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: A bit more romance for those who appreciate a little Steve action. I love writing for him... Thanks for the comments so far - I just made some small changes that were screaming out to me when I read it after posting.

Chapter 27

Steve watched Julia leave quickly, his obvious concern for her reflected in his eyes. Danny turned to him and said quietly, "Go ahead, I've got this." Steve excused himself from the Warrens and walked out of the suite. He saw Julia half-walking, half-running toward the stairwell. He called out to her, but she continued to open the door and slipped inside.

He jogged down to the stairwell and opened the door. Julia was sitting on the landing, her head in her hands as she silently wept. Steve sat next to her, afraid to touch her at first. She seemed so small in that moment. With the Warrens, she had been professional and empathetic, but now he knew how much that had cost her. This whole case had hit her close from the beginning. He wished he could take it all back as he saw the pain that it had brought Julia. He put his hand gently on her shoulders, and then pulled her softly into his arms.

"I can't, I can't… I should be able to…" she choked out the words as she tried to wipe the tears away.

"Shh. It's okay, it's okay," Steve murmured to her, holding her closer, his cheek gently pressed against her head. His hand reached up to stroke her hair as he tried to comfort her. He rocked her gently as he whispered softly in her ear.

"I can't do this, I can't. I can't fall apart, it's not… I shouldn't let it get to me! I should never have let it get to me!" She pushed up against him, her fists clenched in anger. This was unacceptable, she thought. Unacceptable, and unprofessional, weak, pathetic! She wanted to strike out, to hit something, to hurt something, to do anything to reflect the anger she directed at herself for feeling helpless. Her eyes flared with fury, as she wanted to lash out against herself.

Steve grabbed her clenched fists, and then wrapped his arms tightly around her. She tried to fight him, to push him away but he was too strong for her, and finally she was too weary to fight. "Hey, hey, darling. It's okay, it is. You can let it go. You don't have to be strong with me. I can be strong enough for both of us." Julia buried her face in his chest, her eyes filled with tears. She couldn't look at him. He shouldn't ever see her this way, so emotional and weak. She tried to force herself to stop crying, taking ragged breaths through her tears as she tried to quiet her sobs.

"Just breathe, take a deep breath. It's okay to let go, it's okay. I promise I won't let you fall." Steve pulled away from Julia briefly, tipping her bowed chin up to look in her wounded eyes. "I would never let you fall." He gently wiped a tear away from her cheek with his thumb. Carefully, slowly, he reached down to kiss her softly. His kiss was different this time. It said what he couldn't say with words. It said that he understood, that he knew the pain was unbearable, and that she could trust him with all of it. No matter what, he could take it.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with the past few days of emotional upheaval and exhaustion. She felt empty inside, completely drained and bare. As she gazed into his eyes, she felt a familiar stirring deep inside. She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. Realizing he was holding himself back from her, she kissed him, lingering a moment, before pulling him in sharply to her. She needed to not feel numb, she needed his touch, and more than anything she needed the distraction from the unbearable grief and pain she felt inside. She quickly teased his mouth open, desperate now to taste every bit of his mouth. Her tongue wrapped around his, seeking, needing, urging him on as her hands twisted softly in his hair, tugging his head closer to hers.

Steve felt his passion begin to rise. He wanted to hold back, but Julia seemed to have other things in mind. Her mouth was soft and sweet, and soon his desire began to push past his control. Steve's hands traveled carefully down her back, pulling her shirt up just barely, placing his hands on her bare waist. As he touched her skin, she began to push up against his body, moaning softly at the sensations building inside of her. She pushed up against him further, rubbing up against his pelvis, feeling him respond to her needy advances. Steve felt his skin tingle as Julia's fingers slid down his back, barely touching him yet inflaming his passion for her. A groan escaped his lips, and he moved his lips to the soft dip at the base of her neck, trailing kisses across her throat, before returning to her swollen lips. His body continued to respond as his mind began to race, thinking of how much he wanted to have her at this moment, how he wanted to give in to their mutual passion and need.

He forced himself to slow down, remembering that they were sitting in a concrete stairwell in a hotel with Danny just outside probably watching from the window. As much as he wanted her, and she wanted him, this wasn't how he wanted it to be. It was hot, steamy, and intense, but a voice inside of him reminded him that she deserved more than just a passionate encounter. He pulled back from her, kissing her cheek, then her nose, then her soft, swollen lips. He placed his hands on her shoulders, gently easing her back.

Julia slowed her breath, realizing that she had gotten uncharacteristically carried away. "I'm sorry," she said, looking down, afraid for a moment to look into his eyes.

"Don't be. Don't be sorry. This just isn't how I want our first…" he chuckled softly, "This isn't what I want for us, baby. We have time. Let's take our time," he smiled, caressing her cheek and kissing her sweetly one last, long, deep lingering time.

Julia leaned into him, her hot forehead on his reddened cheek, and took a deep breath. Sitting up, she looked down away from Steve and wiped her eyes with her hands, composing herself as best she could. She started to stand and wobbled from exhaustion, and he quickly wrapped his arm around her. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning in to him, taking a moment to feel his arms around her. She closed her eyes, and buried her nose into his chest, inhaling as she remembered his fresh, clean, masculine scent. She tried to gather her thoughts together and cool down before heading out with Steve's arm still wrapped around her waist.

Steve looked down at her, smiling, "Let's get you home, okay?" He opened the door to find Danny waiting in the hallway, quietly concerned for Julia and noting her flushed, tear-stained face. As Julia fumbled for her keys, Steve asked, "Can I drive you home? Please?"

In spite of her utter exhaustion, Julia looked up at him, a trace smile gracing her weary face. "I think that's the first time I've heard you say 'please'," she said, handing him the keys.

Danny smiled as he put his arm around her shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. "It is the first time he's ever said 'please.' This is one of the many reasons we should keep you around." He looked over at Steve and grinned.