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.

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?"

Billy looked equally surprised that she had opened the door right when he was about to knock. "Catherine, I just-"

"Who's there?" Amy groaned in the distance. She valued her beauty sleep and would for sure raise hell about the midnight interruption.

Billy's mouth gaped open in a panic when he realized that Catherine's bunkmate was in the room. "I-" He ran his hand through his hair, "Catherine…" He swallowed and wrung his hands.

Catherine gripped the SEAL hoodie and boxing gloves tightly in her hands. "Is there something you needed?"

You. "No." He lied. "I, uh, I was just on my way back to my bunk."

Catherine knew he was bluffing. "It's probably not in this hall, is it?"

"No." He muttered. "It's not."

She glanced at the empty hall that was soon to be filled with sailors and officers at shift change, "Then you should probably get going."

"Catherine - I just…."

"Goodnight, Billy." She cut him off as she shut the door and opted to lie awake in bed rather than go to the gym and risk temptation. She was burning up and wasn't quite sure if it was the temperature in the room or her anger boiling over, but she pulled the hoodie on regardless. She needed Steve. She needed to feel close to him.

The light flipped on, "Well. Since it seems like I'm not going to get a whole lot of sleep tonight, do you wanna talk about it?"

"I miss Steve." Catherine mumbled into the pillow.

Amy laughed. "Well, I got that much. Who was that guy?"

Catherine sighed, "His name is Billy Harrington. Steve introduced us after I got back from my first tour. He's a Team guy."

"Ohhhh. So that's the Billy you had a thing with in Kabul? I see why you went for him. He's not hard on the eyes." Amy looked over at Catherine who was clearly distraught. "What'd he want?"

Catherine stared at the giant sleeves of Steve's sweatshirt that swallowed her thin frame. "He found me out in the fantail earlier and I think we… I think we kind of had a moment."

Amy's eyebrows rose at her confession, "You think you had a moment? With your good looking ex. When you're seeing someone else? Does he know you're seeing someone else?"

"He knows... He and Steve are friends."

"OKAY." Amy laughed, "So it definitely wasn't an accident on his part, which begs the question - was it an accident on yours?"

Catherine looked down in shame, "I got to see Steve today for the first time in months. He actually got me a birthday present and convinced Jameson to give us a few minutes alone. And he actually wrote me a letter…" She looked up at Amy. "Why am I not more excited about that?"

"Because you're not listening to the guy who's been chasing you since he woke me up in the middle of the night to ask how you liked your coffee." She cut back. "You're listening to some bitch from the CIA who's just straight up lying to you."

"Yeah…" Catherine sighed, "But she's CIA. She's a trained liar." She looked down at the worn logo on the hoodie. "And for a lie to be a good one, there's always a little bit of truth in there." Her solemn monologue was interrupted by Amy's pillow smacking her face.

"You need to get laid." Amy stated as she grabbed her pillow and tossed it back on her bed. "And not by Billy. Eight weeks and then you're off to the Maldives. Can you make it till then?

Catherine thought about Amy's question for a few minutes before rolling over and closing her eyes, "Night, Ames."

Amy settled into her seat in the mess hall and said a quiet prayer before digging into her meal. Catherine had pulled overtime the night before and was sound asleep, Matt was at NAVCENT, and Jen and Ryan were on leave together. She didn't mind eating alone, though. She welcomed the peace and solitude. After all, when you're trapped in a tin can in the middle of the ocean with three thousand other sailors, moments of solitude are few and far between. "This seat taken?"

Amy looked up and read the name across the man's green fatigues. "Harrington. I was wondering when you were gonna track me down."

Billy chuckled as he slid into the seat across from her, "I thought it was about time I introduced myself. Catherine talked about you a lot. "

"Funny, she didn't mention you much until a couple days ago when you decided to show up at our room in the middle of the night." Amy's sarcasm was her first line of defense. She wasn't just Catherine's best friend, she was Steve's friend too. As much as she liked staying out of the pervasive drama on board the Enterprise, she wasn't about to watch a good relationship go down the drain because of this interloper - albeit, a very good looking interloper.

He laughed. Amy and Catherine were two very sarcastic peas and a pod, but like Catherine had noted a few nights prior in the fantail: he didn't scare so easily. "Ah, but she has mentioned me." He smirked.

Amy rolled her eyes, "Yes. I believe her exact words were, 'what can I do to get him to leave me the fuck alone'."

Billy smirked, "Look, Amy. I just want five minutes to talk to her. I don't think that's too much to ask."

"I think it's on the line of too much to ask considering you're inserting yourself in a relationship that you are in no position to meddle with. Here's a piece of advice, Commander Harrington: walk away. Leave her alone."

Billy sat stoically for a moment, but didn't waste his next words, "What about 'all's fair in love and war'?"

