Title: Weekend Getaway

Author's Note: Posting the last chapter to finish this piece. I have a few multi-chapter stories ready as well, but I'm debating whether or not to go to the trouble of posting them. Readers/comments seem to be waning, and if people aren't interested, I don't want to waste my time.

To those who have been reading and commenting faithfully, thank you so much, I appreciate it so much. Have a great week, and hope your February is going wonderfully! :)

"Leaving is always the worst part," Kono says sadly, coffee in one hand and a bagel in the other as she trails behind Steve to the parking lot the next morning after checkout.

"I guess," Steve agrees, his voice indifferent. But even he glances over his shoulder at the hotel as he puts their bags in the trunk, watching Kono thoughtfully as she finishes her breakfast. "It wasn't that bad."

She shakes her head at him with a laugh as she heads to the passenger's side, sliding her coffee into the cupholder as Steve answers an incoming phone call, nodding at the caller's words as he starts the car.

"We'll be there in half an hour," Steve says, pulling out of the parking lot with alarming speed. Or would be alarming to someone who isn't Kono. "Less if we don't hit traffic."

"Was that Danny? A case?" Kono asks, and Steve nods as he hangs up.

"Three people murdered in a motel parking lot early this morning," Steve informs. "Probably drug related."

"Glad we didn't stay at that motel," she deadpans, and Steve smiles as he switches lanes, speeding up to get ahead of the morning traffic.

Kono can almost see his vacation self disappearing on her, his mind racing through whatever details Danny's told him as he lays out a plan of approach for what they need to do next, who they should talk to, what hurdles of red tape they'll have to jump clear over to get the information they need. His fingers tap against the steering wheel, mind probably running a dozen different directions at once as his face turns serious, blue eyes observant as ever as they scan the road.

But she can't complain because that's the version of him she fell for first. Slowly but surely, it captivated her, day after day, and she felt herself falling for someone she never expected to. That was the reason she took a chance on him and dived in, why she accepted that first date, why she kissed him back and eventually invited him in, why she came along on this weekend getaway. It wasn't because she wanted to spend a few days with a different side of him, but because she wanted to know all sides of him, everything about him that fits together to make him whole. There are still layers she doesn't have access to, and maybe she never will to a few of them, but his defenses are weakening and she can feel herself breaching the perimeter. She knows she's making progress every time he looks at her with unmistakable warmth in his eyes.

"What?" he asks with a raised eyebrow as he catches her lost in thought.

"Nothing." Kono shakes her head, smiling at him as she brushes aside her thoughts. "Speaking of Danny, did you end up getting him something?"

Steve grins at that. "Yeah, I sent it from the lounge while you were getting coffee."

"Sent it?" Kono repeats in confusion.

"You'll see."

They make it to the crime scene and become busy canvassing the area, interviewing motel guests, and getting the guest log from the manager. By the time they meet up at headquarters around noon, it feels like a normal, ordinary workday, as if there was no weekend getaway or days off. It feels like a regular Monday morning, right down to the dead bodies greeting them. The hotel room, the candlelit dinner, the elaborate breakfast buffet seem like distant memories. Or, hell, even memories she made up, until someone finally asks and reminds her it wasn't all in her head.

"So, how'd it go? How was your weekend away? I see Steve is back in one piece, Kono, so you must have been able to stand being enclosed in a small room with him for that many days," Danny remarks after they've discussed the preliminary details of the case around the smart table. "Congratulations on that. You're a better person than I am."

"It was nice," Kono says with a smile, avoiding Steve's eyes so she doesn't get lost in erotic flashbacks of the nights they shared, or the mornings, or the showers. "We went to the pool and ate at the hotel restaurant. And we visited this great art show for a photographer from the North Shore."

"Wow, you went swimming," Danny drawls sarcastically. "Why am I not surprised? Such a creative change of pace from what you usually do at home."

"I got you all presents." Danny looks at her with interest at that announcement. "Steve got Grace something, and I found these really cute earrings for Malia, and a train set for the boys," Kono tells Chin. "You can play with it too," she adds to her cousin.

"Thanks, Kono, they'll love it," Chin says brightly with a smile of thanks.

"What about me?" Danny asks with a frown.

"Well, Steve was in charge of your present," Kono replies, and they all turn to their boss for the big reveal.

"Well, where is it?" Danny demands.

"Oh, and get this," Kono says, tossing Steve a teasing grin before she turns back to Chin and Danny with a wide smile, "Steve slept in until eight-thirty one morning."

