So sue me, I like happy endings...
Once again, this is Five-O in the nineties, updated and learning new things.
All the Characters that make up the Original Series and the concept of Hawaii Five-O belong to CBS... the rest are all mine...
Read and enjoy.
O-O-O-O-O
Tilda
She wasn't going and no one was going to make her.
She dropped her toothbrush and a comb into the backpack where she'd already stashed clean underwear, a change of clothes, and her teddy bear. She didn't like her Auntie Min and it was apparent that Auntie Min liked her even less. After her mother had died from a sudden brain aneurysm her Auntie had convinced her grieving father the best place for the kids was with her in Taiwan for the summer. She had hated every minute she was there. Her Auntie had called her an ungrateful female and a curse on her father's house and her mother's memory while she counted the days until she could go home. When her father had scooped her into his arms after the plane had returned her to Honolulu, she'd been the happiest child on the Island. He had promised he'd never send her away again, no matter what. She was his baby and he needed her at home.
Then her world fell apart. A year after her mother had died, he father was killed while on an undercover assignment. She was devastated. First her mom, now her dad, and once again there was Auntie Min, telling her she would be returning to Taiwan with her as soon as arrangements were complete.
She was ten years old and determined. She didn't like Taiwan. She was American, not Chinese. Her father had always told her no one could force her to do anything she knew was wrong. She knew Taiwan was wrong and that Auntie Min was wrong. She wasn't leaving Hawaii.
Auntie Min was in the room she shared with her sister, throwing out clothing she didn't think appropriate. She tiptoed into the kitchen, found Auntie's purse, and quietly removed the cash from her wallet. She shoved the money into the pocket of her jeans, shouldered her backpack, and tiptoed out, taking care not to slam the door behind her. She let herself out the back gate and took off down the alley as fast as her legs could carry her.
O-O-O-O-O
McGarrett sat at his desk, staring into a half empty cup of cold,black coffee like a seer looking for answers. Jimmy Rego was being held without bond in at the maximum security wing of the county jail until he could be formally charged with murdering Chin Ho Kelly. Rego had clammed up the second his rights had been read and demanded to speak with his lawyer. McGarrett almost smiled at the memory of the look on Rego's face when he was informed by Ishi Takemora himself that the firm of Takemora and Sullivan would no longer be representing his interests. Rego was in the awkward position of having to ask for a public defender. When the Kumu disowned you, they disowned you hard.
He put down the cup and opened the file folder. Inside were the case files and reports generated by a police officer's death. He knew he should re-read the files to familiarize himself with the information it contained for tomorrow's arraignment. If it were only that simple, he thought to himself as he closed the file. He couldn't concentrate. Maybe it was too much caffeine. Maybe too many long hours and late nights. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a decent meal, or a good night's sleep. He knew Maggie was worrying about him. She always did.
He didn't know how he would have made it through the funeral without her. Or how Chin's kids would have coped if not for Maggie and Susan. The two retired Army sergeants had stepped in and taken charge of the younger children until the older ones could return to the Islands; Tim from active duty with the Marine Corps and Alia, Suzy, and Maria from colleges and homes on the Mainland.
Chin's sister-in-law, Min, had flown in from Taiwan two days later, announcing that as her sister's closest living relative she would take custody of the four youngest Kelly children. The two boys and the older girl were looking forward to the adventure. Tilda, the youngest daughter, had listened quietly and thoughtfully to the plan, her small face unreadable. Tilda had spoken very little since she had learned of her father's death. When asked a question she would answer politely and briefly, causing concern from everyone who knew the precocious little girl. The only time she seemed halfway normal was when she was playing with Duke and Susan's eighteen month old son, or when she was concentrating on her latest embroidery project.
Sighing, McGarrett got up and went to one of the windows that looked out across the parking lot of Iolani Palace. If he closed his eyes he could still see Chin's body lying on the tarmac where it had been dumped by Rego and his cronies. As he stared out toward the South and the open ocean he felt every one of his years. I'm fifty-five years old, he thought. I'm married to the most remarkable women I've ever known. I work with the finest group of people imaginable. Then why do I feel so damned numb?
His thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of the intercom. "Yes, Jenny," he said as he answered it.
"Could you come out here a minute," she said. "There's something you need to attend to."
"On my way," he said.
The whole crew was waiting around Jenny's desk, and not only Five-O staff. Maggie, was there, along with Susan and Duke, with Micheal, now a toddler and the apple of his parent's eye. Kono, Honolulu county's recently re-elected sheriff, a very pregnant Beverly Patterson-Williams leaning against Danny for both comfort and support, Che Fong, Sandy Welles, their newest detective, and Pacita Mendoza from the computer lab was there with her girlfriend, Ebony Thompson. Robbie and Ivory Compton, Ivory a recent graduate of the police academy and newly married were there representing HPD, as well as John Manicote from the DA's office.
"What's up?" he asked, wondering what in the hell was going on.
Maggie took both his hands in hers. "You, honey," she said. "We're worried about you. You've been going nonstop since Chin was killed. You've given everyone here time to grieve. That is, everyone except yourself."
"She's right, Steve," Danny said. "You've done a remarkable job of holding things together. This has been about the worse thing any of us has had to face. You've taken care of us and of Chin's family and you've neglected the one person who needs to come to terms with this more than anyone else here."
"He means you, love," Maggie said. "It's time." She gave him the keys to her Mustang. "Here, go. Drive. Think. Do whatever it is you have to do. Turn off your phone and forget about being a cop for a few hours. The top is down, the tank is full, and there's a CD in the player. Drive until you feel better. I'll get a ride home with Susan."
He didn't say anything, just pulled her into his arms, holding her close, drawing strength from the warmth of her body next to his.
He kissed her softly before he left.
"Is he going to be alright?" Jenny asked.
"I don't know," she said. "I do know he needs to get away from here for a while. Damned stubborn Capricorns. Takes forever to get one to admit he needs a break."
"How are the kids doing?" Beverly asked. She had two years left of her enlistment in the Navy. She was seven months pregnant and felt fat and clumsy. Danny thought she was beautiful. She leaned back against Danny, taking some of the weight off her swollen ankles.
"Going back to Taiwan with Lin's sister in about week." Danny said. It was obvious he didn't care for Min Chou Lo.
"I'm worried about Tilda," Susan said. "I don't think she wants to go."
"I don't think she has much of a choice," Jenny said.
"There's always a choice," Beverly said. "Uncle Chin was related to damn near every Chinese in Hawaii. Isn't there some other relative who could take the kids? One who lives here instead of Taiwan?"
"That must have been the way Lin wanted it," Che said. "Her sister is a widow with no children. Now she'll have four, including two sons. In Taiwan that's a lot of prestige."
"It's also access to the bank accounts set up for the kids through the Widows and Orphans Fund." Maggie said, somewhat grumpily. After she had been taken hostage and injured by Big Chicken, Tilda had been her lifeline. Lin would bring the little girl over after school, supposedly for embroidery lessons. Maggie eventually got the message that Steve was behind the child's sudden interest in needlework, but by that time she and Tilda had bonded in a way that was hard to describe. Maggie had become Tilda's second mother. After Lin had passed away, the child divided her time between Steve and Maggie's house, Danny and Beverly's condo, Susan and Duke's house, and her own home. Steve had gotten so use to the little girl being at the house that he'd even suggested that Maggie redecorate one of the upstairs bedrooms for her. He was going to miss the child as much as Maggie.
Duke reached over to take Micheal from Susan. Any one of the people gathered in this room would have taken all four of the Kelly children without hesitation. "Maybe Lin thought the children still needed a mother."
Maggie didn't say what she was feeling. Maybe tonight when Steve was home. Maybe then. But for now, she remained silent, her mind screaming the one thought she couldn't put into words. But I am her mother! I've been her mother for over a year now!
