Title: Proposal - Snapshots of a Shared Life

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Well, this will be the final chapter, folks. Warning: it's very long and pointless fluff but I felt that's what this couple deserved.

I do have other stories to post so if you're still interested in reading, please follow me as an author so you'll get an alert. And please comment- that's what is most motivating for me to take time out of my day and post, knowing someone out there is actually reading. Thanks for all the love on this story!

Kono wakes up when she reaches for Steve in her sleep and he's not there. She startles suddenly, sleep vanishing as panic rises, a chill going through her at the loss of his body heat. The clock reads almost 3AM, and after closing a double homicide last night, they had planned to sleep in today, selfishly hoping they didn't immediately catch a new case.

She sits up, squinting in the dark, scanning the room to find where Steve went. She sees him across the room at the windows, his back to her, cell phone to his ear. His voice is low and rough with the mix of sleep and trying to be quiet for her sake; she can't make out what he's saying, his words blending together in a soothing murmur.

As if he senses being watched, Steve turns on his bare feet to look at her, taking in her ruffled hair and wide eyes, the blanket around her as she stares at him in curiosity due to the late night (or is it early morning?) phone call. "Sorry," he whispers. She shakes her head at the apology and pats his spot on the bed for him to return to her side.

He climbs back into bed to sit against the headboard and Kono joins him, her head resting on his shoulder, his left hand idly sliding through her hair. She feels the rumbling vibrations of his chest moving through his undershirt as he talks, and she distinctly makes out the tone of Mary Ann's voice through the phone, though she can't catch what the other woman is saying.

"Mhmm," Steve murmurs, his voice husky from sleep as his breath fans against the top of Kono's head. "That's fine, Mary, I get it. That's great, really. I'm happy for you." There's a pause and Kono looks up at him because even though he's saying he's happy, his face certainly doesn't look it. Their eyes meet and she quirks an eyebrow in question, but he just shakes his head and continues talking. "Really, we can plan for some other time. Work is important, I know that." There's another pause and he looks at Kono, smiling at her briefly before saying, "She's fine. Yeah, I'll tell her. It's fine, don't stress."

Kono can't help the yawn that escapes and Steve gives her an amused look and nods his head down toward her pillow, urging her to lay back down. She obliges, getting comfortable again under the blankets, still looking up at him through sleepy eyes and waiting for him to join her. He continues his conversation, making noises of agreement and chuckling when appropriate.

It's been a long week for him too, and Steve yawns loudly even as he tries to hide it from his sister. She must have teased him about it because he replies, "It's three in the morning here, Mer. No, no, you can call anytime, you know that. Okay. You re-schedule when you're free." There's another pause, then he says sternly, "Remember everything I told you about locking up, and carrying pepper spray and- I know you know, Mary, I'm just reminding you. Call me if you need anything, got it? Talk to you later then. Yeah, yeah, love you too." He smirks slightly and adds, "be good," then chuckles at whatever Mary Ann's snarky reply must have been. "Bye."

He ends the call and reaches to put his phone on the nightstand, then turns back to Kono and returns under the blanket, fixing his pillow as he gets settled. Their bare legs tangle together, limbs falling into place with ease, and he moves his head to the edge of his pillow so they're mere inches apart, staring into each other's eyes.

"Was that the other woman in our relationship?" Kono asks with a sleepy smile.

Steve snorts at her joke. "Yeah, my crazy sister who still forgets about the time difference. She's in New York for a flight and called 'cause it's already eight there and she's up."

"Sounds like Mary," Kono replies with a chuckle. "What'd she want so early?"

Steve remains silent for a moment, his eyes searching hers deeply like he does when he doesn't want to answer a question which may reveal emotion he's not comfortable sharing. Kono knows this, and waits patiently, knowing he'll take his time before letting her in.

Finally, he answers. "She had to cancel her flight for this weekend." Maybe the tone seems casual to him as he relays the news, but Kono senses his disappointment behind the announcement.

"Oh." She pauses, searching his gaze and seeing the letdown in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Steve," she says quietly. "I know you were excited about her visiting."

He shrugs easily, as if to downplay the news. "No, it's fine. Apparently she got picked to fly on this world tour package so she's gonna be busy all weekend prepping for that. I mean, she was just here for Christmas so she can re-schedule. It's fine."

