What I said back when I posted the first chapter bears repeating. My goal when I started this fic was to write a 100 page story to celebrate 100 people signing up for The REAL World mailing list. But along the way it became much more than that. It became a way to say THANK YOU for all of your kind words, your reviews, your DMs, your twitter comments and your emails. A way to hopefully let you know how very much I appreciate your support and encouragement as well as the way you have embraced The Real World with your whole hearts and your infectious enthusiasm. As things went on my goal became to write a story worthy of you—The Real Worlders. I hope I've managed to do that. I can assure I've never worked harder on a fic.

And I could never have completed this fic without my writing partners in The REAL World, Mari and ilna, who are quite simply the awesomest awesome that ever awesomed.

And Sandy, who never fails to brighten my day and offer a kick in the pants when it's necessary.

Sorry for the late posting today. Blame the PA Dept. of Transportation who are inexplicably paving every freaking road in the city on a Friday when it's supposed to rain. Go figure.

Double Cross Chapter 5

Williams' House

Tuesday 7:00 P.M.

Steve, Danny and Catherine sat around the island in Danny's kitchen with full stomachs surveying the remains of dinner. Even though neither of the men had eaten a real meal in two days they didn't realize how hungry they were until they began to devour the food Catherine had prepared.

They each polished off their initial serving of macaroni with gravy, then seconds, and as a testament to just how hungry they were the partners didn't even engage in their usual back and forth about why Danny insisted on calling the tomato-based macaroni topper gravy while Steve was adamant it should be called sauce.

They topped off the meal with fresh baked brownies smothered in ice cream and chocolate sauce and topped with a generous helping of whipped cream.

"I didn't even know I had the stuff to make brownies in the house," Danny said around a mouthful of the delicious concoction.

"Don't tell, Nonna," Catherine mock whispered, "It's a boxed mix."

Steve gasped and Catherine elbowed him in the ribs.

"I'm just kidding. You're secret is safe with me," he said as he leaned in and nipped a bit of whipped cream off the corner of her mouth.

"Well that's even more puzzling," Danny continued. "I'm pretty sure I've never bought a brownie mix in my life."

"I bought it," Catherine told him.

"You stopped at the store on your way over?" he asked.

Catherine couldn't help but smile at her friend's puzzled expression.

"No," she chuckled. "Last time I came over to sit with Grace we stopped at the store to get the supplies for brownie sundaes and I bought a few extra mixes and put them in the back of the cupboard for emergencies."

"Brownie emergencies?" Steve teased.

"Exactly," Catherine said as she plunged her spoon into her desert. "And as soon as I saw you had vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, not to mention a can of Reddi-Whip, I decided we all deserved a brownie sundae."

"I do remember buying the chocolate sauce," Danny nodded. "Grace wanted it for the sleepover. For some reason she insisted we buy the big bottle. She said Uncle Steve and Auntie Cath always get the big bottle."

Danny didn't miss the sly look that passed between his friends.

"I'm sure I don't want to know," he said.

"Probably not," Catherine agreed with a smile.

She stood up and stretched then began to gather up the dirty dishes.

"Just put them in the sink," Danny said. "I'll take care of them later.

"Are you sure," Catherine asked.

"Positive," Danny told her.

They stacked the dishes in the sink then made their way to the living room, feeling happier and more relaxed than they had in days. As Danny surveyed the scene around him he couldn't help but grin. Steve sat on the couch, contented smile on his face, arm tightly around Catherine who was tucked into his side with her head on his shoulder. The two of them hadn't been more than an arm's length away from each other since Steve arrived.

Every few minutes Danny caught them staring at into each other's eyes wearing matching silly grins until invariably one or the other leaned in to steal a kiss.

Even though they'd only actually been apart for two days the heightened emotional circumstances and the high stakes investigation made it seem like much longer. Steve and Catherine were accustomed to working as a team in every aspect of their lives, especially now that Catherine's retirement made extended separations a thing of the past. It was one thing if one or the other was away on reserve duty, or traveling for work. Those kinds of separations, while not something either of them looked forward to, were easily dealt with.

This most recent separation was both involuntary and unexpected. And that left both his friends unsettled. Normally during tense investigations like the one they found themselves in now Steve and Catherine played off each other flawlessly, debating strategies, bouncing ideas and challenging each other to do their best work.

But that wasn't possible this time.

Not that Steve and Catherine weren't each formidable individuals in their own right, they were, but together they made a team unlike anything Danny had ever seen in is life. Their intricate mission planning, their ability to communicate non-verbally, their unwavering trust in each other and their unswerving devotion made them a force to be reckoned with.

When they set their minds to something it was as good as done.

Danny smiled at them and enjoyed the fact that for at least a few minutes they could put aside the reality of the situation they were facing and just revel in each other's company.

Cammie followed the group into the living room and lay on the floor in front of the couch keeping a close eye on her "parents"; clearly happy to have them both back with her. Danny mused how he had never seen a dog form an attachment to new humans as fast as Cammie did to Steve and Catherine. Before they ever left the crime scene the day they found her she had clearly zeroed in on her new forever parents.

While she was staying with Danny he could tell she missed Steve and Cath, and wanted to see them both again, but there was something in her demeanor that let him know that she was confident they'd be back. It was like she understood what was going on and why they had to leave. As opposed to mourning their absence she seemed to be counting the minutes till they returned.

Danny sat across from his friends, slumped down in his favorite chair, feet on the coffee table, while he pretended to be nauseated by their display but was secretly thrilled to see the both of them so happy.

They were right where they belonged.

Side by side.

Laughing together and working together.

Even separated from the rest of the team Catherine worked her magic and came up with important information that might very well help break the case. Then she found a way to reach them, apparently by being smuggled into his house in an empty hot water heater box, so she could share that information.

She really was about the most resourceful person Danny had ever met.

As he looked across at the two of them he couldn't help but notice the look of pride on his partner's face. As worried as he'd been about Catherine since this whole ordeal began, Steve never thought for an instant she would just crawl into a hole and wait for the rest of the team to solve the case.

That wasn't who she was.

She was going to be an active participant in her own rescue. And as much as Danny knew that scared Steve sometimes he also knew it was one of the things his partner admired most about Catherine.

A damsel in distress she was not.

He snapped out of his reverie when he realized Catherine was talking.

"Well it wasn't my best gravy ever," she said. "I had to improvise because Danny didn't have all the ingredients in his kitchen.

