Chapter Text
Lucy awakens at around 5am. They’re still on the couch but have gravitated into a laying down position with Kate mostly on top of her. Her bladder is screaming at her to get up but she doesn’t want to pull Kate out of her peaceful slumber. The more she thinks about it, the more she needs to go. She subconsciously fidgets for another 5 minutes which eventually causes Kate to stir.
“Hey Baby, sorry I woke you but I really need to pee. Let me out and I’ll be back as quickly as possible.” Lucy quickly whispers.
Kate is still half asleep so responds with an “M’kay” as she rolls against the back of the couch to release Lucy’s body.
After quickly finishing in the bathroom, she makes her way back out to the living room and sees that Kate is no longer on the couch. Sensing a presence at the other side of the room she turns and spots her stood on the balcony, looking out to the ocean. Lucy moves to go join her. As she reaches the balcony edge, she notices that Kate looks deep in thought so she waits until she’s ready to speak.
“I’m sorry I was so pathetic last night.” Kate finally says, appearing embarrassed.
“What?” Lucy asks, confused. She doesn’t know what she was expecting Kate to say but it certainly wasn’t that.
“You’d just come off your first undercover op, you should have been celebrating but instead you had to come here to console me and deal with my neediness.” She elaborates self-deprecatingly.
Lucy can’t control her shock at Kate’s perception of the situation. “Kate, where is all of this coming from? There is nowhere I would rather have been than here with you. What happened yesterday?”
Kate finally turns to face Lucy and begins to explain. “I was probably overly nervous about the prospect of you going undercover but I managed to keep myself occupied most of the day with work. Then it started to get late and I hadn’t heard anything from you since the picture you sent, so I went to Pearl to see if I could find out what was going on. When I got there it was clear from the way Tennant and Ernie were talking that something had gone wrong and you were in trouble. I tried to ask questions, offered to help but Tennant bit my head off saying it wasn’t a DIA concern and implied that I’d just get in the way.”
“She did what?! That’s completely out of line.” Lucy can’t believe that Jane would have been so harsh but anyone who upsets Kate like this has something to answer for.
“Is it though?” Kate says. “To them I’m just some peripheral colleague of yours. They were probably thinking that I’d come in hot to shut down the operation.” She takes a deep breath before admitting honestly, “I was terrified and I had to act like I didn’t even care. I can’t do that ever again.”
“Are you saying you want to end this?” Lucy asks nervously.
“No, of course not!” Kate responds adamantly.
Lucy breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank god, you had me worried there for a second.”
“I’m so sorry if you thought that was the direction I was going in. What I’m saying is, screw the five date plan! I can’t go another day pretending you don’t mean everything to me. I want us to make it official, tell our bosses that we’re dating. And I want to do it today.”
“Wow. I never thought I would see the day that Whistler would go rogue against a plan.” Lucy jokes before continuing more softly, “I would have been willing to throw caution to the wind and tell the world about us after date one so I’m definitely ok with doing it today. We have done pretty well keeping this under wraps but there are so many more things I want to experience with you and that will be much easier if we’re not hiding.”
Kate smiles, clearly relieved that Lucy is onboard. Continuing with confidence, she says, “I also want to be able to refer to you as my girlfriend.”
“Well you kind of need to ask me first?” Lucy teases.
“Seriously?” Kate asks incredulously.
“Uh huh, I don’t just give out that title freely you know.” Lucy says smugly.
“Lucy Tara, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met, will you be my girlfriend?”
Lucy’s response is to take Kate’s hand and lead her back inside. She turns to face her, internally smirking at Kate’s confused look, and then pounces on her. Legs wrapping around her waist and arms around her neck.
Kate stumbles back slightly in surprise but is quick to catch Lucy; now understanding why she had brought them in from the balcony’s edge. As soon as she’s stable, Lucy kisses her deeply before pulling back. They both smile at each other. “I take it that means yes?” Kate asks.
“It means hell yes.” Lucy responds emphatically before leaning back in for another kiss.
