Steve McGarrett was instantly awake when he heard the tiny pitter-patter of footsteps in the hallway. Sure enough, the bedroom door eased open a few seconds later, allowing the dim hallway light to pour into the room. Eyes still closed, Steve waited until the pitter-patter came to a stop beside him and reached out a small hand to tug his shirt before opening his eyes. Three year old Kaliona stood in front of her father, clutching the patchwork blanket her grandmother made.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Steve asked quietly.

"Scared," the toddler sniffed, and the corner of her mouth trembled. "Monster in my closet, daddy."

"Do you want me to go take a look?"

Nodding, Kaliona tugged on his shirt again. Steve lifted his blanket, careful not to wake the sleeping form on the other side, and got out of bed. Immediately, the little girl held out her arms for Steve to pick her up. He smiled when she buried her face in his shoulder and wound her free hand around his neck. Arriving at her room, Steve told her, "We're going in now, okay, Baby Bug?"

"Baby SEAL," she automatically corrected, then bobbed her head once and tightened her hold on her blanket.

Steve groaned inwardly. Courtesy of Danny, his youngest daughter had insisted on that awful nickname, much to his chagrin. His partner had lovingly decided to call his kids, 'Junior SEAL', 'Little SEAL' and 'Baby SEAL', just to annoy him. Thank heavens, however, that Kaliona's older siblings did not catch onto the names as she did.

He pushed open the door, side-stepped the doll house that was in the middle of the room, and carefully placed the precious cargo in his arms onto the bed. Kaliona made a small sound of protest, and would not let go of him when he tried to pull back.

"Daddy has to check for monsters, remember?" He reminded her gently, smoothing her dark curls.

"But I'm scared," another delicate sniff escaped from her, and Steve couldn't help but gathered her closer in his embrace.

"How about you hold onto Mr. Snickerdoodle," Steve reached for the stuffed seal (a gift to her from his partner) on the other side of the bed and handed it to Kaliona. "And I'll always be where you can see me?"

"'Kay," she mumbled reluctantly, accepting the soft toy.

He stood, and went over to her closet. With his hand on the knob, he was about to open it when his daughter said to him, "Be cay-ful, daddy."

"I will," he smiled at her assuredly. He opened the door, and stuck his head inside to 'look' for the monster. One of the hooks inside looked a bit loose, so he made a mental note to fix it tomorrow. "I think the monster is gone, baby," he said, turning to look at the little girl.

"Weally?" She sat up, curiosity getting the better of her as she shuffled off the bed and peeked into the wardrobe herself. All she could see were her coats, the dresses her tutu gave her, and everything else, but no monster. Kaliona frowned.

To make sure the monster was really gone, she pushed her sparkly purple dress back, and took a step closer to inspect her wardrobe. Nope, not there.

"But it was there!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

"I believe you," Steve told her, patting her head gently. "Maybe the monster was tired and went home."

"But what if he comes back?" she asked.

"Then I'll be here to protect you, okay?"

Kaliona nodded, and allowed Steve to lead her back to her bed. He tucked the blankets around her, and then spread her 'blanky' on top. "Do you want me to stay until you fall asleep?"

"Yes, pwease," she hugged Mr. Snickerdoodle closer. "Can you tell me a story, pwease, daddy?"

"Which one do you want me to tell?" Steve asked as he settled down on the edge of the bed. Because he was in charge of story duty almost every night, he was familiar with most fairytales, and had gotten quite good at making up stories as well, much to the amusement of his wife.

The little girl shrugged. "Don't know."

Steve thought for a moment. "How about one about a teddy bear?"

"'Kay."

"In a village far, far away, there lived a very stylish teddy bear who loved to keep up with the latest trends…"

When Kono found her husband later, she smiled as she stood by the door and took in the scene in front of her. Steve sat on the edge of Kaliona's bed, gazing down at their sleeping daughter with a soft, affectionate smile on his face, one hand gently combing through her curls.

Watching him, Kono remembered the first time Steve held the twins in his arms. He was terrified, but when the nurse placed tiny Nalani in his arms, Steve was like a natural as he looked at his baby girl in awe. Born three weeks prematurely, Nalani and her older brother Sean (by six minutes, which he constantly reminds her) looked so small in their father's arms. The two of them had the tough head of Five-0 who could make criminals talk with just a glance wrapped around their fingers from the very first moment.

He was a fantastic dad, always patient and loving, and somehow when Kaliona was born, he became even more amazing. The kids loved him to bits, always presenting him with pictures and artwork (which are now proudly displayed in his office and around the house), and arguing over who loved him more; Kono always joked that they were his kids only and not hers.

Kono watched as Steve leaned down and kissed Kaliona's forehead before carefully getting off the bed, trying not to awake her. The little girl sighed and shifted her arm slightly, but remained fast asleep.

Steve came to stand behind Kono, and circled his arms around her waist. "Hey," he said quietly. "Why are you up?"

"I was getting a bit lonely in bed," she replied as she leaned back into his warm embrace. "Did Kali have a bad dream?"

"There was a monster in her closet."

Kono grinned. "Did you chase it away?"

"Nah, it went home 'cause it was tired," he kissed the back of her head, and then took a step back. "And speaking of tired, I would like to get back to bed, too."

Taking his outstretched hand, Kono left the door partially open, but not before taking one last look at their beautiful baby girl sleeping peacefully in her room.

A/N:

Idiot 9: Hey guys! I'm really sorry it took so long for this chapter to be uploaded, but I've been real busy lately with homework and mock exams... I actually just had my last exam this afternoon, and the first thing I did when I got home (well, second thing. I had dinner first) was WRITE. So, I hope you all enjoyed Daddy McGarrett, and as usual, read and review pretty please!

P.S. I know, I know. This chapter is shorter than the previous two :(