Mari's Notes: Sammy and Ilna - love you guys, always.

Sammy, I always adore our co-writes. Your brilliance and ability to think in plotlines is a thing of beauty. xo

RealMcrollers & Readers: Thank you for the love and support. Hugs to you all!

Sammy's Notes: Mari & Ilna-you guys are the absolute best! Thank you for everything!

Always love the co-writes.

REAL Worlders-you guys are awesome. Thanks for all the support and encouragement.

You Picked the Wrong Girl (1/2)

Jen poked her head into Catherine's office and whispered, "Knock, knock." as her boss was finishing a call.

"...August fifth, ten o'clock. The governor and I look forward to it." Glancing up, Catherine waved her assistant in as she ended the conversation with, "Have a good day." Once the connection was broken, Catherine smiled. "What's up?"

It was close to lunchtime and she was hoping nothing had come up that would cut into her light afternoon. She wanted to get home early, cook dinner, and spend a relaxing evening with Steve and Angie.

"This was just delivered." Jen passed her an envelope. "If you don't need me for anything else, I'm meeting a friend for lunch."

"No, I'm out in five minutes." She ran a finger under the envelope flap and smiled at the younger woman. "Thanks."

"Awww," she said aloud as she read the short note from a senator that had visited the previous week. Catherine had escorted her on a tour of the tutoring program Elizabeth was instrumental in getting off the ground. The woman was so impressed she'd already formed a committee back home to start a similar program.

As she tucked the note into her purse to show her mother later, Catherine's desk phone rang with an unknown number on the caller ID. She picked up the handset as she locked her top desk drawer. Her eyes widened, then narrowed as she listened to the clearly altered voice.

"Tell your husband to back off."

"Excuse me?"

"He's sniffing around where he doesn't belong. Stop him. Or he'll be sorry."

She reached down and pressed the small panic button on the underside of her desk. It was a system put in place so any member of the governor's staff could immediately alert security that there was an issue.

"I don't direct Steve's investigations. And if you think threats are the way to go, you don't know my husband."

"I didn't threaten him. You're not listening, Lieutenant. I said tell your husband to back off …" he paused before continuing, "or I'll come after you." His tone was menacing even filtered through the altering device. "If you don't get him to close the case, I'll kill you. And your kid."

Even though she wasn't afraid, that wasn't Catherine, hearing anyone threaten Angie made her pause for a millisecond. She needed to locate and obliterate the threat and she was calculating her next move even as she spoke.

"Liste…" she began, but the caller was gone after saying, "If you tell him I called, I'll come for him, too. Just use your influence to get him to stop investigating NOW!"

By the time Catherine returned the phone to its cradle she was face to face with two very large, very well-armed sheriff's deputies. She quickly recounted for them exactly what had happened and what the caller said.

"I'll get with the switchboard and the phone company and see if we can find out where the call came from," one of the deputies said before turning and leaving the office.

"I need to call my husband," Catherine told the other deputy who she knew from around the building. His name was Hal McKean. He was ex-navy and had been with the sheriff's department for 7 years. He had a wife and two teenage daughters. "Then I need to go pick up my daughter."

"We can send a deputy to pick up your daughter but I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist you stay here until we make a preliminary assessment of the situation," Hal replied. "We treat all threats with the utmost seriousness."

Catherine was tempted to argue with him but she knew it wouldn't do any good. The procedures for what happened when a government official was threatened had been put in place for a very good reason. Even though this threat appeared to involve Steve's work life and not her own there were still rules that needed to be followed.

She nodded as she picked up the phone and dialed.

"What?!" Steve's voice went from his normal tone to Commander McGarrett in mission mode instantaneously.

"The voice was altered with some kind of electronic device so I can't be 100% certain but I believe it was a man. He threatened if you didn't stop the investigation, he'd kill me…" She took a breath, knowing the reaction her next words would cause. "And Angie."

