Notes: Mari and Sammy – Thank you, as always, for the help and feedback. I'll get that mattress ready ;-)
Readers and REAL McRollers – Your enthusiastic support is heartwarming and inspiring. Thank you for joining us on this ride.
Hope you enjoy!
First Day at the Office (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Cody shifted his weight from one foot to the other, anxiously waiting in a conference room at the Hawaii State Capitol with the three other new interns, one male and two female. It was his first day, and he had been relieved to see that the other guy, a college sophomore named Jordan, was also wearing a tie.
"You're a senior, too, right?" Tara, a girl with short red hair, asked him.
"Oh, uh … yeah," Cody said, nodding. "You?"
"Yeah."
"Senior year," Kailani, another college undergrad, said wistfully. "Seems like forever ago."
Jordan snorted. "You graduated what? In May?"
"I mean the summer before senior year," Kailani countered with a trace of annoyance.
"The summer before my senior year I interned with Senator Liu," Jordan boasted. "He doesn't usually take interns in the summer, but he made an exception for me. He wrote my recommendation for this position." He looked around, clearly expecting the others to be impressed.
Cody touched his side pocket, feeling the outline of the notebook Steve had given him. The solidness of it reassured him, and he exhaled a steady breath, turning toward the door as it opened.
Marliyah Jackson, the governor's deputy chief of staff, re-entered the room. "Sorry about the wait," she said, "but now that we've got all that paperwork out of the way, we can continue with your orientation. We're going to tour the capitol so you can see both chambers and all of the amazing architectural features. Then as a special treat, we'll walk across to Iolani Palace and tour Five-0's headquarters."
Cody's eyes widened in surprise, and the others looked excited at the prospect.
"But first, the governor and lieutenant governor have made time in their schedules to greet you." Marliyah looked at her phone. "Lieutenant Governor Kekoa is on her way …" She received another text. "And so is Governor Denning." She smiled at the group. "Do you have any questions before they arrive?"
"Will we find out our summer assignments today?" Jordan asked. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "I have a lot of experience with constituent relations from my work in Senator Liu's office …"
"Yes, I recall," Marliyah cut in. "And I will take that into consideration when deciding on placement."
The conference room door opened, and a confident woman in her mid-forties walked in, followed by another woman.
"Ah, perfect timing," Marliyah said. "This is Lieutenant Governor Lea Kekoa and Lisa Basinger, her chief of staff."
She quickly introduced the four interns, allowing a moment for each to shake hands with both women.
"Welcome to the team," Lea said. "I started my political career as an intern just like you. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn as well as to contribute."
The four nodded in unison as the door opened again and Governor Denning entered the room, followed by two of his aides.
"Governor," Marliyah said. "These are our summer interns."
Denning gave them a winning smile, shaking hands with each as they were introduced.
Before Marliyah could finish Cody's name, Denning grasped his hand warmly. "Ah, Mr. Allen, congratulations."
"Thank you, sir."
Jordan's eyes narrowed slightly at the familiar tone from the governor, but he quickly regained his composure.
"This is the start of an exciting opportunity for you all," Denning said. "We're happy to have you on board."
"Thank you for your time," Marliyah said, looking at the governor and lieutenant governor. "I know you both have meetings to get to."
"As always," Denning said with a hearty laugh.
"I'll brief you on the situation with the trafficking victims after my meeting with the AG," Lea said to him.
Denning blinked momentarily, his brow creasing.
"As you recall, he's had a request for the women's return home to be expedited," she said carefully. "We're going to go over some scenarios to complete the interviews as quickly as possible to accommodate that request."
The governor shook himself. "Yes, of course. Let me know what you come up with."
"Yes, sir."
Denning looked back at the interns, his smile overly bright. "Good luck on your first day. We expect big things from all of you."
He departed with his aides.
Lea smiled at the group. "Enjoy today," she said. She gave them a quick wink. "It's the last time you'll feel like a visitor here."
After their tour of the Capitol, the interns followed Marliyah Jackson over to Iolani Palace.
As they walked, Marliyah said, "Now of course you all know Five-0 is the governor's elite task force, created to fight high profile crime on the island. I spoke with Commander McGarrett a few minutes ago. They're in the middle of a case, but he's promised a few minutes to show you around their headquarters. Have any of you been to the Palace before?" She glanced over her shoulder at the trail of interns behind her. "Cody, I'm sure you have."
"Yes, ma'am."
Walking alongside, Tara looked at him. "Did you go on a school trip or something?"
"No, I … I know the team."
"Wait, you know the Five-0 team?" Jordan asked from behind him. "How?"
Cody glanced back at Jordan and Kailani, then at Tara, uncomfortable with the focus on him.
"They're … my family."
