AN: So…much…new…Kacy information! Surfer Kate? Not ready. 1x20 and the return of the Queen on my screen? Not Ready. Watching Lucy tell their origin story? I was not ready! With that said, we are once again in a drought and I decided to finally focus on a fanfic I have been thinking about for at least a month. The title is inspired by the Taylor Swift song "invisible string" and based on the idea that Lucy and Kate met before they knew who each other was and then met again. Without further ado, here is my take on CIA Kate. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

It was a Friday night after an intense week of what Lucy could only describe as a crash course in being a NCIS junior special agent. She was still new on the job and trying to find her footing, but had a good feeling about her team. She was in awe of how structured and yet warm her Special Agent in Charge was. She didn't know what she expected Jane Tennant to be, but she somehow managed to exceed every expectation. Senior Special Agent Boone was a great guide as well and she enjoyed her job, but it didn't make it any less overwhelming at times. She was in need of a drink and a night out at her favorite bar to take her mind off of the job for a bit. It was early and not as crowded as usual as she walked in to head to her usual spot at the bar. She ignored the chatter from the sports channel many of the patrons had their eyes trained on. All she wanted was a beer and she hailed the bartender. She smiled appreciatively when the man handed her an ice cold bottle of her favorite, no questions asked.

"Thanks, Pete," she said before taking a sip. Her body instinctively relaxed as she finally sat down and began to look around. She recognized a lot of the faces, but one immediately stood out. In a corner booth sat an unbelievably beautiful blonde staring down at her phone. There was only one plate and set of cutlery on the table and Lucy looked around to see if anyone was heading over to join the woman. Lucy wasn't quite sure what made her start moving in that direction before her mind was even made up, but her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as she headed for the table with her beer in hand. The moment the woman looked up at her, butterflies fluttered in her stomach and she felt nervous in ways she usually didn't when she approached a woman, even one as beautiful as the one staring up at her.

"Hi," Lucy managed to get out and the woman smiled at her as she put her phone down.

"Hello," said the woman.

"Are you new in town?"

"That obvious," the woman asked with a teasing smile.

"No, I just would remember someone as beautiful as you the moment I saw her." The woman giggled and sat up a bit straighter.

"Was that a line?" Lucy shrugged.

"It depends. Did it work," she asked with the bright smile she knew most women couldn't resist.

"It depends on the follow-up."

"I'm Lucy," she said as she held her hand out. The woman eyed her carefully for a moment and Lucy could tell she was sizing her up. She hesitated, but finally slipped her hand into Lucy's.

"Kate."

"Nice to meet you, Kate. Are you here alone?"

"Yes, just wanted a relaxing meal and glass of wine. I heard this place has great food."

"The poke is delicious and so are the parmesan fries."

"I ordered the stir fry, but now I have regrets."

"Well, you can't really go wrong either way."

"Then you should join me. Maybe you can recommend something for dessert," suggested Kate with a charming smile and Lucy slid into the booth to sit across from her.

"Dessert sounds fun," agreed Lucy. She gave a wink before taking another sip of her beer. Their eyes locked and she felt it instantly, the crackling chemistry between them.

Lucy chewed nervously on her bottom lip as she sat in her car thinking about that first night with Kate. The memory often crept into her thoughts subconsciously and tended to linger on her mind well after she tried to push it away. Dinner and teasing conversation led to dessert at her place, which led to two passionate nights that left both yearning for more. She shook her head at the memories. That seemed like a lifetime ago and she was officially stalling, even though she had no time to stall. She was supposed to be back with Jesse and coffees for everyone in half an hour, but she was glued to the seat in her car as she sat in the parking lot by the beach access she knew Jesse used for surfing. She absolutely hated the ocean. She hated everything about the cold, dark abyss on a regular basis, but knowing two of the most important people in her life were playing around in it like it was safe and relaxing had her nerves even more on edge. Not only was Jesse surfing, but so was Kate. When he texted Lucy that he invited Kate for an early morning surf, she was stunned, but did her best to support the idea.

