Here's my second one-shot with Steve/Catherine. In fact, this is also my second one-shot for Hawaii Five-0. I hope you like it. Reviews are a great way to tell me if I'm doing this right or if there's anything I need to change when writing for this pairing. Constructive criticism is welcomed with open-arms. Also, forgive any mistakes. It's kind of late and I didn't read it five times as I usually do. I stopped after two times. Grammar, as you'll be able to tell, is probably not my strongest point so I'll keep trying to improve. Now, enough with the talking. Enjoy the story.

First attempt

Steve McGarret is the kind of man who knows what he wants and knows what to do to get it. He's not one to give up once he sets his mind on something. Or, in this case, when he sets his eyes on someone. Catherine Rollins has something that makes him unable to deny the attraction he feels. Maybe it's because she's not an average woman. She works for the Navy and he's always had a thing for women in uniforms, anyway.

That's why Steve can't help but sit across from her, on the lunch table. The two other men who were sitting with her get up as soon as he sits down. Steve never tried to scare anyone. He believes that they should respect him and not fear him. But they must be smart enough to figure out his intentions when he sits on the table.

Her laptop is open. She's working during her lunch break and seems to be cut out from the rest of the world. She doesn't acknowledge him when he sits across from her so he openly stares at her until she gives up, sighs and looks up with a fake-sweet smile on her face.

"Do I have something on my face, Commander?"

Her voice is sweet, just like her personality. Steve smiles and leans back on his chair, his lunch still untouched in front of him. "You're good."

Catherine frowns and goes back to her laptop, answering him anyway. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

Steve lets out a small laugh and nods even though she's not looking at him. "Yes, it is."

Catherine looks up once again and this time her smile is not a fake one. It's a genuine one that reaches her eyes. "Thank you, then."

They're in silence for a few minutes. Steve eats his lunch and Catherine keeps working, taking small bites out of her sandwich every once in a while. Steve ends up breaking the silence when a thought hits him full force. "I would like to take you out to dinner."

Catherine doesn't even look at him. She keeps her eyes trained on her computer and shakes her head. "Yeah, that's not going to happen."

Steve doesn't let that simple answer stop him. At least he has the right to know why. He knows she's not dating anyone and he has noticed the way she looks at him. "And may I ask why not?"

Catherine sighs and closes her laptop before looking straight at him and giving him her answer. "Look, you're nice and insanely good looking. But you're not attracted to me. You're attracted to my skills. So, unless we have dinner while I'm working and, therefore, displaying my skills, that's not going to work. But thank you, anyway."

And, with that she gets up and walks away, leaving a stunned Steve behind.

X

Second attempt

Steve walks in the cafeteria with renewed energy after his week-off. And the first person he feels like seeing just happens to be sitting alone in a table. He's guessing she's alone there because it's still a bit early for lunch and there are only three people in the whole cafeteria. She usually eats early when she has something important to do on the afternoon.

Steve walks in and sits across from her with a smile on his face. "I'm back."

Catherine looks at him and offers him a sincere smile. She's in a good mood, it seems. "Yeah, I can see that."

He tries to make the most of it. "Did you have a good week?"

Catherine sighs and shakes her head. He's half-worried for a second but then she starts talking, her voice dripping sarcasm. "No, being here without you was unbearable. I don't even know how I managed to survive."

He laughs and steals one of her fries. "Sarcasm looks good on you."

She doesn't answer him and they sit there in silence for a few seconds.

Catherine only beaks the silence when she has enough of him staring at her. "Stop staring at me."

Steve sees there his chance to attempt to ask her out once again, seeing as she turned him down the first time. "I will if you agree to have dinner with me tonight."

Catherine laughs at his attempt and shakes her head. "That's not going to happen."

He shrugs and leans back on his table. "Then I'll keep staring at you."

"For how long?"

Steve checks his watch and answers her. "I have training in half-an- hour."

"So you're going to stay there and stare at me for half-an-hour?"

He nods, not backing down. "Yes, that's the plan."

Catherine shrugs and continues her meal. "I'm still not having dinner with you so knock yourself out."

"I will."

And, after half-an-hour of staring at her, he gets up and leaves without receiving the answer he was looking for. This woman was tough to break and it only made him want her more.

X

Third attempt

They say third time is the charm so Steve walks into the cafeteria with renewed confidence and his hopes high. They always meet during lunch hour because it's the only time they can talk and not be bothered with work-related things.

