Chapter Text
It was a typical night in New Orleans, humid, but not unbearable. The city was almost louder at night than during the day. Crickets chirped in time with the myriad of jazz bands set up on the street corners. The night was especially loud for Pride’s team, who had finally closed an exhausting three-day case that had left each and every one of them falling asleep at their desks. For that reason, Loretta Wade was absent from the TruTone bar that night. She was likely at home, either asleep or relaxing with her two boys. It wasn’t often that she got that time to herself; being a coroner is tiresome work.
Loretta’s absence, though felt, had little effect on the celebratory tone of the bar. Despite the fact that the team’s celebration was marked with eyebags and tired faces, they still were having a great time. They all sat at one large table as rounds of drinks, courtesy of Pride, arrived steadily, making sure that everyone had at least one drink in their hands at all times. The only people who didn’t drink were Patton and Sebastian, as Patton “has enough fun sober” and Sebastian was the unofficial designated driver for himself and Tammy. She made sure of it.
It was surprisingly easy to observe the dynamics between the team while they were at the bar. Tammy was teasing Sebastian about God knows what as she nursed the beer in her hand. Christopher and Sonja were engaged in friendly banter, with Patton instigating the two. Hannah simply sipped her drink, watching everything unfold with a smile on her face. Arguably the happiest of them all though, was Pride himself. His team had survived yet another grueling case and he knew it was because of how well they all worked together. He felt proud of them as a team, but also their growth as individuals since joining NCIS. They’d been through a lot together and it was a miracle that the only arguing that ever happened was mostly banter amongst themselves.
“I’m sure that’s it, baby.” Tammy drawled with a knowing smirk towards Sebastian. Her New York accent was thickened from the alcohol as she teased the taller man.
“I’m serious, Tammy. Work makes it difficult to foster relationships effectively. It has nothing to do with an inability to ‘get bitches’ like you say.” Sebastian replied before realizing that there was no point in arguing with Tammy, especially not while she was drunk. She had a knack for constantly busting his balls and the alcohol only served to fuel said knack.
Tammy waved a hand absently at him and took another sip of her beer before quipping back, “Maybe for you, but Kate and I are doing just fine.” She punctuated her last two words with light taps to Sebastian’s forehead, leaving him equally amused and stunned. They both turned to face the end of the table, where Pride stood, clinking a glass to get everyone’s attention.
“Y’all have done good,” he said softly, raising his glass slightly. “I’m proud of each and every one of you.” He took a sip of his drink, feeling content as he watched his team’s faces light up.
“Couldn’t have done it without you, King.” Chris announced, raising his glass towards the older man. Pride had essentially taught Chris everything he knew about being an agent, so it was no surprise that Chris looked up to him in almost a fatherly way. Everyone did, for that matter.
The night continued on and so did the flowing of the alcohol. Finally, almost as if remembering she was in a relationship, Tammy stood up. It had been three days since she had spent quality time with her girlfriend, Kate, and she realized she should probably fix that. She tapped Sebastian on the shoulder, diverting his attention from whatever nerdy conversation he was having with Patton.
“I’m walking to Kate’s,” She spoke, placing a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “Don't bother leaving the door unlocked for me, I’m probably spending the night.”
Sebastian simply nodded and gave her a thumbs up, promptly returning to his conversation with Patton. He knew Tammy could handle herself and he honestly debated leaving too so he could play videogames as loud as he wanted while she was gone.
The two exited the TruTone and parted ways, Sebastian moving towards his car and Tammy beginning the short walk to Kate’s house. She had a bottle of wine in hand, a pathetic apology she felt for ghosting her girlfriend for three days. She really did have zero time though, in her defense. The whole team was working around the clock on that case and between the interrogations, ‘breakthroughs’ that felt like running in circles, and the pushy family members of the victims who demanded answers NCIS didn’t have, Tammy was more than exhausted. She pushed the lingering fatigue aside and continued on her way to Kate’s.