After all, she and Kate were moving on. What that looked like, she had no idea, and neither had said much about it since Kate apologized in the bullpen. Neither had much time to talk about it and their workloads lately didn't help. Kate was often busy with FBI cases and the team had not needed interagency collaboration, much to Lucy's chagrin. So, as she willed herself to get out of the car, she thought about what she would say when she inevitably saw Kate with Jesse. She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and recited the Ho'oponopono prayer the kahuna guided her through. She was still sitting with everything she learned about the practice, but was working through the strong emotions and inner turmoil she felt over the past several weeks. Finding her resolve, she headed for the edge of the parking lot overlooking the beach and sighed in relief when she saw Jesse and Kate walking up the stairs with their surf boards. A small smile played on her lips as she watched the two teasing and laughing. Lucy was surprised by how care-free Kate looked in that moment and their first encounters well before Whistler strolled into the bullpen played in her mind again. That was the version of Kate she first met, the one who smiled often and teased openly. That Kate sometimes seemed long gone though and replaced with Whistler. However, the tension that tended to be between the former DIA Officer and Jesse seemed to no longer be an issue based on how happy they looked climbing the stairs. Lucy took the chance to take Kate in, bright smile on her face and beautiful eyes dancing with delight. The body suit she was wearing showed off her toned, long legs. Lucy's mind wandered back to late nights with those legs wrapped around her and their bodies moving as one. Before she could get too lost in her thoughts, Kate's voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"Lucy," questioned Kate.

"Everything okay," asked Jesse and Lucy cleared her throat as she regained composure.

"Hey, um, Tennant needs you back for a briefing. I was already on my way to grab coffees, so she asked me to stop by since she knew you wouldn't have your phone on you," explained Lucy. Jesse chuckled as he showed her the phone he was holding in a waterproof bag.

"I told her I would have it close. I have clothes in the car. Let me grab them and change real quick. Whistler, it's been a pleasure, truly. We should do it again soon."

"Definitely," agreed Kate as he jogged over to his car. The awkward silence that tended to creep in lately around the two women returned and Kate gave her a warm smile.

"Hi," said Kate.

"Hi, I didn't know you surfed."

"You never asked and I figured your phobia may have something to do with that. I didn't want to trigger you."

"Oh, actually that's kind of sweet. Thanks."

"Sure." The silence was almost deafening and Kate cleared her throat to try to ease the tension.

"I should go. I have a late shift tonight."

"Oh yeah, anything interesting?"

"Olson has a C.I. we're vetting. They may lead to a drug ring we're trying to bust, but they've been pretty elusive. I offered to help out."

"A drug ring, sounds kind of dangerous."

"No more dangerous than your job."

"Right, I just mean…be careful…I mean, I know you'll be careful. You're Whistler… you're always careful…just…"

"Careful, right, thanks. You too," said Kate before heading toward her car with her surf board. Lucy quickly spun around.

"Whistler," she called and Kate turned back around. Lucy tried to find the words to say, but they never came out easily when she was around the blonde that always infiltrated her thoughts. Kate could tell she wanted to say something and waited patiently.

"Call us if you need us," said Lucy as no other words could overcome the mental block she was currently battling. Kate gave a small smile and nodded.

"I will," she assured. With that, Kate headed to her car and Lucy sighed. She sensed it was an opportunity missed, but didn't know how to get it back. Instead, she watched Kate head down the parking lot with her board tucked under her arm. Lucy internally scolded herself for once again leaving words unspoken, but gave up on trying to get the moment back. She headed over to Jesse's truck and chuckled when she noticed his feet sticking out from underneath a nearby stall.

"Hurry up, you're gonna make me late," she called.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going. I had a feeling I'd get called in. I'm just glad I got to finish up first," he informed as he quickly changed. Lucy leaned against the hood of his truck and waited as she glanced down at her watch. Even with her procrastinating, she was on time. Jesse jogged over to her as he clipped on his badge and she handed him a coffee.

"Thanks, you should join us next time," he teased and she smirked.

"Yeah, that's never happening. You are lucky I even allow you to go into that dark abyss."

"Allow, you think you allow me?"

"Numbers could be dialed. Calls could be made. I'm quite persuasive and we both know you'll do whatever Heather wants. She loves me and would listen. Don't make me use my power for evil."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. You have a good talk with Whistler," he asked as he finished tying his boots.

"I wouldn't call it a talk," she conceded and he shook his head in amusement.

"You two are ridiculous sometimes. You know, when you actually try talking to her, she's pretty cool."

"I'm aware."

"So, what's stopping you?" The question was one she'd asked a lot lately, but could never find an answer that felt completely honest.

"I don't know. I'm not angry anymore. I'm not even hurt, you know? I'm just not sure where to go from here."

"Well, in the meantime, I can hold off on having a new surf buddy, if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, that's not a problem. I'm glad you two are getting to know each other."

