It had been five days since Catherine had last heard from Steve. She went out for an extended run, it was Saturday after all. When she returned to her complex, she saw a blue Silverado, but she didn't want to get her hopes or anxiety up. Rollins do not go to that fucking car. Go to your apartment, now! She screamed a few times internally until she was by her apartment. Leaning against her door was a slightly sleeping Steve McGarrett. Her presence roused him, and he smiled at her. She was standing on the opposite wall, looking at him with her foot on the wall and hands on her hips. She was sweaty, tired, and slightly out of breath. She hated that his smile made her anger melt away, just that simple gesture had her wanting to wrap herself in his arms. But the Commander was not getting off that easy. They made direct eye contact, and a staring contest ensued; neither of them willing to give in.
Catherine slid down the wall and sat on the floor opposite Steve and her apartment door. She didn't speak, emote, or lessen her hardened stare. Steve had come to her home, and he was the one with some explaining to do. If Steve expected her to initiate anything, he would be disappointed. Steve realizes this is gonna be harder for him than he expected; he thought a few days and time would help, but he knows the fire burning in her eyes is just as hot as the moment he walked out of Dr. Lee's door.
"I guess you're wondering why I'm here…"
"Not really." She's always been a tough cookie to crack. His usual tactic of kissing her, fingering her, and giving her head wasn't going to work this time.
"Catherine Rollins, you are the most important person in my life. You complete me; without you, I am not whole. I love you with all of my heart, and I am sorry if I have not shown you or told you. I am in love with you, I can't love anything or anyone the way I love you. I would die for you."
"Ok, you're laying it on pretty thick."
"But I'm completely serious. Look I fucked up, and I made you feel like you weren't important, and you are, you're the most important. I want us to work Cath, I need us to work. Cath everything about us, our love, we can't throw that away. I've known you for almost twenty years, I've been in love with you for like twenty years, we were together for sixteen! I am not me, without you. Because I was scared if you knew how important you are to me you'd run, I didn't work hard enough to prove my commitment to you. I'm sorry it took me 41 years to figure out something I should have known and acted on like 15 years ago. But I'm here now, and I'm asking for another chance. If you get a job in Dubai, I'm moving to Dubai. If you get a job in Kabul, I'll be there every step of the way. I've put service before you for so many years, but not anymore."
"Steve I wasn't asking you to stop being a cop. I love the work you do for 5-O. I would never ask you to leave Hawaii, this is your home."
"No Cath, home is where you are. Look I know I'm being cheesy, but I'm being honest." Cath can feel her resolve crumbling.
"Are you still with her?"
"No. She wasn't you."
"When?"
"When what?"
"When did you two break up?"
"Earlier this week. I needed a few days to get my mind right before I looked for you. You're hard to find by the way." She smiles faintly before she's back to looking angry, but Steve catches the smile.
"Who broke up with who?"
"I broke up with her." Cath needed to know that she was not the rebound. She figured she wasn't, but she needed to know before she decided what to do with Steve and his profession of love.
"Oh."
"She said she knew the second I saw you again that she had lost me." Catherine again smiles faintly, remembering the emotional rollercoaster of that night. Now that they're talking dating statuses, he needs to know.
"Are you still with Scott?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I needed to figure out if there was gonna be an us. If you were gonna choose me and fight for me, I needed to be free of any man who wasn't you. It wasn't fair to string him along."
Wow. He had not expected that she'd be done with Scott. He can't help, but grin. After a few seconds, she's grinning too. He laughs, and she laughs too. It just feels right. Now they're laughing like a bunch of crazies, it's the happy, hysterical laughing where you're laughing and gasping with tears streaming down your eyes. She gets up and shoves him away from the door. He gets up and grabs her by the waist as she unlocks the top and bottom locks. He's whispering in her ear, using that low voice of his to make her insides squirm. As she opens the door, she pushes him back.
"Make me lunch while I shower Commander."
"Aye, aye Lieutenant." She walks away from him slow, pulling off her shoes, shirt, then her sports bra, and finally her running leggings. She teases him as she walks nakedly straight to her bedroom. She can hear him walking behind her, "Uh-uh. Lunch. Now" he smacks her bare ass and watches it jiggle slightly as she closes the door. Fifteen minutes later she makes her way into the kitchen and sees Steve whipping up a grilled cheese, she hops onto the counter, and he ignores her until the grilled cheese is done. He turns off the eye and walks to her. He stares into her eyes before he kisses her forehead.
Their first kiss is slow, the second passionate, and the third has her off the counter with her legs around his waist. He grabs a fistful of hair and mashes her face into his. When they finally separate she quips, "so fuck air huh?" He kisses her to show her, she's his air. She's his sun, his anchor, his heart. She pats his chest to indicate she wants to get down and Steve pouts. She begins to cut her sandwich in half before he admits he's already had one. The second she's done washing the plate, he's back on her.
He scoops her bridal style and walks into her bedroom. She laughs because he has no idea what she has in store for him. He grins because he thinks he's about to get lucky. Oh, little does he know.