As soon as she sees him sitting on the seat across from her, her smile drops and he sees the worry on her face. "What happened to you?"

Steve shrugs, like it's no big deal. "I got beat up."

Catherine lifts her hand and touches the bruise forming around his eye with gentle fingers, her concerned expression making him melt. "You should let a nurse check you."

He answers her but doesn't shrug, afraid that the movement will make her remove her hand that feels so good on his face. "It's no big deal."

But she pulls her hand away, anger in her eyes. He's sure she would slap him if he wasn't already injured. "You have a black eye, a cut on your forehead and a busted lip!"

Steve tries to calm her down, enjoying seeing her worried but not wanting to deal with her anger at the same time. "I'm fine."

Catherine shakes her head but some of her anger seems to dissipate. "Yeah, you look just fine."

Then her concerned gaze turns suspicious and he knows her well enough to know she's thinking about something. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Catherine doesn't disappoint. "I'm trying to figure something out."

"Can I help you with it?"

She nods, a sweet smile on her face. "I'm trying to determinate weather you came here looking for pity or to make me see you as a tough guy. Which one is it?"

Steve lets out a small laugh and knows there is no point denying it. "I would say a little bit of both. You're not strong enough to refuse having dinner with an injured man, are you?"

Catherine shakes her head with a smile on her face but her answer is still not the one he's looking for. "It seems like I'm stronger than what you think, Commander. The answer is still no."

"You're hard to get, aren't you?" He decides not to think about why he sounds so impressed.

"Or maybe you're just too stubborn to take a no for an answer."

Steve gets up and takes the seat by her side, their arms touching and their faces inches apart. "If I felt like you weren't interested in me, I would have given up a long time ago, Cath."

She senses that he's too close and gets up. "My name is Catherine."

The shakiness in her voice betrays her, though, and he nods with a smirk on his face. "I know, Cath. I know…"

As she walks away, he can't help but admire her…persistence. (What did you think he would admire, you dirty minds? Steve McGarret is a gentleman.)

X

Fourth Attempt

This time, they don't meet in the cafeteria during lunch. So he considers the change in the scenario a good thing. This time might be the one she finally accepts to go and have dinner with him. Steve walks inside the control room and sits on a chair that is by her side. It's still early and things are calm so he's not really disturbing anyone's work.

"Good morning, Cath."

She looks at him and offers him a sweet smile. "Good morning, Steve."

He greets a man who walks by and turns his attention back to the most stubborn woman he has ever met. "I'm going to see my sister this weekend. We're near LA so I think it will be a nice surprise."

Her smile gets slightly bigger with his demonstration of affection towards his sister. "I'm sure she will love to see you."

"I know a great restaurant, nearby…"

That's when she senses this is nothing but a trap. "Why is that any of my business?"

His voice drops to a whisper so no one can hear their conversation. "I happen to know you're not working this weekend either."

Catherine plays his game and whispers too. "That is correct…"

Steve shrugs and smiles at her, that smile that makes every girl melt. "Well, you'll need to eat. And I'm quite the food fan myself. We could eat in the same place, at the same hour and on the same day. What do you think?"

It seems, however, that said smile has no effect over her. "It's not going to happen, Steve."

"Dear Lord, what does a man have to do to take you out to dinner?"

Catherine gives him a look that says he doesn't really want an answer to that question. "Do you really want to know?"

Steve ignores her question and tries to reason with her. "Cath, it's just dinner. It's not like I'm asking you to marry me and have my babies!"

She shakes her head. "I know what you're asking and my answer is still no."

Steve looks at the watch and sees it's time for him to go. He gets up but still throws one last sentence. "One of these days, I'm going to give up…"

Catherine nods, that sweet smile that is going to be the end of him on her face. "I'm looking forward to said day, Sailor."

Steve walks away, knowing there is no way in hell he's ever going to give up on her. He'll just have to work harder than what he has ever worked before. Catherine Rollins is a challenge and he has always had a thing for challenges.

X

Fifth attempt

This time, he's not the one who goes looking for her. No, this time is different. He's sitting on the cafeteria, having lunch, when she comes by and sits next to him, that sweet gentle smile adorning her features. Steve offers her a small smile too but she can tell something's wrong so hers turns into a frown.

"What's wrong?"

Steve sighs. "I'm frustrated."

