Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or anything associated with it.

Here's the moment you've all been waiting for!

Chapter 8

Doris was still looking at the explosives as she said, "It looks like Santiago has the whole place wired. He was going to bring the whole building down on top of you and Steve and Steve's team if the guns didn't work." She grabbed the radio and tossed it to Catherine, "You tell Steve while I check the rest of the basement and then we're out of here."

Catherine took the radio and pushed a button on it. "Steve."

Steve felt pure joy go through him at the sound of Catherine's voice, but then worry. "Cath, it's so good to hear your voice. Are you okay? Is everything okay?"

Catherine was suddenly blinking back tears, she hadn't been sure if she'd ever talk to him again. "It's so good to hear your voice too. I'm okay and so is Doris, but we've got a problem. It looks like this Santiago has the place wired to blow. Bring the whole building down."

Steve froze for just a moment, "Cath, you need to get out of there, you and mom. I've got to warn Danny."

Doris reappeared then, going straight to Catherine, "Give me the radio, we need to get out of here." She put an arm back around Catherine's shoulder, and started leading her towards the exit in the wall. "Steve. I found a timer on the bombs, it's set to go off three minutes from now."

They were to the Doris made doorway, and Catherine carefully stepped through followed by Doris.


Steve didn't even respond to his mother's comment, but was already on the radio to Danny as he turned around to run back towards the building. "Danny, pull out. Get everyone out of the building. It's going to blow in two minutes."

"Copy that," came Danny's voice through the radio, then, "Everyone out of the building, it's wired to blow. Move, move, move." The radio went silent then and Steve ran as fast as he could back towards the building. He was almost to the building when he heard his mother's voice on the radio. "Catherine and I are clear. We're in my car headed to Five-0 headquarters, it'll be easier to get paramedics in there. Make Santiago think Catherine died in that blast."

"Paramedics?" Steve's voice held a bit of panic.

"I'm fine," Came Catherine's voice. "Do as Doris says."

"Copy that." As soon as the building was in sight Steve could see that his team was clear and he would go straight through them to get to the building. He grabbed the radio for one last transmission to Danny, "Danny, go with it."

"Go with what," Danny asked looked around, and that's when he saw Steve running towards him. Danny and the rest of the team were still moving away from the building and they reached Steve just seconds before the building blew. The force of the blast pushing them forward but not down, and that's when he got a look at Steve's face as Steve started to run towards the now collapsed building, "Catherine! No Catherine!"

Danny did what his best friend asked, he went with it, "Steve, no! It's too late." Danny yelled, running after Steve and grabbing him. Steve tried to fight him off, still playing as if he was going towards the building when Chin grabbed his other arm. "Steve, it's too late. She's gone!"

Steve tried half-heartedly to shake Danny and Chin off before dropping to his knees and simply staring at the destruction in front of him. For just a moment he imagined that Catherine was gone, that he had lost the love of his life, but the dust still settling in the air before him, his ears still ringing, and Kono coming to kneel next to him, her hand lightly on his arm made it all feel too real, and for just a moment he felt as if his world had shattered. He turned to look at Kono, she was looking at him in concern, and she gave his arm a gentle squeeze before saying, "Let's go to Five-0 Headquarters. There's someone waiting for you there."

Her voice was so quiet he was positive he was the only one that heard her, but at his words he remembered that Catherine was okay, that she was alive, and waiting for him and he almost gave the whole charade away with the grin that he had to keep off his face. Instead he made his face a blank mask and allowed his team to lead him to the car. When they were there, Danny led him to the passenger seat of Kono's car, and they all gathered around him. Danny took a look around him before looking at his friend and quietly saying, "Catherine's okay right? Doris got her out?"

"Yeah. She's back at Five-O headquarters. The wanted me to make Santiago think she was dead." Steve sat in the car, his head back against the head rest, his eyes closed.

Kono held her sigh of relief in as she said, "That's great news. What's next?"

"Danny you and Chin stay here. Play point for a while. With this blast there's going to have to be someone here. Kono, you come back with me."

Kono was relieved she got to go as she was anxious to see her friend, "You got it boss." She hurried around the car and climbed into the driver's seat.

Danny looked at Steve, and before shutting the car door said, "We'll take care of things here, give your girl our love. We'll see you soon."


