Work Text:
Lucy walked out the elevator, bag slung over one shoulder and a tray of coffee in her right hand. She gave a polite smile to one of the agents passing by her before stepping into the bullpen. She was clad in a blue button down, tucked into black jeans.
“Mornin’ y’all” She placed a coffee in front of Kai.
“You’re very happy for a Monday” He mumbled, lifting the cup to his lips and taking a sip.
“Of course she is” Jesse spun in his chair to face them, smiling at the cup handed to him. “She just got engaged, she’s in love” He stretched the word out.
Jesse wasn’t wrong - she was in love and she was very much engaged. On Friday, two years after their newlywed undercover op, she had taken Kate out to dinner and then on a walk near the beach. Lucy got down on one knee and asked the love of her life to marry her. Kate had said yes and on Saturday they celebrated with their friends, any time in between was spent having sex of course.
Still, she didn’t like being mocked. “Shut up” Lucy stepped into Tennant’s office and handed her a coffee.
“Thanks, Luce” Tennant’s phone went off before more could be said, Lucy quickly excused herself.
In all honesty Lucy couldn’t keep the smile off her face if she tried, she was happy. Leaving Kate in their bed this morning was harder than when she had to be an Agent Afloat all those years ago. Lucy took a seat at her desk and smiled at the memory of her proposal. She was about to pull out her phone to call her fiancé when Tennant stepped out of her office.
“We have a case” She pointed nodded to the stairs. “War room, grab Ernie?”
“I got him” Kai jogged off to the lair.
_
On the big screen Tennant had a video ready to play, she waited for the whole team to gather around before pressing play.
“What are we looking at?” Jesse crossed his arms, eyes focused on the slightly grainy footage.
“This is the latest in a series of bank robberies around the country. They think it started abroad before continuing here”
The bank footage showed a group of six, they were extremely well organized and quick. They were calm to a terrifying point, their faces covered with black motorcycle helmets and their bodies covered in black sweaters and black cargo pants. Goves also hid their hands.
Lucy shook her head as she took in their precise movements. “They work like us, using hand signals, look at how they watch out for each other”
“Wait” Kai paused the video. “Do you see that?”
Tennant and he both moved closer to the screen, one of the assailant’s sleeves was shifted upward when he raised his arm. “It’s a tattoo”
“Not just any tattoo” The younger man pointed to the screen. “That’s military”
“Ernie” The boss looked over her shoulder at the tech genius. “Take a screenshot and enhance it. Lets see if we can get a hit”
“On it”
“There’s more” She went back to the desk, hitting play again.
They watched as a guard tried to sneak on this elite team, one of the members caught him. Even without the audio they could tell words were being yelled by both parties, it went on a moment longer before the robber pulled his trigger and killed the guard.
“Well that escalated to murder” Lucy nodded at Jesse’s words. “How many people have they killed?”
“This is the first” Tennant nodded to the screen. “They’re worried that this could be the start of many more”
“The rest of them didn’t seem happy about it” The youngest agent stuffed her hands into her pockets. “Seemed very out of their plans”
Tennant hummed in agreement; they watched as the team rushed out of the bank. They looked the most disorganized in this moment. The cameras on the outside caught a glimpse of one member’s face, Jane quickly hit pause again.
“Think you can clear this up too?” Ernie gave her a nod.
“So why is this coming to us?” Kai raised a brow, the team huddled around the desk.
“The FBI have tracked them to Hawai’i, First Hawaiian Bank is their most likely target”
“But why NCIS?” Lucy leaned her elbow against the desk.
Tennant let out a small sigh. “They believed based on how they moved that they’re soldiers, wanted us to help them investigate in case they are. The tattoo might prove that to be fact” Her phone buzzed; she pulled it out. “I have to take this, Ernie get working on those images and the rest of you guys watch the other videos and see if any thing sticks out”
The team split up to begin working.
_
Lucy walked into the lair, a tablet in hand. “These guys are so good at what they do, they make movie heists look like child’s play”
Ernie hummed in agreement around his coffee cup. “I’ve been reading up on their jobs” He hit a couple of keys and on his many screens popped up various new articles about the robberies. “London, Munich, Buenos Aries, Rio De Janeiro, Manhattan, Dallas. These guys have been everywhere and neither the FBI or Interpol have been able to get a single hand on them”
“I’m impressed” Lucy placed the tablet down.
“Me too. Also got a hit from the tattoo, it was common among marines” Ernie closed the articles and turned to Lucy. “So, can I officiate the wedding?”
The brunette couldn’t stop the burst of laughter that escaped her mouth. “Dude, we haven’t even started planning the wedding yet”
“You do know you’re marrying Kate Whistler, right?” His brow arched; smirk planted on his lips. “The second she got home after the proposal she probably started a spreadsheet”
“Actually when we got home-“
“Don’t finish that” He raised a hand to stop her. “I’d like to be able to look at the both of you please”
“You started it” Lucy snickered.
Ernie’s computer started beeping, drawing both their attention. “The picture of the one guy's face is ready” He pulled the image up; it was very clear but still a bit hard on the eyes.
“Can you run it through facial recognition?” She was leaning over his shoulder, hand on the back of his chair.
