There was a time when I would have believed them
If they told me that you could not come true
Just love's illusion
But then you found me
And everything changed
And I believe in something again
Rori, John, and Steve were met with the aroma of a home cooked meal when they arrived at her house after work. It was strange to her because she hadn't cooked a meal in her kitchen in months.
"That smells fantastic!" she said.
Danny was scurrying around the kitchen in an apron and chef hat, which had his name embroidered on the cuff.
"Thank you," he said. "You look like hell," he said. He looked her and John up and down, taking in their blood covered clothes. "What happened?"
"Rollover crash on the freeway," John said as he reached to steal something from the salad bowl. Danny swatted his hand away with a towel.
"Both of you go get cleaned up, dinner will be ready in just a few," Danny ordered.
"Yes sir," she said with a wink at John.
"No shenanigans, I don't want it to get cold," Danny said.
"We weren't thinking about shenanigans," John replied. "No shenanigans."
"Good, now go," Danny shoo'd them with the towel. "Hank should be home soon and we can eat."
John pulled her up the stairs by the hand, which made her think he had shenanigans on his mind.
"Danny said no shenanigans," she reminded when they reached the top.
"I know, but we both need a shower to get rid of all this blood…" he trailed off with his flirty little smirk.
"We could save our shenanigans for later, after dinner," she said. "When we can share the fun…"
"That's probably the best idea," he agreed.
She pulled the blood stained shirt over her head and slipped out of her jeans, tossing them in the washer before heading to the shower. She stood under the hot water with her eyes closed and just let it stream over her, washing the grime of the day away. She felt strong arms, John's arms, encircle her. He pulled her close. His skin was warm against her's and he was clearly excited to join her.
"John, Danny is going to kill us," she said as she tried to steady herself against the wave of excitement that flooded her.
"I don't know what you're talking about, there's nothing happening here except a shower," he whispered in her ear.
"So, you're just teasing me then?" she asked.
"Building anticipation," he corrected.
With all the care in the world, he washed her hair and lathered her with body wash. Then, stepped back to admire his handiwork as the water rinsed the soap off.
"Now, out so I can have the water," he ordered playfully.
"You're the devil, John Sheppard," she replied.
"You love me though," he said with that innocent grin he'd mastered so well. "I set something out for you on the bed."
"What?" she questioned as she slipped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel.
"Outfit on the bed, wear it," he said.
"Um, okay," Rori replied. She was all set to slip into some sweats and a tank top. "You setting the stage for something?"
He was definitely setting the stage. The outfit was the little black bodycon mini dress they all loved so much. She smelled a set up. For what, she wasn't sure but she had a feeling she would like it. It smelled like more of a set up when he emerged from the bathroom a moment later in a white button down shirt, the top button undone with the sleeves rolled neatly up. It was tucked into the top of a nice pair of jeans.
"What are you guys up to?" she asked.
"Just put the dress on," he said. "And stop asking questions."
Rori gave in and slipped into the dress.
"I'm not wearing shoes," she announced, hanging on to her lazy, comfy mood as much as she could.
"That's okay, no shoes necessary," he replied. He offered his hand, which she took, and lead her down the stairs to the kitchen where Steve, Danny, and Hank waited. They were dressed similar to John. Steve rocked a black button down, Danny a light blue one, and Hank a Navy blue one. The table was set with candles, a table cloth, and fancy plates she knew they hadn't found in her kitchen.
"Okay guys, what's going on?" she asked.
"We wanted to treat you to a nice dinner," Steve said. "Sit," he pulled out the chair at the head of the table.
She was suspicious. This was the first time they had done something like this. Once she was seated they all took their seats.
"You didn't have to do all of this," she said.
"Yes, we did," Steve said. He sat a tiny box in front of her plate. Her heart fluttered for a second with excitement and anticipation.
"What is that?" she asked.
"Open it," Hank said.
Rori opened the box with shaky hands. Inside was a ring. The center stone was a large emerald, her birthstone, and it was framed with two pearls and two peridots, their birthstones.
"We have a proposal, or this is a proposal, or – help me out here, guys," John said.
"It's a proposal," Steve confirmed.
"Obviously a legal marriage is not an option," Danny said, sensing where her mind was going, "But after everything that's happened, we want to make a commitment, vows to you and each other."
Rori's heart skipped a few more beats. She hadn't expected this. She wanted this more than she had ever imagined, though.
"You all want this?" She asked.
"We do," Hank replied. John and Steve confirmed their agreement with nods.
"Wait, do you want this?" Danny asked.
"More than anything in the world," she replied.
"Good, cause we already bought our tickets to Hawaii," Steve said with a wink.
"When?"
"Next week," John said. "We figured there's no time like the present, especially with our lifestyle."
"We can't just drop our duties, we have a responsibility —" Rori started but Steve cut her off with a raised hand.
"I took the liberty of speaking with the Governor," he said. "Chief White is going to cover Five-O for us with a couple of his detectives."
"You've been working nonstop for two years, we all have. We need a break and there's no better reason to take one," Hank said.
Rori couldn't help but grin, ear to ear, as she slipped the ring on her finger. This is right where she wanted to be.