He still looks restless though and Kono remains quiet, waiting for him to continue like he does when the words seem to be suffocating him, and he'll only share them with her in the privacy of their bedroom in the middle of the night. It's as if his defenses are down when the night is attempting to ease him into a dream world that he stubbornly will not enter. Instead, he turns to her.

"She can come in a few weeks once work's not so busy," Kono says, in hopes of urging him to speak again.

"Yeah," he says, "it's not a big deal." He shifts in bed, rubbing the back of his head in frustration as if his thoughts won't leave him alone. Kono waits for him to turn toward her again, his eyes stormy in the low moonlight of the room. "It's fine."

Kono reaches for his hand underneath the covers and takes it between both of hers, kissing his palm softly as she clasps their joined hands to her chest, telling him without words that she's willing to listen to anything he's willing to share.

"When you think about it, we've gotten really close since I got back to Hawaii, and that's awesome." He pauses to look at her, as if waiting for her thoughts on his relationship with his sister, as if he craves her approval, and she nods quickly in agreement. "I mean, before it was just postcards and calling home when I remembered holidays. After my mom died..." He trails off, lost in thought, his jaw clenching as he recalls memories of his mother, most that he's never been comfortable sharing even with Kono. He likes to cherish those by himself in silence; she's learned that's how he remembers the people most special to him. "Mary was so fucking angry at me when my dad shipped us off. It was like I abandoned her."

Kono nods, her gaze tracing the sharp line of his jaw and the blue of his eyes clouded with the storm of his past. She squeezes his hand in silence. "She was just a kid, Steve."

"Yeah. My dad was obsessed with my mom's case, and then he shipped us off separately and... next thing you know, I'm home for my dad's funeral. Then she comes to visit, all grown up. And it was like..." He releases a scoff of laughter, a bitter one, and the sound makes Kono's heart break as she squeezes his hand tighter at the noise. "It was like I didn't even know her anymore," he admits, his blue eyes meeting Kono's reluctantly, his voice ashamed.

"It had been a long time, Steve, you'd both grown up," she tells him gently, scooting closer to him in bed so their noses are nearly brushing as they exchange quiet words in the safety of their bed. She forces herself to blink back tears as she hears the story of a man who lost his childhood too young. "You know her now. That's what matters."

He looks down at her in surprise, as if he'd forgotten she was listening and commenting along. He studies her face, the dark, soulful eyes as they listen to his tale, and the way her lips brush against his cheek in the softest of gestures to comfort him. He scoots further down on his pillow and rests his forehead against hers, takes a deep breath as if to inhale the warmth she provides him, not just in bed, but to the core of his soul whenever he starts to feel alone on this island. Like a Hawaiian water goddess casting her spell, she is there - and suddenly he doesn't feel so alone.

Kono swallows, knowing this is a topic they rarely talk about but it needs to be said right now, he desperately needs to hear it. She continues to caress his hand and her other goes to the back of his head, rubbing gentle circles into his scalp to ease his worries. "He can't hurt you anymore, Steve. He's dead."

His eyes flick to hers in sudden surprise, and he pulls his head back to stare at her, almost angrily, but Kono doesn't flinch. They don't need to say his name, she won't dare utter it out loud in their bedroom and taint the air, but they both know Wo Fat took more than just the lives of Steve's mother and father - he robbed Steve of years of his parents' love, and the opportunity to spend time and cultivate a relationship with Mary.

She tugs at the front of his undershirt to pull him back to her, their foreheads touching again as she blinks back tears and kisses him firmly on the mouth, morning breath be damned. "He can't cause you any more pain," she reassures him.

Steve takes a breath, their noses brushing, as he stares at her, his blue eyes intense as he observes her in the moonlight. "Hey, don't cry, babe, I didn't start talking about it so you'd cry for me."

Kono shakes her head and blinks quickly. "I'm not crying." Yet one traitorous tear manages to roll down her cheek, and he carefully wipes it away with the pad of his thumb. "It makes me sad to hear, that's all."

He bends down to kiss her, and hooks his leg around hers to pull her more firmly to him so there's not a breath of air between them. She burrows closer to him, her hands wrapped around his neck tightly, never breaking eye contact.

