TWO NIGHTS, THREE DAYS
A/N: Hey y'all, just a quick update to tide us over until I either figure out the scene that has been eluding me or we get to episode 14!
Disclaimer: No profit has been made from the writing of this story, all characters belong to CBS and the creative geniuses behind NCIS: Hawai'i.
Please Don't Go Girl
"Lucy," Kate said from the center of the bed, her face contorted into a frown as she watched the brunette frantically gathering the clothes that she had haphazardly discarded throughout the room, "why are you in such a hurry?"
"I need enough time to shower," Lucy distractedly replied, disappearing from sight as she dropped to the floor.
"It's only three now," Kate supplied, looking at her watch with a questioning frown on her face, "what are you-"
"Found it!" Lucy exclaimed, standing triumphantly with her missing boot.
"Our reservation isn't until five," Kate continued, perplexed by the blur of motion that was Lucy rushing to get dressed.
"That barely gives me enough time to get home and back," Lucy responded, hopping into her jeans as her eyes darted frantically around the room.
"Home?"
"Yeah traffic is hell at this time on a Friday," she explained, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull on her socks and boots, "have you seen my keys?"
"Your keys?" Kate repeated, still confused by Lucy's sudden sense of urgency to leave.
"Yeah, I know I had them when we got here, I just can't-"
"Did I do something to offend you?"
"No," Lucy replied, tapping her chin in concentration as she frowned and asked, "what gave you that idea?"
"Seriously? Lucy, what would you think if I left you all alone and naked in the bed we'd just had earth-shattering sex in?"
"Earth-shattering, huh?" Lucy smirked.
"Lucy!" Kate clapped back, her exasperated tone snapping Lucy to attention and erasing the smirk from her face, "I'm serious. How would you feel?"
"Probably the way I felt when I woke up this morning and found you gone," the brunette childishly replied.
"You were sound asleep when I left!"
"And I was naked in your bed," Lucy pouted.
"So this is...payback?" A miffed Kate deduced.
"Oh god no," Lucy soothed, her tone exuding affection as she explained, "Kate, I've been wearing these jeans since Tuesday, and I'm pretty sure they're about to walk on their own. Plus," she grimaced, "I don't think I can take another minute in these panties."
"So don't wear them," Kate growled, reaching for the raven-haired beauty who swiftly slid onto the floor and out of her reach.
"No, no no, no no, no no," Lucy admonished as she turned away, her eyes needing to be anywhere but on the gorgeous temptation beckoning her back to the bed, "I need to not be wearing the same clothes I wore to breakfast when I go to dinner at the same restaurant. And you?" She implored, "You need to let me make that happen."
"Fine," Kate replied, "go. But know that I'm not happy about it."
"Well I wasn't happy when you left this morning," Lucy mumbled, "but did you hear me complaining?"
"Kind of hard to complain when you're unconscious," Kate grumbled.
"Kind of hard to go anywhere without my keys," Lucy grumbled right back, "seriously, do you know where they are?"
"On the floor by the door," Kate sighed, "you dropped them there when you pushed me up against it."
Lucy had the good grace to blush as she recalled the moment she'd dropped her keys, and when she bent to pick them up the sharp gasp from behind her had her stumbling into the previously mentioned door.
"See you at five?" she gulped, grateful for the interruption as the phone began to ring.
"Yeah," Kate grudgingly agreed, "see you at five."
The last thing Lucy heard was a distracted Kate saying, "Hello? Oh hey, I was going to call you..." as she answered the phone.
Reality Bites
"Kate?"
"Oh hey, I was going to call you-"
"Are we interrupting anything?"
The thick Irish brogue was soothing, but the hesitant hitch in the query had Kate assuring, "No, Lucy just left. What's up?"
"Why? Is everything ok? Did the wicked witch hunt you down before she took her disgusting self back to the mainland?"