“Already doing it, might take a beat” He spun back to her, forcing Lucy to take a step back. “So can I?”
“Ernie-“ She was cut off with the computer beep again.
“That was quick” She watched Ernie hit a few keys and a face appeared on the screen beside the CCTV image. “Uh…”
“How accurate is this?” Lucy could feel her heart speeding up, her head spinning at what she was seeing. “Ernie, how accurate?!”
“It’s…it’s never been wrong”
“I have to go” Lucy rushed out of the room. “Send that to me!” The door to the lair slamming shut behind her.
_
Jane quickly looked up from her phone when Lucy barreled into the office, shutting the door behind her quickly. “Lucy-“
“Ernie got a hit on one of the men” She pulled her phone out and tapped on the picture, her heart speeding up once more at what was in front of her. “I don’t…I…”
Tennant could see the clear distress her agent was in, she rounded the desk and placed both hands on Lucy’s shoulder. “Hey take a breath” She paused as the younger woman took a few calming breaths. “Do you recognize him?”
“So do you” Lucy handed her phone over with shaky hands.
Tennant looked at the picture and couldn’t believe it was true. “Noah Whistler?” She raised her eyes to Lucy. “How?”
“I don’t know” Lucy answered as she took the device back. “Kate said they buried an empty coffin because the bomb had…well” She didn’t have to finish the sentence. “They found enough to confidently declare him dead”
“Obviously not” Tennant gestured to the other woman’s phone. “We have to tell Whistler”
“I have to tell Kate” There was no world in which Lucy was going to let anyone else break this to her fiancé, no world in which Lucy wasn’t going to ensure this was done in private so that Kate could feel safe. “I’m going home now, this can’t wait”
“Go” Tennant nodded. “Please just know we’re here, I’ll fill the team in”
Lucy thanked her before taking off.
_
The brunette pulled up to their home, they had bought the two storey house a year prior. Lucy loved every section of the house and Kate loved that it faced the beach, they were both sold almost instantly. Their lives were really coming together over the last few years, and now this was going to change things. Lucy prayed for the better.
She parked the car in the driveway, Kate’s car took the garage. She rushed to the front door, walking in after she unlocked it.
“Baby?”
Kate had the day off so she knew the blond was spending it doing random things around the house, things they normally didn’t have time for.
Whistler rounded the kitchen, pink shorts and a white tank, walking with a bright smile, the same smile that hadn’t left her face since Friday night. “Hey honey, what are you doing home so early?”
“We have to talk” Lucy toed her shoes off and moved further into the house, taking Kate by her hands and pulling her to the couch.
The smile slowly began to slip as they sat down. “Not words a girl likes to hear, but you just proposed so you’re kinda stuck with me for life”
“Kate” The look on Lucy’s face was enough to stop her jokes.
“What’s going on?” She shifted closer to Lucy, lacing their fingers together.
“We have a case about a string of bank robberies, possibly military” Lucy separated one hand to reach for her phone. “One of the suspects removed his face covering for a split second but Ernie was able to capture his face and we got a hit” She hesitated again. “I don’t know how to tell you this but just know that I love you, and we will figure this out”
“Lucy, you’re scaring me” Her voice held a small tremble.
“The name that came up on the scan was…” She had to find the courage to say her next words. “Noah Whistler”
Kate’s brow creased as she took in the words, a soft scoff left her lips. “What are you talking about?” Her hands slipped from Lucy’s, the cool metal of her new ring catching on the tip on Lucy’s own ring finger.
“I know it's hard to believe-“
“Hard?!” Kate moved off the couch, her breathing growing rapid. “Lucy, you just told me that my dead brother robbed a bank”
The younger woman stretched her phone out to Kate. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through”
Kate stared at the item for a moment before reaching for it, she flipped it over and unlocked the phone. Right away she was met with Noah’s face looking back at her, his enlistment picture and a slightly unclear one of him with a biker’s helmet on his head.
“I can’t” Tears sprung to her eyes. “He’s just been out there in the world and I’ve been missing him all these years?” She was beginning to spiral.
“Baby” Lucy stood and took the phone from Kate’s hands, tossing it to the couch, she wrapped both arms around her fiancé and pulled her closer, she connected their foreheads. “We don’t know anything; speculating is going to drive you crazy”
“Where is he?” She whispered. “I have to find him” Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Lucy pulled back just slightly. “We think he’s in Hawai’i” She had to grip Kate tighter, the woman in her arms looked ready to bolt for the door. “It's still an ongoing investigation, we’re trying to track them”
“I want to help with the case” Kate pulled away from her arms, heading to the stairs and upstairs to change.
Lucy knew there was no point in trying to stop her, if this were the other way around Lucy wouldn’t let anyone stop her either. She quickly grabbed her phone and texted Tennant a quick update before sitting on the couch once more. Her eyes landed on the framed picture of a young Noah and Kate sitting on the mantle, right beside a picture of them when they moved into this house. Over the years she was able to open up more about her brother and now Kate was suddenly thrown into a world where he was alive.
“Let's go” Kate rushed down the stairs, dressed in a black and red skirt suit.
_
Kai pushed up from his desk when he saw both women exit the elevator, he met them halfway when they walked in. “Kate, how are you doing?”
