Six Months, Two States
Disclaimer: The characters belong to the brilliant creative team of NCIS: Hawaii and no profit has been made from this story.
A/N: Hey y'all, how's it going out there? Hopefully Two Nights, Three Days helped everyone navigate the writer's strike induced Kacy drought, and now that season three is under way and the adorable duo is back on our screens I figured it's as good a time as any for a sequel! Sit back, relax, pour a glass of quality pinot (or grab a beer!) and get ready for the next story...
Now Boarding
She knew it was silly, ridiculous, the stuff of Hollywood rom coms that never really happened to anyone anywhere, but for the first time in her life Katherine Marie Whistler actually allowed hope, the most terrifying thing in existence, to take hold of her better judgement. After Lucy had said goodbye and the door had shut behind her Kate had jumped at every sound that came from the hallway, convinced that it was the brunette returning. She had stood in the center of that room and stared at the door, her eyes bouncing around the space looking for a safe place to land and realizing that no matter where she looked she would see a memory of the most amazing woman she had ever met. Going out onto the balcony didn't help, as it evoked sexy memories of sunglasses and white shirts and fireworks that had nothing to do with the display visible from the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Unable to bear sitting in that room alone for another minute she had grabbed her luggage and exited the suite and headed for the lobby.
Even as she sat and sipped on a glass of pinot her head had been on a swivel, her eyes in constant motion around the brightly appointed pastel splashed space while she did her best to manifest the sweet, sexy brunette. Even when her car arrived she was still in a state of denial, and she took her time moving from the hotel bar to the interior of the vehicle that would carry her away from the place where she had found more happiness in just a few days than she had experienced in her entire adult life.
Due to her government credentialed pre-check status her movement from baggage counter to gate was relatively quick, thus affording her a good hour before it was time to start boarding. At first she was restless, which a quick trip for coffee, a bathroom break and a few peeks into souvenir shops seemed to cure. She opted to ship a few bags of coffee home, grinning widely as she thought about the case of Pinot she'd already shipped and imagined the stack of packages that would most likely be waiting for her at home. On impulse she added a "Surf Waikiki" hat and hoodie to her purchases, thinking that for all of the time she'd spent on the island that it was surprising that she had nothing but perishables to show for it. The hoodie she tied around her waist, knowing that eventually she would be in a much cooler climate than the one she was currently dressed for, but the hat went into her carry on for now. As she thumbed through itunes and built her playlist, she considered how much had changed over the course of the last week. Even the phone in her hand was different from the one she had carried onto the island, and it seemed like a fitting metaphor for her life: out with the old, in with the new. Yes, she could have simply logged in with her Apple ID and had all of her content magically at her fingertips, but there was something so completely freeing about keeping this part of the island experience separate from who she really was that she chose not to. And yes, she still had her core list of songs that were no doubt going to be in her library, but now there were others that she wouldn't have considered before Oahu. Smiling at the attached memories she added "Dandelions", "Shut Up And Dance" and "Cowboy" to the "2 nights 3 days" playlist she had created.
As she sat in that Honolulu airport and watched the clock tick down to the very last second and heard the "final boarding call for flight 5853 to Dallas" she knew that she had been a fool to entertain the hope that somehow, some way Lucy would appear to issue one final, magical in person goodbye. How would she even find you, you genius? All she knows is that you are Kate and you're from DC. You didn't give her your flight number, or gate, or anything at all that would help the average human find a person at an airport. She's not you, she doesn't have your resources. Sighing in defeat, the blonde stood and made one more cursory glance around the gate, then reluctantly headed for the podium to scan her boarding pass and truly begin the inevitable journey home.
Once she had stowed her carry on and taken her seat Kate realized how very tired she was from the rather vigorous workout she'd had that day, and the smile that broke out on her face as she recalled exactly what had worn her out was absolutely infectious. The flight attendant who had been doing seat belt checks in her row smiled in response, commenting, "Most people smile like that on the flight in, not the flight out."
"Those people," Kate softly replied, yawning as she finished the sentence, "did not have the morning I had."
"Well then," the attendant replied as Kate tried to stifle her yawn, "did you want me to grab you a blanket and a pillow?"
"That would be great," Kate admitted, "thank you." As she settled in for the very long flight, she considered how lucky she was to be able to fly first class. She could only imagine how miserable she would have been if her very long limbed self had to cram into an economy row, and she chuckled as she realized that if she were the one footing the bill that she most likely would, indeed, be in one of those very cramped seats. And you'd do it with a smile on your face if you knew Lucy was waiting on the other end of that flight. Shaking her head as if to dispel the thought, she wondered if there would ever be another moment in her life that wouldn't involve thoughts of the sexy, sassy, captivating brunette.
