A/N: First of all, thank you for all the support for this story. Thank you for the reviews and favorites and following this story. All I can say is that we are two chapters to the end. To the new readers of this story thank you so much! Well, it's been an adventure and I hope you all like this new chapter! Can't wait for hearing from you all! A Big Hug to everyone!

(continuation of the previous chapter)

Catherine is not a kind of person who accepts someone shouts to her; even if he is the man she loves

Yeah.

She had given up avoiding the truth for herself as well. She loves him. But that's not a reason to accept this. She gets up and picks up her clothes.

"Maybe you should be alone tonight"

She goes to the bathroom and closes the door. She can't help but cry while she is dressing herself.

Steve feels even worse, watching her disappear into the bathroom. What the hell is he doing? He opens the bedroom door and goes downstairs. Looking at the ocean he tries to calm himself and he makes a decision. He had thought about it before, but she really captivated him and he always thought that with her everything would be different. But the guilt has always been there.

Since the last mission as a SEAL...

The mission which took Freddie's life. He looks at his hands like they were, again, with his best friend's blood. But they are clean. It was a dream, but he still can't deal with that. He hears Catherine walking down the stairs and turns to her.

"Cath, I..."

"What?"

And her big brown eyes are drilling him. What was he doing...? He loves her but the main reason to keep everything casual with any women is clearer than never. He wasn't good enough and she doesn't deserve his burden. So he changes and now the wall is even higher among them.

"You really should go"

She gulps and keeps strong before him.

"And just now you thought about it? After all? What the hell, Steve?"

He points to the door.

"Just go, Catherine"

She doesn't move from her spot. She knows she is challenging him, but she feels that she has to do this.

"What are you doing?"

Steve avoids looking at her, it's not hard for her to see that.

"Why you don't look me in the eyes?"

He doesn't give her an answer and she keeps pushing him.

"You want to shut me out, don't you?"

She pokes him in his chest.

"C'mon, Steve. Admit it. You don't want to let me in, but you're keeping me close. Why?"

"I'm telling right now that you should leave, aren't I? So, just leave. Leave me alone. Leave this house!"

His tone is firm and he manages to not shout at her. But his words are like rocks against her heart. She doesn't understand what is happening. Better, she doesn't want to believe in what is happening. After more than a year together she cannot understand how this can end because of a nightmare. She breathes and tries to remain strong.

"Are you sure about what you are doing?"

And she hopes that he will say no and tell her what's wrong and share with her whatever is bothering him.

"I'm sure. Just. Leave."

"You want me to leave because of a nightmare?"

And he did not say anything else.

"Steve, I'm not coming back. If I'll get out from that door I won't come back, do you hear me?"

He looks at her. Her eyes that showed him such passion hours before, they are now masked with sadness and incomprehension. But he keeps going. He is doing the right thing.

"I'll talk to Chin. If any work comes up I'll do it with another person"

She can't quite believe in what she is hearing. Everything seems so surreal that she feels completely lost. And now she speaks with a tone of defeat.

"What?"

"Goodbye, Catherine"

He is cold and she never saw this side of him. She feels an urge to run and just be away from him. How could he do this to her after everything? No, there must be a way to fix this up.

"I just…Look if you want I'll go and we talk tomorrow…"

"No! Just forget this thing. Forget it!

"Forget it? How dare you to tell me that?

She looks at him straight into his eyes. She knows he won't back down. But how could he tell her to forget what they have? She watches Steve going to the door and opens it.

"Goodbye, Catherine"

And the time stood still. Everything stops for both of them. Steve feels like a knife is being buried on his chest. Catherine feels breaking apart, like she is falling without having anything which she could hold on to. He stays there with the door open, waiting for her to move. She doesn't want to ask again, it's like if she is begging for something and she doesn't beg to anyone. Not even to Steve McGarrett. She walks to the door and quietly says.

"Well… Goodbye then"

And she leaves. Just like that. Catherine goes straight to her car and cries. Now she can cry. And she can't believe in what just happen.

