The Truth about Ohana

Chapter Seven

Zebraboymom

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. I would love to write for them though.

Author Notes: The time on the island drags out for months and Kono and Steve have to make a new life for themselves always wary that they will be discovered. Their relationship deepens, as they become the very best of friends, relying only on each other for protection and relationship. The truth comes out about Adam.

It had been almost a full month since the rings and the kiss and the two friends had settled back into a routine. They ran every morning and by the end of the month Kono was ready to surf again.

Every day after their run they would head out into the ocean with their boards and spend a couple of hours in the water. Kono felt guilty. They had no jobs, no financial worries and it became one long vacation. Part of her felt guilty that Danny and Chin were out there trying to bring in one of the biggest crime organizations in Hawaii without them. She would catch Steve sitting and staring into space sometimes and she knew he was thinking the same thing.

She had been relieved when they never heard from their neighbor again. The idea of spending the evening playing their cover story would be hard. Since the kiss they hadn't had to act like a couple except when they went into town and even then they just held hands. It felt perfectly normal. It was just a gesture between friends, so they had both been able to put their feelings on the back burner.

She was glad as it gave her time to really grieve the loss of Adam. They had dated for a year and a half. That was the longest relationship she had ever had. The hardest part of all this was accepting that he had fooled her for two years, but had he been bad or good as she believed him to be?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and pushed herself to catch up with Steve before they got home. Last one home had to make breakfast before they surfed.

She started gaining on Steve and smiled triumphantly until she realized he was deliberately slowing down. Cassie was running from her house down to the water's edge waving as hard as she could.

Steve waited for Kono to catch up, then slipped his arm easily around her waist and brought them both to a stop.

"Cassie, right?"

""You remembered! Sorry I've taken so long to get back to you about dinner. I had to go back to the states for a while. I told Phil I was losing my mind and he let me go visit my mother for a few weeks, but I'm back and already bored out of my skull. Would you two like to come over tomorrow night for dinner at say 6:00?"

Kono smiled at the woman, but Steve knew it was fake. Her dimples barely showed.

"We'd love to wouldn't we Alex?"

"Yeah. Yeah that'd be great, right Grace?"

"Can we bring anything?"

"Just yourselves. See you then."

The woman gave Steve one last long look and turned towards her house.

Steve and Kono walked the rest of the way home with their arms wrapped around each other. They didn't want to draw suspicion. Once back on their own lanai they dropped their arms and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Steve spoke first.

"Okay, so now we have to create a back story."

"I can hardly wait to spend an evening with our nosey neighbor. Oh well. It is what it is."

Kono hopped up on the kitchen counter and grinned.

"What are you going to make me while we create our "love story"?"

Steve grinned back.

"Pancakes?"

"Hooray!"

At that moment their most recent burner phone rang and it was Chin.

"Hey, Steve how are you guys doing?"

"Good Chin. What's up?"

"Is…is Kono there?"

"Yeah she is. Why?"

Steve looked at Kono who was sitting on the kitchen counter smiling, kicking her feet and looking at him with excitement. A phone call from home always made her day. She looked so much better…like her old self. From the sound of Chin's voice this could set her back.

"I was hoping to keep this from her, but we did find Adam's body and we caught one of his main men. It isn't good Steve. Go ahead and put me on speaker phone."

It was going to kill Steve for her to know the truth. She had refused to believe Adam was really dead thinking he might still be alive and it had somehow been a trick. Steve knew she still prayed he was a good man too.

Steve took the phone over and stood in front of Kono as he put it on speaker.

"Go ahead Chin."

"Okay. Hey Cousin. I really miss you and I wish this was better news Honey."

"Adam?"

"Yeah. I'm afraid so. He…he was killed with your gun, but witnesses said Michael killed him. It makes me sick he killed his own brother."

Kono's chin trembled and her eyes quickly filled with tears, but she held it together.

"What's your next move?"

"Both brothers wanted to run the cartel and now they're both dead so it's a matter of running down the two factions. Right now no one is in charge and they're helping us in a way. In an effort to gain power, they're killing each other off before we can even take them down. We are hoping this is the beginning of the end, but it could be a few more months. Sorry guys. I'm sending you more money. We do know this Kono. Adam was trying to protect you the whole time. He really did care about you. That's probably what ultimately got him killed. I know that's hard to here."

Kono's voice was soft and shaky.

"Thanks Chin."

"We'll talk to you again in two months unless we can end it sooner. Take care of each other."

"Thanks Chin. Tell Danny we miss him too."

"Will do. He's out with Grace today, but I wanted you to know sooner than later. We just found all this out late last night."

"Take care man."

"You too Steve and take care of our girl."

"Always."

Steve hung up and looked at Kono. She bit her lower lip and tried to hold it together, but one tender look from Steve and she fell apart. He stepped between her legs and wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his neck.

