A/N: Thank you for reading! This has been a lot of fun to write. I appreciate all the kind reviews. Hope you enjoy!

Chpt4: Back in the Water

Steve answered the door in his t-shirt and swim trunks holding a bowl of cereal in one hand and a spoon in the other. Lori peeked around the door as it opened, eyes wide. "Morning," Steve said through a mouth full of Lucky Charms. He stepped back inviting her in. "Want some breakfast?"

"No, thank you," she answer as she crossed the threshold into Steve's domain.

"We're getting in the water first," he said as he disappeared into the kitchen. Lori continued to survey her surroundings. Steve's home was tastefully decorated, simple and functional. A photo of Steve and a younger blond woman caught her eye. She was leaning in for a closer look when Steve peeked back around the corner. "You can change in there". Lori jumped at the sound of his voiced and Steve shot her a lopsided grin as he motioned toward a door near the stairs and disappeared back around the corner.

Lori found the half bath and shimmied out of her shirt and shorts. She took a quick look in the mirror and a deep breath to settle her nerves. Her swimsuit was a simple one piece with a scooped neck and a low cut back. She liked the swirls of purple that seemed to have no beginning and no end. The multiple shades made the functional suit a little more feminine and pretty. It fit her well she decided as she spun to double check the back. Digging through her duffle bag, she found her towel and wrapped it around her waist. The house was quiet when she opened the door. She ventured toward the corner where Steve had disappeared and found herself in his empty kitchen. Back tracking, she crossed the dining room, which Steve obviously used as an office, and saw that the sliding glass door was cracked open. The first thing she noticed was the incredible view from his back porch. She knew this had been his father's home, the place that Steve had called home until he was sent away at sixteen. Leaning on the rail, she could envision a young Steve learning to swim and surf in his own back yard. The water was calm today, rolling gently in and out of reach. As she looked side to side, the second thing she noticed was the mat and the punching bag at one end of the porch. "Of course he has his own little gym right here at home". The third thing she noticed was the tall figure at the edge of the water. She watched him as he hopped up and down, loosening his muscles, preparing himself to work-out. Leaving her flip-flops on the porch, she skipped down the stairs and headed for Steve. She felt her heart rate increase ever so slightly at the sight of his well defined back and arms. He was lean and athletic. He was smart too, and resourceful. She decided she would have to watch her step. They worked together after all, and she was here to learn, period. "Keep your mind on the mission," she chided herself. All business, she advanced toward Steve, now knee deep in the ocean. Turning his head toward her, he smiled as she approached. She stopped in the sand next to one of the lawn chairs and let her towel fall from her waist. As she busied herself with her hair, pulling it back and up into a messy knot at the back of her head, Steve slowly traversed the breadth of her form with his eyes. He paused to appreciate the sweep of her well toned legs. "A runner," he mused. His eyes traveled over her taunt abdomen and back up to her mouth where they settled for the briefest of moments. He studied her lips, always serious, a little pouty, plump, and highly kissable. It was his turn to deal with the flutter in his gut. He turned away from her as he felt parts of him rouse that were better left dormant, at least for the time being. He felt her stop next to him in the water. "I usually swim a few laps to loosen up."

"How far?"

He leaned into her, resting his cheek millimeters from hers and pointed in the direction of the horizon. "See that orange buoy? Straight ahead".

She squinted into the distance. "How many laps?" she asked determinedly.

Steve arched an eyebrow and cut his eyes in her direction. "Let's start with five."

"OK." She clapped her hands in front of her and rocked up on her toes. "Let's go."

He watched her wade into the water, waste deep and dive in. She was graceful in the water... and fast too he realized as he took off after her.

Five laps later, Steve emerged from the water to find Lori waiting for him in the sand, drying her legs with her towel. He lost his smart ass remark at the expression that swept across her face. She walked toward him, eyes glued to his chest, and stopped an arm's length away. Without a word, she reached for him. His muscles tightened as she gently ran a finger under one of the burn marks left by WoFat. She tentatively stepped in closer and flattened her palm over another healing wound just below his collar bone. Lifting her eyes to his, she whispered, "I'm sorry". It wasn't sympathy, however, that he saw in her clear green eyes. It was a sincerity that nearly knocked him over. This woman was truly sorry that he had suffered.

"Hey, I'm healing fine," he assured her as he covered her hand with his. "I'm good…. You came and got me, remember?"

