Notes: Mari and Sammy – I've run out of superlatives because you two really are the best. You just . . . are. Full stop.

Esther – Huge thank you for your thoughtful comments on this one. I've said it before and I'll say it again: You make everything you touch better.

Readers and REAL McRollers – I was so thrilled at the positive response to these characters when I introduced them in Shop with a Cop and revisited them in Meanwhile in Hawaii. As the title suggests, this is just the start. Thank you THANK YOU for your overwhelming support of the REAL World every day!

I hope you enjoy!

A Start (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)

Jenna Allen took two packages of Cheeseburger Macaroni Hamburger Helper out of the cabinet and placed them on the counter. She heard the rattle of the apartment's front door being unlocked.

She stepped out of the kitchen just as the door opened and her fifteen year old son Cody stepped inside.

"Hey," she said. "How was the math review?"

"Fine." He dropped his backpack next to the couch. "Ms. Gregson said since I went to both reviews this week I can retake that test on Friday during study hall."

"Good."

"Where is everyone?" he asked as he sat down.

"At the playground," his mother said, sitting beside him.

He immediately stood. "By themselves?"

"Cody, they're okay. They're all together." She pointed. "You can see them from the window."

He stepped to the window to look outside at the old playground equipment across the street from their apartment complex. He could see his two brothers and two sisters along with several other kids.

"I told them to be inside by 5:30," his mother continued. "There's Hamburger Helper for dinner. Jacob's favorite kind. I have to go in tonight."

"Again?" he asked, turning back toward her. "You already worked all day today."

Jenna sighed. "You know why I took this second job, Cody. We've gotta get a bigger place so we have to save money."

Cody took a step toward her and said, "If you would get me a work permit, I could . . ."

"No," she said firmly. "I want you to concentrate on school."

"Mom, I can work and–"

She held up a hand. "We're not having this discussion again."

"But–"

"I said we'd talk about it again when you're sixteen."

His shoulders slumped as he sighed.

"Come here," she said. "I got a message I want to talk to you about before I go."

Cody glanced out the window once more before coming back to the couch.

Jenna turned to face him more fully. "Commander McGarrett called last week."

Cody straightened, his eyebrows furrowing. "He did? What does he want?"

"He and his team got the Thank You cards and they uh . . . they want to see you all again."

Cody shifted. "They do?"

"Like . . . on a regular basis, from the sounds of it."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure. He wants to talk about it. But I wanted to see what you thought first."

He glanced at her quickly before looking down.

He shrugged and said, "I don't know. I guess it'd be okay. I mean, the others, they'd . . . they'd like it."

Jenna leaned forward to catch his eyes. "But what about you?"

"I . . ." he looked at her and nodded finally. "Yeah, okay."

She smiled. "Okay. I'll call him back on my break later." She checked her watch. "I've gotta go. It's just four hours tonight. I'll be home a little after nine."

He nodded.

"There's a load of clothes in the laundry room," she said. "I set the timer."

"Okay, I'll get it," he said.

"Thanks." She squeezed his arm before standing. She bent and kissed the top of his head. "Love you."

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile.

After picking up her purse and keys from the end table, she walked to the door.

With her hand on the doorknob, she looked back and said, "I don't know what I'd do without you, Cody. I really don't."

His smile grew and he nodded. "Have a good shift, Mom."

With a final smile, she left the apartment, and Cody stood to start dinner.

Catherine came into the living room with a basket of laundry and caught the end of Steve's phone conversation.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I can meet you wherever is easiest for you." He paused, listening. "Okay, well, that's probably the best plan. You can meet the whole team that way."

Catherine set the basket on the coffee table, watching Steve who stood with one hand holding the phone to his ear and the other on his hip.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then around noon," he said. "Good night."

He ended the call and pocketed his phone, turning to Catherine.

"That was uh . . . that was Jenna Allen returning my call."

She raised her eyebrows and reached to pull a sheet from the basket but kept her eyes on him. "Yeah?"

