THROWING DARTS

Based on the Hawaii Five-0 Series Finale | Season 10 Episode 22: Aloha

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CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

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MCGARRETT HOUSE - JUNE 14, 2020 - 0900 HOURS

"Good morning, Commander." Catherine smiled lazily while she traced circles on Steve's hip with her fingertips; her nose gently nuzzling his.

A sleepy smirk crept across his lips as he kissed her slowly, "Mornin', Mrs. McGarrett." He mumbled.

Catherine giggled as his hands wandered across her skin, "I think I might like that better than 'lieutenant'."

"Good." Steve's voice was low and husky as he kissed down the side of her neck.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she relished in the sensation of his lips on her skin. "Mmmm." She smiled as her hips slowly twisted against him. "That was some night last night."

Steve's hoarse chuckle only served to intensify the heat pooling in her stomach. "If I remember correctly…" He growled as his hands found her hips. "It went something like this."

Suddenly, Catherine found herself flat on her back as Steve slowly crawled up her body, peppering her skin with feather-light kisses. The moment his mouth dropped onto hers, it was like a match striking against stone: fire. His hands ducked under the thin fabric of the sheets and dug into her supple flesh.

Without even realizing it, Catherine was gripping onto his shoulders for dear life as his teeth sunk into the velvet smooth skin of her breast. Her whole body was on fire and the grip that his calloused hands had on her thighs only added fuel to the blaze. Burning pulses of desire shot through her as her legs wrapped around his waist and brought him closer.

Steve's head dipped into the junction of her neck and shoulder as he sucked on her soft skin. Catherine let out an involuntary moan as her body arched towards him. Her fingers released themselves from his shoulders while she enjoyed the rock hard lines of his chest and abs. Her nails scraped down his skin, causing Steve to toss his head back in ecstasy.

Everywhere his hands touched her body burned with desire. Steve's mouth found her lips again, "God…." He whispered against her mouth, "You're so beautiful."

Catherine smiled as her hands traced every line of his abs down to where the grid of muscles dipped into a 'V'. Steve shuddered as her fingers trailed down the swooping lines of his muscles. "You being this damn sexy really is a crime." She smirked.

Steve chuckled as he matched her hips with his and placed a slow kiss in the valley of her breasts while he slowly brought their bodies together. Catherine's breath caught in her throat as she felt him. All of him. They had been intimate so many times, but she was never not surprised at the way they moved together - the way they fit together. She couldn't imagine being intimate with anyone else the way she was with Steve.

He gripped her hips as he moved inside her. This was the definition of pleasure. This was euphoria.

"Oh, God." Catherine whispered.

Steve groaned as he felt her tighten around him. Waves of pleasure ripped through them both, one after the other. Steve collapsed on top of her, enveloping her in his embrace.

There they laid- a tangle of arms and legs in a twisted mess of sheets. They laid there like so many times before, but somehow this was different.

"I think I finally understand the hype about sex when you're married." Catherine grinned.

Steve chuckled as he pulled her against his body and tucked his head into the crook of her neck, "We shoulda done this a long time ago." He mumbled.

Catherine's head tilted back against his as she placed a chaste kiss on his temple. "I love you, you know."

"That's my line." He smiled, looking up and meeting her lips for a kiss. "I, uh… I have something-" His words were cut off by a knock on their bedroom door.

Catherine jumped at the sound and tugged the sheets up to cover herself. "Who's here?!" She mouthed in a panic. Steve slid out of the bed, but not before Catherine had a vice grip on his arm. "Don't open it! Get your gun!" She whispered.

"Criminals don't knock, dear." Steve replied sarcastically. He grinned, "I just have a little surprise for you is all." He slid on a pair of shorts and opened the door. He picked up a tray off of the ground and kicked the bedroom door closed again with his foot. "Breakfast is served." He smiled as he walked over to the bed. "Surprise." He mumbled as he pecked her lips. Catherine beamed as she hopped out of the bed and headed into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she emerged with a washed face and brushed hair...and clothes. Steve frowned, "Excuse me, what is this?!" He chuckled as his hand waved around at the apparent offense. "Off. now." He barked.

"Excuse me?" Catherine laughed as she reached for a waffle.

Steve snatched it away and put it back on the tray. "Strip or no breakfast, Rollins." He grinned.

Catherine pouted playfully and walked over to his side of the bed. "Strip?" A devilish grin crossed her lips, "Or strip tease?"

Steve leaned back against the headboard as she began to tantalize him with the removal of her clothes. Just when she had gotten down to her bra and panties, she slowly set the tray of food aside and straddled his waist. She removed her bra in a painstakingly slow manner, leaning forward ever so slightly, causing him to groan in delight and anticipation. Steve reached out to touch her body, but his advances were thwarted by the quick shedding of her underwear before she grabbed a waffle and took a satisfied bite.

"Tease." He chuckled as she settled down beside him and pulled the covers up.

Catherine giggled. "You know I play dirty." She winked. "So where'd all this food come from?"

"Junior and Tani." He mumbled through his bite. "I got him to drop it off since he has a key. Figured, uh, figured you'd wanna relax a little today."