"Aloha and good morning," came the captain's voice over the intercom, "welcome to flight 5853..."
Inserting her AirPods, Kate tuned out the rest of the world as Adele's voice filled her head. When the plane rose into the air she looked longingly at the breathtaking views of the island that had stolen her heart, and she smiled as she recognized Diamond Head. So the hotel would be right about there. And down there would be where the fireworks went off, and over there is where I went surfing. Pressing her forehead to the window, Kate watched as the island grew smaller and smaller until there was nothing left. Pulling the blanket up to her chin and reclining her seat, she tucked the pillow into the hollow between her neck and shoulder and was soon fast asleep.
Put Me In Coach
"Sorry to ruin your Saturday afternoon," NCIS Special Agent In Charge Jane Tennant said as Lucy entered the bullpen, "but we've got an injured sailor and an active shooter on the loose. I didn't want to call you, but with Carter gone and our fourth not hired yet it's-"
"All hands on deck," Lucy finished, "got it."
"I uh," Tennant paused as she scrutinized the junior agent, "I hope we didn't interrupt anything?"
"No," Lucy sighed, "I was just- " ending the most perfect three days of my life? Leaving my heart in a hotel in Waikiki? Saying goodbye to the most amazing woman I've ever met? "-it's not important," she blurted, though her averted eyes and downcast demeanor relayed the message that whatever it was it had, indeed, been important. "Tell me what we've got."
Tennant and her second in command Jesse Boone exchanged worried glances, both thinking that their usually cheery, scrappy junior agent seemed to have vanished and been replaced by this sullen, distracted shell of the person that they had come to know over the past few months. Though she hadn't shared it with Jesse, Jane knew that Lucy had been in DIA Officer Whistler's hotel room, and she also knew that Whistler was flying out today. How did you meet her? Is there a history, or was it by chance? Do you even know who she really is? Does she know who you really are?
"Our suspect was last spotted heading into the library at U.H.," Tennant explained, deciding to give the despondent brunette the escapism of focusing on work, "and we need to send in an agent that will blend in on a college campus. Here's what you need to do..."
After the briefing Lucy disappeared to change her clothes, and Tennant pulled Jesse into her office. "I'm not sure exactly what we interrupted," she began, thinking that it really wasn't her place to expose who and what she was pretty sure Agent Tara had been doing, "but does she seem off to you?"
"She does," Jesse admitted, "it's like her body is here but her mind is somewhere else. Do you think something happened? Should we ask her about it?"
"Only if she brings it up," Jane decided, "but keep a close eye on her. I have a feeling she met someone and we put a damper on her plans, but-"
"Duty calls," Jesse finished, "it just sucks that of all the weekends we had to call her in, it had to be the first one she might have actually decided to leave her apartment."
"And not end up at your house," Tennant added.
"Touche'," he replied, "don't get me wrong we love having her, but Heather and I both agree that someone hurt her terribly before she got here. I honestly think that's why she took this job, to get as far away as she could from whoever it was that did that damage."
"Has she opened up at all about her past?" Jane inquired.
"Not at all," he admitted, "she doesn't like to talk about home or her family, and she never, ever talks about dating or having been in a relationship."
"Okay well, whatever it was that we interrupted," Tennant sighed, "it seems to have sent her right back into that despondent state that she was in when she first got here. Maybe just try to get her talking about what's going on? And make it clear that it's okay to back out if she needs to, we can find another way."
"I'll do my best," he replied, "but you know Lucy."
"She's a tough one," Jane admitted, "but we need her head in the game. I can do it if you'd rather-"
"NO, it should be me," he interjected, "sorry boss, but I think she's still too new and intimidated by you."
"Exactly what I was thinking," she replied as she pulled open the office door and gestured for him to walk through it, "but please make it clear that if her concentration isn't fully on this mission that she does not need to go out there. Even if she insists and you think she can't handle it, I need you to make the call and we will adjust."
This wasn't the first conversation like this that they'd had about the junior agent, who had been living a very sheltered existence since she had come to the island. Tennant had hand picked her from all of the applicants who had put in for the position on her newly expanded team, but as the days turned into weeks and weeks into months she had begun to doubt the younger woman's future in Hawaii. It wasn't a work ethic issue, Lucy's performance was solid, it was about the lack of a work/life balance. Jane knew, perhaps better than anyone, how important it was to have something worth going home to, but when she had discovered Lucy's fear of the water and found out that the only thing she did in her free time was watch tv and go to the gym she wondered if maybe Lucy wouldn't be better off somewhere on the mainland. Her concerns had started to ease when Jesse had invited Lucy into his family, and when it was obvious that Lucy was great with children and truly happy in the family setting Jane had decided to host monthly dinners at her home in order to give the young agent a sense of belonging.
