Pehea wau i ʻike ai i kou makuahine
Based on the characters and stories of Hawaii Five-0.
Hawaii Five-0 is owned by CBS and their respective creators.
"Hey, Commander." Catherine smiled into the phone.
Steve relaxed into the couch of his and Freddie's apartment in Coronado. "Hey yourself, Lieutenant. How ya doing?"
Catherine leaned back in the chair in the phone room and propped her feet up on the desk. "Better now. I'm talking to you, aren't I."
"Better now makes it seem like you weren't, uh, weren't doing so great. What's going on?" He chuckled quietly, "Where are you guys?"
"In the middle of the ocean." She smirked as she held the polaroid in her hands and stared at his face.
"Alright, smartass." He rolled his eyes. "I figured that much."
"Stupid questions get stupid answers." Catherine giggled, "We're docked in Japan."
Steve grinned, "Alright, I deserved that. You about to go on shore?"
"No." She yawned, "I'd rather talk to you."
"You know. Your mom's gonna kill me for taking up all your phone time." He closed his eyes as he thought about all the time they had spent together on the Enterprise. He loved being in the SEALs and frankly didn't miss living on an aircraft carrier, but he missed her. He missed her like hell.
"She'll get over it." Catherine groaned as she stretched. "How's rehab?"
"Sucks." He complained. "I've never been this sore in my life and that's including when I was in BUD/s."
She sighed, "I'm sorry... Wish I could be there."
"Me too…. I miss you, you know." He replied sadly.
"I miss you too. We, um… we got spoiled in New York." She laughed quietly. "It was great."
He smirked, "I know. Forty-eight hours of having you all to myself in a really comfy bed."
"We kind of went from zero to a hundred." She laughed.
"I dunno about that. I mean, we, uh, we've been chasing each other for a long time…" Steve rubbed the back of his neck, "Wasn't exactly out of the blue."
Catherine closed her eyes as the memories of the gala flashed through her mind. "Did you tell Freddie?"
"Did you tell Amy?" He countered.
"Okay, fair. Fair." Catherine smiled. "Yeah. She kind of saw it coming a mile away." A lighthearted giggle escaped her mouth. "She and Matt were pretty happy about it. So basically the whole Navy knows we hooked up." She laughed. "You know damn well Freddie can't keep a secret."
The way she said 'hooked up' stabbed him like a knife to the gut. "It wasn't a hook-up, Cath…"
"Steve-"
He gritted his teeth. "Not for me."
"I didn't mean it like that." She quickly stated.
"That's what you said." His tone was laced with snark, but she could feel the hurt through the phone.
"It wasn't a hook-up. I mean. Yeah, we had sex, but we agreed that this… us… we're a…" She hesitated.
"We've got a good thing."
"Yeah." She chewed on her lip. "A good thing."
"Cath…" He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Suddenly he regretted snapping at her over semantics. Maybe trying to define things had been a wretchedly terrible idea.
"We're, um, we're docking at Pearl in a month." She interjected, changing the subject. "Do you still wanna… meet up?"
"Yeah - yeah. Yes." He stumbled over his words. "Let me know when you'll be there and I'll, uh, I'll book a flight."
Catherine glanced at the clock and sighed. "My time's just about up, Sailor."
"I got your six, Cath. See you soon?"
"See you soon."
"Come on in, Steve. Get outta the rain, take your shoes off." John McGarrett mumbled as he opened the door for his son. "You know, I was kinda surprised when you called and said you were comin' home."
Steve nodded awkwardly, "Me too, Dad." He looked around the beachhouse that had once been his childhood home. He couldn't actually remember the last time he had slept there. It didn't feel like home. In fact, it hadn't felt like home ever since he had been shipped off to the mainland like some sort of package. The furniture, the decorations - it was all the same. It had been eleven years since his dad sent him away, and it made it slightly unnerving to feel like he was stepping back in time: as if at any moment, his mother would turn the corner and greet him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek as Mary skipped through the house. But those days were long gone. His mother was gone. His sister was nearby in California, but they didn't talk, and he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen his father since he had enlisted.
