…..

Hey, everyone! Welcome back to the very last chapter of Boundless as the Sea! I'm crying as I'm typing this author's note, because I'm so sad to see Steve and Allie's story end. Several of you have asked me to write another Steve and Allie story, but I just feel like this is where it has to end. Maybe someday I might come up with somewhere else to take them, but they're good with where they are right now. Someone suggested that I could just do some one shots instead of trying to come up with a whole new story, and that's a good idea, but I'm not sure I'll really have time to work on anything else right now. But, maybe if there's a lot of demand for it, I'll try to work something out. I love these characters so much, and I'm really glad that so many of you do as well.

As you know, I gave everyone the opportunity to vote (via review and/or private message) on what my next story would be, and option one narrowly won! If you've forgotten what option one was, here it is:

Steve McGarrett was married once, many years ago. He thought that maybe living and working in his home state of Hawaii would give him the distance that he needed to try to put the heartbreak far behind him once and for all. But when his ex-wife moves to the island with her family, he realizes that there is a very real possibility that moving on is never going to happen.

That story has a title now: The Journey to Healing. The first chapter is actually up right now, so head over and read it as soon as you can! I'm super excited to share it with you all!

Thank you so much to all of you that have read, reviewed, favorited, followed, and private messaged. You all really kept this story going. I'll miss you all so much (but I hope to see you reading my new story!)!

Happy Reading!

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Epilogue

Allie

I knew that no matter how long I lived, I would never be able to describe the emotions that overwhelmed me when the nurse placed my seconds-old son on my chest. My arms came up of their own accord to stroke his arms and his back. He was crying rather loudly, startled by all of the lights and sounds.

Steve gently placed another blanket on top of him and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Hey, buddy. Happy birthday. We're so happy to have you here with us."

I was just looking at him with tears blurring my vision, certain that I would never get enough of him. When the nurse appeared at my side and gently told me that she needed to take the baby to collect his measurements and give him the necessary vaccines, I didn't want to let him go. But my arms were far too tired to resist, so I let her take him.

"Go with him," I told Steve, not yet willing to let our son be more than an arm's length from one of us.

He nodded, kissed me once, and then disappeared from my side to go and be with our son, who did not seem to be enjoying the treatment that he was getting.

The next few minutes were all a blur. The doctor was stitching me up, the nurse was fiddling with my IV, and Steve was calling out measurements to me. Seven pounds, four ounces. Twenty inches long. My whole body was shaking, which the doctor assured me was completely normal after childbirth.

Steve appeared at my side once more, a worried expression the only thing that my eyes could focus on. "Allie? Are you sure you're okay?"

My teeth were chattering as I answered him. "Just… shaky. Stay… with… Ari…"

He nodded. "I will. They're going to give him a bath right now. Which gown did you want me to change him into?"

"Black…" I managed to get out, and Steve nodded with understanding and went to fetch it.

I wasn't sure how much longer it was before Steve walked over with Ari in his arms, but I was overjoyed to see them. The shaking had somewhat subsided, so I held out my arms and Steve placed our son into them, where he seemed to fit perfectly.

Everything about him was so little – his nose, his closed eyes, his mouth. He just seemed so fragile, wrapped up in his gray and white striped swaddle blanket to keep him warm. It was hard to imagine that he would ever grow up, and that was fine with me. I wanted him to just stay like that forever.

"I did a good job swaddling, right?" Steve asked me teasingly as he bent down so that he could be closer to us.

The swaddle was, indeed, perfect. Which made sense, because Steve had been practicing nonstop ever since our childcare class. He'd said that he wanted to be perfect at as many things as he could before the baby came. Clearly, it had paid off.

"It's perfect," I agreed, and realized that I was smiling. "Everything about today is perfect."

"Danny texted me to let me know that everyone is here and waiting to meet him, whenever we're ready. I figured you'd want to try to feed him first."

Before I could answer, my nurse stepped in with a smile. "Good idea. But before that, how about we let you get cleaned up a little bit?"