Jane's research when she had been developing her team had revealed that Lucy was a multi-talented, solidly performing cadet who had scored in the top ten percent of her training class, though she had struggled with but ultimately passed her water training at FLETC. The fact that the young woman had pushed through all obstacles that stood between her and her goal of becoming a federal law enforcement officer impressed the SAC, as well as how she had never, ever used her family's immense wealth or influence to further her career or take the easy way out. The total lack of name dropping or purse string pulling showed character, class and integrity, and those were the traits that Jane found to be the most important in her history of deep cover ops in the CIA. It was also pretty clear that Lucy's family was not happy with her chosen career, and Tennant was certain that they saw her choice of career and relocation as a simple act of rebellion. Once Lucy was on the island and they had started to get to know her, Tennant and her second in command had simultaneously come to the conclusion that if the young agent were going to thrive that she was going to need Ohana, so they deployed Jake and Julie to make it impossible for her to avoid participating in their extended family functions. It had taken a little while but Lucy eventually started to transform into the sassy, scrappy young woman that they now knew and loved, which made today's setback all the more troubling.
As Lucy entered the bullpen in a U.H. logo tee shirt and ripped jeans with her wild shock of thick, black hair pulled up into a sensible ponytail Jesse observed, "Okay Luce, that'll do." Putting on a U.H. ball cap as he realized how really, really young she looked in the disguise, he looked at Tennant and said, "We'll see you there," then to Lucy added, "okay kid, let's roll."
The ride to the campus was blessedly quiet, with Lucy lost in thoughts of warm, sun-kissed skin, saltwater kisses and the softest lips that had ever touched her body. Pulling out her phone, she frowned as she realized that there wasn't a single shred of evidence of her time with the stunning blonde, then smiled as Jesse turned on the radio and the sound of Luke Bryan's voice filled the silence of the cabin.
"There's that smile," Jesse noted as he steered the van through the quad, "I was wondering where it went."
Cocking her head, Lucy gave him a side-eyed glare in response. Jesus Lucy, pull it together. It's over, she's gone, time to move on.
"I'm just saying that's the first real smile I've seen from you all day," Jesse observed as he parked the van, "everything okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine, Jesse," she lied, and he knew simply by the amount of pauses between her words that she wasn't telling him the truth. Oh man, she's got it bad. But for who?
Trying for nonchalance but failing miserably Lucy asked, "Do we have a way to track flights in the air?"
Really Luce, you fell for a tourist? C'mon, you should know better than that. "If you have a flight number you can track it on the airline's mobile app," Jesse responded after a weighted pause, "you can just download it from the App Store."
"Yeah, I know about the app, but I meant, do we," she said, putting extra stress on the last word, "have a more accurate way to do it."
"Was there a specific flight you were searching for?" He asked, "If so, we could ask Ernie. He-"
"Never mind," Lucy interrupted, "it's not important."
"I know it's not my place to say it," he said, "but it seems like you've got something, or rather someone on your mind. Did you want to talk about it?"
"Are you asking me to talk about my personal life?" She asked, surprised that the question was coming from the guy who never asked those kinds of questions.
"I'd be happy to talk about criminals too," he replied, "but I'm getting the impression that something is bothering you, and when we're bothered we lose focus."
"Oh," She whispered, then taking a deep breath she explained, "I, I met someone. Recently. And she uhm, she's pretty amazing, but-"
"But this op interrupted your...date?" He guessed.
"No," she groused. "The truth is-" It interrupted her last hour here, on the island with me. And she just, left. And I know I didn't want to try to maintain a long distance relationship and I know that we said two nights three days, but dammit it wasn't enough. I really do think we were wrong and now it's too late. "-never mind," she deflected, defeat obvious in her tone.
"You could just reschedule?" He suggested, but he already knew that her inquiry about tracking flights meant that whoever it had been was gone.
"Not possible," she uttered in a pained whisper, the words barely intelligible but the emotion so clear in her tone that it was palpable, "she's gone."
"Sorry Luce," he offered, his tone warm and genuine as he gave her an empathetic smile.
"You didn't even bat an eye when I said she," the brunette quietly noted.
"Why would I?" He asked, but her comment answered what he already suspected about her family. Oh Lucy, you deserved better, no wonder you wanted to leave.
"Okay so anyhow," she brightly announced, and he was certain she was struggling not to cry, "how do I stay in contact out there? Do we have hand signals or?"
"We have comms," he said as he gestured to the back of the van, "let's get you mic'd up."
Climbing into the command center, he busied himself with setting up the surveillance equipment in order to give her a moment to compose herself. "This goes in your ear," he explained, handing her the earpiece when she climbed through the seats to join him, "then you just talk like normal and we'll hear you."