Amy's eyes narrowed at the commander. She didn't cower at his rank, rather, she leaned over the table and locked eyes with him. "In case you haven't noticed, we are actually at war, and they are in love - whether they want to admit it or not. Do you really want to risk the wrath of McGarrett if you're downrange and he's the one who's supposed to watch your six? Because I guarantee you this, Harrington. If you mess with Catherine, the entirety of the SEALs - your team included, and the better part of the United States Navy will rain down holy hell on you."

"Duly noted, Lieutenant Hawkins." His voice was firm as he stood and exited the mess hall, brushing past Catherine as she walked in and sat across from Amy.

Catherine looked from Amy back to Billy's shadow as he disappeared down the corridor. "What was that about?"

Amy took a sip of water to calm the anger that was boiling up inside of her, "I just gave him a little advice is all."

"Hey, stranger..." Catherine smiled awkwardly as she set her bag down beside the only open treadmill in the gym. Of course, that open treadmill would happen to be right next to the one that Billy Harrington was running on.

Billy glanced over as he pressed a control and slowed his machine to a brisk walk. "Hey, Rollins."

She hopped up onto the treadmill and decided to match his pace rather than go for the intense run she had been craving. "Good run?"

"Are we really gonna do the awkward small talk?" He chuckled. "Look - about the other night. I'm really sorry, you know - for grabbing your arm like that. I was outta line. Catherine waved her hand dismissively, but he held his up to tell her that he wasn't quite finished yet. "When I showed up at your door, I was gonna tell you that I regretted ending things in Kabul. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I've, uh, I've gotten to see what an incredible officer you are. There and here. You're crazy good at your job - i've met a lot of intelligence types and you're the best I've ever seen." He turned off the treadmill and turned to face her. "I regret ending things because it should have been evident to me just how amazing you are and that you were just having a hard time during your tour and I should have done everything in my power to make it better for you. I should have pulled you closer rather than push you away." He bent down and picked up his shirt and pulled it back on. "I know you're with Steve. I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize that for you. But I need you to know where I stand. I've never been any good at poker because I don't bluff and I have no problem showing all my cards."

"Billy, I -"

"I hope things work out for you two. McGarrett's a good friend of mine and I care about you a lot…. And I don't want to be somebody's second choice, let me be clear about that." He chuckled. "But you know how to find me if things change."

Catherine felt crushed - like their breakup was happening all over again. Had she really been holding on to a piece of him in her heart? Is that why she had felt uneasy about her relationship with Steve? Catherine knew Billy's SEAL team was leaving when they arrived at port later the next day. This was his hail mary. She opened her mouth to say something contrary to his argument, but the only thing that came out was, "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"See ya 'round the globe, Rollins." He nodded before exiting the gym.

Catherine paced around the waterfront bungalow. Steve's flight from wherever the hell he was had been delayed. Of course that would happen - they only had 72 hours together as it was and now a damn rainstorm was eating into their precious vacation time. She debated getting a shower, but the crystal clear water just outside their balcony was calling her name. She stripped down her cammies and dug through her bag for the swimsuit she had packed. "Yes, ma'am!" Steve whistled and grinned as he stood in the doorway and dropped his bag.

"Steve!" Catherine's shriek was half excitement and half sheer embarrassment at being caught stark naked. She held her BDU jacket in front of her body in an effort to maintain some sense of modesty.

Steve made a beeline for her. He ripped the jacket out of her hands and pushed her down on the bed. His clothes quickly joined hers in a pile on the floor. Their movements were frantic and rushed. There was nothing loving about their activities between the sheets - this was pure sex. It was needy, wanton, and selfish. Both of them had been deprived of it for so long that neither one cared to involve emotions at the moment.

A little while later, Catherine laid beside Steve, curled up into his arms as he tenderly stroked her hair. "Hi, Commander." She smiled as she came down from the euphoric high she had been riding.

"Hey, Lieutenant." He chuckled as his vision began to clear from the stars he had been seeing. "That was some 'hello'." He grinned.

She giggled as she traced abstract shapes on his chest, "Just so you know, I was planning on going for a swim since I didn't know when you were getting here. You caught me looking for my swimsuit. I wasn't trying to seduce you."

"I'm not complaining." He grinned as his fingers trailed up and down her bare back. He tilted her chin up and kissed her softly. "How are you?"

Catherine smiled as she pulled him in for another long kiss. "Better now."

Steve wrapped his arm around her and held her close, as if to shield her from all the pain and hurt in the world. "You sure you're good?" He pressed a kiss on to the top of her head. "I've been worried about you."

"I could say the same about you… I barely hear from you." She mumbled into his chest.

Steve nodded. "I know… It's just… what I'm working on now… It's uh, kind of classified and it's hard to get a call out."

Catherine nodded. She didn't like the answer any more than he did, but it was their reality. "Are you going back after this?"

"Yeah." He admitted. He felt defeated. The things he was being ordered to do in the name of patriotism and national security - Steve didn't know how his superiors expected him to live with himself afterwards.

Catherine snuggled in closer. "Are you okay?" He had been humming the same tune for a few minutes. It sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"What? Yeah." Steve's mind quickly regrouped and focused back on the beautiful woman in his arms. "Better now." He smiled.

