Now for Part 2 of the story.
Kono and Adam are restarting on their journey into married life after his release and Danny and Gabby are going to move on quite a bit in their relationship, but I've left a little bit back for now.
Quite a bit of Daddy Steve, with lots of typical baby moments that anyone with kids will get. Steve is also finally going to meet Mary's new boyfriend.
The members of Five-0 finally get to close the case of the human trafficking ring.
WARNING… Mild hints about Child sexual abuse, I won't be going into any details but want people to be aware of this.
(I'd like to point out that the Chinese one child policy has been altered a year or two back and that in China a couple are allowed to have two children if they wish. But for the purpose of the story I kept to the one child rule. The policy was introduced in the late 70's to reduce the population to a more sustainable level. There were many reports that women who became pregnant a second time were forced to have abortions and many were forcibly sterilised.)
Hope you enjoy the update.
Wendy x
Noshimuro Residence.
Kono stretched languidly as she rolled over to rest her head on Adams shoulder as she slipped her arm around his waist as she snuggled up beside him. She shivered slightly as the cool air from the open window blew across their sweat coated skin. Pushing up on one elbow she was able to grab the sheet from the bottom of the bed and drag it over their rapidly cooling bodies as she settled back in Adam's arms.
"I love you." Adam whispered as he brushed a kiss across her forehead as he lazily trailed his fingers across her naked skin.
"I love you too." Kono replied with a smile as she tilted her head to look into Adam's eyes.
…
Iolani Palace – Bullpen.
"Okay who was that on the phone?" Danny asked as Steve ended the call.
"Doris. She says that Dae Won never had any direct contact with anyone by the name of Barrett, however one of Doris's handler's was called Malcolm Barrett." Steve stated, watching as Danny recognised the name.
"The NCIS agent was called Malcolm Barrett." Danny pointed out before asking the question. "You think it could be him?"
"It's too much of a coincidence not to be." Lou reasoned as he watched Steve flick through his contact list once again. "What you thinking?" Lou asked him.
"I want to know if he is NCIS?" Steve explained as he hit the call key.
"Hey, did Mick Storm mention if they contacted NCIS at the same time as HPD?" Queried Danny.
"He just said Nemo had called HPD while they were working on Lucy Cho. Ask Catherine to check with Mick she has his cell number." He said watching Danny as he headed towards Cath's office. "Danny knock." He called out.
"What, why?" Danny asked in confusion, his hand pausing on the door handle.
"She's feeding Keoni." Steve quickly explained before his partner opened the door.
Danny's eyes went wide in realisation of what Catherine was doing in the privacy of her office. "Right." He said as he rapped on the door frame and waited.
"Hey Sam, I need you to check a name through your data base." Steve asked as his call was answered.
"Hey man, good to hear from you. What do you need?" Sam Hanna asked.
"We're in the middle of a human trafficking case and a name has come up in connection with an old CIA adversary. We think we might have met the guy, he's posing as NCIS. You think you can confirm if he is one of yours or not?" Steve outlined their case for the former SEAL.
"Sure I can check that out." He agreed.
"He introduced himself as Malcolm Barrett, double R, double T." Steve told him, listening as he heard the tapping of a keyboard as Sam checked the name.
"He isn't one of ours. I can get Michelle to check with her contacts if you want, see if he's with the Agency." Sam offered.
"No that's fine, thanks for the offer though." Steve said appreciatively.
"Anytime." Sam replied, adding. "Say Hello to Catherine for me."
"Copy that." Steve responded before disconnecting the call. "Looks like Barrett is our guy." Steve announced to the team as he pocketed his cell.
"I've spoken to Mick, none of them called NCIS." Catherine informed them as she joined them at the smart table with Keoni resting on her shoulder as she rubbed at his back.
"I think it's time we had a word with our crew?" Steve said to Danny with a grin as he headed down the corridor towards the doors.
…
Iolani Palace- Interrogation room.
Steve let the door click shut behind Danny and himself as they entered the blue room where the five Chinese sailors were still sat on the cold tiled floor, still in handcuffs with hoods over their heads. Steve pulled one of the men roughly to his feet and pushed him down into the metal chair that was in the centre of the room so Danny could cuff the man to the chair legs.
Steve pulled the hood from the scared sailor watching as he blinked several times to allow his eyes to adjust to the bright artificial light. "Take the rest of them out into the hall." Steve told Danny with a grin.
"Okay boys let's go for a walk." Danny said as he indicated to the two HPD officers to help the men to their feet and move them from the room. "Be right back babe." Danny told him as he left the room.
"When are you supposed to hand the women over?" Steve asked the lone man in Chinese. He watched as the man's eyes widened at the realisation he spoke his own language. "When are you handing them over?" He asked again.
"I can't tell you." He told the American Police man defiantly, just as the other one returned to the room without his comrades.
"You will tell me." Steve insisted as began patting his pockets as if searching for something.
"You lose something?" Danny asked as he leaned against the wall to watch.
