CHAPTER 29
Executing Steve's spontaneous second plan went off without a hitch, and within half an hour the trio were heading to join their friends.
"Hey, Danny." Chin greeted his fellow team member as the shorter man approached the swanky table clearly marked with a reserved sign. "Where's McGarrett and Catherine? I thought you guys were driving over together?"
"Uh, yeah." The detective began slowly. "They uh, they're on their way. They were disagreeing over where to park, and I uh," he shook his head while letting out some breath. "I thought arguing in the car with Steve was enough, but adding a second, albeit improved version? Forget about it." He settled into his seat, taking in the entire panoramic view of the elegantly decorated ballroom as he did.
Chin watched the detective's mannerisms as he spoke. "Hmm. You sure that doesn't have anything to do with that little rendez vous earlier?"
He asked skeptically.
"What?" Danny responded almost too quickly. "Nah, I'm telling you man. I knew I was doomed out there. It was two against one my friend, and those are not odds I felt good about."
"How very mathematical of you, Detective Williams." Max added with an approving glance.
"Thanks buddy." He gave a slightly forced smile, hoping the questions would cease and he could get a drink before too long. He also hoped Chin would have had enough alcohol in him to not put together that the three late arrivals hadn't left in the same vehicle earlier.
Luckily for Danny, he only had about five minutes to cover before the happy couple had entered the large room. He excused himself to the bar as Kono pointed towards the main entry.
"Oh, there they are." She looked over the crowd when she spotted what she recognized as the back of her boss' head.
"What? No James Bond suit tonight?" Everyone turned in surprise as Renee Grover commented with a not so subtle, disappointed tone.
"Woman," Lou boasted. "What do you need James Bond for, huh? You got the real deal right here, baby." Her husband pretended to be offended while the rest of the group chucked, enjoying the banter.
"No, he has a jacket. He just coat checked it." Kono filled her in with a wily grin. "He knows he's hot. He doesn't need a jacket." She added with a laugh and a light jab towards her husband. Adam and the other men at the table scoffed, except for Max who looked slightly confused before the general conversation carried on.
"Yeah, you too." Steve smiled as he nodded and was finally able to peel himself away from the table he'd been stopped at on the way to get drinks while Catherine chatted with a few of her fellow officers near the bar. He waded his way through the remainder of the large groups of people to find her waving bye to the men she'd served a tour with who also happened to be part of the group being celebrated that evening.
"Talk about shark infested waters." He stated with relief as he set the bartenders tip down. Catherine joked loudly as she happily took her now refilled wine glass from the bartender. "You took off your suit jacket and they began circling." She laughed lightly.
"Yeah, tell me about it." He replied, also loud enough to ensure she could hear him over the music and crowds of people. He shook his head and leaned against the bar, careful to keep his back to the group of wives he'd just freed himself from. "Their husbands haven't even left yet and they're already looking for someone to keep them warm at night." He finished his statement as a disturbed expression crossed his face.
"Ohh, are you serious?" She asked, laughing. "Tell me none of them actually said that to you?!" Catherine shook her head in bewildered amusement.
"Oh, I wish I could." He sighed. "See blondie over there who seemed to forget the bottom half of her dress?" He asked, watching Catherine's eyes look over his right shoulder and towards the tables area.
Her eyes shot back to meet his, back to the woman and then back to his once again. "Wow. Just wow." She let out a staggered breath before enjoying a longer than average sip of wine.
"Yeah. That happened." He shook his head before noticing how uncomfortable Catherine seemed to be. Steve tried his best to rectify that quickly, ever conscious that they had a lot of catching up to do still. "Hey, we can get out of here if you want. Go back to my place, or...?" He trailed off, unsure of what else to say. He remembered what she'd said in the truck on the way over, but he couldn't not put the offer on the table. It was a special occasion, after all.
Catherine took in his serious face for a second before giving him a straight face of her own. "What, because of that?" She motioned to that specific table with her eyes once again. He nodded slightly before talking his own sip.
"Man, you're lucky you're cute." She shook her head, a trace of a smile denying her the ability to keep the serious act up.
He recognized it immediately and let a breath out. "You're not...?" He cut himself off, instantly realizing nothing he could possibly finish that sentence with would end well for him.
"Not what?" She asked, now genuinely enjoying his metaphoric and literal squirming. "Upset? Worried?" She chuckled when he quickly reached for his glass again. "Steve, it's fine. It's nothing we haven't encountered before, right? So why should that change now?"
