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.


"Mmm." Catherine rolled over and peered through her eyelashes at Steve as he furiously yanked on a shirt. "Whaddaya doin'?" She mumbled.

If his house wasn't in the process of being broken into Steve would have found her incoherent morning mumblings absolutely irresistible. "Nothing. Go back to sleep." He commanded. She heard the slide of his gun and propped herself up on an elbow. "There's something downstairs."

Catherine shook her head, "No… No there isn't. Come back to-" A clattering crash interrupted her statement. She rolled off the bed and snatched the baseball bat he had propped up in the corner.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" He hissed.

"There's somebody downstairs!"

Steve's growl was definitive, "Which is why you're gonna stay up here. Where it's safe."

"Oh, don't be a caveman. I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not."

She wasn't taking no for an answer, "Then you're coming with me."

This woman was impossible. Couldn't she ever just let him take care of her?! "Hey! Cath - hey. Listen to me!" His hushed orders did nothing to deter her. Steve barely managed to grab her arm before she no doubt launched herself at whatever impending danger was downstairs. "Hey, hey, hey, come here."

Catherine wasn't stupid. Whoever had the gun would be first through the door. She ducked behind Steve and followed him down the stairs and cleared the first floor. Catherine lined up behind him and tapped his shoulder as they prepared to breach the kitchen door. He glanced over his shoulder and gave her an acknowledging nod.

Moving forward, Steve pushed the kitchen door open and shouted, "DON'T MOVE!" Two steps in and the burglar turned around holding a skillet full of… scrambled eggs? "Mom?!"

"Hi, honey!" Doris smiled.

"What are you doing?!"

Doris motioned to the skillet, "Uh, making eggs." That woman had the audacity to act as if her being there was the most normal thing in the world.

"No! I mean, what are you doin' here?!"

She scoffed, "Oh, stop playing with your gun and come have breakfast. Do you want orange juice?" Other mothers would probably have a heart attack if their son barrelled into the kitchen wielding a firearm. Doris, however, was more inclined to tell him that if he was going to shoot in the Weaver stance, his elbow needed to be parallel to the floor, otherwise he may as well just use the isosceles position. Doris McGarrett wasn't like most mothers. "Good morning, Lieutenant Rollins. I, uh, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." She shot Catherine a knowing look before turning towards the sink.

Catherine looked at Steve in shock and was met with, "I told you it was safer upstairs." He set his gun on top of the fridge and crossed his arms.

"I was just…. I - I should really-" Catherine stammered through some semblance of an excuse as she motioned for the door.

"No! No, no, no. You should join us. Absolutely." Doris argued, "It's no trouble at all. How do you like your eggs?"

Steve's head jerked in her direction. "How do you like your eggs?"

She could read the panic in his eyes but she was not about to be wrangled into another battle of wits over toast and juice with his impossible mother, "Oh, no. No. No. You two." She babbled as she motioned between the two of them, "You two wanna catch up and I really have to run, so." Steve raised his eyebrows at her poor excuse. "Briefing at the base." She stated as her nostrils flared.

Steve pursed his lips and shot her a desperate look.

"Aww, that's too bad. Another time then?" Doris smiled.

"Absolutely."

Doris nodded, "Great. See ya."

Steve and Catherine exchange looks of exasperation before she decidedly dipped through the door and hurried out.

"Ooh. I like her." Doris grinned as she carried a tray of food to the table.


"Catherine, it's me again. Call me back. I know damn well you don't have a briefing this morning you bullshit liar." He chuckled, "I'm sorry about this morning. Just call me back, okay?"

Danny looked at Steve in dismay as he hung up his phone, "You, uh, wanna talk about it? Last time I checked, calling your very pretty, very lethal girl-- person a 'bullshit liar' wasn't exactly a term of endearment. Even for you two neanderthals."

"Catherine - she, uh she stayed over last night and Doris showed up unannounced this morning. And when I say 'showed up unannounced' I really mean breaking and entering."

"Oh, shit."

"Yeah." He groaned, "And now Catherine's not answering my calls."

Danny laughed, "Catherine, she - she took on your mother without even blinking the first time they met. I think she's fine." He glanced over at Steve who was locked in a thousand yard stare with the asphalt. "You're, uh you're worried what she thinks of Doris. And probably you by association, huh?"

Steve shrugged, "Somethin' like that." He ran a hand back through his hair and settled into the leather seat, "I mean… Her folks - they're… they're great. I mean, her mom is the nicest lady in the world. My dad's dead. My sister's a mess. And mom- she's... a manipulative liar who pretended to be dead, hid from her kids, and then let a terrorist go."

"You've met her parents?"