“Where are we with tracking them?” Her jaw was clenched, body tense. She was in work mode and if she leaned on the empathy rolling off Kai she would break. Kate needed to be focused.
The older agent glanced at Lucy and received a small shake of the head in return. “Um, no progress really, they’re masters at what they do” He began to walk toward the TV in the bullpen, the women right behind him. “They are able to get in and out of countries without any detection”
“Why do they think Hawai’i is next if they can’t even track them?” Kate had to try and keep the agitation out of her voice, it wasn’t the Pearl team’s fault.
Kai pointed to the red line running across the US map. “Based on where they have hit, almost every major bank across the states”
“First Hawaiian Bank seems like the most obvious bet” Lucy nodded to the list of Hawaiian banks.
“Which one? First Hawaiian has a lot of branches”
“Based on the other branches from other countries” Kai tapped the screen of his tablet. “They go after ones more densely packed with tourists, probably to use the crowd when they escape”
“So Waikiki?” Kate raised a brow.
“We think so” Her fiancé nodded. “But we can’t be truly sure, it could be any location”
The blond let out a deep breath, fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “What are we doing to narrow it down?”
“Kate” Lucy’s hand pulled hers away. “We’re working on this, okay?” She spoke gently.
“I know” She nodded. “I know, I’m sorry” Kate looked back to Kai. “What’s our game plan?”
Kai threw her a sympathetic smile. “We have NCIS, FBI and HPD at various branches trying to spot any possible anomaly. Chances are they’re probably already here; they’re good, but like any other group wanting to rob a bank, they would have to scout it out first”
“We don’t have any idea if they will hit the bank today” Lucy picked up her own tablet and tapped it a few times. “But we do know they don’t stick around often. If they are here, they’ll hit a bank any day now”
“Whistler” Jane headed down the stairs. “Come with me?”
Lucy shared a look with Kate before the woman followed Tennant into her office. The leader of NCIS closed the door and gestured for Kate to take a seat.
“I’m not going to ask how you are, I’m sure all of this is a shock”
Kate ran a hand over her face. “I accepted it, you know?” It was rhetorical. “I eventually found my peace with the whole thing and I moved forward. I didn’t move on, but I learned how to live my life again. We never had a body but I still found my way to deal with it, thanks to her” She threw her thumb over her shoulder towards Lucy. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around him being alive, and why he didn’t come home” Kate’s voice caught in her throat, a lump forming that she had to speak around. “Why is he running with these guys…that’s not my Noah”
Tennant dropped a hand over her shoulder. “When we find him, you can ask ” That brought a small smile from her friend. “We will find him, Kate, I give you my word”
“Don’t promise me things you can’t keep”
“I wouldn’t dare” They locked eyes and Kate could see the determination behind her eyes.
“Thank you”
_
The day had gone by without any activity at the banks, but they would continue to be monitored. Kate had refused to leave NCIS, not that they would force her. She claimed some more of her vacation days to avoid having to go to her own job until this was solved. Lucy was finally able to convince her to go home together, the sun had set and nothing more was going to happen today.
Lucy felt her sense come back as the fog of sleep began to lift, she cracked one eye open and saw she had a few hours before her alarm was set to go off. She closed her eyes and rolled over, arm reaching for her girl but she was met with cold sheets. Her eyes snapped open and Lucy forced her body up, she strained her ears listening for Kate. After a moment she caught the noise from their TV downstairs, she pushed herself out of bed and downstairs.
“Kate”
The woman looked over her shoulder at Lucy. “Hey, did I wake you?”
Lucy rounded the couch, on the coffee table was Kate’s laptop with various files open. “What are you doing, babe?” She rubbed her eyes as she sat beside Whistler.
“Couldn’t sleep, my brain wouldn’t turn off” Kate reached for the TV remote and muted the news. “Thought I would go over some evidence and see if I could find anything that might have been missed”
The brunette let out a deep sigh, reaching over to close the laptop lid. She took Kate’s left hand into her right before she could open it again, her thumb brushing over the princess cut diamond ring. “You need to rest, when we find him, you have to be at your healthiest. Sleep is a part of that”
Kate leaned back against the couch, Lucy going with her. “I can’t stop my mind from thinking, it's going all over the place. He’s alive but what if something happens to him in the course of this investigation? What happens if he leaves Hawai’i before we can get him, I’ll spend the rest of my life looking for him? What would that mean for us-“
“Hey, hey” Lucy cut her off, hand cupping Kate’s cheek and forcing their eyes to lock. “Nothing’s going to happen to us, Kate” She leaned in to connect their lips softly. “I will be with you through this every step of the way, no matter how long it takes”
“Lucy-“
“No matter how long it takes” She paused to let the words sink in. “I am not going anywhere”
Kate simply nodded, leaning in to kiss her fiancé again. “I love you”
“I love you too” Her hands dropped from Kate’s face. “We will find him, we’re the best team on the island remember?”
They shared a small chuckle. “That’s true”
“Okay” Lucy reached for the remote and unmuted the TV, she navigated to The Great British Bake Off. “Time to get some sleep, come on” She moved her body to lay down on the couch and held her arms open.
