I decided that I couldn't do chapters set in Hawaii without doing a crossover with Hawaii-Five-O. Although I've watched Five-O faithfully, I've never watched reruns, so I do not consider myself an expert on the show. There is no way that I can do a real Five-0 storyline from the show because I don't know enough, but I thought the characters could be fun. I couldn't say what season from HFO this is set in—after Jerry joins and Kono is married to Adam.
Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS or Hawaii-Five-O or their characters.
Chapter 10: Hawaiian Times Part I
Dick couldn't believe it. The time had finally arrived. They would be in Hawaii in five hours or so. All of his friends and Keith and Alicia were on the private plan. His parents would be flying over in another day or so. He and his friends were going to have a pre-honeymoon hell of a good time! Then he'd be married to his best girl. In another few weeks, they'd be packing up to move to Maryland where Mac would begin her illustrious career as a superspy.
"Are you excited?" Mac asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"So excited!" he exclaimed.
"Me, too," she said. "I want to spend a day enjoying Maui, but then tomorrow, I want us to go to Oahu."
"We're flying into Oahu, right?" Dick pointed out.
"Yes, but then we're taking a ferry to Maui," Mac said. "I thought that'd be nicer than another plane."
Dick shrugged. "Works for me. I brought Thea's camera. We can take some cool pics!" he said excitedly.
"We'll probably take too many. It's a beautiful place," Mac said. "I'm really glad we decided to go this route."
"Me, too," he said, leaning over to kiss her.
"Logan, DK, and me have made a pact to surf on each island," Dick said.
"Not surprised," she said, smiling. "But not too far out, okay? This island has too many sharks!"
"They wouldn't dare take a bite out of me!" he protested.
"Who won't bite you?" Logan asked. He and Veronica were sitting next to them. Logan had the aisle seat.
"Sharks," Mac answered. "I want you guys to be careful about sharks when you're swimming out from the shore."
"Actually, Mac, the mainland has more shark attacks than Hawaii," Logan said. "New Smyma Beach, Florida actually has the most."
"I thought Australia had the most?" Duncan asked. He and Parker were sitting in front of Mac and Dick.
"It does. I meant the most in the United States," he clarified.
"Well, that's a relief," Mac said. "Jazmin had shown me that article about the poor girl, Bethany Hamilton, who was only nine or ten and lost her arm to a shark. She was surfing again a year later."
"Wow," Dick said, impressed. "That's so awesome!"
"They're going to make a movie about her," Mac said.
"That'll be cool to see!" Dick said.
Logan nodded and looked down at his wife, who was peering out the window, lost in thought. He reached for her hand. "Are you okay, snookums?" he asked in concern.
"I am," she said. "I was just thinking about all the changes that have happened and will happen very soon."
"Change is good," he said.
"It can be," she agreed. "But I didn't think I'd lose Back-Up after graduation. He had a good five years or so in him, Logan. I just don't understand what happened."
"The vet said that his heart stopped. That can happen sometimes. It happens in people," he said.
"I know. It just seems odd to me," she said. "I still think Dad should've had an autopsy done on him."
Logan cringed at the thought. "You know Keith couldn't bear the thought of them cutting him open and taking him apart like that," Logan said. "Dogs—like people—just die. Look at Celeste. She was seemingly healthy and her heart just stopped."
Veronica narrowed her eyes. "You really think both of them dying of heart failure is just a coincidence?" she asked.
Logan frowned. "What else could it be?" he asked.
"I don't believe in coincidences," she said. "Dad didn't used to either."
"What possible connection could your and Keith's dog have to Celeste Kane?" Logan asked pointedly.
Veronica was silent a long moment before admitting, "I don't know, Logan. I just can't believe it's coincidental," she said. She had no rational explanation, but there was a nagging feeling inside of her that wouldn't go away. Something wasn't right.
"Back-Up had a good life, and he didn't suffer," Logan said. "Sometimes you have to think about the good things."
Veronica nodded, not convinced, but she didn't want to spoil the trip.
"What's the plan?" Weevil asked, walking up to their end of the plane.
"Didn't you get the itinerary I emailed you?" Mac asked him.
"I don't check my email on my day's off," Weevil said.
"We're landing in Oahu and then taking a ferry over to Maui. Since we left so early, we'll get to our hotel around one or so," Mac said. "We'll spend the evening on Maui whale watching and relaxing at the hotel."
"Whales?" Veronica asked, intrigued.
"Yes, Maui has the most whale sightings," Mac said.
"That sounds amazing. Dad will love that," Veronica said eagerly.
