Chapter 25. Aftermath

Disclaimer: Any character you recognize I do not own.

AN: Unbeta'ed so all mistakes are mine.

In a moment of glorious surrender
You were broken for all the world to see
Lifted out of the ashes
I am found in the aftermath

- Aftermath, Hillsong United

The day is bright and clear.

There was hardly any breeze.

The skies are blue.

The sun is shining so brightly, almost blindingly as its rays bounce off the water seeming like glittering jewels as it ripples.

It's a perfect day...

"You're still here."

His voice wakes her up completely and she turns to face him in bed.

"Is this a dream? Or am I dead?" He asks as he stares at her intently without making a move to bridge the gap between them.

She doesn't answer. Instead, she reaches out and cups his cheek with her right hand.

He covers her hand in his and then grips it tightly. "I can still feel you."

She tries not to grimace despite the slight pain from his tight grasp and moves closer so he feels the rest of her along the length of his body. She licks her lips to moisten it and starts to speak.

But he pounces before any words come out and she's feeling his lips on hers. And then he's sliding his hands around her and turning onto his back so she's draped all over him. Her hair covers their faces as he continues to kiss her like a starving man to a feast.

"I'm not dreaming right?" He asks again after their heartbeats have slowed down and they're once again lying on the bed side by side.

"Does this feel like a dream?" She laughs as she asks while staring at the ceiling.

"I'm not really sure…" He turns and props up his upper body to better look at her by digging his left arm onto the bed for support.

She turns to look at him and smiles. "Need more proof?"

He smiles back before he leans over and kisses her again.

They're both soaking in the tub later with his back against her chest, her legs on either side of his hip and her hands are running up and down his arms slowly when she teasingly asks. "Still think you're dreaming?"

He laughs. "Hmm…I don't know…I think I still need some convincing."

Instead of answering, she slowly coasts her tongue from his shoulder…

To his neck…

To the shell of his ear…

While her fingers slide slowly upwards from his forearms to his biceps…

His shoulders…

His chest…

His abdomen…

Lower…

"Please don't tell me you're still not convinced…" She mumbles right after as she tries to catch her breath. They are still in the bath but it's him leaning back against the tub's side, while her arms and legs are wrapped around him.

He gives a lazy smile with his eyes closed, his left arm wrapped around her waist while his right hand is playing with her hair. "Maybe…"

"I'm sore…" She complains good-naturedly.

"Want a massage?"

"Depends…"

"On?"

"Which part of you gets to massage which part of me…" She answers cheekily.

He grins just before he takes her lips hostage once again.

"I can't move." She tells him as he moves to spoon her. They eventually make it back to the bed just before sunset, having made the rounds at nearly every available surface around the house the whole day.

He laughs. "Are you sure?" He asks as he nibbles the back of her neck.

She shivers at the contact and winces when her muscles protest when she tries to move. "Pretty much. I think you broke me."

"I did huh?" He gives her a look of satisfaction. "Nice!"

"No need to sound so smug." She mumbles as she attempts to move again despite her body's reticence.

His arms tighten around her momentarily before he releases her.

She looks over her shoulders and sees that he is now lying on his back and staring at the ceiling with his eyes closed. So she turns and moves to snuggle up to his side and drapes an arm around his waist while anchoring her leg across his thighs. She is about to close her eyes to sleep when he speaks again.

"What really happened?" His question hangs in the air between them.

She woke up with a bomb strapped around her and unable to move, Wo Fat smiling over her.

"Talk to him." He urged her.

"Go to hell!" She hissed at him.

He just smiled even more before he leaned down to whisper, "No matter. I am quite sure that he is on his way here even as we speak."

Beep…beep…beep…

"She's seizing!"

"Get the crash cart in here."

Fear clawed at her as she realized that if she couldn't get to the bomb, Steve could walk in and die with her. She bit her lip and ignored the burning pain in her wrists as she furiously tried to get her arms free. She screamed in frustration as the gash on her head started bleeding again. The blood mixed in with her sweat making her left eye water and her vision hazy.

How much time was left?

She disregarded the strain pulling at her shoulders and worked faster when she felt the slight give on the ropes on her wrists – from sweat or blood she wasn't quite sure.

"Just a bit more..." she thought trying vainly to not take notice of the sound of ticking echoing around her as she fought the oncoming darkness she could feel nipping closely with the increased throbbing of her head.

And just when the last of her strength was used up and the pain in her head became unbearable, she felt soft hands pulling at the ties behind her. She began to struggle fiercely before she heard a female voice whisper softly to her ear.

"Stop…I'm here to help you."

She started to ask her savior who she was and where she came from before she finally lost her fight to stay conscious and the world faded into black.

"Code blue."

"Page Dr. Martin."

"What happened?"

