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.


READER VOTED CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE CHAPTER


"Need a hand?" Steve called out to Catherine who was lingering a few yards behind him.

She exhaled slowly, and caught her breath, "Do I look like I need your help?"

He smirked as he watched her slowly continue up the steep slope of the Ka'au Crater Trail. "Do you really want me to answer that or would you like to maintain plausible deniability for later?"

"You know. This is, uh, not exactly what I had in mind when you said we were gonna have a 'relaxing day off'." She gasped as she caught up to him. "Especially when you classified this as a, uh, date."

Steve reached down and held her hand as he slowed his pace, "You know I, uh, I feel like we see each other more now than we ever have and still spend less time together."

She bumped into his hip, "Professional boundaries suck." Catherine giggled, "Can you imagine if we had been sleeping together when we worked in Intel?" She snorted as she laced their fingers together, "We never would have gotten any work done."

"It's a miracle we get any work done now." He offered her his best dopey grin. "You look good with that badge and a gun on your hip."

She kicked a rock as they continued on their hike. They began the descent off the side of the trail down to the base of a waterfall. "You still think it's a good idea?"

"What's a good idea?"

"Working together. You and me."

Steve chuckled as he held her arm to help her down a steep slope. "Haven't killed each other yet. Haven't, uh, haven't broken any H.R. policies." A sly smile crossed his face, "Not for lack of trying." He let go of her arm when her feet hit the bottom and braced his arms into the dirt as he lowered himself down. "Not crazy about you gettin' shot at, but uh, I know you can hold your own. I like knowing you've got my six and I've got yours." He slung the backpack off of his shoulder and dropped it on the ground.

Catherine stripped off her hiking boots and shorts and tucked them away. Her shirt was next as Steve pulled his off in one fell swoop and tossed it in the bag, "Now this is my idea of a date." She grinned.

He toyed with the strings hanging off of her bikini, "Likewise." Her arms draped around his neck as she slinked closer. "What are my chances of getting you to skinny dip?" He asked, grinning against her mouth as his finger tugged at her bikini top.

"Slim to none." She whispered. "We'd have to arrest each other for public indecency."

His hand skimmed up her bare leg. "If it gets you bent over the hood of my truck, I'll, uh, gladly take the charges." Without another word, he grabbed her waist and threw her into the pool of water.

"STEVE!" Catherine shrieked as she crashed into the water. She surfaced and pushed her wet hair out of her face, "Oh, you're in big trouble!" She waded towards the shore, but he was already cannonballing into the water like a child.

"You're right." He gasped as he broke through the surface and sloshed his waterlogged hair like a dog. "I plan a damn good date."

Before he could make sense of his bearings, Catherine leaped on his back and plunged him back underwater. Never try to dunk a Navy SEAL. It'll backfire. He grabbed her hips and pulled her under with him. Wrapping one arm around her body, he kicked his legs and guided them under the water. When they surfaced, rushing pressure crashed into them. Catherine gasped as she broke through the water. "Gotta warn me so I can take a breath!" She wiped the droplets of water off her face and looked around.

Steve perched himself up on a rock and scrubbed his face. "You dunked me. I just evened the playing field." Catherine crawled up beside him and stared at the curtain and spray. They were completely shrouded from the trail. Steve had guided her behind the waterfall. "Now." His hand smoothed up her leg, unintentionally streaking her skin with mud and sand. "Where were we?"

Catherine shoved him back into the water and jumped in after him. Letting go, being spontaneous- it felt good. She bobbed up and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Come here, you."

He stumbled, but found his footing, letting his hands wander to her very nicely toned ass. He stretched his neck and kissed across her shoulder. The swimsuit tie behind her neck teased him, and he decided to shoot his shot. Biting one of the strings with his teeth, he yanked his head and pulled until the bow loosened and the triangles of fabric fell away from her body.

"Steve…" She warned.

"Do you trust me?" He murmured as he lifted her higher and kissed the swell of her breast.

Her head rolled back as pinpricks of heat flooded her body. "Yes." She responded breathlessly. "God, yes."

He didn't need to be told twice. Two smooth, powerful strokes through the water, and he was lifting her effortlessly into a shallow cave hidden behind the waterfall. Her bikini top hung limply off her body as he covered her chest with his. Steve put those big hands of his on her thighs and ran them up to her hips, squeezing and kneading. Her breath caught in her throat because the feel of his hands on her never got old. They'd be eighty and he would still turn her into a puddle with just a single touch. "I don't ever want to stop touching you." He admitted. His hands were stroking her chest and shoulders, down her arms, across her abs, as his mouth tasted hers.

"Just a second." She whispered as she raised her hips to discard the rest of her swimsuit , "I promise."

"Strip faster." Steve demanded, peeling the bikini bottom off of her in one swift motion. Somehow, his board shorts had completely disappeared and fuck, it was magnificent.

