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AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Happy Friday my wonderful readers! So it's happening. This is the chapter you guys have been waiting for. I put all my romantic bones to work so you guys better go D'awwww when you read this! For AJ: I know you want a marathon, but I don't have enough chapters saved up for that. But don't worry, the wedding chapter is coming very, very soon. As always don't forget to review and I'll see you guys on Monday!

Chapter 338

Steve had woken her up and announced that he wanted to take her for dinner that evening after first spending a long-deserved day together. Then Steve had gotten a call while they were getting ready that morning and he excused himself briefly to deal with it. When he came back, he said that he had been called in again and he'd meet her for dinner in the hotel lobby.

To her this was both a godsend and a curse.

He had been distant since they had fucked that morning three days ago. He jumped at his phone, he disappeared for hours on end stating that the Governor had loaned him out to the Royal Bahamas Police, and was suddenly asking for more and more space. He hadn't even taken up her offer to join her in the shower that morning, and he hadn't ever turned that down before. Sometimes he didn't ask her, he'd just step in and ravish her fully. He left the hotel room giving her a quick kiss on the cheek with a mumbled apology before rushing off.

He was definitely upset about something. Something was definitely worrying him. He just wouldn't tell her what it was. She couldn't help but think that it was because he wanted to end things with her.

She had wanted to cling to him. Tell him he wasn't allowed to leave. But this time apart would be good for them. They had just spent the last three days practically joined at the hip. Okay that wasn't true, they had been joined at the pelvic region. Maybe he would just need some time to himself and he'd be alright and it would give her a chance to think things over and make a plan.

The day before had been good for her. She had gotten her nails done, her hair blown out, and many a massage and spa treatment. Essentially, she did all she could to herself so that when Steve eventually came back, she could show him what he was missing. And though he did remark that she looked well rested and very pretty, he was too tired to have sex with her. He had just wanted to cuddle, and then he spent the hold time holding her so tightly that she almost couldn't breath.

And though the day before hadn't ended the way she had wanted it to, the time away had given her the time to think because still she had to come up with a plan. A way to make him see that they were great together. Yes, this incident with the Yakuza and Sam Alexander had been scary but at least it was over. They were safe. Wo Fat was taking care of her kid, and Con would eventually find Michelle Shioma and make her pay. He didn't have to be worried, she was safe, or at least she'd be safe until the next incident. They just had to hope that the next incident wouldn't be soon.

She would beg him if he had to.

A text came in later in the day, reminding her about dinner. Asking her to wear something nice, like fancy nice. She hadn't brought anything nice with her, well too fancy anyway. That meant going all the way back down to the lobby to ask where the best place to buy a dress was.

She was handed off to an in-hotel boutique. It was a good thing the royalty cheques were still rolling on in because these dresses were pricy. But it provided her with an opportunity. She could pick an amazing dress. One that would wow him and remind him that he wanted to stay with her.

She looked at all the options and found the perfect one, actually with the help of the cashier girl who had practically shoved that dress in her face. It was a white mini dress strapless dress and the only one in her shop. She was lucky that it was in her size. The fabric was gossamer underneath but the cotton fabric on top was punched out to look like daisies, the little holes in the fabric showing skin in all the right places. It was perfect. It was everything she needed, and it had matching white heels with a leather daisy on the toe.

Oh yes, he wouldn't be able to resist her in this dress.

Once the dress was purchased, she went back to her hotel room, hoping to bump into him there. He still wasn't back. She did have another text from him though. This one telling her to go down to the restaurant to meet him at 6pm. He may be a bit late but he was still coming. Rowan sighed. She wanted him there now. She wanted to put on that dress and see his reaction. As much as she loved their inventive sex out in public, she preferred to be in a bed. Not perched precariously on a bathroom counter, sand in unsavory places from the beach he dragged her down to or getting splinters from the tree he had her up against.

Plus, she wanted to see Steve in whatever "nice" outfit he had picked. If he showed up at their table in a suit… she wouldn't be able to keep her hands off of him.

