THROWING DARTS

Based on the Hawaii Five-0 Series Finale Season 10 Episode 22: Aloha

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CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

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"Hey, you made it!" Steve's lopsided grin greeted her as she pushed through the crowd in their favorite dive bar in Coronado.

"I told you I'd be here as soon as I got off work." Catherine laughed as she swung her legs around and sat on the barstool beside him. "Just had to change into my civvies first. How's my favorite SEAL?"

Steve nodded, "Good." He grinned as he took in the sight of her tattered denim shorts and long, bare legs. "Cath, this is, uh, Harrington. Billy Harrington." He pointed to the gentleman to his right. "He's on a different team, but we're doing some training together right now."

"Catherine Rollins." She introduced herself, "Nice to meet you." She smiled as she shook Billy's hand. The bartender slid two shots of tequila to Steve and Billy. Catherine frowned playfully, "What? Can't a girl get a drink around here?"

"You want one?" Billy asked before flagging down the bartender.

Steve's hand shot up in protest of Billy's suggestion. "Not on my watch." He chuckled. "Can't have it on my conscience that I corrupted the, uh… nicest... girl in the Navy."

Catherine rolled her eyes, "Steve, I've done shots before."

"So she's decent?" Billy asked, looking at Steve.

Steve nodded and shrugged as he talked directly to Billy, "She's too decent."

"Ah, I see." Billy smirked.

"Excuse me! What's with all the closed captioning?! I'm right here!" Catherine interjected. "And I am not uptight, thank you very much."

Steve's eyebrows raised as a devilishly innocent smile crossed his lips, "I never said you were uptight, Rollins."

"You said I was decent. That's your way of saying that I don't know how to have a good time." Catherine contested.

Billy handed her a lime wedge. "Alright then. Prove it. Have a good time. Help my boy out with his shot." He said as he slid Steve one of the shot glasses.

"Fine." Catherine's jaw clenched. She was never one to back down from a challenge.

Steve snatched the lime wedge out of her hand. "No."

Catherine gave him a look that said not to test her resolve. "Yes."

Steve's eyes searched her face as Billy grinned at the sight of their stand-off. "You sure about this?" Steve asked. Catherine nodded stubbornly. He shrugged as he stood up, taking a step towards her. His hand gently spread her knees apart as he moved to stand in between her legs. "Can't say I didn't warn you." He smirked before turning to clink his shot glass against Billy's. "Bite." He demanded, holding the lime out to her.

"Excuse me?" Catherine questioned.

"Are you decent?" A mixture of intrigue and arousal danced through his eyes.

Catherine's lips curled up into a sultry grin as she bit down into the lime wedge that he held out to her. Steve knocked back the shot of tequila and simultaneously pulled the lime wedge out of her mouth.

Everything happened so quickly that Catherine didn't even have time to lick the drips of lime juice off of her lips.

But he did. And time stood still.

Steve's hand had found its way to the back of her neck and held her head steady as his tongue traced along her lips. He caught the drip of juice off of her bottom lip and gave it a gentle bite with his teeth. The taste of tequila and lime lingered in their breath as he moved his lips away from hers.

Catherine's chest rose and fell heavily as electricity pulsed between them. Steve's eyes darted across her face to gauge her reaction. "Well." His satisfied, husky whisper only increased the fire burning inside of her. His hand slid up the side of her thigh. "You're not as decent as I thought."

Catherine picked up the shot that the bartender had left for her. "Now the question is…" She began as she held out the lime to him, "How decent are you?"

Steve grinned as he bit into the lime. Catherine downed the shot of tequila as Steve tossed the lime onto the bar. His hands pulled her against him as his lips met hers. Catherine's tongue dipped in between his parted lips, tantalizing him before pulling away. Steve grinned against her mouth. Maybe it was the tequila, but the next words that escaped his lips in a barely audible whisper were, "Girl, I'ma marry you."

