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.
"Kelly!" Catherine exclaimed as she opened the door for Kelly Hart and a very grown up Emma Hart. She gave Kelly a hug, "I'm so glad you made it!"
Kelly offered her a sheepish smile, "Thanks for letting us crash here for a few days. It'll be nice to not be stuck in a hotel room."
"Of course, of course." Catherine escorted Kelly and Emma inside. "Make yourselves at home. Kel, the guest room is down the hall to the left. Emma, we've got a blow-up mattress in Will's nursery. He stays in our room most of the time anyways so just make yourself comfortable."
"I really appreciate this, Catherine." Kelly glanced around.
Catherine stopped the tour and gave her a reassuring smile, "You're getting married. You're nervous. It's natural."
She looked over at Emma who had taken an immediate liking to Shelby and was entertaining her with a tower of blocks. "You know, she still wears his dog tags… Hasn't taken them off since the day Steve put them around her neck."
"I know this is a hard weekend for you." Catherine reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "Getting re-married doesn't replace Freddie. He's still with you." She pointed to Emma who was the spitting image of her father. "He would want you to be happy."
Kelly nodded and blinked back the tears that were welling up in her eyes, "Jason's a really, really good guy."
"He better be." Steve grinned as he walked in with Will in tow and leaned in for a hug, "Hey, Kel."
Kelly hugged Steve and took a deep breath, "Hi."
"You, uh, you ready the big day?" He leaned down and caught Shelby in his arms as she ran to him. "Hey, pretty girl."
"I think so." Kelly glanced over at Emma who had eyed Baby Will. "I, um… I have one more favor to ask…"
"Oh yeah? Whatcha need?"
"I need someone to walk me down the aisle." She admitted. "You know my dad, he passed a few years ago. It's kind of an old-school tradition but I was hoping you'd be willing….."
Steve felt the pang in his gut from the emotional sucker punch. "I, uh…."
"Just think about it?" She asked. "If it's too much I understand. Really, I do."
He nodded. "I'll think about it."
A streak of blonde fur bolted through the house as he caught the scent of new humans, "And that's our yellow lab disaster, Eddie." Catherine laughed as she introduced Eddie while he pawed up to Emma and plopped his head down on her lap, "He's politely requesting for you to give him all of your love immediately."
Catherine sat back in bed as she latched Will for his feeding, "Why are you being so cagey about walking Kelly down the aisle?" She asked as soon as Steve walked in and shut the door.
His brow wrinkled, "I think you know why."
"Enlighten me, please." She hissed.
Steve shook his head and groaned, "God, Cath. Come on."
"His death was not your fault." She snapped. "You supported and provided for his widow and daughter for years without anyone knowing. She just wants you to be there for her one more time and it's not gonna cost you a damn thing."
"You think that's what this is about?" He scoffed. "Cath, I can't do it. I can't walk her down the aisle and give her away to some other guy." He ran his hand through his hair, "Fuck. I… I'd feel like I was betraying my boy."
Catherine shook her head, "If the roles had been reversed you know damn well Freddie would have done for me what you did for Kelly."
He sat on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands, "Do you think I should do it?"
"Yeah." She admitted. "I think Kelly wants you to walk her down the aisle because you stood by her. You never tried to take Freddie's place. You just… did what any honorable man would have done."
Steve shook his head, "I can't watch her marry some engineer from Des Moines."
Catherine laughed, "The wedding's happening whether you're on board or not."
"I know." He groaned.
"Steve…" Catherine's voice softened, "Freddie would want her to be happy. He would want Emma to have someone looking out for her. And if Jason is an asshole - which I doubt he is - then I'll hold him down while you take the first swing. But I don't think Kel would settle for an asshole. It's been a long time since Freddie died. She deserves a happy ending."
He sighed, "I know."
"Commander McGarrett." Kelly smiled as she walked down the beach to where Steve had settled into one of the weathered chairs. She gave him a sloppy salute.
Steve chuckled, "At ease." He pointed to the chair, "Wanna join me?"