"Right." He nodded, trying his best to feel confidence.
"And besides," she added. "How many times have I been secluded on a ship with a couple thousand other men and you've never been worried, so why should I be now?"
"Yeah." Steve agreed, feeling his mouth become very dry suddenly. "I'm just saying, as far as I'm concerned the most important part of tonight is already over with, so we don't have to spend our first real night together surround by blaring music and drunk women." He shrugged, adding a little smirk to his defence.
"Um, just so I'm sure." Catherine began with a smugness Steve found adorable. "That's the part where I'm not in the group leaving for a coast in the Middle East tomorrow, right?" She gave a grin to go toe to toe with his, already anticipating his reaction.
"Yeah, of course." He nodded, unconvincingly. "Have I mentioned lately how glad I am that you decided to stay, by the way?"
"Oh, I think you covered that pretty well earlier, Commander." She winked, taking Steve by surprise before she continued. She took one last quick glance at the women at the table. "And, if you play your cards right, you just may find yourself going home with a drunk woman anyway." She smirked, strategically taking another lengthy sip.
"Ohh, big difference." He laughed, stealing an opportunity to check Catherine out from head to toe as he had done about a dozen times already that night.
"Yeah?" She probed. "What's that?" Catherine could do nothing to hide the smirk on her face.
"Well, for one..." He searched his mind quickly. "Those women, they have husbands to go home to, drunk or not." He stood up straight and took another sip, feeling rather pleased with his explanation. That was until he fully took in Catherine's bemused face. They both laughed, realizing his slip up.
"Seriously though," Catherine laughed. It's a pretty great party, even if I can't hear myself talk most of the time. And getting to see everyone who wasn't with us earlier is nice." She smiled, getting in a little dig at him.
Steve hung his head for a second before rolling his eyes playfully. "Yeah, you know, about that. It was a spontaneous thing, so there wasn't much time to get anyone together. And, I didn't think Gibson would've wanted a room full of people anyway."
Catherine laughed as she looked across the room to where their friends were all sitting and laughing together. "Who'd of thought?" She asked rhetorically. "Something most people spend years planning, and you, of all people do it spur of the moment.
"Well, sure." He conceded. "But honestly, you wouldn't have been surprised otherwise, and we're not most people."
"This is true," she agreed before taking another long look around the room. "Red wine, good times. I don't mind at all." She assured him, smiling as she leaned up to peck his cheek. She took another sip before continuing.
"Should we go sit?" He asked, motioning to where their friends and fellow guests where sitting.
"Actually, I could use some air." She set her sights on the large glass doors across the room. "Isn't there a little garden path out there?"
Steve nodded and still careful to not make eye contact with any of the overly friendly women, offered Catherine his hand to escort her towards the outdoors.
"Oh, thanks." She graciously placed her hand in his for the second time that evening, and they headed for the doors.
"Oh, now would you look at that." Lou tilted his head towards the outside patio across the room where Steve and Catherine were heading.
"Why are they going out there?" Kono asked with a laugh as she squinted in an effort to see them better. "First they make an excuse to not share our limo, and now they're going off on their own? What are they up to?" She asked with an amused glance.
"Well, if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say... Stretching?" Chin joked before taking another sip from his glass as he too strained to see them more clearly.
"Certainly, as it can be assumed that neither Commander McGarrett or Lieutenant Rollins have used the muscles used only for intercourse it quite some time." Max added his colourful commentary as usual.
Danny nearly lost his mouthful of beer as he bit his tongue. "Stretching for later tonight, you're saying Max? Yeah, I'd bet on it." He added, somewhat hoping someone in their group would take his bait.
"Well, whatever it is, it's working." Adam added with a chuckle, earning him a sideways stare from his wife. As they watched the couple get closer and closer to each other, Danny's grin only got bigger and bigger knowing what had transpired in between the group breaking up at the office earlier then and coming back together at the hotel now.
"Yeah, and it's making the rest of us look bad." Grover shook his head with a sigh as he made sympathetic eye contact with the other men in their group and as his wife's hand made swift but light contact with his knee. The group enjoyed a laugh over the sweet couples comfortable sparring.
"Oh? What is that now?" Chin asked casually as they all turned their attention back to the outdoors.
