AN: I'm not sure how many times I can say it, but THANK YOU for the reviews, they are fabulous. They are motivating, even if it does take me forever to update. I hope you enjoy the little "twist" this chapter gives you.

Also, someone asked in the reviews why I picked Manila. Well, to be honest I was trying to figure out what kind of post-finale fic I could do, happen to be watching Bourne Legacy (I think I've mentioned mmmmm Renner…) and tah-dah, you get this! Enjoy!

Italics are flashbacks.


Chapter Three: Comfortable


The warm breeze blew through her hair while she took another long drink of the beer in her hand. He was sitting next to her on the sand, both of them staring off into the ocean.

She laughed at something he said and smiled, please when he returned it. There was something in the air between them that night, something living and breathing and expanding in the space between them.

She knew this was a bad idea to be here alone with him, he was bad for her, but at that moment she didn't care. Maybe because of the setting sun or the slight buzz she was experiencing from the beer she had consumed. Either way, when he leaned in slightly she responded in kind and then his lips were on hers and oh, it was so, so good. One of his hands wove into her hair, the other cupping the back of her head.

When his tongue pressed against her lips and she parted them to allow access Kono knew there was no going back from this.


She startled awake, momentarily confused where she was but it only took a quick look around the small, hot room to remind her. Eventually her gaze landed on Steve, who was still sitting in the same chair he was before in she fell asleep in seemingly the same position, gun in his lap.

She sighed and stretched, her entire body ached, that's when she realized it was pitch black outside and she frowned – how long had she been sleeping?

"It's one thirty in the morning. You slept for nearly eleven hours." Steve said and there was something in his voice, something she couldn't quite discern…disappointment maybe?

She shifted on the bed and when she sat up to face him, he was clearly texting someone.

"What are you-"

"The flophouse owner's son is going to get us some food, which you will eat."

She stared at him a minute. "We are going to eat in the middle of the night?"

"You wanna wait until morning? It's been twelve hours since we ate last." Again that look then, "At least since I did."

"I guess not," she admitted and then realized that for the first time in a while her stomach was actually grumbling and not silent from stress eating at her.

The room fell silent, an awkward kind she couldn't remember ever being between them. They were always comfortable around each other. But now there was this…silence.

"Steve…thank you."

His expression instantly softened and he moved to sit next to her on the bed. "Anything for you, you know that."

Kono started twisting her fingers together and stared at them, seemingly fascinated. "It's…hard. Being on the run, a lot harder than I thought. You're constantly suspicious of everyone…" she laughed a little. "Literally everyone, from little kids to old ladies, wondering if one of them is working for them. And I don't think Adam took it as seriously as I did…do. At first he did, but as time wore on he thought we were good, that we didn't need to worry. But all I could think was that every day that went by was another day they were looking and could find us. I never feel truly safe." She looked pointedly at him. "Until now."

"Well, you were right. They were still looking for you," he said and placed a hand over her twitching ones.

"Yeah. That's one time I would rather have been wrong," she mumbled and glanced over while his hand tightened on hers.

Steve watched something sad settle on her face but before he could ask about it there was sharp knock on the door and he stood, quickly exchanging money for the food he'd requested.

When he returned to the bed, they slid back in unison until their backs were against the wall, containers balanced on outstretched legs. This time she dug into the food the way he was used to seeing her eat and the smallest bit of relief flowed through him. It wasn't long before she had half of the noodles and vegetables gone.

Steve grinned at her between bites of his own food and she returned it, slowing her eating to avoid stomach cramps.

"I did manage to get some calls in before dark," he said and finished off his carton. "Nothing yet, but there's a couple more hospitals and morgues to visit tomorrow along with the last place you saw him."

She nodded. "Doris' contact?"

"Calling me back. But he said that when we find him, he can get you and Adam out of Manila with little trouble."

Again something flitted across her face but she said nothing. Absolutely nothing. Steve debating calling her out, but decided it probably wasn't worth it. They could talk after this was all over.

She finished the last couple bites of her food and realized that with a full stomach she was tired…again.

Steve collected the containers and tossed them into a small garbage can in the corner of the room.

"We can't do much else until morning. Might as well get some more sleep if we can," he said and moved to sit back in the chair.

"You need to sleep too."

He looked at her. "Planning on it."

"In the chair?"

"Yup."

"No," she said and he looked at her, somewhat amused, but she pushed on. "We can share the bed, it's not exactly home but it's better than the chair."

He hesitated and she lay down on her side and scooted back to the wall. Trying not to think about it too hard he stood, shoved the chair under the door handle and approached the bed. There was something holding him back, this nagging thought that this was a bad idea.

Despite that he pulled the thin sheet over her body before lying next to her on top of the covers, fully dressed, shoes and all. She eyed him critically a moment before deciding not to push it and shifted around a few moments before falling asleep.


