Pehea wau i ʻike ai i kou makuahine

Based on the characters and stories of Hawaii Five-0.

Hawaii Five-0 is owned by CBS and their respective creators.

Try to get some sleep. I hope you feel better.

I've got your six, Lieutenant. Love you! -S

Catherine groaned as she flung the covers back and ran to the bathroom for what had felt like the hundredth time that morning. The ginger ale he had left on the tray on the bedside table had done nothing to help settle her stomach and just looking at the saltines made her want to vomit even more. Steve had the day off and Catherine was grateful that he had volunteered to take Shelby Jo out for a few hours so she could catch up on some much needed sleep - or at least attempt to in between the constant waves of nausea.

Steve bounced Shelby in his arm as he pushed open the door to the Five-0 headquarters. Admittedly, it had been a while since he had been back at HQ. It wasn't that he was avoiding the team, it's just that he didn't want to admit that he missed it as much as he did. He also figured that by bringing Shelby along, he'd avoid the temptation to volunteer for a case. "Commander McGarrett." Lincoln Cole grinned as he stood at the surface table.

Steve waved as he sauntered in and glanced around. Everything was exactly the same. He didn't know if he liked that it still felt like home or if he would have rather everything been different. "'Sup, Cole." He nodded. Steve glanced over and saw Danny wave through the glass of his new office before pointing to the phone. Steve nodded in understanding and looked back as Junior and Tani walked out of their offices. "'Ay."

"Hi!" Tani smiled as she skipped out towards the group. "Long time no see."

Steve chuckled as Shelby wiggled around in his arms, "Tell me about it. We've, uh, we've had our hands full lately."

"Hey, babe." Danny smirked as he shoved his phone back into his pocket and walked out of his office, "Where's, uh, where's your better half?"

"Catherine, she's uh, she's not feelin' too good, so me and the keiki are out of the house for the day." Steve stated as he made faces at Shelby, causing her to laugh.

Danny wrinkled his nose as the group took a collective step back from Steve. "Is she contagious? I mean, we were all just over at your place for Shelby's birthday the other week."

Steve smirked and shook his head, "Nah, man. It's just morning sickness. Catherine's uh, she's pregnant again."

Junior grinned, "You guys tryin' to have your own SEAL team or something?"

The proud smile on Steve's face was unmatched. "I wouldn't mind, but, uh, I think she'd kill me if we had that many kids." He chuckled. The team exchanged their congratulations and well wishes before Danny's phone rang and summoned them all to a case. "Looks like it's just you and me, girl." Steve grinned as he exited the palace and walked back out to his truck. "Wanna go see you mom's favorite spot on the island?"

Catherine smiled as she looked at the picture Steve had texted to her of him and Shelby. It was just like him to drive out to the rocky shoreline that she adored on a day when she wasn't feeling well. She was eternally grateful for the peace and quiet, though. In just a few months they would have two kids under two years old under their roof.

Her phone dinged as another photo from Steve popped up on her screen. He was kissing Shelby's cheek as the baby giggled. Catherine laughed and quickly texted back. Hands off, girl! He's spoken for. ;)

She rolled over and tugged the covers up to her chin as she gazed at the photo on her bedside table - her and Steve in Commander Jameson's office on her birthday. Steve had never been great about showing affection in their early years, so the effort that he had made that day was permanently etched in her mind.

"Rollins! My office. Now!" Catherine's commanding officer barked before turning on his heels and disappearing through the doorway. Catherine gave her colleague a wary look before logging out of her computer and hurrying out the door. She paused at her C.O's office door before knocking.

Catherine pushed the door open, "Sir?" She saluted her C.O before he motioned her to be at ease with a wave of his hand. Catherine looked down at the two chairs that sat side by side in front of the large, wooden desk. Only one of them was vacant. Wait… What? Catherine looked down at the shoulders covered in green camouflage that sat in the other chair. The man turned and looked over his shoulder and gave her a smirk. "Oh my god, Steve." The words, barely a whisper, disappeared into the air. "Um, Commander McGarrett, Sir." Catherine saluted again.

Her commanding officer rolled his eyes as he stood up from his desk. "You two know this is the worst kept secret in the entire Navy, right?" He asked sarcastically as he motioned between the two of them. Catherine felt heat radiate from her cheeks as she blushed at his insinuation. Her C.O. walked around the desk, stood at the door and held up his hand, showing all five fingers, "Five minutes, McGarrett. Rollins is still on duty." With that statement, he stepped out of his office and swiftly shut the door.

"What the hell are you doing here, Steve?!" Catherine whispered as she quickly closed the space between them. Steve jumped up from his chair and pulled her into a tight hug. "Are you okay?"

"Touch and go." He murmured as he pulled her against his chest and planted a kiss into her hair before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her on the lips, "Only on board for an hour to re-fuel."

Catherine giggled as she kissed him, "And you had my C.O. pull me off my shift so you could make out with me in his office?"

