"It's good, now," Lexie says, clearly teasing, though the smile that curves her lips is an entirely genuine one. Though she's only met him the once, she liked Steve from the start, and grateful though she'd been for any kind of patient, it's nice to run into him under better circumstances. Granted, it doesn't hurt that he's easy to look at, too, but she isn't really looking, just casually observing in the way one does with a potential friend. "Glad to see you without injuries this time."
"Dr. Grey," Steve says, holding up his previously injured hand in a demonstration of its having healed, a smile broadening the longer he looks at her. It helps that he feels as though he can identify a little more with her now, after their first conversation had taken something more of a personal turn, but he enjoys her company even if that isn't necessarily the case. She's got a good energy, as someone back home might say, and it's people like her he needs to be around, for his own sake. "Healed up pretty quickly," he adds. "Those meds helped too, but I'm definitely going to watch where I place that hammer from now on."
"That's good to hear," Lexie says, meaning all of it, though her own smile takes a turn for the teasing as she continues. "I'd hate to wind up having to, I don't know, amputate or something." It probably shouldn't be something to joke about when she's had to do that since showing up here, but it's rarer that she can't keep a sunny disposition, and she isn't really even thinking about that now. There's no reason to. "And how's that surprise you were working on coming?"
"Nah, I don't think that's going to be necessary," Steve promises, feigning a sudden expression of relief until that drops away for his grin. He's seen his share of those injuries requiring amputation and while it is something of a serious topic, it's probably good that they can joke about it to a degree and avoid slipping into more serious topics. "It's going well. Although I'm wondering how long I can keep it a secret from its intended person. He's starting to get a little too curious, but what else can you expect from a cop?"
"Ooh, that would make it difficult," Lexie replies, pulling a face, all sympathetic. Granted, her experiences with cops are slim - she's pretty sure Sawyer is IPD, and she wouldn't peg him as a conventional one, either - but it's one of those things that just makes sense. Speaking from her own experience, she's found that old habits from her old job are hard to break. She can only imagine the same would go for someone who'd been in the police. "I'm glad to hear it's going well, though. Think it'll be worth the, ah, thumb-bashing?"
"It'll definitely be worth it," Steve says, glancing down at his hand as he lowers it - the same hand on which he bears the tattoo of Danny's initials, more accurately, only covered up by the ring he wears now. He looks back up to Lexie, his smile only widening as he decides to go ahead and tell her, if only the partial story. "I'm engaged," he admits, holding up his hand once more for just a moment. "We're getting married in December, and I'm trying to fix up this other hut as - I don't know, some kind of temporary honeymoon thing."
Sometimes it seems like everyone is pairing off and getting married. It's an exaggeration, of course, because she's pretty sure it's actually just Meredith and Sean, and now Steve and whomever, but for a split second, it just drives home the fact that she doesn't have anyone. That isn't what's important, though, and she doesn't show it even for a moment, the smile that curves her lips wholly genuine. "Well, congratulations," she says warmly, pleased regardless of her own circumstances. "I think that sounds like a great idea. Not like there's anywhere you can fly to here, right?"
"Not really much of a honeymoon as a result," Steve says, his jaw tensing in a mild frown. But there's no real seriousness to it, and he's already continuing on, his expression one of quiet contentment instead of outward giddiness. "We knew each other before the island, but all the pieces seemed to fit once we got here," he admits. Even if everything's gone to hell with Five-O back home, he's got to be grateful for what he does have here, and he really couldn't ask for much more at this point, at least more than what he's got with Danny.
"That's great," Lexie says, and means it. Maybe that's pretty much exactly what she'd have wanted to be the case with her and Mark, given how many obstacles at home wound up getting in their way, but in a way, that she had it and lost it only makes her that much happier for Steve and whomever it is that he's engaged to. Around here more than anywhere else, such things are fragile, and if they can make it work and get to have it last, then that's pretty fantastic. As far as she can tell, he deserves it, anyway. "When's the wedding?"