“I’ll try” Kate let her body fall into Lucy’s arms, her nose buried in Lucy’s nek, snuggling deeper into the other woman.
Lucy reached for the throw blanket over the couch and pulled it over their bodies. She stayed awake with Kate, they laughed and judged the show but it wasn’t much longer before Kate’s breathing evened out. Lucy pressed a soft kiss to her hair and closed her own eyes.
_
The boys were with Kate and Lucy in the war room going over recordings of other robberies when Tennant came rushing in with her phone to ear.
“Got it, secure the area” She hung up. “They’re at First Hawaiian in Waikiki, it went wrong again and shots were fired. Let’s get a move”
The team hurried to the cars and toward First Hawaiian bank; the drive over felt like a lifetime to Kate. She knew in the last heist a guard had been killed, that the FBI profiled them to likely escalate after that and to expect more death, even if the whole group wasn’t on board with killing. Kate prayed it wasn’t Noah.
They pulled up to the bank and the team jumped out, they saw three members cuffed and standing by a van, none were Noah. Kate followed Jane to the FBI agent in charge.
“Agent Tennant” He gave her a nod. “I’m Agent Omar Jackson” He had beautiful dark skin, muscular build, tall and was bald.
“What’s the update?” Tennant asked after shaking his hand.
“The bank managed to hit the alert button and because we already had team members here, we were able to lock the area down” He gestured to the blocked area around them. “Shots went off shortly after and those three rushed out the back. But because we were here, we could take them down, they put up a fight but we had the numbers”
“Eyes on the inside?” Jane raised an eyebrow.
“Not yet, can you help with that?”
“I can” She patted his shoulder before turning to head back to the team. “Ernie, get me eyes on the inside”
“On it, boss”
Kate pulled Jane away from the team. “You gotta let me go in there”
“What?” She shook her head. “No, absolutely not. We have no-“
“We do know Noah is in there and I can get through to him, anyone else and we’re risking lives” Kate wasn’t going to back down, she was going to find her way into that bank one way or another.
“And you want me to risk your life?”
“He’s my brother, Tennant” Kate pleaded. “Please let me do this”
It went against everything in Tennant’s gut to let Kate into that bank, they didn’t know who Noah was anymore or if they would shoot Kate the second she stepped in. What they did know was that there were snipers looking to take a shot and Noah was a target. Could she live with herself if something happened to him and she didn’t even let Kate try?
“Bulletproof vest on, now” The grateful look on Whistler’s face made Jane’s heart clench. “I’ll fill Agent Jackson in”
Lucy was over Ernie’s shoulder; she was eyeing the camera in the bank. There were three members of the group in the bank along with about fifteen civilians, a mix of customers and workers, and a dead guard. One of the suspects, a woman, was laying against the cash desk with Noah beside her putting pressure against her thigh. Another assailant was pacing with a gun, clearly the shooter. All their helmets were off, knowing that shit had hit the fan it must have seemed pointless to keep on.
“I’ll grab Tennant, to get her eyes on this” She lifted her gaze in time to see an unarmed Kate heading towards the bank. Panic spiked in her. “What the hell? She moved around Ernie. “Kate!” Suddenly she was blocked off by Tennant. “No, no! You can’t let her go in there alone!” She tried to move around her boss, but found herself being held back by Tennant. “Kate, don’t!”
Whistler paused just for a second, she looked over her shoulder at Lucy. “I’m sorry” Softly fell from her lips before she continued forward.
“Lucy” Tennant forced the smaller woman to look at her. “We have to let her try-“
“No, we don’t!” She tried once more to push past Tennant. “They could kill her!”
“It's her brother, Lucy!” Jane grabbed her tightly by the shoulder, almost shaking her. “She has to do this and we’ll be right here”
Lucy forced the grip away, stepping back from Tennant as tears built behind her eyes. “If anything happens to her…” She shook her head, not needing to finish her sentence.
Jesse’s arm wrapped around her and pulled her into a hug. “It’s going to be okay, we’re right here, Luce”
_
Kate neared the bank door and had to take a breath, her hands were shaking and she felt like her heart could jump out of her chest any second now. She pulled the door open and used her foot as a stopper, she stuck both hands through the door.
“I’m an unarmed FBI agent, I’m coming in alone!” When she heard no argument, Kate pushed the rest of her body into the bank. She was met with two guns pointed her way, one by a stranger and the other by her brother.
She had to resist the urge to run to him, to throw her arms around his broad shoulders and cry until she passed out. He looked different from when she last saw him, older, hardened - his eyes no longer held a soft kindness that always filled those dark orbs. He was more built, his normally short hair was buzzed, but he still had the same light stubble she remembered. He was Noah. He was different, but he was still Noah.
“Stay there” She had never heard her brother's voice filled with such disdain. She realized he did not recognize her.
“Okay” Kate couldn’t take her eyes off him, but she knew there were others in the room. “Just tell me what the plan is, Noah” His name slipped from her lips.
“What the fuck?” The other man in the room took quick strides her way, stopping beside Noah. “How does she know you?!”
“I don’t know, Danny” Noah shook his head, his eyes narrowing at Kate. “She’s the FBI, they must have run a check”
Danny turned his attention back to Kate. “Take the vest off” When she hesitated, he grew angry. “NOW!”