Once she had the device in place he said, "I'll be monitoring from here. I have access to all of the campus surveillance cameras," he explained, "so just do your best to stay in front of them." When he saw the brief flash of concern cross her features he went into dad mode, offering, "Look, I think he's just a scared kid who made a bad decision, and from the way he just barely clipped our sailor's shoulder I'm certain he doesn't have any experience shooting a gun. But right now he is armed, willing to use the weapon and desperate, and desperate people do stupid things. Remember your training, follow your instincts and you'll be fine."
"Right," Lucy agreed, "let's do this."
"Look Luce, if you're not up for this today we can find somebody else."
"Nope, I'm good."
"As far as we know he's still in the library," Jesse explained, "unless he snuck out before we had eyes on the place. Lucky us, it's a Saturday, so it's not very crowded. He was last seen in a green shirt and black shorts, but he could have stopped at the student store and bought a change of clothes. Tennant and Ernie are setting up across the quad right now, and they will be able to see and hear everything as well. We have snipers posted throughout the campus, with one ready at every entrance and exit between the library and the stadium, so all you have to do is go inside, establish visual contact, and assess the threat level. Got it?"
"Look but do not touch," she smirked with a sharp salute, "got it."
"Luce?"
"Yeah Jesse?"
"Be careful."
Lucy popped out of the back of the van and headed for the walking path to the library, where she knelt to tie her shoe as she scanned the quad. "Not too many students out and about today," she observed, touching her ear unconsciously as she adapted to the use of the very new to her in-ear communicator.
"Stop touching your ear when you talk," Jesse advised.
"Sorry," she responded, clearly embarrassed by the gaffe.
"And stop apologizing," he added, "the more you talk to me the more suspicious you look."
"Oh, that makes sense," she said with a nervous chuckle, "was there an alert sent out to clear the quad?"
"A mostly quiet alert was sent via text to the students and staff," Tennant answered, and Lucy mentally kicked herself for forgetting that her boss would be seeing and hearing every mistake she made.
"Okay well that explains it," Lucy replied, "let's hope everyone got the-"
"Got the what Lucy?" Jesse asked, but the junior agent was speechless as she stared at the tall blonde who had just crossed in front of her.
Kate? No way, not- Her thoughts were shattered by the sudden appearance of the shooter, and as he turned toward the blonde she could see in his expression that he knew that something was wrong. When his eyes registered her panicked expression something in him seemed to snap, and when he lunged in the direction of the statuesque blonde she noticed that the gun was sticking haphazardly out of the back of his waistband.
Tennant realized a moment too late that her fear of Lucy's personal life affecting her professional performance was dangerously accurate, and she cursed the fates when she noticed the striking resemblance between the woman who had her junior agent frozen in place and DIA Officer Whistler. "Lucy!" She shouted into the comm the moment she realized that the junior agent was about to throw herself between the woman and the shooter, "do not engage!"
"Don't do it Luce, there's still too many people around," Jesse warned, "too much chance for collateral damage if this goes -"
Apparently oblivious to the words in her ear she leapt into action, grabbing the gun and sweeping the perp's legs before he knew what hit him.
"-sideways," Jesse growled, bursting out of the back of the van.
"Got him!" Lucy proudly announced, though her confidence wavered the moment the much larger man lurched up with all of his weight behind it and scrambled to escape her grasp.
"Stay on the ground, federal agents!" Jesse shouted at the fugitive struggling to break free of Lucy's grip, and thankfully he obeyed the command.
"Well, that could have gone worse," Agent Boone commented as Tennant arrived, and Jane pointed to her ear and removed her communicator, indicating that he should follow suit. "That was bad," she stated, "we shouldn't have sent her in."
"Yeah," he admitted, "but we did. So, who's going tell her?"
Cocking her eyebrow as she glanced knowingly at him, she said, "I get to sit down with the Dean and conduct follow up interviews, which means-"
"That I get to have the tough talk with the junior agent," he sighed, "got it."
After handing off the cuffed suspect for transport Lucy, beaming with pride that she had captured him, noticed that Jesse looked annoyed. "We got him Jesse, why do you look so irritated?"
"That was a dangerous move that put innocent civilians at risk," he replied, "you should have let him go."
"I didn't have a choice, he was armed and about to grab a hostage," she argued.
"He wasn't about to grab anyone, he was going to run for cover. He was also standing in the crosshairs of a dozen snipers Luce," Jesse admonished, "who would have neutralized the threat if he'd reached for his weapon."
"Oh," she softly stated, her bowed head and slumped stature a physical cue that she was feeling like an idiot for almost blowing the op, "so much for my instincts."
Taking pity on the junior agent as he acknowledged the fact that they shouldn't have pushed the clearly distracted woman into this role today he offered, "To be fair, that student walking up was a wild card you couldn't have seen coming, she complicated things."
