TWO NIGHTS, THREE DAYS
A/N Hey y'all, just a little idea that's been bouncing around inside my brain. All mistakes, errors and offenses committed against the timeline are mine.
Italics are used for both thoughts and text messages, hopefully it's easy to discern.
As always, all characters belong to the NCIS verse and its talented creators, I'm simply borrowing them for a little playtime.
Washington DC
"I'm going to bed in twenty minutes, why are you here?" Kate Whistler snapped as she opened the door to the brunette whose phone calls she had been ignoring for the past few hours.
"You weren't answering my calls."
"Some people would take the hint," the irritated blonde pointed out as she walked into the bedroom to finish packing.
"Some people would make time for their girlfriend before taking a trip five thousand miles away!" Cara snapped, "But not you, you just make plans then blow me off."
"I didn't blow you off, I got tied up at work."
"Of course you did, because as usual your job was more important than me!"
Kate stared slack-jawed for a moment, stunned into silence at the absolute narcissism of that comment.
"I don't want you to go to Hawaii," Cara continued as she pressed herself up against the gorgeous blonde and purred, "so why don't you stop packing and let me convince you to stay?"
Kate went rigid at the contact and pulled away. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, and it's an honor to be chosen to represent my team on the national stage. Why can't you be happy for me?"
"Why can't you be happy with me?" a spurned Cara countered. "You are a legend in DC, you can basically write your own ticket here and you know it! But Kate Whistler can't settle for that, can she?"
"I just want to make a difference," Kate defended, "and right now the best place to do that is at this conference. If it were in Idaho or Illinois or Texas would you even care? Because you haven't cared this much about any of my other trips."
"Those other trips didn't involve so many of your superiors," Cara explained, "and there weren't new offices opening up in those other cities. Our life is here, my job is here. What if you impress someone and they offer you a position? Have you even considered what that would mean for us?"
"Us?" the blonde replied, and Cara's stomach dropped at the skeptical tone in that single syllable.
"You are my girlfriend Kate, so yes, us."
Narrowing her eyes as she assessed the other woman, Kate challenged, "Who did you sleep with last night?"
Cara stared at her shoes and twisted her hands together as she thought about the boring law clerk she'd taken home after the blonde had canceled on her. "How did you know?"
"I got out earlier than I thought and stopped by to surprise you," the blonde explained, "I saw you leave with her."
"Look, Kate, it was a mistake. I was drunk and tired of you always being too busy for me! It was a one time thing and I promise -"
"Don't make a promise you can't keep," an irritated Whistler interjected. "After you left I stayed for a drink, got hit on by a lovely woman named Talia."
"Did you sleep with her?"
"God, no!" Whistler said with a shiver of disgust, "but I did have an interesting conversation with her."
The blonde didn't miss the flicker of relief that passed across Cara's face before she guiltily replied, "So you know."
"Know that you have slept with half of the women in DC while we've been together? Yes, I know."
"We never said we were exclusive," Cara defended.
"We never said we weren't," Kate argued, "do you know what a fool I felt like when I saw you go off with that woman?"
"Do you know what a fool I felt like when you stood me up?" Cara snarled.
"So that's how this works?" Kate accused, "I message you that I'm stuck at work and you say whatever it is that you say to be supportive, then just move onto the next attractive woman you see? Tell me Cara, do you even take the time to learn their names?"
"You push me aside all the time due to work emergencies," Cara accused, adding air quotes around the last two words to make her point. "For all I know about what you do at work, work emergencies could just be code for your side piece!"
"I don't have a side piece," Kate replied with a sigh, "fool that I am, I would never hurt you like that."
"I never meant to hurt you, I just didn't realize that you wanted monogamy."
"This from the woman who gets all jealous and possessive whenever another woman so much as says hello to me?!" the blonde snapped. "So sorry I assumed that meant that we were in a relationship."
"I was confused by my feelings for you, I've never been with a friend before and I just screwed it all up. Fresh start?"
Kate digested this information, decided it might actually be true but that it didn't change much as far as she was concerned, then offered, "We'll see."
"I'll take it," Cara said as she moved in for a kiss that was stopped by a firm hand on her chest.
"We'll see when I get back," Whistler clarified, "but right now you need to go."
"Do you really want me to leave?"
"I do," the blonde replied as she zipped her suitcase shut, then turned and added, "it's late, I need to get some sleep."
"Did you even pack a bathing suit?"
"Excuse me?" Whistler asked.
"I just, I know how you are. From the looks of what I saw in that suitcase, I'm going to guess that you packed twelve different skirt and blouse combos with at least six jacket options. Am I close?"
"Ten and five," Kate corrected, "what's your point?"
"My point is that you're going to an island and you're not going to be working around the clock. Why don't you remove at least four suits and two jackets and make space for a few sundresses and bathing suits?"
"What I am taking with me is actually none of your business," Kate replied. "I have a tight agenda starting Monday, an agenda that doesn't include much time to play tourist."
