Seeing is believing

By

Landon Richardson and TealRose

Disclaimer

The characters of Steve McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Adam 'Toast' Charles, Mary McGarrett and Catherine Rollins belongs to the creators of Hawaii 50. I'm merely using them for my own entertainment purposes. Trust me if I had been in charge of 50 a lot of things would have been different!

The character of Danni Williams is probably mine by now. Even though she was originally based on male Danny Williams I think it's probably safe to say that's she her own individual character by now, especially since I've created a back ground for her which is different to male Danny's background in the show. This also affects Grace who is different from the show as well in ways.

Any other character who is in this, who you don't know probably belongs to me as well.

Author Note

Here we go!

A brand new offering to you, this story is completed so you don't have to worry about waiting for the next chapter. Whether we revisit the story in the future and add maybe a second part to it I'm not sure but for the moment that's not on the card. Not with all the other stories which are still pending (I have at least six which we've written together which need to be completed)

This turned out differently to how we originally planned but we hope you enjoy it and if you do then feel free to leave us a review! It always makes all the effort we put into the stories worthwhile when we see those reviews! Also tends to make me write faster as well because it puts me in the mood to write.

Overall Summary

Sometimes it takes seeing something to realise something is over.

Overall Romance

Steve McGarrett/ Catherine Rollins (McRollins)

Steve McGarrett/Danielle Williams (McDanni)

Note

I don't have a beta so please forgive any mini mistakes I may have made, it doesn't seem to matter how much I read through it, one or two always seems to slip through.

Other, other note

I've never been to Hawaii so the majority of places I mention are from google, maps or my imagination. I haven't been to Hawaii yet so… yeah.

Catherine Rollins smiled to herself as she moved down the ramp leading from the USS Enterprise to the dock, lifting her hand and pushed her dark hair away from her eyes as she looked around her, taking in the crowd of tourists who were wandering around, talking to each other and enjoying the early evening beauty of Hawaii. It was still fairly early, only seven in the evening but she already felt tired. The last mission had lasted for six months and she, and the rest of the team she served with, were worn out and more than a little desperate for the week long shore leave that they had been granted.

All she wanted to do was rest but not in any hotel like the others were doing. She already had a bed to stay in, one which was always available to her when she was in Hawaii and one which was stupidly big and comfortable. If life was really kind to her then it would have Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett naked in it as well. She had met him right years previously during a training exercise and they had started off as friends before moving onto friends who would quite happily scratch an itch together. She had always been satisfied with the arrangement they had shared but recently she had begun thinking about it more and more and had come to the conclusion that they deserved to give a relationship, a real relationship between the two of them, a proper go and see what happened.

It would be easy enough for Catherine to contact her Commanding Officer and request a transfer to Pearl harbour, they were always looking for people with her kind of talents to work there. The relationship should run smoothly as well, they had been friends for so long that they could just skip the whole getting to know you portion of it and proceed straight to living together. She might have only seen him for about two to three weeks out of the year but she still spoke to him regularly and if anyone knew about him, then it was her. It would make sense for her to move in with each other after all, they could have sex together whenever they wanted and simply enjoy being together and spending time together, going to sleep and waking up beside Steve McGarrett was no hardship after all.

Breathing out, Catherine shouldered her bag and made her way towards the taxi ramp, silently berating herself for not thinking ahead and calling Steve to ask him to pick her up. Instead she came to a stop behind an older couple who were talking happily to each other about everything they were planning to do and proceeded to think about that upcoming night. She smiled widely, she planned to make sure that neither she nor Steve left that bed until at least the morning. She didn't care if a case came in for the team which Steve ran for the Governor of Hawaii. He was always going on about how amazing and capable his partner Danni Williams was so let the other man take care of anything which came up. She was sure the other man would understand Steve's need, especially if they were as close as she thought they seemed. She was glad, Steve needed a male friend who he could hang with and talk to, after what had happened with Freddie Hart she had begun to think he would never allow anyone to get that close to him again, but she was pleased to see that she was wrong in that aspect. Once she was moved in, she would have to make sure she befriended Danni since his opinion clearly matter to Steve. She didn't want to risk anything going wrong between the two of them.

