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.

"I always pegged you as an early riser." Mr. Rollins announced his presence as he poked his head into the barn where Steve was tending to the horses.

Steve chuckled, "Gave the uh, gave the guy who takes care of the ranch for me some time off while we're all here. Figured I should get an early start on things."

Mr. Rollins took a bale of hay from Steve and walked it into one of the horse stalls. "Four AM's a little early even for you frogmen, isn't it?" He gave Steve a knowing look.

"Eh, Couldn't sleep. Didn't want to, uh, didn't wanna wake Catherine." He smiled sheepishly.

"You been sleepin' alright lately?" Tom glanced over at Steve out of the corner of his eye.

Steve shrugged, "Alright. Guess I'm, uh, guess I'm just nervous about the new baby, you know?"

Tom chuckled, "Catherine's a grown woman and I still can't sleep at night." He crossed his arms and leaned back against a post, "She's told me all about the work you're doing down at Pearl now. Keepin' those boys straight - making sure someone's lookin' after 'em." Steve nodded in agreement as Tom continued, "So who's lookin' after you?"

He looked up and paused for a moment before going about his chores, "Catherine… She- she keeps me in line." He joked.

Tom grinned, "You sound like you've been married fifty years already."

Steve twisted a spigot to refill the horses' water trough, "Something like that." He laughed.

"You know, I don't know how you kids did it. You saw more action over there in a couple tours than my generation did in their whole lifetime." He shook his head and shrugged. "I know you and me, we uh, we haven't spent a whole lotta time together over the years, but… if you need to talk… you know… about why you're feeding horses at four in the morning, you know where to find me."

He watched as his father-in-law walked out of the barn before suddenly raising his voice and calling after him, "Hey, Tom?" Mr. Rollins popped his head back in the doorway. Frankly, both of them were a little surprised that for the first time, Steve had referred to Catherine's father by his first name, "Thanks."

Mr. Rollins nodded before walking back to the farmhouse, "Anytime, son."

BANG! BANG BANG!

Catherine snatched her gun off of the nightstand as she crouched between her bed and the wall. Sirens blared in the distance as her eyes began to focus in the dark room.

Right. She was in her apartment. In San Diego. Not in Afghanistan. She took a deep breath and set her gun down on the bedside table and crawled back into bed. Her cell phone lit up when Steve's phone number appeared on the screen. What the hell was he doing calling her at three in the morning?! "Hello?"

"You're awake too?"

Catherine allowed herself to smile at the sound of his voice since he couldn't actually see her face, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Steve chuckled, "You're predictable. How's the first night back in your apartment?"

"Two shootings and a domestic disturbance. California's a nightmare. Tell me again why I rented this place after last time?" She laughed quietly as she pulled the covers back over her body. "Hey, don't forget to thank Freddie for me for helping me move all my stuff back in. And you too - thanks for pitching in."

"Just doing whatever I can to work off my debt." His tired yet charming voice sent shivers through her body. Catherine could practically see his smirk through the phone.

"As I recall," She retorted, "I said you can do whatever you feel like you need to do, but I wasn't making any promises."

Even in her sleep, Catherine Rollins had him down to a T. "Copy that, Lieutenant." He chuckled, "And if moving your heavy ass couch up three flights of stairs gets me back in your good graces, then I'm game."

"Back in my good graces or back in my bed?"

Steve grinned, "Both? Not gonna lie - both sounds pretty damn good."

"Goodnight, Sailor."

He was about to respond when he heard two more gunshots, screeching tires, and more sirens over the phone. He listened to the static as she gripped the phone and heard her hiss as she sucked in a sharp breath. "Cath?"

"Hm?" She whimpered.

"Do you want me to come over?"

Yes. Please come. "No, I'm okay." She lied.

"Catherine…" He knew she was bluffing. He knew that she was too prideful to admit that she wanted things to go back to the way they were. But then that sinking feeling came back when he remembered that she said she was going to see other people and that he could too. Was she really bluffing? "Cath, I can be there in ten minutes."

She shook her head, "I'm good." Catherine settled back into her pillow and closed her eyes. "Thanks for calling, though." Her tone had softened as sleep began to creep back over her. She let out a yawn, "Why don't you and Freddie come over for dinner tomorrow? You know, as a thank you for helping me move."

Steve chuckled, "You sure you want Freddie there?" Secretly, he was hoping she would rescind his invitation to allow them some much-desired alone time.

"Fine, I'll call him myself in the morning." She yawned again.

"Get some sleep, Rollins." He smiled, "We'll be there at 1800 hours."

She smiled, "Copy that. Night, Steve..."

"So I take it that since your girlfriend invited us BOTH over for dinner, that you're uh, you're still on the outs." Freddie grinned as they walked down the hall to Catherine's apartment.

