If You Saw it the Way I Do
Title: If You Saw it the Way I Do
Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Elizabeth Weir
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Steve and Liz have been friends for years. So when he admits that he has strong feelings for someone but is nervous about the actual date part of it, Liz offers to help him through it.
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
“So tell me about this girl.”
Steve chuckled, looking away as he continued to chew his sandwich. Elizabeth was giving him that look, the one that said she wanted to know everything he wasn’t telling her. It was easy to forget sometimes that she had been a highly sought-after negotiator on a global level. He was reminded of it now, though, as she leaned forward across the table and gave him an intent look.
Swallowing, he shook his head. “No way.”
If it had been anyone else, he would have said that she pouted. Elizabeth Weir did not ‘pout,’ though.
“Oh, come on! How can you possibly keep this from your oldest friend?”
“It’s because you’re my oldest friend that I’m not telling you anything,” he shot back. “Years from now you’ll remember this and hold it against me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said airily. Then she gave him a smile that was warm and sincere. “You really seem to like her, whoever she is.”
Steve looked down at his plate, shrugging and nodded all at the same time. “Yeah, I do.”
“So you’re gonna ask her out?”
He gave her a pained look. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve asked a woman out on a date?”
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. “Cath doesn’t exactly count, does she?”
“No. She doesn’t count.”
“It can be nerve-wracking, but it’s not that difficult. Just ask her if she wants to get something to eat. Or a drink. Drinks are casual and easy.”
“It’s not the asking that’s the problem.”
She stared at him for a moment. “It’s the actual date, isn’t it? You’re afraid to go on a date!”
Steve cleared his throat uncomfortably. “You could be a little nicer about it, you know.”
Elizabeth grinned - a particularly dangerous sight if you knew her well. “I’m about to be positively selfless,” she said, leaning in closer. “What are you doing tonight?”
He frowned. “I was planning on surfing.”
“Not anymore.”
His eyebrows rose. “Oh? And what am I doing instead?”
She paused for a beat. “You’re taking me out on a date.”
Steve nearly choked on his water, coughing and setting the glass back down carefully. “Excuse me?”
“You are taking me out on a date. I can’t exactly give you any advice until I see how rusty you are.”
He stared at her. “You’re serious.”
Her smile faded a bit, and he thought he something akin to sadness in her eyes. “You and I go out to eat all the time. This time we’ll just dress up a little and you pretend that you’re trying to impress me. It won’t be that bad, will it?”
“I like having dinner with you,” he said firmly, the response automatic and true. “You’re certainly better company than Danno.”
“Well, I should hope so.”
“Prettier, too.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Don’t tell him that!”
Steve laughed, too, and he felt some of the fear and tension easing out of him. Straightening up in his chair, he looked at her fondly. “What time should I pick you up?”
She nodded. “Good start. Be at my place at six?”
“I’ll call if any criminals decide to ruin the party.”
“God help any of them that do.”
Steve laughed and dug back into his sandwich, trying not to stare at his friend or freak out about the evening to come.
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Standing outside of Elizabeth’s house, Steve tried not to fidget. He should not be this nervous. He and Elizabeth had been friends for almost fifteen years. She knew him better than anybody, and that was impressive considering that Danny was like his brother. This wasn’t anything special. They were just two friends going out to dinner on a fake date because she was taking pity on him.
Except that it absolutely wasn’t a fake date to him.
Looking down at his jeans and dark blue button-up one more time and wondering if he had dressed up enough, he raised one hand and knocked on the door.
A few moments later, Elizabeth answered, wearing a red dress that hugged her body and still managed to be completely classy. Her hair was swept up and there was a matching bag clutched in one hand as she smiled at him, shaking her head.
“I don’t know how you manage to make jeans dressy, McGarrett.”
He almost blushed. “Sorry, I didn’t -”
She shook her head, still smiling as she closed the door behind her. “I’m serious. Anyone else would look like a slacker who underdressed. But you...you manage to make them look dressy.” She paused, seeing that he was still flustered and confused. “I’m giving you a compliment, Steve,” she said gently. “You look good.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck. He was pretty sure the blush was visible now. “You’re beautiful,” he replied softly.
Her smile widened. “See? You’re not so rusty,” she murmured.
“You don’t exactly make it difficult.”
