#tammy gregorio angst

[improvidus]

Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters | Oneshot

Rating | K+

Warnings | None

Genres | H/C, friendship, family

Characters | Christopher LaSalle, Dwayne Pride

Relationships | Christopher LaSalle x Dwayne Pride (friendship)

Word Count | 3K

Summary: With two full-time jobs and the investigation into his family's company, Christopher LaSalle is beyond exhausted. Pride decides it's time to stage an intervention. Takes place in early S5.

"You always were a party animal."

The team was gone, the bar was closed, the lights were low, and Christopher LaSalle sat alone, the epicenter of a semi-organized explosion of paperwork that spilled across nearly every inch of the table he occupied. At the sound of Pride's voice, he looked up and stretched, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. He huffed. "Yeah, well. Not anymore. Lately my nights are filled with a whole lotta...this." He flung out a hand to indicate the chaos surrounding him.

"You've been goin' pretty hard, Christopher. For a long time, now." Pride dragged a chair out and straddled it, gazing at LaSalle with what Percy used to call his 'concerned basset hound' face. "Why don't you head on home? Get some rest."

"I'll be alright, King. I gotta get this stuff squared away with the IRS."

"I know. That's what I'm talkin' about. NCIS, your family's company—" LaSalle appreciated that Pride never referred to it as his company. "You've got two fuller than full-time jobs and now all this, too. You're burning the candle at both ends, and I suspect the middle's gonna catch up wit' you sooner than you're thinkin'."

LaSalle ran a hand over his face. "I know, King. I do. I just—I don't see what I can do different. My family needs LaSalle Enterprises. Not to mention all the employees who're depending on it to keep them and their families afloat. And NCIS…" He trailed off, studying the grain of the wood where a bit of table peeked through the sea of paper. His voice grew quiet. "Well, I need that. Keep me afloat."

When he looked up, Pride's eyes were smiling. "An' we need you. Always. But if you need to take a break an' deal wit' all this—we'll manage. And we'll be around when you're ready to come back."

"I appreciate that, King. But I'm good. Really."

Pride did not appear to be convinced. "Christopher. When was the last time you—"

"The last time I what, slept?" LaSalle bristled. "Don't do that."

Pride drew back a little. "Don't do what?"

"Don't try to take care of me."

Pride let out an incredulous bark of laughter. "Christopher, I'm always gonna take—"

LaSalle cut him off, surprised by the sudden irritation flaring in his chest. "No, I know, that's not what I mean. You're always tryin' to take care of everybody, but you never stop to take care of yourself. At least, not lately. You think I don't see it? I know you, King! How many times, how many cases, have you told me that I couldn't take care of anybody if I wasn't takin' care of myself? Well, I'm pretty dang sure that isn't a principle that applies exclusively to me! I know you haven't been sleeping either, so don't be all up on my back about it!" He took a breath.

Pride was staring at him.

There was an awkward beat.

LaSalle deflated a little. "Look, it's not like I don't wanna sleep. Believe me, I want to. I just…" He let out a mirthless huff. "I don't have time to sleep. And when I do…" He trailed off and shook his head. Pride didn't need to know about the nightmares.

Pride was quiet, waiting for something.

But LaSalle didn't have anything to give him. He tapped his fingers on the table once, twice. Then the fight drained from his shoulders, and he put his head in his hands. He wouldn't have thought it possible, but he felt even more wiped out than he had a few minutes ago.

"Christopher." There was a hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head, but a few moments ticked away before his eyes flicked up to meet Pride's. The hurt he had expected to see there was nowhere to be found. Only concern shined back at him. Fourteen years, and the patience of this man still blew him away sometimes.

A wave of regret washed over LaSalle. "I'm sorry, King. I know you're tryin'. It's not fair for me to take this out on you. I just...Well, I wish you'd take some of your own advice every once in a while." A sigh shuddered free, unbidden. "And as far as work goes..." He shook his head and rubbed at his chin. "Well, the truth of the matter is, I'm afraid if I give the company my full attention, it's gonna suck me up and never let me go." He shook his head once more, meeting Pride's eyes, now. "If it's all the same to you, I'd just as soon stick around."

Pride smiled, but LaSalle knew him well enough to spot the worry mostly concealed behind the crinkled, twinkling eyes. "Always happy to have you."

LaSalle nodded, somewhat relieved. Then the time, lit up in the lower-right corner of his laptop, caught his eye and he straightened. "Shoot, King! I had no idea what time it was. You must be waitin' to get to bed."

Pride shrugged. "Nah. It's like you said. I haven't been sleepin' much either. You're welcome to keep workin'. Here." He tossed LaSalle a fob of keys and rose, grunting, to his feet. "I'm gonna get a shower. Lock up when you finish?"

"Sure thing."

Pride squeezed LaSalle's shoulders as he passed his chair. "Don't stay up too late."

"Yes, Dad."

Pride chuckled and LaSalle smiled, but then the attic door clicked shut and he was alone with his exhaustion and a mountain of trouble in the form of receipts, bank statements, and a whole lot of zeroes. The glare from his laptop suddenly seemed blinding, and he rubbed at his eyes again as a long-pent up sigh burst from his lips. Times like these, he wished he'd never given up coffee.

                                                          ***

Dwayne Pride pulled a clean t-shirt over his head and sighed.

Christopher was right; he knew that. It was hypocritical of him to scold his friend for pushing himself too hard when he was doing the same thing to himself. Remove the log from your own eye…

He shook his head. Well, it was easier said than done.

He had seen the exhaustion pulling at Christopher ever since his father's death, since LaSalle Enterprises had fallen squarely on his unwilling shoulders. And in the weeks after Pride had been shot, there had been something else, too—a hollowness in Christopher's eyes amidst the relief, dimming the sparkle he could usually count on finding there. Lines and shadows had formed around his eyes, ones that Pride knew from years past—and more recently, personal experience—meant nightmares.

Like the scars Amelia's bullets had inflicted on Pride's body, the shadows faded over time, but the weariness remained and deepened as the burden of the investigation into LaSalle Enterprises grew in size and weight. Something had to change, and soon.

He could order Christopher to take time off, get things sorted, but he suspected the team was the only thing holding Christopher together right now. His words of fifteen minutes ago were all but an admission.

Pride reached for his towel as an idea took seed in his head. He mulled on it for a minute or two, giving his hair a few brisk shuffles before returning the towel to its hook and heading for the kitchen. If he played his cards right, maybe he could lull Christopher into catching some sleep without his getting wise. It was a temporary fix, but a far sight better than no fix. He opened the squeaky cupboard above the stove and reached for the hot chocolate.

While milk—braced with a generous dose of heavy cream—warmed on the stove, Pride took his Fathers' Day mug from Laurel down from the shelf by the coffee maker. A flash of red caught his eye, and he moved another cup aside to reveal Christopher's Alabama mug. He pulled it down, cracking a grin as he ran his thumb over the slightly scratchy paint of the Crimson Tide emblem. Roll tide. He wasn't actually sure when—or how—the mug had made its way into his kitchen, but he did know it had been there for a very long time. Boy'd probably left it in the truck, or something.

The milk began to hiss and he dropped a few scoops of cocoa in, mixing until the dark globs disappeared. When the mugs were filled, he dunked a stick of cinnamon in each and stirred them around a bit. He paused to wipe up the small mess he had made when he poured the mugs and then headed back down the stairs to collect his drinking partner.

"Chris? I've gotta fresh cup of hot chocolate up here, and it's got your name all—" he reached the last step and looked up, stopping in his tracks. "—over it."

The makeshift workplace was even more disheveled than when he had last seen it. Several of the stacks of paper had been toppled over, loose pages floating to carpet the barroom floor. There was a file folder there, too, its contents fanned out amongst peanut shells and crushed pretzels.

In the middle of this chaos, Christopher LaSalle slept, face pillowed on his keyboard, one arm flung out across the table, the other curled around his laptop.

Pride huffed, a smile lining his face as a feeling too large for his heart to contain swelled in his chest and prickled his eyes. Christopher LaSalle had come such a long way from the angry young detective he had met over a decade ago. He had become family. Pride would trust him with his life—with Laurel's life, even. They had been through hell and back together, and Pride took a moment to thank God for this Jonathan of a friend.

On an impulse, he pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the camera app, turning on the flash before snapping a photo. Neither the sudden burst of light nor the unnecessarily loud shutter sound did anything to rouse the sleeping man. Pride swiped to the photo and grinned. Whether to share with the team or to save for himself, it was a keeper. At the very least, he'd be sending it to Laurel.

He was reluctant to wake his friend, but he reasoned that he'd have a much better chance of sleeping through the night if he did his sleeping on Pride's couch rather than on his keyboard. At the very least, he'd have fewer cricks in the morning.

"Christopher." There was no response, and Pride stepped around the table to try again. Motion on the laptop's screen caught his eye. A text document was open, reading simply, "jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj." Even as he watched, it filled the remainder of the page and moved on to the next. He smirked. "That'll show 'em." Shaking his head, he put a hand on Christopher's shoulder. "Chris?" He knelt and shook him a little. "Christopher. Hey, son."

It took a bit more prompting, but eventually Christopher stirred, inhaling sharply. His left eye—his right was squeezed shut by his cheek plastered to the keyboard—cracked open and blinked in confusion for a moment before he frowned and lifted his head. Little squares were imprinted on his cheek where the keys had pressed. A few pages drifted to the floor on the breeze he caused as he sat up.

"Hey." Pride smiled at him and did his best to swallow the laughter that rose in his throat at the bleary grin Christopher offered him in return.

"Hi."

"You sleepin' good there, m'brother?"

Christopher squinted and looked around the empty bar. His frown deepened.

This time, Pride didn't quite manage to catch the chuckle before it escaped. "C'mon, son. Let's get you someplace you can lie down."

Christopher mumbled a hazy "'kay," but Pride was fairly sure the kid hadn't actually understood his words.

He tried again. "Can you get up an' walk wit' me upstairs?"

Christopher nodded. And made no move to comply. In fact, after a moment or two of blinking blankly at Pride, his head returned to the keyboard with a dull clunk. This time, the h key was sent on a marathon.

Shaking his head, Pride allowed himself another chuckle. At the moment, Christopher resembled nothing more than a toddler who'd been awakened too early from a nap. When his eyes fell closed again, Pride stood and took him gently by the arm.

"Alright, okay. Let's go." With some difficulty, he coaxed Christopher up and guided him towards the stairs.

"Case?"

Pride gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. "Nope. No cases tonight. Just sleep."

Halfway up the stairs, Pride was cursing himself for neglecting to have the new banister installed as he barely managed to catch Christopher when his clumsy steps nearly led him right over the edge. A few stumbles and catches and grunts later, they made it to the top and Pride reached around Christopher to push the door open. He wrestled his friend inside and kicked the door shut behind them.

"Kin'?"

"Yeah, Christopher," Pride strained, doing his best to abort Christopher's collision course with a bookcase.

"'M really tired."

Course corrected, they made their way into the living area. "I know it, Christopher. We're gonna get you some sleep, okay?"

Christopher nodded as Pride propped him in the corner between the wall and the bookcase. "Stay put." When he was sufficiently that convinced Christopher would topple over when he let go of him, Pride turned to gather up the sheet music scattered across the couch and transfer it to the piano bench. "Over here, Christopher."

Christopher obediently sat down on the edge of the couch, hands planted against the cracked leather on either side of him. Pride felt his bewildered gaze on his back as he entered the bedroom and re-emerged with a pillow and a quilt. He placed the pillow against the arm of the couch and patted it. "Lie down."

The younger man shook his head in a petulant way that brought the photo of seven-year-old Christopher, barely-visible in his big brother's football gear, flashing through his mind's eye. Then Christopher set his jaw, and the little boy disappeared. "This ain't right."

Pride frowned. What did that mean? He had no way of knowing if Christopher was referring to his obvious state of disorientation or something deeper, but he decided answers would have to wait until they had both had some sleep. Instead, he looked his friend in the eye and infused his voice with all the conviction he had in him. "This is exactly right." He held Christopher's eyes until he saw a flicker of understanding, and then he gave the pillow another pat. "Now lie down, son."

This time, Christopher complied, face crashing into the pillow, eyes slipping closed—and feet remaining on the floor. Pride waited a moment for him to kick his shoes off and pull them up, but Christopher was still. Like a light, Pride thought with a smirk. Kneeling, he pulled off Christopher's shoes before taking his ankles and swinging them onto the couch. He watched Christopher's face as he shook out the quilt and laid it over the boy.

The weariness that Pride had seen in his face earlier was gone, replaced by an expression so peaceful it bordered on serenity. If before Pride had thought he looked ten years older, he now looked ten years younger. The lines of stress and sadness, engraved by years on a job that had given him a front-row seat to all the worst the world had to offer, were softened in sleep. Only the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth remained distinct, and Pride smiled.

He made one last trip downstairs to lock up and shut off the lights, pausing by Christopher's abandoned workspace. He saved the open documents, opting not to erase the gibberish inflicted by his friend's impromptu nap. Something to tease him about, later. Then he powered down the laptop and put the papers—as much in order as he could figure—back into the accordion folder at the foot of the chair Christopher had occupied.

