DISCLAIMER: I don't own "Hawaii Five-O" or any of its characters.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi Everyone! Thanks to all of you that are reading my story and extra thanks to those that have reviewed!

I went into a lot of detail in this chapter. It won't always be so detailed day to day, but a lot is being set up.

Like always, thoughts are in italics. However, something new has been added! Flashbacks are in BOLD!

I really am looking forward to hearing what you guys think!

ENJOY!

xo,

DivaLola

CHAPTER 12

Steve was awakened by a body wiggling in his arms. Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself looking into Maddie's blue ones. He was relieved when he immediately noticed they were a little brighter than they'd been that morning. "Sorry," she whispered.

Using his right hand, he sleepily rubbed his face while reaching for his cell with his left. 6:15pm, he thought. "Why are you awake? There's still another 20 minutes before I have to wake you up," he asked her.

"I can't lay in this bed anymore... I'm gonna go crazy," she admitted.

Sighing, he closed his eyes. Deep down he knew it was a good sign she was getting anxious, but he was still worried about her, not to mention exhausted himself. Plus, he knew when she was finally rested she'd fight him tooth and nail. "Well, how do you feel?"

"Honestly?"

Annoyed, Steve looked at her. "No, Maddie, please lie to me."

"Someone's grumpy. You always get cranky when you don't have enough sleep," she wrinkled her nose at him as she bit her bottom lip.

"Sorry... Yes, honest answer, Mads."

Glancing out of the corner of her eyes she made a sort of kissy face with her lips and squished them to the side, something she sometimes did when she was thinking. He suddenly realized how much he'd missed her silly facial expressions. His eyes looked to her mouth, and he was shocked that he had an urge to kiss her."Crappy," she answered, pulling him from his thoughts. "I feel a little better. My head's still killing me, and my body hurts. I just," her eyes widened for effect, "I've been in bed all day." Steve arched his eyebrows. Rolling her eyes, she added, "Well, for the most part."

"You mean minus your little stunt this morning," Steve countered.

Narrowing her eyes, Maddie asked, "You gonna let that go anytime soon?"

"I'll think about it," he smirked.

"Brat," she murmured, pinching his arm.

"If you weren't broken, I'd retaliate for that pinch." Steve sent her a look. Although there was laughter in his eyes, she saw a spark of something else. Something she struggled to identify, but whatever it was, it caused her heart to speed up.

"You're all talk, Steven," she countered, sending him a saucy look.

"Who mentioned talking?" he asked without thinking. Did I just say that, he pondered, shocked by his response. First he'd had the urge to kiss her and now he was implying he'd like to. What was going on?

Maddie hid her surprise, and the fact she wanted him to show her exactly what he had in mind as his retaliation. Are we flirting? she wondered. Suddenly nervous, she cleared her throat and said, "If I don't get out of this room I'm gonna go crazy." She pulled away from him and eased herself into a sitting position groaning at the soreness she felt in her body. Immediately she felt dizzy, like every other time she'd gone from laying or sitting to sitting or standing. "You can stay here if you want and sleep. I know you're tired," she said as she disconnected the empty bag of fluid from her IV. Malia had shown her so she wouldn't rip it out again. Trying to ignore the dizziness, Maddie swung her legs over the edge of the bed preparing to stand. Feeling her mouth begin to water and her stomach churn, she prayed she wouldn't get sick.

Maddie was doing her best to act as if the change in position wasn't making her feel worse, however she wasn't fooling Steve. Watching her intently, he slowly sat up.

Scooting closer to the edge so her feet would touch the carpet, Maddie closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Once standing, she wished she wasn't. Her whole body ached, her head was pounding as if it was going to explode, and her right foot throbbed. With her inability to put much pressure on her injured foot and her worsening dizziness, she began to wobble. Just slightly at first, but more so by the second.

Shaking his head, Steve watched her sway and wince as she tried to figure out her next move. Stubborn, he thought. He could practically see her internal battle.

Uh oh, Maddie thought as she made a weird noise and her hand flew to her mouth. Suddenly she was a blur of flailing body parts as she tried to run to the bathroom in a panic. Steve was immediately at her side. If she had been thinking clearer, she would have marveled at his speed. In the next millisecond, he'd picked her up and rushed her into the bathroom, setting her in front of the toilet just in time for the dry heaving to begin. He sat behind her holding her hair and rubbing her back.

After gagging and dry heaving for several minutes Maddie collapsed back against Steve. He immediately wrapped his arms around her body. After she'd recovered she finally said, "I still wanna go downstairs."

Steve chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I wouldn't have expected anything else."

While subconsciously rubbing his forearm she spoke, "Every time I sit and stand I get dizzy and nauseous. I want it to go away."

"It will... with time, and... rest!" he replied, enunciating the last word.

"I want it to be gone now!" she pouted.

"I know," he smiled at her impatience. She had never been good at staying still. She was always doing something.

They sat on the floor, Steve holding Maddie, completely comfortable with the silence, until she spoke up, "Steve…" She turned her head and looked up at him.

Peering down at her he answered, "Yes?"

"Will you help me get downstairs?" Maddie mumbled, hating that she needed help.

"You never have to ask," he smiled, glad she was honest about needing help. He carefully began to stand while also helping her up.

