Title: Take My Hand (And Show Me The Way)
Fandom: NCIS:Hawai'i
Characters: Lucy Tara, Kate Whistler, Jane Tennant, Kai Holman, Jesse Boone, OC's
Category: Angst, Drama, Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Fluff
Rating: R
Word Count: 2,805
Summary: Set sometime between 1x11 but before the hug and apology in 1x17. Kate is out enjoying her day off and gets pulled into an undercover mission Lucy is working on. To their mutual discomfort, they have to pretend to be a couple - FOR THE MISSION. That's right, y'all. It's a fake dating AU.
Warnings: Canon typical violence, etc.
Notes: Many thanks to Satan for beta'ing this for me, and pointing out all my plot holes. Also for helping me - okay, give me - the title. It's very much appreciated.

And check back on Friday for another chapter. I'm going to try to post on Tuesdays and are lovely and wonderful things that make me wanna write more!

A breeze floated gently through the warm spring air and ruffled Kate's hair. She was wearing a large black hat with a wide brim to protect her from the sun and a light sundress to enjoy the feel of it on her shoulders, hopefully without burning. It was the second of her two days off and she had come out to Pearlridge to do some shopping. She needed the day off. Usually, her days off were filled with running errands or more work, but today she needed a break from the office.

She needed a break from the tension that arked between she and Lucy like lightning. Kate knew she deserved every ounce of hurt that Lucy poured out at her, knew she was only beginning to realize the depth of Lucy's hurt, but it made her heart ache and her head hurt. She wanted the balance that they'd only been beginning to find to come back. She wanted Lucy back in her bed, but more than that she wanted Lucy sitting on her balcony or eating dinner with her. She wanted to hear stories about Lucy's childhood and ask a hundred other questions that had only occurred to her after she could no longer ask them.

So she had decided this morning to spend the day out, walking around and seeing people, trying to enjoy the day and relax before she went back into the office in the morning. It had been a pretty successful day so far. She had stopped at a bubble tea place Lucy had introduced her to and was just wandering for a bit, exploring shops and taking in the sights. The beauty surrounding her every day was something she still hadn't gotten used to and she tried to take it in every chance she could.

Kate was just about to head into the mall when she spotted something across the street, a head full of dark curls. Dark, familiar curls that she knew like the back of her hand. Lucy.

There was a moment of hesitation as Kate tried to decide what to do. Things between she and Lucy at work were still…tender, more likely to result in sparks than civility. Lucy probably wouldn't thank her for coming over, and thinking about Lucy was what she had come here to get away from after all. Kate was just about to turn away and head inside the mall when Lucy raised her head.

Their eyes locked, even at that distance, and Kate knew she was busted. Lucy didn't smile or wave but Kate waited until traffic had passed and then cut across the road - at the crosswalk, of course. It wasn't until she was almost there that Kate processed the people sitting at the table with Lucy, a short-haired woman and blank-faced man.

"Lucy, hi," Kate said as she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ears. She wasn't expecting a warm welcome but maybe this wouldn't go too badly either. "How are you?"

Lucy leaned back in her chair and smiled up at her, a full-fledged Lucy Tara smile that Kate hadn't seen in weeks. It made her heart stutter in her chest. "I'm good, babe."

"Babe," Kate started to ask. "Since when do you call me babe?" It was the least of her questions but she was starting to get a bad feeling about the situation. There was a vibe the strange woman was giving off, maybe it was the way she was sitting in her chair, but every instinct Kate had screamed that the woman had a gun and was not law enforcement. "Lucy-"

"Kate, I've called you 'babe' every single day since we got together and you know it." With a smile, Lucy glanced at her companions. "She doesn't like pet names, this one." Lucy held her hand out to Kate.

Their eyes met for a second time and Kate couldn't bring herself to look away. She could feel the intensity of Lucy's gaze and knew Lucy was trying to tell her something but in her confusion nothing was making sense. Still, Lucy was asking for her hand and that was more than she had asked Kate for in weeks. There was no way Kate could resist that. She put her hand in Lucy's and Lucy's smile brightened again as Lucy used their joined hands to pull Kate down to her. Kate only had a second of warning before she felt Lucy's lips on hers.

"It's good to see you," Lucy said, quietly enough that it was clear the words were meant for Kate alone but loud enough that her companions could hear them too. Lucy sat back and smiled. "Vincent. Jennifer, this is my girlfriend, Kate Wilson."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jennifer said in an American English accent that was so perfectly devoid of any regional accent that it was almost painful to hear.

