The rest of the weekend passed too quickly for Steve's liking. As rare as it was to have a day off, it was even more unusual to get an entire weekend without a call from the Governor. Not wanting to tempt fate, he decided to enjoy every second and said some silent prayers that his phone wouldn't ring to end the reprieve. He and Carly spent the rest of the weekend touring familiar spots on the island and visiting some new ones that had become favorites of his since he'd returned last year. Steve sensed Carly starting to relax even though he still caught glimpses of tension cross her face which made him wonder what she was thinking. After what she'd been through, he didn't push her and just chose to believe she'd open up to him if and when she felt safe enough to do so.

Spending time back "home" was exactly what Carly needed. The physical distance from Brad and change of scenery had already done wonders for her mood in just a couple of days. She could almost literally feel herself breathing easier. And of course being around Steve had played a big part in her brighter outlook as well. Since their brief "make out session" on the beach Saturday morning, he had been a perfect gentleman; almost too much for her liking even though she knew he was right about taking things slow. She still had emotions to work through where Brad was concerned before she would be ready for anything else.

Brad….How could she have been so blind? How was it possible that she had allowed herself to stay in a relationship that was clearly toxic? She was smarter than that….She was stronger than that…..and she deserved better than that. Every time she thought about it, she would feel herself getting frustrated at her own stupidity. The other thing bothering her was the fact that Brad hadn't attempted to call her since she'd left Atlanta. She should be relieved, but Carly knew by now he was aware she'd left town, so it was uncharacteristic of him to "go silent" on her like this. It was unsettling and made her wary of what he may be up to. She prayed she was wrong, but something told her to stay on guard. For the moment, she resolved that she wouldn't allow him to have that control on her anymore and instead tried to focus on using the extra time in Hawaii to put as much distance between them as necessary.

Monday morning…

When Monday morning rolled around, Steve woke up a little later than normal. He quickly showered before stopping in the kitchen on his way out to get the coffee maker ready and leave Carly a note. When she woke a short time later and made her way downstairs, she was disappointed to see he'd already gone but was touched at his thoughtfulness as she read the note:

Morning, Sunshine. Coffee is ready to go….Just press 'Start'. Don't know what today may be like at work, but I'll call you later so we can make plans for dinner…..Unless you already have plans. Make yourself at home! I'll look forward to seeing you later….Steve

Carly smiled to herself as she started the coffee and then went back upstairs to get her shower and figure out what to do with her day.

Steve walked into headquarters and was surprised to find his entire team already there. He was a little late, but hadn't thought he was that late. He was sure Danny wouldn't miss the opportunity to grill him about this. As if on cue, Danny came out of his office "Well, good morning, Steven. Nice of you to join us on this lovely Monday morning." He was all smiles as he looked at Steve with curiosity written all over his face.

"Shut it, Danny. You'll ruin my mood." Steve couldn't help but smirk.

"Yes, well….speaking of moods, what exactly is going on with yours this morning?"

As if he didn't know what Danny was talking about, Steve asked "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on….Monday morning aneurysm face has been replaced by a smirk. Did you think that would go unnoticed?"

Steve tried to hide it, but couldn't hold back the grin that started to cross his mouth as Danny said, "Wait for it…..Waaaaaiit for it….There it is….It's not a smirk, but a SMILE! Will wonders never cease?"

"Seriously, Danny. Cut it out. What's wrong with me smiling?"

"Nothing is wrong with it, Steven…..We're just not all that familiar with that particular look on you, is all. So what gives? Was the latest edition of Guns and Ammo particularly interesting this month?"

"Very funny." Steve replied, "Nothing gives. It was just great to have an entire weekend off."

"Not buying it. There's more to it than that."

"What? Is your Spidey sense kicking in or something?" Steve quipped.

Danny ignored the sarcasm and continued with his interrogation, "I'm a trained detective and you're my partner so I know when something is up."

Figuring Danny wasn't going to give up until he had an answer, Steve finally gave in.

"Okay fine, if you must know, a friend of Mary's came in to town unexpectedly this weekend."

" A friend of Mary's? But Mary isn't even here, is she? And even if she was here, what would that have to do with you? "

"No, Danny, Mary is not here….But Carly forgot that. She needed to get out of town pretty quickly so she came in a few days early for their high school reunion and forgot that Mary wouldn't be here until later this week."

"I see…..So rather than spending time with Mary, she spent time with you? And now you're at work with a smile on your face. Interesting."

"Look, it's not what you think. Since you're clearly not going to let this go, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version: Carly is a friend of Mary's from high school who lives in Atlanta now. She had to get out of town to get away from a bad relationship, so she flew in Friday night and forgot that Mary wasn't here yet. When she showed up at the house, I offered to let her stay with me. If her ex is stupid enough to come out after her, it will be harder for him to find her there."

Danny immediately sobered as he heard the details, "Is she okay?"

The concern on Steve's face was obvious as he replied, "I'm not sure. She was beat up and emotionally exhausted when she got here, but she seems to be doing some better. I think she's still worried about him showing up unexpectedly."