"I was sure I had a pack of matches." He told Danny with a smirk before he repeated his words in Chinese. He began emptying his pockets onto the small table in the corner, just in the vision of the prisoner.
The man's ayes widened as the brown haired police man began pulling items out of his pockets. There were several knives of varying sizes, a knuckle duster, a pair of pliers, a gas lighter, a book of matches and Chun's eyes widened even further when a grenade was pulled from one pocket and placed on the table.
"Seriously Steven, you felt it safe to place a grenade in your pants pocket?" Danny shook his head in resignation.
"The pin's still in place, it's safe." Steve replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now where were we Chung?"
….
Oahu- 40 miles of shore
The old battered Chinese junk the Sun Tzu moved in alongside the small yacht. The yacht's lines were tossed across to the Chinese crew who quickly tied of the lines, mooring the two boats together. Malcolm Barrett watched as the twenty-two women and young girls were brought up onto the deck of the junk before his two-man crew dealt with the transfer of cargo.
"Make sure you don't lose any this time." Malcolm growled out pointedly to his two men as they stepped across to the other boat. Dae Won hadn't been happy at the news that one of the women had gotten away. Thankfully her body had turned up dead on the beach so she wouldn't be able to tell Five-0 anything.
"Yes Sir." They snapped as they both grabbed hold of a couple of the women and began herding them across the decks of the two ships.
Once his cargo was safely on board and locked away in the small cramped cabin at the bow of the yacht, he ordered his men to make their way back into port. Checking his watch; he reasoned he would only have to keep them hidden for a couple of hours on board the Yacht before he could get them transported to the warehouse ready for the auction the day after tomorrow.
Malcolm grinned as he decided he might just hold one of the girls back for a little bit of fun once he'd collected the next lot of cargo from the Zheng He tomorrow evening. Tomorrow's shipment was the last one coming into Honolulu for a while; Dae Won had decided it was too risky to continue much longer. Malcolm didn't share that sentiment, but new better than to argue back with man who ultimately payed his wages since his dismissal from the Agency.
…..
Iolani Palace- Bullpen.
"Okay they are due to rendezvous with Barrett tomorrow afternoon. He has a Yacht that he brings out to collect the women of shore." Steve announced as he walked back into the bullpen with Danny following behind. "Lou see if you can find any boats or property in Barrett's name, he has to have a large property to be bringing in the number of women that was on the Zheng He. Chin contact all the marina's and ports, see if any of them have reported any suspicious activity and get a hold of any regular logged shipping routes used by the same vessels." He ordered as he came to a stop by the smart table.
"I've already checked to see if he has property or anything in his name, the man is a ghost." Lou declared with a shake of his head. "He must be paying cash or using an alias. I have TSA running facial to see if we can get a hit, that way."
"Okay." Steve sighed in frustration as he stared at the screen in front of him, which showed the photos of the twenty-eight women rescued from the Zheng He and the photo of Lucy Cho's lifeless body.
"Lucy Cho was not on the Zheng He." Catherine called out as she exited her office with her laptop and moved towards the assembled group.
"Where the hell did she come from then?" Danny exclaimed.
"There has to be a second boat. I checked the tidal patterns and prevailing winds from the time the Zheng He left port and overlaid the details we have from the time team 6 found Lucy near Bellows Beach." Catherine explained as she flicked the two charts onto the screen. "There is no way she came of that boat; given coastal currents she wouldn't have washed ashore till tomorrow."
Steve wiped a hand across his face in frustration. "Which means there is potentially another thirty women and young girls somewhere out there." Steve concluded as he braced his hands on the edge of the smart table.
"Yeah. I've contacted the coast guard and they'll keep an eye out for any suspicious activity going on in coastal waters, but we're dealing with a needle in a haystack." Catherine told him. "It's possible those women have already been handed over."
"Then we just have to get them back." Chin declared, not willing to see anyone become a victim to slavery.
"You ever sailed a junk?" Steve asked Chin with a grin as he began formulating a plan to catch Barrett in the act.
"No, but I always wanted to try." Chin stated as he realised Steve had a plan.
"Why am I already hating this?" Danny asked as he looked at his partner, sighing in resignation. "Why the hell can't we just nail his ass on dry land, huh?"
"How are we going to do that?" Steve asked him. "We have no idea where he is on the Island, he could have the Yacht moored anywhere. We don't even know the name of the Yacht." He pointed out.
"I know, but I still hate the idea." Danny said as he waved his hands around to make his point.
….
Noshimuro Residence.
Rolling over he reached across the bed for Kono only to discover she had left the bed. He stretched rubbing the sleep from his eyes before sitting up in the bed and listening to the sounds coming from somewhere in the house. He could just make out the sound of Kono's voice coming from the kitchen. Maybe she's on the phone to Chin, Adam reasoned as he pushed the covers from his body and climbed from the bed. He pulled on his robe as he opened the bedroom door and crossed the hallway to the bathroom so he could shower.
