Mari & Ilna-In my experience there is no such thing as luck. – Obi-Wan Kenobi

Sandy-Never tell me the odds." – Han Solo

REAL Worlders-Your focus determines your reality. – Qui-Gon Jinn

Today's ANs brought to you by Star Wars because … Star Wars.

Carrots and Sticks (1/1)

Steve smiled when he looked up from the smart table, where the team was gathered reviewing the evidence on a case headed to trial in a week, and saw Catherine enter the bullpen.

"Hi there." He crossed the room, kissed her on the cheek and took a large, unwieldy stack of binders from her arms. "I didn't know you were coming by today."

"I didn't either," she replied truthfully as they approached the rest of the team. "It was kind of a last minute thing. My afternoon meeting got moved to tomorrow morning and Lea is chaperoning a field trip with Mason's class so I had some free time."

Steve placed the binders on the table surface in front of Catherine.

"So, is this just a social visit?" Danny eyed the pile in front of Catherine distrustfully. "Because … call me suspicious … but that looks a lot like work to me."

"You caught me," Catherine confessed, raising her arms in mock surrender. "I come bearing paperwork."

Steve dropped his chin to his chest.

Danny sighed heavily. "I was afraid of that."

"We were this close to getting out of here early today," Chin groaned.

Kono shook her head ruefully. "There goes my chance to get some surfing in before dark."

Catherine couldn't help but chuckle. She knew very well how much they all hated the administrative details involved with their jobs. They understood the necessity of accurate record keeping and reporting but that didn't keep them from dreading every minute spent doing it.

"If it softens the blow at all I also come bearing good news."

Danny placed his palms flat on the table and leaned forward. "Oh … I get it … the old carrot and stick approach. You think that'll work with us?" he grumbled good naturedly.

She tilted her head to one side and looked at each team member in turn. "It's a couple of very tasty carrots."

"Fine," they all caved at once. "What do we have to do?"

Catherine extracted a pile of manila folders from the top binder and handed them out. "I need each of you fill out these forms and get them back to me as soon as possible."

Kono opened her folder and leafed through the pages. "What's all this for?"

"I told Lea that Five-0 could operate more efficiently if you didn't have to go through the governor's office every time you need access to state databases," Catherine explained. "Unfortunately, that's a whole different layer of security clearance so you need to fill out these forms. It's all standard stuff. The good news is once we get everyone approved it should really speed up your searches for things like work histories and corporate ownership."

"Can't they just use the information they already have on us?" Chin inquired hopefully.

Catherine shook her head. "I'm afraid not. State non-criminal records are in an entirely different department. They don't share information with the criminal records folks. We have to start from scratch."

"That seems stu … " Steve caught himself and reached for another word, "inefficient."

"It's both," Catherine acknowledged with a wry grin.

Steve's voice took on a teasing tone. "If only we knew someone in a position to do something about that."

"We'll get there," Catherine responded confidently. "We haven't even taken office yet. Give us a few months. In the meantime though, you need to fill these out."

"This is gonna take all night," Chin groused.

"Why?" Kono asked. "Don't you still have all your records from the last time you had to fill something like this out?"

"I'm not … I don't …" Chin sputtered before admitting, "I'm not sure where they are."

"Mine are all in my top drawer," Kono smirked. "I may get some surfing in after all."

"Show off," Chin grumbled to his cousin good-naturedly before turning to Catherine. "Are there more sticks or can we move on to the carrots now?"

Catherine picked up the next binder on the stack and slid it to the middle of the table with an excited grin.

"Your new computer system is being installed in two weeks. Every improvement you asked for in the last budget proposal has been approved."

"Are you kidding me?" Chin grabbed the binder. "Everything?"

Catherine's face sobered. "Before Governor Denning realized he was sick he had already signed on to Lea's plans for an expanded role for Five-0. In light of the current circumstances he decided to pass the whole task force budget over to her and with a little tweaking we found a way to make it work."

Chin looked like a kid on Christmas flipping through the information on the new system.

"Well, that's just dandy for people who like the latest gadget," Danny harrumphed, "but do you have any carrots for the rest of us?"

"As a matter of fact," Catherine said in a sing song manner as she pulled a folder out of the next binder, "I do."

Danny cocked an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Catherine removed several papers from the folder. "Lea asked me if you had plans on adding a new member to the team to take my place."

"No one can take your place," Steve stated unequivocally.

Catherine squeezed his hand. "Thank you."

"We've talked about the possibility of adding someone new but we have a really good balance here and we don't want to do anything to mess up the chemistry." Danny shook his head. "It's hard to trust someone you don't know when you're in the field."

"I understand," Catherine nodded. "I told Lea as much and she understands too."

The possibility of leaving the team in a lurch was one of the things she'd considered seriously before taking the new job but Steve was adamant she not let that stand in her way.

"However," she continued, "we brainstormed a little and I think we might have come up with a solution."

Steve didn't relish the thought of breaking in a new team member but his interest was piqued. "Really?"

"We were thinking … "

Catherine took a deep breath.

This was her first time presenting an idea to the team as a member of Lea's staff and she wanted to make sure she phrased things perfectly.

"What would you guys think of adding someone to the team who didn't go into the field but who stayed here and acted as a sort of traffic cop. He or she could liaise with the lab, handle getting copies of bank records and phone records, make sure all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. They could take a lot of the superfluous stuff off your plates and free you up to do what you do best, solve crime."

