Groaning he stretched out every single limb in his body, cracked his back and stretched his legs as far as he could. The satisfying cracks and popping sounds here and there was the most pleasurable thing in the world. Laying back down on the bed he slowly opened his eyes and let them adjust to the bright light that streamed through the window above the bed, he had once again forgot to draw the blinds before he went to bed. He smiled at the warmth next to him on the bed and moved closer towards it. It was the first morning in a really long time that he felt perfectly content and woke up with no major worries dragging him down. Wo-Fat was no longer a threat, the mystery around his mother's death was solved and he was lying next to the woman he loved.

After they had eaten last night he had showed his mother to his old room that was now the guestroom and left her to settle in on her own. He had then proceeded to lead Kono up the stairs to their bedroom, after making sure that all the doors were locked and windows were closed, an old habit of his. They went into the bathroom and got ready for the night together by the sink. Afterwards they went back out and stripped off their clothes before climbing into the bed. Kono had wiggled up close to him, her back pressed up against his chest. She had always loved to sleep like that, with him holding her. When he had asked her about it, her response had simply been that it made her feel safe, him shielding her with his body. That had gone straight to his head, it was in his nature to be protective of the persons in his life, a very personal trait. But last night it had led somewhere else. He had not touched her properly in a month and he had come so close to losing her for good it wasn't even funny, he was desperate for her, he needed to know she was alright and to really feel her to reassure himself that she was really there with him. His hands had started moving by their own accord, tracing up and down her body, taking in her every curve and re-memorising it. Kono had squirmed in his arms and arched into his body, her body's silent way of asking for more. She had tried to resist at first but the need had been too big for both of them. She had missed his touch as much as he had missed hers. Though he did his very best to distract her, she was fully aware that his mother was in the room below them and she was biting her lip and doing everything she could to stay quiet. But he was determined to have her moaning his name and he had a blast doing it, there was a primal instinct in him that needed to stake its claim and her glare did nothing to diminish it. In the end he was the victor with her moaning his name over and over again, so maybe they both won.

Tracing her sleeping form the same way he had done last night, he smiled softly to himself. She looked absolutely beautiful where she lay tangled in their white sheets with the early morning sun gracing her face. Her face looked so peaceful and she truly looked her age, many times he forgot how young she actually was when he was around her, she was always so responsible and held them all to the ground, it was easy to mistake her for the older one. It was something he had always admired about her, she always stepped up to the task no matter how hard or scary it was and took it in a stride, tougher chick was hard to come by. But at the same time she had the biggest heart he had ever seen, it had to run in the family since both Chin and her mother was the most kind-hearted and open-minded persons he had ever met. It amazed him sometimes how people that saw so much tragedy and crime could still be so gentle, even he found it hard sometimes not to just shut down and run on autopilot so that he wouldn't have to feel after everything he has ever seen.

Placing kisses up her shoulder to the crock of her neck, he slowly started to wake her up. He could feel her stir slightly but she didn't move nor open her eyes, it was quiet the task to wake Kono up, it could take several minutes before he even got a slight reaction out of her, she really did love her sleep. Sometimes he envied her, from his time in the NAVY he woke up at the slightest sound, it was his training after all, but she could sleep through anything, heck someone could drop a bomb and she wouldn't notice. That had him concerned as well, if someone were to break in she wouldn't stand a chance. He let his hands travel to what he knew was her weak spot, gently trying to pry her to a lighter sleep but it was no use. It was in times like these he wish he could be cruel towards her and wake her up like he would wake up Danny, but she was his weak spot and he was way too soft when it came to her to do something like that. So instead he continued his ministrations and lay himself slightly on top of her to add some pressure, he would take to drastic measures if this didn't work. His kisses went down her neck and over her clavicle down to the valley between her breasts that wasn't covered by the sheet. Pulling down the cover he continued his travels down her chest and finally he got a reaction, a very sweet, soft moan that sent tingles through his body. Knowing he had her now he continued his mission until he felt her join in and then he went full gear on her. He was just about to spread her legs and rest himself between them when the most embarrassing thing in the world happened, something he had been fortuned to miss out on, one of the good things of his family history. His mother called them out from downstairs.