"He's fucking dead." There was not an ounce of question that he meant every syllable.

"He also said if I tell you, he'd come after you." She relayed. "So clearly he's scattered. He's trying to cover too many bases with too many angles. Controlling me by threatening you. And knowing the best way threaten you is through me and Angie."

"Dead," Steve repeated, almost to himself. "Stay where you are. I'm going to make arrangements for Angie then I'll meet you there. Do not leave until I get there."

Catherine looked at Hal who had positioned himself just inside her office door. "I don't think you have to worry about that."

Twenty-five minutes later Esther's car pulled into the condo parking lot escorted by an unmarked police car. A slightly shaken Esther stepped out and reached in the back seat to unbuckle Angie. Once the toddler was out of her car seat Esther gave a voice command and Cammie bounded out followed by Scout.

"Thanks for getting here so fast," Steve said as he approached her.

Angie spotted Steve and yelled "Dada!"

"They were on a playdate," Esther explained as she gave both dogs the sit command. "I was gonna drop Scout back at the Williams' but I didn't want to take the time since it sounded urgent I get here right away."

"That's fine." Steve leaned over and petted both dogs.

"Is everything ok?" Esther asked worriedly. She was used to the unpredictability of both Steve and Catherine's jobs but a call telling her to get Angie ready and not to leave the house until a police escort had arrived was unusual even for them.

"I'm sure it will be." Steve kissed Angie's cheek. "Thanks again for getting here so quick. I know I kind of dumped a lot on you without any real explanation. Truth is I don't even have all the facts myself at this point."

"Not a problem." Esther tickled Angie's tummy, causing her to giggle and squirm.

"I just want you to know how much it means to both Catherine and I to have someone watching over Angie when we can't be there that we trust completely and who we know can keep her head in emergency situation," Steve said sincerely.

Esther blushed. "Thank you. If there's anything else you need me to do, let me know."

Steve nodded. "I will."

Angie spotted Danny across the parking lot talking to an HPD officer. "Daaa-nnnno!" she squealed.

"Do you want the officer to escort you home?" Steve offered.

"No, I'm good," Esther told him. "I'm headed to the shrimp truck. Should I take Scout with me and drop him off?"

"No, that's ok. I'll take care of it," Steve said.

After she left Steve and Danny entered the condo explained the scant details they knew to Joseph and Elizabeth. Steve bounced his daughter on his hip as he did his best to keep his tone light. She was a very intuitive child and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel his tension and anger.

"Catherine is safe," he assured them. "She's at her office. I called security and they guaranteed me there are sheriff's deputies with her."

"Do you have any idea who made the call?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not yet but I promise you, we will soon," Steve said resolutely.

Joseph could tell Steve was itching to get to Catherine so he cut right to the chase. "What can we do?"

"Can you keep an eye on Angie and Cammie until we get a better idea of exactly what's going on?"

"Of course we can," Joseph and Elizabeth said in unison.

Elizabeth held out her arms to her granddaughter. "Why don't you and I go see what Grandma Ang is doing in the kitchen?" she cooed.

Steve kissed Angie's cheek then smiled gratefully at Elizabeth. "Mommy and I will be back to pick you up as soon as we can. Meanwhile, you have fun with Ama and Apa and Grandma Ang."

"O-ay." Angie went willingly into her grandmother's arms. "Wuv oo. Bye-bye."

Steve waved at her as she and Elizabeth disappeared around the corner then turned back to Joseph. "I've set up a security perimeter plus I've got an officer outside your front door and one just off the patio. If you need anything at all just let them know."

"I'll guard her with my life," Joseph said sincerely.

Steve placed his hand on his father-in-law's shoulder. "I know you will. I'll let you know as soon as we have any more information."

Danny cleared his throat. "Listen, I was wondering … Gabby's not home tonight and I really don't feel right about Grace being home alone while all this is going on …"

"We'd love to have her for however long is necessary," Joseph said without reservation. "Does someone need to go to your house and pick up some clothes for her?"