"It's not like I had a shitty childhood or anything," he explains, and Kono nods because she's heard all this from him before. "I mean, it was all I knew. And we were really happy before. And I fell in love with the Navy, you know that," Steve says, and she nods again because she knows about his exciting adventures abroad (well, the non-top secret classified ones at least) and his eagerness to excel and climb the ranks due to his exemplary skills.

"Right. Your home away from home. Defending the oceans. Riding the deep blue seas. Aquaman."

His lips twitch slightly at her description and he nods. "It was all I knew. I didn't mind it. But sending Mary away after she was kidnapped... That was the hardest thing cause it was like I'd just found her again," he recalls, his jaw tightening and his voice becoming hard as he thinks about the heartbreaking goodbye with his sister at the airport all those years ago.

It had only been their first year working together, but Kono recalls how withdrawn Steve had been for weeks after his sister had left. It was only years later, after they became a couple, that she realized how big of a burden that had been for him. She hurries to reassure him again now.

"She knows it was for her safety, Steve," she says, her hands soothing the muscles at the back of his neck. "She knows that. It was to keep her safe until you figured everything out. She doesn't resent you for it." Kono had seen how that decision affected him and had urged Mary in secret to talk to her brother about it during one of her visits, hoping the conversation would ease Steve's conscience. He may not admit it, but Mary's assurances went a long way in allowing him to feel better about the decision he had to make all those years ago.

"As much as I wanted to keep her close, I had to 'cause I didn't want her to get hurt. I was worried as hell that something would happen to anyone around me." They pause for a second, remembering a terrifying Christmas where Chin Ho had worn a bomb collar around his neck with numbers menacingly ticking down to his demise. Steve tightens his hold on her, his fingers brushing up and down her arm as if to ease the painful memory out of her.

"I don't want Danny to ever be taken away from Grace, or Malia and the boys to lose Chin," he says fiercely and Kono nods, a rush of emotion flowing through her at the extent of his loyalty. "I don't want those kids to ever lose their dads on my watch."

"I know," she assures him. "We'll take good care of them, we always have."

"Yeah. And you..." She stares at him, eyes puzzled, waiting for him to continue as he takes the time to memorize her face. "For the longest time, even after I got him, then we got together, I'd get scared he'd come for you and I wouldn't be able-"

"Oh, Steve, oh, hey." The sleep disappears from Kono's eyes completely at his admission and she props herself up on an elbow to give him a long, deep kiss on the mouth. They pull back, breathless, and take deep gulps of air as Kono looks down at him and declares, "I'm not going anywhere, Steve. Look at me, you hear me?"

He nods at her, and Kono thinks she sees moisture in his eyes but it must have been a trick of the shadows or her own vision blurring due to misty eyes, because when she blinks, his gaze is as clear as day, staring at her like she's commanded. She must have been mistaken.

"You hear me? He is gone, and there's no way you're getting rid of me that easily," she tells him. "No one is 'coming for me,' I'm staying right here." She waits until he nods again, his eyes locked on hers, then she smirks a little and leans closer, their lips nearly brushing but not quite. "No one is coming for me... but I'll come for you," she says, smiling at her dirty wordplay to lighten the mood.

It works, and he chuckles, smiling broadly and shaking his head at her, brushing his lips against hers softly. "God, I love you."

"I know you do." She grins at him, putting her head down on the pillow again, entangling their legs together even tighter. "Even if you keep breaking my no paperwork allowed on the bed rule." She recollects having to have a stack of old case files from her side of the mattress before bed that night.

"It's a stupid rule," he mutters as he kisses her again to prove his point.

"Says Mr. Navy Shower."

"Hey, I'm at five minutes a shower now!" Kono giggles and he smiles at her fondly, because she really has ruined his life of strict rules and regiment order - and he loves her for it. His hands run up and down her bare arms, and he bends his head to nip playfully at her shoulder and she squeals.

"Okay, here's what I think we should do this weekend, you ready?" She settles back in his arms, drawing lazy patterns on the already tattooed skin of his upper arm.

"I'm ready," he answers quickly, his warm hands running up and down her back over the thin layer of her cotton tank top.

"Since we don't have to drive to the airport to pick up Mary, I say we do something fun instead."

"Fun, huh?"