"I want to brush my teeth first. They feel gross," she told him as he got her to her feet. Without verbally responding he helped her to the sink.

"Stay here. Do not go anywhere by yourself. I mean it, Madeline," Steve ordered before leaving to use the restroom in the guest room across the hall. When he returned minutes later she was sitting on the bed waiting for him. He narrowed his eyes, "You moved."

"Not far," she responded. "I mean, I didn't go downstairs."

"You need to stay off your foot," he said, scooping her into his arms.

"You don't have to carry me! I can walk!" Maddie cried. This was not what she meant by help. She was thinking she could lean on him and he could put his arm around her and keep her from falling.

"I don't want you on that foot and neither does Malia. So, this is the only kind of help you're getting from me," Steve told her as he walked out of the bedroom.

She wouldn't admit it, but she liked when he carried her. She always had. Not that it happened very often. She felt safe when she was in his arms. Sure, she felt safe with Pete and the rest of the guys, but with Steve it was different.

"At some point you need to eat something. What do you want? Anything sound good?"

Maddie wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "I'm okay right now."

"Mads, you haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday, and I'm pretty sure you threw all that up," Steve told her as they walked into the kitchen.

"Steve, I just threw up. I need a little bit, okay?"

Hesitantly, he conceded. "Okay, but... you're eating something a little later. I'm not gonna take no for an answer." Looking around the kitchen, living room, and informal dining room he asked, "Where to? Living room?"

"No... media room," she answered. Smiling he walked past the kitchen table, entering into a long hallway. Several doors down, he turned and entered a large room. "Where do you wanna sit?"

"Here." Maddie pointed to the front row.

Walking to the plush couch, Steve carefully set her down. Catching her slight shiver, he glanced around the room. "Blankets?"

"Over there."

Beelining to the closed shelving system Maddie had pointed to, Steve opened the cabinet doors, and pulled out two blankets. As he turned around to make his way back to her she called out, "Wait! Grab the remote while you're over there?" She watched him at the cabinet, feeling and looking around on the shelves. "Yeah, that one," she directed. He grabbed the large, rectangular object and returned to Maddie. Once he handed the remote to her, Steve unfolded one of the blankets and placed it on her before doing the same with the second one. "Are you trying to smother me to death?" Maddie questioned, smiling at him.

"You're funny," he mock glared as he sat next to her. "I don't want you to get cold. I know you well enough to know that when you get overly tired, you get sick."

Maddie grew serious as she met his eyes. "Steve…" She reached up and placed her hand on his chest. "I'm okay. I promise. Stop worrying so much."

"You just scared me…" he murmured circling his right arm behind her and pulling her to him.

As she began placing the blankets partially on Steve, she responded, "I know… I'm really sorry about that." Finally having both of them covered she looked up at him meeting his blue eyes again, "It was a one-time thing… seriously. Okay?"

Chewing the inside of his lip Steve stared at her. He wanted to believe her, but he knew something was wrong, and that whatever it was it was serious. He knew as long as she kept it to herself, there was reason to worry. He was aware that if he pushed her on the topic right now, she'd only push him away, so he lied. "Okay."

She smiled at him before leaning her head against his chest. He pulled her even closer to him and asked, "What should we watch?" A smile broke out on her face, revealing the dimples he loved so much. It was the first genuine smile he'd seen from her since she got there. He feigned annoyance and rolled his eyes. "Okay, turn it on."

"We have to start at the beginning," she told him as she used the remote to search the Apple TV.

"We've started at the beginning at least four times," he retorted.

She looked up at him again. "That's cause we never get very far before one of us has to leave. It's been too long. You'll forget stuff. Each episode builds off the other."

"Alright, from the beginning," Steve sighed. He didn't really care that they were starting her favorite TV show again, the one she'd been trying to get him to watch for a decade. He'd do whatever she wanted as long as she smiled again. While she continued searching the TV he glanced around the room. Finally locating Alias, Maddie set the remote down. "That's right! You haven't been to the house before!"

"Well, sort of... when I came back to Hawaii I used the key you'd sent me. I've been checking on it about once a week since," he admitted. "I've seen the house while I make sure everything's fine, but I haven't really taken it all in. Figured you'd want to give me the grand tour."

"Thanks for doing that, Steve." Maddie lifted her head away from his chest and surveyed the room. "Well, what do you think?"

Steve examined the room, observing every minute detail. The floor was covered in plush, wine colored carpet that had a gold flourish design. There were five rows of seating, each row a bit higher than the last creating a movie theater feel. Most of the seats were massive reclining dark leather chairs each with their own cup holder, however there were matching reclining couch/love seats every other row. Each row sat about 6 people. The custom cabinet system surrounding the projector screen was made of dark cherry wood. It added to the regal aesthetic of the room. Along the left and right side of the room were columns of the same wood. Wine colored wallpaper covered the walls in between the columns. The wallpaper had a simple flourish design of a darker red on it, keeping with the same theme and feel of the room. The light sconces, perfectly placed between the columns looked as if they belonged in a castle and lit the room in such a way that it was always a bit darker. On the sides of the screen were lavish, wine colored, velvet curtains tied back with gorgeous gold rope with tassels dangling from the ends. Steve noticed that on the walls were framed movie posters, some of his favorites, and some of hers.