It starts to grow more heated until Kate pulls back and asks breathlessly “What time do you have to go in today?”
“Tennant gave me until 10.” Lucy smirks, knowing where this is going.
Kate strides towards the bedroom with Lucy still wrapped around her, hands on her ass to keep her up. When they make it to the foot of the bed, she practically throws Lucy down before crawling on top of her and saying seductively “Plenty of time to celebrate then...”
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After a couple of hours of celebrating their newfound relationship status, Kate has to start getting ready for work. Unlike Lucy, it’s just a normal Monday morning for her so she needs to be in the office by 8. Lucy remains naked in her bed, practically ogling Kate as she rushes around to shower, change and do her hair and makeup.
When she is finally ready, she turns to look at Lucy on the bed and loses all thought at the sight before her. Whilst she was busy, Lucy has removed the sheet from her body and is now leant back against the headboard, posing seductively. “Are you sure I can’t entice you back into to bed for some more celebrating?” She asks coquettishly.
Kate looks completely torn but her sensible side wins out. “There is nothing I want more but today is about proving to our bosses that us being in a relationship won’t affect our work and it won’t look good if I show up late because I got carried away having sex with my girlfriend.”
Lucy gets up and crawls towards the end of the bed. She raises up on her knees and puts her arms around Kate’s neck then gives her a soft kiss. “I really like it when you call me your girlfriend.”
Kate smiles and wraps her arms around Lucy’s naked body, “Well you better get used to it.” She kisses her again before letting go and saying, “Now get dressed, I’m leaving in 10 minutes.”
“OK, I could probably do with going home to shower and change before I head in anyway.” Lucy acquiesces. Kate nods and turns to leave the room. Unable to resist, Lucy playfully smacks her on the ass as she goes. Kate whips round and gives her the Whistler glare. Lucy holds her hands up in surrender, “Fine, I’ll behave!”
When Kate turns back around to leave, she has a smile on her face as she hears Lucy grumbling to herself about getting in trouble.
They meet out in the living room about 5 minutes later. Kate is the first to speak, “So I’ve sent an email this morning and arranged to meet my Captain at 9. What is your plan with Tennant?”
“I’ll go and see her as soon as I get it. Then maybe you could come and meet me for lunch at around 1?” Lucy suggests.
“Sounds good.” Kate is visibly nervous and Lucy picks up on it.
Lucy takes Kate’s hands and encourages her to make eye contact. “Hey, you don’t need to be nervous. Whatever they say we’ll figure it out together. I’m not going anywhere, ok?”
“OK.” Kate responds, feeling a bit more reassured.
They gather their stuff and make their way out of the apartment together, hand in hand. Lucy walks Kate across to her car and kisses her. “I’ll see you in a few hours girlfriend.”
Kate smiles in response. “See you soon Luce.” She watches Lucy leaves before getting into her car. She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves and begins the drive to the office.
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As Lucy had to leave Kate’s quite early, she decides to head to the office as soon as she’s ready which is around 08:30. She has a good relationship with her boss and her team so she’s not too worried about her impending conversation with Tennant but she is worried about Kate. She was so upset last night and it broke Lucy’s heart. She needs this to go well.
As she enters with bullpen she’s distracted from her internal dialogue by Jesse announcing her arrival, “There she is, Miss High Stakes Poker 2022.”
She laughs and takes a bow at his antics.
“Yeah Lucy, well done on your first undercover op.” Kai adds.
“Thanks for backing me up guys. It got a bit hairy out there for a minute.”
Jesse brushes it off, “No way, you totally had it handled.”
“Thanks Jesse. Is Tennant in?” Lucy asks.
“Yeah, she’s in her office.”
“OK, great.” She says as she goes to put her stuff down at her desk and then makes her way to Tennant’s office. The door is open so she just heads straight in.
Jane looks up from her paperwork when she senses a presence. “Hey Lucy, you’re in early. Great work yesterday by the way.”
“Thanks boss. Can I talk to you about something?” Lucy asks, beginning to feel the nerves creeping in.