“Easy” She peeled the vest off her chest, she knew Lucy was watching but she had to keep these people calm. “Just tell me what you want so that we an get these people safe”
“What’s your name?” Her brother asked, gun still pointed but he was looking at her like he should know her.
Kate briefly glanced at Danny before looking back to Noah. “Kate…Kate Whistler”
Noah reacted before his partner could. “Don’t fuck with me” His words came out with a hiss.
Danny looked between them, blue eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Who is she to you?” Kate feared he would turn that weapon on to Noah.
“Kate Whistler was my sister; I don’t know who this is”
“Noah” She kept her voice gentle. “It’s me” She placed one hand against her chest.
“Bullshit!” The hand holding his gun began to tremble. “I said don’t fuck with me”
The other man moved in front of Noah. “What the hell is this, man?”
Kate took the second she had to eye the windows in the bank, Danny and Noah were in perfect position for a sniper to take them out. She needed to move Noah away from the window, Tennant was probably the only reason they hadn’t been killed.
“I don’t know!” Noah shoved Danny back a step, his body shaking with anger and confusion. “My sister is dead” The words hit Kate like a bucket of ice water. “I don’t know who this is!”
“Noah, you know-“
“Shut up” Danny spun to Kate; gun pointed at her head. “You’re wasting our time”
“Fine, so tell me what you want, because I promise you, they aren’t going to let me stand around in here all day” Kate pointed to the people laying on the floor, hands stretched out in front of them. “You have to let them go if you want to come out of this”
Danny shook his head and walked away from the siblings, going further into the bank. “What we want? A free pass out of here, no one to follow us, and a car” He let out a chuckle. “You can’t get us any of that, you’ll say that you can try and lie and then we’re in cuffs spending life behind bars”
“None of this needed to happen” Noah glanced over his shoulder at the slightly shorter man. “You couldn’t keep your shit together after the last one and got trigger happy again” He nodded towards the dead guard. “We could have been away and free”
“Noah” He turned his eyes back to Kate. “This isn’t free, you aren’t one of them” She took the smallest step closer, from the corner of her eye she watched Danny. “I don’t know what happened to you or who was behind it, but I am right here. I am your Kate”
“No” Her brother shook his head. “She’s gone”
“I’m not” Another small step closer. “When I was six, the jackass bully on our street pushed a stick into my bike and I broke my arm…so you broke his nose” She watched as he took the story in. “When I was thirteen, I kissed my best friend and she never spoke to me again, I cried on your shoulder for hours. When I came out to our parents at sixteen you were the one that protected me from dad’s anger”
“What-“
She continued over Noah. “When you told me you were enlisting, I snapped at you, told you that it was selfish and you never got mad at me for it. Instead, you gave me the space I needed and then I got over myself, took you on an early morning hike and told you how proud I was…even though I was terrified”
Noah’s aim dropped until his arm was to his side. “Katie?” His voice was strained, it held so much emotion.
Hearing him call her Katie again almost broke Kate. “Yeah Noah, I’m here” She was close enough to him now, just a hand away.
“Enough!” Danny aimed his gun towards them and rushed forward.
Kate acted on instinct, she grabbed Noah by the shoulders and pulled them both to the ground as Danny fired. It was quickly followed by a bullet breaking through glass and Danny collapsing to the floor.
_
On the outside Lucy was watching the whole situation play out, her breath catching when Danny rushed the Whistlers with his gun aimed, she jumped when a gun shot rang out around them and all she could see was Kate hit the floor with Noah. A split second later a gunshot took out Danny.
“Everybody, move in!”
Lucy heard Tennant yell into a radio, she was gone before Tennant could finish giving the order. She knew the team would be right behind her but she needed to check on her fiancé, she had her gun out and a vest to protect her should things go wrong. Her heart must have stopped beating from the time Kate entered the bank until this very moment when Lucy burst through the door and locked eyes with a kneeling Kate.
“We’re okay” Kate raised her hands, her left holding Noah’s gun. “We weren’t hit”
Lucy let her guard fall, taking a few breaths as she let herself process that Kate was alive and well. The team around her began to help the civilians and take the last member of the group out for medical attention. “Is he okay?” Lucy nodded to Noah, she couldn’t believe that she was looking at her future brother-in-law, Kate resembled him so much.
“Yeah” Kate helped Noah to his feet, keeping a hand around his elbow. “I’m gonna walk him out” He seemed to be in a shocked state.
The brunette gave her a nod, watching them leave the area.
_
Lucy walked into the bullpen and saw Kate making some tea in the breakroom, they had Noah in a conference room and Jane with Whistler were set to talk to him. There was a mutual agreement to not treat Noah, nor the rest of the group, like a prisoner, not for any preferential treatment but because he had clearly been manipulated over the years.
“Hey” She walked into the breakroom, returning the small smile Kate threw her way. “What you did today was stupid”
Over the years of their relationship their communication had gotten better, great even, but it also came with relative bluntness that no longer needed sugar coating. Lucy understood Kate’s action, but she was pissed.
“You wouldn’t have done anything different” Kate dunked the tea bag a couple of times.