She shook her head. "I…," but no words would come.

Steve drew her hand to his lips and gently kissed her palm. Mustering his cheeriest voice (not easy for Steve) he stepped backwards and gently pulled her with him. "Come on; let's get back in the water. I want to evaluate a couple of things… see what you can do. The best place to do that is in there." He nodded over his shoulder. Dropping her hand, he turned and shot back into the water. Lori followed him, hoping he wasn't pushing himself too hard too soon. For the next three hours, she flipped and dodged and ended up off of her feet and fully submerged more times than she could count. Finally, Steve succumbed to the call of food and announced that it was time for lunch. Lori followed him up to the house and into the kitchen.

"I have lunch meat, wheat bread, pineapple slices, chips and beer."

"I'll take it," she responded gratefully as she flopped down into the kitchen chair.

"You did good out there," Steve complimented her as he set the goodies on the table.

"Yeah," she scoffed as she reached for the bread.

"You did," he reassured her as he fell back into a chair across from her. "We'll hit the mat after lunch. You can practice those leg sweeps we went over and then we'll call it a day."

She nodded, mouth full of sandwich and pineapple.

They chatted about nothing in particular as they ate; the conversation easy and enjoyable between friends. He could tell she was tired from their morning workout, but he knew her well enough to know that he would have to be the one to call it quits.

Outside on the mat, she continued to hit the ground as Steve countered each and every move she threw at him. At the peak of her frustration, she feigned a round house kick and spun instead, dropping to her hands to the mat and catching him off guard with a reverse leg sweep that brought him down with a quiet "oomph". As she turned to pin him, he wrapped his leg around hers and, grabbing her forearms, flipped her over to pin her down instead. He dropped her arms to catch himself and she landed on her back with an "oomph" of her own. She opened her eyes to find Steve hovering over her, his forearm on the mat, hand in a fist next to her shoulder and his other palm flat against the mat shifting the bulk of his weight to one side. Lying there, hands open by her head, she could see the multiple shades of green and blue swirling in his eyes, barely visible around his dilated pupils. His eyes flicked to her lips and he lowered his face ever so slightly toward hers. He felt her tense underneath him and he hesitated. She lifted one hand to cup his bicep as a familiar voice drifted from the house. "Steve! You in here?"

Steve dropped his chin in frustration and huffed as he lifted himself effortlessly from the mat. He extended a hand to Lori and, clasping forearms, he helped her up just as Danny appeared on the porch.

"Whoa… Am I interrupting something, 'cause I can…"

"No, Danny, you're not interrupting. We were just going over some defensive moves for… You know what? Never mind. What are you doin' here?"

"Well…. Chin called. We're supposed to go and try on tuxes this afternoon. You know, for the wedding. He said he's been calling your cell phone all morning, but no answer." Danny paused as his eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline waiting for an explanation from Steve.

None was forthcoming so Danny continued. "I told him I would come by here and check on you. I see that you're fine… In need of a shower, but fine."

Lori stood next to Steve and looked back and forth between the two men. "Well, I think we were just about done here. I'll get my gear and see the two of you on Monday." She smiled and stepped awkwardly passed Danny. Steve shot Danny a menacing look and followed Lori through the glass door. "What?" Danny called. "What did I say?"

Steve caught Lori as she was collecting her duffle bag by the stairs. "So, that reverse leg sweep… that was pretty clever," he grinned.

"You liked that?" she teased trying to keep her tone light.

He tapped her arm and looked almost shy as he spoke. "Seriously, you worked hard today. You're gonna' be fine. I'll call you later and we'll figure out another time to meet."

"Yeah, OK," she nodded

"I'll see you Monday then".

"Yeah, thanks again."

Steve smiled on a nod and followed her to the door. He watched her pull out of the drive from the front porch and remembered that Danny was waiting for him inside.

"Give me just a minute," he called as he closed the front door, "and I'll ride with you. I need to pick up my truck at the office on the way back."

"At the office?" Danny asked as he appeared from the dining room. "Why is your truck at the office?"

Steve flashed him his best mischievous grin and darted up the stairs two at a time.

"There's a story there, Steven," Danny called after him, "You have some 'splainin to do on the way!"

TBC

A/N: Shooh! That was fun! Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are like chocolate – no such thing as too much chocolate, right? Would love to know what you're thinking. More soon (after the wedding, of course)! Thanks again for reading!