"This is really pretty." Catherine commented as they made their way out to the little green space filled with plant boxes, small shrubs and enough tiny string lights to give the secluded area a soft glow.
"Yeah, but it has nothing on you." Steve was quick to seize his opportunity. He sealed the gushy moment with a big grin.
She clicked her tongue and laughed, but appreciated the sentiment all the same. "Thanks, Steve." She smiled. "Makes me feel like killing my feet in these shoes wasn't for nothing." She glanced around for a place to sit.
Steve did the same, but found only another opportunity to compliment her. He gave her a slow once over from head to toe, taking an extra second to appreciate the way her delicate curves were highlighted in the soft light surrounding them. "Well for what it's worth you look especially stunning in them." He took another glance towards her feet as he spoke.
Catherine smiled. "I'm glad you like them, but since there's no where to sit out here I think I'm gonna take them off." She stated, using his arm for balance as she brought one leg up to her free hand in order to undo the strap on the first one.
Steve's head shot up. "Sounds like a good idea." His face remained pretty straight. "Though I will admit I didn't see that coming til later tonight."
"Shoes, Steve. Just my shoes." Catherine laughed as she freed her right foot.
"I..I know." He tried to cover for his sudden perk up.
She freed the other foot and set the pair together on the stone walkway they stood on. Her bare feet touched the pavement and instantly she shivered. "Oh, that's cold." She looked down to realize the pavement was quite wet. Catherine felt the goosebumps on her bare arms and shoulders as she moved her feet a little at a time in an effort to not have as much contact with the cold, wet stone.
Again, Steve saw something he could seize as a moment to make the evening even better. "C'mere," he gestured to her, encouraging her to wrap her arms around him. "I'll warm you up with my body heat."
"Is that so?" She asked skeptically with a big smile and a step towards him. Seeing her face light up as it did made him smile too as he pulled her into their embrace. "Better not let Mrs. Desperate and her friends in there hear you say that." She continued. "They'll be lined up in seconds."
She felt his chest move as he laughed. "I guess that's what spontaneity gets me huh? I would've offered you my jacket. It's inside, though." She felt his face move as he smiled into the top of her head before pulling her even closer. Because she was still trying her best to not have either of her feet spend too much time on the pavement, it appeared to anyone on looking that the pair were dancing as Steve had to shuffle his feet with hers in order not to step on her.
"Are they... Dancing out there?" Chin asked the group still at their table.
Danny scoffed to himself with an amused grin. "And he said they wouldn't be following any traditions." He mumbled quietly.
"Show off." Grover grumbled beside him quietly enough only the person beside him could hear.
"And what's stopping you from proving your horse is the bigger one, sweetheart?" Renee asked playfully. Without missing a beat, he smiled at her, realizing there wasn't anything else he could do. "Alright, let's go show them how it's really done." He stood up, holding out his hand as she obliged and they took off for the real dance floor.
"Look at them, getting all cozy and handsy." Danny's attention was still outside as he made a gesture to illustrate what he was talking about. "Smooth bastard." He mumbled under his breath before enjoying some more of his drink too.
"You know Danny," Kono spoke up as he set his glass back down. "Tonight would've been a great opportunity to ask Dr. Reynolds out. Fancy dress, free booze. She'd have been crazy not to say yes." She laughed, unable to hide the slight enjoyment she got out of knowing she would make him squirm a little.
Only, in this case the joke was on Kono. "I agree, and she would have said yes, actually. If she hadn't already been busy tonight." He explained very simply, as if it was a normal everyday occurrence.
Of course, Chin and Kono's eyes darted towards him. "But we're going to have dinner next week." He followed up the first shocking statement with another one. "You know, as a thank you for everything she did for us while Grace was in the hospital."
"That's great Danny." Kono laughed, giving his arm a nudge.
He nodded his thanks. "Grace is very excited to show her some of the cheer moves she's been cleared by her doctor to do."
"I bet." Kono laughed before Adam gestured to her offering a dance. She happily took his hand and the couple disappeared into the sea of people that took up most of the large ballroom.
It wasn't long after when Max excused himself to greet Sabrina at the door.
"Sabrina, you look like a vision from outer space worthy of a galaxy far, far away." Max mused, as his girlfriend curtsied jokingly.
"Thanks Max. You look nice too." She complimented him with a shy smile. "And thank you for inviting me tonight, I'm really excited to be here."
