CHAPTER ONE
Title: "Salvation Series: It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood"
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult situations and language
Summary: Story #10 in the Salvation series. This one is pure fun, folks!
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the property of the author!
Date Written: May 23, 2013
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello, everyone! Well, I am writing the tenth story in the Salvation series and I've decided that this one is going to take a dramatic, (and I use that term loosely), turn in a whole, new direction! There has been lots of trauma and drama in this series up until now, but I've decided that the tenth installment is going to be pure, unadulterated fun! AND . . . you're all going to help me write it! This is how it's going to work: I'm going to "get the ball rolling", and all of you who want to participate, (and I hope that ALL of you do), are going to contribute. The only rule is that you must send me your ideas in private messages and NOT through reviews that everyone can read. This idea came to me after I went back and re-read some reviews of my earlier stories. Several of you were kind enough to offer me some suggestions that I have yet to use and I thought why not make this a group effort? Each person who submits suggestions, and, again, I hope ALL of you do, will be given full credit. So . . . Are you guys game? Let's see! Michelle
Samantha and Steve McGarrett:
(With several of her pilots grounded due to a nasty virus that has been making its way around the naval base, Cmdr. Samantha McGarrett has been pulling extra duty. At the moment, its 0630 hours and Sam has just gotten home after flying training exercises all night. She's exhausted, hungry, and has a bad case of missing her husband and eighteen month old daughter, Emily. Sam's steps are heavy as she gets out of her car and heads toward the house. Her steps and her mood lighten, however, when she hears her daughter's sweet laughter mingled with the deep huskiness of her husband's. A smile forms on Sam's full lips as the thought that, even as tired as she is, just the sound of Steve's laughter can set her senses to tingling. The scents of bacon and coffee mingle together deliciously to whet Sam's appetite, and her smile widens as she realizes that she won't have to wait much longer to appease her hunger. Following quickly on the heels of that thought is one that the only thing that would be any more heavenly would be to have breakfast in bed . . . 'Course, if Steve McGarrett were to bring her breakfast in bed, well, the bacon, eggs, and coffee would all be stone cold by the time they got around to actually eating breakfast.
Make up your mind, Sam . . . Do you want breakfast or Steve? . . . Steve. Food is way overrated. . . Damn, Emily's awake! . . . Samantha McGarrett, how can you even think about trying to get Emily to go back to sleep so you can jump Steve? . . .
Sam has unlocked the door and gone into the house while having this inner conversation with herself, and she has just stepped into the kitchen and opened her mouth to say good morning to Steve and Emily when a huge blob of oatmeal lands squarely on her face; half of it flying directly into her mouth. For just a moment, Sam is nonplussed as her tired brain slowly registers the fact that her daughter just launched a barrage of oatmeal at her and is now giggling excitedly as the thick substance begins to slowly slide down her face and onto her flight suit and the floor. Coughing to clear the oatmeal from her throat, Sam is astonished to hear Steve's unrestrained laughter joining their daughter's and her thoughts instantly change from amorous to angry. In less than a split second, she whirls on her husband with fire in her eyes. . .
Steve and Emily have been hard at work making breakfast as a surprise for Sam and Emily got a little fussy so Steve quickly whipped up some oatmeal and placed it in front of his daughter just as he heard the front door open and close signaling Sam's arrival. He turns from the stove at the same moment that Sam steps into the kitchen and sees Emily launch a very well-aimed spoonful of oatmeal directly at her mother. He can't help it. It's really, really funny and he bursts into full-bodied, spontaneous laughter as does Emily. He quickly realizes, however, that his wife is not the least bit amused and does his best to control his amusement when he sees the fire in Sam's emerald green eyes. But the sight of his wife with oatmeal dripping from her face and flight suit and an expression of stunned surprise on her beautiful face is too much for him and his honest and hearty laughter slips through again. Sam rounds on him and takes a menacing step in his direction before turning on her heel and fleeing up the stairs to their bedroom. Quickly wiping stray oatmeal from Emily's beautiful little face and hands, Steve scoops her out of her highchair and into his arms and heads up the stairs. When he steps through the door of the master bedroom, he has to work to keep from laughing out loud again as he watches Sam angrily wipe the now cold oatmeal off her face and flight suit and drop the tissue in the small trashcan next to her makeup table. She makes quick work of removing her boots and socks, and her angry eyes meets his amused ones in the mirror as she strips off her flight suit in quick, jerky movements and kicks it free of her feet. Spinning around to face Steve, Sam plants her hands on her hips and nearly hisses when she speaks.)
"Did you teach Em to do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know damned well what, Steve McGarrett! Did you teach our daughter to lob oatmeal at anyone and anything including her mother?"
"Of course not, Sam; what kind of question is that?"
"A valid one! How else would she have known how to do it if you didn't teach her, Steve?"
"It might have something to do with you explaining to her, in great detail, may I add, how you fire missiles from your FA/18, Sam."
"Oh, no, you don't! You're not going to twist this around and put the blame on me! Besides, firing a missile from a fighter and lobbing a spoonful of oatmeal are two entirely separate things! One more time . . . Did you teach our daughter to throw oatmeal?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe. Have you lost your mind? Next thing you know, she'll be throwing food at everyone who's within three feet of her while she's eating whether we're at home or in a restaurant, Steve. Did you stop to think about that?"