He carried these things upstairs and placed them alongside his sheet music on the piano bench before the scent of cinnamon and cocoa drew him back to the kitchen. He poured the not-so-hot chocolate into a pitcher, cinnamon and all, and put it in the fridge for another night, another dilemma. His job had been much easier than expected, tonight. A yawn swelled in his throat as he placed the mugs in the sink and filled them with water.

Pride checked on Christopher one more time on his way to his room. He slept soundly, one arm dangling over the edge of the couch, feet up over the arm at the end. The glow from neon lights outside the window cast his face in squares of cool blue and flickering yellow. Pride bent down and took his wrist, gently folding his arm back beneath the quilt. He put a hand on the younger man's back.

"Sweet dreams, Christopher." God knows they're precious.

A few minutes later, he was in his own bed, his partner of years asleep in the next room. Outside, someone played "Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water" on a tenor sax. He closed his eyes.

And for the first time in many weeks, Dwayne Pride slept deeply and free of dreams.

A/N: Welcome to my brand-spankin’-new NOLA blog! This fic is my first foray into this fandom, and I’d love to hear y’all’s thoughts! I’ve got another one well underway, as well as a long-ish series in the brainstorm stages.

The events of this fic are largely based on real-life experiences that I do not recall because I was still so sleepy I was falling all over the place. Ironically, my beta was falling nodding off at her laptop whilst reading about Pride making hot chocolate, which is about the point Christopher was doing the same thing downstairs.

Speaking of my my beta, you should all go check out the brilliant, brilliant Mellia Bee on AO3 and FF.net. Her Steggy stories are the bomb, and a huge part of why I started writing fanfic.

The Scripture Pride references is from Matthew 7:5, and because it’s probably kind of obscure, “Jonathan of a friend” was referring to the best friend of David, Israel’s most famous king. Jonathan really stuck his neck out for David, helping him at great danger to himself. You can read about them in 1 Samuel. And finally, the photo of small Christopher was just me throwing in a nod to Lucas Black’s role in Friday Night Lights. I’ll try to post the actual photo, because it’s really stinkin’ rotten adorable, and y’all must see it.

Apologies for the long A/N! Thank you for reading this, and thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to comment! Feedback is soul-food, like pecan pie, and it keeps le old gears turning. While we’re on the topic of food, don’t forget to eat today, lovey human! Drink your water, take your vitamins, eat an orange. I love you. Jesus loves you. Hang in there.

Author out.

My FF.Net page:

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/12357741/

My AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project7723/works

[agathaishot]

Take Me Home Chapter One

Summary: Hannah gets some unexpected news and she and Tammy have to figure out their new reality.

Words: 2387

Warnings: none

Pairings: Hannah Khoury/Tammy Gregorio, Tammy Gregorio/Sebastian Lund (Friendship) others to be added.

                                               A Wind of Change

Sitting at the table in the breakfast nook at Sebastian and Tammy's house. Hannah let a soft smile come across her lips as she looked over at Tammy. With Tammy Gregorio it was easy, easy to love her, far easier than it had been with Ryan Porter.

Tammy then spoke “Hey did you hear my question?”

“Huh? Sorry lost in thought.”

“I asked what you wanted for breakfast.”

“I want waffles,” Sebastian called out while he walked into the kitchen. He let out a small gasp once he recognized Tammy's house guest. ”Wait. Hannah? Why are you here? Do we have a case?”

Hannah let out a small groan, “You said he was getting back this afternoon, I knew we should have gone to my place. I'm going to go get dressed.” Standing up in the FBI tee she had stolen from Tammy’s dresser that morning and walking past Sebastian even though she was sure that Sebastian had seen the heart print briefs she had on as well.

---

“Easy baby, I'll handle it.” Tammy said as she shoved Sebastian back towards the living room.

“What the hell aren't you supposed to be at some nerd thing?”

“Comic-Con is not for nerds it's for enthusiasts. And I got in last night, I see you didn't wait up for me. Wait, that was your shirt she had on. Why is Hannah here?”

They stood quietly. Tammy raised one eyebrow at him.

“Oh my god your seeing Hannah. Wait how long has this been going on?”

“Look, me and Hannah have a little thing going on, and it's been six weeks. Let me go try and calm Hannah down before she decides to kill you, you know she could do it and get away with it. Do not mention this to anyone or I'll hurt you got it.”

“Yeah no I understand.” Sebastian nodded nervously.

“Wait. Six weeks, you've been dating for six weeks?” He watched as Tammy slide into her room and hearing her greet Hannah softly and sweetly before her door closed in front of him. He shook his head and headed to make coffee for three.

---

“I'm sorry baby, apparently he meant last night not tonight.” Tammy said as she closed the door.

Hannah paused in buttoning her red shirt and looked at her, “It’s fine other than the fact that I'm not supposed to see my subordinate, oh and no one other than you even knows I like girls! But it's fine, I'm just going to get fired or transferred to Siberia, it fine, you know except I hate the cold, my daughter is here, your here, and I'm exhausted all the time now.”

“Wow I think that's the most words I've ever heard you say at once,” Tammy said as she slid closer to Hannah “now should I kiss you to make up for all this, see if I can get you out of your jeans.” And pulled Hannah against her both arms looping around Hannah's waist.

Hannah laughed, “Sure, let’s see what you can do,” one hand coming up to rest on Tammy’s face the other sliding around Tammy's back then Hannah's phone began blaring and she groaned in response.

She turned to look for it. Finding it under her shirt from the day before she scooped it up.

“Hey Lasalle, what do we got?” She chirped and heard the Alabama accent chatter, nodding.

“All right call Loretta have her meet us there, no I'm near their house I'll stop and pick them up. Ok see you there.” Hanging up the phone.

She turned to Tammy “So let's put these plans on hold, double murder of two sailors.” She said as she gave Tammy one last kiss. Then moving to finish getting ready “Tell Sebastian please.”

---

“Right what do we have Loretta?” Tammy asked.

“We have petty officer third class Regan Clark and petty officer first class Damon Sims both served on the Chinook, both were found this morning, Regan was stabbed in the neck, but Damon well.. Christopher will you help me?” Loretta asked, pointing at the corpse.

“Oh course Ms. Loretta” as they turned the body over on the ground.

Tammy noticed Hannah's face turn almost as she clamped one hand over her mouth the other over her stomach. A wave of shock rushed through Tammy as she watched Hannah's reaction. Hannah hadn't been bothered a bit by the shrimp boat case, where the body had been bloated by the ocean, but this one while bad wasn't nearly on the same level of smell.

“He has been sliced into to spell out, from six to one the spell is spun, no time to run, the curse begun and some kind of symbol I’ll know more once I get them back to autopsy.” Loretta commented, scribbling on her notepad.

“Okay what curse?” Tammy asked looking down at the body.

“This is New Orleans, this city was built on curses” Hannah said, having managed to swallow her nausea.

“Yeah there a ton of them, wait how do you know that you've only been here about five months.” Chris said as he looked up from photographing the body.

“I've got a degree in history, I like it so when I moved here I studied up on it, but my master’s thesis was on New Orleans history.” Hannah replied.

“Okay Tammy, Chris deep dive the victims, I’ll call their COs see if they were working on anything worth killing over, Sebastian.” Hannah said, giving the orders.

“Heading to the lab.” Sebastian replied.

“Great. Anything you get us can help us get this guy really look into that symbol as well I think I recognize it and if I'm right, I have a sinking suspicion that he's not done yet.”

Upon arriving at headquarters, Hannah went straight to the bathroom, having had to try very hard not to throw up while in the car with Tammy, she expelled what she was fairly certain was the contents of her entire stomach, noting that she seemed slightly bloated. But she stood slowly and washed her mouth out, heading back in to the bullpen, ignoring the fact that both Tammy and Chris were giving her concerned looks, pulling up the Chinook’s list.

She discovered they worked under Senior Chief Petty Officer James Shal, calling his number she discovered that the officers had been on shore leave and were rumored to be dating, but that Clark had a ex that she had been trying to seek a restraining order against, but neither had any type of security clearance, Clark was a culinary specialist, and Sims worked radio.

Chris glanced over at Tammy and she nodded, she was ready to present, but when he looked over at Hannah he thought she looked like she was asleep so he walked over towards her desk.

“Boss, you ready for us to present? Hannah?” He tapped on her desk and she jerked, waking up from where her head had been resting in her hand.

“Yeah, go for it.” She said as she blinked several times to wake herself up.

Chris lifted the remote “Petty officer first class Damon Sims age 30, no money troubles, not much a personal life, joined the navy when he was 18. He is interested in treasure in particular anything to do with the so called, ‘Crystal Cove.’”

Tammy grabbed the remote from him, “Petty officer third class Regan Clark, age 25, up until recently was in fairly deep debt but made several big payoffs, has an ex that lives in the city. Joined the navy only 2 years ago, seems to have no hobbies, nothing at all even connecting her to Sims.”

“Well that is not quite true,” Hannah said as she leaned over her desk, one hand dropping over her abdomen and running lightly over it, “According to their CO, neither were on any kind of classified assignment, Clark worked as a culinary specialist and Sims worked radio. They were on shore leave together and were rumored to be seeing each other. As for Clark’s ex, she tried and failed to get a restraining order against him. Gregorio look into why.”

“Chris, I want you to go to the morgue and check in with Sebastian, help him with the symbol, concentrate on pirates that may have connections to the Crystal Cove. I'll look into the legend here. I’ll be back in a minute.” Hannah said as she rushed towards the bathroom.

Tammy looked over at Chris, “She seem okay to you?”

“Not one bit, keep an eye on her Gregorio.” Chris replied as he grabbed his keys before going to the SUV for a visit to the JPSO for results.

“Always, you know that.” Tammy said as she turned to look towards where Hannah had disappeared.

----

Chris walked down the hall and turned into the morgue, “Alright Ms. Loretta, tell me what do we got here.”

“Well like I said at the crime scene, Ms. Clark’s, cause of death was a stab wound on the throat. The killer severed both of her carotid arteries, she would have died nearly instantaneously.” Wade explained, circling around the table where the corpse laid on.

“While Mr. Sims, well he died very slowly, the wounds on his back where likely caused by a very sharp straight blade, and he was tortured before his death, he was punched repeatedly in the abdomen, there was blood in his stomach.” Wade said gesturing towards the next table, “He has three broken ribs, and seven of his fingernails were ripped out very close to the time of death, the final cause of death was exsanguination, the symbol and words on his back were done pre mortem.”  

“This killer wanted to cause pain to this young man.” Wade sighed, putting a hand on her hip.

“Alright thank you. Do ya know if Sebastian is done?”

“Yes and I found something very interesting” Sebastian said as he burst into the morgue.

“Alright, what is it?”

“Quartz dust. But not from any known mines in this area, this is different. It’s also been worked.”

“Well how can you know that?” Chris asked with a quirked brow at him.

“Trace minerals but old ones, lead and sulfur.”

“Meaning” Chris pulled out the word, lowering his head.

“This is old quartz, like Spanish conquistadors. Old.”

---

Chris and Sebastian walked in “We've got a problem. The quartz dust is old, really old.” Sebastian announced.

“That makes sense,” Hannah said as she looked up “everything I can find on this Crystal Cove, says it was created by Spanish conquistadors to protect what they thought was the fountain of youth. They landed here to collect supplies and then were planning on sailing back to Spain, but then a hurricane came and hit so they built the cave to protect their loot, a crystal fountain and other crystal pieces they collected.”

“That’s-that’s accurate.” Sebastian’s jaw dropped with astonishment, nodding slowly.  

“It's rumored to be worth over 10 million dollars.” Hannah continued as she blinked out of a dizzy spell.

Sebastian noticed that she was still shaking, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I'm fine just stood up too fast.” Hannah replied, before turning to Tammy.

“Gregorio you got anything on this ex of Clark’s?

“No nothing, I've got what might be a first name Adam, but I can't find anything else, Patton’s running one of his searches and is diving into her records. But I did find this, she's been making a lot of calls to various unknown numbers, Patton is looking at them but my guess is burners. She's also been making payments to some company called Fire Dive, and Wreckage, can't find anything on them, but look who owns it, David Finch.” Gregorio said.

“Okay maybe it's because I'm still new to New Orleans but who's David Finch?” Hannah asked.

Chris grabbed the remote and clicked it over “Only one of the biggest mob boss in the city, he has a finger in every pie, and nothing ever links back to him.”

“Alright, let’s deep dive the company and the employees, if we can. Sebastian I want you to try and narrow down the dust as much as you can, anything that will tells us where it might be from. Lasalle look into why Sims was wanting to find the crystal. Gregorio have you found anything on who Clark was in debt to?”

Tammy shook her head.

“You said that she had recently done several payments that didn't back up to her salary right? Let's look at why.” Hannah said as she leaned back in her chair.

As they hit yet another wall, Hannah still fighting to keep her eyes open, looked at her watch “Okay, I don't think we're going to get any further information tonight, let's all go home, and reconvene in the morning, hopefully Patton’s dives into the company and some of the phone scans will be done.” As she pushed up from her desk she felt the world spin and only her tight grip on the desk kept her from falling.