He stepped closer and bent to pick up the other side of the sheet.

"She wants to meet tomorrow. Talk things over." They joined the ends of the sheet and folded it in half. "She's gonna come to HQ on her lunch break. I offered to meet her wherever and whenever, but she said that worked best for her."

Catherine nodded, now understanding the end of his conversation.

"And that way she can meet us all," she said as they joined the ends of the sheet again.

"Yeah, as long as we're not on a case."

They finished folding the sheet. She put it in the basket and pulled out the other half of the set. She shook it out, and he grabbed the bottom.

"I figure I'll talk to her first, then introduce you guys."

She nodded as they folded the sheet in half. "Okay."

"But maybe stick close, in case she'd be more comfortable talking with you there, too."

"Absolutely." She smiled at him. "I think this is gonna be really good, Steve."

He returned her smile. "Yeah, me too."

Steve was in his office the next day when an officer escorted a woman through the double doors into the Five-0 headquarters.

She appeared to be around his age, wearing a button-down shirt and black pants. She looked around the bullpen with slightly widened eyes, fiddling with her visitor's badge.

Steve stood, waving them over, and went to open his office door.

"Ms. Allen?" he asked with a smile as they approached. He offered his hand.

"Call me Jenna," she said, shaking his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Commander McGarrett."

"Steve, please," he said. Looking at the officer, he nodded. "Thanks, Ray."

"You're welcome, Commander."

"Thank you," Jenna said to him.

Ray gave her a quick smile before leaving.

Steve motioned inside his office. "We can talk in here," he said, holding the door.

"Okay," she said.

As Jenna walked past him, Steve glanced across at Catherine coming out of her office. She nodded and indicated that she'd work at the smart table in case he needed her. He flashed her a quick smile before stepping back inside his office and letting the door close.

"Please, have a seat." He held out a hand toward the chairs in front of his desk. "Thank you for coming down here."

"Sure," she said as she sat down. "The dental office where I work isn't too far."

"Can I get you anything?" he offered. "Water or soda? Some juice?"

"Oh, no, thank you. I'm fine."

He nodded and sat in a chair facing her. "So we talked briefly on the phone about mentoring the kids. I'm sure you have questions for me."

She tugged lightly on her visitor's badge and released it, straightening in her chair. "Well, I guess before I agree to anything, I need to know exactly what you have in mind."

"I was thinking regular outings, maybe an hour or two a week. Or every two weeks. Whatever you and the kids are comfortable with."

"What kind of outings?"

"Trips to a park or the beach . . . the library . . . lunch sometimes . . . maybe a movie once in a while. Depends on what each of the kids likes to do."

Jenna nodded slowly, rubbing her wrist with a cautious expression on her face.

"If you'd rather go through an organization, like Big Brothers Big Sisters or something, I totally understand," Steve said. "We can do that."

"I'm okay with a more informal arrangement," she said. "I guess I just want to know . . . why?"

"Why?" he repeated.

"Why do you all want to keep seeing them? I mean, you did your part, helping them with the Shop with a Cop thing, and we're really grateful for that but . . ." she trailed off and looked at him questioningly.

Steve gave her a small smile and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "You've got great kids. They made an impression on me and my team. That's a testament to your parenting. I know you've been dealing with a lot of challenges after the fire." He paused before continuing. "And am I right to say the kids' dad isn't helping?"

She shifted in her seat. "He's not in the picture anymore. He was never a very . . . involved parent. Even when we were together."

Steve nodded. "I'm sorry to pry, I just needed to know the basics."

"That actually gets to the heart of . . . my concerns. Jason was . . ." she shifted again. She sighed. "Well, like I said, he was never very involved and he's done a lot of walking out. And when I finally realized what that was doing to my kids, I said enough."

Steve stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

"I did a little checking," she said. "You guys are in the news a lot. And it seems like you've got the kind of job that can take up a lot of time and be . . . unpredictable."

He sat back, nodding. "I can't promise there won't be emergencies," he admitted. "You're absolutely right. It's an unpredictable job. But I can promise that your kids will be a priority for us. That goes for every member of my team. They're committed."