If Lucy's introduction hadn't tipped her off then the accent would have. Somehow Kate had stumbled onto Lucy in the middle of an undercover operation, and for whatever reason, Lucy had pulled her in. It was likely it could be both of their lives - or a blown operation, at the least - if Kate couldn't play along. So she would. For Lucy's sake.

"You too," Kate said, shaking the first hand that was offered to her and then the second. Vincent tried to crush her hand in an intimidating gesture but Kate ignored it and gave him her best smile. She resisted the urge to shake it out as she sank down into the seat next to Lucy and put her arm across the back of Lucy's chair. If she was going to play the girlfriend, she would play it to the hilt.

Lucy smiled over at her and dropped her hand below the table to rest on Kate's thigh. The contact alone was enough to send a light shiver through Kate's body. Even if it wasn't real, it had been so long since Lucy had touched her like that. She wanted to lay her hand over Lucy's, to hold it in place, but didn't dare. She had no idea how Lucy would react, so Kate tried to sit perfectly still and listen. She couldn't afford to miss any cues Lucy might throw her way. They would have to be extremely subtle.

"I told you my girlfriend would be coming," Lucy said, squeezing harder on Kate's thigh. Her grip was almost painful now, but Kate didn't care. She wouldn't have objected to it for the world.

"You did," Vincent admitted, sounding begrudging about it all. "You also said she could help us solve our problem."

"I am very good at problem solving," Kate cut in smoothly. There, that seemed safe enough. If only she knew what this 'problem' was. There was a good reason agents didn't go out into the field without being briefed. Lucy must have had a damn good reason for pulling her in. At one point Kate might have doubted it, but these days Lucy was so loath to be around her that was reason enough to keep her away from this if she had any choice in the matter.

"The best," Lucy agreed without a moment's hesitation. "She can get you what you need." Lucy leaned back in her chair, forcing a look of studied indifference. "If you can get the money."

Vincent started to rise, but Jennifer stopped him with a hand on his arm. "We can get the money, but we won't do business with people we don't know."

"I'm hurt," Lucy said, flashing another charming Tara smile. "I thought we were all friends here."

"You, perhaps, are a new friend," Jennifer said. "But we don't know your girlfriend at all."

"I'm vouching for her," Lucy said. "If that's not good enough for you-"

"Relax, Luce," Kate said, sensing that Jennifer was about to get up as well, and this time she did put her hand over Lucy's and stroked her thumb over it gently. She just needed a moment to calm the other agent down and then Lucy would see what she could. That Jennifer was clearly the leader here and if she backed out, who knew when they would get another chance? "We're businesswomen. What do you need to make you more comfortable?"

"A few more days to get to know you." More like to do a background check on her, Kate decided, or see what other information they could dig up about her suddenly created alibi. Ernie had better be busy. "We believe in doing business on a personal level. It's so important in a field like ours."

"Well, we are busy women," Kate drew the words out as if she were considering it. "But I think we can manage that. It's not a hardship to stay around here," she hazarded, hoping she wasn't blowing their cover. She didn't know if she and Lucy were supposed to be locals or out of towners here. "Luce, what do you say?"

"I think we can handle that," Lucy gave Kate an appreciative look. "I wouldn't mind spending a few days playing tourist with you, seeing you in a bikini."

Kate laughed and wished that was true, wished Lucy really meant it and wasn't just flirting for the sake of their audience. "Only if I get to see you in one."

"We'll have to see about that," Lucy said lightly before she turned her attention back to Jennifer. "Do we have a deal?"

Jennifer studied her hard for a long moment and Kate had a sinking feeling she was going to say no, to see through this quickly thrown up facade. She let her fingers dig into Lucy's arm and hoped her expression didn't show any of her doubts. She was trained for many things, but undercover work hadn't been one of them. "We do. We'll contact you in the morning to let you know the location of our next meeting."

"Excellent," Lucy said. "We'll see you then."

With a last lingering look at them, Jennifer got up and together she and Vincent left. The way he hulked over her shoulder made him look more like a bodyguard than a lover, friend or partner, and not for the first time Kate wished she'd been briefed for this mission. She turned back to Lucy who held up a single finger and smiled at her, something Lucy had been doing a lot this afternoon. It made Kate feel a little sick to her stomach, knowing it was all a role Lucy was playing.

"We should get some food. I told them we hadn't eaten. It was the reason we picked here to meet you," Lucy said. She bit her lip and stared at Kate meaningfully and Kate realized Lucy was still playing her part. She must suspect that they were still under surveillance. That meant it wasn't time to get all her questions answered just yet. She was being forced to sit here and have a pleasant meal with Lucy. Now didn't that just sound like a hardship.