She entered in through the backdoor, trying to surprise her girlfriend with what little energy she had left. She couldn’t wait to get into bed and hold Kate, to let the stress of the case melt away as she fell into the first restful night's sleep in a while. She tip-toed into the kitchen, her brow furrowing as she noticed the lack of Kate there and in the adjoining lounge-area. She stood there for a moment before realizing the time. It was nearly 12:00am, no wonder Kate wasn’t in the living room. She was probably asleep by now.
Tammy quietly placed the wine bottle on the counter and padded down the dark hallway. She was maybe ten feet away from the bedroom when she heard noises. Moans. She was taken aback before she nodded slowly and smirked. It made sense that Kate was having some ‘me-time’, Tammy hadn’t been home to do much of anything with Kate, especially have sex. She pushed towards the door, preemptively beginning to take her jacket off before she paused.
“Fuck, Daniel!” Kate cried out from behind the closed door
“Daniel? Who the fuck is Daniel?” Tammy thought to herself, her face contorting into confusion.
“Take it, Kate” A man’s gruff voice cried out between pants leaving Tammy frozen in the hallway.
Her confusion turned quickly into anger, then anguish. Three days she had been gone and Kate cheated on her? With a man? She shook her head, wondering if her mind was messing with her. She was extremely sleep-deprived, but even with that she knew what she heard. She clenched her jaw and pursed her lips. She wanted nothing more than to go in there and confront them, but hearing Kate with someone else had done enough mental damage. She sure as hell didn’t need to see it. She was too tired, anyway.
She retreated from the hallway and popped open the bottle of wine she had brought, taking a considerable swig straight from the bottle before smashing it over the counter in anger. Not that Kate would hear it, anyway. She was too busy smashing some guy who Tammy had never even heard of. She left the apartment and sat on the curb outside. The trill of distant street performers did little to soothe her already frustrated mind. She called Sebastian, hoping he’d pick up.
The phone rang twice before Sebastian picked up. “Tammy?” he asked, pausing his game as he sat up on the couch, yawning. “Are you okay?”
She took a moment before responding, trying to conceal the emotion that threatened to slip out of her voice. “Come get me.”
The urgency in her tone left no room for arguing, not that Sebastian would, anyway. He scrambled off the couch and to the front door, clumsily grabbing his car keys and slipping into sneakers. What was usually a five minute drive took Sebastian two. He knew that if Tammy called for a ride, she needed a ride. She was outside of Kate’s house, just where he expected to see her. She got in the car without a word and didn’t say anything the whole ride home.
Sebastian knew something was wrong just from the phone call, that was a given. He knew something was really wrong when Tammy didn’t tease him for wearing his Star-Trek pajamas. Whatever happened at Kate’s was serious and he knew better than to pry for information. They arrived back at their apartment and Sebastian watched concerned as Tammy stumbled up to the front door and pushed it open.
“She looks…worse than I expected. Vulnerable, almost” Sebastian thought to himself as he trailed behind the shorter woman.
Tammy walked inside and threw herself on the couch, staring at the pause screen of the videogame Sebastian was playing before she called. He walked in the door shortly after her, making sure to give her ample space. He cleared his throat, still lingering around the kitchen counter.
“I don’t know what happened at Kate’s, but will ice-cream and shitty movies make it any better?” His voice rose in pitch towards the end of the sentence, indicating that he knew himself that his question was kinda dumb.
Tammy swallowed and gave Sebastian a look that said “I don’t wanna talk, but you better not go to bed, alright?” and boy did Sebastian hear her loud and clear.
He scooped himself some vanilla ice-cream in a bowl before pausing. He grabbed two spoons and walked back towards the couch, offering Tammy the tub of ice-cream like a cat offers a twig to its owner. He sat beside her, leaving just enough room for them not to be awkwardly close, but close enough that they could reach each other if needed.
Sebastian noted how weirdly…relaxed Tammy seemed. He knew her well enough to know that it meant her mind was anything but relaxed, though. Despite her slumped posture and zoned out expression, he knew her guard was up. He slowly reached for the remote, trying not to startle her.
“I’m not gonna bite.” She broke the silence and ended up startling Sebastian. He held his chest as he caught his breath
“Jesus, Tammy!” He perched his arm on his knee, shifting his full weight there as he calmed down
Tammy was still zoned out, staring at the TV without really paying attention to what was on it. Sebastian noticed and handed her the remote.
