Dreamcatcher

McGarrett residence 6:45 a.m. Sunday - Beach

Steve runs up from the water's edge to grab his cell. Seeing the caller ID, he frowns, worrying at what his 'niece' could be calling about at 6:45 a.m. "Gracie? Is everything all right? Where's Danno?"

"I'm okay, Uncle Steve. Danno's sleeping. Are you okay?"

"I'm good, Sweetheart. What are you doing up so early on a weekend?"

"I got up to finish my homework so I could have the whole weekend free, then I put the TV on and they were doing a special report and you and Danno and Uncle Chin were on it."

"We were?" Five-0 had been featured on the news many times, and Grace didn't normally get too concerned once her dad had explained what a situation had been about. That said, in the past two days, with the situation at The Palace and the hell that followed, there'd been a ton of coverage. Rachel had kept the news viewing to a minimum but Grace had heard enough at school to worry until she'd heard Danny's voice after they'd left the scene where Steve had landed the helo.

"Uncle Steve, Catherine's not answering her phone. Is she alright? need to talk to her, can I?" Grace's voice is steeped in worry.

"She's fine, Gracie, she's right here. Her phone ..." he hesitates… "got lost…" There. That was good. Better than 'a bat shit crazy terrorist had her phone when I shot him and tossed his ass out of a helicopter' "she'll get a new one today, but I'm sure she'd love to talk to you."

"Grace! Who are you talking to this early?!" Steve hears his partner in the background.

"Uncle Steve, Danno. I need to talk to Catherine and she didn't answer her phone, so I called his." Steve hears her tell Danny.

"Jeez, it's Sunday, Babe, did you wake them up?"

"Tell him it's okay, we're awake. Here, I'll let you talk to her." He passes the phone to Catherine, who's come out of the water behind him. They'd slept for nearly 13 hours Friday into Saturday and this morning she'd gotten up as early as Steve.

"Grace? What's up, Hon?"

"Can I come over, Catherine, just for a little bit? I need to see you."

They had no plans, other than hanging on the beach and getting her a new phone, so Catherine looks at Steve, who can hear Grace's side of the conversation, and he nods yes. 'Of course he does', she smiles, he'd never say no to Grace. "Sure, how about if you come for breakfast?"

"Okay, let me ask Danno."

The next voice Catherine hears is Danny's "Are you sure you guys are okay with this? I don't know what's gotten her so worked up but she insists she wants to see you in person."

"Danny, it's fine."

"Hey, thanks. Tell Steve I'll bring breakfast, we deserve it after Friday. We'll be there in an hour."

McGarrett residence 7:45 a.m. Sunday

Grace comes flying onto the beach, Danny trailing in her wake carrying a bakery box, bag of fruit and pastries, and a 'box of Joe' from Dunkin Donuts.

"A little help here, people!" Danny calls "Yo! Steve, I got you some healthy crap, so you don't whine about the good-tasting stuff, can you…" Seeing a damp-looking Steve catch Grace to lift her in a hug and the soaked towels on the Lanai chairs, he shakes his head "Jesus, what time did you people get up? It's a day off, Steven, don't tell me you swam to the mainland and back twice and ran 100 miles already?"

"Some people just say hello, Danny." Steve puts Grace down and grabs the bags from his partner, but Grace is staring at him. "Gracie?" He kneels in the sand.

"You got hurt. Again." She gently touches the bruise on his forehead. "Did you go to a doctor?" She's seen her Danno and Uncle Steve with varying bruises throughout the years and empathy clouds her face.

'She's channeling Danny', Steve smiles at how many of his partner's mannerisms and traits are evident in his daughter. Her stance, the gesturing, the combined look of scolding and concern in her wide brown eyes. "Yes, Sweetheart, Danno made sure I did. I'm fine, I promise."

"Okay then." she nods, but her eyes run over the bruising on his arms. Grace gives him a fast kiss on the cheek and tears off to where Catherine is standing a few yards away, at the water's edge.

Steve turns to Danny "What's that all about?" He nods toward Grace.

"No idea. She saw some follow up report about the hostage situation before I woke up, but I'd explained it all to her yesterday, and she seemed fine. Then this morning she was begging me to bring her here, she said she needed to talk to Catherine in person.

Catherine is looking at Steve and Danny over Grace's head as the girl runs toward her.

"Let's give them some time." Danny tells Steve and calls, "Monkey, I'm going to go help Uncle Steve with the Marquis for a few minutes, we'll be back."

Grace doesn't respond to Danny, but when she reaches Catherine she grabs her in a fierce hug, hanging on like she'll never let go.

After a minute, Catherine untangles the arms hugging her waist and kneels to look Grace in the eyes. "Grace? Hon, what's wrong?"

Finally looking at Catherine, Grace's eyes grow wide and spill over with tears as she tentatively touches the purple bruise standing out against Catherine's cheek and gapes at the top of the circular one peeking out of her shirt.

Thankful she'd pulled a cover over her bikini, Catherine tugs the neckline a little higher. It hides most of the bruise from the savage hit she'd taken to the shoulder. She hadn't wanted Grace to see all of it. Steve's reaction when she'd undressed Friday night had been bad enough. The hatred in his eyes said he'd have liked to drag that scum back from whatever hell he'd sent him to and kill him again, but the flash of guilt at her being taken as a pawn to use against him nearly broke her heart.

"You got hurt." Grace starts to sniffle, her thin shoulders quaking.

Taking Grace into her arms, she rubs circles on the girl's back, and employing every ounce of training and strength she has not to break down herself, Catherine whispers, "Grace, please, don't cry. I'm fine, I promise." When Grace quiets, Catherine stands and offers her hand. "C'mon, walk with me."