Steve turned to his partner with a look of mock scorn. "What would Nonna say, Danny?"

Danny smiled. "Maybe we can let it slide just this once. Grandma Josie was cooking for the girls … and the dogs … for the entire weekend. I'm surprised I have any food left in the house at all."

"It's ok," Catherine said. "I made do."

"And it was delicious," Steve said again as he kissed her on the top of the head.

"Seriously," Danny sighed. "You're getting nauseating. But the gravy was delicious, Cath."

"Thank you," she smiled as Steve mocked his partner by planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Even if, once again, you did practically kill me," Danny teased.

"I told you I was sorry."

"It didn't seem sincere," Danny said doubtfully.

"Am I missing something," Steve asked.

"Not really. Catherine just popped out and scared me when I got home and I nearly choked to death on a grape. Seriously … you were mere seconds away from needing to find a new partner."

"He's exaggerating," Catherine assured Steve. "I just wanted to see who was coming into the house before I revealed my presence. So I hid down the hallway."

"That was very smart," Steve kissed her softly on the lips.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Sure it seemed smart till I … you know … almost choked to death on a grape. Then Catherine got me a glass of water and I was afraid I was gonna gag. Which … I understand … is not an issue for Catherine," Danny said with a meaningful look towards Steve.

"Ask her to show you how she can stand on her head and drink a beer someday," Steve said, not the least bit embarrassed by Danny's teasing.

"Are you kidding me?" Danny looked at Catherine incredulously. "How does a person stand on their head and drink a beer."

"Strong throat muscles and no gag reflex," Catherine shrugged. "I've won more money in bars off that trick than you can believe."

"I give up." Danny threw up his hands in mock surrender.

Steve chuckled as he looked at his watch.

"Do you have to be somewhere?" Catherine asked.

"We're supposed to meet Chin and Kono back at the office at eight. We're finally getting some traction on this case and now with what you found about Makarovich we might actually be able to wrap it up sooner rather than later."

"This is one of those cases," Danny said, "where once the first domino falls it starts an avalanche. We need to keep the pressure on."

"I understand," Catherine said. "I was just kinda hoping we'd have a little more time."

"Me too," Steve said then leaned in and kissed her, this time letting his lips linger.

Danny looked at his friends and suddenly wanted more than anything to extend this little visit. "Hey I have an idea. Why don't I call Chin and Kono and have them come over here instead of meeting at the office."

"Really," Catherine asked hopefully.

"Sure," Danny said. "Why not. We can get started here and then if we need to use the office computers we can head back there. I'm sure Chin and Kono would like to see you for themselves."

"I'd like to see them too," she turned to Steve. "Are you ok with this? The last thing I want to do is slow down the investigation."

"Slow it down? You speeded it up with the information about Makarovich. Besides, how could I not be okay with spending more time with you," he smiled.

"But?" Catherine could tell there was more he wanted to say.

"But nothing. I just want to make sure you're safe, Cath. That's all."

"Well I'm certainly never safer than when I'm right beside you," she smiled at him.

"Ok," Danny teased, "I'm going in the kitchen to call Chin and Kono. I'll be back in five minutes." As he left the room he called over his shoulder, "And the couch isn't Scotch Guarded."

Danny called Chin and Kono to let them know the strategy meeting had been moved from the office to his house. He didn't give them a reason over the phone, still concerned someone might be listening in, he just said it would be more comfortable and if they needed the office computers or the smart table they could head back to HQ later.

While they waited for the others to arrive Catherine told Steve and Danny the story of what happened after she initially left the Waimai property.

She made her way through the maze of ramshackle buildings, remaining on the south side in order to stay hidden from the police cars approaching on the access road to the north. Several times she took shelter in masses of overgrown shrubbery or behind abandoned doghouses until the sound of sirens faded into the distance.

After she made her way to the highway she used the cash Kono gave her to grab a cab back to the Hilton where she retrieved her things then hopped on a bus to the beach. Once there she changed into her bathing suit in order to blend in, made several rounds of the area checking for anyone who might be tailing her, and once she was certain she wasn't being followed approached Kamekona who had already heard through the island grapevine the police were looking for her, yet hustled her immediately into the shrimp truck out of the sight of prying eyes.

He served the customers that were already in line then made his apologies and closed up for the day. He called his Sumo friends who came over right away and stood guard on the trailer, with Catherine inside, while he went to Kinko's and made a copy of the material Catherine gave him. As soon as he returned he called Steve and the rest of the story they knew.

Chin and Kono arrived at promptly at eight, freshly showered and fed and looking much better than they had just a few hours earlier.

But things were about to get even better.

When they heard Chin's car pull in Catherine went to hide in the kitchen, not so much because she wanted to surprise her friends but because Steve and Danny wanted to avoid the chance she might inadvertently be seen through the open front door by someone driving past. Once the cousins were in the house and the door was safely closed Danny turned to them,

"Catherine discovered some interesting things about Dmitri Makarovich."

"You talked to her," Kono said excitedly. "Is she ok?"

"What did she find out?" Chin asked.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Danny smiled.

Unable to wait any longer Catherine stepped out of the kitchen to reveal herself. "Surprise!"

Kono squealed then bounced excitedly across the room and wrapped Catherine in a tight hug. "Good to see you, Sista."

"Good to see you too," Cath said, holding on just a little longer than she normally would.

"I'm so glad you're ok. I was so worried." Kono pulled back and gave her friend the once over. She was happy to see no outward signs of injury.

"I know you were, Kono." Catherine took her friends hands and squeezed tightly. "I'm sorry I put you in that position. If there had been any other way … "

"It's fine," Kono waved her off. "I understand. I would have done the same thing in your position."

Chin hung back while Kono and Catherine greeted each other then once they were done he stepped forward and wrapped Catherine in a warm hug.

"It's so good to see you," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," Catherine said softly.

"So," Kono rubbed her hands together, "let's get to it."

Chin sat down on the loveseat and placed his laptop on the coffee table in front of him. Danny pointed Kono to the chair he'd been sitting in but she waved him off and took a spot on the floor.

"Feels good on my back," she explained when he gave her a questioning look. "It's been a little stiff since I sacked on the couch at the office last night. This way I can stretch it out."

She leaned forward and placed her tablet on the table by way of example.

Catherine and Steve resumed their spots on the couch and Danny once again took the chair across from them.

"So, what did you find out about Dmitri Makarovich?" Chin asked when they were all settled.

