So, we've made it to the end - this is the final chapter of the first part of Finding Peace. I appreciate everyone who's read and especially those who have reviewed – thanks to all of you for sticking with the story. I hope you enjoy the conclusion!

Finding Peace – Part 1
Chapter 8

Catherine awoke one morning and rolled over to drape herself across her husband. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. They'd been enjoying a leisurely honeymoon, having done some traveling in Europe before making their way to the East Africa coast and eventually settling into a private villa in the Seychelles.

"Good morning," she murmured.

"Good morning."

"What time is it?"

"Early," he said softly. "You should go back to sleep."

"So should you." She placed a gentle kiss on his chest and closed her eyes then opened them almost immediately. He'd obviously been awake for a while and seemed distracted. "Wait. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he denied easily.

"Then why are you up so early?" she asked quietly. "And why didn't you wake me?"

He smiled softly at how well she knew him. "It's been almost 30 days since we left Oahu," he admitted. "I promised the team I'd reach out to them, but I'm not sure I'm ready to talk to all of them yet."

"Why not?" she inquired gently.

"Because they're going to want to know when I'm coming home, and I don't have an answer to that question."

"If it helps, I can be there with you."

He kissed her head again. "Thank you. And I want you to be. But it just seems so complicated to arrange a video call and have all of them there, when I just want to enjoy being here with you."

"How about just doing a video?" she suggested. "We were going to send the video of the ceremony anyway, right? And the photos? You could just record a video message letting them know you're alive and well and ecstatically happy."

He nodded. "I like that idea." He scooted and shifted until they were face-to-face, his lips mere inches from hers. "But, 'ecstatically happy'?" he asked with a grin as their noses bumped.

"Aren't you?" she teased.

He chuckled. "I've never been happier in my life," he confirmed before closing the distance between them to capture her mouth. "I love you," he murmured against her lips. He moved back enough to study her face. "Are you too tired? Do you want to go back to sleep?"

She shook her head. "We can sleep after," she whispered before pulling his head down to kiss him and once again, they were lost in each other.

Later that day, they were seated side-by-side on the lanai, having just recorded their video message for the team. Steve leaned back after having reached forward to turn off his phone camera and turned to his wife. He gazed at her for a moment. "I think that was good, don't you?" he asked softly.

"I think they'll just be happy to hear from you," she reassured with a smile. "But, yeah, I think that was good."

"Are you sure that you don't regret that we didn't have a big wedding?" he asked quietly. "I mean, don't all little girls dream about that?"

"Maybe, when I was a little girl. All that matters to me is that you're my husband. How about you? I mean, I've lost touch with a lot of people over the years, but there are so many in Hawaii who are important to you."

"To us," he corrected.

"To us," she agreed. "Do you regret not having them there to celebrate with us?"

"Part of me wishes they could have been there. But seeing them all right now would be hard. I don't regret my decision to leave, but that doesn't mean I don't miss them. I'm not ready to go back to Hawaii yet and it would have been a lot to ask them to travel all that way, and I wasn't willing to wait any longer than we had to. Five years ago, I spent weeks planning what I thought would be the perfect proposal and I ran out of time. If I'd just asked the question maybe things would be different."

"Hey," she chastised gently as she locked eyes with him, "I thought we weren't going to question how things worked out."

"We're not. I wouldn't trade what we have now for anything, it's so much better than anything I could have hoped for, Mrs. McGarrett."

She smiled. "I still like hearing you call me that. Are you sure it doesn't bother you if I don't change my name?"

Steve shook his head. "Not at all. I have loved Catherine Rollins for 18 years, and she's the person I married. But I am perfectly happy to call you 'Mrs. McGarrett' any time you'd like."

"Oh yeah?" she teased. "Well, if you put it that way…"

He closed the distance between them and captured her mouth. Without breaking the connection, he shifted them so she was lying flat and his body covered hers.

She pushed on his chest, laughing. "Steve! What about the video?"

