On Love and Other Things

Summary: Steve and Catherine have a 'conversation,' post break-up... about Kono and choices.
Disclaimer: I do not own H50.

Thank you everyone for reading, not just this hot-mess of a series, but my other stories too... I see all the usual suspects commenting/reviewing and I truly, truly appreciate every single one. Once again, your encouragement means so much.

Four.

# # #

Kukui High-school Football Field
Honolulu, Oahu

They missed their target and landed on the grass with a thud. Kono on top, a small grunt escaping her. Steve on the bottom, the wind barely knocked out of him from Kono's light frame. His hands rested lightly on her lower back as he looked up into her face. His expression was a mixture of humor and surprise at their sudden proximity and he just had to smile. I can get used to this, he thought to himself. She looked down at him and rolled her eyes, placing both hands in the middle of his chest, she shoved herself off.

"Oof!"

She was already bolting after Chin, by the time he righted himself. A millisecond later Steve could see her victorious dance, waving Chin's flag in the air as he dropped the football in defeat. Danny chuckled and Steve cracked another smile.

"Fine, I let you win Cuz," said Chin. "I let both of you win," he added, pointedly looking from Steve to Kono. "Thanks for the backup brah," he added sourly, nodding at Danny.

"I was causing a diversion," Danny said defensively, gesturing to Steve and Kono.

"Tripping me so that I tackle my own teammate in flag football is not a diversion Danny," Steve argued. "It's really kinda pathetic."

"Whatever," Danny gesticulated wildly. "Superwoman over there is unstoppable anyway," he motioned towards Kono. "She's like a freakin' female version of you!"

Steve chuckled and watched as Kono and Chin walked up to them, an easy smile breaking from Chin's face. Kono meanwhile, gave Danny a look of mild irritation.

"Fo' real? Danny, you play dirty," she shook her head, trying to hide her amusement. She couldn't help her dimpled smile when he offered her a helpless look. He waved a hand at his recently recovered knee and her smile softened even more.

"That will only get you so far, Danno," Steve warned, pointing at him for emphasis. "Besides, I thought you said you were all healed up? What, you couldn't let Kono and myself kick your butt fairly in flag-football?"

"Eh, if I could interrupt for a moment, I'd like to change teams, maybe," interjected Chin, changing the subject slightly.

Steve's over confidence caused himself to smile smugly at Danny as he spread his hands out in front of him. "You see? Even Chin wants to change teams."

"Oh no, not you Boss," Chin said, his eyes crinkling. "Sorry, but I was talking about the kid over here." Chin laughed at Steve's bewildered expression as he nodded towards Kono, who was already giggling. "No offense," added Chin.

"Ha!" exclaimed Danny. "Serves you right," he pointed at Steve. Kono just shook her head.

Steve chuckled. "Whatever Danny," he said with a dismissive wave. "Too much of a good thing on one team, gives us an unfair advantage anyway," he added. "Isn't that right, Kono?"

Kono chuckled and propped a forearm onto Steve's shoulder while resting the opposite hand on her hip. "Right, Boss."

Crossing his arms across his chest, Steve turned to flash her a mesmerizing smile and it took every effort on her part to pull her eyes away. Then something caught her eye and she immediately straightened, removing her arm. "You, uh, got a visitor, Boss," she said, clearing her throat slightly. Nodding towards the bleachers at the end of the football field, Steve followed her gaze.

"I'll see you guys in a bit," he said as he walked off, his mood changing instantly.

"Yeah, maybe," Danny supplied, as they all watched Steve leave. He turned towards a curious Chin and an apparently worried Kono. "Who wants a beer? I could use one, you two? Yeah? Okay, alright, let's go," Danny seemed to answer for all of them and led the way back to their cars.

# # #

"You didn't tell me 'Kono' was a woman," Catherine pointed out immediately. Steve had of course previously told her about his team, it just never occurred to her why he rarely talked about Kono until now. She met Steve half-way down the steps of the bleachers on the east-side of the football field.

"I didn't? I thought I did," Steve said suspiciously. "'Hello,' by the way."

Catherine snorted softly. "She's pretty," she said, not bothering with really greeting him.

He didn't answer, knowing full well that either way he answered her bait, she'd have something to say about it.

Catherine arched a brow. "She works for you."

"No, she works with me," he corrected.

"For your task-force," said Catherine.

"It's the Governor's Task-Force, not mine." Steve wondered what this was all about.

"But it's your team, and she's part of your team," she was starting to sound a little crazy.

"What are you getting at, Catherine?" he asked, huffing slightly.

