Chapter 3 - Epilogue

Kate glanced over at Jesse as his eyes remained trained on Gracie in the distance. The two of them were on the beach watching the teenager in the water. She was choosing her moment wisely to ride a wave and attempt the trick Kate taught her. The wait had Jesse on edge.

"It's too technical. She needs more practice," he whispered.

"Are you saying that as a surfer or overprotective dad right now?" He huffed.

"It's impossible for me to be overprotective at this point. She was kidnapped by pirates, remember?"

"You can't use that every time you go all helicopter dad. Besides, you were both kidnapped by pirates."

"Semantics."

"She's got it," assured Kate as she watched Gracie ride a wave. She hesitated for a moment and Kate could sense her nerves by the way she was standing on the board, but she attempted the move anyways. Kate and Jesse cheered as she successfully executed the maneuver before falling into the water. Kate laughed when Jesse high-fived her.

"She did it," he exclaimed.

"I told you."

"Yeah, yeah, no one likes a know-it-all," he teased as he clapped for his daughter. Gracie grabbed her board and swam to shore before happily running over to them.

"Did you see that?! I totally nailed it," she laughed as she hugged Kate. Jesse chuckled at her exuberance.

"Well, you didn't totally nail it. You fell at the end, but…." Jesse trailed off as Gracie and Kate arched an eyebrow at him in challenge. He gulped.

"Right, semantics. And don't teach her that, Kate, jeez. The last thing I need is my teenage daughter giving me Whistler Interrogation stares," said Jesse. Kate gave Gracie a wink.

"She knows how to use her power for good and not evil. Alright, I need to get home, but same time next week?" asked Kate.

"For sure," said Gracie.

"Great, Jesse, see you at work tomorrow," said Kate as she grabbed her surfboard and towel.

"Thanks for making time. I know you and Luce are still getting settled," said Jesse.

"Thanks for helping us move her stuff in. I never realized just how much stuff she actually has."

"Any time, see you tomorrow," said Jesse. Kate gave Gracie one last hug before heading up the beach and to her car. By the time she got on the road and headed to her apartment, all she could think about was how it was no longer just her apartment. It was her and Lucy's apartment. The whole team helped Kate and Lucy move Lucy's things into the apartment after the two decided to move in together. It was a long time coming in some ways. Lucy practically had lived there for months, but both wanted to take things slow and do things right after so many months of heartbreak and miscommunications. The official move-in made Kate reflective and all she could think about as of late was how far they had come.

That first weekend together felt like ages ago, a different lifetime, for Kate. Back then, she was in such denial about her feelings for Lucy. When she returned to D.C., still yearning to be back in Lucy's arms, she told herself it was just the holiday hangover and her wishing she had more time to relax. However, the ache of Lucy lingered well after that weekend ended and she was back to work. Returning to D.C. was hard for a lot of reasons and that trip made her realize her time there needed to come to an end. When relocating to Hawai'i became an option, she always hoped she would reconnect with Lucy at some point once she was settled, but never expected to see her in the NCIS bullpen.

She shook her head as she thought about how chaotic everything was that day. She went into the bullpen looking to meet Tennant for the first time and start off on the right foot as a liaison, but her plan was derailed when she saw Lucy leaning against her desk with her NCIS badge on her hip. It complicated things more than either wanted, but Kate also felt an added sense of dread. She was new to the islands, had no team or support system, and the DIA wasn't like NCIS. It wasn't about family or team comradery. It was about results, rules, chain of command, and protocols that were in place for reasons she believed in, but that often made her the bearer of bad news. Her position often made her the villain to the NCIS team and her feelings for Lucy were a conflict of interest she couldn't overlook for long. Whether she liked to admit it or not, their relationship did compromise her decision-making and she felt the inner conflict the most after she chose to send in FBI agents to assist the team. She didn't regret it, but knew if she wanted to stay close to Lucy, she would need to make yet another change to do so.

Looking back, the stress and the heartache that accompanied it seemed all worth it as she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building and headed up to their place. Lucy was sitting on the couch, sifting through channels, when she walked in. The way her girlfriend beamed up at her with the smile that always made her heart flutter had Kate ready to melt on the spot. Lucy giggled when Kate sat down beside her on the couch and showered her with kisses.

"Have a good surf with Jesse and Gracie?"

"Yep, Gracie finally landed it."

"That's awesome! I bet Jesse was a wreck the whole time."

"Start to finish, but she did really well. Kai is going to be so bummed when he finds out he missed it. She'll land it again, though. What are you up to? I figured you would be in bed, but judging by how amazing it smells in here, you've been cooking."

"I'm baking your favorite muffins."

"Blueberry muffins for me? What did I do to deserve such a welcome home?" Lucy crawled into her lap and gazed lovingly into her eyes.

"You made me feel at home too. I know we were both nervous about me moving in officially and how we would manage to both have our own space here, so I really appreciate that you did so much to make space for all my things and make sure I felt like this was home."

"This is your home, baby, and I love that you are finally, officially moved in." Lucy wrapped her arms around her and tenderly kissed her.

"Me too," said Lucy.

"You know, on the drive home, I was thinking about the first time we met and everything we went through to get to this point. I always knew I wanted this, I wanted us for the long run, but I never imagined it would be this amazing."

"I think about it sometimes too. When I saw you walk into that bar, I knew I needed to know more about you. I felt that pull so quickly. I felt it all weekend, like it was always more than a one-night stand."

"Leaving you was so hard to do, even back then," confessed Kate.

"I know. I remember being relieved when Jesse called when we were saying goodbye. I don't think I could've left without that reminder that I had somewhere to be. I already knew you were someone that meant something to me. And now, here we are, in our apartment and all I can think about is how much you mean to me, my love. I love you, Kate." Kate smiled adoringly at her girlfriend and sweetly kissed her.

"I love you too and I always will."

"Always, huh?" asked Lucy teasingly. Kate winked at her.

"Definitely," she assured.

"You hungry? The muffins should be done cooling. I tried to time it based on when you usually get back."

"A muffin sounds amazing."

"Good. Then I'll get you one and then maybe after, you'll want some company in the shower," she suggested with a seductive wink. She laughed when she tried to stand up, but Kate pulled her back into her lap.

"Or the muffin can wait and we can go celebrate moving in together properly," suggested Kate.

"Didn't we already do that all weekend?"

"Oh there's never enough celebrating that can be done for such a thing," assured Kate. Lucy nodded in agreement and helped her girlfriend to her feet as they headed for the shower. Kate sighed happily and nuzzled her girlfriend's neck. The Kate Whistler that walked into that bar was conflicted, closed-off, and had many reasons to not trust or open up, but the person she was now knew that Lucy would always be worth it. Their journey to one another was long, and at times felt unbearable, but it was all worth it to finally have everything they wanted together.

AN: The End. I don't know why, but it's always endearing to me to think of Kate being close with one of the kiddos of the team, either Julie or Gracie. I could totally see her being a great aunt and role model. I had fun exploring Kate's side of things. With the holiday season in full swing now, I hope you and yours are living your best lives. Cheers!