Justified – Story 1 in the Unbreakable series

Disclaimer: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

Rating: T (for romance)

Pairing: Steve/OC, Steve/Danny (friendship - no slash)

Author's Note: Wow! Thanks for the feedback everyone! It really helps me to know what is working (and what isn't) in the story. Msgemgem, good point about Cath. I don't plan to pick on her as much as some of the Steve/OC's do, but I do want to have her in at least one future story. I like the fact that she and Steve never really had a relationship and I think that will be a key part for him to realize later that what he has with Julia is so completely different. Plus I have some twists planned for future stories that she'll be a perfect part of – not as a foil, but… well, you'll have to just keep reading!

Lanteaddicted & francis2 – so glad you're into it. Please keep reading (and writing!). Jenni, romance is coming, I promise (hint: Ch. 18 – I'm working to make it hot!)

Thanks all for your comments and support! I just updated and reposted all previous chapters - some changes, some fixes, some tweaks. It all makes it more cohesive because... I've finished the story! I will roll out chapters as quickly as I can - just promise me you'll give me feedback? Thanks!

They had enough to arrest Doug Chase for embezzling and identity theft, but no one at Five-0 thought they should risk a warrant until they found his accomplice or the link between him and Jennifer's killer. Chin was working on Jennifer's cell phone and home phone records, tracing particular dates and times of her calls to Doug Chase. They discovered that Jennifer was at a fundraiser the night she was killed. Kono and Danny left to talk with the catering staff for the event and see if they could find out if Jennifer had left with anyone.

Julia was determined to find out who the owners of Metadyne were, but the partnership files in Bermuda were not online. She wracked her brain trying to think of another way to find out the ownership of the company. The only solution she could think of was to request the partnership returns from the IRS. Steve had put in the request through the Governor's office, but it would take some time, time they didn't have.

Steve was in his office when he heard Julia drop a few key curse words as she slammed down the lid of the uncooperative laptop. He came out to find her pacing around the room. Wordlessly, he stepped in front of her, crossed his arms, and smiled his half-grin. She looked up at him with fire in her eyes. He knew it wasn't directed at him, but still, the fury and frustration she showed was nearly overwhelming. Her passion for her work made him want to smile. There was something unbearably adorable about this small, brilliant spitfire that he couldn't keep out of his head.

"Julia, you've done what you can. We have to see if the other leads pan out," Steve said, calmingly.

"But what if they don't? You know these fundraisers - they're huge, and it's doubtful the staff would remember the killer, IF he was there, IF he made a mistake, IF he didn't slip out a back door. The IRS files are a long shot at best. There's got to be another way. There has to be," Julia spoke in a controlled tone, not wanting to direct her anger at Steve, yet unable to keep her frustration and exhaustion from creeping in.

"You need a break. You've been going non-stop at this for two days. You've barely slept, hardly eaten… you should head home. Let us take it from here. You've done a great job helping us get this far. We'll take it over the line."

"You have less than 48 hours to dot all of your i's and cross your t's. There's no time for a break. If your case isn't rock solid by the time the Chases get home, Jennifer's killers will likely go free. We both know that. I appreciate your offer, I do, and I recognize that this is your job, not mine. But I'm invested now. Jennifer is counting on us, she's counting on me, for justice. Sleep and a break will come later. Right now, I've just got to figure out how to find the person who hired her killer, and what they were after. It's there, it's so close I can taste it, but I can't figure it out for some reason." Julia said in desperation. She was so frustrated and weary, she could barely keep her thoughts straight.

Steve paused, looking at her carefully. "Do you trust me?" Steve asked, looking into her eyes.

Where was this coming from? she thought. "Yes." She did trust him, although she wasn't entirely sure why she should.

Steve took her hand and led her out of HQ. "Where are we going?" she started to ask. He stopped, grinned at her, and just continued. It wasn't like her to quietly follow a man she barely knew, and yet there was a powerful side to Steve that she found incredibly enticing. For some reason, she wanted to let him take care of her, although she didn't fully understand why. She fell silent as they descended the stairwell and left the building. Steve walked over to his truck and opened the door for her. Gently, he helped her into the cab, his hands lingering briefly on her tiny waist, before walking over to the other side and climbing into the driver's seat. As she watched him start the truck, she could still feel his hands on her waist, and a small smile crept across her face. What was happening to me? she thought. This was so atypical of the professional, no-nonsense way she approached her work and yet, she found the new sensations incredibly appealing. And tempting.

She thought about asking him again where they were headed but thought the better of it. As they drove in silence, she leaned her head against the side of the truck and closed her eyes briefly. She was so tired. It was a weariness, really. Frustration and dead ends did that to her. As much as she could handle long hours and endless analysis, when she was personally invested in the outcome, she couldn't help but feel emotionally drained at any major setback. It was one of her greatest faults. She should be more professional, she should be able to keep going - and truth be told, she could, usually. She had been trained from an early age to continue going regardless of how she felt, how tired she was, or how desperate the situation had become. But she hadn't been trained for someone like Steve.

When Steve treated her gently, when he cared for her, a part of her seemed to melt. It was easier when she could stay detached from her co-workers and be wholly focused on the task at hand. It was times like that that she felt fully in control, like a computer crunching numbers and seeking patterns. Sure, she kept a friendly, funny exterior going, but inside, she thought of herself as a machine. That was part of the job, it always had been. Heck, it's why she had been recruited in the first place. Giving into her emotions was a very dangerous proposition on many levels.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ring of a phone - hers, this time. Looking at the caller ID, she took a breath, and then picked up reluctantly.

"Julia here. Yes, hello," she paused, listening to the caller. Why was he calling her now, of all times? "I see. I'm not surprised, it was expected. Well, I'm a bit busy at the moment - I'm helping Five-0 on a time-sensitive case. I'll have to talk to you later, but I appreciate the heads-up. Everything is fine. It all came back clean, as I knew it would. I'll be in touch later in the week. Goodbye."

"Sorry about that," Julia apologized to Steve.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yes, that was just my department head. He wanted to check in and see how some of the graduate research projects were going. It's nearly the end of the term, so he's getting a bit nervous. Truth be told, he can be quite a pain," Julia forced herself to laugh casually. She had expected the call. She knew this would happen, and it really was not a big deal. Yet for some reason, she felt a little… disappointed. She knew she shouldn't feel anything, that it was just routine, but there was an aspect of it that surprised her in an uncomfortable way.