Two months later...

Catherine arrived home tired after another day of work and her parents were waiting for her for dinner.

"You arrived late today, daughter. Were you with Steve?" Carol asked.

"No, Mom. I didn't even see Steve today. I had a lot of work to do and I couldn't let it accumulate. I didn't even stop for lunch, and I'm really hungry."

"I'm serving dinner. Go and take a shower, and when you get back dinner will be on the table," Carol told her.

Carol put dinner on the table, as well as plates and cutlery and they were waiting for Catherine.

"When will McGarrett make a decision about Catherine?" Catherine's father told Carol.

"Honey, that only concerns the two of them, let's not get into it."

"But he doesn't date her and doesn't let another guy near her. And I realized she's been sad lately."

"She's just been very busy lately, and she's tired. That's all," Carol answered her husband.

Catherine was walking down the stairs and they changed the subject.

"We've been waiting for you, honey. Sit down here, we need to talk," Jacob said to Catherine.

Catherine approached, hugged her father, and kissed the top of his head. "You're going bald, Daddy."

Jacob laughed. "Don't ever say that again, Cath. What a lie!"

Catherine sat down to dinner and smelled the good food. "It smells really good, Mommy."

"Thank you, dear," Carol answered.

"Catherine, I've been transferred to Norfolk base. I have to take my post next week," Jacob told her.

"Oh, Dad...," Catherine answered.

"And I'm going with your father, Catherine. You're an adult now, dear, and you can take care of yourself. We'll miss you very much and we'll come see you when we can and you can come visit us too. We'll keep this house here for you," Carol told her.

"I understand you want to go with Dad, Mom. I'm going to miss you both very much and the first days here alone aren't going to be easy for me".

Carol held Catherine's hand. "I know. We've never lived apart, but I know you'll do well, my love".

On Friday, Catherine met Steve in the hall. He was waiting for her to pass by to enter her office.

"Hi, Cath. I've been waiting for you, I haven't seen you in three days."

"Hi, Steve. I've been really busy this week."

"I called you," he said.

"I know. I was just sad and upset, I wasn't in a good time to talk."

"Sad and upset? Why?" Steve asked.

"My parents are going to live in Norfolk. My dad's been transferred there."

"I'm sorry, Cath."

"Thank you, Steve."

Steve hesitated a little before telling her he was going on a secret mission with Joe.

"So you're going to leave me, too... but if it's a secret mission, why are you telling me?" Catherine told him.

"Because I couldn't go without saying goodbye to you."

"When are you going?" She asked.

"Today," Steve answered.

"Today?"

"Yes. I called you to ask you out, to eat something, to talk, but you didn't answer me..."

"I'm sorry, Steve. I wish you have a great trip and take care of yourself. Good mission and be safe."

"Thanks, Cath. Well, I'd hug you, but you know I can't hug you here in the hall," Steve told her.

"I know. Good luck, I'll see you when you get back. Bye, Steve."

"Bye, Cath."

The next day, Catherine took her parents to the airport and said goodbye with a long hug.

"Don't cry, honey," Carol said to Catherine.

"I love you both very much," Catherine told her parents.

"We love you too, child. Now we have to go," Jacob said to Catherine.

Catherine only left the airport after her parents' plane took off. She came home and her home never seemed so empty. She looked at the phone and thought she couldn't even call Steve to talk and feel better.

Steve arrived in Marrakech with Joe and the other team members and met the CIA agent who would work with them. She looked at Steve with interest and he realized this. And so did Joe. After a few days of investigation, they had the target of the operation under monitoring and were waiting for the best time to strike. Steve and Agent Greer were flirting with each other and this did not go unnoticed by the rest of the team. Joe didn't understand why Steve was behaving that way since he seemed to like Catherine so much.

The day Joe gave the team time off, Steve separated from the rest of the team and Joe wondered where he was.

Steve let himself be carried away by his sexual impulses without thinking about anything else, and this brought consequences for the mission. He agreed with Greer about the decision to strike at the wrong time and went in the opposite direction to Joe's opinion and didn't know that many years later the consequences would be tragic.

Right after the end of the mission, Steve was in his room packing his clothes in his backpack when Joe entered. Joe didn't blame Steve and the other SEALs for going against his opinion. He went into the room and sat on the bed.

"Anything you want to say, Joe?" Steve asked.

"Yes, and I'll get right to it. Greer is no woman for you, Steve. I know you have a much better option." Joe got up and left the room quietly, just like he came in.

Those words kept spinning in Steve's mind. He picked up the phone and turned it on. Catherine had left a message for him, and she told him she hoped he was okay and that she was missing him and was looking forward to his return to base.

Steve closed his eyes and sighed. He was angry with himself for having let himself be carried away by Greer's charms. "Damn it! Why did I do that?"

Greer expected Steve to look for her again after the mission was over. "I'll look forward to your call. It'll be great to take the stress off again," she said as she said goodbye to him at the airport.

Steve just gave her half a smile. "Bye, Greer." He had no intention of calling her again. Joe, with his few words, had brought him back to his senses. He only liked a girl, Catherine, and he didn't want to hurt her.

PS: Thank you for your review on the previous chapter.