Chuckling at the apt title for her soon to be former boss, Kate explained, "No, she didn't find us thanks to you and Chloe."
"So what happened?"
"Nothing happened," Whistler laughed, "Lucy just ran home to get some clothes."
"Damn Whistler, you held her hostage in that hotel room didn't you?" Siobhan hooted, leading to a sharp "Leave her alone!" and an audible struggle for the phone before Chloe's voice came across the line. "Hey Kate, what my tactless wife meant to say was that we are calling to see how you want to handle checkout tomorrow. Do you think we need to do it in person?"
"Damn, I hadn't thought that far ahead when I came up with this idea, and I certainly hadn't expected to meet anyone who would complicate the situation. To be honest, I haven't thought of anything past dinner tonight, but I - wait, did Lena already leave?"
"Yep, she hopped on her broom and headed out this morning," Chloe replied, "I was sitting in the lobby cooling down from my morning run when she and her overabundance of luggage checked out. The way she tosses around her credentials is nauseating, FYI."
"I bet," Kate replied, "she's as vile a human as I've ever met. Let me make some calls," she said, inspiration striking, "now that she's gone I really don't care if anyone back home knows where I am, so I can reach out to my office and have them handle everything. If my plan works neither of us will have to go anywhere."
"My God Kate Whistler, I think I just fell even a little more in love with you," Chloe gushed, "not only are we forever in your debt for the gift of this luxurious hotel room, but now you're going to save us the trouble of driving over there on our last day? You really are incredible."
"It's the least I can do to thank you for taking a chance on an eavesdropping stranger," Kate replied, "and for giving me the gift of the first real vacation I've taken since I was a child."
"And for all of the mind blowing sexy times with your island girl!" Siobhan howled in the background, causing Kate to blush and admit, "And for that. I hate to admit it, but I only ever meet women at work, and they're all the same. But Lucy? She's so different from anyone in my world. She's so, so..." Kate struggled to find the right word to describe the intoxicating brunette and realized it didn't exist, she simply defied convention and no label fit quite right.
"Hot? Sexy? Jumpable?" Siobhan, who had pressed her cheek against her wife's to listen in, suggested.
"Yes to all of that," Kate replied, "but so much more. She has this way about her that makes even the most ordinary, mundane things seem extraordinary."
"God you've got it bad," Chloe chuckled, "but if I'm being honest, I think she's got it worse."
"Oh yeah?" A surprised Kate asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Let's just say that I'm glad you answered the phone this time instead of her."
Laughing out loud, Kate admitted, "Yeah, Lucy was not happy about that call. I believe that discussion was our first fight. But," she continued, "now she knows that you two are newlyweds and just doing me a favor, so we're good."
"Awww, their first fight," Siobhan cooed, and as Kate tried to explain that it wasn't really a fight the newlyweds exchanged knowing looks.
"I hate to be the one to shatter your little bubble," Chloe said, "but you are clearly in love with your island girl, and she has a wicked jealous streak that tells me she's fallen for you too."
"We can't be in love, we just met," Kate argued.
"When you know, you know," Chloe replied with a snort of derision, "and if you had heard her on that call you'd know it too."
"No, she didn't like that call. But," Kate lied, "I don't think she was jealous. She had just come off of a seventy-two hour shift when we met and the phone woke her up so I think the irritation was just sleep-deprivation. Which reminds me," Kate said as she pulled out her burner phone and looked in her info for the number, "I want to give you my cell so we can text and avoid any more ill-timed phone calls."
Supplying Chloe with the prepaid cell number, Kate created a contact for her from the "Hi it's us" text the blonde sent. She then called her office, had her assistant make the arrangements to settle up the bill at the Ritz, and called downstairs to extend her checkout to four o'clock the following day.
Sending a text confirming the details, Kate frowned as she noticed the time. At this time tomorrow I'll be waiting for my ride. Sighing as she pushed that detail to the back of her mind for now, she headed into the bathroom to get showered and dressed for dinner.