It was only then that I realized how gross I felt, and I eagerly nodded. It was with reluctance that I handed Ari off to Steve and then allowed the nurse to assist me as I stood. Once I had assured her that I was fine to walk on my own (I hadn't had the epidural and I always bounced back quickly from trauma), she allowed me to go into the bathroom by myself. Steve rolled the suitcase in to me with one hand, and then also left.

My shower was quick, but thorough, and it felt like heaven after the ordeal I'd just been through. Once clean, I wrapped my hair in one towel and quickly dried off with the other. I started the dressing process by putting on all of the appropriate padding. Then, I put on my comfy black pajamas that matched Ari's knotted gown. They were so unbelievably soft, and I was so glad that I'd bought them, even though Steve had insisted that they seemed like a waste of money.

My towel-dried hair was brushed out and then pulled up into a messy bun, where it would be out of the way. It took me a few minutes to decide whether or not to put makeup on, and I ultimately decided to just stick with the basics – tinted moisturizer, eyeshadow, and mascara. I'd just had a baby, after all. Surely, no one would judge me too harshly for looking like it.

Back out in the suite, I found the on-call pediatrician checking Ari out while Steve stood nearby. I also found that the hospital staff had already cleaned up all of the blood and brought in a fresh bed that I was all too happy to slide into.

The pediatricians finished checking Ari, congratulated both of us, and then left the room. My nurse materialized out of nowhere to ask if I was planning to breastfeed, and I told her that I was. She called the lactation consultant for me, and she couldn't come soon enough, because Ari acted like he was starving.

"Give the kid a break," Steve said when the lactation consultant made that same observation out loud. "He's never eaten in his life."

Luckily, he took to breastfeeding like a pro.

Once everything had finally calmed down and we were alone in the room, Steve and I both took about twenty minutes to just sit there and admire our now-sleeping baby.

"I like being a family of three," Steve decided after a few minutes of silence. "I wouldn't change a thing."

"Me, either." It had been the most perfect day of my life, even if it had started with labor late the night before.

"Good." He kissed me and when he pulled back, there was so much love in his eyes that I felt like I was drowning in it. "You were so amazing today."

"I was, wasn't I?"

He laughed. "You were."

"We should probably let everyone in now," I sighed, looking at Ari. "I just hate the thought of sharing."

Standing from the bed, Steve chuckled. "We'll tell them to keep it short and sweet. I asked Kol to bring us lunch, so we can eat while they're passing him around."

My stomach grumbled. "That's the best idea you've ever had."

He laughed and left to go and bring everyone into the room.

Kol bounded in first, his blue eyes bright with excitement as they landed on the bundle in my arms. "Is Ari ready to meet his favorite uncle?"

I feigned surprise. "Is Michael here already?"

My twin shot me a look and then approached the bed. "Not a good joke. Can I hold him?"

There was a great reluctance as I handed him over, but Ari hardly stirred. Kol handled him expertly, despite having little experience with babies. "You're a pro at this."

"Of course, I am," he replied and turned just as Danny, Chin, and Kono came into the room. "Hey, guys. Meet Ari. We're already best friends."

Danny, Chin, and Kono came to hug me and then to go and look at the baby. Meanwhile, Steve brought me a bag with a burger and some fries. He also had a large caffeinated drink.

"Coke?" I asked skeptically.

"You'll need it for your late night," Kol tossed over his shoulder.

"Okay, my turn!" Kono insisted, and she and Kol began to argue.

"Hey," Steve said in a faux tough voice. "No fighting over my kid. Kol, hand him over."

"But-"

"Kol," I cut him off, fighting back a smile. "Share."

He groaned, but obediently handed Ari to Kono. They all began to fuss over him as Steve and I ate our food. It was the best thing that I'd ever tasted, but that was likely only because I'd just gone through hours of labor without any kind of pain medicine.

