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Sharpened Memories (1/1)

McGarrett/Rollins Residence

Tuesday 5:50 P.M.

At the sound of Danny's car pulling up out front Steve jumped to his feet from his spot on the couch next to Catherine. Her breathing was shaky and he could feel the tension radiating off her. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze as he stepped past her to greet their dinner guests.

"Thanks for inviting us to dinner, Uncle Steve," Grace bubbled as she stepped happily into the living room carrying a bag of fresh fruit they'd stopped to get at the stand down the road. "We brought dessert … " her voice trailed off. She was very perceptive and she knew right away something was wrong.

Danny stepped in behind her and his eyes were immediately drawn to Catherine who was sitting in the middle of the couch leaning slightly forward with her phone pressed to her ear. Her shoulders were slumped, her eyes were watery and her bottom lip was trembling.

"Is this a bad time," he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"No, she just needs a few minutes," Steve said quietly. "She just got news that a friend passed away this afternoon. She's talking to his granddaughter."

"Oh no," Grace said as her own eyes dampened. She looked from Steve to Catherine. "I'm sorry." She took a seat on the couch next to Catherine and laid her hand on her auntie's leg in a silent offer of support.

Catherine smiled tearily at her niece and squeezed the young girl's hand.

"Listen, we can come another night," Danny insisted.

"No, it's fine, really," Steve said. "I asked her if she wanted to cancel when the call came in and she said she didn't."

"Are you sure," Danny asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," Steve nodded. "The death wasn't unexpected. He's been sick for over a year but things took a turn for the worse about a month ago. He called Cath two weeks back to say his final goodbye and they had a really nice talk."

"Maybe we should give her a little privacy ..."

Just as the words left Danny's lips Catherine wrapped up her conversation and disconnected the call. As she laid her phone on the coffee table Grace said softly, "I'm sorry about your friend, Auntie Cath."

Catherine wrapped her arm around Grace's shoulders. "Thank you, Grace. That's very sweet of you."

"If you want to do this another time," Danny offered again as Steve stepped past Grace and took a seat on the other side of Catherine. He sat close, making sure they touched from hip to shoulder, then slid his arm across her lower back and around her waist. She leaned into him gratefully and he placed a soft kiss on her temple.

"I'll be fine," Catherine assured him. "He's been sick for a while now and he was in quite a bit of pain. The medicine helped but not enough. I know he was ready to go. It's just sad when it actually happens."

"I understand," Danny said sympathetically. "Was he a friend from Navy?"

"Not directly." Catherine dropped her hand to Steve's knee. He immediately covered it with his own and laced their fingers together. She squeezed his hand and continued. "One of my father's first postings after he and my mother got married was Okinawa. He spent a lot of long hours on duty and my mother was never one to just sit around the house so she got a job at a little out-of-the-way restaurant in town. Mr. Ono was the owner of that restaurant."

"Was he a chef," Grace asked with genuine interest.

"Not formally trained," Catherine replied, "but he loved to cook and to see people enjoy his food. He'd never set foot outside of his hometown but he was fascinated by all different kinds of food so my mom shared some of Grandma Ang's recipes with him and in return he taught her all the local dishes. And when my dad was at sea Mr. Ono invited my mom to eat meals with his family so she didn't have to be alone."

"He sounds like a great guy," Danny smiled.

"He was," Catherine nodded. "Eventually my father started spending some of his off-time at the restaurant too. Mr. Ono always said they were part of the family. They stayed in close touch even when my dad got re-assigned stateside. "

"When did you get to meet him, Auntie Cath," Grace asked.

"The first time I remember meeting him was when I was about six and we were visiting Okinawa." Catherine smiled at the memory. "He took me into the kitchen at the restaurant, stood me on a chair and taught me all about the proper way to use a knife, how to care for it and how to respect it. He told me to never forget that a knife can 'both do great damage and create great beauty'."

"Ah," Danny smiled knowingly, "So that's where your extraordinary knife skills come from."

"That's where they started I guess," Catherine grinned. "We used to visit regularly. Sometimes my dad came along but even if he couldn't make it because he was deployed my mom and I made it a point to get back every year. And I always wanted Mr. Ono to see that I'd been practicing between visits."

"That sounds like you," Danny teased.

"He could carve anything into something beautiful. He always told me it was important to learn the basics first, so I had a good foundation to build on, but once he felt I'd mastered those, and had developed a respect for the knives and what they could do, he taught me to carve all sorts of foods."

"Hence the pumpkin," Danny smiled. "You had an advantage."