"Yes, fun even for you. Like, climb Mount Ka'ala, or teach me how to juggle grenades," Kono suggests, "or swim with sharks, or have sex on the dining room table."

"We already did that," Steve reminds her smugly, his leg suggestively sliding between hers under the blanket, the heat in his eyes making her warm as his hand drifts down to the soft skin of her thigh.

She grins wickedly at the memory of how bickering over whose turn it was to load the dishwasher one night had ended with her spread on the dining room table, Steve's head between her legs. No one had ended up doing the dishes that night. Although Steve did them the next morning. She lifts her head off her pillow and gives him a quick kiss, moaning as he nibbles at her bottom lip.

"We'll do something fun, just you and me. And the next time your sister visits, you'll be annoyed again in a week about her losing the remote, and tracking sand into the house, and leaving her flip flops everywhere-"

"You do those things too," he points out.

She ignores him and continues talking. "And how she's interrupting your sex life cause I won't be as loud when she's down the hall."

"That is true," he agrees readily, his hands sliding up her waist to play with the straps of her tank top while he kisses her again. Kono moans in approval and wraps her legs around his waist more securely, arching into him, her fingers running through his hair, soothing him silently.

She breaks the kiss to breathe deeply, smiling at his teasing mood as he plants kisses on her cheeks.

"And I say we take a trip to visit her in LA soon."

"Us go to LA?"

"Yes," Kono exclaims with a nod, back to tracing his tattoo ink as she speaks. "I wanna see Hollywood, and find a rich movie star to marry."

"Oh, is that so?" Steve asks, raising an eyebrow in amusement at her plan.

"Yup."

"What about your job at Five-0?" Over the course of their relationship, he's started to play along with her crazy plans to marvel at her overactive imagination and laugh at her disastrous details.

"I'll send my resignation letter back with you for my boss. Will you give it to him?" she asks innocently.

He chuckles and stares at her in silence, taking in the radiance of her smile and her sparkling nature, even at three in the morning after being woken by an unexpected phone call.

"Steve?" she questions gently, nudging his shoulder when he doesn't say anything for a long moment. "You sleepy?"

"No, no." He shakes his head, his eyes still focused on her, his hand lifting to brush away strands of hair from her forehead. "Keep talking. What kind of actor are you looking for?"

"A good one, duh," she explains, rolling her eyes as if that answer should be obvious. "And blond. I hate brunettes."

Steve grins at her dig, kissing her forehead to hide his smile. "So, am I invited to the wedding?"

"Of course, you and your sister both. You can even give me away."

"I don't ever wanna give you away."

He says it so honestly that Kono's left speechless for a second, her heart melting at his words. She would never tell anyone, but sometimes, he says the most romantic things in the middle of an ordinary conversation and it takes her breath away. The most endearing part of it is he doesn't plan it that way - he simply says what he feels in that direct and honest way he only knows how to.

She brushes her nose against his, their faces so close that they're breathing the same air as they smile at each other shyly.

"You kinda like me, huh?" Kono teases.

Steve shrugs. "You're okay." His tone is serious though his eyes twinkle with laughter and his lips curve in the hint of a smile.

She grins and gives him a firm kiss, and he eagerly wraps his arms around her and pulls her closer.

"I mean it. I don't ever wanna give you away," he mumbles into her hair.

"I'm not going anywhere, Steve," she promises.

He pulls back, staring at her so intensely she worries she has something on her face. She squints at him in the low light of the room, trying to decipher his expression but it's one she cannot place. He's looking at her as if she's the most important thing in his world, and her heart speeds up as she nervously shifts in his arms.

"What?" she asks hesitantly.

"Nothing." He blinks; the expression is gone.

"No, come on. What?" she asks again.

"I just..." He trails off and she has to lean in to catch the rest of his sentence in the dark. "You're home now," he says quietly.

Her breath hitches, her heart stutters, and she falls in love with him all over again.

"Okay," she says, blinking furiously to hold back tears, reaching out to trace the beautiful and honest line of his jaw. "Okay. We can come home to each other. Sounds good to me."

Yet he continues to stare at her just as intensely, as if he's mesmerized, as if he has something important to say but isn't sure how to begin the conversation when he's so dazzled by her.

