DISCLAIMER: I do not own the TV show "Hawaii Five-O" or any of the characters!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for all the support!

I know this is super detailed and long for it to contain their conversation, but I wanted to focus on their interactions as they try and navigate their relationship.

As always, thoughts are in italics.

Also, it's important to note that Maddie has only been in Hawaii for a few days. She hasn't seen Steve in 2 years and hasn't spoken to him in a year and a half. I know this is Chapter 20, but it's important you remember it's only been 3 days, even though it seems longer.

I'm really anxious to see what you guys think of this chapter because I had so many problems writing it. So, please, please, please let me know!

Thanks!

xo

DivaLola

CHAPTER 20

This barbeque was a terrible idea, Maddie thought as she trudged up the stairs, taking a sip of her Longboard Lager beer. Things between Steve and I are worse, Steve and Pete went Navy Seal on each other, and I feel awful.

Maddie walked slowly down the hall towards her room. Her legs were a bit shaky and it didn't help she was tipsy. She was upset and mad at Steve and she knew he'd want to know why. Why she'd blown up at him in the kitchen. Why she'd been avoiding him. Why she'd been so hurt when he said she was like a sister to him. And why she was so mad at dinner. Because I'm being a girl about the whole thing, Maddie thought. I'm in love with my best friend who sees me as nothing more than a sister. He's into a beautiful girl that doesn't trip and fall when she's standing in one place. And even if he did feel something for me, I can't be with him because there's a psycho who told me he'll hurt Steve if I don't stay away from him. What the hell had happened to her life? She had zero control over anything.

Walking in her room Maddie glanced around looking for Steve. She was shocked to find he'd actually listened to her and was waiting in the bathroom. She paused just outside the bathroom door, dreading her impending conversation with him. "Here goes nothing," she mumbled before taking a couple big gulps of beer.

She pushed open the door and walked in slowly doing her best to look as put together as possible. Maddie preferred he not know she was buzzed, but she knew he'd been watching. He wasn't stupid. She was petite and had essentially been drinking on an empty stomach, so of course he knew the alcohol would go to her head quickly. What he didn't know was that she really hadn't had alcohol since "Unknown Sender" had appeared in her life. Maddie also didn't want him knowing she had recently thrown up or that she was feeling as bad as she was. Even though part of her wanted to crawl in bed and have him take care of her.

Seeing her walk through the door, Steve's heart began to pound. Just go with the flow. Don't fight your feelings. She's planning to leave, so this is your last chance. You can do this, he gave himself a pep talk. He looked at her, "Hey…"

Maddie said nothing. She didn't even make eye contact with him. Not on purpose. She was just trying to get to the counter without giving up and sitting on the floor because her right foot and knee were killing her. The relief she felt when she sat on the vanity in front of him turned to wariness when he scooted the stool forward forcing her to place one leg on each side of him. Trying to hide her unease she set both their beers on the countertop to her right. As she did, he glanced down at her legs dangling above the ground. It was moments like these he was reminded of how short she was. But, he wouldn't have it any other way.

Grabbing a towel from her left, Maddie dampened it with warm water. "Look at me," she whispered. As he looked at her she inwardly winced at his beat up and bloody face. He had a cut on his right cheek, another one above his right eyebrow, one on his left cheek, and another on his forehead. His lip was split and he'd had a bloody nose, which seemed to have stopped for the time being.

"Does that mean you'll actually look back at me?" Steve questioned, inwardly wincing when he heard the way it had come out. Although he wasn't meaning to come across like an ass, he did. Not a great start, he told himself.

She didn't feel well enough to deal with smart-ass Steve. Annoyed by his comment, she roughly wiped the towel against a cut under his eye.

"Ow! Damn it, Maddie!" he cried, grabbing her hands in both of his. "Okay. I think before you clean me up we should talk. My face hurts enough already."

Maddie said nothing, only reached to her right for her beer. Raising it to her lips she took a couple big sips.

"No, you're done with that," Steve said grabbing the beer from her and setting it out of her reach on the tiled floor beside him. "No more. You've already had at least four with a concussion and not much in your stomach."

Maddie smirked.

"What? You've had more than that?" He stared at her, eyes filled with concern. "How many? The truth."

Maddie sighed, "I thought you wanted me to clean you up, not watch my every move."

"I'm not watching your every move, Maddie," Steve said, sighing in frustration.

"Obviously," she responded, her voice laced with attitude. You're watching Lori's, she thought. She never would have been this way with him if she hadn't had the liquid courage, and felt so unwell. In the past she'd always been up front with him when she was upset, but this was different. If she was sober, Maddie wouldn't have made these comments, too worried he'd figure out she was in love with him if she did. Buzzed Maddie wasn't thinking like that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Nothing. Do you want me to clean you up or not?"

