THROWING DARTS

Based on the Hawaii Five-0 Series Finale | Season 10 Episode 22: Aloha

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CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

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IOLANI PALACE - JULY 27, 2020 - 0900 HOURS

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in." Lou grinned as he pushed the door open to Steve's office and side-stepped the many boxes scattered across the floor.

Steve chuckled as he carefully packed away his model of the USS Enterprise."Hey, man." He grinned.

Lou looked around at the empty office before sinking into a chair. "Let me guess. You thought you'd get a head start on packin' it up and you came in early to avoid seeing everybody?"

"Somethin' like that." Steve shrugged as he took down the folded flags from the wall.

Lou nodded. "How's your better half?"

A smile crossed his face as he played with the wedding ring on his hand. "She's good. She's, uh, she's healing up. Taking it easy."

"That's good." Lou chuckled, "You know, Renee's been bugging me about having you two over for dinner." He grinned, "She's been buying up baby clothes left and right for your little one. I think she's practicing for the day in the very distant future when she gets to be a grandma."

Steve laughed, "Just let me know when and we'll be there."'

"How's the baby? Everything still good?" Lou asked as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

Steve taped the last box shut and hopped up to sit on the empty desk. "She's good, man. Catherine had an appointment at Tripler a couple days ago, and, uh, everything was good." He grinned as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and removed the ultrasound photo he had stashed inside. "She's due January twelfth."

"Man, I remember when Renee was pregnant with Samantha." Grover chuckled, "I went with her to every doctor's appointment and asked so many questions that she finally started making me sit in the car during each check-up."

"Do you ever stop worrying?" Steve asked.

Grover shook his head, "No." He sighed, "Can I give you a piece of advice?"

Steve nodded.

"Take care of Catherine first. She's your first love. She's the one you chose." He paused as Steve nodded. "Take care of your baby second. The best thing you can do for that little girl is to love her momma with everything you got." Lou patted Steve's knee as he stood up. "Get those two things right and you'll do right by both of 'em. The best thing you can do for your kids is to make sure they get to grow up knowing just how much their parents loved each other, because that love flows down to them. You'll mess up a whole lotta things as a husband and as a parent, but if you love your wife first and your kids second, all those other little things won't matter."

"Thanks, Lou." Steve nodded as he slid off the desk. He glanced out the glass door and watched the other members of the Five-0 Task Force filter into their respective offices.

Grover watched as Steve stared at the ultrasound photo before sliding it back in his wallet. "You two picked out a name yet?"

Steve smiled from ear-to-ear, "Shelby. Shelby Jo." He grinned, causing Grover to laugh. In the seven years he had known McGarrett, he had never once seen him smile as big as he was right then. "Catherine picked out Shelby after my mom and, uh, I liked Jo after, uh, after Joe White."

Lou grinned and patted him on the back, "I think it's perfect, man. It's perfect." He glanced out the door, "I'll keep it quiet from the peanut gallery over there. You tell 'em when you want to." He looked down at his watch and groaned, "I gotta get going. I've got a meeting with the governor today." Lou stated as he moved towards the door.

Steve chuckled, "That, I do not miss."

Lou grinned, "You're telling me. I got the short end of the stick when me, Danny, and Cole were dividing up your responsibilities." The glass door scraped open as he pushed it open and walked back to his office.

"Hey, boss." Junior nodded as he cut across the bullpen and walked towards Steve's office.

Steve caught Danny's eye and motioned for him to join them. He held the door open as the other two men walked in the office before shutting it abruptly behind them. "Vilanova de Sau." Steve stated as he looked at Danny. "When we breached, did you and Kono see anyone on the grounds?"

Danny shook his head, "No. It was clear. Just the two in the house that you and Junior took out."

"Are you still stuck on your third-man theory?" Junior asked as he crossed his arms.

"Third man?" Danny chimed in.

Steve nodded. "Catherine told me a little more about what happened in the safehouse. She said that there was another guy in the house that brought her food when she first woke up."

Danny frowned, "What, uh, what about the two guys in the SUV that showed up when we were loading the chopper?"

"Higgin's took 'em out after our bird lifted off." Steve shrugged, "She sent us their files after they were ID'ed by Interpol. Catherine didn't recognize either of 'em."

"So you're thinking that this third guy could still be out there?" Junior suggested.

Steve nodded. "Yeah."

Danny raised his hand, "Okay, but what would this other guy want with Catherine or the documents that Doris left? Coen just wanted them because they had his name inside and he didn't wanna get burned, right?"

"I dunno." Steve shook his head. "I just know loose ends are never a good thing."

… … …

MCGARRETT HOUSE - JULY 27, 2020 - 1100 HOURS

Steve closed the front door behind him as he set the last box on the floor of the study. "So this is it, huh." Catherine's sweet voice carried through the house as she slowly eased into the study. "Good morning." She smiled as she rested against the desk.

"Morning." He grinned as he pecked her lips. "Sorry I slipped out so early this morning."

'

Catherine waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I slept in anyways." She looked around at all the boxes. "So, you're done…. Like officially?"

