Apologies for the stretch between updates, readers; this chapter gave me more trouble than I expected and honestly I haven't had much time to work on it. More notes at the end…

Thank you again for all the great reviews, I appreciate them from the bottom of my heart, please leave one on your way out.

Chapter Four: The Beginning.

The punch to her midsection came harder than she expected, and had her doubling over slightly, but Kono was able to deflect the next attempt off to the side. Before she could gather herself completely, however, another blow landed on her lower back, pushing her forward unsteadily.

Now she was getting pissed.

As her assailant paused she turned swiftly, dropped down, and swept one foot out, catching him by the ankles. It was enough to send him down hard, but as soon as his back hit the floor, he was rolling out of her strike zone and back up to his feet.

Facing each other, they circled slowly, each trying to determine the other's next move.

Kono decided to use her go-to move and swiftly pulled her leg up to roundhouse him in the chest, unfortunately her prey knew her habits all too well and as her foot approached grabbed it and pulled, sending her smashing to the ground.

"God Dammit!" she screamed and the sound bounced harshly off the gym walls.

Steve raised one eyebrow at her in amusement and stepped back from what was about to be an attempt to help her off the floor. At this point she probably wouldn't have appreciated the gesture.

"What is the point to this again?" she asked while sitting up, still on the floor.

"Training."

"Yeah, brah, I got that part."

Kneeling in front of her he tried to explain, "You can roundhouse the hell out of anyone, I wouldn't want to suffer the wrath of your right hook and your tackles are NFL worthy. But I've read the reports, the one time you were put on the defensive I had to come save your ass before the Russian's killed you and the kid."

She frowned at his words, true as they were. "So you think beating the crap outta me is going to help?"

Now he stood and held out a hand. "No, I think teaching you to beat the crap outta me is going to help. If you can hang with a SEAL, I'll feel confident that you can handle yourself in any situation."

Something about the words disturbed Kono so as she allowed him to pull her to standing she questioned him. "You aren't confident now?"

His eyes widened as he realized how what he had said might have been taken the wrong way. "No, I am. Very confident. I just…I want to make sure if anything happens that you can take care of it."

This time it was the tone that caught her attention and she continued to question, knowing somehow there was something driving todays "lesson". "Do you expect something to happen?"

"You never know, Kono. What we do every day…" He paused and looked at her; too much was at stake here to not be completely honest with her. "It's just...Wo Fat is still out there somewhere and has caused enough damage. I don't want there to be more because you weren't prepared for it."

"You think he would come after us." It was a statement.

Steve started to fidget slightly; this conversation had the potential to go somewhere he wasn't sure he was prepared to. "He might come after the people I care about. That's what I would do."

She considered that then, "Ok, let's get going. Teach me, master."

He gave her a face. "Don't…don't call me that. Please."

She just smiled. "Ok…" They moved into position but before they started again she asked another question. "So…Danny, Chin and Lori are all getting these lessons too, right?"

His face visibly blanched and she smiled like the cat that ate the canary - she had her answer. Jabbing at his mid-section she said, "Didn't think so. Oh, and no face shots…I'm pretty sure Malia would kill us both if we had bruises in the pictures."

"Agreed," he smiled and they quickly went back to fighting.

After making her rounds through family and friends, Kono sat down sideways in the chair assigned to her heavily, taking a long drink of champagne. It had been a lovely wedding, and she was thrilled for her cousin and Malia, but damn, she'd barely had a chance to sit down.

After the service they'd had a small reception area set up on the lanai of a beachside restaurant. Since Chin was old friends with the owners they'd had the whole lanai to themselves with several tables, a small dance floor, bar and a beautiful view of the water. Aside from eating quickly, most of her evening had been spent walking around and talking. Now the sun was going down and the outdoor lights illuminated the space beautifully.