Hanging the robe on the hook behind the door he stepped into the tub and adjusted the water temperature before stepping directly under the warm spray and enjoying his second shower of the day. He was just reaching for the soap when he heard the bathroom door open, just before the shower curtain was pushed aside.
"Room for another one in here?" Kono asked as she stepped into the tub.
"Definitely." Adam agreed as he wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and pulled her towards him so he could kiss her. She slid her hands around his waist and up his back as he deepened the kiss.
"You know there's something I forgot to give you earlier." Kono murmured against his lips as she pulled away from the kiss.
"Really?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"Yeah." She said as she pulled from his embrace and slipped the plain gold wedding band off her thumb.
Adam smiled as he saw what she held in her hand. Holding his left hand out for her so she could slip the band back onto his left ring finger where it belonged. He leaned down to brush a kiss across her lips. "I love you so much, and I promise we'll never be apart again." He declared.
"I'm going to hold you to that." Kono told him with a smile. "I've ordered take out, it should be here very shortly."
"It's good to know not too much has changed." He teased as he grabbed the soap so they could finish their shower.
….
McGarrett Residence.
Catherine softly closed the door to Joan's bedroom after tucking the sleeping toddler into bed. She was just about to move across the landing when Steve came in through the front door and dropped his house keys on the coffee table as he looked up to see her stood on the gallery.
"Joanie asleep?" He asked as he glanced upstairs to the closed bedroom door of his niece.
"Yeah, she's just gone off." Catherine confirmed as she rested her hands on the railing to watch him. "I'm just about to get Keoni ready for bed." She informed with a smile.
He grinned happily as he took the stairs two at a time so he could join her. "I'll get him; you get his bath ready." He ordered as he headed into the nursery to pick his son up.
Catherine shook her head as she headed into the family bathroom to prepare their son's bath. Turning on the mixer tap as she placed the plug in the drain, she waited for the tub to fill as she grabbed the bath seat and placed it in the water.
Catherine turned towards the door as she heard Steve enter with Keoni. He'd undressed the baby down to his diaper and stripped of his own shirt as he held Keoni against his shoulder. She smiled at the sight of them; her tough macho husband was such a softy when it came to his family. Quickly pulling her cell from her pocket she snapped a picture of the two of them.
"Mommy is taking pictures of you, and she didn't wait to capture your good side." He whispered to the baby as he brushed a kiss across his cheek. Keoni tried to lift his head from his shoulder in an attempt to seek out his voice.
"Mommy was taking a picture of both her guys." She told Steve as he knelt beside her. "You planning on joining him?" She queried as she ran a hand up one muscled bicep.
"No, just making sure he doesn't pee on my shirt again." He told her with a grin as he pulled on the tape that held the diaper in place.
"Ah, a little tactical planning Commander?" Catherine teased as she watched Steve toss the used diaper into the trash can before lowering Keoni into the tub and settling him into the seat so they could bathe him.
"Absolutely, Lieutenant." He agreed leaning over to give her a quick kiss.
"Are you okay?" She asked as she saw the dark look in his eyes.
"Yeah, it's just this case. The mother and daughter I was interviewing, she'd left China because she wanted to have a second baby." He told her sadly as he swallowed before continuing. "If she stayed in China she would have been forced to have an abortion."
Catherine slipped her arm around him, resting her head on his shoulder as she finally realised what was bothering her husband. "No matter what Barrow's told me to do, I would never have aborted Keoni. He was your baby and no matter what we decided to do about our relationship; that was never going to stop me from loving your child."
He turned to look at her, a ghost of a smile on his face as he leaned over to peck her on the lips. "Thank you for making me a dad." He told her sincerely.
"You are very welcome." She told him as she returned his smile. She was just about to lean in to kiss him when something wet splashed against her arm.
Steve grabbed for the flannel, covering Keoni's genitals as the two of them chuckled. "Are you trying to tell us to pay more attention to you huh?" Steve asked the little boy as he moved his arms and legs about in the water, splashing himself as he gurgled back at his parents.
"I'm sorry little man, was we ignoring you?" Catherine cooed as she picked up a second wash cloth and began washing him. "Did you get everything set up for the operation tomorrow?" She asked Steve.
"Yeah. The Coast guard are going to tow the Zheng He back out to sea later tonight and we'll rendezvous with them late afternoon to get everything set up. I.C.E have a couple of agents staying with the vessel tonight." He told her as he lifted Keoni out of the bath and held him against his shoulder while Catherine wrapped the towel around his little body.
"I made a call to Doris just after I got home." Catherine told him nervously biting her lip to see what his reaction would be to the news.
"Did she tell you anything?" He asked as he climbed to his feet and waited for her to stand up.
"I explained the situation and she's checking in with a few of her contacts to see what she can find out. She did say she did a little digging about Barrett, it seems that the CIA tried to get rid of him a few months back. Doris said the person she spoke to told her Barrett had a thing for young girls." Catherine explained.
