Title: Going all the way
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Oh come on, they would never let them do this. And if they were mine, I wouldn't let them do this on TV either. ;-)
Summary: How well is that reserve drill going? Steve and Cath on their way to bliss, ahem, I mean the Enterprise.
A/N: Someone, I'm not going to say who, pushed me into doing this. So she's to blame for it. :-)
Seriously though, this came to life because Cokie316 prodded me to give it a shot. So if you like it, you have to thank her. And if you don't, well, you can blame it on me.
There will be five acts in two chapters, and an epilogue.
Thank you Cokie316 for your incredible beta work on this. Your funny comments and your relentlessness until it feels right.
Thank you Sherry57 for your keen eye on all the stuff we didn't see.
Just some information, in case you wondered: TAD means Temporary Additional Duty.
I hope you will enjoy this little trip.
Going all the way
First Act - Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel
"So…" Steve looks down at his friend. Closing the gap completely, she leans even more into the embrace. Doing things to him he has missed all those months she was on her TAD.
"So…" Catherine is, of course aware of what she's doing. Steve's not the only one who has been missing something. And she's not talking about getting taken to dinner. Well, maybe she is, since their dinner plans always seemed to end in bed. Or on the beach. Or the kitchen ta… don't go there. She's openly smiling now.
"So… we have some time before we need to be on base."
"What do you suggest we do with that time, commander?"
"Uh, I don't know, lieutenant." Steve mumbles near her ear, while he's kissing that sensitive spot right under it. "You could tell me about your time aboard." He's teasing her.
"I think talking is way overrated." She turns them both to the bed. One little push and Steve falls backwards onto it, taking her with him.
"Ugh." Steve can't completely suppress the small groan when the wind gets knocked out of him by Cath's maneuver. His ribs took quite a hit yesterday, and even though nothing's broken, they are a bit tender to the touch. Having your girlfriend lay on them is not the best idea. But he decides to ignore the small discomfort for the time being. He has waited too long to have her in his arms again.
"You okay?" Cath pushes herself up to look at Steve, but sees that he's grinning at her.
"Fine. This seems a good way to spend some time." Steve pulls her back down and at the same time fumbles her shirt up to get it out of her pants.
"You're eager," Cath can't help but laugh at his clumsy attempt to get her clothes out of the way. She pushes herself up and sits back on his lap to get her uniform shirt off, while watching Steve unbuttoning his own shirt. Freed of that part of clothing she goes back down for another sweet kiss that gets a bit more intense than before. It's obvious that she's as eager has he is.
Steve makes another go for the hem of her undershirt and has it off in one smooth move. Now she's sitting on his lap only clad in her pants and black sports bra. He finally has free access to her smooth skin and is roaming her upper body with his hands, sending shivers down her spine.
Cath looks at her lover and decides that he's way overdressed for the occasion. She yearns to trace the outline of his tattoos and pepper his chest with small kisses, which always drives him crazy. She pulls his undershirt out of his pants, pulls it up and gasps. "Oh my God. Steve, what happened to you?"
"Huh?"
"Oh Steve, that must hurt. Why didn't you tell me that you're injured?" Cath gently touches the big bruise on the right side of his ribcage. The bruising had turned a deep purple over night and spans over most of his ribs.
"It's fine, Cath. Really. It doesn't hurt much. Nothing's broken. Don't worry." He's not going to get stopped by some stupid accident the day before. Steve pulls Cath back down for another kissing match and flips them both over. While he's zeroing in on kissing along her collar line, she's fumbling with his belt and buttons on his fly. Which elicits some moaning from Steve. And some laughing from Cath, when she pulls the pants down and sees his underwear. White boxer briefs with little red hearts and in big bold letters 'Happy Valentine's Day' very strategically placed.
"Like them?" Steve asks smiling.
"Very. But I think I would like to unwrap my gift completely." She doesn't even wait for an answer, but gets straight to work. She doesn't get far though. Cath has her hands on the waistband but freezes when there's a knock on the door.
"Just ignore it." Steve's already slightly panting, wanting her hands on him in the most intimate way so desperately .
"Lt. Rollins, please open up. Ensign Miller, I have a message for you." A female voice can be heard through the door along with more knocking.
Cath looks up at her friend, smiles an apology and slides out under him. Putting her shirt on and straightening her hair only takes a moment. "I'm coming, just a minute."
While Cath got ready to open the door, Steve pulled his pants back up and threw his shirt on. He stands next to the bed, glad to have a shirt on that covers the state he's in rather well.
Catherine comes back with a very young ensign. Steve would bet money that it's her very first assignment. "Oh, Sir, I'm sorry Sir. I didn't know." The ensign almost salutes the Lt. Commander.
