Chapter 7 - Best Is Yet To Come by Gryffin and Kyle Reynolds
After what felt like hours of interrogations and paperwork, Tate and Maxwell were formally placed into custody. While Tate did not say much, the evidence in the cabin was able to be matched by forensics to the scarce evidence that survived the explosion in the bunker. Maxwell's gun matched the ballistics of the bullet that hit Kai and the FBI was taking over the investigation into Right Guard. As Kate and Jane waited at the bar for the pitchers of beer and mugs for their teams, Jane smiled warmly at her.
"I know I already said it, but really, thank you, Kate. I know none of this was easy," said Jane as they watched their teams laugh and interact. They were telling Kai all about the case as he sat perched on a stool with his crutches, laughing and shaking his head. "Maybe not easy, but necessary," conceded Kate.
"So, I hate to be the one to bring up the elephant in the room, but when do you head back," asked Jane as she glanced over at Lucy, who looked the happiest she had been in a long time.
"They head back tomorrow." Kate giggled when Jane's head jerked up.
"Wait, what?" Kate's eyes remained on Lucy as she smiled.
"I had a lot of amazing things in New York, but I was missing a very important part of me. I needed time away from here and I got that, but cases are slowing down and I was already asked about the future of the task force. They'll always be my family. I love those misfits and they'll always have each other's backs. That's how I know they'll be okay. I already told them and promised I would sign off on anything necessary to keep them together. Who knows, maybe I'll recommend Zeinab to lead them. She definitely has the credentials, far more than me."
"You're staying in Hawai'i?"
"I'm staying in Hawai'i."
"For good and Lucy knows?" Kate smiled as she looked over at her friend.
"Yes to both, I told her before we got here, while you were finishing up that very intense interrogation with Maxwell."
"Well, I couldn't let you out bad cop me."
"That's fair."
"I'm really glad you're staying. Julie and Alex are going to be ecstatic."
"I missed out on hearing about her dance last year, that case in Greenwich Village had all my attention. I plan on getting more than a follow-up picture of her in her dress this time."
"Good, that means you can take her shopping for it because last year was a nightmare for me. The girl is too picky," said Jane before grabbing a pitcher and some mugs.
"No…that's not what I…"
"She'll love it," called Jane over her shoulder with a smug smile and Kate shook her head in amusement as she grabbed the other pitcher and rest of the mugs. She headed over to the table and sat down by Lucy as everyone grabbed a mug of beer. Kate looked around the table at the core group of important people in her life. Knowing that soon, three would be gone, she found herself getting choked up and took in a deep breath to steady herself. Maya noticed.
"Say a few words to close us out, boss," suggested Maya. Lucy soothingly rubbed Kate's back. While she was relieved when Kate initiated the talk about their future, she also knew what she was giving up to stay. Kate smiled proudly at her team.
"Gold star," said Kate and Zeinab arched an eyebrow at her.
"And what do we get for our troubles," asked Zeinab.
"This is the part where she is supposed to tell us something personal about herself that we don't know, but usually deflects. We call it intel because we rarely get it," informed Carlos and Lucy giggled as the rest of them nodded their understanding. Kate smiled at the three of them and sighed.
"Before I met you, I was in a very dark place. It had only been the second time in my life that I had felt so lost, the first being when I lost my brother. I didn't know what to expect in New York, but I could not have asked for a better team, a better family to be there when I didn't know how to be there for myself. Thank you for that." She toasted them and Carlos and Zeinab clinked glasses with her, but Maya quickly wiped her eyes.
"Well, shit, now I'm crying. You can't just blindside me with something like that, boss. I've been trying to get you to open up for months and you just sneak attacked me like that," asked Maya and Zeinab giggled.
"That's Maya's way of saying we love you too," assured Zeinab. Kate smiled over at Jane and Jane winked at her as she held up her mug.
"To another case closed and new friends. We hope you won't be strangers to the islands," said Jane. They all clinked glasses and Kate sighed in relief as the conversation picked back up. She made a family in New York, but she was also happy to return to the place that always felt like home.
