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.
"Morty, do you remember our conversation about professional boundaries?" Mary huffed. That old man just couldn't keep his wrinkly paws off of her.
He chuckled and waved his hand dismissively, "Ah, memory's not so good." He did, remember, however, how annoyed young ladies got whenever he'd tell them that they'd be prettier if they smiled more. Mary had told him time and time again that it was rude and misogynistic. It didn't deter him in the slightest.
"How 'bout this, Morty." Steve snapped. "You touch my sister like that again and I'm gonna break your hand. Think you can remember that?"
Morty laughed, "Well, he's as surely as you described. At ease, sailor!"
Steve stared at the old man who possessed the sense of humor of a potato. "Why is he here?!"
"Because I have responsibilities now, Steve!" She pleaded, "And besides. Visiting Hawaii was on Morty's bucket list."
He just shook his head. Unbelievable. He paid to fly Mary all the way from Los Angeles and she brought a bag of bones plopped into a wheelchair, "Okay, you know what? I need to talk to you in private. Right now."
After much fuss, Mary took the old man's hearing aids and turned back to Steve. "So. What's this big secret you can't tell me over the phone?"
"It's about Mom."
For the first time in a long time, Mary looked up at her brother and saw the same pain and hurt that she had felt since she was eight years old. The boy who had grown up to be a protector looked weak. Crippled. "What is it?" She dared to ask.
Steve breathed in for four seconds and exhaled for four seconds. "She's here. She's at home." Mary felt her body go numb. Silence. Static. Blood rushing through her ears. Is this what being shot felt like? Steve gently squeezed her shoulder, "Mary, she's alive."
Steve helped Morty into the back of the truck. He folded the wheelchair and tossed it into the bed. When he finally slid behind the wheel, he looked over and saw Mary. Her hands covered her face, body trembling, silent. "Come 'er, Mare." He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her from across the console. Suddenly they were eight and fifteen again. Just kids. Kids who had to grow up too fast. Who were forced to face a dark reality far sooner than they should have had to.
Mary cried into his shoulder. "I- I don't…. I don't understand…. She died. We had a funeral. We buried her."
He clung to hair and gently soothed her, "Mare, she's alive. She wants to see you."
"What happened?" She whimpered.
Steve sighed and dug through the console. He handed her a stack of fast food napkins and sat back in the driver's seat. "She, uh. She used to work for the CIA before she and dad got married. Before we were born. There were some enemies coming after her so she faked her own death and went into hiding." He scrubbed his palm down his jaw in disbelief. Not disbelief in Doris - he couldn't believe that he was trying to peddle Doris's twisted actions. "She did it to protect us, Mare."
Mary swallowed as she pressed her hands to her mouth, "Is that…. Is that why dad was killed? Because of her?"
His little sister may have been a wayward teen who dabbled in drugs and alcohol, but she wasn't stupid. Steve wasn't about to treat her like she was either. "Yeah. It was." He twisted the key in the ignition and the truck rumbled to life. "You, uh, you ready to go see her? Should we drop him off somewhere?" He motioned back to Morty.
"No."
Steve pulled out of the parking lot and shook his head, "Mary, I, uh, I don't know if mom will really want him around. She wants to see you. You two, you need some time tog-"
"I meant, 'no', I don't want to see her." Mary snapped as she dried her eyes.
"Mary, come on. You don't mean that."
"Yes, I do!" She yelled. "I have nothing to say to her! I was only eight when she died! I've lived more than double that without her. We're strangers who just happen to unfortunately share some DNA. We're NOT family."
Steve's knuckles turned white as he strangled the steering wheel. Hell, he wanted to high-five her and take her out for a beer. She had said the one thing he couldn't put into words. But he was the big brother. The responsible one. He had to be the voice of reason and reason was saying that they needed to heal. "I'm not gonna make you see her. You're an adult. You can make your own choices. I'll tell her you need some time and, uh, and that if you want to see her, I'll arrange it."
"Really?" It was a pathetic whimper. Barely even a sound.
He offered her a playful smirk and elbowed her in the side, "You and me, kid. I got your back."
Mary stared out the window as they flew down the highway, "Is Catherine here yet?" She looked over at Steve, "Last time she and I talked she told me she was moving here soon."