"Come on lovebirds, get out of bed! Didn't you get enough last night?" He could hear the teasing tone in her voice and knew she was enjoying this a little too much. She knew exactly what she was doing. While Kono laughed out loud he was mortified and tried to hide himself in the crock of her neck, hoping it would all go away and become a horrible nightmare. He got one minute in his made up heaven before he was pushed off from his comfortable positon and a laughing Kono made her way to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Groaning he got up from the bed as well with a scowl on his face. Was this how it was going to be from now on? His mother cock-blocking him from his morning sex every day? That would not do. There was nothing so embarrassing as having your mother call you out just as you were about to get down to business and your girlfriend walking away from you laughing. Getting dressed he grumbled the entire time and waited for Kono to come out from the bathroom so they could go down and face the music together, something he was not looking forwards to.

oOoOoOoOoOo

After breakfast that was one hell of affair with all sorts of fruit plus pancakes and eggs, she would be lucky if she could ever walk again with the amount of food she had put in her stomach. One thing was sure though, her mother in law could cock even better than her son. The conversation had been light chit-chat about ordinary things but you could sense that there was a lot of unspoken questions in the room that had yet to been approached by either of them. But despite all that it was actually quite nice, she never thought she would ever get to know Steve's family so it was a nice change of events. Steve on the other hand she could tell was very uncomfortable on edge the entire time, he obviously knew his mother better than she and was just waiting for her to pounce on them, it was actually quite funny to watch. But he was saved by the ringing of his phone as usual. Just when they had finished eating his phone went off and Grace had practically begged him to join her and Danny at waterpark today, and the softy that her uncle Steve was there was no way he was going to say no. He had turned towards her like he was silently asking for permission and she couldn't do anything but smile, she had other plans anyways, she was planning on going to see Malia at the hospital before inviting him over to their place for a bbq. The three of them, she, Steve and Doris, had come up with the idea of having a barbeque at their place like they used to and have a family night after everything that has happened over the last few weeks. So she would spend the morning at the hospital and then the afternoon getting ready for tonight.

After Steve left the house, in quite the rush as he was eager to get away from his mother's inquiring eye, she was left alone in the kitchen with Doris and the dishes. This could become interesting. At first neither of them said anything, both of them just moving the dirty dishes to the sink, minding their own business. It was first when she had her arms elbow deep in dishwater that Doris opened her mouth, giving her no way to escape.

"You love my son." It didn't come out like a question, more like a statement than anything else.

"Yes." She didn't hesitate but she was a little worried of where the conversations was going. She and Steve had told her everything about their crazy love story last night, how after just meeting that one time in Australia they were flying to different continents to see each other. Many people would think that they were mad and didn't know what they were doing, there was no way you would wrap your life around one man you have met once and spoken to one the phone a few times. But to them nothing had felt more right. When they first told Chin and Danny their story, Chin had just shook his head with a look that clearly said "kids" and Danny had gone off on a rant about how he really shouldn't be surprised over their reckless behaviour. So really there wasn't much more to tell.

"How come?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said you loved my son, why?"

"Ehm…" How on earth was she supposed to answer that one? How was she going to simplify and break down everything she was feeling into words, it was outmost impossible to make her understand what about her son that made her tick. "Because… No matter how crazy things are around us, one touch from him makes everything else disappear and has me at ease immediately, he feels like home. And because he is the most beautiful man I have ever come across, how he opens up just to me and let me see the soft side of him while other's is met by this cool front. There's no other person in this world who knows me as good as he does, who knows exactly what I need and is willing to give me it. So that's why I love your son."

She could tell that Doris was stunned by her answer, probably expecting a much shorter one and she couldn't help but blush a little at her love declaration, but once she started thinking about all the feelings and emotions that Steve stirred in her there was no stopping it. There was a few minutes of awkward silence before Doris came out of her stupor and turned back towards the dishes with a mysterious smile, now she knew why it bothered Steve so much, it was freaking terrifying.

"I might be a grandmother sooner than I thought!" Shit, now that was a scary thought.

