Steve and Carly sat on the beach quietly to enjoy the sounds of the tide rolling in. The day had been emotionally draining, and although neither one of them said it, it was as if they had silently agreed to be still for a few minutes and decompress; Lost in thought; Steve's arms wrapped protectively around Carly as she leaned back into his chest.

Carly had no idea what transpired between Steve and Brad in the "interrogation" today, but she had no doubt Steve had gained the upper hand. She'd seen a protectiveness in him that was unexpected. It was something that wouldn't have surprised her had it been directed towards Mary or a member of his team, but that fierce protectiveness had been directed towards her today which made her more certain than ever that the feelings that were unexpectedly growing in her heart for Steve were being reciprocated.

When Brad had her cornered in the house and Steve came barreling in, the look on his face was a mixture of fear about whether she was okay and fury at Brad for finding her where she was supposed to be safe. There were moments during that brief encounter when she was certain Steve could have torn Brad apart with his bare hands. He was completely in control and had been so threatening that she would have been terrified if his anger were directed at her. Strangely enough, it made her feel completely safe; He was protecting her and making her feel safe in the middle of the chaos.

Then after Brad was taken away by the HPD, Steve's entire demeanor changed and she saw a tenderness in him that melted her heart. He was so concerned….almost frightened….over whether or not Brad had hurt her. The arms that had thrown her ex-boyfriend to the floor and broken his nose just moments earlier had pulled her close with a gentleness that made her feel completely safe…..and dare she say it…cherished.

Steve held her close and quieted her until her trembling stopped and she was able to calm down again.

If Steve had been reading Carly's thoughts as they sat together, he would have been surprised to know they were very close to his own. The thought of Brad hurting her again terrified him, and it had taken all of the self-control he possessed to stop at just breaking his nose.

Truthfully, he wanted to get Brad away from her as quickly as possible so he could just hold her and chase the fear away from her eyes.

No one is ever going to hurt her again, he resolved.

Carly had only been back in Hawaii for a few days, but they had been inseparable during that time and he was already falling for her.

He wasn't ready to admit that to anyone yet, but he couldn't deny it to himself any longer.

As if going through a mental "checklist", he started thinking of all the things he admired about her:

She was smart, strong, and successful.

She was kind, generous and gorgeous and had a laugh that made his heart stop when he heard it.

Carly was the perfect mix of sweetness and sass that made her completely intriguing to him. The thought of her leaving in a matter of days wasn't something he liked to think about. Steve hadn't been expecting this interruption into his structured world, but he liked it; She'd walked back into his life and completely turned it upside down in a few short days. It was something he didn't want to stop anytime soon. He figured he would have to make the best of the time they had together and figure out how he could get more time with her….soon.

Steve felt her shiver a little in the breeze and pulled her closer. "Want to go inside? Maybe we could watch a movie or something."

"Okay, but can I pick out the movie?"

"As long as you promise, no chick flicks. Don't think I could handle that tonight." He smiled.

They made their way back into the house and Steve showed her where the movie collection was while he made his way into the kitchen to get them another drink. When he returned, she was putting a movie into the player.

"So what's the verdict?" he asked.

"Well, you said no 'chick flicks', so let's compromise: I picked one that's a mix of action, comedy, romance and drama…Maybe even a little sci-fi. We'll cover all bases in one shot."

She smiled at him and he had to admit to himself he would've let her watch whatever she wanted, even a "chick flick", as long as he got to hold her some more.

Then he saw the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean starting on the screen. Carly looked at him and said, "You can have sword fights and I'll have Johnny Depp."

Steve let out a chuckle, "Fair enough! But just so you know…..Johnny Depp doesn't hold a candle to me!"

She saw the twinkle in his eyes and actually felt her knees get weak.

"We'll see," she sassed.

Steve sat on the couch and pulled her onto his lap.

She looked at him a little surprised. "Are you trying to get fresh with me, Commander?"

He was smiling with his little half-smile and looked so sexy she felt the warmth all the way to her toes.

