The drive home was an easy one with very little traffic at this hour on Monday morning. Steve sat in the passenger seat while Catherine drove the vehicle. He kept his eyes closed, but opened them several times just to look at her without her realizing it. God, she was beautiful, and he could spend the rest of his life staring into her eyes.

"Do I have something on my face?" Catherine asked without taking her eyes off the road.

"No," McGarrett answered with a smile that drove back the weariness of the last few weeks. "I just….you sure you have to leave so soon?"

"I'm afraid so, Sailor. As much as I'd love to spend more time with you I'm afraid, duty calls. So, I guess that means we'll have to make the best of what little time we have," Catherine told him.

"I can think of plenty of ways to make the best of the time we have," the SEAL said as turned into his driveway. Once the car was parked he opened the door, got out, and reached into the back for his bag.

"Uncle Steve…welcome home," Grace Williams said as she came around the side of the house.

"Hey, Grace, thanks," McGarrett said and hugged the child before she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the path.

"Danno and I made cupcakes, but he said you had to have lunch first," Grace told him excitedly.

"We could sneak one," McGarrett said conspiratorially.

"No teaching my daughter about larceny, Steven!" Williams said when they rounded the corner.

"But she made cupcakes, Danno," McGarrett said and smiled when he saw something on the other man's lips. "Besides, if you can have one before lunch why can't the rest of us?"

"I didn't…"

"You should use a napkin, Danny," Catherine said of the evidence on around his mouth. "Hello, everyone."

"Hey, Catherine, did he give you any problems…I can sit on him if he did," Kamekona offered from his seat across the deck.

"I just got out of the hospital, Big Guy, and I'd rather not see the inside of one for a long, long time," McGarrett said with a grin and sat down, breathing deeply of the ocean air as Kono and Chin came out of the house with several different plates of sandwiches and the makings of a fruit salad.

"He's promised to behave himself," Catherin said and smiled as Williams handed out wine glasses filled with sparkling apple juice.

"Are we celebrating something?" Chin asked.

"We are," Williams said and smiled. "Here's to Steve's release."

"Here, here," sounded around the table.

"And here's to him not going back for at least…let's see…a month might be doable," Chin offered.

"You guys think you're so funny, but you shouldn't give up your day jobs," McGarrett said, but made the toast anyway. He looked at Danny and knew there was more, but he wasn't sure if the man was ready to reveal whatever was on his mind.

"Danno, are we going to tell them now?" Grace asked.

"Tell us what, Brah?" Kamekona asked.

"Well, Rachel brought me something today and it seems Charles is not Grace's half-brother…he's her full brother," Williams answered. He clasped his fingers and tilted his head to the side as a smile broadened on his face.

"You got the DNA results back?" Chin said.

"We did…I'm Charles' father," Williams answered.

"Congratulations," McGarrett said and clasped hands with Williams. He knew how much this meant to the other man, and could see the pride in his eyes. He hoped things between him and Rachel remained civil and that Danny would get to spend as much time as he wanted with his children. He moved out of the way so the others could offer their congratulations as well. He sat down and looked at Catherine and wondered whether she'd given any thought to having children. Maybe, when she got back from her next stint on the Enterprise they could have a serious talk about their future.

"What are you thinking about?" Kamekona asked as he joined McGarrett.

"Just thinking about family," McGarrett answered.

"You getting serious with Catherine, Brah?"

"I think maybe I am," the SEAL told him.

"Then maybe it's time you talked to her…you're not getting any younger."

"Real funny," McGarrett said as the others returned to the table. This was his Ohana, but there came a time in a man's life when he needed to make a commitment. He would start by visiting the jeweller his family had used for years, and when Catherine came home again, he'd figure out just where they stood.

"Can I ask you something, Steve?" Williams asked when the others began to clear up the dishes.

"Sure," McGarrett answered.

"I haven't talked to Rachel yet, but Charles is going to be baptised soon and I'd like you to be his Godfather," Williams said.

"Danny, are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I know we don't always see eye-to-eye and we argue like…"

"A married couple," McGarrett finished with a grin.

