One of the biggest shocks of "NCIS: Hawai'i" Season 2 was the abrupt departure of junior agent Lucy Tara (Yasmine Al-Bustami) in the episode "Vanishing Act," which saw her leave Hawai'i for the NCIS "agent afloat" program. This move ended up placing her at the center of the historic three-way "NCIS" crossover event that premiered back in January — in which Lucy returned to the screen to work alongside the team from "NCIS: Los Angeles," much .

as the plucky junior agent made her return to "NCIS: Hawai'i" nearly three months after her departure.

Unfortunately, she was still working for the "agent afloat" program during this episode, and fans would have to wait for two more episodes before her return to Hawai'i and her reunion with Kate Whistler (Tori Anderson), who had been pining for Lucy's absence nearly as much as the fans have.

Thankfully, Lucy finally made her triumphant return to Hawai'i in Episode 15 and reconnected with Kate to the delight of fans across the internet.

Fans absolutely loved Lucy and Kate's heartfelt reunion

In "NCIS: Hawai'i" Season 2, the tearful goodbye between Kate Whistler and Lucy Tara — in which the two lovers were forced to accept the uncertainty of the future and put their relationship on hold until Lucy returns, whenever that may be – was heartbreaking. Indeed, the doubt surrounding Lucy's return was used to great effect in Episode 15 when Lucy returned a day early to Kate's shock and delight.

Fans online were over the moon about this long-awaited reunion, nearly as much as Kate and Lucy were themselves. "Reunited and it feels so good," tweeted . "KICKING SMILING SCREAMING CRYING AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN," tweeted

, accompanied by a video of Kate and Lucy kissing at dinner. Indeed, the particular scene where Kate admits they're throwing a surprise party for Lucy, unable to contain the secret — in spite of her NCIS background — received a swarm of praise from fans on Twitter, with screaming in delight at the touching moment and praising the couple's kiss alongside others from the same episode.

In any case, it's clear that this long-awaited reunion vastly exceeded fan expectations, and that fans of "NCIS: Hawai'i" are incredibly excited to see more of Lucy and Kate on their screens as soon as possible.