Although he'd seen the room plenty of times, it was his first time really taking it in and it was exquisite. He pulled Maddie tighter to him, a silent communication that he loved it.

She had been watching him during his observation. "Did you notice anything?" Steve gave the room another once over before turning to her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Looking down at the big, thick, rectangular touch screen remote, she touched the screen a couple times before all the lights on the sides of the room went out and lights appeared on the slightly domed ceiling. Unable to hide her gigantic smile Maddie watched him look up. "Oh my God," he whispered as he stared at the hundreds of tiny, sparkling, white, fiber optic lights. "I can't believe you remembered. How old were we? Eight?"

"Yeah, but we talked about it again when we were teenagers," she replied as they both stared at the ceiling.

FLASHBACK...

With their hands intertwined, an eight year old Steve and Maddie laid on the beach outside his house staring at the stars. They'd named as many constellations as they could find, both real and made up. "Wouldn't it be so cool to be able to see the stars any time you wanted, inside the house too?" he asked.

"They have those glow in the dark sticker stars you can put in your room, Stevie," Maddie suggested.

"Yeah, but they look fake. I want it to look real."

"One day we'll have it in our house."

END FLASHBACK...

FLASHBACK...

At fourteen, Maddie had just signed her record deal and was flying to New York the following day to begin recording her debut album. They'd never been apart longer than five days since they were four years old, and they were both devastated. They were lying on the beach outside his house staring up at the stars like they did so often. Maddie's head rested on his chest while his arm was wrapped around her back. As Steve gently rubbed her back, tears rolled down her face while tried to remain strong for her. "Mads… with all the money you're gonna make, you can finally build your own home. It'll be yours."

"Yeah…"

Trying to cheer her up and distract her he asked, "What would it look like?"

She began describing her dream home to him. He'd throw ideas in along the way. "What about a movie theater inside?" Steve said excited at the idea. "With a huge screen TV. And, video games!"

Maddie laughed, "You're such a boy sometimes, Stevie."

"The best part though?" he asked. "Stars on the ceiling."

"Definitely!" she smiled at the thought.

END FLASHBACK...

"I can't believe you remembered," Steve happily said. He was dumbfounded.

"You haven't seen the best part," she responded as she touched the remote's screen. Suddenly the stars changed patterns.

Steve grinned down at her. "You made it so we can find constellations..." Before he knew what he was doing he kissed her forehead, then her nose, and just as he was hovering at her mouth his cell began ringing. He quickly pulled it from his pocket. "McGarrett ... Hi ... Yeah, sure. Come on over… No, she's awake ... We're downstairs in the movie theatre … Okay, yeah. Bye."

While he was on the phone Maddie tried to get her breathing under control and bring her heart rate down. He was going to kiss me, she thought, stunned. What shocked her the most was that she had wanted him to. What does that mean? Hearing him hang up she turned her attention to him, secretly hoping he'd pick up where he'd left off.

Unable to look at her Steve awkwardly asked, "So, Alias?"

Her heart ached at his question. Maddie, it doesn't matter. Just turn the show on, she thought. "Yeah." Using the remote she started the first episode. Unsure if she should lean her weight back into him, she awkwardly sat next to him, her back ramrod straight as she made sure to put a couple inches between the outsides of their thighs.

Steve couldn't believe he'd almost kissed her. Sure, they kissed each other's foreheads, cheeks, and sometimes their noses, but never had they kissed each other's mouths. More than anything he wanted to do it, see what it felt like. Was it because they hadn't seen one another in so long? Or that he was worried about her? Or maybe that just brought out what was already there? He didn't know.

As the episode began with Sydney Bristow, vibrant red clown hair and all, captured, he could feel Maddie's nervousness and unsurety next to him. Everything's fine, he told himself. Act like normal. Taking a deep breath, he wrapped his right arm around her back and pulled her tight against him. He noticed she didn't relax, but stayed stiff. Just as he was about to say something, she finally relaxed and snuggled into him. He wasn't usually a big snuggler, but he found he loved it with her.

Fifteen minutes later Maddie sagged against him as she fell into sleep. He quickly set an alarm on his phone and then continued watching the show, grateful for the distraction from his confused thoughts.

Sydney Bristow's fiancé had just been murdered when his partner strolled in the room. "Holy shit! This is amazing!" Danny cried as he walked in. His eyes darted every which way, scanning the room.

"Shhhh," Steve shushed as he pointed to Maddie.

"Oh! Sorry!" Danny whispered. For the first time he noticed his partner holding Maddie tight against him, her face on his chest, her right hand lying on his stomach. The couch they were on was reclined so their legs were out in front of them, completely intertwined. "Steven, Steven, Steven," he smirked.

"Hold on… I don't want to wake her up," Steve whispered. "Can you grab a pillow from the cabinet there?" He pointed to the place where he'd gotten the blankets. Quickly Danny grabbed a plush pillow. "Here… set it right there, and then help me."

After placing it to the right of Maddie, Danny helped his partner untangle from her. She whimpered and made soft little groans as Danny lowered her onto the pillow. "Did I hurt her?" he asked nervously.

Chuckling himself, Steve explained, "She makes them in her sleep when she's comfortable and been moved. She has since we were little kids."

Danny furrowed his eyebrows and stared at his partner. "Have you been body snatched?"