John McGarrett shuffled his feet and motioned for Steve to come further into the house. "Joe told me about what happened in Afghanistan…" He paused for a moment. "I'm glad you're okay, son. You're healed up? Everything's good?"
Steve shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced around nervously, "Yeah, look, Dad, I uh.. I'm supposed to be picking up a, uh... buddy of mine - at Pearl in about an hour." Steve immediately interrupted, changing the subject.
His father pursed his lips and nodded in disappointment as he pointed into the kitchen, "Keys are on the table. Car's in the garage."
Steve nodded and took long strides to the kitchen so that he could get out of the time warp as soon as possible. He grabbed the keyring off of the kitchen table and headed for the garage.
"Steve?" His dad called out, "Maybe bring her back here?" John asked. "I'd like to meet her if it's okay."
Steve paused with his hand on the garage door. "How'd you…"
John shrugged as he sauntered into the kitchen. "Like I said. I talked to Joe."
"Hey, Sailor." Catherine smiled as she stepped off the gangway.
Steve shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted nervously, "Hi." He smiled. Sailors and officers flooded around them as they disembarked from the Enterprise. Neither one wanted to make a scene by running into each other's arms in front of their colleagues. "You, uh, you wanna get outta here?" He put his hand on her shoulder and led her to the Black Mercury Marquis.
Catherine looked over at him as they cruised down the highway. "Hey." She quietly broke the silence, "You okay?"
"What?" Steve glanced over at her. "Huh? Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." He mumbled. "Is it, um.. Is it cool with you if we swing by my dad's place before we grab dinner?"
"Of course." She smiled. Catherine reached over and placed her hand on his arm. "You sure you're alright?"
Steve didn't really know how to answer her. Part of him was ecstatic to see her again, but the other part - the part that had just seen the ghost of childhoods past was unravelling at the seams. "I'm good." He glanced over at her, "I, uh, I just need some help...reconnecting… with him."
"Don't worry." She smiled reassuringly, "I got your six."
"Five minutes, then we're gone." Steve reiterated as he and Catherine approached the front door.
Things had changed between the two of them since Steve's near death experience in Afghanistan. For starters, he called her from the Army hospital in Germany and actually asked her out on a proper date to the Army-Navy gala. That night changed everything for them. They had finally crossed the milestone that all of their friends assumed had been crossed long ago. Catherine had returned to the Enterprise and since she was often unreachable, while he was stateside doing rehab Steve made a point to keep in touch with her C.O. to make sure everything was okay, and would relay that information back to her parents. Ever since Steve had spent Christmas with the Rollins family, Tom and Evelyn had taken an instant liking and treated him like their own. Frankly, they had been more warm and welcoming than his own father.
The one thing he had been avoiding like the plague was telling his father about her. But that damn promise he made to Commander White in the middle of the Afghan desert about spending time with his dad and asking Catherine out kept haunting him, so when Catherine told him that the Enterprise was docking at Pearl, he bought a plane ticket and took the plunge to finally attempt to make amends with his dad.
Steve gave her a peck on the lips, "I'm sorry for whatever's about to happen in here." He quietly apologized as he pushed the door open and entered his dad's house. "Dad!" Steve called out through the house, "We're back." Catherine's eyes looked around the old beach house. A faint smile crossed her lips as she spotted a picture of Steve as a young boy.
"Dinner's just about ready." John mentioned as he pointed to the back patio where the smell of something sizzling on the grill was wafting through the air.
Steve's brow furrowed, "Dinner? Dad, I told you-" His sentence was interrupted by Catherine poking a pressure point on his back. "Thanks, we'll wash up." He self-corrected. John smiled and nodded before turning to attend to the food he was preparing. "What was that about?!" Steve snapped in hushed tones as he turned back to Catherine.
She didn't flinch, "You said you needed help reconnecting with him."
"Yeah, so?" Steve hissed as he waved his hand.
Catherine rolled her eyes, "So, having dinner with your father when you're home from a deployment is what some would refer to as 'reconnecting'."
Steve frowned, but couldn't stay mad for long. After all, he was home safe and not being shot at by the Taliban. Better yet, he was with Catherine. "You're not gonna let me get out of this, are you?"
She shook her head and grinned, "Not a chance."