"Are you serious?" Danny questions, his eyes widening as he looks to his partner for an explanation for his actions. "Is she serious?"

"Really?" Even Chin looks surprised at the revelation as he turns to Steve. "Wow."

"No, I didn't," Steve exclaims, glaring at Kono as he denies it to the guys. "I wasn't asleep-"

"Your eyes were closed," Kono interrupts.

"That doesn't mean I was sleeping! I wasn't," he repeats.

"Do we have to tell the Navy on you? Will you get in trouble?" Danny grins even as he asks the questions in a completely serious tone. "Will they make you give back your Purple Heart?"

"Don't be an idiot," Steve snaps. "I don't have a Purple Heart. Those are awarded from the President to those who have been wounded or-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Danny says, waving away the military trivia. "What'd you get me?"

"Well, you kept reminding me about vacation rules and being normal, so I sent you something when I sent Mary hers," Steve says solemnly, but his blue eyes are twinkling as they meet Kono's across the smart table.

"You sent me something?" Danny asks in confusion, looking at Kono for elaboration. "I don't get it."

"Don't ask me, brah, I was having breakfast," Kono tells him with a shrug.

"You know, what people do when they go away. I sent you a postcard," Steve announces with a grin.

Chin breaks first for once, disguising his laugh quickly into a cough, but Kono just giggles as she watches Danny struggle to form words.

"A postcard? You actually mailed me a fucking postcard? From the Hilton?!"

"Yeah. You should get it in two to three business days." Steve grins, the pride evident on his features at the clever move.

"You are such a jackass, you know that? You were twenty minutes away the whole time!" Danny reminds him. "I could have driven over and had dinner with you if I wanted!"

"Glad you didn't," Kono mutters and Steve flashes her a quick grin at the words.

"A fucking postcard. You know, you are a real piece of work, Steven, you know that?"

"Hold that thought," Steve says before he answers his ringing phone, and Danny tries to maintain his composure as Steve talks to the person on the other end of the line.

"You're supposed to be helping him become a better person, Kono," Danny accuses with a scowl. "This does not count as progress."

"Sorry," she apologizes with a grin. "I'll keep a closer eye on him next time."

"It was Max. Let's go, Danno," Steve announces as he nods for Danny to follow him.

"Don't Danno me, you asshole," Danny grumbles even as he follows his partner across the room.

"You two," Steve calls back to Chin and Kono from the glass doors, "run background and financials for everyone involved."

"Got it," Chin says with a nod, still smiling silently at his teammates' antics.

"A postcard. Seriously, Steve, you are such a fucker, you know that?"

"Well, thanks for the ride, Commander," Kono says to Steve after he pulls into her driveway. "You don't have to walk me to the door. It's not even dark yet, and I do have a gun, you know."

But she doesn't kiss him goodbye because she knows he will escort her anyway, the chivalrous side of him refusing to simply watch from the car to make sure she makes it inside safely. Sure enough, she hears the trunk slam behind her as she makes her way up the front path, and he carries her suitcase to the door, assessing her neighborhood quickly to check everything is clear and there are no signs of disorder.

She grabs the stack of mail gathered in her mailbox, giving him a smile as she unlocks the front door. "You didn't mail me something, did you?"

Steve grins as he follows her inside, shaking his head and letting out a low chuckle. "No, just Danny and Mary Ann."

"Ah, home sweet home," Kono sighs as she switches her living room light on, setting the room aglow and glancing around the familiar furniture. "I'm going to miss room service. And that massage I never got to enjoy," she mentions with a glare over her shoulder that Steve ignores.

"You don't need room service. I'll cook for you," Steve says as he follows her into the bedroom and leaves her suitcase in the corner for her to unpack later.

Kono smiles at that as she sets her badge and gun down on her bedside table. "What time do you wake up to deliver? Eight thirty?"

"Kono," Steve begins sternly, "I told you, I wasn't sleeping."

"Right, of course not, I apologize." She laughs as she comes around to the other side of the bed, pushing him down so they're tangled in a jumble of limbs on her bedspread. She drapes herself over his side to look into his sparkling blue eyes. They're twinkling in amusement despite the seriousness of his words. "You were surveying the room with your eyes closed."

"Exactly," he says with a nod but even his lips twitch as he looks at her, his hand warm against her waist through the thin fabric of her shirt.

