Chapter Text
Kate Whistler hated many things. Pineapples. Her first C.I. Annoying co-workers. Skylar. Lucy's parents. Lucy's brothers. Odd socks. That one girlfriend Noah had in sophomore year. Slow walkers. That day in 2009. Most of the women previously in her sorority at college. And recently, she hated the estimated 20lb heavier she was.
Well, she didn't hate it. She'd smile every time she looked down at her bump. But looking at it in the mirror was different, and every day when another piece of clothing no longer fit, she hated that too. Long gone were the days of matching pantsuits and sitting behind a desk doing paper work, even further were the days of FBI vests, gym sessions and field work. However, she would remind herself, and Lucy would remind her even more, that the weight and the bump and everything else would be worth it because in the end they would have their baby. Their baby girl. Who was part her and part Lucy.
(And for technicalities, part of some stranger.)
Lucy, who had been a saving grace during the past 8 months. And who was currently pacing back and forth in the kitchen in their apartment on the phone to Jane. Kate didn't have much idea what it was about, but she continued to watch the TV and try not to eavesdrop. She knew it was something serious by the way Lucy was nibbling her fingers, and the stressed look she was wearing on her face. Another thing Kate hated . She guessed it was something about work, and Lucy possibly having to be called in. The tiny agent was given - in fact instructed - to take maternity leave a month before the baby was due and for however long she needed after. Jane told her even though she wasn't the one carrying, she needed to be there for Kate especially in the last few weeks when anything could happen. Plus, she would've rather had Lucy at home than at work and not concentrating. Alan was back with A-Team whilst she was gone, and both of them were quite happy with it.
Kate was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Lucy drop back down next to her, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder. As if telepathically answering the question Kate was reluctant in asking, Lucy sighed.
"Tennant wants us to meet at hers tomorrow," she simply said.
Oh ? By the length of the phone call and the state Lucy was in, she thought the call was more than Tennant asking for them to come over. But the tone of Lucy's voice did hint that there was more to it.
Again, Lucy telepathically answered Kate's question, "About work. She told me to take a bag."
Oh . That didn't really spark any joy or confidence for Kate. She didn't really know how to respond to it, and she didn't want to think of all the possible reasons, so she just settled her hand on Lucy's thigh giving it a light squeeze.
After a couple minutes of silence, the only noise being from the movie on the TV, Kate finally uttered the words, "It'll be okay."
She was convincing herself more than Lucy.
----
The door to Tennant's was, as usual, unlocked and when they entered, Kate and Lucy saw the team sitting around the table. They didn't question it, but Kate knew that whatever Lucy got called here for was serious. Serious enough for the whole team to be here. Kai pulled a chair out for Kate and helped her comfortably sit down, of which she gave a grateful smile.
The pair had become even closer friends through the past few years, especially after she had helped with AJ's case. However, what had brought them even more closer, was Kate supporting him last year after his dad died.
It's safe to say that 6 years ago, Kai didn't know if his relationship with his dad could be restored, but after moving back home and helping him, their relationship was stronger than it had ever been. It was already known that Wally's health wasn't in the best condition and despite the tests he had years ago being clear, in the year leading up to his death it all went downhill. Kate tried to help during that year, but it became evident that she helped more once he was gone. Although in very different circumstances, she knew what it was like to lose a family member that you were so close to. She knew what that loss did to someone. Most of the team did but, for some reason still unclear to Kate, she was the one Kai turned to and who helped him the most.
A lot of it was possibly due to the morning surf sessions they would have. They'd go out on the waves, then go grab some breakfast and coffee before going to their respective buildings to start the work day. It became a routine at least 3 days out of the week, the other mornings Kate would spend with Lucy. They would only have to skip it if there was a case that pulled them in early or one of them wasn't feeling great. For the past 5 months, Kate could no longer do the surf sessions, which Kai was completely fine with. They still talked a lot and she would help him on the harder days, but once she hit the 3 month mark on being pregnant, her doctor told her that it was highly recommended for her to stop surfing, to avoid the risks. Kate was obviously not happy about it, but she knew she shouldn't risk it - Lucy was even more imperative.
"So," The small brunette spoke as she sat in the chair next to her wife and dropped the bag on the floor next to her, "What's happening?"
From the looks on everyone else's faces, it seemed like they knew just as much, and they all turned in unison to look at Jane, who was standing at the end of the table. The boss took a deep breath before starting the explanation as to why they were all here, including Lucy and Kate.
"The Kekui family," Jane started, with all the eyes on her immediately widening, "Seems like there is a loose end."