“Do you wanna pick?” He asked, knowing that Tammy was going to put on American Beauty. That was her go-to movie for when she needed background noise.
She placed the remote between herself and Sebastian and lazily picked at her ice-cream with the spoon. She didn’t know what to make of herself. She was thirty five years old and couldn’t hold a relationship for longer than four months. Usually she was the one to break up with her girlfriends, something about never letting people too close. Pride ordered a mandatory psychiatric evaluation after Tammy was tortured. It was way too soon after everything happened, though, because Tammy didn’t remember much of what the psychiatrist said. All she knew was that she left that office with a headache and a prescription for 20mg of Paroxetine for supposed PTSD.
She sat on the couch until she could hear Sebastian snoring. She carefully stood up and padded towards her room with a practiced silence. The reasonable part of herself said to go to bed, but the alcohol told her to get dressed and go out. Her sleep would be plagued by nightmares anyway, so what harm would a little fun have? She put on a simple black dress and a smoky perfume that reminded her of her twenties and quickly threw on some makeup. She was out the door in less than ten minutes.
Tammy navigated the French Quarter before finally reaching the lesbian bar that she had scoped out when she first got to New Orleans. Drunk enough already, she took a seat at the bar and ordered some fries, skipping the drinks. Her stomach rumbled and she remembered that she hadn’t had a proper meal in two days. She survived solely off of coffee, LaSalle’s stale granola bars he had in his desk drawer, and spite.
She picked at her fries, watching the happenings of the bar. It was a welcoming distraction from everything that had happened with Kate, though Tammy didn’t think she’d be spending her first night off like this. She wanted to sleep, but she dreaded the nightmares that came along with the sleep and forced herself to stay up.
Her pondering was interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, now face to face with a woman who looked at least five years younger than her. The woman smiled and took a seat next to Tammy
“Mind if I sit here?” The woman asked with a cocked eyebrow, bringing one hand up to adjust her bridge piercing.
“Be my guest,” Tammy replied, almost taken aback that someone actually wanted to sit next to the thirty-something year old mess at the bar. “Tammy.” She nodded towards the shorter woman, who replied back almost instantly.
“Lily.” They made eye contact for a beat too long before Tammy broke it, shaking her head.
“Can I buy you a drink, Lily?” She asked, looking towards the bartender.
“I guess you could.” Lily sighed, a dramatic yet joking tone in her voice. Lily pointed to the drink she wanted and true to her word, Tammy ordered it.
Tammy waited for Lily to receive her drink before she spoke again, not wanting to come off as too desperate.
“What are you even doing out so late? Don't you have class in the morning or something?” Tammy grinned, messing around with Lily. She looked young but Tammy guessed she was around twenty seven.
“I’m twenty nine for your information. Don't you have work in the morning?” Lily quipped back with a grin bigger than Tammy’s
“As a matter of fact, I do.” The Italian responded, eating another fry. “But I’m irresponsible.”
“I’m sure you are.” Lily drawled, clearly insinuating something that Tammy hadn't really thought of.
Well, Tammy obviously thought about it, that's why she came to the bar in the first place. Her banter with Lily felt natural, like she was talking to Sebastian or Sonja, just with a lot more flirting and eye contact than what Seb was used to. Gregorio and Percy jokingly flirted all the time. Tammy snapped out of her thought, responding to Lily with a furrowed brow.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She said, looking the younger woman up and down.
She really took in Lily’s appearance. The woman was at least three inches shorter than her and had darker skin. She looked Middle-Eastern but Tammy didn't want to assume. Lily had curly, fluffy brown hair with her front bangs dyed blonde as well as blonde, curly tendrils. She smelled like weed and vanilla, a weird scent that worked surprisingly well. She was skinny, too, and had ear, septum, lip, and bridge piercings.
“I dunno. Do I have to show you?” Lily challenged, breaking Tammy’s train of thought again.
“Maybe you do.” Tammy said, standing up from her chair to follow Lily
The walk to Lily’s apartment was filled with flirtatious threats as the two women worked to one-up the other. They walked alongside each other, though sometimes Lily would walk a little too fast. She always let Tammy catch up, though.