Catherine quickly filled Chin and Kono in on everything she told Steve and Danny earlier and just as she finished up Chin's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID.

"Excuse me, I've been waiting for this call," he said. He stepped into the kitchen and the others could tell by the tone of his voice and his repeated 'could you please say that again,' requests that he was most likely talking to someone on an iffy connection. The caller must have found a way to get their point across though because five minutes later Chin came back to the living room with a look of excitement on his face.

"Where did you say the real Dmitri Makarovich was born?" he asked Catherine.

"As far as my friend at the consulate in Kiev could tell, and as you know the flow of information between Russia and Ukraine is a little unreliable these days, he was born in a small town called Borovsk. Why?"

"Well, that's very interesting," Chin smiled widely. "That call was from a contact I have who deals in gray area international money movement. He said he can't swear to anything at this point, but as far as he can tell the money that came out of those offshore accounts was initially routed to a bank in Moscow. Then just this afternoon the entire amount, over twenty million dollars, was transferred again to small off-shoot bank, owned by the same conglomerate, and located in … "

"Borovsk?" they all guessed in unison.

"Exactly." Chin returned to the loveseat and began furiously tapping keys on his laptop.

"Now the question is did Riley Winstead know the second transfer was going to happen or is she being double crossed by her partner?" Catherine asked.

"Whichever it is," Steve said excitedly, "we're getting really close. I can feel it."

Ten minutes later, while the others were pulling together all the evidence they had so far and forming a strategy to move forward, Kono had her phone pressed to her ear, taking notes furiously. At first she tried to type on her tablet while the person on the other end spouted off information but eventually she gave up and motioned to Danny for a pencil and paper. He grabbed the ones beside the phone and handed them to her and she continued to take down information. Finally her note taking slowed and the call seemed to be winding down.

"Thank you," she said as she hung up and turned to the rest of the team.

"According to air traffic control four private planes took off today. One was registered to Sunshine Franchise Consulting and Brokerage, a local company. It was transporting some of their upper management staff to a convention in Denver. Two were registered to tourists who were on the island for vacation."

"And the fourth one?" Steve asked.

"Information on the fourth one is a bit murkier. It's registered in the name of a company called Wailiea Imports. The pilot filed a flight plan to Los Angeles but refused to file a full manifest. According to the guy I was talking to the police have had a few run-ins with the owner of the plane. A man named Roberto Rodriquez. They think he might be using the plane to ferry drug money, but they've never been able to make anything stick."

"Where was the plane headed?" Danny asked.

"That's another interesting thing. The flight plan said Los Angeles but before the plane left Oahu radar range the air traffic controllers noticed it was off course. They called LA and were told the plane never arrived. There was no distress call so they're calling around now to find out if it diverted to another airport."

"It could have landed at a private airstrip." Catherine said. "There are plenty of those in California."

"They're checking that out too. They said they'll call back if they find anything."

"You think Makarovich … or the fake Makarovich … was on that plane," Chin asked.

"I think there's a good chance he was," Steve said. "He's obviously getting ready to head back to Russia. We need to find him before that happens."

They didn't even have a chance to process the new information yet when Steve's phone rang.

"What have you got, Duke?"

The team held their collective breath, encouraged by the way his face brightened as he listened. He never removed his arm from around Catherine and as the conversation went on he squeezed her shoulder a little tighter.

"That's excellent. Thanks." Steve's excitement was now palpable. "Can you do me a favor and have Tomas Ruiz brought over for interrogation. I need to talk to him tonight." He listened for a few more seconds then replied, "Thanks, Duke," and hung up with a smile.

He looked at the rest of the team and a grin split his face.

"We've got her." He kissed Catherine on the temple. "The serial numbers on the money in Simmons' pocket when he was arrested match serial numbers from marked bills the DEA uses for buys here in Hawaii. She must have lifted it from the local office when no one was looking. Duke is gonna call them and let them know but … this is it … we got her."

"So why did you ask to see Ruiz?" Danny asked.

"I wanna find out if he knows more what's going on than he claims. If we confront him with what we already know, not only about the serial numbers but about Makarovich and Winstead, maybe we can catch him off guard and get him to tell us everything."

"What are we waiting for then," Danny said as he stood up and grabbed his phone and keys from the coffee table.

Steve stood too then looked at Catherine and hesitated.

"Go. I'll be fine," she said confidently.

"Are you sure? I mean … what kind of arrangements did you make to get back tonight?"

Until that very moment Steve had managed to push the thought of Catherine leaving again out of his mind.

"I said I'd call them if I needed them. And I will," she put her hand on his forearm. "But right now I'm fine here. You go and interview Ruiz."

Steve looked hesitantly at Chin and Kono. He trusted them with his own life. And he trusted them with Catherine's. But if they had to leave unexpectedly Catherine would be alone and he didn't like the thought of that.

"We'll be fine, Steve, go," Kono said, then as if reading his mind, "We won't leave her here alone. I promise."

"We got this, Steve," Chin said. "If anything comes up we won't leave till we know Cath is safe.

Steve smiled and nodded. "Thanks," then he kissed Catherine, told her he'd be back soon, and headed out the door with Danny.

HPD

Tuesday 9:30 P.M.

Steve used the lights and sirens to make it to HPD in record time. When they arrived Duke had the prisoner waiting. Steve and Danny made their way quickly to the same room they had interviewed the young man in just seven hours earlier. This time Steve took the seat across from Ruiz, who was still attempting to convey an air of confidence but looked slightly unsettled at having been rousted to talk to Five-O at this hour, and Danny stood against the wall.

"I don't have any time to play games, Mr. Ruiz," Steve said as soon as he took his seat, "so I'm going to give you one chance at this. If you tell us the truth I'll see what I can do about reducing your charges. If you don't, I'll make sure you rot in here."

"I've told you the truth up till now," Ruiz said defensively.

"You've told us a version of the truth," Steve said forcefully as he leveled his stare at the young man. "The question I have is, is it your version or is it the version someone wanted you to tell us?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." The mask of bravado Ruiz was wearing began to slip.

"What's the real name of the man who claims to be Dmitri Makarovich?" Steve pressed on.

Ruiz couldn't hide the look of shock that crossed his face. "I don't … I'm not …"

Steve sensed an opening and re-doubled his efforts. "Think very carefully, Mr. Ruiz. Remember what I told you. One chance to tell the truth. We know about Agent Winstead. We know about the flight off the island. We know about the money being moved to a secondary bank. We know that the real Dmitri Makarovich is dead."