You have no idea how much. God, I gotta get her out of my head.
"Thank you," hit Lucy's ears, and as she raised her eyes she was met with sun bronzed skin, a smattering of freckles and big blue eyes. You are no Kate, though you do have the same blonde hair and endlessly long legs. "Yeah, you're welcome," a disappointed Lucy replied, and in that instant she felt like she'd lost Kate for the second time that day.
"Come on Lucy, let's get you back in time to pick Jake up," Jesse offered, "then, dinner at my house?"
Jake? Why is he talking about his son?
Seeing the confusion on her face Jesse added, "Pokémon hunting? When Tennant called he got mad, said this better not interfere with your very important plans."
Pokémon Go with Jake! Omg how could I forget? "Of course," Lucy drawled, "how could I possibly forget my very important plans with my favorite little guy?"
Welcome To Dallas
If she were one to believe in fate or signs or anything that couldn't be explained by science, Kate might have to admit that it was wholly ironic that her return flight had a stop in Texas as opposed to California. LAX had been a hectic, bustling mess of a stop, whereas Dallas was laid back, easy to navigate and afforded her enough time to find her gate, choose a restaurant and explore the various shops spread out across the massive mall type airport. As she wandered through the concourse her eye kept going to the various cowboy gear, hats and t shirts, and she turned bright red when she tried on one of the cowgirl hats in one of the shops as the song "Cowboy" came on the radio.
"Looks good," observed the shop clerk as she looked in the mirror, "can I wrap that up for you?"
"Thanks, but the whole cowboy look really isn't my thing," she admitted, "I was just having fun." We're just having fun here, right? "However," the blonde added as she placed the hat back on the rack and her eye was drawn to a t-shirt display, "I might be interested in one of these." As she approached the rack Kate's mind was filled with images of sweet, sexy Lucy flashing the hook 'em sign, and as she flicked through the college logo shirts she realized that she had no idea what college team the brunette had been referencing. "I'm actually looking for a gift for a friend," Kate explained, "and I know she's a Texas fan but I'm not quite sure what team? She uses this gesture," Kate smiled as she mimicked the hand gesture she'd seen Lucy use with Colton, "do you know which team that is?"
Smiling wisely, the clerk explained, "That would be the hook 'em sign, so the Longhorns."
Longhorn for life, that's right! "Yes that's it!" Kate exclaimed, "show me what you've got."
Twenty minutes later and Kate was sitting at her gate, the soft, distressed material of the newly acquired Longhorns shirt feeling like a delicious secret as she shoved the garment into her carry on. Smiling radiantly, she donned the very uncharacteristic "Surf Waikiki" ball cap that she hadn't been able to resist buying while she had been killing time in the Honolulu airport, and as she struggled with tucking her excessive amount of hair into the hat she realized that maybe a hat wasn't the greatest idea.
"Looks like baseball hats aren't your thing," came an amused voice from across the aisle, "can I, uh, give you a tip?"
Looking up, the blonde was properly chagrined as her eyes landed on a perfectly coiffed, ball cap sporting college aged girl wearing a Cowboys t-shirt. "Please," Kate laughed, "it seemed like a good idea at the time, but I honestly don't think I've ever worn a hat."
"The trick is to ponytail first, then thread your hair through the high X, here," the young girl pointed out on the hat that Kate had handed over, "or if you want a low ponytail, then you use the bottom X, here." "Thanks," Kate smiled as she took the hat back and reached into her bag for a hair tie, "I swear I don't know why I make these simple things so hard. I'm Kate," she added, "it's nice to meet you...?"
"Rachel," the young girl answered, "nice to meet you too. So, are you from Hawaii?"
"No, DC is home right now," she sighed, "I just finished a conference in Hawaii. You?"
"Home is Texas," the younger woman drawled, and Kate couldn't help but realize that the drawl wasn't nearly as sexy when it wasn't coming from Lucy's lips, "I'm actually on my way to DC for an internship. You just, you remind me of my aunt, and I kind of forgot my manners when I saw you struggling."
"It's ok, I actually kind of love that," Kate replied, "and I appreciate the help. Where's your internship?"
"Georgetown Law," Rachel replied, "it's my first time away from home and it's a six week term. I'm nervous," she admitted, "and when I'm nervous I calm myself by solving not so impossible problems like-"
"Like the case of the struggling hat lady?" Kate smirked, pointing to the hat that she had finally gotten on comfortably.
"Like that," Rachel laughed.
"Well me and my hat thank you," the blonde smiled, "and to repay your kindness, let a former DC lawyer give you a little advice..." They chatted amicably until it was time to board, and as Kate joined the first class patrons she handed the young girl a business card and said, "If you just stick with what I told you you'll be fine, but if you ever need a friend just go to this office and tell them Kate Whistler sent you."