Seeing Tammy glance towards her she shook her head, she needed to be alone tonight. As she made it into her car, and pulled her phone to check to see if Naomi had texted her about her dance program she saw the date and the blood drained from her face.

Her symptoms, the nausea, the exhaustion, even the random bouts of hunger and the dizzy spells, and now the fact that she was late for the second time.

She carefully drove towards her apartment stopping only at the CVS down the street walking in and not looking at anyone she went to an aisle and picked up a single box, one she hadn't bought in almost 5 years checking out she paid in cash not wanting a record of this, finally arriving back in her apartment.

She dropped her bag and jacket over the table, clutching the box though the bag, heading towards to the bathroom. With a shaking hand she slid a single package out and took it.

Five minutes later, she flipped it over, not sure what she wanted the test to say.

But her heart sank just a little when she saw the screen. A pair of blue lines in it, confirming her suspicions that she was pregnant.  

[tammy-gregorio]

i could use a love song

sort of based on the maren morris song (LOVE HER). this ended a lot differently than i had planned, but i think i’m happy with it. i might take it down later, who knows. contains (some) spoilers for 5x11

The surprise on Tammy’s face was evident when she walked into the squad room and found Pride sitting at Hannah’s desk. It had been his before, but Tammy had gotten used to seeing Hannah there. In the back of her mind, she realized she was also disappointed to see Pride instead of Hannah. The two had gotten close over the months Hannah had been leading the team, and it didn’t hurt to have another woman on the team.

The words that left Tammy’s lips weren’t “You’re back!” but rather, “What happened to Hannah?” She was worried about the fact that the other woman had left without saying goodbye to anyone. One glance at the expression on Tammy’s face caused Pride to realize something he should have before. “She’s taking some time off to spend with her daughter and her husband.” Tammy’s face fell at the end of his statement, only confirming Pride’s theory. Tammy recognized his acknowledgment and quickly recovered, plastering a fake smile on her lips. “I’m glad. Hannah really missed Naomi; she always talks about her.” Tammy tried to fight the urge to ask about Ryan, but it was something she couldn’t help wondering about. “I thought she was divorced.” Pride leaned back in his seat, watching his agent’s reaction to his next statement. “Separated.” Tammy glanced around the squad room to confirm that they were alone before narrowing her eyes at Pride. “I know when I’m being profiled.” She crosses her arms over her chest. Before she has the chance to say anything else to Pride, Sebastian walks into the squad room. Tammy spares one last glance at Pride before walking to her desk to put her purse away. As soon as her purse is secured in the drawer of her desk, Tammy walked to the kitchen without having acknowledged Sebastian’s presence. He had been getting excited over Pride being back, Tammy wanted to let him have his moment.

Tammy poured herself a cup of coffee before setting the mug down on the countertop and running her hands through her hair with a sigh. She didn’t know where to go from here, she needed to clear her mind but she didn’t have the resources to do so. Normally, she would have a drink to take the edge off, but it was eight in the morning and drinking didn’t help her anymore. She couldn’t go for a drive, she had just arrived at work. Tammy scoffed when her next thought popped into her mind, I could use a love song. Tammy wanted a love song that would make her forget that she was stuck in a world that has always gone wrong for her.

Deciding she needed a break before she could get started on her day, the agent wandered outside to the courtyard, where she could drink her coffee in silence. Tammy closed her eyes as she tried to force her thoughts away, but in the end, she was truly powerless. Of course, she had fallen for a married woman, just another woman she couldn’t have. Tammy wished her luck was better, she wanted to find someone she could come home to. She had wasted so much of her life with Ethan, starting over was hard. Since she left Ethan, her love life had been practically non-existent, with the exception of Hannah Lee. Tammy had promised herself that she wouldn’t waste her time with something that wasn’t making her happy, but she started to wonder if she would ever find anything that made her happy.

Tammy had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard Sebastian calling her name. When she finally opened her eyes and looked up, Sebastian was standing right beside her.

“Pride’s back,” Sebastian said, his voice full of hope. He, of course, didn’t know what was racing through Tammy’s mind at the moment.

“I know, baby,” Tammy whispered. “Hannah’s taking time to be with her daughter and her husband.” Tammy’s voice barely came out as a whisper toward the end, giving Sebastian a signal that she wasn’t too happy.

Sebastian sat across from Tammy, setting his own coffee mug on the table. “I thought she was divorced.”

Tammy bit back her immediate response, deciding to simply tell Sebastian the truth. “Apparently they’re separated. I just learned that ten minutes ago. She called him her ex-husband, yet Pride referred to him as her husband. I flirted with her, Sebastian. I don’t flirt with taken women. I feel dirty.”

Sebastian’s face fell at his best friend’s words. “Tammy, you didn’t know. That isn’t your fault, she made you think they were divorced.”

“I wouldn’t have had a chance with her anyway, she’s our boss,” Tammy shook her head. She rubbed her hands over her jeans and sighed. “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I fall for someone that I actually have a chance with? Eva went to prison and then witness protection. Brooklyn got kidnapped because of me. Hannah was my boss. I spent so much of my life hiding who I was and this is what happens when I finally come out. I don’t have anyone. My parents are dead, I don’t have any siblings, I don’t have a life outside of this job.”

“You have me,” Sebastian shook his head. “You have Chris, you have Dr. Wade, you have Patton. You have us. We’re your family, Tammy. And, you’ll find someone. She’s going to love you so much, I promise. She’ll be worth the wait and you’ll wonder why you ever stressed out about finding her.” He stood up and walked to the other side of the table where Tammy was sitting. He opened his arms to her and flashed a reassuring smile.

Tammy stood up and wrapped her arms around Sebastian, laying her head on his chest. “I really liked Hannah,” she whispered. “She’s amazing. She deserves to be happy and if that’s with her husband and daughter, then I can’t do anything about it.”

Sebastian rubbed Tammy’s back, nodding along to her words. He caught Pride’s eye and nodded at him, assuring him that everything was going to be okay. Sebastian would be there for Tammy, he would help her through anything. He knew she would do the same for him.

tags: @evazarovas @captain-dwayne-pride @stanathanxoox

[everybuddiewantssome]

Clois for the first and Lois for the second meme?

Ready for a novel?

Number 1

When did I start shipping them: pretty much immediately (whenever I started s4. It was sometime this spring)

Thoughts: love them. Can't not love them. Very worthwhile emotional rollercoaster

What makes me happy: many things. Many many things. But Lois' love for Clark and her helping him through all his superhero stuff

What makes me sad: their hesitancy to get together. The denial. The breaks. The end of prophecy

Going to skip the fanfic because I haven't had time to get to sv fics yet since finishing

Who I'd be comfortable with if not each other: Lois and Oliver. Even though I don't want to take him away from Chloe. Clark and Lana surprisingly enough. I've always loved them for some reason even through the extreme angst

Happily ever after: Clark needs children. He's too good with kids. They would be great parents

Big spoon little spoon: I feel like Lois would be little spoon. Get wrapped in the six and a half feet of handsome. And those arms

Favourite non sexual activity: they love working together. But Lois also loves helping clark with his other work

Number 2- Lois

How I feel: Lois freaking Lane. What isn't there to love? Badass, softy, all of it. Queen

All ships: Clark, and I did like Oliver

Non romantic otp: Chloe, Lana, Jimmy, also Oliver. Their friendship is everything

Unpopular opinion: Lowkey miss the blonde hair (I don't know if that's unpopular or not but it's all I got) (I do love brunette don't get me wrong)

One thing I wish happened: a better wedding? Even if just a flash forward to an actual ceremony (or semblance of one)

Otp: CLOIS

Crossover ship: a chat with @dobbyofearth tonight inspired me into a couple. Greg in csi fell for a femme fatale with similar qualities (obviously Lois isn't a killer but yeah) they'd be fun. And also Tammy Gregorio (ncis nola) I know she's canonically straight but a) Tammy's not and b) did you see Lois in combat? That girl can flirt both ways when she needs to and c) I don't know it just struck me and now I'm stuck with it

BUT I just came up with her and Lance Sweets (bones) and idk why but I love it

Headcanon fact: she's definitely second in command at watchtower, maybe even first. And her kids get lots of ice cream because how dare her deny them her fave thing

[justas-confused-asthenextperson]

I Can’t Lose You Pt.1

Request- “can i request a dwayne pride x reader mission gone wrong and he loses his cool and gets really protective and he has to save her and he makes it up to her after everything or some thing” - @roseuchiha69

Pairing: Dwayne Pride x Reader

Word Count: 539

Warnings: Angst, mentions of being shot

The team was on a mission to track down the suspect in their latest case, the murder of Admiral Jeremy Crawford. The suspect, Lainey Christian, was tracked down to an abandoned warehouse by the French Quarter. Going into this everyone thought it would be an easy grab, but it was the complete opposite. The team cleared the building and met back out front to regroup. 

“Looks like we are back to square one then,” You say with a sigh. 

“I don’t understand, Patton said her phone pinged to here and she was seen on the traffic cams,” Pride replied, pacing around. “LaSalle, call Patton and see if you can get an update.” 

“Yes sir, King,” Christopher says grabbing his phone. 

“EVERYONE DOWN!” Pride yells, tackling you to the ground. Not even a second later a gunshot rings out. 

“Rooftop across the street left side,” Pride says getting up to move to behind a vehicle for cover before yelling, “Gregorio call for back up.” 

“I’m running after,” LaSalle states before taking off. 

“Me too,” Gregorio says, taking off behind Christopher. With no one talking Pride realizes that you are still lying on the ground while holding your side and grunting. He rushes over to make sure you are okay. 

“Hey, hey let me see Y/N.” Pride says kneeling down next to you. 

“I’m fine...I think the vest took the bullet,” You groan, still in pain from the impact of the bullet hitting the vest. 

“Backup should be here any minute and then I’ll get you back to the office,” Pride states, looking over to where LaSalle and Tammy are running back over. 

“Wooh, Y/N are you okay? What happened?” Gregorio asks running over to you.

“I took a hit but I’m fine.” You respond giving her a weak smile. “Did you get the person who shot at us?” You ask, slowing getting up off the ground. 

“They got away before we could get an eye on them, but we’ll track ‘em down don’t you worry Y/N,” Christopher replies placing his hands on his hips. 

“You two stay here and help process the scene, I’m gonna take Y/N back to the squad room.” Pride states before helping you to the car. 

It was only about a ten-minute drive back to the squad room from where the abandoned warehouse is located. The drive back was silent with Pride glancing over at you every couple minutes making sure you were okay. Once you arrived you went straight to the kitchen to grab ice. 

"Here I'll get you a bag of ice. Go upstairs and lay down," Pride says walking in grabbing a bag to put the ice in.

"No, I'm fine really. I wanna get back to work," You protest, taking your vest off.

"Y/N you aren't fine. You almost got shot and your bruise has to be pretty bad. Please, take the rest of the day off," he argues back.

"No, I wanna get the guy that almost killed me." You state firmly. You were getting upset at Pride and didn't wanna waste any more time not finding the person that could've killed you.

"I'm not gonna allow it, end of the discussion," King says reaching for the bottle of pain meds. 

A/N - I hope y’all enjoyed! This is my first fic over 500 words and a part 2 is coming by next Friday. As always feedback is highly appreciated. 

[i-am-a-stupid-robot]

Live to Die Another Day | Gregorio & LaSalle Oneshot

Warnings | None

Rating | K+

Genres | Angst, H/C, Friendship, Fluff

Characters | Tammy Gregorio, Christopher LaSalle

Pairings | Tammy Gregorio & Christopher LaSalle (Pals. Unless you do le squinty squint.)

Word Count | 1K+

Summary: Tammy struggles to process the events of Acceptable Loss (4x05). Good thing she’s not alone.

"Gregorio."

Gregorio groaned internally as she dropped a bag of tea into her mug.

"Gregorio." LaSalle's voice was louder, more insistent this time.

"What?" she snapped, watching the color from the teabag bleed into the hot water as she dunked it again. He came to a halt behind her and she reached for creamer she never used as an excuse to fully turn her back.

"You wanna tell me what's goin' on with you?"

Gregorio kept her voice casual. "Nothing's going on with me."

"Uh-huh. Come on, you've been avoiding me all day—yesterday, too."

"You're imagining things, LaSalle."

"Gregorio. Come on, this is ridiculous. Did I say something? If I've offended you somehow, I'd like to know about it so I can make it right."

A lump burned its way up her throat and she clenched her jaw. Not now. She swallowed hard before she replied, schooling her voice to remain steady and light. "What's the matter, you got a guilty conscience or something?"

Suddenly, his hand was on her arm, spinning her around to face him. The frustrated determination in his eyes was buried in a flood of concern when he saw the tears in hers. "Gregorio! What's wrong?"

Her chin trembled. Dang it. "Listen, I know what this looks like, but I'm okay."

"Gregorio…"

"Leave it alone, LaSalle," she growled, shoving him back a step.

He released her arm, but his eyes never left hers. "What's going on?"

She shook her head and looked away, furiously attempting to blink back the confounded wetness trying to escape her eyes.

"Gregorio—"

She held up a hand to silence him. "Shush. I'm gonna tell you, I just—mm." If I talk now I'm gonna be crying all over you in about half a second. She studied her feet, chewing the inside of her cheek.