At 6pm she was nervous. She headed down to the hotel restaurant clutching the matching white clutch she was lucky the store had for her and glancing around for him. She had pinned her short hair up in an elegant do and was wearing a set of pearls she had bought just for this occasion. God was her bank account going to hate her when she got back. When she couldn't spot him right away, she went to the maître d' and gave his name.

A strange smile lit up his face. Why the hell was this guy so excited to see her? And also, why had Steve said it had to be a fancy event, because it was pretty casual in that in-hotel restaurant.

"Ah, yes, follow me," he told her and then led her to a table that was right by the stage.

There wasn't going to be live music was there? Because she hated live music in small environments like this. Steve knew that. In places like this she was too close to the music, she'd get distracted too easily, and hotel cover bands, even in fancy hotel restaurants, had a habit of covering her songs… badly.

She sat down and carefully opened up her clutch to check her phone. Nothing from Steve. But he had said he might be late. People started filing out onto the stage and Rowan tried not to groan. Good god it was a live band. She was going to have to sit in front of them and smile. She tried not to glare at them, tried not to stare in an accusing way. She tried to avoid making eye contact entirely.

But it was only one person on the stage. One person in a very nice suit. Rowan looked up and her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Why was Steve standing on that stage, dress to the nines and carrying his guitar? What was happening? Was she hallucinating?

She looked around at everyone else to see if they were seeing what she was seeing, and judging by some of the faces of the women around her were making she assumed they all saw him too. She turned back to Steve who smiled shakily at her and watched him take his place in front of the mic.

"Hello," he said into it and a chorus of high-pitched hellos answered him. Well he was certainly the female's favourites already. And of course, he would be, dressed in a beautiful crisp navy-blue suit. God, she loved him in blue.

"It's been a very long time since I've done something like this," he told the crowd as he went about tuning his guitar. "And I've just learned the song today, so I'm sorry in advance if I hit any wrong notes."

This earned him a few chuckles and one drunken shout of: "Take your shirt off!"

Steve laughed himself, the microphone picking up the deep timber of his voice. That combined with the suit was a lethal combo alone, if he started singing she was going to have to fight girls to get to her own man.

"Not right now," he told them which got a chorus of aws. "Uh, so, this song was written by my girlfriend. She's uh sitting right there. This is… uh… this is for her."

He gestured at her and Rowan inwardly swore at him. All eyes were on her now, he knew she hated the lime light on her like this. What the hell was he doing?

And then he started playing the guitar.

She knew immediately what song he had chose and her mouth went dry. Who had given him the music for that song? She had left all her sheet music at home.

"She likes to tell me that I don't have a single romantic bone in my body," he announced to the crowd and that dazed smile fell right off her face and turned into a sour frown. Really? He was going to bring the whole restaurant into one of their arguments? REALLY?! "So, I figured I'd take the time to prove her wrong."

Rowan knew Steve had a past history of not being able to perform in person. She wanted to launch up to her feet and tell him that he didn't have to do this. That when she said she wanted him to be romantic she meant buying her flowers, planning picnics on the beach or candle light dinners. She didn't mean she wanted him to face his fears or to make himself vulnerable in this way. But she didn't get the chance. He had already started singing.

Spent 24 hours, I need more hours with you. You spent the weekend, getting even, ooh ooh. We spent the late nights, making things right, between us.

Those were her lyrics. A song she wrote, once again as if he were speaking to her, and there he was singing it. His voice beautiful and rich, perfect like him. How had he ever thought that no one would like this voice? He kept his eyes focused on her and she realized that he wasn't being vulnerable to all these people. He was singing for her and her alone. Just like she had told him.

'Cause girls like you, run around with guys like me, 'til sundown. When I come through, I need a girl like you, yeah, yeah.

She could hear women swooning all around her. Hell, her own panties had dropped the second he started playing the guitar and she had thought herself completely immune to most of his charms. In the sense that he could flash her that dazzling smile and she could still remain mad at him. But with the dapper navy-blue suit, the dazzling smile, the guitar playing and the singing she was helplessly enthralled with him. He could fuck her right here on the table in front of everyone and she wouldn't give a shit.

A smile had stretched on his face as he stared at her. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. After this he could anything to her. Anything at all.