It was her turn to wait, and she kept her eyes on him as he continued.

"So to answer your question about why we want to do this . . ." he paused again briefly. "We like your kids. More than that we . . . we connected with them. In different ways. And we want to find ways to support them. Give them some individual attention. We know how important it is that kids have as many caring adults in their lives as possible. They've got their most important support in you. And maybe some other family?"

"Not really, no," she said quietly, shaking her head. "Not since my mom died. It's just me."

"Well, if you're okay with it, they'll have us, too."

Jenna paused, staring at him.

"Thank you," she said, her voice serious. "I didn't know what exactly I needed to hear when I came but . . . I think that was it."

He smiled and nodded toward the door. "You ready to meet the rest of the team?"

"Yeah," she said, returning his smile.

They stood and he opened the office door, holding it as she walked past. He motioned toward the smart table where Catherine was waiting.

"Hey," Catherine said as they approached. "Danny, Chin, and Kono will be back any minute."

Steve nodded as Catherine turned and smiled warmly at Jenna.

"Jenna, this is Catherine Rollins," he said.

"Lieutenant Catherine," Jenna said with a smile, shaking her hand. "Jacob was very specific about that."

Catherine grinned in response.

"He's crazy about you," Jenna continued. "I think you rank just below his teacher, and there aren't enough words for how much he adores Mrs. R."

"Then I'm very flattered. He told me a lot about her when we were shopping. It sounds like she's a great teacher."

"We've been really lucky. Three of my kids have had her. She's the most wonderful woman. So nurturing. Just what they need for their first school teacher."

"Jacob mentioned going to his school. I thought maybe I could read to his class. Do you think you could get me in touch with her?"

"Definitely. I have her email and phone number. Jacob would love that. The rest of the kids, too."

Catherine smiled. "Great."

There was noise behind them and the three turned to see Danny, Chin, and Kono come through the doors.

"Hey, good timing," Steve said. "Jenna, this is–"

"Wait, wait," she said. "Let me. I sort of feel like I know you guys already." She looked at Chin. "You're Lieutenant Kelly."

He smiled broadly and offered his hand. "Chin Ho."

She nodded, shaking his hand. "With the motorcycle."

"Right." He winced a little. "I hope I didn't overstep too much offering a ride when he was older."

Jenna laughed. "Oh, I'm sure it was his idea."

He grinned and nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"That's my Dylan."

Jenna turned to Kono.

"And you're–"

"Kono. So nice to meet you," Kono said, shaking Jenna's hand.

"Casey might be a little embarrassed if she knew I was telling you this, but she printed out a picture of you surfing and put it inside the cover of her school binder."

Kono straightened, her smile growing. "She did?"

"Yeah, I think to show off a little that she knows you."

"Okay, that's just cool," Kono said, glancing at her teammates. "That is so cool."

Jenna turned to Danny and said, "So that makes you . . ."

"Mr. Detective Williams." He smiled and offered his hand. "I'm Danny. Really glad to meet you."

"You, too. I hope I can meet your daughter soon. Kaitlyn has been talking non-stop about Grace. She wants to watch Frozen and make loom band bracelets."

"Well, we will have to make that happen. I need one for my other wrist."

He held up both arms, sporting a bright purple bracelet on one.

Jenna laughed. "We may not need the girls for that. I have so many bands in my vacuum I think it's actually gonna spit out its own bracelet soon."

The group joined in her laughter.

"You laugh now," she said, "but I don't think it will be long before you all get your own, courtesy of Kaitlyn." She looked at Steve. "You said my kids made an impression on you." Looking at the others, she continued, "Well, you all made quite an impression on them as well." She smiled. "I can't wait to tell them they're going to see you again. Cody's the only one I've told so far."

"And he's on board with the idea?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, he's . . . well, he's willing to give it a try at least."

Steve nodded his understanding.

Jenna glanced at her watch. "I really should be getting back."

