AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey there! Chapter 3 is here! I hope you like it. Thank you for reading and to SteveMcgarrettLover and St for taking the time to write me a review.

This chapter takes place in 4x04, while Steve is waiting for Catherine at home.

YOU'RE GOING DOWN NEXT - Chapter 3

"That is not noble, it's stupid!" Steve couldn't stop thinking about Danny's words while he was having dinner alone at home.

"Is that right? Perhaps, it was a mistake to encourage Catherine to take the job. I still trust her and everything, but, what if Danny is right? Well, he gets scared very easily and he's never been in a relationship like ours. We trust each other because we've been apart and still exclusive for years. He's overreacting. I shouldn't listen to him. And he was also upset about Gabby."

Some time later, he finished his dinner, put the leftovers in the fridge for Catherine and went to bed. He was constantly looking at the alarm clock on the bedside table, feeling nervous about her first day back on the field. It was supposed to be a quiet security detail case, but... "The list of potential threats was quite long…" He had helped her to investigate them in Five-0 Headquarters. Steve knew she would have been more than capable to do it without his assistance; but, even if he wanted to be supportive and helpful like she had been in the past; he mainly did it to find out what she might be dealing with, in case of an attack. "I hope she's alright. It's getting really late." Suddenly, his phone rang and brought him back to reality.

"Hey Danno."

"She's leaving."

"I'm so sorry Danny. I know how much she means to you." Steve said sincerely.

"I might have 'sort of' broken up with her."

"What?!" Steve asked surprised.

"It's for Grace's sake. I'm an adult, I could deal with the whole long distance relationship thing, but I cannot have my daughter saying goodbye to her every time she gets a new job." Danny answered.

"You're right man, Gracie loves her. It'd be really hard."

"Yeah… what are you doing awake anyway?" His friend asked him, changing the subject.

"You called me, remember?"

"Yes, I did, but you sounded very awake when you picked up the phone."

"I was just waiting for Catherine, ok?" Steve confessed.

"Uh-huh. So, she's still with Billy at this late hour of the night. And it looked like I was the one with the problem."

"Yes, Danny. She's still working with her boss."

"Ok, then. If you say so...Well, good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Steve didn't want to pay too much attention to Danny's insinuations; he knew he wasn't in a good mood in that moment. "He's just being dramatic because he's sad...Although, I still don't like the idea of Catherine working this late. Nothing good happens this late. Oh, come on! Now I sound like him. She's fine. She's a Navy Brat with three tours in Kabul. A private security job is a walk in the park for her." He looked at the time again. "This is ridiculous! Is it going to be like this every day she has a long case? I've been there, I know how this job can be sometimes. And yet, I can't stop worrying. Why is this hard now? I don't remember getting like this before. I worried of course, but not like this. It's just different now. When did everything change?" He got up, put a sleeveless shirt on and went downstairs. After that, he grabbed a cup of water and sat in the front yard. "Maybe the fresh air will do me some good and clear my head."

"When did everything change?" He kept wondering. "I don't think this is only about what happened with El Condor...I just can't imagine my life without her. I'm used to her leaving here. I'm used to her? I'm used to her?? That's not even close to what this is. I want her here. I love being with her and I love her. I do. I don't want to be apart from her ever again. Not for one second." He took a sip of water and again looked at the time, in this occasion on his phone, as he had already taken his watch off. "Not for one second...Does this mean what I think it means?" Steve would have never admitted it to anybody but he felt terrified for a minute. "What's wrong with me? It'd be great. Yes, but what if she doesn't want that yet? And what if she does want it? I mean, she maybe insinuated that to me with the 'what's next' comment. Argh! It could have meant anything or nothing at all. Besides, it could also look like I'm doing this because of Billy..."

He heard a car then, and sighed relieved. Steve was happy to see her in one piece. "Of course, she's fine! And gorgeous!" He smiled to himself.

They talked a bit and she went inside to fresh up. Once she had entered the house, he saw Billy watching from the car and waved at him. "He's a good man and a better soldier. I respect him a lot, but my life would be easier if he wasn't in it."