Chapter Text
Lucy’s eyes snapped open when she felt her body being shaken, she had been in a deep slumber after weeks of an exhausting case. Kate’s voice filtered into her ears, as the world slowly came back.
“Baby” The blond’s voice only a mumble, she was just as tired. “Your phone”
“What?” Lucy’s brain was still trying to process; she pushed herself up and looked towards the clock on Kate’s bedside table. “It’s three AM” The NCIS agent quickly reached for the phone and felt her heart stutter; her stomach sink and a cold shiver ran through her.
Lucy pulled the sheets away from her body and moved to the kitchen, she placed the phone down and simply stared at the name flashing back at her.
Michael Tara
Her eldest brother who she hadn’t heard from in about a year, she always worried that a call this late meant death. At the same time, with all of Michael’s addictions she was always scared the call would be about him, she didn’t know why he would be calling her. The phone stopped ringing and Lucy held her breath, she released it when it didn’t ring again.
Lucy was tempted to text her other siblings, Thomas and Jaqueline, to ask if they heard from Michael, but that on its own would open a can of worms. The brunette walked over to their liquor cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whiskey; she poured herself a good amount and threw it back in one swig. Lucy put the bottle back and placed the glass into the sink, she trekked back to the bedroom. The brunette took a few deep breathes, willing her hands to stop shaking as she made her way back.
“Everything okay?” Kate’s voice was thick with sleep still.
“Yeah” Lucy slid back into bed, smiling when Kate snuggled into her arms. “Bot call” She kissed the crown of her head.
_
Kate frowned at the tumbler in the sink that wasn’t there last night, she looked over her shoulder when Lucy stepped out of their room dressed for work in a pair of black trousers and a green button down. Kate had a beige skirt and a white sleeveless top.
“Did you have a drink last night?” Confusion dripped from Kate’s voice.
“Hmm?” Lucy arched a brow. “Oh! Yeah, I wanted to get back to sleep quickly after that stupid call last night”
Lucy felt a pang of guilt for lying but she didn’t need to dig up family drama for no reason. “Are you heading to the FBI office or are you riding with me?”
“I’ll be at NCIS all day actually, just need finalize everything from that case” Kate couldn’t stop her smile at the joy that lit up on Lucy’s face.
“A fully day with my fiancé? Love that for me” Lucy reached for Kate’s hand and pulled her closer, leaning up she connected their lips.
“Yeah, yeah” Kate pressed another kiss to waiting lips. “Let’s get going”
_
The team was taking a moment for themselves later that day, they were in the bullpen playing some trash ball. Kate perched on Lucy’s desk, Tennant on Jesse’s desk and Ernie sitting on a chair beside Kai.
“Alright” Ernie looked at the points he noted down. “It comes down to team Kacy”
“Ugh” Lucy rolled her eyes. “Really, man?” He was the only one that called them that, he did it more knowing it irked Lucy.
“Whistler” Jesse pointed to the blond. “Your shot”
Kate took the crumpled ball of paper Lucy handed her, letting out a sigh as she lined up the shot.
“Don’t choke, Kate” Tennant winked at her.
“Hey” Lucy threw her arms up. “Tune ‘em out, baby” Lucy nudged her.
Kate shook her head with a smirk. “It’s not that deep, guys, it’s trash ball”
Whistler drew her wrist back and flicked it forward, the paper ball landed in the trash can. The room filled with both excitement and groans; Kate simply turned to Lucy and wiggled her eyebrows while blowing the tips of her fingers.
“That’s my girl” Lucy snickered at Jesse, raising her hand to Kate for a high five.
Kai moved to the middle, starting the clean-up. “You guys shouldn’t be allowed to team up”
Lucy let out an exaggerated gasp. “Excuse me”
“He’s right” Jesse leaned back in his chair with a shrug. “You have an advantage, probably practicing at home”
“Oh yeah” Lucy snorted. “That’s what we’re doing with our limited free time”
“Jess” Tennant looked over her shoulder. “Isn’t Heather in a Sunday league for basketball? So really if anyone has the advantage-“
“Tennant!” Jesse lightly pushed at her shoulder. “Come on, we’re on the same team”
Lucy shook her head with an amused smile; she loved watching her team have these light moments in between the hardships that came with this job. Lucy glanced to the bullpen entrance and felt her body go cold, standing on the other side with an agent was her brother Michael.