"She's ohana," Kono said. "She belong here. I better let HPD and highway patrol know Steve's out in that 'Stang. If I don't, some dumb kid gonna try to pull him over and end up off on a stress day when they see who it is." He ambled off, speaking into the rover unit he was carrying on his way out.
O-O-O-O-O
"I can't see why Min has to take the kids to Taiwan," Maggie said. They were in Susan's Explorer, little Micheal safely ensconced in his car seat, making baby noises. Duke had insisted on trading her small car for a safer SUV. Susan, then in her eight month of pregnancy and having a difficult time getting in and out of her little red Sentra, hadn't felt like arguing.
"Me, neither. Chin has dozens of relatives who would happily take the kids, not to mention most of Five-O and half of HPD and the sheriff's department. I think the reason they're not objecting is because Min has agreed to take all four of them, that way they stay together," Susan said. "I'm concerned about Tilda. I don't think she gets along with her aunt, and she's a handful all by herself."
"When are they suppose to leave for Taiwan? I'd like to see Tilda before she goes. I want to make sure she has all our contact numbers and knows she can call anytime of the day or night."
"Sometime next week is all I know. Make sure she's got mine and Duke's, too. And every number for Five-O and HPD you can think of, just in case." Susan sighed, hoping like hell Tilda's departure wouldn't send Maggie back into a spiral of depression and despair, reminders of a war they would both rather forget. "Seriously, though, how's Steve handling all this?"
Maggie looked over at her friend. "I'd be lying if I said he was okay. He's not. He blames himself because he hadn't wanted to send Chin in undercover. He wanted to send in a younger man, only Chin insisted that he knew the Chinese community better than anyone else on the force, and he was probably right. Only his cover got blown and now Steve is blaming himself and that horrible woman is going to take Tilda away." She leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes as she did. "They're reading Chin's will tomorrow evening. The lawyer called Jenny to tell us he needs the whole crew there, and if they couldn't make it, to send us. Is it wrong to hope he left me Tilda? Doesn't that sound awful, arguing over her like she was a piece of furniture?"
"No, it isn't and we can always hope," Susan said. "Enough of this gloom and doom. It's a nice day out and it's time to introduce Micheal to the joys of shaved ice."
"It's called a snowball."
"Only in Louisiana. You want one or not? You can help me hose Micheal down when he's done. He's going to be one sticky mess."
O-O-O-O-O
The sun was dropping behind the hills at Punchbowl as Steve parked the Mustang near the Kelly plot. He got out of the car, tear reddened eyes hidden behind dark glasses, taking the leis made of red ti leaves, pink and white plumaria, and lehue flowers. Fresh flowers for his old friend's grave.
He couldn't believe Chin had been gone for nearly two weeks now. He'd lost track of time, first in the days leading up to the funeral and then during the hunt for the killer. He'd pushed himself and the rest of the crew to their limits and beyond. He'd called in favors owed for years. He hadn't stopped until he'd booked Rego into the jail for capital murder and assorted other charges.
It still frightened him to think of how close he'd come to shoving his service revolver against Rego's head and pulling the trigger as the killer had begged for mercy, and that was after he'd done a good job of trying to beat the man to death. It had taken every bit of will power and training he had to take his finger off the trigger and turn Rego over to the courts, to the law he had sworn to uphold. He had killed men before. It was inevitable when you were at war. It wasn't something he had thought to much about at Annapolis. He had been too focused on graduating and getting a commission that would enable him to send more money to his mother who was still struggling to pay for his sister's education. Then came Vietnam, and after that Five-O and he'd come to know the fine line between a justified kill and cold blooded murder.
McGarrett had almost crossed that line. He'd always had a temper, although these days he managed to keep it in check better than he had when he was younger. It would have been so easy, and he doubted if anyone who had witnessed the arrest would have objected and would probably have lied their heads off to the Grand Jury if it had came to that, as Chin Ho had been loved and respected by every police officer on the Islands. He could have killed Rego and walked away with a verdict of a righteous shoot, except for one small thing that still gave him chills when he thought about it. It was something he'd told no one, and that included his wife.