"What?" Steve asked standing next to the couch. Carefully he lifted Maddie's legs from the reclined part to the actual couch.

"You have it bad for her!" Danny whispered to his partner.

"You don't know what you're talking about. We're friends. She's like my sister" Steve lied. I sure as hell have never wanted to kiss Mary, he thought to himself, confused.

"I saw the picture of you two sleeping. I can definitively tell you I have never done that with my sister," Danny countered.

Taking the first blanket and covering her with it, Steve asked, "What are you talking about? What picture?"

"The picture Pete took of the two of you this morning. The one he showed us at the precinct. To the team. The entire team. Lori included," Danny disclosed.

Steve froze as the second blanket fell into place on Maddie. "Yeah?" he finally questioned.

"Yeah."

"And?" Steve hesitantly asked.

"She played it off like it was no big deal, but she was upset. And as long as we're talking about Lori... she seemed hurt at your concern for Maddie yesterday," Danny reported.

"Okay, I'll call her," Steve decided. He didn't know what he was going to say, but he knew he needed to reach out. Not wanting to talk on the phone and possibly wake Maddie, he looked to Danny. "Can you sit here with her for a minute?"

"Really, Steven? You want me to wait in this home movie theater? How awful!" Danny joked sarcastically. "I guess I'll suffer through it."

Steve briefly hesitated as he stared down at Maddie. Even though he knew he'd just be down the hall, he hated the idea of being away from her. What the hell is happening, he wondered to himself. It was probably for the best that he get a little space, even if it was for only a few minutes. "Don't wake her up," he mumbled to Danny before leaving.

"Oh yeah, Super Seal has an Achilles heel," Danny whispered, looking down at Maddie. Things are going to get really interesting around here, he thought as he turned his attention to the show Alias.

A few minutes after Steve had left, Maddie began to toss and turn. Danny's head swiveled to her as tears began streaming down her face. Having been informed she'd been having nightmares, he listened carefully as she whispered, "No, don't! ... Please, don't hurt him! ... I'll listen... Please... leave him alone."

He wondered if he should get Steve, but also he didn't want to leave her. Before he had a chance to decide, her eyes flew open as more tears fell. Confused and groggy, she glanced around for Steve. Not seeing him, her breathing quickened as panic set in. As her eyes met his, Danny gasped at the complete fear and terror he saw in them.

"Maddie, it's okay. It was just a nightmare. You're safe." At her lack of response, he wasn't sure she was completely awake. "It's me, Danny. Steve's partner. He'll be right back," he soothingly whispered. Kneeling down in front of the couch near her head he began rubbing his hand down her hair. "This always helps my daughter, Grace, when she's had a nightmare." Having not said anything, he still wasn't sure she was fully awake. "Wanna talk about it? Might help."

She hesitated as tears streamed down her face. Had she not been so groggy she would never have responded. "He was hurting him."

"Who was hurting him? Hurting Steve?" Danny whispered. He couldn't believe she had answered, and he found himself scared to speak too loudly or make the smallest move in case she shut down.

She nodded, the tears coming faster as she thought about the nightmare. "It's okay. You're safe," Danny whispered continuing to run his hand down her hair, an act that seemed to be calming for her. "Steve's safe."

As she shook off some of the grogginess, Maddie realized what she'd just admitted. Dammit, she inwardly cursed. This was why she couldn't be around Steve or his friends. As long as "unknown sender" was after him, and her, she had to keep them all at a distance. Burying her emotions and holding back more tears, she whispered, "Where's Steve?"

"He's on the phone with Lori. Want me to go get him?"

Her heart dropped at the mention of his coworker's name. She thought she'd picked up on something when she'd met her. She's probably his girlfriend, she thought. It would explain why Lori had seemed sort of jealous when she'd asked about Steve. I bet she's upset he's been here with me, she thought, disappointed. And they'd been snuggling and touchy feely. If the roles were reversed, she wouldn't be okay with the situation. "No, let him be," Maddie finally answered.

"Are you sure? I know if he knew what just happened he'd be upset he wasn't here," Danny told her.

"I know." She sighed, fighting back tears. "But he'll just worry more."

"He has every right to worry. I don't really know you, and I'm worried," Danny admitted.

"I promise I'm okay. I've been taking care of myself since I was a child," she told him. There was a story there. He didn't know what it was, but he had a feeling it was one of the reasons Steve worried so much about her. "I just... I don't want him to worry." Pausing, she continued, "In fact, can you not say anything to him about this?"

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with that," Danny admitted.

"I understand. Can you at least just wait for a better time? Like once I'm feeling better?"

He thought it over before responding. "Sure." Danny didn't feel comfortable lying to his partner, but he also wanted to earn Maddie's trust so maybe she'd confide in him. He wanted to help Steve in whatever way he could.

"Thanks," she murmured before she tried to bring herself to a sitting position. She moaned and grabbed her head, the dizziness returning along with the nausea. Once sitting Maddie briefly closed her eyes, wishing the nausea away. She was so tired of throwing up. Her stomach and back muscles were so sore from it.

Carefully watching her face as he got off the floor and sat beside her, Danny asked, "Are you okay? Sure you don't want me to get Steve?"

Opening her eyes, she replied, "Yeah. I'm fine. Let's just watch the show."