"Tomorrow, you can stay on Maui with Jazmin and explore the island or go with us to Oahu. There's a Pear Harbor museum I want to check out," Mac said.
"Me, too," Veronica said.
"Not me," Dick said. "We're going surfing. We'll meet up with the girls at lunch."
"You know, Jason wants to swim with the sharks," Weevil said. "He's convinced Daisy and Jazmin that it's perfectly safe."
"I'm not swimming with no shark!" Dick exclaimed, horrified at the thought.
"That might be fun," Veronica said, grinning at Logan, who groaned.
"I'm so going to kill that Italian Stallion," Logan muttered while his friends laughed.
******Five-O Headquarters******
Jerry Ortega, Five-O's unofficial tech and go-to guy, came out of the basement where his unofficial office was located, carrying his tablet. He went to the conference room where the team was located.
"Guys!" he called out.
Commander Steve McGarrett looked up while his partner, Detective Danny Williams, rolled his eyes impatiently. Steve enjoyed Jerry and all his crack-pot theories—there was never a dull moment with Jerry. Danny, on the other hand, was impatient with Jerry, finding many of his theories ridiculous. However, Jerry was a big teddy bear of a man with a heart of gold. It was hard not to like him or respond to his infectious enthusiasm.
"What's up, Jerry?" Steve asked.
Chin, the third member of the team, nudged his cousin and only female member, Kono. Both of them looked up and smiled at Jerry.
"We have some members of my up and coming VTH group on the island! They are arriving today sometime!" Jerry said excitedly.
"The VTH? What's that?" Steve asked
Danny groaned. "Don't ask! We don't need to know!" Danny protested.
"It stands for villain-turned-hero," he said.
Steve slapped his partner. "Of course! We should've guessed that!" he said, grinning.
"That's a real thing?" Danny asked, frowning. "That sounds insane, Jerry."
"Well, sometimes bad things happen to good people, and those good people fight back. Then those good people influence others not so naturally good to be good! Hence villain turned hero," he explained.
"That sounds reasonable to me," Steve said, giving Danny a smirk that he knew would annoy him.
"Yea, so reasonable," Danny said, rolling his eyes.
"So who is it?" Kono asked.
"This story is so cool! There was even a poorly acted movie about these guys 'cause the main girl's dad wrote a book about what started it all," Jerry said. He used his tablet to throw a picture of an attractive blonde onto the large screen.
"Who's that?" Steve asked.
"This is Veronica Mars," Jerry said, throwing another picture up next to her of a smiling, balding man. "This is her father, Sheriff Keith Mars. He's the Sheriff in Neptune, California, not far from San Diego. Today Veronica is twenty-two and just graduated from university and is set to join the F.B.I. when she finishes grad school."
"Why do we care?" Danny asked impatiently.
"Well, when Veronica was fifteen, her best friend Lilly Kane was murdered," Jerry said, throwing her photo onto the scream.
Chin looked confused. "That smiling girl was murdered?" he asked. "Who would kill her?"
"Well, the inept and corrupt Sheriff at the time arrested the guy who confessed to it. Sheriff Mars claimed in his book that the Kane family paid the dying man to confess because they were convinced their epileptic son, Duncan Kane did it accidentally during a seizure," Jerry said, throwing another picture on the screen.
"Duncan Kane has two best friends," Jerry said, throwing two more pictures on the screen. "Richard Casablancas, called Dick by everyone, and Logan Echolls."
"Echolls? I know that name," Danny said, suddenly interested.
"You would because his dad, Aaron Echolls, was a famous actor until he was shot in his hotel room after being acquitted of murdering Lilly Kane, who he was having an affair with," Jerry said excitedly.
"What?" Kono asked.
"The Kane family probably had him killed," Chin said knowingly.
Jerry nodded. "Probably. Sheriff Mars wrote all about the investigation. Even though Aaron kidnapped and tried to kill Veronica—she was saved by her dad—he got off," Jerry said.
"That's the justice system for you," Danny said in disgust.
"Well, Veronica is the one that solved the case—that's why Aaron tried to kill her," Jerry said.
"Impressive," Chin said.
"She's a regular Nancy Drew," Jerry said. "Turns out the STD she got that Aaron's lawyer used to hurt her testimony wasn't because she was promiscuous. Instead, Dick's younger brother, Cassidy—" he paused as he threw yet another picture on the screen. "Raped her at a party after she was given a drink laced with GHB by Dick's girlfriend. It's not common knowledge, but I have my sources."
"That's horrible!" Kono exclaimed in disgust.
"What's worse is what I forgot to tell you," Jerry said. "Lilly Kane was the most popular girl in school 'cause her dad is a billionaire."
