A/N: So sorry for the long delay, but I feel like my muse has been mortally wounded. Once again, this last episode was lackluster at best with zero Lori/Steve interaction. They each act as if the other doesn't exist. I'm really bummed to say the least. This chapter was difficult to write for a variety of reasons. I hope it is not disappointing.

Chapter 10: Restraint

Once again, Lori was in her office combing NSA files searching for anything she could find concerning John McGarrett's case. And once again, she was coming up empty. It was making her head hurt. She scrubbed her face with both hands before catching sight of Steve leaning against the door frame. "You ok?" he asked quietly.

She answered with a tired smile and a nod.

"What are you working on?" he asked indicating her computer with the lift of his chin.

"Your Dad's case," she stated simply as she rubbed the back of her neck and stretched.

"Anything?"

She slouched in her chair. "Not yet."

Steve pushed off the doorframe and moved around her desk. He leaned over her shoulder to get a better look at her computer. Lori clicked on her search history where a long list appeared. There was Joe's name, every possible spelling for Shelburne, WoFat, Jenna Kaye, Victor Hess... the list went on and on. "All that and nothing," she huffed.

Steve stood behind her and gently gathered her hair in his hand. He twisted it to the side and began rubbing her shoulders tenderly, drawing small circles with his thumbs. Lori closed her eyes and tried to relax. It was impossible, however, to keep her pulse at a restricted pace under his touch. She reached for his hand. "I think I should be helping you relax. You've had the tougher day."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, let's see," she began and spun her chair around to face him. He stepped back, crossed his arms over his chest and lowered one hip to the table behind her desk. Lori folded her legs into her chair. "You've been shot at with automatic weapons. You were nearly roasted by a flame thrower. You then launched yourself at said flame thrower. Shortly thereafter, you disappeared with Joe to meet the head of the Yakuza who just happens to want you're head which, by the way, added significantly to my stress level. Oh, and there was that whole thing with Danny, our suspect, and the baddy you had to shoot. It's now 10:30 and you're still here wrapping things up".

"Fun stuff, huh Spicey?"

"Don't even start. That guy's hair was exhausting enough without the whole American gangster want to be crap."

"You have to admit, he's pretty entertaining for a bad guy."

"He's an idiot with really, really bad hair."

Steve chuckled at the inflection in her voice and at the sour look on her face. "You hungry?"

"Starving," she admitted. Steve stood and offered her his hand. Taking it, she let him pull her from her chair and fold her into his arms. He pinned her hands behind her back and flashed a mischievous grin. Lori frowned. "Aren't you afraid someone will see?"

"Nope, there's no one here but us". He released her hands and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Lori rose to her toes and slid her arms up his biceps enjoying the feel of lean, powerful muscle under her fingertips.

"Kono asked me if I was in trouble with the boss today. I think we may have ignored each other a little too much. The detectives around here are getting suspicious." Steve choked on a laugh and gently rocked her back and forth in his arms. Lori tip toed her fingers behind his head as his lips landed softly on hers. His kiss was slow and deliberate. It lingered on her lips and in her gut as he loosened his hold from her waist. She chewed on her bottom lip, doing whatever she could to slow her pulse. Steve's come hither look was doing nothing, however, to settle her nerves. "It's hard to ignore that," she teased and was rewarded with another soft kiss. She ran her thumb across the thin stubble on his cheek and chin. Steve closed his eyes allowing himself to relax into her touch. She cocked her head, studying the rise in his cheek bones, the hard line of his jaw. "You have a beautiful face". Steve's eyes popped open. Lori chuckled at the surprise in his expression. "You've never been told that before?" He knitted his brow in response. "Well, you do, Super Seal," she continued, "but you look tired". She patted his chest affectionately and pulled back from his hold. "Let's get you home."

"I need food first," he said as his cell phone rang. "Danny, what's up?... Everything ok?... How about I pick you up for breakfast?..."

"Everything ok?" She asked as she gathered her things to leave.

"He's still at the hospital. He said Grace wouldn't leave so he's gonna' spend the night there tonight. I'll go see him in the morning after I meet Joe."

