Hey there!

So here is the sequel I promised. This is going to be a shorter story, maybe like three chapters. Then we'll see ;)

I'd like to thank my beta, Phoebe Miller for the help and support.

Enjoy and stay safe!

Disclaimer: I do not own H50. I wish.

Steve is not surprised that Sophia doesn't call him. He can't help feeling disappointed, though.

He looks at his phone more often than he would admit and he would probably do it even more often, if he wasn't afraid that Danny could notice. His friend would make fun of him, and he would not see the end of it.

He just hopes that Sophia has taken his advice and got to know some people, made friends.

And then the day arrives when Jacob Seito is put on trial, and Sophia is going to be there. Steve also has to be present, it was Five-0's case after all, and he hopes he will meet her just to make sure she's doing fine.

Steve hoped she might call him for support, for encouragement before the trial, but she obviously didn't need any of that. She's a strong woman, he reminds himself. Sophia didn't need saving, she saved herself from Seito. Twice, to be exact.

Yeah, she's strong. That's why it didn't surprise Steve when he heard that Sophia would be there at the court. She didn't need to, but she wanted to. Steve knows she feels guilty for Emily Hino's death, she told him herself. Now she apparently tries to do everything she can to bring Emily's murderer to justice.

Well, the hearing at the court is over.

Sophia answered a lot of questions, and when Steve was sitting in the courtroom listening to her, he couldn't help noticing how lifeless her voice sounded. As if she forced herself to be there, to tell everything, but she told her story as if it was someone else's and not her own.

Steve suspects it was some kind of self-defense tactic to protect her from having to go back to the lot behind the club and into Seito's car. She didn't want to go through all those things again, but she knew she had to talk about it to ensure Seito gets what he deserves.

Steve also noticed that Sophia hardly looked at anyone. She answered the questions shortly. She never spoke more than necessary. She didn't want to be there at all, but probably she felt she owed Emily.

But who could blame her? Who would be happy to talk about being assaulted, nearly raped, kidnapped and almost killed twice? Especially in front of a bunch of strangers. The press wasn't allowed into the courtroom, but there were still a lot of people in there.

Sophia didn't notice Steve. She couldn't have, as she mostly stared at her hands.

Now Steve stands outside of the building leaning against his truck. Somehow he's reluctant to leave. He looks at the steps where the reporters wait for Sophia to come out. The hotel heiress's assault and kidnapping have been trending news in the local media.

And when Sophia does appear, all the reporters, photographers and cameramen rally around her frantically. There are cameras and microphones everywhere, Steve can hardly see Sophia in the crowd.

He makes a step toward the building, being ready to jump in and get her out of the crowd right away.

But once again, she doesn't need his help. Hiding behind her sunglasses, she moves swiftly and confidently through the horde of reporters. Their questions she doesn't answer.

Then as she's about to get in her car – the green Lamborghini, of course – she looks up and straight at Steve. Just like back in the gazebo, she must have felt his eyes on her.

She nods to him, and he nods back. That's it. She gets in the car and drives away.

Steve is back at the palace, and as they have no new case, he decides to finally give in and do the paperwork he always tries to shelve. Danny does the same in his office, and Steve has sent the others home to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. Who knows when will they get a new case that keeps them away from the sunny beaches for days or even weeks?

Steve's phone buzzes on his desk. A few days or even just a few hours ago, he would've checked it right away but he's not so eager anymore. He saw Sophia, she's doing just fine. It can't be her.

He finishes filling the form in front of him and after signing it, he eventually grabs his phone.

He raises an eyebrow. It's a text from Sophia.

'Hey, Steve, can you recommend a mountaintop on the island that is far away from everything?'

What the hell? He tries to interpret the words but fails to understand the meaning behind the question. So he decides to ask back.

'Do you mind me asking why?'

Simple questions are the best; that much he has learnt in the last few years.

'Let's just say I have some steam I need to let off.'

He smiles to himself. She wants to climb up a mountain to yell as loud as she can. So she has decided to get rid of some tension. Good. Suppressing it is definitely not healthy. And after all Sophia has gone through, she must have tons of tension. And probably some anger, too.

Even though Sophia has not invited him to join her on a hike, he replies something that she probably doesn't expect.

'I have a better idea.'

And he offers her to meet him in an hour at the marina.

It takes her so long to answer, that he starts to believe he has scared her off. He might have been too pushy.

But then his phone buzzes again.

'Okay. See you there.'

He needs to call in some favors and he also needs to deal with Danny's bitching for leaving him behind with all the paperwork, but he doesn't care.

Five minutes later he's already driving to the marina.

Thank you for reading!