DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.

It took me a long time to be happy with this chapter so I'm sorry it took me so long to post it. New twists in the story are coming soon! Please review!

Maddie was just cleaning up the kitchen when Steve walked in the door. The first thing that hit him was the incredible smell of food. He stood in the doorway and breathed it in for a moment. He gave thumbs up to the officer on the street and closed the door, locked it and set the house alarm.

"Steve, is that you?" Maddie called from the kitchen.

"Yeah it's me," he said and walked further into the house. He saw the flowers on the coffee table and smiled. Rounding the corner into the kitchen, he saw the table set and a beautiful woman wearing an apron pulling a dish out of the oven. He leaned against the wall and just watched her for a moment.

"Steve…?" Maddie started to call out with a touch of alarm in her voice, but she turned around and saw him smiling at her and she could no longer speak. He looked so beautiful leaning against the wall taking in the scene in his kitchen.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi. I hope you don't mind but I had to nest a little. I'm a little anxious…you know?" she said. He shook his head and pushed off the wall to walk toward her.

"I don't mind at all. It actually reminds me of when my mom was alive. The smells, the atmosphere, the flowers, it's all her…you. Except I never remember her looking quite so beautiful," he said approaching her slowly.

"Well, I would hope you wouldn't be looking at your mom the way you're looking at me now but thank you for the compliment," she said teasing him. He flashed her his sexy smile and reached for her hand but she stepped back.

"Why don't you go upstairs and change while I finish putting dinner on the table," she said. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows questioning her. "This meal and this outfit deserve more than cargo pants and army boots. You think you can scrounge up something a little nicer?"

"Yeah I think I can do that. Give me 15 minutes?" he asked. Without waiting for her to reply, he hustled up the stairs and after a few moments she heard the shower turn on.

When Steve got up to the bathroom, he took one look and couldn't get the grin off his face. The bathroom was a picture from his childhood except the smell was different. The candles were a different scent and the products were a different brand but other than that, he felt more a feeling of home in the 10 minutes since he'd walked in than he had in the last 18 years of living alone.

He took the quickest shower on record and changed into a pair of black pants, black dress shoes and light blue button up shirt that he tucked in to his pants. He'd shaved, put a little gel in his hair and put on the only cologne he owned. In the back of his mind, he hoped she would like it.

When he came back downstairs, she was still in the kitchen but the table was full of food, the lights were dimmed and the candles were lit on the table. He cleared his throat and when she turned around to look at him, her eyes brightened and a smile lit her face. His heart turned over in his chest when he saw her genuine smile for the second time that day.

"Better?" he asked. He approached her and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed and smiled again.

"Much. Hmm, you smell nice. You ready to eat?" she asked and he nodded enthusiastically, please that she had noticed and liked the cologne. She took off the apron and grabbed a basket of rolls and set it on the table. He moved around behind her and held out her chair. She smiled again, moved to the chair and allowed him to push it in as she sat down. He sat across from her and took in the sight of the table.

"This looks amazing. What are we having?" he asked.

"I made, stuffed filet of sole for the main dish. There are steamed mixed vegetables in the clear dish there, salad with home made balsamic vinaigrette dressing, crescent rolls and pineapple upside-down cake for dessert. Oh and a nice dry Pino Gris. Is that okay?" she asked. The look on his face was one of wonder and shock.

"I haven't had a meal like this in ages. It's perfect. Thank you," Steve said and began serving her before he took some for himself.

"Please, it's the least I could do. You're putting your life in danger for me and we don't even know each other," she said taking the plate he handed to her.

"Well, sort of. There's something going on between us," he said looking up at her to see if she agreed. She looked him straight in the eye and nodded.

"I know. There's some kind of connection between us. We just know things about each other. Like this dinner for example, I knew that you would appreciate a quiet, romantic dinner at home. Please tell me if I'm off base but I noticed that you put out this air of the tough Navy SEAL who isn't afraid of anything. Don't get me wrong, that's part of who you are but I'd be willing to bet that not many people know you're also a sensitive, romantic, tender man who has had a extraordinary amount of hurt in his life," Maddie said expressing her feelings about who she saw Steve to be.

"You pretty much hit the nail on the head," Steve said. He fell silent and took his first bite of his dinner. His eyes rolled back into his head with pleasure and he savored the bite of food that Maddie had made. She smiled and chuckled out loud.