Ruiz stared at Steve, his mouth hanging slightly open.

Steve could see fear in his eyes.

Clearly this was not going the way he expected.

"You may be scared of him, Mr. Ruiz," Steve said. "But you should be more scared of me. Now you can tell us his real name, and everything you know about him, or I can just go ahead and let him think you did."

"What do you mean?" Ruiz asked fearfully.

Danny just smiled as he watched Steve work.

"Don't you suppose all the other inmates thought it was odd you got pulled over here tonight to talk to Five-O?" Steve leaned back in his chair as though he was completely relaxed. "All I have to do is put the word out that you told me everything I want to know and how long do you think it'll be till someone does to you what they did to Simmons."

"You wouldn't." The fear was beginning to roll off Ruiz in waves.

"I can't help what people assume," Steve said. "If I walk out of here with a big smile on my face, and ask Sgt. Lukela to walk you back to your cell and say 'thank you' loud enough for everyone to hear, they might draw the wrong conclusion. But what can I do?" Steve shrugged.

"And if I tell you anything I'm a dead man." Ruiz pounded on the table with shackled fists.

"No, if you tell me I can protect you," Steve said evenly.

Ruiz took a deep breath and Steve could see him weighing his options and realizing none of them were good.

"His real name is Vazov Dmitrievich. He used Makarovich's documents to sneak into the country. I met him back in NYC when I was a seventeen year old kid running away from a bad situation."

"And?" Steve asked.

"He took me in and gave me a job and a place to stay. He made me feel like I belonged. I felt like I owed him so when he started asking me to make drops for him I couldn't refuse."

It was a story both Steve and Danny had heard a thousand times. Vulnerable runaways lured into a life of crime by the promise of a safe place to stay and daily hot meals.

"We were strictly small time. Nickel and dime deals. Then he met Riley Winstead. He started working as her informant, giving her information on the competition so she'd shut them down and we could take over their territory, and then the next thing I knew they were a couple. He came to me one day and told me she had all these ideas for how they could get rich and live like the big drug dealers she was never able to put behind bars."

"And that's when the partygoer murders started?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. But I never murdered anybody," Ruiz insisted hotly. "And I never delivered the tainted drugs. I was strictly a go between. Moved money and people around to wherever Vaz needed them. That's all I did. I swear."

"And Riley Winstead?" Danny asked from his position against the wall.

"She and Vaz planned everything together. She was in charge of making sure the feds never got too close. She tipped Vaz off to what was going on with the investigation. She's the one that killed that guy in Dallas. Gus what's his name."

Once Ruiz started talking the information flowed like a faucet.

"Now tell me about what happens next." Steve leaned forward and placed his forearms on the table.

Ruiz exhaled. "Vaz got jumpy because he thought the feds were getting close. He was afraid Riley was gonna blow it and they were gonna get caught. When she first came up with the plan to frame the Five-O agents he was willing to let her do it but then it all started to go sideways and he got nervous. That's when he decided to …"

"Decided to what … ?" Danny asked.

"He called his friends at the bank in Russia and had them move the money into an account in his name only. Then he told took a flight off the island this afternoon without telling Riley he was going. He's cutting her loose." Ruiz said.

"Where did the plane go?" Steve asked. "We know it didn't land in LA."

"I don't know. I swear," Ruiz said. "But he hired me a new lawyer and the guy said he could get me out on bail at a hearing tomorrow morning. Then I'm supposed to catch a flight to the mainland and meet Vaz in NYC. We're gonna figure out a way to get to Russia from there."

Steve looked at Danny then back at Ruiz.

"Well, Mr. Ruiz, you're going to be going to that bail hearing after all and then making that meeting in NYC. "

"You want me to flip on Dmitrievich?" Ruiz asked incredulously. "I'd have to have a death wish."

"It's up to you," Steve said, looking the young man straight in the eye. "But like I said, if you cooperate in this case, and if you really didn't have anything to do with the murders, I'm sure we can get you into Witness Protection and you can get a fresh start. You're still young. But we're running out of time and you have to decide now."

Ruiz considered his options. He had to admit that a fresh start sounded good. Being a courier for a penny ante drug dealer was one thing but once the murders started he wanted no part of it. Problem was by that time he was trapped. He was afraid if he tried to leave Vaz would kill him because he knew too much.

"You can protect me?" He asked one more time.

"We can," Steve assured him.

"Ok, I'll do it."

Steve nodded his head approvingly. "I'll make sure to let everyone here know how uncooperative you were at this meeting so you shouldn't have any problems tonight," he said. "Once you get out on bail someone will contact you and work out the details of what comes next. You made the right choice."

"I hope you're right," Ruiz said.

"Don't worry," Steve replied as he stood up from the table. "I am."

As Steve and Danny made their way back into the squad room they were met with a flurry of activity. Officers were moving around the room at a hurried pace, donning Kevlar, double-checking their service weapons, then checking with the duty officer to get their assignment before rushing out the door.

The air was charged with electricity and the scene had the look and feel of controlled chaos.

"What's going on, Duke?" Steve said as he and Danny ducked two officers making their way towards the door with a tactical shield.

"We just got a call for all available officers," Duke said as he grabbed a semi-automatic weapon from the gun vault behind the front desk. "There's a hostage situation down by the beach. We're a little light on details right now but we're scrambling all our resources."

Before Steve got a chance to ask any other questions was his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw Kamekona's name.

"What's up, Kamekona?" he said as he answered. "I'm a little busy here."

Danny could tell by the look on Steve's face, and the way he froze to the spot where he was standing, something was very wrong.

"Big Kahuna," Steve could hear Kamekona's voice tremble, "I'm here with a friend of yours. I need you to come right away."

"Kamekona, are you okay?" Steve asked.

"Just come quick," the big man said. "And your friend said she would like to see Catherine as well."

"We'll be right there!"

Steve dropped his phone in his pocket and turned to Danny. "I know where the hostage situation is. Riley Winstead is at the shrimp truck. She has Kamekona. She wants to see Catherine."

Steve headed for the door and as they stepped outside Danny grabbed his partner's arm and stopped him.

"What are you gonna do?"

"We're gonna go down there and find out what's going on," Steve said.

"Are you gonna call Catherine?"

No." Steve shook his head decisively

"That's not fair Steve. You heard what Catherine said earlier. When she needed help she went to Kamekona and he helped her. Without hesitation. If he needs help now and you keep it from her …"

"Riley Winstead is unstable," Steve argued.