Steve closed his eyes as he swallowed the bile in his throat that Catherine's words had created. "Why the hell didn't the agency pick up on this before now?" He asked in disgust.
"I don't know." She told him as she placed her hand on his arm before reassuring him. "We'll get Barrett then we'll go after Dae Won."
"Why is it whenever everything starts to go well for Mary and me, my mother's past comes back to haunt us." He asked her just before Keoni reminded him of his presence once again. "I think we need to get a diaper on you, Champ." Steve told him as he glanced down at the smiling baby in his arms.
"That's my boy." Catherine chuckled as she left the bathroom for the Nursey.
"Why do you insist on doing that to me, huh?" Steve asked his son as he followed Catherine out of the family bathroom. Catherine was still grinning as he entered the nursery and placed the baby on the changing table so they could get him dried off and dressed.
"Go and get your shower." Catherine insisted as she started drying their son.
…..
McGarrett Residence
0030 hrs.
After placing Keoni back in his crib after his night time feed and diaper change, Steve headed back to the master bedroom. Catherine had already settled back down to sleep as he entered the room and crossed to the bed. He was just about to climb back in bed beside his wife when his cell pinged to announce he had a text message. Plucking the cell from the charger he checked the display to see he had a message from Danny.
(Are you awake?)
"Steve?" Cath said sleepily as she turned to see what he was doing.
"It's just Danny. You go back to sleep." He told her as he dropped a quick kiss on her lips before leaving the bedroom to see what his partner wanted at this time of night. Moving downstairs he dropped down into the recliner and texted back.
(Yeah! What's wrong partner?)
It didn't take long for his cell phone to ring. "Hey buddy, what's wrong?" He asked as he answered the call.
"Nothing, I just needed to talk to someone and I just figured you might be still be awake with Keoni." Danny said.
"Yeah, I've just put him back to bed for Cath." Steve told him, still a little puzzled over the call.
"That's good. I phoned Gabby, we had a long talk about some stuff." Danny explained.
Steve's suddenly sat up straighter in the recliner, more alert after his friends last words. "Okay." He urged.
"I guess I must have taken a leaf out of your handbook. I've just told my girlfriend I love her over the phone." Danny told him with a mixture of humour and sarcasm tinging his voice.
"What did Gabby say?" Steve asked as he mentally crossed his fingers for his best friend.
"She said she never stopped loving me, and was waiting for me to make the first move." Danny got out on a rush. "I should have told her sooner."
Steve let out the breath that he was holding, he was really happy for his friend. He knew he was wearing what Danny would call his shit eating grin, but dammit this was fantastic news. "That's awesome, buddy."
"Yeah." Danny said laughing down the phone. "I need a favour?" He asked.
"Whatever you need, although I'm not giving you your liver back. You know that right?" Steve teased good humouredly.
"You can keep it." Danny insisted before telling Steve what he needed. "Do you still have the number for that Jeweller you got Catherine's ring from?"
Steve grinned at the implications of his friend's words. "Yes I do. I'm your best man right?"
"Who else am I going to ask you great lug?" Danny groused down the phone at him.
"Alright we'll talk strategies in the morning. We need to secure the ring and then scout out the perfect location and then you can execute the plan." Steve concluded already in planning mode for Danny's operation.
"I'm asking my girlfriend to marry me, not join my unit you Neanderthal animal." He complained down the line.
"Trust me buddy, we'll come up with a great location for you to ask her." Steve said as he ignored his partners insult.
"Says the man who proposed in a storage locker." Danny quipped.
"Hey, I had to improvise and execute before the allotted mission could take place." Steve pointed out.
Danny chuckled. "I'll see you in the morning, babe."
"Night Danno." Steve said as he disconnected the call and pushed himself out of the recliner, moving towards the stairs just as the front door opened. "You missed curfew." Steve teased as Mary walked in with her boyfriend.
"You going to ground me?" Mary retorted as she dropped her purse on the couch by the door. "I can't believe you waited up for me." She placed her hands on her hips to glare at him.
"Just got off the phone with Danny." Steve told her as he held up his cell.
"I guess I better introduce you." She pointed out with a roll of her eyes. "Max meet my annoying big brother; Steve this is my Max."
It was at that point that Mary's boyfriend stepped into full view and upon seeing his new girlfriend's brother instantly snapped to attention. "Sir." He snapped.
"At ease Ensign." Steve told the other man with a twinkle in his eye as he looked at Mary who had her mouth open in disbelief.
"Actually it's Lieutenant now, Sir." Max told the senior officer.
"Congratulations on the promotion." Steve told the young SEAL sincerely.
"Thank you, Sir." Max replied.
"You know each other?" Mary moaned as she looked back and forth between Steve and Max.
"Yep." Steve said as he crossed his arms against his chest and grinned at Mary. "Nemo is a member of SEAL team 6."
"We met a few months back, Mary." Max told her apologetically.