Ten minutes later Steve walked into the room expecting to see Maddie sound asleep. "Danno! Did you wake her up?" he accused, slightly annoyed.

"Hey! Why do you think I did it?" Danny asked defensively. "For your information she…" he paused trying to decide what he was going to tell Steve.

Luckily Maddie was quick and finished his sentence, "woke up on my own. I heard the TV."

Steve squinted at Maddie, noticing she wouldn't look at him, and glanced at Danny. He sent him a questioning look. Danny just shrugged as he got up from the couch. "I better get home. It's getting late and I always talk to Gracie before bed."

"Nice to see you, Danny," Maddie said meeting his eyes. The two shared a look.

"I'll walk you out, Danno," Steve said, wanting to ask what was going on.

Not thinking it was a good idea to leave Maddie alone after her nightmare Danny said, "No, I'm fine. Just stay here. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright, night."

Steve sat on the couch next to Maddie, but this time he left a big space between them and didn't pull her to him. What he didn't realize was that's exactly what she needed. The nightmare she'd had had been one of the worst ones so far and she was rattled to the bone. She knew talking to his girlfriend was the reason why he was distant, which she completely understood. What she didn't understand was why it made her heart ache. Maddie, you don't need him to tell you everything will be okay. You haven't for the last few months. You were just fine, she told herself sniffling slightly.

Although Steve stared straight ahead at the screen, the show was the last thing on his mind. He would have felt strange if he'd pulled Maddie to him and cuddled after his conversation with Lori. He wasn't dating her, but he had sort of started something with her the other night. Or had he? It was just dinner with a coworker and a quick kiss goodnight. He didn't even really know how he felt about her. If he felt there was anything more than just friendship. To be honest he was wondering if his actions the other night were because he was tired of being alone.

To say he was confused was an understatement. Why was he suddenly thinking of Maddie as more than just his best friend? Was it because he was so worried? For one thing, he knew he needed to halt things with Lori until he figured out what was going on with Maddie. Not just what she was hiding, but what he was suddenly feeling. The urge to kiss her tonight had been so strong, and it scared the hell out of him. They'd been one thing to one another for decades. He didn't know if that could, or should, change.

He wasn't looking forward to the conversation with Lori tonight, but Chin and Danny were right, he couldn't let anything mess with the team. His thoughts were all over the place, jumping from one topic to another. The light sniffling beside him finally permeated his thoughts. Is she crying? he wondered. He didn't know why she would be crying, but he had gotten a feeling something was going on when he'd come back from his call. He turned his head, staring intently at her.

Since he'd come back in the room it was obvious his mind was somewhere else, so it surprised her when she felt his eyes on her. "Maddie?"

"Hm?" she answered not looking anywhere but straight ahead at the screen. She was sure there were probably traces of her earlier tears on her face, and she didn't want him to see them.

"You okay?" he asked. He sounded different to her. She could still hear the concern in his voice, but he sounded distracted, and distant.

"Yeah, just watching the show," Maddie answered, hoping he couldn't hear the tears she was holding in.

She sounds funny, Steve thought as he continued to stare at her. "Look at me," he instructed.

She hesitated for a millisecond before doing as he wanted. Refusing would have seemed suspicious. Seeing her glassy eyes, he immediately felt guilty for leaving the room. "Were you crying?" he asked.

"No," Maddie lied, turning back to face the TV. "It's just the TV. When it's this dark sometimes it makes my eyes water." That was the worst lie you've ever come up with, she chastised herself.

"Okay," Steve said.

She knew he must be really distracted to have believed that. Must really have Lori on the mind, she thought. After another ten awkward, and silent, minutes of the two sitting far apart, Maddie laid down to her right, resting her head on the pillow. Since it seemed Steve didn't want any contact with her, Maddie curled into the fetal position. She felt safe like that, she always had, and she needed the comfort it provided. Feeling the aching in her chest a few tears rolled down her face.

She was so tired of crying. She rarely ever cried and she couldn't seem to stop the last few days. What was wrong with her? Was the exhaustion just making everything harder? Was she really crying because he wasn't holding her? It's inappropriate, she told herself. He has a girlfriend. She closed her eyes and breathed in, hoping it would help calm both herself and her thoughts.

It was the nightmare. That's why she was upset. That's why she wanted him to hold her. She just wanted a hug. You don't need him, Maddie, she told herself. She pulled her knees closer to her chest, trying to self-soothe. Just breathe. She had hoped her pep talk would snap her out of it, however it did the opposite. For some reason, instead of her tears disappearing, they fell more frequently. Just close your eyes. Sleep through this.

After a few minutes she began to drift off. No sooner had she fallen asleep when she saw the haunting image from her nightmare. The one of Steve being tortured while the man laughed. Maddie gasped loudly as her eyes flew open tears slipping from her eyes. Steve heard the noise and immediately questioned, "You okay? What happened?" She felt his eyes boring into her.

"I'm fine. Just the show," she managed to say through her tears. She used the large remote to turn the volume up hoping it would cover any noises she might make from crying.

Something's wrong, Steve thought to himself as he watched Maddie out of the corner of his eye. She usually only tucked into a ball when she was napping. Or when something's wrong, he thought. Reaching over, he tugged on her legs, pulling them out of the fetal position and straightening them onto his lap.

