Six Months, Two States
Disclaimer: The characters of NCIS: Hawaii belong to their brilliant creators and no profit has been made from this story.
A/N: Hey y'all, how's it going out there? CRAZY over here in the real world, and I am happy to report that crafting this story is the one thing in life right now that gives me pure joy. If y'all are like me you're probably missing everyone, not just Kacy, so I hope my little tangents exploring the team are as enjoyable for you to read as they are for me to write.
Italics, as always, are used for thoughts, flashbacks and texts. Hopefully it's easy to discern.
Just Flick It
"Lucy, my office," Tennant ordered as she marched through the bullpen.
Looking at Jesse, who simply threw his hands up in response, the junior agent rose from her seat and hurried to follow her boss.
"Shut the door," Tennant instructed, and as the door closed the older woman said, "have a seat."
Eyes looking past Lucy into the outer office, Jane slid a file in front of the confused Texan and said, "Read it."
As Lucy's eyes danced across the words on the page she gasped, shocked to see what the memo contained.
"So Flick is gone?" Lucy asked.
"He resigned this morning," Tennant replied, "we'll be meeting his replacement tomorrow."
"And Molina?" The young agent asked, "What does Flick's letter mean for him?"
"It means that I'll be talking to him next," Tennant sighed, hands in her pockets as she came to a rest against the front of her desk.
According to the memo, Stuart Flick had filed a harassment complaint against both his boss Lena Van Buren and NCIS Junior Agent Alfonso Molina, citing hostile work environment and inappropriate conduct as his basis for the grievances.
He stated that he overheard a conversation between Agent Molina and an unnamed female, and that Molina's tone and demeanor had been threatening, misogynistic and concerning. It went on to state that when he had confronted Molina about what he'd heard the NCIS agent had responded by stating "between us men" that he should "worry more about these bitches who are emasculating you" and less about what "real men like me are doing to keep them in line".
As to Van Buren, the details were "need to know", but Tennant was certain that it was much the same as the complaint she had filed against the vile woman herself.
"Boss, Flick wasn't in the room when-"
"I know," Tennant assured, "my sources tell me that the incident took place at AFMES."
"Oh," Lucy replied, "so why-"
"Because I want him to think that I am in here addressing his complaint against you," Tennant explained, and when the young agent opened her mouth to respond Jane cut her off by stating, "an unfounded complaint. Right now he's out there thinking that he just won, that you are in here being written up or dismissed or transferred. What he doesn't know is that Flick filed a grievance that was corroborated by personnel at AFMES, and that your statement after his first day was already on record. Can I let you in on a little secret?"
"Sure?"
"I had reservations about Molina, but a dozen glowing references had me doubting my initial impression, which is a mistake I won't make again. I did, however, have Ernie set up surveillance in the bullpen before he arrived, and I'm glad I did. After you came to me about Alfonso I reviewed the tapes and had already decided that he was done here when Flick's complaint hit my desk."
"So now what?"
"Now you get out of here for the rest of the day and I deal with him," Tennant said as she nodded towards the bullpen, where Molina was hanging up his phone and glowering in their direction. "Do you think you can handle going out there looking like I just wrote you up?"
"I guess?" Lucy stated, "But if I didn't do anything wrong, why do I get suspended?"
"Not suspended, think of it more like a modified work day," Tennant explained, then at Lucy's doubtful expression she expounded, "this way you're safely off the base when I tell him he no longer works here, and he can't come back at the department claiming unfair treatment."
"Okay got it," Lucy agreed.
"I just need you to sign this document so I can tuck it into this file marked "Molina/Tara", then leave it on the top of the stack on my desk with just the edge containing your signature peeking out."
"In plain view so he can see it," Lucy guessed, "smart."
"The little tricks you pick up working in HR," Tennant shrugged.
"But what happens once he realizes I still work here?" Lucy asked, the apprehension clear in both her voice and her expression.
"His apartment is being packed up as we speak," Tennant replied, "and a plane is currently on the tarmac waiting to take him back to Chicago."
