Steve looked over at Leonard as they drove away from LAX. The older man had lost weight he couldn't afford and looked pretty drawn. It hurt Steve to think that he would be returning to LA in the not too distant future, but he knew that was the truth.

"Thanks for picking me up, Leonard."

"No problem Steve. Deb just got Joan down for a nap, and I think she was going to try and get one too. She's been doing amazingly well. Her treatments really seem to be having some effect and I'm glad that we have gotten to enjoy this time together."

Leonard stopped for a moment, and appeared to be collecting himself.

"Anyway, I, I, God, I just don't know how to tell you how sorry I am about Mary. You know I had never married before your aunt. I never had children, and really don't have much family. Deb, Mary and Joan have been a godsend for me."

"I'm glad for that Leonard. You've been great for my aunt too." Steve paused for a moment, and then continued. "Mary, though, she was doing well, wasn't she? The last few times I spoke to her on the phone, she just seemed more together, you know what I mean?"

"Yes, Steve. I think adopting Joan and having a responsibility was good for her. She was holding down a steady job, they had a nice apartment in a good area, and she was really limiting her partying ways. Unfortunately, they weren't over for good, but that's Mary for you."

At that Steve smiled sadly. Mary's reputation as a partier was still intact, even after she had adopted Joan. This was no surprise to Steve, and he had even tried to talk to her about it several times, but Mary was not interested in hearing his opinion on how she should live her life.

The traffic in LA was horrible and it took the men over an hour to navigate the crowded streets and arrive at Leonard and Deb's posh condominium complex. Steve was glad to see that his aunt was going to enjoy some creature comforts in the last years of her life. It looked as though Leonard had done quite well for himself.

As they exited the elevator, which opened directly into Leonard and Deb's condo, Leonard indicated to Steve to follow him down the hall to the guestroom to drop off his bags. Apparently their entrance woke Deb, because she softly called down the hall.

"Leonard is that you? Do you have Steve?"

"Yes, honey, I do. We're just putting his bags in the bedroom. Is Joan still asleep?"

At this point Leonard and Steve had reached the kitchen which Deb was just entering from a hallway that must lead to the Master Bedroom.

"Yes, she is. The poor little thing is just exhausted. And I'll bet this poor little thing is just exhausted too!"

And with that, his aunt wrapped her arms around Steve and drew him into her firm embrace. He resisted for a moment. He was a man who was not used to much personal contact, other than when he had been with Catherine, and now with his partner Danny who was effusive and touchy at all times. But, finally, he relaxed into the comfort of his aunt's arms and soaked up her love for him.

"I am so sorry Steve. We are all going to miss Mary so much. I just cannot believe that our family is having to deal with another loss, so soon after Jack."

"Thanks Aunt Deb. I just don't even know what to say."

"I know, honey, I know." Deb released Steve and stepped back. Her eyes were full of tears and very red. She gave a sigh and asked "Did you try and reach your Mother, Steve?"

"I tried." Steve bit this out, recalling his conversation with Joe. "Joe's going to 'try' and get a message to her. But truthfully, I doubt that we will see or hear from her. She's really deep under right now."

Deb could tell from his disgusted tone that he wasn't buying whatever spin Joe White had tried to put on Doris' absence. She didn't blame him for the disgust. She had never liked White and could not fathom her brother's friendship with the man.

"Well, come and sit down. I'll make you and Leonard some tea." Steve and Leonard both sat down at the table just as there was a sob from some part of the room. Steve shot to his feet looking around frantically for the source.

"Oh, honey, sit down and relax. That's just the baby monitor. Joanie must be waking up. I'll go get her."

With that, his aunt turned the burner on under the tea kettle and left the room. She returned after a few minutes with a sleepy eyed Joan in her arms. She turned the burner off and poured the hot water into the tea cups Leonard had prepared, while bouncing the little girl on her hip.

Steve hadn't seen his niece since Mary had visited Hawaii right after she had adopted her. The baby had grown into a beautiful toddler. She was a short, stocky little girl with a mass of wild, sweaty blond hair adorning her head and huge blue eyes.

"Good grief, she looks like a mini-Danny." Steve laughed, "if she had a two day growth of scruff on her face, they'd be identical."

"Oh, hush you!" His aunt responded, laughing. "She's a beauty, that's what she is. I am so grateful that Mary and Joan spent so much time with Leonard and I. She is used to us, and she is used to being with us without Mary, so she's not too frightened. Now, we just have to get her used to you. She just needs to finish waking up and figure things out."

Steve spent the next few hours trying to get Joan to warm up to him. He was a man who was not very comfortable with children due to the fact that he had spent so little time with them. The only child he saw with any regularity was Grace and she was seven when he first met her, not a little girl under two. Luckily for him, Joan was used to interacting with many different people due to her mother's friendliness and lifestyle, so she was actually having less trouble warming up than he was.

Steve and Joan were finally playing on the floor together in the living room, Leonard and his aunt watching them from the couches. Deb had quite a few baby dolls at her home, so Steve assumed that they watched the little girl more often than either of them were letting on. Joanie was enamored with Steve and kept bringing dollies and clothes to "Unca S'eve" to have him help her change their outfits and give them their bottles.

When it was time to put her to bed, Deb indicated that Steve should come and help. Steve tried to back out of it, but Deb was adamant that he do it. Steve wasn't sure why she was so insistent, but he figured if it would make his aunt happy, it was the least he could do given the circumstances.

So, for the first time in his life, Steven J. McGarrett, fearsome Navy SEAL and badass 5-0 task force team leader, changed a diaper, put jammies on a baby, read her a story, and then, with great embarrassment, sang a little lullaby as she drifted off to sleep.