Steve leveled Freddie a warning look, "She's not my girlfriend. DON'T call her my girlfriend. I don't wanna give Catherine any more reason to be pissed at me."

Freddie shook his head, "Why don't you just tell her about that CIA bitch? If she knew it wasn't you who-"

"Then what? It'd look like I was cheating on her."

"Did you?"

Steve glared at him, "No." He knocked on Catherine's door. "Don't bring it up again."

"Hi." Catherine met them with a frown as she whipped open the door. The air was heavy with garlic and frustration. She began to ramble, "My oven died in the middle of making the pot roast and it's not done and I just-"

Steve placed his hand on her hip and politely kissed her cheek. "Let me take a look." His quiet but gruff statement somehow made her relax. He walked in and slid his palm across the front of the oven door, "Still hot. So if we can get it going, dinner's still good." He grinned, "Yo." Steve motioned Freddie inside and enlisted his help.

Catherine leaned on the kitchen island and watched the two men fiddle and prod at her sorry excuse for an oven. A few profanities and smashed fingers later, Steve had sent Freddie to the basement of the apartment building to flip the breaker. "I'm really sorry about this." She cringed. "I was, uh, hoping to make you guys a nice dinner to thank you for your help - not make more work for you."

"Don't worry about it." He smiled as he rested his elbows on the island and leaned in towards her, "What are friends for?" His eyes darted across her face, "You look, uh, you look nice."

She blushed as his eyes locked with hers. "Thanks." It was barely a whisper, but it was enough. The electricity between them was back. It was as if she could practically hear the buzz of energy.

"Sounds like the oven's back on." He murmured.

Catherine nodded and glanced down, "Right." The oven.

Steve reached out and brushed his thumb across her cheek, "You got a little parsley or somethin'..." He mumbled as he brushed the herb away.

"I should probably finish making dinner so we can actually eat before midnight." She had to break away from his gaze or she'd lose her self-respect, and most likely, her clothes.

"Cath-" His hand shot out and rested on her waist as she walked around the island towards the oven. "Thanks for the invite." His thumb brushed back and forth across her ribs.

Freddie opened the door and clapped his hands together, "Looks like it's good to go. Did you see if it turned back on, Rollins?"

"Yeah! It did!" Catherine exclaimed as she moved past Steve and stirred the bubbling pot on the stove. "Thanks so much."

"Thanks again for dinner." Freddie grinned as he helped Catherine clear the table. "It was great."

She took the dirty plates out of his hand and stacked them in the sink. Steve had excused himself to take a call from his dad and had stepped into her bedroom. "Of course." She smiled, "You know you're welcome over here any time."

Freddie carried their glasses over and set them on the counter, "You know, all the boys on the team are on your side."

Catherine laughed, "Oh really. Good to know."

"Make him work for it." He winked. "But between you and me - he knows he was a jackass… so maybe give him a break." He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Steve was out of earshot, "Just a little one, though."

"Commander Hart, if I didn't know any better I'd think Steve put you up to this." She raised her eyebrows at him as she filled the sink with soapy water.

Freddie chuckled, "No, ma'am. Just putting a good word in for my boy."

"'Ay, sorry 'bout that." Steve walked back into the kitchen and joined them. "What'd I miss?"

Freddie glanced at his watch. "I actually gotta go - I told Kelly I'd give her a call after we ate." He looked over at Steve, "You, uh, you need a ride back or…."

"I'll walk." Steve and Freddie's apartment wasn't too far from Catherine's, but he knew how Catherine felt about walking around her neighborhood at night and figured that it would give him the best shot at her letting him stay over.

Catherine smiled as she gave Freddie a quick hug. "Or I'll give him a ride back." And there went his chance.

Steve dried the last dish with a towel and handed it to Catherine to put away. "Dinner was great. You're a, uh, a great cook. I forgot how nice it was having you on land."

"Thanks." Their ease around each other had returned, but her guard was still up. Once bitten, twice as shy. "Not really sure what I was gonna do if you guys hadn't gotten my oven back up and running."

He smirked, "Coulda' gone down to the bar… had some wings… Maybe a little tequila." Catherine laughed. Damn, he had missed the sound of her laughter. "I meant in margaritas because I know you like those." He smirked as he hovered above her, "What'd you think I meant, Rollins?"

The mischievous gleam in his eye made her smile. Catherine shook her head, "I know damn well what you meant, Sailor."

Steve feigned shock, "Whatever do you mean?!" His obvious sarcasm had her in stitches. He dried his hands and flipped off the light to the kitchen.

"Alright, smartass." She smirked as she sunk into the couch.

He sat down beside her and draped his arm across the back of the couch, "How's the back?"

"Sore. My physical therapist is a sadist." She groaned.

Steve let his fingers brush against the top of her shoulder, "And your leg?"

She smiled softly, "'Bout the same. GSWs aren't a joke. The entry wound is tiny, but no one tells you they blow a hole the size of a baseball in your leg."