"Oh," Lucy quipped, returning her attention to the paper in front of her. Reading over the document, she couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face as she realized what it contained. Raising her eyes to look at Tennant, who was standing there with her arms crossed and looking very authoritarian, she stated, "Modified work day, huh?"
"It's time," Tennant replied to the beaming junior agent, "your class starts in an hour. Now," she sternly added, "do you think you can wipe that smile off your face long enough to pull this off?"
"Absolutely!" An exuberant Lucy declared, her excitement at knowing that she was finally getting to go to advanced driving school written all over her face.
"Try a little harder?" An unconvinced Jane suggested.
"Okay," Lucy sighed, "I got this."
As the young agent struggled to school her features into a convincing pout, Tennant advised, "Think about the most devastating thing that's ever happened to you - the loss of a pet, a family member, your first broken heart - and immerse yourself in that memory, in that moment. Feel the pain as if for the first time," she paused, "let it consume you."
Lucy conjured up the memory of knocking on her girlfriend's dorm room door and being blindsided when her shirtless older brother answered it, but the abject misery that always accompanied that particular moment was suddenly no longer a thing. Weird, the memory of that betrayal, of her naked in that bed behind him has always been able to bring me down. Am I actually over it? Holy crap, I'm over it! Huh, that's-
"Lucy?"
"Yeah boss?"
"I'm not sure where you're trying to draw inspiration from, but right now you just look confused."
"Oh," Lucy frowned. That's literally the worst thing that's ever happened to me, especially since it was right before grandmother passed. God, it was so hard to stand there at her funeral, acting like everything was okay when every time I looked at him all I could see was his betrayal, his smug face as he explained that he'd done me a favor by proving that she didn't want me, she wanted the lifestyle that a relationship with a Tara could provide her. "I'm trying boss, but the literal worst day of my life no longer seems to affect me."
"Maybe a fresh memory," Tennant suggested, "like whatever it was that compelled you to give up that perfectly lovely place by the base and move into that crappy little apartment in Waikiki."
Did you ever just want a break from being who you are? Two nights, three days. We're just having fun here, right?
"I didn't have a choice," she lied, "my landlord-"
"Before you finish that sentence, remember that your former landlord's son is on Jake's baseball team."
She's probably bored in her marriage. My car will be here at five. Don't forget me.
"There it is," Jane softly stated as she watched the young woman's face transform into a mask of despair, "wherever your mind just went, it worked."
Lost in her memories, Lucy wiped a tear from her cheek and woodenly rose from her seat, robotically following Tennant into the bullpen where she headed for her desk.
"You alright Luce?" A concerned Jesse asked as the clearly upset young agent, who completely ignored the question, passed by him.
"Agent Molina," Tennant stated, approaching his desk while a defeated looking Lucy grabbed her backpack and left, "a word?"
Here We Go
As she sat at her desk signing off on the weekly stack of documents that required her signature, Kate was surprised to notice the date and realize that it had been almost five long, painful, ridiculously empty months since she had returned from Hawaii.
Since she'd last seen Lucy.
Sitting back in her chair, she reflected on everything that had happened since her return, and even though Lena was gone and her career was solidly on the upswing it all still felt...empty. Sure, she'd had a nice time in Florida, and it had been fun to see her friend Chloe when the free-spirited surfer had recently visited DC, but outside of those rare instances she found herself completely isolating and avoiding the social scene. Granted, running into Cara everywhere they'd once frequented as a couple was a deterrent, especially after that last time when her ex had insinuated that Lucy had been nothing more than a "pro" working her for intel.
But she thinks Siobhan is who I met on the island, so that makes sense with the foreign accent and all, right?
Even though that train of thought made sense, Kate couldn't stop thinking about why Lucy approached her, why she didn't take her to her home and why she didn't talk about her life or her family. Neither did you and you weren't working her. Jesus Kate, why are you letting Cara get inside your head?
Kate's phone vibrated with an incoming message, and she smiled when she looked down and saw that it was from Meghan, one of the women she'd recently met through Chloe.
Meghan: Hey Kate! Gonna be in town for the weekend at the end of the month, would you like to meet for dinner?
Kate: You and Chloe?