"I shut it off," he defended.

"Shouldn't we double check?"

He shook his head, a grin on his face. "No. We have to edit it anyway," he reasoned and then kissed her again. "Right now, I want to make love to my wife."

Danny entered the bullpen as Lincoln, Tani, and Lou filtered out of their offices. Junior, Quinn, and Adam came through the double doors a few moments later.

"We catch a case?" Adam inquired.

"No," Danny told him from the smart table. "We caught a, uh, a message. From Steve."

He tapped the screen a few times then stepped back. "Will someone else please do this? He said it's in the uh, the cloud, and that we should open it when we're all together."

Tani stepped forward and said, "Hold on." She tapped a few commands and a folder appeared. It contained three items: two video files and another file folder. She selected the video labeled 'Watch me first' and Steve appeared on the big screen, solo, sitting on a lanai somewhere tropical. Behind him, they could see a white sand beach and a blue-green ocean, dotted with small land masses. Palm trees and a rocky outcropping lined the sides of the image.

They all smiled, having missed seeing their friend's face every day.

"Hi guys. Thanks for giving me the, uh, the time I asked for. It's been really good for me."

"He looks good," Tani commented quietly.

And he did. He looked younger, somehow. He wore his typical stubble, and his hair was neatly trimmed. His face, always handsome, seemed less lined, there were no dark circles, no bruises, or new scars. His eyes were clear and sparkling.

"First off, though, I have some news." He held up his left hand, revealing a silver band on the third finger. "Catherine and I got married," he said with a broad grin, "Two weeks ago."

Tani paused the video suddenly and the rest of the group looked at her, confused. "Hold up, did you know about this?" she asked Danny, accusingly.

"Yes, I did," he confirmed dryly.

She looked at him reprovingly. "How could you not tell us?"

"What? Look at this," he replied, waving his arms in a broad circle to encompass the video on the screen. "He-he put a lot of work into this. Who would I be to spoil the surprise?"

Tani just shook her head fondly and restarted the video.

"She, uh, she surprised me on the plane out of Honolulu."

Steve extended his arm and shifted a bit as Catherine moved into the frame from the left and took a seat on her husband's right. Her hair was down, and she wore minimal makeup, which only served to enhance her natural beauty. It didn't escape anyone's notice that they were an attractive couple and that they both looked relaxed, comfortable, and really, really happy. Steve watched her as she got settled and when she met his gaze, the look they shared clearly revealed the depth of their feelings for each other. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him as they turned back to the camera. The diamond solitaire and several thin bands adorning her left hand were visible as she rested it on his leg.

She waved a hand in salutation. "Hi guys."

Steve relaxed back and tugged his wife in against him he addressed the camera again. "Since we're both currently unemployed, we've been, uh, doing some traveling. When we left Hawaii, we flew into L.A. and spent some time with Mary and Joanie, then drove up to San Francisco to see Chin Ho, Abby, and Sara, then over to Utah to see Kono. Then we flew out to the east coast, spent a few days there, visited Annapolis and Cath's parents. That's where we got married, near their house in South Carolina. It was small, just her folks and Mary and Joanie, and it was exactly what we wanted. I'm sorry none of you could be there in person, but it was important to us to keep it simple. And we did send a video and some photos that you can look at afterwards.

"We've been on our honeymoon ever since. We started in Europe and visited Spain, France, Monaco, and Italy, and then made a stop in Kenya to visit a friend and now we're uh, we're in the Seychelles.

"We miss you guys, all of you. But I want you to know that I have no regrets about my decision to leave; this is the right thing for me right now-" he looked over at his wife "-for us. We've both been going nonstop for a really long time, focusing on the job, and it feels really good to just slow down; to not have to wonder how long we have before the next call will come in.