Catherine watched as the older couple got into the taxi which had pulled up and smiled, waiting patiently for her own taxi to arrive, her eyes moving around the area looking for any potential threats. She blinked realising the taxi was there and leaned down, smiling at the man behind the wheel, giving him Steve's address before she moved to the back of the car, pulling the door opened and climbed in, her smile widening at the smell of pineapple which was coming from the air freshener that she could see hanging from the mirror. The driver tried to make polite conversation with her but Catherine brushed him off, passing him the correct change when he pulled up outside Steve's house and climbed out with a thankful sigh that she was finally here.

She stared up at the house for a moment, taking in the fresh coat of paint before she moved up the garden path towards the front door, her mind already skipping over the changes she would make to the interior of the house. She stopped outside the blue door, raising an eyebrow at it before she shrugged and pulled her hair out of the bun she had worn it in, running her hand through it so it settled nicely on her shoulders before she reached up and knocked on the door, already imagine Steve's surprise and happiness at seeing her there.

She heard the sound of footsteps approaching and then the door opened. Catherine's greeting died on her lips when she saw Steve's younger sister Mary standing on the other side, looking at her with a questioning look in her hazel eyes. The younger woman was dressed in a vest top and cargo pants, a frosted glass in her hand filled with a pink liquid which she had no doubt made herself. She could remember Steve telling her once that Mary was the queen of making cocktails. The blond hair she had the last time Catherine had met her was gone, instead she had dyed it brunette and had grown it out into a long bob which suited her small face.

There was an awkward silence as the two of them stared at each other before Catherine cleared her throat and spoke.

"Hi Mary, Is Steve at home?" She asked with a smile trying to look past her into the house, a frown coming to her face when Steve didn't suddenly appear behind his sister with a smile of welcome on his handsome face.

Just where the hell was he?

Mary McGarrett raised an eyebrow, her mind skipping back as she tried to place the woman in front of her, there was a vague memory in her head, something which told her that she had met her before but she couldn't for the life of her actually remember where or when. The woman was wearing a naval uniform and asked for Steve so there was clearly some connection there between her and her brother. The fact that she was clearly miffed that Mary had answered the door and not Steve also pointed to the fact that she had been hoping to catch Steve alone.

Mary lifted her glass and took a sip of it, savouring the taste before she lowered it and spoke.

"Not going to lie, you've got me at a disadvantage, you clearly know me but I don't actually know who you are."

For a moment the other woman glared at her probably put off by Mary's blunt manner, it has always been a fault of hers but she wasn't about to change her ways now. Mary tilted her head to the side, watching as the other woman's glare melted into a look of embarrassment.

"Of course, sorry, we've only met once about six months ago and it was only for a short time. My name is Lieutenant Catherine Rollins, I'm a…" she hesitated for a moment as she tried to come up with a suitable way of introducing herself to Steve's sister. "A close friend of Steve's" She eventually settled on.

Mary nodded, her eyes widening when the memory clicked into place. Catherine had been the woman who her brother had slept with when Mary had first come to stay with him. She remembered asking her brother about Catherine, making a comment about how if he wanted time alone with his girlfriend then she could make herself scarce for the evening but Steve had brushed it aside with a laugh, telling her that Catherine was just a friend who he occasionally scratched an itch with and nothing more. She certainly wasn't his girlfriend. The subject hadn't come up again and Mary had assumed that Catherine was on the same page as Steve was but somehow, looking at her face now, she had the feeling that they weren't even in the same book let alone on the same page.

Clearly things were going to be awkward especially when the woman in front of her realised that not only was Steve not interested but that he had taken himself off of the market.

"Catherine Rollins, I remember you" She said finally, taking another sip of her drink. "Steve's actually not here at the moment and I have no idea when he will be back or even if he'll come back tonight. I can give him a call if you want and let him know you're here or I can take a message and make sure that he gets it."

"I can call him myself easily enough, I wanted to surprise him though and I can't do that if I call him. I know what Steve is like, he would have told you where he was heading in case you needed to reach him so you must know where he is, if you tell me then I'll be out of your hair" Catherine commented, a smile on her face which placed Mary on edge.

There was something about the woman in front of her that she didn't like, she just didn't know what it was.