They'd walked a few yards, when Grace finally speaks. "He took you." a statement, not a question. "A terrorist took you. He hurt you, too."

"Yes, but I'm here and I'm fine."

Grace stops walking, looking up. "I saw on the news … this morning … they were talking about Friday and then the lady said 'terrorists kidnapped Commander McGarrett's girlfriend' l didn't know that part; that the bad guys took you. So I had to see, make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine, Sweetheart, really. Thank you so much for worrying about me, but look at me, I'm good. It's just a few bruises; I've gotten worse surfing."

Grace looks away, out over the water.

"Uncle Steve and Danno found you." Again, not a question.

"Yes, they did."

"Me, too." Almost a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Grace, what did you say?"

"They found me, too." Still so soft, Catherine isn't sure she's heard correctly, and then it slams home. What this was about. Steve was so shook up when he'd called her at the time, she could hardly get the story out of him.

"When the bad guy took me. They found me, too."

"Oh, Grace, I'm so sorry." Jesus, hearing she'd been taken must have terrified Grace and brought her back to being a hostage herself.

"I was scared. It was dark. I knew Danno and Uncle Steve would find me, but I was really scared the bad guy would hurt Danno. He sounded funny on the phone, like he was going to cry. I tried not to, though." Grace turns away from the water, looking up at Catherine. "I had bad dreams. If you have one, you can call me. We could talk… you know … if you want. 'cause I know how scary it was."

Catherine is speechless at the look of concern on Grace's upturned face. This was about Grace comforting her? Grace was worried about her having bad dreams?

"I'm okay now, you know. I don't have them anymore. The dreams. I went to Dr. Tanaka, we talked a bunch of times. Then the dreams went away. That's why I had to see you, to make sure you were alright. I would have come yesterday, if I knew." Grace reaches into her pocket, and pulls out a tan colored leather and felt object, offering it to Catherine. "I brought you something."

Catherine's breath catches in her throat as she takes a small dream catcher and turns it over in her hand. "Grace, I can't take this…"

"But I want you to. Uncle Chin gave it to me; he said it keeps bad dreams away."

Catherine gathers her up in a hug, her eyes shining with tears. "I love you, Grace Williams. You are a very, very special person. Thank you."

"Love you, too, and you're welcome." Grace pulls back, tugs Catherine to her feet, and they start to walk along the surf line. "Catherine?"

"Yes?"

"Where's the bad guy?"

"He's gone. It's nothing you have to worry about, okay?"

"Okay."

"You ready to go back?"

"Yeah. I'm better now, I'm glad you're alright."

"Me, too, Sweetie." She take's Grace's hand "Let's go get some breakfast."

They walk back up the beach, to where Steve and Danny have put the food out on the lanai. Danny walks the last few feet to meet them. "Everything okay, Monkey?" He asks his daughter, but meets Catherine's eyes, and she nods.

"Yeah, Danno. Catherine's okay. I just had to make sure, that's all."

He kisses the top of her head and says, "Good. Why don't you go wash your hands and we'll eat."

Grace disappears into the house as Steve comes up to Danny and Catherine. "Cath? What was she upset about?"

"We'll talk more later, but guys, the news story this morning mentioned me being taken as leverage. She hadn't known that part. We talked, and she's alright, but it reminded her of when Peterson took her, and ..."

Steve's jaw tightens and Danny looks like he's going to explode as his hands clench into fists. "Son of a bitch" he spits out.

Catherine puts a hand on his arm. "Danny, she's okay, she was worried about me. She wanted to see if I was in one piece. She gave me this, she holds out the dream catcher, "to keep bad dreams away."

"Chin gave her that. After … she was having nightmares. She hasn't had one in over a year. The therapist said she was doing great, released her, even."

"Yeah, she told me. I really think she's okay, she said she wanted me to have someone to talk to. She came to comfort me. You have one hell of a kid there, Danny, you know that?"

Danny smiles. "Yeah. I do. Thanks, Cath."

Grace returns and they have breakfast. She even gets her Uncle Steve to eat a malasada.

"Let's go, Monkey, we need to get home." Danny tells her when they're done.

"Okay, Danno. Hey, Uncle Steve did you see Danno's rental car? It's really ugly."

"Nice. That's nice. I love you, too, Monkey. C'mon, time to go."

Steve and Catherine walk them to the front of the house, Steve smirking at the sedan his partner is driving as they go back inside.

Danny's starting the car when Grace says "Wait!"

"What? Did you forget something?"

"I'll be right back!" She flings open the door and is running toward the house before he can ask why.

They're in the kitchen, putting away the rest of the food when Steve hears the knock. Opening the door, he sees Grace looking up at him. "Gracie?"

"He stoops to look her in the eyes. You forget something, Sweetheart?"

"Uncle Steve?"

"Yeah, Gracie?"

"That terrorist, he can't hurt anyone else, 'cause he's dead, right?"

Steve stares at her for a second before going with the unelaborated truth. "Yes. Yes he is."

"I thought so."

"How'd you know? You saw it on TV?"

"No. I just knew."

"Why's that, Gracie?"

"He hurt Catherine." She says matter-of-factly. "And I know you." She presses a kiss onto his cheek and gives him a hug. "I love you."

Catherine, standing just beyond their line of sight, backs away, swiping her eyes, while Steve, reeling just a little at how well Grace knows him … knows them all … hugs her back and watches her fly out the door.

…

End. Thanks for reading

A.N - This one's for my fellow McRoll girls. Thanks for giving me someone to gush with, and for totally accepting the fact I watched the premier about 167 times…