Title: Out of the blue

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I guess I still can't claim them.

Summary: Steve is getting home after the field trip with Danny and Grace. A story inspired by the events happening in 3.10 Huaka'i Kula (Field Trip).

Thank you: Cokie316 and Sherry57 thank you both so much for the quick beta on this one. I really couldn't do this without you. Seriously, I wouldn't post anything without you guys. You are just the best.

A/N: I started writing this pretty much right after the episode aired. But at some point the story took a left turn, totally out of the blue, and I wasn't so sure about posting it anymore. It is NOT what I intended to write. I guess you can blame it on too much chocolate over the holidays. Lame excuse, I know.

Nonetheless, I would love to know what you think of it. Shameless begging for reviews here.

In case you are waiting for a new chapter for Treason, you will get that next Wednesday.

Out of the blue

Steve could feel the side-glances Danny shot him without even looking at his friend. But right now he was not in the mood to talk. His jaw was throbbing and half an hour ago his head had decided to join in. Getting a rifle butt to the face was no fun, and he was starting to suffer the consequences. The adrenaline rush left him a while ago, and now he only felt achy and tired.

The paramedics on the scene had checked Danny's gunshot wound, and declared him fit to leave without a trip to the ER. Madeline had done an excellent job removing the bullet and taking care of the wound. Nobody had paid any attention to him though; a fact Steve was thankful for because he had no desire to see the inside of a hospital or even an ambulance. Besides he was fine.

And he had been busy with Lucy, who had attached herself to him all the way back to the base camp. They had caught up with Chin and Lucy on their way back because Lucy refused to go with Chin. She had demanded to wait for Steve; after all he had promised to come back for her. And he did. When she saw him she practically launched herself at him, and hadn't let go all the way back to the base. She was a bit heavy to carry all the way, but Steve had kept quiet and happily carried her perched on his hip the two miles to the waiting rescue team.

She really was a tough cookie, but after all the excitement was over, she had been more than happy to be cuddled and almost fell asleep on Steve's shoulder. Danny had only smiled and told him he was sure that Lucy was not the only one who was taken by him. They all seemed to like his strange approach of teaching them survival skills. "Gut a pig, my ass," was Danny's choice of words. Steve was sure that Danny hasn't figured out yet whether he had been serious or not about it. Steve silently had to smile at the girls' eagerness and how they ooh-ed and ah-ed at everything Steve had said.

"What are you smiling at?" Danny's voice brought him out of his reverie.

"Huh?" Steve turned to Danny and stared at him with a questioning look.

"Are you okay? I've addressed you three times now. Where were you?"

"I'm fine, Danny. Sorry, I was thinking about Lucy. She was really great out there," Steve told Danny.

"Yeah, another member to your fan-club," Danny mumbled.

"What? You're jealous?" Steve had to laugh at Danny's mock sour mood. "I have heard from a very reliable source that a bunch of girls think of you as the best 'Girl-Scout' ever," Steve couldn't help but tease him about what one of the girls had told him in confidence.

"Girl Scout?" Danny screeched.

"Yeah. She said the Boy Scouts kicked you out, but that they would welcome you any time."

"Very funny, Steven. Real mature," Danny said with a smile.

"Thanks for the ride, Danny." Steve was still a little miffed that his truck wouldn't be repaired until tomorrow. Ron had made him not only cut some wires but also the fuel line on his truck. The Camaro got away with just the wires. An easy fix.

"Sure, no problem. I'll pick you up in the morning," Danny said as Steve opened the door.

Steve swung his legs out and stood up, only to have to hold on to the car door for balance as dizziness slammed into him. He closed his eyes for a second and slowly turned to lean back down to Danny's level.

"Thanks. Remember not to get the stitches wet, Danny. Don't over-strain your arm." Steve reminded his friend of the injury. Steve had seen him wince a few times and wanted to make sure that he would rest.

"I'm good, Steve. Get your own six in a shower and get some sleep," Danny called after Steve, who had already closed the door and had stepped away from the car.

He only winked at Danny and continued to his house, ignoring the lingering dizziness. He was sure a shower, something to eat and a little sleep would take care of any aches he felt at the moment.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve looked in the mirror and wondered whether or not the faded imprint would turn into a full bruise? With a little imagination, one could still see exactly where the rifle had connected with his jaw. He gently pressed on the slightly discolored skin, glad that nothing was broken, or that he'd suffered any loose teeth. He had gotten his bell rung, but Steve was pretty sure he hadn't suffered a concussion. The hit had not been that hard anyway.