She was pressed back into the warm sand, his lips never leaving sun and lust heated skin. When he found a particularly sensitive spot she moaned and scratched her fingers across his t-shirt clad back. At some point she slipped her hands under the shirt and pushed the material up and over his head, tossing it aside.

His body was half covering hers and along with his warm chest pressed to her, she could feel his erection pressed into her thigh. One of his hands worked their way under her t-shirt, cupping a bikini-clad breast, his thumb moving across her nipple. She arched into him with a seductive groan and he captured her lips with his, his tongue in her mouth again, this time more insistent.

Then he bit her lower lip gently and her hands wandered along the fabric of his waistband of his shorts, occasionally dipping below the material and running across the hidden skin.

"Kono," he mumbled against her mouth, "we shouldn't…"

"I know," she said as he moved his lips down to the tops of her shoulders.

"Tell me to stop…" he whispered.

"No."

An epitaph was mumbled against the skin of her collarbone and then he stood, pulling her with him.

Halfway to the house he suddenly picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, carrying her fireman style. Kono shrieked and then laughed, wiggling a little against his shoulder.

When his hands began to wander up and down her long legs she stopped moving, relaxed against him and sighed his name, "Steve."


Waking the second time was less disorienting for her, this time she was very aware of where she was. The only surprise was Steve was still sleeping – and one of her hands was resting on his chest, fingers curled slightly into the soft material of his t-shirt.

One of his own hands was similarly splayed on his abdomen below hers, his thumb and her pinky just brushing each other.

Staring at his profile, Kono couldn't stop the memories of their first time together. It had been after the case with the kids buried in a school bus. At the hotel with parents hugging their rescued children (and occasionally her), their eyes had met and she'd seen the spark of…something between them. It was just the way he was staring intently at her perhaps. The rest of the day had been mostly chaotic and she hadn't had time to reflect on the look on his face or the feeling it evoked in her. And then he had invited the team to his place for food and beer.

As the evening had worn on they found themselves alone sitting on his beach, toes buried in the warm sand. Then he'd kissed her and eventually carried her into the house.

The next morning they had promised themselves and each other that it wouldn't happen again, no matter how fantastic the sex had been, and explained away their improper behavior as the emotional stress from the day compounded with one too many beers.

And they had managed to move on and act like nothing had happened, content with going back to strictly teammates and friends.

At least for a while.

"You ok?" he suddenly asked, voice rough from sleep and damn if that sound didn't still send a warm sensation down her spine.

Kono resisted snatching her hand back and instead just released the loose hold she had on his shirt. But before she could slowly pull away, the hand he had resting on his stomach moved up and covered hers, his thumb slowly stroking her wrist.

"Yeah, good," she mumbled and Kono knew she should move away from him but the soothing strokes of his thumb were rooting her in place. For a brief, wonderful, moment she forgot the mess she was in, a mess of her own making. Unconsciously she moved closer to him, instantly feeling safer, calmer really, in his presence – there was something (always had been really) about him that did that. Yes, Adam was still out there somewhere, but for the first time in months she felt comfortable so she decided to be selfish, if only for a couple minutes.

"We should get going," he said after a while and removed his hands from hers before sitting up and flinging his feet to the floor – his shoes making a loud "thud" on the floor.

"Yeah," she replied and followed suit, pulling her shoes on and heading for the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" he called out.

Kono just barely stopped the eye roll. "Bathroom."

He looked appropriately chagrined. "Oh, ok. Just make it quick."

"Yes, boss." The term came so naturally and he grinned before a wistful expression crossed her face. "Sorry, guess I shouldn't call you that, huh?"

He stood and quickly crossed the small room, absently cupping her cheek. "Maybe you will again one day…and mean it."

"Yeah, maybe," she all but whispered and pulled away, walking out the door, leaving him standing there.


The second time he'd shown up at her door, it was a mere two weeks after the first time and at nearly midnight – not that she had been sleeping. Once again the team had closed a particularly grueling case, they had been up for nearly three days straight and in the end had caught the murderer, but not before two more women had been killed.

Before Kono could even get out a word he stepped into the house, closing the door behind him and rotating them to push her back against it, pressing his lips to hers almost violently. Out of sheer surprise she resisted for just a moment before relaxing against the door and kissing him back with equal force.

Then his hands were practically everywhere, touching every bit of skin that was exposed by her barely there pajamas of a spaghetti tank top and cotton short shorts.

Before she could even get her hands on him, her tank was being pulled up and over her head and his fingers were dancing at the waist of her shorts, occasionally dipping below the fabric to touch skin. All the while his lips worked slowly down her neck, tongue dipping into the hollow of her throat, eliciting a low moan from her.

"Steve," she breathed out and ran her fingers through his hair, nails scraping his scalp.

In place of speaking, Steve slid his hand into her shorts, then her underwear, touching her gently. Kono threw her head back against the solid door.

