If this season continues to have slow but great progress toward I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or its characters, it belongs to CBS and its creators.

Chapter Eighteen

"This test shall be your final one until the big exam next week. You will go and work with HPD to get a taste of the job as..." Captain Kei actually smiled for once. "As beat cops." The auditorium groaned.

"Hey, hey, what do you think you're going to be when you graduate this, huh?" He asked and they went silent. "We are randomly pairing you all with officers and you will work with them for two days. Sometimes you don't respond to calls and just work small things. Tomorrow morning, we will begin the process. Until then, go home and relax. Try to relax your mind for the test. You're dismissed." Students sighed and picked up their bags, beginning to filter out as the captain begin to erase the board. Alyx adjusted the strap on her shoulder, watching him move and begin to write on the board.

"Captain?" She asked as she stepped down to the main floor. He turned around.

"I knew I felt a presence still. Are you doing alright? You hardly spoke or looked at the board at all today." Alyx rubbed her forehead and put her bag on the desk slowly.

"Have you... Have you ever had someone tell you that they love you, and you don't know how you feel about them because you thought you were taking it slow and keeping it casual?" Captain Kei raised his eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you tell your father this...?"

"It's something I'd rather not discuss with him at the moment." Captain Kei took a breath and looked around, thinking. He was quiet for a moment.

"Well, how long have you been seeing each other?"

"Like... Seven months...?" Kei stared at her for a moment.

"Okay... So you've just been keeping it casual? Like..." He rolled his hands. "You know, just..."

"Yeah, just sex."

"Oh. Okay... Um... Well..." Kei's pale cheeks colored with a light dusty pink. "Listen, when my husband proposed to me, I literally told them I had a lunch date, even though it was eight in the evening, and left him on the beach. I had four panic attacks because it was unexpected, and even though we had spoken about marriage, we didn't get married until it was legal in Hawaii."

"Did... Did you love him? Were you scared of... Of commitment?"

"Honestly... Yes. I was scared. I was very scared, but then the next day, I took a look at him and I just... I just he was the one."

"How'd you know?" He chuckled.

"He was singing this stupid song from like the 90's, and he was so bad, but then... I just knew, and I said yes." Kei frowned. "What happened?" Alyx sighed and he gestured to the seat in front. She plopped down and slumped for once.

"We went out for dinner a couple of nights ago, and we were talking and everything and then he told me something, and I laughed, like, really hard, and then he just said... I love you. Before I could say anything, our food came, and I stuffed my face. I panicked and nearly threw up because of it. I can't sleep and he stopped texting and calling me like a day ago..."

"What did they say?" She pulled out her phone out and scrolled to the first text and handed it over. He read it, keeping silent as he scrolled through, then put it down.

"You haven't responded?" She shook her head and put her face in her hands.

"What do I do?" She asked solemnly. He handed her phone back and watched her fiddle with it.

"Well, how do you feel toward him?"

Alyx stared at him for a moment before looking at her phone.

Alyx turned bright red as she picked up a piece of clothing, and then put it back on the rack.

"How do men like this...?" She mumbled as she felt the fabric on a robe. It was pretty soft, but she couldn't imagine herself wearing something like that... Or anything in this store.

"Do you need hep finding anything?" Alyx looked to her left to see an employee nearby, smiling at softly.

"Yeah, actually... What kind of gift is best when you are really sorry because you walked out on him when he says I love you but you thought you guys were taking it slow and casual?" The employee stared at her for a moment before blinking.

"Um... Words?" Alyx's shoulder's went lax. "Listen, I've been through quite a few relationships before I finally met the one, and he said I love you first. I thought it was because I worked here but I soon found out he loved me for me."

"That's not helpful." The employee touched her arm reassuringly.

"Honestly, the best thing you can do is talk to him."

Why does everyone have better relationship advice than her?

Hank tapped his foot nervously as he waited outside the hotel room, his heart racing as he looked around to make sure no one was following him (especially after Steve).

When Alyx texted him to meet at their spot, he got scared and nervous. He nearly threw up after he received it because he worked himself into a panic. He had two thoughts: She texted him to break up, or to tell him that she loves him too.

He went with the former.

The door opened, and before he could even turn his head, he was pulled into the room abruptly. He caught his footing before he fell on his face and turned around to see Alyx pressed up against the door, a panicked look in her eyes for the first time since he met her. Well, other than when he told her.

She'd cut her hair to a beautiful chin length that was loosely curled. She had her robe high collared, and as beautiful as she looked, she looked very uncomfortable.

"L-Listen, I uh... I thought a lot about what happened and-and I'm so sorry for what I did to you." She said as she walked up to him. "I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry. I just... I don't use those words lightly. The last time I told somebody that was when my adoptive mother died. Those were the last words I said before we went to bed."

"You haven't even told Steve...?" Alyx shook her head.

"I know we're coming up on a year since we started to get to know each other, but I mean..." She shrugged. "We're McGarretts, we tend to not use those words lightly." Hank nodded slowly, processing what she just said. Alyx walked up to him slowly and reached for his hands, taking them and squeezing them.

"I'm sorry for telling you that all of a sudden... I mean, we're not even dating, but when I heard you laugh after I told you I gained fifty pounds... I just realized that I fell in love with you without realizing it." Alyx teared up.

"Shit, I think I'm PMSing." Hank laughed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. They stayed like that for a while, before Alyx gently pushed away, reaching up and cupping his face.

"I love you too."