"Kane Industries?" Steve asked, recognizing the name.
Jerry nodded. "Veronica dated Duncan Kane at the time of Lilly's murder. However, when her dad began investigating the family because he knew evidence had been tampered with, everyone turned on him and his daughter. Veronica went from popular to a pariah, and Keith was fired. He opened his own private eye investigations office until he was re-elected three years after he was booted out of office," Jerry explained.
"That town has a lot of drama," Kono remarked.
"Well, the town of Neptune has a real class division. The uber wealthy live in the 09 zip code—called 09ers in Keith's book. They're elitist. Veronica was accepted because her dad was Sheriff, and Lilly loved her. When Lilly died and Keith lost his job, Veronica's social standing took a hit. Solving the murder of Lilly Kane didn't do much to re-establish it because she no longer cared about being popular. However, she dated Logan Echolls and Duncan Kane after that," Jerry said.
Danny snorted. "I bet that destroyed a friendship," he said knowingly.
"For a bit," Jerry admitted. "See, at the beginning of their senior year, Cassidy blew up a school bus to hide his own sexual abuse because other victims were on it and wanted to blow the whistle. Cassidy didn't want anyone to know what he went through. Veronica figured out he was the one who killed her classmates and what happened to him. He tried to kill her, but Logan saved her. When Logan and Veronica were dating her Junior Year, Duncan Kane was dating another popular girl named Meg Manning. Meg was on the bus that was blown up because Duncan dumped her to get back with Veronica when Senior year started. She and Logan broke up over the summer because Veronica didn't approve of his fight with the local gang the PCHer's, specifically their leader and her good friend Eli Navarro—called Weevil by everyone else."
"Wait a minute," Danny interrupted. "Let me see if I got this. Veronica Mars solves the murder of her best friend while dating her former boyfriend's best friend. While doing that she somehow befriended Weevil, the leader of the high school gang?"
"Yep. She helped Weevil out when he was arrested for killing a fellow gang member, who had tried to kill Logan—Logan had been arrested for killing another member of the gang when the entire gang cornered him," Jerry explained.
"Let me guess," Steve said with a knowing grin, "Veronica Mars got them both off."
"She did. She inspired Weevil to leave gang life behind, and Logan Echolls went from the school jack-ass and accused murderer to the golden boy. Sure, his mom killed herself to escape her psycho husband, but now he's graduated from college and married to Veronica. They just had their first baby," Jerry said.
"This girl sounds like you, cuz," Chin said, smiling at his cousin, who had married the son of a notorious Asian mob family. Adam Noshimuri had left his criminal roots behind to be with Kono—at a heavy cost to himself and his family fortune.
"Sounds like my kind of girl," Kono said.
"So what happened to Cassidy, who blew up the school bus?" Steve asked.
"Okay, so Meg was the only survivor of that. She was in a coma for months. Turns out that she was pregnant. Duncan Kane knocked her up but didn't know it. When the baby was born, he took off with his daughter because Meg's dad was so awful that Meg made him and Veronica promise on her death bed to take care of her baby," Jerry explained.
"The poor girl died?" Chin asked. "That's awful."
"Yes, a blood clot after she gave birth killed her," Jerry shared.
"So when Kane left town, Veronica got back with Logan?" Danny asked.
"Yes," Jerry said.
"How do you know this?" Steve asked. "This can't possibly be in that book the Sheriff wrote."
"No, the VTH compiles all the gossip from Facebook posts, Twitter Feeds, and Instagram into a cohesive storyline. Of course, some of this is backed up by real newspaper articles since Veronica was involved so often with the police. The VTH pieces it all together, so you can follow the most interesting characters out there," Jerry said.
"Of course, they do," Danny said sarcastically.
"So what happened to Cassidy? Did they get the guy who abused him?" Chin asked.
"It was a father of a classmate who coached Pee Wee baseball," Jerry said.
Danny, a father of a little girl and young son, felt sick at the thought. "I'd kill anyone that touched my kids!"
"I'd do it for you," Steve said.
"I'd help you bury the body where no one but us could find it!" Jerry said confidently. "But in Cassidy's case, he kind of took care of it himself, but in a really bad way. He blew up the plane the guy was on, killing seven other people. Then graduation night when Veronica figured out that Cassidy was the one who blew up the bus, he cornered her on the roof top of the hotel the kids were celebrating in. Logan showed up as Cassidy held a gun on her. He was trying to get Veronica to jump to make it look like a suicide. Logan managed to get the gun from Cassidy, and then Cassidy jumped to his death."
"How can one poor girl have so much tragedy?" Kono said in dismay.