"I do, but I want you to talk to me. What's goin' on?" Steve questioned, his voice gentle as he reached his arms forward and placed them on her lower back, his forearms resting on her thighs. He felt her immediately tense at the contact. After his chat with Joe, he knew why she was upset, but he wanted her to tell him. She'd only get angry and feel betrayed if he told her that Joe had filled him in. Plus, if they were going to try and change their relationship, they had to be able to communicate. "Come on, Mads, talk to me."

Maddie reached for the damp towel, but this time she gently placed her fingers on his face. His eyes briefly fluttered closed at the feel of her delicate hands on him. She gently began to rub the blood off his right cheek, careful to avoid touching the cut. She'd deal with it once she cleaned the surrounding area. Steve watched her intently as she took care of him. He was reminded of all the times she'd done this while they were growing up.

The silence and close proximity was getting to her. He still had his arms around her lower half and had somehow managed to pull himself a bit closer. She wasn't sure if he realized that he was softly caressing her back through her thin t-shirt. I forgot what having more than one drink does to me, she thought as she tried to ignore the tingling sensation between her legs. This only made her more anxious to get him fixed up so she could go back downstairs. I wonder if I can get him to take his shirt off and claim it's because I need to make sure he isn't injured there, she wondered. Then again, Pete did punch him in the groin... I can always tell him I need to make sure he's okay down there. I mean he's the one that wanted me to clean him up. She tried to keep from laughing as she imagined the look on his face if she asked to check his man parts for damage. Oh boy, she thought. She had to get a hold of herself.

Steve watched her face flush wishing he knew what she was thinking. When she tried to stifle a laugh, he broke out into a grin and asked, "You have definitely had too much alcohol. What's so funny?" Even though he was worried about her drinking, she looked really cute.

Feeling embarrassed, as if he knew what she was thinking, her smile disappeared. Needing to distract herself from thinking about him naked, she said, "Does it hurt?"

"Not as much as whatever's going on with us," he replied honestly.

Maddie grabbed a cotton ball and put a little rubbing alcohol on it, dabbing the cut on his right cheek.

"Ow!" he hissed.

"I thought you were a badass Navy Seal?" she smiled slightly, placing two small, clear butterfly strips on the cut.

"Hey! You gave me a little bit of a smile. That's progress!"

"Whatever you say, Steve," Maddie muttered, picking up the damp cloth again and working on the cut over his right eyebrow. "So, Pete sure did a number on you. Why were you guys fighting? I've seen you throw a punch here or there, but never like this. What happened?"

"It was about you," he blurted.

"What about me?" she asked, already knowing the answer. She wasn't sure it was a good idea to ask, and if she hadn't been tipsy she wouldn't have.

"Why you're pushing me away." Steve watched her face closely for any kind of reaction. When she gave him nothing, he continued. "After you went inside he told me I was an idiot."

"That's true," she mumbled, dabbing another cotton ball with alcohol on the cut above his eyebrow. He winced, scrunching his eyes. Instead of making some snide comment, Maddie leaned forward and lightly blew on the cut. Steve's eyes fluttered closed and he nearly groaned in pleasure, his fingers tightening on her lower back.

"Sorry, I know rubbing alcohol isn't ideal, but I didn't have anything else we could clean these with. I don't have any hydrogen peroxide," she said as she placed two clear strips on the cut. Maddie turned to her left, rinsing the washcloth under the faucet. As she wrung it out she watched the water turn reddish brown from his blood. Once she felt it was rinsed she turned the sink off and squeezed the excess water out, wanting the towel to be only damp. Turning back to him she began gently dabbing at the blood on his left cheek.

"You really think I'm an idiot?" He stuck his bottom lip out in mock hurt hoping to make her smile.

Her eyes flitted to his mouth at the gesture and he could have sworn he saw a flicker of desire in her eyes before she pushed it away. "Steve, you're a guy. So, yes, I do." Maddie sighed, her voice sounding distant as she continued to gently wipe his face.

Watching her closely he asked, "Am I hurting you?" Maddie was able to hide behind cleaning his face, so he carefully reached up and pulled her hands away. "Mads..."

Panic swiftly rose in her, and she needed a minute to figure out her answer as she felt moisture forming in her eyes. Desperate, she set the towel down on the counter next to her, purposely knocking the closed bottle of rubbing alcohol and the bag of cotton balls on the floor. "Crap," Maddie exclaimed. Shaking her head she said, "I'm such a klutz."

She moved as if she was going to get down to pick up the mess, but Steve stopped her. "It's okay. I got it." When he bent over to pick the items up, Maddie, still panicked, reached for the beer she'd brought for Steve. Tipping her head back she began chugging the liquid, knowing he'd get upset and then hopefully forget about what he'd been asking.