She opened her mouth to tell Catherine to get lost when she stopped suddenly, a little evil voice in her head popping up. Steve's attitude over their father's belonging and his never ending list of rules had been more than a little annoying recently. They had, had another run in over the tool box which Steve had located in the garage after their father had been murdered. She could understand him not wanting to share it with his team but she was family, one of the only members of family he had left and he should let her help. She was just as keen to find out what was in that box and what had happened to her father as he was.

Perhaps sending Catherine to him, would distract him enough that she could look through the tool box without having to worry about him walking it, she felt bad doing it but some things had to be done.

She forced a smile onto her face as she met Catherine's dark eyes.

"Well Steve is at Danni's house at the moment" She answered.

"His partner's right?" Catherine queried, smiling when Mary nodded at her. "Could you tell me the address?"

"Of course, let me just grab it" Mary said, moving into the living room and grabbing the list of addresses Steve left around. She read it out to Catherine, smiled once more at her before she closed the door in the other woman's face.

She had a tool box to look into.

Catherine blinked in surprise when the door closed before she made a huffing sound.

Now that had just been rude.

Shaking her head, she turned with a sigh and headed back to the pavement, her cell phone in hand as she rang a taxi company, asking for a cab to be sent to her. She ended the call, slipping her cell into her pocket and looked down at her watch. If she collected Steve from his partner's house now than they could still spend the rest of the evening together like she had planned. She waited five minutes before the cab arrived and quickly climbed in, reading out the address Mary had given her and sat back in the seat. She found herself wondering what Danni looked like. Steve often mentioned the other man, speaking about him with a fondness that Catherine couldn't remember hearing in his voice before. He seemed highly impressed by him which was no mean feat as Steve was normally not impressed by anyone.

They came to a stop outside a pretty one storey house, Catherine glanced at it in surprise as she paid the driver and exited the car, her eyes scanning it and the well-kept garden as she made her way up the path and knocked on the door, her thoughts whirling round her head. Danni must have been married, he was probably a nice, older Hawaiian man with a little wife at home who took care of the place and the kids. She smiled, she could already picture the fun barbeques and dates that they could have here and go one together.

She knocked on the door, crossing her arms as she breathed in deeply, taking in the rich scent of honeysuckle. She glanced towards the door when it opened, her eyes landing the woman who had answered it. She was small in height, probably only about five foot maybe five foot one and slim as though she went swimming or running regularly. She was beautiful looking with pale skin, long blond hair held away from her face in a high messy bun while large, heavily lashed grey eyes looked back at Catherine with a questioning look in them.

Was this Danni's wife?

"Hello, may I help you with something?" The woman asked, attracting Catherine's attention to her. Her voice was pleasant sounding, quiet with an accent which sounded a mixture between New Jersey and Maryland.

"I was hoping you could, I was looking for Steve McGarrett, is he here?" Catherine asked with a smile, catching the flash of surprise which cross the eyes in front of her. The rest of her expression was merely thoughtful as she scanned Catherine's face as though committing it to memory. For a moment the two of them merely stared at each other before the blond nodded, turning to look over her shoulder as she called out.

"Steve? There's someone at the door for you hon." She remarked, moving to the side slightly so Catherine could see into the hallway, it was painted in a pretty pale yellow making it appear cosy. A grin came to Catherine's face as she waited for Steve to appear.

She was finally getting somewhere.

Steve McGarrett frowned, glancing up from stirring the pot of stew that Danni had been in the process of making when the door had gone. He had assumed it was one of Danni's neighbours popping round for a quick chat or to ask a favour, it wouldn't have been the first time it had happened and knowing the way Danni was and the way she treated everyone with kindness it wouldn't be the last either. She seemed incapable of turning someone away when they were in need which was why Steve was determined to keep a closer eye on her to make sure that no one took advantage of that nature.

Shrugging her shoulder, Steve picked up his mug of coffee from the counter, taking a sip as he exited the room, his eyes focused on his partner as he spoke.

