"After tomorrow," Jane denied, "It might not even matter."
"Jane," Reed looked sick.
"It's okay," Jane insisted, "Please, just let it go."
Turning she retreated back to her cot. Wishing with everything in her, Rich had minded his own business.
Patterson watched her go with a tragic expression.
"What do you mean she died?" She asked once Jane was out of earshot.
"Why didn't you look up any of this yourselves?" Rich demanded with a serious expression.
"I couldn't bear it," Patterson admitted.
"How'd you find it?" Tasha demanded.
"They kept video records," Rich looked angry.
"What?" Reed could believe what he was hearing.
"How did you get them?" Tasha demanded.
"It's what I do," Rich reminded them, "Come to think of it, it's what you do too…"
"I want to see them," Tasha demanded.
"Tasha," Patterson protested.
"What?" Tasha looked over at Patterson, "Pretending it didn't happen makes it okay?"
"No," Reed answered before Patterson could. Tasha looked up at him in understanding.
"Come with me," Rich agreed. He needed them to see how Jane suffered, so that they could know how she sacrificed for them. To see how strong she was to be able to forgive them for leaving her there. He knew it was cruel, but Jane was not expendable and he wouldn't let them ever think that she was.
When Kurt arrived back his team was seriously subdued. He didn't know what was going on, but if he didn't know better he would have thought that both Patterson and Tasha had been crying.
"What's going on?" He demanded looking around for Jane.
When nobody answered he worried, "Where's Jane?"
"She's sleeping," Rich told him.
"Sleeping?" He'd never known Jane to nap.
"Kurt," Tasha looked sick.
"Is Jane okay?" He was beginning to become concerned.
"She's okay," Patterson assured him, "We're not."
Nas looked between them suspiciously.
"What happened?" She asked bluntly.
"Rich told us about you sending Jane to Keaton," Tasha told her with a scowl.
"What?" Kurt looked over at Nas in shock.
"What are you talking about?" Nas prevaricated.
Patterson pulled up a document on her screen showing Nas' signature transferring Jane from FBI custody to Keaton.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kurt thought he might physically be sick.
"In the end it didn't really matter," Nas insisted, "They entire time she was there, she never said a single word."
"We know," Tasha looked away.
"What do you mean, you know?" Nas demanded.
"Rich showed us the videos." Reed explained.
"Videos?" Kurt was barely holding it together.
"They taped her torture." Tasha explained.
Keaton came in the room.
"You taped what you did to Jane?" Kurt demanded immediately.
"Of course," Keaton admitted, "All of our interrogations are videoed."
"Did Nas transfer Jane into your custody?" Kurt demanded, still praying he hadn't slept with a woman responsible for hurting Jane.
Looking over at Nas Keaton admitted, "Yes."
"What difference does it make now?" Nas demanded.
Jane heard Kurt's voice and came out of hiding.
"What's going on?" Jane worried when she caught sight of the tense gathering. "Did you have trouble getting the gas?"
"Jane," Kurt looked over at her and stopped.
"She knows," Tasha admitted, "She's always known."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kurt was gutted.
Jane looked down and muttered, "I'm sorry…"
It was at that moment that the team realized just how unfair they had been to Jane. She was apologizing to them…it was beyond comprehension.
"Jane," Tasha was the first to move. Jane looked in shock as Tasha enveloped her in a crushing hug. Patterson was not far behind and even Reed crowded in close and placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
"Its fine," Jane assured them, just wanted to get past it all. They had finally gotten to a place they could be close again. She wished Rich had just minded his own business.
Kurt remained frozen. He couldn't think so many conflicting emotions were poring through him.
"I need to see them…" Kurt looked over at Rich.
For the first time since he'd pushed the issue Rich was uncertain. The look on Kurt's face showed just how affected he already was…"I don't think…" He began.
"See what?" Jane didn't understand.
"They taped what they did to you," Rich admitted.
"You have the tapes?" Jane actually felt like she might faint.
Seeing her clear distress, Kurt was beside her immediately. He pulled her against him with hands that trembled.
"Jane," He looked down at her with concern.
"Please," Jane looked over at Rich, "Please stop."
"I'm sorry Jane," Rich realized that in his attempt to defend what she'd been through, he was responsible for torturing her now.
"Jane," Nas started.
"I understand," Jane interrupted her.
Kurt couldn't watch her hurt like this anymore. He bent down and picked her up. He walked away without looking back. It was only when they were once more enclosed in the room that was theirs alone that he looked down into her shattered expression. Sitting on the bed with her on his lap he rubbed her back soothingly.
