A/N: The more I watch this scene, the more I wonder why the camera panned to Steve so many times, and so this was born. I haven't written in forever so apologies if this sounds a bit off.

Dedicated to everyone out there who is a McKono fan :) Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: The usual

Promise

"I'm going with you," Kono says as Adam is getting ready to board the ship.

"No no no, you can't go with him- we just cleared your name," Danny says, gesturing to the rest of the team.

Kono shakes her head, and turns to face Danny. "I'm not leave Adam."

Steve starts, unsure if he heard correctly. "Okay Kono, c'mon, you can't be serious?" Even Adam is looking at her questioningly. When Kono doesn't answer, he presses on. "You're not actually considering this, are you?"

Kono opens her mouth to reply, but Chin beats her to it. "No Steve, don't stop her." He has a look of understanding across his face, as if he had been expecting something like this to happen. Chin walks towards his cousin, and holds her close to him, whispering in her ear,

"Follow your heart."

Kono's expression crumbles after that, and she moves her arm to give Chin a half hug. Steve is still in disbelief, his eyes darting from Kono and Chin to Adam. Were they really just going to let her go? After everything they went through to clear her name?

"I'll take good care of her," Adam says to Chin as they shake hands. Steve shakes himself out of his reverie, glancing between the two. Why didn't Chin stop her? The two cousins share a look, and Kono gives Chin a nod as if to say, I'll take care of myself. He smiles at her, before turning his back on the team and taking a deep breath. Steve's eyes are on the ground, and he hears her approaching him. He lifts his head as Kono says to him,"It's not forever."

Steve nods begrudgingly, and gives her a small smile. "Okay. I'll take that as a promise." He knows from her tone that she's made up her mind, and even though he doesn't like it, he's not going to stop her.

"Promise," Kono says, tears starting to form in her eyes. She moves forward to give him a hug, and gently whispers to him,

"Thank you."

Steve doesn't reply, only holds her tighter, as if to let her know it was okay. He was never good with words, and this was no different. He understands though; she's saying thank you because she knows he doesn't have to let her go- he's the boss, but he's also her friend, and he wants her to be happy. All too soon, they pull apart, his hand lingering on her arm as she moves to says goodbye to Catherine.

He sighs, and looks to the ground in a sign of resignation. Steve's always gotten along so well with Kono, who'd become his protégée. She was like him in so many ways- like chasing down a lead without backup and getting shot - and it just hurt, to have to let her go. There was still so much he had to teach her, and now, he didn't even know when he was next going to see her. He tunes back into the conversation to hear Danny ask jokingly, "Can I go with you guys?" Everyone else laughs while Steve, with his eyes still trained to the ground replies, "That I support." He's trying to make light of the situation, but he can't bring himself to look at her or even crack a smile. Steve was confused. Why was he feeling so sad? Catherine went away all the time and he never felt like this. It was an unfamiliar feeling inside him, something akin to helplessness. Kono was leaving because her boyfriend was on the run, and there was nothing he could do to stop her. It wasn't in his place to do so.

Steve asks his mother for a word, to try and clear his mind a little. He didn't understand why she was going with them, when a phone call could've done the same. And what about the unfinished conversation in his office? Was he ever going to find out what his mother was going to say? How did he know she wasn't just going to disappear again and leave him behind?

"Hey. To be continued," says Doris, looking him straight in the eye as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

That was as close to a promise that she'd be back as he'd get, thought Steve. "Yeah. To be continued." Doris pulls him into an embrace, and he wonders if he's made a mistake, allowing Doris to take Kono and Adam away. They break apart, and Doris turns to walk towards Kono and Adam. "It's time to go," she says, and follows them up the ramp, giving Steve one last look. He manages a small smile and a nod as if to say, I'll be waiting.

Kono turns to her ohana, and Steve gives her one last smile, before his eyes flicker to the ground. Just as she's turning away, he glances up at her again, as if to reassure her that it'll be okay. They'll be here, waiting for her to come back. Just before they board the ship, Kono turns around again, and Steve can feel his façade beginning to crack. On the surface, he looks calm, even somewhat impassive, with a slight furrowing of his eyebrows. Inside however, it's a whole different story.

Nice right cross.
Nah man, that was a love tap.

Kono had grown so much in the last few years. She had to, in order to deal with the pressures of being on the governor's elite taskforce, the incident last year of having being stripped of her badge, and being the rookie of the team. It was a lot to deal with, for someone fresh out of the academy. Steve was so proud of her, for all that she'd achieved, and he wished he'd had the chance to tell her so. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, etching the smile she'd given him into his mind until the day she returned.

Promise.