“Legs don't work like they used to?” Lily called out with a playful grin.
“I’m only thirty five, asshole.” Tammy replied, her New York accent thick in Lily’s mind.
They finally arrived at Lily’s apartment, their footsteps synchronizing as they walked up the stairs to the door. Lily shushed Tammy, indicating that sleeping roommates were inside. Having lived with Sebastian for half a year, Tammy understood all too well. They stumbled into Lily’s bedroom, kicking the door shut as they wasted no time in letting their hands explore each other.
Lily pulled Tammy into a kiss, pushing herself against the taller woman. Tammy was quite surprised at how much Lily was taking the reins, but she was also happy to be pampered for once. Gregorio deepened the kiss, allowing Lily to press her up against the wall.
Tammy didn't remember how she ended up on the bed, then subsequently naked. She just remembered the pleasure she brought Lily and the passion Lily gave to her. It wasn't long before they were laying next to each other, panting as they caught their breaths.
“Something’s bugging you, I can tell.” Lily nodded and smiled, speaking between gasps. She’d had plenty of angry sex in her time but that was different. Sex with Tammy felt angry, yet simultaneously like a cry for help. Lily knew something was up and despite not knowing Tammy well, if at all, she was still there to listen.
“You serious? I give you the night of your life and you wanna play therapist?” Tammy replied, turning to face the other woman. Her voice was laced with an intense tone, and judging from the expression on her face, she was only half-joking when she said that.
“No, no.” Lily said, sticking up her hands in a peacemaking gesture. “All I'm saying is that I can tell something’s upsetting you. It was in the way you kissed.”
Tammy clenched her jaw and nodded, turning her head away from Lily and towards the ceiling. “You really wanna know?” She stuck an eyebrow up, expecting Lily to change the subject.
“Hit me.” Lily said, reaching out gently to guide Tammy’s face back towards her own.
Tammy was almost taken aback. Somebody had initiated wanting to talk about something, and they really wanted to listen? Most people backed off and changed the subject when they received pushback from her, but Lily actually wanted to hear whatever Tammy had to say.
She let Lily’s hand rest on her face, the contact welcome after such a long week. She took a deep breath before speaking, a nervous tic she had whenever she was about to open up.
“Girlfriend cheated on me. With a man.” She said softly, feeling weird about saying it out loud to someone who wasn’t Sebastian. That made two people who knew now. She didn’t even know if Kate knew that she knew.
“A man?!” Lily’s eyes widened before her hand shot up to cover her mouth. “I’m so sorry, that was inappropriate”
Tammy chuckled and shook her head, Lily’s reaction not even fazing her. She actually preferred reactions like that over people’s sickeningly fake sympathy. She hated the constant “I’m so sorry”s that people gave her on the rare occasion she opened up. Unfortunately, most of those people were either the team or one of Tammy’s girlfriends.
“You’re fine.” Tammy said, still grinning slightly. She looked at the clock on Lily’s nightstand and realized just how late it was getting. 3:00am and there she was, in a random bar woman’s bed.
“I am really sorry, though” Lily said, breaking Tammy’s focus, “Cheating is shitty.”
Tammy only nodded in response before getting up. She searched for her clothes on the floor before getting dressed. She noticed Lily’s eyes following her and realized that it was probably a good idea to at least say bye.
“I’m sorry, but I really gotta go. I got work in four hours.” She spoke, slipping into her dress before smoothing the wrinkles.
“It is getting late, huh?” Lily thought out loud, looking at her clock.
Tammy made her way to the door, stopping right as she reached the exit to Lily’s room.
“I had a really good time tonight,” Her eyes focused on the woman laying naked on the bed, “Thank you.”
She quietly left the room before Lily could protest, trying not to make too much noise so as not to wake the woman's roommates. Spotting a Post-It in the kitchen, Tammy did something she didn’t usually do after first dates or hookups. She left her name and number on the fridge, in case Lily ever wanted to contact her again.
She left the apartment feeling satisfied. In her head, she had gotten back at Kate and was ready to forget about her. Life goes on, as they say.