"Like I've said - we've known each other for a long time." He sighed, "Im glad she's back, okay? I mean, what person wouldn't want a second chance with their mom? I just don't want Doris to, uh, to come in and change things between me and Catherine. Catherine- she's... she's been there through it all. I mean, things are good with me and her and I finally think we might have a shot at making it after the hell I put her through before I moved back here." Steve shook his head, "My family, man... She and Mary are close. She's uh, she's taken Mary under her wing in a way. Making sure she has someone to talk to outside of my Aunt Deb. She got to meet my dad a couple times before he died. He loved her. Thought she was the sweetest thing in the world."

"What about you?" Danny cut in.

Steve's brow furrowed, "What about me?"

"Do you love her?"

Steve laughed, "Geez, man. You can't just ask something like that!"

"Well, do you?!" Danny raised his voice an octave, "Because I can tell you, my sisters HATED Rachel and her mother HATED me. No - HATES me. Still does. To this day that woman has a diamond encrusted stick so far up her ass she looks like a posh popsicle. So I'm telling you this, uh, free of charge- make sure things are good between her and your mom because if they are not then you have two very scary women fighting for your, uh... your affections."

"You need therapy, man." Steve chuckled having successfully derailed Danny's train of thought. He released his seatbelt as they pulled up to the Madsen Estate and their apparent crime scene.


Catherine looked down at her phone. The buzzing marked the fifth call from Steve that she had dodged that day. It wasn't that she was avoiding him, it was just that she was…. Circumventing him. But, it was the middle of the day and a text earlier from Kono told her that they were on a case. Steve had a tendency to enter into a self-imposed cone of silence whenever they were on a case unless, of course, he needed a favor. "Hello, Commander."

"You're such a tease." Steve groaned. "I was, uh, I was really looking forward to hearing you say that this morning before….."

"Yeah." Catherine interjected. "We don't have to talk about this morning. Like ever. I'm just glad we were both somewhat clothed."

Steve chuckled, "I'm just glad you finally picked up. I, uh, I thought Doris had scared you off. And, since I know you're not busy, you little liar... You, uh, you wanna meet up at Kamekona's?"

"Late lunch with the team?"

"Nah. Just the two of us. Consider it a peace offering for this morning. Can you be there in twenty?"

"Copy that, sailor."


"Aloha." Steve grinned as he sauntered over to the picnic tables in front of Kamekona's truck.

"Hey."

"How you doing?" He asked as he slid into the seat. Steve wasn't quite sure why he was so nervous to see her other than the fact that she had witnessed the full range of McGarrett family disfunction.

Catherine's bright smile eased all the tension of the day, "Good. How's everything going with your mom?"

Steve settled onto the bench across from her, "You know... Doris is being Doris…. Stubborn."

"Yeah, reminds me of someone else I know."

"Oh." He nodded before his stoic demeanor cracked into a smile, "Low blow."

His smile sent pin pricks of heat and a rambunctious flock of butterflies raging through her body. She giggled quietly before attempting to compose herself, "I don't know, but something tells me that you didn't ask me here to talk about your mom."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," She began, "Well let's see. It's, uh, too early for dinner and it's too late for lunch so you must have a favor to ask me. Go ahead." She grinned, "Deny it! To my face! Deny it."

Steve grinned ear to ear. She had his number and he was more than okay with it. "Okay." Catherine's laugh was distracting him from his mission. Damn, he loved the sound of her laugh. "Listen. Seriously, this is important." He produced an evidence bag and handed it to her, "Um, I need to know what kind of explosive device this is and I don't have time to wait for the lab to turn it around."

"Yeah, I can probably have someone take a look at it, but um, it's gonna cost you." She rambled as she inspected the pieces in the bag.

"Okay." He raised a hand defensively, "I knew that was coming."

"Mhmm?"

He turned and pointed to the brightly colored shrimp truck, "Okay, so see that truck right there?"

"Yeah."

"You can order ANYTHING you want from that truck."

Catherine gasped and feigned shock, "No…."

"Anything." He grinned as he tugged his ringing phone out of his pocket.

"Really?"

Steve chuckled, "Yeah, like… sky's the limit."

Catherine held in a laugh as she said, "Wow. Thank you, sugar daddy."

He grinned at her seductive joke, "You got it. Can you hold that thought for a second?" He held his phone up to his ear, "Danny…. Yeah… You got eyes on the place?... Alright…. Good. I'm on the way." Steve hung up his phone and stole a chaste kiss from her lips as he got up and ordered her a spicy plate before ducking out to meet Danny.


Steve: Feel like meeting up with the team for dinner at Kamekona's?

Catherine: Depends if you're still buying, sugar daddy ;)

Steve: I'll make it up to you. Promise.

Catherine: Fine. Count me in.

Steve: Heads up, Doris is coming.

Catherine: ...You waited for me to say yes before telling me that, didn't you?