Say Yes To The Dress
The short yet time consuming drive home had Lucy cursing her stupid idea about impressing Kate at the restaurant, though her entire reason for leaving hadn't been just to find something clean and a little more formal to wear. Lucy knew that she sometimes made rash decisions, sometimes got so caught up in what she thought she wanted that she went into new situations with blinders on. She needed a few hours to herself to reset, to cleanse herself of the all-consuming presence of the other woman and to regain her sense of self outside of the sexually charged atmosphere they were currently immersed in. Yes, the sex was amazing. Earth-shattering, no doubt. But was it really that good, or was the idea of the illicit dalliance what fueled the passion? She's leaving tomorrow, does it really matter? She really didn't want to waste a single second of her time with Kate, but she also knew that she needed some distance in order to prepare herself to let go when the time came. Plus the properly groomed debutante inside of her really wanted the chance to show the blonde that she could do sexy too.
Rationally, she knew that Kate didn't care what she was wearing, or how long she had been wearing it. Irrationally, she had been wearing the same clothes for four days and felt gross, although the new top from Kate had stalled the inevitable. A huge, goofy smile was on her face as she thought about the blonde's spontaneous purchase. Smart, sexy and thoughtful, she really is the total package. What the hell does she see in me?
Sighing as she pulled into her parking spot, she considered the life that she had been living since she'd been on the island, and wondered for the millionth time if this was where she was meant to be. Choosing to live on an island when you have a deep and abiding fear of the water? Dumb. Choosing to work for the Navy on said island, where your everyday life involves almost constant proximity to that vast and endless ocean? Even dumber. But the job was what she had trained for, the location was far from the clutches of her wealthy and controlling parents, and when she had accepted the temporary assignment she hadn't anticipated that the move would give her such a sense of autonomy and freedom.
Truth be told she liked her job, respected her boss and felt like a part of the team, but was still unsure of her place in the grand scheme of things. Tennant's recent message had bolstered her confidence in the possible permanence of this assignment, but she was still the new girl and as a Junior Special Agent could be reassigned to any city in the world with a U.S. naval base. Despite her almost crippling thalassophobia she knew that she wanted to stay in Hawaii, but her confidence was shaken by the fact that her boss had just fired an agent who had worked closely with her for a very long time. What had Jim Carter done? What was so unforgivable that Jane Tennant, possibly the most fair and supportive mentor she had ever known, felt the only choice was to fire him? She was sure that Agent Boone knew the answer, he was a permanent member of the squad and Tennant's right hand, but he wasn't talking. So Lucy was left to guess whether Tennant would be filling one position or two next week, though she had seen the list of candidates and the sheer volume led her to believe that it was definitely two. Would she be asked to interview? Would she be told that they no longer needed her, they had found a permanent replacement for Carter? Would her time in Hawaii end?
All of this was weighing on her mind as she climbed the stairs to her modest apartment, where she was grateful to see that her chatty neighbor was nowhere in sight. He was a sweet old man, but his penchant for story telling often resulted in her being late for wherever she was going when he caught her passing by. She swiftly slid the key into the lock, smiling as she reflected on everything that had transpired since the last time she had been home.
Home.
Home wasn't this place, this fully furnished apartment that she had rented for a week that had turned into a month, then six months, with the decision looming of committing to a full year. Home was an obnoxious, sprawling estate, a massive wing in a massive mansion that wasn't large enough to allow her to breathe freely. When this opportunity had come her way she had packed a bag and hopped on the next flight to Honolulu, never looking back and never regretting the impulsive decision to flee the prison of her life of privilege. She hadn't really accumulated much in the time she had been living on the island, her mindset being that this was more a long term work trip than an actual relocation for a job. There were no personal touches in the apartment, no pictures on the walls and nothing concrete to indicate that somebody actually lived here. Truth be told her future was uncertain, there was no guarantee that this was anything more than a training course that was about to end and as such she had done nothing to try to make an actual home out of the rental.