Hurrying up with the dishes, putting extra effort in keeping the conversation casual from that point, she made her excuses and ran upstairs and in to the bathroom where she locked the door carefully. Stripping down in rapid pace she turned on the water in the shower and climbed in without letting the water heat up. It was cold, but it was exactly what she needed. After her cold but relaxing shower she got dressed before saying goodbye to go to the hospital.

oOoOoOo

Malia was awake and talking when she arrived, even sitting up a little with the help of the bed. The look of happiness on both hers and Chin's faces was priceless, after everything they had been through they somehow ended up right where they were supposed to, next to each other. It was astonishing and she could only hope that that would also be what people saw when they looked at her and Steve. She sat on a chair next to Malia's bed for over an hour and having necessary girl talk, that she could tell bored Chin out of his mind but he couldn't stop smiling and looking adoringly at Malia the whole time. It was first than she realised just how lost Chin would have been if they had lost Malia yesterday if she hadn't made it out of the surgery.

It was a nice time but Malia soon got tired and she made her excuses after telling her cousin when to show up at their house and left to go to the supermarket. There was of course a lot of people as always whenever she went grocery shopping, just her luck, she hated crowds and people moving around without a care for anyone else. It was annoying. But sucking it up, she got through the gruesome hour before she made it out of there with her arms full of bags. Her boys sure could eat you out of the house, she wasn't any better really, but with their jobs and activities what could you expect?

oOoOoOoOoOo

To get out of the house when he did was a godsend, never had he been so happy to see Danny's face on his phone before, even though it turned out to be Grace that he gladly talked to at any time. He felt a little guilty for leaving Kono alone to deal with his mother, but she was though and could probably handle her interrogation a whole lot better than he would, he would most definitely storm out of the room after five minutes. His mother could be really infuriating when she wanted to. Instead he got a day out in the sun with his favourite little girl and her annoying father that had somehow become family to him.

As soon as he jumped into the car Grace started to talk his ears off about this and that, her school and friends among other things, while Danny just smiled in the driver's seat, clearly happy about spending time with his daughter. It was a nice thing to see at times how much he changed when he was around his daughter. He could really come off as an over-grown child at times that neither him nor the team could stop making fun of, but as soon as Grace came around he really grew up, it was a nice change. When they arrived at the waterpark Grace was off like a cannonball before Danny had even payed for the entre tickets, she was elated by the sight and Steve could understand why, this was a kid's paradise. There were slides in every shape and form, all in different colours that went in all kinds of directions, toys, bubble baths and streams. He might even enjoy himself, if not he could just watch Danny going done all of the slides with Grace and make a fool out of himself. It turned out that he didn't have that much of choice but join in on the fun, apparently Grace thought it was funnier to goof around with her uncle Steve than with her boring old dad like she always did, so the three of them dragged themselves up the steps before sliding down into the cool water below. They went at it for hours in a row until the little girl was exhausted and their stomachs were rumbling with hunger, indicating it was time for a break. After they had eaten at one of the many restaurants around the area, they retired to the lounge-chairs that were lined up around the pool and Grace quickly fell asleep, using her towel as a blanket. It gave Steve and Danny some time alone to talk, which they really hadn't had the chance to do since everything went down.

"So how is everything? How's Kono doing?"

"Oh you know, she's though." He chuckled dryly. "I think it's me that has a problem. I've barley let her out of my sight since we got home, never more than a few feet between us. I don't think I have ever been more scared when you told me what happened to be honest."

Running a hand down his face he tried to get the horrifying pictures out of his head. They had already plagued him during the night so many times that they were etched into his brain. Danny looked at him sympathetically, knowing exactly how it felt to have one of your loved ones in danger. Just a few months ago his old partner went after his daughter, making Danny run around the island doing all sorts of crazy stuff. It had made him lose his mind and Danny was often a very rational person when it came to dry situations, wanting to take everything in and think things through, but back than all of that went out of the window. It was a situation he himself knew all too well, he might not take his time but thinks up a crazy plan instead, but it often works just as it should. But he knew that if it had been him in Danny's shoes there would be nothing left of this island once he was done.

"Kono is her usual bubbling self, having already demanded the massage I owed her for leaving the country so soon after I got back. Mom is not any better, she's in spy/mom-mode and interrogating us about our relationship every chance she gets."

"And you left Kono alone with her?!" Danny asked incredulously, shaking his head at his Neanderthal ways most likely. But then his frown turned into a smirk instead. "They are probably talking about babies and weddings by now, she will most likely have you married by next Saturday."