"And on that note, I'm off to bed. Don't worry about getting up for Joanie in the morning, Catherine and I will sort her out." Steve told her as he headed back up the stairs and disappeared into his bedroom.
Mary turned to look at her boyfriend, finally realising why he hadn't told her anything about his Navy career. Trust her to pick a SEAL her brother knew. "You want a coffee?" She asked already heading into the kitchen to switch the kettle on.
…
McGarrett's Residence
Saturday Morning.
Mary made her way downstairs just after ten to join the family gathering that was going on in her brother's backyard. Making her way across the living room and out through the Lanai doors she headed towards the table that still housed a variety of breakfast items. Catherine and Steve were sat at the table with Danny, Chin and the Grover's as they talked and laughed amongst themselves. A quick glance to the water showed Kono and Adam surfing just off shore with Grace and the two Grover teenagers.
"Bought time you decided to join us." Steve commented as he spotted Mary.
"Mommy, I swim ith Unca Steve." Joanie told her as she launched herself out of a chair and into her mother's arms.
"So I see." Mary said as she ruffled her daughters damp hair, before putting her down on the floor so she could run off to play with Charlie and Sarah in the small paddling pool that Steve had set up on the grass.
"So what time did Max leave?" Steve teased with a grin.
"Just after one." She told him. "I can't believe you waited up for me." Mary grumbled as she dropped down into an empty seat at the table and grabbed for the coffee pot in the centre.
"I didn't, I honestly was talking to Danny." He explained once again looking towards his partner to back him up.
"He was." Danny agreed.
"At least I don't have to do a background check on him now." Steve told her happily, chuckling as she childishly stuck her tongue out at him instead of replying.
"Danny has something he wants to share with the group." He told the assembled adults with a grin as Danny glared back at him, the adults turning to look at Danny expectantly waiting for him to speak.
"No I don't." Danny denied quickly, not wanting to share his conversation from last night with anyone else just yet. "I told you in confidence." He added with a whine.
"Just think of it as returning the favour." Steve told him with a smirk before spilling the beans. "Danny is planning on asking Gabby to marry him."
"I hate you, you know?" He grumbled.
"That's great news." Chin said happily.
"It most certainly is." Lou agreed.
"Aw that's great Danny." Catherine said sincerely as she leaned over her chair to give him a hug.
"I haven't asked; she might say no." He pointed out to them.
"She'll say yes." Catherine assured him.
"Has she said something to you?" Danny asked, thinking Gabby may have shared her hopes with Catherine.
"No she hasn't, but I do know that she loves you." Catherine pointed out to him. "Just ask her." Catherine urged.
"What's with the hugs?" Kono said as she moved back up the Lanai after her surf with Adam.
"Danny is going to pop the question." Catherine shared.
"That's awesome brah." Kono told him with a smile as she leaned down to hug him. She pulled away to turn to Cath. "Hey sistah, we got some dress shopping to do."
Cath laughed, grinning back at Kono. "I know just the place." Cath agreed.
"I haven't asked her yet." Danny reminded them both with a shake of his head.
"She'll say Yes." Kono said backing up Catherine's previous comment on the subject.
"Hey Adam, you ready for our surf?" Steve asked as he pushed to his feet and headed towards the side of the house to grab his board.
"Thought you might have forgotten." He replied as he waited for him to retrieve his board so the two of them could head towards the water.
"Nope, just thought I'd let Kono give you one of her lessons first; you know get you back up to speed." He said as the two of them headed back down the beach leaving the others chatting at the table.
"You know I always wondered where you learned to surf?" Danny asked Catherine as she picked Keoni up out of his strollers where he had been sleeping just moments before.
"Steve taught me back when we were both stationed in Coronado." Catherine shared as she settled Keoni in her arms to give him the small bottle of water that she'd pulled from under the stroller. "We used to head down to the beach a lot with Freddie and Kelly."
"The old double date scenario." Lou commented. "We did that a fair bit with Clay and Diane."
"It wasn't a date." Catherine denied.
"Those two refused to even acknowledge they had a relationship." Danny commented wryly using air quotes. "They just had a thing."
"Steve and I have been friends for a long time, Danny." Catherine insisted. "We worked together in Intelligence and I happened to mention to Steve I wanted to learn how to surf, he offered to teach me." Catherine explained mainly for Renee's benefit.
"Willing to bet his hands did a little wandering." Kono teased with a grin.
"He was the perfect gentleman." Catherine replied tongue in cheek.
"Yeah right!" Mary snorted.
"Danno, Uncle Steve said to get your behind in the water." Grace told her dad with a grin as she came running back up to the Lanai from the water.
"I'm okay where I am." Danny insisted firmly.
"Come on Danno, please." Grace begged as she grabbed hold of her dad's hand to pull him up.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming." Danny agreed as he grabbed his board from where he'd propped it against the back of the house when he'd arrived earlier with his two children.
"You know if the rest of you want to join them, Lou and I are happy to keep an eye on the little ones." Renee told the group of adults.