"What is it Danni?" He queried, moving down the hallway, he looked passed her casually to the door, his eyes widening when he found himself confronted by Catherine's shocked gaze. "Catherine? What are you doing here?" He demanded in surprise, his gaze flickering to Danni who was looking between the two of them with a questioning look which was slowly morphing into a knowing one indicating that his partner was jumping to the wrong conclusion, something he had to make sure he stopped. His gaze moved back to his former lover, questions floating around his head, each vying for attention.

Just how the hell did Catherine get Danni's address?

What was she doing here?

He frowned, his mind working quickly. If she was here on surprise leave then the first thing Catherine would have done would have been to head to Steve's address, there she would have encountered Mary unless his younger sister had gone out which seemed unlikely considering Catherine was standing at Danni's door. Mary must have given her the address, either Catherine had convinced her to do so somehow, perhaps saying that she needed to speak to Steve about a mission or Mary had done it to get revenge on Steve after their row the night before.

Either way he was going to have strong words with Mary when he next saw her.

He watched as Catherine turned to look at Danni again, a look in her eyes which placed him on edge.

"Wait" She said, holding up her hand and looking back at Steve. "Danni? Are you telling me that this is your partner Danni Williams?" She demanded waving a hand towards Steve as she looked him up and down, the frown becoming more and more pronounced, no doubt as she picked on how at home he seemed in Danni's house. He quickly glanced down at himself taking in his cargo pants, blue polo shirt and the fact that he was barefoot holding a mug which Danni had bought especially for him to use with the SEAL logo on it.

He glanced over to Danni noticing that her thoughtful look was becoming more and more pronounced hinting at the fact she was beginning to get annoyed over Catherine's tone.

"Yeah Catherine, this is my partner Detective Danielle Williams, we call her Danni" He explained coming to a stop beside his partner and smiling down at her when she tilted her head back to meet his gaze, for a moment he simply stared, getting lost in her eyes, marvelling again how much her eye colour reminded him of the sky before a storm hit before he forced himself to focus before he ended up with two pissed off women to deal with. "Danni, this is Lieutenant Catherine Rollins, I used to work with her in naval intelligence though we've been friends for about eight years or so" He introduced.

Danni blinked at him, searching his eyes closely before she turned to Catherine and smiled at her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Catherine, any friend of Steve's is a friend of mine" She told the other woman politely, her hands held loose at her sides though Steve had the impression that she wanted to crossed them over his chest.

"You're a woman" Catherine said flatly, her eyes narrowing slightly at Danni, though whether it was down to curiosity or anger Steve wasn't sure. Catherine emotions had always been difficult to read.

"Yes" Danni replied simply, raising an eyebrow at her. "I'm guessing from your reaction that Steve failed to mention to you that I was a woman. Still it should make no difference right?" She stated with a shrug of her shoulders.

Catherine stared at her for a moment before she turned to Steve.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded.

Steve frowned in confusion.

"Tell you what exactly? I've mentioned Danni to you countless of times. She's the best partner I've ever had and probably the most patient as well consider she had to deal with me daily and try and teach me law procedure. If anything she deserve a medal" Steve remarked dryly, his mouth quirking into a half smile when he heard Danni's soft laughter at his comment.

"More than one medal I think, don't think I've forgotten about the incident last week with the smugglers. I'm still trying to figure out how to write that one into the report without them thinking you're crazy" Danni responded with a shake of her head, one hand coming up to rub the back of her neck.

"But you never mentioned she was a woman before, you only referred to her as Danni" Catherine commented, cutting across any response Steve might have had for his partner. He looked back at the brunette and shrugged.

"I refer to her as Danni because that's her name" He pointed out slowly with a raised eyebrow, wondering why Catherine was acting this way. She was one of the cleverest women he knew though she certainly wasn't acting that way now. "Why does it matter if she's a woman, you of all people Cath should know that gender isn't important when it comes to doing a job. Danni has an incredible arrest record and she's one of the few people who can actually keep me in line even when I slip into SEAL mode, I'm lucky to have her" He stated, flashing Danni another warm smile which she returned.

"You're not so bad yourself" She admitted.

Steve glanced at Catherine from the corner of his eyes to see her looking between him and Danni, a look if barely concealed dismay on her face.

"Right" She said slowly. "Is it possible I could speak to you alone for a moment Steve?" She queried.