Steve: I got your six, Rollins.


Catherine squeezed into the picnic table beside Kono looked around, "Where's Steve?"

"He's, uh, he's runnin' late. Had to swing by the house and pick up you-know-who." Danny said.

"Ah." She nodded, "You guys, uh get the case wrapped up?"

"Son orchestrated the whole thing. Pretty messed up." Chin shook his head.

Catherine's jaw dropped, "You're kidding. I had my money on the dad."

Danny gave Catherine a fist bump, "Thanks for uh, for comin' through with the explosive analysis."

"Anytime." Catherine smiled as she caught a glimpse of the blue Silverado pulling into the parking lot.

When Danny got up to talk to Steve, Doris slipped in and took his seat, "Well, if it isn't my two favorite babysitters." She grinned, looking at Chin and Catherine. She extended her hand, "And you must be Officer Kalakaua. Doris McGarrett."

Kono smiled politely and shook her hand, "Nice to meet you. Call me Kono."

Doris turned her attention to Catherine, "You wanna take a walk?" The question was more of a command but Catherine complied and followed Doris down onto the beach. "Catherine, I owe you an apology. At the safehouse and at home this morning I treated you poorly and I do hope you can forgive me for that."

Catherine nearly tripped on a mound of sand as Doris offered her an apology, "Uh, thank you… Of course. Don't even worry about it."

"I had been keeping tabs on Steve as much as I could without raising flags while I was in hiding. When Joe told me he was bringing Steve to meet me- at the time that was all I could wrap my head around. And Mary? She doesn't know yet. I know this is a lot for Steve. He puts up a good front but inside I know he worries and he doesn't think he can trust me."

Catherine crossed her arms as the water ate at their toes, "I think you can understand why he's hesitant to let you back in his life."

"I know. And I have to respect that. But I hope you'll at least feel comfortable with the idea that I am back." Doris stated. "Maybe you could even help Steve come around to the idea."

"And I hope you can understand that I have my reservations about you on Steve's behalf."

Doris smiled, "You're a smart lady, Catherine. I told Steve I liked you. Don't be a stranger around my house, okay?"

"Steve's house." Catherine clarified.

"Steve's house." Doris nodded. "I'm just staying there until I can get my own place. Unfortunately, dead women have poor credit scores." She laughed.

Catherine breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Steve holding plates of food and waving them back to the table.


Steve unlocked the door to Catherine's house and flipped on the light, "So you and Doris had a chat?"

Catherine kicked off her shoes and shut the door behind her. She was incredibly grateful that she had decided to rent her own place. She couldn't even begin to imagine sharing a house with Steve AND his un-dead mother. "Yeah, it was awkward. But…. a little less than before."

"I don't care if she likes you."

"I care if she likes me." Catherine admitted quietly.

Steve chuckled, "Everyone likes you. I've, uh, I've never met anyone who didn't."

Catherine blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You wanna take this to the bedroom?"

He sighed, "I kind of told mom I'd be over there tonight. We, uh, we've got some stuff to work through."

She nodded and chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I'll miss you." She confessed.

Steve smiled and backed her up against the inside of the front door, "I'll be wishing I was here." He murmured as his hands skated down her arms to her ribs.

Catherine tangled her fingers in his hair, "Mmm. You're teasing me and you're not staying. That's not playing fair, Sailor."

"Thank you. For your help today." He pushed up against her as his eyes narrowed in, "I'm starting to think that maybe I need to put you on payroll." He smirked.

She brushed the tip of her nose against his, "Ah, but then I'd be back in your chain of command…. Sir."

Steve groaned and pinned her against the unforgiving door, "We'd break all kinds of H.R. policies."

Catherine smirked, "We've always been kind of rules-optional."

"I think I've officially corrupted you." He grinned. "You used to be so rigid and proper."

Her lips brushed his, "Must be the island."

"Mm. Must be." He murmured before pulling her in for a goodnight kiss.


"Alright." Steve stated as he tiptoed down the stairs, "Shelbs is asleep for the night, Will is down for the next three hours. What can I do for you, Mrs. McGarrett?" He asked as he clapped his hands together after a successful round of parenting.

Catherine patted the empty space beside her on the couch, "Sit."

"Yes, ma'am." He did as he was told and pulled her into his arms. "Dinner was great. You, uh, you know I never get tired of how good of a cook you are." He pressed a kiss onto her shoulder. "You, uh, you look like you've got something on your mind."

She snuggled into his chest and pulled a blanket over their tangled mess of limbs, "I just don't know how I got this lucky."

His body sent vibrations through hers as he laughed, "I don't think luck had anything to do with it. We, uh, we just never stopped chasing each other."

"What bedtime story did Shelbs get tonight?"

