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: 3,074
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.

"Wake up, Whistler."

Kate lurched to a sitting position, her hands bracing herself against the arms of the chair and looking around wildly. The muscles in her back protested and she wished she hadn't sat up so quickly. "Whass up?"

"We're leaving in twenty. I got a call from our friends and they want us to meet them at the beach to hang out," Lucy explained. She was already fully dressed for the day in a casual shirt and a pair of shorts that came down to mid-thigh, holding a cup of coffee in her hand. It made Kate feel particularly underdressed, but she tried her best to disguise how she felt as she struggled to get out of the recliner. It took her several tries to get the lever unstuck and the chair back to its upright position, but she finally managed it. Lucy looked like she was trying not to laugh. Kate responded by trying not to glare. She wasn't really a morning person, not until she'd had a chance to drink her coffee and wake up and it didn't look like she was going to get much of a chance to do that this morning.

Kate pushed herself out of the chair and stalked past Lucy with as much dignity as she could muster. She tried to ignore the way she could feel Lucy's gaze following her into the bedroom.

"And maybe try to wear some pants next time," Lucy called after her.

Kate started to turn to snap back at Lucy but made herself stop, then keep walking. It wasn't worth it to get into a fight with Lucy before they had even left the apartment that morning. Lucy knew that Kate had been wearing pants the night before when they had gone to bed. Kate had tried her best to be respectful and not antagonistic. It wasn't her fault this damn island was a sauna, even at night. But if Lucy was going to be that way then Kate knew exactly what she was going to be wearing to the beach that day.

It didn't take long for Kate to pull on clothes and pack a bag to take to the beach for the day. She headed into the kitchen and reached for a to-go mug with a few minutes to spare. It was only when she picked up the coffee pot that she realized that there were only a few sips left. It was somehow more insulting than if it had sat completely empty. It also meant Lucy hadn't cared enough to ensure that she would get any. That stung more than anything, but Kate could take it. She was tough. With a sigh, Kate put the cup back and prepared to take on the day uncaffeinated and with the certain knowledge that Lucy was still pissed at her.

"I thought you said we were going to the beach," Kate said as Lucy drove them through a densely wooded area. Despite Kate's protests and pointing out that they were just meeting at the beach, Lucy had insisted that they were running late and didn't have time to stop for coffee. It had only confirmed Kate's suspicion that Lucy had drunk almost all the coffee on purpose. They were in for an interesting day.

"It's a local spot," Lucy offered. "Kai knew about it when I told him where they wanted us to meet them, but he was surprised they did. He said they must have more connections here than we originally thought."

"Wonderful," Kate said dryly. "That's just what we need. And where will Holman and Boone be today?"

"Not sure yet," Lucy admitted tersely, as she made a show of focusing on where she was driving. "But they'll be there."

"They better be," Kate said. "Leaving you on your own like that yesterday was ridiculous."

"I can take care of myself," Lucy said stiffly. "And you can keep your opinion to yourself. Your team might not have your back, but mine does."

"My team is just fine," Kate said, ignoring the way it was less of a team and more of her reporting to her SAC and being assigned to work closely with NCIS. It seemed like she was the unofficial liaison at this point. It made sense with her previous work with NCIS, she supposed, as much as she might wish differently at the moment. "And I didn't mean that you can't handle yourself, Lucy, but if I hadn't seen you yesterday-"

"Maybe I would have closed the deal just fine on my own. You don't know." Lucy countered.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Kate said, reigning in her own temper and forcing herself to be honest with Lucy.

"It's not your job to worry about me," Lucy said. "So don't."

"Lucy, that's not fair-" Kate started. She blinked as Lucy hit the brakes and turned down a small, dirt track. The SUV bumped and jostled over the rutted road until Lucy had slowed down significantly.

"We're almost here. We shouldn't be talking about personal stuff," Lucy cut her off.

"Right," Kate said. "And when would be a good time?"

"How about never," Lucy muttered as she finally pulled the SUV to a stop at the edge of the small clearing. The trees opened up onto a small sandy beach. A few yards away a little closer to the ocean was a four-wheeler and beyond that Kate could see Jennifer and Vincent on the beach. There were a handful of other people there but they were gathered in a group a little further down the beach.

Kate bit back what she was going to say and sighed. "Whatever you want, Lucy." She shook her head and forced a smile onto her face before she got out. She pushed the door of Lucy's small SUV open and hopped out. Her sandals crunched on the leaves and small twigs that littered the ground as she headed for the back of the SUV. Opening it up, she slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up the cooler before Lucy had even gotten back there. Lucy was smiling by the time she got around to the back of the vehicle, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Kate wished she could fix it, wished she hadn't been the one responsible for making it that way.