Sighing he pulled his sweat-soaked tee over his head, revealing a bruise below his left shoulder. He couldn't remember how that might have happened, but since it didn't even hurt he didn't pay much attention to it.

Next he bent down to get rid of his boots, which were also soaked. So he threw them in the hamper where his tee was already waiting. Pretty soon the pile grew with his pants. It was a good thing they weren't ruined; it was his favorite pair. Steve was glad to get rid of his underwear; he hated wet underwear on his skin. In his eyes, there was not much that was equally uncomfortable than wet undies. Even back at 'SEAL-school', as Danny calls it, he hated the feeling of the wet clothes on his skin. Well, not all wet clothes bothered him, just that particular piece of garment.

He had learned quickly that briefs were not as bad as boxers when wet, and they prevented getting any foreign objects onto sensitive body parts. But the sand at Coronado beach had always found its way under it, and into places Steve didn't like to think about. Slightly shuddering while peeling out of his soaked briefs, he shook his head at his own silliness.

Steve stepped into the shower and turned on the water. As soon as the hot spray hit him, he swayed and had to hold on to the shower wall. Shit. He quickly turned the temperature down and could feel the dizziness leaving with the warm water. A rather cold shower was not what he was hoping for, and certainly not what his tired muscles required. But it was still better than landing in a heap on the floor. After a minute of just standing under the now lukewarm spray, he started to clean up. All the grime, sweat and dirt, and probably a lot of germs too, got washed away with the soapy water.

He had to smile as he took another whiff of the new body shampoo Cath insisted they had to try. Lemon grass with a touch of coconut. Oh-kay. He usually didn't care much about the products he used; as long as they didn't smell too much, he was okay with most anything.

Instead of his usual 3-minute Navy-shower he took his time and stepped out of the shower after almost ten minutes. He felt thoroughly cleaned, but a little worse than when he had stepped in. His head and jaw throbbed in sync with his heartbeat. And instead of dizzy, he now felt a little queasy, but he hoped to get rid of that with a sandwich.

Clad with only a towel around his waist, he made his way out of the bathroom, in search for shorts and a shirt to wear. And to find some pain pills. He knew there should be a bottle of Tylenol in the kitchen.

Five minutes later Steve was seated on the lanai, nursing a huge glass of milk and nibbling on a sandwich. He was not really hungry, but knew he had to eat if he didn't want to make himself sick. Instead of Tylenol, he had only found Advil his mother had left on the fridge, and his stomach never tolerated it very well if he didn't take the pills with food.

He looked out to the ocean and wished he could go for a swim, but that wouldn't be a good idea right now. He still felt slightly nauseous and every bone in his body hurt. Which was kind of ridiculous, it was not like he had to endure anything more than Danny or even Lucy had to go through. Yeah, okay, he was hit in the face with a darn rifle, but that was really not that big a deal. The events of the last day shouldn't make him feel like crap. And if he was honest, that was exactly how he felt.

He didn't really understand what was wrong with him, but he felt worse with every passing minute. He was pretty sure that he didn't swallow any water when he fell into the stream, and he had no open wounds, so no bacteria could have gotten into his bloodstream. That would present itself with different symptoms anyway.

Maybe you're just getting old? Steve shook his head at that silly idea. Hiking through the jungle and spending a day with a group of Girl Scouts did him in. Right. Shaking his head again Steve stood up and silently groaned when his back and legs protested the movement, and a head rush made him grab for the table before he found his legs.

He shuffled back inside and groaned again when he was greeted by his mother. That was just what he needed.

"Steve! What happened to you, are you alright? I didn't know you were back."

"I'm fine, mom," Steve told her and tried to bypass her to get back upstairs. Lying down in his bed sounded like a really good idea right about now.

"No, you're not. What happened to your face?" Doris wouldn't let him leave and tried to take a closer look at her son's slightly swollen jaw.

"Nothing, I'm good. I'm just gonna lay down for a bit," Steve told her and made a second attempt to pass her.

"Let me get you some ice; it will help with the swelling. And then you can tell me what happened." Doris motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen.

"I don't want any ice. I'm fine." Steve had no idea why he felt anger welling up in him. His head was still throbbing despite the two Advil he took, and he was really not in the mood for talking. But that was no reason to raise his voice.

"Fine, no ice. Then let me at least take a look," Doris still didn't back down.

"Mom, leave me alone. I don't need your mothering or your…" Steve didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was more than clear anyway. Steve suddenly grabbed onto the banister of the stairs he was about to climb as another wave of dizziness swept over him.

