Chapter Text
Lucy stepped out onto the balcony, the cool breeze brushing against her skin as she listened to the phone ring. She gazed out at the fading sunset, but her thoughts were all on Kate. Everyone else was inside for Jane’s weekend gathering, laughing and chatting, but Lucy felt incomplete without her wife by her side.
Finally, the ringing stopped, and she heard Kate’s familiar voice.
"Hi, baby."
"Kaaattteee!" Lucy whined playfully, dragging out her wife’s name. "Are you on your way yet? I miss you!"
Kate chuckled softly, her voice filled with warmth. "Yes, my sweet. I’m just now walking out to the car."
"Oh good!" Lucy let out a sigh of relief. "It’s not the same here without you."
"I know," Kate said with a smile in her voice. "I’m sorry for the last-minute paperwork, but I’m all done now. I’ll be there soon."
"Better be," Lucy teased, glancing back at the party inside. "Everyone’s been asking about you."
"I’m on my way. Fifteen minutes, tops."
Lucy grinned. "Okay, hurry up. I’ll be waiting."
"I love you," Lucy added, her voice softer now.
"I love you too. See you soon, Luce."
Lucy hung up the phone, already feeling a little lighter knowing Kate would be there soon. She stepped back inside to rejoin the others, her heart lifting with anticipation.
****
As Kate made her way out to the parking lot, her thoughts briefly drifted back to the intensity of the past few months.
The current case had been one of the most harrowing of Kate's career—a ruthless serial killer targeting innocent people, abducting them, and burying them alive. He taunted the victims' families, demanding exorbitant ransoms in exchange for revealing the location of their loved ones. With each call, there was a cruel countdown: a finite number of hours before the victims' air supply would run out. Every second that passed could mean life or death, turning the investigation into an agonizing race against time.
The FBI was at a loss, with few solid leads. The killer was meticulous, leaving little evidence behind, and the pressure was mounting with each new victim. Kate had thrown herself into the case, determined to find this monster.
She worked long hours, pushing herself to the brink of exhaustion. Every failed lead was a dagger to her heart, especially when another victim's air supply ran out. The weight of those lives lost haunted her, filling her dreams with nightmares of faces she couldn’t save.
The stress had been unrelenting. Kate hadn’t had much time to breathe, let alone spend quality time with Lucy. But tonight was different. Tonight was about reconnecting with her wife and unwinding with friends.
As she approached her car, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was looking forward to holding Lucy, relaxing with everyone at Jane’s, and putting the weight of the investigation aside, if only for one evening.
She took a deep breath, opened the car door, and tossed her bag into the passenger seat before getting in herself.
****
As Kate settled into the driver's seat and shut the door, she instinctively glanced into the rearview mirror. Her heart skipped a beat as her body tensed—someone dressed entirely in black, their face concealed by a menacing mask, slowly rose from the backseat.
"Hello, Agent Whistler," the stranger's voice was low and cold, sending a chill down her spine.
Kate's hand shot toward her gun, but before she could react further, something cold and sharp pressed against her neck. In an instant, the taser crackled to life. Pain surged through her, immobilizing her as every muscle spasmed uncontrollably. Her vision blurred, her grip on reality slipping away, and before she could even process what was happening, her body went limp, slumping against the steering wheel.
Her last thought was of Lucy before everything went dark.