Sighing as she headed into the bathroom and turned the shower on, she contemplated what she was going to wear to justify skipping out on the extra hour of naked memory making she could have had if she'd simply stayed put. Once she was showered and felt more human she headed for the closet, boldly selecting a white sheath minidress that she only owned because her sister had sent it as a birthday gift. Of course her mother had sent along a ridiculously overpriced pair of stilettos and a clutch to match, and she rolled her eyes as she thought about how thrilled they would be to know that she was finally going to wear the entire outfit tonight. She wasn't one to wear a dress, pretty much ever, and her meddling, manipulative, controlling family knew that. But they would never stop trying to tell her what to do, what to wear or who to love, so the idea of actually putting on a dress felt like a betrayal of her true self almost one hundred percent of the time. But for Kate? She would. She knew how good she looked in the perfectly tailored cool white mini, how the custom made lines expertly hugged every curve of her body, and how her ass popped in the heels. The fact that their height difference wouldn't be so extreme was an added bonus, and she hoped that Kate was sticking with the flat heelless sandals she'd been favoring since they'd met.
Kate.
Standing in front of the mirror as she brushed and dried her hair, she considered the whirlwind romance and tried to make sense of all that had happened in just twenty-four hours. Kate had dropped into her world like a wrecking ball, easily tearing down all of her defenses with just a smile. The woman was like a drug, a delicious addiction that she would willingly trade her soul to get another hit of, and she got the impression that the blonde felt exactly the same about her. That smile, so wide and so genuine that it took her breath away, was permanently imbedded in her brain. When Kate looked at her she felt bare, exposed, desired on a level she had never known. Every time she caught the blonde looking at her and their eyes met, Kate made the most adorable little sound, her smile almost embarrassed as she inhaled a sharp and shaky breath. She was remarkably sexy, breathtakingly stunning, and quite honestly the most irresistibly charming person Lucy had ever met. The fact that there was no commitment, no chance of a future and no expectation beyond mind blowing sex somehow made the weekend dalliance even hotter, and she knew that as long as she lived she would probably never experience the kind of all-consuming passion she was reveling in right now.
Except that right now she was alone in her home and Kate was too far away, and if she let herself dwell on the obvious it would be a wee bit terrifying that she was so fiercely in need of the woman's presence after such a short time together.
Cursing the fact that they hadn't exchanged numbers so that she could at least hear the sound of her voice, Lucy mentally kicked herself for being so damn needy. Packing some fresh clothes into the only bag she owned that didn't have NCIS emblazoned on it, Lucy pulled on the dress, slipped on the shoes and stuffed the clutch inside the backpack, then hurried to get back to the hotel on time.
Traffic wasn't as bad going back, and Lucy triumphantly arrived with fifteen minutes to spare. Finding a parking spot was tricky since the restaurant was preparing to open to the Friday night dinner crowd, but she was lucky to find a space that had just been vacated by a family who had obviously just parked there to spend the day on the beach. Slinging her bag over a shoulder and locking the car, she decided to have one of the hotel staff deliver it to the room along with a message for Kate to meet her in the hotel bar. Smiling as she considered what to write, she recalled the note that had kept her from bolting that morning, and with an adorable lip bite she scribbled on the hotel stationery that the front desk worker had provided.
Trying very hard not to squirm in discomfort as she sat at the bar and waited, the brunette was beginning to feel foolish for selecting the uncharacteristic clothing choice. Did she notice the way people were looking at her? Sure. Did she know that her sister was absolutely right about the way the fit accentuated her assets? Of course she did. But she also didn't like feeling like she was on display and honestly wished she had a jacket on over top of it. Or her shorts from her cheerleading days on underneath it. Or a pair of underwear. Why didn't I wear underwear?
Pour Me Something Tall And Strong
"Can I buy you a drink?"