"I hope we didn't keep you too long," Catherine said.

"My office manager said it was okay if I took a little longer at lunch. We're not usually as busy on Wednesdays. One of the dentists is out of the office so we don't schedule as many patients."

"Can we give you a ride back?" Danny asked.

"No, that's okay. It's not a far walk. But thank you. I appreciate the offer."

Steve motioned toward the door. "I'll walk you out."

Jenna took a few steps with Steve beside her and then stopped, turning back to the others.

"Thank you," she said. "For wanting to spend time with my kids. For seeing how special they are."

Chin smiled, glancing at his teammates before looking back at her. "After meeting you, it's pretty easy to see how they got that way."

Later that afternoon, Steve and Danny were exiting Iolani Palace when Steve recognized a figure waiting in the grass on the other side of the parking lot.

"Hey," Danny started. "Isn't that–"

"Yeah," Steve said, glancing quickly at his partner before his eyes returned to the figure. "I'll meet you at the car."

"Okay."

Steve crossed the lot to where Cody was standing with his hands in his pockets and his backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Hey," Steve said as he approached. "You okay?"

Cody blinked in surprise. "Yeah. Fine. I uh . . . I wanted to talk to you."

Steve nodded. "Okay. You want to go inside?" he asked, motioning toward the building.

"No," Cody said quickly. "It won't take long."

"Okay." He turned to face the teen directly. "What's on your mind?"

Cody looked down and dug at the ground with his shoe. "My um . . . my mom said you called. That you wanted to uh . . . I mean, that you and your . . . your . . ." he searched for the word, gesturing toward where Danny was waiting across the parking lot.

"My team," Steve supplied.

Cody glanced at him before looking down again. "Yeah, that you wanted to . . . like . . . see us again."

"Yeah, your mom came by here earlier."

Cody looked up at him.

"We talked, and she met the rest of the team," Steve said. "So we're gonna start seeing you guys regularly. She said you were okay with the idea."

Cody shrugged, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "I guess. I just . . . I don't really get . . . what that means."

"It means . . ." Steve paused. "It means whatever you want it to mean, Cody. We can hang out, have lunch, toss a football around. If you want to talk, that's fine. If you don't, that's okay, too."

He paused again as Cody's brow furrowed slightly before he continued.

"It means I'll be there. If you need anything."

Cody shifted and rubbed a hand along the side of his neck. "My friend Jadon has a mentor at school. This guy comes and sees him once a week and they do stuff. Is it like that?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, it's like that. Just outside of school instead."

"But . . . why me?"

Steve paused but kept his eyes on Cody.

"I think you and I . . . I think we've got some things in common."

Cody met his gaze. "You do?"

"Yeah, I do," Steve said with a nod.

Cody looked at the ground again, working a clump of dirt up with his the toe of his sneaker.

"So, what do you say?" Steve asked. "You want to give it a try?"

Cody took a breath and nodded slowly. "Okay."

Steve nodded. "Okay."

Cody glanced toward the street. "I gotta go. Casey'll be done with practice soon, and we gotta pick up the others from their after-school program."

"All right."

Cody took a step then turned back to look at Steve.

"I guess I'll see you soon," he said with a hint of question in his voice

Steve held his gaze.

"Yes, you will."

After a beat, Cody nodded. "Okay."

Steve returned his nod and watched as Cody shrugged his bag higher on his shoulder and took off at a slight jog toward the street. The teen glanced back once before picking up his pace.

Steve stayed rooted to the spot until Cody was out of sight.

"That's a start," he said quietly.

Note: Huge thanks to Suz for the vacuum/bracelet line!

January is National Mentoring Month and tomorrow (January 15th) is Thank Your Mentor Day in the United States. Thank you to everyone around the world who is or has been a mentor, formally or informally – especially to a child or teenager. I truly believe it's one of the most important things we can do.

For those in the U.S. you can visit www dot nationalmentoringmonth dot org for more information and to find mentoring organizations in your area.

"Be someone who matters to someone who matters."