"Nah, just want to make sure I'm more distracting than Jack Sparrow." Steve teased her.

God help me, she thought, If you get any more distracting, I'm going to spontaneously combust!

Carly happily snuggled into Steve's lap as they started watching the movie. It wasn't long before Steve noticed she'd fallen asleep. Mary had talked him into buying this "oversized couch" and replacing the one that had been in their house for years. Steve thought it was unnecessary, but Mary insisted that the house needed something more comfortable and up-to-date, so he'd finally given in to her wishes.

He would have to thank her for that later now that he noticed it was big enough for him & Carly to lie there together.

Trying not to wake her, he kept one arm around her waist as he shifted around so she was lying beside him with her head on his shoulder. He reached down to gently stroke her cheek and moved a strand of hair off her face so he could see her more clearly.

She was so beautiful and looked so peaceful and content that he had to fight the urge to lean down and kiss her sweet mouth again. If he started that, he may not be able to stop and he knew she needed to rest after the emotional beating she'd taken today.

He gently kissed her forehead instead and whispered, "Sweet dreams" before grabbing the remote to turn off the tv.

Steve was soon asleep himself as he felt her silky hair on his cheek and breathed in the scent of her peach shampoo.

When Carly woke early the next morning, she was pleasantly surprised to find she was still wrapped in Steve's arms on the couch. She felt the slow, steady breathing of his chest and realized he was still asleep. Figuring she could make him breakfast for a change, she tried to get up slowly until she felt his arm around her tighten and heard him mumble an "uh uh" in protest.

He opened his eyes and looked at her sleepily.

Damn, he's got beautiful eyes, she thought.

They were an interesting mix of ocean blue with little flecks of hazel around the edges. Being that close to him she noticed that he also had unfairly long eyelashes, too.

Hmph, why do guys always have the luck to get eyelashes like that? she thought.

"Good morning, sunshine." He said in his husky, still sleepy voice.

Every time she heard his deep, masculine, smooth as silk voice it sent pleasurable shivers down her spine.

He leaned up to kiss her and she happily accepted before saying, "Good morning yourself. I was just thinking I could make you breakfast today."

Steve looked at his watch and realized he would be late for work again if he didn't get moving, so he reluctantly told her he would have to take a rain check. She gave him an exaggerated little pout that made him smile.

"Sorry, honey….duty calls. I'll make it up to you." He apologized before leaning down to kiss her again and running upstairs to take a shower.

Carly went into the kitchen to start coffee and find something for breakfast. Steve returned from his shower a few minutes later tucking a t-shirt into his signature cargo pants. "Do you have any plans today?" he asked.

"Not really. I was thinking I'd call Lisa to see if we can have a rain check on the lunch I missed yesterday. I don't really have anything else planned though."

"Well, we'll need for you to come down sometime to give a formal statement about what happened yesterday. Think you could do that sometime today?"

"Sure….Just let me get cleaned up and I'll be in as soon as I can."

Steve heard Danny pulling up outside so he gave Carly a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out the door.

***********H50***************H50******************H50

Later that morning…..

Steve and Danny were in a conference room going over some case files when Carly came walking in wearing a white sleeveless blouse, capri pants and a chunky turquoise necklace and earrings. Steve stopped mid-sentence as he noticed her walking in looking confident, fresh, and utterly tempting.

Danny looked up to see what had caught Steve's attention when he saw her walking towards them with a big smile.

"So….you want to pick this up later?" Danny asked, already knowing the answer.

Steve said nothing, just continued to watch Carly walk towards them until she entered the room.

"Hi guys. Am I interrupting?"

Steve finally found his voice again, "No. No, you're not interrupting. We were just getting ready to take a break."

Danny shot him a curious glance, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead he just smiled at Carly and greeted her warmly himself.

"Lisa couldn't meet for lunch today so I figured I'd come on down to give my statement. Is that okay?" She said.

"Yeah, that's fine, but first we need to give you a quick update on what's going on with Brad." Steve replied.

He motioned for her to sit down.