Steve has to smile at the young woman. "At ease, Ensign Miller."
"Ensign, you have a message for me?" Catherine looks at the other woman.
"Yes, ma'am. Actually for you and Commander McGarrett. I would have gone to him next. Sir, your phone is off. I have been trying to contact you for an hour, Sir. Sorry, ma'am. Your message." The young ensign seems a bit overwhelmed, for whatever reason. Cath looks at Steve in amusement. "Ma'am, Sir, your flight was canceled. Some mechanical problems with the plane. But you're both booked on a commercial flight to Singapore via Manila, where you're supposed to catch a ride to the Enterprise."
"Singapore?" Steve's not very keen on being cramped into a small seat on some commercial airline for hours on end. On a military transport they would at least have had the luxury of walking freely. If they were lucky, they even could have disappeared for a few hours into the cargo bay.
"Yes, Sir. Your flight is in an hour, Sir."
"One hour?" Cath cries out.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm supposed to take you to the airport, ma'am."
"Ensign, where's your car?" Steve's taking charge of the situation, while Cath packs her last things into her bag.
"Right out front, Sir."
"We'll meet you there in five. Cath, have you already checked out?"
"Yeah, I only need to drop off the key."
"Okay. Ensign, wait for us downstairs, please." Leading the young woman out the door, he shuts it after her and takes a deep breath to get his act together. He feels a little lightheaded since he practically jumped off the bed, especially since most of his blood supply was not in his brain at the moment. For the first time since this morning, he doubts his decision to participate in the reserve drill. Maybe he should have listened to the doctor, and Danny, to take it easy for a few days. Something about a mild concussion and blood loss. But he wants to spend time with Cath, so he threw caution to the wind and requested the two weeks on the Enterprise. And it was granted without any hassle at all.
Besides, the two weeks will give the Governor some time to cool off. All four of them have two weeks off. Well, the others will probably use the time for some recreation, while he's going to jump out of planes, swim in high seas and god knows what else.
"Steve?" Cath looks around the corner, seeing him still leaning against the door. "Hey, are you okay?" She closes the distance to him and leans against him, gently hugging him. "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?"
"This is not going as planned. I still haven't unwrapped my gift."
"Oh, we can eat the chocolate on the plane." Steve grins down at her. He has every intention to pick up where they left off. He's sure that they will find a nice, quiet place to finish what they have started.
"You would like that, I bet." Cath grins right back at him.
One last sweet kiss and they both grab their bags and make their way down to the lobby and out to their waiting driver. To start their journey to the Enterprise.
H50 – H50 – H50
Act 2 - Honolulu Airport
They make it to the airport with ten minutes to spare, only to learn that their flight will be delayed for about 90 minutes.
"You are welcome to wait in the business lounge;" the woman behind the airline counter tells them with a smile.
"The business lounge?" Steve looks at 'Tracy'. He has never been booked on a business flight when he's had to fly commercial during all his years in the service. The Navy is not that generous when it comes to airfare.
"Yes, Sir. Your tickets are business class. It was very short notice and everything else was booked. Sir, is something wrong with that?"
"No. No, everything is fine. When will the boarding begin?" Steve is not going to question their luck. He is happy for the extra leg room, and he's sure that the lavatories will also be more spacious. He can't quite keep the grin in about that thought.
"Very well, Sir. Boarding time will be announced soon. Have a good flight." Tracy hands over the boarding passes and motions for the next passenger to step forward.
Cath and Steve grab their bags and head out to find the 'business lounge'.
"You think it's a good place for lounging?" Cath asks with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Let's find out."
They walk the short distance to the area where they suspect the business lounge is located. Steve and Cath feel a little out of place in their fatigues, but they were supposed to fly on a military transport. If they had known they were flying commercial, they would have dressed in their service uniform or even dress blues, or simply in civilian clothes. Certainly not in fatigues. But there's nothing to do about it now.
They get their first taste of how out of place they are when they reach the entrance to the lounge.
"Ma'am, Sir, this is the business lounge. Only for business class travelers," a young man in a colorful uniform tells them. He is standing right in front of the double frosted glass doors, as if he wants to keep them from entering a holy shrine.
"Yes, we know that." Steve is not in the mood for having a discussion with some kid just out of high school about where he's allowed to go or not. He's about to go around him, when that boy puts his hand flat on Steve's chest.
"Sorry Sir, I have to ask you to leave."
