AN: This story is written for "Book 'em Again", "jodm" and "Kopiella" - Mele Kalikimaka and Mahalo!
Loosely inspired by the following:
"Small Witness, Large Crime" - Season 7 - "Hawaii Five-O"
"The Runaways" - Season 2 - "The Streets of San Francisco"
" Foundling" - Season 1 - "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman"
A BIG, BIG thanks goes to "Book 'em Again" for lending me her fanon on the Kelly family!
Disclaimer:I do not own "Hawaii Five-O" or its characters. All creative rights to the characters from the series belong to the original creator(s). Only the plots and fanon which includes my own characters or places of interest that I created belong to me.
Chapter 1: Silent Night, Deadly Night
Twelve days until Christmas Day, Honolulu, 1971
The serene melody caught the attention of the middle aged oriental man behind the glass encased counter. With an impatient sigh, he carefully placed the jade pendant attached to a gold chin, on the velvet cloth in front of him and to his customer he excused himself. Walking around the counter toward the shelf facing the front window, the man reached out his hand and snatched the intricately designed, small, musical jewellery box from the delicate hands of a little girl aged five. Glaring at the child, the shop owner ushered the child away from his display of antique ornaments and dolls. "Away child! Before you break something, you hear!"
The customer standing by the counter turned to watch the scene play out with sympathy in his eyes for the young girl whose curious face reminded him of his own youngest daughter. He could see the want in the child's baby blue eyes as she reached out for the object of her enthrallment. "No!" The firm voice of the shop owner snapped and he continued to guide the child forcefully toward the store entrance. The door opened once more and a boy dressed in clothes far too large for his frame entered. "I'm sorry, mister." The boy sighed and uttered his apology as if it were a regular routine then took hold of the little girl's hand in his. To the store's only other occupant, who remained silent, the resemblance between the boy and little girl were striking. There was no doubt in his mind they were closely related. By the state of their clothing and hair and the way their eyes lacked the joyous lustre of children awaiting the arrival of Christmas Day, he could see these were children who lacked parental care and love.
"Just remember, boy, one of these days your little sister here, will break something and how will you pay for it? Any damages must be paid for!" The shop owner pointed at one of several signs placed in strategic locations around the store which read, "All damages must be paid for."
"Look, I said I'm sorry! She won't break anything." The teenage boy replied in as calm a voice as he could muster though he failed to hide the anger edging to the surface. Taking a deep breath he squeezed his sister's hand and led her away from the display and out the door.
"I do apologize for that Mr Kelly, but those two kids are nothing but trouble around here. They steal from the stores all along this street and get away with it! I will not have them stealing from my shop!" The aggravated shop owner vented as he moved back behind the counter. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes. I think you have made a very wise choice Mr Kelly. Your wife will have a fine gift to treasure for many years to come." Placing the pendant and gold chain set carefully into a cushioned box, the shop owner processed the sale for his customer who stowed the box straight into his jacket pocket. "Thank you Mr Lao. Merry Christmas to you and your family." Chin Ho Kelly farewelled the shop owner and turned to leave the antique store. For some reason he couldn't quite lay a finger on, the Five-O detective's mind drifted back to the two children in the store and he turned back to Mr Lao, "Who were those children? Where are their parents?"
"Bah! The girl, she come here everyday, playing with that box. Never see their parents but I hear rumors from the other shops. They steal food and clothes! Very bad for business. The cops, they do nothing!" Shaking his head, Mr Lao began dusting his shelves, forgetting that his customer was still in the store.
The Chinese detective lowered his head sadly and left the store without another word.
The faint warm glow of candles tucked away in the corners of the room provided the only source of light in the old abandoned church on Alakea Street. Two pairs of hands were busy dividing up a loaf of bread and slices of cheese between them. "Are we going to have a Christmas tree this year, Jessie?" A small voice piped up, ending the silence.
"Maybe. Better eat up, Emily. We'll be having an early night tonight. The candles need to last us another few days." The boy named Jessie replied tonelessly. He watched his little sister eat morsels of stale bread and sighed. "Hey, I got a job interview the day after tomorrow at the docks! I should be able to get us a tree and even some presents in time for Christmas when I get my first pay check. After the New Year, we'll get a place of our own. A small apartment just for us. What do you say to that, Em?" When no answer came, Jessie tipped Emily's chin up with his finger gently, to meet her gaze, "Hmmm?"
"You said that last year. And the year before." The disappointment showed, not just in her words, but the dismal expression on her small face.
"This time, I promise, Emily. I'll get this job. I have a good feeling about it! The guy said as long as I'm willing to put up with the hours and a little less pay than the older workers, he said I have a good chance." Jessie forced a smile to form on his lips and ran his fingers through the tangles of his sister's honey blond hair.
"You promise? You really mean it?" Emily's eyes shone with hope and a faint glimmer of happiness at hearing the optimism in her brother's voice.
"Yeah, really!" Jessie swallowed down his doubts painfully. He had promised so much and delivered so little. Emily amazed him with her everlasting trust and faith in him.