"Right," Kate murmured. "I knew that." She smiled back at Lucy and propped her chin on her hand. "So what are you ordering?"

In the end, they stayed at the restaurant for about an hour before Lucy indicated that she was ready to leave. Kate savored every second of it and wished it was real. It reminded her of the aborted date she and Lucy had gone on, their only real date, if she was being honest with herself. This was how she had wished it had gone instead of being interrupted by work.

"Walk you back to your car?" Kate asked, after Lucy had paid the bill. Normally, Kate would have fought with her over who would pay, but the only money she had on her was a card with her real name and that probably wasn't a good idea. It was only confirmed when Lucy laid down cash for it.

"Thanks," Lucy said softly as they rose, pushing back their chairs almost in unison. Kate offered her arm and Lucy took it, linking their arms together. Kate desperately wished she could ask if Lucy was armed or a hundred other questions that were going through her mind, but apparently this wasn't the time yet. She would have to let Lucy take the lead.

"It's a beautiful day," Kate said, needing to say something. If this was the only chance she had to get Lucy to talk to her - even if they couldn't talk about what they really needed to - then Kate was going to take advantage of it.

"Mmm," Lucy agreed. "And I get to spend it with a beautiful woman."

Kate's heart stopped. They were playing roles. She knew that, but Lucy didn't have to say that either. Deep down did Lucy really mean it? She would drive herself crazy, Kate realized, if she kept questioning every little thing Lucy did. She would just have to accept it for now and try to sort through it all later. That didn't keep her from reacting in the moment though. "I think I'm the lucky one," Kate said softly, hoping Lucy knew she really meant that.

"Whist-Kate." For the first time, Lucy looked uncertain. Her hand on Kate's arm squeezed tight and then she let go. "My car's just across the street."

"Right," Kate agreed, as if she had known that all along. There was no car across the street that matched the one Lucy usually drove to work. "Actually, do you think you could give me a ride?" She didn't know where the hell Lucy's backup was, but she wanted to stay with Lucy until she was sure Lucy was out of danger.

"Yeah, hop in," Lucy said. Still acting. How much surveillance equipment did Lucy think these people had and just what had Kate stumbled into?

Kate pulled out her phone after she got buckled in and typed out a text message but carefully didn't hit send.

Is the car bugged?

Lucy took the phone from her, deleted what was there and typed back a response.

No, but they have long range listening devices. Give it about five minutes and we should be out of range.

"Thanks for the ride," Kate said aloud, knowing they couldn't sit in silence for too long as Lucy handed her the phone back. It would be a dead giveaway.

"Of course, babe," Lucy answered, checking her mirrors and fastening her seatbelt before she pulled out onto the street. "Anything for you."

If only that were true, Kate thought. If only. She noticed that Lucy was checking the mirrors almost constantly and realized she was searching for followers. It took every bit of restraint Kate had not to crane her neck around behind them to look too. Lucy had this under control. The Junior Agent was good at her job and Kate trusted her. There was no need to do something that might blow their cover.

It didn't take long at all for Kate to realize Lucy wasn't headed back toward her apartment but rather up into the hills. Kate allowed herself to glance in the side mirror closest to her and was relieved when she saw that the road was clear. No one was behind them. She was just about to speak when Lucy beat her to it.

"Your hand is on my leg." It wasn't quite as harsh as some of the things Lucy had said to her in the past few weeks, but Kate could hear the strain in her voice.

"Sorry," Kate said, with a wince, and jerked her hand back. That she hadn't realized. She must have done it while they were having their brief typed conversation on the phone. She wondered just how long Lucy had been waiting to say that. "Sorry," she repeated.

"No, I'm sorry," Lucy muttered. "I pulled you into this with no warning. I lost comms at some point during the op. Jane was supposed to show up, but she didn't. So when I saw you I thought maybe you'd been pulled in on it, but the way you reacted, I'm guessing you weren't?" Lucy cast a quick glance over at Kate, looking for confirmation, and then refocused her attention on the road.

"No, I was just out enjoying my day off." Now Kate was starting to get mad. "Where the hell is your backup?" There was no way Jane would leave one of her agents out to dry. Something had to be seriously wrong.

Before Lucy could answer, a dark SUV shot out in front of them. Lucy hit the brakes and Kate slammed forward against her seatbelt. She just had time to see another SUV coming up behind them before everything dissolved into chaos.

(1/10)