"That's fine, I need to stir the stewfor dinner anyway. You can use the living room Steve, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me" Danni remarked with a smile at the two of them before she turned and walked away. Steve watched her go over his shoulder, his eyes dropping to her ass before he turned and looked at Catherine.

"This way" He remarked, reaching out and gripping her elbow lightly, using the hold to pull her down the hallway and into the living room. He let go and sat on the comfortable chair which he had taken for his own since the first time he stepped foot in Danni's house and shot her a questioning look. "So what can I do for you Cath?"

Catherine lowered herself onto the sofa, trying to gather her thoughts together. This certainly wasn't going the way which she had planned but she still had a chance if she worked quickly. There was clearly some spark between Steve and Danni but it looked like it had caught ablaze yet. Steve was a loyal guy, if he started a relationship with Catherine then he would be faithful to her, regardless of any other feelings he may have been experienced.

"I'm on shore leave and I thought maybe we could spend some time together, maybe go out for dinner or something?" She remarked with a wink at him, thankful to hear him laugh in response.

"How long are you on shore leave for?" He queried thoughtfully, tilting his head to the side.

"Just the week, I've got to report back next Saturday." She told him, frowning slightly when she caught the look of regret which came to his face at her comment.

"This week isn't a good week for me Cath" He admitted, an undercurrent of regret to his voice. "We've got a really busy work schedule and they tend to last long into the evening."

"Well, I was hoping I could stay with you while I was on leave. It wouldn't matter how late your work day went on." She said to him, her heart sinking when she caught sight of the awkward look which came to his face at her comment.

"Mary is staying in the spare room at the momen Cath and…" He stopped for a minute and breathed out, coming to his feet and taking the seat next to her on the sofa, reaching out and taking her hand in his. "I've met someone Cath, someone special and I want to see if something happens with them. I don't feel comfortable keeping our old arrangement going. It's not fair on you and it's not fair on them. It would be like I was using you while waiting to get what I want." He told her softly, a look of regret, mingled with sympathy in his blue eyes.

"I understand that but I really care for you Steve, I want us to take the next step and try a relationship. We're good together, you know it and I know it. Don't we deserve the chance to give us a go and see where it leads us?" She asked him, gripping his hand tightly in hers, her eyes fixed on him as he ducked his head.

"I'm sorry Catherine, if you had asked me six months ago then I would have jumped at the chance of giving us a shot as a couple. You are an amazing woman, smart and beautiful with an amazing sense of humour but I think it's too late for us, our time to be together has passed."

Catherine pulled her hand away from his, crossing them across her chest as she swallowed hard.

"It's Danni isn't it, I saw the way you looked at her. You're in love with her" She accused, watching the thoughtful look which came across Steve's face as he considered her question. When his eyes drifted back to her, she knew she had already lost.

"I am" He admitted, an undertone of awe to his voice. "I'm sorry Cath, she's just…" He stopped and shook his head. "I would like us still to be friends though, you're important to me and I want you in my life but if you feel like you can't, then I'll accept that. I never meant to hurt you though and I'll always care for you and be here for you if you need me."

"I… I still want to be friends but it will take a while to get over this Steve. I always thought that you and I…" she stopped and shook her head, forcing a smile onto her face. "Danni must be an incredible woman to hold your heart."

"She is" Steve responded simply. "I hope one day the two of you may be friends. I think you'll like her. I hope you find someone as well Catherine who deserves you and who will see exactly how special you are because you are. Don't ever doubt that." He remarked.

Catherine nodded, coming to her feet, automatically wiping her hands against her pants leg.

"I best go, I need to find a hotel to stay in, I didn't book one because…" She stopped and shrugged.

"Yeah, you weren't to know. If you go to the Hilton hotel and give them my name then they'll give you a discount on a room, turns out if you save a hotel from masked murderers they remain grateful to you and make you a VIP with discount for life." He said with a grin at her.

"The Hilton sounds good" She said, picking up her bag and moving out of the room and towards the front door, pulling it open and stepping out into the warm sunlight. "Would you say goodbye to Danni for me, maybe on my next shore leave we could go out to dinner?"

