dustofstars | Post-Ep: Any Wounded Thief

"I know you're not that person anymore, Jane. You're not, trust me." He knows that's true, he knows her heart. "If you don't trust yourself, trust me."

"If we find out something and it sounds unforgivable, you'll really be able to separate....her from me?" She trusts him, more than she trusts herself, and she's hanging onto his words because they're all the hope she has.

"I would never give up on you, Jane. Not for anything." It's a bold promise to make, he knows, but one he feels sure about.

"Thank you. For believing that," she says quietly. Because she knows he believes that now, and she trusts him. But she doesn't trust what may be hidden in the shadows of her past, and she won't blame him if he changes his mind.

"It's nice. Knowing I have someone on my side."

"Your mom and I, we used to talk about you all the time, what kind of person you were and who you'd grown up to be," he says softly. "I told you before - your instinct is to help. You're a good person."

"What um..." Jane clears her throat. "She was alive, at the last memorial service. What...how did she die?" she asks so softly, sadness in her eyes for the mother she can't remember and won't ever know.

Kurt looks down for a moment, still pained by the loss of someone he loved dearly. "She was sick for a long time, but...she didn't wanna tell me. She thought she was getting better and she didn't want to worry me." He lifts his eyes to look at her. "We were...we were close. The cancer, it moved fast. By the time she told me, she had just a few months left."

"Thank you for taking care of her," Jane says as she chokes on a sob, closing her eyes and covering her mouth with one hand. "God, I wish...I just...wish I could have...she died not knowing. She died thinking...what? That I was dead, probably," she says as she looks pained.

"No," Kurt shakes his head. "She never believed you were dead, Jane. She always knew you were out there and you'd come home someday."

"But I still never came home to her," she says mournfully, emotional about it, angry at herself because she knows from her own memory that she was right there.

He doesn't know what to say, doesn't know how to make her feel better about that. He supposes it's just not possible, there's nothing he can say.

"You're home now."

"I just want to be the person she thought I was," Jane manages, then looks at him. "I want to be the person you think I am. That you hope I am." Maybe protecting Allie had reinforced that, but it didn't undo everything.

"You are. One day...I hope you'll believe that," he says softly.

"Do you think...do you think she'd be proud of me now? Happy to know who I am?"

Kurt knows her and he knew her mother, maybe better than anyone. So she needs to know what he thinks.

"She would. I promise you she would. You're so strong, everything you've been through, and you still want to help people."

Jane believes him, doesn't doubt at all what he's saying, and she nods, taking a deep breath. and letting it out slowly. She believes him.

It takes about three weeks for her to be able to really move around well without pain or stiffness. She's sitting with him one evening and glances over as they watch something random on t.v.

"I think if...if you're ready for me to get out of your hair, I feel pretty good." There's a hesitation in her voice though, because in the past three weeks they've talked, about everything, he knows every single thing she knows now, and at least to her, they're closer.

Kurt has a different idea, though, and he just smiles a little, reaching out to hold onto her wrist. "We need to do something fun." It's a Friday night, so they don't have to work the next day. "There's this place...it's indoor laser tag with an arcade. We should go, grab some dinner after."

She gives him a lopsided grin. "Laser tag? That's your thing, really?" she asks, pleasantly surprised.

He smirks a little, shrugging. "I get it. You know you'll lose big time. We can do something a little easier, like miniature golf."

"Oh, wow, are you really sure you want to get competitive with me?" she asks with a raise of her eyebrow. "We're going laser tagging. And you're going to owe me that dinner plus a drink. Two, even," she says, letting him lead the way out of his apartment.

He's grinning now, leading her to the car. "When you lose, you owe me three drinks and an appetizer," he says, with complete confidence, driving them to the place.

Jane laughs again and the whole way to the laser tag place they rib each other over who's going to win. They decide to go for seven rounds, and when they get down to it, it's three and three. Whoever wins the last one wins it all. But she's honestly having so much fun that she doesn't care, she'll buy him the whole damn bar. She's positive she hasn't smiled and laughed this much since the night of her housewarming party.

Kurt is having so much damn fun, and he's needed it more than he even realized. He doesn't care who really wins because he just wants to be with her, having fun, enjoying each other. She ends up winning the last round, and Kurt sighs heavily, pretending to be upset.

"Kicked my butt," he sticks his tongue out a little. "You hungry? There's this burger place a few blocks from here. Fantastic drinks - I think I owe you a few."

"Burgers sound great and I'm really thirsty," she teases. "And you did go up against a trained Navy SEAL. I think I'll buy you a drink anyway. You've earned it."

"Taking pity on me?" he raises an eyebrow, bumping her shoulder as they walk down the sidewalk to the burger place.

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