"You think he'd really pull something like that?"

"I'm not sure. But I'll be ready for him if he does." was all Steve could say before Chin interrupted to tell them there was a call coming in from the Governor.

The rest of the morning passed pretty quickly as they picked up a new case and the two teams separated to interview witnesses and go over evidence. As Steve and Danny finished up a quick lunch, Steve's cell phone rang. It was Mary.

"Hey Mary. What's up?"

"Have you talked to Carly this morning?"

"No….I was getting ready to try her, though. Why?"

"Last night she told me she was going to hook up with Lisa for lunch today. But Lisa called me awhile ago and said she never showed. She's tried to call Carly's cell phone and our house but hasn't got an answer. I just tried to call her, too, and she's not answering." Steve could hear the panic in Mary's voice. "Steve….what if Brad found her? What if he's at the house?"

Before Steve could answer, he turned the car around and started in the direction of the house. "Don't worry, Mary….I'm on my way there now. I'll call you."

Steve tried Carly's number without success and mumbled a silent curse when she didn't answer. Danny asked the obvious question. "Something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. Carly missed a lunch appointment with another friend of theirs and no one has been able to reach her for the last hour or so. We've gotta go by the house and see what's going on."

Within minutes, they pulled in to the driveway and a sinking feeling settled into Steve's chest as he saw an unfamiliar car parked there.

"Know that car?" asked Danny.

"Nope….but it's a rental." Steve replied an adrenaline rush propelled him out of the car.

Steve and Danny drew their guns and started towards the house. Steve motioned for Danny to go around back as he went to the front door. As he got closer, he could hear a man inside who was clearly drunk. He was rambling almost incoherently but it was obvious it was Brad and he wasn't happy with Carly's sudden leave of absence. Steve willed himself to stay calm and hoped that Brad hadn't hurt her again. God help him if he had because Steve was already ready to tear into him and give him a dose of his own medicine.

He decided to use an element of surprise and quickly entered his house, gun still drawn. As Steve rushed into the living room, Brad turned around and nearly fell over before he noticed the gun barrel pointed at his face, "What the…WHO are YOU?" he yelled. Carly stood defiantly a few feet from Brad with a mixture of terror and fury written all over her face. A look of relief passed over her face as she saw Steve come in and he quickly focused his attention to the drunk intruder who was standing a few feet from her.

"I think the more important question is who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Steve's voice was menacing as he glared at Brad.

"YOUR house?" Brad slurred.

"Yes, my house…I don't remember inviting you and I'm fairly certain Carly didn't either."

"Don't think I have to be invited when my lady is here."

"See, that's where you're wrong, because I have it on good authority that she isn't 'your lady' anymore." Steve answered never taking his eyes off the man. If push came to shove, he could take this guy down without any trouble. In fact, he was almost hoping Brad would pick a fight with him at this point.

"Oh she's mine alright." Brad continued to slur. "We were just coming to an agreement on that very subject, weren't we honey?"

Keeping his eyes on Brad, Steve spoke to Carly, "Carly, come over here and get behind me."

At first she didn't move for fear of what Brad might do. "Don't you talk to my girl, pretty boy." Brad spat.

Staying more calm than Steve thought possible, he continued again, "Carly, sweetheart…Come over and get behind me. NOW." Then speaking to Brad, he said, "I'd love nothing more than to kick your ass all the way back to Atlanta right now, so if you even flinch I will take you down. Understand?"

As Carly moved to join Steve, Brad let out a roar of anger and lunged at Steve. In one smooth move, Steve grabbed his forearm, turned him around, and slammed him face first onto the floor landing with his knee squarely in the middle of the man's back. Brad let out a cry of pain, "Dammit….You broke my nose!" Steve continued to hold his arm in a painful position on his back as he leaned down and said, "I said, don't flinch….You flinched. Wanna try it again? I'll be happy to break your arm, too." As if to emphasis his point, he pulled up just enough on Brad's arm to make it feel as if it was on the verge of breaking at any moment. Brad let out another cry of pain as Steve pulled out his cuffs, cuffed the drunken man and looked up at Danny who'd been standing quietly, for once, at the side. As they heard the HPD pulling up, he said, "Get him out of my face before I do something I won't regret, Danny." Danny made quick work of getting Brad off the floor and walking him out to the squad car waiting outside.

In the meantime, Steve turned to look at Carly who was still standing still as a statue in the middle of the living room. She looked as if she was in shock; no emotion showing on her face at all. As the reality of what had just happened hit her, tears began to fill her eyes and spill down her cheeks. Still she made no sound and made no effort to move as silent sobs started to shake her body. Steve's heart ached as he put his arms around her trembling body, "Shhhh…..It's okay, sweetheart. It's all over. It's okay….I'm here." He kissed her forehead, held her close, and let her get it out.

(Want to know how Brad was able to find Carly? I'll answer that in the next chapter!)