"Maybe a little one," Catherine grinned. "I met his granddaughter, Ami, on a trip when I was about 10 years old. She's a few years older than me. When she first moved to the states I'd already graduated Annapolis and was at my first duty station but she stayed with my parents for about six months until she got settled. Luckily she was able to take a leave of absence from her job and spend the last month with her grandfather. She said it was really a blessing she was able to do that."

"I'll bet," Steve said. "I'm sure it was special for both of them."

"I asked her about a service," Catherine sighed, "but she said he didn't want anything big. He told her he wanted people to remember him happy and smiling. He didn't want people's last memory of him to be a funeral. So instead they're accepting donations for the Japan Foundation."

"We'll make a donation in his name first thing in the morning," Steve said.

"Can we make a donation too, Danno?" Grace turned hopeful eyes towards her father. "I have babysitting money."

"Of course we can, Monkey," Danny said around the lump in his throat. He never failed to be touched by Grace's caring spirit.

"That would be very nice. Thank you," Catherine said. "Ami is heading back to the states in a few days. She wants to stop here on the way. She said her grandfather wanted me to have one of the pictures that used to hang in the kitchen of the restaurant to go with the knives he gave me last time we visited."

"I bet I know exactly which picture," Steve nodded as Catherine smiled. "He showed it to me the first time I met him and said it was one of his favorites."

"When was the first time you met him, Uncle Steve?" Grace asked.

"I was in Okinawa on a temporary assignment and your Auntie Cath told me if I got a chance I had to stop by Mr. Ono's restaurant to eat," Steve explained. "She said I should tell him she sent me."

"So you went," Grace teased, "because Auntie Cath told you to."

"I went," Steve nodded. "But not because your Auntie Cath told me to."

Grace cocked her head and gave him a disbelieving look.

"Well not just because Auntie Cath told me to," Steve acquiesced. "I was starved. We were on training maneuvers and I hadn't had a decent meal in weeks. I followed the directions Auntie Cath had given me and I finally found the place. I mentioned in passing to the waitress that Catherine asked me to tell the owner hello. Next thing I knew they were all fussing over me and treating me like a member of the family."

"So what you're saying," Danny chuckled, "is you've been riding Catherine's coattails for longer than we thought."

"I guess I have," Steve nodded. "First they served me the most delicious meal I'd had in … well maybe ever. And when I was so full I couldn't eat another bite Mr. Ono took me back to the kitchen and showed me a picture of Catherine he had hanging on the wall." He smiled as he pictured the moment. "She was maybe thirteen. She was standing behind a very elaborately carved watermelon. It looked like a bouquet of roses as I recall. Her knife was laying in front of her and she had her hands in the air like she was celebrating a touchdown. Mr. Ono was standing beside her beaming with pride."

"I'd been practicing since our last visit," Catherine laughed. "We ate so much watermelon that year. But I was determined to have it perfect by the time we went back. I wanted him to be proud of me."

"He was," Steve smiled softly. "I could tell by the way he talked about you."

"Thank you," Catherine said softly.

"Wait till you see the Rollins family stuffing," Steve added. "It's totally inspired by Mr. Ono. You've never seen anything like it. Every cube of bread is a uniform size. Every piece of onion. Every bit of celery. Combine that with Grandma Ang's secret stuffing spices and it looks almost too good to eat."

"Yet you somehow usually manage three helpings." Catherine elbowed him in the ribs.

"I said almost," Steve pointed out.

"I can't wait to see it," Danny said as Grace nodded her head in agreement.

"Ok then," Catherine said determinedly as she stood up. "Let's get this show on the road. I have everything ready to throw on the grill. Who's hungry?"

"Auntie Cath," Grace said quietly, remaining seated.

"What do you need, sweetie," Catherine replied, turning to face her niece.

Grace indicated the bag of fruit in her hands. "Maybe you can teach me how to be good with a knife like Mr. Ono taught you," she said hesitantly.

Catherine's eyes were instantly wet again and her hand flew to her mouth.

"I mean if you want to," Grace added quickly.

"I would love to," Catherine said as she leaned down and wrapped Grace in a hug. "I would absolutely love to."

"Awesome," Grace smiled happily.

"In fact, we can start right now," Catherine said. "Let's get that fruit to the kitchen and then we can chop some vegetables for a salad."

"YAY!" Grace jumped to her feet. "Thanks, Auntie Cath."

"You realize what this means don't you?" Danny said as he and Steve watched Catherine and Grace head for the kitchen.

"What?" Steve asked, never taking his eyes off them.

"Next Halloween they're probably going to recreate the entire Beetlejuice movie out of carved pumpkins," Danny laughed.

"I can't wait," Steve smiled. "Remind me to make room on the porch."

The End

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