Work Text:
8 stitches, 1 broken rib, another 2 bruised and a black-rimmed eye.
That was the outcome of Kate Whistler's evening. And the person she had to thank tonight was Agent Lucy Tara.
It had all started a few hours earlier. Lucy had called to say she was going out for a drink with her team and would meet her at home afterwards. The couple were still hiding their relationship from Lucy's team, although Kate felt she was soon ready to stop hiding her love for the little brunette. She'd nodded in agreement when Lucy told her of her plan. After a good shower, she slipped into her favorite pajamas and settled comfortably on her couch, resuming the reading of her novel.
The ringing of her telephone broke the silence of the apartment. She glanced up quickly and smiled broadly as Lucy's number appeared on her screen.
"Hey babe!" she said with a smile.
"KATE!" shouted Lucy.
Kate winced, Lucy had yelled into the receiver. That could only mean one thing, the young woman was drunk.
"Hey Luce," she said softly, hoping to get Lucy's volume down.
"I'm drunk and they left me all alone!" the young woman raged. "Can you come and get me?" she then asked.
Kate frowned. It really surprised her that Lucy had been left alone by her colleagues when she was drunk. However, she preferred not to take any chances.
"Sure sweetie, can you give me the name of the bar you're in?" asked Kate as she headed into the bedroom.
She put the phone on speaker and undressed. She slipped on a t-shirt and jeans before grabbing the oversized sweater lying on her armchair.
Lucy loved this sweater, which she put on in the morning without anything underneath.
Still on the phone, Lucy was talking about penguins and giraffes, and Kate was having a hard time keeping up with the conversation, which really had no train of thought. She chuckled to herself when she thought of the headache Lucy would have the next morning. She promised the young woman she'd be there in 15 minutes and hung up.
As Kate walked through the door of the bar, she was assailed by a mixture of the smell of alcohol and perspiration.
The bar was packed. She was even surprised that no one was regulating the entrances, as so many people in this room must not have met fire regulations. She glanced across the room and spotted Lucy at the bar, chatting animatedly with the bartender. Another glance around the room confirmed that the young woman was alone and that the rest of the team was gone. Anger came over her as she couldn't believe that Tennant would leave a member of her team, alone and drunk in a bar. She moved quickly towards Lucy and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Kate my love!" cried Lucy, throwing herself at Kate. Kate caught the young woman with a grunt before helping her back onto the stool.
"Hey babe. Are you ready?" the blonde inquired, smiling fondly. She turned to the bartender and handed him her credit card without saying a word, and he took it to pay for the brunette's drinks. Kate took the opportunity to ask another waiter for some water, who promptly served Lucy a tall glass.
"Here, sweetie, drink this before we go," asked Kate gently.
Lucy smiled lovingly at her, her alcohol-glazed eyes reflecting the lights of the bar.
"I'd do anything for you" Lucy assured her as she drank the glass in one gulp.
"You must be Kate...Lucy hasn't stopped talking about you," the bartender told her, handing back her credit card.
"That's me, all right, and now I'm going to take this lovely lady home" she assured him with a smile.
She guided Lucy towards the exit, helping her to walk by supporting her at the waist. The fresh air did them good and Lucy sighed with contentment.
"My head's going to hurt tomorrow, isn't it?" she asked in a flash of lucidity.
Kate giggled and kissed her on the forehead. They arrived in front of Kate's car, luckily parked near the bar. She opened the car door and helped Lucy inside. As she did so, the hood of her sweater fell over her face, blocking her view. Lucy giggled, amused by the situation. Kate buckled Lucy in and closed the door. She was about to remove the hood that had been in the way when she felt an indescribable force tackle her to the floor. Her head hit the floor hard, and she felt and heard a rib shattering under the weight that had crushed her. She cried out in pain, her body naturally curling up to try and soothe the pain.
Someone took off her hood, but she couldn't see much because blood was dripping down her eyes.
"Oh my god! Whistler?"
Tennant's voice snapped her out of her shock.
"Shit, Whistler, are you okay?" Jesse Boone struggled to his feet beside her.
Kate didn't answer because she was having trouble breathing. Jane knelt beside her and grabbed her hand.
"It's all right Kate, an ambulance is coming."
She didn't know how long she'd been lying there, blood streaming down her face and her ribs on fire. She was in so much pain that she couldn't concentrate on what was being said around her. She heard the words "Lucy" "Drunk" "Kidnapped" before losing consciousness.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital room. Her ribs were no longer as painful and blood no longer blocked her vision.
"Hey babe" Lucy's soft voice made her turn her head to the right. The young woman was sitting next to her. She was wearing blue jeans and a sweater that belonged to Kate. Her still damp hair betrayed the shower she'd taken earlier.
"What the fuck happened?" she asked angrily.
"I'm sorry, Kate," Jesse apologized sheepishly.
Kate turned her head and became aware that the rest of Lucy's team was present. They all looked worried and embarrassed.
"Jesse tackled you to the ground, you have 8 stitches, 1 broken rib, 2 bruised ribs and you'll probably have a black-rimmed eye" Lucy explained, stroking her hand.
"Thanks...I'd figured that out...I want to know why" she grumbled, frowning. She emitted a groan of pain as the action pulled at what she imagined were stitches.
"Actually, it's my fault," Ernie confessed.
"No, it's mine. I shouldn't have drunk so much" admitted Lucy.
"Tennant please...can you explain because nothing makes sense" asked Kate, turning to the SAC.
"Lucy and Ernie drank a lot tonight and Lucy slipped away. We were playing pool in the next room when Ernie, who'd also had a lot to drink, came running in to tell us that someone had kidnapped Lucy. When we got to the street, we saw a figure with their back to us in a black sweatshirt and a hood over their head putting Lucy in the car. Jesse reacted on instinct and tackled you to the ground."
Jesse grimaced, Kai, silent until then, scratched his head, remembering Ernie's words.
Kate shook her head, appalled by what she'd just heard. It was the dumbest thing she'd ever heard.
"The positive thing is that we're super happy that you and Lucy are together," Jane tried, smiling.
Kate looked at her without smiling.
"Lucy my love" she said, turning to the brunette.
"Yes babe"
"You're no longer allowed to go out unsupervised with your team."
Lucy winced and nodded, "Fair enough".