He waited.

When she finally trusted herself enough to speak, her voice was low and shaky, still far to close to tears for her comfort. "I thought we'd lost you." There was a scuff on her boot. She hadn't noticed it before.

She knelt on the rough cement floor, the toes of her boots scraping against the pavement as she dropped to her knees and joined Pride at LaSalle's side.

"The other day...when we found you, and you didn't have a pulse? I thought you were gone." She wrestled her eyes up to look at his face.

His frown deepened in confusion, an incredulous smile starting to tug at his lips. "Gregorio, I'm fine—"

Anger flared in her gut and she cut him off. "Four minutes."

"What?"

"You were gone for four minutes, LaSalle. That we know of." There was no telling how long it had been between their finding him and Chloe leaving him for dead. She crossed her arms, her voice rising. "I gave you CPR! You wouldn't move, wouldn't wake up, wouldn't breathe."

She almost hadn't believed Percy before, but now Pride was doing chest compressions and pleading with LaSalle to wake up and Percy was speaking frantically into her phone and LaSalle just lay there, still, too still to be the animated man she knew and far too still to be yet among the living.

LaSalle was silent. She was glad.

"Pride...I know it messed him up, but I think somehow he knew. He knew you were gonna be okay, that we would get you back. But I—" her voice cracked, "—there was this lead in my gut, you know?" She scrubbed a hand under her eyes, the tears scalding her skin. "I didn't know four minutes could take so long."

Her hands on his chest, pumping—One. Two. Three. Four—trying to do the work his heart should be doing as bone and cartilage ground and popped beneath her palm—Seven. Eight. Nine—Percy pacing in the background—Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen—his head lolling in time with her efforts—Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty...

She ran a hand over her mouth and looked LaSalle in the eye for the first time since he'd walked into the room. "So, yeah. To answer your questions, I'm a little messed up right now. I'm mad. I'm mad at Chloe for almost taking my friend away. I'm mad at myself for giving up on you so easily." She scoffed. "I'm even mad at you for scaring me like that." She wasn't sure when her voice had gotten this loud, or when she had stopped fighting the stream of tears that was now flowing freely down her face. A sob bubbled free. "You were dead, LaSalle."

She didn't fight his grip on her arm this time, as he pulled her into a hug and held her tight. Another sob escaped as she returned his embrace, drinking in the heartbeat that thumped firm and steady beneath her ear.

His eyes flew open and he shot upright and then everyone was talking at once, touching him, watching his face twist with fear and confusion and pain and life. Pride's arms were suddenly wound around his shoulders, keeping him upright as Percy grabbed for his flailing hands and Gregorio thrust her hand against his chest, over his heart. The beat was too fast, erratic and thready, but it was there.

"But I'm not dead. Thanks in large part to you, I'm right here and I'm just fine."

They stood that way for a while, Gregorio's sobs fading to hiccups and the tears beginning to dry. LaSalle squeezed her a little tighter. "I owe you one, Tammy."

She snuffled and pulled away, giving his chest a brisk pat as her crusty exoskeleton slipped back into place. "Yeah, you do. And you can repay me by making sure I never have to do that again."

His amused smirk faded to gravity as he looked at her. "You know I can't promise that any more than you can."

"Yeah, well...do your best, yeah?"

"You got it." He folded her back into his embrace and she returned it tightly.

“Oh—and LaSalle?" Her voice was muffled in his shirt.

"Yeah?"

"You tell anyone about this, I'm gonna take you out and finish what Chloe started, you got me?"

A laugh rumbled beneath her ear. "Copy that."

[dwaynepride]

this is a masterlist for all my TAMMY GREGORIO x READER fics from NCIS: NEW ORLEANS. it will be updated with each new fic i post. this masterlist may not contain any headcanons or drabbles i’ve posted. for those, you might want to search through the tag itself.

this list contains nsfw stories. do not interact with those fics if you’re under 18.

IMAGINES

fluff

surprise

introductions

feeling sentimental

creaking

snooze

the sounds of laughter

searching for something sweet

angst

what’s your type?

olive branch

smut

getting a little rough 

it’s this tongue of mine

ONESHOTS

angst

silence broke the levees - when tammy is stabbed and rushed into surgery, reader tries to be strong in the wake of frayed nerves and a quiet hospital room. (1,715 words)

[imaginenola]

Young and Beautiful

Dwayne Pride x reader

Words: 2,154

Warnings: angst, pure sadness

Notes: loosely based on the song Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey. this is the first imagine I’ve ever written so it might not be the best. also big thank you to @dwaynepride for helping me make this account & story a reality! thanks for believing in me (: also the spaces might be a little wonky, sorry! I worked really hard on this so please don’t steal it, all work is my own. enjoy!!

I’ve seen the world, done it all

Had my cake now

Diamonds, brilliant, in Bel-Air now

When you interviewed for a job at NCIS in New Orleans, you were a young and eager cop. Only a few years out of the academy, you had made more cases than most could make in their entire career. Your boss and partner both pushed you to apply after you expressed interest in NCIS. A few days after your interview, you received a call from none other than Dwayne Pride. You had been chosen for his team.

Hot summer nights, mid July

When you and I were forever wild

The crazy days, city lights

The way you’d play with me like a child

It began with slight flirting, just for fun. You never meant to get involved with your boss, but things soon escalated. You were both experts at keeping your work and personal lives separate. You two weren’t partners anyway, so for the most part, it was easy to not let feelings get in the way of doing your jobs.

A few months in, Pride asked you out for drinks after work. The two of you made your way to a jazz club, where you drank and danced and drank some more. Pride twirled you around and around until you had no memories of what happened that night. The next morning, you woke up naked in your boss’s bed.

Will you still love me

When I’m no longer young and beautiful?

Will you still love me

When I’ve got nothing but my aching soul?

I know you will, I know you will

I know that you will

Will you still love me when I’m no longer beautiful?

Six months after that night, and you were still going steady with Pride. He was the perfect gentleman, and working together had only brought the two of you closer. You were only a few years older than his daughter, but he always made sure you knew that age wasn’t a problem between the two of you.

Your partner, Tammy Gregorio, kept telling you she ‘sensed’ that Pride was going to propose soon, but you weren’t so sure. Of course you had a strong bond and everyone believed you were a match made in heaven, but it made you nervous to think that you might have to leave the team. Sure, two co-workers dating could be overlooked, but married co-workers? Especially between an agent and their superior? You didn’t think so.

I’ve seen the world, lit it up

As my stage now

Channeling angels in a new age now

Hot summer days, rock and roll

The way you play for me at your show

And all the ways, I got to know

Your pretty face and electric soul

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon, and you were out on a walk around New Orleans. You barely ever got a day off, but you made sure to enjoy it while you could. All of a sudden, you were being pushed into a black SUV, door locking behind you. You pulled your gun out of your holster until you recognized your captor: FBI Agent Isler.

“What do you want, Isler?” You asked, remaining calm and collected. You knew this man well, and you knew whatever it was he needed help with had to be important. Isler never dropped by just to say hello.

“Hello, Agent (y/l/n). The FBI needs your help on an undercover mission in Los Angeles. Once we get to the motel, I’ll give you the case file. It’s a highly classified operation involving corrupt Naval officers and a drug trafficking ring.” Isler said, shifting the car into drive. “Wait! Isler, I didn’t agree to this. Stop the car, now,” you demanded.

“I’m sorry, Agent (y/l/n), but you don’t really have a choice. This is a joint investigation between the FBI and NCIS, and you were picked by the big boys. I’m the only person in Louisiana who knows about this, and we’re keeping it that way.” You rode the rest of the drive in silence, until Isler parked in front of a decrepit motel on the outskirts of the city. The motel room was stale and unwashed, the air thick with swamp water.

“We’ll be staying here for a couple of days to prepare you for your mission. Once you step off that plane in Los Angeles, your undercover identity will be all you know. You will eat, sleep, and breathe this mission from start to finish, Agent (y/l/n).”

“How long do you think I’ll be gone?” You asked, afraid of the answer. Isler looked at the ground for a moment, then passed you a box of hair dye. Black. The girl on the picture seemed happy with her hair color, but you weren’t so sure.

Will you still love me

When I’m no longer young and beautiful?

Will you still love me

When I’ve got nothing but my aching soul?

I know you will, I know you will

I know that you will

Will you still love me when I’m no longer beautiful?

“Hard to tell. Could just be a few months. Eight, maybe. Possibly a few years. Hopefully nothing more than five, six.” Five years? Six? You would be in your thirties by then. How different would things be? Pride might find someone else. Forget about you. The whole team would probably forget about you, by then.

“There’s one other thing,” Isler trails, “by now, your family and friends will be receiving the news of your gruesome death.”

-

Today was your last day in New Orleans, and you didn’t know for how long. After three days stuck in a hotel room with Raymond Isler, memorizing your new persona (Heather Watson from Montana, by the way), you were going stir-crazy. That was how you convinced him to let you attend your funeral. He thought you were crazy, you knew you were crazy, but Isler did feel bad. He knew about you and Pride’s relationship, and since he couldn’t give you Pride, the least he could do was give you closure.

The balcony of St. Patrick’s had been closed off due to unstable ground, but you arrived early in order to slip up to the balcony, lay on your stomach, and peer through the small slit under the bench. To your surprise, everyone you had ever worked with at NOPD and more had arrived. Friends from the academy flew in, and family members you hadn’t seen in years were there. You felt so, so horrible for tricking them like this. For this hole you had gotten into and you probably wouldn’t ever get out of. Six years undercover, living and breathing the life of someone you weren’t? You’d rather die, maybe. Rather die as yourself than live as Heather Watson. You only wished you could’ve said goodbye.

Dear lord, when I get to heaven

Please let me bring my man

When he comes tell me that you’ll let him in

Father tell me if you can

All that grace, all that body

All that face, makes me wanna party

He’s my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds

You knew it was all over for you when Pride arose from his seat, wearing his black suit. You could see the tissue peeking out from his pocket, full of tears he cried for you. “(y/n) (y/l/n) was the strongest, most determined, an’ most loving human I have ever known. I knew she was the one from the day I laid eyes on her. I hope she knew how much I loved ‘er, and how much all of us at NCIS appreciated her. She’s always been a light-” Dwayne’s voice broke. The occasional tear spilled down his cheek. You could hear the desperation caught in his throat, the need to wrap his arms around you and tell you everything was going to be okay. But as far as he knew, you would be six feet under in a few hours. A closed casket for the horrific boating accident you died in. Your limp body caught in the blades. They could barely piece your limbs back together.

“-I was plannin’ on proposing to her at dinner Sunday night. I had this diamond ring picked out, and now it’s just sittin’ in the box. I wished I could’ve said somethin’, wished I coulda saved her. She- she was tha love of my life, and I know she’d want us to remember her as a dedicated cop and a-a beautiful young woman who was gone- gone too-” Pride choked out, sobs overtaking his body. You could feel your heart breaking into microscopic pieces as Chris got up from his seat and assisted Dwayne. They sat down and Chris gave Pride’s shoulder a quick squeeze in solidarity. The rest of your team respectfully placed a hand on Dwayne’s back for his courage in facing your memory, your mourners. Your family, his future family. If only it hadn’t been for this goddamn mission.

Tears rolled down your face. Oh, how you missed the comfort of Dwayne’s arms wrapped around you when things got tough, when you became sad and he was the only one who could help. Now, even less than a hundred feet apart, it felt like there were planets between you. He was going to propose? Tammy had been right all along.

-

Your silent sobs combined with your uncomfortably warm outfit and position in the hot balcony suddenly prompted your exit. It was easy to slip out of the church unnoticed as your sibling gave a heartwarming speech about your childhood. Isler was sitting in his car in the parking lot, working on his computer, when you knocked on the window. He unlocked the door and let you in. “How was it?” He asked without looking up. “I shouldn’t have gone. Big mistake. Pride was supposed to propose to me that night. This is sick, Isler. Everyone thinks I’m dead. I might as well be, for what it’s worth,” you fumed, tears clouding your vision. You weren’t thinking straight.

“We’re going to have to drive to a more concealed position. I just have to get a few more papers emailed from HQ and we’ll be all set to head back to the motel. From there, I’ll drive you to MSY and you’ll get on your flight. Then, it’ll be out of my hands and into the hands of your new FBI case agent.”

-

You sat in the parking lot of an abandoned building. You knew it was near NCIS, which made it near Pride’s bar, which was where your reception was going to be held. The place you once dreamed of marrying Pride in, dancing to the jazz music as newlyweds. Now, it would never happen. You weren’t dumb; you knew with an undercover operation this long, it was likely someone would find out your secret and brutally murder you. As long as you got intel, that was all that mattered. No one cared if you were collateral damage.

Before either of you knew it, you were reaching across Isler at the speed of light and unlocking the passenger door. “(Y/n), wait!” Isler yelled, chasing you as you ran away from his car. Something told him where you would be heading.

Will you still love me

When I’m no longer young and beautiful?

Will you still love me

When I’ve got nothing but my aching soul?