"Loose end? We caught them and closed down the operation."
The Kekui family consisted of a father, his 2 sons and a daughter, who had a " family business " involving drug trafficking and abuse of Naval officers. They had practically made a drug lab the size of Tennant's house, and were mixing all sorts of substances together to make a concoction that made those who had it in their system have a moment of delusion before they seemingly died. A few of the victims seemed to have self-inflicted deaths, whilst others had different causes. It seemed that the delusions would be of a nature strong enough to neurologically damage the victim, causing a drastic and fatal reaction. One victim had accidentally fallen out a window, one had been found in their bathtub, fully clothed, and another found in the armoury of the Navy base, clutching onto a grenade that luckily still had the pin in - the cause of death being trauma to the back of the head through repetitive force. The blood stain on the wall suggested it was the victim's own doing. Other victims were found in similar, if not worse, states.
Chase found that the victims all had the same drug composure in their system: heroin, amphetamine and methamphetamine. All stimulant drugs were known to cause psychotic episodes individually, together you could only imagine how lethal they were. Those drugs and the neurological damage were enough to critically damage the victim’s brain before they were even dead. The first known victim had a different substance in his system, so the team thought that the Kekui's must have been experimenting with the drugs. Still, all of the deaths were in such suspicious circumstances that to anyone else they would seem separate, and most of them independent suicides, if not for the autopsy reports that linked them together. No one was able to pinpoint what delusions were being caused as they couldn't really ask the victims, and no one they had questioned during the case had taken the drugs, but they knew it was enough to cause these fatalities and that was already heartbreaking.
They eventually found the Kekui's in an abandoned warehouse raid when Ernie was able to access the GPS system of a car parked down the street that was rented by the daughter, and that led to the search of the area. Upon finding them, they found the drugs and stolen intel from the Navy with a list of most of its highest ranking officers. They didn't get an exact motive from any of them, it was just ruled as one with terrorist intent.
The case was roughly 9 months ago, when Lucy was taking multiple trips to the doctors and clinic to test her bloods, womb and retrieve her eggs to put towards the embryo for their baby. So, Lucy had medical leave most of the time during the 3 weeks to make sure the tests would go okay - plus, the treatment often took enough out of her that she wasn’t able to be out on the field. Without being out in the field, and not in work enough to join interrogations, Lucy would still know about the case so would help with any paperwork or research the team needed.
Which led to why they were here.
"The daughter had a husband who formerly worked for the Navy, which I can only presume is how they got the information." Jane continued.
Kaila Kekui - who went by the nickname KK - informed the team that her family had an insider that helped gain them the information. None of the family disclosed the name of this informant, and Kaila's marriage was not documented, meaning the team were left to try and crack it themselves, but there was no luck. With the evidence they had and catching the family red-handed in their entirety, they thought the case was closed. But Leon had other plans.
"There's been another security breach at the Navy, for the similar list of names the family had previously obtained. Also, movement from Kaila's bank account. Leon Marquez is suspected to have begun to revive the family business and we presume he's recruiting some help." Ernie had opened his laptop and turned it to face the team, with Leon's photo displayed at the centre of the screen. "He has no previous record but we aren't cancelling out the possibility this isn't his first crime. As we all know, not all criminals get caught or written up. From what we know, this family wasn't planning to slow down or perpetuate their enterprise, meaning that Marquez is probably going to continue that same aim."
The team all took their individual deep breaths or sighs. The Kekui case was one of their hardest because of the amount of victims in such a short time and the lack of found evidence at first. Even when the case closed, some evidence from most of the victims hadn't been found, and it just made those phone calls even harder for Jane. Marquez reopening the business and essentially bursting the case open again was the last thing they needed.
"Okay, so... What are we doing here today? Why not start all this tomorrow at the office?" Kai asked. He knew the urgency and importance of this information, but it didn't explain why they were all called to Jane's on a random Sunday - their day off.
"Because we need one plan to go into action as soon as possible, preferably tonight," Jane admitted, her voice becoming both more hesitant and confident (if the two could co-exist somehow). "Something we didn't do last time was a cover. We had no one on the inside or at least to try to get in to help us gain more information. There's no certainty, but if we had, we may have found out more and eventually gotten all of this shut down, no loose ends."
"Okay... But it's not like any of us can go under now? I mean, all the family know of us and I'm guessing Marquez isn't dumb enough to have not gotten any information from his wife about us being around." Jesse pointed out. "Unless you're intending to send Chase in?"
He earned a surprised and somewhat fearful look from the Commander, to which he shook his head slightly. The woman had had her fair share of field trips in the past few years, but they all knew Tennant wasn't going to send her in on this.