Jane can tell that this is something serious from Lucy’s demeanour. “Of course, shut the door and take a seat.”
Lucy does as she is asked and sits down on one of the chairs in front of the desk. Unable to bear it any longer, she just blurts it out Whistler-style. “I would like to formally notify you that Whistler and I have entered into a relationship of a romantic nature.”
Jane sits there stunned. Of all of the things Lucy could have said she would never have had that one on the list. And the way she said it was so unlike Lucy, Whistler’s influence must already be rubbing off. She tries to school her expression so that she can deal with this professionally.
“How long has this been going on for?” Jane asks seriously.
“A few weeks.” Lucy responds quickly.
“Have you let the relationship impact your actions at work?”
“No, of course not!”
“Has Whistler notified her superiors?”
“Yeah, she should be doing it right now.”
Jane sits in silence with a serious expression as though she’s deliberating. When she feels like Lucy has been left to sweat for long enough, she smirks and says, “So that’s why Whistler started wearing flats all of a sudden.”
“Damn I miss those sexy heels.” Lucy says with a longing look in her eye. She hears Jane snort and cringes. “I said that out loud didn’t I?”
“Yes you did.” Jane says with sympathy at Lucy’s embarrassment. “So how did this happen? No offence but I would never have put the two of you together.”
“Me neither. It turns out that Whistler likes to throw herself at unsuspecting women and I’m really glad she does because that’s how I got to know Kate and these last few weeks with her have been amazing.” Lucy says dreamily. She comes back to her senses and realises she may be oversharing a little with her boss so she refocuses, “So you’re not mad?”
“No. I know you and I know what Whistler’s work ethic is like. I have every confidence that you can work together professionally. You will need to submit a conflict-of-interest form to HR though declaring your relationship.”
“Yeah, Kate said we’d have to do something like that. No problem I’ll get on it straight away.”
“So why tell me now? Why not when it first started or when it becomes serious?”
“We had a plan from the start that we would go on a few dates and see how things went before committing to anything but then yesterday happened. I went over to Kate’s after I left here and she was a mess, I have never seen her like that before. What’s happening between us is already serious and I don’t want her to be left out of things if I’m hurt or in danger. I don’t think we’re at the point of making each other our emergency contacts yet but with the way things are going it’s not going to be too long.”
Jane’s motherly concern shows itself, “Don’t you think you’re moving a bit fast?”
“Honestly? In any other situation I would, but this feels different to anything I have experienced before. I’ve known Whistler for 18 months, it’s not like she’s some stranger. There’s so much more to Kate that none of you have experienced before and I can’t wait for you all to see that side of her. You’re my family but so is she.”
“Wow. It sounds like you’re really falling fast Lucy. If I had known I would never have been so harsh with her yesterday.”
“We both understand why you reacted like that but it did really hurt her. She’s stopping by at lunch, I think it would mean a lot to her if you clear the air.”
“Of course, I was already thinking about having a word the next time I saw her.”
“Thank you. Am I ok to tell the rest of the team?”
“Yes, go ahead.” Jane agrees. Before Lucy can leave she adds, “And Lucy… as your friend I want to say congratulations, you seem really happy and that’s all I ever want for my family.”
Lucy smiles, “I am happy. Thank you for being so understanding.”
“Go on. Go tell the guys.” Jane says as she ushers Lucy towards the door.
Lucy can’t contain her smile as she makes her way back to her desk. She quickly texts Kate to let her know that it went ok but doesn’t expect a response knowing that they’ll see each other in a few hours.
“What’s going on Luce, you’re practically glowing?”
She looks up from her phone to see Ernie stood in front of her desk “Oh good, you’re here. I’ve got something to tell you guys.” She calls across to all of them.
“You’re leaving.”
“You’re hungry.”
“You’re pregnant.”
Jesse, Kai and Ernie all guess simultaneously. “Never, always, and hell no Ernie!” Lucy answers.
“What? Glow can equal pregnant, I don’t make the rules.” He says nonchalantly.