He'd stood over Rego, gun pointed, his finger on the trigger with the hammer pulled back and locked. If anything had broken his concentration, Rego would have been a goner with his brains decorating the palm tree he was cowering against.
Chin Ho's voice, as soft and low as it always was when things got serious, had floated across the ether and through his mind. "No, boss. Don't do it. He's not worth it. This is not what you taught us. This is not how Five-O does it. Put the gun down. You have more work to do, and you can't do it if you're in jail. Put the gun down, Boss. It's over."
He had lowered the gun, looking wildly about, and caught just the briefest whiff of the pipe smoke he'd come to associate with Chin Ho as Danny and Duke cuffed Rego for his ride to central booking.
He crossed to the grave. Chin had been buried next to his wife of twenty-six years. He'd already had the headstones installed, the only difference being the dates were not carved into his. Steve promised himself that he would see to the addition before the week was out.
He kissed the leis and draped one over each stone, and stood there, head bowed in silence. He took the Rosary out of his jacket pocket and began the prayers he'd almost forgotten until he'd made a deal with Chin. Chin would say a Rosary for the safe rescue of Beverly Patterson-Williams and Steve would go to church with the Kelly family the next Sunday. Beverly had been rescued, none the worse for wear with the exception of a mild concussion, dehydration, and the extra bonus of finding out that she was pregnant. He and Maggie had been regular churchgoers since.
He finished the prayers, and began reciting the "Our Father" when he heard a car door slam and footsteps behind him, footsteps he'd heard so often he didn't even have to look to see who it was.
"I knew I'd find you here," Danny said. "I know Maggie told you to turn off your phone, but we need you."
One of Steve's pet peeves was that his crew were more apt to listen to Maggie than to him when it came to certain things, like his health, diet, rest, and down time. None of them, from the governor on down to the custodial staff, wanted to risk the wrath of the small retired Army sergeant. Not only that, he was certain all three of the Five-O wives had some sort of conspiracy going to keep tabs on such things, with Jenny acting as a major informer and Sandy as their newest test subject.
"What have you got?," he asked, frowning at Danny's worried face.
"Min called about half an hour ago. Tilda's missing. She shoved some things into a backpack, stole about a hundred bucks from her aunt's purse, and ran away. I've put HPD, the sheriff's office, and every other law enforcement entity on this Island on red alert. Finding her is now priority one for every cop on this Rock."
"It will be dark soon. We need to find her fast."
"We will, Steve. I've alerted our wives. They're all home, in case she shows up at one of our houses. Where the hell would a scared ten year old go to if she ran away from home?"
Steve didn't even have to think about it. "She's smarter than most ten year old's and she thinks before she does things. She'd go to where there were lots of kids and get lost in the crowd. Then when everyone's looking in the obvious places, she'll go where she knows she'll be safe. That means Five-O. Let's go!" Steve was in the car, peeling out of the parking lot on screeching tires as he slammed the Mustang through it's gears.
Danny watched him go, wondering if he should suggest finding a way to put a light bar on a convertible for times like these. He got into his own SUV and followed at a slower pace, hoping like hell Steve was right.
O-O-O-O-O
McGarrett took the steps into the palace two at a time, ignoring the tinge of pain in his left knee as he did. Arthritis, Doc had told him, it's what happens when you get old. He wasn't feeling old. He was angry.
He knew the only reason Tilda had ran away was because she didn't want to live with her aunt in Taiwan. He didn't know the contents of Chin's will, or of the folder every cop kept. Jenny had taken care of most of that, finding the right documents and getting them to the funeral home and to the lawyers. There had been one question on everyone's mind. What was to be done with the four minor children, but Lin's sister had flown in, reassuring everyone it was her sister's wish that should the unthinkable happen, she would take the children. At the time, Steve and the rest of the crew were either too shell shocked or too intent on catching the killer to question her word or to ask for confirmation. Not anymore.