“I would have warned you” Lucy walked closer to her. “Do you know how scared I was to look up and just see you walking in there”
“If you knew you wouldn’t have stopped me?” She raised a brow, moving to the second cup and dunking a new bag.
“Give me some damn credit, Kate, I understand why you did it” Lucy ran a hand through her hair, frustration ebbed on her face.
“Then why are we having this argument?” Kate turned to lean her hip on the island.
Lucy’s eyes caught the glint of shine coming off her left hand. “I asked you to marry me on Friday and by Tuesday I could have been mourning you because you rushed into danger”
“That’s rich, Luce” She rolled her eyes, grabbing the cups. “The number of times I’ve had to sit back and pray that you would come home to me because you rushed into danger. Don’t be hypocritical, please”
Kate moved around her and out of the breakroom before Lucy could say much more.
_
“Here” Kate pushed one of the mugs to Noah, the other to Tennant. “How are you doing?”
Noah shrugged, they had given him a change of clothes from Kai, he was sitting with a red and grey baseball shirt and blue track pants. “I can’t tell what’s real”
Tennant shared a quick look with Kate. “Is there anything you remember?”
“It's all so fuzzy, I was in a room with a lot of other people” His eyes closed as he tried to take his mind back. “At some point we learned we were in Thailand”
“Thailand?” Kate didn’t understand how he could go from Iraq to Thailand after being involved with a bomb.
Noah nodded, hand coming up to rub at his forehead. “I don’t know if this is real but I think someone mentioned we have been sold to a high bidder, but it adds up”
“How so, Noah?” Jane spoke with such a gentle tone it even touched Kate’s soul.
“We never kept any of the money, we worked for a rich group that would take it and…I think purchase items on the black market”
“They bought soldiers?” Kate looked to Tennant.
“Injured soldiers” She clarified. “They would have been vulnerable, more susceptible to manipulation”
“I was hurt?” He looked to Kate.
“Uh…yeah” She nodded, she ached to reach out for him but she didn’t want to push anything on the former Captain. “There was an ambush and a bomb, they said you…you uh…die-died”
Noah looked down at the table and let out a humorless laugh. “Guess we both had to be on the other end of that”
Kate shifted in her seat, her anxiety and stress getting the best of her. “You mentioned that, how did they know about me? What did they say?”
“I don’t…” He shook his head, beginning to feel his frustrations grow. “I don’t know! I just remember them saying to me that my family was dead, that they killed my parents and you”
“It’s okay” Tennant reached across and placed her hand on top of his, drawing Noah’s eyes to her. “They did it to make you feel alone, to make you feel like you could only rely on them” She removed her hand and cleared her throat. “Do you have any memory of how the robberies started?”
The older sibling shrugged his shoulders. “They would have us do these trials, guess we were coordinated enough and fast enough to do the robberies. I don’t know how it was determined; I know some guys were charged with being hit men”
Tennant pushed a pen and pad over to him. “Could you give us any names or locations?”
“No” Noah shoved it back in her direction, harsh enough that Jane had to stop the items from falling off the table. “They would fly us in, fly us out and all at specific times. We weren’t there, they won’t be either. We never got names, this…whatever it was…is a well-oiled operation to make sure they are never stopped” He pushed out of his seat, he felt a headache beginning to pound against his brain. “Is this done yet?”
“Almost, Captain Whistler” Tennant placed her hand on Kate’s shoulder this time, seeing the stress on her face. “Is there anything else that you can tell us, anything that might-“
“I told you I can’t remember!” He grabbed the cup of tea and whipped it at the glass window, breaking the cup and cracking the glass.
Kate shot out of her seat in shock, looking to the bullpen she could see Lucy and the boys looking at them in shock. Her fiancé looked ready to run in but Kate simply shook her head.
“Hey, it's okay” Kate tried to settle him. “Just sit down, please”
Noah shook his head and continued to pace, stopping only when Kate was in front of him. For a split second he felt like they were young again, like everything was normal. “Katie” Tears of frustration built in his eyes.
“I’m here” She tentatively wrapped her arms around him, slowly she leaned into his body and embraced him tighter. Kate’s eyes slipped close when Noah hugged her back, tears slipping from her own eyes at being able to hug her brother after all these years. “We’ll get through this together, I promise”
_
“No, it's out of the question” Kate's tone was firm.
Herself, Lucy and Tennant were in Jane’s office after Noah was able to settle down. Kate had told Jane they would take him to their place and take care of him for the night. Tennant told Kate that wasn’t going to happen, that Noah was going to go to a facility and be under watch.
“I wasn’t asking, Kate”
“I just got my brother back, if you think I’m letting him out of my sight-“
“It's not up to you, Whistler. I’m sorry” Jane kept her voice even; she wasn’t looking for a fight but she wasn’t going to back down on this.
Lucy’s heart broke when she saw the tears starting to form behind Kate’s eyes, she was leaning against the window with her arms crossed. She knew based on what Jane was saying - this was out of their hands.