"Me too, it's pretty clear she's going to be around for a while. She's friends with Tennant and you two are…whatever you are."

"Yeah, can we not talk about it? I'm still trying to figure that all out." He smiled sympathetically at her.

"Of course, Luce, we need to get back to work anyways. I'll see you there. Thanks for the coffee." Lucy gave a small smile and headed back to her car. She spotted Kate across the parking lot, securing her board to her car, and couldn't help but sigh. She knew she needed to talk to her soon, but she wasn't ready.

Kate sensed it before she saw it. She quickly got into her car to leave the parking lot and made sure to head in the opposite direction of Lucy and Jesse. Someone was following her. She felt the eyes on her as soon as she and Jesse walked back to the parking lot and did her best to remain focused on the conversation she was having with Lucy. As much as she wanted to use the chance to speak with the woman that she could never get enough of, her instincts kicked in. Something was off. She glanced in her rearview mirror and noticed a black BMW trailing her. She sighed when she realized who it was as well. It switched lanes to pull up beside her at the traffic light and she glanced over at the driver, who nodded. She hesitated, but gave a nod in acknowledgement before following the car into another beach access parking lot. She rolled down her window and so did the man in the other car.

"Catch any good waves," he asked and she clenched her jaw in frustration.

"What are you doing here, Mateo?"

"Just thought there was something you might want to see."

"No thanks, guess you were wrong, have a nice flight."

"As much as I love the beach, I think we both know I wouldn't be here unless it was important. She agreed to keep her distance unless it was a matter of life or death," he reminded. Kate gave a curt nod and got out of her car. She slid into the passenger side of the BMW and he handed her a file. She gulped as she skimmed over it.

"How is this possible?"

"DIA wanted to keep it quiet but we intercepted it."

"How the hell did this happen? I thought Sola handled it."

"New Zealand Intelligence negotiated a trade. I don't think Sola even knows. It's highly classified and a sensitive issue for all parties involved."

"We should've been notified."

"I agree, but we didn't make that call. Trust me, she isn't happy about it either."

"When?"

"A couple of nights ago, Shaw was being moved off-site permanently, but never made it to the destination. Two agents were killed. It was an ambush, quick in, quick out, definitely mercenaries. Looks like Bao wants his mommy back."

"Who all knows?"

"DIA is trying to keep it under wraps, but I doubt they can keep a lid on it much longer. This is why you should've never let him go."

"It wasn't my call."

"It should've been."

"God, you sound like her."

"You mean rational, logical?"

"You're such a kiss-ass."

"And you're kidding yourself. How long are you going to play house before you come home?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"Why do you even care?"

"You can't outrun who you are, Kate," he warned and she glared at him.

"I'm not running from anything. I made a choice and drew a line in the sand, one you couldn't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go handle this," she said as she got out of the car.

"I'll be around for a bit, just until all this gets cleared up."

"We don't need your help," she assured.

"I don't remember offering it," he said with a smug smile before turning the car back around and heading out of the parking lot. Kate cursed under her breath as she got back into her car and headed back in the direction of the base. She texted her Special Agent in Charge that an important case needed her attention at NCIS before tightening her grip on the steering wheel. This was exactly what she feared would happen and for a moment she doubted her decision to not simply take care of Shaw and Bao herself.

The memory of the night she made the decision felt like it was days ago instead of months. The Bao case had gotten tense when Maggie Shaw was kidnapped, but all had ended well, at least that's what they thought. The NCIS team retrieved Shaw and Kate decided to let the dust settle before investigating the situation further. After all, it had been a tense few days and she was still reeling from her own personal life. She planned to go home, down a bottle of wine, and sulk, and was surprised when she received a text from Jane, asking her to come over. The house was eerily quiet when she arrived and her senses were on high alert as she entered. The two women weren't always exactly friendly, but had been working in that direction as of late.

"Tennant," she called.

"In here," Jane called back and she followed her voice into the kitchen where Jane was seated. She looked deep in thought and Kate noticed the way one of her hands was tucked beneath the table.

"Everything okay," questioned Kate as she stood on the other side of the kitchen and eyed her cautiously.

"You know what Maggie once told me when we were working together?" Kate shook her head slowly.

"She said trust is the key to our work. It's survival. You have to earn it, tend it, cultivate it, but you know what the dirty secret is? You can't really rely on it."

"What's going on, Jane?"

"I'm very low on trust right now, Kate, and patience, for that matter."