A faint smile curled up on Steve's mouth. "Yeah, she's, uh, she's here." He glanced at his watch, "She's on duty 'till nineteen hundred."
"I don't know when 'nineteen hundred' is." She mocked, rolling her eyes.
Steve chuckled, "She gets off work at seven tonight." He pulled into the hotel Mary and Morty were staying in and helped them inside after checking ten times that they were staying in separate rooms. "Call me if you wanna come over, but I'll, uh, I'll keep her off your back if you don't want to see her."
Mary flung her arms around him, "Thanks, Steve."
"Hey, girl!" Catherine smiled through her exhaustion as she hopped out of her Corvette and met Mary at the door. Steve had warned her that Mary might come poking around. Her reaction to the news about Doris had been, well, unsurprising.
Mary shifted nervously. "Hi…" Damn. What she wouldn't do for a hit of something right then. "I'm….. sorry. For inviting myself over like this. I know you're probably tired from doing whatever it is that you do… and you probably wanted to go see Steve…"
Catherine laughed as she unlocked the door and walked inside, "I sit behind a computer all day, Steve's been working a case, and your mother scares the hell outta me. You are more than welcome over here!"
She flinched at the word 'mother'. "So you met her…"
Catherine cursed herself for talking about Doris. Steve had filled her in on Mary's less than optimum reaction to Doris's resurrection and Doris's threat to track Mary like an enemy combatant. "Yeah. She needed a security detail when she first got here and Steve wanted someone he could trust."
"I thought you said you worked behind a computer."
She pointed to the golden medal hanging from her lapel. "Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal. I'm not too shabby with a firearm." Catherine grinned. She'd had to pull out her dress uniform for briefings with the brass that day and was proud to be able to show off her accomplishments to Steve's sister.
Mary smiled, "You're just like my brother."
"I'll take that mostly as a compliment." Catherine grinned, "You want something to drink?"
"Wine. I really want wine."
She gave Mary a doubtful look, "It's not gonna fix anything."
"I take it Steve told you?"
"Yeah." Catherine put on a pot of coffee and leaned across the kitchen island, "Wanna talk about it?"
Mary sighed, "What am I supposed to say? She left us." She looked down and chewed on her lip. "Dad sent us away… I hated him. I hated him until the day he died. But mom? I idolized her. She… She was perfect. Always there when we got home from school. Helped us with our homework. She'd play dress-up with me. Read to me at night…." Her words crumbled, "I was only eight…." Tears filled her eyes to the brim, "I was just a little kid and I needed her and she left."
Catherine poured her a cup of coffee, "How do you take it?"
"With whiskey." Mary admitted. "But I'm trying… to get my shit together. I thought I was getting better after dad died and I dealt with that… But all I've wanted today was a buzz and a high."
"And have you?"
Mary shook her head, "If I did I'd just be proving that she hurt me. I don't want to let that woman have any affect on me ever again."
Catherine fixed two identical cups. Cream. Sugar. Cinnamon. Passing one to Mary, she rested her elbows on the counter, "Are you afraid that if you see her, she'll know that you still care?"
She stared down into the mug, "I guess…." Mary sighed, "Morty told me this story about him and his daughter and that he wished he could have had more time…. I know I should be happy she's not dead, but I'm not."
They sat in silence, sipping their coffee and soaking in the weight of the day. Catherine's phone buzzed and she glanced down at the text.
Steve: Mary isn't answering her phone. She's not at the hotel. Please tell me you've heard from her. I'm about to put out an APB.
She laughed quietly and responded.
Catherine: Stand down, Sailor- she's with me.
Mary looked up at Catherine, "Was that my brother?"
"Yeah." She nodded as she slid her phone back in her pocket. "He just wanted to make sure you were safe."
"And by safe he means sober."
She smiled, "Well, you are. That's one victory for today." Catherine reached over and squeezed Mary's hand, "You got some pretty big news and you didn't go running for the nearest bar. You're a hell of a lot stronger than you think."
"You know, you're kind of like… the best part of my family." Mary admitted.
Warmth spread through Catherine's body and it wasn't from the coffee. "You know, I was gonna stay over at Steve's tonight. You wanna come with?"
Mary shook her head, "I can't face her."
"You don't have to." Catherine straightened up, "She has to face you."