"No, Chase isn't going in. However, there was one other person on our team that none of the family had seen, and Marquez would most unlikely be unaware of." Jane said, taking a moment before looking towards Lucy.
"No..." The brunette shook her head, "No."
"Boss, you can't be serious?" Jesse asked.
"She can't go in." Kai insisted, "I'll go."
"Kai, Mr Kekui literally took you down and you shot his wife in the leg." Jane reminded him, the fact that Marquez would most likely know of him more than anyone not needed to be said.
"You know, I would much rather go in now." Carla announced, suddenly feeling guilty about it being her or Lucy.
"I'm afraid, Carla, you're not suited for this. And we'll need you back at Pearl in case of any casualties." Jane reminded her.
Lucy was still shaking her head with her eyes fixed on her boss. Kate hadn't spoken, or even moved. She hadn't done so since not even half way through Jane explaining the case. The moment she said 'recruiting some help ', Kate knew where her friend was heading with this. It was a good plan, getting their own insider would help with any case like this. The blonde knew the timing of the case and knew Lucy's sidelining during it meant she'd be the perfect candidate. Knew enough about the case to get stuck in, was far enough away from it to not be seen or known. The perfect combination for an undercover agent heading into a drug ring. Her right hand resting on her belly was the only reason why this wasn't perfect.
"Tennant, I can't. I- She- They-" Lucy tried to get a sentence out, but the tears in her eyes and frantic gestures towards her wife said enough.
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you were right and if it wasn't the last possibility. You're my best agent for this job, Lucy." Jane's smile was the only comfort Lucy was receiving from her right now, the praise doing nothing but making her feel worse.
Breaking her silence, Kate cleared her throat before turning to her wife, revealing her silently tear stained cheeks. "You need to do this." The blonde offered a somewhat comfortable smile that contrasted the tear stained cheeks and tears that continued to fall. She reached and held one of Lucy's hands, stroking her thumb across her knuckles.
"No. I can't. I need to be here. I- We have a plan. I'm here." Lucy choked, leaning towards her wife and placing a hand on the bump, feeling the slightest movement under her palm.
"You need to be out there. Helping your team. You'll be sat at home hating yourself otherwise." Kate emphasised. Throughout the past few weeks, Lucy had loved being with Kate and making sure she and the baby were okay. Spending any time with her wife, no matter what they were doing, was always one of her favourite things. But, she was an agent. A highly skilled and active one at that. Unlike Kate, Lucy much preferred getting out in the field and into the physical side of the job rather than doing paperwork at a desk. So on days where Kate couldn't move much or didn't want to do anything but sit and binge watch replays of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, she grew a dislike for not being able to be out and helping her team. Kate had opened the invitation for her to go back to work if she wanted and insisted she would be fine, but Lucy knew if she was out, she would then be guilty and anxious about Kate's situation. So really, either way, Lucy was feeling guilty for not being able to help everyone she loved at the same time.
"We had a plan. I can't leave you. I can't leave her . Not now." Lucy pleaded, squeezing her wife's hand.
"Well, plans change." Kate simply said, her calm voice concealing the overwhelming emotions inside.
"How long?" Lucy asked, her heartbroken face looking back up to her boss.
"I'm not sure. As of right now, it would be until we get enough hard evidence from them." Jane answered, her voice shaking slightly.
"So, indefinitely." Jesse pointed out, giving Lucy a sad smile when she looked in his direction, noticing that his eyes were filled with tears.
A hand resting on top of hers that was on Kate's bump brought her face back around to look at her wife. The expression on the blonde's face made her both comforted and more heartbroken. "You need to do this," Kate repeated.
From both the comforting touch and light squeeze of both her hands, and the reassurance and courage in her wife's eyes, Lucy knew that she was correct, and she was reassuring her that she'd be okay.
Before she could answer, Kate added, "We will be here waiting for you when you get back."
Lucy let the calm tears fall in response and just nodded slightly before looking back up to her boss.
"Okay," she cleared her throat, "What's the plan?"
"I will drop you near a certain location with your bag. You will have comms but you must get rid of it before making contact with Leon or any of his team. It's too risky. The location is near to where the warehouse was and you'll see a small drug store. Ask at the counter for Marquez's number and say you're interested in business. The rest I'll tell you on the way." Jane informed, earning nods from the entire team. Kate couldn't help when she took a deep shuddering breath and locked eyes with her wife. They both nodded to each other then - a silent agreement that this was the right thing to do. Lucy needed to do this.