"Are you sure?" Catherine asked as she settled Keoni back in the stroller and adjusted the sunshade.
"Go and have a little fun." Renee urged.
"Mahalo." Chin and Kono said simultaneously as Chin grabbed his board so they could join the three men already in the water.
"Thanks Renee. He's not due for a feed till noon, but if he wants it theirs a bottle of water under the stroller." Catherine told her as she rose to her feet before heading around the side of the house to collect her board.
"Don't you worry; we'll be just fine." Lou reassured as he watched Catherine and Mary head towards the water.
…..
Iolani Palace
1500 hrs
After a fun filled morning and lunch at the McGarrett's family home the team had left to head to the Palace while they went over the last of the details for the sting they had planned to catch Barrett in the act. Renee, Mary, Kono and Adam had stayed on at the house to enjoy the rest of the family day.
"Adam looked as if he enjoyed himself." Danny commented to Chin as they waited for Steve and Catherine to arrive.
"Yes he did. It was an excellent idea of Steve's for us all to spend the day at the beach house." Chin agreed.
"Felt good to kick back and relax." Lou said as he leaned against the smart table with his arms across his chest.
"You know I haven't had chance to ask how it's going with adopting Sarah." Danny mentioned as he braced his hands on the table.
"Extremely slowly. Her mother's family have indicated they would like to raise her, because I am not a blood relation." Chin informed Danny with a hollow smile.
"You're her uncle." Danny exclaimed angrily on behalf of for his friend.
"Only by marriage." Chin pointed out.
"That's absurd, you'll make a great dad." Danny told him.
Chin smiled at the compliment from his friend. "Mahalo, I appreciate the vote of confidence." He said as Steve and Catherine entered the office and made their way towards the smart table.
"Danny's right Chin, you will be great at being a parent." Steve agreed as he set the car seat down on the floor beside the smart table so he could take the large backpack of his back.
"I'm extremely grateful for everyone's support." Chin informed them all with a smile.
"That's what families are for." Lou pointed out as he grinned in amusement at Steve who was pulling out what Lou and the rest of the team had dubbed the McGarrett baby tactical gear.
"You know I distinctly heard you say I was right." Danny quipped with a grin in his partner's direction as he rocked on the balls of his feet, his hands shoved in his pockets.
"Don't get too used to it." Steve pointed out with a returning grin of his own as he looked up from the floor where he was pulling out the spare baby monitor and cot mobile from the backpack while Catherine was busy unstrapping Keoni from his car seat.
"You still said I was right." Danny argued as he watched his partner assembling the mobile.
"Has to be a first time for everything." Steve quipped as he headed into his office with the mobile and one of the monitors.
"Quit while your ahead, Danny." Catherine suggested as she patted his arm before moving past him to follow Steve into his office. Emerging a few minutes later, Steve began going through the tactical plans of the operation.
"The coast guard are transporting us to the ship via helo and then we'll zodiac to the Zheng He. We all keep out of sight till Barrett has moored, he only has a couple of goons with him. We need to take them alive if we have any chance of getting the last lot of women back." Steve outlined.
"I've got us satellite access, so I'll be monitoring the area of Operation for any last minute changes." Catherine assured them.
"Jerry is coming in to help you also." Steve reminded her.
"Copy that." She said. Jerry's presence would ensure that the team were constantly updated on any changes if Catherine had to switch her attention with Keoni who both Steve and herself knew would be due for a feed and change about the time the team arrived were due to rendezvous with the Zheng He.
….
40 miles of shore.
After successfully transferring from the coast guard vessel via zodiac, the team had settled themselves in for the long wait. The team had spent the time thinking up locations for Danny to propose to Gabby. They had started out as scenic and romantic places, but had quickly turned in to a round of places not to propose.
"Heads up guys, we have a small yacht approaching." Catherine told them as she watched the vessel moving in closer to the junk.
"Copy that." Steve replied as he carefully moved so he could watch Chin and the two I.C.E agents securing the boats lines between the two ships. He swore softly when he realised that Barrett was not going to board the junk. Making a quick split second decision, Steve ducked back into the shadows and pulled of his boots, vest and shirt. Leaving the small pile of clothes and his weapon he slipped over the side of the boat swimming beneath the hull of the junk and the yacht so he could climb the small ladder at the stern of the ship.
Pulling himself quietly onto the deck of the boat, he pulled his knife from the sheath at his ankle. Thankfully Barrett's attention was directed towards the Zheng He as Steve made his way stealthily towards the port side of the yacht where Barrett was stood shouting orders at his two men and what he assumed was the Zheng He's crew.
He saw Danny and Lou moving into position, as a split second later he saw Barrett pull a gun and aim at Danny. Launching himself into action he wrestled Barrett to the ground, grabbing at his right hand in an attempt to disarm him. His own weapon was dislodged from his hand, skittering across the deck out of his reach. Barrett was stronger than Steve would have thought given the man was almost his mother's age.