I know you will, I know you will

You knew the song, one of your favorites. It reminded you of your and Pride’s whirlwind relationship, of the appeal and the secrecy, the pure love and affection. Percy was singing, the only flaw in her beautiful voice being the rawness in her throat from crying. Pride was next to her on the piano, playing along what he knew from when you would sing with him. When you didn’t have a care in the world, when it was you and Dwayne and no one else. Nothing standing between your love for each other.

Suddenly, the music stops and people crowd around Pride’s piano. Laurel, your co-workers new and old, and your family stood behind Dwayne as he picked up his glass from the top of the piano, raising it as far as his arm could extend. You couldn’t see him, but you heard his voice ring out, “a toast to (y/n), tha best cop I’ve ever known. wherever you are, babe, I hope you’re raisin’ some hell.” to which everyone joined in, “cheers!” Tears fell down your face as you watched as Pride began your favorite song once again, reminding you how you fell in love with the man with an electric soul.

Will you still love me when I’m no longer beautiful?

Will you still love me when I’m no longer beautiful?

Will you still love me when I’m not young and beautiful?

[cinnikiroll]

love letters and coffee stains

Summary: Hannah thought she'd be without a soulmate for her whole life. But then she noticed the coffee stain on Tammy's shirt.

Word Count: 1,728 words

If you like this fic, please do check out my other fanfics on AO3 under the username cinnikiroll. Here is a link to my profile, where I have fics from other fandoms for your viewing pleasure!

As the raindrops fell, beating a melancholy melody on the windowpane, Hannah Khoury awoke from a restless sleep.

It was still early. She didn't have to be at work for several hours, so she had time to relax before throwing herself into the stressful life of a NCIS agent. After changing into her work clothes and making a warm cup of coffee, she sat outside on her porch, which was protected from rain by an eave that jutted out over it.

Even on this miserable rainy day, New Orleans was bustling with people. Almost all of them were holding hands, sporting matching outfits or tattoos or other signs that they were soulmates, and happy ones at that.

Hannah looked down at her slender arm sadly. Ever since childhood, she had hoped to see a tattoo appear one day of a name, a promise that she did indeed have a soulmate and wasn't destined to be alone all her life.

But fate was cruel, and to this day, no tattoo had appeared.

Looking out at the happy couples surrounding her, she felt a bitter feeling arise in her chest, a mix of jealousy and hatred. Her hands trembled as she tried to control it, and her shaking hands inadvertently led to her coffee spilling all over her clean work shirt.

"Oh no! That was my last clean shirt!"

She cried out, trying frantically to clean the hot liquid off of her clothes.

It was too late, though, and a huge ugly stain ended up spreading across her chest. Looking down at the stain just exacerbated her feelings of bitterness, and she cursed in a soft voice, pouring the rest of her coffee- it was mostly grains anyway, all the good stuff had been spilled on her shirt- into the sink.

There were windows wherever she looked, exposing her to the omnipresent joy and mirth that existed in the outside world, even on such a miserable day. Staring out of the window above her sink, Hannah dreamed of a day where she didn't have to wake up in her bed alone, where she had someone to brighten her day. Woman, man, she didn't care. She just needed a companion, before her whole life became colorless and hopeless.

Her phone rang out with an alarm, shocking her out of her sorrowful reverie. It was already time to get to work? How was that possible? Had she really been daydreaming that long?

Turning her back to the city shrouded by gray clouds that were constantly diminishing in mass, her body silhouetted by the occasional shaft of sunlight piercing through the darkness, Hannah sluggishly moved to get her NCIS raincoat from her closet. An unremarkable gray umbrella rested against the back wall, and she picked that up too, just in case any of her coworkers needed shelter from the torrential downpour.

I'm so kind to everyone, yet I still have not found anyone to love me...

She sighed deeply, zipping up her raincoat and going out into the world that was slowly becoming more monochrome every day.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The drive to NCIS headquarters was uneventful as always. Couple after couple passed by, their visages blurred by the rain constantly dropping down on Hannah's windows and windshield.

Her hands were tense, knuckles white on the steering wheel as she cautiously drove below the speed limit. As much as she viewed her life as worthless without a soulmate, she wasn't willing to drive the speed limit or above in this weather. She didn't want to die- at least, not in such a horrible way.

As she neared the headquarters, she noticed her boss, Dwayne Pride, and his wife, Rita Devereaux, standing out in the rain. She was holding an umbrella over him as he fetched a bag from his car of what looked like beignets from Desiree's Beignets packed neatly into elegant little boxes. When their eyes met, he locked lips with her, and she dropped the umbrella in shock, trapping them in the rain.

Hannah's lip reading skills were consummate, and she easily determined exactly what the couple, who were obviously soulmates, were saying.

I'm sorry!

Rita exclaimed, hastily picking up the umbrella from the ground and covering her rather wet and flustered husband with it once again.

Dwayne laughed, not at all upset by the rain's sudden incursion on their intimate moment, and leaned close to kiss his wife on the cheek lightly.

Nothin' to worry about, darlin'. I personally think a little sprinkling of rain makes me look all the more attractive... not to mention you as well.

Rita's cheeks turned a beautiful, delicate pink with a blush at her husband's words, and Hannah looked away huffily.

She didn't want to torture herself by looking at what she could never have any longer. Her heart heavy with sorrow, she parked her car outside NCIS headquarters and entered, not even bothering to greet Dwayne, who looked away for his wife for a moment to wave at her and call her name.

Once inside, she collapsed at her desk, closing her eyes and trying to erase any images of happy couples and any negative emotions associated with them from her head. She needed to be focused on her cases now, not on her stupid feelings.

Engrossed in work, she didn't notice Tammy Gregorio, one of if not her favorite coworker, standing over her desk until the other woman touched her hand gently.

The simple act of an affectionate touch felt like a lightning strike to Hannah, who instantly stiffened and shot her gaze upwards to look at the other woman.

She touched me! Does that... does that mean...?

"Any new developments on the case?"

Tammy's New York accent may not have been attractive to some, but to Hannah, it was charming. She could listen to the other woman talk for hours, curled up with a warm cup of tea...

Lost in her own thoughts and desires, she didn't notice that her eyes had steadily been drifting downwards until they settled on something that made her heart stop.

Right on Tammy's chest, a coffee stain sat. That wouldn't be intriguing in the slightest, except for the fact that the shape, size, and location of the stain were the exact same as the shape, size, and location as Hannah's stain.

"You... have a coffee stain on your shirt."

Her voice was choked, staggered.

She couldn't believe that this was possible. That after all these years of hoping, begging, praying for a soulmate had finally bore fruit. And a beautiful fruit, nonetheless.

It was too good to be true. If she wasn't feeling jittery from the coffee she'd drunk earlier, she would've discounted the whole experience as a dream.

But this was real. And it was everything she'd ever hoped it would be.

"Yeah, I do. This damn coffee maker... it's so temperamental. I see why Quentin likes his fancy one so much better."

The deep, passionate laugh that emanated from their coworker upon hearing his name mentioned made Hannah cringe. She didn't know that her rapid fall in love had been witnessed, much less by a man such as Quentin Carter. Her face flushed pink, and she looked back down at her files, suddenly shy.

Tammy noticed the shift in her demeanor and softened her own demeanor up to match, moving over to stand by Hannah's side and take the other woman's hands in hers. She knew how obnoxious Quentin could be, how easily he riled everyone up. She didn't want Hannah- one of her favorite, if not her most favorite coworker- to be bothered by his narcissistic nature.

It was when she looked down to try and meet Hannah's eyes that she saw why the woman was so emotional.

Spread across her chest was a coffee stain exactly the same as the one Tammy had on her own chest.

Knowing what that could mean, the possibility that they were soulmates... it caused her to take several steps back in shock. Her mouth opened wide, her dark eyes moving rapidly between the two stains.

"We're-"

She could only get one word out, so overcome with the intensity of the situation.

Hannah shot up from her chair and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her lips teased the skin beneath Tammy's ear, and the tall Italian moaned softly at the tenderness of the caress.

"Soulmates.

The weight of that one word brought both women to their knees, collapsing onto the ground. They held one another, caressing each other passionately and loving one another to make up for the years of pain they'd sustained without soulmates.

Quentin's laughs increased in intensity until he was doubling over, but neither woman cared. They were in their own world, a world that nobody could interfere in.

And, in this world, Hannah finally felt happy.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Three Years Later

Hannah woke up yet again to a torrential downpour. Classic spring in New Orleans- either hot, humid, and miserable or lukewarm, rainy, and equally as miserable.

It was still early. She didn't have to be at work for a few hours. So she relaxed, making a cup of coffee and heading out to her porch.

This time, the porch was no longer unattended, and the world was no longer colorless.

Nestled under the vanilla-colored eaves, curled up comfortably in her NCIS raincoat, was Tammy Gregorio. Her folded hands boasted a beautiful diamond ring, shining on this cloudy day like a second sun.

And, just like their first meeting, a coffee stain covered her shirt.

"I love you, eshgham."

Hannah murmured, curling up on the already cramped chair and pulling her (thankfully shorter) wife into an embrace that said more than words ever could.

"I love you too, mio cuore."

The two women intertwined their fingers together, and watched as their monochrome worlds were dyed in each other's color.

The rain beat down steadily, a typically intimidating and saddening presence becoming a beautiful backdrop to their blooming romance.

"I'm so glad you're my soulmate," Hannah murmured lovingly, her lips and teeth slowly teasing Tammy's shoulder blades.

Tammy moaned in response, her body melting and becoming pliant in her wife's skillful hands.

Looking out at her world that had once been monochrome, she could see in full color the majesty of the sky.

And in that sky, she hoped that Hannah would forever stay her brightest star.

[moonlight-breeze-44]

Gay Best Friend(s)

Alternate title: Non-binary Sebastian and supportive best friend Tammy. Basically, Sebastian comes out and the gays bond over tea, hugs, and illegal amounts of platonic hand-holding.

Inspired by a line that Sebastian says in Season 4, Episode 9: “Yeah, and I can’t pull off a high-heeled boot, apparently.” In which I wanted to write Sebastian in high-heeled boots, and somehow this happened.

Pairings: None

Rating: Teen

Warnings: None

Read on AO3

“Tammy, can I talk to you about something?”

Gregorio looked up from the book that was perched on her lap to meet Sebastian’s nervous gaze. Silhouetted in the doorway, he was clad in old sweatpants and a Star Wars t-shirt, an outfit that she knew was reserved for bad days and the aftermath of hard cases. He looked almost queasy as he waited for her response. Narrowing her eyes at him, she noticed that he was fidgeting with his hands, looking away from her and then back again a few seconds later. Despite his anxious nature, Tammy didn’t think she’d ever seen Sebastian so scared. Though she didn’t know what, it was obvious from his behavior that something was wrong.

Immediately worried, Tammy scooted over to make room for him on the bed and patted the space next to her. “Yeah, of course, baby. What’s up?”

Sebastian padded towards the bed on unsteady feet, shutting the door as he went. Nervous energy was still bleeding from him with every step he took, and Tammy’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to profile him, reading what she could from his body language in some attempt to see what was going on. She had no idea what could be upsetting him this much, and the cluelessness about what her best friend was going through was disconcerting.

When he reached the bed, Sebastian crawled under the covers and, as she expected, stole a large part of her blanket to cover himself all the way up to his shoulders. Looking over at her, he seemed to be trying to gather his courage, so Tammy waited, giving him a gentle, encouraging smile to show that, no matter what, she would support him.

Eventually, avoiding her gaze, he asked in a quiet voice that she rarely heard him use, “I, um…y-you know a lot about the LGBTQ community, right?”

“LGBTQIA+,” Tammy corrected gently, and shifted closer to him, placing a bookmark in her novel so she could give him her full attention. “I do, though I’m not an expert on everything. Why do you ask?”

Sebastian took a deep breath, fidgeting with his hands in his lap. His breathing was erratic and a little too fast, so Tammy reached for one of his hands, squeezing his fingers gently. She didn’t want him to get too worked up trying to tell her whatever it was that was bothering him.

“I-I just had some questions,” Sebastian rushed out. “About some…stuff.” Tammy gave his hand another supportive squeeze, and this time, he weakly returned it.

“Well, I’ll do my best to answer them,” she promised, “and if you have any questions that I can’t answer, I can help you do some research about them too.”

“Thanks, Tammy,” Sebastian breathed, his shoulders slumping a little as some of the tension bled out of him at her response. She gave him a warm smile and rubbed slow, comforting circles into his palm.

“Of course, baby. You know I’m always here for you.”

Sebastian smiled, fleeting but genuine, and she nudged his shoulder gently. “Ask away, alright?”

He nodded, and took another deep breath, giving Tammy’s fingers a tight squeeze to gather the courage to say more. She let him, waiting patiently. She knew he would speak when he was ready.

“Okay, uh, you know I’m bi, right?” Tammy nodded, barely suppressing an amused smile and eyebrow raise; as if she could forget. Sebastian was the first person on the team that she had come out to, after he saw a tiny lesbian pride pin on her bag, conspicuously placed so as not to draw attention from the rest of her team, and excitedly told her that he was bi and knew of a great gay bar in town.

It was, by far, one of her best coming out stories.

