Closing the door to her hotel room Catherine looks around at her single bag... getting angry with herself, shes 38 years old and that's what she has to show for her life, a single bag... and a shit load of emotional baggage.

She really thought that a year after seeing him in Morocco, hearing about the proposal, she could come back and it wouldn't hurt as much, knowing he had moved on and that she was trying too she thought she could just work alongside him again, be friends. "Friends" she said out loud as if to convince herself. They had never really been friends she thought wryly laughing to herself. Yes they pretended back in the early days, she had just started at the academy 18 years ago when she met Steve, but that had quickly progressed to "diner".

So here she was packing up to leave Hawaii again, what was it about Hawaii that made her want to stay... she had never in her whole life stayed still, growing up a navy brat then progressing in the Navy, but here she was finding it hard to leave, imagining a life here where she could put down roots, kicking her bag, she berates herself "you had that and you gave it up so get on the damn plane". Angrily wiping a tear from her cheek she sighs and sits on the bed just letting them fall, knowing in her quest to find something she has just kept running, running from the uncertainty of a life with Steve, from friends, she wasn't kidding earlier when she had told Steve that her life consisted of assets and sources.

God Steve even got a bloody dog, how out of the two of them was he the one to sort his life out, she was always the one to clam him down when he had nightmares, now she was just living from assignment to assignment, terrorist to terrorist, and for what... she knows she has to stop this line of thinking because if she loses the fight in her then she really would have nothing.

Taking a deep breath and giving her face a wipe she stands up, ready to put the mask back on and get back to it.

There is a knock on the door of her hotel room, without thinking she opens the door and there he is.

How after all the years can he still affect her so much. Like a freight train hitting her heart. "Steve"

"Hey Cath, sorry to just stop by but I just wanted to catch you before you left, just to say I'm glad you reached out and came to 5-0 for help"

He gave her one of his gentle smiles and she found her mask slipping, she gave him a soft smile back and said "of course" then aware they were both awkwardly standing in the door way, she gestured "umm did you want to come in" neither of them sure what to do Steve nodded and walked past her. As Catherine shut the door she muttered to herself "what am I doing".

As she walked back into the room turning to look at Steve he realised for the first time that she looked upset, like she had been crying "hey, what's wrong, are you ok?" "I'm fine" Not believing her her reached out his hand to her cheek slowly caressing and rubbing away the tears. Then in a way that only happens when he looks into her brown eyes everything else around seems to disappear. She still has that affect on him after all these years.

Then she's up against the wall, he's kissing her as if his life depends on her, she is kissing him back harder, they have thought about this kiss since she got in the car 18 months ago. The passion hasn't gone away, it's intensified if anything. She has her legs around him, her hands caressing the back of his head, his massaging her arse, holding her close to him he moves her to the bed, frantically removing clothes her matching his pace, their need to be close, together as one being escalates.

"Wow" he rolls off her giving her a smile he doesn't realise he reserves only for her. "Wow" she mirrors his reaction and rolls over so they are lying looking at each other side by side. The smile she gives him both mends and breaks his heart at the same time. They have no idea what they are doing but the content smiles allow him to reach over and start off a slow kiss. "Inevitable" she mutters. "What's that?" "Me and you, we just feel inevitable" he smiles that she still feels that pull too. He reaches over and this time it's slow and loving, he knows she loves the hard and fast of earlier but just making love seemed right too in that moment.

She can feel the moment he puts his guard back on, he stiffens, no one but her would be able to recognise it, but she knows, she knows she should put hers back on too, but after two years of loneliness she can't bring herself to let him go just yet. "Just stay" she murmurs and cuddles in closer "let's just pretend for a little bit longer". She knows when he gets her, knows that he understands she's not giving him any promises, that she's not asking for anything from him either, but that everything always feels right when they are together in each other's arms like that. He pulls her in a little tighter and waits until she's fallen asleep before he finally shuts his eyes too.

When he wakes he can feel her watching him, "morning Lieutenant" "morning commander" he gives her a small peck on the mouth and with a sad smile asks "what times your flight?" "Soon". Steve gives a sad nod and Catherine says "I'm going to take a shower. Aloha Steve" realising there will be no big goodbye this time Steve reaches over and kisses her forehead. "Aloha Catherine". She can't resist one last look before she shuts the bathroom door not knowing when she will see him again.