"Hey, mom?" Steve called through the house as he read the text on his phone and dried his hands on a dish towel
Catherine: On my way with Mary. ETA 15 min.
He walked into the living room, "Catherine's on her way over."
Doris nodded, "Thanks, I'll uh, I'll make myself scarce."
"She's bringing Mary over."
"Mary's with her?"
Steve nodded and sat down on the couch, "Yeah, they, uh, they had long talk. Cath convinced her to come over and see you. She and Cath- they're actually pretty close. Mary… Mary needed someone to talk to after dad died and Catherine, she…." He fought the smile of admiration that was threatening to explode on his face, "She stepped in and helped her. Called her at least once a week just to talk."
Doris raised her eyebrows, "Catherine did that?"
"Yeah." He nodded, "She hasn't just been there for me, mom. She's... been there for all of us. For Mary. For dad." He glanced at his watch and knew that Catherine wasn't far away. "I'll, uh, I'll be upstairs."
Doris paced the living room. She was sure that she was going to wear a hole into the floor. Headlights flashed across the window and her pulse began to race. She shut her eyes and listened to the ambient noises, preparing herself for battle. The silencing of the car engine. The slam of two car doors. The crunch of the gravel. The creaking of the porch steps. Then, the knock.
It was as if her body was moving of its own accord. She couldn't feel her toes as she took that first step. Doris floated towards the front door. She couldn't feel her fingers as she gripped and twisted the doorknob but she opened it without hesitation. Her little girl. Her eyes- rimmed with red, clasping her hands together. Trembling.
"Mom?"
Mary's whisper was all it took to gut her from the inside out. Doris clung to her and held her as they wept and sobbed together. Through her bleary eyes, she looked up and saw Catherine sitting on the hood of her Corvette. Doris mouthed the words 'thank you' before clinging to Mary as another wave of emotion hit and pulled her into the undertow.
Catherine nodded and silently disappeared into the shadows. She crept around the house and climbed up the staircase to the balcony and let herself into Steve's room. She walked through the open door and put her hand on his back. "Hey, sailor." She whispered as not to disturb the emotional reunion under their feet. They stood side-by-side on the stairs and watched as Doris and Mary finally closed the door and sat together on the couch.
His hand dropped down and held hers. Steve pulled her into his arms and pressed his forehead into the side of her neck, "Thank you." He whispered. "Thank you. I just..." Steve cradled the back of her head in his hand and kissed her, "Thank you."
Steve and Catherine watched from the audience as Nahele's trident was pinned onto his green fatigues. The ear-to-ear smile on their faces never wavered. When Steve and Catherine had returned to the island and Nahele told him that he had enlisted in the Navy, Steve called in every favor he could to make sure that someone had eyes and ears on the boy. The day he got the call that Nahele had been accepted into BUD/s was one of the most proud moments of his life. He never let Nahele know that he was keeping an eye on him, but hell if he wasn't going to surprise the boy and be there for his graduation.
The ceremony quickly ended and the graduates dispersed to find their families and loved ones. Steve and Catherine cut quickly through the crowd. "Huikala!" Steve called out as he caught a glimpse of Nahele's face.
His head whipped around as he searched for the origin of the voice. "McGarrett?!" Nahele laughed in disbelief. "What? What are you doing here?! How did you even know?"
Steve pulled him infor a hug and slapped his back, "Eyes and ears, kid. I got 'em everywhere. Now what was that lie you told me about thinking you wouldn't make it into the SEALs?"
Nahele grinned, "Persevere and thrive on adversity. I been doin' it my whole life. Decided I could do it for a couple'a months to get through BUD/s and SQT."
"Got that shiny trident and everything." Steve chuckled, "You stayin' in Coronado for a while or are you shipping out?"
"Nah," He shook his head, "I'll be here for a while doing team training. Team Five."
Steve laughed, "Welcome to the family, brother."
Catherine beamed, "Well, since you're a free man and are of age - can we take you out for a drink? There's a place we like pretty close by."
Nahele chuckled, "Yes, ma'am."
"Alright." Steve grinned as he carried over a pitcher of beer and a stack of glasses. "Kāmau."
Nahele filled his glass and toasted with Steve, "So where are the keiki?"