Steve pulling her out of the fetal position made her feel more exposed, although she tried not to think about it. Another five minutes passed and although upset and scared, Maddie was so exhausted she dozed off again. But, like before, she reentered the nightmare. Her feet kicked a couple times causing him to turn and look at her. Just as soon as she entered the nightmare she awoke terrified. Her body jumped slightly as her eyes flew open and a mini sob escaped. He was no longer distracted or thinking of Lori and letting her down, all his focus was on Maddie.

Now positive she was upset, Steve scooted towards her and then laid behind her, placing his head on her pillow. Wrapping his arms around her stomach he pulled her back against him. She immediately tensed. "Relax," he whispered in her ear, his lips nearly skimming her skin. Her eyes immediately fluttered closed, not because she was tired, but because she liked it. What would his lips feel like on her neck? Her eyes shot open at the thought. Did I really just wonder that, she thought, shocked. Suddenly nervous and wanting to make sure he had enough room behind her, she fidgeted, trying to find the best placement for her body. She immediately stopped when she heard him half sigh, half groan. It was faint, but she'd heard it. What was that? she wondered. After wracking her brain, the only thing she could come up with was that she'd wiggled against a sensitive part of his body. But that couldn't be what it was, could it?

Steve couldn't believe he'd groaned softly. His only excuse was that he hadn't been expecting it, so he'd been caught off guard. Although unintentional, her rubbing against him had felt amazing. He wondered what it would feel like if she'd done it on purpose.

Maddie's nightmare was now the furthest thing from her mind. Had she turned him on? She wondered if she rubbed against him again if he'd have the same reaction. That's if that was what happened, she thought. She had to know. She wasn't sure why, but she knew it would bother her if she didn't try again. Do I want to be right? she wondered. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this excited and conflicted.

Here goes nothing, Maddie told herself. Taking a deep breath, she began moving, pretending to get comfortable. She started with her head and arms and slowly brought the rest of her body into it. Closing her eyes, she lightly brushed her little bubble butt against Steve. She didn't hear him moan, but she felt his grip on her abdomen tighten. And, she wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she felt him against her. But he would have had to be a little turned on for that to be the case. The idea gave her goosebumps as she began to feel restless. With her heart pounding, she wiggled around more, once again under the guise of trying to get comfortable. What the hell was she doing? Why did she want to know so bad? What are you going to do if he is in fact turned on? she asked herself. There were so many reasons she should knock it off, but she didn't.

When her little butt got him the second time he was able to stifle the groan, however he couldn't control his hand tightening on her. While she appeared to do it accidentally, he felt the slight hesitation before she continued. Is she doing this on purpose? he wondered.

Maddie continued to wiggle around and finally moved her butt again. The fact she moved the rest of her body and then moved her butt, not once, but three times in a row, each time putting more pressure on his groin, gave her away. The first time he didn't seem to react. Yeah, she's definitely doing this on purpose, Steve thought. If she wanted a reaction, he'd give it to her. The second time he sighed and began lightly caressing the skin between the top of her leggings and the bottom of his Navy t-shirt. The shirt had risen slightly from moving, baring a sliver of skin.

Oh my God, what the hell are we doing? Maddie asked herself, but for some reason she just didn't stop. The next time she rubbed against him she used more pressure. She froze as she heard Steve moan.

Wanting nothing more than to feel her skin and to hear her moan Steve leaned towards her ear and whispered, "Turn around." He was so close she felt a bit of his soft lips against her ear sending a shiver down her body. Oh my God… that was hot, she thought. Although her head was telling her not to, she slowly turned around. As she laid her head back down on the pillow she realized their faces were only inches apart and their bodies were flush against one another. Yeah, that was a definite "I'm turned on" moan, she told herself as she felt him hard against her. Suddenly nervous she looked down.

"Look at me, Madeline," Steve ordered, his voice husky. He gave her a minute before he lifted her chin to meet his eyes. He saw the tears not yet dried on her face. "Why are you crying?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed. He was trying to focus on the tear tracks and not on the intense urge to rock against her.

Taking a second to find her voice, Maddie finally answered, "I'm not."

Raising his eyebrows he reached a thumb to her face, "Then what are these?" he asked as he slowly wiped a tear away.

"Nothing," she lied unable to pull her eyes away from his. She'd never seen him looking at her like this. His eyes were not only full of concern, but lust and passion as well.

"The truth." Knowing she couldn't get out of this made her nervous, which made her antsy. Without thinking she began wiggling, only becoming aware when Steve's eyes closed and he sighed and groaned at the same time. "Damn, you're killing me right now."

Her eyes grew wide, surprised he'd acknowledged what was happening. "Sorry," she whispered and began pulling away. However, his arms tightened around her and his eyes flew open to meet hers.

"Where are you going? Did I ask you to stop?" Wanting to see if she had any reaction to him, he lightly dragged his fingertips along the exposed skin at the hem of his t-shirt while at the same time pressing against her pelvis. Sighing, her eyes immediately fluttered closed as she automatically pressed herself into him. Loving the reaction, he continued both actions. Every time he'd press against her, she'd do the same.

"Maddie?" Steve growled.

"Hm?" she answered, opening her eyes slightly.

"Why were you crying?" he asked as he looked back and forth between her eyes and lips. She softly moaned at the small amount of pressure he'd added that time. Loving the fact he'd been the reason she made that cute, sexy noise he almost lost control, but knew he had to be careful. They were messing with fire.

