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.


One kidnapping. One little kidnapping and Steve had left the realm of reasonable reactions and leapt to the nth degree of overprotective Super SEAL. "Steve, I'm fine." Catherine grumbled, "You're way worse off than I am. What the hell were you thinking grabbing onto that helicopter strut?"

Steve and Catherine sat on his bed, stripped down. They dabbed antiseptic and tended to each other's wounds. "Don't change the subject. I'm serious. I want you to stay here. For the time being. At least. I don't like the idea of you stayin' at your place alone."

She hissed as he examined the bruise on her jaw, "Is this because of the NLM or because I ran into Billy?"

"You what?"

Catherine closed the first aid kit and scooped up his bloodstained clothes. "He, uh, he was on base the other day and we ran into each other."

"Oh." Steve nodded before a nervous laugh escaped his mouth, "Okay."

She grabbed the hydrogen peroxide out of the bathroom vanity. She tossed his clothes in the sink and began to spot treat the blood spatter. Catherine didn't even want to think about how many shirts he had ruined before she made a point to actually get the blood stains out. She pursed her lips and tried to hide her smile, "Jealousy isn't a pretty look on you, McGarrett." She teased. "I just figured you'd've heard about him being here through the grapevine."

He pushed off the bed and took the bottle of peroxide out of her hand. "Cath, I can do that."

"I know you can. But you forget and I know you hate buying new shirts." She brushed him off playfully and wiggled her fingers, signaling for him to give her the bottle back.

He dropped the bottle of peroxide in the sink. "Catherine. Ann. Rollins." He punctuated his words by taking three steps closer. "You could've died today." His thumb brushed across her cheek, "And you're worried about my shirt being ruined?"

She slid her hands from his shoulders, across the tattoos that wrapped around his biceps, down his arms, before lacing her fingers in his, "You could've lost your job. Hell, you could've gone to jail."

Steve shook his head, "I wasn't gonna lose you." He held up her hands and examined the ligature marks on her wrists. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm okay." She forced a smile. Truth be told, the adrenaline of the day hadn't left her body. Not after El Condor was dead. Not after Steve safely landed the helo. Not after she treated the boys to beers and wings at Sidestreet. Not after she and Steve had stumbled home and ravaged each other in bed before tending to their wounds. She hadn't allowed herself to feel anything but the rush. The rush was better than being afraid.

"Cath. Everyone has limits." He tucked his hands in the back of her hair and forced her to look at him, "You don't get bonus points for pretending you're exempt."

"I could say the same about you."

He chuckled, "Alright, smartass."

Catherine rested her head on his bare chest. The comforting rhythm of his heart began to leech the adrenaline from her veins, "Thank you…. For risking it to get me. I know I told you not to give in…" Her voice cracked as she finally let herself feel. The trepidation came in a flood. "But I'm so fucking glad you did."

"You would've kicked their asses. I have no doubt." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close, "But thanks for letting me take care of you for once." He pressed a kiss into her hair, "You smell like gunpowder."

She smirked, "My favorite aphrodisiac."


Billy Harrington: How about that beer? It's five 'o clock somewhere right?

Catherine: How do you know I'm not on duty?

Billy Harrington: Your C.O. is an old friend. Caught up with him this morning.

Catherine: Damn that man and his big mouth. How about lunch. There's a shrimp truck not too far from base. Kamekona's. Meet you in 20?

Billy Harrington: Copy.


Catherine sat in the parking lot near Kamekona's truck. She had written and deleted half a dozen messages to Steve giving him a heads up that she was having lunch with Billy. Sure, it was just lunch between friends, but that look he had in his eye when she had mentioned that they ran into each other on base made her a little unnerved. Half of her loved the warm fuzzies of feeling wanted and cherished. The other half wanted to tell him to stop being so archaic. "Fuck it." She muttered as she shoved her phone in her pocket. It was lunch with a colleague in broad daylight. It wasn't like she'd be caught making out with Billy in the shadows of a seedy bar.

Tap, tap, tap.

She jumped in the driver's seat and nearly hit her head on the ceiling as Billy knocked on the window, "You gonna keep sitting in here or are you gonna actually come have lunch?" He grinned.