Steve wasn't quite sure what was happening. His head was spinning and it wasn't just from the alcohol. He felt Billy's hand clap against his shoulder as Catherine distanced herself from his body. Steve's eyes didn't leave Catherine's. He wanted to be anywhere except in that bar. He wanted to take her home. He wanted to kiss her without the excuse of a shot of tequila. He wanted to ravage and tantalize her perfect, little body. He wanted to spend hours talking to her about everything and nothing. Suddenly, he realized Catherine wasn't in front of him anymore. She was at the opposite end of the bar ordering another drink.

"How long you two been together?" Billy asked as he sat back on his barstool and nursed his beer.

Steve shook his head, "We're not."

Billy's eyebrows shot up as he sputtered on the sip he had taken, "Seriously? Why not?"

"We've, uh, we've just been friends for a long time." Steve shrugged. Frankly, he couldn't think of a single good reason for not having asked her out yet.

And it was killing him.

Billy sat in thought for a minute before he spoke up again, "Is she seeing anyone?"

Steve shook his head, "Nah. She hasn't been with anyone in a few years. She doesn't date Navy boys and she doesn't have a great track record with civilians."

"Alright, boys." Catherine grinned as she returned with her drink, "You two ready to give me all your money tonight?" The group of three moved over to the pool table in the back corner as Catherine began to rack up the balls. "How do you wanna do this? Stripes and solids? Loser sits out the next round?"

Steve nodded in agreement and saw that Billy had already grabbed a pool stick from the wall. "Ladies first." He smiled, "I'll sit out this time. I'm gonna go get a pitcher." He turned and walked away, leaving Billy and Catherine to face off in the first game. As he stood at the bar the faint sound of Catherine's unmistakeable laugh traveled over the noise of the crowded bar. He couldn't help but look back through the crowd to see what had made her laugh like that.

Catherine leaned over the edge of the pool table as she lined up to take her shot. She felt Billy's hand graze against the small of her back. "So, McGarrett tells me you're in Navy Intel?"

"Are you trying to distract me?" Catherine laughed as she took her shot and straightened up, turning to face him.

Billy smirked, "Is it working?"

Catherine matched his smirk as she pulled out another dollar and threw it into the middle of the table. "Maybe it is." She blushed, "But I'm still gonna win that big ol' pile of money at the end of the night."

"Or maybe I'll win that big ol' pile of money and then I'll take you out to dinner." Billy said rather nonchalantly as he took his next shot and sunk three of the stripes into the pockets of the table.

Catherine surveyed the pool table and picked out her next target, "You seem pretty confident that I'd say yes."

Billy chuckled, "What can I say. I'm a confident guy."

Her eyes roamed back to the direction of the bar where Steve was walking back towards them with a pitcher of beer and three glasses. "I'm flattered, but I don't-"

"Let me guess. You're gonna say that you don't date guys in the Navy. Except for the fact that you would if one of them was actually brave enough to ask you out. I'm guessing a lot of guys wanna ask you out, but they haven't because they're scared of McGarrett." He began to pull the balls out of the pockets and rack them back up for the next game, "Well... I'm asking." His eyes cut over as Steve approached the table for the next game. "Just think about it."

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Catherine closed out her tab at the bar as the night came to an end. Billy appeared beside her to pay up. As the bartender cleared their bills, Catherine pulled a pen from her purse and scribbled something on a cocktail napkin. "About what you said earlier…" She hesitated before handing the napkin to him. "You should give me a call sometime." She watched a smile flicker across his face as he tucked the napkin into his pocket. "But you should know that I'm only here for two more weeks and then I ship out to Kabul."

Billy's tentative smile turned into a grin, "Well that makes two of us. My SEAL team will be over there soon."

"It'll be good to have a friendly face nearby." She smiled.

He chuckled and studied her gorgeous features, "Suddenly I'm looking forward to it a lot more."

Catherine nervously twisted her thin silver ring, "Thanks for asking… by the way." She smiled.