She curls into him, her body aligning itself to the hollow spaces of his, her curves settling into place easily after the last few months together, and especially after the weekend spent constantly at each other's side. A pang runs through her at the thought of his truck parked outside and how he'll get in it and drive home, effectively leaving her alone for the first time in days. She's gotten used to him being there - looking up and seeing him on the other side of the room, turning to him to comment on something or ask a question, falling asleep to the lull of his heartbeat and the feel of his warm palm rubbing circles on her back, observing the play of emotion in his blue eyes and searching for that quick flash of a fond smile directed her way when he thinks she's not looking. She wonders if she looks at him the same way too; she wonders if he notices.

But with that military training of his and his superior observation skills, it'd be hard for him to miss it.

"What are you gonna do now?" Steve asks softly, and she thinks maybe he's having trouble saying goodbye after spending the last few days together too. His fingers rub lazily at her side, as if he's silently telling her he doesn't want to return home to a big, empty house. Or maybe she's simply reading too much into it.

"Well, I was thinking of meeting Abby for drinks, maybe stopping by my mom's place to give her the necklace I bought. Well, you bought," Kono clarifies with a quick smile at the memory of them in the gift shop arguing over who pays for what.

Steve nods, making a movement as if to get up from the bed. "That's nice. I should go."

But Kono only pushes him back down to smile at him reassuringly. "But since it's a slow day on a new case and we're still waiting for lab results, I should probably take advantage of your free time and spend a few hours making out with you. What do you say?"

Steve laughs again, his chest rumbling with the vibration as it reaches to her own body, hands wrapping around her waist to pull her more snugly to his side. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Good to hear." She leans down to kiss him, her lips warm over his and she hurries to set the pace of the slow, heated kiss before he takes over. The man has a penchant for seduction, but no patience for letting her take her time. Her arms rest at his shoulders as she tilts her body into his, lips moving over his again and again, hips rocking into his unconsciously. His hands tangle in her soft hair, smoothing aside strands with care, like she's something fragile, like she's someone he should be thankful for. The skin of his cheeks is smooth as it brushes against her own, and she turns her face to let him drop kisses on the curve of her cheek. "I'm gonna miss the scruff," she says sadly, her hand cradling the line of his jaw that he'd shaved for work this morning.

"Yeah?"

Kono smiles as she meets his blue eyes. Fondness for her is visible in them right now, even when she's not turned away, and her heart races a little faster even as she tries to act normal. "Yeah."

"Well, there's always weekends," he tells her, angling his body so he has her pinned to the bed with his weight on top of her. "And we can go away again. I get a birthday every year, you know."

Kono beams inside at his words, at his reference to future weekends and future getaways, at the idea that next year will roll around and she'll still be at his side. Her stomach lurches with pleasure at the thought that she's the one person he can think of to accompany him. She hurries to speak quickly in case he realizes the magnitude of his words and takes them back, or stumbles over the rest of the conversation in nervousness at what he's disclosed and how much of himself he's revealed.

"Already planning to take time off work again? I think I've ruined you," she says proudly, and he flashes a quick grin as he bends to kiss her again.

"By my calculations, you were naked more time than not the whole weekend," Steve comments with a shrug, "so I'm all for it."

She shoves at his shoulder playfully but he only laughs, not budging as his body settles over hers. He kisses her, lips pressing over hers as his tongue swipes at the roof of her mouth. She moans and pulls him closer, their legs tangling together in a gesture of ease.

"I'll get you into a bubble bath sooner or later," Kono warns, her legs sliding over his own denim-clad ones.

Steve looks up to scoff at her, chuckling and shaking his head in amusement, the glint of a challenge clear in his blue eyes. "No way."

"We'll see," she whispers in his ear, as her hand drops to the waistband of his jeans, enjoying the way he tenses in anticipation, waiting to see what she'll do next. He groans as her hand starts to work on the top button and she makes sure to touch him more than necessary.

The last coherent thought that runs through her is that it's going to be a bitch having to think of birthday gifts for him because it's not like she can tap into the black market and put in an order for a new assault rifle or a dozen hand grenades. She's going to have to put some thought into it. But from the way his lips slide down her neck to that spot he knows she's most sensitive, the way his hand slips up her shirt gently to remind her she's still setting the pace, she knows he will be worth the effort.

Steve pauses at the doorway much later that night as if he doesn't want to leave, and Kono lingers over the goodbye kiss like she doesn't want to let him. But eventually his truck disappears down the street and it takes her longer than it had the previous nights to fall asleep without the warmth of his bare chest to lean against, without his hand rubbing soothing circles at the small of her back.

She leaves unpacking her suitcase for later. Unpacking is always the worst part of coming home.

the end ~