A/N: Bring on the romance and fluff (oh and there is some pretty important case information as well). Thanks for reading!

Chpt 8: New Information

Steve tapped on the connecting door before entering Lori's room. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed with her nose buried in her lap top. "Hey! Did you have a good run?"

"Yeah, I did. Did you find anything?"

"Tons," she said with a sweeping hand gesture.

He loved the way she spoke with her hands especially when she was nervous or excited. "Let me grab a shower then you can tell me everything," he said pointing over his shoulder toward his room.

Lori wrinkled her nose. "Good idea."

H5O

She woke screaming in agony. Never had she felt pain like this. Her legs were purple and swollen from the beating. She had kicked, bit, hit and screamed while he sat on top of her focusing his rage on her calves and thighs. When she thought she could take no more, he had walked away without a word only to return moments later carrying a syringe of clear liquid. He grabbed her bound feet and stabbed the needle between her toes. She barely felt the burn as it entered the muscle. Sweet relief soon followed as she drifted into anesthetic sleep. How long she had slept was anyone's guess. She tried to set up, but the searing pain shoved her back down to the floor. Blinded by the pain and the tears, she shook uncontrollably. She had assumed that she would never wake up again. A part of her welcomed the thought. But there she was, still alive, still trapped in this man's twisted reality with little to no hope for survival.

H5O

"So here's what I know," Lori began. Steve grabbed a chair and swung it around so that he straddled it in front of where she sat, still cross-legged on the bed. "Markus's mother, Darlene DaShea Williams, was twenty three years old when he was born. There's no father listed on the birth certificate. Police records show no arrests prior to his birth. After that, however, there are multiple arrests for everything from public indecency to public intoxication, possession, and prostitution. Darlene had an address in Allentown. She lived there for two years before Markus was born. After his birth, Markus and his mother lived with his grandmother, Deloris Williams, up until his mother's suicide at least. Deloris still lives in Mansfield where Markus was born."

"How far is Mansfield from here?"

"Less than two hours, maybe."

"So we go there tomorrow. Talk to the grandmother. Talk to child services. See what we get."

Lori nodded, but Steve could tell there was more on her brain.

"What is it?"

She drew in a steadying breath. "I pulled Amari's file." The look on her face told Steve that something was very wrong.

"And?"

Lori ran her hands threw her hair and stretched her legs over the side of the bed in front of Steve. "Amari and I both went to Penn State. He's from Pennsylvania, too. I had forgotten that until Detective Ortega said his name. According to his file, he was assigned to the bureau office in Allentown. Now, it's unusual to be assigned to an office anywhere near your hometown, especially for your first assignment, but Amari is fluent in Lebanese, Arabic, and French... all native languages for the Lebanese people, depending on what region they're from. There's a huge contingent of Lebanese and Muslim people in the Allentown area. Thus, his assignment."

"So you're thinking, what, he new William's mother?"

Lori stood up and started to pace back and forth between the dresser and the bed. "There's a connection. I'm sure of it... Amari was transferred four years later to the Louisville, Kentucky office. He spent seven years there before being transferred to San Antonio. From there he landed in Hawaii."

"Our killer is following him?" Steve asked, brow furrowed.

Lori stopped pacing, but she couldn't quiet her hands. "Either that, or he's tracking him? I don't know. We need to see if we can connect either Darlene or Markus to Amari."

"How far is Allentown from Mansfield?"

"Three hours maybe. I've never been to Mansfield, but according to Wikipedia, it's a small town and a relatively poor area."

"What about Allentown?"

"Allentown is huge. It's the third largest city in Pennsylvania, only Philadelphia and Pittsburg are bigger."

"So Mansfield is our better bet."

"Yeah, I think so... I don't get it. If he suspected Williams from the beginning, why didn't he say anything?"

Steve shook his head, ideas and theories bounced around in there that he wasn't quite ready to share. Unable to offer her an explanation, he instead asked, "Do you trust him?"

Lori looked at him for a long moment. "Not like I trust you..." Steve's face softened in response. Lori felt that familiar flutter in her gut. "I mean, yes, I trust him or at least I thought I did. Now, I don't know... I should call this in... tell Jenkins."

"Maybe you should wait until we have all our ducks in a row."

"He's gonna' know I pulled his file." The weight of what was happening seemed to settle into her shoulders. She rubbed the back of her neck and closed her eyes.

Steve stood up and moved quietly to her. He placed his hands on her narrow hips and smiled when her eyes flew open. He stepped a little closer. "Its 4:00 back home. I'll call Chin, have him put eyes on Amari. Kono can run the luds and see if anything pops there." She nodded and some of the tension seemed to lift. "We'll figure this out."