"Thanks, I will," Rachel answered as she accepted the card, "safe travels Kate."
"Same to you," Kate smiled as she walked away, "and good luck in DC."
Kate knew that the longest part of the journey was over, and she marveled at the realization that she would probably never have had a conversation like the one she'd just had before she'd let herself become a more open individual on that island. Truth be told, the shift in her attitude and demeanor had started the moment she'd met Chloe and Siobhan in that food truck park, and she'd be forever grateful that her desperation to get away from the vile presence of her soon to be former boss Lena Van Horn had led her to approach the newlyweds. After convincing them that she wasn't crazy but completely serious about swapping her luxury hotel suite for their more modest, off the beaten path hotel room everything had changed...Island Kate was fun, spontaneous, made friends easily and knew how to have a good time. The free-spirited way she had attacked every day had been so uncharacteristic, so freeing, so impossibly perfect, and she knew it was only possible because she knew she'd never see any of those people ever again. As the plane rose into the air she felt compelled to look down, to wonder where in that vast space below her was the town that Lucy had grown up in. She chuckled as she imagined what the tiny Texan must have looked like as a child, her smile all encompassing as she considered how absolutely adorable the sassy spitfire must have been. When they rose high enough that all she could see were the clouds she glanced at her watch, and it dawned on her that she was suddenly just a few hours away from the home that she had no desire to return to. She didn't miss her townhouse or her office, nor did she miss anyone or anything associated with that life. Sure, it would be nice to sleep in her own bed tonight and have a lazy day at home before returning to work tomorrow, but it all felt empty now that she had experienced what true happiness felt like. Compartmentalize it Kate, just like Noah. Stick it in a box, label it "Lucy" and leave it in the past where it belongs. This is what you do, it's how you survive the losses.
Wheels Down
The sun was bright but the wind was chilly when Kate deplaned in DC, and she could literally, physically feel the depression setting in as she snuggled into the sweatshirt she'd pulled on during the flight and headed for baggage claim. It seemed as though something inside of her had shifted during the flight from Dallas to DC, and she realized that Work Whistler was now completely in charge as she rode the escalator and buried her face in her phone. Blessedly her luggage was one of the first on the belt, and she grabbed it without needing to engage in unnecessary small talk with the other passengers who seemed eager to regale anyone within earshot of the details of their flight. We were all on the same plane for god's sake, it was literally a three hour snooze.
Grateful that one of the perks of the government trip was knowing that a car would be waiting for her, she quickly exited the terminal and headed for the rendezvous point where her driver was patiently waiting to assist. With a tip of his hat he greeted her, then efficiently loaded her bags into the cargo area while she gratefully climbed into the back seat. It was early on a Sunday morning so traffic was light, and it seemed like it took just minutes to make the drive from airport to home. Upon arrival at her address the driver jumped out of the vehicle, opened her door, then busied himself with placing her luggage on the sidewalk.
Home sweet home, she thought as she looked up at her front door, right. She paused on the doorstep to glance inside the mailbox, and when she saw that it was empty she made a mental note to visit her neighbor and thank him for getting her mail, but she would save that for this evening after she'd had a few hours to decompress. Truth be told she was really looking forward to a long, hot shower to scrub herself of the grimy feeling she always had after a long day of travel, then a few hours of sleep in her luxurious, long enough to stretch completely out and not have any part of her body falling off the edge of it king size bed. Sure, she had slept on the plane, but she never really felt rested when her long limbed self had to sleep anywhere that she couldn't easily and comfortably sprawl out. Turning the key in the lock and pushing open the door, she smiled like a goofball as she considered how well she had been sleeping the past few days in spite of the fact that she'd had to curtail the sprawl in deference to five foot, three inches of sexy perfection.
"Welcome home beautiful," came a voice from the direction of the living room, "from that smile I'm guessing that you're as happy to be home as I am to have you back."
Smile disappearing as she noticed her mail on the table and the box containing her phone beside it, Kate growled, "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for my girlfriend, who I haven't seen or heard from in over a week, to come home," Cara snarled, then plastering a completely plastic smile on her face she sweetly cooed, "how was your flight?"
"Long, Cara, and you know how I feel about traveling all day, so could you please-"
"Join you in the shower and scrub your back? Maybe a nice, sexy massage to help you sleep?" the brunette purred, the look in her eye predatory as she approached the recoiling blonde.
God, what did I ever see in you? You disgust me, Kate thought as the shorter woman approached, and she shivered in revulsion at the thought of ever sleeping with this horrid human ever again. "You need to go," she ordered, her outstretched palm stopping the brunette from taking another step.
