Lucy paused as she stepped out into the hallway. The sun was flooding the space through the many windows, which was obviously not the problem, no, the problem was the tall, elegant and very beautiful blonde woman who was a little further on in a big conversation. A very friendly exchange judging by the body language. Kate was in the company of another woman, just as tall as her, with long brown hair, slightly wavy and a rather pale complexion. They were very close to each other, and the brunette was obviously very tactile, regularly placing her hand on Whistler's arm. Lucy frowned, she didn't like what she was seeing at all, and jealousy made her angry. She walked briskly toward the two women without thinking any further.

"Here you go, Whistler... we haven't seen you in a while, 10/15minutes, tops? Does the FBI remember you exist or are they just trying to get rid of you?"

Kate stopped in the middle of her conversation, stunned by what she had just heard. Her interlocutor raised an eyebrow as she watched the little brunette come to meet them. The FBI agent clenched her jaws slightly.

"Is there a problem, Lucy?

-No, I'm just surprised you're here all the time, do you even have an office at the FBI? Because if not, you have to ask for one."

Agent Whistler held back an annoyed sigh, the woman who accompanied her observed the exchange with much surprise. She pushed back her jacket to put a hand on her hip and turned her glance towards the blonde.

"And you let her talk to you like that?"

Lucy blinked at this intervention.

"Sorry, I don't think we've met. You are?

-Someone who finds you disrespectful and rude. So rather than waste my time making small talk with you, I'll go buy a sandwich from the vending machine instead."

She turned on her heels and stopped in the middle of her gesture to put her hand on the arm of the blonde.

" K ? You find me when you can, okay?

-Yes, I'll be right there."

The young woman responded with a warm smile and threw out one last phrase as she walked away, "I'll get you a sandwich too, I know what you like."

An irrepressible anger surged through Lucy's veins, who was this woman, and who did she think she was? "I know what you like... K..." and what else? She gave a tense look at her ex.

"Is this a joke, Whistler?

-Excuse me? You come at me like a fury and I'm the problem?"

Lucy raised an angry eyebrow.

"Did you lose your sense of humor when you joined the FBI?

-Oh no, you're not going to play that card. You've been despicable to me for weeks and I've taken it without batting an eyelash, but this was the last straw."

Kate made an effort to keep her voice low, but she was at the end of her patience. They mechanically moved away to a more remote corner of the hallway. Agent Tara shook her head.

"Maybe because you've been hanging out at NCIS constantly for weeks.

-I'm just doing my job, Lucy," with emphasis on the first name, "and if you have a problem with that, complain to your supervisor. If you think I'm only around because I'm looking for your attention, that's long gone. Don't worry, I understand that nothing will happen between us.

Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but Kate didn't let her, it had been too long since she had put up with her colleague's inappropriate behavior because she was carrying the guilt of their breakup, but they were in the workplace.

"I wanted to talk to you, you didn't listen, I wanted to apologize, you were running away from me, I wanted to give you space, you just allowed yourself to be unpleasant back. So you know what, that's it for me, no problem. Maybe it's time for you to move on with your life too."

Kate stared angrily at her interlocutor.

"As for your nasty, snapping remarks, that was the last time I would tolerate them without responding. I hope that's clear, Agent Tara.

-Perfectly, Agent Whistler."

The two women exchanged a venomous glance before separating. Kate waited until she had taken a few steps before she blew out a breath, her heart pounding in her chest, and if anger made her say she had done the right thing, she was sure she would regret this conversation in a few hours. She was far, far from having given up hope that her relationship with Lucy would improve. But now the chances were becoming very slim. She turned right through a double glass door that opened to the outside. The sun made her eyes squint, so she used the folder in her hand to take shelter in the shade. There were several lunch tables outside, a good half were occupied and conversations were going well. A mix of military dress, suit and tie and strict tailoring, for a neophyte it could be a bit surprising the first time. Kate soon spotted the person she was looking for. She was sitting on a small table in the sun with a frugal meal: two sandwiches, an apple, a banana and two small bottles of water. Agent Whistler sat down with a sigh. Her teammate of the moment gave her a slight smile.

"I looked but there was no dignity in the vending machine.

-Laura, please, this is really not the time."

The young woman raised her hands in repentance.

"Okay K, I'm sorry."

Kate struggled to open her raw chicken mayonnaise sandwich. In reality, she wasn't very hungry anymore, the exchange with Lucy had tied up her stomach. She closed her eyes and blew softly. The touch on her wrist made her open her eyes again.

"Do you want to talk about it?

-It was Lucy, my ex."

And it still hurt to say it, despite Laura's understanding look.

"I recognized her, she is even more beautiful than on the pictures you sent me.

Kate pouted sulkily.

"I know..."

The most surprising thing about Laura was the strange balance between her frankness and kindness, just as she had just done, she was able to send Lucy packing with a smile and then compliment her beauty.

"It still doesn't justify what happened earlier. K, you're hot but I hope you don't stomp on people on your lunch breaks."

The remark made her laugh heartily.

"Only the bad guys, but we don't always catch them on your lunch break." Kate bit into her sandwich anyway and chewed quietly before resuming the conversation. "I know you're right and her attitude is disrespectful. She's making me pay for our breakup and I can't blame her."

Laura raised an eyebrow over her food.

"No K, that's completely stupid. You either broke up or you didn't, but either way there's nothing left to charge. You either clear the air and move on, or you give yourself a second chance. But if you hold a grudge, it's not over.

-Oh I can assure you she was very clear.

-Settled or clear? Those are two very different things."

Kate frowned slightly, the remark was apt.

"Anyway, I clearly think I just ended any kind of relationship.

-Look, I know this isn't what you want to hear but, do you really want a relationship with someone who doesn't respect you?"

The FBI agent shook her head. She took a sip of water to wash down the slightly dry piece of sandwich that stuck to her palate.

"No, please don't judge her on that. I hurt her, she's reacting like that because I hurt her. But she's an amazing person. She's generous, caring." Kate sketched an admiring smile without even realizing it. "And she's always full of energy, super positive... You know, the kind of person everyone loves."

And the next thought that came to her mind was "not like me". Social relationships were not her strong point, she was well aware of that and the first impression she left was rarely positive. She was one of those people you had to get to know to appreciate. As Lucy had done, as Jane had done.

"Anyway, she's not usually like this, really."

Laura listened attentively to her interlocutor, as much as she observed her, and it was not necessary to know Kate well to see that there were always feelings. The way she spoke about it, the tone of her voice, the expression on her face, it was literally written everywhere.

"Okay, I trust you."

Kate nodded, feeling the need to change the conversation because the knot in her stomach hadn't disappeared. She had barely touched her sandwich.

"So? What's your schedule for the day?

-I have a meeting that should take me most of the afternoon. If I don't finish too late, I could maybe take the opportunity to discover the island. Do you have some places to recommend to me?

-Yes of course."

The rest of the lunch was spent in lighter conversation before the two women separated to resume their respective activities.