A/N- So I'm not as busy this week therefore my updates won't be so delayed! Thank you for all the reviews, story alerts etc. they made me happy. I don't quite know what's wrong with me but my mind is filled with plots therefore I'll be trying to get my current fics updated and done as quickly as possible so I can start on a new one!

Again reviews are very welcome! Enjoy.

…

Even though he wasn't an active SEAL anymore, Steve still needed to train and keep in shape as he was in the Reserves.

The swimming was a good way for him to stay in shape and to relieve some of the tension and stress. He felt uneasy due to two things, the first because they hadn't found Victor Hesse's body and Kono.

Swimming had given him time to think things through. He could put the Victor Hesse issue aside for now because: he had shot the guy, twice and he needed to focus on this new job without being distracted.

Distractions. Kono. Steve had decided that working with Kono would be no problem because he felt an initial attraction to her as he first met her soaking wet clad in a very small bikini but it was nothing more, therefore working with her would be fine as long as she was fully dressed. He was going to distance himself from her though, just in case.

…

All the swimming "to relieve stress" equated to nothing upon Danny's arrival to his home.

"They didn't find Victor Hesse's body yet." Danny's words caused all the tension and paranoia he had managed to swim out of his body to just arise again.

"What if he's alive?" Steve asked.

"You emptied a mug in the guy, he's fish food. Look, Admiral Shepherd knows this is the guy that killed your father, he's got crews on it 24/7; they will find Hesse's body." Danny tried with all the reassurance he could muster up.

Although Danny was trying his best to reassure and calm him down, Steve was still not convinced.

When the governor called him with news about a new case, it was a very welcome distraction.

…

Thank goodness she was fully dressed.

Danny was in fact his partner, which meant it only made sense for Steve to work with him, right? It had nothing to do with Steve wanting to distance himself from a certain team member. Right.

When Kono came to tell them the kidnapped victim's last call had to be his son, Steve was glad they had a witness but his son. Fantastic, a kid.

So Steve gets it, the kid was distraught but this was getting them nowhere. The kid was clueless, but at least he could assign Kono to stay close to him and his father's girlfriend. Distancing? No, of course not.

…

So perhaps Steve may have used more brutal force than necessary in order to relieve stress and tension but he wasn't going to admit that to anyone or himself for that matter. His excuse was that he was a former navy SEAL, subtlety was not his forte and the guy was part of the Serbian mafia, he wouldn't have talked anyway.

He wasn't anticipating a rant from Danny on proper police procedures. Steve honestly thought he did what he had to do.

"Is everything going to become a personal mission for you, you hang a guy off the roof because you lost your father?" Danny asked.

Steve was quite glad that was what Danny thought caused his earlier actions, he didn't need to know that it frustration.

As Steve drove from place to place following leads, he realised perhaps his excuse to get distance between himself and Kono may not have been the best because she might have been feeling quite useless and he realised; doing this was quite selfish and he just needed to get over whatever this was.

…

When Steve called Kono and she answered by calling him Steve, the alarm bells automatically went off in his head.

"Natalie is working with the Serbs we're on our way to the house, where are you?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, everything's great." And Kono's forced positivity made Steve realise what was going on.

"Just stay on the line for as long as you can." Although Steve sounded calm and collected he was anything but inside.

"Kono, can you tell us where you are?" Steve asked attempting to keep all panic out his tone because he was the oh so fearless leader of this task force and ex navy SEAL, him panicking would most definitely be embarrassing and Chin, Kono's relative, was sat in the backseat all calm so it's be creepy for him to panic whilst Chin doesn't.

"Yeah I man even take Ben out to Mokuleia beach for a swim." Kono replied and Steve could tell she was fighting to sound casual; the Serbs were probably listening in on the conversation.

"And you're heading north?" Steve asked.

"Exactly." Kono replied and Steve was very surprised he understood what she was trying to say so well, perhaps it was time to stop trying to get to know everything about her.

…

Convincing himself the utter relief he felt at seeing Kono's face was only because she was his team mate took a lot of hard work but he managed to do it.

He wanted to just bust the doors and go in firing at everyone, apart from Kono, Ben and his father of course but he needed a strategic plan: he was trained for such situations after all.

The signal he gave to Kono once he was inside the building was more intended to warn her about the hell that was about to break loose but apparently she thought it was for Ben and his dad, which it should have been really.

Steve was surprised to see Kono jump off her chair to fight Natalie, or whatever her name was as soon the gunfire erupted, wasn't she supposed to be tied up?

They'd managed to shoot most of "the bad guys" but as soon as Steve saw the propane tanks alight he knew they had to move, quickly.

"Everyone out, now, now!" Steve shouted trying to get everyone to realise the danger of the situation.

He saw Kono fall beside him to avoid the force of the blast and as much as he wanted to check on her, there was still one bad guy remaining and there was the distance thing.

…

"We owe Kono." Danny said when they were gathered at HQ later on.

"Yeah, she missed her graduation because of this case." Chin agreed.

"We could take her out for a drink or something as an apology and a way to congratulate her." Danny suggested.

Steve was listening with interest as the two of them tried to come up with a way to make it up to Kono and he had had no part in the discussion so far, but he had a good idea that he knew Kono would appreciate and love. Again, he needed to stop getting to know her.

"How about we bring the graduation to her?" Steve asked out of the blue interrupting the two men's discussion.

"That's pretty impossible, Steven." Danny said, for some reason putting emphasis on his name.

"Have to agree with Danny on this one brah." Chin said.

"No what I mean is; we put on our dress uniforms, give her some gifts and make her swear her oath kinda thing…" Steve said hoping they understood his idea.

"I think Kono would like that." Chin said with a small smile before getting up to go and put on his dress uniform, Steve assumed.

Once he had left the room, Danny turned to Steve and asked, "So, do you have a gift for her?"

Steve realised that was a flaw to his plan but he came up with an idea before replying, "Don't you worry about that, just go get your uniform so we can do this."

…

When Kono walked out of the locker rooms to find the three of them standing there waiting for her, her steps slowed before a smile broke out on her face.

Steve noticed the purple bruises on her face and he honestly felt like crap for putting her through this.

Steve stepped forward before handing her a small brown box. As Kono opened it and grinned, Steve felt immense relief and also quite happy that he could make her smile.

"I'm sorry you were put in danger today and we care for each other like a family." Family, right. "Please know that we will always do everything we can to protect you."

What he was basically trying to say was that he was sorry he had put her in danger and he'd do everything to protect her but saying would have been inappropriate and he was trying very hard with the distance thing, saying that would make him closer which he was fighting to not be.