C S I (UNDER EDITING)

Chapter 8 - Goodbye Vegas, Aloha paradise

Lauren's POV
The flight to Hawaii, is the longest I've taken in my life. Well...that might be a stretch...but needless to say, it was a strenuous journey. "Aloha cuz! Welcome to Oahu!" Steve and his team greet us at the airport. "Thanks, cuz." I smile as we hug. "I'm really glad I got your phone call. You'll fit right in here." He comments. "I hope so." I chuckle. "So, meet the new guy. Cuz, Nick, this is Lou Grover. Ex-S.W.A.T captain and Chicago cop. He's just joined us." Steve introduces a cheerful man with a colourful shirt. "Hi, Lauren Stokes and this is my husband Nick. I'm Steve's cousin. We'll be joining your task force." I introduce us. "Well, his much better looking, much more successful and obvious a better driver of a cousin." I joke. "Oh, hell yes! It was about time someone upped McGarrett here!" He chuckles. "Glad I could be of help even in my jetlagged state." I snigger. "Okay, I've decked out your place with all the essential which happens to include a coffee machine, if I remember madam's preferences correctly and we can go shopping this weekend to get anything else you might want." He informs with a chuckle. "Thanks, and there's no need. If we need anything else, Nick and I can go, you don't need to worry." I assure him. "We'll let you guys settle in, call me if you need anything cuz." He states as he drops us off at our new place. It's a lovely small cottage like beach house, with open spaces and the biggest backyard in the beach, a soft white paint adorning the outside with a peachy white adorning the inside. Modern furniture is situated around the house; a mahogany wooden coffee table with dark grey couches and a lounge, a high-tech flat screen TV facing the couches and lounge. Up the winding staircase, a king-sized bed in the single bedroom with a bedside table on each side and a huge mirror and cupboard adjacent to the open window. Built in closets smartly reduce the chances of a clutter, with a modern and chic monochrome style bathroom just a few feet from the bedroom, adorned with identically monochrome towels and other essentials such as towel holders. Two extra rooms stand on either side of the bathroom, identical to our bedroom. Back downstairs, the kitchen is a small open area which functions as a table and a little coffee machine as promised on the other side on the corner, next to the modernised fridge. The counter next to the coffee machine is stacked with dishes, cups and cutlery with the rest in the drawers, neatly assorted. "I like it. Small but homey and it's near the beach." I declare. "I agree, I think it's a beautiful start to an exciting adventure." Nick chuckles as we stand there for a moment, admiring our new place. "You can make us something to eat and I'll get unpacking." I giggle, dropping a quick kiss on his lips before taking our suitcases upstairs to unpack. "Uh, we have pasta, bell peppers, a few different kinds of herbs, some spices and some pumpkin." He yells from the kitchen as I unpack. "Oh, we have cheese too!!" He yells. "I can make cheesy pasta and pumpkin. That sound good?!" He asks. "Sounds great babe!!" I yell. I start unpacking the clothes first, as we'll need them immediately. Next are some of the keepsakes we decided to bring; a few photo frames, some of my jewellery and the toiletaries which I place in the bathroom and some on the bedside tables. Our devices which I place in the study which only came to my attention as I began walking around, trying to find somewhere to place our work stuff. It's a spacious but neat room, with two smartly built wooden desk on either end and identical, black work lights, file holders, pen holders and cupboard. I place our laptops and tablets on each table, plugging them in to charge for the next day. Next, I unpack the books, some of which go in the study and some of which stay in the bedroom in the big bookshelf Steve was kind enough to provide. Pushing the empty suitcases into the open closet, I take a step back to admire my work. With everything where it needs to be, all that's left to make this house officially lived in, is groceries. I plan to have a house-warming party to kick things off in Hawaii, all I need is some delicious food, a few snacks for afterwards and a few decorations. "Nick, I'm going to drop down to the local mall and get some groceries and some other things for tonight." I declare as I fish out my wallet, keys for the new car parked in our unexplored garage and new keys before heading downstairs. "Okay, well I got lunch going and it should be ready by the time you get back, provided you don't take too long..." He chuckles. "I promise I will only take an hour, so I can be back by 2:00." I promise with a chuckle as I take a look at the time. "Alright, I'm heading to the beach. See you when you get back." He informs. "Love you." I kiss him sweetly. "Love you more." He smiles against my lips. I enter the garage to be greeted with a smartly designed, chic and totally not what Steve needed to provide; a sleak, soot black camero, same design as the one detective Williams I saw driving. "I'm SO going to enjoy life in paradise..." I chuckle to myself as I get inside the new car. Pressing the small button placed on the dashboard, the garage door and the outside door open. It doesn't take me long to find the local mall, seeing as how I lived here for a while. Picking up a few food items; cheese, chicken, potato wedges, some vegetables, a few extra spices, some milk and bread along with a few condiments from the grocer's, as well as a few packets of chips and popcorn for later. Next, I take a trip through the decoration section and come out with a banner and a few fairy lights to hang outside. Having done the shopping, I pick up two iced lattes; one for me and one for Nick before heading back home.