"Good?" she asked and took her own first bite.

"There are no words." Steve dug into the food like a starving man and quickly cleared his plate. He refilled his wine glass and sat back in his chair as he watched Maddie, demurely eat her dinner. Her posture was exquisite, manners impeccable but at the same time she was so soft, so loving, so motherly. Meaning that her desire to care for someone radiated out from somewhere in the core of her being.

He waited until she was finished with her plate and he refilled her wine glass. She nodded her thanks and sat back in her chair crossing her legs. "How was dinner?" she asked.

"Amazing. That was one of the best meals I've ever had. You're an incredible cook," he said praising her.

"Thank you," she said. "I should probably start getting this cleaned up."

"Let me help you. With both of us working, we'll get it done in no time," he said quickly before she could protest. She nodded in agreement and within half an hour the table was cleared, dishes washed and the leftovers put away. She was finishing up wiping down the counter when he took another bottle of wine out of the fridge and put it into an ice bucket with some ice.

"If you want, I thought we could change into something a little more comfortable and take the wine and dessert out to the beach?" he asked.

"I'd like that but what about security?" she asked.

"I've got that all taken care of," he assured her. "I'm trying to work it out so that even though you're in protective custody, you don't feel like a prisoner here."

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. I'd like to hang out on the beach for a bit." He followed her up the stairs and they went to their respective rooms to change. Steve changed quickly because he wanted to check with the police detail outside and do a perimeter sweep before relaxing on the beach and potentially letting his guard down. He changed into a pair of athletic shorts and a white tank top, put on his flip-flops and headed outside.

Maddie took a little longer to change. Because of her pale skin and the fact that the sun was still up, she changed into a pair of jean shorts and a tube-top and then proceeded to apply sunscreen. She put her hair up in a ponytail and applied a new layer of a translucent powder with sunscreen to her face. When Maddie came back down the stairs, also wearing sandals, Steve was waiting for her with two plates of pineapple upside-down cake. They walked out to the beach together and sat in beach chairs next to each other. Steve sunk the ice bucket into the sand between them, put the plates on the table, poured two glasses and handed one to her. After a moment and a sip of wine she looked over to him and smiled.

"This is nice," she said.

"Yeah it is. You know, I never thought I'd enjoy someone's company for an extended period of time this much," he said subconsciously baiting her. She bit.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I've lived alone for a long time, never depending on anyone. Never taking the time to talk really. When I've been alone with a beautiful woman, the goal is usually not talking. My friends and…the women in my life have been in the military because one of us always has to leave. I never had to think about what I feel, until I met you. You make me want to explore a part of myself I pushed down a long time ago. That is one of the things I know about you. You're a very safe person," he revealed and she only nodded in response.

"You'll never get any judgment from me," Maddie said, ignoring the comment about just meeting his needs because she knew he did that because of the pain in his life.

"I know. I was wondering earlier why you didn't ask me about what I knew about you, after you told me what you knew about me?" he asked.

"I figured you would tell me what you knew about me, in your own time," she said.

"I didn't know how to word it. I still don't know if I can but safe is definitely a good word for you. You're strong, determined, loyal and good. Another thing I know about you is that you are very soft and I don't mean that you're weak because you aren't. I mean that you are soft in your demeanor and in the way you speak to people. You make them want to talk to you. You make me want to talk to you," Steve said.

"What do you want to say?" she asked.

"Nothing right now. Just being with you is comforting. Makes things not hurt so much," he said.

"I'm glad," she said. She held out her hand to him and he took it. They sat like that for a good hour, enjoying each other's company. Maddie felt safer than she had in months and Steve was calmer than he had been in nearly half his life. This woman had such an incredible effect on him, he vowed to remove all danger and fear from her life and do what he needed to keep her in his.

Little did Steve or the security team know but several miles up the beach a pair of binoculars with night vision capability trained in on the couple while they were having their nice, romantic moment on the beach. The man's face flushed bright red with anger. He almost couldn't keep himself from shooting her then and there when she reached out for his hand and the man took it. The thought of sweet revenge and redemption were the only things keeping him going. He only had to hold on a little bit longer and Madeline Riley would get what she deserved. Just hold on a little…bit…longer…