“Kate” The woman looked her way. “He’s struggling and he needs help” Lucy hesitated for a split second as she thought over her next words. “More help than we can offer”
“What he needs” Whistler started. “Is family, that’s what he’s been deprived of and I’m not going to let it continue”
“Kate!” Tennant finally snapped. “He’s dangerous, you don’t want to hear that and I get it. If it were me, I’d feel the same, your brother is in there somewhere but he needs to be monitored right now. He needs to be in a safe place with the right doctors” She stepped closer to Kate and gripped her arms. “You know I always want what’s best for you, trust me on this…would I do this to hurt you?”
Kate’s head ducked. “No” She mumbled out. “It's just hard”
“I’m sorry” Tennant pulled her into a hug, Kate didn’t fight it. “Go home and get some rest”
_
Lucy was sitting in bed later that night, they didn’t share too many words and dinner was also eaten in silence. She knew Kate was mad about the whole situation, but she also understood that Tennant was right. They would have some time to visit Noah tomorrow in the facility, it was a good place that really took care of their Vets. Tennant made sure of it.
She watched Kate enter the room, turning the lights off and crawling into bed, Kate rolled away from her but Lucy wasn’t going to let the night end with anger.
“It scared me, watching you walk in there” Kate’s body tensed up, even in the dark Lucy could see it. “I know this is what we do, our job is the definition of danger but things are different-have been different”
Kate rolled over and sat up beside Lucy. “I know”
“I really do get why you did it, but I want a future with you and that means keeping you around until we have to sit in rockers. I don’t want to lose you ever, but especially not this early in life”
The blond let out a sigh after a moment. “I’m sorry for what I said and how I said it, this whole thing has overwhelmed me and I lashed out”
Lucy reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers. “It's okay, you weren’t wrong and I’ll be better. Just seeing you go into a hot situation with no gun, no back up and a vest that you took off” She shook her head. “All I could think about was how quickly things could change”
“I’m sorry I put you through that” Kate leaned in and brushed their lips together. “I just wanted to help him”
“I know” Lucy whispered against her mouth. “Are we okay?”
Kate kissed her again to answer. “Thank you for helping me through this whole thing”
“Always” They separated and Lucy lifted her free hand to run her fingers over the crease between Kate’s brow. “I know you’re worried about Noah, but we’ll see him tomorrow. you won’t have to wait long”
“You’ll come with me?” Kate smiled when Lucy fixed her with a look. “I love you”
“Love you too, baby” She leaned in to kiss her once more.
They settled down into bed, Kate away from Lucy and the brunette wrapped around her.
_
4 months later
Noah let out a deep laugh, running a hand through his blond hair. It had grown to ear length over the months. “Lucy, stop” He wiped the wetness that gathered at his eyes.
“No, no” Lucy had to pause to catch her own breath. “But then Kate decides the best thing to do is try and catch the bird in a pot like Rachel in Friends”
“Okay!” Kate rolled her eyes; she had been the butt of the joke for most of today’s visit. “I panicked and you weren’t much better help”
Lucy pointed to herself, still laughing with Noah. “I had broken ribs, I couldn’t help” The laughs slowly tapered down. “I’m gonna grab a coffee, you guys want anything?”
“All good, thanks” Noah threw her a smile.
“I’m okay” Lucy gave them both a nod and took off.
They were sitting in a lounging area in the facility, the smaller woman headed to the kitchen. The four months had not been easy on Noah, he had bad days and horrible days but there were good days too, and they were starting to become more frequent. His memory of the attack and days following still hadn’t returned, but with the help of the doctors and daily visits from Kate he was able to gain a sense of himself again. Kate could see her brother returning with every month that went by.
“I like her, Katie” He nodded in the direction Lucy had left. “She’s good for you”
“Yeah” The blond played with the ring on her finger. “Best thing that’s ever happened to me”
A serious shadow fell over Noah’s face, he reached out to take his baby sister's hands in his own. “I’m so sorry that I missed out on so much, for the hurt you and our parents went through-“
“Noah, please don’t” She squeezed his hands.
Kate was never close with her parents but they loved Noah, even when he made sure to have her back. When she was finally able to get a hold of them to break the news about Noah there were shared tears and it was the most civil conversation they had in years, they had come down to see him and would visit from time to time. Kate took the opportunity to introduce them to Lucy, it was met with coldness and unacceptance as she expected. Lucy couldn’t hold back her comments and, in all honesty, Kate fell deeper in love for it.
“I just wish I had been here when your dreams came true” She knew he needed to get this out, it was part of his therapy. “When you achieved all, you have, when you fell in love with her…when you got engaged…when you found a family that loves you for you”
Kate pulled one hand free and wiped her tears. “You’re not to blame for any of it, you had it ripped away from you just as much as the rest of us” She squeezed his hand. “But you’re here now and we’re going to make new memories”
“It won’t be easy, Katie” His lips turned up in a strained smile. “I have a long way to go”
“Nothing worth anything in this life is easy” She glanced over her shoulder just as Lucy walked back into the room. “Trust me”
“Y’all okay?” Lucy sat beside her, arm going around Kate’s chair.
Noah simply nodded. “Yup, so do you have a day picked?”
The smaller woman shared a smile with her fiancé.
_
1 and ½ years later
October 23rd, Lucy and Kate both loved the Fall, they met in the Fall and it held a special place for both of them. It only made sense to have their wedding day in the season. Today was a day to change their lives, they would start it as an engaged couple and end it married. They couldn’t wait.