Steve looks down at the hand and back up to the kid. He's big, as tall as Steve and has at least 25 pounds on Steve. "You better take that hand off. Right now." Steve's voice is suddenly a lot deeper and full of underlying authority. If that little punk had had a tiny little bit more life experience, he would have known to follow that advice right away. But he's seriously lacking in that department.
"Or what?" He stands up a little taller and even pushes a little bit harder on Steve's chest.
"If I were you, I would listen to him. Otherwise you'll find yourself on the ground with some broken fingers, maybe even a busted arm. You see, you just challenged a SEAL. I would think about that again, after you take your hands off him. Just a little friendly advice." Cath tells the kid, as she steps up closer, placing a calming hand on Steve's back, rubbing little circles between his shoulder blades. It's actually working, she can feel him relaxing and knows that there will be no blood shed today.
He takes his hand off as if he suddenly got burned and moves a step back. "I'm sorry, Sir. May I see your boarding pass please?"
Steve's not moving or saying anything, he just stands and glares at the young man, who is not meeting his eyes. Steve has kind of a hard time keeping the smirk in that Cath's little speech caused.
Cath picks the passes out of his breast pocket after he doesn't make a move to do so and shows them to 'Tom', which she now reads on his name tag. "Here you go, Tom."
"Thank you ma'am." He takes the passes, and Cath would swear his hands were shaking as he looks at them before giving them back. "I hope you have a pleasant stay while you wait for your flight, ma'am. Sir, have a good day." He's more than eager to open the door for them and probably prays that the glaring man won't come after him.
"Thank you, Tom," Cath says happily while Steve only growls at him. But he lets himself be dragged into the lounge by Cath. "Stop that, Steve. You're scaring that poor kid half to death."
"I don't like people touching me. He's lucky to have his limbs intact," he says to Cath, but she can see the smile and knows that he's half kidding. Of course she knows that he could have knocked that boy out in a second flat, killed him in even less time. But she also knows that he wouldn't hurt a fly, unless he's attacked.
"I'm sure he's aware of that. He might even think twice about being so prejudiced next time someone doesn't meet the normal criteria of a business traveler."
"I highly doubt that. Come on, let's find some quiet place and make waiting for the flight a 'pleasant experience'." Steve grins at her, pointing to an area at the back of the spacious lounge.
Steve and Cath make their way around other waiting passengers towards their goal. They spot a pretty private area that is almost void of people. They put their carry-on bags down next to some potted palm-trees and engage in some kissing and hugging behind said plants. Not entirely hidden, but at least a little concealed from the hustle and bustle of the busy airport. It seems they were not the only ones who had found this little oasis. A few feet from them stands another pair with the same idea.
"So, Lieutenant Rollins, how do you like your Valentine's Day so far?"
"Well, commander, this is kind of nice. Beats traveling alone for sure." She puts her arms around his waist and leans her head against his chest. Soaking up the scent that's uniquely Steve. He smells of the ocean and the sun. It always makes her smile when she thinks about how she describes his scent, but she has never come up with a better description than that.
"You think, huh?" Steve looks over to a door he's been watching since they have been behind the trees. A janitor came out of it a couple of minutes ago and Steve's pretty sure he left it unlocked. "What do you say we take this somewhere a little more private?" Steve has never done anything like that, and he has no clear idea why he's acting like some love-struck teenager.
"What do you have in mind?" Cath looks up and wonders where he will find a private spot that would shield them from prying eyes. But she's willing to go wherever he leads them. She has never done anything like that before, but for some reason she finds the whole idea of sneaking around with Steve exhilarating. Even though there could be consequences if they were to get caught.
"Come on." Steve grabs his bag, which can't be left lying around. That's what they really need, a bomb alarm because they left their luggage unattended. He's steering Cath to the door a few feet away from them.
Steve is just about to put his hand on the handle when they both freeze in their tracks.
"Uncle Steve!"
It is almost a comic sight. Steve stands right in front of the door, hand on the handle, head resting against the door in frustration. Catherine is behind him, leaning against his back, equally frustrated. She has to laugh at the deep shudder that goes through Steve when he groans. Which she feels as well, since she's practically pressed into his back.
They turn as one and see Grace Williams running at them, with her father trailing behind. Steve has just enough time to set down his bag before Grace engulfs him in a tight hug. Both Cath and Danny can see him wincing, when young Grace presses too enthusiastically on his lower right ribs.
"Monkey, don't squash Steve." Danny reaches for his daughter to free his friend from being getting hurt any further.
Steve breathes a sigh of relief when the pressure eases after Grace lets go. His side hurt a bit more after their acrobatics in Catherine's hotel room, even though nothing much happened back then. "Gracie, it's a surprise to see you here." Steve looks down at Danny's daughter and then up to his partner.