Sitting as she was, Kono could either look out onto the beach or watch the party. Right now she was focused on Chin and Malia as they worked their way through the small crowd, speaking to every guest. Both wore smiles a mile wide, and it put a smile on her own face, she was truly happy for them, it had been a long road and Chin deserved it. Slowly she ran one finger around the edge of the champagne flute and nearly laughed out loud when she spied Grace taking a turn around the dance floor with Steve. Her boss was trying his best to keep the little girl on his feet, but their height difference was causing him quite a bit of trouble and it looked rather awkward.

Looking around for her other teammates she found Lori and Max chatting rather animatedly a couple tables over and Danny had just wandered over to the bar. Leaning over she pulled one high heeled shoe off and sighed audibly.

A warm, familiar, hand dropped on her right shoulder, fingertips slowly sliding across her upper back sending little jolts through her body at the contact; the skin he had touched felt like it was on fire.

"I suggested slippers, just so you know."

She smiled as he sat to her left, just barely touching her crossed legs as he also sat sideways in the chair. "Well, slippers wouldn't have matched the dress," she replied with a wink.

"Yeah, Chin said the same thing…"

"Clearly she already has him trained properly." Her tone was serious, but the dimpled smile on her face gave away that she was kidding.

He appraised her a moment before speaking again, "Well, it is a nice dress, and you look good in it."

She smiled and nodded, "Thanks, Steve."

Suddenly another glass of champagne appeared in front of her. "To the happy couple," he toasted and raised his glass.

"To forever," she responded and clinked their glasses together.

After they each drank Steve spoke again, "You believe in forever?"

Shrugging she replied, "Sure. When you have something like Chin and Malia, I don't see why forever isn't possible. You don't?"

He seemed to consider that a moment. Did he believe in forever? It was an awful long time and as Steve was well aware, life didn't always work in your favor. "I don't know. Maybe." He looked wistful for a moment then, "I think my parents would have been forever." The 'if they had lived' was left unspoken.

She leaned her side against the back of the chair and regarded him a moment. "I would have liked to meet your father; I bet he was something else."

That earned her a throaty chuckle and something that resembled a snort. "When I was a teenager I swore I was never going to be like him, I would never send my kids away. I thought he was being a selfish asshole. Now…now I know better. And it would be a privilege to be like him."

Kono didn't know how to respond, it was more than he had ever said to her about his father that didn't relate to Wo Fat or John's murder.

Suddenly a smile graced his face and he pointed his champagne glass at her as he leaned toward her. "And oh, he would have liked you. All girly and kick-ass and smart as hell."

"Thanks," she replied quietly and they stared at each other a moment, eyes locked. And her heart was pounding in her ears as he somehow managed to get her blood pumping with just a look. And if he could do that with just a glance…Unbidden the image of them writhing around on his bed together, naked, hands and lips touching heated skin flew through her mind and she had to look away for a moment to gather herself.

Silence dropped over them and she finished her drink before leaning into him conspiratorially, attempting to steer conversation to something safer. "Max and Lori are awfully chummy, whazup with that?"

He leaned in as well, until their shoulders touched and spied the pair, still lost in conversation. "I don't know." His voice was honestly perplexed, then he pointed to the table across from them. "Danny and museum lady seem to be having fun."

Turning her gaze to match his, she saw them sitting close together. "Her name isn't 'museum lady'."

He smirked, "Yeah? Then what is it?"

For the life of her, Kono could not remember the woman's name. "It's…" Scrunching her nose up she struggled. "I…I don't remember."

"HA!" Steve said quickly, as if he had won something.

"You're proud of the fact we can't remember Danny's date's name? A woman we've met before? Dude…come on," she chastised.

For a moment he looked guilty. "Yeah, sorry."

Refocusing her gaze out to the water she sighed, "It's a beautiful night."

"Yeah, it is."

When she turned back to him, Kono realized he had been staring at her while speaking. And he was staring at her, those blue eyes focused on her so completely it sent shivers down her back despite the mild temperatures that night. Just as she was starting to feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny he stood and held out one hand to her, "Dance?"