"So, Steve's tells me that you're a cop?" Catherine smiled. She and John stood side by side at the sink. Catherine methodically washed each plate and utensil with care as John dryed them and put them away.
He gave her a grin and nodded, "That's right. Joined the HPD after I got out of the military."
"I heard you served with Commander White while you were in Vietnam." Catherine stated as she passed him a plate.
Steve's father chuckled, "We served together when he was just "Joey." Now all you kids have to call him 'Commander White' because somehow or another, that son of a gun made a career out of it."
Catherine laughed as she drained the water from the sink, "He's a good man. I know Steve's glad to have him as his C.O."
John nodded as he motioned for her to follow him outside. "He's been good to us over the years. Made me feel a little better knowing Steve had someone looking out for him when he was in school on the mainland. You know, Miss Rollins-"
"Catherine." She smiled "Please, call me Catherine."
John chuckled, "Yes, ma'am. Catherine." He corrected himself as they sat down into freshly painted adirondack chairs that overlooked the bay, "Steve and I haven't been on the best of terms since his mother passed years ago." He sighed, "He has a tendency to hold people at arm's length, because beneath the facade of being a Navy SEAL, he's still hurting from losing his mom and having to leave his home and his friends. That kind of hurt, especially as a kid, just doesn't go away, you know?" He stared down at the sand before looking back at her, "I know he feels like he can't trust me, but I'm glad to see that he has someone like you to help him heal. He needs that, you know? Someone he can count on."
Catherine nodded solemnly. She hadn't expected Steve's father to be so insightful or forthcoming.
"I know I've lost my place in his life, and it kills me, so he'd probably have my head for telling you this." John joked dryly, "But I like you. You remind me of my wife, Doris. I know she would've really liked you too." He grinned, "You're the first young lady that Steve's let me meet. And I see the way he looks at you. He, uh.. he thinks he's got this thousand-yard stare of death, unreadable look about him all the time, but when he's around you, there's somethin' different there." John McGarrett burst out into a full-bellied chuckle, "He's head over heels for you. That boy's so love-sick he doesn't know what to do about it."
She laughed nervously, "Steve and I… we've been friends for a long time now." Catherine looked over at John McGarrett and smiled kindly, "You raised a good man."
Catherine laid in the twin-sized bed, staring up at the ceiling fan, counting the rotations. Steve had excused himself immediately after dinner, claiming he had to run an errand, leaving her to spend time with his father: alone. It wasn't exactly what she had in mind when Steve said that he was going to bring her by his house to meet his dad, but she had quickly adapted after seeing that fight-or-flight look in his eyes across the dinner table.
When he had come back from his supposed errand, he had mumbled a few words about getting a shower and then going to bed. Catherine had decided that that was as good of a time as any to excuse herself for the night and go get a hotel room in the city, but John McGarrett had insisted that she stay in Steve's sister's room instead of paying out the nose for one night in a run-down motel.
So there she was, laying in a twin-sized bed in a small room in her somewhat-boyfriend's dad's house. She wanted to be angry at Steve for bailing on her, but somehow, she just couldn't muster up the rage. He was trying to make an effort with his dad, but he was hurting. Something about him being back in that house triggered the memory of his traumatic childhood.
"Cath?" Steve's voice whispered against the bedroom door as his feet creaked against the old, wooden floor. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah." Catherine whispered as she glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 11:58 PM. The hinges of the door squeaked as Steve slipped in the tiny bedroom. Catherine sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes, "What are you doing? Is everything okay?" She whispered. Catherine watched as his shadow moved across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "Steve, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry, Cath…" Steve sighed, "I - I shouldn't've ditched you like that." He ran his palms over his face in frustration.
"Hey." Her voice was soothing as she moved to sit behind him, her arms wrapping around his body. "It's okay. I know today… being here… it was a lot for you." She forced a smile, "But I had a really good time getting to know your dad - He's… sweet."
