The warm breeze filtered through the open window, bustling the white drapes over the windows of Steve's room. The dawn sun had started to filter through, casting its gentle light over his exposed back and shoulders and softly illuminating a slither of his face as he slept. His arm gently wrapped over Catherine's slight frame as she lay next to him, studying his peaceful expression.

"Hey…" she whispered before she kissed him on the lips softly. Reluctant to disturb him but she had no other option. "Steve…" she whispered again, repeating the kiss.

His lips thinned into a boyish grin but his eyes remained closed.

"It's nine o'clock, you were supposed to be at work 30 minutes ago." She continued.

"I'm on vacation." He mumbled sleepily.

She smirked as she sat up, reaching out for one of his shirts and carefully wrapping it around her before buttoning it up. "You promised Danny you'd go to the weekly briefing with the Governor."

Steve exhaled a heavy sigh before opening his eyes. "I did, didn't I?" he said as he turned on his side.

"Besides, I have so much to do before we go away this afternoon." She said as she leant down and kissed his lips one more time. The kiss deepened as he rolled onto his back and pulled her onto him. "Steve…" she laughed as she broke away from him. "Enough already."

He watched her stand up, grab her hair tie from the night stand and pull her hair back into a pony tail. He pushed himself up to lean back against the bed head. "So… what we were talking about last night… you still feel the same way?"

"You think I would change my mind so soon about something like that?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't." he answered nervously.

She smiled softly. "And I was hoping you'd say that." She nodded as she leant down and kissed him on the lips one last time. "Everything I said last night, I meant. It's what I want."

He tried to quell the overwhelming delight he felt, fearing he may look slightly needy, but it was impossible for him to completely suppress. His eyes lit up and his smile broadened.

"I will meet you back here at 1400hrs. Ok?" she whispered before grabbing her coat.

"Yes ma'am." He nodded as he watched her disappear.

H50

Steve walked casually into the 5-0 office followed by a ruffled looking Danny.

"How did it go?" Chin asked.

"I thought it went well." Steve nodded innocently.

"You thought it went well?" Danny hissed. "That's because you giving a 'please explain' to the Governor about how you managed to cause a multiple car pileup on the Ala Moana Boulevard, complete with automatic weapon fire, is normal to you. That, my friend, is why I am two seconds away from having you committed. It's not normal, Steven, not normal at all."

Kono raised her eyebrows.

Steve smirked.

"You're smiling again… It's making me nervous." Danny pushed.

"We got anything?" Steve asked.

"Nothing." Chin shook his head. "The streets are quiet."

"As will this office be for seven beautiful days whilst you go play survivor in the jungle." Danny answered.

"Ok… well I'll grab some of my things and head on out then." Steve nodded before heading to his office.

"Is anyone else unnerved by his aura today?" Danny asked as he looked back at Chin and Kono.

"It is kind of strange that he seems so calm about leaving this place for a week. We're usually pushing him through the door to take time out." Chin nodded. "But I don't think you should knock it."

"I agree… but he's usually only this goofy when he's about to do something crazy." Danny nodded.

"Well you're the detective without a case, Danny." Kono nodded. "Go ahead… go question him."

"I will." Danny answered seriously.

"You do that." Chin smirked.

Danny headed over to Steve's office, pushing open the door and glancing back as it closed behind him. "So…" he cleared his throat. "What's going on? Anything you want to talk about?"

Steve glared at him with a smirk. "Talk about?"

"Yeah you know? Chat, gossip, have a conversation… chew the fat." He answered.

"Danny, you just got done yelling at me for my work place conduct and now you want to have a chat?" Steve grinned.

"There it is again… that grinning. I don't like it, Steve… I don't know if I should be rejoicing that somewhere in that crazy mind of yours something is making you happy. Now in any normal person I would be thinking it would be thoughts of kittens or puppies, long strolls down a beach at sunset… but your mind I'm leaning toward AK-47's and hanging potential suspects, or work colleagues, off the roofs of 10 story buildings."

"I going to ask Catherine to marry me." Steve replied casually as he pushed his laptop in a bag.

"Woah… you're what?"

"I…" he started as if he was speaking to someone who had trouble comprehending English. "Am going to ask Catherine to marry me."

Danny frowned. "I never thought I would see the day where I would have preferred you be thinking about AK-47's."

"Thanks for your unwavering support Danny." Steve nodded. "I thought you would approve?"

"Of Catherine? Yes. Of you, anyone, making the leap into matrimony, not so much. That shouldn't come as a shock to you though, right?" he shuffled on his feet as Steve glared at him. "I truly commend Catherine for taking you on. I mean with us… it was more a necessity, thrown together because our worlds collide and I've spent the past four years trying to get away from you… but with her, she has made calculated choices and somehow she found a side to you, which remains elusive to me, that's appealing."