The bag of cotton balls had spilled a little, so it took Steve a few seconds longer to pop back up. "I think I got all the little fuzz balls. Here you," he said as he started to sit up. "What are you doing?" he asked, his tone a mixture of irritation and exasperation. Steve immediately dropped the items on the counter and reached for the beer. It took him a second, but he got it away from her. He looked at the bottle and then at her. "Please tell me this wasn't a brand new bottle?" he clipped.

"Ok, I won't," she responded flippantly.

"Damn it, Maddie!" Steve sighed, temper flashing in his eyes as he set the beer on the floor next to the other one. "So, you just drank a quarter of it while I was bent over? How many have you had?"

"Four," she smiled innocently, flashing him her dimples.

"As much as I love the dimples, they're not gonna work on me right now. How many?" he asked, his patience ebbing.

"Technically, that was my 6th, but I never finished #3 because you took it away. So, I guess 5. I've had 5 beers."

Steve shook his head, his eyes closing as he tamped back anger. "No more. As soon as we are done up here, we're getting food in you. A lot of food! And a lot of water. You shouldn't be drinking with a concussion. Especially because you were so dehydrated and you still are. Alcohol only dehydrates you more." Steve stopped his lecture and studied her with a small frown of concentration in his eyes. She didn't look like she felt well. His eyes darted to her knee and noticed it was more swollen than earlier. Looking back up, he met her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Maddie made a strangled sound in her throat and rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Stop worrying so much."

He lifted a disbelieving eyebrow. "Stop telling me you're fine when you're not." He paused. "I don't just mean how you feel either. Why won't you tell me what's wrong, why're you're upset?"

Steve watched as she tensed and her guard went up. Maddie tried to ignore the clawing ache in her chest. "Everything's fine, okay?" she responded, trying her best to sound emotionless.

"No, things are not. Nothing is okay right now. We are not okay right now." Steve returned his arms to her thighs and his hands to her lower back. "Maddie, tell me the truth." He needed her to talk to him so he could hopefully fix things.

Maddie had hoped she'd distracted him by drinking, but that hadn't seemed to work for very long. She felt the earlier panic return. "What..." she whispered, unable to look at him, as she tried to swallow the block of emotion in her throat.

Gently, Steve took his right hand and guided her face to look at him. Once he felt she wasn't going to look away he returned his hand to her lower back. Taking a deep breath he repeated his earlier question, "Am I hurting you?"

Steve's stomach sunk as he watched her eyes fill with moisture, but his blood ran cold when, by sheer will, she forced all emotion from not only her eyes, but her face. He literally felt sick. It would've worried him less if she'd started bawling, but to appear emotionless, that terrified him. God, I can't lose her, he thought, feeling his own panic.

Steve waited for her to say something. Almost like a robot, Maddie picked up the damp cloth and tipped his head back. "He really got you good," she told him. "I'm surprised."

Fear clawed at him. Fear he'd lost her. If he had, he only had himself to blame. He wracked his brain, trying to think of a way to get her to open up. All he could think of was trying to slowly chip away at her protective barrier. He just hoped he'd be able to make a big enough dent in it before she got on a plane and left. "Yeah, I let my emotions get to me," he answered distractedly.

Maddie's brows furrowed remembering what Pete had told her through the bathroom door when she was still on the road. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. Had Pete been right? she wondered. Had she been putting him more at risk by ignoring him the last few months because he was distracted? She continued to gently dab at the left side of his face. It was worse than his right and seemed to be pretty painful. When she first started he had winced, so Maddie had slowed and lightened her touch.

Subconsciously his fingers began fiddling with the back waistband of her denim shorts. His fingers occasionally brushed against her bare skin, sending goosebumps down her body and making it hard to concentrate. Especially with how turned on she was. "SEALs are trained to bottle their emotions. If we become emotional it can distract us, which can get us killed. Or even if something is just weighing on our minds, it can distract us. Basically, it's just dangerous," Steve explained.

So, Pete was telling the truth, Maddie thought, unsure of what to do with this information. "So, that's how you got your ass kicked tonight?"

"Yeah. I was upset about us. Worried about you," he admitted. "Still am."

Maddie rinsed the towel again then turned back to Steve. She returned to very gently cleaning the huge cut under his left eye. He winced a little, so she used even less pressure. Wrinkling her nose she said, "Sorry, this one's really bad."

Steve smiled at the way she'd crinkled her nose. Okay, just do what Joe told you. Go with it, he told himself. Taking a deep breath, he took a chance. "I love it when you do that," he nervously said.

Maddie's hand stilled as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, both confused and surprised. "What'd I do?" she asked hesitantly.