"And Catherine is a highly trained officer," Danny pointed out. "And she's gonna want to be there."

Steve took a deep breath. "I know. You're right. I'm just … "

"I get it," Danny said. "You want to protect her. But you and I both know Catherine would kick your ass if she thought you were trying to keep her away."

"That's the truth," Steve nodded.

"She can handle it, Steve." Danny softened his tone.

"Let me be perfectly clear," Steve said adamantly. "It isn't that I don't think Catherine can handle this. She's just been through a lot in the last 2 days."

"I know. And there's no way we let her get close enough to Winstead for anything to happen. But you have to let her be part of this takedown," Danny argued.

"You're right. I'll call her on the way."

Steve called Chin's phone from the car and asked to be put on speaker. Once he was he filled Catherine, Chin and Kono in on what was happening and the few details they knew for sure. They listened tensely as he recounted Kamekona's phone call and Riley Winstead's request to see Catherine.

"I have to come, Steve," Catherine said, anticipating his disapproval.

"I know you do," he said, casting a sideways glance to Danny who had called Catherine's reaction perfectly. "Where's you TAC vest?"

"I don't have it with me. I do have my service weapon though." Catherine stowed the weapon high up in the cabinet above Danny's refrigerator after he arrived home. Even with no children in the house she still felt better with the weapon out of reach.

"I have an extra TAC vest in my car," Kono said. "We can stop on the way over and pick it up. We have to drive by my place on the way to Kamekona's anyway."

"Ok, sounds like a plan," Steve said. "Find us when you get there."

"Will do." Chin disconnected the call and the three team members headed out the door.

Danny and Steve arrived to find several dozen HPD officers working to bring the scene under control. They were in the process of creating a large perimeter and pushing back onlookers, most of whom had no idea how real the danger was at the moment.

Grover's SWAT van was pulled up at the edge of the parking lot and he was currently talking to the first officers on the scene. He needed to find out anything he could about the people inside, both hostage and hostage taker, before he made contact.

His men were surveying the area in search of the best vantage points in case they needed to take a shot.

"What's it look like?" Steve asked as he and Danny approached the SWAT captain.

"As far as we can tell there are two people inside the building," Grover said as he tightened his TAC vest. "The perp and one hostage. Duke said you know who the perp is?"

"Yeah, I do," Steve said. "It's Riley Winstead."

"The DEA agent?" Grover asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, you know her?" Danny answered.

"Hell yes, I know her," Grover grumbled. "She's had my team running around like chickens with their heads cut off for the last two days following leads and going down rabbit holes trying to find Catherine Rollins."

"Yeah," Danny said angrily, "well … as it turns out she was the mastermind of the partygoer murders. Her and her Russian boyfriend. She was trying to put the blame on Catherine and Steve so she and Dmitri … who by the way is really Vazov … could run off together and live happily ever after in some vodka-soaked fantasyland. Except when it came right down to it he took off alone and left her holding the bag."

"I figured there was something weird going on," Grover said. "I know Catherine would never … and you would never … I didn't believe it for a second. Luckily Samantha is in Chicago with her mother this week so she didn't hear about any of this. You know how she idolizes Catherine."

Steve nodded. "I do."

"Any idea why she came here?" Grover asked.

"She thinks Kamekona has been hiding Catherine," Steve said as he surveyed the front of the trailer. He knew that with the window gate closed there was no way the SWAT guys would be able to get a shot.

"Why?" Grover asked.

"Probably because Kamekona has been hiding Catherine," Danny said.

"Ahhh. That explains it."

"Have you made contact yet?" Danny asked.

"Not yet. The first officers on the scene said when they arrived she was screaming that she wanted to see Catherine Rollins."

"Well she's here." Steve turned just in time to see Chin's familiar car pull into the parking lot. Seconds after it stopped Catherine, Kono and Chin jumped out. They were already outfitted in TAC vests and they moved quickly towards the back of the car and opened the trunk to retrieve their tactical weapons.

Steve met them at the edge of the parking lot.

"What's happening?" Catherine asked.

"Were still working on the details. Grover hasn't been able to make contact yet," he said as they ducked back under the yellow police tape. Steve noticed several of the officers doing a double take when they saw Catherine but she was so focused on the task at hand she didn't notice. "As far as we know, Winstead is inside and so is Kamekona. First officers on the scene said she was screaming that she wanted to talk to you."

"Ok," Catherine looked at Steve, "then let's make that happen."

They walked the short distance to the makeshift command center and joined Danny and Grover.

"Do we know what kind of weapons she has?" Chin asked.

"No," Grover answered. "But we're set up and ready to make contact."

"Let's hear what she has to say," Steve said.

Grover pushed the button to put the call on speaker and dialed Riley Winstead's cell phone.

"Is Rollins here?" she demanded as soon as picked up.

"I'm here," Catherine said.

"Ah … the elusive Catherine Rollins," Winstead said in a sing-song voice. "I knew I could coax you out of hiding if I used the right bait."

Catherine kept her voice even and her tone neutral.

"Before I talk to you I want to know Kamekona is ok."

"Oh yes, your friend with the bad delivery of shrimp," Riley sneered. "He's fine."

Catherine looked quizzically at Steve who mouthed "I'll explain later."

"I want to talk to him." Catherine said.

They could hear a little shuffling back and forth over the line and then Kamekona's voice. "I'm fine. Don't do anything stupid out there."

"We're gonna get you out of there Kamekona. Just be patient, ok?" Catherine assured him.

"How sweet," Riley snarled as she grabbed the phone back. "Now it's my turn to get something from you."

"Go ahead," Catherine said calmly.

"How did you find out about the place on Waimai? I was so careful. If you didn't find that place none of this would have happened."

Catherine looked at Steve and he nodded.

"I saw the address written on a slip of paper at the warehouse the day of the first deal. Later it showed up on the GPS on Simmons' phone."

Catherine stuck to the dry facts so as not to incite Riley's anger.

"Damn," Riley sighed. "It's always the little details that trip you up. I told Dmitri to take notes in his phone, it doesn't leave a paper trail, but he never got that hang of that. There are so many little details. So many chances for something to go wrong."

"Why don't send Kamekona out and then we can talk about it." Catherine said.

She was going to do everything in her power to make sure her friend came out of this unharmed. He was there for her when she needed him and she intended to be there for him now that their positions were reversed."