Steve nodded as he moved to lean against the desk beside her. "Ten years." He looked down at her with his endearing, lopsided smile, "Being there… packing it all up… watching everyone else go about their jobs…" He shrugged, "It was like being in the twilight zone or somethin'."

"Maybe we should have everyone over. You know, for a retirement party." Catherine suggested.

Steve smirked, "That just makes me sound old."

Catherine smiled as he lifted her up onto the desk and rested his hands on her hips. "I hate to break it to you, Sailor." She leaned up and whispered in his ear, "You are old."

He grinned and slipped his hands underneath the hem of her shirt and smoothed his hand over the soft skin of her growing baby bump, "So are you." He winked. Steve bent down and delicately lifted her shirt and pressed a gentle kiss on her belly. "How's my girl this morning?"

Catherine rested her hand atop her belly and smiled, "She's making me crave malasadas." She grinned.

Steve laughed, "Oh really." His eyebrows raised. "Why do I have a feeling that it's her mother who wants malasadas and not her." He smiled and covered their daughter with his hand, "Keep me company while I get this stuff put away and I'll reward you with some malasadas."

"Deal." She smiled. Catherine sat on top of the desk and watched as Steve opened box after box and pulled out his Navy memorabilia. She reached over and picked up the model of the Enterprise. "Home, sweet home." She laughed quietly.

"The USS Nimitz is, arguably, a better carrier than the Big E, but I always liked this one for some reason." He smirked.

Catherine feigned shock, "You take that back! The E is way better than the Nimitz!"

Steve laughed and handed her a scuffed up cue ball, "Remember this?"

"Oh my God." She covered her mouth with her hand. "I can't believe you kept it."

Steve placed his hands on either side of her and leaned in for a kiss. "Of course I kept it." He murmured. "I worked hard for that cue ball."

… … …

"Boys, I'd like to introduce you to THE smartest person in the entire U.S. military, Lieutenant Catherine Rollins. She's here for shore duty for the next three months while the E is docked." Steve grinned as he led her to the back corner of their favorite bar in Coronado and introduced her to the members of his SEAL team.

"Miss Catherine Rollins, as I live and breath!" The older man in the corner exclaimed, "What exactly are you doing associating with the likes of this punk. He smacked Steve's shoulder and chuckled. "I know you can't be seeing him because you're way out of his league…. Like, way, way out."

Steve rolled his eyes, "Thanks, Joe." He muttered.

"Commander White!" Catherine exclaimed with an ear-to-ear grin as he pulled her in for a hug. "Steve didn't tell me you were his team commander!"

Steve crossed his arms and tried to make sense of the mini-reunion happening in front of him. "What am I missing… How do you two know each other?"

"Commander White's an old friend of my dad's." Catherine smiled.

Joe rolled his eyes, "Oh, please. You've never called me 'Commander White' a day in your pretty little life, young lady."

"It's good to see you, Joe." She beamed.

Freddie wolf whistled from a nearby pool table and grinned, "Rollins! Welcome back!"

Steve shot him a dirty look, but motioned for Catherine to join them at the table. It had been a few months since Steve had introduced her to Freddie after their BUD/s graduation, and ever since then, Freddie had tried his best to coerce Steve into asking her out. Steve, however, had insisted that they were just friends. Absolutely no one had bought into his bullshit lie, considering how much he talked about her. Steve was absolutely smitten with the beautiful lieutenant.

"Alright, Seal Pup. You in for the next game?" Joe grinned as they racked up the pool balls.

Catherine smiled devilishly, "Seal Pup?" She snickered.

Steve's face flushed, "It's a, uh, it's kind of a hazing thing. You get a nickname and have to do something to earn a better one." He shook his head, "It's stupid."

One of the seasoned members of his team laughed, "You only think it's stupid because you're too chicken to do the thing we said you have to do to change it."

Steve shook his head, "Shut up, Walker." The glare that Steve sent his way told him not to push it.

"What do you have to do?" Catherine asked innocently.

"Nothing." He replied quickly.

Freddie smirked as he sauntered over to their side of the pool table. "He has to get your number."

Catherine laughed nervously, "What?"

"Yeah." One of the other boys chimed in, "He told us you finally got a cell phone and so we decided that was gonna be the condition of his code name since he currently spends most of his free time writing letters back and forth to you."

Joe chuckled, "To be fair, if I had known that you were the 'Catherine' that Seal Pup talks about all the time, I wouldn't have agreed."

Steve crossed his arms as he fumed. Smoke was practically pouring out of his ears. Catherine glanced over at him and sensed his discomfort. "That's it?" Her nose wrinkled. Steve caught on to the mischievous look in her eye. She had something up her sleeve. "I mean, you guys made it through BUD/s… you're Navy SEALs for crying out loud…. Asking for someone's number just seems a little too… easy."

The group of burly men circled around the pool table as she challenged their game. "What do you have in mind, Rollins?" Freddie grinned.

Catherine walked over to the dart board and plucked out ten darts, before walking back and handing them to Steve. "Every bullseye gets you a digit." She smirked.