----
Kate pressed her forehead against Lucy's and felt the tears run down her own face as they stood facing each other. "I love you. So much. We love you." She grabbed Lucy's hand and placed it on her bump. As if by some instinct, she felt the baby move inside and knew that Lucy could feel it too. The feeling caused the smaller woman to choke a little more whilst forming a teary smile.
"I love you both." Lucy choked out before tilting her head and softly pressing her lips against Kate's. After pulling back, Kate cupped both of Lucy's cheeks and kissed her again, this time a little firmer. Like it was their last. Because honestly, Kate was terrified that this was the last. Indefinitely meant indefinitely. It meant she didn't know when Lucy would come home or if she ever would. Not only did it mean Kate would be alone, but it meant that she'd be alone with their daughter, and their daughter may never know her other mother. That terrified Kate even more. She felt Lucy's tears reach her thumbs on her cheeks and felt her own continuing their path down her cheeks.
"Be safe, please. Okay?" Kate pleaded through her tears after she pulled back but kept her face close to her wife's, with her hands still holding her cheeks. Lucy could only nod in response, to which Kate needed further assurance. "Promise?"
Kate removed one of her hands to hold out her pinky. Lucy chuckled tearily before pressing her lips together and locking her pinky with the blonde's. "I promise. Always. I'll come home to you."
Kate let the words sink in and tried to use them to push all her fear and doubt out of her mind, but she knew it would only work temporarily. Still, she smiled back to Lucy and nodded, "Good, because I know someone who really wants to meet you."
That was enough for Lucy to close her eyes and take a deep breath, more tears falling down her face when opening them again.
She had imagined the day when she would meet her kid ever since Kate showed her the pregnancy test that previous Christmas morning. She counted down the days and when learning from the doctor that the baby was at a stage where they would be able to hear certain sounds, every night Lucy would lie with her face next to Kate's stomach and talk. Some nights it would last hours and others it was only 10 minutes. But, most nights without fail, no matter how tired the small agent was, she always spoke to her unborn daughter and told her about her day (leaving out the full details of course), about what new thing she had done in the day and a new fact about Kate or herself.
Kate didn't think she would be able to love Lucy any more than she already did but the last 8 months proved her wrong. This woman had been her rock. The one to hold her hair back when she threw up near enough every day in the first trimester. The one to run to the store at 9pm when Kate suddenly craved something they didn't have in the apartment. The one to hold her when she cried over not being able to do as much as she used to. The one who comforted her when she began to internally dislike how her body looked. The one who kissed every new stretch mark Kate gained each month, and continuously told her how beautiful she was. The one who would get so excited about baby shopping. The one who would make it to every scan even if she was a minute late because of work. She never missed a scan, no matter the time or day or whatever she was in the middle of. She once left a cuffed suspect in their yard for Jesse to take in whilst she raced to her car and drove relatively fast to the hospital.
She never missed a scan, but she'd miss the birth.
"I can't wait to meet her too." She bent down to the bump to talk to her daughter, "You look after your Mommy for me, okay?" She placed a kiss on the bump before standing up and placing a hand on Kate's cheek to wipe her tear with her thumb. She then leant forward and kissed her wife one more time, before pressing their foreheads together and whispering the words Kate dreaded to hear, "I have to go."
"Mhmm." Kate could only hum and clear her voice in response, soaking in the feeling of Lucy holding her cheek with the other hand on the bump, and with their foreheads pressed together. After a minute, Lucy leaned back and smiled towards her wife. "I love you, and I'll see you soon."
With that, she slowly felt Lucy's hand drop from her face and her bump, and watched Lucy walk out the door and down the drive to Tennant's car - not waiting for her wife's response.
Kate rarely showed emotion to the team. She had opened up more to them over the years, but only let her emotional side fully show in rare circumstances, or it was usually towards Lucy but when the team were there and able to see. Right now, she had no composure left in her and choked out a sob before her knees buckled and she felt strong arms wrap around her to keep her standing slightly, before they eventually guided her safely to the floor.
She cried into Jesse's shirt more than she thinks she's ever cried before - especially in front of anyone. He slowly rubbed her arm and held her whilst she shook with each sob. He didn't say anything, no one did. They didn't know any words that would comfort her now because, in reality, they all knew the risks Lucy was heading into. They all knew indefinitely meant at least a longer period of time than just a week or two. So any words they could say would both be not what they believed nor would they bring Kate enough comfort, because she knew the risks too. So, they sat there quietly, the only noise being Kate's sobs and Jesse's comforting reminders for her to try and steady her breathing.