"Why don't you come in here and talk to me?" Riley challenged.

"That's not going to happen," Steve said adamantly.

"Ahh … Commander McGarrett," Riley said. "I knew you'd be close at hand. You must be enjoying this."

"No, I'm not," Steve said honestly. "There's nothing about this situation I take pleasure in."

"Tell me, Commander," Riley shifted her focus to Steve. "When did you figure out it was me?"

Steve used the same straight ahead facts only approach Catherine had used.

"The fingerprint report."

"I knew that was gonna be trouble."

They heard Riley pound her fist on the stainless steel counter and Steve's back stiffened. The worst thing that could happen was for her anger to escalate when she was in such a small space with Kamekona and a gun.

"Listen, no one has to get hurt here." Steve tried to restore calm.

"It's all over for me," Riley scoffed. "He's gonna walk away scot free and I'm gonna spend the rest of my life in prison."

"We're on his trail," Steve said. "He'll never get out of the country."

"What do you mean? What do you know?" Riley asked eagerly.

Steve could tell she desperately wanted any information he had on the whereabouts of the man who left her holding the bag for these hideous crimes.

He hoped he could use that to convince her to release her hostage and then give herself up.

"Let Kamekona go and we can talk about it," Steve offered.

"We just needed enough money to retire on forever. Is that so hard to understand. So a few people had to die in the process. I didn't shove the drugs up their nose. They did it to themselves."

Riley was starting to unspool.

The team exchanged concerned glances.

"I tried to cover Dmitri's ass and now look where I am," Riley said disgustedly.

"I'm not gonna lie to you," Steve kept his voice calm. "You're going to prison for the rest of your life. But if you come out now, and no one else gets hurt, and you help us …"

He knew if he offered her some pie in the sky story about how she could walk free she'd know he was lying.

He hoped he'd get more mileage with her for being honest.

"It would serve him right if I did," Riley spat out. "I mean he had no problem taking off with all the money and leaving me to take the fall."

"You're not the first woman to find herself in this situation," Catherine said. "But you can turn the tables on him by helping us."

"What would you know about disloyal men? Commander McGarrett was like a laser focused guided missile during this whole thing. There has no way he was gonna leave you hanging."

Catherine looked at Steve and mouthed "Thank you".

"I mean maybe I've just worked around drug dealers too long but I'm used to people who throw their associates under the bus at the drop of a hat," Riley said.

"You have a decision to make here," Steve said calmly, trying to get the conversation back on track. "Do you want to let him get away or do you want to make him pay for what he did."

There were several long seconds of silence before Riley spoke again.

"I have no choice. I made my bed the day the first kid died in that warehouse in New York City. My only chance was to put the blame on the two of you long enough to get out of the country."

"That's not true," Catherine said. "You always have a choice."

"I agree," Riley said, the tone in her voice changed as though she'd made a decision. "And now my dear Catherine you've got a choice to make. In 5 minutes I'm gonna blow your friend's head off unless you come in here and take his place."

Steve started to speak but Catherine cut him off. "Let me get back to you."

She gave Grover the throat slash motion and he killed the connection.

"Don't even start, Catherine. You're not going in there alone," Steve crossed his arms and prepared to face off with her.

"He's right," Danny said as Chin and Kono nodded their agreement.

"No, wait, listen to me. Do you remember about a month ago when Kamekona called and said he was getting hassled by the Fire Marshall?" Catherine said.

"Yeah, I remember." Steve had no idea what she was getting at.

"Well, you remember how I came over to help him understand the citation?"

Steve nodded and she continued.

"One of the things they wanted was another form of egress."

"You mean there's a second door?" Grover asked.

"Not exactly," Catherine said. "But there's something even better."

"What?" Kono asked.

"The Fire Marshall provided him with a list of options and because he's Kamekona he wanted the flashiest one. So last week he installed a quick open device on the metal gate that covers the front window. It rolls all the way up in less than 5 seconds."

They all turned their heads and looked at the trailer.

"Are you sure it works," Steve asked.

"Positive," Catherine said. "He demonstrated it for me so many times the day it was installed I thought he was gonna burn out the motor. There are three switches in the trailer. One is right inside the door. All I need to do is get one step in and hit that switch"

Chin studied the size of the opening.

He'd seen it hundreds of times of course but never with thought of a tactical assault in mind.

"The opening is big enough we can have the entire trailer covered between the four of us," he said.

Steve looked at Catherine then at the rest of the team.

As much as he hated the thought of her going into that trailer with and armed Riley Winstead he knew it was probably their best chance of getting Kamekona out alive.

He made a quick decision.

"We need some kind of riser in front. About two feet tall. To account for the height of the trailer."

"My guys can do that." Grover headed off to make the arrangements.

"Quietly please," Danny said.

He was afraid if Riley was alerted to too much movement in front of the trailer she might do something stupid.

"Listen Cath, no games. As soon as you get in there you hit the switch," Steve said.

"I will. I promise. Just give me a few seconds to get Kamekona out of the line of fire."

"Once he's out you stand directly in front of the door. When that gate goes up we need to know where you're going to be if we have to take a shot."

Steve turned and looked at the rest of the team.

"Does that positioning work for everybody?"

"Yes," the all verbalized.

"Chin, you go far left. Kono, center left. Danny, far right. I'll take center right. If it looks like she's gonna fire a shot take her out."

Grover came hurriedly back to the group. "The riser is in place."

"This is gonna work," Catherine said confidently.

Steve nodded at her and nodded. "Let's do it."

Catherine signaled to Grover and he dialed Riley's phone again.

She answered on the first ring.

"What did you decide, Ms. Rollins?" Riley asked.

"I'm coming in," Catherine answered resolutely.

As Catherine slowly opened the back door of the trailer and stepped in she put both hands in the air to show she wasn't armed. Riley Winstead was at the far end of the trailer, sitting on the counter with her gun aimed casually at the Kamekona's temple. Catherine made eye contact with him and smiled reassuringly.

He looked a little ruffled by the experience but physically unharmed.

"I'm here. Now let him go," Catherine said.

Riley rolled her eyes and used her gun to point towards the door. "I've enjoyed your company immensely Mr. Kamekona but I have a hostage that interests me more now so it's time for you to go."

"You didn't need to do this," Kamekona said as he approached Catherine.

"It's fine. I'll see you in a few minutes," she assured him as she stepped back and motioned for him to leave.

Once he did Catherine took two steps and positioned herself by the switch.