"When I finally woke up I was at a hospital miles away from that warehouse. The first thing I thought of was to get them to call you to stop you from going to that place…"

"We never got the call..." His confusion is evident in both his voice and the look on his face. "We thought you were dead…we buried you…" His voice broke at the words.

She moves to wrap her arms around him fiercely and had to fight to talk past the lump in her throat. "I was in a coma for six months, Steve…"

"She's still in v-fib…"

"Charge to 200…Clear."

He moves to reach for her left hand and raises it so he can slide her ring back on her finger.

"You found it…" She stares at it in disbelief. "I thought…"

"They made sure I got it back…" He explains. "…to make me believe I guess…"

Her eyes brighten with moisture at the words.

"Because I never could make myself accept that you were gone…"

"Oh Steve…" Her voice breaks as she loses the fight not to cry.

"We're getting married as soon as soon as I can arrange it." The gentle way he wipes her tears away belie the fierceness with which he issues the words, his expression daring her to gainsay him.

"You're not allowed to leave my side again." He insists again before she can say anything.

"We're losing him."

"Charge to 250. Clear."

"I can't lose you again Kono."

"You won't…" She finally assures him.

"How long?"

"Just under 5 minutes…"

The men are in their Sunday best.

The woman is in white.

The priest stands solemnly as he waits for everybody to settle down.

And then he begins to speak.

"I love you Kono." He whispers to her ear as he wraps his arms around her.

"I love you too." She whispers back.

"You can't die on me again!" His arms tighten around her.

"I didn't…"

"You might as well have…and if I have to live through it again…"

"You won't…" She repeats the words again as she rubs his back in an attempt to soothe him.

But he plows on as though she hadn't spoken. "I'll follow you…" He swears at her.

"Steve…"

"I swear to God Kono I will…so if you ever think about dying on me you might as well shoot me now…"

The sun has set and the ceremony is over.

Everyone has left.

Everyone that is…except for three people…

"Promise me." His gaze bores into hers as he takes both her hands in his. The sense of urgency in his voice is almost palpable.

She feels the strength of his emotions and almost chokes on the words.

"I promise."

It was vow.

One that they both need to say.

One that they both need to hear more than than any other avowals of love.

One that they both need to keep.

Unbroken.

In faith.

They all stared solemnly as the machine told them what needed to be done.

It was with defeat that a voice finally pronounced.

"Call it..."

"I still can't believe it…" Chin muses as he stands staring at the waters.

"I know…" Catherine murmurs, the pain in her heart almost a constant thing.

"Do you think…" Danny starts to say but then stops.

Chin sighs and takes a deep breath. "They're together." His words ring with conviction.

The woman smiles despite the heaviness inside her and nods in agreement. Because she knows this to be true.

They are together.

Forever.

They don't speak for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts.

"It was perfect day to have the ceremony…" It is Catherine who breaks the silence.

The blonde detective smiles at this. "Yes…yes, it was."

There is silence for several more minutes…until finally, Chin whispers to the wind.

"Hele me Akua…"

He couldn't quite say their names aloud.

But then, he didn't have to.

Danny nods. "Yes…God speed."

"Asystole."

It is understood.

-FIN-

AN: First off I would like to apologize a thousand, million times for putting up this final installment almost a year (give or take a couple of months) after the last chapter. I won't bother to give an excuse…because I know there's not an acceptable one…well…okay maybe there is….more like a couple…

I could say that I lost my muse because of the season 3 developments in the show that kind of jettisoned any hope I had of Steve and Kono having 'that kind ' of a relationship, and it would be partly true. Or I could say that I had been bogged down with RL concerns, which would also be true (for the most part). But the real (main) reason is that I struggled about how to end it. When I started this fic, I already had a clear idea in my head about how it was going to go and how it was going to end, even though I write mostly by inspiration so the actual path of getting to that particular ending took a couple of turns and detours I had not originally planned for.

That being said, it became more difficult to take it that natural conclusion as the story progressed because of all your wonderful feedback and so when it finally came to writing that final chapter I really struggled whether to write the ending I had always planned in my head just because I know it probably won't be a popular one (that is, you might hate it). And so I put it off … and put it off… and I even started writing an alternative ending. BUT it just wouldn't come together. Darn those stubborn muses! So I put it off some more and some more and then it became weeks and then months…until I finally gave in and sat down to write it the way I had always intended for it to end.

And so here I offer you all the final chapter, such as it. I know it's not as long as you all probably expected it to be given the length of time it took to write it but I think it says it all. And as they say... that's all she wrote folks…

To everyone who's taken the time to read this, I thank you all for taking this journey with me.

This last one is specially dedicated to those who've also taken time to write a review just because I do know how much harder it is to leave feedback instead of just clicking those follow and favorite tabs (for I am guilty of this as well).

I would promise to finally update OUaK soon but then again I would need to catch those elusive muses once again and who knows how long that will take me seeing as I hadn't watched a single episode of the third season AT ALL. Well, until next time (I hope)… =)