"We're heading out later this week for Australia – it's one place neither of us has ever been to but both really want to visit. And then we'll see what happens… We haven't figured out yet exactly where we're going to call home for the foreseeable future, but it, uh, it won't be Hawaii. Though we both still think of it as home, I'm not ready to-to come back yet. We will keep in touch, though, and please do the same. Just, uh, let us know how you're all doing…" he smirked, "and maybe keep the work stuff to a minimum, huh? We'll send you another update once we get settled somewhere."

"And then you're all welcome to come visit," Catherine added. "We'd love to see you."

Steve looked over with a grin. "Though, maybe not all at once."

Catherine laughed. "That would be a big group."

Steve chuckled. "Well, that, and the governor might object."

"That, too," Catherine agreed with a laugh.

For a moment, they had eyes only for each other before Steve turned back to the camera and Catherine followed suit. "We hope you're all doing well. Say 'hi' to everyone for us."

He glanced over at Catherine. "Aloha," they said together before Steve reached toward the camera and the video ended.

The assembled members of the Five-0 team gazed at the monitor for a few seconds after Steve and Catherine disappeared and the screen faded to black.

Lou chuckled. "Good for them!" he said with a smile. "And I'll tell you what – I'd take them up on that offer. Australia's on my bucket list."

"They look really happy," Adam commented, and everyone murmured their agreement.

"If they got married two weeks ago, that's like two weeks after he left. Does that seem really fast?" Quinn asked curiously.

"No," Danny responded. "Well, yes. But no. Not for those two. Actually, it's, uh, it's been a-a long time coming. Too long."

"Yeah, it has," Lou agreed.

Adam added, "I think 'took them long enough' would be a better way to describe it, actually."

He, Danny, and Lou had been around long enough to have known Steve back in the earlier years of his relationship with Catherine, but the other team members didn't know the depth of the couple's history.

"They've known each other about eighteen years," Danny explained, "and I think they've been in love with each other about that long. But they were both in the Navy when they met. Steve was a SEAL and Catherine was, uh, stationed overseas.

"They, uh, I don't know, I wouldn't call it 'dated' in the traditional sense, but he didn't have eyes for anyone else. I remember the first few months I knew him, you know, I was always wondering why he never noticed the way women practically drooled over him. I mean, the guy could have any woman he wanted, but it was like he just didn't see it. Then one Saturday, we got called in when we were supposed to be off and he's in this great mood. There's-there was just something different about him, you know? So, I spent the whole day trying to figure out what was going on with the guy and it turned out Catherine was on the island.

"Then I started to see a pattern, he was different when she was around, a little less intense. More, uh, more human. And he had this smile that, uh, that seemed to be just for her. A couple years later, she got stationed at the base, uh, at Pearl, so she was here all the time. And it was great. Steve loved having her here, we really got to know her, she helped us out on some cases. Then, after about a year, she uh, she left the Navy and her new job fell through. Kono was on leave, and we needed some help, so Steve brought her on to Five-0."

"I didn't know she'd worked here," Lincoln commented. "I bet she was a great fit."

"Yeah. Me, too," Junior echoed, having gotten to know Catherine during their mission to Laos.

"Absolutely," Danny agreed with a chuckle. "She's, uh, she's beautiful, she's brilliant, and she can kick ass."

"Amen to that," Lou added.

"But the best part?" Danny continued, "Steve listens to her, so I had some backup." He noticed confused looks on some of the newer kids' faces. "He's, uh, he's mellowed a bit since then, believe it or not."

"So, what happened with them?" Quinn inquired.

"That is a, uh, a very long story that is not mine to tell. But about five years ago she went off to try and save the world in her own way, and he got left behind. He tried to move on, dated someone else for a while, but it never got serious. Then, a few months after she left, we found out some, uh, well, we found out there was more to the story, some stuff that she, uh, she couldn't tell him."

"Mm-hmm," Lou voiced, in full agreement with Danny's understatement.

"Then, I will just say they… worked together a few times over the years, you know a quick, uh, quick trip to northwestern Africa or southeast Asia."

"Quick trip?" Lou grumbled, "You make it sound like a vacation."

