A:N/ Hey everyone, I doubt this will be read by many as McWeston hasn't been around since season 2 but I honestly do miss Lori and Steve's chemistry and I preferred it much more to McRollins...ugh... So here I am sitting down on my day off from University writing this while watching season 5 (and weeping at how gorgeous Alex O'Loughlin is). I already have a 35,000 word McWeston story in my documents but I don't know whether to upload yet. But nevertheless here we go, this is just a one-shot for now but we never know how it will turn out. Characters may be OOC (possibly AU) at some point but hey this is meant to be fiction, right? If you enjoy it let me know.
On a glorious spring day in May, the 5-0 team were on their way to attend the wedding of a close worker of theirs. Charlie Fong from the forensic lab was getting married to his fiancee of three years. They had opted for a wedding at a resort in Oahu. The wedding was very simple and elegant - lots of white and cream. Splashes of colour with the flowers. They realised they had the most amazing view so why distract from that. Charlie and his fiancee were to marry in an oceanfront arbour in front of approximately 100 of the friends and family. Steve and his team arrived shortly before the ceremony began. The chairs were placed in rows of 7 on each so Steve, Danny, Kono, Chin Ho, Lou, Lou's wife and the 5-0's new agent Maria were able to sit together. Steve and the new agent had been seeing each other secretly - nothing too serious because they knew it was not acceptable. Both had gone through bad break ups at around the same time which lead them to lean on one another for support. None of the team were aware of this except for Danny, he had known Steve long enough to know when he was hiding something. He also knew Maria was attracted to Steve by the way she would look at him. Rachael, Danny's ex-wife, used to look at him in the same way when they began dating. Lou and his wife were the first to walk down the aisle to the row of seats, they were followed by Chin and then Kono. Danny wasn't too far behind her. Maria and Steve were near the place where the ceremony was taking place talking. She had been hinting that she wanted them to go out somewhere after the wedding but Steve wasn't too sure. To be honest he hadn't been too sure about her for the past couple of weeks. They were colleagues, he was her boss and she was always desperate to be with him. This wasn't what Steve wanted, he just like having someone to talk to after being ditched by Catherine, his long-term on-off girlfriend. Maria's boyfriend had also ditched her by moving half way across the world to Morocco to focus on expanding his business. He told Maria he just needed to call his sister and he would meet her at their seats in a few minutes, putting the phone to his ear as she walked away. Once she was out of sight he put it straight into his pocket. He just wanted some breathing space before they were all stuck together throughout the ceremony and the reception afterwards. No doubt Maria would try and drag him up onto the dancefloor. Steve really wanted to end what they had but today just wasn't the day. He watched as a few more guests walked past and to the rows of chairs near the ocean before slowly making his way there too. He walked carefully trying not to destroy the petal aisle that had been created. He sat down at the end of the row next to Maria.
"Did you manage to get in touch with her?" Maria asked when he sat down as he unbuttoned his jacket.
"No, I just left her a message though." Steve lied facing her before quickly moving his eyes to the view infront of them. The ocean and the mountains and the cliffs ahead of them made a great background for photos. Charlie and his fiancee chose a fantastic spot to have their ceremony.
The ceremony began, they turned and saw a little flower girl walking down the aisle with her small basket of pink and purple petals. She couldn't have been more than three years old so she carefully threw a couple of petals to the ground at a time rather than scattering handfuls. The guests cooed at her and Steve couldn't help but think it was adorable. They watched as three bridesmaids made their way down the aisle. All were dressed in light knee length strapless dresses and sandals. The bodices were cream and the skirts a dusky shade of pink. Steve was positive he could recognise one of the bridesmaids as they made their way down the aisle. It wasn't until he felt Danny poking him that he realised it was Lori Weston. Lori had been the blonde beauty who both Steve and Danny had openly confessed to finding pretty. But she wasn't just a pretty face, she was intelligent, well trained in combat and knew how to shoot a weapon like no other FBI profiler they knew. This time around she wasn't blonde but was now a brunette with slightly longer hair. Her figure had also changed she was healthier looking. She'd clearly gained some weight which had impacted her entire physique for the better. When she worked for 5-0 four years ago, Steve had silent concerns that her small body might not have been able to handle the strain of what it took to be a field agent but she had certainly proved him wrong managing to save her own ass one day and saving his ass the next. Lori hadn't noticed them as she walked by and when she had passed them Steve sighed deeply. He hadn't noticed that he had caught his breath when he saw Lori right before his eyes. After the bride had made her way down the aisle, Steve sat down with his eyes firmly on Lori. He turned his head to the right when he felt Danny patting his knee.
"Did you know...?" Danny nodded his head towards the bridesmaids.
Steve shook his head and shrugged. "Nah why would I?"
Meanwhile Maria was looking back and forth between Steve and Danny wondering who they were talking about.
He should have been watching his friend Charlie marrying the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with but instead he was focusing on one of the bridesmaids. She looked at the couple with such love and admiration. His attention diverted when the flower girl began bouncing around and running around the couple and then back to the bridesmaids. 'Come here.' he saw Lori mouth before smiling. She lifted the little girl into her arms and then began to focus on the wedding happening right in front of her again. The flower girl began to play with Lori's dangling diamond earrings to keep herself amused. She moved her hands to play with Lori's hair. Lori adjusted the girl so that she was sitting inbetween Lori's waist and hip. During the ceremony, Lori was asked to come and read out a speech which was written by Charlie's estranged brother. Hearing Lori's voice for the first time in so long was like a melody to Steve's ears. It took him back to when they had first met in Governor Denning's office. Airy and light with the confidence of a self aware person. Many women get flustered talking to Steve for the first time but not her. She was reading a speech which began with regret but then ended with love, compassion, acceptance and finally wishful thinking. When she finished reading, she handed the card to someone who she assumed was Charlie's father or uncle. Standing back with the bridesmaids and flower girl, she smiled contently when she heard the couple reciting their vows. The ceremony ended and Lori began walking back up the aisle next to Charlie's friend who had been one of his best men. He smiled at the 5-0 team as she walked past and shook her head at Danny. He had a big cheesy smile on his face. She hadn't looked at Steve but she honestly saw them for two seconds and then she was gone.