"Where were you two just going?" Danny tries to look around Steve and Cath, to see what kind of door they were going to disappear behind. He takes in Steve's slightly flushed face and registers now that Catherine looks pretty much the same. He's pretty sure he knows what those two were just up to. He grins at his friend, which causes Steve to blush even more.
"Ehm… what are you doing here, Danny?" Steve decides to ignore Danny's question, in the hope that he'll let it go. He's holding his right arm protectively close to his body, when there's another twinge of pain. That doesn't go unnoticed by the detective.
"You okay?" Danny looks with concern at his partner.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, maybe, let's see, because you were hit by a car yesterday?"
"What? Steve! You didn't tell me anything about getting hit by a car." Catherine turns to her friend, worry clearly written all over her face.
"I'm fine. Stop worrying, both of you. I'm just a little bruised, that's all. It hurts a bit, but I'm good. Again, Danny, what are you doing here?"
"Danno and I are going to New Jersey." Grace explains their being at the airport.
"Really?" Steve looks at his friend, smiling.
"Yeah, well, since we all have two weeks off, I thought why not use that? And thanks to your free miles, we can fly in luxury. Thank you, Steven."
"It's not like I did anything for them, and they were about to expire. Glad you can use them." Steve grins at his friend, who didn't want to take his accumulated frequent flyer miles at first. But the mention of taking Grace to visit his family Back East, did the trick in the end. Would have been a shame to let them go to waste.
"Why do you all have two weeks off? I know Steve is doing his drill, but all of you?" Cath is looking at Danny for an answer.
"That is actually a long story, which I will tell you on our flight." Steve interjects before Danny can even start.
"Uncle Steve? Is this your girlfriend?" Gracie looks at Catherine.
Steve looks at Grace and then at Catherine. It's like an epiphany that the innocent question causes. "Yes, Gracie. She is my girlfriend. I'm sorry, sweetheart, this is Catherine. Catherine, Grace Williams."
"Nice to meet you, Grace. I've heard a lot about you." Cath shakes Danny's daughter's hand and smiles at Steve, who now seems to be her boyfriend.
"Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to fly on some transport?" Danny looks at his partner.
"Yeah, that was canceled. We're booked on a flight to Singapore, where we'll hitch a ride to the Enterprise."
"You're going to see the Starship Enterprise on your vacation, Uncle Steve?"
"Ehm, no Gracie. The Enterprise is a carrier."
"You're going on vacation on a ship? What are you going to do there?"
"Lots of stuff, Gracie. Skydiving, swimming, flying, going to class, and lots of other stuff."
"You go to school?"
"Yeah, kind of. I'm sure your visit to New Jersey will be a lot more fun."
"Can we go sit over there?" Grace points to some armchairs a few yards away and has already started to wander off, dragging Catherine along with her.
"Steve, how long's your flight?" Danny wants to know from his friend.
"Almost twelve hours to Manila and then another four to Singapore."
"That will be no fun, sitting around for so long with your injured ribs and head. You sure you can do that?"
"Danny!"
"What? I wouldn't want to sit for half a day cramped in an aircraft, flying around the world with two cracked ribs and a concussion. Just saying." Danny looks around to make sure that Grace and Cath are out of earshot. "She must be very special."
"She is, Danny. Very." Steve smiles at his friend.
"Okay. Come on, Loverboy, don't keep the ladies waiting."
The friends catch up with the two girls who have secured some armchairs to wait for their respective boarding calls. Danny and Grace are sitting across from Steve and Cath with a small table between them.
"Danno?"
"Yes, Monkey?"
"What's a Loverboy?"
H50 – H50 – H50
Act 3 - Just a simple plane ride
Grace and Danny had said their good byes half an hour ago, after their flight was called. They will reach their family Back East in roughly ten hours. A long flight, but Steve is sure that Gracie and Danny will have some fun. He's also hoping for some fun on their 12 hour flight. He's getting rather frustrated about how their weekend was going so far.
First he had to work the murder case, right off the black-tie event. Cath mingled for a little while longer, but after a couple of hours she went home. Or in this case her hotel room. He's just glad she wasn't there for his 'stunt' - going over the edge of the roof. That was not how he had planned the 'rescue'. He can't even remember how they managed to hit the balcony that was slightly to the side of their initial fall. But when they did… and he saw Danny looking down, he suddenly knew he had never been closer to dying than those few seconds earlier.