"Where are the kids," asked Kate.

"At their father's." Kate sighed and slowly nodded.

"Did you call me here to shoot me, Jane," she questioned as her eyes glanced down at where Jane's hand was tucked under the table.

"Not unless I have to, so I suggest you answer my questions. Who are you?"

"That's a bit complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it." Kate sighed and put her hands up in surrender as she sat down in a chair.

"Who do you think I am?"

"Someone working with Maggie?"

"Funny, that's who I thought you were."

"Me," Jane asked incredulously.

"You worked together for years. She set you on the path to take over as NCIS SAC. You've gone on vacations together and your kids call her Aunt Maggie. I think we both know why I was suspicious."

"Was, so what changed?"

"I saw how you worked cases, a bit outside of the lines sometimes, but always for the greater good. You can be a royal pain in my ass, but your team is very good at what they do, loyal and honorable."

"Who are you, Kate?"

"I was sent to keep an eye on things."

"What kinds of things?"

"What gave it away? I'm just curious." Jane smiled a bit.

"The Barlow Case, your connections, the way you just happened to send FBI in as backup. Lucy has no clue, does she?"

"Lucy isn't part of this and I plan to keep it that way," warned Kate and Jane slowly nodded.

"So you didn't use one of my agents to get close to me and my team?" Kate ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"Six months before I started with the DIA, I came to Hawai'i to vet a lead we received. Not much, but enough to look into. Once I was off the clock, I decided to take in the sights a bit, ended up at a bar for dinner and met an amazing woman with the most gorgeous eyes and smile I'd ever seen. We didn't talk about work, I was happy not to, and it turned into the best weekend of my life. Afterwards, I headed back to the mainland, back to work, and back to only ever really focusing on the mission."

"So I'm supposed to believe that it was some sort of coincidence?"

"I've been taught that there are no such things as coincidences and I spent the next several months trying to find an angle, but when it comes to her, I'm constantly kept on my toes and disarmed the moment I see her. She had plenty of chances to take me out. When she didn't, I realized maybe I was wrong about coincidences. If I would've known who she was that night, I would've never pursued anything. I guess that's why I'm glad I didn't know that night," admitted Kate.

"Who are you, Kate?"

"I think you know. Maybe a part of you has known for a while. People that have been in our line of work never really lose that sixth sense about each other."

"I left that life behind years ago and don't appreciate someone from it poking around."

"And you also know I wouldn't be here unless it was important. There was a security breach of the Joint Intelligence database about a year ago. For three minutes, every classified document stored there was vulnerable."

"Three minutes is a long time, so you're part of the investigation?"

"We knew it was an inside job and there were thousands of suspects, but when we cross-referenced them with some suspicious activities from agents on our radar, Shaw's name was on a shortlist of those with the means and motive. I was sent to look into possible leads."

"You mean me, you were sent to look into me."

"You know how the job works. You said it yourself, no one relies on trust alone. Shaw has been through a lot. She'd been monitored for years, but was squeaky clean, until some lines started to overlap. She always managed to cover her tracks, but there was one place she always returned. Here."

"So, you're here to stop her?"

"Originally, yes."

"And now?"

"I'm here to make sure that no one from your team ends up in the crosshairs of something they don't belong in." Jane placed her gun on the table and Kate sighed in relief.

"Then how about we end this once and for all," suggested Jane.

"Your team can never know."

"You mean Lucy."

"I mean all of them."

"I'm not in the business of telling state secrets," she assured and Kate gave a curt nod as she placed the gun she had tucked into the back of her pants onto the table.

"Neither am I," agreed Kate.

Kate parked on base and shook her head at the memory of that night. She wasn't sure what she expected to happen after Jane found out the truth about her, but she never expected the former CIA agent to embrace her as much as she did. They found a kinship in each other when they needed it most, Jane heartbroken over Maggie's betrayal and Kate heartbroken at her inevitably doomed relationship with Lucy. They became each other's confidants and fast friends. Kate headed into the building and made her way to the bullpen. She braced herself to see Lucy for the second time that day, but she, Kai, and Jesse were nowhere to be found. The moment she walked into Jane's office, the older woman knew something was wrong by the clenching of Kate's jaw and the way she immediately shut the door.

"What is it?"

"Where are the kids?" Jane frowned at the question.

"Alex is with his dad at physical therapy and Julie spent the night at a friend's house, why?"