The reception was taking place in one of the ballrooms in the resort. But before they made their way over there, the 5-0 gathered with their friend Max to have a group photo with the picturesque view behind them. They all walked over to the ballroom. Danny and Steve walking together. Steve had his arm around Danny's shoulders as they spoke between themselves.
"Babe, I had no idea she would be here." Danny said tapping Steve's chest lightly.
"Pfft neither did I, man. I'm there watching these bridesmaids and trying to figure out who the super pretty one was and where I had seen her before."
"She's still cute. How long has it been since we last saw her?"
"She resigned... four years ago maybe..."
Danny looked over his shoulder and then whispered to Steve. "Your girlfriend is coming."
Steve removed his arm from Danny and smacked the back of his blonde head.
"Hey!"
"What was that for?" Maria laughed as she reached the men.
"Danny running is mouth as usual."
"Oh..." Maria replied wondering what he had said. She had seen him looking at her so she thought it was maybe about her and Steve was just protecting her. "That was a nice wedding, right?"
"Yeah, it was nice. Really nice." Danny agreed.
"We're just going to get the gift from our car!" they heard Lou call out from behind them as he walked away with his wife.
"Where's your gift, Daniel?" Steve asked trying to make conversation between them all.
"In my pocket." he tapped his left side. "I got them a gift card."
"For where?" Maria asked.
"The furniture shop around the corner from the lab. It's newly opened with some great stuff."
Steve sighed. "What the hell? So did I!"
"Tough shit. It's too late now. Unless you want to change yours and give them the cash instead."
"I haven't got $100 in cash on me."
"And I don't either. Did you get a card too?" Danny asked Maria.
"Yeah I don't know them well so I just thought I would play it safe with a pretty card."
They had finished the starter and main course and the DJ had invited the guests to take to the dancefloor. Just as Steve thought, Maria tried to get him to join her and Kono on the dancefloor so he politely declined and insist they ask Lou instead. Lou's wife was more than happy to let them whisk her husband away. Steve and Danny sat together talking. Every now and again they would look to the table where Lori was. During the first two meals and first few speeches she was up and down, chasing after the flower girl, helping the frailer guests find their tables or the way to the rest rooms aswell as making sure that Charlie's wife was okay. A few minutes later, they saw her sitting down alone at the table with the little girl in her arms.
"Go talk to her, babe." Danny patted Steve's shoulder. And watched like a proud older brother when he saw Steve gently touching Lori on the shoulder and asking if he could sit down.
"How have you been?" Steve asked.
"I've been great. How are you doing? You look healthier than you did the last time I saw you..." Lori commented.
"I am. I was not in the best place back then. I was just good at ignoring my problems by throwing myself into work. But I'm better now."
"I'm glad. You look so young now." Lori said smiling looking at Steve's individual feature.
"Do you really think so?" he asked rubbing at his freshly shaved face with his right hand.
Lori nodded looking into his deep blue eyes.
"You look amazing." he complimented Lori.
"Thanks." she replied looking away and blushing a little. Lori had never been good with having men compliment her, purely because it rarely happened. They were always intimidated by her. In school, she was great at athletics. She was infact the only girl who went to after school athletics meet ups. She played soccer for the school team. Plus throughout high school, she swan competitively. Not only was Lori great at sports, her intelligence was also outstanding. Graduating with a 4.0 from high school and with honours from university of Penn State.
"I had no idea I would see you here." Steve admitted.
"Yeah I know... I was friends with Charlie's sister in law for quite a while. We actually went to the same college. Then when I came to Hawaii four years ago she called him to make sure I settled down and then we just became friends and have stayed friends since." Lori shrugged like it was no big deal.
"Do you come over often? I mean to become a bridesmaid you and Charlie's wife must be pretty close too."
"It's only been the past year that I've come over every few months."
"Oh I'm surprised Charlie didn't mention anything." Steve mentioned rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah..." Lori sighed and looked down at the child in her arms.
"If you don't mind me asking..."
Lori looked back to Steve. "Go on..."
"Who is this little girl?" Steve asked looking at the girl.
"She's mine and Charlie's goddaughter. She's called Riley."
"Goddaughter?" Steve lifted his brows and looked at Lori.
She nodded and tucked some of the girl's hair behind her ear as she slept. She had beautiful light brown curls and tanned skin.
"Who are her parents?" Steve asked resting his elbows on his knees.
"Um..." Lori sighed. "Do you remember the reading of the speech I did earlier at the wedding?"
Steve nodded.
"That was from Riley's dad - Charlie's elder brother."
"Ohhh I see... what about her mom?"
"Ummm..." Lori sighed again and looked up to the ceiling. "She's my friend from college. Penn State."
Steve watched as Lori's face looked sadder and noticed her holding a snoozing Riley closer to her.
"Is she also in prison?"
Lori shook her head. "Oh no. She, um... passed away six months ago."
"I am so sorry to hear that. I didn't mean to pry about..."