“I was just wondering if, like, someone can be bi, and maybe have…other things going on, too?”

“You’re going to have to give me more than just ‘other things’ if you want me to answer that for you, baby,” Tammy said, resisting the urge to laugh. This was a serious moment.

“Right, sorry,” he said, wincing, and she patted his knee with her free hand, a silent You’re okay, go on. “Um, I guess I just mean…so like, someone can be bi or gay, or trans. Is there, like…more than that, too? More-More labels? Like, identities? And people can be multiple things at the same time?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Tammy answered, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “People can be gay or bi or pan or whatever and have other labels, too. You can be trans and gay, or trans and asexual and biromantic. You can also be a lot of different labels. You can be non-binary, genderfluid, agender, a bunch of different things under the trans umbrella. There’s a ton of identities out there. If you feel it, there’s probably a word for it.” She bumped his shoulder playfully, earning herself a weak smile in return.

“Can you tell me more about some of those gender identities you mentioned?” Sebastion asked, his voice so quiet that she almost didn’t hear him at first. He was fiddling with her fingers in his lap now, and Tammy could see the terrified look on his face and it all made sense. She squeezed his hand once more, trying to communicate without words that she was there for him while he discovered what more there was to his identity.

“I can,” she told him, reaching out with her free hand to rub his shoulder comfortingly. “So, non-binary is a label that people use when they don’t feel like a man or a woman. Instead they usually feel like something in between or entirely separate, like a third gender that’s not either. Genderfluid is typically when someone’s gender identity fluctuates. They can identify as female, male, or other genders at different times depending on how they feel. Agender is another gender identity that exists outside of the binary; not male or female, but something else entirely. There’s a lot more labels than that, too, and people are coining new ones for themselves all the time.” She gave him what she hoped was a supportive smile. “Like I said, if you feel it, there’s probably a word for it.”

“And-And it’s okay to feel it?” His voice was impossibly small, and broke on the last syllable.

Tammy felt her heart break at Sebastian’s words, and she reached over to pull him into a tight hug, tucking her head against his collarbone. “Of course it is, baby. It’s okay to feel and be anything, okay? It’s right, it’s always right. You’re good and perfect just the way you are. I promise.”

She felt more than heard Sebastian mumble, “Thank you,” into her hair, his chest heaving with relief at having allowed himself to ask the question he really wanted to. She could understand the feeling. When she felt a few tears drip onto the neck of her t-shirt, Tammy held him tighter, rubbing his back comfortingly and shushing him as best she could.

“You’re okay,” she promised him. “I’ve got you.” At her words, he began to cry even harder, and she whispered, “You’re safe” and “Let it out” while he sobbed into her shoulder. She felt awful that she hadn’t been able to tell he was struggling with this, but she knew she was proud of him for opening up to someone, and even more proud that it had been her. Sebastian was her best friend, and he’d helped her through more hard times than she could count. It was the least she could do to return the favor.

“S-Sorry,” Sebastian mumbled after a few minutes, when his tears began to slow to a trickle. He was trembling in her arms, and Tammy knew her own eyes were a little wet at seeing him in so much pain. She ran her fingers through the coarse hair at the nape of his neck and shushed him gently.

“You don’t have anything to apologise for,” she told him. “Come on, baby. You’re my best friend. I’m always here for you.”

Sebastian nodded into her neck, and she gave him one last squeeze before pulling away, giving him enough space to wipe his eyes and recover from the crying spell. “Do you want some tea?” she suggested, gesturing towards the kitchen. “I can make some and we can talk more in there, if you want.”

“That sounds nice,” Sebastian said, offering her a faint smile. “Thanks, Tammy.”

“Of course,” she replied immediately. “Come on. Let’s get you some tea and something to eat.” She reached for his hand and tugged him off the bed with her, and together they headed towards the kitchen.

“So, how long have you been thinking about this?” Tammy asked once Sebastian was settled at the counter on one of their barstools. She opened the cabinet and grabbed a box of tea and some hot chocolate mix while she talked. Without asking, she chose chamomile for Sebastian, and started the kettle boiling while she grabbed his favourite cup from the dishwasher.

“A few months,” Sebastian admitted, playing with his hands where they rested on the countertop. “I-I didn’t really want to, at first. I didn’t want to consider I wasn’t…” he trailed off, clearly still anxious, “...completely a man.”

“I understand,” Gregorio said, nodding at Sebastian’s words. “It’s a lot to realise you’re trans or non-binary or anything else. It took me forever to accept that I was gay, and even longer after that to start dating women and being proud of who I was.”

“Yeah,” Sebastian breathed, his shoulders slumping a little. He was relaxing, bit by bit, the longer they talked about it, which was what Tammy had hoped would happen. The teakettle whistled on the stove, and she turned and began pouring the boiling water into Sebastian’s cup to let the tea steep.

Accepting the cup from Tammy and wrapping his hands around it, Sebastian continued, “It’s just, you know, a lot of change. My mom is fine with me being bi, and she’s pretty supportive, but I don’t know how she’d feel about this, and it-it’s not like I’ve ever talked about this stuff with any of the others before. Who knows what they’d think, you know?”

“I do,” Tammy confirmed as she began the preparations for her hot chocolate. “It’s always scary trying to figure out how to come out, and when, and to who…” She shook her head. “I was terrified of telling everyone on the team, at first.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows raised, and he gave her an incredulous look. “Wait, really? You always seemed so chill about it. I mean, you literally came out to LaSalle by telling him if he didn’t ask out the pretty woman you guys were talking to, you would.”

Tammy chuckled, reaching for her favorite mug and a spoon. “That’s true, but it was all an act. You guys scared me so bad at first, especially LaSalle.”

Sebastian smiled, lifting his head to meet her gaze more steadily now. “I bet I was the least of your worries.”

“Admittedly, I wasn’t exactly sweatin’ it with you, baby,” Tammy replied, gesturing to the action figures perched on a shelf in the living room and the bisexual pride flag that hung on the wall. Sebastian laughed, and the sound was like music to Tammy’s ears. Things were getting better.

They were quiet for a few minutes, as Tammy hummed to the tune of the jazz band playing on the street below, and Sebastian seemed lost in his own thoughts, fidgeting with his hands on the bar.

“Here,” Tammy said, breaking the silence, and tossed him a fidget toy from one of their many stashes hidden all over the house. Considering they were both neurodivergent, albeit in different ways, it made sense that their home was filled with boxes or miscellaneous piles of fidget toys in odd places. This particular stash was stuffed inside one of the kitchen drawers, where she kept all of the cookbooks that she bought but never used.

“Thanks,” Sebastian sighed, picking up the tangle and beginning to wrap his fingers around it. “Sorry I’m such a mess tonight, Tam. It’s just…” He shook his head, trailing off.

“It’s okay,” Tammy reassured him, checking the tea to see that it was done steeping. She reached into his cup and pulled the tea bag out, throwing it in the trash while she talked. “I get it. Figuring out who you are is hard. Coming out to someone is hard. You’re doing great, baby.” She tapped the rim of his cup and raised an expectant eyebrow at him. “Drink.”

Sebastian did, lifting the cup to his lips and taking a few sips of the warm tea. She watched as he slumped in his seat, relaxing even more from the hot drink. She smiled to herself, triumphant, and moved to take the whistling kettle off the burner so she could pour hot water into her own mug.

“When you’re ready,” she said, emphasizing her words so he wouldn’t start to panic again, “We can look up some stuff for you, and try out a few new things to see what works best.” She finished pouring the boiling water into her cup and emptied the kettle, placing it back on the stove on an unused burner. Plunking her spoon into the mug and beginning to stir, she let the quiet clinking sounds and the sight of Sebastian serenely drinking his tea guide her on the best words to say next.

“I’m not sure what label you’re leaning towards right now, and if you don’t know, that’s completely okay. There’s no rush. If you never know, even, that’s okay too. But when you’re ready, and if it sounds good to you, I have some makeup that you could try putting on. I’ll give you a few pointers.” She looked over at Sebastian for a response, and was reassured to see him grinning back at her, obviously delighted at the idea.

“We can also go shopping – it doesn’t have to be at the department store, if you think you’d be more comfortable shopping online. But we can look at some more feminine clothing for you, and if there’s anything you like, you can keep it in mind for the future. You’re welcome to try on any of my stuff, though I’m not much of a girly-girl.” She smiled at her best friend and was relieved to see Sebastian in the beginning stages of a laugh, not looking overwhelmed or panicked in the slightest. Good.

“Thanks, Tammy,” Sebastian said, a grateful smile blooming on his face. He took another drink of his tea before continuing, “I – uh – I was thinking non-binary sounded kind of cool, actually. As a label for me. And maybe…he/they pronouns?”

“Awesome,” Tammy replied, nodding her head enthusiastically. “Non-binary is very cool, Sebastian. So is he/they. I’ll start calling you by them whenever we’re around the house from now on.” She leaned over the bar to give him a high-five, and he slapped her hand with more gusto than she’d seen in a few weeks, at least. Her palm stung afterwards, but it was worth it.

“Hey,” Tammy said, her tone becoming serious, “I’m proud of you. You know that, right?” She propped herself up on her elbows and took one of his hands, giving it a firm, reassuring squeeze. “I know it takes a lot of courage to come out, even to just one person. Even to your best friend. You did great, baby.”

Sebastian’s eyes filled with tears once more, but this time, he was smiling as they slid down his cheeks, and he didn’t try to hide them from Tammy. “Thank you. You-You really have no idea what that means to me.”

“I think I do, actually,” Tammy replied, her voice soft. “We’re both gay, remember? Even if it’s not the same thing, it’s similar enough, I’ll bet.” She raised her cup in the air to clink against Sebastian’s in an informal toast, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Based on the grin they gave her as he returned the toast, it worked.

“Technically, I’m half gay,” Sebastian informed her after they’d both taken a drink, and Tammy threw her head back in a long, loud laugh.

“Of course that’s the part you would focus on,” she said, smiling fondly at him. “You’re an idiot.”

“I’m your idiot,” Sebastian replied, without missing a beat.

“Yeah, you are,” Tammy said, her voice turning soft and affectionate. “Forever and always, baby.” She tapped her index finger against the mug she was using, a custom piece that Sebastian had made for her, upon which the words Best Friends Forever! To my BFF, Tammy were scrawled in Sebastian’s messy handwriting.

With that, Tammy was rounding the corner of the bar and drawing Sebastian into another warm embrace. She felt them relax fully in her arms, and she gave him a tight, reassuring squeeze to let them know he wasn’t alone. No matter what happened, she would always have his back.

“Love you, Tam,” Sebastian mumbled into her neck. “Thanks for being, well, you.”

“I love you too, baby.” Tammy replied, “and there’s no need to thank me for that. I don’t know how to be anyone else.”

“Good,” Sebastian said, burying his face in her shoulder. “Don’t.”

Tammy chuckled and ran a hand through their hair once again. “I won’t, I promise.” She pulled away just enough to look into his eyes, and said, “Just as long as you promise me you won’t, either.”

Sebastian smiled, and said, “I promise.”

“Good.”

They stood together for a few more minutes, locked in a warm embrace, before Sebastian pulled away, giving her one last squeeze and reaching for his discarded tea mug. Tammy rounded the counter to collect hers, as well, and together they moved into the living room, placing their cups on the coffee table and collapsing onto the sofa.

“Hey, uh, I’m still not sure when this will happen yet, but w-when I do tell the others, will you come with me?” Sebastian asked, looking up at Tammy hopefully from their position next to her on the couch. He was slumped over, their head resting on Tammy’s shoulder, and she couldn’t help but smile at the trust he placed in her.

“Of course I will,” Tammy said, reaching over to take their hand once more. “Whatever you need, baby, I’m here. I promise.”

“Thank you,” Sebastian breathed, and he closed his eyes, obviously exhausted from their talk and the emotional upheaval of coming out to her. Tammy wrapped an arm around their shoulders, encouraging them to rest even more of his weight on her, and rubbed his upper arm comfortingly.

“Always,” she said, and with that, Sebastian allowed himself to drift off into sleep, settled in the knowledge that, no matter what happened, he would always have his best friend by his side to support him.

[improvidus]

Live to Die Another Day | Gregorio & LaSalle Oneshot

Warnings | None

Rating | K+

Genres | H/C, Light Angst, Friendship, Fluff

Characters | Tammy Gregorio, Christopher LaSalle

Pairings | Tammy Gregorio & Christopher LaSalle (Pals. Unless you wanna do le squinty-squint.)

Word Count | 1K+

Summary: Tag to 4x06, Acceptable Loss. Tammy struggles to process LaSalle’s brush with death. Thankfully, she doesn’t have to deal with it alone. Gregorio/LaSalle bonding and broship. 

"Gregorio."

Gregorio groaned internally as she dropped a bag of tea into her mug.

"Gregorio." LaSalle's voice was louder, more insistent this time.

"What?" she snapped, watching the color from the teabag bleed into the hot water as she dunked it again. He came to a halt behind her and she reached for creamer she never used as an excuse to fully turn her back.

"You wanna tell me what's goin' on with you?"

Gregorio kept her voice casual. "Nothing's going on with me."