And getting hit by a car was certainly not in his plans for the weekend either. He knows how very lucky he was. Getting away with basically bruises and maybe a mild concussion. The doctor at the ER wouldn't completely rule it out, that he had suffered more than just a bump to the head. And if the pounding headache he has had for a few minutes now is any indication, that doctor might not be so far off. When he went to the restroom a few minutes ago, he got slightly dizzy. Nothing serious, but enough to get him a little worried. Maybe they can at least stop at the airport pharmacy to get some Tylenol or something for his headache. And some coffee would be good. Oddly enough coffee always helps him when he has a headache.
"You're very quiet all of a sudden, Steve. What are you thinking about?" Cath looks over to Steve who's now sitting across from her, as Grace and Danny had gone. Slouching would actually be a more accurate term for what he's doing right now.
"I have a headache. Can we get some coffee and stop at the pharmacy for some Tylenol?" Steve sits back up and watches his friend, hoping that she's not switching into worry-mode like Danny would.
"Yes, of course. We can get coffee here in the lounge. But I saw the pharmacy on our way here, I think it was across from Starbucks. You want to go there?"
"Yeah. Maybe we can get a sandwich as well. I haven't eaten yet, haven't been hungry. I'm still not, but I guess I should eat something." Steve looks up at his girlfriend. That term actually makes him smile.
"Steve, are you sure you're okay? Tell me what the doctor at the ER said."
"He wouldn't rule out a mild concussion and told me to take it easy for a couple of days. Which I'm doing. Even when we reach the Enterprise, whenever that might be, I'm going to sit in class for the first three days. I'll be fine Cath, really. My head hurts a little and I was dizzy a few minutes ago. But I haven't eaten anything since sometime yesterday. Feed me, and I'll be as good as new" He tells her while getting out of the armchair and grinning at Catherine. Referring to their constant problem making it to dinner.
Cath is lending a hand when Steve sways for a second while standing up. But it seems that he's good after he finds his legs. "Come on, let's get some food into you. And don't growl at that poor boy again." Cath laughs at the face he makes when she mentions the kid from earlier.
"He better not touch me again."
"I'm sure he has learned his lesson." When they reach the door, there is no kid or other employee in sight. Which is just as well.
'Attention – all passengers for flight Hawaiian Airlines 326 to Manila, please proceed to gate 28 immediately – Flight Hawaiian Airlines 326 gate 28 please'
"There goes our coffee. Steve, gate 28 is on the other side of the Airport."
Steve looks at Cath and thinks for a minute what to do. He really needs something for his headache, but being late for the flight is not an option. "Okay, let's go to the gate." He hopes that they will be able to get some coffee on the plane. And maybe the flight attendant can provide him with some pills for his head.
Twenty minutes later they are boarding their flight. They're shown to their seats in the first row and settle down in the spacious seats, after Steve stows their bags in the overhead compartment.
"Well, this is the way to fly." Cath stretches her legs out and can see that even Steve can sit comfortably.
"It has its perks." Steve has to agree that the seats seem rather comfortable. But he'll wait a few hours before his final verdict. He leans back in his seat, closes his eyes for a minute and tries to will his headache away.
"I'll be right back." Cath leans over, gives him a kiss and is gone.
"What? Where you going?" Steve wonders what his friend is doing, they are still in the boarding process. He looks around and can see that only four other seats of the 18 are occupied at the moment. This section of the Airbus 330 only houses 18 seats in total. He still believes that someone will tell them any minute now that it's all a misunderstanding and they have to take their places in the back of the plane.
He settles back down, leans back and gently touches the side of his head. The bruises are really tender and he's just glad his eye didn't close up and that the swelling stayed at a minimum. He didn't even need any stitches for the cut on his forehead. He's slowly drifting off, when a hand gently shakes his shoulder.
"Steve, I got some Aspirin. Will that help?" Cath shows him two pills and a small bottle of water.
"That's great, but I can't take them on an empty stomach. They make me sick." Steve has never tolerated Aspirin very well, but if he eats something first, he'll be alright.
"Does it need to be a full meal?"
"No, just a sandwich or even some cookies, fruits or something like that."
"Okay, be right back."
"Cath, you don't have to…" He's shaking his head after his friend, who's already on the prowl to get him something to eat. Come to think of it, she's an even worse mother-hen than Danny. Just not as vocal. He has to smile at that thought.
A few moments later Cath is back with a banana, an apple and some chocolate chip cookies. "Our flight attendant is very eager to help. She hopes that you'll feel better soon." Cath grins at Steve.
"Thank you." Steve takes the banana and one cookie. He's still not really hungry, but knows he needs to eat. He's sure the headache is not just from his head injury, but also from not eating and drinking enough. With the food he takes the two Aspirins and washes them down with the water.