"Steve, I wanted to talk to you about that favor I asked you for earlier…" She looked out at the water and trailed her fingertips over the chipping paint, "Damn. When was the last time these things were power washed?"
He grinned, "Did you just come down here to bust my balls about home renovations? I knew that's why Cath was so excited you were coming..."
Kelly laughed, "No. This is really just about the wedding. But these chairs look like they've seen better days." She leaned back and crossed her ankles, "Look. About earlier… I should've explained myself better but to be honest I was kind of hoping that if I just popped it on you and didn't give you time to think about it that you'd say yes."
"Kel… I-"
She held up her hand, "Just hear me out." She took a deep breath, "A long time ago, Freddie told me he picked you to be his military escort in the event that he…."
"Yeah." Steve nodded.
"And when you went back to North Korea to get his body…." She shook her head, "Everything that you and Catherine did…" Kelly wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.
"I never told you it was North Korea." He stated.
Kelly nodded, "I hugged Catherine after the funeral and accidentally pushed against her ribs. I kind of made her tell me what happened after I found out about her injuries." She looked over at Steve, "Don't be mad at her. I played the grieving widow card. She was just being a friend - giving me closure. It helped a little, actually… Knowing what happened."
Steve looked down at his feet, "I should've done more to get him out."
"I don't know what happened. I'm pretty sure I don't want to." She stated firmly, "But I know him…. Knew him. He loved the SEALs. He loved the job… I knew that one day the likelihood of me getting that call. The family notification…" She shook her head, "I don't know what I'm trying to say…"
"He took a bullet to the gut… A couple probably." Steve sighed. "He, uh, he was bleeding out pretty bad. We both knew he wouldn't make it out of the A.O., much less to a hospital. I… I tried to pull him and keep a hold on our HVT but I couldn't get 'em both." Steve clasped his hands together. "Freddie- he screamed at me and told me to do the fucking job. That he wasn't going anywhere. He knew his time was up. All he wanted me to do was tell Emma how much he loved her." He leaned back and took a deep breath as his throat clenched, "Son a bitch died so I could get out and finish the op. I should've stayed. I should've gotten him out or died trying."
Kelly laughed as she wiped away her tears, "I'm not even gonna think about how much classified information you just dropped."
"You deserve to know, Kelly. He didn't die for nothing."
She reached over and squeezed his arm, "Steve, I know this is harder on you than it is on me. You guys were like brothers." A faint smile played on her lips, "My last memory of him was when he was the happiest I'd ever seen him. I know you didn't get that luxury."
Steve chipped away at the paint on one of the armrests, "He was so excited to be a dad… Hell, back then I didn't get it. But I do now… The second Catherine told me she was pregnant… Both times I knew right then I'd do anything for that kid and I hadn't even met 'em yet. Freddie… He loved her from the get go."
"The only reason I've been able to sleep at night ever since then is knowing that he was happy. That he loved me. That he loved Emma. That's all I needed." She patted Steve's arm, "And you." Kelly shook her head, "I don't know how I'll ever repay you for everything you did." She took a deep breath, "For the longest time I didn't know it was you. I just knew there was an angel out there who kept the utilities from being shut off when things were tight. Even when I knew I didn't have enough in the bank to make the mortgage payment, I never got a call about it. It was always covered." She pressed her palms against her lips and stared out at the ocean, "I don't know how you knew what we needed or how you made it happen… But Emma never went without anything and it was because of you. And when you finally admitted that it had been you all along, that's how I knew you did everything you could for him. Because you did everything you could for us."
He cleared his throat, "We, uh, we don't have to talk about that." He thought for a minute, "But in the event that you find out what Em wants for her next birthday, you let me know."
"You know, Jason has flowers sent to the cemetery every two weeks so Freddie's plot always looks nice?" Kelly smiled, "That's how I knew he was the one. Jason - he never told me he was doing it. Kind of like you in the early years after Freddie was gone." She stood up and turned back towards the house, "I should probably get my beauty sleep." She patted his shoulder, "But I just wanted to say thank you. For everything you didn't have to do."
Catherine pushed open the glass door to HQ and sprinted towards the bullpen. "Steve. Office." She ordered as she held the papers in her hand with a death grip, yanked his office door open and marched inside.