"What the hell happened to you on that island?!" Cara snapped, her tone venomous as she spouted, "What the fuck happened to holier than thou "I would never cheat on you" Whistler? The woman that left here would never have done a thing to hurt me, and she sure as hell never would have worn," she paused, looking Kate up and down with a disgusted sneer on her face, "that."
"It's comfortable," the blonde said defensively, "and aren't you always telling me to loosen up?"
"Loosen up? Yes," Cara snorted, "but I guess since you're such a perfectionist you had to even master the art of dressing like a slob. Is this look here to stay or...?" Cara questioned, venom dripping from every word.
"I haven't decided yet," Kate replied, and they both knew that she was lying.
"Well, whoever you became when you shipped this back in a box," the brunette accused as she flung the package at Kate, "I hope she was worth it."
"She's my new favorite person," Kate calmly replied as she recalled how much she loved who she had become on that island, "it's a shame you'll never get to meet her."
"Take a shower Kate, and get some rest," the brunette calmly responded, her tone chilling as she offered, "we'll talk tomorrow when you're thinking more clearly."
"Leave your key," Kate commanded as the deluded woman walked past her, and Cara just chuckled and ignored her as she walked out the door.
Ripping open the box as she thought, once again too late of the perfect reply, she plugged in the device and as soon as it powered on she typed out, Holier than thou Whistler finally had enough of always being the one getting hurt. Do you know why you've never met "Kate"? Because she deserves better than to be cheated on and lied to by the likes of you.
Unfortunately turning on that phone resulted in over a thousand texts and emails erupting in blips, beeps and swooshes, and when she realized that most of them were from people she had no desire to engage with until she was officially back on the clock she silenced notifications, threw the deadbolt lest Cara decided to return, then headed upstairs to take that very long, very hot shower and possibly, just maybe find a few hours of peace in a dreamless mid-afternoon nap.
Poke' Paths And Pizza Please
After her Pokemon' Go adventure with Jake, which had seen them bounce from The Polynesian Cultural Center to BYU to Pounders Beach, Lucy finally drew the line an hour in when he sweetly asked if they could go to Waikiki and "walk the Poke' Path" his friends had told him about that generally followed Ala Moana Boulevard. "I promised your dad we'd be back for dinner," Lucy explained, "we can save Waikiki for the next time bud, ok?"
"Okay," he had deflatedly agreed, "can we go tomorrow?"
"How about we make this our Saturday thing," she offered, smiling at the precocious little boy who had instantly made her feel like a part of Jesse's family, "but next week we'll go in the morning."
"Awesome!" He exclaimed with a vigorous fist pump, and his enthusiasm caused an enormous smile to break out on her face. Returning to the Boone residence, Lucy was surprised to find Jesse waiting on the porch. After Jake excitedly updated his oblivious father on the details of their successful hunt, Jesse instructed him to go inside and get washed up for dinner. Offering Lucy a beer as he gestured for her to join him on the porch swing, he exhaled loudly and asked, "Do you want to talk about what happened out there today?"
"Out where?" she replied, wondering where he thought this conversation was going.
"That student, the blonde," he observed, "she spooked you."
"She did," Lucy admitted, "I did not expect her to appear just as our guy came outside."
"But you didn't act, Luce, you reacted."
"I don't know what that means?" She admitted.
"It means that, if I didn't know any better, I would swear that you knew that woman. From the way you reacted," he expounded, "I would say you knew her well enough to trade your safety for hers."
"I didn't know her," Lucy quickly deflected. Too quickly.
"But you thought you did," he replied, "didn't you?"
"Guys, pizza's ready!" Heather's voice boomed from inside, and a grateful Lucy smiled as she rose and asked, "Did she make?"
"Heather's Secret Recipe Homemade Pizza," Jesse confirmed, "Lucy Tara Style." At Lucy's grateful smile he explained, "She heard you had a bad day, and you know how she is..."
After dinner the kids coerced Lucy into staying long enough for a movie, and halfway through The Fast and The Furious Six the combination of the long day, a full belly and several bottles of beer caught up with her, and by the time the kids were off to bed she was sound asleep on the couch. "Should we wake her?" Jesse whispered.
Knowing that the junior agent didn't work the next day his wife shook her head and gently covered the slumbering brunette with a blanket. "Let her sleep," Heather said, smiling softly as she took her husband's hand, "she needs to be with family tonight."
Smiling as his wife tugged him toward the stairs, Jesse admitted, "Yeah, I thought so too."
Six O'Clock Already I Was Just In The Middle Of A Dream
"What are you doing here? Did you follow me? Did you postpone your flight so we had time for a proper goodbye?" Lucy asked the stunning blonde who had appeared as if from nowhere between her and the U.H. library.
"Of course I postponed my flight, and I followed you from the hotel," Kate replied, "I can't leave you Lucy, don't you know that?"