"Shh. I got you. I got you Kono."

Minutes passed and her sobs gradually lessened until she began to hiccup softly.

Steve thought it was incredibly sweet and sad. He snuggled her to him and stroked his hand over her hair, kissing her temple.

"I wanted him to be…"

"I know. You feel like you were duped, but know this Kono: he did love you even though he wasn't the man you hoped he was. He still cared about you."

"So how do I grieve for a man who said he loved me, but chose to deceive me?"

"I don't know Sweetheart. I've been in your shoes and I don't get it either. I know one thing. I don't know how anyone could deliberately hurt you."

Kono pulled back and looked into Steve's eyes. Her soft smile made his heart start to race.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me Steve. What happened to the tough Navy SEAL who never knew what to say, but let his actions speak instead?"

Steve thumbed away the last of her tears and swept her hair behind her ear.

"Just telling it like it is. It's true Kono. You're just amazing."

For a moment time was suspended and they just looked into each other's eyes knowing the trust they had built was real.

Steve's eyes drifted down to her lips, but he stepped back instead and rubbed his hands up and down her arms when she shivered.

"How about those pancakes and some surfing to clear your head? We still have to make a game plan for tonight."

Kono looked down at the floor.

"Sure…that sounds good…"

Steve rested his hands on her thighs and smiled softly at her.

"Any time you want to talk, I'm here for you Kono. You know that. Right?"

She nodded her head and looked back up at him pasting her best smile on.

"Hey. You don't have to pretend with me you know. I can read you like a book and you are not fine, so don't pretend you are. Okay? I can deal with sad and brooding. I'm a master at it myself. Remember?"

Kono was touched by his words and had to fight the tears one more time. This time she held it together and slid carefully down from the counter forcing Steve to take a step back.

"Okay. So put me to work. I need something to do."

"You got it."

They set to work and made pancakes with fresh fruit and pineapple juice and then carried it all out on the lanai to soak up the sun. Afterwards they hit the waves and spent all the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon letting go and allowing their love of the ocean to take over. Later that afternoon they laid out on the lanai and discussed what they would say about their relationship and how they met and married.

"We should start getting ready."

"Sounds good."

An hour later Steve waited out on the one of the chase lounges for Kono to emerge from the house. When she did she took his breath away. She was wearing a turquoise halter dress with a fitted top and a flared skirt. She looked so soft and feminine in it that Steve's breath caught in his throat.

Kono couldn't miss the reaction he had to her and she realized that she wanted him to feel that way about her. She was starting to have some pretty significant feelings for Steve these days. She spent all day with him every day and she never got tired of his company.

He liked to have large amounts of time where there was no talking and she found it comforting to just be in a room with him reading or doing something else and not to having to make small talk.

They liked all the same movies and the same restaurants. They even enjoyed the same sports and recreation. Compatibility was not their problem. Being with him felt good and right and now she wanted more from their relationship. She just didn't know how he felt.

Steve finally found his voice and spoke.

"Kono…you look…wow…just…wow!"

Kono took in Steve. He was wearing a green polo shirt that made his hazel eyes look green and he actually had on some plaid board shorts instead of his cargo shorts. He looked good…real good.

"Thanks I think. You don't look so bad yourself. I'm a little nervous about tonight. I haven't been undercover in a while. What if I'm rusty?"

"Just think about us and our relationship and everything will be fine. Our relationship is real. Let that feeling take you through the night."

"Okay, but if Cassie starts flirting with you I may scratch out her eyes."

"Really?"

"Hey. Nobody messes with my man…I mean Grace's man…"

"That woman holds absolutely no interest for me, so keep your claws in Cat Woman."

"Are you being catty?"

Steve snorted.

"Funny girl. Let's go have some fun. I for one am looking forward to the challenge of an undercover. I've been bored out of my mind."

"Great. You spend all your time with me. Way to make a girl feel good there Steve."

Steve swept her into his arms and dipped her.

"Steve! What are you doing?"

"Getting into character? And by the way, you are never boring."

"Okay, let's go. "Alex" is a little too smooth for me."

"Too late "Grace". You married me. You're stuck with me."

Kono started down the steps of the lanai and looked back over her shoulder.

"Coming Alex?"

Steve rushed after her.

"Oh, yeah."

They walked down the beach together and as they got in closer view of the house Steve placed his hand low on Kono's back. She hoped he didn't see the goose bumps that rose on her arms when his bare palm landed on her skin. She almost shivered.

Cassie was standing on the steps of their sprawling lanai and clapped her hands as they approached.

"Welcome. I'm so glad you're here. Come on up and I'll go and get Phil."

Kono and Steve took a deep breath and climbed the stairs, his hand never leaving her back.