"If you try to go out that door you'll be dead before you hit the pavement," Riley said, taking a few steps towards Catherine but still maintaining a safe distance.

She'd read Catherine's personnel file.

She wasn't going to give her rival a chance to disarm her.

"Apparently you and I are not so different after all," Riley said as she leaned on the counter an kept her gun trained on Catherine.

"How so?" Catherine asked.

"In the end the men in both of our lives were perfectly willing to leave us holding the bag. Mine left me to face the music for our crimes all by myself and yours left you to face an armed crazy woman alone. Now we're both going to die."

Catherine reached out and hit the button and the front gate rose immediately.

Riley Winstead, startled by the sound, turned towards it and found herself face to face with the four other members of Five-O, weapons raised, with Steve's sig pointed right between her eyes.

"I'm not alone," Catherine said. "And no one is dying tonight."

Jack Schmidt arrived on the scene just before the takedown, accompanied by a cadre of agents from the local office. Duke had called earlier to inform them that the money found in Simmons' pocket was from their reserve of marked cash. That, combined with the fact that Riley Winstead was currently holding her gun to the head of an innocent civilian, made it very clear she was up to her neck in trouble. He didn't know exactly what was going on yet but he was sure everything he thought he knew about the case up until this point was wrong.

Riley Winstead was handcuffed and brought out of the trailer then read her rights and taken into state custody pending transfer to federal custody at the earliest possible date.

The Five-O team, because of the obvious conflict of interest, stepped away and let HPD handle the details of the arrest. Winstead stared ahead silently as her partner, or she guessed now former partner, watched as she was placed in the back of a squad car.

"I guess I owe you an apology," Schmidt said, directing his comment to Catherine as he approached the Five-O team sitting at a table in front of the now quiet food truck with Kamekona and Grover.

Kamekona allowed himself to be checked out by paramedics but refused a trip to the hospital insisting he was physically unharmed. The emergency workers gave him a blanket to help ward off shock but quickly realized it didn't cover his large frame so they gave him a second. Both were still draped across his shoulders and he sat with his friends.

"Accepted," Catherine said. "You were just following the evidence."

"The fake evidence," Steve added from his position beside her.

"Yes, Commander," Schmidt grimaced. "You've made your opinion on the evidence abundantly clear."

Catherine smiled at Steve and he put his hand on her knee and squeezed.

"Obviously the warrant for your arrest has been rescinded," he said to Catherine.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"I have a press conference scheduled for first thing in the morning and my bosses wanted me to assure you we will clear your name completely. I feel terrible about what happened. If there's anything I can do to make it up to any of you … "

"Actually, there's a guy named Tomas Ruiz," Steve said. "He was part of the Makarovich … well I guess Dmitrievich … crew. He's been with him from the start. He can give you everything you need to put the guy away for life and I'm pretty sure he can lead you right to him before he gets out of the country."

"What's the catch?" Schmidt asked.

"He's currently in state custody on a drug charge," Steve said. "He was part of Riley's distraction campaign. He has a bail hearing tomorrow morning. Once he's out he's supposed to fly back to the mainland to meet up with Dmitrievich."

"What do you need me to do?" Schmidt asked.

"He's willing to help but he needs a WITSEC deal. I'm not saying he's an angel but you take your witnesses as you find them, right? He's flying out to LA right after the hearing. So probably the 11:30 A.M. flight. After that he's headed for NYC. You need to get someone on that plane with him to seal the deal and he'll take you right to Dmitrievich."

"Consider it done," Schmidt said.

"Thanks," Steve reached out and shook his hand.

"No, thank you," Schmidt said. "I'll be in touch."

"So, are we through here?" Steve asked.

"I know I am," Chin said.

"I can't wait to sleep in my nice comfortable bed," Kono sighed.

"Don't expect to see me before noon tomorrow," Danny said as he stretched his arms above his head.

"Noon sounds good to me," Steve nodded. "Let's make that tomorrow's start time."

He turned to Catherine with a smile. "You ready to go home?"

"Definitely," she kissed him on the cheek. "As soon as we stop and pick up Cammie."

The following Sunday was a picture perfect Hawaiian day, with lots of sunshine and a beautiful island breeze coming in off the water. Steve and Catherine decided to throw a BBQ to thank everyone involved in the investigation for their help and to give them all the chance to relax and have a little fun as a group.

It had been a long week.

On Wednesday afternoon they attended a large memorial service to honor the victims who died in the Oahu warehouse.

Twelve in all.

Catherine introduced the team to Caroline Hidalgo, the grieving mother who set the entire investigation in motion by giving Catherine her son's burner phone.

Caroline hugged Catherine and thanked her for bringing the people responsible for her son's death to justice. She apologized for everything Catherine went through at the hands of Riley Winstead but Catherine smiled and said it was more than worth it to get the killers behind bars.

The rest of the week was taken up with paperwork, statements and interviews about the case and the rogue DEA agent that wreaked such havoc on their lives.

Kamekona's shrimp stand was a federal crime scene and thus had been closed for days. He gave daily interviews to local reporters, standing in front of the crime scene tape, assuring everyone he would be open again as soon as possible. Finally on Saturday the feds packed up and went home and after a day and a half of cleaning and scrubbing, Kamekona was set to reopen Monday for regular business.

Saturday also brought news of the capture of Vazov Dmitrievich in NYC. The arrest of Riley Winstead sent him deeper underground and made him even more careful and secretive about his plans. There were several times when the agents working with Tomas Ruiz feared the young man may have been compromised, but in the end that wasn't the case.

Dmitrievich attempted to board a cargo ship that would take him to the coast of Portugal where he would then hop a plane to Russia. The ship was surrounded by dozens of DEA and FBI agents and Dmitrievich and his entire crew were arrested without incident.

Tomas Ruiz was in protective custody at an undisclosed location, the feds more than happy to reward him with a new identity for his help in getting a wanted criminal off the streets. Without his information Dmitrievich would have surely slipped back to Russia, forever out of the grasp of US law enforcement.

True to his word, Jack Schmidt apologized publicly at his press conference Wednesday morning to everyone involved in the case, but most especially to Catherine. The arrest of one their own agents left the DEA red-faced and they launched an immediate investigation into how Riley Winstead could have planned and committed the partygoer murders right under the noses of her colleagues.

They promised sweeping changes to assure nothing similar happened in the future and the team hoped they actually followed through, though the track record of federal agencies making actual changes, even in the face of a disaster such as this, wasn't good.