She nodded again. He could see she was desperately trying to hold back the tears welling in her eyes. Her hands moved cautiously from her neck to his chest and she lowered her forehead to him, resting it just under his chin. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him. She turned her head and nuzzled his neck. He was surprised at how good it felt to hold her. She relaxed into him and let herself enjoy being held. When she pulled back and looked up into his eyes, he was struck by her beauty. She was strong and determined. Anyone could see that. But she was also soft and vulnerable. That she kept hidden from everyone, at least everyone but him it seemed. He felt her tremble in his arms. He lowered his head to hers and dropped his gaze to her lips. They parted in response. He gently brushed her lips with his. He only meant to offer her comfort and support, but tasting her lips was like tasting fire. He felt it clear down to his toes. When she slid her arms up his chest and to his neck, he couldn't resist offering her more. To his surprise, she met his need with an urgent need of her own. A soft moan resonated from her throat when he lifted her from the floor drawing her in as close as he could. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him to her, forcing his lips harder into her own. They parted only when the need to breath demanded such. Panting, Steve let her body slide slowly down his front until her toes found the floor. He searched her eyes looking for the go ahead before he pushed things too far. Her eyes were so green and bright, cat-like, the color of jade, and wild with desire. "This isn't about wanting you to feel safe. I want you, plain and simple. I started to miss you the minute you walked out of my office. If I had known you were still on the island, I would have found you and told you so." His words, while said in earnest, surprised even him. He feathered his fingers through her hair, trying to gage her reaction. Her smile reached her eyes, but she didn't speak. She had imagined this day too many times during her stint with Five-O. Yet she had been so very careful not to let anyone see exactly what it was she had felt for him. It wasn't until she had said goodbye that those feelings refused to remain hidden. One awkward hug later and she knew that it simply was not meant to be. "He has Catherine. Another time, another place, perhaps things could have been different," she had told herself. And now here she was, wrapped securely in his arms, hearing the words she had so longed to hear. He cupped her face in his palms and continued his sweet serenade. "This is my second chance. I don't want to screw it up. We can take things at whatever pace you're comfortable with... I'm not going anywhere."

She studied his face, memorizing each hard earned line, losing herself momentarily in the melding blues and greens of his eyes. His hair was a little longer than she remembered, but she enjoyed the feel of it between her fingers. He was telling her the truth. Commander Steve McGarrett didn't say things he didn't mean. He wanted to give them a try. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

"Are you cold," he whispered.

She slowly shook her head no and returned to her musings. She traced an imaginary line slowly and methodically with her finger starting at his eyebrow and ending at the shallow dimple of his chin. She returned to his eyebrows, using her thumbs to gently trace the arches over his eyes. His lids fluttered closed and he relaxed into her touch as her fingers trailed down his temples and across his cheekbones. She felt the bump on the bridge of his nose and wondered how he had broken it. Her hands cupped his face and she paused to study his lips. He opened his eyes and watched her studying his face. She traced the line of his jaw with the back of her fingers and used her thumbs to outline his lips. Rising up on her toes, she kissed him gently. It was his turn to shiver. He lifted the hem of her shirt needing desperately to feel her bear skin under his hands. His mouth slipped from hers to her neck, just under her jaw, where he lightly kissed and nipped the sensitive skin. He returned to her mouth just in time to hear his phone ring. She heard it too and pulled away when he didn't acknowledge the ring. "Your phone," she said, barely able to speak those two words before his lips reconnected with hers.

"I know," he mumbled.

She pulled away again, leaning back in his arms. "It might be important."

He dropped his head to the crook of her neck and growled. He stepped back from her and dug his phone out of his pocket. "This better be good," he grumbled. "McGarrett... Perfect timing as usual, Danno... Nothing, what 'cha got?.. Good work... Yeah we have." He hesitated and looked to Lori for the okay to bring Danny up to speed. "Tell him everything," she whispered. "I'm gonna' grab a shower." Steve nodded and continued with Danny, filling him in on all that they had discovered.