Huddled around the surface table, Steve, Danny, Kono, and Chin exchange looks that ranged from shock to amusement. "Looks like someone's in the dog house." Danny laughed.
"Whatever she's mad about, just take your lumps and apologize." Chin chimed in. "She's always right. Just remember that."
Steve looked over at Catherine who was pacing a hole in the floor of his office, "Gimme a sec."
Kono smirked, "Looks like you're gonna need more than a second."
He rolled his eyes and walked into his office. "What's up?" He rested his hands on his hips and gave her a once over, "Did I, uh, do something wrong?" Steve took another look at her, "Shit, Cath - you're shaking. What the hell's going on?"
She handed him the papers with a trembling hand, "We got the green light from the State Department. You're wheels up from Hickam in eighteen hours."
"Are you serious?" He snatched the papers out of her hand and read them over and over again. "Fucking shit." He looked up at her with eyes wide, "You did it. You got the request through?!"
A wide smile grew on her face, "Yeah. It's time he got to come home." She pointed to the repatriation details, "You'll, uh, you'll get ground support from South Korean officers helping with the swap but they're giving you leeway for another officer to go. I've already checked - both Walker and Martinez are stateside right now so either one of them can hitch a ride on a C-130 out of San Diego and be here in twelve, but you need to make the call now so I can make arrangements."
"You." He stated.
Catherine wrinkled her nose, "Me? What about me?"
"You. I, uh, trust you. I want you there. Watching my six."
She shook her head, "Steve, this trade is being monitored by the State Department, the Navy, and probably more than a few acronyms. There's no way in hell it would be appropriate for me to go."
Steve shook his head, "No one in those chains knows anything about us. But you got the deal through. It'd make sense for you to go. The State Department isn't gonna give a second thought to you being there."
"I guess I should get things in order with my C.O." She smiled. "Do you want me to call Kelly? Give her a heads up?"
"No. Let's, uh, let's wait 'til we get him home. I don't wanna make it harder on her if things don't go as planned."
72 HOURS LATER
Steve unzipped the canvas bag open and sighed. This was it. "Careful with him." He mumbled as Catherine helped him slowly transfer Freddie's remains out of the shallow grave and into the body bag. His head throbbed. His body ached and groaned with every miniscule movement.
Catherine's breathing was labored as she lifted the bones and placed them in the bag. "Is that everything?" She was going to ask if they had found all the pieces of his body, but that seemed a little morose.
He shook his head, "Give me a… just a second." Steve sifted through the dirt until a speck of metal glinted in the sun and caught his eye. "There we go." He dug the object out and brushed it off.
"His dog tags?"
Steve nodded. "I, uh, I wanna keep them… for now."
Catherine nodded in agreement and zipped the bag up. "I won't say anything." She reached over and slipped her hand into his, "Do you need a minute?"
He looked around at the place where his brother had taken his last breaths. "No... No, we should, uh, we should get back across the border before it gets dark."
They cautiously lifted the bag into the back of the Jeep. Catherine groaned in pain as she slid into the passenger's seat, "Let's get him home."
Steve rolled the steel casket into the back of the C-130. He stomped on the brakes of the cart and rested his hand atop the casket, "Hey, Bubba. I, uh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry it took me this long to get you back to Kel. I promise you I'm takin' care of her and Emma. I'm watchin' her six best I can." He pressed his fist to his mouth and gasped, "Thanks for watching mine, brother."
"Pilot says we're chocks up in ten." Catherine called out as she walked up the ramp. She glanced around and took their moment of solitude to place her hand on his, "You, uh, you wanna make the call?"
Steve flipped down one of the jump seats and slumped against the plane. He looked up at her as if he was drawing strength from her presence. "Sit with me?"
His request was so unnaturally feeble that it nearly broke her. She sat in the seat beside him and squeezed his hand as he tapped through his phone and turned it up so Catherine could hear.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Hart, this is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett ca-"
"Steve, I know it's you. I have fucking caller ID." She laughed.