Tara smiled, impressed. "Wow, that's really cool."
Jordan snorted lightly, leaning over to Kailani and whispering, "No surprise he got an internship, then."
Cody flinched, his step faltering, and his jaw tightened, not knowing how to respond.
"It's a government building," Marliyah continued from the front of the group, unaware of the comment, "so we'll pass through metal detectors like at the Capitol, sign in and then head up to Five-0's offices …"
Cody hardly heard the rest of what she said as he followed, his eyes now fixed on the ground.
Catherine closed the open windows on the smart table when she saw Officer Ray Alana leading the group into the bullpen. She glanced over at Steve's office, and seeing he was on a call, she stepped forward to greet the visitors.
"Hi," she said with a bright smile. "Welcome to Five-0." She nodded her thanks to Ray who gave a brief wave before disappearing back out the door.
"Lieutenant Rollins," Marliyah said, shaking her hand. "Thank you for your time again this year. It's always nice to be able to bring the new interns over for a tour."
"Of course." Catherine looked around the group, her forehead creasing slightly when she noticed that Cody was hanging back, his eyes downcast.
Seeming to sense her gaze on him, Cody looked up and saw her concern. He straightened, schooling his features as the door to Steve's office opened and the Five-0 leader headed toward them.
"Commander," Marliyah said, offering her hand. "I was just thanking Lieutenant Rollins. We appreciate you giving us a few minutes of your time."
Steve shook the proffered hand. "Absolutely." He flashed Cody a quick smile and stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the four interns. "Most of the team's running down leads on a case we're working. I apologize in advance if we have to cut this short."
Marliyah nodded. "We understand."
"We're a five person team," he told them. "Myself, Lieutenant Rollins, Detective Danny Williams, Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, and Officer Kono Kalakaua." He held out his hands, motioning to the office. "This is our headquarters. In a minute we'll head down so you can see the interrogation and holding rooms …"
"Might want to hold off on that," Danny said as he came through the double doors. "We have a uh …" he cleared his throat, looking at the gathered group, " 'special visitor' who requires your personal attention."
"Suspect, he means a suspect," Steve translated.
Danny rolled his eyes. "Of course I mean a suspect, I was trying to be subtle in front of our guests."
"Subtle? You?"
Danny threw him an annoyed look. "Moving on …" He turned at the group. "Detective Danny Williams, by the way. Apologies for the interruption, but this is time sensitive." Looking back at Steve, he motioned to the doors. "Shall we?"
Steve turned at Catherine and nodded to the group of interns. "Can you finish this up and meet us downstairs?"
"Of course."
"Enjoy your tour," he said to the group. "I'm sorry you won't be able to see everything, but I'm leaving you in very capable hands."
With a final nod, he and Danny disappeared into the hall.
Catherine led the group over to the smart table and demonstrated a few of its capabilities. She was answering their questions ten minutes later when Steve, Danny, Chin, and Kono returned, striding into the bullpen one after the other.
"Cath, we need to go," Steve said, all business.
She straightened immediately. "We got a location?"
"And a time," he said, stopping beside her. He looked at the group of interns and Marliyah. "I'm sorry, we'll reschedule to finish up."
"Of course, Commander, we understand completely," she said. She looked at her interns. "Let's get out of their way so they can do their job."
As she led them toward the doors, Cody paused, looking back to see the team putting on their tactical gear, expressions serious. He swallowed nervously, momentarily frozen in place at the sight.
Steve caught his look and paused in his instructions to his team to give him a reassuring nod from across the room. He mouthed, 'I'll text you later.'
Cody nodded, but he couldn't keep the worry from his face as he turned to catch up with the rest of his group.
His worry remained throughout the busy afternoon until Cody received the promised text from Steve that they were fine. The rest of his first day had been filled with staff introductions and detailed descriptions of the types of work he and the other interns would be doing that summer. Despite his preoccupation, he took it all in, filling three pages in his notebook, earning him an approving nod from Marliyah.
That evening, he and the rest of his family joined Five-0 at Kamekona's to celebrate Grace's successful SEAL Challenge performance.
During dinner, Grace regaled the group with highlights from the event.
"I'm totally doing that next year," Casey said.
Grace nodded excitedly. "I'm going to do it again. We could train together."
Casey smiled brightly. "Awesome."
After they finished eating, the younger kids ran to the beach so Grace could recreate some of the Challenge.
Cody moved to a bench near the sand so he could watch, and Catherine approached him.
"Do you mind some company?" she asked.
He sat up straighter and smiled at her. "No. 'Course not."
She returned his smile and sat beside him. "I wanted to see if you were doing okay … after the tour today."
He blinked at her in surprise, then sighed. "That was … I've never seen you guys like that, getting ready to go out, you know, into something dangerous. I was worried," he admitted, "but … it's okay. I know you're careful … and that you're the best there is."
