Lexi dried the last plate, wiped her hands on the towel and laid it over a bar to dry. She went outside and Steve was still on the phone with Danny. The ocean was only about a hundred yards away and looked inviting. She contemplated walking down but thought she would wait for him. The confession he had told her earlier about Wo Fat had alarmed her even more than she already was. The thought of Michael Lenes barely crossed her mind, all she could do was picture the man arguing with him and the horrible connection that she and Steve now had. They had both lost parents because of this man, directly or in-directly, Wo Fat was involved.

Steve stood several feet away from the house so he could speak privately with Danny on the cell phone Chin had given him. "Kono came up with that theory on Powers and Wo Fat before you and Chin?" he smiled like a proud teacher, "She's learning fast. She might be your boss someday instead of me." He smiled brighter, knowing that would irritate Danny.

"Yea, very funny." Danny snapped, "Look, this guy we snagged from the room is the bottom of the feeding pool for Wo Fat."

"How can you be sure?" Steve asked.

"He was scared shitless while we interviewed him. He was more afraid of us than Wo Fat. He was sent here by the now deceased, Lenes. He rolled over on everyone." Danny chuckled, "I probably could have got him to admit to things he did in high school he was so forthcoming, but then again, being the bottom feeder makes him less knowledgeable about what's going on in their organization. He wasn't one of the shooters at the restaurant, but he drove. He was in the bedroom when you were at the condo. Powers ordered them to follow you and take you both out. After you got away, he said they never came back to the car, they were supposed to meet up at a house on the North Shore. We checked it out but it was empty. Powers left a message for Wo Fat with some information about you and the girl, we're hoping to flush him out."

"OK. Keep me updated. With the murder of Lenes, I think you're right; Wo Fat's trying to clean up his mess. I'll see if I can find out anything else from Lexi."

"How's it going so far?" Danny asked, taking his turn at a jab at Steve, "She been in a bathing suit yet? I know how difficult this must all be for you."

Steve laughed, turning toward the house, "Actually, I found out, she's a nudist. Doesn't like clothes."

Danny growled at him, "I hope you get a really bad sunburn." Steve pulled the phone away from his ear, laughing, when the line went dead.

"Is it ok if I go for a swim?" Lexi asked, watching him walk toward her.

"Sure, hold on." he went back inside and tucked his gun behind his back, pulling his shirt out, covering it.

They walked the short path from the house that led to a small beach. It was only about 50 feet wide and cut off by a larger beach to the left, separated by 30-foot boulders. To the right, smaller rocks hid another beach on the other side of them. The soft sand disappeared into crystal blue water and turned to coral about 30 yards out. The coral controlled the waves that would normally pound the shoreline, making them roll in gently.

Steve sat down on the beach and watched as Lexi slowly made her way out into the water. She wore a pair of dark green shorts of Malia's that could have passed for a bathing suit bottom, since they were very short and sat low on her waist. Clearly a size too small for her but not in a bad way. She tried to cover them with a long T-shirt, but as the water got deeper, she took the shirt off and threw it up on the beach so she would have something to wear when she got out. Underneath she had on a bikini top that fit just right.

She dove under the water but not before Steve could get a look at her perfectly proportioned figure.

He purposely looked away from her as she dove into another wake, shaking his head. "Think of her as a little sister," he said to himself. "She's just like Mary." He glanced back over as she came out of the water and ran to her shirt, quickly covering herself, "Jesus," he moaned, "she's nothing like Mary."

He smiled as she plopped down next him, "That was quick. How's the water?"

"Really warm. I just wanted to rinse off." She tucked her legs close against her body and pulled the shirt over them, resting her chin on her knees. "Can you tell me about the call, or should I not ask?"

"You have every right to know what's going on." He looked over at her. He was taken back by how naturally beautiful and charming she looked in the setting sunlight, with her dark hair drying in the breeze, her long legs tucked under the shirt and those mesmerizing green eyes, staring at him, so full of trust, waiting for him to tell her how he was going to get her out of this mess.

"Steve?" her eyebrows raised, "What did Danny say?"

He licked his lips realizing his mouth had just gone completely dry. "He said…" he had to turn away from her, "He said that Wo Fat was the one that put them in contact with me. He thought he could get us both at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." he huffed. "He could have used this incident as an excuse to get rid of me too."

