January

Whistler closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she stepped off the plane and into the airport terminal. The air felt warmer, thicker than the cold of Minnesota. She had decided to take a break from everything in Hawaii. Well, if she was honest, it was mainly her failed relationship with Lucy that she needed to come to terms with. She needed to clear her head and going home to her family meant a grounding and familiarity that would allow her to regroup.

After two weeks away, it felt good to be back. She had missed her work, missed her apartment, missed the warmth. Her thoughts were immediately drawn back to Lucy but she shook it off. She was not going down that path again. She had been through enough in her life to know it wasn't worth it to wallow in self-pity. She had screwed up in not telling Lucy about Cara and now she had to own it. Lucy had made it clear they were over and Whistler had to accept that and move on.

"Hey, Whistler!" A voice called from behind her, startling her from where she stood at her arrival gate.

"Agent Boone," she replied. She was surprised he was seeking her out, if she had seen him first, she would have gone out of her way to avoid the agent. She had been hoping to avoid anyone from the NCIS team until it was absolutely necessary.

"Where have you been? We've missed you at the office." Whistler doubted that. It wasn't that unusual to go weeks without seeing the NCIS team and it had only been three since the Maggie Shaw incident.

Whistler raised her eyebrows to Boone and tersely replied, "I've been away." She hoped the conversation would end with that and started to walk away from the gate.

Boone walked along side of her, meeting her stride for stride. "Yeah, me too! I went to the Big Island to visit some old friends on vacation there. The fam stayed here, but I had to rush back cause the little is sick"

"Mmm." Whistler hummed.

"Your car parked here?"

"Yes," replied Whistler.

"Don't suppose you'd be able to give me a lift home, yeah?" Whistler stopped walking and stared at Boone. "It's just, with my youngest is pretty sick so the wife didn't want to try to get the kids in the car. I was gonna catch an uber, but then I saw you and thought…"

Whistler was relieved that this interaction was purely superficial. She had originally wonder if he had approached her to try to get some gleam into the situation with Lucy, but he only had sought her out because he needed something. That was the only reason why anyone on the NCIS team spoke to her, because they needed something from her. They tried to manipulate her on many occasions, Lucy included, to get her to bend rules or policy to get information or assets that they needed. They weren't interested in being her friend, she once again told herself.

"I'd.." Whistler almost said she'd be 'happy' to give him a ride. But that wouldn't have been true. She wanted nothing more than to just leave him at the airport, but she needed to continue a cordial relationship with all the agents and there was no reason why she couldn't logistically give him a ride. "As long as you promise not to talk the entire ride."

"Deal," Boone laughed, not insulted at all by Whistler's request.

Whistler led Boone to her car in relative silence. Whistler had hoped he would stop talking but somehow the quiet was even more awkward with him. As she started the car, she could tell without even glancing over that he was staring at her, studying her.

"I'm not a suspect, Agent Boone."

"Sorry?"

"I feel like you're trying to glare me down into a confession of some sort."

"Sorry," Boone said again in a different tone. "I just noticed your necklace was different."

Whistler's hand immediately went up to finger the cross her parents had given to her before she left Minnesota. They had driven her to the airport and she had worn it so they would be pleased. She had meant to take it off once they had dropped her off, but completely forgot. Like everything in her life, she like to keep her faith compartmentalized too and not on open display for everyone to see or judge. Especially someone like Boone who she had to worked with.

Sensing that Whistler wasn't going to say anything, Boone continued, "What church do you go to out here?" Whistler again didn't answer but Boone didn't seem to mind and after a few moments of silence he continue. "I'm a man of faith myself. I know it is sometimes hard to find your niche. Especially when some places focus so much on… judgement."

Boone was choosing his words carefully. Whistler didn't think this conversation could get anymore uncomfortable. Obviously, Lucy had been right and the NCIS team knew what had been going on between them and now Jesse Boone seemed to assume he knew everything about her; including her sexuality. Not that he was wrong, but Whistler hated when people made assumptions about her.

"I go to the Church of Crossroads. We have people from all…um… diverse backgrounds . If you ever want to go, let me know. I'd love for you to come be a part of the family," Boone continued.

Whistler tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She wanted to tell Boone to mind his own business and not be so pretentious. But she knew deep down he was trying to be friendly and helpful. She took a deep breath and decided to deflect the conversation and her anger. "I thought we agreed NOT to talk."

Boone easily laughed again. "No, you said not to talk the ENTIRE way. I was quiet for a least the first two minutes. Which, honestly, is very impressive for me."

Whistler couldn't help but smile at Agent Boone's comment. She glanced around at their surroundings. She knew they were getting closer to his house. "I think you'll have to give me directions from here."

After a few instructions to turn from Boone, Whistler pulled in front of Boone's house and saw Lucy's car parked on the curb. Boone didn't seem fazed at all, asking, "You want to come in for a minute? I'd love for my family to meet you."

Whistler swallowed. Her palms had started to sweat and she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I think I'll pass this time, thanks."

"You sure?" Boone pressed. "We could talk, you know? Hang out for a bit?"

"Oh, I think you've talked enough." Whistler gave him a reassuring smirk.

"Alright," Boone laughed again. "You're just delaying the inevitable though, Whistler." He waved a hand at her as he exited the car. "Thanks for the lift. I owe you a solid."

"No worries," Whistler replied and drove off. She glanced at Lucy's car as she passed, but then never looked back. She was ready to go home, take a long bath and relax.

Lucy just happened to look out the window as Whistler's car drove up to the Boone house. Her breath escaped her. She couldn't quite make out Whistler through Jesse.

It had been just over three weeks since she'd seen Whistler. Three weeks since Whistler had gone MIA. After Maggie's arrest, they had gotten wrapped into another case involving the murder of a Navy Operational Specialist who had been on shore leave from one of the submarines. They had gotten almost no help from DIA Officer Anderson when they requested access to aspects of the OS2's occupation and work environment. Tennant had gotten so frustrated and after repeated calls to the office with no response, Tennant had stormed into the DIA office a demanding that Anderson be immediately replaced by Whistler on the case.

That's when they team had learned of Whistler's impromptu vacation. "I wasn't aware I needed to clear my staff's schedule with the NCIS lead," Whistler's boss had dryly replied to Tennant questions of Whistler's absence. "But there are going to be changes anyway. I'm transferring out to Great Lakes and they'll be replacing me in the next few weeks. I'm sure you'll see some staff restructuring with the new supervisor."

When Tennant told the team, everyone seemed too somber at the thought of losing Whistler as their primary. They all had their issues with her but at least Whistler attempted to get them the information they needed in a timely manner. The idea of having to work with someone like Anderson for the rest of their cases filled them all with dread. Even, Lucy, who's heart seemed to break over and over every time she even glanced at Whistler; she didn't want to work with any other DIA officer.

Boone walked into his house and saw Lucy staring out the window. "Hey," he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Thanks for helping Julie with the kids. I really appreciate it."

Lucy didn't acknowledge his words. She just stated, "She's back."

"Looks like it," Boone smiled.

"Where was she?"

Boone chuckled quietly and rolled his eyes. "Apparently I don't have the clearance to receive that information. But she looked good. Better than she has anyway."

Lucy nodded understanding. She was happy for that. She didn't want this to be harder on either of them. She just didn't feel like she could trust Whistler to be open and honest about anything. Whistler always kept things so closed off and separated. Lucy could not be in a relationship like that. "I do truly want her to be happy."

Boone sighed and pulled Lucy into a hug. "I'm sure she wants the same for you."