She smiled as she took another bite, "That was sweet of them…. And potentially traumatizing if he had shown up a few minutes earlier." She laughed.

Steve chuckled, "So, uh, yesterday was, uh….."

"Big." Catherine finished for him. "Doesn't really feel real yet."

He nodded in agreement. "I, uh, I got something for you."

Catherine frowned, "Steve… we said we weren't gonna get each other anything!"

Steve slid open the drawer of the bedside table and handed her a long, velvet box. Catherine was about to protest, but he cut her off. "Open it."

Catherine opened the box and gingerly pulled out the diamond necklace. Her hand clasped over her mouth in awe. "Steve, it's… it's beautiful." Her eyes welled up with tears.

Steve grinned as he took it from her. He brushed her hair to one side and secured the clasp of the necklace around her neck. His hands lingered on her shoulders as he kissed her skin. Catherine looked down at the diamond hanging from the thin, gold chain. "It's from the ring I bought to propose to you a while ago." Her eyes shot up at his confession as she wiped a tear away. "I had the jeweler turn it into a necklace." He smiled. "I just… I liked it and I had gotten the ring for you anyways and I wanted you to be able to wear it somehow..." Steve rambled on.

Catherine silenced him with a kiss. "It's perfect." She blushed. "I love it."

"I love you." Steve's voice was honest and resolute.

She smiled, "I love you too." The way the words rolled off her tongue was effortless.

"Tell me somethin'." Steve began. Catherine looked up at him with anticipation as she sipped her orange juice. "Did you really tell Amy that you thought you were in love with me when I was your C.O.?"

Catherine blushed and covered her face with her hands, "God, I'm gonna kill that woman." She laughed.

"So you did." He grinned as he took a long drink from his mug of coffee. "But when?" He chuckled, "When'd you know?"

She smiled nervously. Why was it still so damn hard to talk about? She and Steve were married for goodness sake! They weren't in the Navy anymore. In fact, they hadn't been in the same chain of command for almost fifteen years. But old habits die hard, and that's why she hesitated. "When you came to check on me in the parking lot of the pub in Coronado." She rested her head on his shoulder, "You didn't know Chad was gonna go ballistic and take a swing at me… you told me that you saw me get upset and leave the bar and you wanted to make sure I was okay." She sighed happily, "You know, even though my dad made a career out of it, he was always worried about me… you know… being a woman in the military… Most of my career I didn't feel safe and it wasn't because I was being shot at or behind enemy lines… I would never leave my bunk in civvies- I only ever wore BDUs so that the men on board wouldn't see me as anything other than a coworker. If I got shore leave, I'd change clothes in town, and change back into cammies before I'd get back on board. I wouldn't walk around the Enterprise without Amy or Jen." She laughed quietly, "Strength in numbers and all that." Catherine pressed a kiss to his chest. "But you always made me feel safe."

Steve pressed a kiss to her lips, "Can I tell you something?" He watched as her eyes met his in anticipation, "I can't count how many times I fantasized about what you looked like under those cammies." He smirked.

Catherine giggled, "What about you? When did you know?"

He sat and thought for a moment, "The first day I met you."

She rolled her eyes and laughed, "Liar."

Steve shook his head, "I'm being serious. My first shift as your C.O ended at 19:00, I got up and left, went and ate dinner in the mess hall, and when I was walking back to my bunk to get some sleep before the next shift, I passed by our duty station and I saw you sitting in there in the dark… Your face was, uh, it was lit up by the glow of the computer screen and I thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen..." He looked down to catch the blush that was spreading across her face, "So I found your bunk, woke up Amy, and asked her how you liked your coffee."

Catherine smiled, "I've just always thought that you had a special gift of how to make coffee just right."

"While I was fixing your coffee I realized that I had never wanted to do that for anyone else." He admitted. "And then we spent three more hours staring at satellite photos of the Korangal Valley when we should've been asleep. And I got the privilege of sitting beside you and watching you work." Steve shrugged, "And that's when I knew." He smiled, "I knew that if I could sit beside you and look at grainy aerial photos and drink burnt coffee for the rest of my life that I'd be happy." He grinned as he took a sip from his mug. "Speaking of…" He motioned to the untouched mug of coffee on her side of the tray, "Not gonna caffeinate this morning?"

Catherine shook her head, "Nah, I'm just gonna stick with juice."

"Are you pregnant?" The words numbed his mouth as they spilled out. "I - I mean, I was just curious… you know… because you, uh, you didn't drink at all yesterday… and no coffee just isn't like you!" He chuckled, trying to make light of the question.

"No." She stated solemnly as she set her fork down. "I'm not."

"Cath." His voice was soft as he set the tray of food on the floor and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't've asked…"

The corner of Catherine's mouth quivered as she buried her head in his chest. "I took a shot of tequila right before the ceremony because I was nervous, and then I panicked because I realized my stomach had been upset the last few days and I hadn't taken a test in a couple weeks, and I freaked out…." She grimaced before exhaling a shaky breath, "But I took a test this morning….It was negative… again."