"How you wrinkled your nose. I love it. It's cute," he told her, looking into her eyes.

"Oh... thanks?" she mumbled, her face immediately turning a light shade of pink. She hated that she took joy in his statement when she knew as soon as they went back downstairs he'd be back to flirting with Lori. Uneasy, she returned to dabbing at the cut.

While it wasn't the reaction he would have ideally liked, she had blushed, which meant it had affected her. He reminded himself that he'd not only hurt her, but told her he thought of her like a sister. So, he'd keep at it.

The cut was still bleeding slightly, but at least she'd gotten the dried blood out of it and cleaned up the surrounding area. Setting the towel down Maddie grabbed a new cotton ball and put the tiniest bit of rubbing alcohol on it. Knowing it was going to hurt more than the others, she decided she'd need to distract him. "Did you call Joe?" she asked.

Steve grinned from ear to ear remembering how happy she'd been when she saw Joe. "Yeah, he wanted to see you and I knew you'd be excited-"

As soon as he was mid-sentence Maddie swiped the cotton ball along the cut as quickly as possible.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "Son of a bitch, that stuff really hurts!" Besides his verbal reaction, she could tell it was painful by the way he grabbed the back hem of her shirt and balled it into his fists.

"Sorry, Steve. That one's really deep. I think it might need stitches," she said, biting her lip. Before it started bleeding again she quickly used five butterfly strips.

Because of how he'd reacted to the pain a moment before, his hands had ended up under her t-shirt, flat against the skin of her lower back. He wasn't trying to cop a feel or anything, but it definitely wasn't helping the tingling between her legs.

Staring at his cut up face, Maddie couldn't help but blame herself. She should've kept her feelings to herself. Sure, she was furious at Steve and hurt, but she didn't want to see him like this. And she didn't want two best friends fighting because of her. Better just keep my mouth shut from now on.

Steve watched Maddie's face change. She was no longer hiding her emotions and he could easily see what she was thinking. He immediately spoke up, rubbing his hands on the bare skin of her lower back. "Mads, it's not your fault," he told her.

"You said it yourself. You were fighting because of me," Maddie whispered. "Oh no," she mumbled as blood began trickling from his nose. She reached for the damp towel and held it to his face.

"We were fighting about you, but it wasn't your fault. I deserved getting my ass kicked. Pete did the right thing," Steve admitted as he took over holding the towel to his nose. He pulled it down for a second so he could look her in the eyes. "Look at me," he instructed. Maddie turned her head towards him while she continued to hold a new washcloth under warm water. Steve stared into her bright, blue eyes, blood trickling from his nose. For a brief second she didn't have her walls up and he could see what she was feeling just by the look in her eyes. He wanted to kick his own ass at the amount of hurt he saw. He'd caused her a lot of pain. He could see it. The other main emotion he saw was fear. A lot of fear. All he wanted to do was make it go away, but he needed her to tell him what was going on. Well, I might not be able to take care of the fear right away, but I can start fixing all the pain and hurt I've caused her, he thought. Steve reached out and caressed the right side of her face. "I'm so sorry, baby."

Alarm immediately rose in her eyes. Sorry for what? Maddie wondered. Does he know how I feel? Did Pete tell him? What's he sorry for? She felt the familiar bubble of panic, but this time she couldn't hide it.

Immediately he realized she was worried Pete had told him whatever she'd revealed to him. Now, he realized she'd told Pete how she felt. That's what he'd been hinting at. He knew how important it was for her to be able to trust and confide in Pete, so he had to come up with something to protect that. His hand still on her cheek, he rubbed her soft skin with his thumb and clarified, "I'm sorry for what I said at dinner. I was being an ass. You'd hurt me and I know it was because I'd hurt you. But anyway, I do care. I care about you so much more than you know, baby."

Maddie's heart was pounding. Was he saying he had feelings for her? And, God, she loved when he called her "baby".

Steve continued, "And, I didn't mean what I said in the kitchen. I don't think of you as a sister. Not at all." He tucked a couple loose waves of hair behind her ear. He pulled his hand back and waited for her response, his heart pounding in anticipation.

Maddie wanted to believe him, but why would he tell her she was like a sister to him if it wasn't true? He was probably only apologizing because of her comments at dinner. It had been obvious that the comment had upset her. He feels bad, so he's trying to take it back. Claim that it isn't true. But, it is, she told herself, her mind trying desperately to protect her heart. She needed to finish cleaning him up so she could go downstairs. Being alone with him was too dangerous right now. It hurt too much. Steeling her heart, Maddie looked to her left and picked up the new, damp towel. She grabbed his hands and put them back to his nose. "Keep that on there. Your nose is like a bloody faucet right now and you have it all over you."

Steve's stomach sunk at her response. Or lack of one. "Mads... don't ignore what I just said. Say something."