"Steve…" she whispered. "Don't worry about it. I'm not anymore. And I wouldn't call it crying." She looked from his eyes to his lips and sighed when he licked his lips in yearning.

He inched closer to her, their lips nearly touching. "But, I would. What happened?" he asked, gently tucking a couple strands of escaped hair behind her ear. He'd never realized before but her eyes had always fluttered closed when he did that, and he loved it. How have I never noticed that before, he wondered. "Madeline… please, tell me," he murmured as they continued to lightly rock into one another. However, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep everything so gentle and subdued. He was turned on and as each second ticked by, he found himself increasingly curious as to what she tasted like.

She could feel his warm breath on her mouth. Why won't he just kiss me already, she thought, wanting nothing more than to feel his lips on hers. Her eyes closed again as she reveled in the feeling of him against her. "This is a terrible time to talk about it," she muttered.

"Talk to me… or…" Steve stopped his movements causing her eyes to fly open.

"Steven, you're terrible," she whispered, their lips nearly touching.

"Tell me," he demanded, his voice low and gravelly, turning her on even more. Knowing he didn't have much self-control left he continued, "Did I upset you? Is that what was wrong?"

Maddie's face flushed and she looked down, "Nightmare."

"Again?" Steve asked, his heart sinking. They had to be absolutely terrible for them to affect her the way they did. She nodded in response as she rubbed her pelvis over the bulge in his sweats. "Ugh. Jesus, Maddie," he moaned pressing against her, this time harder. They easily found their rhythm again. Trying to get his mind back to the question at hand, he asked, "Is it the same nightmare every time?"

"Steve… this isn't the time. But yes, pretty much. The same basis. Can we please talk about this later?"

He chuckled at her impatience. The fact he was turning her on so much filled him with masculine pride. "You won't tell me later."

"I promise, I will," Maddie whispered watching him stare at her lips. She didn't want to talk about this right now. She just wanted to lose herself in him, forget all about the last four months. Noticing he seemed to be barely hanging on to his self-control, she bit her bottom lip and met his eyes. He saw the flash of mischief enter her eyes as she reached down with her right hand and rubbed his sweats. That was all it took. Steve growled as his lips met hers for the first time, ever. Although they were both worked up, they were also hesitant and scared. They didn't want to ruin their friendship. He was gentle and sweet as he kissed her. Their movements against one another became harder, but never out of control. Her hands rubbed up and down his back, while his did the same. Maddie felt his tongue slide against her lips asking for entrance. She obliged, opening her mouth.

The more he touched her the more heated she became and soon he easily slid her over towards him and climbed on top of her. Pulling away for a second Steve looked down on her, "You okay? Am I hurting you? How do you feel?"

Smiling at his concern, Maddie answered by tugging him back down to her by his shirt. He laughed against her mouth before continuing to kiss her.

Pete had had a long day running errands. He was hoping to see the girl he'd spent time with the night before, the one he'd met the last time he was in Hawaii with Maddie, but Steve had texted asking if he'd come back. That was twenty minutes ago.

"I wonder if he knows about the show?" Pete wondered aloud as he drove through the gate to the estate. He was going to freak out.

The garage door sprung to life as he pushed one of the three black buttons next to the ceiling lights of the SUV and pulled into the garage.

Steve was on top of Maddie as they made out in the media room. While they were enjoying themselves, they were also hesitant. Neither knew what this meant or how they necessarily felt. But they pushed those thoughts from their minds as Steve rocked against Maddie harder, causing her to moan loudly. Needing to touch her skin in some way, his right hand began slowly making its way up her shirt. He was just touching her stomach when they heard a sound. "What was that?" Maddie panted, her head cloudy.

"I don't know," Steve mumbled. Concerned for her safety he reached for his gun before realizing he wasn't armed. "Shit! My gun's upstairs." Climbing the rest of the way off her, Steve quickly pulled her to her feet, planning to position himself in front of her. However, he'd forgotten about her concussion.

"Steve," she whispered as her eyes fluttered closed and her legs gave out on her. Luckily, he'd already had his arms around her, so she didn't hit the floor.

Picking her up and laying her back on the couch he whispered, "Sorry, Mads, I forgot. Pulled you up too fast, didn't I? You okay?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, trying to shake away the dizziness.

Steve brushed hair off her forehead before kissing it while he listened for another noise. Not a minute later he heard the door leading from the garage to the house open and close. Knowing the media room was close to that door Steve prepared himself to go full "SEAL" on the intruder.

"Steve? Where are you? I'm back!" Pete called out, but not too loud in case Maddie was asleep.

Sighing, Steve immediately calmed. That's right, I texted Pete, he thought to himself, relief filling him. Hearing Maddie giggle beside him he turned, smiling at the sound of her genuine laugh. Man, it's good to hear that sound, he thought. "What's so funny?" he asked her. She was laughing so hard that all she could do was point. Looking down in the direction she pointed he saw what she found so amusing. "Oh, I see... so you think it's funny what you did to me?" he joked, referring to his now tented sweatpants. Knowing Pete would be stepping foot in the room at any moment, he sat down on the couch pulling a blanket over himself and then reaching for Maddie's feet and placing them on his lap. He used the other blanket to cover Maddie. Once he felt everything was in place he relaxed. That is until Maddie's moved her foot. He stifled a groan. "You little brat. I'll get you back for this."