"Why didn't you tell me what Nas had done?" Kurt needed to understand.
"You needed her," Jane admitted, "And then when you and she…"
His arms tightened around her as she hesitated.
"I can't do this," Jane finally admitted.
"Jane," Kurt tried to explain the indefensible, "Nas…she was a shield. Something to protect me from the feelings I couldn't help feeling for you. When you came back, I didn't think I could trust you, but I still needed you with me. It was a mistake, but it was never like what we have. She never threatened my walls, I never let her in and she didn't want to be there."
Jane felt a tear slide down her cheek.
Kurt whipped it away with his thumb.
"Knowing everything you've been through, how could you ever forgive me for hurting you like I have?" He felt overwhelmed with guilt and regret.
"I love you," Jane whispered her confession against his neck. She couldn't look at him when she admitted it.
Kurt's hand froze on her back. He pulled away enough to look down at her face and the wonder on his face eased some of the panic that filled her as the words found freedom at last.
"I love you too," Kurt leaned in and kissed her desperately. It wasn't long before hurt was soothed away by touch as each sought to reaffirm that the other was there, alive and safely in each other's arms.
Kurt rose quietly from their makeshift bed. He looked down at Jane as she slept and felt tenderness fill him at how peaceful she looked. How beautiful she was, both inside and out. Pulling the cover gently over her he grabbed his clothes and turned toward the door with purpose.
Rich saw Kurt coming and knew what he wanted.
"I think this is a mistake." Rich warned him.
"No," Kurt denied, "The mistakes I made caused all of this."
"Kurt," Patterson walked over, "I don't think you should watch them."
Looking into her red eyes he felt a punch to his chest.
"I need to see." Kurt insisted, undeterred.
"Then you watch them with us," Tasha insisted joining them, Reed by her side.
Kurt sat in numb silence as tape after tape outlined just what Jane had suffered. The day that she tried to drown herself, he watched Keaton's frantic attempts to revive her with fists clenched and a hard jaw.
He could hear her confession during the polygraph test…I was terrified…
He remembered his own assurances…Everything will be okay…
I trust him with my life…
You needed her…
Kurt I just wanted to make sure you were okay…
I'm out here all alone…
He had let her down on every level. Turned his back on her when she needed him the most…remembering how they treated her when she came back he felt sick. He didn't realize that the feed had ended or that he was crying until Patterson fell down on her knees before him and pulled him against her.
How can you work with him after what he did to me?
"Kurt," Reed was looking at him in concern.
Kurt realized that he had pulled his gun without realizing it. He wanted to kill Keaton…hell he wanted to kill Nas. Even as he acknowledges these feelings, he knew who was really to blame. He was. He'd done this to her.
He passed Reed his gun and abruptly pulled away from Patterson and stood.
He needed to be alone. He needed…Jane…
He turned back toward the closet took two steps before he abruptly stopped. How could he face her, knowing what she'd gone through because of him? How could she love him, when he hated himself for what he'd done to her?
He turned and retreated, unable to face her, but also unwilling to leave her, broken.
"Kurt?" Jane stood there looking at him with a scared expression.
Seeing her fear, his fears disappeared. This wasn't about him and how he felt, this was about her and what she needed. He would put her first from now on. He wouldn't let his guilt and remorse leave her alone again. In three long strides he was beside her, his arms pulling her close, his love keeping her sheltered.
"You watched it," She accused, her voice without inflection.
"I didn't want anything to stand between us anymore." Kurt explained, "We have no more secrets."
"How can this not change how you feel about me?" Jane demanded, "I wanted your love, not your guilt."
"You've always had that," Kurt insisted, "Even when I didn't want to give it to you."
"I'm sorry you had to watch that," She told the others without meeting their eyes.
"You're sorry?" Tasha demanded.
"I lied to you," Jane reminded them, "Mayfair was killed because of me… I got what I deserved."
"Nobody deserves that," Reed denied.
"Maybe not," Jane relented, "But it's over now. Please, I can relive it again, not mentally and not verbally."
"Understood," Patterson assured her.
"Let's let the past go," Jane pleaded, "We have to stop Sheppard. That's going to take all of us."
One by one they agreed. Each realizing the strength Jane possessed, but each just wanting to protect her.
Rich watched from the side, satisfied he'd done his part. They hadn't wanted to know, but they needed to. He didn't regret his decision.