“The right person usually doesn’t.” Seeming to realize the implications of what she said, Elizabeth shook herself slightly. “We ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
Steve wasn’t sure what he had been expecting from the evening, but he quickly forgot that it was supposed to be a fake date. Elizabeth never corrected him or told him that something wouldn’t fly with another woman. They didn’t discuss either of their love lives at all. Instead, the conversation flowed between them just as easily as it always did, shifting from work to friends to strange little things they’d seen throughout their day without any awkward silences.
This was one of the reasons he and Elizabeth had gotten so close in the first place, and had stayed friends throughout the years. It wasn’t really a secret that Steve didn’t do interpersonal communication well. He was good enough to get by in casual situations, but if he was asked personal questions or was expected to express his feelings, he generally came pretty close to a panic attack. That turned out to be a problem with most women he might have dated. Those things were par for the course in a normal relationship, and Steve just always found himself tongue-tied or hyperventilating. Or both. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
But things were easy with Elizabeth. She’d ask him questions about his thoughts and feelings, or about his family growing up, but she never pushed. She never grew disgruntled if he shut down on her. She never accused him of being emotionally distant. She just let him be, and that made him feel more comfortable about sharing the things that he did with her.
The night went too quickly for him. Glancing down at his phone as they walked back out to his truck, he was surprised to see that they had spent almost three hours in the restaurant, sipping at their wine and talking. Dinner had been good, but his stomach was starting to think that maybe it wanted something else as well.
Elizabeth smirked when she heard the rumble and looked over at him as he buckled his seatbelt. “I’ve got ice cream back at my place.”
Steve breathed out a laugh. “Ice cream sounds really good right now.”
When they pulled into her driveway, Elizabeth held up a hand. “We should pause here and discuss first date etiquette.”
Turning off the truck, Steve sat back in his seat. He was hoping Elizabeth had forgotten the fake date part of this.
“Fair enough,” he said. “I would walk you to your door, wouldn’t I?”
She gave him a slightly surprised smile. “Yes, you would. I’ve had a few dates where the guy thinks the car is a great place to grope and try to weasel his way into the house.”
Steve scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face. “I can’t say I haven’t been that guy.”
He was relieved when she laughed at that so easily. “And I’m not saying that it doesn’t have its place. But you care about this woman, right? This isn’t just about getting into bed with her?”
Mouth suddenly dry, Steve nodded. “She’s important, Liz.”
“Then you do this right. And walking her to the door is a good move. So come on.”
He thought about getting the door for her, but she was already halfway out of the truck by the time his feet hit the ground. Instead, he waited for her at the front of the vehicle, unable to wipe the smile off of his face as she joined him. They walked up the door at a leisurely pace, enjoying the cool breeze of the night. Stopping in front of her door, Elizabeth turned to face him, and Steve mirrored her actions.
“And this is where you would need to decide if you’re going in for the kiss,” she said.
“Would I go for it?” he asked.
She gave a little shrug. “Depends on how the date went.”
Steve nodded, looking out at the road for a moment before turning his attention back to her. “Based on tonight’s date?”
She took in a deep breath that he heard. “Based on that...you would go for it,” she said quietly. When neither of them made a move, she gave him a nervous smile. “But I’m already inviting you in for ice cream, so...” She pulled her keys out of her purse and started to unlock the door. “Oh, and I should probably mention that ice cream, coffee, wine...those may or may not be euphemisms for sex. You’re just gonna have to play that one by ear.” She froze. “I actually have ice cream, though,” she said hurriedly, flashing him a nervous smile.
Steve was too busy grinning to say anything to that. Following her inside, he watched as she flipped on some lights and set her purse down. Then she led him into a kitchen and he perched himself on one of the counter stools, continuing to watch her while she pulled out a carton of chocolate ice cream.
“Beer too?” she asked, opening the fridge.
“Sure.”
He knew that he needed to stop staring at her before she turned around, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away. When she eventually did turn to face him, her expression softened and she set the beers down on the counter.
“One more pointer,” she said quietly. He thought he heard something almost sad in her tone. Stepping forward, she reached for the top button of his shirt. “Don’t button this up all the way.” She slid the button out from the hole, opening up the neck of his shirt. “Trust me.”
Steve wasn’t sure when his breathing had gotten so heavy, but he imagined it was around the time his eyes settled on her mouth. Her hands stilled, lightly gripping the edges of the fabric, and he just couldn’t take it anymore. Shifting forward suddenly, he captured her lips with his, not leaving any room for interpretation. His arms wound around her waist and pulled her between his knees, praying that she wouldn’t pull away.