"So I take it you won't be down for a run on the beach in the morning, huh?"

Catherine laughed, "Not anytime soon. You'll have to take Freddie."

Steve smirked, "He doesn't look as good as you do in those short little running shorts." His hand wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. "You ever get back to sleep last night?"

She shook her head before resting it on his shoulder, "Not really."

"So that's why you were yawning over dinner." He chuckled and listlessly played with her hair.

"Steve…" She warned. He heeded her warning and kept his hands to himself. Catherine instantly regretted it, though. Being in his arms was her favorite place in the world. She pulled her feet up and tucked them underneath her as a yawn escaped from her mouth.

He leaned forward and clasped his hands together, "Catherine, look." He cleared his throat, "I know what happened between us, and uh, what I'm responsible for… it's not little. But you know I'm about to leave in a week on a tour for a while…"

Catherine bit down on her lip, "I'm not ready, Steve…" She ran a hand through her hair and looked around, "I just… I need more time."

Steve reached out and placed his hand on her leg, "I just need to know that I have a chance… that's all."

Somehow she found herself just a breath away from him. "There's a chance." She whispered.

He swallowed the knot in his throat. There were no words to describe how badly he wanted to kiss her. He didn't want to kiss her the same way he had in his hotel room after the wedding. He wanted to kiss her - to taste her again. To see if her lips still tasted like champagne and citrus. To take his time in reveling in how velvety smooth her lips are on his. But he simply nodded, "I'll take my chances, then." His gravelly voice made her skin flood with pinpricks of heat. "What are my odds?"

Her chest rose and fell as she felt her body draw closer to his, "Seventy-thirty… and climbing."

A smirk twisted up on the corner of his mouth, "I can work with that." His eyes lowered and focused on her lips. "I'm pretty good at beating the odds, so I'd, uh, I'd say things are in my favor."

"You sound confident." She smiled.

A slow grin drew up on his face, "I can kill every person in this building before most of them have a chance to get to their feet. Skills like that do wonders for a person's self-confidence."

Her eyes flickered down to his mouth, "What about me?"

"Never you." His nose brushed against hers, "I'd kill for you… I'd die for you." I love you, damn it. But he wasn't about to admit that to her and scare her off.

She closed her eyes and waited for his mouth to latch onto hers but it never did. After a minute she pursed her lips and leaned back against the couch. "I should probably get some sleep…"

"Probably."

Catherine chewed on her lip, "I can… I can give you a ride… if you want… or…"

"Or?"

"Or you could stay… if you want…" She admitted sheepishly. Catherine had been the one to stonewall him, but truth be told, she wanted him to stay. She needed him to stay.

"I'll stay." He glanced around, "Do you still have that extra blanket and pillow for the couch?"

She pointed to the stack of moving boxes against the wall. "Probably in one of those. But you could just sleep in my bed… with me… JUST sleep, though."

Steve nodded. "I'd like that."

Catherine slipped her hand into his and led him to the bedroom.

"No…" Catherine flinched. "No!" She grimaced and thrashed.

Steve snapped awake as Catherine writhed and groaned beside him in the bed. "Cath…" He gently placed his hand on her arm as she rocked back and forth. "Catherine, wake up."

Catherine screamed and protected her head with her arms.

"Catherine!" Steve tried his best to wake her, but the night terror was too vivid to break her away. She swung at his body, but her fist barely connected with his chest. Steve had just managed to grab her hand when the other came flying. He dodged her swing and tried to trap her arms to her sides, but damn she was strong. "Catherine, come on - wake up. Wake up." He ripped away the covers that were twisting and tangling around her body. Steve straddled her and firmly pinned her legs down with his knee. He panicked when he saw her reach for the gun on the nightstand. "Come on, Cath - wake up." He pleaded again as he grabbed her wrists and crossed her arms over her chest before laying his body on top of hers, effectively saving her from hurting herself.

"It hurts! God, it hurts!" She cried out as her body began to tremble. "Please make it stop! God, please make it stop- my leg, it hurts!" She screamed.

Steve loosened his grip on her arms and shook her as she began to wake. "Catherine, can you hear me?"

"Man down, man down!" Her eyes flickered open for a brief second before filling with tears. "Somebody help me! Please! Anybody!" Catherine snapped awake at the sound of his voice and clung to his chest as she cried, "The shot was from the back!" She shouted but could barely get the words out as she choked and sobbed, "Where were you when I needed you?! You promised you'd have my six!" She gritted her teeth as her tears streamed down her face, "You promised."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Squeezed out a chapter on my lunch break! I really am doing my best to stay on track! (Frankly, because there are some pretty exciting chapters coming up!)

Love you all dearly! Leave your thoughts, reactions, and feedback in the reviews!

XO,

-Mags-