"Shaw escaped custody and we both know Bao is behind it. Where is Julie?" Jane was immediately on her feet and grabbed her phone.

"Maggie wouldn't hurt her," reminded Jane.

"Bao just killed two agents to get his mother out of custody and probably has someone working from one of our agencies to feed him intel," informed Kate as they hurried out of the office.

"At the zoo." Kate pulled out her phone to make a call as she followed Jane down the stairwell, hoping that they were both overreacting.

Lucy tried to will the car to go faster, but knew Jesse was heading to the Honolulu Zoo as quickly as he could. They received the call from Jane about Shaw's escape and Bao's possible return to the islands and headed for Julie's current destination. Alex and his father were already heading home and Jane sent two agents to keep an eye on things at her ex-husband's house. As soon as Jesse turned into the main entrance, an SUV peeled out of it and in the opposite direction with a black BMW hot on its trail. Lucy quickly called Jane as Jesse made a U-turn.

"Two black vehicles just exited the zoo. Do you have eyes on Julie," asked Lucy.

"She's safe. Is one of the vehicles a black BMW?"

"How did you know?"

"He's with us, well, kind of. Fall back a bit, but stay in range. Kate and I are in position."

"Position for what?"

"These bastards tracked down my daughter. They aren't getting away," assured Jane before hanging up. Lucy relayed the information to Jesse as they trailed the BMW. The SUV headed down a backroad and Kai pointed at Jane's car parked across both lanes up ahead. Jane and Kate had their weapons drawn and didn't hesitate to fire at the oncoming SUV as it barreled toward them. They fired repeatedly at the car and both front tires popped, causing it to swerve into a ditch. A man got out of the black BMW with a weapon drawn and Kai, Jesse, and Lucy followed suit as Jane and Kate opened the doors of the SUV.

"Drop it or I drop you," commanded Kate. The man from the BMW pointed his gun at the suspect in the car as well, who was trying to reach for a gun in the backseat. The suspect put his hands up and Kate dragged him out of the SUV as Jesse, Kai, and Lucy apprehended the other two suspects. Jane sighed in relief as they handcuffed the men and called for backup.

"Thank you for the assist," said Jane and Lucy looked curiously at the man who had gotten out of the BMW.

"Who are you," she asked and he smirked at her.

"Nobody," he assured before giving a nod to Kate. She gave a curt nod back and he jogged back over to his car.

"Whoa, where's he going," asked Jesse and Jane sighed.

"He isn't our concern. You three got these guys? Backup is on the way," asked Jane.

"Of course, boss," said Jesse.

"Good, I'm going to check on Julie. Kate?"

"Go, I'll be fine," assured Kate as Jane ran back to her car. She sped away in the direction of the zoo and Lucy frowned in confusion.

"What the hell just happened," she questioned. Kai and Jesse shrugged and Kate stuffed her hands in her pockets without saying a word.

As soon as they returned to base, Lucy walked into Ernie's lair to get an update on the search he was conducting on their suspects. Jesse and Kai took the suspects into interrogation.

"What you got," she asked as Ernie typed furiously on his keyboard.

"Not much, but NSA was able to assist with a grainy picture of one of our mercenaries."

"Mercenaries?"

"Yep, meet Bolin Chen, this was taken in Ghana two years ago. He used to work for a private security company, but now appears to be on Bao's payroll."

"That sounds pretty expensive. Is the Chinese government funding this? MSS?"

"Not officially, but I was able to follow a trail of at least some of the money and someone is invested in making sure Bao is successful."

"Why would MSS or anyone fund him after he was caught? Shaw gave up the intel on the classified documents, so it would be useless. Plus, you left that nasty virus on it for good measure."

"I don't know, but whatever he's up to, he has the funds to do it."

"Any idea how he got back into the country?"

"Not really, but someone had to have pretty high clearance to access that intel. I'll keep digging. In the meantime, want to see Tennant and Whistler in action," he asked with a knowing smile and Lucy's jaw dropped when he pulled up traffic camera footage from the spot where Jane and Kate opened fire on the suspect's vehicle.

"I knew the boss was a badass, but look at the precision of those shots. Did you know Kate could shoot like that too," asked Ernie.

"No," was all Lucy could get out as she watched the loop of Kate and Jane shooting at the vehicle.

"First, I find out she surfs and now this? Whistler is just full of surprises," muttered Lucy and Ernie nodded in agreement.