"So you fly out in the morning, which will give you all day Sunday to explore. Monday and Tuesday are your meetings, and if I had to guess I would say that there will be interviews for the new office on Wednesday. That still leaves you Thursday through Saturday afternoon before your return flight. Did I miss anything?"
"What do you know?" Kate demanded, realization dawning that Cara's knowledge of her itinerary and the interview process was far too detailed for just casual conjecture.
"I know that the brass extended your stay from 4 full days to six full days which means that they want you to fall in love with the island. I know that you are damn good at your job, and that your late brother's commanding officer will be on base while you're in Oahu," Cara admitted, eliciting a gasp from the stunned blonde.
"Anything else you've been keeping from me?" Kate asked, arms crossed in a defensive stance.
"Rumor is that NCIS is looking to add a DIA liaison," the brunette continued, "like a specific agent who will be working closely with the team based at Pearl. You're on the short list."
"Why is this the first time I'm hearing this from you?" the surprised blonde whispered, tears in her eyes as her jaw trembled with emotion.
Eyes on the floor as she scrambled to find a plausible reason for her actions, Cara finally replied with the truth, "Lena asked me not to tell you."
"Lena?" Kate questioned, realization dawning as she saw the other woman's guilt-ridden expression. "Oh my God, you're sleeping with my boss?"
"No!" Cara emphatically denied. Paused, added, "Well, not anymore. We're just friends."
Kate walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of wine, took a sip, then bluntly stated, "You need to leave."
"Whistler-"
"Go."
With a sigh Cara headed for the door, her pissed off girlfriend close on her heels. As she pulled it open she turned and advised, "Our biggest problem is that you never stop being Work Whistler. Your career is so important to you that I don't think I've ever even met Kate, and I honestly don't think you know how to separate the two."
Kate glared as she shut and locked the door, offended that anyone could think that Kate and DIA officer Whistler could be separated. She was who she was because of what she had lost, and her strong personality was an asset that she needed to succeed in both work and life.
One more glass of wine and she was tapping out a text, wishing she was quick enough to think of these comebacks in the heat of the moment.
Our biggest problem isn't me and my personality, it's you and your secrets.
Wheels Up
After a rather rushed start that saw Kate digging through her closet for some casual clothes and swimwear, she decided to wear her most comfortable jeans and lightweight hoodie on the flight. She arrived in plenty of time to check her bag and find her gate, then dug out her laptop to review her meeting notes for probably the millionth time. Mind wandering, she wondered if it qualified as fun if she made a list of "Fun Kate" things to explore on the island. Deciding she was allowed to have a little structure in her fun, she opened a note in her phone and added "try good local coffee" and "dinner at a beach bar" to her agenda.
As she sat at the gate and sipped on a disappointing donut shop coffee she thumbed through her playlist, inserted one earbud and wondered if she would ever feel the kind of emotion that her favorite artists were always singing about. Cara hadn't responded to her late night text, and in all honesty she didn't know if she was irritated or relieved by it. The brunette had probably left her townhouse, gone straight to the bar to drown her sorrows, and "accidentally" taken yet another stranger home with her. If that were the case she'd be hearing from her after she woke up, sobered up, and lied to the woman in her bed about having to work her "high level government job" so that she would leave. Sighing, the blonde opened up the note and added "surf as much as possible" to her agenda.
Thirty minutes later and Kate was settling into her seat, firing up her laptop and burying herself in the material she needed to review for her presentation. If her searches happened to wander to "Honolulu's best surf spots" or "dine like a local" she justified it by telling herself she needed the frivolous inquiries to maintain focus. Needing a break after hours of staring at the screen, the statuesque blonde inserted both earbuds as she stood and stretched, then started to walk up and down the aisle to stretch her cramped legs. Most of the first class passengers were asleep at this hour, so it was just Kate up and about. The flight attendant approached her and suggested she just go from one end of the plane to the other so that she wasn't walking in tiny circles, and a grateful Kate took her up on the offer. Eventually realizing that literally everyone on board was asleep or plugged into their own media, Kate let her guard down and didn't even realize she was singing out loud until she decided to use the toilet and the person who went in before her emerged and complimented her beautiful voice.
Kate blushed in response and after quickly using the facilities she rushed back to the safety of her first class seat. The hardcore DIA officer was actually a very shy and reserved individual who wouldn't even go to a karaoke bar because she might get coerced into going onstage. She knew she had a decent voice, she just didn't like being in front of a crowd and hated to be the center of attention. Firmly rooted to her seat by the thought of drawing any more attention to herself, she was soon fast asleep. She was awakened by the gentle rousing of the flight attendant who instructed her to fasten her seatbelt and prepare to land. Soon came the sound of the captain's voice talking about the weather in sunny California, the fact that they had made excellent time and then the obligatory "Welcome to L.A.".
Deplaning at LAX, Kate was grateful for the opportunity to walk for a little while and get a substantial meal before needing to board her next flight. As was her habit, as soon as she had eaten she made her way to the gate to sit and kill time until they started allowing passengers to board. Groaning inwardly as she saw the same guy who had complimented her singing on the previous flight, she found a seat as far away as possible and tried to be invisible.