Lucy took her bag and a couple of canvas folding chairs out of the back before she slammed the trunk shut. It was just a little too hard and Kate tried not to wince. If things kept on going like this then their cover would be blown before the day was out. Somehow, she had to bring it back to the way they had been yesterday. She directed her smile at Lucy and held out her free hand. "Are you ready to go, honey?"

"Absolutely, babe," Lucy said, reaching out to take Kate's hand in her own and linking their fingers together. "Let's do this."

Jennifer had welcomed them to the beach while Vincent had hulked silently behind her. The way his gaze had stayed unblinkingly on Kate as the three women had chatted for a moment was disconcerting. Kate knew he was doing it on purpose and ignored it as best as she could. He wasn't the first man who had ever tried to psyche her out by being a creep. It did make her wish the dress she had worn to the beach as a cover-up had been a little more discreet, the deep vee of the maxi dress stopping just above the middle joint of her bikini top, but she had dressed that morning to get Lucy's attention.

"Is there a problem?" Kate asked, suddenly deciding to confront Vincent. She could ignore him, but it felt like a problem that would just fester if she did. So when Vincent didn't look away she met his gaze head-on and stared back just as intently.

"No problem," Vincent grunted, his gaze finally dropping to the ground. "Sorry."

Lucy glanced between Kate and Jennifer. "Well, in that case, let's get this party started. Why don't we go set up, babe, and then we can meet you two after that?"

"That sounds excellent," Jennifer agreed. "Come find us when you're done." She looked over at Vincent. "Let's go." For the first time, Kate noticed that she sounded annoyed with the man and could only hope it had been her doing. Whatever he had been trying, it hadn't worked.

"Where do you want to put the blankets?" Kate asked Lucy, trying to sound as normal as possible. It was hard not to overthink every little movement. It was essential to the mission to appear all coupley with Lucy, but not too over the top until it wasn't believable. It was a fine line to walk when nothing with Lucy felt right now.

"I think over there is as good of a place as any," Lucy said, pointing to a spot a little ways off, out of the way of the small crowd playing volleyball. It only took a moment for Kate to get there and start setting up their supplies, dropping the cooler and the bag that contained all their blankets. Lucy jogged the last few steps through the sand to catch up with her and hissed. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Kate asked, confused.

"That," Lucy said in a low emphatic hiss. "Back there, confronting Victor. He's gross but we need them to like us so we can finish this mission."

"Lucy, I'm not just going to let some creep-"

"This isn't just some creep. This is Jennifer's partner-"

"And she looked annoyed with him too," Kate shot back just as quietly as Lucy had. She took a deep breath and tried to let her irritation with Lucy settle. "We'll go back up there in a minute and charm them. They'll be eating out of our hands."

"You can be charming?" Lucy muttered under her breath.

"You used to think so," Kate couldn't help but remind her.

Lucy stared at her for a long moment before she spoke. "I was wrong about a lot of things. Let's hope I wasn't wrong about that too." She turned away from Kate and dropped her bag, taking out her own towel and putting it down on the sand. Kate didn't know how to respond to that one so she started getting out her own beach things.

When Lucy started stripping out of her shirt to reveal the bathing suit beneath it, Kate pretended not to look, digging for something in her bag, but watching Lucy out of the corner of her eye as every inch of tan skin was revealed. She knew she shouldn't be looking but she couldn't help herself. She had always been drawn to Lucy with a magnetism that was hard to resist. With a quick shimmy of her hips, Lucy undid her shorts and let them slide down her legs before she stepped out of them. Kate stopped pretending to be looking for something in her bag and just watched the magnificent sight in front of her. She was supposed to be playing Lucy's girlfriend and there was no way a real girlfriend wouldn't stare.

"Looking good," Kate called in a little bit louder of a voice, one that was intended to carry across the sand to their companions.

Lucy must have caught her cue, because she didn't glare back at Kate. She smiled back at her instead. "You're not so bad yourself, babe." She arched a playful eyebrow. "When do I get to see yours?"

Kate laughed. "I think now is as good of a time as any." She undid the drawstring that held the dress together at the waist and held her arms down to let the dress fall off her shoulders. It landed in a puddle at her feet to reveal the deep navy bikini she was wearing, the thin straps of the top tied behind her neck. Kate saw Lucy visibly swallow and almost laughed again. That was the response she had been going for. "Like what you see?" Kate teased.

"You know I do," Lucy almost growled, turning back to snatch her own discarded clothes off the ground and fold them before she stuck them back in her bag.

Kate shook her head and took out the sunscreen. It was almost overcast today, but even in the dimmed light of the Hawaiian sun she would burn like a lobster if she wasn't slathered in the stuff. She did her arms first, having already done her face and ears before they left the apartment that morning, then moved on to her abdomen and legs. She had been burned badly in college once and had no desire to repeat the experience.