Steve feels everything around him is bigger than him. And he sits on the last step from his stairs. Putting his head on his hands and he sighs. Perhaps this was the best for them.

One Month Later

Danny's Camaro - 07:00 PM

Steve doesn't take his foot from the accelerator.

"Steve, calm down man! We're not late. This case is over, geez!"

Steve enjoys the adrenaline, as always, but he complies with Danny and reduces the velocity.

"Thanks" Danny says sarcastically, looking to Steve who just nods. Danny is curious why he is the one working with Steve. He knows that something happened between his friend and Catherine. Some time ago they seemed to spend every of their free time together. Now, if both of them are in the same room, the tension could be sensed in one mile away.

"Everything is ok with you, or what?"

Steve gives a glance to Danny.

"I'm fine, why are you asking?"

"Really, Steve? C'mon, we know each other for years. Something happen between you and Catherine"

Steve huffs. It's true. It's been a hard time without her. Maybe he is being more reckless since he kicked her out from his house. But it was for her own good. Maybe someday she finds someone normal.

"Your silence just confirms what I'm thinking…"

"What are you a psychic, now?"

"Steve, c'mon. Since you returned from the SEALs you're different. And it's normal, I guess. You shut out people. You did that with me, remember? And you're doing the exact same thing with her"

"It's different, Danny. Me and you… We are friends. Catherine and I we were…"

"In love?"

Steve looks directly to Danny and returns his gaze on the road. Why Danny likes to talk so much? Well, he always has been like that.

"Look, Steve, I'm your friend, yes. And I know that your past is hard. I get it. We've talked about that sometimes, but you deserve to be happy you know? For such a confident guy, you should know you deserve love, a life. You should be proud of what you have done for this country…"

"Danny, I shouted at her and I told her to leave me"

Danny takes a while to digest what Steve just said. For the first time in weeks he gets some information from him, but he never thought the two had a fight.

"You're such an idiot, Steve! How could you do that?! Oh I don't even know why I ask. You did that on purpose. For her to really leave you. Are you insane, Steve? She loves you! Why can't you accept that? She loves you and she wants to be with you, even if you two had this "thing" as you tell people! C'mon, Steve have you lost your mind? How many times did I tell you that you have to stop being like that?"

Steve is listening to Danny, but he doesn't say anything. In fact, he doesn't know what to say. They arrive to HPD and while he is parking the car, Danny keeps going.

"Look, everyone makes mistakes. But you are much more than your faults. Talk to her and stop being a jerk"

They get out of the car.

"Danny, I appreciate your words, but everything is going to be like it is now"

"Stubborn asshole. It is what you are"

Steve pats Danny's shoulder.

"Yeah, something like that. C'mon, we've got work to do"

Entering in HPD he can't help himself to look into the room searching for her form. And there she is, leaning in Kono's desk, the two of them talking. Danny looks at him and Steve knows that if he could he would punch him in the face right now. They go straight to Chin's office.

Catherine knows that they are working together. Just seeing him, makes her heart swell with pain. She didn't think that she loved him so much till she was forced, by him, to stay away. After that night he never made an effort to talk to her, even to explain something to her. Nothing. He seemed to have disappeared until two days ago, when Chin called for some help. And that was the first time she saw him since that night. At least he seemed ok, but she has done everything she could to not stay with him too much longer in the same room.

"Do you want to take a coffee?"

Catherine knows that Kono wants to support her. She's been a great friend, and Catherine managed to tell her some things. Even spoke a little about her and Steve's relationship during a surf morning. Catherine shows to her a sad smile.

"Yeah, I could use that"

Kono gives her a smile and goes with her to the coffee machine. Chin thought it would be a good thing that Catherine and Kono were partners. And he was right. Catherine enjoyed work with Kono and started to establish a good friendship.

"What do you think about surfing tomorrow? We have the day off"

"Wasn't it supposed you meet Charlie from the lab?"

Kono smiles.

"I figured I could do both of things. What do you say? And I need to do some shopping"

"Oh... Someone wants to impress"

"A girl has to have her own moves"

The two of them laughs when they hear Chin calling for them.

"Rollins, Kalakaua!"