Lori pushed the drawer to her desk closed and spun on her heels. "Meet Joe?"

"He asked me to meet him at the National Memorial Cemetery at sun up. My father's buried there."

"Did he say why?"

"No"

"You trust him?"

"Yeah, I do."

Lori paused before giving him a definitive nod. "Good enough."

Steve followed Lori out of her office and escorted her to the elevator. On the way down, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sank into his hold. He kissed the top of her head. She wondered how it was that she had become so comfortable with this man in such a short period of time. Typically, she kept people at arms' length, especially men. The longest she had ever dated a man was six months. She could always find something about them that either annoyed her or made real emotional attachment impossible. Her reluctance when it came to intimacy usually ran them off before she had to initiate the breakup. She had a hundred different ways to lose a guy. Dating was easy. Commitment was not. Never would she have allowed any of her previous boyfriends to spend the night on her couch most especially not with her snuggled in next to them. Steve was different. That was clear right from the start. The physical attraction had been instant, from the moment she had seen him in the Governor's office. He was lean and fit and beautiful. She liked that he hadn't worn a tie with his suit, too restricting she had guessed, and he had kept those top two buttons tantalizingly undone. Through a series of glances, she had studied his face in the waiting room while waiting for the Governor. He had smart eyes, deep green and thoughtful. They changed color when he was agitated, darkening with intensity. She had seen the fire behind those eyes when she suggested that she wasn't interested in the babysitting job the Governor was offering. She had also seen the blue and brown that swirled and melded with the green from desire. Desire for her no less. She trembled at the thought.

Steve felt the shiver and leaned down to see her face. "You cold?"

"No, I'm good," she said, lifting her eyes to his. Holding his gaze, she traversed the colors and patterns as they darkened and spread across his eyes.

Steve noticed the flush in her cheeks and scowled. "Sure?"

She smiled and nodded, "I'm sure."

He kissed her forehead and squeezed her shoulders. It was warm and comfortable. She hadn't felt the urge to drop her guard and let someone in since... "well, never," she thought. People she cared about either left or died. She wasn't all together sure how to handle Steve or where to put the growing attachment that she was fighting. Outside, the air was cool and refreshing. A breeze blew her hair back from her face as she regrouped. "Have you ever been to Fat Moe's," he asked.

"No, I think I would remember a place called Fat Moe's," she chuckled.

"It's three blocks from here on the way to your place. I'll drive."

"I'll follow," she countered.

Steve's lip curled in a half grin remembering the first day they had met. He respected her strong will. "It'll be on your left before you get to the Walgreens."

"Got it," she answered as she slid into the SUV. Steve shook his head and climbed into his truck.

Dinner was not disappointing. "Who would of thought you could get a meal like that at a place called Fat Moe's," Lori commented as she turned the key in her door.

Steve followed her into the apartment, handed her his gun and flopped down on the couch. He threw his forearm over his eyes. Lori secured their guns in the lock box in the end-table drawer and turned out the overhead light. She gently lifted his head and placed it in her lap. "It's almost midnight," she said softly as she ran her fingers back and forth through his hair. "Why don't you sleep here tonight?"

He covered her free hand with his where it rested on his chest. "Will you stay with me on the couch again," he asked through heavily lidded eyes.

Lori bent and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She patted his chest. "Let me go change."

Steve sat up and watched her leave. She was a bit of a mystery, he mused as he pulled off his shoes and socks. His last relationship had officially ended when Catherine was transferred to what was effectively a million miles away. In all honesty, it had begun to fizzle many months before. He had cared about Cath, maybe even loved her in his own way, but not in a way that was fair to her. She was soft and sweet and kind, but she didn't challenge him. Things were easy with Catherine. She made no demands and he, in turn, had offered her very little. When she came to his office to tell him she was leaving, she had tried to open a door to their future. He had all but slammed that door shut in her face. He had made no declarations of love nor had he offered to wait for her to return. Steve was nothing if not honest. He had hugged her as a friend would have and then he had politely wished her well. He knew that he had hurt her, but he also knew that she deserved better than to wait for something that was never going to happen. At first, their relationship had been strictly casual. He rarely saw her and when he did, things often jumped straight to the bedroom. It had been enough for both of them in the beginning. There was a point, however, when Steve had sensed that Catherine needed more. He wanted her to be happy, but he was either unwilling or unable to give her anymore than he already had. In the end, he wasn't what she needed and she wasn't what he wanted. He was glad that they had parted as friends.