"Sorry, I, um, didn't see you pull in." She slid out and shut the door behind her.

"Is McGarrett joining us?"

Catherine shook her head, "No, they, uh, they caught a case a couple hours ago."

Billy pointed at her Navy Brats raglan tee, "You a big supporter of peewee baseball, Rollins?"

"That's Assistant Coach Rollins, thank you very much." She grinned, "We had a game this morning."

"Oh, my apologies." He chuckled and pointed to the brightly painted truck. "So, uh, what should I be ordering?"

"Well." She began. "Spicy plate and coconut water is my go-to. Steve alternates between the spicy plates and butter and garlic. But it's all good and it's my treat, so get whatever you want."

"'Ay, Sistah." Kamekona grinned as they approached the window, "Where's Super SEAL and da rest'a da team? He isn't still mad about this mornin' is he?"

Catherine laughed, "They're on a case. I'm sure he'll be by for something to eat if they get a minute."

"Gotta keep my favorite crime fighters fed." He nodded towards Billy, "Who's this?"

"This is Billy. He's a, uh, he's an old friend. We served together in the Navy. Just catching up and grabbing lunch. So, a spicy plate and coconut water for me and-" She looked over at Billy.

"Same for me." Billy nodded. Kamekona nodded and shooed them away from the truck. They snagged a picnic table and he glanced around, "Nice place. I take it you're a regular?"

She nodded, "Five-0 tends to hang out here after cases or for lunch. HQ is in Iolani Palace not too far from here."

He grinned, "So either you picked this place to make Steve jealous, knowing he'd be by, or you picked it so you'd have the, uh, owner vouch for you and he wouldn't question your commitment to him."

"Commander Billy Harrington, Navy SEAL and psychic." She laughed, "More of the latter. Maybe a little of the former."

"Things going good between you two?"

Catherine nodded, "Yeah." She thanked Kamekona as he brought their orders out, "Things are… they're good."

"Good." He dug into his plate, "So Commander Collins and I had an interesting talk."

"Oh yeah?"

He picked at the shrimp in the with his chopsticks, "He told me you got the paperwork to, uh, to process out."

She laughed nervously, "Collins needs to learn to keep things to himself." She took a swig of water and shook her head, "Nothing's official. I haven't turned my letter in. I haven't even decided if I'm going to turn it in."

"How much longer you got on your orders here?" He cocked his head as he took another bite. "If you don't mind my asking."

Catherine held up two fingers, "Little over two weeks."

He chuckled, "Cutting it a little close, don'tcha think?" She shrugged and he decided to take the leap, "So, I, uh, I may have had ulterior motives for inviting you out for a beer."

"More ulterior than you telling me you're staying at the Ilikai?"

Billy gave her a sheepish grin, "Yeah, sorry about that. Look, you know I respect boundaries. I just had to shoot my shot."

She waved her hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it. You know I'm just giving you a hard time." She laughed, "So what are these ulterior motives of yours?"

He took a deep breath, "I am starting a private security firm. Here on O'ahu."

"Really?"

Billy nodded, "I, uh, I have the capital lined up to back it. The overhead isn't bad. Insurance is astronomical but that's to be expected. I've already got referrals coming in and clients lined up. I just need a partner."

"A partner?"

"Intel gathering, risk assessment, corporate protection. I need a jack -or Jane-of all trades to be my right hand and run my intel department. In the beginning it'd be just you and me, but I'm confident we'll be busy enough to bring on a few more bodies within the first few months."

"You and me." She repeated his rather audacious assumption. "So you're asking me to leave my well-paying, secure job to join your startup?"

Billy chuckled, "If you're as ready to leave the service as I think you are, then think of it as me offering you the chance to get in on the ground floor of an exciting business opportunity with a starting salary that's better than your current o-3 paygrade."

Catherine swirled the last of her coconut water in the carton, "I'm flattered - really, I am… But I'm not interested."

The corner of his mouth curved up, "Is this about the job or about the prospect of us working together. Because the girl who got her first tattoo on a whim in Amsterdam was done being concerned with the affairs of someone who didn't support her or trust her one hundred percent."

She leaned back and finished off her coconut water, "You're out of line."