"Get her back for what?" Pete asked as he entered the room.

Flustered, and turned on, Steve didn't know what to say. Maddie wished she could take a picture of the look on his face as she barely moved her foot one more time. "Just making fun of him for his lack of knowledge about TV shows," she effortlessly lied. She's gotten too good at lying, Steve thought.

"True, he doesn't know any TV shows. Anyway," Pete glanced at his watch. "You should get going, McG. You said you were meeting Lori at 8:45?"

Maddie's heart dropped and she suddenly felt incredibly nauseous. Duh, Maddie! Did you forget about his girlfriend when you two were fooling around? she berated herself. She was the other woman. She swore she would never be the other woman to anyone. Not after what her father had done. Not only that, but who was she kidding? Even if he didn't have a girlfriend, she couldn't be with him. "Unknown Sender" had made that perfectly clear. She immediately stilled her foot and started to pull it away, but he tightened his grip. However, she pulled hard and managed to pry her legs from his arms, bumping the bottom of her right foot in the process. She didn't know how, but she kept from crying out. Probably because her heart was aching more than her foot.

Steve completely forgot he was supposed to meet Lori. He still hadn't quite figured out what he was going to say to her, but right now he didn't care. He only cared that not only had Maddie pulled her feet away, but he could feel her emotionally pull away as well. He felt like his heart was in his stomach. "You know, I'm sorry for texting you, but I'm gonna stay here with Maddie."

From her spot on the couch, she spoke up, "No, Steve. Go out! You've been stuck here with me for over 24 hours. Get some fresh air. Don't stand her up."

"But, Maddie," Steve tried, "I don't want to go."

"Yes, you do. Go ahead. Pete and I will hang," Maddie pushed.

"Yeah, go on, McG. I got her. She's safe with me."

Steve looked over at Maddie and tried to catch her eye, but she wouldn't look at him. He wasn't sure if it was because the lights were on in the room now, but she suddenly looked really pale. Hesitantly, he stood up, his sweats lying flat once more. His "problem" had disappeared when he'd felt Maddie pull away from him, physically and emotionally. "Well then, I guess I'll get dressed."

Walking out of the movie theatre, Steve headed upstairs to change, using the guest room across from Maddie's room.

Once Steve was gone, Pete looked at Maddie. Something had happened between them. He could tell. "You okay, Shorty?" he asked, his voice sympathetic.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" she answered as perky as she could with her queasy stomach.

"I don't know. You tell me…"

Groaning in pain, she pulled herself into a sitting position and looked at Pete. "Will you help me upstairs? I don't feel well."

"Of course." Reaching for Maddie he asked, "How do you want to do this? Want me to carry you?"

"No, just hold on to me."

Once she was standing he wrapped an arm around her as she did the same and they began to walk. She was having a hell of a time standing on her right foot because the cut on her heel was excruciatingly painful.

It took nearly five minutes to get her upstairs. Just as they made it to the door of her room she started to get hot and sweaty and her mouth began to water. "Pete? Bathroom…"

He picked her up and rushed her into her bathroom. "Is she throwing up again?" Steve wondered, hearing the commotion. Hurrying across the hall he saw her small frame hunched over the toilet. He quickly took his spot behind her as she dry heaved, a few tears escaping her eyes. Steve was getting worried about the vomiting. She hadn't eaten anything for over 24 hours and that last meal hadn't been digested. She slumped back against him when she was done. Kissing her forehead, he whispered, "It's gonna get better soon." Picking her up and tucking her in bed he looked down at her pale face worry filling him. "I'm not gonna go," he said aloud.

"Seriously, McG, just go. Leave her with me. I'll take good care of her. It's just gonna upset her if you cancel plans because of her."

"He's right," Maddie mumbled closing her eyes. Getting sick had taken what little energy she had.

Steve stared at her, worried. He hated seeing her like this. "Okay," he reluctantly said. "Just make sure you wake her up every hour. I won't be gone that long, but call me if something happens or she seems off," he nervously instructed.

"I'm fine, dad!" Maddie snapped.

Sighing, Steve's stomach sunk. "Can you give us a second, Pete?" he asked. Nodding, Pete walked out.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Steve said, "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," she lied, avoiding his eyes.

"No, you're not. Is it because I'm going out with Lori? I need to ta-"

Turning to look at him, Maddie interrupted, "Steve, seriously, I'm not upset about any of this. I just don't feel good. Lori seems like a nice woman."

He was confused. Had she not just been downstairs underneath him. "So then-"

Knowing what he was going to say she cut him off. "We were just seeing what it would be like. No big deal. It was fun, sure, but go on your date. It didn't mean anything," Maddie convincingly lied. Unwilling to watch the look of relief she was sure she'd see on his face, she rolled over, turning her back to him.

His heart ached at her words. He had only been planning to meet with Lori tonight to talk to her, but now, it was a date. "Good night, Maddie. I'll be back in a little while." He walked out of the room closing the door behind him. He stopped when he thought he heard her crying, but when he listened he heard nothing. "Wishful thinking, Steve," he told himself as he left the house and got in his car.

Little did he know Maddie lay sobbing in her bed.