Cleaning up around the cut on his forehead that was near his hairline, she tried locking her emotions away. She knew if she didn't she would lose it. "It's cool, Steve. No big deal. I get it. You were right," she told him, feigning indifference.

"Maddie, no. I was wrong. I didn't mean it. Please, listen to me," Steve begged.

"It's okay. It doesn't matter. Really. I'm not upset. I promise." Maddie's movements on his head became faster as desperation clawed at her. She had to finish so she could escape the conversation. She didn't know how long she could pretend not to care. She could feel tears bubbling over behind her eyes.

"It isn't okay and it does matter. You are upset and so am I. I don't think of," Steve repeated, wishing more than anything she'd stop hiding from him. Stop pushing him away.

"Steve, drop it. Let it go. Just... stop," Maddie whispered, interrupting him. She knew she wasn't going to be able to keep the tears at bay much longer.

"Baby, talk to me. Let's talk about why you're upset. I-"

"Steve, stop. Just stop. I don't want to talk about it," Maddie demanded. He could hear how choked up she was, but he could hear her desperation and fear. He could push her, but he had a feeling it would only result in her withdrawing more.

"Fine," Steve gave in. "For now. But we're talking about it later. Once everyone leaves."

Maddie said nothing as she used the towel to get the bits of dried blood off some strands of hair that were near the cut. Satisfied, she grabbed a new cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and dabbed at the cut. Unable to take his eyes off her as his mind tried to figure out a way to reach her, he was too distracted to notice the pain. She quickly placed two strips on the cut.

"Is your nose still bleeding?" Maddie questioned, placing her small hand over his larger one holding the damp towel to his nose. She pulled it away wanting to see his nose. "It looks like it stopped. At least for now." She took the blood soaked towel from him and set it in the sink. Using the newer washcloth, Maddie began to wipe away the blood trails from his nose.

Once she was finished Steve asked her, "How does it look?"

Shrugging her shoulders and biting her bottom lip Maddie said, "Not so bad actually. All the blood made it seem much worse." She set the washcloth down and reached out, gently touching the left side of his lips. "How bad?"

It definitely hurt a bit, but Steve didn't care. He loved the feel of her touch. "Not too bad," he whispered, making eye contact. Keeping Joe's advice in his head, Steve moved his lips so that her fingers were closer to the center of them and then kissed them. "Are they swollen?"

Maddie's eyes widened in shock at the gesture. What's going on? she wondered. She got lost in his eyes, her fingers still on his lips. Finally coming to, her face flushed a little. "Not too bad. Just a little bit, but could be worse." Maddie pulled her fingers away and peaked at his nose. "No cuts, just looks red and sore."

"It is," Steve divulged, smiling at how much kissing her fingers had flustered her. If just that gets to her, he thought, ideas coming to him.

Feeling thirsty, he reached down to his right and grabbed one of the beers he'd confiscated. "That hit the spot," Steve said after taking a sip and licking his lips.

Maddie couldn't keep from watching his tongue dart out against his lips. Why does alcohol do this to me, she wondered not realizing she'd licked her lips thinking about his mouth and tongue on her.

Seeing the desire in her eyes, and the way the tip of her tongue licked lips in response, Steve almost leaned forward and took her lips with his. But, he didn't want to push too fast too soon. He forced himself to be happy that her mask was starting to slip, giving him glimpses of her real feelings.

"Let me see your left hand, Steve," Maddie instructed, her words coming out faster than she wanted. She had to finish and get downstairs. She wasn't going to make it much longer.

Forcing himself not to smile at her flustered behavior, Steve set his beer down on the counter to her right and then showed her his hand. Maddie cradled it in hers, flipping it over to look at his knuckles. "Not too bad. Skinned. Do they hurt?"

"Not really. I've punched a lot of people. At this point, it's no big deal," Steve responded, smiling when she rolled her eyes at his response. Letting go of his hand she turned and cleaned the washcloth. The warm water she'd rinsed it in felt good against his scratched knuckles and she carefully dabbed at them, wiping away a little dried blood.

"Before I deal with the huge cut on your arm, let me wipe off your other hand." Maddie repeated her actions on the knuckles of his right hand. They were a bit more torn up, but still not bad. Once she was finished she discarded the towel in the sink. "I'm gonna start with a clean one for your arm... It looks really bad, Steve."

While she got the new washcloth damp with warm water he placed his hands on her bare thighs. Rubbing his thumbs against the tops he realized it wasn't just her hands that were soft. He looked down at her legs noticing how much the hem of her shorts had risen when she sat down. Steve's eyes traveled up her thigh and so did his hand. I wonder what her panties look like? he wondered, and immediately felt his pants get a bit snugger.