And she didn’t. There was a quiet sigh and then she was kissing him back, matching his fervor and then upping the ante. Her hands clutched at him, moving from his shoulders to his arms and then up into his hair, her nails lightly scratching at his scalp and making him shiver. When he eventually pulled back, he focused his attention on the side of her neck, kissing across the skin until he could pull an earlobe into his mouth.
That was when Elizabeth pushed away. She put a good two feet of distance between them, one hand on her chest as she struggled to catch her breath.
“Steve,” she said. “This...this wasn’t real. I’m not...I’m not her.”
Something in her voice caught and it nearly broke his heart. “Yes you are.”
That made her pause, and she stared at him, not understanding. “What?”
His mouth was suddenly dry again, and a small voice in the back of his head told him to shut up now before he did permanent damage. But he heard that break in her voice again and he couldn’t do it.
“This wasn’t a fake date,” he said quietly, his voice low. “At least...not for me.”
“Oh.”
It was breathy and sounded more like a sigh and Steve tried to dissect it, to understand what it meant, but then Elizabeth was moving forward and she was kissing him again. It was slower this time, but deeper, her tongue moving against his like she was mapping the contours of it. Steve let out a deep moan when she pulled away again, but this time she stayed within his arms and he started kissing her shoulder, slowly sliding the thin strap of her dress to the side. Elizabeth tangled one hand in his hair and he felt her shiver.
“How long?” she whispered.
It was Elizabeth, and he knew what she meant. “Since you came to the island.”
She let out something that sounded like a mingled laugh and cry, kissing the top of his head. “Don’t ever make me wait that long again.”
His right hand came up to slide the other strap down as he met her eyes and shook his head. “I won’t.”
Taking his hands, she guided them to the side of her dress and he found the zipper beside the swell of her breast. He let his fingers linger there, earning him another breathy sigh.
“I’m pretty sure this is breaking proper first date etiquette,” he joked.
Elizabeth placed her hand over his and together they slowly moved the zipper down. “I’m inviting you upstairs,” she quietly. “That makes it okay.”
He leaned in to kiss her again, one hand sliding under the dress and across bare skin. “I’m accepting,” he whispered.
She led him upstairs.
Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Elizabeth Weir
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Steve and Liz have been friends for years. So when he admits that he has strong feelings for someone but is nervous about the actual date part of it, Liz offers to help him through it.
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
“So tell me about this girl.”
Steve chuckled, looking away as he continued to chew his sandwich. Elizabeth was giving him that look, the one that said she wanted to know everything he wasn’t telling her. It was easy to forget sometimes that she had been a highly sought-after negotiator on a global level. He was reminded of it now, though, as she leaned forward across the table and gave him an intent look.
Swallowing, he shook his head. “No way.”
If it had been anyone else, he would have said that she pouted. Elizabeth Weir did not ‘pout,’ though.
“Oh, come on! How can you possibly keep this from your oldest friend?”
“It’s because you’re my oldest friend that I’m not telling you anything,” he shot back. “Years from now you’ll remember this and hold it against me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said airily. Then she gave him a smile that was warm and sincere. “You really seem to like her, whoever she is.”
Steve looked down at his plate, shrugging and nodded all at the same time. “Yeah, I do.”
“So you’re gonna ask her out?”
He gave her a pained look. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve asked a woman out on a date?”
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. “Cath doesn’t exactly count, does she?”
“No. She doesn’t count.”
“It can be nerve-wracking, but it’s not that difficult. Just ask her if she wants to get something to eat. Or a drink. Drinks are casual and easy.”
“It’s not the asking that’s the problem.”
She stared at him for a moment. “It’s the actual date, isn’t it? You’re afraid to go on a date!”
Steve cleared his throat uncomfortably. “You could be a little nicer about it, you know.”
Elizabeth grinned - a particularly dangerous sight if you knew her well. “I’m about to be positively selfless,” she said, leaning in closer. “What are you doing tonight?”
He frowned. “I was planning on surfing.”
“Not anymore.”
His eyebrows rose. “Oh? And what am I doing instead?”
She paused for a beat. “You’re taking me out on a date.”
Steve nearly choked on his water, coughing and setting the glass back down carefully. “Excuse me?”
“You are taking me out on a date. I can’t exactly give you any advice until I see how rusty you are.”
He stared at her. “You’re serious.”
