It's time to begin finding resolutions to all of this chaos.

Steve and Brian are going to confront Sophia and help her begin the process of grieving. Steve may also find he has some grieving of his own to do regarding Gio's death which could get interesting.

WARNING: There is some bad language in this chapter, so you may want to skip it if you don't like that. However, Brian and Steve are determined to get through to Sophia even if they have to be TOUGH in the process. Just FYI.

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Steve drove Sophia home while Brian followed in the car he had rented for the weekend. Mary and Joannie would be joining them later for dinner before flying back to LA the following morning.

Steve's phone rang on the way and Caller ID told him it was Chin.

"Chin, what's up?"

"Just wanted to give you a heads up that we have a possible lead on Manetti's whereabouts."

Steve saw Sophia tense beside him, so he reached over to take her hand in his.

"What did you find out?" he asked Chin.

"One of the guys we arrested decided it was in his best interest to cooperate with us as long as we provide protection for him until this is over."

"Okay. Let me get Sophia home and I'll come in. Keep him in interrogation until I can talk to him."

"What about Sophia? Need me to send someone over to stay with her."

"No, Brian's following us back to my place so he'll be with her."

After a few more instructions from Steve, they ended the call. Steve looked from the road briefly to gauge Sophia's expression. She looked terrified, so he squeezed her hand again.

"Hey…"he said softly.

She sat stoically beside him and didn't respond.

"Look at me, Soph."

After a few more seconds, she turned to him.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay?"

She didn't trust herself to speak without her voice trembling, so she shook her head in agreement. Steve smiled at her and lifted her hand to give it a quick kiss. "It's gonna be okay, babe. I promise."

A few minutes later, they arrived at Steve's home. He exited the truck and met Brian to tell him what was going on. They all made their way into the house where Sophia started to move upstairs to take a bath. She wanted desperately to wash away the horror of the last few days and the antiseptic smell clinging to her after spending a night in the hospital. She made it up the first couple of steps before Steve stopped her by pulling her into his arms for a kiss. She rested her head against his chest and breathed in the scent she'd become so familiar with. Just having him hold her and smelling his aftershave was enough to calm her heart rate down as she marveled at the affect he had on her. He continued to hold her as he rested his chin on top of her head. Then, he kissed her one last time before letting her go to walk upstairs.

When water could be heard running for a bath, Steve motioned for Brian to join him in the kitchen. He reached on top of the refrigerator and pulled down a revolver that was hidden discreetly behind some bags of tortilla chips.

"Do you know how to use this?" Steve asked as he chambered a round and checked to make sure it was fully loaded.

"Absolutely." Brian said as he reached for it.

Steve handed it to him. "Good…Do whatever you have to do to protect her and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"You got it."

"Oh, and make yourself at home," he told Brian. "I wish the circumstances were better, but I have a feeling we'll get to know each other better soon." When Brian returned his smile, he said, "I'll keep you updated, but if you need anything, here are mine and Danny's cell numbers. Don't hesitate to call."

Steve left to meet with his team at HQ and Brian used the time Sophia was in the shower to think about the next step in dealing with her. He couldn't ignore what had brought him to Hawaii in the first place, so the concerns needed to be addressed. Undoubtedly, the timing sucked but there were things they needed to deal with whether she wanted to or not.

He walked through the house and made his way out to the lanai. Steve's backyard was somewhat of a sanctuary and Brian could understand why Sophia was comfortable there. Not only did she have Steve in her life now, but this peaceful and tranquil space undoubtedly provided a place for her to relax and escape.

After a few moments standing in the grass and watching the waves roll in, he thought he heard Sophia. He walked back in to the house where he found her in the kitchen fresh out of the bath and pouring herself a glass of wine. She held up the bottle, "Want some?"

Brian leaned against the door jam and crossed his arms in front of him.

Baby steps, he told himself. They were going to have to take small steps to get where they needed to go and it was going to be hard as hell to do so. However, he knew he needed to tread gently after what she had been through in the last few days.

"One glass," he said holding up a finger. "One glass for each of us and that's it."

He saw her swallow nervously as she poured him a glass before turning to hand it to him. He knew she wanted to say something in protest but had stopped herself from doing so. Brian took the glass and reached out his other hand to her.

"Come on. We need to talk."

Her eyebrows shot up again in surprise. "Seriously Brian, this isn't the time to…"

Brian took her hand anyway. "That wasn't a request, sweetie. Come on. We're going to talk."

She had no choice but to follow him since he was holding her hand and pulling her in the direction of the lanai.

Once outside, they both settled into Adirondack chairs in the yard and listened to the waves rolling in. Sophia sipped quietly on her wine. Brian seemed to be waiting on her to speak, and after a few minutes of silence, she couldn't take the silence any longer.

She tried to sound lighthearted. "Okay, so I know you didn't bring me out here to just look at the water. Wanna tell me what's on your mind?-And why you're here in Hawaii? You're kinda scaring me."

When Brian turned towards her, his expression had grown serious. Pensive. Worried.

He held her gaze as he took in a deep breath and contemplated how to begin the conversation he'd been dreading.

"I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me. No more bullshit. Got it?"

Her eyes widened at his bluntness. "Okay."

"How are you doing?" he asked her softly.

A nervous laugh escaped her as she stood up and crossed her arms defensively in front of her. "Did you really fly all the way here from L.A. just to ask me how I'm doing?"

She was stalling again, but he wasn't about to let her off the hook. Not this time.