The seat-belt sign lights up and the doors are closed. There are still only four other people seated around them. They are sitting on the other side and to the back of them. Way out of sight. Steve leans back and smiles at Catherine, because this is even better than he thought. They are almost alone on a 12 hour flight. The light will be dimmed soon and that really plays into his plans for later. But first he needs some shut eye, at least until the pills have a chance to work.
Steve closes his eyes and listens to the sounds of the plane leaving the gate… that's as far as he gets before he's asleep.
H50 – H50 – H50
Catherine looks at her friend with a fond smile. He slept through the take-off and well into the first two hours of the flight. At some point he changed position and his head now rests on her shoulder and their intertwined hands rest in his lap. He has a strong hold on her hand, but other than that he seems completely relaxed and she can even hear a light snore. He will be completely embarrassed when he wakes up and realizes he drooled on her shirt.
"Ma'am, we're serving dinner in ten minutes." the flight attendant tells her with a smile. She had already come by a couple of times to check if they needed anything. Cath has the sneaking suspicion, if she were traveling alone, she wouldn't get this kind of attention.
"Thank you."
Before Cath can decide whether to wake Steve or not, he starts stirring. It's actually funny to watch him waking up. He blinks a few times, looks around without moving, until he locks eyes with her. "Hey."
"Did you have a nice nap?"
"Hmm." He isn't moving from his spot on her shoulder, obviously quite comfortable with the 'sleeping' arrangements.
"Does your head still hurt?"
"No, it's good. What time is it?" Now he sits up and sees the wet spot on her shoulder. And as predicted changes color to a nice shade of red. "Sorry." He sheepishly smiles at her.
"You want Honolulu time, our current position or Manila time?" She grins at him and motions to the screen in front of them. A world map is shown on it with the current time around the world. A little dot shows them where they are at the moment and at what time.
"Huh. That's a cool toy. Wow, did I sleep for over two hours?"
"Yeah. You obviously needed it. You feel better?"
"I feel fine. Actually I'm kind of hungry. And thirsty." Steve is still playing with the touchscreen in front of him. Touching different spots around the world, looking at the times that will pop up. "Look, it's 05.00 h in Reykjavik."
"We're a long way from Reykjavik, Steve." Cath has to laugh at his childlike joy about that 'time-machine'.
"That's true." Steve finally takes his focus off the computer screen and turns back to her. "I'm sorry I drooled on you." If she gets that kind of kiss every time after being drooled on, he can drool all he likes.
"We'll get dinner in a minute. Chicken okay for you? I didn't want to wake you to ask, so I ordered it."
"Chicken's fine."
Not even a minute later they get their meal. On actual china, but the cutlery is still plastic. Since 9/11 there is no real cutlery on any airline anymore.
They are being offered wine, but decline and opt for water instead. "Wow, this is really good." Cath is happy to see Steve digging into his meal. He seems to be doing really well. It takes them almost half an hour to finish their dinner, salad and dessert. A chocolate mousse to die for. At least Cath thinks so, Steve didn't touch his. Robin, the friendly flight attendant brought them some coffee and bottles of water, after cleaning their tables.
The light in the cabin is dimmed when they settle back into their seats. "You promised to tell me why you're all off work for two weeks." Cath looks at Steve who has once again his head on her shoulder. She wonders if he's still tired or in pain.
But he sits back up after her question. "Right, I did." He slouches a little bit down in his seat, and taking her hand in his starts his tale.
H50 – H50 – H50
Steve looks at his friend, girlfriend, as he told Gracie a few hours ago. She listened to him telling the story about the murder at the charity event and how they solved it. For a second, he debated not telling her about the incident on the roof, but he came to the conclusion that he can't keep something like that from her.
He could feel how worried she was when he told her about the car accident. And the trip to the ER, about all the tests they did. How uncomfortable the neck brace was, and how long it took for it to come off. Only after the CT did they take it off. It really hurt to lie flat on his back in the scanner and he had had trouble breathing during the scan. But they insisted that it was necessary after such an impact on the head and neck. Took them a few hours, but then he was released and actually walked out of there under his own power.
Five-0's 'punishment' for the dealings with the case was two weeks suspension without pay. And the governor forcing Lori to resign. He's still not sure how he feels about that. Of course he knows that she had a thing for him; he's committed to Cath but not blind. But he's pretty sure that he had never ever encouraged her.
"She really liked you. Everyone could see that." Cath tells him with a smile.
"You think? She never acted on it, I mean, yeah there was a look sometimes. But nothing else. She also looked at Danny that way."
