And life threw many storms at them in the coming weeks and months. Shepherd's attack on the NYO was the first major one they weathered as a couple, and Jane honestly didn't know how she would have survived Roman's defection without Kurt by her side.

She gripped Kurt's hand tightly as they approached Pellington's widow to offer their condolences after his memorial service, relieved when the woman accepted them with a teary smile of thanks. She had suggested to Kurt that it might not be appropriate for her to attend Pellington's funeral, despite how much she wanted to, but he had vetoed all her objections, insisting that no one who knew her held her in any way responsible for Shepherd's attack.

Jane wished she felt so sure. She had a hunch that it was more her status as Kurt's wife that kept their coworkers from expressing their views on her culpability in the attack, rather than their belief in her actual innocence. Or maybe that was her own guilty conscience projecting onto them. It was her family that had perpetrated the attack, after all. Her plan, at least once upon a time. She suspected it would be a long time, if ever, before she could hold herself similarly blameless.

Jane might have had her doubts about her coworkers at large, but her teammates came together to fill the gap left by Roman, and by the time Christmas approached, they felt as tight-knit as any flesh-and-blood family.

All of them had plans with their actual families at Christmas—including Kurt and Jane, who were postponing their holiday one day in order to celebrate with Sarah and Sawyer—so they met at Jane and Kurt's apartment the Saturday before for a team Christmas.

Reade and Zapata and Patterson all arrived together shortly before eleven, each carrying an item for the dessert swap Patterson had suggested in lieu of gifts. Kurt and Reade had immediately asked if alcohol counted, and judging from the shape of the bag Reade carried, that was what he had brought. Kurt had bought Pennsylvania beer for everyone, but he had also dutifully baked an extra pie for Jane to contribute.

"Here," Zapata said as she thrust the pan of flan she had bribed a neighbor into making for her into Weller's outstretched hands before turning to Jane. "Now take me to see this cat I've been hearing so much about."

Jane obligingly escorted her to the spare bedroom and smiled as she watched the tough-as-nails agent melt as she laid eyes on her namesake, instantly scooping Tasha up and cuddling her close as she cooed to her.

"If you tell anyone about this, I will hurt you," Zapata threatened, though there was no heat to her words. They both knew she was no match for Jane on her worst day, anyway.

"Your secret is safe with me," Jane promised her, and they shared a conspiratorial smile. She was so happy things had gotten back to normal between her and Zapata and Patterson. As much as she loved Kurt, it was nice to have female companionship as well, and their biweekly girls' nights out were one of the highlights of her new life.

By the time they returned to the living room, Kurt was carving the turkey. "Perfect timing," he said. "I'm just about to put dinner on the table. Jane, would you mind pouring everyone a glass of wine?"

Jane was more than happy to oblige, and soon everyone was seated at the table, eagerly filling their plates with a variety of delicious-smelling foods. Kurt had outdone himself with this meal, and conversation flowed easily as everyone ate until they were stuffed. They moved to the living room after they had cleaned up and divided up the desserts to exchange, all of them looking so good that none of them could pick just one to take, and it was well after ten before they called it a night.

Jane and Kurt had agreed not to open any presents until Sarah and Sawyer joined them, and they spent Christmas day quietly, watching holiday movies and brushing up on Kurt's Uno Attack skills, so he could, in his words, "trounce the little sneak," and making love whenever the mood struck them.

They were just about to do so again when a knock sounded on the door, and Jane looked at Kurt in puzzlement. "Were we expecting someone today?"

"Nope," Kurt said, equally mystified. He reluctantly climbed off her and hastily pulled his clothes back on before going to answer the door.

The man who had returned their wedding rings to them was standing on the other side. "Here you go, sir," he said, handing Kurt a brightly wrapped box. "Mr. Dotcom sends his compliments and wishes you a Merry Christmas." And once again, he was gone as quickly as he had appeared.

"It's for you," Kurt said dryly as he handed Jane the present. It was no secret which of the two of them Rich favored in this relationship. Not that he could blame the man. She was pretty damn irresistible.

Jane started to rip open the wrapping paper and then hesitated. "Should I wait?"

"Nope," Kurt said emphatically. "I don't want to have to try to explain Rich Dotcom to my sister." He was sure whatever Rich had sent them would be . . . memorable. He gestured to the present. "Open it. Let's see what he's up to this time."

Jane pulled the paper off the box and lifted the lid. Inside were two sets of keys, one that appeared to be for a car and one a house, along with a card and several papers. She set the card aside and picked up the first paper, her eyes widening when she realized it was the title to a top-of-the-line SUV in her name.