Catherine stifled a laugh at Kelly's exclamation. Steve rolled his eyes, "Shit, Kel. Will you just let me get through this, please? You've got a mouth worse than a fucking sailor."
"Proceed, Commander."
Steve took a deep breath and began to recite the speech he had rehearsed. "Kelly, I'm calling on behalf of the United States Navy to tell you that your husband's body is being brought back to U.S. soil. He will receive a military funeral with full recognition of his service."
Catherine saw the tic in his jaw as Steve did his best to maintain his composure. On the other end of the line she heard Kelly's sniffle turn into a sob. It was her turn to be strong, "Kelly, someone from Navy Mortuary Affairs will be in touch with you really soon to fly you guys out and make arrangements, okay?"
"Catherine?" She whimpered.
"Yeah, it's me. I'm here with Steve." She glanced over and saw the cargo door closing, "We're about to be in the air but you call us if you run into any problems, okay?"
"Thank you." Her voice was barely above a whisper, "Thank you so much."
Steve wrapped his arm around Catherine's shoulders as the plane began to line up for take off. "Will it ever be enough?"
She cocked her head, "What?"
"Bringing a box of bones home… It's not what she needs. She needs him. Emma needs him."
Catherine rested her hand on his leg and traced the pattern of the green camouflage, "It's a start. You're giving them closure."
He took a deep breath and rubbed his face, "How's uh, how's your side? Your ribs?"
"Still just hurts when I breathe." She winced as he lifted the hem of her shirt and examined the ghastly bruises that had worsened.
"So... all the time." He chuckled dryly.
She offered a wry smile, "Pretty much." Catherine brushed her finger over the contusion on his forehead, "But we made it." She yawned.
"We made it." He tilted his head and rested it on top of hers. "You're a hell of a fighter, you know that, right?" He chuckled, "You're a natural in the field. If we hadn't been about to be turned into pink mist it woulda' been almost fun."
Catherine laughed, "Get some sleep. We've still got another flight to Honolulu after this." Steve didn't move at her suggestion. Instead, he kept watch on Freddie. "Steve." She said gently. "He's alright. He's not going anywhere."
"Excuse me," The flight attendant smiled at Steve and Catherine, "Commander McGarrett and Lieutenant Rollins, correct?"
Steve nodded, "Yes, ma'am."
"I understand you're escorting a fallen soldier home. The pilot would like to make a short announcement if that's okay with you. It just helps us get you two off the plane first when we land in Honolulu."
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you." He stated stoically.
Catherine watched as the flight attendant returned to the galley. "You okay? You didn't sleep on the flight to San Jose and you've barely said anything since we left California."
Steve looked down, "Who'd you put down as your escort? You know… in the event that you…."
She sighed, "You." She looked out the window at the expanse of clouds beneath them, "For a while it was Amy. Then, um… my first tour in Kabul... I changed it to you." She nudged him with her elbow, "I'm sorry I never told you… I guess I figured if you ever got that call that… Well… you couldn't really be mad at me then." She gave him a sly smile.
"Were you really gonna make me face the admiral like that?"
She giggled and rolled her eyes, "Please, they love you more than they love me. Well… mom does. Dad's on the fence but I think he's leaning your way."
Steve chuckled, "Damn right they do."
The crackling of the intercom caught their attention, "Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. I hope you've enjoyed your flight with us from San Jose, California to sunny Honolulu, Hawaii. In a few minutes we're going to land on the tarmac at Honolulu International. One of our passengers on board today is a fallen soldier who deserves our honor and respect. Also, on board are his military escorts, Commander Steve McGarrett and Lieutenant Catherine Rollins. Your flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow Commander McGarrett and Lieutenant Rollins to exit the aircraft first. Please give them and their fallen brother respect and wait to exit the aircraft until the casket is unloaded. Thank you."
Catherine straightened up in her seat as the plane began to descend. "You ready?"
Steve took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah."
Catherine watched as Steve kissed Kelly's cheek. He knelt in front of Emma and draped Freddie's dog tags around her neck. She cursed the professionalism that was required of her at the graveside. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him. The crowd began to disperse as the service ended. "Hey, Sailor." She whispered as Steve left Kelly's side and returned to her, "You, uh, you doin' okay?"