"What?" He shakes his head at her probing question, but the expression remains in his eyes. "Steve, what?" she asks anxiously, searching his eyes for something he's not willing to show yet.

Instead of answering, he turns on his side and reaches for the bedside table. His shoulder blocks Kono's view from the bed but she hears the drawer opening and closing, then he turns back to her. She doesn't see anything in his hand as he settles back under the blanket, so she continues to stare at him, bemused and waiting for an explanation. He draws closer to her on her pillow, their faces inches apart as their legs wrap around each other again, falling into a perfect arrangement. Her heart races as he stares at her.

"What's going on?"

He pauses. Then says, "You know I love you, right?"

She smiles in the dark, his voice seeming to brush over her in bed, as tangible as the moonlight that shines through the blinds. "I know."

His eyes anxiously scan her face, back and forth, back and forth, as if waiting for a sign. She continues to look at him in confusion but before she can open her mouth to question his sudden and cryptic change in behavior, he bends to kiss her gently, his lips brushing over hers so softly that she nearly whimpers. She reaches for him to prolong the kiss, but he's already lifted his head and is staring intently at her again.

Steve lifts his hand from underneath the covers to rest between them on the pillow. She looks down in time to see a ray of moonlight bounce off the diamond in the band of the ring, one smaller blue stone inlaid on each side of the glimmering jewel. She gasps in surprise, her eyes quickly flicking to his, his gaze beseeching and humble as he earnestly watches her reaction. He takes a deep breath, as if preparing himself for battle, and clears his throat.

"Will you marry me?"

Kono stares at him in shock, her hands clutching the edge of the blanket in surprise, looking from him to the ring and back a few times. Then, he begins to speak.

"I... I love you. I do. This isn't about the phone call or anything. It's about you and me, and how I don't wanna be without you. You're the one I feel at home with, Kono. And... I'm sorry if this isn't romantic or anything, I was thinking of asking you on the beach..." He fidgets nervously under the covers restlessly as he tries to convince her to accept his proposal even if it wasn't conducted in some grand sunset on the beach fashion. "In this bed is where I told you I loved you, and where I asked you to move in, and where we talk about the things that matter. I just hope-"

"Yes," Kono interrupts.

His expression transforms from one of thought to one of wonder, as if he can't believe her answer, as if he has to double-check she hasn't made a mistake and said the wrong thing, that she truly means it when she so easily agrees to spend the rest of her life with him. "Yes? Really?"

Kono can't help it; she smiles wide and begins to laugh, the kind of laughter that begins when you're so surprised and happy at the same time. It must be contagious because his mouth curves up too, and she lifts her left hand from under the comforter and holds it right next to his with the ring, waiting for him to slip it on.

"Yes, Steve. Yes."

He stares at her for another second as if measuring the authenticity of her acceptance, but her brilliant smile and twinkling eyes must have convinced him because he quickly looks down to her outstretched hand that's nearly trembling in anticipation. With all the concentration in the world, as if he's defusing a ticking bomb and not sliding a ring onto the proper finger, he manages to do just that. The band is cool against her skin and it fits perfectly, snug in its spot as Kono tries to blink back happy tears, but a few roll down her cheeks anyway. She takes a deep breath and he looks at her, smiling broadly, immensely pleased with himself. His hand doesn't let go of hers; instead he clutches her fingers and squeezes them, her hand adjusting to the weight of the new ring as she squeezes back.

"I picked the blue stones because we both love the ocean and-"

Kono doesn't let him finish before she launches herself on top of him, her lips seeking his to celebrate. He rolls over onto his back and carries her with him as she lays on his chest, their lips never parting. She kisses him passionately, her hands rubbing at the scruff on his jawline, and she moans as he hungrily parts her lips with his tongue to kiss her more deeply. His hands run through her hair, down to her back, as she arches herself into his chest, wishing to be as close as she possibly can. She can't believe it's only four in the morning because she feels so awake and excited and she's going to marry Steve. She can't help the chuckle of laughter that goes through her, or the happy tears that slip from the corner of her eyes, and they pull back for breath, almost panting. She rests her forehead against his as they exchange secret smiles in the dark of night.

"The ring is beautiful," she tells him.

"Like you," he replies back easily.

"You don't have to sweet talk me, honey, I already agreed to marry you," she teases, her cheeks turning warm at the compliment as usual whenever he comments on her looks.