When Lori emerged from the shower, she found her room dark and empty. She padded barefoot toward the dim light that spilled into her room from Steve's and peaked in. He was lying on his back across the foot of the king sized bed with his forearm tossed over his eyes. Lori leaned against the doorframe and drank in the site of him stretched out across the bed in nothing but his green T-shirt and black boxer briefs. Her eyes scanned his sleeping form, resting momentarily on what she could see of his beautiful face. She thought about how it had felt beneath her fingertips, surprisingly soft to be so rugged. She watched the rhythmic rise and fall of taunt muscles beneath his thin t-shirt and wondered what it would be like to feel those muscles bare beneath her hands. She could see a peak of naked skin where his shirt rose just a bit above the waistband of his boxers. She had seen that six pack on more than one occasion, but it had been a while, and the temptation to slide her hand across his core was almost too much to resist. Her eyes began to slip lower when he spoke nearly sending her into a tailspin. "You scared the begeezers out of me," she squeaked. "I thought you were asleep." He chuckled, his eyes still masked by his forearm. His laughter died quickly, however, when he sat up on his elbows and saw her standing in the doorway. She wore a white sleeveless sleep tank with thin straps and a narrow rim of white satin ribbon. Her thin, blue and white cotton shorts hung low on her hips. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was damp. He had never wanted a woman more. He unashamedly raked his eyes the distance of her small frame. He took his time, head to toe, pausing at her lips, her breasts, and her abdomen. His eyes traveled the length of her legs and back up to her waist. Her legs were lean and muscular. He couldn't help but wonder what they would feel like tangled up with his own. Recognizing his desire, she felt the heat rise on her neck and across her cheeks. The flutter low in her gut started a chain reaction that traveled up her spine and through her heart ending as a small swell in her breasts. She wanted this man, and he knew it. The reactions he evoked in her were beyond physical, but right now, the physical was overpowering. Her feet seemed to move of their own free will. She placed first one knee and then the next on either side of his calves so that she straddled his legs. She crawled on hands and knees up the length of his body until her eyes were locked directly over his. Steve smoothed her hair back from her face and knotted it in one hand behind her neck. He used his free hand to pull her face to his. His lips parted as they met. He could feel his control slipping as he explored her mouth, her chin, and her neck. He flipped her over and rolled so that he was on top of her in one seamless motion. He felt her shudder beneath him. "Are you sure about this," he asked, pulse pounding, searching her eyes for the truth.

"I'm sure that I want you..." she answered. "I'm sure that I want you for more than just this, too."

He kissed her softly, assuring her that they were far more than just this. "Will you stay with me tonight? I just want to feel you next to me."

His sincerity was nearly her undoing. She stroked his cheek and slid her open palm to his neck. He kissed her again, tenderly as if she might break. He lifted himself up and off of her and backed to the floor. He held his hand out to her and she took it, willing to go wherever he led. He took her to the head of the bed and pulled the covers back. He made room for her to pass and followed her into bed. He turned off the lamp on the bedside table and reached for her in the dark. She settled her head on his chest and he pulled her close against him. He played with her fingers sending tingles up and down her spine. She was content to lay cocooned with him in silence, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a very long time. "Lori," he said, his voice thick with concern. "I was thinking about Agent Amari and his involvement in all of this." She lifted her chin toward his voice. "I just want you to be careful. You fit the physical profile our guy prefers. Until we know exactly how Amari is connected to this, I want you with me."

Lori rolled so that she could see his face. "I just can't see how Amari could be capable of the things that we saw on these victims. I've been working this case with him for months now..."

"And he never mentioned Scranton."

"There has to be a reasonable explanation."

"Until we know what that explanation is, promise me you'll stay safe."

She pushed up to her elbows and planted a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. "I promise."

H5O

Steve woke curled protectively around Lori just as the sun considered rising. He propped his head on his fist and watched her sleep. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had crept into his gut the moment that black Taurus had charged toward her. His gut had been wrong before, but it was rare. He prayed that it was wrong this time, hoping that maybe his feelings for her had his gut in an uproar. "My feelings," he thought. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually considered his feelings. Most of his relationships had begun fast and furious literally banging into walls and rolling around on the bed. He had never considered taking things slow before. Maybe it was the nature of his job. Being a SEAL left very little time for fore play much less commitment. Or, maybe it was the women he chose to date. Catherine had been his last recurrent relationship and one of the reasons he had let Lori walk out of his life the first time. Things were simple with Cath. She was a friend with significant benefits. He was angry when he found out she had been seeing someone else, someone on her carrier, but he wasn't jealous. He was angry because she hadn't told him. And when they had effectively ended whatever their relationship was, he hadn't really been all that sad. He missed the sex. He had to admit that, as long as he was being honest, but he didn't actually miss anything else except maybe her military connections. He wondered what kind of man that made him. He hoped that being with Lori would bring him some sort of redemption. She stirred things inside of him that he didn't even know existed. It scared him. It scared the hell out of him, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it now. He had fallen for her and now he had no choice but to protect her and to love her, and perhaps the hardest thing of all... let her love him.

A/N: Okay, so I'm dying here! No reviews! I am having a blast writing this, just wondering if anyone is still reading?