"I doubt that she looked like that at Danny. Steve, don't worry about it. You're an attractive man, and she had a crush on you. It's not your fault. I'm sure you didn't encourage her. I know you, even if you liked her more than as a team mate, you would never engage in a romantic relationship with one of your subordinates."
"They are not my subordinates, they are my team. Well technically I am the boss, but, you know what I mean. It's not the Navy, Cath. It's a little different. They do have a say, and I want them to speak up."
"Yeah, well, but at the end of the day, you have the final say. But I know what you mean, you don't have to give too many orders, do you?"
"No, I don't. They know what to do. I'm just sorry that they have to suffer the suspension, when it's my responsibility."
"Oh, now you are the boss and have to face the consequences alone?"
Steve laughs at that, "You know, I think we had enough talk for now." He bends over and engages in a sweet kiss that tastes like chocolate. "Sweet." He grins into the kiss.
When Steve started his story, he pulled the armrest up and now they have no barrier between them. Which comes in handy when Cath practically climbs into his lap. This way they have way better access to each other.
"You know," Steve is slightly out of breath, "the other four passengers have all used the lavatory by now."
"Really?"
"Uh huh, really. Last one is just out." Steve mumbles into Cath's ear around some kisses along her neck. "We should go check it out." They can't go much further while still in their seats, and if Steve doesn't get closer to their goal this time around, he's going to bust something. And that will not be a pretty sight. He's waited months to be with Cath again, and he won't be able to wait much longer.
"You want us to go to the 'bathroom'? Together?"
"That's the idea." Steve can't quite keep the moan in when Cath wiggles on his lap.
"I like your thinking, commander."
"I was hoping you would say that. So how do we go about it?"
"What, you haven't planned this out yet?" Cath pushes her hand just under his belt buckle, which causes him to suck in a breath.
"I thought you…" Steve loses all ability to think or speak for a moment when Cath's hand pushes down a little further south. She hasn't even touched down yet, and he's almost a goner. He's going to blame it on his injuries. "You keep… that up, and we don't need to go anywhere." She giggles and immediately withdraws her hand. "Not funny, Cath."
"Sorry." She 'attacks' his mouth with a vengeance and they duel for dominance. "I'll go first, and you follow in a minute." Cath gets up swiftly leaving a panting Steve alone in his seat.
Steve looks after her and tries to get control over his breathing and other parts of his anatomy. Last time he came this close without actually touching, he was an inexperienced teenager, embarrassing himself in front of his first girlfriend. Just thinking about it leaves him blushing. After having some kind of control back, he gets up and ambles towards the lavatories. One last look around shows that no one's paying any attention. He slips into the small space and is greeted by a very eager Cath, who picks up right where she left off.
Steve's happy to notice that the lavatories in this class are indeed a bit more spacious than in the back of the plane. They actually have some room to maneuver. Not that they need much with Cath pressed as close as she is against him.
"Hmm, I've never done this before, Steve. It's exciting."
Steve leans against the back wall and trails kisses down Cath's neck, making her moan softly. She obviously wants this as much as he does. He closes his eyes when she pulls his undershirt out of his pants and trails his abdominal muscles with her fingernails. When she palms his arousal, the sensation makes him jerk his head back and bang it against the wall in the process.
Which makes her giggle again. "You're sensitive today. What's with you? You're still fully dressed."
He thinks it's a rhetorical question, so he's not going to answer it. But he really seems on sensory overload. Maybe his head injury IS to blame for it. He wants to feel Cath, feel her smooth skin, her warm body against his. He's taking some deep breaths again, thinking like this will end it all really soon. "Cath… wait." Steve's panting out and leans a bit more into her, he's a little dizzy. It's not a hard question why that is.
Cath slows her movement under his shirt, and hugs him instead around the waist, feeling that he needs a short break. She's not saying anything, instead trails gentle kisses down his throat and up his jaw until she finally ends at his lips again. "Okay?"
"Yeah." Steve feels back in control and starts kissing her again. It only takes a minute for them both to be out of breath. "Cath, I…" That's as far as he gets.
They both hit the ceiling and a second later the floor. They crash down with a thud and Steve with a cry of pain, when Cath lands with her knee in a very painful spot. Steve has never actually seen 'stars' before, but now he does. He hit the ceiling with the back of his head and on the way down the basin with his ribs and to make it really memorable Cath just emasculated him. At least it feels like it. He has no recollection of how he managed to do so in the way too small room, but the next thing he's fully aware of, is lying curled on his side with Cath kneeling next to him. While he tries to ride out the pain in his groin and ribs.
The earlier smooth flight now feels more like a bumpy ride in a bus on a very uneven road. They obviously hit some turbulence. They can hear a lot of crying and noises of chaos such a sudden dip causes from behind the door.