"You didn't say I was wrong" Billy countered. "Catherine, you know this is a damn good offer and you're the perfect candidate - hell, you're the only candidate."

Steve's look of jealousy flashed in her mind. "I'm not interested and you know damn well that there's a big ass pool of people who are qualified. Hell, you and I both know tons of former SEALs who'd kill for this job, so don't bullshit me and say I'm the only candidate."

He raised his hands defensively, "Offer's still on the table. I know there are other candidates and I'm not interested in working with any of them because I only trust people who don't bullshit and you shoot pretty damn straight."

"I'm not interested." Her tone had softened but her resolve had not.

"When you give me a good reason I'll look for someone else."

"I don't have to give you a good reason. I don't work for you."

A smirk curled up on his mouth, "Just think about it. Please?"

Catherine smiled, "Don't think I'm gonna fall for that smile and say yes." His grin only grew. "Since you're on the island full time now, are you seeing anyone? I can set you up."

Billy shook his head, "Nah, I've been too busy trying to get the firm off the ground and get settled out here, plus finishing out my time in the service, you know? I've dated around a little bit the last couple years but none of it ever stuck. Life of a SEAL, you know?"

"Ha, yeah. I get it." She glanced at her phone, "I gotta head out, but thanks for the offer. I'm flattered- really. It's just.. It's not right for me."

"Well." He stepped over the bench and gave her a polite hug, "If you change your mind. Offer stands." He watched her walk back to her car before scrolling through his phone for directions to Iolani Palace.


Steve glanced over his shoulder as Marcus escorted a visitor into the bullpen. "Billy Harrington." He grinned. "What are you doin' here, man? How you doing?" He took two long strides away from the surface table and pulled Billy into a hug and clapped his shoulder. "It's been a long time."

"Yeah, man." Billy chuckled, "I think the last time I saw you, you were reassigned to some classified op?"

He felt his breath tangle in his throat, "Yeah. It, uh, it was a hot extraction out of North Korea."

Pain flickered across Billy's face for a split second. He had served with Freddie too. The op had been classified, but when a SEAL doesn't come home people talk. "Right… that. I'm sorry about that."

Steve shook his head, "Nah. No problem. Don't worry about it."

Billy chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment, "Look. I'm… I'm sorry that I, uh, dropped by like this, but I just needed to talk to you and I thought it was better if I did it in person."

"Yeah, of course." He motioned towards his office, "Come on in." Steve sat on the edge of his desk, "What can I do for you, man?"

"Well." Billy began as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "I don't know if you've heard, but I cut away from the Navy."

Steve bit back a smile. So that's what Catherine had been alluding to when she had run into him at Pearl. "Congratulations. What are you doin' for work?"

"Uh, actually that's why I'm here." Billy paced in front of the desk, "Um. I'm starting a private security firm."

"Alright."

"And I wanted you to hear it from me first that I offered Catherine a job running my intel department." Billy took a deep breath. Yep. Still breathing. This was a good sign. Steve hadn't mauled him to death quite yet.

"Sounds like a great opportunity if she was ready to leave the Navy."

"She didn't tell you, did she?" Apparently Billy's mouth hadn't communicated with his brain that he had a death wish.

"Uh, no. She didn't."

If Steve was put off, Billy didn't know it. His poker face was legendary. "Me and my big mouth…"

"Did she take the job?" He snapped. There it was. That air of tension.

Billy shook his head, "Actually, no. She turned it down."

"She say why?"

"No." He took a deep breath, "But if I had to read between the lines I think she's worried that working with me might affect her relationship with you."

Steve chewed on the inside of his cheek before pushing off the desk, "Come on, man. Look. I know you guys had a thing-"

"And you know it's over. And you know me, we served together. I would never do anything to get between the two of you." Billy saw Steve's eyes zero in as if he was communicating telepathically. He could practically see the smoke rising off of Steve's shoulders. Okay, so maybe he had done more than a few things to try and win Catherine back over the years. "Come on, Steve. The only reason I'm here is because Catherine is hands-down the best person for the job."

Steve nodded. "I know that. She'd be an incredible asset to any team." He sighed and shook his head, "Let me talk to her." Danny poked his head in and summoned Steve to the bullpen. Steve looked back at Billy. It was oddly reminiscent of the time Billy had reassured him that he wouldn't shoot Steve in the back just because he and Catherine had gotten together. Good times, good times. "Are we good?"