Riley Winstead was transferred to Federal custody and sent back to the mainland to face a list of charges ranging from murder to falsifying evidence. She was assigned a federal public defender and immediately invoked her right to remain silent.

It was too early to tell exactly what would happen going forward but the evidence against her was overwhelming and the team knew from experience she would most likely cop a plea. There was very little chance they'd ever have to testify at trial.

Still if they were needed they were ready.

All the individual states in which the attacks occurred agreed to cede jurisdiction to the federal government while retaining their right to move forward at a later date if she was ever released from federal custody.

Which they were all confident would never happen.

By the time Sunday came they were all more than ready for a day of fun and camaraderie and maybe more importantly, a day to forget the past and celebrate the future.

It started off with a game of pickup volleyball, which in predictable fashion went from fun to slightly more serious as the competitive natures of those involved kicked in. Both Grover and Kamekona proved to be deceptively fast for big men, not to mention they could spike the ball with ease, and after ninety hard fought minutes everyone agreed to call it a draw.

Chin and Leilani then challenged Adam and Kono to a game of Frisbee tag while Duke and Grover began a competition to see who could throw Cammie's ball the farthest, which Cammie thought was the best game ever invented, and the beach was filled with the sounds of fun and laughter all afternoon.

As dinner time approached, Grace and Samantha were playing with Scout and Cammie along the waterline, giggling with delight as the dogs chased the waves. Samantha had been asking for a dog since they moved to Hawaii and watching her have so much fun made Grover seriously consider getting her one.

Kamekona was holding court at a table on the lanai, recounting his ordeal with Riley Winstead as Adam, Chin and Flicka listened with rapt attention. Catherine, Kono and Leilani smiled as they heard snippets of what he was saying while they carried food out from the kitchen and placed it on the large banquet style table that had been set up just for the occasion. There was so much food they had to put the deserts on the counter in the kitchen to be brought out later.

They had decided to go potluck since their usual caterer was out of commission and it seemed everyone went a little overboard, most bringing two or three dishes instead of just one.

On her way down to the grill to check on the progress of the main course Catherine stopped and gave Kamekona a large hug and reiterated to his rapt audience that he was indeed the hero in this story. He beamed at her as she made her way across the sand and Kono and Leilani joined the group around the table. He asked them if they wanted him to start again from the beginning since they missed the first part but they both smiled, each having heard the story several times before, and told him to pick up where he left off.

Duke and Grover sat and watched the girls play in the water as they talked about the upcoming football season. Grover hoped this was the year his beloved Bears finally got it together as Duke celebrated the fact that his adopted team, the Seahawks, not only won last year's Super Bowl but looked like strong favorites to repeat.

Steve was at the grill, Longboard in hand, keeping a close eye on the main course while Danny stood beside him, pointing out which meat he thought needed basted and which needed turned.

They couldn't decide exactly what to serve as a main course and after debating it for the better part of a day, with everyone adding their opinion, Steve and Catherine finally decided that in addition to the old standby of steaks they would also serve BBQ chicken.

As Catherine approached to get an ETA on the meat she heard Danny talking.

"And don't think I've forgotten I said I was going to give Catherine a good talking to when this was all over," he said.

"About what?" she asked from a few inches behind him.

Steve laughed as Danny jumped a foot in the air and grabbed his chest.

"Seriously you have GOT to stop doing that. I'm going to get you a bell to wear around your neck," Danny grumbled.

"The rest of the food is ready," Catherine said, pointing the table on the lanai.

"Then we're good to go," Steve said as he kissed her on the lips, then picked up a large serving tray and started taking the chicken and steaks off the grill. "Let's eat."

He carried the platter up to the lanai and placed in on the table. The guests all filled their plates and pulled chairs around the tables set up on the beach.

Once everyone was seated Steve stood up, raised his glass and said, "I'd like to propose a toast. To team work."

"To team work," the others echoed as they raised their beverages.

Steve and Catherine lay in bed, wrapped up together, reliving the memories of a fabulous day spent with friends.

It truly was a celebration.

As the party drew to a close everyone pitched in to clean up the backyard and the lanai while Grace and Catherine boxed up the leftovers for people to take home.

As they said goodbye, they all promised to meet at Kamekona's for lunch tomorrow to celebrate his Grand Reopening.

Soon after the last guest left Steve and Catherine made their way to bed.

They decided anything that still needed done could wait until morning.

Cammie was asleep on her bed across the room, snoring away softly. Catherine had a feeling she was sleeping off a few too many treats snuck from the table. Tomorrow they would have to go for a nice long swim.

"We're really lucky to have such great friends," she said as she snuggled up to Steve's side.

"We are," he agreed as he ran his hand down her arm and leaned over to kiss her bare shoulder. "You need to stop scaring Danny though," he laughed then shifted and began kissing his way along her jawline.

"I think it's funny." She tilted her head back to give him better access.

"I kind of do too," he admitted as he rolled her onto his back and hovered over her. "But let's not talk about Danny right now."

"Did you have something else in mind, Commander," she asked flirtily as she raised her leg and ran her foot along the back of his calf in a way she knew he loved.

After staring in her eyes and enjoying the sensation for a full minute he pressed himself down against her, letting her feel how much he wanted her, as his lips began nibbling at her neck.

"I'm still celebrating," he said between kisses.

"Mmmmmm," she moaned as his lips lingered on a spot he knew was especially sensitive. "Not that I'm complaining but I thought you might be worn out being as we just celebrated in the shower."

"I'm also making up for lost time," Steve grinned as his hands pushed her tank top first up then off. He tossed it aside and lowered his lips to her breast and her moans began anew.

"We've made up for lost time many, many times since I got back on Tuesday," Catherine sighed as she plunged her hands into his hair.

"Uh –huh," he agreed, switching to the other breast.

"We were only apart for one night," Catherine pointed out.

"But two days. Two long days," Steve reminded her.

"We've been making up for lost time for six days now," Catherine said, though it was clear she wasn't really complaining.

Steve raised up and cocked his head to the side as if thinking. "That seems about right."

"How so?" she laughed as she placed her hands on the sides of his face.

Steve looked at her with naked honesty. "Because every day without you feels like a week. So it takes seven days to make up for one night apart."

Catherine bit her lip and blinked back tears, then her face lit up with a playful grin.

"That's it, Commander," she said as she pulled him back down on top of her. "Prepare for a celebration that's gonna knock your socks off."

The End

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