Maddie tried to hide the effect his hands had on her while she wrung the washcloth out. Her heart was pounding and it felt like there was an entire sports team jumping around in her stomach. Plus, her panties were growing damp. Does he know he's torturing me? she wondered, wanting nothing more than to be pressed up against him.

Maddie gently took his left arm and began trying to clean the blood from it. Steve hissed the second the towel made contact with his arm.

"I'm sorry, Steve. This is really deep. I think you should let Malia take care of it. I mean she is a doctor."

Steve shook his head. "No, you do it."

"Okay... well, I'll just do it fast and get it over with," Maddie told him. She started wiping at his arm faster. She could tell it was painful by the way he was holding her waist with his right hand.

Finished with the rag, she put a small amount of rubbing alcohol on a new cotton ball. She didn't warn him before she quickly rubbed the three-inch gash. Steve unconsciously tugged on the hem of her shirt, and squeezed his eyes shut. "Damn it!" he whispered.

"All done," Maddie announced, putting the tenth butterfly strip on the cut.

Steve slowly opened his eyes to see her sitting in front of him, taking a sip of the beer he'd set on the counter. "Maddie!" he growled, yanking it away from her.

"I'm thirsty!" she exclaimed.

"Of course, you are! You're dehydrated." Steve put the beer to his lips and chugged the rest of it. Once empty he set it on the counter and then picked up the other one on the floor. Shaking his head at her, he finished that one, too. "Now I don't have to worry about you finishing them. You can get a big 'ole bottle of water downstairs," Steve said, setting the empty bottle next to the first.

Maddie rolled her eyes at him. He could be so bossy, and a complete worry wart. "Well, you're good to go. So, I'm gonna head downstairs."

"Wait," Steve said, standing and stilling her movements.

Sighing, she asked, "What?"

"Talk to me... tell me what's wrong." He really didn't want her to go downstairs until she told him what was bothering her.

"I'm fine. Everything's fine. Nothing's wrong," she lied, the distant quality returning to her voice.

"Stop telling me that. I know it's not true…" Steve stood in front of her, looking down on her sitting on the counter as he waited for a response. When she remained silent, he continued. "I really am sorry, you know. I was an ass at dinner. I let my emotions get to me and hearing what you did on tour... well, it just, I don't know, it upset me." He wasn't ready to tell her that he'd been jealous. Joe had said "baby steps", and it wasn't a step he was ready to take yet. "Speaking of which," Steve began, nervously. "What was Ryan talking about when he said the guy almost killed you?" He noticed as she instantly started fidgeting.

Knowing there was no way she could tell him the truth, she lied. "It was a metaphor, Steve. He broke my heart."

"I don't believe you, Mads."

"Big surprise. You don't believe anything I tell you," Maddie countered, irritation lacing her voice. "I'm going downstairs." She slid off the counter and onto her feet. However, after sitting for so long her right foot and knee had become accustomed to not bearing weight. Pain sliced through the injuries, but she forced herself not to cry out.

Although she was trying to hide it, Steve could see the pain in her eyes. "You okay? How's the knee? The foot?"

"Fine," Maddie mumbled, as she stood in place waiting for the pain to subside. She knew Steve was watching her and worrying, so she took a step forward. The pain skyrocketed causing her to stumble.

Catching her, he said, "And that's why I don't believe anything you tell me."

"So, it's a little sore. What do you expect? That's normal. It's nothing I can't handle." As she pushed away from him, she looked into his eyes and saw his concern. Knowing she needed to distract him she said, "Steve, you have blood all over your shirt."

He glanced down at his blue polo shirt, and said, "I'll have to change quickly. Just sit down on the bed for a second while I do, and then we can go down together."

Not wanting to be alone with him anymore, Maddie hesitated. However, she had lied to him. Her leg was killing her and she was going to have to lean on him for a minute until it got used to bearing weight again. "Okay," she agreed.

Steve knew she'd have to be in a lot of pain for her to agree so easily. "Let me help you get to the bed," he said and then picked her up before she could argue. Holding her in his arms, he turned around to exit the bathroom, but something caught his eye. He noticed that the toilet seat was up, as if a guy had used it. That's weird, he thought. But then it hit him. Crap! Steve looked down at Maddie's pale face. That's why she came upstairs earlier.

As he walked out of the bathroom, he forced himself to reign in his temper. He knew he had to play it cool when confronting her. He was trying to heal the fracture in their relationship, and he didn't want a repeat of what had happened at dinner. Carefully, he set her on the bed and said, "Why didn't you tell me you got sick earlier?" He shot her a warning look as she opened her mouth to lie. "You left the toilet seat up... unless there was a man up here, in which case we need to have an entirely different conversation."

