CHAPTER SEVEN

Title: "Salvation: Forever and Always: Our Love, Our Legacy"

Author: Michelle Heath

Rating: MA for adult situations and language

Summary: Story #8 in the Salvation series. The Five-0 family face challenges that make them all re-evaluate their lives.

Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the property of the author!

Date Written: September 15, 2011

(When Sam walks up to the front door of their house that evening, it opens before she reaches it and Steve, a mysterious little smile on his face, steps out onto the porch. Before Sam can say a word, he has taken her briefcase and cover from her and placed them just inside the door. When he turns back to face his wife, Sam looks completely confused.)

"Close your eyes, Sam."

(And she does. Seconds later, she feels Steve's strong arms around her lifting her off her feet. Asking her to keep her eyes closed, Steve kicks the front door closed and Sam lays her head on his shoulder as he starts up the stairs. She hears the sounds of one of her favorite CDs getting nearer and nearer and begins to smell her favorite scent, gardenias. Moments later, Steve sets her on her feet but tells her to continue to keep her eyes closed. Puzzled, Sam does as he asks and just enjoys the feel of his hands on her as he gently removes her uniform and underwear, his large hand pausing for a moment on her abdomen as he kisses the side of her neck. She is lifted into his arms again and, seconds later, she sighs out loud as pleasantly warm and gardenia-scented water flows over her body as he carefully sets her down in their jetted garden tub, but Steve still insists she keep her eyes closed. Sam is smiling now but does as he asks. Only when Steve has joined her in the tub, sitting behind her and pulling her back against his muscled chest, his hands resting on her baby bump, does he tell Sam to open her eyes. When she does, the sight that greets her eyes causes her to gasp. Steve had filled their bathroom with white candles of all varieties, short ones, tall ones, round ones, and square ones and they're all emitting a soft gardenia scent and providing soft, subdued light for the bathroom. Steve grins at Sam's reaction to the first part of his surprise and bends his head to kiss her bare shoulder.)

"Thought we'd start with a nice, relaxing bath before dinner."

"Start? What else do you have in mind, Sailor?"

"No, no, no; it's a surprise, Beautiful. Just relax and be a good girl and enjoy your bath."

"Yes, Sir. . . Steve, what. . ."

"Sshhh, no talking; just relaxing."

(And with those words, Steve's hands begin to slowly and gently rub Sam's baby bump and she lets her head fall back on his muscular chest. Their house phone rings and Sam starts to sit up, but Steve gently pulls her back against him and kisses the side of her neck.)

"Let it go, Sam."

"It could be Adm. Henderson or the Governor, Steve."

"They'll wait, Sam. This evening is all about you and me."

(And, for once, Samantha McGarrett decides to push duty aside and follow her husband's lead. Only when the water begins to cool does Steve ease himself from behind Sam, shift her so he can pick her up, and step out of the tub with his precious burden. Standing Sam on her feet, Steve grabs one of the fluffy, white bath blankets and wraps it around his wife. Then he picks her up again and lays her on their bed telling her not to move a muscle while he gets a bottle of her gardenia-scented body lotion from the bathroom. Sam watches him with a small smile on her face as he opens the bottle, pours some of the lotion into his hands and begins to slowly massage it into her feet. He repeats this process until he's covered every inch of her body, being careful of the baby, and by the time he's reached her neck and shoulders, Sam is almost a boneless mass. She is floating in a very pleasant place of total relaxation and moans her displeasure when Steve finally puts the top back on the bottle and returns it to the bathroom. In fact, she has almost drifted off to sleep when she feels her husband's hands on her, once again. Leaning over to place a soft kiss on her slightly parted lips, Steve helps her sit up and then proceeds to help her dress in a pair of peach maternity shorts, a white, eyelet maternity top, and even kneels down to slip a pair of sandals on her feet before pulling on a pair of swim trunks. Picking Sam up in his arms, Steve heads downstairs to the back deck where places Sam on one of the matching loveseats where he has piled several pillows. Grinning at her, he heads back into the house for a few minutes and returns with a tray bearing a huge pitcher of chilled pineapple juice, something Sam has always liked but really developed a taste for since being pregnant, and a tray of fresh fruits, cheeses, and crackers. He pours some of the juice into one of Sam's crystal goblets and hands it to her before returning to the kitchen again. When he comes back out onto the deck this time, he's carrying marinated skewers of filet of beef and fresh vegetables which he places on the grill. Once he's satisfied that everything's taken care of for the moment, he joins Sam and pulls her into his arms. Sam is enjoying this immensely and grins as she settles into Steve's embrace.)

"My surprise is wonderful, Steve; thank you."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, Sam, but I'm not done."

"You're not?"

"No, Ma'am. Just relax and enjoy."

"No problem. . . I love you."

"I love you, too, Sam."

(Minutes later, they are sitting at the glass-topped table on the deck, which Steve has set with Sam's fine china, crystal, and sterling silver as well as a white linen tablecloth and matching napkins. At the last minute, he carries a beautiful arrangement of peach-colored roses and baby's breath out and sets it in the middle of the table. Sam is astonished and humbled. After she was such a witch to Steve, he's gone out of his way to give her a romantic evening. Her heart swells with love for him as she watches him walk from the grill to the table and add some steamed rice with orange glaze to their plates before sitting down close to her. Steve leans toward Sam and their lips have just met in a sweet kiss when the door from the kitchen flies open and Caroline and Danny come rushing out onto the deck stopping just short of the table.)

"Hey, do you two not know how to answer your phone?"

(And Danny is off on one of his famous rants while Steve makes a menacing noise under his breath and Sam giggles.)

"I know what time you left the office, Steven, and Caroline knows what time Sam left the base and we thought we'd call and see if the two of you wanted to go out to dinner with us, but you didn't answer your phone so we called your cellular phones and you didn't answer either one of those, either, and, naturally, Caroline is having all kinds of horrible scenarios flashing through her head not the least of which is that someone you've pissed off has decided to come over here and do all kinds of nasty things to the two of you, so we had to come over here because my wife was scared to death that her sister and our niece or nephew had met with some terrible fate."

(Danny has said all of this in one sentence without taking a breath and Sam, Steve, and Caroline are all staring at him in amazement.)

"Wow. I'm impressed, Danny."

"And I would be impressed as well, Sam, if one of you had answered a phone!"

"Um, Danny."

"Of course, I guess it would be too much to ask for boy wonder here to pick up a telephone."

"Danny."

"Guess he can't lower himself to the level of us mere mortals."

"Danny!"

"What, Caroline?"

"Sam and Steve are fine, we're interrupting their dinner, and I'm starving. Say good night and let's go."