The thud that resulted reminded them of their location and he pulled away, wordlessly leading her by the hand down the hall to her bedroom.


As they walked out of the second hospital into the hot Manila morning, Steve's cell rang.

"McGarrett," he answered and placed a hand on her forearm, stopping them. "Yeah, I got it…thanks, man…will do."

Steve hung up to find Kono staring at him expectantly. "We got a lead."

Thank god, she thought. Both hospitals had been a bust, no patients matching Adams description and no one in the morgue either.

"Where?"

"Manufacturing warehouse a couple miles away on the outside of town. Doris' contact got wind of an American being held there by gang members."

Kono looked hopeful. "Is he still there?"

"Contact didn't know, the info is a couple days old," he said while waving for a cab. "Let's check it out. Even if he isn't there, it's a start."

She nodded her agreement and climbed into the cab behind him.

The driver dropped them off in front of a somewhat upscale hotel several blocks from their destination. Steve didn't want to leave a trail to the warehouse, just in case. As they walked slowly toward their destination Steve made a point of holding her hand as they went, putting forth the appearance of a couple on vacation. Kono couldn't deny she liked the way her smaller hand fit into his…always had really.

Tightening his grip on hers just a little bit, Steve was consumed with thoughts of how he was going to get her (them, he supposed) out of the country in the short term and then out of this Yakuza mess entirely so she could come home. To him…to them.

Steve decided that after they checked out the warehouse he would call Danny and Chin and see if they had made any progress on their end. Not that he was hopeful, it had been barely 24 hours but they were more motivated than ever.

Meanwhile Kono moved subtly closer to him, her own thoughts tumbling over each other, scattered. Concern for Adam and what he was going through, if he was scared, injured. And then, in the back of her head was awe…awe and appreciation that Steve had traveled thousands of miles to help her. He could have stayed in Hawaii and worked connections from there. But instead he came to be with her.

Kono wasn't quite sure what to make of that just yet.

As they approached the warehouse he dropped her hand and instantly she missed the comforting warmth. He brought one finger to his lips to indicate silence and she nodded, following him to stand under a window that was far above either of their heads. After a moment of looking around, Steve bent over slightly, hooking his hands together in front of him. She understood instantly and dropped her backpack to the ground before placing a foot in his cradled hands. Steve lifted and her other foot landed on his shoulder, balancing precariously as she looked through the dirty window.

Kono took her time scanning the inside, knowing Steve was capable of holding her as long as necessary. After several moments she looked down and shook her head. His hands lowered and she dropped back to the ground.

"Empty." She kept her voice low, though.

"Ok".

Kono picked up her bag and slung it back over both shoulders, he did the same.

In tandem born from years of breeching buildings together, they approached the single door, pulling weapons from their waistbands. They stood to either side of the door and Steve reached out, testing the handle. He nodded, indicating it was unlocked. Quickly he turned the knob and threw the door open, when no gunfire erupted from inside they moved cautiously through the doorway.

Quietly and efficiently they moved through the large warehouse, clearing space after space. Finally they came across a small mostly empty office with another high window.

Sitting in the middle of the room was a single chair. As they approached Kono noted pieces of zip tie scattered on the floor.

"Someone was held here," Steve said, speaking what she had been thinking.

"Yeah," she muttered with resignation.

Steve turned to her and said, "We can't be sure it was him, Kono."

Sighing, Kono bent down and picked something up that was lying amidst the ties.

A ring. A platinum ring that she held out to Steve.

"It's Adam's," she forced out and indicated for him to look inside the band.

Steve glanced at her before taking the ring; she looked sad and resigned to Adam's fate. Then he looked at the inscription.

All my love…Kono

Quickly he glanced around the room. "Nothing to indicate he isn't alive. No blood, no evidence of violence."

"I know…it's just…he was here." She paused and took a shuddering breath. "He was here for how long and I couldn't fucking find him. I'm a god-damn detective!" Then her entire body seemingly started to shake.

She was falling apart right in front of him and it startled him, never had he seen her lose it quite like this. The closest comparison he had was when Ian had died right in front of her. But even then she exuded a confidence, confidence that was completely absent in that moment. Right now she was consumed by grief and guilt. Neither of which Steve knew would be helpful in that moment.

He took a step toward her, hand outstretched but she stepped back – avoiding the contact. Steve was, unsurprisingly, more stubborn than that and approached again, whispering her name and gently gripping her upper arms. "We will find him, you know me. I don't give up that easy. Right now I need you to focus."

She took a shuddering breath. "I know…I-"

Before she could finish her thought a red dot appeared on Steve's chest, directly above his heart.

tbc…

You will find out more about Steve/Kono's previous relationship and how it fits in with Catherine and Adam in upcoming chapters. In the meantime, feel free to leave a lovely review.