“I’ll be right back” Lucy shot out of her chair and rushed towards the double doors.
Kate watched her love practically run out of the room; she looked to the lobby and saw a man but didn’t recognize him. Whistler turned her gaze to Tennant and silently asked if she knew what this was about, Tennant simply shook her head.
_
“Agent Tara” The young security agent started.
“I got this, thank you” Lucy cut him off before he could say anything more.
“Luce” Michael gave her a bright smile, one so similar to her own.
Michael was tall, the tallest of the Tara siblings, he and Lucy shared similar looks from their eyes to their defined jaw line. His hair was cut short, faded on the sides and back. He was dressed in dark jeans and a bright blue Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses on the top of his head.
“Not here” Lucy grabbed him by his arm and pulled him to the elevator that had just opened up.
Once they were outside and away from prying eyes and ears, Lucy ripped into him.
“You can’t just show up at my work, Michael!” Lucy gestured towards the building. “What the hell are you thinking?”
“In all fairness” Mihael raised a hand. “I tried to call you-“
“At three in the morning!”
“Still, I tired, it’s not on me that you ignored it” Michael shrugged.
Lucy’s eyes squinted, she looked at Michael carefully, looked at the hazel eyes that mirrored her own. The brunette let out a sigh, hands moving to her hips. Her headed nodding as if all the pieces finally clicked. “Are you high?”
Michel chuckled, looking away from Lucy and pulling his sunglasses down. “Listen…”
“Christ” Lucy could feel her anger starting to boil. “Do you understand where I work?” The words came out in a hiss. “I’m a federal agent, Michael!”
“I know” The eldest Tara let out a sigh, as if annoyed at Lucy’s reminder.
“Do you?” Lucy’s volume grew. “You come to my work, out of fucking nowhere, and you show up high? What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“Lucy?” Both Tara’s looked behind the NCIS agent to find Kate slowly approaching. “Are you okay?” Kate eyed the man smiling at her, everything told her that this man was related to her fiancé; the features were uncanny.
Before the younger woman could answer, Michael spoke up. “Hi, do you work with Luce?” He stuck his hand out; a toothy grin still planted on his face. “I’m Micheal, her brother”
Kate looked Lucy’s way, trying to not let the shock show on her face as she reached for Michael’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Kate Whistler” Lucy heard the way Kate said her name, like it would ring a bell for Michael but she knew it wouldn’t. Lucy hadn’t mentioned anything to her family about Kate or being engaged.
“Y’all work together?” Michael asked again, hand slipping from Kate and into his own pocket.
“Uh” Kate didn’t know how to answer that and Lucy watched Kate’s heart break as realization sunk in.
“She’s my fiancé” The NCIS agent answered for Kate, Lucy was never looking to hide Kate but rather protect her from the Tara family.
“Oh” Michael pursed his lips, an eyebrow arching. “Didn’t know you were engaged, baby sis” Michael smirked her way. “Congrats”
Lucy let the awkward silence linger for only a beat more before snapping it. “What are you doing here, seriously?”
Michael let out a breath. “I’m here on a bachelor trip, buddy of mine is getting married. Thought I’d take some time and say hi to my sister”
Kate could almost see the tension rolling off Lucy, she wanted to intervene but she didn’t quite understand what was happening.
“Don’t play with me, Michael” Kate had never heard Lucy’s voice so clipped. “What do you need, this time?”
“Okay” Michael raised a hand. “I don’t want to keep you from work, let talk over dinner” It wasn’t a question. “Kate, you should join us” He began to back up. “Give me a chance to get to know you, Luce, I’ll text ya”
The two women watched him walk away; Kate slowly reached for Lucy’s hand.
“Are you okay?”
Lucy gently pulled her hand back; she forced a smile on to her face. “Yeah, let’s get back to work”
_
Once their day had come to an end and when the couple got home from the office. Lucy threw her bag down and toed her shoes off, she moved to the living room and dropped on the couch. Kate watched her for a moment, head down in her hands and her body coiled with anxiety and tension. She picked up the discarded bag and placed it on the bench by her own, Kate let out a sigh and sat across Lucy on the coffee table.
The rest of the day had Lucy filled with tension and quick to irritation, Kate didn’t know how to explain to the team why her mood changed so much. They were a smart group, they knew it had to do with the man that visited their office. But like the kind soul they are no one questioned Lucy, in time she would come to them.