Meghan: Nope, just me this time! ;)
Tapping her finger on the side of the phone, Kate contemplated how to answer. Meghan was great - she was funny and smart and really good company, and the blonde would be lying if she said she didn't find the woman attractive. To be honest, if they had met earlier or under different circumstances Kate would probably have pursued a relationship, but now?
Don't forget me. I won't remember anything else.
Meeting the exotic, enigmatic Lucy had changed everything. Even if she never saw the sassy, sexier than any human had a right to be woman again, which was a thought that still felt like a physical blow to her stomach, she now knew what true passion felt like and wasn't willing to settle for anything else.
Meghan had definitely seemed interested when they initially met at the bar that night, however once she was in front of her friends it was glaringly obvious that she was deeply in the closet. That was a deal breaker for the very much out and unapologetically authentic Kate, who found the game of keeping a relationship ambiguous for the sake of not outing her partner utterly exhausting.
What if Lucy was so secretive because she was in the closet? Would that be a deal breaker?
No it wouldn't, she realized, not at all. There was nothing on heaven or earth that would be a deal breaker when it came to Lucy, and as Kate crossed an ankle over her knee and mindlessly fingered the braided anklet the woman had tied there she was once again shaken by how deeply the mocha skinned Texan had affected her. She wasn't sure if she was just romanticizing it because it had been so passionate and so fleeting, or if the relationship between her and Lucy had been the epic love story she remembered in her dreams. But it was also irrefutably over. In fact it was five months, a pivotal career change and an entire continent away.
And you don't even have her number. Or her last name. Kind of hard to find one person on just a first name when you're looking at an island with a population of 976,372, but who's counting?
Now, Meghan? She was a very short drive away. She was also beautiful, attainable and a lot of fun. The fact that Kate didn't have any desire to help her through the coming out process was hypocritical, she knew that, but she also knew that in spite of everything that made Meghan an ideal match for her that she just didn't feel the same. So how do I respond without being a total ass or leading her on?
Biting her lip in concentration, she typed out the most gracious response she could offer.
Kate: I'll be out of town Saturday and Sunday, I could maybe meet you Friday night depending on what time you get in?
It was a lie, Kate wasn't going anywhere. But she figured a rushed dinner on a Friday night might deter the other woman from trying to make plans.
Meghan: Perfect, I arrive in the morning! See you then.
Kate: Ok sounds good!
The ringing of her office phone shattered the silence, and she grabbed it as she placed her cell phone on the desk. "Kate Whistler," she answered, and as she listened intently a broad smile erupted on her face. God bless you Stuart Flick, you're not nearly as soft as I thought you were.
Flick's complaint was simple - "Lena Van Buren belongs in the field, in the gutter where she made her name as a CIA operative, because she clearly doesn't know how to behave in a civilized setting," he wrote. His grievance also stated that no self respecting professional, man or woman, would ever choose to subject themselves to the daily punishment of working for Lena Van Buren, and that he truly hoped his resignation would serve as a warning to those who had chosen to put her into her current leadership position.
The news about Flick's resignation wasn't really unexpected, Kate knew he would never last under Lena, but the fact that he had filed a grievance against her on his way out was epic. According to Baldwin the allegations had created a ripple effect across the DIA offices in Oahu, most notably that Jennings had put in his papers. "He's retiring?" Kate asked in disbelief.
"He is," the director replied, "the memo states that Jennings received a similar complaint from NCIS Special Agent In Charge Jane Tennant, which he buried. Director Rhodes was livid at the time, but without corroborating statements from anyone else it came down to Tennant's Junior Agent's word against Lena's, and we all know how convincing Lena can be. But now that Flick has essentially verified Tennant's complaint somebody has to be held accountable, so-"
"So Jennings takes the fall," Kate guessed, "what about Bryant?"
"On thin ice," Baldwin replied, "but his role was a little more indirect. You didn't hear this from me, but when the board was deciding to offer the job to you or her? He was the one who cast the deciding vote."
"That's no secret sir, I knew that before I left Oahu."
"Which is why you should be the one in that role," he sighed, "do you know how hard it is to gain Jane Tennant's trust?"