"C'mon, Sam, you're blowing this all up out of proportion."
"No, I am not! I cannot believe you think Emily throwing oatmeal at me is funny!"
"It was funny, Sam, and, if you'd stop ranting for a second, you'd realize just how funny it is."
"Ranting? I'll show you ranting!"
(And Sam proceeds to verbally tear Steve a new one while little Emily, snuggling happily in her Daddy's arms, giggles at the silly grown ups.)
Caroline and Danny Williams:
(Caroline Williams, also having flown night exercises, quietly unlocks the garage door and steps into the kitchen. The house is quiet and Caroline moves as quietly as possible through the den and down the hall toward the master bedroom. Easing the bedroom door open, she smiles as she spies her husband. Danny is sprawled across the bed in a tangle of sheets sleeping like a log. It's more than obvious that he has tossed and turned most of the night and Caroline remembers that he once told her that he never slept well when she wasn't there with him. Carefully setting her ready bag on the floor near the door, Caroline quietly eases closer to the bed. She has just about reached it when Danny's voice, raspy with sleep, breaks the silence of the room.)
"Are you really going to try and sneak in here after being out all night?"
"I wasn't 'out all night', Danny; I was on-duty; flying."
"You were still out all night, Caroline."
"Well, we're certainly in a good mood this morning."
"What? My wife is out all night and I'm supposed to be happy about it?"
"I was working, Danny! How many times have you dropped everything and flown out the door because you caught a case? Have you ever heard me complain?"
"That's different."
"How?"
"Just is."
"Just is?"
"That's right; just is. I'm going to take a shower."
"Danny Williams, don't you dare cop an attitude with me and then walk away!"
"Just stating fact . . . And I am going to take a shower. I like to at least try to smell decently when I go to work."
"Did you just tell me I stink?"
"Eau de Jet Fuel."
"What is wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"Nothi. . . Come back here and explain yourself!"
"A little cranky, are we?"
"Me? You're the one who was itching to pick a fight when I came in here, Danny."
(They have steadily moved from the bedroom into the master bathroom and Danny has turned on the shower and stripped off his shorts while they've been talking. He pointedly ignores his wife and calmly steps into the shower pulling the glass door closed behind him. Caroline, her face a mask of stunned disbelief, stands in shocked silence for just a moment before the sight of her totally naked husband registers and immediate, intense lust replaces the anger that was beginning to simmer just below the surface. In mere seconds, Caroline has rid herself of her boots, flight suit, and underwear and reaches for the handle on the glass door to the shower. Much to her surprise, however, Danny has observed her actions and reaches up to hold the door closed. Staring at him with utter disbelief on her beautiful face, Caroline experiences a myriad of emotions: incredulity, doubt, and finally, hurt crash into one another as they skitter across her heart. Flushing in humiliation, Caroline grabs a towel from the counter and holds it in front of her naked form defensively as she makes a hasty retreat back to the bedroom. For just a moment, Caroline stands trembling in the middle of the bedroom. Whether the trembling is caused from anger or hurt at Danny's blatantly obvious rejection is unclear but it takes only seconds for rage to be the dominant emotion she is experiencing. Wrapping the towel securely around her shapely body, Caroline takes a deep breath, expels it slowly while counting to ten, and then strides into the bathroom where Danny is just stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his hips.)
"Okay, Danny, I realize that you were still half asleep when we first started our conversation so I think we should start over. . . Good morning."
"I was wide awake before you walked through the door, Caroline, and I don't think there's any reason to re-hash anything. 'Cuse me."
(And so saying, Danny walks right by her and into their bedroom where he proceeds to pull a pair of dress slacks and a dress shirt from the closet and carefully lays them on the bed before getting clean underwear and socks from the chest of drawers.)
"You may not think we need to 're-hash' anything, Danny, but I definitely do!"
"Why?"
"Why? Because I came home to find a stranger in my husband's body this morning, that's why! What the Hell is wrong with you?"
"There's nothing wrong with me, Caroline. You, on the other hand, are acting a little strangely this morning."
"Danny . ."
"Look, you're tired and I need to get moving; have to be in court this morning. Why don't you go ahead and hit the sack, get some sleep. I'm sure you'll feel better once you've gotten some rest. I'll call you when I get out of court."
(Danny has been dressing as they've been talking, and gives Caroline a quick peck on the cheek as he utters the last sentence and walks out of the room. By the time Caroline has shaken herself into motion and covered the distance from their bedroom to the garage, Danny is already backing out of the driveway. Thoroughly confused and hurt, Caroline slowly wanders back into the house and makes her way to their bedroom. Sighing heavily, Caroline drops the towel to the floor and slips between the sheets. It is a long time, however, before exhaustion overtakes her and she drifts into a deep, dreamless sleep.)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, I've hopefully given all of you some "food for thought" and those awesome storyline ideas are flitting around in your heads. Chapter two will visit Kono and Tony and Lana and Chin. Libby and Mike will also be making an appearance but I haven't decided whether or not to give them their own chapter. Maybe some of you have some thoughts . . .? Michelle