"You know, I've only been here once or twice since Mom died?" He mumbled. Catherine rested her forehead on his shoulder before pressing a kiss on the back of his neck. "Being here again…. It's like it triggered fucking PTSD or somethin'... Like, at any moment I'm gonna walk into the kitchen and she's gonna be in there makin' dinner and grading papers just like she used to every night." The corner of his mouth quivered, "I've been in the shittiest places on earth… I've been shot at, nearly died more times than I can count, and fuck, I can't even fucking come into the house and have one fucking dinner with my dad?!" Steve's voice cracked as he sobbed. Catherine moved to sit beside him. He felt her slide his hands into hers and that was all it took. "God, Cath..." He cried in a whisper. "God, I just miss her so much."
"Stay in here tonight." She whispered as she pressed a gentle kiss on the top of his shoulder. Catherine pulled on his arm and laid him down on the twin bed. She pulled the covers over them and tucked her head into the crook of his neck. Not a minute later, Steve rolled over and buried his face under her chin. She gently stroked the hairs at the back of his neck and wrapped her arms around him. It wasn't their typical dynamic, but to hell with the playbook.
"Mornin'." John mumbled as he settled into the beach chair beside Steve.
Steve was startled as his dad sat beside him. "Uh, morning."
"Did you and Catherine sleep okay?"
"What?!" Steve's head darted over to look at his father.
John chuckled. "I know you're not a kid anymore, Steve." He sipped from his coffee and watched the ebb and flow of the tide. "She's a keeper. How, uh, how long you two been together?"
The tiniest smile flickered on the corner of Steve's mouth. "It's recent… but, uh, Cath and I... we've been friends for a bunch'a years now."
He nodded and was internally grateful for the information that Steve had voluntarily offered up. "You gonna marry her?"
Steve looked over at his dad as his jaw hit his chest. A genuine grin spread across his face as he laughed and shrugged. "I dunno. Who knows? Maybe? Someday."
John grinned as the ice between them began to thaw. "You should. She's way too good for you."
He stared at his father for a minute before looking back at the water. "I'll, uh, I'll remember that." He chuckled quietly. His head snapped over his shoulder as he heard footsteps in the grass behind him. "Hey, you." He smiled softly.
Catherine waited a few feet away and awkwardly toyed with her fingers. "I'm, um, I'm sorry to interrupt… Steve, I've gotta be back on the Enterprise soon…"
"Go." John stated as he tossed the keys to Steve. He stood up and shook Catherine's hand. "I'm really glad I got to meet you, sweetheart." He said honestly.
"Thank you for dinner, Mr. McGarrett. And for letting me stay here." Catherine smiled.
John patted her hand. "I hope you come back."
Steve put his hand on Catherine's lower back, "Dad - I'll, uh, I'll be back in a bit. Okay?" He turned and walked with Catherine out to the car.
Steve parked the car a few blocks away from the entrance to the base and leaned back in the seat. "Cath, I'm sorry - I know this wasn't exactly how I… how I had planned for all this to go…"
She reached over and placed her hand on his leg, "I'm glad you asked me to come." A kind smile flickered across her lips, "I'm glad I got to meet him."
Suddenly, Steve sat up and leaned over the center console. His fingers delved into the back of her hair as he held her head steady and kissed her. His hands cradled her face as he drank in her lips. His nose brushed against hers as he lingered just a hair away while they caught their breath. "Thank you... Catherine." He kissed her again, softly this time - but she was leaving again, and this wasn't the time for soft and slow. Somehow Catherine ended up in his lap as they made out like teenagers in the old Marquis.
Eventually she forced herself to look back at the clock as it crept closer and closer to the time that she was supposed to be back on board. "I gotta go." She whispered as she rested her head on his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist and held her close for as long as possible. "You're going back in the field soon aren't you?" She whispered.
Steve nodded. "Yeah…" He sighed. "I'm, uh… I think I'm gonna… stick around here. A couple more days… And then go back to Coronado to finish rehab before I ship out again." He turned her chin and kissed her, "Don't worry about me. Okay?"
Her fingertips trailed along the side of his jaw where a beard had begun to grow, "You know I will."
"I know." His dopey, half-cocked smirk eased the sadness of the moment. He kissed her one last time before popping the door open. "Be in my ear?"
"I'll try." She kissed him this time. "Watch my six?"
"Always."