Not appreciating his sarcasm, Maddie glared at him before answering, "I knew you'd make me go to bed. Plus, you'd just worry."

He tossed her another irritated look. "How many times?"

"Just one."

"That the only time today?" At her nod, he stated, "Stop trying to hide shit from me, Maddie. I've told you, it only makes me worry more."

Annoyed, she made a move to stand. "I'm going downstairs."

Gently, but firmly, Steve placed his hands on her upper arms. "No. Sit while I change really quick. Then, we can go."

"Stop bossing me around," she ground out, pursing her lips and crinkling her brow.

He fought a smile, finding her angry face adorable. "Fine, will you please sit here and wait for me?"

Steve didn't often ask politely, so Maddie found it impossible to resist. Plus, she was so tired.

Her easy acquiescence and pale, drawn face nagged at Steve. He wanted to order her to bed, but knew if he did, she would go back to fighting him and would put even more distance between them. However, he couldn't resist the need to tuck a strand of hair behind her left ear. He inwardly reveled at the way her eyes fluttered closed at the contact. It was quick, but she had every ounce of his attention, so he noticed. He sighed before pulling his shirt over his head.

Maddie quickly averted her eyes, but not before she got a glimpse of the outline of his chiseled and muscled chest beneath the thin white t-shirt he'd had under the polo. The tingling between her legs increased.

"Did it go through?" he asked.

Maddie's eyes scanned his torso, trying to hide her appreciation of the way it clung to his amazing body. "Yeah."

God, he thought. He had to walk away or he'd lose the battle he was fighting with his self-control. The look she had in her eyes would have had her flat on her back on the bed, his body looming above hers if the situation was different. If they'd been on better terms, and if she felt better.

Walking across her room towards the fireplace and sitting area, Steve squatted down, rifling through his bag for a clean shirt. "God knows I scared Gracie enough by fighting, the last thing I need is to walk around all night covered in blood." His searching continued. "Crap! I don't think I have any more." Spotting at least a clean white t-shirt, he grabbed it.

As soon as Steve had walked away Maddie leaned back on the bed. She was tired and felt awful. Her throat was beginning to feel scratchy, and she hoped it wasn't the start of a sore throat. She thought about turning around and watching Steve change, but figured what was the point in torturing herself.

"I guess I'll just have to wear this. I'll stop by my place sometime tomorrow and grab more clothes," Steve said, walking back towards the side of the bed he'd left Maddie on. His concern returned the minute he saw her laying down. He knew if she laid down voluntarily it meant she felt horrible. "Mads, why don't you call it a night? You're so tired, baby, and you have a big few days. Everyone will understand," he said to her, his voice quiet and gentle.

"I'm okay. I'm good to go. I was just waiting for you." Staring at his body through his form fitting white shirt, her heart ached. Lori was going to be ogling him the rest of the night. Propping herself up on her elbows, she nervously met his eyes. "I have a shirt you can wear."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and something else. Jealousy? She wondered. "Maddie, I'm not wearing a shirt an ex left behind," he said, a hard glint to his voice.

"Not only is that weird, but I don't keep any of their clothes." She averted her eyes. He's going to think I'm a weirdo, she thought. "I have one of your shirts."

"Besides the Navy one?"

Maddie nodded.

"Really? Which one?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. "Where is it?" Maddie pulled herself into a sitting position. "No, Mads, I'll get it. Stay there and rest. Just tell me where it is," Steve instructed, keeping her from standing.

"You'll never find it." Maddie yawned and began to stand.

Steve hesitated before saying, "Okay, well then you have to promise to let me help you." He wouldn't let her up until she finally reached her hands out to him. She rolled her eyes, sighing heavily, as he pulled her into a standing position. Smiling he said, "Now, was that so hard?"

Maddie sent him a mock glare. Having a difficult time being so close to him, she said, "I'm good now. It's a lot better." She wasn't completely lying. It definitely still hurt, but she was able to walk and put weight on it.

"You sure?" Steve asked, searching her face.

"Yeah." Maddie slowly limped towards her closet while Steve hovered.

His eyes widened as they entered her massive two-story walk-in closet. "Geez, Maddie. You are such a girl!" he said as his eyes darted around. "You're right, I would never have found it."

She snickered a little as they walked through rows of floor to ceiling, white wooden structures that contained a mixture of shelfs, hanging bars, and drawers. Walking through he noticed that everything was categorized and extremely organized. In each section there was an area with floor to ceiling even-sized shelves holding more shoes than he'd seen in a store. "I've never seen anything like this. Hell, I never even thought something like this existed," Steve mumbled in shock as he continued to follow her, staying close in case she needed his help. As they headed towards the back right corner of the first floor, they passed the stairs. "What's up there?" he asked, gesturing to the second story.