"Yeah well, you might think that, Steve, but I am your mother, and therefore, you just have to live with me mothering you. Now, tell me what happened, and for God's sake sit down before you fall down."

"You're wrong. I don't have to put up with you. Not anymore. You lost any rights twenty years ago when you left me. I have had to fend for myself since I was sixteen and was shipped off the island. Away from my home, away from everything I knew and loved. So, don't come and try to make up for lost time, or pretend everything is just fine. I don't want your mothering, and I don't need it."

There, he finally said it. He finally told her. It came totally out of the blue, but he was glad that he had voiced his accumulated anger.

H50 – H50 – H50

Catherine Rollins climbed out of her car and was still wondering about the phone call she received from Danny not even twenty minutes ago. He had informed her about their little adventure with the Aloha Girls and had asked if she would mind checking on Steve. She didn't mind at all; she had planned to come over later this evening anyway. Cath was a little worried about what she would find after Danny told her about Steve getting hit with a rifle.

She made her way towards the main door but then decided to check the lanai first. Knowing Steve he was probably out there anyway. Cath stopped cold in her tracks when the loud voices traveled to her through the open door. She had never heard Steve raise his voice in anger. Sure she knew he could swear with the best of them. She was reminded of that again when he stubbed his toe on the door-frame to the bathroom the other night. What had come out of his mouth then would make any sailor blush. But she had never hear him cuss or swear in public. And for sure she hadn't heard him talk like this with any of his friends or family.

"Oh, but you have no problem with Catherine cuddling you!" Cath could hear Doris' loud voice.

"She's my girlfriend, and I trust her. She would never hurt me," Steve yelled right back at her. Obviously, they had been at it for quite a while.

Cath couldn't help but smile at this admission. She knew that Steve had deep feelings for her, but obviously had a problem with acknowledging them to himself or others. Hearing him talking about his girlfriend was a completely new feeling, and one that she enjoyed very much. But that good feeling got squashed a second later.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Cath could hear Doris say, a bit quieter now.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Steve, on the other hand, hadn't calmed down at all yet.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything."

"Don't try to mess with Catherine, I'm warning you." It was clear that Steve was really angry, and Cath wondered what had brought this on.

She debated for a moment if it were better to leave and let them fight it out on their own. But the next words out of Doris' mouth made it easy for her to come to a decision.

"Steve, are you alright?"

"I'm good. I just need to…"

Cath didn't wait any longer and entered the open door to see for herself if her boyfriend was okay.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve could barely keep standing upright. He was dizzy again and all the yelling hadn't helped his headache at all. It had reached a completely new level a few minutes ago. Those Advil he took didn't do a damn thing for the pain in his head. He really needed to lay down before he face planted in front of his mother. And that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Steve?"

Steve had to smile upon hearing Catherine calling from the open door. His back-up had finally decided to come in.

"In here," he called back, even though he was pretty sure she knew exactly where he was. He and his mother had not exactly been quiet the last five minutes. And he knew Cath had stood outside for at least a couple of minutes, probably debating to come into the lion's den or not.

"There you are," Cath came into the living room and quickly made her way over to the slightly swaying Steve. "Hi, Doris," she greeted Steve's mom on her way over.

"Catherine," Doris answered not unfriendly, but it was clear that she didn't welcome the interruption.

"Hey, Sailor, you don't look so good," Catherine had stepped close to Steve and gently wrapped her arms around his waist. She could feel how he instantly leaned into her. "Are you okay?" She softly asked him.

"No. My head is killing me, and I'm dizzy. Can you help me upstairs?" Steve looked down at his friend and had to smile at her stunned face after hearing him admitting that he was not okay. He had to lean on her more than he liked to, but was sure he would never make it to his bedroom without her help.

"Do you have any pain pills in your bedroom?" Cath was worried about Steve. Admitting to not feeling well was a rare occasion, which meant he must be feeling pretty lousy.

"I took some Advil a while ago," Steve told her and held on to Cath as another dizzy spell slammed into him. Ever since he took the two pills his headache had gotten worse and he was plagued by severe dizziness.

"Steve, did you take them from the bottle in the kitchen?" Doris suddenly asked in alarm.

"Yeah?" Steve turned a little to face his mother who stepped a little closer to Cath and Steve. "I couldn't find my Tylenol, so…"

"How many? Steve, how many did you take?"

"Why?" Steve asked in confusion. He was still wondering what had his mother in such frenzy.

"They are not painkillers, Steve. They are my blood pressure medication," Doris told them as she closed the gap between them.