"Uh-huh. Come on, you've been avoiding me all day—yesterday, too."

"You're imagining things, LaSalle."

"Gregorio. Come on, this is ridiculous. Did I say something? If I've offended you somehow, I'd like to know about it so I can make it right."

A lump burned its way up her throat and she clenched her jaw. Not now. She swallowed hard before she replied, schooling her voice to remain steady and light. "What's the matter, you got a guilty conscience or something?"

Suddenly, his hand was on her arm, spinning her around to face him. The frustrated determination in his eyes was buried in a flood of concern when he saw the tears in hers. "Gregorio! What's wrong?"

Her chin trembled. Dang it. "Listen, I know what this looks like, but I'm okay."

"Gregorio…"

"Leave it alone, LaSalle," she growled, shoving him back a step.

He released her arm, but his eyes never left hers. "What's going on?"

She shook her head and looked away, furiously attempting to blink back the confounded wetness trying to escape her eyes.

"Gregorio—"

She held up a hand to silence him. "Shush. I'm gonna tell you, I just—mm." If I talk now I'm gonna be crying all over you in about half a second. She studied her feet, chewing the inside of her cheek.

He waited.

When she finally trusted herself enough to speak, her voice was low and shaky, still far to close to tears for her comfort. "I thought we'd lost you." There was a scuff on her boot. She hadn't noticed it before.

She knelt on the rough cement floor, the toes of her boots scraping against the pavement as she dropped to her knees and joined Pride at LaSalle's side.

"The other day...when we found you, and you didn't have a pulse? I thought you were gone." She wrestled her eyes up to look at his face.

His frown deepened in confusion, an incredulous smile starting to tug at his lips. "Gregorio, I'm fine—"

Anger flared in her gut and she cut him off. "Four minutes."

"What?"

"You were gone for four minutes, LaSalle. That we know of." There was no telling how long it had been between their finding him and Chloe leaving him for dead. She crossed her arms, her voice rising. "I gave you CPR! You wouldn't move, wouldn't wake up, wouldn't breathe."

She almost hadn't believed Percy before, but now Pride was doing chest compressions and pleading with LaSalle to wake up and Percy was speaking frantically into her phone and LaSalle just lay there, still, too still to be the animated man she knew and far too still to be yet among the living.

LaSalle was silent. She was glad.

"Pride...I know it messed him up, but I think somehow he knew. He knew you were gonna be okay, that we would get you back. But I—" her voice cracked, "—there was this lead in my gut, you know?" She scrubbed a hand under her eyes, the tears scalding her skin. "I didn't know four minutes could take so long."

Her hands on his chest, pumping—One. Two. Three. Four—trying to do the work his heart should be doing as bone and cartilage ground and popped beneath her palm—Seven. Eight. Nine—Percy pacing in the background—Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen—his head lolling in time with her efforts—Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty...

She ran a hand over her mouth and looked LaSalle in the eye for the first time since he'd walked into the room. "So, yeah. To answer your questions, I'm a little messed up right now. I'm mad. I'm mad at Chloe for almost taking my friend away. I'm mad at myself for giving up on you so easily." She scoffed. "I'm even mad at you for scaring me like that." She wasn't sure when her voice had gotten this loud, or when she had stopped fighting the stream of tears that was now flowing freely down her face. A sob bubbled free. "You were dead, LaSalle."

She didn't fight his grip on her arm this time, as he pulled her into a hug and held her tight. Another sob escaped as she returned his embrace, drinking in the heartbeat that thumped firm and steady beneath her ear.

His eyes flew open and he shot upright and then everyone was talking at once, touching him, watching his face twist with fear and confusion and pain and life. Pride's arms were suddenly wound around his shoulders, keeping him upright as Percy grabbed for his flailing hands and Gregorio thrust her hand against his chest, over his heart. The beat was too fast, erratic and thready, but it was there.

"But I'm not dead. Thanks in large part to you, I'm right here and I'm just fine."

They stood that way for a while, Gregorio's sobs fading to hiccups and the tears beginning to dry. LaSalle squeezed her a little tighter. "I owe you one, Tammy."

She snuffled and pulled away, giving his chest a brisk pat as her crusty exoskeleton slipped back into place. "Yeah, you do. And you can repay me by making sure I never have to do that again."

His amused smirk faded to gravity as he looked at her. "You know I can't promise that any more than you can."

"Yeah, well...do your best, yeah?"

"You got it." He folded her back into his embrace and she returned it tightly.

"Oh—and LaSalle?" Her voice was muffled in his shirt.

"Yeah?"

"You tell anyone about this, I'm gonna take you out and finish what Chloe started, you got me?"

A laugh rumbled beneath her ear. "Copy that."

[agathaishot]

Take Me Home Chapter 3

Summary: Hannah gets some unexpected news and she and Tammy have to figure out their new reality.

Words - 2180

Warnings: none

Pairings: Hannah Khoury/Tammy Gregorio, Tammy Gregorio/Sebastian Lund (Friendship) Hannah Khoury/Jack Sloane (Friendship), Jack Sloane/Leon Vance, others to be added.

A False Spring

Hannah wandered around  her kitchen, luckily she had managed to sleep some the night before. She could hear Naomi’s footsteps from the hallway, she was up and getting ready for school

“Naomi, get ready we have to leave in ten minutes” she called out.

As Hannah made Naomi’s lunch, happy that her new child had only made her sick once so far, and if she had to get sick again, hopefully would be after she dropped Naomi off at school.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Yeah baby I'm fine why?” Hannah asked as she put a sandwich in Naomi's lunchbox.

“I heard you get sick this morning and you’re acting weird.” Naomi replied as has came up to Hannah.

“Just a lot on my mind baby.”

“When are you moving in with me and Dad?” Naomi asked, her face tilting up to look at Hannah.

“Baby we talked about this, your dad and I aren't married anymore, remember?” Hannah said as she brushed some of Naomi's hair back.

“That's not fair mom.”

“I know.” Hannah sighed.

“Go get your shoes we're about to be late.”

---

As Doctor Mary Riggen walked in, she greeted Hannah, “Hey Agent Khoury, how are you doing today?”

Hannah who was sitting on the exam table, in the paper gown they had given her “Okay I think, I've been sick a couple of times but the exhaustion is the worse part.”

“Well those symptoms should hopefully die down in about a month for you.” Doctor Riggen said as she looked at her tablet “Your blood test confirms that you are in fact pregnant.”

“Congratulations. But I want to do an ultrasound today, both to confirm how far along you are, and make sure everything looks good. I see on your chart that you’ve had several miscarriages.”

Hannah nodded “I want to do as much as we can, I want a healthy baby.”

“Okay lean back then, sorry the gel is cold.” Doctor Riggen said as she adjusted the probe, “And there is your baby” she said pointing at a small blob on the screen.

Hannah felt some tears prick at her eyes, as she looked at her new child that was growing inside her.

“Okay Agent Khoury, you can sit up.” As she handed Hannah a towel to wipe her stomach off with.

“So you are seven weeks along. Everything looks good, try and take it easy in the field.” Doctor Riggen said as she made notes on the tablet. “I'm giving you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. I want to see you again when you are twelve weeks.”

The front desk will help you make a appointment and give you a copy of the ultrasound if you want it. Do you have any questions for me?” She said as she looked up at Hannah.

“I don't think so, but I can call if needed correct?”

“Yes anytime. We have a 24/7 line here. My extension is 482.” Doctor Riggen said as she left the room.

Hannah leaned back, her pregnancy seemed much more real now, even more than it had before. Her thoughts however were cut off by her phone ringing.

“Yeah Loretta.” She said as she answered it, listening to Loretta speak “okay on the way. I should be there in about thirty minutes. Have the team get started.” She said as she hung up the phone and moved to get redressed and go to the new crime scene.

---

The sun beat down on the ally near Jackson square, the wind was picking up and pushing trash about. Hannah walked over towards the group of vehicles she could see, she pushed through the crowd towards Lasalle, who was waiting for her with her jacket and hat.

“Hey boss, Naomi okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine, just needed to do something before I came in today,” Hannah replied as she pulled the jacket and hat on.

“So what do we have? And who found the body?”

“Tourists that were coming back from a walk about Jackson Square and found em” Chris replied as they walked towards to the crime scene.  

“Ah, Hannah there you are. We have Captain Gregory Hant he has multiple stab wounds including one to the chest, which I'm guessing is the cause of death.” Loretta said.

“But we also have some type of substance on the captain’s body. Sebastian can try and identify it when I get him back to autopsy.”

The substance was grabbed by the wind and blew towards the team as they listened to Loretta.

“It's okay I've already got a sample of it. I don't think we need to worry.”

“Thanks, Loretta. Street cams?” Hannah asked.

“Camera coverage is light here, I'll ask the businesses if they have angles here,” Tammy said.

“Great, Lasalle, you and I will head back to the squad room see what we can find out,” Hannah ordered.

---

Hannah looked up at Chris “Ready?”

“Yeah what do ya got,” he replied as he entered into the center of the room.

“Captain Gregory Hant worked on the wharves, he was in charge of buying fresh produce for the Navy.” Hannah said as she brought up his file “recently however he's been accused of mishandling funds. Other than that his service records clean.”

Chris nodded “married with a four-year-old son. Wife said he's been distant lately, but was a loving father.”

Hannah bit her lip, “So, no clear reason to murder him?”

“I might have something” Tammy hollered as she walked in, “One of the cameras caught this near the time of death” clicking on her keyboard before gesturing to the screen. There was a man in a dark uniform and he came out of the alley a knife in hand before wiping it down and throwing it in the sewer grate.

“Was that a marine that just killed our victim?” Chris asked slowly.

“Looks like it,” Tammy said.

“Okay, Gregorio get with Patton see if he can find this guy somewhere else, get a better angle.”

Hannah said before turning to Chris, “Lasalle look into anyone who might have had problems with the victim, see if you can find who accused him of mishandling the funds”.

“On it, boss” Chris said as he headed to his desk.

“What about you?” Tammy asked.

“I'm going to the morgue for an update from Loretta,” Hannah said as she left the office.

---

Hannah walked into the JPSO building, looking around for Loretta’s lab.

A warm dulcet voice came from behind her, “Hannah, here for an update?” Loretta asked as she came past her.

Hannah blinked out of her daydreaming, “Yes I am. What exactly are we dealing with here Loretta?”

Loretta gestured  as she made to the table, “We are dealing with a vicious stabbing. The killer wanted to cause maximum pain before allowing him to die. Captain Hant took stabs to his shoulder, both hips and grazes to his ribs and short puncture wounds to his legs,” the coroner pointed to the x-ray photos of the victim’s body.

“The causes of death is dissection of the aorta. The blow to the throats was postmortem.”

Taking a deep breath and pointing to the screen “The substance found appears to be mold of some type, he had also breathed it in shortly before death.”

“How can you know when he breathed in the substance?” Hannah asked.

“It was present in his sinus cavity but there was no inflammation so the body didn't have enough time to react to it,”

Hannah took a deep breath “What about the team? Do we need to be worried?”

Loretta shook her head, hair covered by the purple and tan scrub hat she wore. “No the team should be fine, the mold had degraded below the infective dose, and no one has a compromised immune system.”

Hannah paused in her pacing, “What about an unborn child. What would exposure do?”

“As long as the mother isn't infected the child should be fine. Why?” Loretta looked at Hannah, her dark eyes seemingly seeing through her.

“I'm seven weeks pregnant,” Hannah confessed, looking up briefly before dropping her eyes back to to the ground.

“Hannah that's wonderful!” Hannah smiled softly.

“What does Ryan think? He must be pleased.” Loretta said as she rounded the autopsy table.

“He doesn't know. I got pregnant the day before he signed the divorce papers. I'm not sure when I'm going to tell him or Naomi. Or how.” Her smile dropped as she explained the aftermath of it, her eyes still locked on the ground.

Loretta leaned her head to one side. “What do you mean?”

Hannah took a deep breath before starting “Ryan and I, really wanted another baby after we had Naomi, but I had five miscarriages after having her. The last one five years ago, came after I was at work, helping with this big op, I was almost three months along. That miscarriage was the beginning of the end for us. He blamed me for losing his baby.”

Hannah shook her head. “After the group made an attempt on my life and Ryan and Naomi were nearly killed. I sent divorce papers. He finally signed them but if he knows I'm having another baby. He’ll take custody the moment I give birth.” Hannah turned her head up to see Loretta “I can't make the mistakes I made with Naomi. I want this baby.”

Loretta pulled Hannah into a hug, feeling Hannah's body crumple against her before tears soaked her shoulder.

“Let's get you some tea sweetheart.”

---

Sebastian walked into the morgue looking at a tablet “so I figured out what kind of mold it is. Did you know there's over a hundred thousand types? Which is kind of terrifying if you think about it.”

“Sebastian dear, what did you find?” Loretta interrupted him.

He looked up and found a slightly teary looking Hannah sitting next to Loretta both had tea mugs in their hands.

“Oh, it's Stachybotrys Chartarum, black mold. Unfortunately, it's kind of common, it likes damp and warm places.”

“So all of New Orleans,” Hannah groaned as she put her mug back on Loretta’s desk. “Let's head back to the office, see if the others have had better luck. Thank you, Loretta.”

