Work Text:
Previously on NCIS HAWAII :
The door to Noah's room opened and he stepped out, dressed only in a white T-shirt and a Captain America boxers. The couple seemed shocked to see him like that. He seemed as shocked as the couple when they saw them.
"Lucy? What are you doing here?" He exclaimed, surprised to see the young woman.
But no one answered him. Because behind Noah stood a woman wearing the shirt the young man had worn the night before and what appeared to be one of his boxers, if the Hulk on it was any indication.
"Tennant?"
Silence fell over the room. Lucy and Kate were in their pajamas, ready to make breakfast and SAC Jane Tennant, stood there in the middle of DIA officer Kate Whistler's living room, having obviously spent the night with her brother.
"Wait a minute, you know Lucy?" gasped Kate, turning to her brother.
All eyes turned to Noah, who was still frozen in the living room, his eyes round and wide, feigning innocence.
"He accosted me outside Pearl at 1am," Lucy explained.
"What the hell Noah! Kate snapped "You went behind my back to see Lucy? I don't need you to defend me, you forgot I'm an adult now!" annoyed Kate
"She made you cry!" He replied, getting angry in his turn.
"Hey, I didn't do it on purpose!" the young Texan defended herself, crossing her arms.
"You were such a jerk on that one, you're undefendable!" He said, crossing his arms in turn.
"You think I'm scared of you Captain America?" asked Lucy, arching an eyebrow as she pointed at his briefs.
Jane, who had been silent until then, couldn't help but snicker at her colleague's snappy repartee.
All eyes turned to her. Jane was a strong woman who didn't need anyone to defend her. So she wasn't going to be impressed by the 3 pairs of eyes staring back at her. She arched her famous eyebrow, waiting for someone to confront her.
The reaction she got was not the expected one.
"Damn...you're so hot when you do that" drooled Noah.
Jane couldn't contain her reaction and blushed hearing this.
Kate rolled her eyes and Lucy bit her lip. No one had time to react when the silence was interrupted by a sudden noise. Kate turned to Lucy quickly. It was Lucy's stomach reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before.
"You need to eat before passing out," she said.
"You did promise me pancakes! Lucy confirmed with a smile.
"I'm on it babe" promised Kate, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"But it's Friday" declared Noah incredulously
"And?" Lucy asked in surprise.
"Friday is oatmeal day"
"What?" Jane asked, frowning. She hadn't spoken since she'd found herself in front of her colleagues in her underwear. But there was no way she was going to be embarrassed by the situation. She was Jane Tennant and she would come out of this night with her head held high.
"Kate always eats oatmeal on Friday" he mumbled in disbelief, staring at his sister who was making pancakes for her girlfriend.
Jane turned her attention back to the blond woman, not understanding the problem with the pancakes. Lucy didn't seem to be disturbed by the situation either; she'd taken out all the pancake toppings she could find and placed them on the table.
Noah remained doubtful as he watched his sister. He and Jane exchanged glances and she could see that he seemed genuinely troubled. She smiled reassuringly and gestured with a glance towards his bedroom door. He nodded, and they headed for the room in silence.
When he closed the door, he turned to her apologetically.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect my sister's girlfriend to be here," he said sheepishly.
"You never told me your sister was Kate Whistler," she said, raising her eyebrow.
"Don't do that please" he said, giggling nervously.
"To be fair, we didn't exchange last names ...even after 2 dates" he said as he sat down on the bed.
"True" she admitted with a laugh
"So are we counting the day you literally ran me over as a date?" she laughed.
"I didn't run you over" he snorted indignantly.
"Noah...you hit me so hard coming out of that bakery that I was on the floor looking up at the sky in less than 2 seconds" she laughed, thinking back to how she'd met this intriguing man.
He blushed violently as he recalled the incident. He'd only just arrived on the island nearly a week ago and hadn't yet told Kate he was here for a while. He had been debriefed by his superiors and instructed not to tell anyone around him where he was. One morning, dressed in civilian clothes, he hurried to buy some pastries from that bakery Kate was always talking about. He knew it was risky, as his sister was a regular customer of the place, but he couldn't help himself. On his way out, head down, he hadn't seen Jane coming in front of him. They'd collided so violently that the NCIS agent had ended up on the floor.
"Is this going to be a problem?" asked Jane, glancing at the closed door. Kate had been quiet enough during the exchange but had looked at Jane with concern.
"No..no..well I don't think so...Kate doesn't like surprises...she doesn't like being caught unprepared."