"What?! Why the hell would you put them in the Advil bottle?" Steve practically yelled at her. No wonder he felt like he would pass out any second now.

"I'm sorry, I lost the lid of the other bottle, and the Advil was empty. You never take Advil! I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Steve, how many did you take? Do we need to take you to the ER?" Catherine was going to blame Doris for her stupidity later. Now they needed to figure out if Steve was in any real danger.

"Two, I took two," Steve said and looked at his mother.

"Okay… good… you should be fine… I don't think that's too bad." Doris sighed in relief. "They are not that strong, but you should probably lie down."

"We will talk about this later, mom." Steve was angry, not just at his mother, but also at himself. He didn't pay attention when he took the pills. He should have realized they were not Advil. But who would have thought that his mother was so stupid to do something that dangerous. Never ever put pills in a container they don't belong in. Any idiot knows that. And he needs to talk about not keeping any pills lying around. She obviously hadn't realized yet that Danny's daughter is in the house quite often. Grace is old enough to know not to take any medication that is lying around, but one could never be too careful with such things.

Steve watched her nod her acknowledgment and disappear into the kitchen. Steve sighed in relief and leaned a little more into Catherine. "I'm really glad you came in when you did."

"How long have you known I was outside?" Cath asked as she led him the rest of the way to his bedroom. She would like to know if he knew she was there when he had been talking about his girlfriend. Was that meant for her to hear?

"A few minutes," he told her as he gratefully sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Lie back down, I'll be right back," Cath told him and disappeared into the bathroom to get the ear thermometer. She pulled out the field medic kit Steve insists he needed and found the device in its usual place.

Steve listened to Cath rummaging in the bathroom and wondered for a moment what she was doing, until she came back. "Cath, I'm fine; I don't have a fever," Steve told her while sitting up and leaning on his elbows.

"We'll see." Cath just ignored his protest, pushed him back down to lie flat on his back and stuck the thermometer into his right ear. Three seconds later she looked at the reading, "Okay, fine, no fever."

"Told you."

"Still, you look awful. Danny told me you were hit?" Cath gently touched the side of his face with the slightly visible bruise on it.

"Yeah, but it was not that bad. I don't know; I was fine until I got home. I mean I had a headache, but until I took the "Advil" I was just a bit achy and tired. I feel better now lying down." Steve was amazed at how much better his head was, as soon as he was more or less horizontal.

"Do you feel sick, any stomach cramps?" Cath asked as she rummaged through the closet. "You know that most streams on the islands are contaminated with all kinds of bacteria. Could you have a bacterial infection? You know how fast acting they are." She came back to the bed with a pile of blankets she now folded neatly.

"No, I didn't swallow any water. Besides my gut's fine. What do you want with the blankets? I'm not cold," Steve told her and kept looking at her suspiciously.

Cath only smiled at him and placed the folded blankets on the bed, ordering him to raise his legs.

"What?"

"Shock position. It will help with the blood pressure."

"Hmm."

"Steve? Hey, don't pass out on me." Cath was suddenly next to him and gently tapped his cheeks.

"Not passing out, just thinking."

"About what?" Cath looked down at Steve and had to smile when he struggled to open his eyes again. A bit of color was finally creeping back onto his skin, the ghostly white was replaced by his natural tanned tone. Not quite his normal self but almost. "About what brought on your shouting match with your mother?" Cath thought keeping him talking and thinking about their angry words might raise his blood pressure a little more. It was worth a try.

"Yeah. I don't know where that came from. She only asked me if I was okay, and suddenly I was so pissed off at her. I don't know Cath," Steve told her as he closed his eyes again.

"I think it had to come out at some point. Have you talked to your mother before about this? I mean about what is bothering you? Steve, look at me please."

"No. Maybe a little, but no, not really." Steve thought for a moment and opened his eyes again. "I mean… I don't know. I love her, and I'm happy that she's alive. But… she acts like nothing happened. Like I'm the fifteen-year old she left over twenty years ago. I'm not." Steve shakes his head a bit frustrated at the situation. "She walked out on me and Mary… and dad. And now she burst into our lives like she has every right. She is bossy, manipulative and she is lying. I don't trust her." Steve became more agitated by the minute, which was good.

"Yeah, I get that, but you've been feeling this for months. Why blow up at her now?"