Steve approached the bar and motioned to the doors, "You ready to go, Rollins?" Catherine nodded and waved goodbye to Billy as they walked out the door. Steve and Catherine walked the half-mile back to her apartment in silence. It was completely unnerving. This was not their usual comfortable silence. Catherine felt like she was keeping a secret from Steve, but the truth was, she was doing absolutely nothing wrong. "What was, uh, what was that little handoff between you and Harrington?" Steve finally asked as they approached her door. Frankly, after tasting her lips at the beginning of the night, he had been in somewhat of a trance. He couldn't stop thinking about what it'd be like to walk inside her apartment, slam the door behind him, push her up the wall, rip every shred of clothing off of their bodies, and have his way with her.

"My number… Billy, um... he asked me out." Catherine said awkwardly as she fiddled with her keys. She finally pushed her door open and flipped on the light. "You coming in?"

Steve shoved his hands in his pockets and stood in the doorway looking slightly rejected. "I thought you didn't go out with Navy boys." He stated rather harshly.

Catherine tossed her keys on the counter and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms. "You're the one who told me to stop having all these criteria for who I do and don't let into my life… He actually asked me out, Steve…" She looked down at her feet in embarrassment, "Do you know how long it's been since someone's actually asked me to go on a date?" She sighed, "I know you think I'm just one of the guys. I don't expect you to get it... But it sucks. Feeling invisible all the time." She laughed half heartedly, "Guys don't look at me the way they look at Jen or Amy. I'm just just the smart girl from intel." She sighed. "It just... it felt nice to be noticed..."

The memory of the taste of lime mixed with tequila lingered in his mouth. How soft her lips were. How her tongue had trailed around his lips. The feeling of her hair tangled around his fingers as he pulled her in. How velvety smooth the skin of her legs was as he parted her knees to stand in between them. The way that her eyes danced with allure and intrigue when he told her to bite the lime. Tasting her just for a fleeting second had been a mercurial high. How could she possibly think that he didn't see her? He had noticed her from the first day he met her. She was...everything. "Would you have gone out with me if I had asked?" His voice was sincere and masked the deafening sound of his heart breaking.

Catherine felt her throat tighten as he walked into her apartment and stood just inches away from her. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes as she felt him towering above her. "But you didn't ask me, Steve." She whispered. "He did."

Steve felt as if he had been sucker punched in the gut. She was right. She was fucking right and he knew it. He didn't know what he had been thinking… Truthfully, he hadn't been thinking at all. He had assumed that at some point things would just fall into place. Like she would always be there no matter what. He had looked at his friendship with her through rose-colored glasses with blinders on. She needed more. She wanted more. And he had been stupid to think that maybe he would never have to put himself out there and actually man up and admit that he wanted her too. "Are you gonna go out with him?" His voice was hoarse as he choked back the cocktail of anger, jealousy, and betrayal that he was feeling.

Catherine chewed on her lip, "If he calls… yeah." She admitted. Her head dropped as she mumbled, "Steve, I ship out in two weeks… I don't…" She sighed, "I can't deal with this right now…" She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. They had been friends for years. They'd had so many moments where he could've brought this up. They'd had so many moments where they had almost kissed. Where they had looked at each other like they were the only two people on earth. Their unspoken attraction had gone on for so long that she had convinced herself that it was all in her head and that Steve really did only think of her as a friend. Of course, the second that she tried to move on from the longing stares and stolen moments, he finally showed all his cards.

He nodded. "I get it, Cath…" He whispered as he took a step back.

"Steve, wait..." She pleaded. He was her best friend. He was her...everything. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him. Catherine reached out and touched his arm. Electricity pulsed in a current through her body as her skin connected with his. "Christmas."

"What?" He cleared his throat, trying his best to rid himself of the hurt growing inside.

"I'll be back the second week in December… You ship out right before New Years…" She looked down and nervously played with her fingers, "Why don't you come spend Christmas with me in Texas."

Steve nodded. "Okay." He shoved his hands back in his pockets and walked out the door. "See you later, Rollins."