When Kate didn't respond he said, "I'd hate to see you leave Whistler, but Rhodes is down to his last choice as far as on island candidates. Esparza starts tomorrow," he explained, "so we'll see how that goes."
"And if he doesn't work out?" Kate asked.
"I'm not sure what his next move will be," he admitted, "but it's a small island and news travels fast. Esparza knows what Lena's like and what he's signing on for, but he's also a hothead who's not going to take her crap. As for her? I don't know how much pushback she's going to tolerate, so it should be interesting to see if they can figure out how to work together. He's an effective agent and has earned his chops, but none of that will matter if he can't work with her. If he fails to respect her position as his boss it could end as quickly as it starts, so we'll see what this first week brings."
Here We Go Again
"Hey Lucy, can you see if Ernie has anything for us yet?" Tennant asked, "And take Emma with you."
"Yep, sure, let's go," Lucy replied, heading out of the bullpen with the newly recruited junior agent right on her heels.
"Why doesn't she ever send me anywhere outside of this building?" Emma pouted, and Lucy rolled her eyes as she pushed open the glass door and responded, "You've been here for two days, Emma, maybe take a little time to familiarize yourself with headquarters and learn the ropes before rushing out into the field?"
Truth be told, Lucy was already not a fan of junior agent Emma Collins. Even though her credentials were impressive and she seemed like a perfect fit for the team on paper, what Lucy had seen of her so far was an overeducated, under experienced mainlander who talked a lot about what she would do in the field versus about what she'd actually done (which was the minimum at her training post in Tulsa) and saw this job as her "Hawaii Five-0" dream come true.
"Whatever," Emma mumbled, "do you think we could go down to the food trucks for lunch?"
"We generally eat in the break room," Lucy replied, "most of us pack because takeout is expensive. Plus those food trucks take a good bit of time to drive to, especially-"
"Well I'm going to run over to the cantina by the memorial then," Emma declared, and Lucy rolled her eyes and said, "You do realize that lunch time is the worst time to go into the tourist zone, right?"
"You know, I thought you'd be a lot more fun," Emma grumpily replied, "but you're just as boring as the 'rents."
"The 'rents?" Lucy challenged.
"Yeah the 'rents," Emma chuckled, "don't you think Tennant and Boone act like an old married couple?"
"I...do not," Lucy replied, glaring at the agent as she tried to determine how hard it would be to make her cry, "I respect them, and they've both really been there for me since I got here."
"Okay mom and dad's favorite, got it," Emma smirked, and Lucy was seriously tempted by the urge to knock that smug smile right off of the irritating probie's face. We don't hit our co-workers, Lucy. We behave like civilized adults in the office, we don't- "Hey do you want to hit the gym after we see Ernie?" Lucy brightly asked, thinking that a good sparring session might ease the clawing need to punch something. Don't you mean somebody?
"We can do that in the middle of the day?" A wide-eyed Emma asked.
"Sure, it's part of your training," Lucy confidently replied, typing out a text to Tennant explaining that her new junior agent had requested some hand to hand training and asking permission to hit the gym for an hour.
"Oh okay, awesome! Do you think you can show me that takedown again? I'd like to try to perfect the technique."
"My pleasure," Lucy smirked, reading Tennant's reply and rolling her eyes at their boss's "Not in the middle of the day. Schedule it for the morning."
"Looks like the gym is closed for cleaning," Lucy lied, "I'll meet you there at seven tomorrow morning."
Swiping her badge as Emma agreed, she pushed open the door to the lair and smiled at her favorite computer genius. "Did you find anything on Lieutenant Blanchard's phone?"
"I can tell you that Mrs. Blanchard was not who he was with at that karaoke bar," Ernie replied, and when Lucy crinkled her nose in distaste he said, "I know right?"
"I'll never understand the appeal of singing badly in front of strangers," Lucy said, "it's just wrong."
"I was talking about the cheating," he replied.
"Cheaters are so stupid," Emma declared, and Ernie was glad that Lucy's back was to her so that only he saw the brief flash of pain that crossed the young Texan's face. Where did you just go Lucy? What is it that pains you so?