He had called Maggie and the office while driving, something he knew he shouldn't do, especially at the speed he was going. She and Susan were on their way back to the Palace. Maggie had a calming effect on the little girl and the last thing he wanted tonight was a hysterical child, not that Tilda was the hysterical type. Maybe if she had been they would have known something was wrong. She was a thoughtful child and had a disquieting habit of thinking things out before asking questions or taking action. If she had ran away, she had a reason, and McGarrett was going to find out what it was before he'd let her leave the Islands.
The office was in an uproar. Duke had out the maps and was checking with the search teams. Kono was on his rover unit, sending search teams to all the places a child might hide from searching adults. They were using standard search procedures for a missing child, only this time, to every officer on watch, it was personal. This was the child of a murdered cop. The officers on patrol would kick down every door in Honolulu if that was what it took to find her. McGarrett hoped like hell he was right and it wouldn't come to that.
Duke was on the phone with the head of the city's department of transportation. "I want every driver on the routes between her house and Iolani Palace. If there's been a shift change, I need the name and address of the driver. If she's spotted, call us immediately with the location and we'll send out a blue and white to get her. Thank you." He hung up the phone, consulted his clipboard, and checked off one more item.
"Jenny," McGarrett said, "send someone out to get Mrs. Lo, please." Jenny was on overtime, she should have been home two hours ago. Knowing Jenny's fierce maternal instincts, he knew she wouldn't leave until Tilda was found.
"Sandy beat you to it. She and Mrs. Lo are waiting in your office."
McGarrett took a deep breath, hoping Maggie would get join them soon. "Let me know when my wife gets here."
"You think Tilda is going to try to get here?" Jenny asked, frowning.
"Let's just say I have a hunch. Chin was a cop and he taught her to trust police officers. I'm praying she'll go where she knows she'll be safe, and that's here."
He straightened his tie before he went to his office. Sandy was sitting in one of the chairs by his desk while Min and Tim Kelly sat on the couch, speaking rapidly in Mandarin. Min claimed she didn't speak English very well and had been using Tim as a translator. McGarrett could tell that Tim was less than happy about the duty.
"Tim, could you tell me exactly what happened? Why did Tilda run away?"
"Commander, I really don't know," Tim was a Marine Corps Captain and insisted on calling Steve 'commander' even though he was retired. "Auntie said that she went into the kitchen at around 1130 to start lunch and found her purse open on the table and her money gone. When she couldn't find Tilda, she had Gabe and Thom search the neighborhood. When she wasn't found by four, Amy called me and I called Five-O."
"Was there an argument? Was she upset?"
Tim looked at McGarrett like he'd lost his mind. "We just lost our Dad. Of course she was upset."
"Sorry, Tim, that didn't come out right. I mean had anything else happened that could have made things worse?"
"I wish I knew. She's fourteen years younger than I am and I haven't been around much over the last few years. All I know is that she's been unusually quiet since Mom died, and now with Dad gone it's impossible to know what she's thinking."
They were interrupted by a string of Mandarin. Tim answered again, only to receive a sharp command that McGarrett could tell he didn't like by the look on the young Marine's face.
"Auntie Min says to tell you that Tilda is a spoiled and disgraceful child who was raised without the discipline of a mother. She intends to change that as soon as they return to Taiwan."
Steve raised an eyebrow while glaring at Mrs. Lo. Sandy sat there, wide eyed, fighting the urge to give Mrs. Lo a good zap with her taser.
The intercom buzzed.
"Yes, Jenny," Steve asked, grateful for the interruption.
"Guess who just walked in," she said. He could hear the relief in her voice. "Maggie and Susan found her just as she was getting off the bus at the stop out front. Duke's canceling the search and I think Kono may need to lie down for a bit."