Lucy is really getting that ‘why the hell am I friends with him again?’ feeling right now but decides to ignore it and presses on. “Whistler and I are dating.”
“Whistler’s gay?!”
“Cool.”
“Aww come on! I think the pregnancy guess was way more likely than that.”
“Jesse, you should never assume someone’s sexuality from who they’re dating, Whistler may be gay for me but who’s to say that I’m not an anomaly. But yes, to answer your question, she is. Very gay.” Lucy smirks as she says the last part.
“Kai, thank you. A bit of an understated reaction but I appreciate the acceptance.”
“And Ernie…” She smacks his arm, “Just stop it!”
“Sorry Luce, in all seriousness I’m happy for you. Whistler is a fox.”
“Ernie!” She says with exasperation whilst thinking Hell yeah she is.
“So this is why you wanted me to start being nicer to Whistler, you were just trying to help your girlfriend?” Jesse asks.
“Yes and no. Getting to know her has really opened my eyes up to things and the way we were treating her at work was disrespectful. If you get to know the real Kate, you’ll see that she’s not just Whistler.” Lucy explains.
Jesse feels bad for the way he has acted, “Sorry Luce. How about we all go out tonight? Celebrate your first undercover op success and we can get to know Whistler a little better?”
Lucy smiles. “I would really love that but I’ll check with Kate when she comes by for lunch and let you know.”
Kai chimes in, “So are you going to call her Kate all of the time now?”
“I think it depends on the situation. We really need to figure out some ground rules now that we’re out in the open.” Lucy thinks out loud.
“Are we allowed to call her Kate?” Ernie asks.
“That’s up to her.” Lucy says quite clearly, not wanting to overstep any boundaries. “Any other questions?”
“Yeah, how did this even happen? You and Whistler just seemed to irritate each other a few weeks ago, what changed?” Ernie asks.
“I suppose I should thank Jesse for that.” Lucy turns to look at him. “If you hadn’t persuaded me to apologise to Whistler to try to get that intel, she would never have thrown herself at me and this may never have happened.”
“She threw herself at you?!” Ernie asks in excitement, eager to know more.
“Aaand that’s all we’ve got time for, thank you for playing.” Lucy announces like a gameshow host.
“Come on Luce, you can’t just drop that on us and not tell us more.” Ernie is desperate for the details.
“Nice try Ernie but that’s all you’re getting.” Lucy says with conviction.
“Fine, but this isn’t over. I will find out all of the details of Kacy’s origin story.” He says like some evil villain, “Kacy is your ship name by the way, isn’t it cute? I just came up with it.”
Lucy rolls her eyes. “Get out of here Ernie.”
“OK OK, I’m going. No need to be so pushy.” He says on his way out.
Lucy settles back in her chair. She had done it. She had told all of the important people in her life and the response was pretty good. Now all she can do is wait and hope that Kate’s conversation is going just as well.
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Whistler enters the bullpen at 1pm on the dot and makes a beeline for Lucy’s desk.
“Special Agent Tara.” She greets flirtatiously.
“DIA Officer Whistler. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Lucy responds in kind, loving that they can be like this even with other people around.
“I’m here to take you to lunch as requested.” Kate says with a smile.
“I take it things went well based on your smile?” Lucy asks.
“Well I’m not getting fired and I had a constructive conversation with the Captain so I’m hoping for a positive outcome but I don’t know yet, he’s still deliberating.” Kate says seriously before softening, “My smile is simply because I’m getting to see you.”
“Well aren’t you a charmer. I-” Lucy is interrupted by Tennant.
“Whistler, can I have a word?” She shouts across from the doorway of her office.
“Of course, I’ll be there in a second.” Kate responds, “Do you know what this is about?” She asks Lucy.
“You’ll see.” Lucy responds smugly.
Kate narrows her eyes in suspicion before making her way to Tennant’s office.
“Whistler, I just wanted to apologise for my harshness yesterday. We were in a tough spot and I didn’t know all of the facts but that’s no excuse. You’re a valuable asset to this team and I shouldn’t have just dismissed you when we could have utilised your skills.” Jane says with clear remorse.