Her smile faded a bit, and he thought he something akin to sadness in her eyes. “You and I go out to eat all the time. This time we’ll just dress up a little and you pretend that you’re trying to impress me. It won’t be that bad, will it?”
“I like having dinner with you,” he said firmly, the response automatic and true. “You’re certainly better company than Danno.”
“Well, I should hope so.”
“Prettier, too.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Don’t tell him that!”
Steve laughed, too, and he felt some of the fear and tension easing out of him. Straightening up in his chair, he looked at her fondly. “What time should I pick you up?”
She nodded. “Good start. Be at my place at six?”
“I’ll call if any criminals decide to ruin the party.”
“God help any of them that do.”
Steve laughed and dug back into his sandwich, trying not to stare at his friend or freak out about the evening to come.
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Standing outside of Elizabeth’s house, Steve tried not to fidget. He should not be this nervous. He and Elizabeth had been friends for almost fifteen years. She knew him better than anybody, and that was impressive considering that Danny was like his brother. This wasn’t anything special. They were just two friends going out to dinner on a fake date because she was taking pity on him.
Except that it absolutely wasn’t a fake date to him.
Looking down at his jeans and dark blue button-up one more time and wondering if he had dressed up enough, he raised one hand and knocked on the door.
A few moments later, Elizabeth answered, wearing a red dress that hugged her body and still managed to be completely classy. Her hair was swept up and there was a matching bag clutched in one hand as she smiled at him, shaking her head.
“I don’t know how you manage to make jeans dressy, McGarrett.”
He almost blushed. “Sorry, I didn’t -”
She shook her head, still smiling as she closed the door behind her. “I’m serious. Anyone else would look like a slacker who underdressed. But you...you manage to make them look dressy.” She paused, seeing that he was still flustered and confused. “I’m giving you a compliment, Steve,” she said gently. “You look good.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck. He was pretty sure the blush was visible now. “You’re beautiful,” he replied softly.
Her smile widened. “See? You’re not so rusty,” she murmured.
“You don’t exactly make it difficult.”
“The right person usually doesn’t.” Seeming to realize the implications of what she said, Elizabeth shook herself slightly. “We ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
Steve wasn’t sure what he had been expecting from the evening, but he quickly forgot that it was supposed to be a fake date. Elizabeth never corrected him or told him that something wouldn’t fly with another woman. They didn’t discuss either of their love lives at all. Instead, the conversation flowed between them just as easily as it always did, shifting from work to friends to strange little things they’d seen throughout their day without any awkward silences.
This was one of the reasons he and Elizabeth had gotten so close in the first place, and had stayed friends throughout the years. It wasn’t really a secret that Steve didn’t do interpersonal communication well. He was good enough to get by in casual situations, but if he was asked personal questions or was expected to express his feelings, he generally came pretty close to a panic attack. That turned out to be a problem with most women he might have dated. Those things were par for the course in a normal relationship, and Steve just always found himself tongue-tied or hyperventilating. Or both. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
But things were easy with Elizabeth. She’d ask him questions about his thoughts and feelings, or about his family growing up, but she never pushed. She never grew disgruntled if he shut down on her. She never accused him of being emotionally distant. She just let him be, and that made him feel more comfortable about sharing the things that he did with her.
The night went too quickly for him. Glancing down at his phone as they walked back out to his truck, he was surprised to see that they had spent almost three hours in the restaurant, sipping at their wine and talking. Dinner had been good, but his stomach was starting to think that maybe it wanted something else as well.
Elizabeth smirked when she heard the rumble and looked over at him as he buckled his seatbelt. “I’ve got ice cream back at my place.”
Steve breathed out a laugh. “Ice cream sounds really good right now.”
When they pulled into her driveway, Elizabeth held up a hand. “We should pause here and discuss first date etiquette.”
Turning off the truck, Steve sat back in his seat. He was hoping Elizabeth had forgotten the fake date part of this.
“Fair enough,” he said. “I would walk you to your door, wouldn’t I?”
She gave him a slightly surprised smile. “Yes, you would. I’ve had a few dates where the guy thinks the car is a great place to grope and try to weasel his way into the house.”
Steve scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face. “I can’t say I haven’t been that guy.”
He was relieved when she laughed at that so easily. “And I’m not saying that it doesn’t have its place. But you care about this woman, right? This isn’t just about getting into bed with her?”
Mouth suddenly dry, Steve nodded. “She’s important, Liz.”