Lexi sat up mortified, "What? You mean I brought him to you? Oh Steve, this is all my fault!" She went to stand up and he reached out for her arm, pulling her back down.

"This is not your fault! What's between Wo Fat and I goes back way before you. If it wasn't this, it would have been something else."

She felt tears stinging her eyes; "I don't want anything to happen to you because of me."

"It won't." He looked at her firmly, trying to get his point across, "It won't!"

She tucked her legs back under her shirt, wrapping her arms tightly around them, resting her forehead on them; "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

He decided not to tell her about Lenes. He was afraid it would frighten her even more.

They sat in silence watching the sun slowly inch its way down over the horizon. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which always made it more complete for a spectacular Hawaiian sunset, but nonetheless; they were both impressed with Mother Nature.

Lexi broke the silence first. "Do you have a family?"

Steve smiled, recalling the conversation with himself earlier. "I have a younger sister that lives in LA other than that, no. No wife, no kids."

She couldn't help but be relieved about the no wife part. "Did you grow up there? In LA?"

"No, I grew up on mostly on Oahu. My dad was a police officer and after my Mom died he sent us to live in LA."

"Oh." The reason for him sending them away was too personal of a subject to ask, she thought.

He rested back in the sand against his hands.

"How old were you when your Mom and Dad died?"

He looked over at her, taken back by her question. No one ever asked about them, especially after knowing they were dead. It was like a taboo subject. She was the first. "I was 16 when my mom was killed and my Dad died almost 2 years ago."

"I'm sorry." she said sadly, looking over her shoulder at him, "I'm really sorry." He looked so vulnerable at that second, talking about his parents, she wanted to reach over and touch him, but knew that would be wrong.

"I'm sorry for you too." He said sympathetically. Her eyes looked at him with the same mournful regret for their similar situation that he was feeling at that very moment. He could see her pain clear as day. It was still so fresh from just recently loosing her father. That curious bond he felt with her woke up, nagging and enticing him to act on the urge to touch her, comfort her. Instead, he turned away from her yet again. The allure to be close to her was getting more and more difficult to control. He couldn't look at her without thinking about what she would feel like underneath him. "We should go back up."

He stood up and reached his hand out, pulling her up. At 5'10" she was almost eye level with him.

"It's still early. I suppose they don't have a movie theatre on this island either." she joked.

He pointed towards the horizon, "I think that was your movie for the night."

She held her hands up as they turned to walk back, "An Academy Award winner!"

Lexi didn't think she had talked so much in her whole life. There was nothing else to do. They laid on each of their beds, Steve stared at the ceiling glancing over at her every once in a while, while she lay on her side, facing him. They talked about everything from childhood events and friends to present day. He told her about being in the Navy and some of the crazy things they would do to cut loose from the everyday stress of the training. She compared it to some of the stories her father had told her. She told him about college and some of the stunts they would pull in their dorm rooms. Not only talking endlessly, but also she hadn't laughed that much in a long time either. It felt good to feel normal again, even if it was for just a little while. The conversation eventually began to slow as it got later, sometime around ten o'clock he looked over and she had pulled the blanket over her and was asleep.

Lexi felt him around every turn. The empty house was dark and full of rooms that led to nowhere. She couldn't find a way out. Suddenly he was standing in front of her with his black eyes. She tried to scream but nothing would come out. All at once he lunged at her, digging his nails into her face …She woke up with a jolt. The room was dark and it took her a second to remember where she was. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hardly breathe. She looked over and in the faint light she could see Steve sleeping, but she couldn't stop shaking. She laid there for several minutes cringing at every sound the old house made. Her eyes darted around the room at moving shadows that weren't there. She could feel him outside and let her fear manipulate her into believing it. He was coming for her, just like in her dream. She wrapped the blanket around her and went over to Steve's bed and sat on the floor next to him.

"Lexi?" he asked, sitting up. "What's wrong?" He reached over for his gun.

"Nothing, I just…" she stammered, feeling like a child. "I just had a bad dream is all. Would it be too weird if I just sat here for a while?"

He set his gun back down and moved back towards the wall, "Come on." He tugged on the blanket for her to lie down. She hesitated for a second but thought how much better she would feel. She laid down with her back to him and scooted to the edge, giving him most of the bed. "I'll be ok in a few minutes," she whispered.