"Excellent! Best news I've heard in weeks. I'll be right out." He turned off the intercom. "Tim, Tilda's here. If Mrs. Lo is still pretending she doesn't understand English, please let her know she needs to join us outside."
He went into the outer office to find Tilda being smothered in hugs by the rest of the staff. She ran to him when he saw her. He picked her up and held her close, relief evident in his every movement.
"Little One, you have given us all such a fright. Don't ever do a stunt like this again! It's not safe."
"I know, Uncle Steve," she said gravely. "But I came here, where I knew I'd be safe."
He hugged her again before he put her down.
Min came storming out of his office, jabbering away in rapid fire Chinese, one furious finger pointing at the child's face as she screamed. Before anyone could react, she slapped the child hard on the cheek and was drawing back to hit her again when Maggie's hand, cat quick and strengthen by anger, grabbed Min by the wrist.
"You will never, ever lay hands on that child again," came a soft southern voice, steel and the promise of retribution cloaked in moonlight and magnolias.
"She is an ungrateful female and a spoiled brat! You did this! You and the rest of you! All she talk about last summer was Five-O and how she was going to be a police officer. HA! You see what that got her! Both parents gone and now I'm stuck with a child who wasn't raised properly. At least I have a chance to correct the damage with proper upbringing!"
Everyone started talking at once. Min and Tim in Mandarin, the rest in English, while Maggie held onto Min's wrist so tightly her fingers were turning white.
"Quiet!" Jenny yelled, startling everyone into silence.
"That's better. Chin left me a note. I hadn't opened it yet, because if I had, it would mean admitting that he's not coming back. I know that doesn't make much sense, but I'm going to read it to you now. I'm sorry I didn't do this sooner, it could have saved a lot of confusion."
She took two sheets of folded legal sized paper out of an envelope. She unfolded one and started reading.
"Jenny, If you are reading this then the know the worse that can happen has happened, but that's okay, because now I can see Lin again and everything will be fine. You've kept this crew in line for years, and I'm going to ask you to do it one more time. Five-O has been my Ohana for a long time now, these last few years making us an even stronger family. I will need that now, a strong family, to be there for my children. Tim, I am so proud of you, all grown up and a Marine officer. My girls Suzy and Maria, beautiful and brilliant with bright futures, and my Ailia, who grew into a beautiful lady with a good husband and gave me my first grandchildren. My boys, Thom and Gabe, still growing, always with their noses in something electronic, my daughter Amy, sweet and gentle and caring for the world. I have no doubt that you will be successful at whatever career path you choose, but indulge your old man this once and one of you become a doctor. That leaves my youngest, Tilda, and the most difficult. I know Min is planning on taking the children to Taiwan. That will be fine for the boys and for Amy, because they are old enough to make their own decisions and living in another country for a while will make them appreciate America even more. Tilda is another story. She wants to stay in Hawaii. And that is what I want also. She has ohana here, in the truest sense of the word. We started out as a branch of the state police and ended up a family. Steve and Maggie, if you agree, and if Tilda is willing, would you please foster my youngest daughter until she comes of age? If I could, I would name everyone at Five-O as her guardians, but my lawyer says I need at least one married couple as primary caregivers, and Maggie has been Tilda's unofficial mother since Lin passed away. Steve, it's time we make it official.
It's been one hell of a ride! Thank you all for everything. Much love and may God bless and keep you all." She refolded the letter and put it back in the envelope. She took the second sheet, written in Mandarin, and gave it to Tim. "I don't know any Chinese and I couldn't read it."
Maggie let go of Min's wrist. "Steve, your office, now!" she said, taking his arm and dragging him inside.
Tim knelt in front of his baby sister. He had no problem dealing with a platoon of Marine Recon, but ten year old girls were another story. "What do you think, Little One," he said, employing the phrase he'd heard everyone call her. "Do you want to go to Taiwan or stay here with Auntie Maggie and Uncle Steve?"
