Jane had lied to him. Again.

Kurt sat alone in the darkened sanctuary of his apartment and struggled to process this new revelation. Struggled to come to grips with the fact that Emma Shaw—a woman who had been more of a mother to him than the one who had actually given birth to him—was dead because of him. Because of her involvement in his life.

And now . . . now he had to find a way to reconcile the fact that the woman he trusted above all others—the woman who despite all the pain and heartache she had brought into his life, he saw himself having a future with—was the daughter of the woman who was the reason his mom wouldn't be around to witness that future.

Emma would have liked Jane, he realized with a bittersweet smile. In fact, the two of them were similar in many ways. They both had big hearts and the same dogged determination to right the wrongs of the world. And they both had an uncanny ability to make him see the error of his ways. It was one of the reasons he'd found it so easy to believe Jane was Taylor.

He closed his eyes as he grieved for Emma anew. God, he missed her. He missed her kindness, her warm spirit, her laughter. But most of all, he missed her hugs. He could really use one of those right now.

He ignored his phone when it rang initially, but when it went silent for a moment before lighting up again, he reluctantly reached for it. His mouth tightened as he saw that it was the agent in charge of Roman's detail. "Weller."

"Wait, what?" Kurt sat up straight. "How the hell did that happen? Never mind," he interrupted as the agent began stuttering out an explanation. "I'm on my way. I'll meet you there."

He drove as far over the speed limit as safely possible the entire way to the hospital, clutching the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip, and sprinted into the ER, the agent's words still ringing in his ears.

Jane has been stabbed. And Roman is missing.

"Where is she?" Kurt demanded as he caught sight of his hapless agent, making a beeline for the man. "How is she? What the hell happened?"

"I . . . I don't know," Agent Price stammered. "We heard a crash, and when we got inside, Roman was gone, and Jane was on the kitchen floor, unconscious and bleeding. I tried asking her what happened when she came to in the ambulance, but all she would say was that it was an accident. The medical staff asked me to step out so they could treat her, so I came out here to wait for you."

"So you left the FBI's most valuable asset, who was injured under unknown circumstances, alone and unprotected?" Kurt asked in a deadly soft tone. Agent Price opened his mouth to respond, but Kurt cut him off. "Never mind." He'd heard enough. "Where is she?"

Agent Price motioned to the double doors at the end of the waiting room. "Through there, first hallway on your right, third room on the left. But you can't get in there unless you're fam—" Weller was already striding away, so he shut his mouth with a snap.

Kurt flashed his badge at the nurse at the desk as she started to protest as he strode through the double doors, but he didn't pause to identify himself. Nothing mattered now except getting to Jane and seeing for himself that she was going to be okay. She had to be okay.

He swallowed hard as he caught his first glimpse of her. Her eyes were closed, her face sporting several abrasions, and she looked pale and defenseless under the harsh hospital light as she lay on the gurney. Completely unlike the tough, vibrant woman he had come to know and . . . and love. "Jane."

He didn't realize he'd breathed her name aloud until she opened her eyes.

Jane reached out to him with her good arm, and he instantly closed the distance between them and grasped her hand tightly. "Don't look so worried." She smiled to reassure him. "The doctor's already examined me, and there's no nerve damage. As soon as they stitch me up, I'll be good to go home."

"Jane . . ." The icy knot in Kurt's chest eased a little at her words. "You can't go home. Your house is a crime scene." He pulled up a chair next to her bed. "Speaking of which . . . what happened tonight? Where's Roman?"

"Roman . . ." Jane's voice broke, and Kurt's grip tightened on her hand as her eyes filled with tears. "Roman remembered that I wiped his memory, and he—"

"He stabbed you?" Kurt's voice grew low with fury.

"He didn't mean to," Jane defended. "He was just upset at being lied to. Surely you can understand that."

I never stabbed anyone who lied to me, Kurt started to say, but he bit his tongue. Jane was hurting right now, both physically and emotionally, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her further. But god help Roman when the two of them met again.

Jane could see that Kurt was angry, but she was relieved he let the subject drop. Her mind returned to his earlier words. "So . . . if I can't go home, where am I gonna stay?"

He hadn't given it a thought. "With me," Kurt responded automatically. In his current state of mind, there was no telling what Roman might still do, and he wouldn't rest easy if Jane wasn't nearby where he could assure himself of her safety. Her injury tonight was his fault anyway, since he had forced her to lie to her brother. He never should have released him under those circumstances.

"Kurt," Jane protested softly, but the look he shot her made it clear that there would be no further discussion on the matter. And in truth, there was nowhere she would rather be right now than with him.