"Kate you can't be here right now!" Lucy cried, her eyes going desperately back and forth between the face that she could never get tired of looking at and the twisted, sinister features of the armed killer who was rapidly approaching behind her.
"Lucy I-" Kate started, and her words were cut short by the gunshot that ripped through her chest.
"NOOOOO!" Lucy screamed, pulling her own gun and firing a dozen rounds into the murderer who had just shot the only person who had ever made her feel truly alive. Dropping to her knees as a disapproving Jesse and Tennant arrived, Lucy begged them to call an ambulance as she pulled Kate into her arms and struggled to stop the bleeding. "Don't leave me Kate, I just found you," she begged, "Kate-"
"Lucy, wake up," Jesse said, and she looked at him in disbelief as his words hit her ears and made no sense.
"She's dying Jesse, why won't you help me?"
"She who, Luce?"
"Kate! Jesse, can't you see the blood? He shot her! Where are the paramedics?" She implored, but Jesse and Tennant just continued to look at her with those disapproving glares. "We told you not to engage Agent Tara," Tennant tsked, "see what happens when you don't listen?"
"Please help," Lucy cried, sobbing as the life drained from the blonde's eyes, "why won't you help?"
"Lucy it's okay, you're just dreaming," Jesse soothed, his voice gentle as he urged, "you need to wake up now."
Another glance at the dying woman had Lucy realizing that something seemed off, why couldn't she feel anything but Jesse's hand on her shoulder? That didn't make any sense, unless-
"Lucy, you're having a bad dream," she heard, and her eyes snapped open as she realized it was daylight and she was on Jesse's couch and it really had been just a bad dream. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked sympathetically, his concern genuine as a strong arm gently wrapped around her shoulders. Embarrassed as she wondered if she'd been talking in her sleep, she looked skeptically at him and said, "Ahh, no, I should uhm, I should get going. Thanks for dinner," she offered, "and for always making me feel safe enough to pass out on your couch."
"Any time Luce," he smiled, "but are you sure you don't want to stick around for breakfast?"
"As tempting as that offer is," she admitted as she stood and went to pull on her shoes, "I lost quality laundry and cleaning time yesterday. If I don't get my butt home and get that going," she expounded, "I won't have anything to wear to work tomorrow. Thank Heather for me, and tell Jake I'll see him next week."
"Will do," he promised, wondering who in the hell Kate was as he added, "text me when you are safely home."
Climbing into her car, Lucy pulled on her sunglasses and sighed as she looked at her empty passenger seat and pictured the sexy blonde sitting beside her. It hadn't been so bad yesterday after she'd picked Jake up, and she was grateful that the little boy's excited chatter filled the silence and made it very hard to focus on anything other than his enthusiasm for their adventure. Silence sucks, I need some music. Turning on the radio, Lucy instantly regretted the choice as the sound of "Dandelions" flooded the cabin, and every station she tried seemed intent on assaulting her with memories of her time with the sexiest human she'd ever met. Snapping off the radio, she spent the rest of the brief ride home in silence. As she climbed the short flight of stairs to her apartment she was met at the top by her neighbor, who raised his coffee cup to her and offered her a malasada. "No thanks," she sweetly declined, her mind filled with erotic memories of the pudding filled pastries and a nimble tongue dancing devilishly across sugar dusted fingertips.
When she was finally safe inside her home she shot Jesse a text and smiled at the thumbs up emoji he sent back, then proceeded to unpack her duffel bag. Fully intending to add the clothes inside to the laundry, she paused when she saw the white dress, the designer heels, and the note in Kate's beautifully written handwriting.
How the hell am I supposed to forget about you when you're everywhere I look? Even the calculated decision to not bring Kate to her apartment hadn't worked, as she looked around and could only think of the few hours she had spent getting ready for their date. Screaming in frustration, she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through apartment listings. New apartment, new car, new city? How am I supposed to just move on like nothing happened? Grabbing the note, she moved to toss it in the trash, to eliminate the one physical shred of evidence that she possessed that bore witness to Kate's existence, but the sight of those sweet words once again stopped her rushed movements. Her eyes attacked the the tiny note, and she read the words over and over again as she slowly slid to the floor, the tears coming for real this time as she clutched the paper to her chest and sobbed uncontrollably. She wasn't sure how long she had been on the ground, but eventually the gut-wrenching sobs ended. Wiping her face as she stood, she popped the case off of her phone, folded up the note and tucked it inside, then snapped the plastic shell back onto the device.
Taking one last, cleansing breath, she shoved the memories of Kate into a box and shut the metaphorical lid, then dialed the number she had found online. "Hi, I'm calling about the apartment for rent? Tell me, how far is it from Pearl Harbor?"
A Hui Hou