"It's all right. What was the dream about?" he asked.

Lexi rolled over on her back and looked at him, "I was being chased by that Wo Fat guy. It was dark, and just as he caught me, I woke up." Just talking about it scared her all over again. She scanned the dark room.

"He's not here," Steve said reassuringly, "it was just a dream. Next time, just turn around and lay him out cold with a right hook." he smiled. "Drop him like a sack of dirt."

Lexi burst out laughing at the image of it. She extended her arm in the air, pretending to punch him. "I bet I could make him cry. He is kind of a short guy too, isn't he?"

Steve propped up on his elbow, resting his head in his hand, looking down at her, "He's like an angry Oompa Loompa."

The both laughed at that image. Lexi rolled over, facing him in the same position, forgetting all about being scared. The only light in the room was coming from the window, which wasn't much. She could barely see his face, "You have an incredible way of putting people at ease. My dad was like that too. Did you learn that in training or is that just a nice talent you have?"

"Hmm" he pondered, "I think that class was right after 'What to do if you are captured by the enemy'."

Lexi playfully pushed him on the shoulder, "You're a wise ass too, just like my dad. He loved to tease me." Her smile slowly faded when she began to recall memories of him. "I miss him so much." Everything was still so fresh in her mind. It had only been 6 weeks, but she was missing him more and more everyday. She laid her head down on her arm, looking up at Steve. "You're the only person I know besides me, who has lost both their parents. I don't really remember my Mom. Sometimes I dream about her though."

No one other than Lexi had ever talked to him about this subject, ever. It was the second time that day she had opened up the discussion, like she was giving him opportunity, if he wanted it. He thought about them everyday, but never had permission to talk about them. "I remember one time, right after I finished Seal training, I got sick, really sick. I had pneumonia and was in the infirmary for four days. I don't know if it was the fever I had or what, but I dreamt about my mom." he felt the loneliness again like it was yesterday, "I woke up in the middle of the night and I just wanted to hear her voice." he remembered it had been the first time he had cried for her since her death, "I wanted her to take care of me like she used to."

"God Steve," she sat up on her elbow, "that must have been horrible for you."

He tried to shrug it off, like it was forgotten, "I was sick. It was a long time ago."

Instinctively, she put her hand on his arm, wanting to comfort him. When she realized what she did, it was too late. She couldn't take it back, but then again she didn't want to. All the intense drama they had been through together that day, and here they were, lying so close, talking in the dark about something that only the other could understand. She had never been this comfortable around anyone before, there was this unspoken bond that she could feel forming between them. It felt amazing. Her attraction toward him was intensifying as well, but she knew that would really be over stepping their bounds, but nonetheless, the feelings were there. "Even though it was a long time ago, I bet you still remember how that dream made you feel."

She caught him off guard by the comment and the touch; he didn't know how to react to either one. The comment was like she was inside of his head, but the touch of her hand on his body, that was almost more than he could take. If it was any other situation he would be kissing those beautiful lips right now, and his hands would be attempting to explore that perfect body, but this wasn't any normal situation. He had to keep his head in the game to protect the very person he wanted so badly. The same thought kept repeating over and over in his head, "Who are you? Where did you come from?" She was fascinating to him. She wasn't like anyone he had ever met. This was dangerous, having her this close, alone, in a bed, in the dark. He rolled over on his back to get away from the touch, tucking his arm under his head. It was probably the most strategic move he had ever made. "If you have anymore bad dreams just wake me up." He closed his eyes hoping that he hadn't hurt her, but kept telling himself it was better this way. "Don't forget what I said about the whole kicking his ass thing too."

Lexi smiled and rolled over on her back and looked at her bed on the other side of the room, just being that far away from him made her uncomfortable. She knew she wouldn't be able to go to sleep over there, but she also felt she had crossed the line by touching him. She cursed herself for letting it happen. By his reaction, the feelings she had for him were obviously one sided. "Is it ok if I just stay for a couple more minutes?"

He rolled over to the wall with his back to her, "If you snore, I'll put you out on the picnic table."

She smiled, "Ok, promise."

When she rolled over her butt accidentally brushed up against his lower back. He couldn't help but laugh to himself, "Mother Nature is playing a horrible game with me."