“Baby” She reached for Lucy’s hands, slowly pulling them away from her face.
“I just wanted to protect you” Lucy rushed the words out. “I’m not ashamed of what we have, it’s the most important thing in the world to me. I didn’t want my family anywhere near it”
Kate nodded, it did hurt to know Lucy never mentioned their relationship to her family but she also knew that Lucy kept her family at a distance for everything. They could talk about it another time, right now they had to deal with the current situation.
“So, your brother Michael” The FBI agent started. “Why are you so on edge with him”
Over their years of being together Lucy was still so selective of her family, the most Kate learned was their names and what the family business was. Today that had to change, and Lucy knew it.
“Michael was my best friend growing up” The brunette’s voice was strained, fighting back the emotions that would lead to tears. “I looked up to him so much, he was the best” She didn’t stop the fond smile that creeped up. “We just understood each other on a level the other two couldn’t, when I came out, he was so happy for me”
Kate knew what it was like to have a brother that had your back and gave you full support.
“What changed?” She ran her thumb over Lucy’s knuckles, trying her best to settle her love.
“He got into an accident and they put him on medication” Lucy couldn’t stop the tears that began to build, they slowly seeped from the corners of her eyes. “And he just couldn’t shake them; he was never the same after he became an addict”
“Luce” Kate leaned forward to press her lips against Lucy’s forehead; she could hear the pain that was still so deep in Lucy’s heart.
“When my parents stopped funding his addiction he started to gamble, anything to make extra money to buy more drugs” The Texan pulled her hand away to wipe at her tears. “He got in deep with some sharks and my parents refused to help him, and Thomas he…he’s never willing to do anything that goes against my father so he just ignored Michael”
“How old were you guys?” The blond could feel her own anger grow at how careless Lucy’s family could be.
“Mike would have been twenty-six and I had just turned twenty, Jacquline helped him and I still had access to my funds so together we got him out of it”
Kate squeezed the hand in hers. “But he got into trouble again?”
“So many times, my sister stopped helping and I kept doing it until things went south with my folks” Lucy leaned back against the couch, tugging at Kate’s hands until her girl moved to sit on the couch. “Once they realized I didn’t want to be part of the family business, they stopped any money coming my way”
“You couldn’t afford to keep paying off his debt”
Lucy shook her head. “For years I would only hear from him if he needed help, he never wanted anything other than money”
“He looked okay today? Do you think things have changed?” Kate gently ran her hand through thick curls, scratching at Lucy’s scalp.
“No, he was high” A small sob broke through Lucy’s chest. “I could see it in his eyes; Michael will borrow money from one shark to pay another. My guess is it caught up to him and now he needs to be bailed out” The younger woman took a deep shaky breath. “Guess we’ll find out at dinner”
They sat in silence for a moment, Kate allowing Lucy to process her emotions before she broke it to ask. “How come this morning you didn’t just tell me your brother called?” It was such an odd thing to lie about, Kate thought.
“I didn’t want to open up about what that could mean, I’m sorry” Lucy mumbled, she looked truly apologetic.
“I don’t want you to be sorry, baby” Kate touched her forehead to Lucy’s temple, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I just want to help you, let me in”
“I know” Lucy squeezed her eyes shut. “I was trying to protect you from my family, it’s not a safe place, baby”
“Hey” Kate pulled away, she cupped Lucy’s cheek until their eyes locked. “We get through the hard stuff together, that’s the deal, Luce”
“You’re right” Lucy’s lips tipped up in a small smile. “You’ll come with me tonight?”
“Of course”
_
Kate was in their room putting on the final touches for her make up, Michael had texted earlier to set a time and said he would send the location soon. Whistler grabbed the tube of lipstick and stained her lips red; Lucy’s voice broke her concentration.
“Kate” Her fiancé rushed into the room, looking a little panicked. “He wants to come here for dinner”
“Oh” Kate slowly put the lipstick down, turning to lean against the dresser. She had on a knee length blue sundress, her hair curled. Lucy looked beautiful in a pair of dark jeans and white dress shirt tucked in to highlight her athletic figure. “Maybe that’s better?”
“Kate” Lucy let out a sigh, hand running through her hair. “I don’t want him to know where we live”
The blond stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Lucy’s neck. “I know this is our home and…ours, but if things get a little too contentious, it’s better that we have it in a controlled environment? Away from people who will stare and I’m sure try to get involved”
Lucy’s head tipped back, she knew Kate was right but it still made her uncomfortable. “Yeah fine, I’ll message him. Can you order something?”