Well, not exactly her name, Jane realized. The name on the title read Jane Weller, and legally speaking, she was Alice Weller. She handed the paper to Kurt. "Rich apparently forgot that I'm technically Alice. And I guess no one ever mentioned to him that I don't have a driver's license."

A strange look crossed Kurt's face. "Hold on." He darted down the hall to their bedroom and returned a minute later with a rolled-up piece of paper tied with a red ribbon. "I was going to give this to you tomorrow, but I think now may be a better time anyway."

He held it out to her, and Jane pulled the ribbon off and unrolled it. "You said a while back that you were Jane now, and that's certainly how all of us think of you, so I filled out the paperwork for you to legally change your name, if you want to. All you have to do is sign it, and we can file it with the court."

"Yes," Jane said as she hugged Kurt fiercely, overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness of his gift. "I definitely want to. Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Kurt told her. "And as for the driver's license, we'll go by the DMV in a few days and get you your learner's permit. I should have already taken care of that. You can start driving us around, and when you have enough practice hours in, I'll take you to get your license.

"But," he cautioned as her face brightened even more, and she started to hug him again, "Jane . . . you can't keep the car. It's one thing to accept a pet and doggie day care from Rich, because I doubt anyone will ever think to question those things, but if my wife goes driving around town in a pricey Lexus that we could never afford, it could look like I was taking bribes from a criminal."

"I understand," Jane said quietly. Truth be told, she was more excited about the name change and license anyway. Though it would have been nice not to have to rely on someone else to drive her everywhere.

Kurt squeezed her shoulder in sympathy. "We'll get you your own car, I promise. Just not such an expensive one."

Jane nodded and turned her attention back to the other papers in the box. There was a brochure for Disneyland Paris, and a page of pictures of a villa that appeared to be within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower. Her brow furrowed. "Rich knows we already went on our honeymoon. Why would he . . .?"

"Open the card," Kurt urged. "Let's see what he has to say for himself." He leaned in close to Jane as she did so and rested his head on her shoulder as they read it together.

Stubbles, Janie:

I know the two of you are incredibly busy right now, but I thought when things slowed down a bit, you could use a vacation to help you start filling that new car with babies, so I've enclosed a spare key to my villa in France. Feel free to use it anytime. I know there are a lot more interesting sights to see in Paris than Disneyland, but I hope you'll spend at least one day there. The two of you haven't had enough magic in your lives, and what better spot than the happiest place on earth to provide that?

Merry Christmas,

Rich

P.S. I would make an excellent godfather.

Jane choked out a laugh as she read the postscript. "He never quits, does he?"

"Nope," Kurt said with an answering chuckle just as the phone rang. "How much do you want to bet that's him now?"

"No bet," Jane chuckled, and sure enough, Kurt was right.

"Stubbles, Janie," Rich greeted when they answered the phone. "I was just calling to wish the two of you a Merry Christmas. Did you get my present?"

"We did," Jane said, deciding to take the lead as she noticed Kurt's clenched jaw. No point in ruffling Rich's feathers unnecessarily. "But I'm afraid we can't accept it, Rich. The car or the vacation. It's nothing personal, but it wouldn't look good for an assistant director of the FBI to be taking such expensive presents from a criminal he put away. You need to take the car back."

"Not a chance," Rich said with a laugh. "But nice try. And I do hope you'll reconsider the vacation. I'm looking forward to those godchildren sooner rather than later. Well, it's been a pleasure chatting with you, Janie, but I've got to go. But never fear, I'm sure we'll talk again soon. Good luck trying to return the car. And tell Stubbles if he doesn't treat you right, he'll answer to me." He could hear Weller spluttering in the background as he hung up, and he smiled.

"What do you suppose he meant by that?" Jane asked. "It shouldn't be that difficult to return the car, right? All we have to do is take it back to the dealership and tell them it was a mistake, have them return the money to whatever account it came from."

"In theory," Kurt said. "But let's face it, nothing with Rich is ever that simple." He shook his head at Jane. "You know, when most criminals of Rich's caliber get caught, they spend their time plotting revenge on the cops who put them there, not playing matchmaker and fairy godmother."

Jane chuckled. "He's certainly one-of-a-kind. But I don't mind his meddling too much, since my life is so much better with you in it." And surely now that they were happily married and Rich knew it, at some point he would grow tired of toying with them.

"Mine is too," Kurt told her. "And that reminds me . . ." He took the papers from Jane and tossed them on the coffee table before rolling her beneath him on the couch. "Where were we?"

Jane opened her mouth to answer him, but he kissed his way along her jawline to the sensitive spot at the base of her neck, and soon the only thought on her mind was her and him, and the joy she found in his arms.