"It's fine, Steve. It's just still sad. Everytime I look at this girl, I'm reminded that she has lost her parents. When she's awake it's okay because she's so jolly and full of life that you forget about all the bad that has happened in her short life but when she's sleeping it just hits me like a ton of bricks again." Lori confided in Steve as she gazed at Riley.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"It all happened too quickly. Carla, Riley's mom, was driving home from work one night. She was on her way to pick Riley up from the babysitters house when a drunk truck driver ran a red light. He smashed into the passenger side door. The force of it all put Carla into a coma. She'd lost so much blood. Her organs were shutting themselves down and after three days in ICU, her life support was switched off. Charlie's brother turned to drink after the funeral. He left Riley every night with the babysitter or with one of his friends. Social services got involved and to stop her getting put into care, Charlie and I agreed as her godparents to have custody. But ultimately she went into the care of Charlie to keep her on the island. 12 weeks after Carla died, Charlie's brother got caught driving three times over the limit he caused a four car collision. He was drunk and high so he got given three years without parole. In two and a half years, Riley won't even remember her dad. She'll go through life as a girl who doesn't remember where she came from." Lori voice shaking a little as she spoke. "I know that Carla chose Charlie and I to be godparents for a reason but I know she didn't expect us to be needed this soon and this urgently. It just..." Lori bit on her lip as a few tears escaped her eye.
Steve wiped her tears tenderly. "I'm so sorry that I made you upset. It wasn't my intention." he said resting his arm around the top of Lori's chair.
"I know, I know. It's my fault, Steve. I'm too sensitive." Lori said breathing in deeply before meeting Steve's gaze for a moment. She looked away knowing she might cry again.
He reached his hand to tuck some of Lori's hair back behind her ear. "We all grieve in different ways, for different lengths of time. There's no need to apologise for how you are feeling." Steve pulled his chair closer to Lori's and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Come here." he whispered.
Lori rested her forehead on Steve's shoulder as her left arm curled around his back and her hand came to rest near his shoulder. Feeling Steve's hand rubbing on her shoulder as he held her close was comforting, she'd had to be too strong too quickly after the death of her friend and hadn't had the support a person who had just lost her friend should have had. Until now. Someone who let her talk. Someone who hugged her. Someone who encouraged her to feel.
Maria and Kono came back to the table after Lou's wife had joined him on the dancefloor. Maria was looking at Steve as he and Lori spoke. She had seen him tuck her hair behind her ear, she'd seen him embracing her and making sure they were close. He'd never taken his eyes of her.
"Who is that?" Maria asked Danny who had also been watching the conversation.
"She is Lori. Our friend from a few years back."
"They seem close." Maria commented slightly bitter that Steve was being openly affectionate to this woman she didn't know.
"Like I said she's a friend from way back. They haven't seen each other for four years."
"Hm... I might go and see if he's coming back?" Maria announced standing up from the seat Steve was originally in.
"Nu-uh." Danny tugged on Maria's arm and made her sit down. "I know you think you and Steve are dating but please leave him."
Maria looked at Danny at a loss. 'Danny knows? Why should I leave him?' she thought to herself.
Lori pulled away shortly afterwards and removed her hand from Steve. He slowly moved his arm from around her shoulders and let it rest on top of her chair.
"How did you cope without your parents?" Lori asked Steve.
"Well, I was much older than Riley when I lost my mom and dad. I don't think it was handled the best way. I was 17 when my dad sent me away. He barely kept in touch and when we did finally have contact it was only about three months before he was killed. With my mom..." Steve sighed and clasped his hands between his legs as he continued to lean forward so that he could look up into Lori's eyes as they conversed. "You don't actually know what happened with my mom."
"What?"
"She was alive all of this time. Remember Joe and I talking about Shelbourne?"
"Yeah I do."
"Shelbourne was my mom's code name. She came back to Hawaii about three or four months after you left the island."
"Ahh!" Lori hissed uncomfortable about the news. "I've never heard of a mother faking her death. I don't know what to say about that."
Steve sat up and shrugged. "I was pretty speechless when I found out too."
"I can imagine. Where is she now?" Lori asked trying to move the conversation away from her and Riley's parental situation.
Steve could tell Lori was becoming less upset and even though they were now talking about his sensitive family subject, he would much rather them to talk about that than upset Lori more.
"She and Joe left the island a year ago. They haven't told me where they have gone they just want to set my mom up again. Somewhere new."
"Do you miss her?"
"Yeah... I'm 36 but after losing her for more than half of my life, I kind of wanted to keep her close. But she's an adult, she can do whatever she wants."
Lori nodded her head in understanding.
"When you come back to the island, how long do you normally spend here?" Steve asked Lori after they were approached by a water offering them both champagne which they both declined.
"About five days."
"You just come over to see this precious girl." Steve gazed down at the two year old who was still sleeping.
"Yeah just for her." Lori smiled.
"How long are you here for this time?"
"My flight back east is the day after Charlie gets back from the honeymoon."
"How about we go out for dinner?" Steve asked. He didn't want this to be the last time they spent time together.
"I would love to but I'm looking after this munchkin all week. I don't like asking other people to look after her. 'Cause you know I barely get time with her."
"Ah yeah of course."
"I would like to spend time with you I just don't know how it will work out right now." Lori replied cocking her head to the left slightly as she gazed into Steve's eyes.
"I could always meet you two at the beach or something." Steve suggested.
"Yeah. Yeah that would be nice." she answered lifting her head up.
Steve looked over his shoulder and saw nearly everyone at his table looking at them. "I think I'm being missed over there." Steve joked facing Lori.
"It seems like you are." she smiled as Steve stood up.
"I better get your number before I leave. I tried calling the one I have for you on your birthday and it said the number wasn't in use."
"You did?" Lori asked holding out her hand for Steve to place his phone in it.