It was nearly two more hours before she was released, and Kurt stayed by her side the entire time, his earlier anger at her apparently entirely forgotten. He only relinquished his hold on her hand when absolutely necessary and told her amusing stories from his childhood to distract her while the doctor was stitching her up. He pushed her out to his SUV in a wheelchair, laughingly admonishing her that it was hospital policy when she protested that she could walk, and kept his arm firmly around her waist on the way up to his apartment.

"Why don't you rest while I make something to eat?" Kurt suggested as he steered Jane over to the couch. "It won't be my famous Thai curry, but I can whip us up some pancakes." He thought they could both use some comfort food right now.

She wasn't exactly hungry, but Kurt was looking at her so hopefully that she couldn't say no. He needed to eat, whether she did or not. "Sounds good."

And it smelled good as well, Jane realized in surprise as her stomach began to grumble. Kurt grinned at her as he set a plate of pancakes in front of her. "No one can resist my cooking."

"Well, except for Maya," Jane shot back without missing a beat, and the two of them bantered companionably throughout the meal. She smiled at him as she set down her fork after taking her last bite. "I've missed this."

"Me too," Kurt said honestly. "It's not exactly how I planned on cooking you dinner tonight, but I'm glad we're getting to spend some time together, just the two of us." He sobered. "I'm sorry about Roman."

"I'm sorry about Emma," Jane returned softly.

Kurt held her gaze for a long moment, reading the genuine sincerity, the regret there, before nodding. "I know." They would have to talk about both those things soon, but he didn't care to revisit either subject tonight.

Instead, he rose and carried their dishes to the sink, shaking his head at Jane's offer of help. "Why don't you go get ready for bed while I finish up here? It's been a long day for both of us."

"Oh, uh . . ." Jane flushed as she glanced down at herself, the reality of her situation intruding on her for the first time. "I don't have anything to wear, and I, uh . . ." She didn't quite know how to broach the subject of sleeping arrangements.

"Sorry about that," Kurt said sheepishly as he draped an arm around Jane's shoulders and steered her in the direction of his bedroom. "I should have had an agent pick up some of your things, but I was so worried about you I forgot all about it. I have an old t-shirt you can wear for tonight, and we'll swing by your place tomorrow to get the rest of your stuff. And don't worry," he added as he felt her start in surprise. "I'm not going to take advantage of the situation. You can have the bed, and I'll take the couch."

That was actually the least of her concerns at the moment. She already knew Kurt was too much of a gentleman to ever do so. Jane's eyes narrowed as she swung to face him. "For tonight? Kurt, you aren't planning to have me stay here, are you?"

"Well, I . . . I'd feel better if you did," Kurt defended. "At least until we stop Sandstorm, and this situation with Roman is resolved." He brought a hand up to cup her cheek. "When I heard you'd been stabbed tonight, I . . . I thought . . ."

"Kurt." Jane covered his hand with her own. "I'm fine." Though she found his concern incredibly touching—and impossible to refuse. "But if I'm going to stay here, I'll take the couch. You need a good night's sleep."

So do you, Kurt thought, but the stubborn set to Jane's mouth warned him he wouldn't be winning that argument. "Fine. Then we'll share the bed." They were both adults; it shouldn't be a problem.

Or so he thought until she walked into his bedroom clad in only his t-shirt that covered her to mid-thigh and draped loosely off one shoulder. He nearly swallowed his tongue as he caught his first glimpse of her. Before his brain even registered the movement, he had crossed to her side, placed a hand behind her neck to pull her to him, and was kissing her. "Sorry," he apologized when he'd regained sanity enough to pull back.

"Don't be," Jane said as she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his once more. His arms closed around her instantly, fiercely, and the kiss went from tender to passionate in a heartbeat. His tongue traced her lips, demanding entrance, and she willingly parted for him, moaning softly as their tongues tangled for the first time.

"Jane," Kurt panted when they finally broke apart, and she grabbed his hand to lead him to the bed. "Wait." He tried desperately to regain the clarity their kiss had robbed him of. "I promised I wouldn't take advantage. And your arm—"

"Is fine," Jane interrupted, using that arm to pull him to her and encircling both around his waist. The gash had been long, but fortunately shallow. It throbbed a bit, but she wasn't about to let it deter her. "And you're not taking advantage of me, Kurt. I want this." She needed it, needed the comfort of being intimately connected to the person she trusted most in the world after the emotional minefield of the day. She had a feeling they both did. "Please."

When she looked at him like that, green eyes awash with a mix of desire and pleading, how could he ever say no to her? "Okay," Kurt conceded, "but if it gets to be too much or . . . or you want me to stop at any point . . ."

"I'll tell you," Jane assured him, touched by his concern. She leaned in for another quick kiss and tugged at Kurt's shirt as they broke apart. He pulled it over his head and tossed it away blindly before bringing his hands to her waist and slowly, painstakingly inching hers up and off her.

