Takes place immedietly following the Dinner at Hokulani Resort at the end of episode 4x14.
Catherine placed her black lace handbag on the table, and carefully kicked off her shoes as she pushed them to the side with her foot. "That was a fun night" she commented to Steve who proceeded to lock the door and set the alarm.
"Oh, damn, there it is" He exclaimed as he reached for the wallet that sat on the very same table. "I can't believe I forgot my wallet again" He shook his head in disbelief.
Catherine chuckled "You have a habit of doing that" She held out her hand
Steve handed her the wallet and watched as she opened and retrieved two one hundred dollar bills from within. "You are so lucky I had cash on me because Danny would have never let you live that down" She folded the bills and placed them next to her handbag.
"Can you imagine how embarrassing that would have been after I invited everyone out?" He removed his suit jacket and tossed it on the couch.
A smile appeared on Catherine's face. She paused and watched him as he untucked his shirt. Her expression changed from jovial to serious. Refusing to make eye contact she reached for his hand to get his attention "Steve "she whispered
Turning around to see why her playful demeanor had changed, he tugged at her hand to bring her closer "What's wrong?" He asked
"Speaking of being embarrassed, about earlier, I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of HPD" She finally looked up at him trying desperately to gage his reaction.
"When did you embarrass me in front of HPD?" he had no idea what she was talking about
"When I hugged you at the crime scene earlier… I just wasn't thinking straight…I thought you..." She stumbled on her words.
Steve interrupted "Cath... it was ok…really" He pulled her closer and reached around her waist, drawing her into a hug.
Catherine slightly pulled back and began to fidget "I was out of line. I just thought… you were hurt… and I was so relieved that you were ok. We promised to keep things professional, no PDA, but I could hear the gunfire blocks away and all I could think of was… you on the ground bleeding, like… like Billy… and I was … scared" Her eyes pooled with tears .
"Cath, its ok." He gently touched her chin, gently raising it to bring her eyes to meet his. Wiping her tears with his thumb, he whispered "I'm sorry I scared you." He looked at her lovingly "It was nice to have someone worry about me for a change. It felt good" He paused "I was scared too." He admitted, never losing contact with her eyes.
Catherine pursed her lips, trying to control the slight smirk that appeared as she stretched on the tip of her toes and kissed him. She knew that admission was not easy for him. "I guess this is something we are going to have to get used to". Placing another peck on his lips, she backed away and walked toward the couch.
Steve watched her movements and searched his mind for a way to comfort her. He wanted to change the seriousness of the moment. They had a fun night at the Hokulani and was hoping that nothing would ruin it. Before he could think of a change of topic, Catherine spoke. "It was nice of Danny to bring Grace tonight"
He grinned at her comment. She always had a way of changing the topic when things became tense. That was one of the traits he loved about her, but it was also the one thing that frustrated him the most about her. She seemed to read his thoughts and was always a step ahead of him.
"Yeh, he felt guilty about punishing her; especially after what happened with Parrish and his daughter." Steve sat next to Catherine on the couch and proceeded to kick off his shoes.
"I'm glad she finally stood up to that bully. She has been harassing Grace and her friend for months" Catherine was proud of Grace for finally standing up for herself.
Steve suddenly turned to face her, placing one leg under the other for leverage, he leaned closer. "How did you know she was being bullied?" He tilted his head slightly and asked with a tone of suspicion.
"Umm, she may have come to me for some self-defense pointers, and I may have given her some" She cringed at the possible reaction she was about to receive. She knew that Steve was just as protective of Grace as Danny was.
Steve erupted in laughter "So that right hook was your right hook and not Danny's? Does he even know you were teaching his daughter how to fight?"
"I was not teaching her how to fight" She replied defensively "I was teaching her to stand up for herself and her friends." She stood to make a point "I would hope that someone would do the same for my kid someday" Realizing what she said her eyes grew wide and she turned shielding her reaction from Steve's view. She hoped the comment was overlooked.
Too late.
Steve jumped off the couch and reaching for her arm, tugged it just enough to make her turn to face him. "I somehow don't think our kids will need any help when it comes to defending themselves. I'm pretty sure that will be heavily embedded in their DNA" He smiled.
She stared at him, not sure how to respond
"You do want kids, right? That is what you just implied, right?" He waited for her to say something. She simply stared like a deer caught in headlights.
"I… I… I just never thought you did" She finally managed to say what had lingered in the back of her mind for years
"I honestly never thought about it. It just never came up. You never mentioned this topic of conversation before." He paused for her to say something, but she just stared at him as if she was frozen in time and thought.
He continued "I never thought I would be good at being a parent. I mean I didn't exactly have the best role models, but being around Grace and Joan, I think I'd be good at it. Besides, after seeing you with Grace and the way you coach the Navy Brats, I think you would make a great Mother". He raised one eyebrow and waited for the shocked look to leave Catherine's face.
"Wow" she finally spoke "You think you know someone and then Bam! You never cease to amaze me Commander" she moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm not saying we should have kids now or anything. What I do think is that we need to practice a little first" He smirked and twitched his eyebrows.
"I'm thinking we need a lot of practice" She smiled back emphasizing the words a lot.
Steve grabbed her waist and threw her onto his shoulder. "Yes! Lots and lots of practice!" he repeated as he ran up the stairs carrying her over his shoulder like a fireman.
Catherine let out a surprised screech as she kicked her feet in the air. "I hate you Mcgarrett!" She playfully shouted.
He picked up the pace, covering two steps at a time and shouted "I Love you, Rollins!"
The End
