A/N: It has been a long time since I've explored something with these characters, but every once in a while the ideas come to me. Here is a little fluffy story about the B-team. If you haven't already guessed, or if you aren't one of my regular readers, I'm a little bit of a geek and I love pop culture so there are many references to a lot of my favourite things in this little story. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: The Consultants
"Welcome, Gentlemen, to the first meeting of the Consultants." Toast greeted the gathering who had joined him in the private room of one of the more upscale hotels.
"The Consultants?" Doctor Max Bergman asked, "I thought this was going to be just a lunch, and possible discussion of halloween this coming season. Charlie, have you heard anything about these Consultants?"
Charlie Fong looked from Max to the other men at the table and then back to Max. "I really have no idea what this is about. You two are aware that we already have jobs with the Hawaii Police Department, right?"
"Of course, but you're involved with Five-O as well," Jerry Garcia stated, "and therefore, we believe you should be a part of our organization."
"Organization? No, no, no, that's a conflict of interest!" Charlie panicked.
"We're not exclusively involved with Five-O," Max corrected, "in fact, I am exclusively involved with the Medical Examiners Office. I don't think I can participate in anything nefarious that may cause problems, or a bias, with my current employment."
"There is nothing official about the Consultants," Toast sighed and shook his head. "We just feel we deserve a gathering of like minded people who are outside of the fab four, and we needed a name - The Consultants. We help with their cases, as consultants, and never on any official level, and yet we always feel like we're outside of the group."
"We're like the Lone Gunmen, The Ghost Facers, we are beyond the back up, but we have all the outside access." Jerry was enthusiastic and almost boisterous. "Because sometimes, you need to explore other avenues and mind sets."
"You know all those people ended up dead, right?" Max asked cautiously. "You've seen the shows, right?"
"And they aren't actually real people..."Fong added.
"You two are absolutely no fun. We should have never invited you to join us." Jerry commented down cast.
"But we had to because you've known Five-O the longest and so have all the inside intel as to what they like to do, and how we may be able to help each other out in the long run, and if we are going to make up the social committee, we should work together in some capacity. We are just a group of friends working to help our other, more important, friends."
"Social committee? I just want to plan Halloween." Max said with a sigh.
"But we are the life of the party," Charlie said optimistically.
"Well I could use some help planning parties that Danny and Steve might actually go to." Max commented enthusiastically at last.
"Sure, the more of us there are, the more likely we can pressure them into coming to our parties!"
"You realize there is another member of that team right?" Fong jumped in once more. "Have you completely forgotten about Lou Grover?"
"Oh Charlie, don't you know that the fifth member of Five-O is cursed? No one lasts in that position because the team just cannot function as a five. It has to be a four. So don't get too attached to Grover, he'll eventually go the way of Weston and Rollins. They just don't last as members of that elite team." Toast explained with a wave of his hand. "It's like an unwritten rule."
"But don't you think, that because he's a man, he may break the curse?" Jerry asked.
"No, the curse will not be broken unless they add a sixth member to be his partner." Max stated. "The odds are not in his favour."
"Catherine is back on the island, maybe she will be six." Charlie piped in.
"No, she can't come back to the team, the odds don't work that way! That will make it too crowded and if that happens they will have absolutely no need for us. We can't let that happen. The curse must stay intact!" Jerry hushed his voice and whispered, but there was definite stress and anxiety in his tone.
"We already have places, I'm not really worried about Five-O's curse. I'm not leaving forensics any time soon, and Max is super busy at the Medical Examiners Office all the time. We don't have time to be worried about the curse."
"Just because you two have a back up plan, doesn't mean the curse isn't important to the dynamic!" Jerry jumped in.
"You're worried because you want to be that sixth member," Toast jumped in again, "but what good are you without me?"
"I managed just fine on my own, before Danny threw us together."