“Sure” Kate stepped back to finish her make up. “Chinese sound good?”
_
Lucy could feel how tightly she was clenching her jaw, Mike and Kate were carrying on a casual conversation but Lucy couldn’t settle down. She had a hand on Kate’s thigh and the blond had to gently squeeze her wrist, silently asking her to not squeeze too tight.
Michael was being his charming self, saying all the right things with his million-dollar smile. If Lucy didn’t know better, she would think Kate was falling for it just like she had seen so many people be bought by the Tara charm. Thankfully Whistler was playing along, trying to keep the tension in the room at a minimum.
Her brother showed up high, Lucy could see it in his eyes and could hear it in his speech. It broke her heart to know Michael was still so in deep with his addiction, it furthered her belief he was just here for money.
“She’s a good one, Luce” Mike nodded at her, taking a sip of his whiskey.
“Hmm” Lucy hummed, half a smile on her face. “So, you gonna tell me why you’re actually here?”
“I told you-“ The youngest Tara held her hand up.
“Stop with the bullshit, Mike” Lucy sounded exhausted, but Kate could see the fight still in her eyes. “Is it money?”
Michel glanced Kate’s way and instantly she felt like she didn’t belong in the room. “Um” Kate turned to Lucy. “Do you want me to…?”
“No” Lucy firmed the grip on her thigh, letting go when she was sure Kate wasn’t going to walk away. “Anything he needs to say, you can hear” The NCIS agent locked eyes with Michael. “Kate’s my family”
The words were meant to sting and they did, Michael’s smile dropping just slightly. “I really did want to see you, I’ve missed you” Lucy knew more was coming so she stayed silent, her face hard and cold. “I do need some help” And there it was, she almost felt gleeful at being proven right.
“How bad is it?” Lucy moved her hand from Kate’s leg, clasping both hands on the table.
Michael shrugged. “Just 200k” Lucy couldn’t stop the humorless laugh that escaped her. “I’m out of resources Lucy; I can’t borrow from my normal guys”
“Michael” Lucy tried to get a word in.
“And the sharks I owe, they are dangerous people” His desperation was clear, it chipped at Lucy’s heart. “Please”
The brunette shook her head. “I don’t have that kind of money, Michael”
“Come on!” He pushed to his feet, Lucy slowly followed and Kate did the same. “I need your help, Lucy! Isn’t this what you do? Help people?!”
“I have always offered you help; I offered rehab-“
“I don’t need that!” Michael slammed his hand on the table. “I just need some money, please!”
It crushed Lucy to see how broken her brother had become. “I’m sorry, I just don’t have that kind of money to give”
Michael laughed, he gestured around them. “You live in a fucking condo on the beach, in Hawai’i, and you’re telling me you don’t have money?” He didn’t let her answer, storming forward and grabbing Kate’s hand. Lucy saw red instantly. “Look at this ring, you don’t have money!?”
“Don’t touch her” Lucy pulled Kate behind her, she felt the blonds’ hands on her back. “Listen to me, Michael, I do not have 200k to give you-“
“Then you’re useless to me!” Michael screamed into her face. “You have always been so fucking selfish, you know that? Always putting yourself and your needs first! You walked away from the family, left me behind!”
“Hey” Kate’s voice firm, speaking up for the first time. “Back off, you don’t get to come to our home and talk to her-“
“Shut up!” He stumbled back at the hard shove from Lucy.
“Don’t turn this on Kate, you’re angry and I get that” Lucy brought her voice down, trying to reason with her brother. “I can’t give you what you need, but let me get you into a rehab and we’ll figure out the rest”
Michael ran a hand over his face, shaking his head. “Forget it” He whispered, taking a step closer to Lucy. “When they kill me, I hope the guilt eats you alive”
“Okay!” Kate pulled Lucy away this time. “You have to leave, now!” She forced Michael towards the front door. “Get out”
Mike didn’t fight Whistler; he stormed out of the apartment and let the door slam behind him. Kate made sure it was locked before moving back to Lucy, she watched as her girl lost the fight with her emotions and broke down. Kate quickly held Lucy in her arms and let her sob.