Danny ignored him and pressed on. "About a year and a half ago Steve lost someone who was really important to him, like a-a second father and, he, uh, he took it pretty hard," he explained for Quinn and Lincoln. "Catherine dropped everything to be there, uh, with-with him, and they spent a lot of time together. And I know that, uh, that having her there really helped him."

"Yeah, it did," Junior concurred softly, remembering.

"I am pretty sure something, uh, clicked again with them. But they went their separate ways after and Steve has done some dating, so maybe neither of them was in the right place in their lives…" he waved his arm, "star crossed lovers, I don't know.

"I am also pretty sure that somewhere along the line Steve, uh, he figured out he was still in love with her, but he was here, and she was there – wherever that was. I think, uh, that part of him still hoped that maybe someday…"

"I think you're right about that," Lincoln commented. "He told me she was the one that got away and there was something about the way he said it, you know?"

"Yes, I do," Danny agreed. "I will, uh, admit that I encouraged him to move on, to find someone else after she left. But Catherine, she's-she was always the one. For him. And I think they are going to live happily ever after, maybe have some little ninja babies." He shrugged. "He's wanted this for a very long time. I'm happy for him. For them."

Lou smiled. "It's about damn time, is what it is."

"So, Steve said she surprised him on the plane," Tani commented, "any chance that was a coincidence?"

Lincoln fielded that question. "Nah. She's the one who decrypted the cipher. I called to thank her and may have mentioned Steve's plans."

"Well, aren't you a little matchmaker," Tani teased.

"Nah. I just made a phone call. The rest is all them."

"So, should we watch the video or look at the photos first?" Tani inquired. "I vote video."

"Video it is," Lou concurred.

Danny stepped back. "Enjoy, guys."

"Wait. You don't want to watch with us?" Tani asked, curiously.

"Don't need to," Danny replied. "I was there."

"Yeah, right," she replied. "I think we would have noticed if you traveled cross country."

Danny just grinned, shrugged, and returned to his place by the table as Tani clicked on the file.

The video opened with a still photograph, a posed shot of Steve and Catherine gazing at each other, appearing very much in love, then faded to a text screen.

Aloha!

Surprise, we got married! We chose to keep it simple, just for us. For our friends and 'ohana who would have liked to have attended, please don't feel regret that you couldn't be there in person. Instead, we ask you to share in our happiness.

Love,

Steve and Catherine.

The text dissolved to a series of photos. The first was a distant shot of the bride and groom standing alone on a sandy beach, wrapped in each other's arms, and locked in a kiss. The next frame showed two photos: the one on the left was an image of Steve, standing with his back to the water, eyes focused inland. The one on the right was of Catherine, carrying a small bouquet of flowers and looking out toward the ocean. The arrangement of the photos and the expressions on their faces suggested they were gazing at each other across the beach…

Tani dabbed at her eyes as she watched Steve lean in to kiss his bride after they were pronounced husband and wife. She didn't think she had ever seen her friend look as happy and at peace as he did in that moment. They all watched as Catherine leaned in for another kiss and then the video dissolved and was replaced by another series of still photographs.

Among them was a close-up of a small vase filled with flowers. In the image, a cell phone was propped up against the metal and they could clearly see Danny's visage on the screen, inset with a picture-in-picture of the bride and groom.

"Hey, look who it is," Lou called out.

Tani looked over at Danny who mouthed, 'Told you so'.

The last frame of the video was another text screen.

Steve McGarrett & Catherine Rollins

April 17, 2020

Although a few tears were wiped, the group watched silently as the screen faded to black.

"Rollins," Tani commented. "So, does that mean she's not taking his name?"

"She is not," Danny confirmed. "Steve said that he was Lieutenant McGarrett a couple decades ago, and the woman he fell in love with and plans to spend the rest of his life with has always been and will always be Lieutenant Rollins."

"Wow," Junior commented quietly. "That's, um, that's kind of really romantic."

"Yeah, it is," Tani agreed.

