i lost my heart, i lost my mind without you.
"cath."
she loved him. then she left him. and here he stood in front of her, a small smile on his face.
"steve."
he loved her. he missed her. when he heard she was coming back, he hoped and believed he still had a chance.
"god, i missed you," steve said as he engulfed her in his arms.
"the feeling's mutual, sailor," catherine smiled into his shoulder.
•••
steve's best friend, danny, was hesitant about catherine's return. danny knew how heartbroken steve was after catherine left the first time, he was worried what would happen if she chose to leave again. danny cared for both steve and catherine, and really didn't want to see either of them hurt. so, he chose to be supportive.
"you love her, don't you?" danny asked.
"a lot, yeah," steve replied.
"she's good for you, you know? don't let her leave so easily this time. give her a reason to stay."
steve nodded. he was so thankful for danny and his help. he didn't know where he'd be without him.
•••
catherine sat in the backyard of the mcgarrett house, staring off into the water. she almost didn't notice steve sit next to her.
"hey," he said, his voice soft and quiet.
"hi," cath smiled, still not looking at him.
he brought his hand up to her cheek, and turned her head so that they made eye contact.
"cath, i love you. in a way that almost makes me feel weak. i can't live without you," he said as he brought them both to a standing position, "so this is me giving you a reason to stay."
he lowered himself onto one knee as tears welled up in catherine's eyes.
"marry me," was all he said.
she stood there, memories from years before flooding her head. the near death experiences, her new ohana, how gentle he was with her, the laughs, and the leaving. that's the one that stuck with her the most. the look on his face after she had left. the pain she felt without him. she couldn't stand to put him through that again.
"yes," was all she could manage to get out.
he slid the ring on her finger and proceeded to pick her up bridal style. she laughed lightly, tears still streaming down her face.
and then he kissed her.
this time it was different. it wasn't longing, like something had been missing. it was reassuring, passionate, and promising. promising that neither was leaving anytime soon. that this, right here, would be forever.
they pulled away and looked into each other's eyes.
"forever, okay? no more leaving, no more tears, no more what ifs. forever," catherine said, as her finger traced his jawline.
"forever," he assured her.
and that's all either of them needed.
•••