Steve handed her his blackberry. "It was the first time I actually remembered it was your birthday so I wanted to let you know I was thinking of you but obviously I couldn't."
"Awww!" she smiled typing in her number and saving it. "There you go."
Steve met Lori and Riley at the beach during his lunch break on monday. They took a stroll down the shore with Riley a few yards ahead of them.
"Riley's not a fan of the sea so we tend to just stay on the sand but even then she gets fed up of it quickly. You kind of have to play by ear, as soon as you here her complain, it's time to get out." Lori smiled as she kept an eye on Riley.
"I think I was the same at her age. I used to see the ocean as a huge oversized bathtub and the sand used to scratch my feet. I was okay with it when I was 5 I guess - that's when I started surfing lessons."
"Aww I didn't know you surfed! Do you still do it now?"
"Every now and again. Not here though. I'll just go in my backyard."
"Backyard?"
Steve smiled as he looked down at Lori from the corner of his eye. "I have a private beach."
Lori shook her head in amazement. "Really?"
"Mmm, the only house of the road with access to it."
"How did you manage to score that?"
"My dad did. It's his place which he left to me."
"That's nice."
"Lowi, let's build castles." They heard Riley say standing right infront of them.
"Okay sweetie. Where do you want to do it?"
"Here."
"Right here, okay." Riley had chosen a spot which was conveniently located near to Steve's friends shrimp truck. Lori placed the big beach bag she had been carrying on the sand pulling out a medium sized picnic blanket for her to sit on. There was enough space for Steve to squeeze on to.
Riley went routing through the bag for her spade and bucket.
"Riles, before we start can I put some sunscreen on you?"
"No, it's okay."
"Riley, come here, you need it."
"Aww okay." Riley stood inbetween Lori's legs.
"Good girl." Lori quickly finished applying the cream. "We have to do it so you don't burn."
"Burn?"
"Yep, your skin will hurt and it will peel right off."
"Ew."
"Yeah.. you're done. Do you want help making the castle?"
"Nu-uh."
"Alright then. Go ahead." Riley proceeded to take her bucket and spade to a spot a couple of yards away from them.
"So how is work going?" Lori asked rubbing the residue of the cream into her hands.
"It's alright. It's been a slow day today that's why I'm in no rush to get back. Besides they can cope without me." Steve shrugged looking out to the ocean.
"Aww you're ditching work to spend time with me." Lori joked looking down at Steve who was resting on his side.
"Yes I am." he replied looking up into her light green eyes.
"I wish I could just ditch whenever I wanted."
"Where are you working now?"
"I'm back profiling in D.C. I get a few days off every few months to come here due to special circumstances. Other than that you don't get time off unless you are sick in bed or a relative has died. I had to ask six months in advance for these 10 days off."
Steve hissed. "That's harsh."
"It's what happens when you work for the Government though. You guys are lucky that you aren't controlled all the time. You're left to do what you need to do."
"Yeah we are pretty lucky. Luckily we haven't needed a babysitter since you left." Steve joked referencing to a comment Lori had made the first day they met.
Lori laughed and threw her head back slightly. "I cannot believe how we disliked each other when we first met."
"We didn't dislike each other when we first met. I seem to remember you flirting with me in the waiting area." Steve joked biting on his lip waiting on her response.
"I flirted with you?" Lori raised her brow and smirked. "I distinctly remember it was you that couldn't take your eyes off me and I only spoke to you because you were reading a magazine for middle aged women."
Steve laughed.
"How's the scrapbooking been going?" she joked. Steve had waited for her during one of her meetings with the Governor secretly wanting to know what grade she had given the 5-0, but claimed he was only there to finish the article on scrapbooking which he had been reading when he first set eyes on Lori.
Steve smirked and made the 'ok' symbol with his hand.
"Did you really notice me gazing at you?" Steve asked squinting his eyes as he looked up at Lori.
"You couldn't have been more obvious. I caught you three times."
"You couldn't keep your eyes off me either. Don't put this all on me."
"I was trying to figure out 'who is this guy that keeps looking over? does he know me? what does he want?'"
"Hmmm... if you say so." Steve smirked. He pointed to Riley. "I should probably get her some water otherwise the sand won't stick together."
Lori pulled out a toy watering can from the bag. "Why don't you use this?" Lori handed him the pink can biting her lip. It would be funny to see him walking across the beach with it. Steve stood up and sauntered over to the sea squatting down to let the tide fill it.
Steve came to Charlie's place, where Lori was staying, on wednesday night. It had been two days since Steve and Lori had seen each other so he had offered to come and make them dinner. He called ahead to find out what food Riley liked to it. He couldn't just make food for himself and Lori. But she told him that she usually feeds Riley by 6 and puts her to bed at 7pm, so he didn't need to worry about making her food. Steve arrived at 7:30 after picking up supplies from the store near 5-0 HQ.
"Hey." Lori opened the front door and let Steve make his way in. He closed the door and followed Lori down the hall, past the dining room and into the kitchen and lounge area. The kitchen was to the right of them so they headed there first. Steve placed all the bags on the counter.
"Do you want a drink?" Lori asked.
"Yeah what have you got?"
"Everything. What do you feel like?" Lori asked heading to the refrigerator. "Beer, ginger ale, root beer, cola?"
"I'll just have some ginger ale please." Steve replied taking the ingredients out.
"How was work?" Lori asked opening the can of ginger ale to pour into a glass for him before pouring herself a glass of water from the fridge.
"It was alright. We were investigating the death of a young escort and an older man. We managed to get it all done and dusted today."
"Good. What happened?"