"Trent, Michael, and Max are on their way," Kol informed me as Danny took Ari from Chin. "So are Dad and Uncle Edward…" The look that he gave me communicated everything.

"If our mother is with them, we'll just have to deal with it when the time comes."

Kol nodded. "I told our brothers that they could stay with me. Uncle Edward and Dad are getting a room at the Hilton."

"And we've already worked out the schedule for helping," Kono added, stepping closer to the bed.

"You have already worked out the schedule for helping," Danny corrected.

She rolled her eyes at him before turning back to me and Steve. "Steve, the governor said that you're to take no less than three weeks off. Allie, your family will be in town for a week, so I've already worked out a schedule with all of them."

"What kind of schedule?" I asked, but I almost didn't want to know.

"Oh, it's a full-scale schedule," Kol cut in. "Day shift and night shift included."

Kono nodded. "Day shift is for bringing meals, doing anything that needs to be done around the house, and taking the baby if you guys need a nap. Night shift is to be there if the baby is up at night and you guys need a little bit of a break."

Chin stepped up beside his cousin and there was laughter in his eyes. "But Kamekona volunteered to do everyone's part of the yard work. He said that he doesn't do babies."

"Of course he doesn't," Steve muttered.

I laughed. "That sounds wonderful, but you guys really don't have to do all of that."

"Yes, we do," Danny said as he approached the bed. "We're family. That's what family does. Trust me, you need to take all of the help you can get. Get as much rest as you can now, before all of the help is gone." He deftly slid Ari back into my arms. "And there's your baby back. He's adorable, by the way."

"We know," Steve said smugly.

They began to banter, naturally, and so the rest of us talked about anything and everything.

And I reflected on the perfection of a life that a younger me never would have dreamed of.

Steve

I woke with a start, sitting upright in bed. The night was silent, but perhaps that was what felt wrong. My digital clock said that it was three in the morning, and I didn't remember getting up with Ari since we'd put him down in his bassinet around eleven.

I looked over, but Allie's side of the bed was empty. When I got up to check, I found that Ari wasn't in his bassinet, either. Allie usually just sat up in bed to feed him and we changed him on the little changing table that we'd set up in the corner of the room, so I couldn't imagine where she had gone.

The search lasted less than a minute, though. I found Allie in Ari's nursery, rocking him in the glider. Her face was barely illuminated by the dim nightlight plugged into the wall, but I saw an expression of pure contentment on her face as she sang.

"Go north, go north with wings on your feet. Go north with the wind where the three rivers meet. There's a clearing of sorts in the circle of trees, where the wild constellations shine one, two, and three. Look all around you and see, deep in the forest, there dragons will be…"

She noticed me and smiled gently. In a whisper, she said, "You didn't wake up when I got up to feed him, so I thought you probably needed some extra rest."

"We made a deal," I whispered back. "I get up and get him, you feed him, and then I swaddle him back up and put him down."

"Maybe I just wanted the extra snuggles," she said and pressed a kiss to the top of our son's head. "Before he outgrows my arms."

I smiled at the image of the two of them together, rocking in the early hours of the morning. "He's three weeks old. I don't think he'll be outgrowing your arms anytime soon."

"The days are long, but the years are short," she reminded me. It was something that she'd read in one of her parenting books, and she quoted it frequently.

"You need your rest," I told her. "He's asleep. I think he'll go down now."

She sighed and rose from the glider. "Fine."

Smiling, I led the way back to our bedroom. As I slid back under the covers, I watched her ever so gently place our swaddled son into his bassinet. I took in the tenderness of her expression as she stared down at him. And my heart felt like it was going to burst.

Finally, she climbed into bed and I pulled her close. "He's so lucky to have you as a mom."

"I hope so," she whispered back and kissed me. "But he is lucky to have you as a dad."

I kissed her again and then told her to go to sleep. It didn't take her very long, either. But I remained awake for another ten or so minutes, just being so thankful for the both of them.

My bounty is as boundless as the sea…

I fell asleep with those words echoing in my head.