“Did Lucy say something to you?” Kate asks worriedly. She’s happy for them to be out in the open but she’s not sure about everyone knowing all of her personal business.
Jane assuages her concern, “She’s just looking out for you. She didn’t give me any details but she did say that you were upset by it so I just wanted to clear the air. We have a good working relationship and I think we could be friends.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate that. I’ve seen you and the team head into dangerous situations before but it hit differently this time, I was terrified for Lucy.” Kate says honestly.
“She’s tough but I get it, I was too. As long as you two are seeing each other I’ll do my best to keep you in the loop going forward.”
“Thank you. That’s all I can ask.” Kate is relieved the Tennant isn’t actually angry at her.
Jane changes the tone slightly, “So how did your conversation with the Captain go?”
“About as well as can be expected. He’ll probably be contacting you.”
“And I will give you a glowing review. Just like I told Lucy, with your professional work ethic I have no doubt that the two of you can work together.” Jane says with a smile before cautiously asking “Does Lucy know how likely it is that you’ll be taken off your assignment as our liaison?”
Kate sighs “I was honest with her from the start but I may have undersold the likelihood of that. You know how protective she can be, I didn’t want it to be a reason for her not to give this a try.”
“Are you sure about this? Risking your career.” She admires Kate as a colleague and wants her to be certain that she’s doing the right thing.
“I have never been more sure about anything in my life. Whatever happens with work, Lucy is worth it.” Kate answers with conviction.
Jane smiles “Welcome to the Ohana Kate.”
“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.” Kate says with a watery smile.
“Now go take your girl for lunch.” Jane dismisses her.
Kate makes her way back to Lucy’s desk and Lucy is quick to notice the tears in her eyes. She jumps up in concern and puts a hand on Kate’s arm. “Hey, what’s wrong? That was supposed to be a good conversation.”
“It was. These are happy tears.”
“Thank God. I didn’t want to have to go in there and tear Tennant a new one. I know she’s my boss but no one is allowed to upset you on my watch.” Lucy says, her feisty nature making an appearance.
Kate laughs, “No please don’t do that. It’s all good.”
“So where are we going for lun-” Lucy starts but is cut off by Kate’s phone. “I swear, if that’s one more interruption…”
Kate looks at her apologetically and reads the notification that has come in. “I’m really sorry but I have to go back to the office. Can we take a rain check on lunch?”
Lucy is disappointed but understands. “Ok, I suppose we have seen each other twice today already. How about a third? Jesse wants us all to go out tonight to celebrate and get to know you.”
Kate is a little apprehensive about engaging in a social activity with all of Lucy’s team so soon but tries to hide it. “As long as I get to see you, I’m in. Just text me the time and location later. Walk me to the elevator?”
“Of course my lady.” Lucy puts on a fake British accent and curtseys, making Kate laugh.
As the reach the elevator Kate has a quick look around, when she sees that no one is looking she leans down and plants a quick kiss on Lucy’s lips. “Hopefully that should tide us over for now.”
“Speak for yourself, I was ready to spend another two hours in bed with you this morning, a quick peck isn’t going to cut through what I’m feeling right now.” Lucy says with evident frustration.
“I’ll make it up to you tonight.” Kate promises.
“You better.” Lucy retorts.
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Lucy texts Kate later in the afternoon and asks her to meet them at Ginza at 7. When that time finally rolls round it sees Kate pacing up and down in front of the bar’s entrance. She had text Lucy to come out and see her, both not having the courage to go in alone and needing to speak to Lucy about something first.
Lucy’s head peeks out of the door, when her eyes land on Kate she asks, “Hey, what are you doing out here?”
Kate looks visibly nervous. “Can we sit out here for a minute?” She gestures towards the bench outside the bar.
“Of course.” Lucy says. Once they’re sat, she turns to Kate and asks “What’s going on?”
Kate takes a deep breath. “The reason I had to go back to the office this afternoon is because my boss has made a decision regarding our relationship.”