"If all goes as planned, December, but nothing ever seems to go completely as planned where Danny's concerned," Steve admits, his face containing something of a smile that's equally fond and wry. He loves Danny, there's no question about that, but every now and then he wonders if going through the ordeal of planning a wedding isn't dredging up some painful memories for him. Frankly, Steve's just grateful he managed to get him to agree to a ceremony at all, although he'll admit now that his means of proposal hadn't been very orthodox - the first or second time.
"Danny's your fiancé?" Lexie asks, just to be sure. It seems obvious enough, based on the phrasing, but she'd hate to assume incorrectly and wind up saying something stupid because of it. If nothing else, though, she thinks she knows how he feels, which, based on their earlier conversation, doesn't surprise her much at all. It's a common enough thing, but she's well acquainted with making plans only to have them turned on their head. The whole last year and a half of her life before showing up on the island was because of that. "I'll be hoping it actually happens when it's supposed to."
"He is," Steve answers, but there's nothing abrupt or terse in the statement, merely just a calm stating of the facts. He and Danny aren't really in the habit of broadcasting their relationship, but then again, they've never done much to hide it either. It'd feel ridiculous to start shouting about it anyway, but they've always been fairly low-key in terms of sharing their status with others, and Steve knows Danny was feeling a little self-conscious about it at first, but things have eased up now. "And hopefully, the island won't intervene in some way," he adds, hoping he's not jinxing himself by saying. "But we do need to start making the big plans. We've been slacking."
"At least there's less to do here than there would have been back home," Lexie says almost hopefully, thinking of the last big wedding she went to, the one that was supposed to be Mere and Derek's but wound up being Izzie and Alex's instead. Of course, she has no way of knowing if Steve and Danny would want anything half so extravagant, but being on the island - and not having to worry about paying for things - does seem like it would make all of that simpler, provided that they actually get to go through with it. The island has gotten in the way of all her own wants, but that doesn't have to have any bearing here. If nothing else, she's capable of being optimistic about it. "I don't know what there would be that I can do, but if there is anything, I'd be glad to help."
"Less to do, less expense," Steve admits, absently scratching the back of his neck. He still doesn't really know if Danny wants a big ceremony or if he's just saying he doesn't because of the way things worked out the first time, the last time with Rachel. He can't help but wonder if there's some kind of fear Danny's internalized about whether or not he's going to stick around, but if that is the case, Steve's just going to have to find a way to make it absolutely clear to him that he has no intentions of going anywhere at all. He smiles gratefully in Lexie's direction, his hand slipping down from his neck. "Careful. If Danny hears one whiff of that, you might as well be signing your life away as official planner or something."
"Oh, well, I don't think you'd want to give me that much responsibility," Lexie laughs, though it's more good-natured than self-deprecating, a statement of fact and one she has no trouble admitting to. "My experience with weddings is... not very much at all. Though depending on what my sister winds up doing, I might be able to give you some tips from that." She knows very little about Meredith and Sean's plans, though, neither whether or not they'll have a ceremony at all nor whether she'll be invited if they do. It was different at home. Here, it's a lot more complicated, and considering how much she's stuck her nose into already, she has no need to pry further. "Really, though, if I can help, I will. I'm always looking for more to do, anyway."
"Oh, your sister?" Steve asks, glancing over curiously. Given their last conversation, though, he has no way of knowing if Lexie is all that close with her. He can relate, though. He hasn't seen Mary outside of funerals and rehab in years, and the latest time was no exception, even if he'd felt a wrench in his gut about having to send her away again after things had gotten pretty hairy. Still, he sometimes wishes he'd made more of an effort to see her - or to make her see him. Maybe he can still do that if he finds a way back, or if she shows up here. "Maybe I can bounce potential venues and table seating off you," he teases, especially since the whole plan is for it to be low-key, anyway.
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