Slamming Barrett's hand onto the deck of the ship he was able to dislodge the gun from his hand just as Barrett brought his knee up to push into his stomach in an attempt to dislodge him. He grunted as the joint made contact with the transplant scar, his muscles still not fully healed. It was enough of a distraction for Steve that Barrett was able throw him of his body so he could get to his feet, but Steve was quick to stop the man from going for the gun by getting his legs around the man's torso and flicking him of his feet and back onto the deck.
He heard Barrett's cry of pain as he landed heavily on his left side. Steve pushed him face down into the deck as he grabbed his arm pinning it up his back as he sat on him preventing him from moving. A noise behind him had him reaching for the gun nearby.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Danny asked rather loudly.
"Stopping you from getting shot." Steve retorted as he accepted the cable tie that Danny handed him.
"I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU STRIPPING OF AND GOING FOR A SWIM UNARMED; YOU CRAZY IDIOT. HE COULD HAVE KILLED YOU." Danny shouted as he helped Steve pull Barrett to his feet.
"You know what Danny, You're very welcome for me saving your life." Steve replied testily. "Cath get hold of the coastguard and ask them to come pick us up." He told her in a pleasant tone.
"They're already en-route." Catherine informed him. "Is everybody alright?" She asked in concern.
"We're all fine." He assured her as he glanced around to make sure the team were all okay. He could see Lou flexing his fist as he held on to one of the men who had a rather bloody nose. He heard her sigh of relief through the com-link. "Let the coastguard know I'll need a secure room to interrogate the prisoners." Steve told her, grinning at the three men sat on the deck in front of him.
"Copy that, I'll put in the request." She told him.
…
McGarrett's residence.
It was almost midnight when Steve let himself into the house and reset the alarm before making his way towards the kitchen. He needed a stiff drink to distil the images that were etched in his brain after what they had witnessed at the warehouse Barrett had been using to imprison the women and young girls. He pulled the cupboard door open with the intention of pulling out the bottle of whiskey that had been pushed to the back months ago only to discover a hand written note in his wife's handwriting. 'In the fridge x.' She had written on the little post stick note that she had pinned to a bottle of Ketchup.
Opening the fridge door revealed something that was definitely safer than the open bottle of whiskey. He knew in the frame of mind he was in that one drink would not have been enough to numb his mind. Catherine knew him so well. Grabbing the baby bottle that she had left for him, he popped it in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill of it. A quick check on the back of his wrist assured him it would be okay for Keoni as he made his way up the stairs into the nursery. He switched of the monitor so Catherine wouldn't be disturbed and just watched his son for a few minutes as he slept.
It wasn't long before he woke and Steve carefully lifted him from the crib and settled himself into the rocker so he could feed Keoni the bottle. "Sorry champ it's a bottle tonight." Steve told him as he fussed a little, clearly wanting his mom to nurse him. Once he realised he was only going to get a bottle he settled down to take the feed giving his father time to replay the last few hours in his head.
"Steve, we've found the women." Came Chin's voice, thick with emotion.
"What's their condition?" Steve asked as he continued to search the warehouse with Danny.
"Very frightened and several of them have torn and bloody clothing. He's shackled them to the wall with just enough chain for them to reach a number of pails in the centre of the room for their sanitation needs. I've sent for bolt cutters to get them out of the shackles so EMT's can start to treat them. Are we sending them to Tripler?" He asked, assuming Steve would want them contained securely.
"Yeah, notify them." Steve said as he slowly pushed open one of the office doors as Danny and himself did a room by room search.
"Okay, do you need a hand searching the offices?" Lou offered.
"Yeah, there's quite a few up here. Most of them look as if they've been used for accommodation…" Steve broke of as he pushed the door more fully open as he heard the sob from within. "O god." He whispered brokenly as he saw the small body curled up in the centre of the single metal framed cot that was pushed to the side of the room.
"What?" Lou asked worriedly, wondering what had caused the shocked voice of their leader.
"Get the EMT's up here now." He ordered as he crossed the room and pulled of his tac vest and the shirt he was wearing underneath it so he could wrap it around the shoulders of the naked and sobbing child. "Your safe, I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered to the child in Chinese as she flinched away from his touch.
He could see a thick rope binding one of her wrists to the metal frame of the cot. Pulling his knife from the sheath at his ankle he cut the rope from her wrist careful not to cause any more damage than had already been caused to her. He sensed Danny step into the room behind him and made an attempt to shield her body from the other man's eyes to give her a little more dignity.
"Use this." Danny said as he tossed Steve his own shirt to place across the girl's lower body.
"Thanks." Steve told him grateful when Danny stayed back as he continued to whisper words of comfort in Chinese to the girl who couldn't have been any more than twelve years of age.
"The rest of the rooms are clear." Lou informed him as he came to a stop just outside the door to the room, Danny barring the way for anyone to enter.
