4

As Lori watched all the goings on at Five-0, she decided that she didn't like Chrissy Raines. She was simply too much of a girly-girl for Lori's taste. Besides, she looked at Steve as though he moved heaven and Earth, and that just wasn't acceptable now that she planned on pursuing Steve. She would definitely have to talk to Steve about Chrissy because she just couldn't be hanging around any longer.

Another person Lori wasn't particularly fond of was Catherine Rollins. Granted, she hadn't really liked her when she'd met her a year and a half ago purely because she was dating Steve. Catherine might not be with Steve anymore, but she still seemed damned protective of him. Every time Lori tried to send Steve a flirtatious look, Catherine countered her with a death stare. Lori wondered, Do they still have some sort of relationship going? Maybe they're on a friends with benefits plan. Well, Steve will have to drop that if he wants to be with me. I do not put up with other women. If Steve McGarrett wants to be with me, he better know that.

Eventually, after dealing with countless death stares, Lori inquired, "Ms. Rollins, if you don't mind me asking, why do you keep giving me dirty looks?"

Catherine barely glanced at her as she answered, "I think you know why, Agent Weston."

Lori shook her head, "No, I don't believe I do."

Catherine's breathing became uneven, and she looked as though she might burst. She quietly fumed, "In case you haven't noticed, Steve is with Chrissy now. I don't think you particularly care, but she is. They love each other. Steve made a stupid word choice this afternoon when he called her a friend because she is much more than that. They lived together for nearly two weeks while Chrissy stayed in a safe house as Wo Fat hunted her. She nursed Steve back to health after he suffered from exhaustion and when he broke his ribs. In fact, he thought he was going to die, so he wrote her a letter so she knew exactly what he meant to her. Not only are they in love, but Steve loves her little girl, Sarah, as well. They would be a beautiful family.

"Now I know you have your sights set on Steve, but he isn't available, Lori, just like he wasn't available a year and a half ago when you told him you had feelings for him. The only difference is that I'm no longer with him. Chrissy is. However, just because it's a different woman doesn't mean I'll let you steal him away from her. Both of them deserve the happiness they are experiencing together. I'd hate to see it screwed up by a jealous woman."

Lori shot back, "Well, Steve isn't exactly owning up to the relationship, so I think we should let him decide for himself."

Catherine walked until she stood toe-to-toe with Lori. She warned, "If you ever try to screw up Steve and Chrissy's relationship even in the slightest, not only will you have to answer to me, but you'll have to answer to the rest of Five-0, and I don't think you'll like what happens after that."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, not at all. I'm just warning you of what will happen if you do anything to interfere in their relationship. Chrissy is my best friend, and Steve is one of my closest friends. Neither of them has ever met another person that is as perfect of a match as they are for each other. If something were to happen between them, I don't know that either of them would ever recover. Both of them have such fragile hearts, and they've been broken too many times. This time, I think, would be the last time. Don't come between them, Lori, or you'll regret it."

"Whatever you say, Ms. Rollins, but don't blame me if Steve gets bored with Little Miss All-American and wants a little more of a challenge in his life."

"Trust me on this. Steve doesn't need any more challenges in his life. That's all he's had to deal with since the day he was born. What he needs is a woman who will love him the way he is and who he loves back. Nothing complicated, nothing challenging. Besides, Chrissy has enough spunk to last him a lifetime. Life will never get boring. You and Steve would never work."

"How would you know?"

"I dated him, remember?"

"And you were obviously very successful because you're not with him anymore."

"That's one of the reasons I'm warning you. Steve needs a girly-girl. Even though I was a girly Navy SEAL, it just didn't work between us. Steve should be with a very feminine woman to complement his overzealous masculinity. You're too tomboyish for Steve, Lori. Just accept it."

Lori didn't answer Catherine. She decided it was just best to ignore her. Catherine was wrong, anyway. Lori smiled. She would get Steve McGarrett, and no frumpy little single mother was going to stand in her way.