"No." He admitted. "I, uh, I need to go talk to those guys, though." He tilted his head towards Danny, Kono, and Chin who had attended the funeral in support of Steve and Catherine.
"Go. I'm gonna say hi to Kelly real quick then we can go." She watched as he walked towards the other members of Five-0. Turning quickly, she nearly ran into Kelly Hart. "Hey, I was just coming to talk to you."
Kelly gripped the folded flag in her hands, "I just wanted to thank you. For bringing him home… and answering the phone that day after Steve called me and told me he was gone."
"Of course." Catherine pulled her into a hug, "You know we've got your back." She hissed as Kelly's elbow hit her broken ribs.
Kelly took a timid step back, "You okay?"
"Yeah." Catherine waved it off as she grimaced, "Just a work-related injury is all."
Kelly looked over Catherine's shoulder at Steve, "You know, when Steve came by the hotel yesterday, he was scraped up." She narrowed her eyes in at Catherine. "What aren't you telling me?" Kelly Hart: human lie detector.
"Kel, it's noth-"
"If it has something to do with bringing Freddie home, you'd tell me, right?" She sighed, "Catherine, I need to know. I can't live being constantly kept in the dark about every single detail of what happened."
Catherine sighed, "Things went… sideways with the exchange at the DMZ."
"DMZ? You're saying he died in North Korea?"
She shook her head, "I can neither confirm nor deny." She glanced around to make sure they were out of ear shot, "Steve and I had to go across the border and… confirm… that we actually had Freddie. Things got a little out of hand with some hostiles in the field and we got a little banged up. But we're good. We got him back." Catherine squeezed her arm, "Don't worry about us. This is to help you heal."
Kelly nodded. "Thank you. I- I know that isn't enough… But thank you."
"Kelly." Steve walked over and pulled her into a hug. "I know we, uh, we've been over this a time or two now, but if you need anything, you call. Got it?"
She smiled, "Yes, Sir." Kelly rested her head on his lapel, "Thank you, Steve. For everything."
Steve swirled the whiskey around his glass before downing every last drop in one gulp. He slammed the tumbler down on the desk so hard he was surprised it hadn't shattered. "Hey." Catherine's soft voice as she tiptoed across the den startled him. "Come to bed." She urged.
"I was a tier one operator." He shook his head. "A tier one operator and I got my partner killed."
Catherine shook her head, "We'll talk about it tomorrow." She closed the bottle of whiskey and walked it into the kitchen. "The last couple days have been a lot." She walked back into the den and took his hand. "You need sleep. In an actual bed."
Steve pulled her down into his lap. "Cath, I need you to do me a favor."
"Anything."
"Take me off your paperwork." He pleaded. "I can't… I can't do this again. If it was you in that box? I just…. wouldn't be able to do it, Catherine."
"Okay." She whispered. A lie, but she'd 'fess up another day.
"You sure he's good enough for you, Kel?" Steve grinned as Kelly adjusted his bowtie.
Kelly smiled, "Nah, but he's close." She joked, "Thank you… for agreeing to be my escort."
Steve pulled out a velvet box from his jacket pocket, "I got something for you. Kind of an old tradition, but I figured you could use the luck."
She opened the box and clasped her hand over her mouth. "Steve…"
He reached down and picked up the medal. "Cath said you could hook it into your bouquet. You know, so you don't ruin your dress with this." Steve hooked the pin through the fabric that wrapped the stems of her bouquet.
Kelly brushed her thumb over the Purple Heart award Steve had fastened to her bouquet. "This was his?"
Steve nodded. "Something old and borrowed." The music began to play and he looked past Kelly at her waiting husband. "I think that's your cue."
She held onto his arm and gave it a squeeze, "Thank you, Steve. For everything."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Did I make you cry? Get a little misty? Me toooooo! I've watched 3x20 something like a million times now and I can never make it all the way through without shedding a tear! Leave your reactions and feedback in the reviews!
XO,
-Mags-
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