"God," Kurt groaned as every gorgeous inch of her was exposed to his view. No amount of pictures could have prepared him for this moment. "Jane . . ." He waited until she shyly met his eyes, wanting to be certain she knew he meant every word. "You are. So. Damn. Beautiful."

Jane smiled mistily up at Kurt as his words eased the knot she hadn't even realized had been building between her shoulder blades. "So are you," she whispered as she reached out to touch him, tentatively drawing her fingers across his shoulders and down his chest.

Jane's featherlight touch sent desire coursing through his body, and Kurt hefted her in his arms and laid her down gently on the bed. He stretched out next to her, kissing her softly before drawing back to trace her tattoos. He followed the path of his finger with his lips and by the time he reached her breasts, her eyes were following him in eager anticipation of his next move.

"Kurt," Jane panted as he ringed her nipples with kisses, and she gasped aloud as he sucked one into his mouth, laving it gently with his tongue. He cupped her cheek in one palm, and she turned her head enough to press a kiss to his wrist as he continued down her belly with his free hand, closing her eyes at the overwhelming sensations he was evoking in her.

Kurt waited until she opened them again before sliding his hand between her thighs. His finger found her clit unerringly, and he groaned as he felt just how ready she was for him. He was equally ready for her, but he was determined to make her come first. He was determined to make this night memorable for her.

Jane's breathing quickened as Kurt inserted one finger and then a second inside her, pumping gently, but she stilled his hand as she felt herself getting close. "I want you," she told him when he glanced at her in confusion. "I want this first time to be the two of us together." Things were always better that way.

Kurt held her gaze for a long moment before nodding. He shed his boxers and rolled on top of her, settling into the cradle of her thighs. Jane reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his, and they locked eyes as he guided himself into her, groaning in unison at the intense pleasure.

The two of them held one another's gaze for what felt like an eternity before Jane lifted her hips to his, and Kurt began to move. He set a slow pace, wanting to draw this out as long as possible, but all too soon their mutual need overwhelmed them. He began thrusting faster, harder, deeper as Jane's inner muscles clenched around him, wanting to come with her, and the two of them crested that wave together.

Kurt rolled onto his back as soon as sanity returned, pulling Jane with him so that she was sprawled atop him, and he fell asleep with a content smile on his face.

He awoke with that smile on his lips, but it quickly turned to a frown when he reached out for Jane and was greeted by cold, empty sheets. He jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers before going in search of her. She was staring out his living room window, watching the sun rise over the city.

"Hey," Kurt greeted, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her temple. She didn't pull away, but she didn't melt into his embrace as she had the night before. As she always had. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Jane pulled free and turned slowly to face Kurt. "Listen, last night was . . . it was amazing, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but it can't happen again. Your friendship means the world to me, Kurt, and I don't ever want to lose that."

Kurt's frown deepened as he struggled to understand where this was coming from. "And you don't think that married people, or people who are dating, can be friends?" Not that either of those applied to them at the moment. But he definitely saw things heading in that direction.

"Yes, but . . ." Jane took a deep breath as she met his eyes. "I don't want to be just another woman you fell into a relationship with because you're having problems in your life, Kurt. I've seen how that ends, and I . . . I just lost my brother. I can't lose you too. You're the only person in the world that knows my past that I feel comfortable opening up to. In a few weeks or months or years, I don't want to be introduced as just another woman that you 'used to date for a while.' I want you in my life permanently."

"I want that too," Kurt said quietly. "But what makes you think we can't have that as . . . more than friends?"

Jane's smile turned bittersweet. "You're too choosy, remember? And I'm . . ." She took a deep breath. "If I ever . . . get involved with someone I care about like you, it will be because we have a real shot at a future. I'd want it all, Kurt. Marriage, kids, growing old together."

Kurt's breath caught in his throat as the image of a little girl with Jane's eyes flashed through his mind. His little girl. "I want that too," he told her as he stepped closer and pulled her back into his arms. "I want a future with you, Jane. I thought I was too choosy to settle down, but the truth is . . . the truth is I was just waiting for the one woman who could get through all the walls I'd put up. The only woman who ever will. I want to date you, and marry you, and have that family with you. But I . . ."

Kurt reached up and brushed the tears Jane hadn't even realized were falling from her cheeks. "I need to know that I can trust you from here on out. That you won't keep any more secrets from me that will affect our relationship. No matter how much it hurts, I'd always rather hear the truth from you at the time."

"I can do that," Jane promised solemnly, and Kurt leaned down to kiss her, his heart bursting with happiness. Finally, finally, he'd found the woman he'd been looking for all his life, the other half he felt like he'd been missing for so long. And he was going to keep her, treasure her, not just for weeks or months or years.

But forever.