Soooo… yes, this was supposed to be a one-shot. But then I got some requests for more stories in this universe, even though I have other longer fics that are languishing, waiting for me to finish them. And then this popped into my head… from where, I have no idea. Yes, my subconscious does resemble a hoarding grandmother's attic. Thanks for visiting, and watch out for the stack of teapots behind you...

It wasn't until the day that Jane collected her first real FBI paycheck that it occurred to her that she had basically moved into Kurt's apartment without actually asking him about it.

They'd stopped on the way home from work to buy groceries, and Kurt had paid for them, even though she had offered to buy them. She hadn't wanted to make a fuss, so she'd quietly acquiesced. And they'd gone home just as usual.

But she was still thinking about it long after they'd finished eating and had started the washing dishes.

"Are you going to tell me what you're stewing about?" he asked, accepting the dripping plate she passed him and drying it off.

"I'm not stewing," she protested automatically, washing the second plate, then carefully rinsing it and handing it over.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "So what are you not stewing about? Did something happen at work?"

"No, everything's fine." She was glad to be back, after the long months at Quantico. She had settled back into a solid working relationship with Patterson and Tasha, as well as rebuilding friendships with both women. She'd gotten off to a slightly rockier start with the newer member of the team, Will Brady, but they were getting along better now.

She liked her job, felt good about the work they did. And she got to go to work with Kurt and come home with him, which until two hours ago, had made her feel like the luckiest woman in the universe.

"So what's bothering you?" persisted Kurt.

She shut off the water and carefully dried her hands on the towel he handed her before she answered. "Should I get my own place?"

His eyes widened as though she'd kicked him in the stomach. "You don't want to stay here?" His voice was level, but she could see the hurt in his eyes.

"No! It's not–" She fumbled for words. "It's just that I have a real job now. I can pay my own rent. I can buy my own groceries. You don't have to… to take care of me." She didn't have to be a burden to anyone anymore, especially not to him. She wasn't an asset anymore with a tiny living allowance. True, she was a federal employee at the bottom of the totem pole living in one of the most expensive cities in the country, so hardly wealthy, but she didn't have to be dependent on anyone, that was the part that mattered.

He stepped back so he wasn't crowding her by the sink. "You're right. This all happened… kind of fast. I didn't mean to rush you." He rubbed the back of his neck and nodded his head as though agreeing with something she'd said. "If you want your own place–"

"It's not that I want my own place. It's just… we never talked about this." She waved her hand in a gesture to encompass both of them and his apartment. "I mean, I came back from Quantico, and I just kind of… moved in here. And I don't want you to feel like I expect you to take care of me."

He looked at her, mouth working for a moment before words followed. "Jane… You are the most terrifyingly self-sufficient human being I've ever met. I know you don't need me. I just…" He held out his hands helplessly. "I'd give you the world if I could. Failing that, I want to cook you dinner." He shook his head. "If you want to buy groceries or– or get your own apartment… I just want you to be happy."

She found her voice. "You," she told him, "make me happy. And you're wrong." She reached out to take his hands, so much larger and stronger than hers, in her own. "I do need you. And– and that scares me. Because this is new, and– What if you change your mind?"

There it was. The thing that scared her most in the world.

He didn't blink. "I'm not going to change my mind about you. Not. Ever. Because I need you, too. But if this is too fast, if you need space–"

"What if my memories come back? And I remember being Remi?"

His hands tightened on hers. "Then you remember being Remi. But you're still going to be Jane. Having more memories isn't going to change who you have chosen to be."

She looked down at their joined hands, drawing strength from their connection, and tried to believe that.

"You are Jane, and I love you, and if you want to buy groceries or get your own apartment–"

"I don't want my own apartment."

The tense set of his shoulders relaxed. "Okay, then if you want to buy groceries or pay the cable bill or whatever you want…" He tugged on her hands, pulling her closer. "Then you do that."

The hard knot of tension in her belly loosened.

She let go of his hands so she could loop her arms around his neck. "Even if I buy the groceries, I don't actually know how to cook them."

"That is true." He stroked his hands up her spine. "So you'll stay here just so I can turn your groceries into actual meals?"

She smiled. "That's not the only reason." She hugged him and tilted her head back to look him in the eye, more seriously this time. "I love you, and I want to be here. With you."

He framed her face with his hands. "I want you to be here, with me. For good. Forever. And I know that's too much and too soon, and I don't want to rush you. But I want you to know how I feel."

Her heart stopped as she realized what he was saying. And then the smile that she couldn't contain broke through. "I want to be with you, for good, forever, too."

She leaned up on her toes to kiss him, intending just a brief peck, but Kurt pulled her even closer and deepened the kiss. And just as always, she was both lost in his embrace and wholly found, because home for her would forever be wherever they were together.

"So," he murmured against her lips. "As long as you're staying…"

"Hmmm?" She was too busy trying to pull his shirt off to focus on his words.

He scooped her up in his arms, ignoring her squeak of surprise, and strode off towards their bedroom.

He dropped her on the mattress and followed her down, his mouth tracing a hot path down the side of her throat. "You have to admit that it's convenient."

She angled her head to the side to give him better access to the pulse point at the base of her neck. "What is?" she mumbled as she returned to yanking up the bottom of his shirt.

He reared back just long enough to whip the shirt over his head, then dropped back down to cage her in with his arms. "Having you naked in my bed every night."

She smoothed her palms up the planes of his back. "You're naked, too," she pointed out.

He grinned at her. "That's why it's so convenient."

"Mmm." She nodded at him. And then she flipped both of them over, so she was on top, straddling him.

She pulled off her own shirt and sports bra, watching with affection as his gaze went hazy with desire, his hands reaching for her.

She let him pull her down, purring with contentment as his hands moved over her bare skin.

He tugged her closer so he could kiss her again, but before their lips could touch, she said, "Our bed."

Thwarted from reaching her mouth, he settled for tracing his lips across the line of her jaw. "Mmm?"

She raised her head and grinned down at him. "Both of us. Naked. In our bed. Every night."

"That's really all I want out of life." His words were teasing, but the look in his eyes, as he reached up to brush the hair away from her face, was serious.

She reached up to touch his cheek, hoping that he could see the commitment in her own gaze. "Me too," she whispered. And then she leaned down to press her lips to his, showing him with her body more eloquently than mere words could ever do.