"We're good." Billy shook his hand. "Thank you."

"I'll walk you out."


Steve: Got time to swing by HQ?

Catherine: Need a favor?

Steve: Yeah, I need a pretty girl to stop by and make my day better.

Catherine: Smooth, Smooth Dog. Be there in 15.


Billy Harrington: I may or may not have stopped by to see McGarrett and told him about the job offer. Didn't know he wasn't aware you were processing out. My bad. Just FYI.

Catherine: I'm only THINKING about processing out. That explains the summons I got. Thanks for the heads up. Still not interested. Just FYI.


"Everything alright?" Catherine walked through the bullpen as Steve led her into his office.

"Yeah. Steve clapped his hands together, "Everything's fine."

She leaned against his desk. Best to rip the band-aid off. "I heard Billy stopped by."

"Billy did stop by. About that."

She put her hands up defensively, "The only reason I didn't say anything to you about leaving the Navy is because I wasn't sure. And- and that was a decision I had to make on my own."

"On your own or with Billy?"

Catherine shifted against the unforgiving plank of the desk, "Okay, no. Listen. My C.O. told him that I was THINKING about resigning my commission. I haven't even submitted my letter yet."

Steve's eyebrows raised, "So you're actually serious about this."

She sucked her bottom lip through her teeth, "I've spent half my life in the Navy, Steve. It's like… I need to start thinking about what's next."

"Alright." He nodded. "So why would you, uh, why would you turn the job down with Billy?"

You. Obviously you. And the fact that working for an ex is an astronomically bad idea. "Not right for me."

"Catherine," He huffed in exasperation, "It's tailor made for you! Recon and surveillance? Risk assessment? Protection services? Please. Why would you say no?"

God, he was going to make her say it and she was NOT going to say those three little words while her ex-boyfriend was a part of the topic of conversation. "Because I'm really happy. I mean, things are good between us and I don't want a job, even if it's the perfect job, to get in the way of that."

Steve nodded. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? Just as he opened his mouth, Chin interrupted with a break in the case. Fucking fantastic. He turned back to Catherine, "I'm sorry." She just shook her head. His being called away at a moment's notice was their reality. Steve's eyes roamed her body without a hint of discretion. He sucked his lip in between his teeth and smirked, "I'm gonna miss seeing you in those cammies." He grinned and then mentally kicked himself for picturing her in her uniform. He didn't have time for a cold shower. How the hell did Catherine in camouflage make him so damn aroused all the fucking time? He smirked. Back on the Enterprise, he couldn't remember a single hot shower he had taken that whole deployment. Cold water only. It was a necessity. "I gotta go." Before these pants get any more tight.

"Yeah." Catherine watched as he turned and gave her one last steamy look before jogging out into the bullpen.


Catherine stared at the page she had been trying to read over and over again. No luck. She'd been reading the same damn line for twenty minutes and still had no idea what it said. Steve told her to take the job. He wanted her to take the job. He trusted her. They were good. Working with Billy wasn't going to change that.

She had been spared from the Gatorade bath that Steve and Danny had been treated to by the Honolulu Shrimps after their game seven win. She happily drove back to Steve's house by herself, thankful for the time alone to wrap her head around her decision. That kiss. That damn kiss had melted away all of her hesitations. The Navy hadn't felt like home for quite some time. But Steve? He felt like home.

She set her book aside and picked up the stack of papers she had brought over from her place. Just one signature left. They had been filled out for weeks. Her letter of resignation had been drafted more times than she could count. One signature at the bottom and she'd be out. Her whole life would change. A new job. A permanent home. She hovered the pen over the bottom of the page.

"Hey." Steve walked in the front door, fresh from his quick shower back at HQ. "Make it home okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I, uh, I was just…." She looked down at the letter.

"You, uh, you made your decision, then?" He asked as he picked up the letter and scanned it.

She pressed her fist against her mouth before sighing, "I think so."

"Hey." He sat down beside her and set the letter down, "You know, I, uh, I don't know… what you're going through." He admitted, "I got out without really thinking it through, you know? And it worked out. But I, uh, I had enough distractions to keep my mind off the fact that I had made a, uh, life changing decision."