"Black tie, some things I've worn to award shows, and a few performance or clothes I kept from different tours," Maddie answered as she stopped in front of a section that had one wardrobe bar, a small shelf, and drawers.

She didn't want him to see this. She'd been hoping she could go in and grab the shirt. He's gonna think I'm so weird, Maddie worried. Stopping next to her, Steve watched her quickly open the top drawer and pull out a light blue polo shirt.

"I thought I lost this!" he cried grabbing the shirt from her.

"Nope!" she said, quickly trying to close the drawer. "Okay, let's go." She was anxious to get him out before he saw the rest.

Using a quick hand, he stopped her from closing the drawer. "Hey! This one, too!" Steve said, spotting another shirt folded in the drawer. Too late, Maddie thought, shutting her eyes in embarrassment. "And this one! … And, I love this one… I was looking for all of these. I was wondering where they went," he exclaimed, rummaging through the drawer.

"And you investigate crimes?" Maddie mumbled, using humor to try and hide her nervousness.

Steve turned to her, huge smile on his face, ecstatic she had cracked a joke. I think I'm getting somewhere, he thought as he slipped the light blue polo over his head. "I'll give it back, Mads."

"It's fine. It's yours anyway. Keep it. You can take them all if you want," Maddie said trying to hide her sadness.

Her comment broke his heart, realizing just how badly she was hurting. "You don't want them anymore?" Steve asked. He loved that she liked to wear his clothes.

"It's cool, they're yours." Maddie squatted down, something not easy to do with her knee, and started pulling the clothes out.

Steve immediately stopped her. "No. Stop. Come here," he said, pulling her to her feet. Once she was standing Steve pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. As he hugged her tightly, she tensed. "Relax... it's just me. Baby, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything." He gave her a little squeeze. "Please stop pushing me away," he whispered as he rubbed her back.

Maddie was doing her best to keep it together, but she was losing the battle. She felt so safe in his arms. She wanted to ask him what he was sorry for, but she was afraid of the answer. Afraid that he knew exactly why she was upset. That he knew how she felt about him. If that was the case, she'd be forced to hear him say that he didn't feel the same. Forced to hear how she was like a sister to him. He felt her arms squeeze his torso.

Steve didn't have to hear her or see her face to know she was sad, and scared. He could feel it in every line of her body. In the way she wrapped her arms around him, tentative and fearful, but also as if she were clinging to him for dear life. "I want you to keep them." He kissed the top of her head before laying his cheek against it. "How long have you been stealing my clothes?"

"I didn't steal them. You forget clothes places and I hold onto them until I see you," she lied, her head against his chest. She breathed his scent in. She'd always loved the way he smelled. She found it soothing.

Steve laughed out loud. "That is such a lie." He chuckled more. "Just from the quick glance I got, there were at least two items that disappeared out of my old apartment." Maddie couldn't help herself and giggled. At the sound, Steve squeezed her closer. "You're my little klepto." Knowing this would be a perfect opportunity, he leaned his mouth to her left ear, making sure to graze his lips against the skin. "I expect a fashion show... I wanna see you in each and every item in that drawer..."

Surprised by his words, Maddie tipped her head back to look up at him. Steve smiled down at her, his eyes trying to communicate what he hadn't said. Taking advantage of the situation he leaned down and kissed her nose followed by her forehead.

Did he really just say that to me, she wondered, shocked. She searched his face, her eyes involuntarily shutting when he leaned down and kissed her nose.

After Steve pulled his lips from her forehead, he looked down at her, his eyes raking over every part of her face concernedly. "How do you feel, baby?" he asked.

"Fine," she answered. "A little tired."

Steve reached up and felt her forehead with his right hand. "Sweetie, you feel warm."

Sweetie? She thought. She'd never been one for terms of endearment, but from him she loved them. "Must just be the beer."

Steve didn't believe her. He knew that when she got overly exhausted she'd get sick and he'd never seen her this rundown before. Glancing at his watch, he said, "It's 8:15pm now. Let's say we wrap the evening up at 10pm? Get you in bed right after."

Maddie wanted to argue with him, but she felt awful and wished she could go to bed right then. "Okay," she mumbled. Thinking about everything she had to do to sing for Gracie, she realized she'd need a little more time. "Actually, make it 10:30."

Steve knew her well enough to know that because she didn't argue, she felt terrible. He kissed her forehead again and continued to hold her. "Okay."

Maddie knew she shouldn't, for so many reasons, but she stayed nestled against his chest, their arms wrapped around one another for several more minutes. Realizing she was beginning to relax and lean into him, close to falling asleep, she leaned her head back and mumbled, "I told Gracie I'd sing. We better go." Hesitantly, she pulled away and turned to head downstairs. He trailed close behind her just in case.