"I am excited as well." Max nodded and gave an outstretched hand. "Shall we, mi lady?" he smiled cutely.
She giggled, took his hand and they made their way to the hard parquet floor to join the rest of the guests.
"Well looks like it's just you and me now." Chin raised his glass to tap Danny's as they watched the cute, shy couple wiggle goofily on the dance floor.
Danny sighed and nodded in agreement. "Maybe so, but I'm warning you now, buddy. No funny business alright? No matter how much you beg, I am not going home with you." Danny joked.
Chin laughed out loud, caught off guard. "I'll drink to that!" He proclaimed as the loud clanking sound of their bottles hitting resonated around them.
But it was a sharp contrast to the sounds of outside.
"You want me to go inside and get my jacket?" Steve asked genuinely after they spent a couple of minutes moving silently, save for his strong heart beating like a kick drum in Catherine's ear.
"No," she answered quickly and confidently. "This is perfect."
Steve smiled, kissing the top of her head. Everything really was perfect in her mind except for the cold ness surrounding them out there. Nothing more so than the surprise detour they'd taken on the way to the fundraiser.
Catherine had him convinced she was fine until she let out another round of involuntary shivers.
"Hey, c'mon." Steve pulled away from her for a second to look at her face.
"Step on my feet." He spoke with a hint of authoritarian. Catherine gave him a puzzled glance, not understanding why he would ask her to do something so obscure.
Recognizing her confusion, Steve elaborated. "So your feet don't have to touch the pavement. Stand on my shoes, it'll help you get rid of the chill." He offered a simple smile and his hand.
Catherine let out a deeply satisfying breath before placing her hand in his once more and quite literally stepping up. "I'm not hurting your..." She began.
"Nope, all ten are present and accounted for." He quickly replied, giving her his trademark grin and enjoying the fact that he could finish the sentence for her.
She chuckled and squeezed his hand lightly.
Without either of them realizing it, they kept swaying and moving in a small circle even though her feet were no longer in danger of being stepped on. Time moved on as they continued their dance, joined only by the sound of Steve's heartbeat and the occasional crickets.
"You know," Catherine finally voiced a few minutes later. "Balancing like this might be harder than walking in those heels." She joked, and they both chuckled.
Steve kissed the top of her head once again. "Well, in that case I better make sure I'm holding you as tight as I can."
Catherine reciprocated Steve's gesture by nuzzling her head as much into his neck as she could, feeling as though they couldn't possibly be any more closely connected. As they danced some more, Catherine thought about their figurative connection too. It only reinforced what she'd figured out in the whole ordeal with Grace, and even with both of their blood relatives. She knew in his arms was where she was meant to be. She didn't need anything else; just Steve. Away on a mission, on leave, or most importantly home to stay for good as she was now. As long as they had each other, Catherine knew she could get through anything.
"Oh, d'you hear that?" His voice broke into her thoughts abruptly. "It's that Maroon 5 song you love so much." Steve explained as Catherine tried to clear her head long enough to focus on the faint music coming from inside the ballroom.
"Oh, yeah." She finally recognized it and produced a nod.
"You want to go dance, warm up inside for a while?" He offered without moving either of their entangled bodies, except for the swaying and rhythmic shuffling they were still doing.
Catherine was quiet, taking in what he'd asked and realizing to herself that even in that simple moment she didn't need anything but Steve's arms wrapped around her. "No, I'm good right here." She replied firmly.
"Huh." Steve was audibly dumbfounded. "You sure?" He asked, moving himself in order to see her face. "We really could go inside and dance to a real song, you know?"
Catherine's glossy eyes quickly met his and with one quick look she realized he'd known what he was doing the entire time. He gave her a knowing smile and they shared a slow kiss.
"We don't need a song." She answered after their lips parted.
Steve smiled as he thought back to earlier in the evening when she'd uttered those words the first time. And even further back to the day before, standing in his kitchen looking out to the chairs on the sand. When Catherine had come home, he knew they were in it for the long haul. Hearing her speak that day and realizing she felt the same way he did was really the icing on the cake for Steve. And although he couldn't have ever predicted what the present day had in store for them, there was no doubt in Steve's mind that they would end up right there. There was no foreseeing the future from that night on either, but Steve knew he didn't need to see his future to know Catherine would be in it with him. Sure, there was always a possibility there would be missions and potential life threatening situations in each of their careers. But if nothing else, they had each other and Steve knew there was nothing greater than that.
