McKono fanfic – Aloha au ia 'oe [ I love you ]
Chapter I - Malihini [ Visitor ]
The sound of waves crashing echoed from the coast, all the way to the house painted in white. All lights were out; the house was in complete darkness except for the terrace. A small, wooden torch was kindled; enlighting the terrace with its weak, somewhat gloomy light. It wasn't empty, though; Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, dressed in his blue Navy shirt and a pair of dark cargo pants, was sat in a chair, aimlessly looking at the ocean. Verily, his eyes were bloodshot and tired with dark circles under them. It seemed that Commander McGarrett hadn't gotten much sleep last night. To be fair, he hadn't gotten any sleep last night. Pictures of Catherine Rollins leaving, clutching her bulky, black suitcase, were flooding his mind. At times he would feel numb, empty like a seashell without its pearl, left in the deepest ocean. Other times he would feel pain, sharp jolts of pain in his head. Ones he felt in his chest were insidious and didn't cause him much physical pain. They made his mind ache and, if he had anything left of it, his soul. Yes, Commander was possibly going through a heartbreak.
On such a lovely evening, just a month ago, Steve thought he was invincible. Booking one of Hawaii's biggest criminal masterminds, Haku Iona, once again proved that five-0 was a task force one of a kind – ready to serve their country regardless the consequences. The group was fearless and courageous – they left no mystery unravelled, no task unfinished, no case open. Indeed, Commander McGarrett had every right to think highly of himself and his group – he had it all. Then, out of nowhere, things slipped. Due to a new, high-profile case, Steve spent more time in the office than at home. At first, Catherine was patient and supportive until one day.
Steve walked through the front door, barely standing on his feet and dragged himself to the couch. He gasped as he sat down, his rib was doubtlessly broken and his leg pained him a lot. Without even looking around, Steve closed his eyes and breathed heavily. At last, he was peaceful.
"Oh my!" He heard a loud scream and winced, feeling strong pain in his chest. It was Catherine who scudded towards him. "Steve! Are you all right?" she asked worriedly and glanced at him with her honey coloured eyes. Steve groaned and sat more comfortably, holding onto his shirt.
"I'm fine. Just fine," he managed to say and a playful grin appeared on his face. This was nothing new – nothing that hasn't already happened.
"You are not fine!" Catherine insisted, carefully removing his blue shirt. The wound was fresh, yet it wasn't a gunshot wound. Steve was apparently stabbed. Catherine covered her mouth with her hand and grabbed the nearest phone. As she was dialling 911, Steve yelled.
"I'm fine, Cath!" he repeated and abruptly took the phone out of her hand. The call was already made. 'What is your emergency?' the voice spoke as Steve ended the call. Catherine furiously stared at him.
"When is this going to stop, Steve?" she asked in a sharp, loud tone.
"When is what going to stop?" he repeated tiredly, carelessly and kept looking away from her.
"All this, Steve! You going out there every day, risking your life, getting stabbed and shot! When?" she asked, almost pleadingly and crouched down. Cath was looking at him, patiently until he finally glanced at her.
"This is my job. It's what I do. I get shot and stabbed so others don't. I survive because I was trained to! I am serving my country because I was taught to, Cath. This is my job. This is my life. It won't change until all evil disappears. I, for once, don't know when that is going to be," he explained, somewhat upset. Cath's eyes filled with tears as she looked down at her intertwined fingers. She rubbed her hands against one another and slowly pulled a diamond ring off her finger. Steve stared at her, blankly, fighting himself to speak but – words weren't coming out. Cath took his hand and gently squeezed it. A smile crossed her lips as she wiped away her tears.
"I love you for it. And I am proud that I can look at you and see a true hero. I don't want to change that, Steve," she sobbed quietly and saw Steve's face turn sadder. "I for one don't want to change you. But..." she uttered in between quiet sobs as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"No, Cath, no!" Steve shouted and ran his fingers through her long hair. "Don't..." he pleaded.
"But I can't stay. I can't marry you, Lieutenant. Your country needs you. Your people need you. Your team needs you. And, uh, I need you but you can't be there for all of us," she whimpered and placed the ring on the palm of his hand, closing it gently. "I'll miss you, Lieutenant. I'll miss us," she said and kissed him, caressing his cheek for the last time. Then, slowly on her tiptoes, Catherine walked out of the living room, went upstairs and packed her bags. She left silently and unexpectedly out of Steve's life, just like she entered.
Commander's unsteady hand picked up a bottle of Brandy and poured it into a clean snifter. Listening to the sound of waves became unbearable as it reminded him of the nights on the beach with Cath. Steve sipped the Brandy slowly, feeling the numbness fade as the bottle was getting emptier. On the table beside him, a phone started vibrating. Danny's widely smiling face appeared on the screen with large, white letters forming Danno on the screen. Steve ignored it, once again. He kept sipping the Brandy until his eyes felt weary and his thoughts were somewhat cleared. Then, slowly to the sound of waves, he let the sleep overcome him as he leant back in the chair.
Half asleep, squinting to the sunrise, Steve heard the terrace door creak open. He opened his eyes and widely smiled.
"Cath?" he called excitedly, feeling warmth inside his chest.
"Steve?" Kono said, closing the door behind her. "Hey, it's me, brah," she quietly murmured and watched his smile fade into a cold stare. Kono could see tears in his eyes under the dimmed sunlight. Carefully, she walked up to him and sat down, putting her hand on his shoulder. Steve's blue eyes sadly stared at her, without a blink, as they filled with water.
"She's gone," he stated, clenching his teeth.
"I know, brah," Kono whispered. Looking at him was hard enough; she had never seen him cry in her life. It was heartbreaking. Kono just wanted to comfort him, make his tears vanish, but she couldn't. No one could, except maybe time.
"And I'm all alone," he murmured, looking at the sunrise. Kono looked at it, too, and then slowly touched his cheek.
"You're not alone, Steve," Kono said with a half-smile and hugged him, letting him wrap his cold arms around her tightly. "You will never be alone."