Hearing it out loud like that, marry you, makes them both grin silently at each other, her hands resting on his shoulders, the ring still in sight so she can catch a glimpse of it shining at her through the dark. He frames her face gently in reverence and notices her tears.

"I didn't mean to make you cry, Kono."

"Happy tears," she assures him, and he nods but continues to wipe each one carefully before it can make its way down the curve of her cheek.

"Hey, Steve?" she says bending down to nudge his nose with hers. "I have important news."

"Do you now?" He smirks, his hands playing with her hair as he waits for her announcement. He can't seem to be able to stop smiling either; it's good to know she's not alone.

"I want to abolish my no paperwork in bed policy in celebration of the engagement."

He laughs loudly, head thrown back at her in amusement, and the sound fills the quiet room over the murmur of the ocean waves from outside. She grins at him in adoration, catching the flash of teeth and dimples as he looks back at her, the last of his chuckles fading as he runs his warm hands down her back.

"Okay, Kono. That's definitely more important than the ring. Sounds good to me."

"And I know what I want to do this weekend." She straddles him more firmly and slides his shirt up, her hands eagerly caressing the skin that's revealed.

He smirks as he pulls his shirt over his head, having an idea of what she wants to do right now by the way her hands are racing up and down the tattoo ink on his chest. He hoists her up his body so she's closer to him and their lips meet. "What's that?" he asks, bending to place kisses on her neck, the line of her throat, then back on her lips.

"Research."

He squints at her. "Research?" he repeats.

She nods as she kisses him again, her hands sliding down to hold his.

"Research on what?"

"Engaged sex," she answers with a smile.

He chuckles at that but humors her and plays along. "Is that so?"

"Well, it's gotta be better than living together sex but not as good as married sex, right?" He nods at her train of thought. "'Cause our living together sex was pretty hot," she comments, and he smirks smugly at how they'd spent their first free weekend in bed after she moved in. "So engaged sex has gotta be hotter. I propose we do some research on that."

"You propose that, do you?" They both grin at her word choice. "So, do I have to be home for this research, or can I hang out with Danny and you take care of it by yourself?" he jokes, then pretends to groan as she pokes him hard in the chest.

"You better be home or I'll cut you off until the wedding night," she threatens with another poke.

He stills at that and his eyes widen as she smiles at him in arrogance. "Shit. I didn't think of that." She shrugs haughtily. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I, Steve?" she raises an eyebrow in silent challenge. "Wouldn't I?"

"You wouldn't," he repeats, and in a sneak move, quickly turns them over so she's on her back and he has her tank top pushed up the next second. He runs his fingertips up the side of her waist where he knows she's most ticklish as punishment for her threat, and grins wide when she shrieks in surprise, twisting and turning under the blankets, trying to get away.

"Stop, stop! Okay!" she pants, then takes deep breaths when he finally stops to stare down at her. "You're so mean," she huffs.

"Yeah, I am." He pulls her top off all the way and tosses it aside, quickly covering her bare chest with his, both of them moaning in appreciation at the contact. He reaches for her left hand and she smiles as she caches sight of the ring in place, where she intends for it to always stay. He kisses her fingers right below the band and looks back at her, his heart in his eyes. "You're stuck with me now."

She quickly brushes her lips against his, once, twice, three times, and wraps her legs tighter around him. "You're stuck with me too."

He continues kissing her, lavishing at her throat and still not letting go of the hand he just placed the ring on, holding it tightly. He nips at her jawline and she wraps her arms around his neck to hold him in place.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't really cut you off," she tells him in between kisses. "You just have to agree to everything I plan for the beach wedding."

Steve snorts. "Like I was going to argue."

"Smart man. And you have to listen to everything I say for the rest of our lives."

"Oh yeah?" He tugs at the lobe of her ear with his teeth, and smirks when she gasps in surprise, her hands sliding down his back frantically to hold on to him as she moans. He kisses down her throat, pausing to pay careful attention to the dip of her collarbone. "How about that research now?

"Yes, research, right, let's do that," she agrees breathlessly. "You're in charge here, Commander."

"Don't be a tease, Kono," he orders, knowing full well she's leading, and loving every minute of it.

"Yes, Boss."

the end ~