A/N: First of all, thanks Kiwikaren for the review. I appreciate it. Second, this is the second to last chapter. The end is near guys. I can't believe it's almost over. I may post the last chapter tonight because I'm going out of town tomorrow.

10x21 A 'ohe ia e loa'a aku, he ulua kapapa no ka moana

"This is how I thought it'd end for us. Couple of old guys sitting on a beach watching sunsets," Steve said, taking in the view and the moment.

"I mean, that sounds great to me. We can still do that," Danny told him.

"I don't know anymore, Danny. I don't know. I've been trying to distract myself with a bunch of things, you know. Like I did a bunch of dating, which was nice, but it didn't help. I really thought that restaurant would help balance things out, but when it closed, I started thinking," Steve admitted.

"Well, personally, I think that's your problem. You think too much," Danny told him.

"Now who's deflecting?" Steve asked, amused with his partner.

"So I don't understand. You think you're capable of being done?" Danny asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. Look, all i know is that 10 years ago I hit the ground running. Hard. And I've been running ever since, and I feel like maybe I need a little time away to get some perspective, you know?" Steve explained.

"Yeah, I do. So when?" Danny asked. Steve nodded a little.

"Soon," he said.

"Can I ask a prying question?" Danny asked.

"You're going to anyway, so yeah," Steve said. Danny snorted to himself. He was right about that.

"Does this have anything to do with a beautiful Hawaiian woman who's living on the mainland that you're still in love with?" Danny asked. Steve nodded slightly, as he looked out at the ocean. He took a moment before he answered.

"She's the one that got away, Danny. I don't think I'll ever be over her. My life will never be complete without her. So, maybe she does play a part in this. But it's definitely not just about her, no," Steve said.

"Okay, I just wondered. I mean, after your mom, you know… She was there for you, and I think seeing her brought back things you thought you had buried. I was just curious about how much she affected this decision," Danny said. Steve didn't reply. He felt a lump in his throat as he thought about her in his arms months ago in D.C. She had been exactly what he needed. When she was there, he felt whole, like he could get through anything. But when she was gone in the morning, he felt alone again, like things might never be okay. And sure, life had gone back to normal. But nothing ever felt right after that. He hadn't even been able to explain how he felt when Junior told him she'd been there, at his house last year when her mom passed away. She'd slept in his bed that night. Steve had been off in Montana, tracking down Joe's killer. And she'd been right here in Hawaii, drinking his beer with Junior, petting Eddie, and Junior had made her sleep in his bed so that she wouldn't drive back to her hotel. Steve had just laid in his sheets after that, hoping to catch a whiff of her. He never had.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Danny asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yes," Steve said.

"You wanna go clear your head, get some clarity? Go, uh, go to Jersey," Danny said.

Steve laughed.

"I'm being serious," Danny protested.

"I know you're being serious," Steve told him, "I knew you were going to say that."

Long after Danny left, long into the night, Steve lay awake thinking of her. And when he did fall asleep, he dreamt of her in his arms again.