"That if you're in charge of said Task-Force, that she's a member of, then -"

"So you're insinuating what? What exactly?" He tried not sounding so harsh, but she was starting to piss him off.

"She works for you, Steve," she said again.

"I'm pretty sure we went over this," he said exasperatedly.

"She's your subordinate, you're her supervisor. Didn't you say she was a rookie too?"

"And? What, she's beautiful? So because of that, you think that maybe something's going on?" he asked quickly, wanting this whole conversation to be over.

"I said she was 'pretty', Steve. You said she was 'beautiful'."

Busted. Steve shook his head. "You're fucking unbelievable."

"Alright asshole, tell me this. Where does she live? Is she dating anyone? Where does she buy her groceries? What types of things does she like? What does she do for fun?" Catherine asked in rapid fire succession.

"I do not understand, at all, where the hell you are going with this." He grunted, shaking his head wearily.

"I'm testing you, you jackass," she sniped.

"That's enough with the name-calling, Catherine," he growled. "Like I asked you before, what-is-your-point?"

"Just... okay. She is beautiful and you obviously know it. But she's your subordinate and you know that too. So because of it, you purposefully distance yourself from her and strive to constantly to be professional with her. That's why you know nothing about her."

Steve looked at her dumbfounded. "That's the way it should be." That's it, she's crazy.

Catherine laughed. "But it isn't, is it? You're so obvious. That flag-football game? When that one guy, Danny, I guess? When he tripped you? You could have easily just landed next to her, instead you protected her by doing some unbelievable, gymnastic twist, mid-air, so that you landed on the bottom and she landed on top of you."

"That's ridiculous. I weigh more than her." Steve stated.

"Oh, so now you're going to argue the laws of gravity?" she asked sharply. "Galileo would have proved you wrong too. I bet if you admitted it to yourself, you would acknowledge that you actually know the answers to half of the questions I just asked you about her, if not all of them."

Shaking his head, he said, "whatever. Why..." he sighed heavily, calming himself, "...does any of this matter?" He place his hands on his hips dropped his head.

"You would have told me 'Kono' was a woman, if you weren't attracted to her," she said matter-of-factly.

Steve rolled his eyes and shrugged. He didn't feel like endorsing her craziness anymore.

"Not that you would... do... anything," she smirked. Crossing her arms, she looked at him, as if studying him. "Not that it's stopped you before..." she arched a brow again, shaking her head.

Noting that the football field was now empty except for them, and his teammates having left sometime ago, Catherine blew out a breath. "I'm sorry, Steve. Whatever, I don't even know why we just got into that. You are not my business anymore."

Steve snorted. First sane thing she's said. Clearing his throat, he leveled a gaze at her, indicating the previous conversation was over. "Why are you here? You're obviously shipping out today?" he said as he noted her dress blues. He sounded ruder than intended, but he was pretty sure he didn't care at this point.

She nodded and sighed. "Look, the way things ended..."

Ah, so there's the rub. "It's fine, I understand. It was wrong of me to assume you would ever change your mind." It sounded practiced, even to himself.

"But that's the thing Steve, I don't even know why I'm even saying this, but maybe if we gave it some time? Like say, later, if I did change my mind... "

"And what if I changed mine?" Steve asked.

"Are you saying you have?" Catherine asked back.

"Possibly. Look, what matters is, I had no right to ask you to give up your career for me, or for us. You're a grown woman who knows what she wants. It's not a life with me, I've dealt with it."

"Right. Make me sound like a bitch, Steve."

"I'm not gonna mince words here Catherine, you didn't earlier," he said grimacing, knowing it was a low blow. "But like I said, It was your choice right?"

Catherine sighed heavily, smiling tightly. "Yes. But, why do I have a feeling, you're still gonna call, aren't you?"

"Only on a professional level, if that," he said, sounding like he was making a promise.

She gave him a look. "Really?" she asked.

"I wouldn't want to get you 'court-marshaled' remember?" It felt good to throw that back at her.

Another tight smile. "One last hug?" she asked hopefully as she leaned forward and they embraced warmly. It was funny how it didn't seem so final, to either of them. "I ship out for a while," she stated.

Steve nodded and smirked. "Goodbye, Catherine."

"Goodbye, Commander," she said with a salute as she turned and made her way to her rental car.

End.

# # #

A/N: I know I portrayed Catherine as cray-cray, I apologize. I didn't really mean to, she just came out of my head that way. Also this chapter was based on a comment I received from star trek nutcase (thank you btw!) about how it seems unlikely, given Steve's level of service in the Navy, that he would ever cross the boss/subordinate line. It got me thinking, and this is what I came up with.