Catherine gave him a small smile, nodding slowly. "Remember we do everything we can to protect each other out there."
"I know. That's what Steve says. I just think I'll never really get used to it."
She nodded, looking at him steadily. "But actually, I meant before we geared up. You didn't look very at ease when you got to HQ. Is everything okay?"
Cody inhaled slightly in realization and looked down, shaking his head. "Oh. It's … it's nothing."
Her eyes stayed on him. "Meaning, it's something."
He paused, looking back at her. She didn't push, but held his gaze patiently, until he sighed and said, "When … when the other interns found out I knew you guys, most of them were cool about it, but Jordan …" His voice trailed off, and he hunched over, looking down at his hands.
Catherine nodded, understanding immediately.
"Ahh, gotcha."
He glanced over at her. "I mean, he didn't come right out and say it, but he obviously thought … that was the only reason I got the internship."
"Yeah, I'm very familiar with that particular insinuation."
He sat up, incredulous. "People say that about you?"
"That and worse."
"Worse?"
"Remember Steve and I weren't married when I joined the team."
He paused, thinking through what she meant. His eyes widened. "Oh." Growing angry, he tripped over his words. "But … but you're … that's … you don't need to …" He shook his head vehemently. "You don't need anyone to give you a job. After everything you've done. You could do anything."
Catherine smiled appreciatively. "Thank you. And the people that matter, like you, know that."
He took a slow breath, his brow creasing as he looked at the ground in thought. Raising his head, he asked, "What about the other people? What do you do when they … say those things about you?"
"You have a couple choices. You can tell them off, but that's rarely effective with small-minded or jealous people. And those are the ones who make assumptions like that."
He nodded, listening intently.
"Or you can ignore them and let your work speak for itself."
"Bet I know what you do," he said, a touch of admiration in his voice.
She smiled wryly. "I've definitely told a few people off in my life," she admitted, "but yes, usually I find actions speak louder than words. So for now I'd say just be yourself and let your work ethic and skills set him straight. If he's smart, he'll realize his mistake. If he doesn't, that's his problem."
He nodded.
She held his gaze, speaking seriously. "Unless he starts doing things to undermine you, in which case, you may have to reassess."
" 'Reassess,' " he repeated with a small smile. "You sound like Steve."
She grinned. "I'll take that as an a compliment."
"It is. And it makes sense. You had a lot of the same training, and you're …" His lip quirked in a smile. "Well, you're a lot alike."
She nodded and smiled back. "So take my word for it. You earned that internship. Don't let anyone convince you that isn't true."
"Okay."
Putting a hand on his forearm, she asked, "Do you feel better?"
"Yeah, I do," he said honestly.
"The most important thing is that you know you didn't get that internship because of Steve or Five-0."
He nodded immediately. "I do know that. Steve made sure I know that," he added with a small smile.
"Good."
"Thanks, Catherine," he said sincerely.
Smiling, she leaned over and hugged him.
"Cody!" Jacob called out. "Come on! Grace is gonna show us how to do push-ups!"
Catherine smiled at Cody, nodding toward the clump of kids on the beach.
He grinned, starting to stand. He stopped, looking back at her, pausing for a beat.
"You're gonna be a really good mom," he said.
She blinked in surprise. "I … where did that come from?"
He gave a little shrug. "Just … something I've been thinking about. After the time capsule and everything, I was thinking about what we'll all be doing in five years. I mean, I know it's your decision … you and Steve, but … I just think you'd be a good mom. A really good mom."
She smiled, clearly touched. "Well, I'll take that as a very high compliment, because you know something about really good moms."
He nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I do." He gave her a pointed look, echoing her words. "So take my word for it."
Her smile grew, and she reached over to squeeze his hand. "Thank you, Cody."
With a final smile, he stood and headed toward the kids on the beach.
Catherine watched him go and was joined a moment later by Steve.
"What was all that?" he asked, sitting beside her and folding her hand into his.
"Just giving him a little advice."
He nodded. "Well, I don't know anyone who gives better advice than you."
She looked at him, and he smiled sincerely.
"Why do you think I've always taken it to heart?"
Touched, she leaned over and pressed a light kiss to his lips.
"Uncle Steve! Aunt Catherine! Come on!" Jacob's voice drew their attention back to the beach where Danny, Jenna, Kono, and Chin had joined the kids.
Steve glanced at Catherine, quirking an eyebrow. "Race ya, Lieutenant?"
She grinned back at him. "You're on."
They took off running, every step bringing them closer to their family.
Hope you enjoyed!
Note: Special thanks to bswindle20 for the idea to have Cody see more of what Five-0 does!
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