She looked up at him with those black almond shaped eyes that all the Kelly women had inherited from their mother, a serious look on her small face. "If it's okay with you and the rest of the family I'd like to stay here. I don't like Taiwan. It's an Island but you can't see the ocean from Auntie Min's house."
"Are you sure this is what you want?"
"Yes. I want to stay here."
"You know that Auntie Maggie and Uncle Steve have to agree to this first? If they say you can stay with them, then it's settled."
"Where else would she stay?" Steve asked, smiling down at the little girl. He'd only had to say one word to Maggie. The last few minutes spent in his office had been mostly drying her tears and telling her how much he loved her.
"Does this mean I can stay?" Tilda asked.
"I don't know," Maggie said. "It's really up to you, Little One. Would you like to be my little girl from now on?"
Min glared at them, momentarily forgetting her lack of English skills. "This is not legal."
Tim had never really liked his mother's younger sister, considering her a bossy and meddlesome. He could more than understand why Tilda didn't want anything to do with her.
"Not only is it legal," Tim said evenly and calmly, "But as the Eldest Son it is traditionally up to me to insure that my father's final wishes are carried out." He held out the paper. "It's all in here, and in his will. If Gabe, Thom, and Amy are willing to go with you to Taiwan, I won't stop them, although I will be calling to check in with them every week. But Tilda stays here. You got that? Now, Tilda, Little One, I've been gone most of your life but believe me when I tell you I only want what's best for you. Do you want to stay here in Hawaii with Auntie Maggie and Uncle Steve?"
Tilda nodded, not really trusting her voice.
"Then it looks like it's all settled. Commander, Auntie Maggie, she's all yours."
Of course there were hugs, and kisses, and tears, and a certain amount of bickering in Mandarin, but it didn't matter. There are times when the spectators should simply walk away and give people a little privacy.
O-O-O-O-O
Three Days Later
He stood in the doorway, listening to Maggie reading to Tilda. He knew Tilda was a few years past bedtime stories, but it seemed to make both of them happy, and to him, that was the only thing that mattered at the moment.
The day after what went down in Five-O history as "Tilda's Big Adventure," the Five-O crew and the sheriff of Honolulu county had met in Chin's lawyer's office, along with all the Kelly children, assorted family members, and Min Chou Lo. The will had been read and probated, with the usual bequests to the children and friends and family. The family home was to be sold, the profits divided between the children. When Chin and Lin had bought the house in the late '60's, they had no idea the Hawaiian real estate market would one day hit the the stratosphere. Even divided eight ways, the children would each be provided with a very nice legacy, with Tim and Suzy being the final arbitrators for the minor children, the money to be used for either buying a home or for their educations. The lawyer had looked up at the cream of Hawaii's law enforcement and smiled.
"This is one of the oddest bequests I have ever came across. However, when Mr. Kelly suggested it last year, I researched it for legality. Come to find out, it's a custom here in the Islands, one of our better ones, I might add, and one we could all learn from." He took out a legal form, one that was already stamped and sealed. "This is a declaration of joint custody. It is to be signed by everyone here. Mr. and Mrs. McGarrett, this document makes you the temporary primary caregivers for Miss Tilda Jade Kelly, and names the rest of you as secondaries. It's only temporary because in six months you have to go before a family court judge, who will then make a permanent decision based on reports from various state agencies. As far as I'm concerned, it's a waste of time and resources, but be that as it may, it's the law. Until then, I wish you the best of luck." He handed Steve a pen. "Here you go, Mr. McGarrett, you first."
They all signed their names.
Years later, when anyone asked, Tilda would tell them she had became a part of Five-O when she was ten and therefore outranked everyone except Commander Williams, who would smile and nod and know there was no use arguing with the tiny Chinese police officer. There had been ice cream afterwards. Some kids are born knowing where they're going to end up.
Maggie finished the story. Steve came in to kiss Tilda good night, tucking her into bed as he did.
"Good night, Little One," he'd said, as they left.
She didn't say anything until the door shut in case it was too soon.
"Goodnight, Mom and Dad."