Steve released her from his grip so that he could pull a small object from his pocket and present it to her, "I wasn't about to miss out on the chance to give you your birthday present in person." He kissed her lips again. "Happy Birthday, Cath." He grinned proudly.

She was in total shock as she took the, albeit poorly wrapped, present from him and quickly undid the paper, "You got me a camera?!" She grinned as she hugged him.

"We've got our trip to the Maldives coming up and I, uh, I figured it'd be nice to have something to document our leaves with if we actually decide to ever leave the hotel room." He chuckled.

Catherine beamed as she kissed him again, "Thank you." She held his face in her hands and stroked his beard with her fingertips. "I can't believe you're here."

Steve wanted nothing more than to rip her cammies off and have his way with her, but instead he just pulled her close and held her in his arms for as long as he possibly could. "I miss you like hell." He murmured. "I'm sorry we haven't talked in a while. Things have been crazy."

She nodded and looked up at him. "But you're good? You're okay?"

"So much better now." He whispered as he kissed her. "What about you? Are you good?"

Catherine nodded. "I'm fine." She knew time was running out. Commander Jameson had stuck his neck out by allowing them the few minutes that they had been allotted. "I just… I miss you… all the time." She laughed nervously, "I don't, uh, I don't really know what else to tell you."

Steve tucked a loose strand of hair that had fallen out of her bun back behind her ear. He adjusted her cover and gave her his best lopsided smile. "Two more months."

"Yeah…" She smiled sadly. Two more months of waiting just for a few days together - then who knows how long they would be apart after that.

He glanced at his watch and sighed, "I gotta get back up to the flight deck."

Catherine shoved her hand in her pocket and pulled out their worn polaroid, "Tag."

Steve chuckled as he took it and tucked it into his jacket. He lifted her chin and kissed her. "Happy Birthday, Rollins." His hands slid around her waist as he pulled her against him.

A tap from the other side of the door told them that their time was up. "One for the road?" She held the camera away from them and snapped a photo. At the last minute Steve had decided to kiss her cheek, causing her to giggle. "Stay safe, okay?"

Steve brushed the pad of his thumb across her cheek, "See you soon." He stole one more kiss before reaching out, opening the office door, and disappearing down the corridor.

As Catherine walked back to her duty station, she gave Commander Jameson a silent nod of gratitude. Two more months until she would see him again. Part of her wondered if it was even worth it. The loneliness was eating away at her. For five minutes she had felt the butterflies again, but now they were gone and she felt empty inside.

Catherine curled up into the alcove in the fantail. The ambient crashing of the waves against the ship must have lulled her to sleep because the next thing she knew, she was waking up, her neck was aching from falling asleep at an awkward angle, and she wasn't alone anymore.

"Hey, Rollins."

She rubbed her eyes, trying her best to hide the puffy redness from her solitary crying. "Billy? What are you doing here?"

He chuckled as he leaned back on the ledge. "Told you I was gonna be on the Enterprise."

Catherine nodded. A faint memory of his passive statement after their conversation in D.C. rang in her mind. "That's right…" She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She had escaped to the fantail at the end of her shift to have a good cry without having to answer Amy's incessant questions. Little did she know, her ex would have shown up at her weakest moment.

"I can go…" He pointed towards the opening that led to the belly of the ship. "I just came out here for a little quiet and saw you… and didn't think it was right to leave you out here alone."

She laughed quietly as she wiped the tears stains from her cheeks. "Sorry you had to see that… You have a habit of catching me at my worst."

"On the contrary." Billy smiled. "I think you're pretty damn admirable."

Catherine looked at him in disbelief. "Billy, come on. Seriously?" She laughed. "The last time you saw me I was milking you for intel on Steve's ex, and the time before that we were breaking up because I had a mental breakdown in the middle of a deployment. I'm always a trainwreck around you."

"So what's the mess this time?"

A soft smile crossed Catherine's lips. "You don't scare very easily, do you."

Billy smirked and shook his head. "Not so much." He looked down at his hands, "Catherine, I'm here." He whispered. "You can talk to me or not talk to me. But I'm here."

She smiled and leaned her head back on the wall. "You gonna be my shrink?"

He smirked as a dry laugh cut through the night air, "I accept dollars, Euros, broken hearts, and secrets. Rumors will work too, but be careful what you tell me because SEALs tend to talk amongst each other." He winked. Catherine giggled at his joke. "See? You're feeling better already. So what happened? Did, uh, did one of these assholes mess with you?" He tilted his head and glanced back through the doorway.

Catherine shook her head, "No." She laughed sarcastically, "Steve's marked his territory - they're scared to even say 'hello'."

"Sounds like McGarrett." He chuckled.

"I got to see him today." She stated quietly. "And then he had to leave again."

"Duty calls." Billy nodded. "I figured. We came in on the same transport. His team had to head out after re-fuel, but me and my boys are here until next port."

"Your boys?"

He grinned, "I made Commander."