Her eyebrows raised as she cringed, "Is that supposed to be encouraging, because it's really not."

Steve chuckled, "I'm butchering this." He swiped his palm across the stubble on his jaw, "Look, all I'm trying to say is that your decision to leave is a lot different than when I moved into the reserves. And it's… it's gotta be pretty overwhelming for you to have to think about it and consider the future. I didn't really have to do that. But you do and I, uh, I just want you to know that I'm here. Okay?"

She reached over and slipped her hand into his, "You sure you're okay with me working with Billy?" She turned his jaw to face her, "Be honest."

"I trust you." He leaned down and kissed her, "He sees in you what I do. That you're a badass, brilliant, tenacious…." Steve began to lay her back on the couch, "Assertive, intelligent, take-charge…." He straddled her hips and braced his hands on either side of her head, "Amazing officer with a hell of a right-cross and a sharp mouth to match." He trailed kisses down her neck as he pushed up her Navy Brats shirt, "He sees all that in you." Steve moved down and kissed across the flat planes of her abs, "But I get to see so much more."

Catherine giggled and gripped onto his shoulders, "Mmm." She hummed when he nipped at her hipbone, "Steve McGarrett- are you… are you territorial?"

He smirked, "Hell yeah, I am." He pushed off the couch and handed her the letter and the pen. "You got nothin' to worry about. I got your six, Rollins. I promise." Her pursed lips turned into a smile as she uncapped the pen and signed her name to the bottom of the letter. Steve handed her her phone, "Make the call."

Catherine chewed on her lips as she dialed Billy's number and waited for him to pick up, "Billy, it's Catherine…. One question for you. Were you being serious about the salary being better than my 0-3 grade?" She grinned as she sunk back into Steve's arms and chatted away about Billy's job offer.


Catherine sat on the floor as Will crawled towards a toy she had placed just out of his reach, "There ya go, buddy. You got it." She cheered. Will pulled the toy into his little arms and returned her encouragement with a happy gurgle and a wide smile. Of course, the plastic boat would be his favorite toy. He was the son of two Naval officers and named after two Navy SEALs. It was in his DNA.

"How goes tummy time, little man?" Steve asked as he walked in and stretched out on the floor beside them. He chuckled as he tried to steal the boat away from Will, but the baby held on with an iron grip, "He's got the biggest smile I've ever seen. Shelby doesn't even smile that much."

Catherine laughed, "That's because Shelby takes after her father." She leaned over and pecked Steve's lips, "It's like this one knows who he was named after."

"Which one you talking about? Billy or Freddie?"

"Both." She smiled, "Freddie never met a stranger. Always smiling. Always happy. Billy was the most self-assured person I've ever met. He could sell ice to an eskimo."

Steve smirked as he finally stole the boat away and tickled Will's tummy with it. "I still have no idea how he got me to convince you to go work for him." He laughed,"And why the hell I was okay with it!"

Catherine laughed, "Be honest. You were never okay with it."

"Of course I wasn't." He chuckled as he pulled her to lay down on the floor with him, "He was a good man, but uh, I would'a been a fool not to know he had his eye on you."

"Good thing I was too distracted by you to care about what his not-so-noble intentions were." Her joke was laced with threads of sadness.

Steve bumped his forehead into hers, "You still miss him?"

Catherine shrugged, "I still think about it. That night when he died." She admitted. "Still kick myself for not doing more. For checking the house before getting him to the hospital. If I had just-"

"Hey." Steve propped himself up on his forearms, "Don't go there. You did everything right. That's the job. Sometimes you can do everything right and it's just not enough."


AUTHOR'S NOTE

OH HEY. So, FanFiction has been incredibly frustrating lately. I think reviews are finally fixed. (Fingers crossed.) I'm still not sure why email notifications aren't going out. I've submitted multiple bug reports on the issue.

So, in the meantime, helpful hint: new chapters are posted around 9 AM - 11 AM Eastern Standard Time and I'll post the direct link to each chapter on my Twitter feed.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Sweet, sweet Billy. It's good to have you back! Leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews!

XO,

-Mags-


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