Catherine's eyes widened. Instead of pleasure, her face was full of panic, "We don't have a condom." She whispered as her hands pushed back against his hovering chest. That hadn't exactly been on her list of things to pack when Steve had told her they were hiking to a waterfall.

"You're still on the pill, right?" He murmured against her neck.

All she offered was a, "Uh huh", And frankly, those two syllables were a miracle considering the things his mouth was doing had completely erased all coherent thought from her mind.

"I'm good if you're good." Steve searched her eyes for permission. In his opinion, anything other than a resounding 'yes' was a no.

"I'm good." Catherine nodded.

Steve pulled back and braced his arm beside her, "Are you sure?"

She nodded again, "I'm sure. I want this. Want you."

There was something so primal, so intrinsic about intimacy in the wild. Stripped bare, no distractions, no luxuries, and absolutely nothing between them. It was nearly a religious experience. The dirty praises he whispered in her ear, the murmured promises he vowed against her skin. He branded her as his and she carved her initials on his heart. No matter what happened, life would never be the same.

The crashing waterfall was rather fortuitous. The power they both had coursing through their veins matched the rush of the water. Steve and Catherine were covered in dirt and sand. Twigs stuck into her matted hair and a plethora of leaves were pasted onto the side of his leg. "Oh my god." She whispered as her pulse finally began to return to normal. Her head lolled over to where he laid beside her and she burst into a riot of giggles.

"What?" He chuckled as he lazily brushed her dirty hair away from her face.

"You win."

"I win?"

"I'll skinny dip." She laughed as she looked down at her naked skin. "I look like I went three rounds in a mud wrestling match."

Steve reached over with a weak arm and drew shapes in the smudges of mud on her hips. "I'd pay good money to see that."

She laughed and swatted his hand away. Standing up, Catherine bared all and walked to the edge of the cave and dove into the water behind the falls. Steve watched her wash off the dirt and sand. She held her breath and dipped under the surface to clean her hair. She was flawless. Perfect in every imaginable way. When she surfaced, she turned her head and smiled at him.

Her smile untied knots in his chest that he didn't know existed. And he knew things were never going to be the way they were before.

Before today.

Before he saw her sitting at her desk, her face illuminated by the glow of her computer screen.

Before he knew what she felt like from the inside out.

Before he knew her.

With extreme, male reluctance, he gathered their scattered articles of clothing, dragged his feet towards the edge of the cave, and dove back into the water.


"Have a good time?" Steve looked over at Catherine as they rumbled down the road. Her long legs were propped up on the dashboard of the truck, her arm half-draped out the open window, and her hair drying in the breeze. She was perfect.

Catherine gave Steve a lazy smile, "It was perfect." He took her hand and raised it up, placing a gentle kiss on it. She turned her head and watched the island fly by. For the first time in weeks, her mind was quiet. She didn't know if the falls had healing powers or if the sex was so mind blowing that she couldn't think of anything else. Both were viable options. Catherine looked over at Steve and caught his gaze, "You're staring again."

"So?"

"Why?" She smiled.

There it was again. That damn smile that made him weak in the knees. "Cath, I…." Steve scrubbed his hand down his jaw before rubbing the back of his neck, "I can't, uh, even imagine what things would be like if you'd never said yes to that date to the gala."

"I'm glad you asked." She reached over and squeezed his arm. His hand danced across her shoulder before settling behind her neck. Steve blindly traced his thumb over the star tattoo and she melted at his very touch. "Feels nice." She mumbled as she closed her eyes.


The truck screeched to a halt and Catherine snapped awake. "Wha? Hmm. Whereareaweat?" She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

"Have a nice nap, Princess?" He chuckled as he threw the gear shift in park.

Catherine looked around at the parking lot, "Perks of the military. You learn to sleep anywhere."

Steve chuckled, "Tell me about it." He hopped out of the truck and opened her door, "Come on. I need your help."

She looked around as he led her into the store. "What, uh, what are we doing here?"

"It's Grace's birthday and I, uh, thought you could help me pick something out for her. You, uh, you babysat her over Halloween. I figured you'd have some intel to share." Catherine followed dutifully as he led her back into an aisle that was packed with kids toys. He picked up a GI Joe and held it up for approval.

"No." Catherine shook her head.

The baby doll was next.

Catherine immediately vetoed it. "She's eleven."

Steve picked up a stuffed animal - at least, he thought it was an animal. It was some character from a kids TV show. Eleven year olds watched TV, right? "How 'bout this thing?"

She groaned. Even the smartest of men were incredibly dense and terrible at buying presents. She saw him going for a set of Rockem Sockem Robots and groaned. Catherine looked around. All she saw were fluorescent green Hula-Hoops. It would be hard to beat a man senseless with a plastic Hula-Hoop covered in sparkles, and yet for a long and rather pleasant moment, she considered trying. But, he had that stupid, lopsided smirk on his face and she just couldn't resist how happy he was to be getting a birthday present for his honorary niece. "Come on." She said, taking his hand and dragging him through the store. "Let me help."