Catherine's eyebrows shot up, "No way! Congratulations!"

Billy tried to hide his grin by chewing on the inside of his lip. "Thanks, Cath." His eyes darted over at her. "You know, sometimes I think about what might've happened if we had made it through that deployment… stayed together… you know?"

Catherine shifted uncomfortably on the alcove ledge. "Billy - I, I was upset and lonely, but I'm very much with McGarrett right now."

"I know." Billy looked into her eyes and was mesmerized by the sparks that danced in them. "I just hope he knows what a lucky bastard he is." He chuckled, only half kidding.

She looked down at the floor before she hopped off the ledge, "I should probably get back to my bunk."

Billy pushed himself down from the alcove and grabbed her wrist. "Can we just… get along?"

Catherine was silent.

"Look." He began. We're kinda stuck on this boat together, if you haven't noticed so we might as well make the best of it. Besides. I hate being at odds with someone who's supposed to be on the same side as me." She looked up at him and pursed her lips. He groaned, "Or you can just not talk to me… I suppose that would work."

"You should let go of my arm." Her tone was unwavering. It wasn't a threat - yet.

"You're not his territory, Catherine."

Catherine's eyes flickered up to meet his. "Billy." She warned. "Let go." She knew that she had the capability of breaking his hand in one swift motion - she was simply affording him the opportunity to make the right decision.

"Women like you - they don't cry in the fantail. Women like you bring kings and kingdoms to their knees." He stated as he released his grip. "You're no one's territory."

Catherine quietly opened the door to her bunk and did her best not to wake Amy. That all went out the door when she kicked her shoes off and inadvertently stubbed her toe on the bed frame. "Shit!"

Amy groaned and rolled over, "Where were you?"

"Fantail." Catherine sighed as she undressed and slipped under the covers. She tried to get comfortable but a crinkle of paper caught her attention.

"Lover boy must've slipped that under the door for you." Amy mumbled as she settled back down.

Catherine held the envelope in her hands as she rummaged around for a flashlight. "Steve left this?"

Amy peered out of the corner of her eye, "He's the only lover boy… right?"

Catherine cut her eyes over at her bunkmate, "Go back to sleep." She pulled the covers over her head before turning on the flashlight and opening the envelope.

Cath -

I know it's been hard lately and I'm not the best at staying in touch, and I'm sorry for that. I hope you know how much I miss you and think about you all the time. You're my first thought in the morning and the last thing in my mind before I go to sleep. (And all the other times in between…. And usually in my dreams too.)

I miss you like hell. I miss sitting in the fantail and talking for hours. We haven't actually just talked lately. I can't wait to see you in a couple months because frankly, I miss sex. But I just want to talk to you. To tell you about the last half of the year we've been apart. (What I can tell you, at least.)

Remember that night in the gym on the E when you told me about breaking it off with your ex and I was surprised that you had done long distance for four years? I thought you were batshit crazy to wait around for someone like that, but I get it now because here I am, waiting months just for three days with you before we have to leave each other again and I'm counting down the days like it's Christmas. (That night I also told you that the sex must've had to have been mindblowing because waiting around just isn't reasonable. Well, here I am, eating my words. Because sex with you is mindblowing and I'd happily wait as long as it takes for us to get out of this shit war.)

We're about to land on the E, and I hope that I can convince Jameson to give me a few minutes with you if you're on shift. (Between you and me, he's a softie.) If not, I hope this somehow got to you. Maybe I'll stick it under your door or something and pray Amy doesn't open it. Ha Ha.

Harrington's sticking around on the E for a while, so for the time being I'll trust him to have your six. I miss you like hell, Cath. Can't wait to see you soon.

Happy Birthday. Hope it was a good one.

-Steve

Catherine tossed and turned in bed. Her mind was racing and it was keeping her from getting comfortable and falling asleep. The SEAL hoodie usually helped, but it was unseasonably warm in her bunk that night and she thought she was going to suffocate if she wore it another second. Every time she closed her eyes, the seeds of doubt began to take root.

As much as we all want him to be,
he's just not the type to ever settle down.

You're no one's territory.

I miss you like hell, Cath.

You might want to temper
your expectations.

You scare the hell
outta me, Rollins.

You're my first thought in the
morning and the last thing in my
mind before I go to sleep.

Women like you? They bring
Kings and kingdoms to their knees.

Catherine was about to scream. Was the oxygen being sucked out of the room? She couldn't breathe. Catherine sat up in her bed and gasped for air. She tugged on a pair of sweatpants and laced up her sneakers before grabbing her boxing gloves and opening the door to her bunk. Catherine's breath caught in her throat as a tall figure stood in front of her. Her words, barely a whisper weren't what she had expected to say in the middle of the night. "Billy- what are you doing here?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE

OOP! I haven't left you all on a cliffhanger for a while, so I thought it was about time! Tell me what you think is going to happen! I can't wait to read your guesses! Leave it in the reviews, loves!

XO,

-Mags-