After a painful 10 minutes, her sobs calmed down and she pulled away from Jesse, apologising for the wet stain that was now on his shirt. He helped her return to a more comfortable seat than the hardwood floor, but she stayed silent. Everyone did. All sat around the table, none of them spoke a word. Kai huffed and mumbled to himself every now and then, most likely beating himself up about being the person who should've gone because he, unlike the rest of the team, had nothing to lose.
Roughly 30 minutes of silence were then broken when Jane returned through the door. Kate would be lying if she said there wasn't a small hope in her that Lucy would come back. That both agents would decide that it was, in fact, a bad idea. But the small agent was nowhere to be seen, and this is how it would be for the next who knows how long.
"It's done." Jane stated, standing at the head of the table again.
With those 2 words, Kate's head, heart and stomach hurt, but her feet managed to stand her up and walk out the door - without a word. Ernie went to go after her, but Jesse stopped him. He knew that although it may not be ideal, Kate needed to be alone right now. She needed to sit with this reality for the night. He also knew that she may have some feelings towards the team, especially Jane, and he prepared himself for that. He hoped Kate would do what she usually did when she had a conflict of feelings in situations relating to Lucy - talk to him. It didn't happen often, but he was always willing to offer advice and some reassurance to the blonde about Lucy's feelings for her. Even when they were married, he found himself having to listen to Kate's hesitations and worries. But from Lucy literally never shutting up about her wife or how much she loved her, he had enough knowledge to help calm Kate. He just hoped that Kate remembered all of that right now, and found comfort in it.
The time Lucy was away would be hard for all of them, but not one of them could compare their pain to Kate's.
----
Radio silence.
From both Lucy and Kate.
The last the SAC heard, Lucy was about to hopefully meet Leon, and she got rid of her comms as instructed. The last she saw of Kate was when she left her house. Her anxieties about Lucy rose each day, but she couldn't do anything about it.
With Kate, however, she could do something. And she tried. The whole team did. Messages, phone calls, home visits. No answer. Part of the older woman had expected this. Tennant had practically helped tear apart a family that was just about to properly begin, so it was understandable for Kate to not want contact. Two weeks of silence, though, that was enough to spark worry and concern. Kate was reaching full term and Jane really didn't want her going through this last part alone. She'd been through it twice, she knew how much of a toll it has on someone. She relied on her support system in that time and, looking back, she doesn't think she would've made it through without them. Kate's family wasn't nearby and most of them were not a part of her life anymore. She had friends at the FBI that she had made over the past few years, but Jane doubted Kate would reach out to them.
Tennant knew Kate would be heartbroken and there was no fixing that - unless Lucy came home. She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel guilty and beat herself up about the decision of sending Lucy, but there was nothing she could do now. The remainder of her A-team couldn't be the ones going in because they'd be known by the suspect. Chase couldn't because her skills were not acquired by the rest of the team and, in the case of casualties, they needed her. She wasn't confident in sending any other agents in because they were not skilled or equipped for the intensity of the job. So, besides the fact it would take her away from her new family, Lucy was the perfect choice.
The case itself didn't make much progress the past couple weeks. They tried to get some security footage from the surrounding areas of the drug store, but there was nothing. Lucy, who was presumably with Marquez now, disappeared without a trace. Even the owner of the store didn't offer any information; threats of prison time didn't encourage him either.
They had no idea where Lucy was, no way of contacting her, and no knowledge of what state she was in. All the team hoped every day that the worst hadn't happened. There was no guarantee that Lucy was still alive, Marquez just had to believe her cover and Lucy had to avoid getting on the wrong side of him.
Kate shuffled around her apartment, testing if walking would help settle the uncomfortable feeling. Her daughter had been moving around inside her and pressing downwards since the early hours of the morning and it was potentially the worst feeling Kate had endured. She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and the filter jug out of the fridge. Her hand shook as she tried to pour herself some water over the sink and she eventually dropped the glass and jug, bending forward as another shot of pain went through her lower back and stomach.
Soon, the pain became unbearable and Kate slowly made her way to the couch, leaning on every piece of furniture she could on the way. She slowly settled on the couch and the pain somehow intensified even more. She knew what this was. She'd be dumb not to. She grabbed her phone that was on the side table next to the couch and dialled a number she knew would pick up.
The phone rang twice before an answer.
"Jane." Kate sighed, her voice full of both pain and defeat.
"On my way." There was no further explanation needed. Jane knew what was happening. She may not have seen Kate for the past 2 weeks of radio silence, but even through the phone and just from the sound of her name, she knew Kate was in pain, and, most likely if not certainly, in labour.
This was happening.