"The older man was killed by his soon to be father-in-law because he found out that he was seeing escorts. The young escort witnessed the whole thing from the bathroom and then was killed to try and save the father-in-laws skin.
"Poor girl."
"Yeah..." Steve sighed.
"What are you making for me tonight?"
"I wanted to cook something you couldn't get on the mainland. Have you heard of paella?
"No..."
"Rice and meat and sauce is all combined into one pot."
"Oh like what Komekona does with the 31 varieties of shrimp."
"Yeah pretty much. I'm using land meat rather than seafood."
"Ah I'm looking forward to it."
"Good. Where do you keep the pots?"
"I'll get them for you." Lori walked over to the cupboard near the stove. "Is this big enough?"
"Yeah that's perfect."
Lori placed it on the stove.
Steve filled up the kettle at the sink.
"Do you want me to help with anything?" Lori asked leaning on the kitchen counter.
Steve shook his head.
"Really? What am I meant to do?"
"Just sit here. Keep me entertained. Appreciate my culinary skills."
"I've never had a man cook for me before." Lori smiled as she watched Steve prepare all the food that was to go in the pot. He put three tablespoons on oil into the pot before turning on the stove. Once the oil was hot enough he placed the garlic, parsley, and onion into the pot. He then added the diced chicken breasts in.
"Do you know what this is?" Steve asked holding up some chirizo.
"Steve..." Lori sighed and rolled her eyes. "Have you ever been to the east coast?"
"Nope."
"You should go. Educate yourself. Come back with me if you like."
"What do you mean educate myself?" Steve smiled chopping the chirizo.
"We might not have the best food but I'm pretty sure we know what kinds of sausages exist." raising her brow at him before smirking.
"My bad." he said holding up his hands.
Lori's mobile rang and she casually made her way over to the couch in the lounge. It was her mom from back east. Steve heard them talking about what her mom was doing. When Lori told her that a friend was making her dinner, she could hear her convincing her mom that it was not a date. He heard her say 'my old boss'.
By 9pm, Lori and Steve had finished their meal. He had done a great job. She'd heard stories from Danny that Steve could only cook eggs and steak. She was pleasantly surprised by how well he had managed to blend the flavours. They sat down in the lounge with a detective show on the tivo box. It wasn't like they were watching it though. They just spent time reminiscing over their times in the field together.
"Do you remember breaking that mma fighter's shoulder and you had to take his place?" Lori said pulling her legs up onto the sofa.
"Dislocated. But yeah that was a good night."
"How do you remember it? You knocked your head so hard."
"I just do... I also remember you calling me hot."
Lori giggled and turned her face to the tv. She rested her elbow up on the top of the couch. "Well you are."
"You still think I'm hot?" Steve asked turning his head to try and meet Lori's eyes but she was still looking at the screen.
"Yeah."
"You're the only person who has ever called me hot."
"Shut up. Stop lying." Lori laughed pushing his shoulder.
"Seriously."
"Yeah well you are. Kind of handsome too." she commented looking at him.
"Another adjective that hasn't been used to describe me."
"I'm glad I could be the first." she smiled looking at his lips before looking up to his eyes. She quickly moved her eyes back to the tv.
Further into the show, both Lori and Steve had settled back onto the couch and Lori now had her head resting against Steve's shoulder.
"Do you think things would be different if I hadn't resigned and was still a part of 5-0?"
Steve nodded. "Yeah.." he sighed.
"Different in what way?"
"I would like to have thought that we started dating at some point. Even though co-worker relationships are discouraged, it would have been worth it with you."
Lori lifted her head when she heard him say that.
"Remember when we went to run the Koko Head stairs and you hurt your ankle?"
Lori nodded.
"I kind of just wanted to hang out with you away from the rest of the team. But then you went and tripped. Cutting that short."
Lori smiled and pushed Steve's arm playfully. "Yeah short but sweet, huh? What else?"
"We probably wouldn't have Maria working with us? Or Lou."
"I don't know who they are."
"You'll meet them soon enough."
"I will huh? When do you think that will happen?" Lori asked biting her bottom lip gently.
"The night before you fly out. I'll try and get them to do something. We normally go for drinks at this roof top bar in Waikiki."
"Okay that sounds nice."
"And then we'll go for dinner afterwards."
Lori smiled and raised her eyebrows. "We will, will we?"
Steve smirked. "I'm just trying to make up for four lost years here."
"You making all these plans is just making you even more attractive. Good job, Steve..." Lori couldn't stop looking at Steve's lips.
Steve took Lori's face in his right hand. She looked up at him and bit on her lip lightly as she waited for what he was planning on doing next. She smiled when he leaned in to kiss her. Lori licked her lips and waited in anticipation for his lips to finally be on hers. When they kissed, Lori felt sparks fly, and Steve felt at home. He felt like this was the right thing to do, he was in the right place, finally with the right girl. It wasn't long before they heard Riley calling out for Lori. She pulled away and hopped off the couch. She met Riley at the bedroom door.
"You okay, Riles?" she asked picking her up. Riley had her head tucked into Lori's shoulder. She came back to sit down next to Steve. "What happened sweetie?" she asked.
"I had a bad dweam."
"Aww baby. It's okay. What happened?"
Riley looked up from Lori's shoulder and then saw Steve.
"Do you remember Steve? We were with him at the beach the other day." Lori pointed at him.
Riley nodded her head and rested it on Lori's chest still looking at Steve.
"Hey Riley, do you want to tell me about your bad dream? I'm a policeman, so I'm really good at listening to stories."
Riley looked up at Lori who was nodding at her. "Okay..."
It was sunday evening and it was Lori's last night on the island. After sorting out some work related papers at home, he drove over to the Fong's residence. Steve knocked on Charlie's front door.
