The clock read 3am as Kono found herself wide awake. She was physically and mentally exhausted and could not understand why she couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, fluffed her pillow, tossed her pillow, even tried punching her pillow, yet she could not get comfortable and her frustration was growing. All she could do is watch the numbers on the clock change minute to minute. The minutes felt like hours, the hours an eternity. It had been a difficult few weeks at headquarters. The workload was heavier than usual; after all, they were down two officers. Not any officers, their leaders. Sure HPD was helping and did everything they could to relieve some of the workload, but it wasn't the same. Steve and Danny were healing and doing well in their recovery, however there was still a great deal of work for her, Chin, and Lou to handle. Since the plane crash and the takedown at the airport, the drug cartels were having turf wars and Five-0 was tasked to bring them down. This was a stressful time for all of them. On top of it all, the more the Yakuza was torn apart, the more she worried about Adam's safety. Adam would never be completely safe until he was out of prison and even then it was not a given. Chin's encounter with Michelle Shioma's thugs and him being shot had frightened her; Steve almost dying had terrified her. Needless to say, she had a great deal on her mind.

"Why are we doing this?" She thought to herself. "Is it all worth it?" She tossed and turned as she pondered her decision to join the task force in the first place.

Kono was suddenly startled by a knock at her door. She looked at the clock. Noting the time, she reached for her gun and cautiously approached.

"Nothing good happens at 5am" she thought to herself as she cautiously raised her gun.

The knocking had increased and the pounding was louder. Looking through the peephole, she couldn't believe who was standing on the other side.

Kono swung the door open. "Catherine" she exclaimed as she stepped aside to let her rush past her

"Kono, I'm sorry, I know it's early. I hope I didn't wake you. I didn't know where to go. Is it true? About Steve, I mean. Is he ok?" She was uncharacteristically distraught and the words spilled from her mouth.

Kono gently grabbed her shoulders and guided her to the nearest chair. "Sit down, take a breath, he's fine ".

"Is it true? Was he really in a plane crash? Is it true he almost died? Kono what happened?" Catherine's voice was raised and her hands were trembling.

"I promise you he is doing fine" Kono's tone was adamant and for the first time since Catherine heard the news, she was able to breath freely.

"Please Kono, tell me everything. Is he really going to be ok? What was he doing going undercover? Everyone on this island knows them. That was stupid. He and Danny should have known better!"

"Listen, Catherine, It's a long story. I promise you he is okay. I wouldn't lie to you about that. I'll explain everything"

Catherine nodded and with a sigh slumped deeper in the chair.

Kono paced for a few seconds trying to figure out where to begin "Let me make some coffee while you go freshen up. You must be exhausted." Kono understood more than anyone what she must have been going through, not knowing if the man she loved was safe.

"I could use a shower and some fresh clothes" She rubbed her eyes and pushed her hair away from her face "Coffee sounds great about now too"

"Good. You know where everything is, so help yourself to whatever you need and I'll make some coffee"

A few moments later, Catherine emerged from Kono's bedroom, freshly showered and wearing a fresh change of clothes. Drying her hair with a towel, she sat at the kitchen table and took a sip of the freshly brewed coffee. "That felt so good. Thank you. I needed that more than I realized"

Kono grabbed a cup and sat across from her. "Ok, you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be" Catherine replied. She was anxious to hear what really happened and not the watered down version the press had released.

Kono took another sip of the coffee and began to review the events of the past few weeks, starting with Steve's surgery and working her way back to Gabriel and the Meth epidemic.

Catherine quietly listened and took in all the information.

"… and here we are" Kono got up from the table and placed her empty cup in the sink.

"Gabriel's dead and he had a daughter? Wow." Catherine was trying to process everything that had happened

"Yeh, Chin is thinking of adopting her" Kono responded with a smile

"He would make such a wonderful father" Catherine smiled for the first time since she had arrived.

"He would" Kono confirmed

"I should have been here" Catherine whispered as her expression grew serious

"You are here now, that's all that matters" Kono was quick to reassure her. "You should go see him"

"I don't know Kono, he's angry with me and I don't want to do anything that's going to cause a setback in his recovery. I just needed to hear that he was ok. I needed to hear it from someone that was going to be honest with me" tears filled her eyes.

Kono released a sigh. "Catherine, physically he's healing remarkably, he's doing everything the doctors want him to do. He's good…"

"but?" Catherine interrupted.

"But, he's not doing so great emotionally. That sparkle Steve always had in his eyes is gone. He thinks we don't see it. He thinks he's fooling everyone, but he's not. McGarrett is there, but Steve isn't. You know what I mean?" she questioned whether her point was coming across.

Catherine nodded in agreement "I know exactly what you mean. The same thing happened when he lost Freddie and his father" she lowered her head as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"He needs to get that back and I think you are the only one who can do that" Kono reached for Catherine's hand

"He hates me Kono" She was sure

Kono nodded "No he doesn't. He loves you".

Catherine bit her lip as more tears spilled from her eyes. "He's seeing someone; He seems happy with her, I won't come in between that" her breath hitched in her throat.

Kono smiled as she knitted her eyebrows "Have you been spying on him?"

Catherine wiped the tears with the back of her hand "No! Well, maybe. Okay yes. In all fairness there are pictures all over social media."

Kono nodded "Believe me that was nothing, just a fling. Really, I promise. He never introduced her to us. He never talked about her unless it was about something stupid she did. We even made up a name for her, Frosted Flake."

Catherine belted out a laugh "Frosted Flake?Because of her hair or her personality?"

"Both" Kono chuckled

"Priceless. Wait, did you guys have a name for me?" Catherine asked out of curiosity.

Kono smiled "Danny did. Ramboette, because you know, Steve was Rambo and you were his Ramboette"

'Ramboette. I like that, Ramboette" Catherine pondered the name.

"And we couldn't have been more dead on." She released a laugh

Catherine laughed with all her heart until her focus returned to the photos she had seen on Instagram. Her expression suddenly grew serious "she tagged every photo #TrueLove"

Kono leaned closer to her in an effort to make her understand "It was not true love by any means Catherine. The only reason he went out with her was because Ellie pushed him to. She was the complete opposite of everything that is great about you. I think he dated her because he knew he could never fall for someone like her. He was angry, he was hurt. He tried to fool himself that he was moving on, but he couldn't. His head wasn't in the game. He was worried about you. He loves you. He always has. She's been out of the picture since...for quite a while. I promise you. "

Catherine paused to absorb what Kono was saying.

She nodded in agreement "Maybe you are right. Maybe I should go see him. I need to see for myself that he's okay. I mean what is the worst thing he could do, slam the door in my face? It's worth a shot, right?" She was searching for more reassurance

"Absolutely, I don't think you will regret it" Kono was confident McGarrett would welcome her back into his life.

"Thanks Kono, I feel so much better now. I don't know what I would have done without you".

"I owe you. If it weren't for you, Adam and I wouldn't be together" Kono nodded towards the bedroom "go take a nap, you look exhausted"

"I'll take you up on that" Catherine stood and gave Kono a hug "I love you sistah"

Kono smiled, "I love you too"

TBC

** Thank you LiasonEnchanted for coming up with the term Frosted Flake and for allowing me to borrow it.