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VETERAN'S AFFAIRS OFFICE - AUGUST 12, 2020 - 1700 HOURS

Steve stared at the photo of Billy Harrington that hung on the memorial wall in the hallway of the Special Activities department of the Veteran's Affairs office. For so long he had hated Billy. At one point, Steve had thought that he had lost Catherine for good. He had taken her for granted and she and Billy had hit it off. After they met that night at the bar, Steve began to see less and less of her, and in turn, she began going out with Billy more and more. Catherine had shipped out to Kabul two weeks later, and Billy's team was quick to follow. It was the first deployment that she didn't call or write.

And that just about killed him.

Eventually the silence was just too much. Steve gave in and got in touch with her C.O. to make sure she was okay. He buried himself in work and training and pushed the creeping thought that they wouldn't spend Christmas together deep down. She should spend the holidays with her boyfriend. She should be taking him to meet her parents. He wanted her to be happy. Even if that happiness excluded him.

The week after Thanksgiving, his phone rang. Her voice was distorted over the static, but he could tell that she had been crying.

… … …

"Steve?" Catherine whimpered into the phone.

Steve rubbed his eyes as he rolled out of bed, "Cath? You okay?"

He heard her sniff as she tried to compose herself, "Yeah."

His feet hit the floor as he pulled a pair of sweatpants on and stood up, "Catherine, what's going on. You're scaring me. Are you, are you hurt?"

"I'm okay… I mean, I was, but I'm okay now… I just… I needed to hear your voice, Sailor." She admitted.

Steve felt all of his strength fading into a moment of weakness, "I miss you."

Somewhere thousands of miles away, Catherine bit her lip to keep from crying, "I miss you too. I'm sorry I haven't called… I just... I couldn't face you."

"Cath, you know damn well you can call me up in the middle of the night and I'll pick up… I mean, I'm talking to you now, aren't I?" He mumbled as he flipped the light on and sat down at the kitchen table in his tiny apartment.

Catherine laughed quietly, "Shit. I forgot about the time difference. Where are you?"

Steve chuckled. Somehow, hearing her swear always made him smile. "Norfolk."

"I'm sorry." She cringed. "It's just… I was hoping you'd still wanna spend Christmas together… unless you have other plans or you're going back to Hawaii or something…"

"I'd like to…" He confessed. "But not if it'll come between you and Harrington…" There was a long silence on the line. "Cath?"

"We ended things. A couple weeks ago actually..."

Steve wanted to be happy. He wanted to pop a bottle of champagne and celebrate right then and there. Instead he settled for, "Shit...That sucks. I'm sorry, Cath."

"I'll be stateside in a week, but then I've gotta debrief. I'm flying into Houston on the 23rd. Meet you at the airport?"

A smile flickered across his face, "I'll be there. Stay safe, Lieutenant."

"See you soon Sailor."

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After Catherine had resigned her commission with the Navy and joined Billy's private security firm, Steve had been extremely jealous. Although he didn't want to admit it to himself, he didn't like the good rapport that Catherine and Billy had after their breakup. They were two of the most amicable, professional people on the planet and he hated that. As he stared at the memorial plaque under Billy's photo, he couldn't help but be grateful for Harrington's place in both his and Catherine's lives. His last act on earth was to go after a shooter after Catherine had been hit by a bullet.

Steve walked back to his office, packed up his things, and flipped the lights off. He nodded towards the photo of Harrington as he passed it again and gave him a silent thank you.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

So, when I wrote this little flashback for the wedding chapter about Steve and Catherine taking a shot of tequila together and having an intimate moment while they were still just friends, I knew that I'd want to revisit it eventually and expand on it. I absolutely loved when Billy Harrington was introduced in the show. I think it brought such an interesting dynamic to Steve and Catherine's relationship where they really got to explore how they felt about each other.

I can't wait to see what you thought about this chapter! Leave it all in the reviews, loves!

XO,

-Mags-

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