"I've heard that somewhere before," Williams said. "There's no one else I'd trust his future to, Steve…no matter what happens I want to know he'll be taken care of if something happened to me or Rachel."

""I'd be honored, Danny," McGarrett said and sighed contentedly as the sound of the waves brought a sense of peace to him.

"Thanks, I'll let Rachel know we talked and let you know when everything's been arranged," Williams said and moved to help the others as Grace returned with the cupcakes.

Steve sat back and watched as his Ohana came together and was glad to be home, yet something didn't quite feel right as he looked around. There was no one close, but he couldn't quite shake the feeling that they were being watched. He thought about Wo Fat and briefly wondered if the man was around, but he trusted Joe when he called the night before and told him his half-brother was spotted in North Korea.

"Hey, Sailor, the others are getting ready to go…maybe you should get some rest," Catherine said and placed her chin on his head.

"Think I'll grab a shower."

"Want some company?"

"Wouldn't mind, but maybe we should wait until they leave."

"Maybe we should stick around," Williams said from behind them.

"Danny, I would advise you to rethink that," McGarrett warned.

"Oh, I don't know…you're looking kind of peaked. Maybe we should call Dr. Lewis and…"

"Danny, you'd better not finish that statement," Kelly said. "Come on, Brah, Grace is ready to go."

"By, Uncle, Steve," the child said and hugged him before grabbing her father's hand and pulling him away from the couple.

"Thanks, Chin," McGarrett said and waited for the others to leave before taking Catherine by the hand and leading her into the house.

5050505050

Paulina had never been so angry in her life. How could these people visit Steve when he only just got out of the hospital? He should be resting not entertaining, and what the hell did that bitch think she was doing. God, help her, but she wanted to tear her apart, but that would not get her what she wanted. She'd looked into Catherine Rollins background and found out the woman would be leaving for her next tour aboard a ship and she would be gone for several months.

Paulina knew she had to be careful and wait, because once the woman was out of the way, then she could show Steve just what he meant to her. They could live their lives without worrying what others thought. Oh, she knew it would not happen right away, but given the time she could convince him they were right for each other.

Paulina thought about the plans she had already set in motion and how easy things were when you had the money to implement those plans. She owed that to her parents and a lawyer who worshiped the ground she walked on. He would never have her, but she could get him to do anything she wanted and her accountant only knew some of her assets. The rest of it was hidden in accounts that were untraceable, and only she had the password to access them.

Paulina knew there was nothing she could do about the present circumstances and turned away from the house. Too bad she would never make it her home, there were just too many memories of Steve's life prior to them becoming a couple. A smile formed when she touched the empty ring finger of her left hand because soon there would be a diamond ring encircling it.

"Soon, Steven, our lives will be forever joined and no one will ever be able to break us apart," she whispered and made her way back to her car.

5050505050

Steve smiled as Catherine stretched out beside him and laid her head on his shoulder. Her hair tickled his chest and he felt her shift until she was resting on her right arm. The look on her face was one of pure rapture and he felt the same way as their lips met in a kiss that deepened with the heated sensations running through his body. They'd made love twice already, but, God, help him he didn't want this to end. In the two weeks since he'd been released from the hospital, they'd spent every waking moment together, except for the few times she needed to report to the main office.

"I could spend the rest of my life right here," Catherine said.

"Sounds good to me…I'll ordered enough steaks so we don't have to leave here…rare and perfect…just like you," McGarrett told her.

"Are you comparing me to a bloody steak?" she asked and tried to look indignant.

"Hell, no, I meant you're…"

"I know what you meant," Catherine said and kissed him again as the alarm clock sounded beside the bed. "I need to get a shower and get dressed."

"How long do you need for a shower?"

"That depends on what you're offering instead."

"Well, we could save time and shower together…"

"And how do we spend the rest of the time?"

"I could tell you or I could show you," McGarrett said and pulled her on top of him. He smiled at the thought of making love to this woman and was soon lost in the warmth of shared feelings, unaware of the danger waiting to take control of his life.

The End?