Chin is getting near them. It's happening a robbery in a coffee shop and they head to the crime scene.

Hospital

Catherine's Room - 10:00 PM

She starts to wake up but feels something that is blocking her arm. She can't move it. She breathes and tries to calm herself down. Maybe she is in that damn coffee shop. And Kono. Is she alright?

Catherine opens up her eyes.

"Kono..."

Her voice came as a plea and suddenly she feels a hand on her good arm.

"Hey... Kono is fine"

And it is his voice… Strong, as always, with his tone that she had missed so much. She moves her head and looks at him.

"Where am I?"

"At the hospital. You were in surgery..."

"What?"

"A guy shot you in the shoulder and you hit your head, so..."

"Where is Kono?"

"Thanks to you she is fine. She is outside…"

"And why are you here, anyway?"

She didn't mean to be harsh. But after everything, why he was there? He doesn't even is an HPD's official member.

"I... uh... Well, I was worried. Despite everything, I still worry about you"

She shut her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing, Steve?"

"I don't know"

But he keeps his hand on hers and squeezes it.

She can't help a tear that escapes. She opens her eyes and looks straight into Steve's eyes, searching for something that she could hold on to.

"Steve..."

He leans on to her and leaves a kiss on her forehead.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were alright"

"What do you want from me, Steve?"

He looks at her again and doesn't say anything more. Just kisses her in her lips, feeling warm again. Catherine is surprised but she doesn't break it. It's like everything doesn't exist anymore. He breaks the kiss and looks at her. None of them dares to exchange a word. He straightens up and goes to the door, leaving her room.

McGarrett's House – 11:00 PM

His heart was racing. He couldn't believe in what just happen hours before. When he saw Catherine and Kono leaving the HPD he felt that he should had gone with them. It was a silly sentiment, he knew. But he couldn't help but worry about them… About her. And, unfortunately, he was right. Steve was there when Chin received a call telling him that two officers were attacked and one of them was shot. He didn't hear her name, but somehow he knew something had happened to Catherine and he went with Chin and Danny to the crime scene.

Everything was an enormous confusion, but the paramedics were already there. But he had seen her… On the floor, unconscious, with her eyes shut. He ran over there, but soon he understood that she was alive. Only shot in her arm, but she had hit with her head.

Kono was there trying to help. When the tug saw her, he aimed at her, but Catherine was fast and put herself in front of her partner being the one who got shot. Kono managed to get the guy and arrested him.

Thank God she is ok.

Thinking about all of that made his mind to spin. Steve was seated on his sofa with a beer in his hand.

He couldn't leave her side. He just wanted to know that she would be ok. He didn't care about what the other people could think of his actions. He never left her side till he saw Catherine open her eyes.

Questioning his presence was the expected thing that she could do. Because, after everything, he would be the last person who she'd thought that could be there. And that kiss. That kiss was impossible to contain. She was there in front of him, breathing, alive, awake. He couldn't suppress his feelings and just wanted to make sure that she was there. Maybe he was wrong, and was carried away by his desire to feel her. But he didn't want to think about that now. He just wanted to sleep with the certainty that she was ok.

One Month Later

McGarrett's House – 09:00 AM

This is one of those days that he is without anything planned. So nothing better than start his day with more sleep than the usual and a swim. He had woken up half an hour ago and went straight to the ocean. The water was still the only thing that could calm him down and he loves feeling the salty water on his skin. Definitely, the best way to start the day.

He gets out from the water and goes to the chair in the garden looking for his towel. He starts to dry himself and goes to the kitchen to drink some juice. He hears someone knocking on the door, which he finds strange. After all, he isn't expecting anybody. He has been some kind of off, so maybe it's Danny trying to do something with him.

Steve goes to the door and opens it.

"Danny, are you here to…"

"Hi"

Steve is speechless.

He never saw her since she was in the hospital. He had heard that she was doing ok, but he decided to keep the distance. Seeing her here, in front of him was something he couldn't ever imagine that could happen.

"Catherine"

She is looking at him intently.

"I need to talk to you"

TBC