Oh god, really? Smiling at the man who had slid onto the stool beside her, Lucy replied, "Thanks, but I'm actually waiting for someone."
"I'm someone," he said with a bit of a drawl, "and if I do say so myself, you look like my future wife."
"Does that actually work?" she challenged, sizing up the burly cowboy as she eyed him suspiciously.
"Not yet," he laughed, "but someday it'll make a great story for our kids! My name's Colton," he added with a charismatic smile, "and you are?"
"Not having your children," she said with an exaggerated eye roll.
"You're awful quick to deny the future world the opportunity to meet the genetically superior humans we would produce," he chuckled, "can't you just picture those eyes and those legs combined with all of this strapping good-looking charm?"
"Eww, no," she flatly stated, swiveling her chair so that her back was to the obnoxious stranger.
"Ouch," he replied, "I didn't mean to offend you miss, and I really would like to buy you that drink."
"Well it's the least you can do after coming over here being all boorish and all," she grumbled.
"Good word," he laughed as the bartender asked for their order, "I deserved that."
"You did," she agreed, then to the bartender replied, "mai tai please."
"So," Colton asked as they waited for their drinks, "would you be willing to keep a boorish old cowboy company until our parties arrive?"
"Oklahoma?" she asked, detecting the slight variant in the dialect.
"Born and raised," he replied, smiling proudly.
"Well then, cheers," she drawled as she raised the glass the bartender slid in front of her, "always happy to take money from an Okie."
"You're from Texas," he grimaced, clutching his heart as though he'd been shot.
"I am," she beamed, flashing the extended pinky and index fingers gesture that was widely known as the symbol of the University of Texas.
"Ugh, and a Longhorns fan?"
"Yep," she grinned.
"Such a shame," he lamented, "we could have been so good together."
"Yeah that wasn't going to happen," she smirked, "because I happen to be very, very taken."
"Well when your young man gets here we can talk football conversion therapy," he said with a good-natured chuckle, "and maybe school him on why he should never leave a pretty lady with questionable football loyalties alone at a bar."
"Longhorns rule, Sooners drool," she said with a playful slap on his shoulder, not bothering to correct his assumption that she was waiting on a man.
"Did somebody say Longhorns rule?"
"This dang Texan here," Colton laughed, pointing to Lucy. "This is Jack, and that hapless sack over there is Pablo. Guys, meet - ?"
"Tara," she supplied.
"Texas Tara," he guffawed, "she's clueless about football, drop dead gorgeous, and very, very taken."
"Clueless?" Lucy growled as she pivoted, "let me school y'all on clueless..."
And that's how a dressed to kill Lucy ended up in a heated debate about college football with a tiny crowd of Sooners fans, a friendly group who were on the island for business and were a welcome distraction that helped to dispel her nerves while she waited for Kate to appear.
"So," Lucy smirked, laughing as Colton's friends goaded each other to approach the attractive women entering the bar, "how does this little game of y'all's work?"
"Generally one of us spots a woman that is way, way out of our league. The hotter the woman the higher the stakes," he explained.
"Gross," she grimaced.
"Hey we're not proud, it's just the way the game is played. We usually get shot down," he admitted, "and sometimes we end up making friends, like we did with you, but normally it's just a good laugh and a little money exchanging hands. To be more accurate, I usually take a nice chunk of Jack's money, but Jack always wipes the floor with Pablo."
"So how much did I just cost you?" Lucy asked, backing Colton into a metaphorical corner.
"He lost fifty bucks," Pablo laughed.
"And if I had said yes?"
"He would've made a hundred," Jack winked, "but since you shot him down Pablo and I each got twenty-five."