Jane couldn't contain her surprise when she heard this. Their job was full of surprises and last-minute changes, where you had to be reactive at all times and able to adapt to any situation. DIA officer Kate Whistler excelled at her job. One of the best operatives Jane had ever met in her career. And even if they sometimes disagreed on how some cases should be handled, Jane had always made a distinction between people and work. She knew that the young woman was merely the poor messenger of DIA decisions.
"I find that hard to believe. I work with her very regularly and she excels at handling crises and last-minute situations," remarked Jane.
Noah grunted softly and shook his head.
"Yes, and it consumes a lot of her energy and causes a lot of anxiety. That's why at home, her life doesn't leave room for surprises and disorganized things. This allows her to rest her brain and let go. Every day, she has a specific routine and she doesn't get out of it. That's why I'm surprised she so readily agrees to a pancake breakfast on a Friday..." he fell silent, realizing he'd said far too much.
"I won't say anything, I promise," Jane reassured him, smiling. "I have the greatest respect for your sister as a colleague and also as a friend, and even though I know she doesn't see herself that way with me, I consider her as such."
"Thank you...it feels good to talk about it to someone who doesn't judge her...we haven't been so lucky in the past" he remarked gently. "Anyway, you and I won't be a problem, it's just that she was taken by surprise when she saw you. She needs to think at her own pace and rather quietly."
Jane placed a kiss on his cheek, understanding that the Whistlers' past was far more complex and sad than anyone could imagine.
Someone knocked on the door and Kate's voice came through the wood:
"The pancakes are ready, you'd better hurry up and come or Lucy will have eaten everything."
Jane leapt to her feet, grabbed the jeans she'd worn the day before to avoid wearing underwear in front of her colleagues and friends again, and hurried off.
Noah grabbed his jogging pants and followed her, surprised by her speed. When he entered the room, the three women were seated at the table, and Jane and Kate were watching Lucy with amused eyes. Lucy's plate was covered with pancakes, chocolate chips, bananas and kiwi. Noah gave his sister a bewildered look; there was no way the young woman would eat all that.
He sat down next to Jane and helped himself, his gaze still fixed on Lucy's plate.
"How?" he asked simply, staring in horror at Lucy, who gave the impression of inhaling her food.
"She's from Texas" replied Kate and Jane at the same time.
"That's right I am!" confirmed Lucy with her mouth full.
Noah continued to stare, eating his own pancakes. Kate looked at her tenderly. Then she turned to her brother for a moment.
"So...are you going to tell me why you went to see Lucy in the middle of the night?" she asked.
Noah almost choked on this.
"I thought the conversation was over!" he muttered after clearing his throat.
"Well, you thought wrong" she retorted.
Lucy giggled at Kate's reply, her nose still in her plate. She slid down 3 more pancakes and pieces of mango that Kate had previously cut up before taking the last piece of bacon that was on the plate.
"Don't think you're going to get away with this Lucy Tara! You failed to tell me you had a visit from my brother yesterday," Kate declared, turning to her.
"He asked me not to tell you and he asked me to come and see you only this morning because I made you cry and you were asleep" defended the young Texan, her mouth still full.
Kate turned to her brother, her face surprised.
"Traitor!" he said to Lucy. The latter shrugged her shoulders and continued devouring her breakfast as if nothing had happened.
"Noah James Whistler!" thundered Kate.
"Katherine Marie Whistler!" he mimed, rolling his eyes.
Jane leaned back in her chair, waiting for Kate's reaction. She knew that expression. She'd been the victim of it on several occasions when they disagreed or she'd overstepped DIA's instructions.
Noah kept his gaze straight into Kate's eyes. Neither seemed to want to let go. A long moment passed between them, Jane's gaze going from one Whistler to the other, waiting to see who would win the game. Lucy was still busy eating, the sibling duel not seeming to interest her much.
Noah sighed.
"Okay I shouldn't have gone to Lucy behind your back, I know you're capable of standing up for yourself" he apologized.
Jane watched Kate relax and her gaze softened.
"Thank you ..." she said, smiling tenderly at her brother.
"But thanks to me, Lucy's here this morning" he mumbled anyway.
"Noah!" Kate reproached.
"What?! It's true! Lucy is a terribly stubborn person...you're the one who said it and I'm sure she'd have given you the cold shoulder for weeks and since you're too nice and you always feel you deserve the shit that happens to you, you wouldn't have pushed the dialogue" he grumbled.
Kate's jaw clenched again, as did her fists resting on the table. Lucy stopped eating to turn her head towards Noah. Jane held her breath. Kate seemed about to explode. Lucy was torn between indignation at being called a terribly stubborn woman and the desire to defend Kate from her brother, who had obviously reopened a still raw wound.