Maybe it's 6:45. Maybe I'm barely alive. Maybe you've taken my shit for the last time, yeah. Maybe I know I'm not fun. Maybe I know you're the one. Maybe I think I'm better with you around.

He had changed her lyrics. She had made them general, he made them specifically about them. He thought he was better when she was around? But the song was slowing and his eyes had focused on her and for the next few bars she felt like there was no one else in the world except her, Steve and that guitar.

'Cause girls like you, run around with guys like me, 'til sundown. When I come through, I need a girl like you, yeah yeah.

This was the part where it was just a few lines of music with no lyrics. She always left a few bars in her pop songs for where a rap interlude would go. For a collab, in case the artist wanted that. If they didn't, she'd include a third verse. But she had yet to write the verse for this song.

She expected Steve to keep playing, but he carefully took the guitar off and handed it off.

TO ALEX?!

Rowan watched Alex take the guitar and start strumming along to the song. His band mates, Paul, Dan and Barry all joined him taking their respective instruments, but none of them had started playing yet.

Steve still had the microphone.

"These past few years and last week in particular have been very hard. I had to chase you around Japan wondering if the last time I saw you was going to be the very last time. Wondering if the last thing I said to you would be our last words. And getting you back, well it made me realize that we've wasted so much time trying to protect one another and ourselves from getting hurt. Well I'm done wasting that time," he said. He took the mic from the stand and walked off the stage. All eyes were on him at this point, women were reaching out to touch him as he went by like he was some rock star. Still Steve only had eyes for her.

He got to where she was sitting and he carefully arranged himself as he got down on one knee. A hand to his jacket as he unbuttoned it, the other hand put the microphone down on the table. Oh my god, if he did what she thought he was about to do, she'd scream.

"Rowan. You are my everything. Without you I'm worse than lost, I'm nothing. I've lost you so many times, Ro, I've let you slip through my fingers over and over, but I won't let that happen again," he said to her. He pulled a small black box out of his pocket and Rowan felt the air leave her body. She stared at Steve with misty eyes. Oh my god she was going to start full on ugly sobbing in front of everyone and ruin her make up. She spent a lot of money getting this look done for him.

"Rowan Pierce, will you marry me?"

Though she could hear the people around them murmuring, some girls screaming with shocked delight for her, she knew that was Alex on the guitar, Paul on the Piano, Barry on the Base and Dan on the Drums, Rowan's world had gone silent as she stared at the man she loved more than anything. Everything else was static to her. All she could see was that beautiful ring in that black box and she could hear was Steve.

Her ring.

The ring she found in Venice.

Where had he gotten that ring?

She knew where he had gotten that ring.

Goddamn Wo Fat. He told her he had returned the ring. But there it was, the rose gold ivy band she had loved so much. Twinkling out at her from the hand of the man she loved.

"Yes," she whispered, so quietly everyone else but Steve might have missed it. How could she say no to him when she wanted him oh so badly? All over the legitimacy of the ring.

"Yes?" he echoed like he didn't believe it.

Rowan laughed at him. "Yes, of course! Of course I'm going to say yes!" she cried.

She was doing well at keeping herself composed but as soon as he slipped that ring slipped onto her finger she was crying. She just couldn't keep it in. Steve stood, sweeping her up in his arms and kissing her as the lyrics she wrote about him swirled around them and the people in the hotel restaurant all clapped and cheered.

Once Steve pulled away, she whispered: "You know this ring is stolen right?"

"Oh of course, but I checked the price of it and it's not something I could afford. So, I figured I'd just overlook that little factoid," he admitted.

"Oh, Steven," Rowan groaned. Didn't he know that she would have said yes to any ring? He didn't need to get her an expensive ring.

"I know, I know, but it's your ring. I knew it the second I laid eyes on it," he whispered.

Rowan looked at the ring on her finger. She moved it about in the light so the diamonds set in the ivy leaves would twinkle and the fire opal gem that hung like a teardrop blazed against the backdrop of her golden skin. It really was her ring.

She put her hand to his cheek. "I could care less about the ring," she told him. "Anything would have been fine coming from my man."

He laughed and kissed her again as the song finished and it all died down. Steve's tight embrace was returned by Rowan. She clung to him as if he might trickle right through her fingertips and then once again looked at her ring.