Steve continued, "We've spoken to the District Attorney's office in Atlanta as well as the officers involved in the I.A. investigation that has been going on. A US Marshal is on his way here to accompany Brad back to Atlanta today and make sure he gets there without any more incidents."

"What's going to happen when he gets back home?" she asked.

Danny took over, "Well, since you are the only one who has agreed so far to bring any charges against him, he'll probably be released on bail. You'll be able to get a restraining order against him and the D.A. will continue to work with the other two women to see if they will cooperate. Once they have more to go on….more of a history or pattern of behavior….they can move forward with more serious charges. A lot of the outcome will depend on whether or not the other two women will agree to come forward as well."

"I understand. If I'm the only one bringing charges against him, it's more of a 'slap on the wrist' situation. But, if the other two are willing to testify with me, we'll be able to get more significant charges filed." she asked.

The two men shook their heads in agreement.

"Okay, so are they bringing him back here to wait on the US Marshal?" she asked.

"Yes" Danny answered, "Lou, Tani, and Junior are on their way now. We'll hold him here until the US Marshal shows up to take him to the airport and get him back home."

Carly took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and looked Steve directly in the eye, "I want to talk to him." She said matter-of-factly.

"No." Steve said just as firmly.

"I'm not asking for permission, Steve. I need to say some things to him before he heads back to Atlanta, so either you let me talk to him or I'll find someone who will."

Carly continued to look at him with a determined fire in her eyes.

The room was suddenly so silent one could hear a pin drop as the two participated in a 'stare down'.

When Steve saw she wasn't backing down, he counter offered, "Alright, but you are not going in there alone. I'll go in with you."

"No offense, but it would sort of defeat the purpose if I have a 'bodyguard' standing right beside me when I confront him. This is about me getting some control back for myself, Steve. I need to talk to him alone."

Danny was watching the two of them in amusement and enjoying it immensely.

Who would have thought this petite woman would have the 'kahunas' to stand up to Super Seal, he thought.

He was equally surprised when he saw that it actually worked and Steve gave in.

"Alright fine." Steve said, "But we're keeping the cuffs on him and I will be right outside watching in case he tries to do anything stupid again. That is non-negotiable….Take it or leave it."

Satisfied with that deal, Carly smiled at him.

Steve didn't look the least bit happy that he'd given in to her request until she leaned over, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered, "Thank you."

Danny saw him visibly soften and couldn't help but wonder what was really going on. There was an undeniable spark between the two of them and Carly had an effect on Steve he'd never seen before. Danny secretly hoped she'd stick around because it seemed as if she could be good for his best friend.

The threesome moved to Steve's office where they could begin taking her statement. It wasn't long before Lou and Junior returned to the offices with Brad in tow. They put him in the conference room and waited for Steve, Danny, and Carly to finish up.

As they came out of Steve's office a little while later and headed towards the conference room were Brad was sulking, Steve gently grabbed Carly's arm, "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked hoping she would change her mind.

"It's not really a matter of wanting to do it or not, Steve. I have to do it. If I don't confront him now, I may never get the chance."

He held on to her arm and said, "Okay, but listen….If he tries anything while you're in there, I'm coming in. Understand?"

Carly didn't like the worry she saw on his face. Truthfully, she wasn't feeling quite as brave as she was letting on at the moment but she knew she had to press forward and do this.

In an attempt to break the tension they were both feeling, she gave him a little salute and said smartly, "Yes, sir, Commander, sir!"

Danny tried unsuccessfully to conceal his laugh.

Steve stood, arms folded, and looked at her seriously, "Not funny."

Carly felt a little guilty, so she put her hand on his cheek and assured him, "Please understand, I have to do this. I feel a lot stronger today…..More like my old self….and I'm not about to let him get away with what he's done any longer. I'll be fine. I promise. And if anything does happen, you can come in and save me again." she said softly.

Steve seemed to be appeased for the moment, so she took a deep breath and walked in to the conference room with him and Danny looking on.

(Up next…Carly confronts Brad. Will she also admit her growing feelings for Steve? The next chapter is already underway and should be posted in SOON!)