"...and they're gross," Emma continued to ramble, totally clueless to the silent communication that was going on right in front of her, "like, if you're unhappy? Have the decency to end the relationship instead of just hooking up with some rando and putting your partner at risk."
"Agreed," Ernie said, deciding to explore the karaoke aversion as well as the shadow that had crossed Lucy's face at the mention of cheating at a later date, "anyhow, this is what I found..."
DIA New, Take Two
"DIA Esparza, a pleasure to finally meet you," Jesse Boone stated, rising from his desk to greet their new DIA liaison.
"Likewise," DIA Officer Raul Esparza replied as he shook the offered hand.
"Should I get Tennant?"
"Unless you need her for something, no," the DIA officer replied.
"Okay then," Jesse smiled, "what have you got on the Blanchard case?"
"Eyewitness statements corroborate the presence of an unnamed female companion, likely an islander, who was seen leaving the bar with him around two AM. There was no evidence that either made it into his vehicle, though one of the bullets likely hit her. There was blood on the passenger side door and a trail of droplets leading away from the scene, but there was no match in CODIS."
"So he was the target, while she was an afterthought or collateral damage," Jesse guessed, "means we've got an eyewitness to the murder."
"I'm bringing in a sketch artist to see what we can come up with," Esparza replied, "and depending on how well a dimly lit bar full of drunken witnesses recalls details we might have a face by the end of the day."
"Keep me posted," Jesse stated, and Esparza nodded then walked away.
"Was that our new DIA liaison I just saw leaving?" Tennant asked as she walked into the bullpen.
"It was," Jesse smiled.
"And he didn't demand to see me and only me?" She asked.
"He did not," Jesse replied, holding up the file the DIA officer had delivered, "I like him already."
"Okay," Tennant smiled, though it was a delayed smile that didn't quite make it to her eyes and gave Jesse pause, "Show me what we've got."
As she listened to Jesse explain what Esparza had told him, she wondered why the DIA officer hadn't asked for her and, more to the point, if he was defying orders by doing it.
"Boss?"
"Yeah?"
"You have that look on your face that makes me think that you really aren't very interested in what I'm saying. Do you want to talk about it?"
Jane had the good grace to smile sheepishly and admit, "I was just wondering about our new DIA liaison. I know he's a bit of a hothead and generally gets his own way, so I was just wondering if Lena's finally met her match."
"Well either way, it looks like things are finally starting to turn in our favor," he replied.
"Yeah," Tennant agreed, "I hope you're right."
The Winds Of Change
"What do you mean you're moving?" Lucy, aghast, asked Coral as she leaned on the bar and took a sip of her beer. After spending the afternoon saddled with Emma the irritating probie, Lucy had decided that she needed to stop for a drink and some friendly conversation after work. What she hadn't expected was to find a sad Antonio being consoled by Coral and Miguel.
"It's time," Coral explained, "I have loved my life here, and I love you guys. But," she sighed, "the grandkids aren't getting any younger, and rent isn't getting any cheaper. My son and his family want us to move to Maui with them, and I think we're ready."
"Maui?!" Lucy exclaimed, "You might as well just move back to the mainland!"
"Lucy, look-" Coral tried, but the irate young brunette wasn't in the mood to be consoled. "You know what? You just, you go ahead and go! First Trig, now you."
"Lucy," Miguel soothed, rounding the end of the bar and placing a hand on her shoulder, "this is not about you, it's about her."
Glaring at the bartender, Lucy narrowed her eyes and looked back and forth between him and Coral. She could see that both had been crying, and in light of that observation and Antonio's desolation she asked, "What aren't you telling me?"
Antonio bolted from his seat and took off into the back of the bar, while Miguel and Coral exchanged grim glances. Taking a deep breath, Coral explained, "I have cancer, kid."
Tears sprung to Lucy's eyes and her hand shot to her mouth, the fresh wave of emotion crashing on top of all of the pain and desolation she'd been struggling with for these past five months. "How long?" She asked, knowing that if the old surfer was leaving her beloved Waikiki that it had to be close to the end.