"Oh Jessie!" Emily squealed throwing her skinny arms up and capturing her brother around the neck. The two siblings embraced and Jessie laughed as he began tickling her sides causing her to erupt in a fit of giggles.
The candles had long been snuffed out and the sound of deep, contented breathing told fifteen year old Jessie that his sister was fast asleep. It wasn't the first time he snuck out of their makeshift home and wondered the streets. In fact he had gotten used to it. He would always return to a still sleeping Emily. Grabbing his torch and backpack, Jessie slipped on a dark hooded top over his singlet and retrieved his boots from a corner. Silent as a ghost, he crept out of the room, closing the door behind him. Making his way to the front of the Church, Jessie quickened his pace and left the building behind him as he drew his hood over his head, allowing himself to blend in with the night.
The stores along South Hotel Street had shut their doors hours ago and the street was devoid of people. Occasionally, a random car would pass by and the lone figure of a boy walking along the sidewalk would slink back into the shadows. For young Jessie Noah Summers, this was his life; hiding in the shadows, breaking into stores, picking up quarters in the gutters and pulling down clothing from the lines in back of neighboring houses. He learnt life the hard and cruel way. The way a child should never have to live. More than once he contemplated handing his sister over to the authorities but the sheer thought of her living in an orphanage and never seeing her smiling face again robbed the suggestion out of his mind. He'd already lost her once, though briefly and that was enough to almost tear him apart. For two long years he spent his days searching for a steady job to support them both. By nightfall he prowled the streets for anything he could steal to survive. He hated stealing in front of his sister but there were times the opportunities were simply too foolish to pass. He could go without food for days at a time, but he could never let his sister go a day without her meals. He also made sure she always had clean clothes to wear. Loose change he found on the streets often didn't amount to enough to buy the day's supplements and therefore were used for Laundromats. New clothes were stolen off wash lines.
Jessie crossed the alley and stopped in front of the old antique store. He was surprised to see the lights were still on, given the late hour, though the sign distinctly showed the store was closed for the day. Peering into the glass shop-front window, he saw the intricate music box that Emily was caught mesmerising each day for the last fortnight. At the sound of breaking glass and men shouting, Jessie jerked back from the window and almost fell off the curb. Quickly, he regained his footing and dashed around the corner of the store hidden in the entrance of the alley. Crouched low, Jessie slowly moved back to the front window of the store. He poked his head up just enough to see inside. He could see two men arguing with the store owner, Mr Lao. Their voices had lowered but there was no mistaking the threatening manner the two men barring Mr Lao's way, displayed. Jessie gasped when he saw one of the men produce a gun from the waist band of his blue worn out jeans. The well-built Caucasian man pointed the pistol at the diminutive oriental shop keeper and fired twice. The first bullet caught the victim high up in the chest, spinning him around upon impact, while the second entered his back. Mr Lao fell limply to the floor at the two men's feet. "C'mon let's go!" One of the men shouted and together the duo hurtled out of the store's front door, leaving it wide open. Jessie hunkered back around the corner of the building to avoid being seen. He saw one of the men turn back while the other crossed the street, with a suspicious look etched on his face. After a moment's pause he shrugged his shoulders and stowed his pistol away, then continued after his accomplice who carried a black sports-bag at his side. When they disappeared into the night, Jessie carefully straightened up from his crouched position and gazed up and down the deserted street. No one in sight. Jessie's heart hammered in his chest ready to burst out of his rib cage. His legs shook as he rounded the corner and entered the store. A weak moan sounded ahead of him where the oriental man lay bleeding on the floor. Approaching the figure, he dropped to his hands and knees. He reached out a trembling hand and touched the man's arm. "I'll c-call for help, mister. Just-just hold on, okay!" Scrambling to his feet, Jessie's keen grey eyes searched the premises for a telephone. When he couldn't find one, his mind began to panic. Gulping down a lungful of air, he raced behind the counter and pulled aside the drawn beaded curtain, revealing an office style room. There on the desk beside some paper work was an old telephone. The frightened boy snatched up the receiver from its cradle and dialled for the operator. "I need an ambulance quickly! Please hurry!" He cried out into the phone, gripping the handset so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
"Can you tell me your location?" the operator asked calmly.
Jessie informed the operator the address of Mr Lao's antique store but in his haste the operator failed to hear it in full and he was asked to repeat it.
"An ambulance is on its way. May I have your name please?"
"My name?" Jessie asked blankly before the implications of his would be answer hit him and he slammed down the receiver then ran back out into the store towards the front entrance. Turning his head back, he took one last look at the prone wounded man on the floor. Not watching where his feet were taking him, Jessie bumped against a table in front of him. Instinctively, he raised his arm and almost took down the display of items on the table. By reflex, Jessie's head spun back to face the direction he was heading and stopped the array of ornaments from toppling off the table with his hands. One object caught his immediate attention. It was the silver music box that had captivated his sister's heart. Without a second's thought, Jessie grabbed the box and hid it inside the large side pocket of his hoodie. The next thing he knew, Jessie was pelting down the sidewalk toward the Church that was his sanctuary and the only place he called home.