"Sounds good, I'll invite the rest of my team so you can meet them as well, they are a really good bunch of people. I'll let you know if I'm free any evening, there's no reason why we can't actually go out to dinner together to catch up on everything which has been happening." He remarked.

"Yeah I'll let you know Steve" She told him with a smile, going on tiptoe and kissing him on the cheek. "Take care of yourself, Danni is a lucky woman."

Steve nodded at her, Catherine turned and headed down the pathway, her heart breaking though she was determined to hold onto her dignity, especially when she could feel Steve's eyes burning into her back. She might have lost him but at least they would still be friends and he had been honest with her.

She had her closure now and she could move on.

She had to.

Steve close the door, resting his forehead against it for a moment, thankful that his talk with Catherine had gone as well as it had. It knew he had hurt her and he had hurt himself in the process but he knew it had to be done. They both deserved better and the chance to find happiness. Steve had found his with Danni and now that the last obstacle had been dealt with his could finally follow his heart like he wanted. Catherine would find someone else, someone who deserved her. That much he knew for certain.

Breathing out, he pushed himself away from the door and entered the living room again, grabbing his mug from the side and straightened the cushion absently before he headed out of the room and into the kitchen, a smile coming to his face when he saw that Danni was swaying in time with the music from the radio as she mashed some potatoes up.

"Hey" He said, resting his side against the fridge door. She glanced up at him and returned the smile.

"Hey yourself" She responded. "Where is Catherine? Is she staying for dinner? I think there is enough for her if she is, it just means less to freeze afterwards"

"Cath had gone to find a hotel room" He commented, searching her eyes when she shot him a questioning look, clearly picking up something from his voice. "Cath and I used to be a thing, never an item or boyfriend or girlfriend but we were friends who scratched an itch together. It was a good arrangement. When she is in Hawaii she used to stay with me but this time she can't so she needs to get a hotel room." He explained, watching her closely.

"Used to?" Danni remarked after a pause, turning her attention back to the potatoes.

"We always had a clause to it, if either of us met someone who was important to us, someone who we wanted to be with then we would end the arrangement." He told her with a shrug.

"And she's met someone? Is that why she was keen to see you?" Danni asked, grabbing the pepper from the side and adding it to the mix.

"No, I've met someone" Steve responded quietly. Danni stilled for a second before she turned to look at him.

"Do I know this someone? You've never mentioned meeting someone before now." She commented, her voice deceptive light. He couldn't help the grin which came to his face at the flash of jealousy in her eyes, a flash which told him everything which he needed to know."

"You do" He responded, glancing down at his nail before he pushed himself off from the fridge and moved towards her. "She's amazing, smart, intelligent, extremely kind and caring with a backbone of steel because she's always willing to do what needs to be done to help people. She's beautiful with these grey eyes I want to get lost in and this wavy blond hair that I want to sink my hands into oh and she moved to Hawaii so her daughter wouldn't lose the chance to have a close relationship with her father. Does she sound familiar at all?" He asked stopping in front of her, his hands reaching out and gently grabbing her upper arms, his thumbs stroking the soft material of her top.

"She sounds vaguely familiar" Danni remarked, a breathless note to her voice. "And do you know whether this amazing woman likes you back?"

"I hope she does, she's let me into her home and into her family, given me something to hold onto and anchor myself to. She means everything to me and I'll take her in any way I can. If she doesn't feel the same way, if she just wants friendship then I'll make sure that I'm the best friend she could ever want or need." He stated firmly, watching as Danni's swallowed, her eyes flickering away from his though she made no effort to move from him.

"And if she does feel the same way?" Danni queried, looking back at him.

"Then I'll turn the stove off so we don't set the house on fire and show her exactly how I feel about her."

Danni laughed, shaking her head.

"Well the potatoes will be ruined but at least the stew will be okay" She told him, looking up at him, her answer clearly in her eyes causing Steve to grin.

"Potatoes can be remade" He pointed out, reaching out and switching the oven off before he leaned down and caught her lips with his.

Food could wait.

Author note

Thanks for taking the time to read I really appreciate it.

An especially big thank you if you've taken the time to leave me a review or follow or favourite the story. It means more to me then you can know and makes all the hard work I put into this verse worth every second!

J