A horrified expression took over his face at that scary thought. He knew how pushy his mother could be and they were not ready yet, or they hadn't talked about it yet. There really hadn't been any time for that with their crazy schedules and lives. Ignoring the smug look on Danny's face he pushed any thoughts of wedding out of his mind and quickly changed the subject, luckily Danny was easy to distract. When Grace woke up again they played in the water until it was time to leave and go home, much to Grace's disappointment, she could have properly played for hours more. It really amazed him how much energy was held up in that tiny body of hers.

Arriving back home the driveway was already filled with cars, letting him know that everyone was already here and that there might be a pissed off Kono inside because he was really late. He had promised he would be home before everyone started to arrive so that he could help her finish up, looks like he will be sleeping on the couch tonight. He, Danny and Grace walked in through the front door and was met by the smell of food. Walking out through the backdoors out to the patio he was met by his entire "family. There was Chin talking to Kamekona over by the grill, Joe and his mother was sitting by the table chatting amongst themselves. Everyone was there except for the most important one. Looking around the backyard he tried to find her smiling or scowling face but could not find it anywhere. Grace skipped immediately over to Chin and Kamekona while Danny took a seat with his mother and Joe, he slunk quietly back into the house to try and find Kono. After checking the living room and the downstairs bathroom he checked the kitchen where he find her humming on some silent tune while finishing up a salad. She looked adorable. He had never actually heard her sing for real but it was often that he found her humming on some tune or another whenever she thought no one was around, like when he surprised her in the shower or now, as he walked in on her in the kitchen cooking. Walking up behind her he put his arms around her waist and pushed up against her back.

"Hi." He whispered in her ear before pressing a kiss to the back of her exposed neck. She leaned in slightly to his touch but never once stopped doing the task at hand.

"You're late!" She said, half amused since it wasn't really unusual for him to be late for trivial things like a barbeque. A workout session on the other hand or a work related meeting he would be there faster than lightning.

"I know, I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, yeah. The dishes is yours."

"Aren't they always?" He laughed. It was common knowledge that Kono wasn't that into house holding, never had been since the few times she's been out of home she's lived in a surf house with a housekeeper and the other time she has barley been inside the door of her own home unless she was dropping something off. So she often started on things like cooking dinner or baking, but she quickly lost interest and left it to Steve to finish or clean up. At first it had annoyed the hell out of him, just like he annoyed the hell out of her every time he walked in after a swim or surf without rinsing off first outside, bringing in all the sand into the house and shower. But after a while he had gotten used to it and it slowly grew on him, it actually amazed him that the house wasn't an ever bigger mess than it was when he got home after going to Japan, it was amazingly clean.

"The food's nearly done, Chin started on the steaks and I only have to finish this before we can eat."

"It looks delicious!"

"I actually helped this time!" She said with mocking astonishment and he couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"Well, you did good baby!" He said and pressed kiss to her check.

"Thank you!"

He held her in his arms as she finished up the salad before walking out the house with her and sat down at the table, everyone ready to dig in. He just managed to squeeze himself in between Kono and his mother, trying to make up for leaving her alone with her this morning, and Grace had jumped to her other side, eager to talk to the only adult she hadn't seen today. The conversation flowed easily through the night, they ate and talked before eating some more and before they knew it, it was dark outside. But that didn't stop them, Kono lit the candles and he went inside to grab the blankets, giving the fluffiest one to Grace and smiled as she curled up in her chair with the blanket pulled up to her chin.

Kamekona was in the middle of telling them one of his many stories as an islander, with Danny giving commentary now and then about how ridicules something was, when he looked over at Kono and found Grace half asleep in her lap as she stroked her hair. Watching her closely he realised that she wasn't even aware of what she was doing, she was fully focused on Kamekona and Danny talking, it came naturally. He didn't know how long he stared at her for, but by the look in his mother's eyes when he met them across the table, it must have been a while. The sight just consumed him, sucked him in. It stirred so many emotions and tugged on a lot of heartstrings, never had a sight touched him more. It made him think about what it would be like if that was their own daughter, his and Kono's. His little girl that he took to the waterpark with Grace and Danny before they came home and she fell asleep, exhausted in her mother's lap after a long and exciting day. A girl with sun-kissed skin and brown hair, Kono's face but with his smile. It was a beautiful yet scary thought, How come he was so sentimental all of the sudden? He decided that it was Danny's fault, putting grills in his head when he mentioned weddings and his mother for being interfering. But when Kono turned towards and smiled at him with that big smile of hers, he wondered if it wasn't him after all.