Kate wasn't sure who was trying to be more patient, her or Lucy, as they spent time at the bar with their friends and tried to focus on celebrating as a group instead of the private celebration both so desperately wanted. After a couple of hours, Jane put them out of their misery by encouraging them to go get some rest. Kate promised to see off her team at the airport before they left the next day and then happily followed Lucy to the exit of the bar. The drive back to Lucy's was full of lingering touches and glances until they finally arrived. Their lips sought each other out immediately as Lucy guided them through the house. As soon as they were in her bedroom, Kate cupped her face in her hands and kissed her tenderly, showing her all of the love and adoration she had for her girlfriend in that moment.
"I love you," she whispered and smiled when Lucy stripped out of her shirt to toss it aside.
"I love you too," whispered Lucy. She giggled when Kate picked her up into her arms and they fell back onto the bed. While the sex had always been phenomenal, fueled by lust, passion, and oftentimes, frustration, it felt different as they took their time exploring one another. Every touch, kiss, and thrust spurred them on as they made love. With each curl and pass of Kate's fingers inside of her, Lucy felt her body wanting to succumb to the pleasure and yet aching for more. Her toes curled and she gripped Kate's shoulders, not able to hold back any longer. Kate's name played on her lips and echoed off of the walls as a powerful orgasm crashed into her and Kate watched her through hooded eyes. She peppered kisses on Lucy's neck and collarbone as she brought her back down and reveled in the feeling of Lucy's shallow thrusts into her hand. They kissed teasingly and Kate giggled when Lucy rolled on top of her. She trailed kisses from the sensitive spot beneath her ear, along her jawline, and down to the pulse point she tended to suck and linger on when she was inside of Kate. The moment Lucy's fingered slipped back out of her, Kate whimpered, but then gasped when Lucy worked her way down her body. Kate's back arched off of the bed as Lucy tasted her in the way she'd wanted to again for the past several months. Kate's fingers slipped into the brunette's hair, holding her close as she felt the pleasure climbing. When she reached her peak, Lucy got lost in her as well, missing the way it felt to be in between Kate's legs with her grinding and pulsing with pleasure. She peppered loving kisses on her thighs, hips, and stomach before Kate had enough of her teasing and pulled her back up to her. They giggled as their lips meshed together and finally held one another again. Kate stroked her hair and their eyes locked, shining brightly with all the love and desire they had for one another. Kate didn't remember when her eyes fluttered closed and the exhaustion from the past days kicked in. All she remembered was that she finally had the love of her life back and all she wanted was to spend the rest of her life with her.
Kate and Lucy spent the next week in bed exploring each other as much as possible and making up for lost time. After the Tate and Maxwell case closed and Kate said goodbye to her team at the air base, she called her superiors to inform them of her desire to create a joint terrorism task force in Hawai'i. The case highlighted threats that had seeped from the mainland onto the islands and her superiors approved her proposal. She was also granted a vacation, something she was in much need of after the past few years, and she spent her time taking her girlfriend out on dates and enjoying life in Hawai'i. It was a beautiful, sunny early morning and she enjoyed catching one more wave before heading back to shore. She'd missed surfing and the peace it brought her to be out on the waves. While Lucy didn't see the appeal of the ocean that she called the dark abyss, she did see the appeal of her girlfriend in a bikini, which is why Kate wasn't surprised to find her waiting for her with a bright smile on the beach when she walked up with her surf board.
"I was just about to call you and ask if you wanted me to pick up anything for breakfast."
"I'm craving French toast and figured we could go to that diner you like so much," suggested Lucy and she giggled when Kate showered her with kisses.
"Kate, you're all wet," she laughed.
"How about we head home first, shower, and then go get breakfast before you have to head into work? I need to stop by to see Jane anyways."
"Sounds like a plan."
"You know I love a good plan," said Kate before tenderly kissing her. After a few more kisses and a makeout session against Kate's car that reminded her just how much Lucy loved her in a bikini, they headed home to shower. Lucy always knew she missed the intimate moments alone with Kate, the early mornings and times when they weren't at work, but she never imagined just how good it could feel to be so in love and carefree about that love. After a very steamy shower, they ate breakfast at their favorite diner and stole kisses whenever they could. By the time they got to the base and entered the bullpen, Lucy was the last to arrive and headed for her desk. Kate frowned in confusion when she didn't see Jane in her office.