Kate jumped to her feet, her chair scraping against the floor. She headed for her room but was intercepted by Noah, who grabbed her arm.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You're right. It wasn't my business. I love you and sometimes I forget you're not that 15-year-old who..." he paused, not wanting to say any more in front of Jane and Lucy. He pulled Kate against him and hugged her.
"I'm still mad" Kate mumbled against his shoulder, enjoying the comfort this hug gave her.
"I know...I'll make it up to you...I promise" he said, placing a kiss on her forehead.
They returned to the table, where Jane and Lucy were still sitting silently. A slight tension was still palpable, and Lucy glanced at Jane. Jane frowned because she knew that look. It was a look of both regret and excitement.
"So...are you going to tell us how it happened?" She asked, smiling broadly, her finger pointing at Jane and then Noah.
Jane then understood the look. Lucy was changing the subject to get Kate out of the spotlight, and to do that, she was turning the focus to the other couple in the room.
Noah grunted, thinking he'd manage to avoid the subject.
"Nobody tells me I'm terribly stubborn without having to pay for it," she declared with a Machiavellian smile.
Kate, who'd taken a sip of orange juice, nearly choked on this.
"So...which one of you is going to tell us?" she asked, smiling in amusement.
"From Lucy, not surprising, but you, Kate..." snorted Jane.
Kate was about to retort in all seriousness, but she quickly noticed the flash of fun in Jane's eyes and relaxed at the sight of it. It wasn't a reproach. She was trying to lighten the mood.
"Oh, there's so much you don't know about me, Jane Tennant," Kate laughed.
Jane burst out laughing and Lucy followed. Noah passed his gaze from Kate to Jane to Lucy.
"I don't feel safe" muttered Noah, frowning.
"You're not buddy" confirmed Lucy.
"I've run into her" he mumbled blushing
"Literally...like I end up on the ground" continued Jane
"I'm still sorry you know" he said, turning to Jane
"I know ...I expect compensation," she said, winking at him.
Noah blushed violently, bewildered by this woman he thought he was falling in love with.
"Oh please" mumbled Kate in disgust "I don't mind the two of you but please no mushy stuff" implored Kate
"So I have to put up with you and Lucy but I'm not allowed to do the same" offended Noah.
"Straight couples are gross," replied Kate, sticking her tongue out at him.
Noah stuck out his tongue in return, while Jane and Lucy looked on in amusement. The ringing of a phone interrupted the siblings' little game. Kate stood up, recognizing the ringing of her cell phone. She picked up and left the room.
"Don't hurt her," Noah reminded her quickly.
"I could say the same thing to you" she said, nodding in Jane's direction.
The latter arched an eyebrow in surprise at the wave of protective feelings Lucy was exuding.
"I won't" he promised
"Good."
Jane cleared her throat after a few minutes, interrupting the duo's eye-to-eye duel.
"Having fun?" she asked between amusement and affection.
"Yep" replied Lucy without saying anything more. She grabbed the empty plates from the table and headed for the kitchen ready to wash up. Jane and Noah followed suit and soon the table was cleared, the dishes wiped clean and put away. Kate emerged from the bathroom wearing her blue suit and a white shirt. Her hair was slightly damp, proving that she'd had a quick shower.
"I need to go," she announced, setting her watch.
"No rest for the wicked," remarked Jane with a smile.
"Be nice to Lucy" she said to her brother.
"I promise" he assured her with a smile.
Kate arched an eyebrow, doubtful.
She grabbed her attaché case and handbag before slipping into her shoes. Lucy accompanied her to the door.
"I'll try not to finish too late tonight...could we go to dinner?" Kate suggested with a smile.
"Perfect! I'll get ready and go to the gym."
"Are you sure that's a good idea? Don't you want to rest after last night?" Kate worried
"I've got too much energy...I need to let it out" replied Lucy with a shrug.
"Ok...call me if you need anything" asked Kate before placing a kiss on her lips.
"I promise," Lucy assured her, stealing another kiss.
"Bye Tennant" she said more shyly.
Jane smiled and said, "I think after this breakfast you can call me Jane."
Kate smiled and nodded wordlessly. Noah winked at her and she closed the door, leaving the apartment.
"I'm going to have a shower, Lucy...do whatever you want...Jane you can come with me if you like" he said, smiling broadly.
"Eww please! I don't need to know that!" snapped Lucy.
Jane rolled her eyes and avoided looking in Lucy's direction. If they were going to continue seeing each other, they were going to have to set some rules.
"You know what? Give me ten minutes to get dressed, leave and then...you can do whatever you want!" she declared as she ran toward the bedroom.
Noah laughed and Jane couldn't help but smile, awestruck by the man.
Boy, oh boy, she was in trouble!