Danny shook his head. "Under the influence of your lovely daughter and this animal," he hitched his thumb towards Steve, "She has prepared a go bag that she keeps in her car at all times. So she's good to go. I'll text her and tell her to come straight here after school. "

Joseph smiled. "We'll set an extra place for dinner."

"Thanks," Danny said. "I'll have one of the officers run Scout home."

"Don't be silly." Joseph waved him off. "We'll be glad to have him too."

"I owe you," Danny said as he and Steve headed for the door.

"That's what family does," Joseph called after him.

As Steve and Danny approached Catherine's office they were stopped by an armed sheriff's deputy. They knew almost everyone in the department but the muscular man in front of them was someone they'd never seen before.

"I'm sorry. This area is off limits," the young deputy said sternly as they approached.

Danny, afraid that Steve was going to blow up at the idea of anyone trying to keep him from Catherine, whispered, "He must be new. He doesn't recognize you yet."

"My name is Steve McGarrett," Steve said calmly. He pulled back his shirt to show his badge then reached into his pocket for his wallet and produced his ID. "Catherine Rollins is my wife."

"Oh … of course … I'm sorry, Sir. I was told you were on your way. I apologize for …"

Steve cut the young man off. "No need to apologize, Deputy. I'd much rather the people guarding my wife in a situation like this err on the side of caution. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you, Sir." The young man beamed as he stepped aside so Steve and Danny could pass.

As soon as he entered the chief-of-staff's office Steve made a beeline for Catherine and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I'm more angry than scared," she answered. "Is Angie ok?"

"She's at the condo with your folks. There's a squad car at every entrance to the complex and an officer outside their front and back doors."

"Good." Catherine knew that Steve would move heaven and earth to find the caller and identify the threat, she would too. In the meantime it eased her mind to know Angie was somewhere where not only would she be physically safe but where she'd feel happy and loved.

As soon as he assured himself Catherine was ok he turned to look at the other people in the office. There was Lea, her head of security, Max O'Neill, the sheriff Alan Kaholo, the head of the governor's IT department, Raoul Simosa, an investigator from the Prosecuting Attorney's office, several deputies both in uniform and in plain clothes, and Duke.

"What do we know about who made the call?" he asked.

"We're working on it," Raoul reported. "All calls that come in through the main phone system are logged. This call came in at 11:56:10. It appears as though it was made from a cellular device which is great news for us. Makes it easier to track."

"This new phone system is state of the art," Lea explained. "We're one of the first government offices to have it installed. There's no need to keep callers on the phone to achieve a trace anymore. It's meant for situations just like this."

"Great." Steve ran his hand through his hair. "How long until we have an ID?"

"Well it's not quite that simple," Max said. "It depends on a lot of factors."

Steve's jaw tightened. "What's your best estimate?" Anyone who knew him well could see the telltale signs of how angry he was. The ramrod straight back, the coiled muscles in his hands and arms, the vein pulsating on his forehead. Truth be told though, Danny was surprised by how calm his partner's outward appearance was. There was a day when he would have been yelling and screaming at everyone in sight.

"Impossible to say but it shouldn't be more than a couple of hours tops," Raoul replied.

"The quicker the better," Steve told him.

"Maybe we can come at this from another angle while we're waiting for an ID on the number," Max suggested. "The man, we're assuming it was a man anyway, wanted you to drop an investigation. What open cases does Five-0 have right now?"

Steve took a deep breath. "We have two open murders. One of them is gang related. The other we're still investigating but it's looking more and more like a domestic incident. We made multiple arrests last week in a drug sting. We're still working on getting more names there. That's about all that's really active right now. We have a bunch of cases waiting for trial."

"I got the distinct feeling it was an more of a current investigation than something awaiting trial," Catherine said.

"What's your confidence level that we're looking for a man?" Steve asked Catherine.