Kate's jaw clenched in frustration as she exited the interrogation room with Jesse and Kai. The suspects were formally in DIA custody and hadn't said a word since they arrived. They were heading to the medical bay for examinations.

"These guys aren't going to talk. They are too well trained for that," informed Kate as they headed outside.

"Tennant is on her way back," said Jesse as he checked his phone.

"Let's hope for their sakes, those three are still being checked out when she arrives. I wouldn't want her going down for murder," said Kate.

"If they went after one of my kids, I'm not sure they would have made it out of that car," admitted Jesse and Kate nodded her understanding. They got into the elevator and waited for it to head down to the ground floor. It stopped on the floor of the bullpen and Lucy stepped inside. She glanced over at Kate and gave a small smile.

"Hey there, sharp shooter," said Lucy.

"What," asked Kate in confusion as Jesse and Kai shook their heads in amusement. It never failed. The awkward interactions between the two women tended to happen more often than any of them wanted.

"Ernie showed me the footage of you and Jane taking down that car. Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"I'm properly trained, just like all of you are," reminded Kate.

"Right," said Lucy. The awkward silence filled the elevator and she quickly spoke up again.

"It's just, the precision, you know? Did you take an extra class or get extra training," questioned Lucy and Kate smiled at her.

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Kate as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor. They all filed out and were happy to greet Tennant by the main entrance.

"How's Julie," asked Kate and Jane sighed in relief.

"Safe and none the wiser, they were spotted before they even made it into the zoo."

"Thank God," said Lucy and Jane nodded in agreement.

"Okay, Lucy, have Ernie pull up everything we know about Bao and Shaw. Kai, see if you can make some calls and figure out any leads we may be missing from other agencies. Jesse, go home."

"What," questioned Jesse and Jane pulled him aside.

"I know you're worried after what happened with Julie. I'm sure your family is safe, but it would make me feel better to know for sure. Go check on them. We got this. Just hurry back when you can," explained Jane. Jesse wanted to protest, but instead, smiled appreciatively at his boss.

"Thanks, Tennant," he said before heading for the exit. Kate approached Jane and noticed Lucy was lingering behind. She stepped closer to whisper to Jane.

"Mateo has eyes on your family. I can send him to check on Jesse's, if necessary."

"Thanks, Daniel knows what to do if there's any trouble and I have two agents patrolling the area."

"Can never be too careful, I'm going to head to headquarters to touch base with my team. I'll be back as soon as I can. Call if there's an update," said Kate and Jane nodded.

"I will and Kate, really, thank you."

"No problem," assured Kate. She gave Lucy a wave goodbye before heading for the exit. Lucy walked over to her boss and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"Ernie is already tracking down leads with Kai. Is there anything I can get you? You should eat something."

"I'm okay, Lucy, but thank you, just a bit shaken up. Actually, you can do something for me."

"Name it."

"I want to know how they found Julie. We need to treat it as an inside job, so cross-reference any cases and agents that could be connected to those mercenaries, Bao, or Shaw. Anything you can tell me about that would be appreciated."

"On it," assured Lucy. Both turned to head back toward the elevators, but a loud explosion from the parking lot reverberated through the main entrance. Alarms began to sound overhead and Jane and Lucy sprinted out of the building toward the parking lot. Lucy was the first to spot it. Blood drained from her cheeks and her body went numb as she spotted Kate's car up in flames and flipped onto its side across the parking lot.

"Kate," she screamed as she ran as fast as she could in the direction of the wreckage, fire, and billows of smoke.

"Lucy, careful," called Jane as she pulled Lucy back before she could reach for one of the doors.

"Kate," cried Lucy.

"Lucy," alerted Jane with a shake of her shoulder as she pointed to where Kate was crumpled over several yards away. They rushed over to her and both pulled their guns on the person hovering over Kate. They had on black pants and a black leather jacket and slowly put their hands up to reach for their helmet. The moment it was off, Jane sighed and Lucy's eyes widened in shock.

"Cara," questioned Lucy as she remembered the woman from the memory of her standing in Kate's doorway. It was seared into her brain and easy to recollect. Cara sighed.

"A little help here," she said as she slowly turned Kate over. Lucy was immediately by Kate's side as the woman lay unconscious on the ground and Jane called for help. They had plenty of questions that needed to be answered, but all three were only focused on Kate.

AN: So, what do you think so far? This chapter definitely focused on the tidbits we have recently learned, their origins, surfer Kate, and that Kate will most likely get injured at some point during the final three episodes. It was an action-packed chapter to write.