After a few seconds of doing his own reflecting, Steve smiled broadly, took a deep breath and pulled Catherine close once more.
"I suppose we don't." He kissed her forehead before she rested her head against his shoulder, an uncontrollable smile taking over both their faces as they continued to dance to their own rhythm, the rhythm that consisted of their hearts beating for themselves, for their families and everyone they considered family, and for each other.
"You know what we do need though," Catherine spoke up as they found themselves turning in step at just the right moment to catch eye contact with the table of their friends.
Steve huffed lightly. "I'm a little surprised Danny hasn't blurted it out yet." He expressed with a smirk as he caught on to what she was referring to.
"Oh, c'mon Steve." She joined. "Do you really think he'd take that joy away from us?"
Steve, meanwhile moved one hand to give their friends a little wave. "Nah, you're right. He wouldn't. Well, not on purpose anyway." He tucked his hand back around the small of Catherine's back as they continued to sway slowly.
"Steve..." She started, ever so softly a minute later. "Speaking of taking the joy away from people..." Catherine hinted hesitantly. Instantly, she knew he'd caught on as she felt his body stiffen with shock. "Oh, no. Your parents, my mom. My sister!" He stopped in his tracks and put a hand to his cheek.
"They're going to kill you. You know that, right?" She patted his arm admittedly enjoying the look of discomfort on the usually brave face.
"Me?!" He threw back with a smirk. "Oh, no. I am not taking the fall for this one alone, Rollins." He shook his head vehemently. "It took two to tango, and we are supposed to be a team now, right?" He rebutted, just catching movement from inside the ballroom out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes, technically that's true." She conceded slowly with a nod. "But you planned this, and you executed and you-"
"And you said yes." Steve jumped in quickly before planting a kiss on her curled up lips. "So, if we're going to get through the aftershock of our families finding out, we're doing it together."
Catherine stayed quiet, taking a second to enjoy the way the evening air and soft lighting reflected off his face. "You know," she nodded as they both chuckled. "Given our jobs, I think we've survived worse."
Steve reciprocated the moment of admiration she had taken before they began swaying once again. "I'm
not convinced." He replied a minute later as they both laughed and danced some more.
"This is such a great location for an event like this." Catherine commented as they danced and she watched the room inside.
"And weddings." Steve added with a genuine smile.
Catherine's head swivelled quickly in order to see his face, anticipating the look she'd be met with. "Steve I told you," she began anxiously. But the big, beaming laughter he produced right after told her she had nothing to be worried about. "Your sister's wedding, Cath. Same place, isn't it?" He asked before placing a soft, apologetic kiss on the top of her head.
"Oh, yeah it is." Catherine chuckled. "We were in ballroom D that night. I remember Stacey insisting on it because it's the only one with the outdoor dance floor." She laughed, thinking about the last time they were in that exact hotel, and what had transpired between then and what was unfolding in this moment now. Clearly Steve was doing the same as he began a string of light laughter too.
"What're you thinking about?" She asked him confident she knew the answer.
"The last time we were here together." He answered directly.
Catherine beamed as her suspicions were confirmed. "Me too."
"It's crazy right?" Steve asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Mm hmm." Catherine agreed with contented sigh as she placed the hand not wrapped around Steve's back on his heart.
"I mean, the last time we came to a big fancy party here, I was joking about taking home a bridesmaid." He grinned enigmatically.
"Yeah. And this time you're taking home the bride." Catherine finished for him, turning enough to place a delicate but meaningful kiss on his lips.
"I certainly am." He nodded and concurred after their lips parted. "And I am so glad I am." He added as the large glass door in his peripheral opened.
"Hey, can we crash the party?" Kono's soft voice broke their silence a minute later.
"Hey, guys." Catherine smiled at each person in the group. "Yeah, you can but I was just thinking we should go back in and all dance together." she suggested as she and Steve moved enough to be facing their friends with their hands around each other's backs.
"Hang on," Steve spoke up to the whole group. "Uh, Catherine and I have something," he looked at the woman he could now very much officially and legally call his wife.
She beamed proudly back at him before blurting the words out uncontrollably. "We got married!" Her voice rang out with a bit of a sing song lilt to it.
After a millisecond of confused and shocked glances, Chin finally confirmed what they'd all been thinking. "So that's why you bailed on the limo with us earlier."