Steve hesitated, but bounced on his toes. He snatched the darts out of her hand, "Fine." He smirked. Catherine knew what she was doing. They had played darts more times than he could count. He could hit the bullseye every single time, blindfolded, if he wanted to. She was just giving him the chance to show off in front of his new teammates. He stood in front of the board and aimed. He glanced over at his wing-woman confidently.

The dart whizzed past the group of bystanders and skewered the board right in the middle, earning a collective "whoa" from the group. One after the other, Steve hit dead center every time. Catherine handed him the tenth dart. "Last one." She smiled.

Steve smirked and picked up his beer from the bar. He downed it in one swig and looked down at her, "Cover my eyes." Catherine stood behind him and reached around, cupping her hands over his eyes. "Pony up, Cath." He smirked as the dart left his fingertips and sunk into the bullseye.

His team mates cheered, whooped, and whistled as Catherine uncovered his eyes. She grabbed a permanent marker from the bar, walked over to the pool table and scribbled ten digits on the cue ball. "Here you go, Sailor." She grinned.

"Alright, White, what'll it be?" Freddie grinned.

Joe sat on a bar stool and thought for a moment. "Well, son, you are a pup no longer." He chuckled, "Welcome to the team, Smooth Dog." He grinned as he raised his glass to Steve.

The group cheered loudly and patted him on the back. "You're next, Tadpole!" Steve smirked as he pointed at Freddie.

Joe grinned at Catherine, "You keep hangin' around here, darlin', and you'll have a code name too before you know it." He winked.

… … …

Hours later, Catherine stood outside of her apartment door. It was well after midnight, and Steve had insisted on walking her home. "So this is it, huh? Home sweet home?" He asked as she pushed her key into the door and unlocked it.

"Home for the next three months." She laughed. "You wanna come inside?"

Steve nodded and followed her in, "You know, it's gonna be nice having you so close by. I'll get to kick your ass in poker way more often now." He smirked. Catherine rolled her eyes playfully as she tossed her keys on the kitchen counter and made her way into the living room. "Is Amy or Jen here?" Steve asked.

Catherine shook her head, "Amy got T.A.D. in Virginia Beach, and Jen's on leave."

"Aha, so you, uh, you got the place all to yourself." Steve stated as he sunk into the couch.

She flopped down beside him and put her feet up on the coffee table. "Yep."

Steve looked down at his hands and chewed on his lip for a moment. "Hey, about what happened at the bar earlier…"

Catherine waved her hand dismissively. "Don't sweat it. You know I'm always down to make you look good in front of your team." She smirked.

"I know." He chuckled. "I was just gonna say thanks for giving me your number."

Catherine's eyes shifted across his face, "It's not that big of a deal, Steve…" She shrugged. "You know you could've just asked me for it a month ago."

Steve nodded, "I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea or think I was coming on to you."

She rolled her eyes and laughed, "Seriously?" She turned to face him and tucked her legs underneath her. "Look. I know we had a moment a while back on the beach after your BUD/s graduation, but we're still friends… you're like… my best friend, Steve." She shrugged.

A smile flickered across Steve's lips. He had never felt so conflicted in his life. On one hand, she had just said that he was her best friend and that made him want to pull her into a hug and grin. On the other hand, she had just said that he was her best friend and it made him want to storm out and slam the door behind him. Because as much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, he didn't want to be just friends with her. Steve decided to go with the third option. He nudged her shoulder and chuckled, "You're my best friend too."

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"But how'd you get it? You and I left the bar before the boys were done playing pool." Catherine asked as she rolled the cue ball back and forth in her hands.

Steve leaned on the desk and chuckled, "Joe. He, uh, he snagged it before they left. Gave it to me the next day."

Catherine smiled, "He was playing matchmaker for a long time, wasn't he?"

"Somethin' like that." He grinned as he took the cue ball from her and displayed it on a shelf. "How's it feel to be out of the sling today?"

She nodded, "Pretty good. My shoulder's sore, but having a little more range of motion is nice. The cast should be off next week and then we're just down to the stitches in my leg healing up."

"Good." He pecked her lips. "Because I know just how we're gonna celebrate."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Quick note before all you Gen Z-ers come at me: The flashback is set right after Steve becomes a SEAL (late 90s-early 2000s. Cell phones were NOT common, so people actually had to write letters or call from a landline. (Ah, the good ol' days!) The fact that Cath was stationed on the Enterprise would've made staying in touch with Steve really difficult, so him getting her number was a big deal!)

Fun Fact Monday!

1. S03E05 has one of my FAVORITE McRoll moments. (Steve and Cath on the couch watching a scary movie. Steve tells her how terrified Jenny Feldmen was when he "watched" the movie with her.) I think that scene is SO underrated. I absolutely adore how playful it is.

2. I'm American! I upload (and tweet) in Eastern Standard Time:)

3. I'm not a writer by trade. (Pastry chef, actually!) But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about writing an original/non-fanfiction book.

4. I'm married! My hubs and I are celebrating FIVE years of marriage this week, which leads me to some news: we're going on vacation to celebrate and so I will be taking a little break from writing and uploading for a few days! But not to worry, I'll be back as soon as we get back! My hiatus will be Thursday through Monday.

I love you all dearly! Spread joy and kindness, not Coronavirus!

XO,

-Mags-

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