“You're welcome dear. My door is always open.” Loretta said as she picked up the mugs and went to clean them.

----

Hannah and Sebastian walked into the office together, while he split to the side to upload a map. Hannah turned to look as Chris, a questioning look on her face. “Did you find anyone with problems against the Captain?”

“Kinda. His brother in law, Sam Grady, has fought him several times, the last one two weeks ago, got the police called on ‘em. But he's out of town so he didn't do it.”

“At least not personally.” Sebastian pointed out.

“Also his second in command at the wharfs, Commander Lucas Thiy, is the one that filled the report against him. He's currently working on taking supplies out to a boat, due back in a hour. I'll pick him up then.”

“Okay take Sebastian with you for backup. And talk to him there, just in case.” Chris nodded and gestured for Sebastian to follow him out.

Hannah shook her head and went to see where Tammy and Patton where on finding the suspect.

She walked into Patton’s office “hey please tell me, you have good news.”

“Nope sorry boss, pretty quickly after the first time we see him that Gregorio found we only have a few more shots of him.” Patton said, shaking his head.

“Okay what are you doing then.” Hannah asked.

“I'm running with Gregorio’s help, my new program. It should be able to figure out our killer’s info. Like height weight that kinda thing.”

“Do programs that do that not already exist? And it can be mistaken by things like clothes and thick soled shoes.”

Patton gasped, “Not my program. It's written to take all that into account.”

Hannah turned to Tammy “And your doing what?”

“I'm trying to figure out his training. From how he walks and kills, I'm not thinking marine anymore.” Tammy replied her eyes glued to the screen.

“Okay I'm going to go start tracking the captain’s movements throughout the city the day he died.” Hannah said as she left the room.

----

Tammy walked into the main office and smiled she and Hannah were the only ones left in the building.

“Hey, what are you doing” she asked as she sat on the corner of Hannah's desk.

“Trying to keep up with the paperwork that comes with being lead agent,” Hannah said as she lent back in her chair.

“Oh I never want to do more paperwork than I do now.” Tammy said with a laugh.

“So you want to get out of here. Dinner and a movie at my place?” Hannah asked softly.

“Naomi’s back with Ryan. It's just us.”

“Sure, let me get my jacket.” Tammy said moving back to her desk, before meeting Hannah at the door, the two walking out hand in hand.

[agathaishot]

It looks more shrapnel like to me. And they were filming another bombing a few days ago.

from necar’s instagram story……

IS THAT A FUCKING BULLET HOLE IN VANESSA’S HEAD???

@dwaynepride @jimmybpride

[stanathanxoox]

You’re Going To Be Ok Part 2

gif not mine

Anonymous said: A angst-er sequel to this "You’re Going To Be OK" but this time Seb died from saving Gregorio from getting shot in a case then angst happens, Tammy taking therapy for grief and the funeral then time-skips to 7 years after his death, Tammy takes her kid Sebby jr. to the his old lab and talks about her mishaps with Sebastian?

It had been the hardest moment in your life, losing your best friend just weeks before the birth of your son. Sebastian had died protecting you, as always, he'd jumped in front of a bullet for you and his dying words to you had been "Nows not your time, your baby and Sonja need you". Guilt and fear of losing another person had to lead you to take a step back from being an agent and learning forensics, adding something new to your already extensive repertoire, but it was the only thing that made up for the self-loathing you had been suffering for years. When Sonja had given birth, the two of you had named your little boy Sebastian and you loved the little boy so deeply and dearly. he and Sonja were your everything. For years you had been going to therapy, something that Sonja had supported and encouraged and when your therapist had suggested you take your son to the lab and tell stories of his namesake you had been a bit hesitant to start with but you were glad you had listened. The young boy sat with his eyes bright, small hands clasping yours as you talked, listening eagerly. It warmed your heart and when you finished the little boy climbed into your lap, placing a hand on your cheek and saying "Mumma, it's going to be alright. I wanna be just like Uncle Sebastian, I'm gonna be a forensic scientist". You pull him close and place a kiss on his forehead "I love you Sebastian" you whisper and he places a kiss on your cheek "I love you too mumma".

Tag List: @tiva-jenry-caskett-rizzles-densi , @captain-dwayne-pride , @dressed-up-just-like-z1ggy , @nikkiwierden , @samchelforever007 , @kirkspockbones , @xoncisxncislaxncisnolaox , @lasalle-pride-sebastian-love , @haliannej , @brooklyn-99-amyxjake

Tag List for NCIS/NCIS NOLA: @powerpuffbubbles , @diaryofafan17

*If you want to be tagged in my tag list, please let me know so that I can add you.*

[tallskinnyvanillalatte]

“Would you settle for Season 4’s antepenultimate outing? Because I am hearing that in the Tuesday, May 1 episode, Agent Gregorio will be tested on all levels — emotionally and physically — when a serial killer realizes that she is on to them… and thus decides she should (gulp) be the next victim.”

Hell yes,g ive me all the drama and angst, please. I can’t wait for a Tammy-centric episode. (So long as she survives but that’s not up for debate)

[dwaynepride]

Silence Broke The Levees

When Tammy is stabbed and rushed into surgery, reader tries to be strong in the wake of frayed nerves and a quiet hospital room. / tammy and breaks down in front of them pleas?? 

Words: 1,715

Warnings: a knife wound

Tags: @tammy-gregorio @pageofultron @stanathanxoox @starryrevelations @thebeckyjolene @diaryofafan17 @specialagentlokitty

Notes: I didn’t plan on this being a oneshot but the gay gods shined their light down upon me for this angst

The hard knot twisting your stomach tight can’t possibly be as painful as whatever Tammy is feeling right now.

God, you feel guilty for even thinking that the knot hurts. It’s surely nothing compared to the feeling of knife in your gut. Having a sharp, serrated piece of metal stabbed into the soft bit of your stomach, right below the ribs.

Tammy’s lucky she made it to the hospital. Screw Pride and his ‘the knife didn’t hit anything important.’ Did he see how much blood there was? Did he hear Tammy trying to talk and breath? Her little yelps of pain that she tried to keep muffled because she’s so damn tough, but the pain was obviously too much. Those sounds still echoed around in your head and they won’t go away.

Pacing back and forth in the waiting area, you tried to focus your thoughts on the last interaction you had with Tammy before the stabbing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t anything miraculous or romantic. You both just sat next to each other at breakfast, conversing with the rest of the team about the current case. She asked you to pass the syrup and you handed it over without a word. You didn’t even tell her you loved her today.

That’ll change. You’ll tell her every chance you get.

And you’ll make her wear a vest more often. Tammy wouldn’t have gotten stabbed if she wore a damn vest. If it can stop a bullet, it can stop a knife-

“Y/N, dear.”

Loretta’s voice cuts into your frantic thoughts. Makes your head whip up from staring at the ground, watching your feet walk back and forth. And Loretta doesn’t seem worried. At least, not as worried as you thought she outta be. “What?” You asked her flatly.

“You’re making me dizzy, all that pacing around. Sit down before you wear a hole in the floor,” Loretta says, her hand patting the chair beside hers.

Sit down? She wants you to sit down when Tammy could be bleeding to death? You shake your head, arms crossing over your chest while staring at the double doors she disappeared through.

You hear Loretta sigh before she stands and comes up next to you. One of her hands is on your shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. Somehow, it does make you feel better. If only a little. “She’s going to be fine, you know.”

“And how can you be so sure?” Your attention whips back to the coroner, eyebrows drawn low. And you don’t mean to be so negative with her, but how could she be certain? “You didn’t see how much Tammy was bleeding. When people lose that much blood...”

Your voice trails off, not having the will to finish the sentence.

But Loretta caught on to what you’re saying. And her hand squeezes your shoulder just a little harder. “I know because she’s strong, and she has someone like you waiting for her after surgery,” she says calmly. And you wished so hard that you could believe her.

Your attention drifted from Loretta when those double doors opened back up, and an older-looking doctor came walking through. His gloves and coat had some blood smeared on it, but not a lot. That was a good thing, right? You couldn’t help but hold your breath as he neared, wanting to meet him halfway but your legs didn’t seem to want to work.

“Are you both here for Agent Gregorio?”

You nod viciously, and your feet finally find it within themselves to take a step closer. “Is she okay? Did she...”

Dammit. Again with not being able to finish a whole sentence before the fear takes over.

But the doctor gives a little smirk. And his head is nodding. “Oh, she’s fine. The stab wound wasn’t too deep. It nicked one of her intestines, so we had to repair the damage....”

His words faded out of existence. You saw his mouth moving. Felt Loretta hug your arm and pat your shoulder. But everything was mostly just white noise. Nothing had any substance, as if the air was sucked out of the room so sound couldn’t travel.

Tammy was fine.

That’s all you needed to hear.

“Can I see her?”

Your question brought sound back to the world. Almost all at once, so you winced a little when a nurse called something out across the hall.

The doctor nods again. “She’s asleep right now, and if she wakes up, she’ll probably be a little out of it. But you’re more than welcome to wait by her bedside.”

He walks away, and you don’t move for a few moments after he does. Not until Loretta gives you a small push toward the doors. When you look back to her, she’s smiling wide. Eyes full of relief that Tammy really was okay, and you knew you should look the same. You were still a little numb, though. “Go on. Go to her. I’ll call Dwayne and everybody else,” she says before motioning away.

Your feet take slow steps. And then normal ones. By the time you’re through the double doors and closing in on Tammy’s room, you’re nearly jogging.

Her door comes up, and your shoes make a sharp sound against the tile at your sudden stop. The blinds are drawn and the door is closed all the way; you remember the doctor saying she was asleep. You’ll have to be quiet, because the last thing you’re going to do is wake her up. Not when she needs all the rest she can get.

The door handle is freezing cold, but you grip and turn it anyway. Pushing the door open slowly until you see Tammy laying there, blanketed in stark white sheets, connected to a bunch of wires. As much as it was a relief to hear her heartbeat on the monitor, she just seemed so...small in that bed. Fragile, almost. Her skin paler than it outta be because of the blood loss, and it looks no better under hospital lights.

Carefully, you shut the door behind you and make your way to her bedside. And honestly, you expect Tammy to wake up any moment. Blink her eyes open and look at you and spout some smart comment about how you worried for nothing. That you look terrible with that messy hair and red eyes with tear streaks going down your cheeks. Right now, you’d take anything you can get.

She stays asleep, though. And she does look peaceful, despite her worrying appearance.

You fall into the chair sitting beside her bed, and you’re just silent. What should you be doing? Talking to her? No, she was just sleeping, not in a coma. Loretta was calling the rest of the team. And you didn’t exactly have the nerve to pull out your phone and try to busy yourself with it. Maybe you should go for a walk or something. Or maybe call Sebastian, because he outta be just as worried as you were-

Something fell down your cheek; warm and wet and pulling your attention away from Tammy for a moment. Your hand went up to wipe it away quickly. Why the hell were you still crying? Tammy was fine. Alive. You can hear her heart monitor, and if you looked up, her chest would be rising and falling with each breath.

And yet, you were crying again. Another tear fell down your cheek before you hastily wiped that one away, too. No, you weren’t going to cry at Tammy’s bedside. You had to be strong, in case she woke up. She might be confused and disorientated and even a little scared...

Dammit. The tears kept coming, and there was no stopping them. A hurricane of shock and frayed nerves stormed inside of you and the levees of your willpower finally burst under the heavy silence. Your elbows hit your knees, face buried in your hands to try and muffle the crying as best as you can. But it was hard, and it’s not like there was anything in the room to drown it out.

If only Tammy was awake right now. If only you could talk to her. If only-

“Hey, why’re you crying?”

Her voice was strained and tired, but undeniably Tammy’s. And as much as you wanna burst out of your chair and get as close as possible, you’re still crying like a child. So you lift your head only enough to see her out of your hands, still trying to stem the crying and wipe the tears away. “I dunno,” you answer her truthfully. The tears came without warning.

She blinks tiredly, inhaling deeply and shifting just enough so she can better face you and your tear-soaked face. “I’m fine. Don’t worry,” she mumbles. And as weak as she looks, she still manages to hold out a hand. Fingers beckoning for yours.

You use the sleeve of your shirt to wipe some tears before reaching out and gripping her hand tightly. It went a long way in assuring that she really was okay, but the tears kept coming. “I was so scared. There was so much blood, Tammy. And I was waiting for so long; nobody would tell me anything. I didn’t know what to do.” Well, so much for being strong. You babbled out the words while the tears kept falling, unable to hold them back.

Tammy didn’t seem to mind, though. She was so much stronger than you; Loretta was right about that. You were so ready to be the strong one here. To be there for Tammy if she needed you. It never occurred to you that the situation would be reversed.

Her hand squeezed yours, albeit weaker than normal. “It’s gonna take a lot more than a knife to take me away.” Her voice is tired, but so firm in that belief that you had no choice but to believe it.

You take a shaky breath and nod your head. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I love you. I love you so much.”

Tammy’s lips pull up at your words. Her eyes were half-lidded, like she was about to fall asleep any moment. And that was okay, because the tears were starting to dry up, and you told you that you loved her.