Steve looked at the rest of the team, clearly intrigued by the possibilities. "That might work. I hadn't ever considered it but … " His face broke into a wide smile. "That definitely might work."

"I like the sound of it," Kono nodded enthusiastically.

"Me too," Chin added, still not looking up from the specs for the new computer system.

"Just so I'm clear." Danny's eyes met Catherine's. "This new person would deal with all the paperwork?"

Catherine smiled indulgently. "Not all of it, but a lot of it."

"I'm in." The blonde detective clapped his hands happily.

"If you want you can start interviewing people right away." Catherine handed Steve a sheet of paper. "Here's a breakdown of what we allotted for the position salary and benefit wise."

Steve skimmed the information. "Okay. We'll talk about it and hopefully come up with some potential candidates."

"Sounds good," Catherine replied. "The rest of these binders are a complete breakdown of the crime stats Lea mentioned a few weeks ago and records of all the cases from the last two years that the feds were called in on that she thinks Five-0 could have handled just as efficiently if not more so for you to review."

"Sounds like something the new guy should handle," Danny chuckled.

"I'll leave you to it," Catherine smiled. "I'm going to take advantage of my free afternoon and go home and put a lasagna in the oven. If you have any questions just give me a call."

Cammie bounded from the kitchen to meet Steve as soon as he came through the front door. He scratched her ears and leaned down to accept excited puppy kisses before they followed the smell of lasagna into the kitchen where Catherine was sitting at the table studying her laptop with her brow furrowed and a look of intense concentration on her face.

He crossed the room and kissed her softly before dropping down in the chair next to hers. "You better be careful or your face will freeze that way," he teased.

Catherine grinned. "You sound like my mom."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

She minimized the document she'd been studying and turned to him with a conspiratorial smile. "I almost slipped up and left this at headquarters today." She slid a folder from under her computer and handed it to him. "Good thing I remembered at the last minute. We wouldn't want Danny seeing it."

He opened the folder eagerly. "It's all approved?"

"Signed, sealed and delivered," she beamed. "On your recommendation, Detective Danny Williams is about to become Detective Lieutenant Danny Williams."

His look was a mixture of pride and happiness. "He's gonna be thrilled."

"With the accompanying pay increase," Catherine pointed out.

Steve snorted. "He's gonna be really thrilled."

"When are you gonna tell him?"

"As soon as possible. I was thinking maybe we could talk to Gracie first though about organizing some kind of surprise celebration," Steve suggested. "Just a little something to mark the occasion."

"That's a great idea."

"Do you think she'll be able to keep it a secret?"

Catherine laid her hand on his forearm. "You know how seriously she takes being a part of Uncle Steve's missions. It'll be tough but I think she's up to the task."

"Great," Steve beamed. "We'll talk to her about it over the weekend. Now what were you working on when I came in that had you looking so serious?"

"The incoming social secretary sent over the proposed schedule for the first three months of next year," Catherine sighed as she tapped a key and the document once again filled her screen.

Steve moved to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water. "And?"

"Considering the circumstances, we think it's important for Lea to give as much attention as possible to the so-called movers and shakers in the state. Let them get to know her. Cultivate their support. It'll be a lot easier to get things done that way."

Steve opened the oven and checked the lasagna. "Plus, when election time comes around you'll need them."

Catherine exhaled loudly. "Yes, I'm finding out fast that almost everything has repercussions for the next election."

Steve leaned against the island. "Staying in office is part of the game."

She turned in her chair to face him. "It's the whole game. If we're gonna get to all the things on our agenda we're gonna need Lea to win a full term of her own."

"So, what does that have to do with the social secretary … oh … I get it … there's lots of rubber chicken and boring small talk in our future."

Catherine grimaced. "And a lot of black tie."

"Guess I better get my tux cleaned and pressed." Steve re-took the chair beside hers and began to rub her back softly. "It's part of the job I guess. Take the good with the bad."

Catherine leaned into his touch. "I know. And Lea was very clear that if there are any events I don't feel up to as my pregnancy progresses I should feel free to beg off."

"That's good."

"Still … " She hesitated. "I know how you hate getting dressed up and making small talk."

Steve shrugged. "It's not my favorite way to spend a night but … I love you way more than I hate wearing a tux. So just tell me when and where and I'll be there."

Catherine looked in his eyes and smiled. "I could always buy some sexy new undies and wear them under my outfit so when we get home you could peel my dress off and get a little surprise."

His breathing quickened. "I like the sound of that … a lot … but for the record … you never need to use the carrot and stick method on me when it comes to supporting you and your career." The look on his face conveyed absolute sincerity. "Whatever you need … whenever you need it ... I'm there."

Catherine's breath caught and her eyes teared up. "You really are the best husband in the world."

He leaned in and kissed her lips. "You make it easy."

"I love you," Catherine whispered as she touched her forehead to his.

"I love you," he replied as he kissed her again.

She pulled back with a playful smile. "We have a while until the lasagna is ready." She eyed the table meaningfully.

"Here?" Steve waggled his eyebrows.

She nodded. "Before I get too big for unconventional places."

"I've said it before but it bears repeating, Lieutenant, I like the way you think."

THE END

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