Catherine leaned over the bathtub as she washed the smears of cake and icing off of Shelby. "Need a hand?" Steve lingered in the doorway of the bathroom.
"I got it, if you could just hand me the towel." She pointed to the hooded towel on the hook as she picked up Shelby out of the water and wrapped her up. "Everyone gone?"
Steve nodded, "Yeah, they, uh, they stuck around to help clean up and just left a minute ago." He carried Shelby to her room and got her read for bed as Catherine cleaned up from her bath. "I can't believe you're already a year old, baby girl." He grinned as he zipped up her pajamas. He sat down in the rocking chair and bounced her on his knee as she grabbed at his beard. Steve chuckled, "You and your mom…. Both got a thing for beards." He grinned. Shelby giggled as she tugged at his facial hair. "Gentle, okay?" He picked up her stuffed bunny and offered it to her. Shelby immediately yawned and snuggled her favorite toy. Steve looked up and saw Catherine leaning on the doorframe. "Time for bed, ensign." He smiled as he kissed the top of her head and laid her down in the crib.
Catherine tucked Shelby in and turned out the light. As she closed the door behind her, she saw Steve peering through the crack, watching his growing girl fall asleep. "You coming, Commander?"
"Yes, ma'am." He nodded.
"You're calling her 'ensign' now?" Catherine raised her eyebrow as Steve followed her back into their bedroom.
He smirked, "Gotta start somewhere."
Catherine laughed quietly, "You're ridiculous."
Steve brushed her hair off of her shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss. "You're just mad because I outranked you."
"Yeah, but I run this ship now." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He pecked her lips again, "We made it a whole year."
"That we did, Commander." Catherine nodded. "We managed to keep her alive."
Steve laughed, "We make a good team, Rollins." He sat down on the bed and kicked his shoes off. "And we made it a whole year without being shot at… kidnapped… threatened… blackmailed… or, uh, otherwise endangered."
Catherine grinned, "I think that's a record for us."
He grabbed her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him. "Are you happy? Us? Doing what we're doing?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "I am." Catherine laid back on the bed and closed her eyes. "Mmm. Who knew a one year old's birthday party would tire you out so much." She groaned.
Steve chuckled as he laid back beside her. "She's a handful." He kissed her shoulder. "I don't know how you, uh, how you do it all day everyday."
Catherine smiled, "I've got a good partner." Her mind raced for a minute. It had been a few days since they returned from Texas and she hadn't quite figured out how to approach the rather… sensitive conversation she needed to have with him. "Are you happy?"
Steve shrugged, "I miss Five-0. I'd be lying if I, uh, said I didn't." He stared at the ceiling fan as he contemplated how drastically his life had changed over the last two years. "But I dunno if I miss the job or if I, uh, just miss seeing everybody everyday, you know?"
"I get it." She nodded. "You know they ask about you all the time, right? Invite us out for drinks at Rumfire?" Her tone softened as she rolled over and propped herself up on her elbow. "Kinda seems like it's you not them."
He glared at her but it turned into a playful smile, "Alright, CIA interrogator." Steve chuckled. "C'mere, you." He mumbled as he pulled her into his arms. "You still with me 'til the end?"
"Always." She smiled as she laced their fingers together. Catherine chewed on her lip as she tried to formulate her speech. "Steve, I-"
"Have I told you how beautiful you are lately?"
Catherine laughed sheepishly, "You have a way of reminding me, Sailor."
Steve kissed her forehead, "What's on your mind?"
"Hm?"
He poked her forehead, "The line right here is a dead giveaway. You, uh, you always have it when you're thinkin' about something."
She laughed, "It's just a wrinkle now."
Steve smirked, "Probably gonna have more than a few of those now that Shelbs isn't a baby anymore."
"Probably." She mumbled. A mix of excitement and anxiety pooled in her stomach. "Probably gonna have a lot more wrinkles, actually…"
He chuckled, "Whaddaya mean?" Catherine took his hand and gently placed it over her belly. His smile faded and his eyes turned to saucers as her cryptic comment suddenly made more sense. "Cath…."
"I'm pregnant."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Dun dun duuuhhhh! Let me know what you think in the reviews!
XO,
-Mags-