"Steve?" Charlie said aloud as he opened the door.
"Hey Charlie." Steve held out his hand to shake.
"How are you?" Charlie asked stepping back. "I'm guessing you're here to see Lori."
"I'm great and yes I am. Is she home?" Steve asked stepping into the house and closing the door behind him.
"She's napping but she'll probably wake soon. She's been in bed for a couple of hours."
Steve nodded as he and Charlie walked further into the house. "How was the honeymoon?"
"Great. It's good to be home though. There's no place like it."
"Yeah I couldn't agree more."
"Just go through." Charlie pointed to the bedroom door as Steve waved to Charlie's wife who was using the house phone in the kitchen.
"Just here?" asking for clarification.
"Yeah Riley is there too. But I doubt she'll wake up."
Steve nodded. "Thanks."
Steve quietly opened the door. He could barely see Lori's face in the bed, he just saw her lustrous brunettle locks all over the pillow. He walked towards the bed and gently pulled the duvet from her face.
"Lori..." he whispered. "Hey wake up." he saw Lori's head move to the right towards his voice. She began to stretch her arms over her head. Her eyes fluttered open. "Lori?"
"Hmm?" she turned onto her side and fully opened her eyes. She hugged onto the pillow underneath when she saw Steve. "What are you doing here?" she asked quietly smiling at him.
"Taking you out like I promised I would." he replied smiling down at her sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Oh yeah... are we going out with the team?" she asked.
"Yeah I told them we'll go for one drink."
Lori nodded sitting up in bed and looking for her hairtie on the side table.
"Then we'll go for dinner."
"Where?"
"There's plenty of restaurants near the roof top bar so we can go anywhere you like."
"Alright, get out of here. Let me get showered and dressed." she smiled stretching out her back.
"Alright. Will they mind me waiting out there?" Steve asked. He was friends with Charlie but had only met his wife at the wedding. He didn't want to intrude on part of their evening.
"Of course not."
Steve parked outside the building where the bar was. To get to it they had to climb stairs at the side of the building. Almost like the fire escape stairs you see on apartment blocks in NYC. The bar was exclusive and they didn't just let any Tom, Dick or Harry there. To gain entry the fee was $50 each or you could become a member and pay a one-off fee of $1000 and get access every day for you and one other. He, Danny and Chin Ho, were the only 5-0 members who had a membership. He flashed the security his membership card and let Lori walk past to start the assent up to the roof first. He wasn't far behind and put his arm around Lori when they reached the top. Steve looked out for the group as they walked past a few couples and girlfriends. They weren't in their usual spot which was at the centre of the bar with easy access to the exit and toilet facilities. Instead they had found some room around the edge of the bar overlooking the whole city. Removing his arm from around Lori, he took her hand in his and led them through a group of burly men who had obviously just finished work. Getting to the group, Steve saw that everyone was there.
"What's up guys?" Steve let Lori's hand go as she stood next to him.
"Better late than never superseal. This was your idea." Danny scowled.
"Um, this one was napping when I went to pick her up."
"Yeah sorry about that." Lori said, apologising to the team. She went to sit on the two-seater chair which was next to Chin Ho.
"Lou, Maria, this is Lori. Our friend from way back." Steve introduced Lori as he sat down next to her. He put his arm around the top of the couch.
"It's very nice to meet you." Lou said leaning forward from next to Chin to shake Lori's hand.
"It's nice to meet you too." Lori replied.
"Is this very pretty lady just a friend, McGarrett? Lou asked still holding onto Lori's hand.
"Um..." Steve looked out for the closest waiter and ushered him over. "Could I get a whiskey please?"
"Honey or no.7?" the waiter asked, they carried different variates of the same whiskey brand.
"I'll try that honey one, please. Lori, what do you want?"
Lori turned to Lou and joked. "When do I get my hand back?"
Lou lowered his head and let her hand go. "I didn't even realise. I'm sorry."
"It's okay." she smiled before turning to the waiter. "Could I just get rum and coke, no ice. Thank you."
"Is that it, Sir?" the waiter asked. Steve looked and the table and saw everyone still had plenty left.
"Yes thank you."
Lori and Steve's attention went back to the group. Lori looked at Danny and then turned to Steve.
"Look at this guy." she pointed to Danny who was raising his eyebrows suggestively at them.
"What?" Steve mouthed to him.
"Are you two are dating now?" he mouthed back before looking to his right to see if Maria was watching.
Both Steve and Lori looked at each other. They didn't even know the answer to that yet. With Lori living in D.C, it would be hard to have a relationship living that far from each other.
"Shut up." Steve mouthed back.
"Lori." they heard Kono call.
"Hey, Kono." Lori smiled relieved that someone had taken their attention from Danny.
"You looked so pretty at the wedding. I loved that dress on you." Kono smiled brightly.
"Aww thank you, Kono."
The waiter arrived with their drinks.
"Thank you so much." both Steve and Lori said aloud.
Lori sipped from her straw and her eyes met with Maria's who was also looking at Lori's. She was taking a long sip on her glass of wine. Lori smiled quickly before looking away back to the rest of the group. They all sat listening to Lou's stories from his time in Chicago. Throughout the story, Steve and Lori were inching closer and closer to each other. Any closer and she would be sitting on him. Steve had unconsciously moved his hands down and was playing with her hair. After twenty minutes, Steve looked at his watch.
"We should go." he whispered. "Make an excuse." if Lori made up an excuse to leave, they wouldn't question it.
"I've had a great time with you all. But I think we'll be late for our dinner reservation if we don't leave." Lori looked to Steve. "Right?"
Steve nodded and moved his arm from around Lori.