She rested in his arms for the better part of the afternoon. Neither one made any attempt at creating space for the other. This wasn't the time for space. "Can you drop me a breadcrumb?" She mumbled as she traced the lines on his tattoos. She could tell that something was off with him and likely, it had to do with whatever assignment he was on.

"I'll think of something."

Catherine nodded and closed her eyes again. A few minutes later, she woke up to him humming again. "Steve?"

"Hm?"

"What's that song?"

He looked down at her with furrowed eyebrows, "What song?"

Her eyes fluttered open as she looked up at him, "The one you've been humming since you got here."

Steve tilted her chin up and pecked her lips. "Must just be something I heard in the airport and it got stuck in my head."

Catherine nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a long kiss. "How's your dad?"

He smiled, "He's good. I, uh, I actually saw him a couple weeks ago. I had to be at Pearl for a couple days so we met up."

"Sounds like things are getting better between you guys?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah." He kissed her slowly. "Thanks to you." He sat up against the headboard and pulled her into his arms, cradling her naked body against his chest. "How's everybody? How are Amy and Matt?"

Catherine smiled, "Good. Amy's on the E with me for a while still and Matt's at NAVCENT. Did he tell you that he's thinking about resigning his commission when it's time to re-up?"

"Seriously?" Steve's eyebrows shot up. "He always told me he was in it until he hit retirement."

"Amy says they've talked about getting married. She's thinking of getting out too but she won't have the option to re-up until a year or so after Matt, so they're probably going to get engaged when he's done and married when she's out."

Steve laughed, "Damn! Who woulda thought..."

Catherine giggled, "They're cute together, though. It's kind of disgustingly sweet."

He kissed her neck, "What about you?"

She closed her eyes as shivers went down her spine, "What about me?"

"How long are you gonna stay in?"

Catherine's breath hitched. Was he actually asking what she thought he was asking? "I'd like to hit my twenty, but you never know what could happen... I don't blame them for wanting to get out. I mean, none of us actually anticipated ever being in a war when we joined, you know?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah." The tune began playing in his mind again. He fought it out of his brain, but that effort alone exhausted him. "What do you think about The Beatles?"

She looked confused then laughed lightheartedly, "Not really my taste, but I don't hate them. Why?"

He shrugged. "Just wondering."

"Steve?" Catherine felt around the cool sheets beside her where he was supposed to be sleeping. She pulled his shirt on and walked out onto the balcony. "It's three in the morning… what are you doing out here?"

Steve looked up from the deck chair and reached out for her hand, "Sorry… I, uh, I couldn't sleep."

Catherine took his hand and sat down in his lap. "Nightmare?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He kissed her head. "Just didn't wanna wake you up."

She tilted her head onto his shoulder, "Wake me up." She kissed his temple. "Okay?"

"You know… the beaches in Cuba look pretty different from here and from Hawaii."

Catherine's eyebrows furrowed. That was a strange thing to say at three in the morning. The tune he had been humming repeated in her mind. She had heard it before - she was sure of it. "You're there aren't you." She didn't know why she had blurted that out other than that she had picked up on his breadcrumbs and finally figured it out. Catherine silently prayed that she was wrong. It was rumored to exist, but even officers with her level of security clearance weren't totally sure that it wasn't a hoax. "Strawberry Fields is real, isn't it."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Happy Monday, loves! I hope you all have a wonderful week! I can't wait to read your feedback in the reviews! If you're a ghost reader (Guilty as charged over here!) and read but don't leave a review, that's cool! If I could bother you for one, just drop a quick hello in the reviews of this chapter so I know you exist! THANK YOU for faithfully reading!

Q and A

Real-Time McRoll tie-in for this chapter: There will be a longer "current" Steve and Cath portion of the story on the next chapter that will connect CH 26 and CH 27.

Catherine and Billy in Amsterdam: Oh the OG show writers gave us such an interesting little breadcrumb in the season 3 finale about Catherine not regretting what happened in Amsterdam with Billy. This is the MOST REQUESTED question I get! YES! We're going to make it to Amsterdam! (Relatively soon, actually!) I can't wait for you to find out what happened! (In my mind at least:)

Will Steve re-join Five-0 in this story? Honestly? To be determined. That's not me trying to string you along, that's me really just not having decided yet!

Is Greer coming back before the end where Catherine shoots her? I don't want to give away anything, but I think Greer is going to be a turning point in the story in the not so far off future!

Are you on any other social media besides FanFiction and Twitter? Yes and no. I have a Twitter for my writing (You can follow me at XOMaggieWrites) I'm on other social media platforms for my personal life, but like all of you, I value my privacy and the privacy of my family. If there's another social media platform that most of you are on and would like to connect, let me know and I'll set up a MaggieWrites account. (I seriously just love talking to you all about H50!)

You are wonderful, beautiful people! Spread kindness!

XO,

-Mags-