"Where's Tennant," she asked and noticed the way Kai looked at Lucy. He was back on light desk duty and filling out paperwork. Lucy caught on to his silent communication and glanced over at Jesse, who nodded in confirmation.
"She's in the war room. You should go up there, she texted me earlier that she would be waiting for you," said Lucy. Kate glanced up at the room above them, which was in lockdown mode, and eyed her girlfriend curiously.
"She wants to see me in the war room?"
"Yep."
"In lockdown mode?"
"Probably just a precaution."
"Okay, what's going on? All three of you are acting weird. You know what, I'll just go ask Ernie. He can't keep his mouth shut for long."
"Just go up there, Whistler," chuckled Jesse. Lucy walked over to kiss her cheek and give her a wink.
"Go," she encouraged and Kate slowly nodded before she headed up the stairs. She keyed in her code to gain access to the room and was speechless when she walked in to see Carlos, Zeinab, and Maya sitting inside with Jane.
"There she is, about time," said Jane and Kate eyed them all curiously as she approached.
"What's going on?"
"I was just welcoming them to the islands. Dinner at my house on Sunday, aloha," called Jane before giving Kate a wink. She exited the room as Carlos, Zeinab, and Maya stood up.
"What are you doing here? Everything okay," asked Kate and Zeinab nodded.
"Yeah, we just came for our interviews," said Zeinab.
"Interviews," questioned Kate.
"Yeah, we heard you were looking for a new team and the selection process would be pretty competitive," said Carlos.
"Something about your task forces doing impressive work or something," added Maya.
"Okay, seriously, what's going on right now?"
"Wow, boss, it's been two weeks and you've forgotten all about us? Hawai'i has changed you," said Carlos and Zeinab giggled at the confusion on Kate's face.
"You told us to decide what was next and that you would find a way to get the brass to sign off on it. Well, we've decided. You want to lead a task force here. We just so happen to be a pretty good task force," explained Zeinab.
"Wait, so you're serious. You want to work with me again? What about New York?"
"What about New York? We've all been stationed and reassigned plenty of times. Did you really think we would miss out on the chance to work in Hawai'i with the only boss any of us have ever liked," questioned Maya.
"You know, I'm more insulted I wasn't offered a position in the first place," said Carlos and Maya and Zeinab nodded in agreement. Kate smiled as tears filled her eyes.
"You really are serious."
"We're serious and we have a good feeling that the brass will approve," said Zeinab.
"And by feeling, she means we've already filled out the proper paperwork, even got a letter of recommendation from Tennant," added Carlos.
"So, what do you say, boss," asked Maya with a knowing smile as Kate smiled warmly at them.
"I say, aloha."
"Aloha," said Maya as she hugged her. Kate giggled when Zeinab and Carlos joined in on the hug as well.
"So, when do we start," asked Zeinab as they all headed for the door and Kate took the room out of lockdown mode.
"I'll speak with my superiors tomorrow, get your paperwork started, and credentials processed. There have already been some cases brought to my attention," she informed as they exited the room. She smiled when she walked down the stairs and the NCIS team was waiting on them. Lucy beamed with happiness and kissed her cheek.
"I like your new team, babe. I think they'll be a good fit."
"How long have you known?"
"Maya called me last night." Kate smiled when Carlos immediately went over to greet Ernie. Maya and Zeinab greeted Jesse and Kai, making sure to ask about Jesse's family and Kai's recovery. Kate sighed happily as she wrapped an arm around Lucy. Jane gave her a wink, knowing Kate was putting together the hints she was giving her the previous week about current cases NCIS could use assistance from a task force with in the future. The paperwork still needed to be drawn up and she had much work to do, but she had a pretty good feeling about the agency she would request to coordinate with the most. When Kate made the decision to accept the position in New York, she had no clue it would lead her back to Hawai'i with even more family and friends, but as she looked around at her team and Jane's, she realized that's exactly what it did.
AN: The End. That's it. I promised angst with a happy ending and Kacy Endgame. I hope this one delivered. I know many of you commented on wanting to see more about Zeinab and Maya. It didn't feel organic to shift the focus to them as the Kacy reconciliation was in the works, but I might write a brief one-shot as a one-off to include some more details about Zeinab and Maya at some point. If that's something you're interested in, let me know. I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading and sending so much love. Cheers!