"Seventy-five percent," she said without hesitation. "Even with the alteration it definitely sounded like a male voice."

"Anyone made any threats of any kind directly to you or to anyone on your team?" Lea asked.

Steve and Danny both said, "No."

"While we're waiting for the ID on the caller why don't we head over to Five-0 and look through your active files for any likely suspects," Sheriff Kaholo offered. "My office can provide any additional manpower needed to check them all out."

"Sounds good," Steve agreed.

"I'm coming too," Catherine said adamantly. She looked at Steve. "Don't try to stop me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he responded. "But you're not going out in the field under any condition. You're staying at headquarters. Max, Sheriff Kaholo and Lea will all back me up on that."

She looked at the three people all nodding in agreement.

"Fine, but when you bring the guy in, I have a few things to say to him."

Angie was happily napping on the sofa in the condo den, where she'd dozed off next to Smokey with Cammie by her side. Grace was seated on the loveseat, laptop open, doing homework as Scout curled at her feet. Looking up when Joseph entered, she closed the computer and said, "One more, you guys can start a doggie daycare."

He smiled, saying, "Don't stop on my account, honey." as he waved at the laptop.

"I'm done. Last essay for the year. I just have studying and finals."

"Amazing." Joseph shook his head. "Where'd the year go? Although… Jacob was just saying it's a looong time til summer vacation starts."

"Danno says time moves faster the older he gets," Grace smiled at her dad's musings as she and Joseph both focused on Angie, who'd murmured, "Ahh de Apa hmm?" in her sleep. "I can't believe she's almost two," the teen said as she placed her laptop in its case and checked her phone.

Joseph nodded. "No word yet?"

She shook her head. "I didn't really expect …" Her eyes met his and she shrugged.

"I know, honey. They'll catch whoever this is soon. In the meantime, you know we love having you. Even under unusual circumstances."

"I do." Grace rose and hugged him. "Thanks. And I totally get why Danno feels better with me here. Gabby's not home from the North shore til tomorrow and even if he was coming home tonight, he doesn't want me in the house alone."

A lifetime of being a cop's daughter was written in every word. Joseph recognized the maturity that he'd seen often; not only in Catherine, but in so many military kids in general. "With you here and safe, he can concentrate on the case." He pointed to the toddler who was stirring from her nap. "Just like Catherine and Steve."

"Apa, me …" Angie began until she spotted her cousin. "Gwace, me ah bah, cookie? Apa, cookie?"

Grace moved to lift the little girl and kissed her cheek. "I think someone wants a cookie. It's almost dinner time, Angie. I think your grandma's maaaaaking…" she drew out the word, "hotdogs!" Isn't that yummy?

"Cookie?" Angie was wide awake now and tilted her head at her grandfather.

"After your hotdog, you can have two cookies, how does that sound?" Elizabeth appeared in the den, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"Ama, cookie?" She confirmed.

"Two." Elizabeth held up as many fingers. "Promise. But after your hotdog. Grace is going to eat dinner with us, won't that be fun?"

"Yay!" The arm Angie didn't have around her cousin flew up with the word, making everyone smile.

Catherine was standing alone at the smart table going over all the names in Five-0's open case files, again, looking for any detail that might have been missed, when the call from the head of the governor's IT department, Raoul Simosa, came in.

Steve, Danny, Chin, and Kono were out beating the bushes for information on who might have made the threatening call along with several sheriff's deputies and every available HPD officer.

Except for the two Steve had insisted stay behind at headquarters to keep an eye on Catherine. They had split up the list of names involved in open cases starting with the people who faced the most jail time and working their way down.

She answered the call hoping this was the information they'd been waiting for.

It was.

They had a name.

The phone was registered to Innocence Watkins.

Catherine chuckled to herself. 'That's ironic.'.

She immediately dialed Steve.

"Everything ok?"

"Better than ok. We have a name."

"We're on our way back."

- tune in Wednesday for the conclusion!