How did she ever manage to land herself the most perfect man? She was the luckiest woman in the world.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Steve couldn't stop smiling. He couldn't stop staring at that ring that twinkled at him from her finger. She had said yes. She was going to be his for the rest of time.

When he saw Rowan in that white dress, he thought his heart would beat right out of his chest. She already looked like a bride, his bride. All she needs was the veil and the bouquet. Fuck. He was ready for this.

He had been nervous before seeing her. Worried about going out on stage when he hadn't been able to do it before. But as soon as he saw her the stage fright left him. He only had one thing to be nervous about now.

But he didn't have to be nervous. She had said yes. She had said yes.

Alex came by the table, Steve assumed that, like the others around him, Alex would simply congratulate him. But nothing with Alex was ever that simple.

"So, I'll expect the full sheet music by the end of the week, eh? You know once you've finished off the song," he said and Steve paled. This might be a problem.

Rowan's blue eyes focused on her ex with cool detachment. "Excuse me?"

"The song. Girls Like You. Steve gave it to me, in lieu of payment for services rendered," he explained. Steve nearly swore at him, it took all his will power to bite his tongue and just glare at Alex instead. If he didn't need Alex in the next few hours, he would have decked him then and there.

"Steve gave you my song?" she echoed that icy glare settling on him before turning back to Alex. She stood then, not even close to Alex's height but exuding a righteous authority that seemed to shrink Alex where he stood.

"Steve has no right to be giving my songs to anyone. They belong to me and me alone. So as it stands you're in the possession of stolen property and with the power invested in Hawaii in which the Intellectual Rights for that song are registered, you best believe I will make my fiancé arrest and deport you back to Hawaii where this will be dealt with sternly."

"Okay, but as your husband he's entitled to half your stuff…" Alex started but Rowan cut him off.

"He's not my husband yet," she snapped. "And I've already told you that Girls Like You doesn't suit your voice, your tone or your band image."

Alex sighed. "Aw but Rowan…. I want it!" he whined.

Rowan sighed herself and then pinned him with a stern glare. "Look. If you relinquish all the sheet music you've clearly obtained from Steve, I will write you a whole album, deal?" she said offering him a hand to shake.

"Really?" he cried. He then shook her hand. "Deal. See you guys in a few hours."

And then he just walked away. Oh yeah. Steve was gonna deck him once this was all over. Please God, don't let Rowan pick up on the few hours comment.

"See us in a few hours? What's going on, Steve?" she asked once she had sat down again. Fuck. "You brought him here to finish a song? It was less then 20 seconds of music he had to play. You could have gotten anyone to do that."

He needed to change the topic. He wanted the next part to be a surprise. Even if Alex was attempting to ruin it.

"A whole album in exchange for one song?" he asked instead.

"Oh, well I already have the songs ready for him. Twelve of them actually. I was going to sell them to him once we got back to Hawaii, but he was being pretentious and now he's going to have to wait more than a month," she replied almost flippantly. That cold calculated ruthlessness used to scare him but at that moment he was just turned on by her, not even that display could scare him off now.

She was almost as ruthless as Wo Fat in her own way. Heaven help them if she had spent more than a year with him. Steve was certain that Wo Fat would have been able to turn her into the world's best assassin, or at least the world's best criminal assistant.

The waiter came with the food that Steve had pre-ordered. Her favourite Asiago Chicken and him a Prime Rib. And to top it off, Mimosas, because his girl didn't like straight champagne.

Rowan smiled at the Mimosas and Steve smiled too. He was really proud that had managed to deliver the perfect proposal. He had actually done it. He had a lot of help of course, but he had done it.

"You could have gotten champagne," she told him. "I wouldn't have minded."

Steve shook his head. "You don't like champagne by itself. Besides Mimosas are still part champagne."

Rowan looked down to the ring resting on her left hand. It sparkled even from where Steve was sitting. It looked even better on her than in it did in his mind.

"You're too good to me," she whispered.

"I'm not good enough," he replied quickly. He was supposed to wait until dessert but he couldn't keep the words from tumbling out of his mouth. "I have a favour to ask you."