Thankfully he was not in first class, so Kate settled in and asked for a blanket and was soon engrossed in the history of Pearl Harbor. She wondered how much time she would have to explore the museums and monuments, then decided that she knew exactly what she was going to do with her first day on the island. At some point during the flight she had fallen asleep, and the flight attendant woke her as they were preparing to descend. Kate looked out the window and was awestruck by the beauty of the island below her. She had never seen such a spectacular sight, and she couldn't wait to get off the plane and get checked into her hotel so she could take a little time to explore.
On The Island
Being on the ground and out of that plane was incredibly satisfying, as was the traditional lei and greeting she received as she entered the terminal. The smell of the ocean assaulted her senses as the car service carried her from airport to hotel, and she found that she simply couldn't stop smiling as she took in her surroundings.
I could live here.
Still no word from Cara after checking in, so she took a picture of the breathtaking view from her balcony and sent it.
Sighing as she quickly unpacked and ordered dinner, Kate was surprised to realize that she was actually irritated when she heard a text message alert immediately after she'd sent the image.
Almost as gorgeous as you.
Flattered though she knew she shouldn't be, she responded without thinking it through.....Next time you'll have to join me. DIA put me up in the Ritz!
Love to. Have fun!
Kate responded with a thumbs up emoji and set her phone down as she contemplated her complicated relationship with the other woman. They had been friends first, long enough for Kate to know that Cara was a player. They both worked in the intelligence field, so they both understood that they couldn't talk about what happened during their work day. Eventually Kate got bored of the DC dating scene and when Cara drunkenly suggested they should just "scratch each other's backs" after their respective dates ended disastrously she figured, why not?
Their relationship had never been discussed or defined, they simply started having sex almost every time they got together even though they continued to lead their own very separate lives. Kate had stopped seeing other people when they crossed the line from friends to lovers and assumed that Cara had done the same. As she had recently learned, Cara had been anything but faithful, though she had seemed fine with Kate referring to her as her girlfriend and had a tendency to get wildly jealous and possessive when they were out together and anyone else seemed interested in her. In retrospect Kate realized that last night had been the only time she'd ever heard the brunette refer to her as her girlfriend, and she wondered why the other woman had chosen that moment to decide that they were officially a couple.
Her first dinner on the island was incredible, the delicious food paired with a crisp Pinot that tasted even better when consumed on a private balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There was nothing that could compare to the smell of salt air and the gentle sound of waves crashing as she enjoyed her meal, and she decided that she would make an effort to end every day on the island just like this. Returning inside to set the dinner tray out for room service to take, she made up her mind to damn enjoy her time on the island. She'd done her research and knew exactly where she wanted to surf, and she was actually looking forward to waking up at four am and hitting the waves.
Carrying a stack of local brochures in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, Kate opened the sliding door to the balcony. She was exhausted even though it was barely past four, and she wondered if she should indulge in a nap or just turn in early to let her body adjust to the time change. As she eased herself into the lounge chair and took a sip of the ridiculously good wine, her tired mind wandered to a scenario where this was anything but a business trip and her girlfriend was sitting beside her. She was actually surprised to realize that in her daydream her girlfriend wasn't the lying, cheating Cara, but rather a nameless, faceless shadow of a woman she hadn't met yet.
The ringing of her phone shattered the silence, and she rolled her eyes as she saw the brunette's name on the display.
"Aloha," she answered with smile.
"Ugh, already?" Cara grumbled, "how was your flight?"
"Long," Kate replied, "but I got a lot of work done, and I caught up on my sleep."
"I didn't get much sleep last night either," Cara replied.
"I was up at two to get to the airport, I slept fine until then."
"Oh." There was a pause that neither of them bothered to break, then a sigh from the other end of the phone as Cara broke the silence and asked, "Are we okay?"
"I don't know," the blonde admitted, "I have a lot to think about."
"I can change," the brunette stammered, "I want to change. For you," she added, "I want you Whistler, only you."
Silence.
"Say something," Cara pleaded.
"You slept with my boss," Kate replied with a shudder.
"I didn't even know you yet!"
"Maybe not," Whistler replied, "but at some point since we've been together you knew and didn't bother to tell me."
"So you're going to punish me for the past?"
"No," Kate declared as she paused, looked at the empty chair next to her and reaffirmed the fact that the woman on the phone would never be who she wanted to see sitting there.
"But?" Cara prompted.
"But I am going to think long and hard about whether I want a future with someone I can't trust."
~e ho'omau 'ia~
A/N: I was intrigued by the introduction of Cara in "The Game" and struggled with who I wanted her character to be. I went back and forth on it, then decided that our beloved Kate deserved to have the truth be exactly what I wrote. We've seen how deep her loyalty runs for those she cares about and that she will put up with a lot of crap when it comes to the woman she wants to be with, so the only possible explanation for her essentially ghosting Cara would be that Cara treated her poorly for long enough that she finally got tired of it.
Until next time...