Kurt led the way into the Sandstorm compound. Jane was only steps behind him and he was aware of her every moment. He'd always been hyper aware of her, but it almost seemed as though now her very breath was his own.
Raising his hand he motioned for cover when he spotted one of the patrols heading their way. Jane hunched down behind a rotting stump and he joined her, within touching distance if things went wrong.
Jane could feel the heat of Kurt's body as he used it to shelter her own. She knew that he still wasn't over what Rich had shown him and might not ever be. She worried that a man so used to shouldering responsibility would have to live with something so far beyond his control. Would this taint what they'd worked so hard to build?
When the guard passed and Jane remained unmoved, Kurt looked down at her in concern. He could see that she was lost to her own thoughts. The situation was too dangerous to lose focus.
"Jane," He drew her attention to him.
Looking up she realized what she'd done.
"It won't happen again." She hastily assured him.
"Wait," He stopped her, "What's wrong?"
"This is going to change everything," She worried.
"If you mean what I feel for you," Kurt clarified, "Nothing could ever change that."
She looked up him, her vulnerability apparent. After studying his face she smiled up at him in relief. She believed him. Leaning up she stole a quick kiss before once again moving forward.
Kurt watched her go with a bemused expression. She never ceased to surprise him, he hoped she never would.
They made it to the side door and tapped twice. Within moments it opened and Roman appeared.
"Follow me," He told them quietly.
They made their way through the hallways and down into the bunker. Once they were in his quarters, he closed the door and turned to face them.
"The rocket will be ready to launch by tomorrow," He warned them, "This is our only chance. If we can't disable it tonight, let's just say Washington DC residence will have a really bad day."
"Is Sheppard still here?" Kurt asked him.
"Yes," Roman confirmed, "She's personally overseeing the launch."
"It's not good enough to simply delay it," Jane insisted, "We have to destroy some key component to keep them ever launching."
"We can use the rocket fuel do set off an explosion that will destroy not only the rocket, but the entire compound." Roman suggested.
"What about the nuclear material?" Jane worried, "Won't that simply move the destruction from DC to here?"
"You have any better ideas?" Roman asked her.
"We need to steal the warhead and then blow up the rocket." Jane suggested.
"Well that will definitely get us killed," Roman said without humor, "So even if we fail, it'll be all over."
"Kurt?" Jane looked over at him for suggestions.
"The explosion of the rocket would not necessarily activate the nuclear bomb," Kurt denied, "It could result in a breach of the radioactive material."
"What if Sheppard detonates the nuclear bomb once she realizes what's happening?" Jane worried.
"We don't need to steal the bomb," Kurt insisted, "Just some components to prevent it from going off. Then we destroy the rocket with the fuel and hopefully make it out of here alive."
"Is that all?" Roman actually smiled.
"Don't forget about the guards patrolling the compound," Jane reminded him.
"Piece of cake," Kurt insisted.
Roman opened up the ventilation access panel in his room.
"Sheppard has the hallways monitored with video feed. I was able to ensure you weren't seen coming in, but we'll have to go the long way to get to the rocket."
Jane let Kurt hoist her up before moving out of the way for the men to follow her inside.
"After you," She told Roman.
He scooted around her and began to quietly move forward.
It took them about fifteen minutes before they arrived at the silo.
"We need to take out the five guards," Roman warned them.
"Where are they located?" Jane asked.
"We have two on floor," Roman explained, "Three are in stages along the catwalk."
"Say we do that," Kurt looked over at him, "Sheppard surely has a camera on this room, how long until reinforcements come?"
"Less than a minute," Roman admitted, "But they all have to come along the same corridor."
"So we need someone in the corridor buying us time," Jane realized.
"I'll go," Roman offered. He knew that person would be the one taking most of the heat.
Jane looked at Kurt with a worried frown.
"We can't do this without him," Kurt admitted.
"Roman," Jane looked over at him, "Will you be able to pull the trigger?"
"I've been remembering things all day," Roman admitted, "I can do it."
Jane reached over and grabbed his hand.
He squeezed back before heading away from them.
Jane turned back to Kurt. "Do you think the others have had enough time?"
"If it went well they did," Kurt assured her, "And if it didn't, then we need to hurry."
Jane moved past him to go in first. He stopped her.
"Jane," She looked over at him.
"Be careful," He insisted, bringing his hand up and cupping her face.
She leaned into his touch and told him, "You too."
Just then they heard gunfire coming from the hallway.
Kurt pushed past Jane and entered the silo. He took out the first gunman and Jane following closely behind him the second. The sought cover as the shooters from the catwalk began firing. It only took a few moments before the sounds of gunfire fell silent.