The EMT's arrived shortly after barrelling into the room to treat the frightened and traumatised girl. She gripped at Steve refusing to let go when they wanted to take her downstairs to the waiting ambulance. In the end Steve had carried her down the stairs himself, a blanket wrapped around her body as she had buried her face into the crook of his neck.
As they had reached one of the ambulances, one of the Chinese women had broken away from the group and ran towards him shouting the girls name. Steve's heart broke even more as he heard the girls name, Zhen. Valuable, genuine and innocent. The poor girl had lost her innocence at the hands of a monster.
The tears slid down his face as he brought Keoni up to rest against his shoulder as he rubbed at his back soothingly. It wasn't long before sleep found the two of them.
…..
Edwards Residence.
Danny rang the doorbell and waited for it to be answered. Rachel pulled the door open when she spotted him on the doorstep still in his tac vest looking completely lost.
"Daniel its midnight, what's wrong?" She asked in concern, sensing something was wrong.
"I need to see Grace, please." He begged as the tears began to flow.
"Now? What's going on?" She asked worriedly thinking something may have happened to Steve or one of the others.
"We just found a twelve-year-old girl who had been raped, I need to see Grace. I need to see she's okay." Danny pleaded.
"She's asleep, but we can wake her." Rachel reassured him as she ushered him inside, past Stan and up the stairs to their daughter's room.
…
Grover's Residence
Lou pushed open the door to Samantha's room and crossed to the bed of his sleeping daughter. He dropped down onto the floor, resting his head on the bed as he cried himself to sleep. This was how Renee found him the next morning as she walked into her daughter's room to get her up for breakfast.
Her husband was curled up on the floor beside their daughters bed still wearing his tactical gear and streaks of black cammo paint still on his face. Waking up Samantha and indicating for her to be quiet and get up, Renee pulled the comforter of the bed and carefully placed a pillow beneath his head as she left him to sleep. He'd talk to her when he woke up, she knew it must have involved children for him to sleep in their daughters room like that.
….
Kelly Residence
Chin pushed open the door to Sarah's room, quietly crossing the room to pull the wicker chair towards the bed so he could sit and watch Sarah. He reached out a hand to gently brush her hair from her face as he pulled his phone from his pocket and selected Kono's number.
"Hey Cuz." She answered sleepily as she answered.
"I'm sorry to wake you, I needed to talk to someone." He told her brokenly.
"Where are you." Kono asked suddenly sounding a little more alert.
"I'm at home. I'm sat watching Sarah sleep." He told her as the tears ran down his face.
"I'm on my way." She told him, a rustle of clothing telling him she was already pulling on clothing.
"Mahalo." He said as he disconnected the call.
…..
McGarrett's Residence.
Catherine stretched as she woke up, glancing across at the clock on her bedside table and throwing the covers back so she could get out of bed to nurse Keoni. Steve's side of the bed hadn't been slept in making her wonder where he had spent the night. Crossing the landing and pushing open the nursery door gave her all the answer she needed, he was fast asleep in the rocking chair with a sleeping Keoni cradled against his chest.
She could see streaks of blood on his t-shirt that he had dropped on the floor beside the rocker. A cursory glance at his body telling her none of it was his. She could see the dirty streaks on his face that told of tears as she knelt by the rocker, placing her hand on his arm so as not to spook him. "Steve." She said softly.
He blinked a few times, his eyes opening to look into her concerned face beside him. "I must have fell asleep after I fed him." He told her with a sleepy voice.
"Come on, let's go and shower." She told him as she lifted Keoni from his chest and placed him back in the crib till he was ready for waking up. Turning the monitor back on before she led him back to their room and encouraging him to strip of and get in the shower.
She had listened to all the chatter coming through the com-link as they had discovered the little girl and she knew he would be in a bad place when he came home, that was why she had expressed a feed for Keoni. She knew that contact with his son would help to centre him. He let her wash his back as she soothingly worked on his muscles. Slowly he began to open up telling her about the little girl and what she had been forced to endure from Barrett.
Steve had told Catherine how stubborn Barrett had been about giving them the information about the warehouse. He smiled as he recalled how good it had felt when he had punched the bastard in the face and broken his nose. He would also have to have his arm reset as he'd broken that when Steve had wrestled him to the ground. At least with the evidence and the testimony of the women they would be able to keep him in Halawa for a very long time. Steve had shared how Danny had suggested it might be worth having a little word with a few of the inmates who were always happy to assist Five-0.
"What about Dae Won? Did he tell you anything?" Catherine asked.
"No. I guess we just have to go back to looking over our shoulder again. I understand now more than ever why dad sent Mary and me away when we were kids." Steve confided.
"I'm not going anywhere; we are going to get through this together as a family." Catherine told him firmly, waiting until he nodded his head in agreement.
Steve sighed as he drew some consolation from the fact they had put a stop to the human trafficking ring even if they hadn't managed to get Dae Won. Steve had defeated Wo Fat, even though it had taken some time. If Dae Won did go after Steve and his family then he would eventually end up like his son, for now all they could do was wait and keep vigilant.
….