When Lori returned, her hair was twisted behind her head in a messy knot. She had removed all of her makeup and she was wearing an old oversized Chicago Cubs t-shirt and sleep shorts, a far cry from the sexy ensembles that Catherine kept hidden underneath her clothes. Catherine too, would never have allowed Steve to see her with no makeup and messy hair. Lori wasn't beautiful in a traditional kind of way, not like Catherine was, but she was feisty and fit and confident. He liked her no nonsense attitude and her dry humor. She, like him, valued honesty, honor and life. They had both been shaped by tragedy and they each carried a great deal of empathy for victims and their families. They were good at their jobs and threw themselves into their work with reckless abandon. Although they came from very different backgrounds, Steve somehow knew that he had met his match. Lori both challenged and settled him. She was like home, comfortable and safe which, oddly enough, scared the hell out of him. Never had he taken things slowly in a relationship. As a seal, he didn't have the time or the mindset. There was always another mission, always the threat of imminent danger or death. He had lived his life fast and in the moment. Apart from his Seal Team, he had lived his life alone. Lost in thought, it barely registered that she was speaking to him. He blinked, clearing his head. "What?"

"I said there's a new toothbrush in the bathroom if you want it. It's still in the package on the sink… You ok?"

He flashed his famous lopsided grin, the one that deflected questions and promised no further comment from its owner. "I'm good".

Lori gave him a suspicious look and started removing the cushions from the back of the couch. Steve disappeared into the bathroom. It had been a very long day in deed. He splashed some water on his face and surveyed his reflection in the mirror. "Beautiful, huh," he snorted.

When he returned to the living room, Lori was on the phone, pacing back and forth in front of the couch. "Next week?... No it's not that… of course I want to see you, it's just my schedule is a little hectic right now…. No, it's not a problem…. Yes, I will… I'll do my best… yes… yes… ok…bye." Lori closed her eyes and rested her forehead against her open palm. Unaware that Steve had returned, she jumped when he spoke.

"Everything ok?"

She planted a very fake smile on her face and relayed the nature of the conversation with great drama. "That was my sister Claire. She's coming for a visit… next week!"

"That's a bad thing," Steve guessed.

"Ugh," she groaned. "You have no idea. I love my sister, but nothing about me is good enough. She will disapprove of my apartment, my clothes, my friends, my job…. You." Lori counted the list off on her fingers punctuating the drama with a wave of her hand in his direction. She put her hands on her hips and noticed with great delite that Steve was standing in front of her in nothing but his boxers and t-shirt. "Nice," she thought before continuing. "I'm sorry. Claire just makes me a little crazy."

"A little," he questioned.

"A lot, actually." She drew in a cleansing breath and waved her hands over her head. "I'll think about that next week."

"Good idea Scarlet," he teased as he sauntered over to her. Just the look on his face was enough to send her body into overdrive. "Damn he's hard to resist," she thought as he slowly drew her in close.

"There's a two day hike I know. I usually camp three quarters of the way up, eat lunch at the top the next day. It's fast coming back down. We would be home in time for dinner. You up for it?"

She narrowed her eyes at the challenge. "I think I could manage."

"Good. It's a date."

Steve sealed their plans with a gentle kiss. It took every ounce of restraint he had not to push things further. Restraint was becoming increasingly more difficult for Lori as well. He pulled back and rested his forehead on hers willing his respirations to slow. "We should sleep," he reasoned as he pulled her with him onto the couch.

A/N: There it is - a silly piece of fluff. I'm going to work on "Claire" and possibly write a new case, just in case they don't give me anything again next Monday. Here's to hoping for more in the new episode!