Catherine looks a bit concerned. He can tell she really wants to help him out. This friendship they have been developing lately only made him realize how truly wonderful she is and how much he wants to be with her. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

He shakes his head, trying to ease her worries. "Don't worry about it. This is just because of an operation that didn't go as well as planned."

"Was anyone hurt?"

He shakes his head once again and voices his thoughts, just to clear his mind. He learned a while ago that she's a good listener and a good person to talk to. "No, but it's frustrating to come back and say that we weren't successful…"

Catherine smiles and gives his hand a small squeeze of encouragement before staring her meal. "You'll do better next time, don't worry."

Now that the mood is lighter, Steve decides it's a good time to take advantage of the current situation. "Do you know what would make me feel better?"

Her smile doesn't falter but her tone is one of warning, as if daring him to say the next words. "Steve…"

Steve doesn't back down. It's not in his nature. "Taking you out to dinner would help me feel less frustrated."

She shakes her head, the amused smile reaching her eyes and making her even more attractive to him. "It looks like there is nothing I can do for you, then."

Steve leans across the table and looks her in the eyes. "I'd settle for a kiss, at this point."

Catherine nods, much to his surprise, and gets up. "I can handle that."

Steve gets up too, a plan already forming in his mind. He knows what she's going to do. She's going to kiss him on the cheek. And Catherine makes a move to do just that but he reacts quickly, grabs her around the waist and pulls her to him, their lips meeting. Steve kisses her, pouring his feelings in that kiss. And, much to his relief, Catherine starts kissing him back after a few short seconds.

It takes his breath away. Her lips are soft and warm against his, her body crushed to his front and her hands fisting his shirt. It's a good thing there aren't many people in there because that would be quite the show. When air becomes scarce, they are forced to pull away.

Catherine recovers from her daze-like state and breaks the silence, pulling away from his arms. "I'm still not having dinner with you."

Steve can't keep the smirk off his face as he answers her. "You kissed me back."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

He shakes his head, amusement written all over his features, and kisses her forehead this time before answering her. "It's just a matter of time before you say yes. And I'm a very patient man, Catherine Rollins."

And this time, he's the one who walks away. She didn't agree to go out with him but that kiss sure as hell was a good start.

X

Sixth attempt

Steve opens his eyes as slowly as he can ad is immediately greeted by a light that is way too bright to be comfortable. He's not sure where he is or if there's anyone around but he voices his thoughts anyway, hoping to get some sort of answer. "Am I dead?"

Her sweet voice reaches his ears and relief overtakes him. At least he's not alone. "Steve…"

That's when he feels her hand on his, hears the steady beat of a heart-monitor that is probably attached to him and smells that smell that can only be described as hospital. "I feel dead."

Catherine kisses his forehead and he sees the relief she feels in her eyes. "You're not dead. You're in the hospital because you took a bullet for one of your man."

He frowns and tries to get up but she pushed him back down with a strength he didn't know she had. Or maybe he's just too weak. "It doesn't hurt."

She nods and he squeezes her hand this time, trying to show her he's okay. He doesn't want her to worry about him this much. "They're giving you drugs for the pain…"

The softness of her skin makes him smile at her. "Your hand is so soft, Cath!"

Catherine ignores that comment, figuring that those are the drugs talking and not really him. "You scared me, Steve. I thought you were going to die."

He's not drugged enough to let an opportunity like this one fly away. "Will you go out with me?"

Catherine gives him a small peck on the lips and whispers against his lips. "Yes, I will."

Steve opens his eyes and gives her a big smile. If he could, he would be jumping in pure happiness right now. "So this is what a man has to do in order for you to accept going on a date with him? A near-death experience is the key to your heart?"

"Do you want to go out with me or mock me?"

Steve pulls her hand to his mouth and kisses it, the only part of her he can reach. "As soon as I'm out of here, I'm definitely taking you out to dinner."

Catherine gets the message and pecks his lips once again. He wants more but he's still not strong enough to go in for a more passionate kiss. "It seems like sixth time is the charm."

Steve gives her a brilliant smile and pats the side of the bed so she'll climb in next to him. "Six has always been my lucky number."

They never quite made it to dinner but it was close enough. They are simply not that type of couple. And that's okay.

At least they're happy and overcoming each other's stubbornness.

Reviews, as always, are highly appreciated and help me a lot. If you have something good to say, say it. If you have something bad to say, say it anyway.

Love,
Sarah