"We got four," Jane looked over at Kurt, "There should be one more."
"He's waiting for a shot," Kurt warned her.
"We can't wait much longer," Jane worried.
"I'll draw his fire," Kurt suggested, "You shoot him."
"No," Jane grabbed his arm.
"Jane," Kurt insisted.
Walking over Jane pulled a knife from her pocket and sliced threw a cable support. With all of her strength she pushed the cable until it swung around. The sleeper gunman immediately began firing. Kurt located him and his shot was deadly.
"Very nice," He looked over at her in approval.
"I hope you know what we need to remove to keep that bomb from going off." She told him.
"I do," He assured her, beginning to ascend the steps.
She followed after him, "Should I go begin flooding the chamber with rocket fuel?"
"No," Kurt denied, "We stay together."
"Kurt…" Jane worried, listening to the sound of gunfire from the corridor.
"Non-negotiable," Kurt insisted.
The made it to the platform that accessed the warhead. Kurt began to disassemble the device. Jane stood guard over him protectively.
It only took him a few minutes, before he stood and looked over at her.
"Let's get out of here," He gave her a smile.
She returned it and they moved down to join Roman.
Kurt moved over to the control panel that connected the Rocket to the fueling system. He looked down at it in frustration before pulling a knife out and slicing through the tubes taking fuel up into the rocket.
Stepping back he watched the first splash of fuel hit the floor in satisfaction, before turning and urging Jane to run.
"We need to set a charge," Jane said reaching for the pack at her back. She pulled out the plastic explosive and set the caps. She attached the timer and looked up at Kurt, "How long?"
"Ten minutes," He told her, "Any longer they might have a chance to stop it."
She didn't question him.
They sprinted toward the sound of the gunfire and Roman.
The three of them made their way back toward the opening Roman had provided them.
"Hello Jane," Sheppard stepped out of the shadows once they reached the opening.
Kurt stepped in front of her protectively.
"It's over," Jane told her.
"It will never be over," Sheppard denied.
"You did all of this because of Orion, but somehow you forgot what it was all about." Jane accused her.
"I didn't do this because of Orion," Sheppard denied, "Roman and I leaked the information on Orion."
"You almost got me killed," Jane accused her.
"I wanted to remove you," Sheppard admitted, "I needed funding. Government funding only goes so far and you made good money serving your country. You wouldn't help us, wouldn't turn on your own government so we made hard choices."
"It must have been an unpleasant surprise when I turned up alive," Jane said woodenly.
"We wouldn't be here without you," Sheppard taunted.
"Well," Roman told her, "We can't be here much longer." Sheppard watched in shock as Roman aimed and fired. She fell backwards, dead before she hit the ground.
Jane looked over at Roman in stunned disbelief.
"Let's go," He told Kurt stepping over Sheppard and heading for the door.
Kurt grabbed Jane's hand pulled her toward the doorway with a concerned look at her.
She could feel the rumble and hear the explosion before they even cleared the door. Kurt pushed her down and covered her as the fire followed after them searching for victims while feeding on air.
"Jane," Kurt turned her over and searched her face, frantic for reassurance that she was unharmed.
"Are you okay?" She worried, reaching up and placing her hand on his cheek.
Smiling down at her in relief, he assured her, "I'm fine."
"He killed her," Jane whispered, so softly Kurt had to lean in close to hear her words.
"He did it to save us," Kurt insisted.
"No he didn't," Jane denied, appreciating his attempt to reassure her.
"Kurt," Patterson's frantic voice came over his com. Now that they cleared the bunker, they were once again connected to the team.
"We're here," Kurt assured her, "Is everyone okay?"
"We're good," Patterson told him in relief.
Jane looked over at Roman, but he was gone.
"Kurt," Jane turned his attention to where Roman had lain.
"He's gone," Kurt confirmed.
"We need to find him," Jane said desperately.
"You know we won't find him," Kurt denied.
"What will he do?" Jane worried.
"He'll do the right thing," Kurt insisted.
"You don't know that," Jane worried.
"I know," Kurt assured her.
Seeing that his faith in her had extended to her brother, Jane felt a tear fall from her eye. She'd not been allowed the luxury of feelings in so long, that she was overwhelmed with her love for him.
"It's over," She whispered.
"No," Kurt denied, "It's just beginning."
When he claimed her lips with his, their smiles melted together, their hearts beating as one.
Well…That's all I've got. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the reviews and encouragement!