Two Worlds Collide
Standing in front of the mirror, Kate held up a white blouse, shook her head in disgust and tossed it onto the chair beside her. She was absolutely certain that nothing she had in her suitcase was suitable for dinner, and she rolled her eyes in despair as she considered what Lucy might show up wearing and wished she could just call her and ask for some input. Cursing as she stared loathingly at the almost completely packed suitcase, she finally decided to wear the more formal of the two dresses she'd added on a whim the night before she'd left home. Reaching for the heels she'd brought just for this outfit, she hesitated when she considered the rather large height difference between herself and Lucy, then ultimately decided to wear something with much less heel. Pulling the sandals out from underneath the bench, she felt a surge of anticipation as the sharp rap of a triple knock sounded from the hotel door.
Lucy.
Rushing to fling the door open, she was stunned into silence by the uniformed Hawaiian she found where she'd expected to see Lucy standing in the hallway. While she had been alone she had rehearsed at least a dozen scenarios in her mind, none of which included a knock on the door with a backpack and a note delivered by a beaming bellhop. "Thank you," she had told the smiling man as he set Lucy's bag down on the bench inside the door, then produced the note from inside his jacket pocket. Reaching for her wallet, she was surprised when he stated, "Your wife already gave me a very generous tip ma'am, and I wouldn't feel right taking any more."
"That woman," she began, the immediate urge to correct his assumption dying on her lips, "always thinks of everything." The smile on her face was enormous as she walked him to the door, her curiosity piqued when he observed, "She is, indeed, quite a woman. If I were you, I wouldn't leave her waiting too long."
Intrigued and charmed by the handwritten note, Kate's stomach did flip flops as she hastily pulled her sandals on and rushed to meet Lucy in the bar. Even her handwriting is beautiful. What the hell did he mean by don't leave her alone too long? The bellhop's words were taunting her as she rode the elevator to the lobby, her anticipation going up as the lift went down. Your wife. Almost two hours had passed since the frustratingly determined brunette had left her alone in the room, and for at least the first hour she had been overthinking the reasons why Lucy had made the trip alone instead of simply stopping by to pick up the overnight bag on their way back to the hotel that afternoon. She vacillated between desolation and anger before finally realizing that this was a fling, so whatever reasons Lucy had for making the trip solo were actually none of her business. If Lucy were married, living with someone or simply on the rocks with whoever it was that shared her everyday life, she would never know. She didn't even want to, because the truth never failed to break her heart. We're just having fun here, remember? Sweet, sexy, mind-blowingly good fun. Be cool Whistler, by this time tomorrow this will be nothing but a memory.
Head up and shoulders squared as she marched into the bar, Kate was the picture of confidence. That confidence soon began to crumble as her eyes darted around the room looking for the brunette, and she panicked wondering what the bellhop had seen that had prompted his warning to not leave Lucy alone for too long. Did he see her talking to somebody? Did she seem interested? Did she leave? Not for the first time that day Kate cursed the fact that they hadn't exchanged numbers, because a simple hey I'm here text would have prevented this awkward freak out from happening. Deciding to check the restroom, Kate took two steps before hearing that adorable drawl floating across the room, apparently emanating from inside a small crowd of men who were animatedly arguing college football while clearly vying for the charming Texan's attention. Pivoting, Kate glared warningly at the men crowded around Lucy, her eyes boring into the one who had his arm casually slung across the back of her chair.
Completely misinterpreting the blonde's intent Jack started slapping Pablo, who did a double take as he looked in the direction that Jack was staring. "Here comes my future wife," Colton announced, standing as he turned to look at the woman his friends were freaking out over. "My god, she's gorgeous."
"Wow, y'all are fickle," Lucy laughed, "just a minute ago I was your future wife."
"Apologies, pretty lady, but that was before I knew you were from Texas."
"I don't mind the Texas handicap," Jack grinned, his arm across the back of her chair as he added, "as long as we can raise the kids to be Sooners."
"Y'all are too sweet, even if you are Okies," Lucy said, laughing out loud as she watched the trio jockey for position when Pablo excitedly gasped, "Holy shit she's coming this way!"
~e ho'omau 'ia~