Steve's heart was beating like a hummingbird's as Kono drove to Five-0 headquarters. Catherine was safe, his Catherine. They had rescued her. Santiago had gotten away, but for now that would have to wait. Catherine was back. He just had to get to her. He turned to Kono, "Does this thing go any faster?"

Kono turned an exasperated, but amused look on him, "Boss."

He sighed, "Sorry."

She looked back to the road, "It's okay. I know how much you guys mean to each other. You're all she wants to talk about half the time."

Steve turned a smile on her, "Really? What does she say?"

Kono laughed, "Nice try. Best friend secret. I ain't saying a thing."

Steve was still smiling, but he laughed at that, and seemed to relax just a touch. "I just need to see her, see for myself that's she alive and okay," he whispered, and then with some of the most distraught eyes Kono had ever seen he added, "This is all my fault. Santiago went after her because I love her."

Kono took a hand off the steering wheel to reach over and give Steve's hand a gentle squeeze. "She won't blame you, and you shouldn't blame yourself, but I bet if you said those words to her instead of to me she would forgive you."

Steve looked over at Kono, studying his friend and teammates face. She didn't have to elaborate on which words. He knew, the words that both he and Catherine had danced around for years. He gave her a slight smile and nodded, but didn't have to say anything because at that moment they pulled into the parking lot of headquarters. He started to bolt out of the car but Kono stopped him, "Remember you're supposed to have just lost her. Try to look a little forlorn on the way in."

Steve sighed and only nodded. He heeded Kono's words but had to force himself to move at a normal pace into the building. He stared at his feet as much as possible, trying to avoid anyone who might want to talk to him, luckily not many had known what they were up to that morning, and he made it into the building without getting stopped. He had the bag in his hand that he had forced Kono to stop along the way to get, and his knuckles were white from gripping it, but as soon as they were in their section of the building Steve couldn't hold back any longer.

"Catherine!" He yelled out as soon as the elevator doors had opened. "Cath! Where are you?"

"I'm here." She said, her voice thick with emotion as she hobbled out of his office, not going any farther than the doorway, leaning her head against it for just a moment to drink in the sight of him.

For a moment Steve just stood there staring at her. She was still in the clothes she had been wearing two days ago, and he could see the bruising on her body, on her wrist and on her knee. He wasn't ready to think of what other injuries she might have. The bag still gripped tightly in his hand, but completely forgotten about, he closed the distance between them in five long strides. Her arms went around his neck, her face buried against his skin, "Steve. You're okay. I was so worried."

Steve could barely believe her words. He had his arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly, breathing in the smell of her, feeling her warmth against him, the rise and fall of her chest. He gave a strangled laugh, "Worried about me? Cath you were the one taken. I don't know what I would have done if something…" He couldn't even finish that sentence. "Cath," he whispered so she would pull back and look at him. He stared into her brown eyes for a moment, drinking in the sight of them before kissing her on the forehead and then the mouth. He pulled back again to look at her and whispered, "I love you. I love you Catherine Rollins, and I'm never letting you go."

Catherine was smiling, despite the tears that were suddenly streaming down her face. Tears of happiness, tears of relief, but before she could respond Steve continued with a shake of his head, "And I'm sorry it took you getting kidnapped for me to finally say what I've felt since I met you."

This time Catherine shook her head, and put a finger to his lips, the other two people in the room completely forgotten. She kissed him gently, "I love you. And I'm not sorry that it took my getting kidnapped for us to finally say it. If this isn't our normal I don't know what is?"

Steve laughed and kissed her again, cherishing the feel of her lips against his. Then he hugged her tightly again before he finally remembered the bag in his hands. "Speaking of our normal, I brought you something."

She smiled at him, her face asking what he could possibly have. He scooped her up in his arms, "Come on we'll sit on the couch." He carried her over to the couch in his office, where he carefully sat down, with Catherine deposited on his lap. She scooted down a little so her butt was on the couch and her legs were across his, but she kept her arms around his neck. She gave him a big smile, "So what did you bring me?"

He returned the smile and held out the bag with the Rainbow label on it and she laughed and kissed him on the cheek, "Breakfast! Perfect, I'm starving." She grabbed the bag from him and kissed him on the lips, "See. I love our normal."

As she leaned back to rest against the arm of the couch Steve couldn't help but feel complete joy. She was okay, they loved each other, and she had remembered that he was going to bring her breakfast before she was kidnapped. Steve gave a slight laugh, Catherine was right. They had the best normal in the world.