They all enjoyed that moment of cracking that mystery before realizing what it meant. "So, just to be clear…" Kono started, imploring them to finish the sentence for her.
"It was really spur of the moment guys. We just had our witness and Judge Gibson in the room, that's it." He defended, knowing what they were all thinking. "And we swore Danny to secrecy, so don't blame him."
Earning disapproving looks from all except Danny, Catherine stepped up to help her husband.
"Guys, seriously." She gave out a tiny surprised chuckle. "Our families don't even know yet. We were just talking about how Steve was going to tell everyone." She grinned broadly at him, knowing the shocked and furious expression she was getting back was completely in jest.
"Well, we can probably agree that Doris knows, right?" Danny added his two cents with a smug grin.
While Steve was grateful his partner had diverted the attention from, he was anxious to see where this diversion was going to go. "I mean, not only is she a former intelligence operative, but she's been on to these two forever, right?" Danny looked around their group to see mostly nods and knowing smiles. "So, I think it's safe to assume she knows." He shrugged, feeling like the theory was pretty open and close.
There was a murmur between the group, except for Steve who was deep in his own thoughts. "Steve?" Catherine turned to him, rubbing a circle on his back with the hand still wrapped around it "You okay there?" she chuckled, suspecting she already knew. However, the answer got was anything but expected.
"Well," he began, exhaling slowly. "I'm just thinking. If Doris already knows we got married tonight, I'm pretty sure your mom knows too."
Catherine's arm stopped in its tracks as it and the rest of her tensed up. "No… you don't…" her eyes darted to Steve's, and then bulged as she realized he was completely serious. "You think she would do that? I mean, c'mon Steve. That would be pretty low, and…" she trailed off, realizing with a crushing blow that he was exactly right.
"Exactly like her?" he finished for her, doing his best not to think about what certain death awaited them the next time they came face to face with both of their mothers.
Feeling the mood shift to a place not conducive to a party, Danny spoke up. "Hey, hey." He brought his hands together as the moved to be directly beside the couple. "Whatever happens happen, guys." He shrugged in an effort to trivialize a circumstance no one could control. You shouldn't even be worrying about that right now, right?" He shook his head as he made eye contact with each of them specifically. "It's still your wedding day, isn't it?" He gave his best friend a reassuring jab on the bicep. The couple slowly nodded, realizing Danny was absolutely right.
"Yeah it is, Danny." Steve grinned broadly before reciprocating the arm gesture. "So let's have fun, right?" He turned to his wife who was beaming back at him before leaning in to give him a side hug with the arm already behind him. "And regardless of how we decide to spread the word," he gave a sideways glance to his wife, who was also desperate to not be talking about either of their relatives in that moment. "We're all here now right?" He pumped the arm not wrapped around Catherine in the air. "So let's party!"
And in true leadership fashion, he let go of his bride and bolted happily for the door that lead them back into the main ballroom. He turned back to see his colleagues, friends, and most importantly his wife as his hand made contact with the door's large ornate handle. They all stood still in place, still as shocked as Catherine had been when they walked into the courthouse late that afternoon.
"Guys! What are we waiting for?!" He asked impatiently, prompting the rest of the group to make their way en masse towards the door too. Just as he disappeared back into the grand room, Danny took a quick step to be between Catherine and Chin. "Poor schmuck." He mused. "No idea what an uphill battle marriage is." He gave Chin a slap on the back as he gave a chuckle.
"Hey," Catherine protested, feeling just a little bit insulted at what she took to be his implication. "What does that say about me?" she gave him a curious glance.
"No, I mean you." Danny smirked as they crossed the threshold. "Working beside that guy every day, let me tell you. I've seen and heard things even a wife should never have to, Cat."
She laughed as they spotted Steve near their table downing a beer. "Good luck, my friend." Danny continued. "Because I think even the most elite training procedures cannot possibly prepare you for a lifetime with that." He gestured towards the dance floor where Steve was already busting a move, waiting to meet the group.
Catherine laughed openly and uninhibited at Danny's joke. She knew he was joking, and she knew even more so that she'd be just fine. "C'mon." She tugged his arm with a hearty laugh and the Detective obliged by joining her on the dance floor, soon followed by the rest of their group.
It was a night to celebrate not only the Navy, but every achievement the members of Five 0 had seen come their way in the last week. Personal, or professional; it didn't matter. Knowing they survived it all was worth the celebration all on its own.