"She wants to have kids."

Danny opened his eyes wide.

"Go on…" Steve nodded.

"What?" he shrugged.

"Say what you want to say. Me, have kids… go ahead Danny… say it."

"I wasn't going to say anything." He argued.

"Sure you were. Something along the lines of, you're useless with kids, you're not right in the head to be bringing up children, the world is not prepared for miniature versions of me running around. Go ahead."

"If this was a conversation we were having in the week I met you I'd be seriously questioning you, but you've come leaps and bounds since then. I mean you don't completely freak kids out anymore. You're great with Grace… I mean you've watched me enough. That would have helped."

Steve rolled his eyes as he looked away. "You taught me everything I know." He answered dryly.

"Right?" he nodded seriously. "So, no… I actually think you would make a great dad."

Steve slumped down in the chair and leant back.

"You really want to do this?" Danny asked. "Given everything you've seen between me and Chin… given everything this job has done to our relationships?"

"It wasn't 5-0 that split you and Rachel up, Danny… and there is a massive difference between Cath and Malia." Steve responded softly.

Danny could see his words had deflated Steve's excitement and suddenly felt a stab of guilt. "Hey, look… I'm sorry. You're right. There are extreme differences between our relationships." He paused. "You know, if anyone has the chance to make it the distance you guys have it."

Steve's eyes drifted down as he worked through his thoughts. "Catherine is the only person I have ever really connected with, the only one I have ever been drawn to. I want what you've had, Danny. I want what you've still got. I'm tired of being alone. I want to grow up, I want to have a life with her and do everything I can to make it work." He paused. "She makes me happy, more than I ever thought anyone ever could."

"I can see that." He nodded genuinely. "So are you going to take her somewhere nice to pop the question?" he asked.

"Thought I might do it whilst we are hiking."

Danny leant against the back of the chair. "Steve… I know to you, nothing says I love you more than wrestling with leaches and alligators in the Hawaiian jungle."

"There are no alligators in the Hawaiian jungle, Danny…" he replied softly.

"But please, please, believe me when I tell you that she will not thank you for it. Do yourself a favor… make a night of it… do it by the beach, make it special… surf and turf, candles… not in a waterlogged tent lit by a mag light and serving up Military issued MRE's." He pleaded.

Steve smiled before noticing Catherine walking over to the door.

"Hey… can I speak with you for a minute?" She said as she poked her head through the door.

"I was just leaving." Danny nodded.

"What's up? You ok?" Steve asked softly.

She sighed. "Actually, no… I just got a call from a friend."

Steve frowned.

"They've asked me to fly back to the mainland for a few days to help with some intel."

He thinned his lips with disappointment. "Let me guess. You would have to leave today?"

"I can say no if you really want me too, but I did say when I left that I was interested in consulting work… and we did talk about this."

"No, you should go." Steve nodded.

"I should be four days, tops. I'm not cancelling… just delaying for a couple of days."

He stood up, walked around the desk and rested his hands gently on her arms. "Cath, it's fine. Really."

She smiled gently at him, she could see the disappointment but he was so understanding that it made it easier. "Thank you…" she whispered as she kissed him on the lips. "I'll call you when I land. I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled.

Danny walked back in. "You ok?"

"Yeah…" he nodded as he grabbed his bag and put it over his shoulder. "Cath has to go back to the mainland for a couple of days."

"Oh no… so not much 'me Tarzan, you Jane' happening then?" Danny smirked.

"Not for her anyway." Steve replied, grinning as he walked out of the door.

"Steve, you are not seriously going out there on your own." He called out. "What if you fall down a cliff? I mean it's not like you haven't done it before!" he yelled as Steve disappeared.

H50

Three days later.

"You would think that this town would be a buzz of criminal activity when word got out that McGarratt was on vacation. Alas, nothing."

Chin smirked before his smile faded and his focus locked back at a news report on the screen.

"What you looking at?"

"The reports from the attack at the military base in Ohio." Chin replied.

"Oh the bomb?" Danny frowned at the TV as he studied the images.

"They're saying there are 23 dead. Over 40 missing. Since it happened over thirty six hours ago they are losing hope of finding any more survivors." Kono responded.

"Wow." Danny shook his head.

Their attention was drawn to a familiar figure in the doorway as a young woman made her way in.

"Lori." Danny smiled.

"What up, girl?" Kono said as she stood up and hurried over. "You didn't say you were coming for a visit."

"Hey…" Lori smiled thinly.

"What happened?" Chin frowned as he noted the bruises and lacerations on her exposed skin.

She paused for a moment. "I've been trying to contact Steve… I just keep getting his voice mail."

"He's gone native." Danny replied. "He should be back in a couple of days."

"Danny… I really need to find him." Lori answered.

Danny noted her tone and her expression and knew it was serious. "What is it? What's happened?"