Rowan looked up from the chicken breast she was cutting to stare at him. "A favour? Sure?"

"Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I want to get married today," he said to her. Rowan opened her mouth, sounds came out of it but Steve was on a roll and hadn't listened to her or heard a single thing she said. He just kept rambling. "I know you want that traditional wedding, and I get that, and you can have that. But Rowan I don't want to waste any more time with you, and I'm still worried I'll get cold feet. I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife, I want to be your husband. With our luck who knows how long we have until our next kidnapping adventure. I want you to be my wife so the next time I scream at an CIA agent: "GIVE ME MY WIFE!" you'll actually be my wife and not just my girlfriend…"

Oh god why had he gone off script? Why didn't he just wait? Why?

Rowan put a hand out grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. "Steve, stop," she ordered and he finally fell quiet. "I said no, can you let me explain?"

"Uh… okay?"

"Nahele's coming tomorrow, and it's late. Can we wait until tomorrow when everything's open and Nahele's here? I really want him to be apart of this."

Steve let out his breath. "Oh yeah… sure, no that makes complete sense. But… you know… if Nahele was here and we could… would you marry me today?"

Rowan narrowed her eyes at him. "Well I mean, yeah, but he's not here and everything's closed so…" they were quiet a moment before she whispered: "But I have a favour to ask too."

Oh. Shit.

"I want you to promise me that we'll have that traditional wedding I want within a year from now," she said. He opened his mouth to say yes but she stopped him. "Actually, no, a year from tomorrow I want that traditional wedding okay?"

"Yes. Of course…"

"Because we both know we're going to return to Hawaii and have a few people absolutely livid that we didn't include them in this. I'm thinking mainly Danny, you know how he is, but you know… both Wo and Con are gonna be upset they missed it too…" she continued and Steve nodded because it was true. But Rowan didn't stop there.

"And I want you to listen to me very carefully okay?" she said and Steve felt a tremor of fear hit him. Was this about the song? He knew he shouldn't have traded the song but he needed Alex here for this, without Wo Fat kidnapping him and the band, so he said what he had to. It was the only thing Alex wanted. Though to be fair he wasn't aware that Wo Fat was ready to knock him out and drag him across the ocean at the simple command of a frustrated Commander until he had told him what he traded to get Alex there and the man freaked on him.

"I just want to make one thing clear to you. I never meant to give you the impression that you had to do all of this just to get me to agree to marry you," she said. She held Steve's gaze and he stared at her inquisitively. What did she mean? Didn't she like all of this? He had worked really hard, too hard for her not to like it.

"It's not that this wasn't wonderful. I loved this. I love everything you've done. I'm so glad that this will be the engagement story I tell our kids, some day," she told him, hurriedly adding the someday before he could really panic about the idea of bringing children into the world. Not that he didn't want that just, you know, at the right time.

"But Steve, I didn't need all this. All I need is you," she whispered. "I got so caught up in comparing myself to Catherine that I lost sight of what was important. I don't need grand gestures and expensive rings. I would have said yes to a simple ring and a proposal on the beach, in our bedroom, or even in the shower."

Steve stared at the woman who was going to be his wife. This woman he didn't deserve. She was always so considerate. Always so willing to bend to his unreasonable stubbornness. He could be the man she deserved. The Romantic Comedy lead. He could listen, and shower her with romantic gestures. He'd watch every Romance movie he could get his hands on to get ideas if he had to.

"From now on, we're going to save the grand gestures for birthdays and anniversaries. And only one grand gesture a year," she said. "From each of us, I mean."

Steve tried not to laugh. Oh, she even made him a bit of a schedule. God, he loved this woman. "What did I do to deserve you?" he asked her.

"You were there when I fell," she answered taking a sip of her mimosa.

"So was Danny," Steve reminded her.

"Who says I'm not in love with him too?" she asked smiling sassily at him.

Steve pointed his fork at her. "I'm not sharing," he told her and she chuckled again.

She glanced to the ring on her finger again, her smile widening. "I can't believe I'm going to be Mrs. McGarrett!" she squealed.

Steve could barely contain his grin. Neither could he.