Steve took a sip of his beer and settled in beside Catherine, "My sister lives in L.A. so we flew in to see her and my niece and she graciously offered a few days of free babysitting so we could come down for your ceremony."
Catherine relaxed in the booth and looked around. It was like stepping back in time. She couldn't remember the last time she had been at the bar. It had to have been well over ten years, she thought. Everything else in her life had changed, but being here with Steve? It felt like home. She looked up at the wall behind her and Steve's favorite booth. It was cluttered with photos of patrons, mementos from SEALs and sailors that had passed through Coronado, and more than one folded flag. One photo in particular, however, caught her eye. She stood up from the booth and stared at it in disbelief.
Nahele excused himself and jogged over to the pool table to say hi to a friend. Catherine pulled the photo off the wall. She felt Steve's hand caress her back as she stared back in time. There they were, crammed in a booth - her, in her denim cutoffs and favorite plaid shirt. Steve, in his white undershirt and khaki cargo pants. Freddie, in a gray t-shirt that read NAVY. The three of them - together. Catherine was laughing at something Freddie had said. His head was thrown back in delight and had his typical ear-to-ear grin spread across his face. Then there was Steve - his arm was draped across the back of the leather booth, and he was staring at her like she was an angel or something. Even through the photo, she could feel the intensity of his eyes on her. "I…." She whispered. "I don't understand…. That's…. That's us." Tears welled up in her eyes and she cupped her palm over her mouth.
"The day you surprised me at my BUD/s graduation. And we met up here for drinks. I, uh, I introduced you to Freddie that day."Steve wrapped his arms around her. "Amy took the picture. Sent it to me a while back."
A tear splashed on the frame and Catherine quickly wiped it away, protecting the memory. "Look at us... At Freddie. We were so happy."
Steve tilted her chin up and kissed her, "We are happy."
Catherine wiped her eyes, "I, um, I'm gonna track down Jim and see if he's okay with me taking this home."
"I don't think Jim will have a problem with it." Steve chuckled, "Old man retired a while back and sold off the bar."
Her heart dropped. "Oh… I'm- I'm gonna go ask the bartender, then."
Steve took her hand. "Cath, I bought the bar."
"What?" She laughed in disbelief, "You didn't."
He smirked, "I did. Heard through the grapevine a while ago that Jim was looking for a buyer so I made him a good offer."
"When did this happen?"
"2016. Right before Christmas."
Catherine looked back down at the photo, "After Morocco."
Steve nodded. "It, uh, it was my way of keeping you close, I guess."His hand wrapped around hers as they hung the frame back on the wall, "I haven't made it out here much. Place pretty much runs on its own. Nice little bit of passive income. The, uh, the manager Jim hired does a good job. But the bar... it's ours." He pointed to the folded flag that was protected by the triangle shadow box, "And his." She squinted and read the plaque underneath the box.
Commander Freddie Hart
Son. Husband. Father. Brother. SEAL.
1977-2010
"Right before we did our HALO jump into North Korea, he, uh, he told me that what you and I had was the real deal. Told me not to mess it up."
Catherine laughed in disbelief, "I can't believe you bought the bar."
Steve grinned, "You actually thought I was gonna pay for drinks?" He nudged her side and pointed to Nahele who was posted up by the pool table, trying his best to impress a very pretty ensign.
"Looks like he's following in your footsteps." Catherine smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder. "He'll be alright."
"Of course he will." Steve chuckled, "I've got people looking out for him."
She beamed as Nahale grinned and gave them a nod, "You're doing for him what Joe did for you."
"You did for Mary what Joe did for me." He added on.
"Doris did for me what Joe did for you." She admitted.
Steve's arms snaked around her waist and pulled her against him, "The world would be a hell of a lot better if people just looked out for each other."
Catherine circled her arms around his neck, "One more question."
"What's that?"
She grinned, "Do you want me to kick your ass in darts or pool?"
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Happy Sunday! Leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews!
This has probably been the easiest chapter for me to write in a long time. Mary isn't one of my favorite characters, but I thought Taryn Manning and Christine Lahti's performance in 3x07 was incredibly powerful. That final scene of Mary and Doris reuniting brings me to tears every single time!
Spread kindness, not COVID!
XO,
-Mags-
