Catherine knew Steve was looking, but she didn't have the strength to look his way. She knew the second she saw him her resolve would crumble. If they made eye contact, she would melt. She'd made an internal promise to Grace that she wouldn't cause any scenes with Steve tonight.
This had been her first weekend not on call in months. No fugitives, no WITSEC, no prison transports made Catherine a happy woman. She wanted to let loose all the stress that the job, Steve, and this party had accumulated in her body. She wanted to get buzzed and dance; "enjoy the moment," her therapist had relayed over and over again. And right now, she would be present and happy; dealing with her unresolved feelings for Steve would have to wait for another night.
The table shares a bottle of tequila and a plate of limes, and Catherine's reached a nice buzz. Rachel's downright drunk. This could make things more fun Catherine reasons. She grabs Rachel's hand and pulls her toward the dance floor, she sends a suggestive look to Scott that has both men off their feet instantaneously. She's grateful Steve's on the other side of the room, she thinks better without his eyes on her.
Catherine dances with Rachel, she grinds on Scott and kisses him at the end of the song. It's a kiss that suggests more is to come. Her shoes were definitely not meant to dance in. They were the type of shoes a woman buys when she wants her man to take one look at her and know what's about to come next. Fuck me shoes, she thinks. She leaves the dancefloor after a few songs and goes to the bar closest to where 5-O is sitting. She knows she had to wait until she was good and drunk before she went anywhere near 5-O just so that her anxiety wouldn't be at 10. She downs her shot and grabs her cocktail before she saunters up to 5-O's table.
Steve can hardly breathe as he watches her walk towards them. Her strut is sexy and slow, she has to know what this is doing to him. He'd been annoyed he couldn't see her dancing, but boom she pops up at the bar, and he's been sneaking looks ever since. He knows she leaned over the bar so he could see her ass. He wants to wipe that smug grin off her face that he knows is for him, even if she's not looking at him. When she stops at Junior's table and says her hellos, he wants nothing more than to come behind her and take her right there on the table; she'd like that he knows. It's ridiculous how traitorous his body is when she's around; his mind is screaming be mad, and his body is telling him the complete opposite.
Once she's made it to his table, his mind is in overdrive. She's wearing her favorite, expensive perfume, the one she'd wear the first night of shore leave when they always conveniently missed dinner. He's amazed he can even smell it with her being at the other end of the table. Steve's tired of her playing games. He pulls Lynn in closer and kisses her head to distract himself.
She starts with speaking to Renee and Lou, which means he'll be the last person she talks to before she's walking off back to …Scott. By the time she's said hello to Danny and Melissa, Scott's by her side, wrapping his arm around her waist, his hand rests dangerously close to her panty line, a detail that irritates the hell out of Steve. He needs a shot.
When she introduces Steve as her old friend from the Navy, his heart clenches. Sure, she mentions she worked with him at 5-O briefly, but he feels like he's been punched in the stomach. How could she diminish all that they were, by saying he was an old friend? Before he can think about it, he's up and reaching for Scott's hand. His handshake is firm, but Steve's is firmer. Steve beckons Lynn to stand, and he introduces Lynn to Scott and his old friend, Catherine. He throws in a "honey, you remember my friend, Catherine, right?" for good measure. Steve knows Catherine and Lynn know who the other is, but if all he is to Catherine is an old friend, then he's gonna throw it back in her face. He knows he's being childish and petty, but Catherine wasn't fighting fair.
"So, Scott, it's Scott, right?" Steve asks with mock sincerity. Scott nods his head affirmatively, and so Steve continues, "Right so are you also in law enforcement?" Steve's wearing his best fake interested grin, he knows Catherine sees right through it and that Lynn's irritated she has to be present for this pissing contest.
"No Steve I'm not. There's only room for one Marshal in this relationship. I work in finance, tech futures specifically." Scott might not know why Steve's sizing him up, but he knows his way around a pissing contest.
"Oh. I mean that's cool, I was never into math myself. I'm more the physical type myself you know, Naval Academy, SEAL, 5-O."
"Babe, Steve's opening a restaurant; Italian in Chinatown." Catherine's tired of Steve's interrogation.
"Whoa in this economy? Good luck with that bro. I mean it, I hope you have success." Scott wants to tell him the statistics of restaurants, but something tells him Steve wouldn't appreciate it. And had he said that, he would not have appreciated Steve breaking his jaw, which is exactly what Steve would have done.
"Thanks." He says tersely.
"Well we should get back, or Rachel will start calling," Catherine says to Scott in a whisper tone which causes him to have to bend his ear so that it's almost touching Catherine's lips. As she says goodbye she leads Scott away. Steve wants to beat this guy's ass so bad it hurts. He's thankful after he's sat down Danny asks if Steve will help him get Grace's big surprise ready.
Grace was right about adults going through the motions, pretending everything was okay, but she just didn't know how hard it was.
Danny's big surprise is a car. It's a 2019 Toyota Camry, sensible, sleek, and most importantly, safe. Grace had mentioned a car since she got her permit, she'd been making good grades, helped with Charlie, and she deserved the vehicle. Even if she hadn't, Danno wasn't about to say no to his baby girl. He had one year until she went off to college and he wanted that year to go smoothly.
Danny didn't need Steve to pull off grabbing the envelope with the key and driving the car with its big, shiny red bow to the valet's spot, but he knows Steve needs the break. He knows how impulsive Steve is and how Catherine only multiplies his impulsivity.
"You good babe?"
"Yeah."
"Wanna try that again Steven, but with this time, conviction?"
"I am fine Daniel. Obviously seeing her with another man bothered me, but it is what it is."
"Well don't worry about her. Lynn looks amazing tonight. Melissa said she specifically chose blue because she knows with you being a fish-head you'd love her in the dress."
"A what?"
"Fish-head. Because you were in the Navy and you like water so much." Danny quips as if that were evident.
"Fish-head isn't a thing."
"I give up. You win." Danny admits to defeat because he knows it'll make his partner smile and it does.
While Danny's talking to the valet, Steve whips out his phone and sends a text. A risky text, but he doesn't care. She responds instantly.
SM: Not a vet? Doesn't sound like your type.
CR: Well blonds aren't yours so here we are.
SM: You don't know anything about me.
CR: I know you wanted to fuck me the second you saw me, but ok.
Catherine doesn't know why she says it; in the morning she'll chalk it up to the five shots of tequila and three cocktails she's downed. She'll apologize tomorrow, but right now she was hurt he said she didn't know him because she knows him inside and out.
SM: If you're writing me like this, he must not be satisfying you.
CR: And what would you know about me being satisfied? Old friend.
SM: I know what you like, how you like it, and what to do for starters.
CR: You knew. Things change.
SM: That's not what you said the other night. Begging me to stop before you cheated on Mr. Math.
CR: I asked. Just like you're asking to get punched in the face.
SM: If you wanna fight, let's fight.
CR: Only if you promise to fight dirty. Fighting fair is no fun.
SM: I think you know I like to get my hands dirty.
CR: I know another place you want your hands…
Steve doesn't even realize Danny's calling him until Danny literally opens the car door and forces him up. He still in a daze from his texts with Catherine. He shoves his phone in his pocket, so Danny doesn't realize why he's so engrossed in his phone.