"Gentlemen, please. I'm sure you offer a lot to the team in your own ways. Toast, you are very good with computers, I'm sure better than Chin and Kono, and maybe even Catherine because of your back ground. There will always be a place for you when they need to go beyond their usual avenues. And Jerry, what is a team with out a conspiracy theorist? Someone has got to stay on top of the government, even though Five-O works for the Governor. You just never know if he is as dirty as Jameson. You are valuable, both of you, and I can understand why Danny would have put you together." Max tried desperately to end the argument before it got too loud, even for the private room they were inhabiting.
"He's right, we're important. They'll always need us." Jerry sighed with relief.
"And they don't have time to plan the social events." Toast added.
"You should have asked Kamekona to join the Consultants. He's got his fingers in all kinds of fun things." Charlie suggested.
"Oh he's in, don't you worry about that. He's bring the food for this afternoon." Jerry said proudly.
"So what is our position in this group anyway?" Max asked suspiciously.
"I figured that you are quite like minded," Toast answered as he motioned to Jerry and himself. "I believe with your medical back ground and Charlie's forensics, we could really break open some of the mysteries that Five-O may not even realize they are facing. It may make their jobs easier if the stranger cases don't even get to them. We could be anonymous and only deal with the lighter side of the strange, or add our expertise to the depths of cases that the Five-O, maybe, should be looking into because of their positions within the hierarchy of things."
"Like what?" Charlie asked suspicious one more.
"What do you know about Steve's mother and the Champ Box case?" Jerry returned with a question.
"It's the case that brought them together, and brought down Jameson, and then messed everything up again. Momma McGarrett is on the run again and Steve is super suspicious. You might call it a conspiracy." Charlie explained.
"I've always wondered who was in that car, to help Doris McGarrett fake her death. Someone helped her, someone is helping her still." Max piped in.
"Steve has given us the go ahead on the Champ Box, and I think together we could solve this." Jerry was as optimistic as ever. "Without getting into anything too serious. We're just looking into bits and pieces that might help to explain the bigger picture."
"We could get in over our heads very quickly." Charlie warned.
"We have the backing of Five-O. If anything happens we go directly to Steve." Toast was serious and determined. "We only consult, we don't move on any of our information, unless directed to do so, and with the proper backing, from Five-O. That goes for you Jerry, no lone wolfing on this, not anymore."
"I'll behave!" Jerry huffed.
"Hence, the Consultants." Max said with a nod. "I like it. I'm in."
"I guess I am too," Charlie sighed, "but if it gets in the way of work, or gets me in trouble with my superiors, I'm out."
"That is very reasonable. We can accept that Charlie." Jerry said and Toast nodded his agreement.
"Then it is settled. We will work together on the Champ Box."
"But first, where is Kamekona with our food?" Max grumbled. "I'm starving!"
"He's always late." Jerry sighed.
"So how about Halloween then?" Max asked.
"Conspiracy themed?" Jerry offered.
Toast and Charlie groaned.
"If that is the desired theme, I get to be Mulder!" Max called dibs.
"You look more like Frohike," Jerry countered, "besides, I'm the theorist here."
"And I always host the party." Max argued. "So I get first call on character choice."
"As long as I get to be Langly, and Charlie is my Byers, I'd be onboard." Toast said with a shrug."
"I could pull that off with little to no effort." Charlie agreed.
"I like this, I could make my office look like there was an alien autopsy being performed." Max jumped in again more excited this time. "I could be the Cigarette Smoking Man."
"Sounds more X-files themed than Conspiracy." Jerry huffed.
"Food's here!" Kamekona announced as he walked in.
"How do you feel about Conspiracy Theory as a theme for Halloween this year?" Jerry asked as the food was doled out.
"Can I be an Alien?" Kamekona asked seriously.
"Yes!" they all answered.
"Sounds good. Next order of business:" Toast jumped back to the notebook he had before him. "Catherine is back, how long is that going to last?" He asked and the discussion became animated once more.