"We were coming back with Lucy, who, by the way, is a really cool kid. She was so brave, Cath. Her mom was there and seeing them together, and all the other kids and their parents; I just wondered how anyone could ever leave their kids behind? I thought about my own mom and how she treated us." Steve looked at Cath, who was patiently listening to him. "She was always really loving, you know. We always knew that we were loved. She drove me to the varsity football games, so I could watch and study them. She always tried her best to make us happy without spoiling us. When I was little I was practically attached to her, I wouldn't let her out of my sight," Steve admitted while blushing a little.

"And seeing those parents made you wonder what went wrong in your home?" Cath asked as she let her hands gently wander over Steve's body.

"Kind of. When she 'died' I was so angry at her. For dying," Steve confessed and blushed even more. "I know that was stupid."

"No, it was not. It's not stupid; it's normal." Cath could practically feel his pain of having to struggle with all his grief on his own. Losing a parent at a young age is hard enough but going through it alone can be too much for anyone. Cath always felt that Steve was a very sensitive person, who could easily empathize with others. He had a very acute sense of other people's stress levels. And he always offered his help in any way he could. She thought it was such a shame that most of his life he was never offered the same.

"Don't let Danny hear you think I'm normal; he has serious doubts about that," Steve told her with a smile.

"I will keep that to myself then," she promised with a laugh.

"When Doris came back from the dead… I was mostly shocked, and didn't really know what to feel. I was happy, but at the same time so angry at her. And she just won't see what her leaving did to us, she always says how hard it was for her. I believe it was, but she left us. And now she acts like she never did, like she was here all the time. You know?" Steve closed his eyes for a moment and tried to sort his thoughts out. His mind was in complete turmoil, and he was still not sure what brought this on.

"You need to talk to her about this, and not in a shouting manner. You might want to apologize for yelling at her," Cath told him and laid her hand on his chest in a soothing manner.

"I know. But not today, I doubt I'm up to it without yelling again."

"You feel any better?"

"Yeah, a lot actually. Thank you for being here," Steve opened his eyes again and looked at Cath who was smiling down at him.

"Any time, you know that."

"Yeah, I know." He debated for a moment if he wanted an answer to his next question, or if that was for another time. "Cath?"

"Yeah?"

"What did she mean with 'I shouldn't be so sure about trusting you'?"

Cath locked eyes with Steve to make sure he knew she spoke the truth, "you remember the Federal Marshal whose log-in I used to locate your mother?"

"Yeah, the two of you protected her from Mangosta, when he came after her. You told me about it." Steve closed his eyes and almost moaned in relief when he gave in to the gentle hands massaging his temples. They were doing wonders to his hurting head.

"I didn't tell you everything. Doris asked me to keep one detail out of my report. I did promise her, but if you had asked, I wouldn't have lied to you." She stopped her ministrations and Steve's eyes snapped open, and she almost laughed at the pouting look he gave her. "Steve, you believe me when I tell you I wouldn't lie to you, right?"

"Yes, of course I do," Steve told her with conviction. "I know you wouldn't lie to my face. And I understand that it is not always in the best interest to tell every little detail. I can't do that either. I don't tell you every little thing that happens to me on a case, and I might have, on occasion, painted a slightly different picture than the truth." That was probably the understatement of the year. "But neither you nor I do that to deceive the other."

"Good. I don't think Doris knows the principle of trusting another person. She thinks me not telling you that particular part of the story is equal to me betraying you. You and I both know it's not. Promising her not to tell you is what she meant, I think."

"Cath, I know my mother was, or even is a CIA operative. She has probably done things worse than I have. So I don't really need to know what she did this time. I know that, if it were important for me to know, you would tell me." Steve looked up at Cath and seeing her smile, he pulled her down to lay more or less on top of him.

"You are feeling better, Commander," Cath told him with a grin.

"Told you, lots better." Steve gently grabbed Cath at around her neck and pulled her down for a kiss.

"Your mom's in the house, Steve, we can't…"

"We're not sixteen anymore, Cath. I'm sure she is aware that we have had sex before. Besides she can get used to it. That is what I want to do with my girlfriend, in case you haven't heard that you are, in fact, my girlfriend. I mean if you want to be?" Steve grinned at her.

"I think that would be really nice."

"Nice, huh?" Steve asked between kisses.

"Hmm. And not to forget, I promised Danny I would take care of you."

"Oh, really? I think there is something you should take care of right away, then," Steve laughed into her kiss.

"Is that so, Commander?"

"Uh huh, Lieutenant."

It was the last that was spoken for a long while. The sun had set long before the two bodies finally stilled and rested on the bed, interwoven in peaceful sleep.

H50 – H50 – H50

Thank you for reading!