"Maybe a few months, maybe a few years," Coral admitted, and as Lucy threw her arms around the old woman, who had been more of a mother to her in the very little time she'd known her than her own mother had ever been, Coral tightened her grip and whispered, "I love ya kid, I wish I didn't have to go."
I love you too. Why does everybody I love leave me? I wonder if anyone told-
"Trig knows," Coral assured the dismal young woman in her arms, "he was the first one I told."
The mention of her friend hit Lucy with an unexpected wave of emotion, and as she swiped at the hot tears rolling down her face all she could think about, over and over and over again, was how every time she let down her walls and let herself care about someone they left her.
"You knew before he left, didn't you?" A hurt Lucy softly accused, "That's why you were so quiet at the party that night."
"I did," Coral admitted, "but I hadn't been formally diagnosed yet. The doctors were certain at that point but we were still waiting on the lab results to confirm, and I wouldn't have told Trig yet if he hadn't been leaving. You, on the other hand, were in a bad place kiddo, and I didn't want to put any more on you until I had facts."
"But if I had known I would have spent more time-"
"I didn't want anything about anyone's lives or routines to change," the older woman insisted, "I wanted things to be as normal and everyday as possible. Hell, I just found out for sure that it is the worst case scenario, as far as what the doctors had initially given me to expect when I was diagnosed."
"Okay so," Lucy said as she wiped her face and took a deep breath and pulled herself together, "what can we do to help?"
"Well, my son has hired a moving company to pack us all up, and they'll handle transporting everything to Maui. All we have to do is throw the essentials into a carry on and get ourselves there."
"Oh," a dejected Lucy replied, taking a sip of her beer and asking in a tiny voice, "so when do you leave?"
Coral and Miguel exchanged knowing glances, prompting Lucy to guess, "Today?"
"No, next Friday," Coral said, her voice cracking, "and I'm going surfing every morning until then."
"Why wouldn't you surf in Maui?" Lucy asked, "I know it's not the same but they still have a pretty decent surf scene."
"Doctor's orders," the old surfer explained, "hell, Paul would take my surfboard right now if he knew where it was."
"Your husband doesn't know where the surfboard in his own house is?" Lucy asked, "I find that very hard to believe."
"Because it's not in his house," Miguel guessed, "it's in the alley, isn't it?"
"As in the alley behind your house?" Lucy quizzically asked.
"No mija," Miguel explained with an endearing smile, "as in the lockers in Surfboard Alley."
"And paid up through the end of the year," Coral proudly proclaimed, "so as long as I'm on Oahu he can't stop me."
Lucy actually laughed at that, then felt bad because she was laughing when she had just received such soul crushing news.
"It's okay to laugh," Coral said as she reached to cover Lucy's hand with her own, "I need to find reasons to smile and laugh and enjoy the hell out of whatever time I have left in this life."
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Lucy woke up slowly, the shift in the bed gently jostling her from the most peaceful, sated slumber. Yawning and stretching as she shook off the cobwebs and looked around, she was momentarily surprised to find that she was not in her own bed. The flood of memories of the last couple of hours came crashing down on her, and she smiled as she remembered the passionate, exquisite lovemaking she'd just experienced with the most incredible woman she'd ever met. Looking around, she was surprised to see the tall blonde sitting on the balcony, all alone in the moonlight with a glass of wine in one hand and her phone in the other.
Kate's back was to the room, so Lucy couldn't see her expression, but she wondered, not for the first time, if the gorgeous blonde didn't have someone in her life back home. The way she was sitting out there, almost brooding in the moonlight, made the brunette extremely suspicious. Kate had said that she was from the east coast, so right now it would be early evening there, and Lucy wondered if she was talking to whoever the hell it was that she had left behind. Of course she's seeing someone, a woman like her couldn't possibly be single. God, is she a cheater? Who is she texting?
Go back to sleep Lucy, it's none of your business.
But the wheels in her detective mind were turning, so she eased out of the bed and wrapped the sheet around herself and crept quietly toward the window, where she could see Kate holding the phone and typing, erasing, typing again a phone number with a 202 area code. DC, huh?
Take your ass back to that bed, this is none of your business.