“Ok, and?” Lucy prompts.
“There will be no investigation into our conduct so far but effective immediately, I am no longer the DIA’s liaison to NCIS. It was deemed that it’s too big of a conflict for us to continue working together.”
Lucy is shocked. “What?! They can’t do that. What happens now?”
“I would be posted elsewhere.”
“You’ll still be on the Island though, right?” Lucy is really starting to panic now.
“Not necessarily, it would depend if there is another position here.”
“But you can’t leave Kate! I have only just found you.” Lucy starts to rant but then notices that Kate seems completely unaffected by what’s she’s telling her. “ Wait, how are you so calm?”
Kate smiles and takes Lucy’s hands. “When we agreed to give this a shot I mentioned that I had a backup plan if our relationship reveal went sideways. I contacted my mentor at the FBI a few weeks ago and started to make enquires about transferring to the Bureau, they have been trying to headhunt me for years anyway. She said that there was no way they wouldn’t accept me and that I would be able to stay in Oahu. They know about us and think it’s an added bonus that I have got such a good working relationship with your team so we’d still be working together.”
“The FBI? But don’t you love your job at DIA? Are you really willing to upend your career for me?” Lucy wants this but she doesn’t want Kate to resent her for it down the line. She needs to know that she’s sure.
“I do like my job at DIA but it’s not easy being the bad guy all the time. The FBI would offer me new opportunities and allow me to further build on my current skillset. And I would be willing to do anything if it means we can stay together and see where this goes.” Kate responds honestly.
Lucy’s face lights up, “Are you sure?”
Kate smirks. “I have already handed in my notice. DIA can shove it.”
Lucy laughs. If you had asked a few weeks ago if she ever thought she’d hear Whistler utter those words she would have said you were crazy. They gaze at each other intensely before Lucy leans in and kisses Kate deeply.
When Lucy pulls away she looks confused. “So, you seem fine with all of that. Why were you looking so nervous when I came out?”
“Oh yeah- I was kind of scared to go in on my own.” Kate says sheepishly.
Lucy’s expression softens. “You don’t need to be scared, it’s just the guys. Tennant had to stay at home with the kids. Plus, I’ll be right there beside you every step of the way.”
“I know that, it’s just a bit intimidating. They only know Whistler. It’s going to be strange meeting them for the first time as Kate, your girlfriend.” Kate explains.
Lucy tries to alleviate her worry. “I wouldn’t have asked you to do this if I didn’t think it would be ok, but if you want, we can leave now and head back to yours. Just say the word.”
Kate doesn’t even need to stop and think about it. “No no- I want to do this, I’m just being silly.”
“It’s not silly if that’s how you feel.” Lucy wants to make sure she knows that.
“I’m fine, honestly.” Kate says with confidence.
“Yay!” Lucy jumps up off the bench and offers a hand to Kate, “Shall we?”
Kate gratefully accepts Lucy’s hand and is led inside to their table. As she approaches, she hears cheers of “Whistler!” and “Kacy!”.
“Kacy?” She whispers to Lucy.
“Oh it’s just some silly ship name Ernie has come up with, just ignore him.” Lucy mumbles back.
Kate thinks about it for a second. “Kind of like a portmanteau? That’s cute.”
“Please don’t let Ernie hear you say that.” Lucy groans under her breath as they arrive at the table. “Hey guys! I’d like you to officially meet Kate, my girlfriend. Be nice.” She warns.
A few hours later and they’re still all there, talking, laughing, and drinking. Lucy had even managed to persuade Kate to dance a couple of times. Kate sits there and takes it all in, her arm around the back of Lucy’s chair and Lucy’s hand on her thigh. Jesse, Kai and Ernie have included her all evening, asking questions, sharing stories, just being genuinely nice to her which is a real change. Basking in the moment she thinks how grateful she is that she was brave enough to throw herself at Lucy that night. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that it could lead to this. A beautiful girlfriend. A new career. And the beginnings of what feels like family. Ohana.