"Uncle Steve!" Grace squealed as she bounded through the house.

"Gracie!" He howled as he squatted and caught her in a hug. "Happy birthday, kiddo! Is, uh, is Danno spoiling you rotten today?"

Grace beamed from ear to ear, "Aunt Catherine!" She immediately flung her arms around Catherine and gave her a hug.

Steve looked between Grace and Catherine. There was something that made his stomach flip hearing Grace call her "Aunt Catherine". Usually it was 'miss'. Miss Catherine. But today, she had switched to Aunt, and damn, he loved it. His hand snuck its way to the small of her back as he led her into the house. "Yo, Danno! Where you at?"

"Grace, what'd I tell you. Never open the door without me with you. You, uh, you don't know who could be on the other side." Danny motioned to Steve, "Point proven. You let this psychopath in. Hi, Catherine."

Steve held up his hand in defense of Grace, "To be fair, I let myself in."

Danny rolled his eyes, "I see Catherine hasn't been able to get you house trained yet?"

Catherine bit back a snicker as the boys bantered back and forth. She took the pink gift bag out of Steve's hands and gave it to Grace. "Happy Birthday!"

Grace tore through the tissue paper and gasped at the assortment of nail polishes and age-appropriate pampering products. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh itsperfectthankyouthankyouthankyou!" She flung her arms around Catherine in a death grip.

"Did you understand a single word of that?" Steve asked Danny.

Danny just shook his head, "No, but I'm gonna assume that's a positive reaction. You want a beer?"

"Yes, please." Steve sidestepped the feminine explosion in the entryway and followed Danny into the kitchen.

"So, uh, how was the day off? You two go hiking like you said?"

Steve reached in Danny's fridge and pulled out two Longboards. "Yeah, we, uh, we haven't been home yet."

"How is it? Home, I mean. With her." Danny asked as he leaned across the kitchen island.

He shrugged, "Good. It's uh, it's good. Not too different from what we were doin' before."

"You thinkin' about making this a permanent arrangement?"

Steve stared down into the brown, glass bottle. He'd thought about it. Hell, he had even started squirreling away a little bit of each paycheck to put towards a ring, but Danny wasn't going to hear about it before Catherine. At least not this soon. "Thinkin' about it. But, uh, that stays between you and me."

Danny cocked his head and peered down to where Catherine and Grace had started impromptu mani-pedis. "Grace loves her."

"She called her 'Aunt Catherine'." A coy smile flickered across Steve's face.


"Aunt Catherine!" Grace sing-songed through the house.

"Just a sec!" Catherine called down as she propped Shelby up on her hip and floated down the stairs, "Okay. Let me find my keys…"

Grace picked them up from the entryway table and handed them to her, "Mommy brain?"

"It's the worst." Catherine laughed. "Alright. Steve just left with Will to go to Danno's. I've got Shelbs, Eddie and Pickles are fed…." She rambled off her mental checklist. "I think we're good." She locked the door behind them and got Shelby settled into her carseat. "I've been looking forward to this all day."

"Me too. I need a pedicure and a foot massage." Grace groaned as she clicked her seatbelt. "Clinicals have been kicking my a- butt."

Catherine gave her a compassionate smile, "I've heard nursing school's pretty hard. Do you like doing rounds at King's?"

Grace grinned, "It's good. I actually got to do a few clinicals at Tripler. Their trauma team is amazing!"

"Oh yeah?" Catherine beamed with pride. "What's been your favorite so far?"

"I like pediatrics, but I don't think I'd wanna work around kids all the time. The ED's pretty fun because it's always something different, but…"

"But?"

"Once I finish school and pass the NCLEX, I think I'd like to work in the ED for a while and then try to become a flight RN."

Catherine's eyebrows raised, "Adrenaline junkie?"

Grace shrugged, "When I was doing my clinical with the trauma team at Tripler, a life flight crew landed on the helipad with a patient and we got to work on him. I've looked into it. It's really hard to become a flight nurse, but I think it'd be fun."

Catherine grinned as she pulled into the nail salon, "Anything with helicopters- Danno's gonna hate it."

"Uncle Steve will love it." Grace snickered.

"Good point." Catherine released her seatbelt, "You should go for it."


AUTHOR'S NOTE

Happy Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Chapter Day!

I love you guys! Leave me your feedback in the reviews!

Have a fantastic week, loves! Be kind to others, spread love and encouragement! You never know what people are walking through! And if you're one of those people walking through stuff right now, know that you are LOVED, you are IMPORTANT, and you are IRREPLACEABLE!

(And wash your hands and wear a mask so we can go back to eating tacos and drinking margaritas.)

XO,

-Mags-