An unexpected return
Authors note: we're a team of writers who wondered what it would be like for Steve and Catherine to see eachother again after ending their relationship.
Catherine Rollins was back in Hawaii, knowing that her first stop would be at the home of Steve McGarrett. Pulling up, she put the rental car in park and stepped out. She stood there for a moment looking at the silent house. A year has passed but it looks the same, yet feels so different. It's a familiar action to walk up to the door, but there's no point in trying to get in. Knowing Steve, the alarm code has been changed at least ten times since she left. The only way in is through the backyard.
Turning the corner, she hears Steve's laugh. Smiling at the sound coming from him, she suddenly realizes just how much she missed it. But at the same time it made her frown, it meant that Steve was not alone. Who was with him? She knew Danny wasn't a morning person without two coffees and a malasada. Two more steps and she had her answer. A blonde woman was standing close to him holding two cups of coffee, waiting for him to finish drying himself off before handing him one. The woman has a smile on her face that makes Cath sad and angry at the same time.
Surprised by her own reaction to seeing them together, Cath turns to leave, feeling as if she were intruding on an intimate moment between the two of them. But before she could leave, they turned in her direction. The woman looks startled but calm while Steve still has the ghost of a smile on his lips. Realizing who was standing in front of them, his eyes grow dark, his face shutting down and putting up a neutral expression.
A sudden look of recognition crosses the blonde woman's face. "You must be Catherine, I've heard so many things about you! I'm Ellie, so nice to meet you" She walks over to Cath, extending her hand, giving Steve the time he needs to decide how to react. Startled at the warm greeting, Cath, at a loss for words, mumbles, "Hi, I'm... I was.. Nice to meet you."
"Come inside, we can sit down and have a cup of coffee." Her voice is soft with an Aussie accent, her manners warm and inviting, welcoming Cath into Steve's home as if she was an old friend of theirs. Taking Cath by the arm, Ellie led them inside as Steve numbly followed. They both stood by his dining room table, Cath plastering a smile on her face hoping to ease the tension. It didn't seem to be working.
Steve hasn't said a word yet. He stands there looking at her as if he's seeing a ghost. His body is tense, arms tightly crossed across his chest trying to figure out how to handle the awkward situation. As Ellie walks out of the kitchen bringing with her a tray filled with fresh cups of coffee, toast and jam, she says, "I have to apologize for Steve, I'm trying to get him to loosen up a bit, but clearly my plan has some flaws." Steve's lips curl up into a smile filled with affection for her words as she enters the room.
As the three of them sit down at the table, Ellie asks, "So, what brings you to Oahu?" Cath looks up from her cup of coffee, startled at the question not knowing exactly how to answer. "I have some information I needed to pass along to Steve" That breaks the moment and gets Steve's full attention.
The silence in the room is suddenly broken with a phone ringing in the background. "You'll have to excuse me, that's my line." Ellie stands to leave but not before placing her hand on Steve's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Without saying a word, she turns to leave the room, his eyes following her.
Turning back to Cath he asked, "So, what is this about?" The words are harsh and cold, still not having decided what to think about her sudden appearance. "How long?" Her question surprises Steve, he frowns and asks "How long what?" Cath replied, "How long did it take you to get over me?" She sees the anger in Steve's eyes, realizing she had asked the wrong question. It only takes a couple of seconds for him to answer without yelling. "I thought you told me weren't coming back. The last time we talked you said you had found your place, and for me not to wait for you. This isn't something that happened overnight. It took some time, but Ellie's in my life now and we're very happy together."
Not quite sure why, a sudden feeling of jealousy crossed over her. Yes, she had told him to move on, but seeing that he had was painful. Their separation had given her time to think about their relationship. She was sure she had loved him at one time, but wasn't so sure now. "I know I told you to…" Cath said. Steve interrupted her saying, "What? You're here wanting me to take you back? It doesn't work that way. You hurt me when you told me to move on, but I did what was best for me. Can't you at least respect that?"
Cath had never seen Steve so angry and distressed. This is not how she wanted things to go. She was not expecting kisses and roses, but this was clearly a disaster. "I'm sorry, I was surprised to see you here with someone and reacted without thinking." She hoped this would calm Steve a little and they could get back to the real reason for her return.
"I came back to let you know that I've come across intelligence that a nuclear bomb is on the island. My sources say there is less than 48 hours to find it before it's sold and moved off the Island." Steve looked at her with bewildered expression on his face, "How did you get this intel?" A feeling of awkwardness filled the air in the room. Realizing she was going to have to tell him the truth, she looked down at her still full cup of coffee before blurting it out. "After you left Afghanistan, the CIA found out I was still in the country. They recruited me to work for them and provided me with the resources I needed to find Najib." Looking up, Cath knew it was going be bad the moment she saw him close his eyes and start shaking his head. After that it was all a blur. The yelling started. Shouting at her to leave his house.
"I can't leave Steve, there's a nuclear bomb out there. You're going to need my help to find it." Unable to look at her, Steve said, "You lied to me Cath. You lied to the team. We all thought you were helping to protect a village and teaching. Instead I find out you were actually working with the CIA!" Steve knew he needed to focus on the bomb. "Cath, I can't talk to you about this. You need to leave. Now."
Knowing there was nothing she could say to make things better, Cath decided it would probably be best for her to leave. Walking toward the front door, she hears Ellie running down the stairs with a startled look on her face, wondering what all the yelling was about. Suddenly she doesn't look as friendly as she did earlier when they first met.
As she closed the door behind her, she turned, seeing Ellie walk toward Steve wrapping her arms around him. They hugged tightly as Ellie spoke to him, softly whispering in his ear. Seeing the anger leave Steve's body and a calmness fill the air, she knew this was no longer her home.