"Poor Cassidy," Steve said.
"How can you say that?" Danny said. "The guy was a mass murderer going around blowing up things!"
"Image what might've happened if he hadn't been abused or if someone had known and helped him," Steve pointed.
"When kids experience trauma at a young age, they don't always recover," Chin said. "I've seen it too many times."
"I've seen it, but that's no excuse," Danny insisted. "Look at Veronica and Logan. Logan's dad was a psychopath—I bet he abused Logan. His mom abandoned him to suicide—'cause let's face it—suicide is abandonment. He didn't turn out to be a psycho."
"That's just it. Logan was kind of a villain. He treated Veronica horribly after Lilly died," Jerry interjected. "It was her love that changed him. Turned him into a hero. In college, she solved the mystery of some rapists on campus—she was a freshman. Of course, they then targeted her. Logan saved her."
"Wow!" Kono said, impressed. "Sounds like she married her white knight."
"The poor guy is probably a nervous wreck," Danny said knowingly. He partnered with a fearless adrenaline junkie. Steve was going to be the death of him.
"Not everyone is a big cry baby like you," Steve said, slapping his partner and best friend on the shoulder. Danny complained like a nagging housewife, but Steve knew that Danny would always have his back. Not once had he ever let Steve down.
"That's not all," Jerry said excitedly. "Her sophomore year, a guy with connections to a Russian mob targeted her and Logan 'cause Logan beat him up when he posted a fabricated sex video of Veronica. Eventually, this Russian guy tried to kill Veronica, who he blamed for his humiliation. Logan saw the shooter and got in front of her, taking the bullet. He almost died."
"So he's a real hero," Steve said, impressed.
"So, what are all of these guys doing on the island?" Chin asked. "Is she on the hunt for some criminal we need to know about?"
"Actually, Dick is marrying Veronica's best female friend, Cindy Mackenzie," Jerry said, throwing up her photo. "She goes by Mac and is Veronica's go-to techno wiz. Rumor has it that the NSA has already recruited her. She's moving to Maryland with her new husband after the honeymoon."
"Impressive," Steve said. "The NSA is very picky."
"They'd never take you 'cause you're the opposite of discreet and spy-like," Danny said with a snicker. "Always going in shooting first and then asking questions."
"They don't take whiners either, so you'd never make the cut," Steve replied, smirking.
"Dick was a worse jack-ass than Veronica, but his brother's death shook him up. He had no idea what was going on with his brother," Jerry said. "Mac dated Cassidy before his suicide, but she started dating Dick two years later."
"Who's Mac?" Steve asked.
"Oh, that's what Cindy goes by," Jerry said with a sheepish grin.
"Are they getting married here in Oahu?" Kono asked.
"Actually, they're getting married on the Big Island," Jerry said.
"How do you know this?" Danny asked. "Isn't any thing private anymore?"
"Not once a person posts about it online," Jerry said with a shrug. "Dick started a count-down page pretty much after the engagement."
"Well, let's hope they can stay out of trouble while they're on the island," Steve said.
"Now that wouldn't be any fun!" Jerry protested.
"Thanks for the story, Jerry," Kono said. "I'm going home to my hubbie."
"Are we on for tomorrow?" Steve asked.
"Bright and early," she said.
"For what?" Danny asked.
"Surfing, what else?" Steve asked.
"I'm not invited?" Danny asked.
"You know you're always invited," Steve said. "You just hate getting up early."
"He also hates missing out on anything," Chin said, laughing.
"I'm going to check out their Facebook pages and see what they're doing while they're here besides the wedding," Jerry said, looking down at his tablet.
"Happy stalking," Steve said, waving at him as he left, muttering to himself.
"That's what he's doing, you know—stalking," Danny said in disapproval.
"Jerry's harmless," Steve said dismissively.
"That's how it starts. A person has some harmless obsession and then it takes over their life," Danny replied.
Kono chuckled as she walked out the door—they were still bickering.
*****To Be Continued*****
It took too long to start this chapter, but once I did, I finished it in no time—like always. I hope those of you who don't watch Five-O were still able to enjoy the second half. Jerry is such a fun character, and I loved the idea of him knowing about our Neptune group. I hope you could tell that I made up the VTH group. If you know Jerry, though, it's exactly the kind of odd thing he'd be into. If you watch the show, you know Jerry is full of random knowledge about obscure things. The next few chapters will be set in Hawaii. I know the Five-O guys took over this chapter, but I thought it would be fun to get an outsiders perspective on the group that we love. Suggestions or things you hope to see on this trip? Reviews are the best and the reason this series continues!