"Steve…"

"Don't over think it, Kono. It's just a dance."

But it wasn't and they both knew it. And yet she found herself standing and taking his hand and allowing him to lead her to the floor as Ke Kali Nei Au, one of her favorites, started playing through the speakers.

Steve didn't even attempt to keep up pretenses and he pulled her close, one hand wrapped around her waist, hand flush against her lower back, the other holding her hand between them. Somehow her other arm had made its way around his shoulders, her face next to his and that's how they spun around the floor slowly, Steve expertly leading.

At first she was very aware that the entire team was there, possibly watching them, but it didn't take long before she focused solely on Steve. The feel of his body pressed fully against hers, the smell of his light cologne mixed with sand and water, the sound of his even breaths, warm on her cheek.

Pulling her head back slightly, they locked gazes and continued to spin. Suddenly that buzz wasn't just in her head, it was everywhere; she was hyper-aware of Steve's presence, especially where they touched – it was electric. And she was very aware of a familiar, warm sensation that was pooling in her lower belly.

As the second song began neither attempted to pull apart, they were content to continue their dance. Spinning slowly his fingers started moving in slow, almost seductive, circles on her lower back and those blue eyes seemed to darken.

The air between them was thick, heavy with possibility and each other; it was almost as if the rest of the world didn't exist.

Neither was quite sure what compelled them to suddenly act so…physical with each other. Maybe it was the wedding atmosphere or maybe because they couldn't avoid this any longer, the smiles and looks and barest of touches were no longer enough.

Either way, Steve was thankful they were far from the only couple on the dance floor and he had maneuvered them into a quiet corner, away from the tables and view of most of the guests.

As the song ended, they finally separated, but he kept one hand loosely at her lower back, guiding them back toward their seats. Stepping off the dance floor, Steve scanned the crowd and made eye contact with Chin and realized, if the other mans expression was anything to go by, that he and Kono's intimate dance had not gone completely unnoticed.

For the first time in a very long time, Steve had a complete moment of panic. While he wasn't sure exactly where this thing with Kono was going, the fact of the matter was Steve respected the older man and his disapproval would put a halt to anything before it even started.

What he received was a small, accepting smile that also held a touch of warning.

Steve responded with a terse nod of acknowledgement and continued toward the seats even as the band called up Chin and Malia for one last dance and several other couples joined them.

Sitting sideways in her seat again, legs crossed, Kono drank from a glass of water she'd grabbed on the way back, all the while watching him carefully. Even though they had separated she could still feel the warmth in her belly and now all she wanted was for him to touch her again – his touch was nearly addictive.

Which was a dangerous thing. Because while her body craved him, her brain was having a hard time processing the implications of what would happen between them personally and professionally if they gave in. And based on the way he was staring at her as well, Kono knew Steve would give her what she wanted if she asked.

Before she could open her mouth to try and get out what she was thinking, Steve gently grasped the wrist that rested on her knee, his fingers dancing over the thin, delicate skin on the inside. Any concerns she may have had were obliterated with each slow swirl of his fingers.

Then his fingers moved up the inside of her arm and as he reached the inside of her elbow, Steve rotated his hand and slipped his fingers to the outside of her thigh, sliding over the material of her dress. He kept his fingers in a respectable location close to her knee, and yet, the warmth in her belly exploded into a near fire at the touch.

Lifting her eyes from where they had been watching his fingers tap gently at her knee, she looked at him and was nearly knocked over by the blatant want in his eyes.

It had to stop, one of them had to stop this before it went too far; and yet, she couldn't manage to open her mouth to do it. Again her brain and body were at war and Kono wasn't even sure who she wanted to win.

Finally Steve started to speak, but was quickly cut off by the announcement that Chin and Malia were leaving to start their honeymoon and the pair moved apart to stand and say goodbye to the couple. Despite the fact they kept their distance approaching the newlyweds, Kono could still feel the electricity cackling between them, it was almost palpable. She wondered idly if other people could sense it as well, it felt that powerful to her.