Two nights, three days, no strings. Remember?
Don't ruin it, don't accuse her of anything. Don't - wait, what is she doing? Did she really just put that phone down?
Screw it, I'm going out there. "Kate?" She softly questioned as she stood there in the moonlight, her resolve crumbling as she was awestruck by the sight of the ethereal beauty in front of her, and then-
She was in the lobby, instructing the bellhop to deliver her handwritten note to Kate, who was in the room waiting for her to return. What was it that the guy at the front desk said as she walked away? "That's Miss Larssen's room, right? Tell her the wine she requested will be..."
The room WAS in Chloe Larssen's name! Dammit Kate, what am I to you? Who-
"Did you ever just need a break from being who you are?"
"Lucy, turn around."
Lucy turned toward the sound of Kate's voice and was disappointed to see that nobody was there. "Kate?"
"Turn around," the blonde repeated, and once again Lucy spun and saw nothing. Where the hell is she? Why does she keep disappearing on me? "Kate, where did you go?" She cried, frantically searching for the source of that elusive voice.
"Open your eyes," that disembodied voice succinctly stated, "Lucy, open your eyes." Lucy's eyes flew open and she shot up in her bed. It was only a dream. Dream? Shivering at how very real that dream had felt, she had to admit that it had been more like a nightmare than a dream. What did it mean?
Looking around the small, dismal apartment as she took deep, steadying breaths, she was pulled back to reality by the sound of the rain beating on the roof and her alarm blaring in the dark. Why is my alarm going off? It's still dark out there, it can't be much earlier than - oh crap, sparring with the new girl! I'm gonna be late!
Jumping out of bed, she silently berated herself for choosing an apartment so far from the base while she scrambled to get ready. Quickly shimmying into her workout clothes, she threw her hair into a haphazard ponytail, grabbed her bag and ran out the door.
"Hey look, I know I'm late," she offered as she rushed into the gym just a few minutes after seven, "I-" Looking around the empty workout center, she dropped her bag and crossed her arms and deduced, "am apologizing to an empty room."
Twenty minutes later an obnoxiously late Emma strolled in, laughing at whoever she was FaceTiming with while explaining that she was "probably in big trouble with my training partner" and that she had to hang up now. "Hey Lucy, I know I'm late but-"
"But what?" Lucy glared, hands on her hips as she pinned the tardy agent with a scathing look, "There's no excuse for being late. I didn't haul myself all the way in this early to sit here and stare at the walls!"
"Okay yeah, sorry," Emma flippantly responded, "so I guess instead of warming up we'd better just get right to it."
Within seconds Emma was flat on her back, complaining that Lucy wasn't giving her a fair chance. "Do you think the criminals you're training to fight will play fair?" An irritated Lucy challenged, "Now come on! Try it again."
Emma charged, Lucy sidestepped and easily knocked her to the ground. "Seriously," Lucy chuckled, "you gotta try harder than that."
"So," Emma said conversationally as she scowled and returned to her feet, "are you like, seeing anyone?"
"Not that it's any of your business," Lucy replied as she once again tossed the charging junior agent to the ground, "but no, I'm not."
"Did you see the new DIA guy?" Emma gushed as she popped back up, "He's so hot!"
"I...have not," Lucy admitted, "Esparza, right?"
"Raul," Emma cooed as she attacked, "he's dreamy."
"That's messy, Emma," Lucy sighed as she flipped the blonde over her hip and sent her crashing to the mat, "it's not a good look to go after someone we work with."
"It's not a good look to go after someone we work with?" Emma mocked as she sprang to her feet, "Where the hell else am I supposed to meet somebody?"
"Bar, nightclub, beach, gym?" Lucy suggested.
"But we spend all of our time here, in these boring buildings on this boring base. I haven't seen anyone even close to McGarrett," Emma pouted, "it kinda sucks here."
"Okay well," Lucy replied as she rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck, "I think you need to focus more on mastering your job skills and less on your social skills at this stage in your career."
"You know, I don't get it," Emma replied, "you're young, you're hot, and you have a great job. Yet here you are, all alone every Friday night. Doesn't that bother you?"