“Then you do this right. And walking her to the door is a good move. So come on.”
He thought about getting the door for her, but she was already halfway out of the truck by the time his feet hit the ground. Instead, he waited for her at the front of the vehicle, unable to wipe the smile off of his face as she joined him. They walked up the door at a leisurely pace, enjoying the cool breeze of the night. Stopping in front of her door, Elizabeth turned to face him, and Steve mirrored her actions.
“And this is where you would need to decide if you’re going in for the kiss,” she said.
“Would I go for it?” he asked.
She gave a little shrug. “Depends on how the date went.”
Steve nodded, looking out at the road for a moment before turning his attention back to her. “Based on tonight’s date?”
She took in a deep breath that he heard. “Based on that...you would go for it,” she said quietly. When neither of them made a move, she gave him a nervous smile. “But I’m already inviting you in for ice cream, so...” She pulled her keys out of her purse and started to unlock the door. “Oh, and I should probably mention that ice cream, coffee, wine...those may or may not be euphemisms for sex. You’re just gonna have to play that one by ear.” She froze. “I actually have ice cream, though,” she said hurriedly, flashing him a nervous smile.
Steve was too busy grinning to say anything to that. Following her inside, he watched as she flipped on some lights and set her purse down. Then she led him into a kitchen and he perched himself on one of the counter stools, continuing to watch her while she pulled out a carton of chocolate ice cream.
“Beer too?” she asked, opening the fridge.
“Sure.”
He knew that he needed to stop staring at her before she turned around, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away. When she eventually did turn to face him, her expression softened and she set the beers down on the counter.
“One more pointer,” she said quietly. He thought he heard something almost sad in her tone. Stepping forward, she reached for the top button of his shirt. “Don’t button this up all the way.” She slid the button out from the hole, opening up the neck of his shirt. “Trust me.”
Steve wasn’t sure when his breathing had gotten so heavy, but he imagined it was around the time his eyes settled on her mouth. Her hands stilled, lightly gripping the edges of the fabric, and he just couldn’t take it anymore. Shifting forward suddenly, he captured her lips with his, not leaving any room for interpretation. His arms wound around her waist and pulled her between his knees, praying that she wouldn’t pull away.
And she didn’t. There was a quiet sigh and then she was kissing him back, matching his fervor and then upping the ante. Her hands clutched at him, moving from his shoulders to his arms and then up into his hair, her nails lightly scratching at his scalp and making him shiver. When he eventually pulled back, he focused his attention on the side of her neck, kissing across the skin until he could pull an earlobe into his mouth.
That was when Elizabeth pushed away. She put a good two feet of distance between them, one hand on her chest as she struggled to catch her breath.
“Steve,” she said. “This...this wasn’t real. I’m not...I’m not her.”
Something in her voice caught and it nearly broke his heart. “Yes you are.”
That made her pause, and she stared at him, not understanding. “What?”
His mouth was suddenly dry again, and a small voice in the back of his head told him to shut up now before he did permanent damage. But he heard that break in her voice again and he couldn’t do it.
“This wasn’t a fake date,” he said quietly, his voice low. “At least...not for me.”
“Oh.”
It was breathy and sounded more like a sigh and Steve tried to dissect it, to understand what it meant, but then Elizabeth was moving forward and she was kissing him again. It was slower this time, but deeper, her tongue moving against his like she was mapping the contours of it. Steve let out a deep moan when she pulled away again, but this time she stayed within his arms and he started kissing her shoulder, slowly sliding the thin strap of her dress to the side. Elizabeth tangled one hand in his hair and he felt her shiver.
“How long?” she whispered.
It was Elizabeth, and he knew what she meant. “Since you came to the island.”
She let out something that sounded like a mingled laugh and cry, kissing the top of his head. “Don’t ever make me wait that long again.”
His right hand came up to slide the other strap down as he met her eyes and shook his head. “I won’t.”
Taking his hands, she guided them to the side of her dress and he found the zipper beside the swell of her breast. He let his fingers linger there, earning him another breathy sigh.
“I’m pretty sure this is breaking proper first date etiquette,” he joked.
Elizabeth placed her hand over his and together they slowly moved the zipper down. “I’m inviting you upstairs,” she quietly. “That makes it okay.”
He leaned in to kiss her again, one hand sliding under the dress and across bare skin. “I’m accepting,” he whispered.
She led him upstairs.