“I can’t do it anymore” Lucy cried. “Every time I go through this with him, it sucks more of my life away”
He was like a vampire; he sucked away Lucy’s energy and joy. It broke her heart more and more; all she wanted was the brother she grew up with and every day it became clearer that he was gone and she would have to learn to accept that. The words he hurled at her so viciously came from his addiction, she knew that but it didn’t hurt any less.
“I know baby, it's okay” Kate kissed her head. “I’ve got you” Her own tears falling at Lucy’s pain. “You are the most selfless person I know, and you are so loved, Luce”
_
Two days later and they had a weekend to spend together; Kate did everything to help Lucy feel better. After her Saturday morning surf they went out to breakfast with the team, which turned into an afternoon spent at Wally’s for lunch and finally an evening at Tennant’s for dinner and movies. Lucy knew Kate didn’t give the team all the details but enough to know they were needed, and like always they never disappointed.
The couple stepped off the elevator to their home, Lucy’s arm wrapped around Kate’s waist as the FBI agent dug into her bag for the keys. They were both in casual blue jeans and a soft t-shirt, white for Kate and red for Lucy.
“Hey” They stopped their steps so Kate could find their keys easier, she arched a brow at Lucy. “Thanks for today, my love”
“You don’t ever have to thank me, Luce”
They leaned in to share a kiss, Lucy’s hand briefly moving down to brush her hand over Kate’s ass. Once Whistler had the keys, they moved down the hall again.
“Maybe next weekend we can host the team for a…” Lucy’s voice trailed off when she saw their door cracked open. It had clearly been forced open and neither woman had their service weapon on them.
Lucy automatically put her body in front of Kate’s, her instincts to protect Kate always taking priority.
“Let me call it in” Kate pulled her cell out. “Don’t go in, Lucy”
The NCIS agent didn’t listen, she slowly pushed the door open and listened for any movement but heard none. She took a step in and saw drawers pulled out and doors opened; she walked further into the apartment. She could hear Kate talking to someone but tuned it out.
Lucy stepped into their bedroom and saw their jewelry drawer was open, completely gutted. Deep down she knew who this was, she should have known he’d be desperate enough to rob them if it covered even a fraction of his debt.
“Hey” She looked over her shoulder at Kate, who was just hanging up. “We should step outside; Tenant is on her way over with HPD”
“This was Michael” Lucy’s voice was barely a whisper; the words came out with such pain. Kate didn’t try to convince her otherwise. “He needed to get the money somehow”
He took things that held so much meaning and he didn’t know it; the necklace Kate bought Lucy for their first Christmas, the bracelet Lucy bought Kate for her birthday just to name a few.
“I’m sorry, Lucy”
“Me too”
_
Much later that night after Tennant got them settled in her house, where they would be staying until their door got fixed, Lucy stared at the ceiling. Kate was wrapped around her, gentle puffs of air blowing against her neck. Sleep wasn’t coming for Lucy anytime soon, so she decided to head to the porch. The younger woman slowly extracted herself from her fiancé and headed out of the room.
When HPD arrived at their place, they had questions and Lucy answered them but refused to implicate her brother. Her heart grew when Kate didn’t either, she was hurt by her brother but she didn’t want him to go to jail.
Lucy grabbed a water and moved outside, the cool breeze felt calming. She took a seat on a chair, legs extending on the other and let her head tip back to look at the stars. The sudden ringing of her phone startled her; Lucy glanced down and saw her brother’s name flashing back. With only a beat of hesitation Lucy answered.
“Luce?” Michael’s voice came through but she didn’t respond. “I’m sorry okay, I’m sorry” Still she remained silent. “I needed it more than you did, I needed the money and you wouldn’t help me. This is on you really; you should have just given that shit to me when I was with you. Why didn’t you? Why couldn’t you help me? Lucy?”
Silent tears rolled down Lucy’s cheeks, her fingers moved to hover over the red icon.
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise” She knew this game well, they had played it enough times but this time the game involved Kate and that was a step too far. “I’ll fix everything. Luce?”
Lucy heard his voice break and it was almost enough to break her. She hung up on Michael and let out a shuddering breath, Lucy dropped her head on the table and cried. An arm wrapped around her and Lucy leaned into Kate’s body; she didn’t know when her love followed her but she was glad. Kate held Lucy tighter as the woman sobbed into her chest.
Cutting her brother off was not an easy choice, but she couldn’t let Michael drain her life anymore. It was too hard, when he was ready for real help Lucy would be here. Until then, she would have to put herself and her life with Kate first.