"No," Lucy lied, "I didn't come here to find the love of my life," though I think I did, "I came here to advance my career under the guidance of the greatest leader I've ever known."
Emma rolled her eyes in response, smirking as she mockingly repeated, "The greatest leader I've ever known, really? How long did it take you to get out into the field? Has she sent you to K-BAY or AFMES yet? Has she trusted you with anything other than waiting around to show the new recruit where the break room is or seeing what the weird IT guy knows?"
"Ernie is a genius, an expert in his field and one of my favorite humans," Lucy defensively replied, "and-"
"A weirdo," Emma laughed, "but not nearly as weird as that sitcom romcom duo of Tennant and Boone, who are obviously hiding latent sexual feelings for each other because he's still married."
"Shut up," Lucy warned, "don't you dare talk about them like that."
"Like what?" Emma scoffed, "I will say though, that at least Tennant had the decency to end her marriage before she acted on it. I wonder how long it will take Jesse to do the same?"
"Tennant's divorce is none of your business," Lucy countered, "and Jesse is happily married to an amazing woman."
"That tree hugging, granola eating wife of his is far from amazing," Emma sarcastically replied, "I heard she spent his entire bonus check on party supplies for that ridiculous "gotcha day" party she threw for their dog."
Glaring at the disrespectful little bitch in front of her, Lucy placed her hands on her hips and asked, "Why in the hell did you even take this assignment if you think so little of the team?"
"A chance to live in paradise, find a rich local and be a kept woman for the rest of my life, duh," Collins replied, "aren't you tired of working long hours and taking all of the physical and mental abuse that comes with doing this job?"
"I actually love this job, even the hard parts," Lucy admitted, "and as far as the finding a rich local? Money complicates things, and I would rather make my own, honest living doing a job I love than be controlled by a wealthy partner."
"Oh yeah?" Emma asked as she placed her hands on her hips, "Then you're even dumber than I thought."
"I could say the same about you," Lucy replied.
"Well you can have your weird little team, but for me? I plan on being out of here as soon as I find someone to settle down with. So," the blonde smirked, "if you want me out of here sooner, you should take me where you go to meet locals."
"I'm actually taking a break from the social scene at the moment," Lucy lied, "I want to focus on my career. Now, let's go again."
Emma charged, but this time she anticipated Lucy's sidestep. They locked arms, and after a brief struggle Lucy once again tossed her onto her backside.
"Come on!" Lucy exclaimed, "You're not even trying!"
Dusting herself off as she stood up, Emma smirked, "I don't believe you."
"Don't believe that I think you're not even trying?"
"No," Emma laughed, "I don't believe that you're taking a break to focus on your career. You know what I think?"
"No, and I'm sure I don't want to know," Lucy glared, "now come at me!"
"I think you got played by a tourist," the blonde chuckled as she charged, "probably met him in Waikiki."
Just Kate.
"Wrong," Lucy said as she spun out of her way, grabbing her wrist as she stumbled past and flipping her to the ground.
"Okay, her," Emma decided as she stood back up, "explains why you don't like Raul. So what happened?"
Two nights, three days. "Nothing happened and you're way off base," Lucy insisted, "just drop it."
"Not until you-" Emma started, but the rest of the sentence was lost as Lucy initiated contact and body slammed the unsuspecting trainee.
"Hey!" Emma snapped as she jumped to her feet, "That was uncalled for! You're supposed to be teaching me!"
"And you're supposed to be learning," Lucy said in the most belittling voice she could muster, "but all you've shown me so far is how you can run your mouth."
"Ohhhh Emmmm Geee! You slept with a married woman, didn't you?"
Did you ever just want a break from being who you are? She's probably bored in her marriage.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Lucy snapped, "now shut your mouth and try it again!"
Why wouldn't you exchange numbers? How could you just let her walk away? You were just a hot piece of ass that she realized she couldn't stand once she got a dose of your miserable personality.
Lucy, who was so lost in the painful onslaught of memories that she literally forgot that she was in a gym training a probie, instinctively threw an elbow at the blur of motion barreling her way.
a hui hou