"Sit down," he demanded. When she didn't comply right away, he said it again as he pointed to her chair. "Sit down. Right now."

She sighed and did as he said but wouldn't look at him.

"To answer your question…No. The reason I flew here was so I could ask you that question and make you look me in the eyes when you answered."

This time she did look at him albeit nervously. "What are you talking about?" She tried to sound unruffled, but the slight tremor in her voice gave her away.

She saw the frustration grow on his face even though his voice remained even.

"You should know by now you can't lie to me," he began. "I know you too well. Every time we've talked over the last several months, you've told me you were 'fine'…or you were 'doing great'. I have a feeling you've done the same thing with your Mom….and Steve…..and everyone else who cares about you. I was willing to let it slide in the beginning because I figured you needed some time and would eventually open up."

He put his hand on her chin and forced her to look at him. "But that hasn't happened," he said pointedly. "Instead of opening up, you've completely shut down. So no, you are NOT 'fine'. And depending on the time of day, I've been able to hear the 'slur' you're trying to hide in your voice when we've talked lately which tells me you're drinking too much in order to not have to deal with it."

Fire flashed in her eyes when she looked at him, but he kept pushing her.

"I will ask you again…and this time I want the truth." He paused until he knew he had her attention. "Talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

She looked out at the water and was quiet for a few minutes as she gathered her thoughts and tried to keep the tears at bay that were just under the surface. He could practically hear her mind spinning as she tried to figure a way to explain her way out of the situation she was in.

She squared her shoulders, took a steadying breath and looked at him before her voice grew sarcastic. "Nothing's going on, Bri. I mean nothing besides the fact that I lost my only brother a few months ago. Ya know…Life goes on. We have to move on, right?" She lifted the glass to her lips and took another sip.

His face softened, "But you aren't moving on, honey. That's the problem."

Brian's eyes were unyielding and she knew without a doubt she couldn't fool him anymore even though she was trying valiantly to do so. He had the most piercing blue eyes and whenever he looked at her like this, it had always broken down every resolve she had.

His honesty broke her down even further causing her to look away again as her eyes began to fill. "I just…..I can't! I mean, I can't!" Her voice choked and he saw tears begin making their way down her cheeks.

He knew they were almost there; Almost to the breakthrough she needed but had denied herself for several months.

"You can't what?" he asked her just as softly even though he knew the answer.

"I don't know how…to move on." She turned to look at him and the pain he saw in her eyes coupled with the tears that filled them shattered his heart. "I just don't know how to let him go, Bri!"

He stood up and pulled her to him as she broke down. He held her close as her sobs set free months of pent up emotions that were begging to be released. He spoke soothingly to her, kissed her head, and held her close as she cried it out.

When she had calmed down, they settled back into the chairs.

"Who says you have to let him go?" he asked gently. "It's not about letting him go…It's about learning how to hold on to the memories with him but still going on with your life. Right now you're stuck. I mean, you haven't dealt with it at all…..You've only pushed it down and tried to bury it."

"It hurts too much…..I just can't do it."

"YES, you can!" His voice was insistent and urgent. "Listen to me, sweetie…You are not in this alone. Okay? But, you're not gonna be able to move on until you allow yourself to grieve. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's true. This is a process…..and it takes time…..and you are going to have to allow yourself to work through it."

"I don't have time!" she spat as she got angry again. He watched as she stood up and began to pace again along the water's edge. He let her go this time knowing this is what she did: Sophia had always been one to pace when she needed to talk something out. If their years of friendship had taught him anything, it was that it was best to let her get it out.

Then, he was going to step in and tell her what he thought about it. And whether she wanted to or not, she would listen. He would make sure of it.

"I don't have time," she repeated.

"Why not? What don't you have time for, Soph? Are you telling me you don't have time to take care of yourself?"

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "I can't worry Momma. She's having trouble dealing with Gio being gone and I can't worry her. And I can't put it on Steve. I mean, he works his ass off and doesn't need to hear about it when we're together. He needs to relax and not be weighed down by anything else. Gio is GONE, Bri." Another sob escaped her, "He's gone and I can't change that."

Sophia heard the sarcasm in his voice when he spoke again. "So what you're telling me is that you believe Steve doesn't know how much you're hurting? You actually believe you have him fooled? Or ME for that matter?"

She glared at him but said nothing.

He stood up in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders to turn her towards him. "Answer me, dammit! Do you think we haven't noticed the pain you've been in since Gio died? Do you really think we don't see the pain you're in every day and haven't been frustrated as hell because you won't allow yourself to talk about it?"

"Shut up!" she spat as she pushed his arms away. "I am not doing this," her voice was defiant but he was unphased.

"YES, you are. You're doing this with me…..Right now. Let me ask you something else: Do you think we don't know you're drinking to cover up the pain? It's gotten out of control, sweetie, and it's stopping NOW. Do you understand me? I'll be damned if I sit by and watch you kill yourself."

"What are you talking about? I'm not out of control…I know how much I can handle." She lifted her chin defiantly. If the situation weren't so serious, he may've had to laugh at her bravado.

"Right," he said sarcastically. "Well, it ends now. This is it….Steve and I are in agreement on this. It ends now."

Brian's phone vibrated on the table beside them. He saw Steve's name on the Caller ID and picked it up.

"I need for you to bring Sophia down here as soon as you can," Steve said.

Brian looked at Sophia. "We'll be right there," he answered before hanging up.

Time for a break, but they would be revisiting the conversation soon…..Probably with Steve there too.

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