They waited patiently to be nearly the last to say their goodbye's and Kono warmly hugged both, giving her cousin a brief kiss on the cheek.

When Steve reached out to shake Chin's hand, the older man gave him a knowing, amused smirk.

"Congrats, man," Steve said and clapped Chin on the back.

"Thanks, see you in a week." And again Chin smiled at him.

Steve just nodded and moved back to stand next to Kono, who continued to wave at the couple until they left the lanai.

As she turned back to Steve, a little unsure of where they went from here, he spoke while indicating the beach behind them with his head. "Walk?"

She regarded him and his broad grin a moment before nodding and walking with him, both removing their shoes (and in Steve's case his socks) and leaving them under the table before stepping from the lanai onto the warm sand.

Slowly they worked their way down the deserted beach; it was late, nearly 1 am, but neither felt tired, nor the urge to part ways just yet. The night was beautiful, a nearly full moon and gentle, warm breeze accompanied them. And while her emotions had cooled off significantly since their physical connection was broken, the longer they walked in silence the more she was acutely aware that he had moved closer and her body was, once again, humming with anticipation.

"I'm glad he's finally happy," she said suddenly and walked closer to the water so the tide would occasionally rush over her feet and ankles. "He deserves it after everything."

Steve followed her into the surf, continuing to walk next to her, and rolled up his pants so as not to get the rented tux damp but said nothing.

The walked a few more steps before she stopped suddenly and grabbed his forearm, spinning him to face her, the water still sloshing over their feet.

"Look, Steve…" she started but was cut off when he abruptly leaned forward, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a searing kiss.

And oh god, it was all she expected and more. The fire in her belly returned with a vengeance and she grasped his shirt in her small hands, pulling him even closer. Then his hand slid up her back and Kono shivered just slightly at the touch as it rested between her shoulder blades and his lips moved furiously against hers.

For a moment they pulled apart, each taking a much needed breath before they joined again, lips open this time, tongues dueling fiercely, wantonly. When he nipped at her lower lip she let out a low moan and pressed her body even harder against his, fingers releasing his shirt and finding purchase on his biceps. His hands had moved up father, winding into her hair, pulling gently on the tresses.

When they parted again for air, his fingers traced the line of her jaw, eyes locked on hers.

"Come home with me," he practically whispered and kissed her deeply.

Though the words were not entirely unexpected, Kono was still startled when he said them. And it threw a little cold water on the fire that had been swiftly burning inside her. Because while her body wanted her to say yes (more than anything), her head was telling her it was too soon, there was too much at stake between them, both personally and professionally, to just jump into something without thinking it through.

"No," she said simply and took a small (very small) step back from him.

Confusion and mild amusement quickly spread over his face. "No?"

"No," she confirmed and placed one hand on his chest when he tried to move closer. "Not…now."

Steve searched her face a moment before nodding and backing off himself. "Ok, yeah. Sorry."

"Don't be. I just think we need to…think it through."

Now he cocked his head toward her as they stepped out of the water, strolling slowly back to the restaurant. "Not normally my MO, but first time for everything I guess."

That had her laughing out loud.

It wasn't long before they arrived back at the lanai, gathering their abandoned shoes; they were the last to head out to the empty parking lot, all the other guests had left shortly after Chin and Malia. Steve walked her to her car but before she could open the door had her pressed against it, his lips gently meeting hers for a soft, lingering kiss.

"No fair," she murmured into his lips as he pulled away.

He gave her that sometimes infuriating grin, "Just giving you something to think about."

Then he turned, stuck his hands in his pockets and whistled while he walked to his car.

Whistled.

Kono smiled to herself and got in the car. This was going to be interesting.

AN: This is probably the last chapter that is going to hold close to the show (besides I'm running out of eps soon!) so the next will probably be the last, but it will have a sequel that will veer away from the show and use my own plot idea.