"Steve, I'm so sorry. Anything I can do?" Cath looks down at her friend, who has curled in on himself with both hands on his groin and lower belly. He is obviously in a great deal of pain.
Steve can't even answer, he has a hard time getting enough air in. His ribs are hurting, but the pain radiating from his groin into his belly is taking his breath away. He can feel how Cath is rubbing his back and is whispering sweet nonsense into his ear. After another minute, the pain starts to lessen and he can breathe more easily.
"Ugh, man. This is not my day." Steve uncurls from his fetal position and carefully sits up, wincing while doing so. He still has his hands protectively on his private parts, leaning back against the wall. One hand travels up to his ribs, gently prodding for any new injuries.
"You're bleeding." Cath holds some folded paper towels to his head to stop the small bleed. The cut on his forehead has opened and started to bleed a little.
"Cath, are you hurt?" Steve softly asks her.
"No, I'm fine. You feel better, can you get up?"
"Give me a minute." He leans back with closed eyes again, taking deep breaths. "So, is this exciting enough for you?"
"Oh, more than enough, thank you very much. We should go back to our seats. The seat belt sign is on, and I for one don't want to end up with my head in the ceiling again."
"I second that." Steve uses the basin to pull himself up off the floor, but keeps standing a little bent over. His hand hasn't left the still painful spot yet. "You go first, I'll be right out. I just want to…" He doesn't need to tell her what he wants to check.
"Can you make it back on your own?"
"Cath, it's ten feet to our seats. I'm pretty sure I'll make it." He has to smile at her worry.
"Okay."
Steve opens the door and Cath slips out, with him staying behind and locking it again. He leans his head against the cool metal and takes another deep breath. He feels sick and is not sure if it's from his head or his groin. But he's sure his dinner will make another appearance. At least he's not dizzy anymore. He turns around in the small room and splashes some water in his face before he goes about checking the 'damage'.
H50 – H50 – H50
When Cath steps out of the lavatory, she's a little shocked to see what that 'dip' caused. The neat part of the plane they are flying in, is now cluttered with papers and other stuff that fell out of the overhead compartments.
She can hear some commotion from behind the divider; children are crying and people are talking all at once. She knows that turbulence is something that normally poses no real danger to the plane, but inside it can cause some chaos. And injuries. She hopes that no one is seriously hurt.
Cath makes her way to her seat and buckles in. She looks at the door she just came out of and worries about her friend. She hurt him. Badly too. Of course she couldn't have prevented it, but thinking that she caused that much pain, makes her a little sick. She knows that the pain normally lessens soon and a lasting injury is seldom, but still. Steve's injured enough as it is.
She looks up when the door opens and Steve steps out. Pale, but smiling. He's limping a little but seems able to stand upright again although his right hand still hovers near his belt. A moment later he lowers himself into his seat, wincing a little.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm good."
"Liar. How bad's the pain?"
"It's okay, but I was sick. Cath, can we get some water?"
"I'll get us some." Cath gets up from her seat and disappears around the corner. The trolley with the beverages is stored right behind one of the dividers. The flight attendants are otherwise occupied at the moment, but she's sure it's okay to get the water herself.
She's back a minute later with two bottles of water and some plain cookies. "Steve, you like some cookies?"
"No, just the water. Thank you." Steve takes the offered bottle and takes some small sips, so not to upset his stomach again.
"The cut is not bleeding anymore. Does your head hurt?"
"No." Steve's squirming a bit in his seat, trying to find a better position. There's still a lingering pain elsewhere, but it's more uncomfortable than painful.
"I guess it's not meant to be for us today."
"Huh, don't think I'm giving up just yet. The day's not over." Steve grins at her, fully knowing that nothing will happen during this flight.
'Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I apologize for the bumpy ride. We're about to hit some more turbulence. Please stay in your seats for your own safety. There are some tropical storms brewing, which we can't out-fly. We will reach Manila on time, but I'm sorry to inform you that all connecting flights were canceled due to the weather situation in the area. We will inform you of any changes as soon as possible.'
"Isn't that just great? This is getting better and better. A tropical storm. Great."
Catherine looks at her friend, who's still grumbling and has to smile. "You know, we might be stuck in a hotel in Manila for a few days. Not such a bad thing." She smiles at the grin spreading all over Steve's face. "Try to sleep some more, Steve. You look exhausted. Come here." She guides him down, so that his head rests on her shoulder again.
"I'll try not to drool this time," Steve mumbles, already half asleep.
Cath gives him a kiss on the top of the head, "Drool away my friend."
H50 – H50 – H50
TBC