"Ahhh no!" Kono exclaimed. "It feels like you just got here."
"I know, I know."
"Are you on the island for long?" Kono asked.
Lori shook her head standing up. "I go back to D.C. tomorrow." she replied picking up her handbag from the ground.
"No!"
Lori smiled. "I'll be back in a couple of months."
"Really?!"
"Yeah I have a goddaughter on the island so I'll be over to celebrate her 3rd birthday."
"Oh that's so nice. Come here." Kono stood up and held out her arms to give Lori a hug.
Lori walked over Chin, Lou and Danny's feet to get to Kono.
"It was good seeing you" Lori mentioned resting her chin on Kono's shoulder hugging her tight.
"You too sister."
"Bye Lori!" Danny said as the girls let each other go.
"See you Danno." she replied looking down at him as she moved by his feet.
Danny put his hands up as if he wanted to hug her too. She leant down to hug him as he stayed seated but instead he grabbed her face and kissed both of her cheeks. "Volo sicuro, principessa." (safe flight, princess)
"Bye big bro." she replied standing straight.
"Big bro?" Lou questioned.
"Yeah when we went out to places together, we'd always get asked. 'Who is the oldest sibling?' Because I'm still so youthful looking..." Danny replied.
"I had blonde hair back then." Lori added walked back over Lou and then bending down to peck Chin's cheek.
Steve looked confused at every goodbye she had made. He was under the assumption that he was the only person she had grown close too.
"It was good meeting you, Lou. You too Maria." Lori smiled before waving at them all and pushing Steve infront of her to start walking.
Keeping her hand on his back, Steve threw his right arm over Lori's shoulder. She looked up at him as they walked. "You okay? You look confused."
"I just didn't realise that you were actual friends with the rest of the group."
"Jealous?" Lori raised an eyebrow and Steve and smiled.
"No.. a little I don't know."
"Aww!" Lori patted Steve's back.
Lori had suggested going to a restaurant called Nobu which was around the corner from the bar. That way they wouldn't have to get back into the car and find a new parking space. They sat near the bar.
"I never got the chance to ask you what you had been up to since you left Hawaii."
"I got my old job back. Then I got a promotion about a month later. I was travelling around the country with my team when we were called but ever since Riley, I've asked to be based just in D.C. I can't risk being in the field now that I have a child to consider."
"I get that. That's why I don't think I could ever be a father. At least not until I retire." Steve admitted.
"Retire? That's kind of dramatic." Lori smiled shaking her head.
"Not retire. Resign. That's the word."
"I don't expect you to retire for a long time though."
Steve nodded his head. "Yeah I mean. I'm 36 so I have time to become a father but I think I still have quite a bit of time left in me to be able to be a part of 5-0."
Lori nodded. "You're lucky that you have time for become a father. My fertility clock is running out."
"You're only a year or two younger than me."
"Men are more fertile than women. They can go on having children into their 60s. Us women aren't so fortunate."
"You don't think you could find someone to marry and have a family with soon?"
Lori shook her head and looked down at the centrepiece on their table. Steve watched her staring at the flowers. He knew that Riley meant the world to her but he also knew that once her dad was out of prison it was likely he would start fighting for custody. In the speech at Charlie's wedding, he had written that he was grateful that Charlie and Lori were so good with Riley and promised to be back as soon as he could be. He sat forward in his seat.
"Hey..." he spoke softly.
Lori looked up directly into his eyes.
"I'm going to cut you a deal..."
"Hello lovebirds!" they heard from behind them. It was Maria.
"Maria." Steve sighed. "You getting some dinner from here?"
"Yes. Yes I am." she looked at him before addressing Lori. "Lori isn't it?"
"Yeah." she nodded.
"You realise that Steve and I had a thing before you showed up."
Lori looked at Steve. "Um, no..." she replied still looking at Steve who was looking between them both.
"Sorry we were still fooling around when you showed up at the wedding. Yeah, it was great and everything but you know it fizzled out..."
"Maria."
"Steve has commitment issues, don't have too much hope." She then walked towards the other end of the bar to order.
Lori and Steve sat in silence for at least eight minutes. Lori watching Maria just waiting for her to leave. Once she left, Lori spoke up.
"I have no right to get mad because we are not dating but were you with her when we were meeting up?"
"She and I have slept together once a few weeks ago. I thought it was a platonic hook up. We were just hanging out. She wanted it to go further but I didn't. She thinks I used her for sex. I called the whole thing off after Charlie's wedding reception and she thinks it's because of you."
"Is it?" Lori asked sincerely concerned about what was going on with Steve.
"If you hadn't come back for the wedding, I would have still called it off. Maybe not so quickly but I was planning on doing it. Spending time with you at the wedding just forced me to get it over and done with."
"That's why I was getting dirty looks earlier. She thinks I've stolen you away."
"Yeah..." Steve sighed.
"You need to get your relationship sorted. You can't have that kind of tension in the line of work you are both in."
"Yeah I know we do. I might have to get Danny to talk to her about it."
"She seems so bitter." Lori commenting biting into her food.
Steve shrugged as he carried on eating too. "I thought I was pretty clear with my intentions and feelings when she and I were hanging out. If they were misconstrued then that's not really my problem. I mean, I've been as clear as day with you for the past week. I'm not that hard to figure out."
"You are... kind of..."
"What do you mean?"
"When I was here first... I tried to profile you... get a read..."
"Oh yeah? What did you find?"
"Nothing. That bugged me so much." Lori laughed lightly. "I kept thinking 'who is he?'"
"You know who I am now though don't you?"
"Oh yeah! This was at the beginning of my time with 5-0."