Steve grinned, "Had to tell her about the time Grandma Doris broke into the house and made eggs." He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "And scared you off."

Catherine giggled, "I was not about to sit at a breakfast table and eat toast and drink coffee and not think about the fact that I had fucked her son a few hours earlier."

"That's why you ran off?" He smirked.

"That and the fact that she was your mother and she and I didn't really hit it off all too well." Catherine admitted.

His nose buried in her hair as he pressed a kiss on her head, "She loved you, you know."

Catherine closed her eyes and relaxed in the peace and quiet of the house. Toys were strewn about, there was something sticky on the couch, most likely from Shelby's little hands, dishes needed to be washed and laundry needed to be folded. All that could wait, though. Catherine took a deep breath and inhaled the comforting scent that was Steve: cedar and gunpowder. He hadn't shot a gun in who knows when, but the fragrance lingered. No mission, no assignment, no job had ever made her feel as alive as being with him did. She smiled and nodded her head before looking up and nuzzling the edge of his beard with her nose, "I loved her too."


AUTHOR'S NOTE

Happy Monday, folks! Leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews!

Just a heads up: I'm taking a few days off from writing. I need a little bit of a mental break so I'll be on hiatus for a little while. Keep your eyes peeled on your inboxes for the next chapter notification!

Q AND A

1. You're a pastry chef - what's your favorite thing to make? I specialize in wedding cakes and luxury event catering. It's a pretty cool job. (Except for the fact that COVID has wrecked the live event industry.)

2. Who is your favorite character to write? This one's probably surprising but I LOVE writing Agent Greer! There's something so fun about writing someone who is manipulative to the core. Everything has ulterior motives and double meanings!

3. What are you reading right now? I've been binge reading all of Lucy Score's novels. They're ADDICTIVE. (Part of the reason I've been writing and editing at 3am a lot. I just can't put them down!) 10/10 would recommend. Also, 'The Dare' by Lauren Landish.

4. What are some of your favorite FanFics? (Within the H50 fandom) I adore NJ Borba. Holy cow. Anyone who can write 475k words and keep me on edge through every single chapter deserves some kind of award. I wish I had that much talent! Leni-H50 has some of my favorite one-shots. They're ridiculously creative and I wish my plots were that unique! FicreaderT's stories are so well written it just blows my mind. Fan for life. There are tons more stories and authors I read and follow but those are the three that are my go-tos!

5. Why are you writing about postpartum depression? Because I experienced it after my daughter was born and it was scary as hell. More people need to talk about it. It needs to be normalized so that new mothers aren't so afraid of being judged or ostracized and reach out to get the help that they need. That being said, everyone's pregnancy and postpartum experiences are different. I can only write from what I have experienced as a mother.

6. You should be a screenwriter! If the opportunity presented itself would you do it? Probably not. I'm not sure that I'm cut out to deal with Hollywood types and the politics of the industry seem like an absolute nightmare. That being said, I mentioned this in an Author's Note in Throwing Darts: Yes, I'm still working on my writing my first book!

7. What's next after you finish this one? Honestly? I have a few ideas but nothing concrete. Telling Steve and Catherine's story from beginning to end has been a big undertaking. That being said, as we get closer to the end of this story, I may take requests for one-shots.

8. Will the story ever deviate from the show? In little ways, yes. Like how I wrote the conversation between Catherine and Doris and left out he fact that they were interrupted by Kamekona. It won't deviate in any story-altering ways. SPOILER ALERT: Billy will die. Catherine will temporarily work for Five-0. She will leave Steve and stay in Afghanistan. Steve and Catherine will break up. Lynn will show up. But, rest assured, it's all going to propel us towards a very satisfying endgame. My goal with this story is not to change what the show gave us, but to fill in the things we didn't get to see, and hopefully explain and give better insight as to why flawed human beings make the choices that they do. Steve and Catherine are not perfect people. They're just human beings who make the best decisions they can with the information they have. Sometimes they're great, sometimes they're ordinary idiots. There's beauty in the ordinary.

9. General answer for all the messages I got saying they don't like how I portrayed certain storylines: I mean this in the nicest way, if you don't like it, write your own. Seriously! I started writing FanFiction so that I could qualify as a Beta Reader because I was sick and tired of reading stories with terrible grammar. (GOOGLE AND SPELL CHECK ARE YOUR FRIENDS!) I'm far from a perfect or professional writer, however, I do try my best. So, if you're unsatisfied with how I decided to take a character arc or storyline, write your own! That's the beauty of FanFiction! And if you do write your own, send me a link so I can be one of your readers!

10. Are you still getting nasty messages because of PL? I'm writing this on 9/20/2020 and I can say I've officially gone three whole days without any hate mail! Yay! Still flattered, no hard feelings on my part.

Love you all! See you in a few days!

XO,

-Mags-