It was a long time before coherent thought returned.

xxx

Jane had been both eager and anxious to see Sarah again, but her nerves turned out to be unwarranted. Sarah was as welcoming in person as she had been on the phone, pulling Jane into her arms for a fierce hug the moment she caught sight of her in the airport. The two of them spent nearly every waking moment together during Sarah's four-day visit, and by the time it was over, she and Jane were not just sisters-in-law, but sisters.

The day after Sarah and Sawyer left, Kurt and Jane attempted to return the Lexus, and they quickly learned why Rich had laughingly wished them good luck. "But Mrs. Weller," the salesman protested, looking alarmed at the prospect of losing his sizeable commission, "Mr. Dotcom didn't buy you the car; he merely purchased it on your behalf. The money came from your bank account."

Kurt and Jane glanced at one another, confounded. "We'll get back to you," Kurt said. He ushered Jane out of the car dealership, and they headed straight to the NYO, where Patterson confirmed everything the car salesman had told them.

"The money came from an account belonging to Alice Kruger," Patterson told them as she put the bank records up on the screen for them to see. "To you, Jane. It was only opened recently, but I did some digging, and interestingly enough, up until a couple years ago, you had an account at this very bank with the exact sum this one was opened with in it. It was an inheritance from your parents, and it was closed by your brother, ostensibly because you were deceased."

Kurt struggled to absorb the implications of this news. "So you're saying . . ."

"I'm saying the money is Jane's, free and clear," Patterson elaborated. "It's possible Rich simply replaced it from his own coffers, but my bet is that he tracked the original money and returned it to its rightful owner. And if Shepherd was using that money to fund whatever she's planning . . ."

"Then we owe Rich a very large debt of gratitude," Kurt finished. "This could be a game-changer for us in our fight against Sandstorm."

And so it proved to be. They managed to stop Shepherd from nuking the East Coast just in the nick of time, thanks in large part to Patterson's genius, but not without a final confrontation with Roman. Jane's heart broke as she watched him walk away from her, but short of arresting him and condemning him to a lifetime in prison, there was nothing she could do. Besides, Kurt was injured and needed her. Fortunately, his stab wound was relatively minor, but she refused to leave his side until he was discharged from the hospital.

If Pellington had been more ally than friend, the new FBI director, Eleanor Hirst, took a keen interest in Jane. She called Jane into her office within an hour of their return to the NYO, and surprised the hell out of Jane by first informing her that she had no doubt she could succeed in whatever she set her mind to in the future, and then offering her a spot in the next class that was starting at Quantico in a few weeks.

"I, uh . . ." Jane was too stunned to know how to respond. "I'll have to talk it over with Kurt, and . . ."

"I understand." Hirst smiled at Jane. "Take all the time you need to think it over—but I really hope you'll say yes. The FBI could use more strong women like you in our ranks."

"So? What do you think?" Jane asked Kurt that evening after she recounted her conversation with Hirst.

"I think it's an incredible opportunity," Kurt said as he threaded his fingers through hers. "And nobody deserves it more. I'd miss you like hell while you're gone, but if it's what you want . . . I say go for it."

And after a great deal of thought—and many more discussions with an unfailingly supportive Kurt—go for it, Jane did. She missed him every bit as much as he did her, but fortunately, even with Kurt's busy schedule, he managed to come for a visit at least one weekend each month, and he was front and center at Jane's graduation five months later, as were the rest of the team, and of course, Director Hirst.

Jane had been a full-fledged agent for four months when Kurt broached a subject that had been increasingly on his mind of late. "You know," he mentioned one evening as they cuddled in bed after a particularly spectacular round of lovemaking, running a hand up and down her bare back, "I seem to recall us agreeing to try for a baby once things settled down. Is that . . . is that still something you'd be interested in?"

"Funny you should mention that," Jane said with a grin as she leaned over to her nightstand and extracted something from the drawer. "I was going to give this to you on your birthday, but I don't think I can wait a few more days, so . . . Happy early birthday, darling."

Kurt stared at the stick she handed him for several seconds before it registered that it was a positive pregnancy test, and he let out such a loud whoop of joy that Jane quickly covered his mouth with hers to avoid disturbing their neighbors.

Jane's initial reaction to the pregnancy had been nervousness about whether she had what it took to be a good mother or not after her upbringing, but Kurt and her teammates were unfailingly kind and supportive whenever she voiced any doubts, and the pregnancy seemed to fairly fly by as Jane grew more and more in tune with who she was now and what she wanted out of life with each passing day.

By the time their daughter arrived, Jane was supremely confident that with Kurt by her side, she could handle any challenges life threw at her. She could be a wife and a mother, as well as a federal agent, and kick ass at all three. She could be the role model to their little girl that she'd never had.

And she was.

They did not, however, make Rich Dotcom a godfather.