Steve and Lori walked back to his car after their pleasant meal despite Maria's comments.
"Steve, I have to ask you something."
Steve looked down at Lori as he had his arm around her shoulders.
"Anything."
"Was this a date?"
Steve stopped in his tracks. "It is. That is if you wanted it to be a date. If not, we just went for dinner."
Lori was standing directly infront of him now. Looking down at the floor and then back up to him. "Well I'm not usually one to kiss on the first date but since we've already crossed that bridge..." Lori looked up at Steve through her long lashes. Biting on her lips she stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to Steve's. Steve's hands grabbed at her hips pulling her in. Lori pulled away and blushed. She'd never made the first move with a guy in public. Lori began to walk towards the car - not wanting Steve to see her blushing and smiling like a lovestruck clown. Steve watched her going and smirked. Licking his lips, he jogged to catch up to her.
"Hey." he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She held onto one of his wrists which we hanging near her chest. Moving from behind her to walk beside her now, he reminded her that he had been cut off by Maria when he wanted to run something by her. Lori kept her grip on Steve's right hand wrist as they walked together. Just as he was going to tell her what he was thinking they saw Max walking towards them. Lori let go of Steve's wrist and threw her arms around Max, hugging him tightly. This greeting didn't confuse Steve as much as the goodbye gestures she had with the 5-0 team earlier. Lori and Max were good friends who had hung out together after work hours. She would go over to his house every week for themed movie night. Steve and Danny had also been invited in the past but didn't acknowledge the emails that they had assumed were spam. When they saw Lori leaving her office one evening dressed as Sandy from Grease, and found out the emails were from Max, they immediately regretted it.
"How have you been?" she exclaimed pulling away.
"Very well Miss Weston. How have you been since you left Hawaii?"
"Max, what did I say about Miss Weston. You can call me Lori. Besides I haven't worked for 5-0 for years now. We can kiss goodbye to formalities, right?"
"Sorry Lori."
"It's okay Max. What are your plans for tonight?" Lori asked stepping aside with one of her arms wrapped around him.
"I am on my way to the movies. I have a date."
"Amazing! Who is the girl?"
"She is called Monica and we met at Komekona's truck."
"Wow, well I hope you have a good night." Lori kissed his cheek. "It was so good to see you."
"You too, Lori." Max looked to Steve and nodded his head towards him. "Commander."
Lori and Steve watched him walk away.
"Urgh he is so cute."
"Do I need to be worried?" Steve asked pointing to his chest.
Lori knew he was joking and bit on her lip looking up into his eyes. "No, sir. Now, are you going tell me what you were trying to say earlier?" she began to walk the two metres they were away from Steve's chevy.
Driving Lori home to Charlie's, he proposed that when Lori turns 40, if she was not in a relationship where she believed she could start a family, then she should call him and they would marry and have kids together. As cheesy and unbelievable it sounds when you hear about it on tv shows and movies, Steve thought it was actually a bona fide way for them both to end up happy. Steve was so into Lori that he couldn't even contemplate going off to date someone else. He'd seen the way she cared for Riley which proved that she would be a fantastic mother. But he assumed that Lori wasn't as into him as he was her..yet. That being the reason why he gave her the 5 years to find love for herself before he steps in.
Lori asked Steve if he was being serious. When he said yes she still couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe he would genuinely wait for her to reach 40 and then marry her and have kids with absolutely no problems. He told her that he didn't break his promises to people. This was the most intense promise he had ever made and he was damn sure he was never going to break it.
Stepping out of the car once they reached Charlie's house, Steve had joined Lori on the pavement.
"I think it's so sweet what you have offered to do for me. But I don't think it is fair on you." Lori admitted to Steve.
"I don't meet women, Lori. The only women I meet are at work or at the bar or at work related parties. I've met plenty of women. But none of them..."
Lori gazed up at Steve as he was speaking. He looked phenomenal during the night time. The light of the moon and stars on his skin made him glow, funnily enough. He looked mysterious and that drew Lori to him more.
"They've never captivated me the way you do. From the very first time I saw you, to the time I saw you walking down the aisle, the way you are with Riley... there's something about you which I can't shake and don't ever want to. So if I have to wait 5 or 6 years to possibly be with you for the rest of my life then that will be something I can endure."
Lori was awe-struck. She didn't know Steve was capable of blowing her away like that. She had no clue that he felt that way about her. It was ironic that the last time she had been with him before leaving the state, she had been the one professing her feelings and now it was Steve. Lori found it sweet and strange.
Lori stepped forward to Steve. She took his hand in hers. "You know I come back to the island multiple times a year... what if you didn't have to wait 6 years? Plenty of couples go long distance or spend lots of time away from one another. If you were still in the navy, you would be doing that too." she reminded him.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying let's give this thing a go. Throw caution to the wind. We can call each other, text, and then before you know it I'll be back on the island for a few days. We're not that young anymore Steve. I would like to think I have lots of time to wait but the truth is that I don't want to. What do you think?"
"I think that's the best news I've heard all day. I don't want to wait if you don't want to wait either. You know I'll do anything for you."
"I know." she smiled brightly.
He leaned down to kiss Lori. He wrapped his arms around her tightly as her hands rested on either side of his neck.
It was a picture perfect end to the first date and start of their new life together.
A:N(2): It so happens that this one shot took me four days to write even though when I first started I thought it would be done and dusted a few hours afterwards. I am not 100% happy with it but I can only change it so much. I want to apologise for the repetition of some words which I am sure you have picked up on. I hope it doesn't annoy you too much. If you think McWeston got together too quickly, please remember this was only meant to be a one shot and I didn't want to write more than what I thought was necessary.