"Lucy," Kate called to get the other woman's attention. "Can you get my back? I can't quite reach all the spots."

Lucy glared and stalked across the short distance between them, kicking up little puffs of sand as she did. Kate ignored the way sand was getting kicked onto her blanket and kept a winsome, pleading smile on her face. She was the only one whose face Jennifer and Vincent could see at this angle so that was all that mattered. "Sure, babe. We don't want you to burn," Lucy said through gritted teeth.

Lucy walked around behind Kate and took the tube of sunscreen from Kate. Their fingers brushed as it was exchanged and a shiver ran down Kate's spine. She knew Lucy felt it from the way she saw her stiffen out of the corner of her eye. Then Lucy was popping the top of the sunscreen and squirting a glob out into her hand, breaking the moment. Kate hissed and jumped as Lucy put the cold sunscreen directly on her skin and began to rub it in with quick rough strokes. She covered Kate's back quickly and efficiently and then hesitated. "I have to rub it in."

"That is the idea," Kate said softly, looking back over her shoulder at Lucy. Hidden behind Kate, Lucy looked as if the last thing she wanted to do was touch Kate more. Finally, she raised her hand and Kate dropped her head forward to give Lucy the illusion of privacy. The first swipe of her hand across Kate's back was quick and then she slowed down, raising her other hand to cover twice the area. Lucy's hands rubbed slow circles over Kate's shoulder blades. Kate fought the sudden urge to cry. This was the most Lucy had touched her since that horrible day when Lucy had found Cara in Kate's apartment.

She swallowed against the tears and forced her smile wider. "I think that's got it."

"No, hang on," Lucy said. "You still have a few white spots." She lifted her hand and then covered the small of Kate's back with it, stroking her thumb over it until she was satisfied. "And I still have goo on my fingers," Lucy added. "Here, let me." Her hands left Kate's skin and for a moment, Kate could breathe again. Then Lucy's hands were on her bare shoulders and stroking down the length of her arms until her hands were covering the back of Kate's. Lucy twined their fingers together and then leaned up until she could place a kiss on the nape of Kate's neck, just against her hairline.

Kate shivered again and turned to face her quickly. "Lucy."

But Lucy ignored her and reached up to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then let her hand fall to Kate's bare shoulder. She ran her hand up Kate's shoulder to her neck and ran her thumb along the line of Kate's jaw. She stood up on her tiptoes and nuzzled at Kate's ear. "Jennifer's coming." The faintest whisper that Lucy could manage. It was all the warning Kate got before Lucy pulled her down and kissed her.

It was a sweet, simple kiss. Kate knew better than to flinch at the feel of Lucy's lips on hers. It was a deliberate gesture for Jennifer's benefit. Lucy had told her that, but it still hurt. Kate forced herself to respond, dropping her hands to Lucy's waist and pulling her closer. She ran her thumbs over the silky material of Lucy's bathing suit and let them brush the skin bared by the cut out. Lucy let out a little gasp against her lips and Kate froze.

Lucy pulled away slowly and directed a bright smile over Kate's shoulder. "Jennifer, it's good to see you."

Kate let her arm slide around Lucy's waist as she turned to face Jennifer, keeping she and Lucy as a united front. It was important for the mission and Kate didn't want to let go.

"I think Vincent and I were about to go for a swim," Jennifer said. "Would you like to join us? I know it's not the sunniest day but the water is still warm."

"No water," Lucy said abruptly. "I mean, no, thank you. Very kind of you to offer, but I don't really do water."

"Maybe you can join the volleyball game," Kate suggested. "Have you ever played?"

"Nope," Lucy grinned. "I was always the cheerleader. But that sounds fun."

"I'll join you," Kate offered, turning to Jennifer. "A swim sounds nice."

Kate felt more than saw Lucy shudder next to her and squeezed her tighter in reassurance. "It's okay, honey, you don't have to go in."

Lucy shook her head and pulled away. "Don't make fun of me. It's a perfectly valid fear."

"Of course it is," Kate soothed her, rubbing her hand up and down Lucy's back. She hesitated for a second and then turned to Lucy. "I really wasn't."

Lucy stared back at her for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, I'm gonna go play. Kiss for luck?"

"With the ocean or for your game?" Kate teased her.

"For the ocean, of course," Lucy drawled. "I don't need luck."

Kate just laughed and shook her head, but bent down when Lucy leaned up to peck her on the lips. It was starting to hurt a little less each time they did this. Kate wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Her head might know this was all pretend and that Lucy still hated her, but Kate wasn't so sure about her heart.

(5/12)