Lucy stood in front of the full-length mirror; she smoothed down her crisp white shirt. She was going to be in a perfectly tailored suit, it was cut to show off her ridiculously fit figure. Black trousers, black slim tie, and a black suit jacket that was still hung up. Her feet covered by black heeled boots. Her hair was up in a neat bun, strands hanging down to frame her face.
She looked over her shoulder when a knock sounded on the door. “Come in” Smile breaking out on her face when Noah stepped inside.
“Woah” He closed the door behind him, dressed in a dark grey suit. “You look beautiful”
A blush tinted her cheeks. “Thank you, you look great too” She turned to face him. “How’s my girl?”
“She’s good, just as excited as you to get this started” Noah moved closer to her. “I always loved the whole ‘something borrowed, something new, something old and something blue” They shared a small laugh. “I gave Kate the borrowed and blue, but I have something for you too”
“Noah, you didn’t have to get me anything”
“Shut it” He dug into his pants pocket and pulled out a folded red bandana. “When we were kids, this was the first gift Kate ever gave me, it was something of a good luck charm over the years that followed” His thumb brushed over the fabric. “I had it when I asked my first crush out, took it with me when I was overseas, somehow it stayed with me until now” Noah held it out to her. “I’d like you to have it today as your something old”
She slowly reached for it, feeling tears build up at being part of the Whistler’s private memories. “Thank you” Was all she could get out.
“Think you can make it work with the suit? I know Katie is scary specific”
Lucy laughed, she moved to the jacket hanging and pulled the white pocket square out, tossing it to the nearby table. “She’ll be fine” Lucy refolded the bandana similar to the pocket square, placing it in the jacket with a smile. “Perfect”
“Okay the something new” He reached into the inside of his jacket pocket and pulled out a small square box. Noah turned the box to her when he opened it, inside were a pair of cufflinks, a gold ‘K’ and gold ‘L’. “I hope you like it”
“Oh my gosh” She couldn’t stop the gasp that left her as Noah forced the box into her palms “Noah, this is too much”
“It's not enough for the happiness you’ve brought my sister” He gently pulled Lucy into a hug, the box digging into his chest. “Thank you, Lucy”
“God, you’re the worst” She let out a wet chuckle. “It took me forever to do my makeup, don’t ruin it” The young woman held the box back out for him. “Can you help me”
“Of course”
Noah took the cufflinks out and placed ‘K’ in her left cuff and the ‘L’ in her right.
“I’m so happy you’re here to see this, Noah” Lucy pulled him back into a hug.
“Me too, Mighty Mouse”
A knock on the door broke their bubble, Jesse poked his head in and tears quickly gathered when looked at Lucy. “Uh” He cleared his throat. “Ready to go, Luce?”
“Never been more ready”
_
Noah walked into Kate’s room when he heard her approval, as he stepped in his breath caught in his throat. Kate was standing in a beautiful white ball gown. The vail had a long train, the chest of the dress had some light lace and bedazzle and it was a sleeveless piece. It was big and loud, everything Kate ever wanted.
“Katie” He shook his head, when he had seen her earlier, she hadn’t been in her dress yet. “Wow”
“Yeah?” The blond looked down at the dress, her hair was in a French braid and she, much like Lucy, kept her makeup simple. “It's not too much?”
“Are you kidding?” He stepped in front of her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re breathtaking”
“Have you seen Luce?” The younger Whistler raised an eyebrow. “Is she okay?”
“She’s perfect, your jaw is gonna hit the floor”
They shared a laugh, the year had been kind to Noah, his memory after the ambush was still cloudy, but he had mostly returned to who he was. There were still hard times and hard days but they were few and far between, he had begun to work with the facility to help Vets. For Kate, having her brother back was more than she could have ever asked for, to have him here on her wedding day to give her away was something she would only see in her dreams.
“Holy crap” Kate let out a breath. “I’m getting married today”
“Yeah, you are” He pulled her into a tight hug, but still being careful not to wrinkle her gown. “Actually” He pulled back and checked his watch. “Right now, are you ready?”
“I think I’ve been ready for Lucy my entire life”
_
Kate and Noah stood at a set of closed double doors, the couple had chosen a stunning venue to have the ceremony and reception. Her hand was in Noah’s arm, her heart beating a mile a second it felt like, her left hand held a bouquet of lilies. On the other side of that door was her future and her brother was here to walk her to it.
They heard the music change to a soft acoustic version of “Shut Up and Dance with Me”, the doors opened and Kate locked eyes with Lucy down the aisle. Beside Lucy stood Jesse and Chase, on the other side Jane and Kai waited. Ernie stood in the middle ready to marry them.
Lucy felt the tears build behind her eyes before she could do anything else, Kate was a vision and it made her heart skip beats. Her face broke out in a megawatt smile, one that Kate matched from across the room. Every single person had their eyes on the blond, but her own eyes stayed on Lucy.
Noah moved his gaze from Lucy to his sister, he smiled at the happy tears he saw building. He placed his free hand over the one in his arm. “Let’s get you married, baby sis” He whispered to her.
Kate never broke away from Lucy’s captivating eyes. “Let’s go, big bro” She simply whispered back.