Ari's Second Birthday

Allie

"Happy birthday, dear Ari…" everyone sang as I gently placed the small cake on the tray of Ari's high chair. "Happy birthday to you!"

"Blow out the candles like we practiced," Steve said, and together, he and Ari blew out the two blue candles.

Everyone cheered, and then Ari dug into his cake like a starving man.

I laughed with everyone else and then went behind the kitchen counter to cut the bigger cake that we'd gotten for everyone else. Our house was crowded with the many people that adored our son and had come to celebrate his second birthday with us.

It seemed crazy to me that Ari had already been with us for two years. Then again, sometimes I couldn't remember what we had ever done without him. He filled our days with so much love and joy. Both slowly and all at once, he had changed from a chubby, smiley baby to a skinny, adventurous little boy. He was certainly his father's son, both in looks and manner.

Watching Steve be a father was one of the best things about being a mother. He was patient, loving, firm, and encouraging. He went off to work and saved the island, and then came home and was able to push aside all of the terrible things that he'd seen so that we could all spend time together as a family. He always made time for Ari, and I absolutely loved to watch them playing together. My boys.

Cake was eaten, chatter was exchanged, and then presents were opened. Ari was overjoyed about each and every present that he received, and it was comical to watch him excitedly talk about how excited he was to get to play with it. But the best part was when we took him out into the backyard after he had finished opening his presents from everyone else.

"This is the present from Mommy and me," Steve told him and led the way outside, where Steve, Danny, Chin, Kol, and Joe had worked all morning to set up the playset that we'd bought him. He loved the ones at the parks, so we'd decided to get him his own for the backyard.

His squeal of delight was confirmation that we'd made the right call.

Hours later, as Steve and I were putting Ari to bed, I sang the lullaby that had become routine since before he would ever remember. Then, Steve sang a lullaby in Pidgin from his own childhood.

Ari wrapped his arms tightly around my neck when I asked him for a hug.

"Did you have so much fun today?" I asked him, even though I already knew the answer from watching him excitedly play with his toys and friends.

"Yeah!" he told me, eyes sparkling with excitement still. It was going to take him a while to fall asleep. "Outside?"

Steve laughed. "It's dark outside right now, buddy. And it's bedtime. We can go and play on your playset tomorrow."

"Outside?" Ari asked again hopefully.

"Not now," I told him, but smiled. "Tomorrow, we can all go out there and play. Right now, though, you need to go to sleep."

As if on cue, he opened his mouth and let out a giant yawn.

I laughed. "Exactly. One more kiss for Mama?"

He obliged, and then willingly went into Steve's arms so that Steve could put him down in his bed and tuck him in.

"Good night, baby," I told him as I leaned down to kiss his messy hair. "I love you."

"Love you," Steve told him. "See you in the morning."

"Love you!" Ari happily told us as we moved for the door.

Once Steve had shut Ari's door behind us, he sighed. "Do we try to put away the party stuff now, or wait until tomorrow?"

"I was planning to clean all day tomorrow," I told him, grabbing his hand. "Everything that needs to be put away has been put away. Let's just go to bed."

"Agreed," he said, relieved. "I'm beat. That playset was not easy to put together."

"See?" I asked him as we moved for our bedroom. "Aren't you so glad that you listened to me and asked the guys for help?"

He grumbled something about me being right.

When he opened the door to our bedroom and saw the blue and pink balloons tied to our bedposts, he was more than a little surprised. "Whoa. What in the world?"

"Go check it out," I encouraged, not able to contain my smile.

So, he walked closer and then stopped, frozen.

After a minute, he turned around wearing the biggest smile I'd seen out of him that day. "Are you serious?"

I nodded and laughed with joy. "Baby number two will be here in about seven months."

Steve swept me off of my feet and spun me in a circle before he kissed me thoroughly, passionately.

When he pulled away, he said, "I love doing life with you, Mrs. McGarrett."

"I'm so glad," I whispered back. "Because I love doing life with you, too. I always will."