"Hey." His voice was soft and kind. "Don't beat yourself up." He smiled tenderly at her as he kissed her forehead.

"It's been almost two months, Steve… What if we...just can't." She whispered.

Steve pulled her body completely into his embrace, as if to shield her from the pain and hurt, "Then we still love each other and we still have a good life together."

Catherine's arms wrapped around his torso, "I know you want kids."

"I do." He admitted. "But if it's just you and me drinking burnt coffee for the rest of our lives, then I'm happy." Steve smiled as he kissed her forehead and rubbed her arms.

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MCGARRETT HOUSE - JUNE 14, 2020 - 1500 HOURS

"You almost done?" Steve called out as he walked up the stairs. "We gotta be at the airport in a few hours."

Catherine stared at the almost full suitcase splayed out on the bed. "I think so. I already packed the boxes to ship to the ranch, and the FedEx guy just picked them up." She glanced over her shoulder as Steve walked into the bedroom. "This is just honeymoon stuff now." She smiled. "Did Eddie and Pickles do okay going over to Junior and Tani's place?"

Steve nodded as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Mhm." He smiled as he kissed her shoulder. "You know, I think I like that we're moving some stuff out to the ranch, you know? It'll be a good place to have to get away, get some quiet."

Catherine spun around in his hug and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I think so too. She smiled as she ran her hand down the stubble forming on his jaw. "And I have that bearded cowboy fantasy." She smirked with a wink.

"Oh, I didn't forget about that." He grinned as he picked her up, tossed her on the bed, and crawled over her body.

"Steve!" She giggled. "I gotta finish packing!" Catherine whined as his hands delved under the fabric of her shirt.

Steve smirked as his fingers slipped under her bra, "What's the magic word?" He teased.

"Please!" Catherine pleaded.

"Nope!" He grinned.

"Commander?" She guessed while trying to wriggle out from under him.

Steve pinned her hips down. "Try again!"

"Mmmm." Catherine closed her eyes as she felt his hands massaging her thighs.

"I don't think that's even a word." Steve's cocky whisper only served to turn her on even more.

"Husband?" She begged in a sultry tone.

Steve growled, "Fine." He chuckled, rolling off of her. "I would have also accepted 'pigeons'."

Catherine giggled as she walked back to the pile of clothes and started folding them one by one to load into the suitcase. "Seriously? Our code word from the op in Bagram?"

"The very one." He grinned.

Catherine chewed on her lip for a moment, "Hey, Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Last night… you were having a conversation with Gutch and went into the house to talk…"

Steve stopped packing and dropped the article of clothing that was in his hands. "What about it?"

She noticed the way his jaw clenched. "Who was the other guy? I didn't recognize him." She asked innocently, trying to relieve the obvious tension.

"Admiral Rhodes." He mumbled.

Catherine's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? That jerk had the gall to show up at our wedding and-"

"He offered me a job." Steve said decisively, ending her most likely very long rant.

She paused, "Say what now?"

Steve sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, facing her as she packed their suitcase. "He and Gutch are tight and Wade had mentioned to him that I may be thinking about retiring from Five-0."

"So, what did Rhodes offer you? I mean, he's still in the Navy and you're long gone from the service." Catherine asked as she checked her final packing list.

"Working for the V.A.." His tone was hopeful. "Rhodes has a buddy who's a director over at the V.A office at Pearl and wants me to oversee a new department."

Catherine sat down beside him and slipped her hand into his, "Doing what?"

Steve rubbed his forehead, "Working with, uh, working with SEALs, actually… SEALs, special warfare operators, special forces types… you know, helping them reintegrate to civilian life. Finding them jobs that work with their skill sets; making sure they don't fall through the cracks." He shrugged, "It'd be a desk job… a nine-to-five. A little more stable, you know?"

Catherine nodded. "I think you'd be great at that." She offered in an attempt to encourage him. "You know, there are a lot of team guys who aren't as lucky as you and Junior to have found a place to land with law enforcement." She smiled as she squeezed his hand. "It sounds like a perfect fit for you if you really are ready to leave Five-0."

Steve nodded. "Yeah."

Catherine hesitated. "So… are you gonna take it?"

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Steve and Cath are about to leave for their honeymoon adventures! I can't wait to see what you thought of this chapter when I read your reviews!

The topic of infertility and miscarriages is a heavy topic to write about. (And read about.) I get that it's not the most easy-going story line, but it's also something that's very near and dear to my heart. There is such a stigma around struggling to get pregnant and having failed pregnancies and that's such a sad thing, because reality is, that it's extremely COMMON! If that's something that you have faced, I just want you to know that you're not alone and it does not define or devalue your worth as a human being. And if you feel alone, you're not, because I love you!

Today's fun facts:

1. I'm American, but I grew up in Asia. (Not of Asian descent, though!)

2. Just like Catherine, I prefer my steaks bloody.

3. I have an irrational fear of ducks.

I hope you wonderful people have a great day! Thank you so much for taking your time to leave me feedback in the reviews!

XO,

-Mags-

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