"Who knew he had it in him?" Danny questioned with a grin.

Steve stirred when his phone vibrated on the bedside table. He considered checking it but didn't really want to move from his position spooned around his wife. He closed his eyes, intending to return to slumber, but was disturbed by the phone vibrating again. He checked his watch and saw that it was just after midnight; they'd been asleep for less than an hour. He sighed and rolled to his back when the device vibrated again.

"Who is it?" Catherine murmured and rolled over to face him as he reached for it.

"Junior," he told her when he looked at the screen and smiled. "And Lou and Tani…" he scrolled down and his smile widened, "the entire team. They all sent their congratulations."

"They must have watched the video," she said with a smile.

"Apparently. I should probably give them a call."

"Now?"

He chuckled. "No, definitely later. Maybe Lincoln can arrange something so we can talk to all of them together." He started tapping the screen.

"We?"

He looked over at her. "You don't want to see everyone?"

"No. I mean, I do, but I don't want to intrude. You're the one they miss and want to catch up with."

He shook his head. "You're part of my life. They'll want to see you, too," he told her with absolute certainty and resumed tapping.

"What are you doing?"

"Reminding them what time it is here."

She lifted her head. "What? No," she chided gently. "Don't do that."

He chuckled. "It's fine, I used a smiley face. I'm also thanking them and telling them we'll talk to them soon." He sent the message, glanced at the screen one more time, and returned the device to the table before rolling over to face her. "Do you, uh, want to go back to sleep, or can I interest you in other things?"

She smiled. "I don't know, sailor, what exactly did you have in mind?"

His only answer was to flash her a wolfish grin and roll her onto her back as his lips found hers.

Later that day, when the sun was high in the sky in the Seychelles and starting to set in Hawaii, Steve and Catherine again sat side-by-side on the lanai, chatting in real time with the members of the Five-0 team. Those in Hawaii were gathered around the smart table at HQ with beers in hand since, as Tani pointed out, they were technically off the clock.

Steve had felt a brief pang of longing to be again in their presence but as he'd listened to them describe the case they'd just solved he was reminded of why he'd made the decision to leave. He believed that someday he'd return to the island, this time with Catherine by his side, but the timing wasn't right, and it seemed like they understood that.

He knew they missed him, as he missed them, but there were no questions about where they planned to go or when they'd be back. Instead, they just talked about their lives while he sat with his arm around his wife and just enjoyed seeing their faces and feeling as though he was again in their company.

They'd welcomed Catherine's inclusion on the call, as he'd known they would, and extended again their heartfelt congratulations on their marriage. He was relieved that none of them seemed to feel slighted at not having been invited to the ceremony and in fact were just happy that he had finally found some of what he'd gone looking for. It warmed his heart to watch his wife interact effortlessly with those he'd left behind and he felt like he was seeing a glimpse of his future. Someday, they'd all be back on the island together, but for the time being, he was right where he was meant to be. He'd finally found some peace.

End

A/N: Here's a factoid for those who are interested: The scene at HQ where the Five-0 team watches Steve's message and the video of the wedding is actually the very first part of the story I wrote back in 2020 when I started this endeavor. Originally, that scene was going to open the story, but there have been a lot of revisions since then (obviously) and I think the story is better for them.

So, that's it…

Thanks for reading part one - I hope it was worth waiting for. I know there wasn't a lot of drama in these eight chapters, and I did that intentionally. I felt strongly that Steve deserved at least 30 days of happiness with the love of his life after everything he went through for almost a decade that finally culminated in his decision to leave his home and 'ohana behind.

I've already basically written all of the next part of the story, although I still get inspired from time to time to add new or edit existing sections, so there will probably be some changes before I'm done. Part two will still have plenty of McRoll goodness but also a return to the real world and all that comes with it. I've also written tens of thousands of words for part three and fully expect that to be published eventually. So, though this is the end of the first part, there is definitely more to come. Stay tuned, if you're interested…