2

Lori Weston hadn't set foot in Five-0 headquarters since she resigned from the task force a year and a half before. Over the course of that time, she'd been reassigned to several different operations, but none had been as exciting as her work with Five-0. Not only that, but no man had captivated her as much as Five-0's leader, Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, had.

The entire time Lori had worked for Five-0, which only encompassed a few months at the most, she'd battled feelings for McGarrett. For some reason, she'd been drawn to the serious, heavily driven Navy SEAL. However, he'd never really noticed her. McGarrett had regarded her as more of a nuisance because she'd been assigned to keep an eye on him by the governor of Hawaii, and had paid her little attention. The day she'd resigned, she'd admitted she'd had feelings for him. Despite her hopes, he hadn't returned her affections. Then again, he had been involved with that Catherine Whatshername. Much to her delight, though, she'd heard that they were over and that Steve was single again. That definitely improved her chances of getting Steve.

Lori's ridiculously high heels clicked on the tile floors of Five-0 headquarters. She'd even dressed to impress today. She'd forgone her typical buttoned-up look for a cleavage-bearing pink top that clung to her lanky frame. Her business skirt was decent enough, but really only hit mid-thigh. Even a highly self-controlled man like Steve McGarrett wouldn't be able to resist her.

Pushing the doors to the headquarters open, Lori noticed the entire Five-0 team standing around the computer/table, plus Steve's ex-girlfriend, some other woman Lori didn't know, and a little girl. Hmmm…I wonder who the other woman and the girl are.

Lori exclaimed, "Surprise, guys!"

Steve's stomach dropped when he saw Lori standing in the doorway of Five-0 headquarters. He hadn't seen her in over a year and a half, and the last time he'd seen her, it had been on kind of awkward terms. She'd resigned from the task force and admitted she had feelings for him all in the same conversation. Granted, they'd parted on amicable terms, but Steve had never had any feelings about Lori beyond a working relationship, and he'd avoided the topic. Personally, he didn't really care if he saw her again. Unfortunately, his wishes hadn't come true.

Steve replied, "Lori! What a…surprise."

Lori strutted over to the table, swaying her hips with every move, obviously trying to impress Steve. She lilted, "Is it? I told you I would come back."

Danny retorted, "Yeah, you might have told us that, but people usually give up after a year and a half with no word from you."

Lori came up behind Danny and touched him on the shoulder. She answered, "Well, I've been pretty busy since I resigned from Five-0. I've taken on several high-profile jobs."

Steve put on a fake smile "That's great, Lori. What are you doing now?"

Lori leaned over the table, hoping to provide Steve with an ample of view of her less than ample cleavage. She sighed, "Right now, I'm not doing anything, actually. I'm taking a little time off to explore my options. You know guys, I'm not exactly young, and if I want to have a family, I have to start looking for the right guy."

Danny smirked, "What are you doing in Hawaii, then? This is where you come to find a fling, not a husband."

Lori closed the door on the conversation quickly, and changed the subject completely. "Enough about me. What about you guys? I see a few faces I'm not exactly familiar with."

Steve, still a little shaken up by Lori's arrival, stumbled on his words, and motioned toward Chrissy and Sarah, "Oh, yeah, well, this is Chrissy, a friend of mine, and her little girl, Sarah."

There was an awkward silence after Steve finished his introductions. A few thoughts kept flashing through the team's minds as they looked from Lori to Steve to Chrissy. Did Steve really just call Chrissy his "friend' after all they've been through together? How is Chrissy going to take that? What will Lori try to do now that she believes Steve is single? It's obvious that she likes him.

Lori shook hands with Chrissy and asked, "Oh. Do you work here or something?"

Chrissy put on a fake smile and retorted, "No. I'm just a friend of the team."

Danny thought, Well, Steve, I think you just made your stupidest mistake yet. You never call a girl you've slept in the same bed with 'a friend of yours.' Let's just say you'll be sleeping in a cold bed for a while now.