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.

BONUS EPILOGUE

Naval Base Coronado was a flurry of nervous activity as the members of the newest graduating BUD/s class assembled to receive their tridents. Through the sea of families and loved ones, Shelby Jo spotted her parents in the front row of chairs. She whispered a symphony of "I'm sorry, excuse me, and pardon me's" as she tried not to make a scene.

"You're late," Steve mumbled as he patted the seat that he and Catherine had saved for their daughter.

Catherine rolled her eyes at Steve, "I'm glad you were able to make it, sweetheart."

Shelby plopped into the chair and smirked at her dad. "Um, I was in southeast Asia just a few hours ago and I'm only three minutes late. I think I did pretty damn good. I was close."

"Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," he whispered back. "What were you doing in southeast Asia?"

Shelby leaned over and mumbled, "It's classified."

Catherine stifled a laugh behind her paper program. Shelby loved teasing her dad now that she was a fully fledged field agent with the CIA. Sure, they worried in a way that only parents could, but they knew deep down that they had raised Shelby to be a strong, confident woman. She was wise and level-headed like her mom and had the tactical prowess of her father. Shelby wasn't able to visit as much as they would have liked, but they made a point to see each other at least a few times a year.

"So the kid actually did it, huh?" Shelby grinned as she spotted her little brother's name on the program. "Who'da thought."

"Top of his class," Steve grinned proudly. "Chip off the old block."

Catherine snorted, "Definitely old. Very, very old."

Steve raised a gray eyebrow, "Is that insubordination I hear, Lieutenant?" He and Catherine exchanged coy smiles.

"God, you two. Get a room." Shelby shook her head in disgust as she tossed her long, brown hair over her shoulder. She was the spitting image of Catherine. For Steve, it was like looking back in time. Shelby was just a little older than Catherine had been when they first met on board the USS Enterprise.

The ceremony began and the three of them settled down. One by one, the newly minted SEALs received their tridents. Will kept his stoic expression trained on his face as he received the Budweiser pin, but shot his family a wink as he passed them by. The great thing about BUD/s graduation was that it was short and sweet. No long speeches, very little pomp and circumstance (which was a damn miracle for the Navy), and no lingering. The graduates only had a day or so until they would head to Pearl Harbor, Virginia Beach, or, in the unfortunate event that they had cold weather detachment training first, Kodiak, Alaska.

Steve knew that Will's dreams far surpassed his own. He was determined to get chosen for Green Team and then make it into DEVGRU. He wasn't satisfied being a part of the most elite branch of special forces- Will wanted to be the best of the best.

"You know, now that he's in the SEALs, you might see him around more often," Catherine said as they rose to their feet to find Will when the ceremony ended.

Shelby grinned, "Maybe in the future, but not with the assignment I'm working now."

Catherine knew exactly what she meant. Steve shook his head and muttered something under his breath about insufferable women. Catherine tucked her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "Sorry your security clearance isn't what it used to be, Commander."

Steve just shot her a dirty look and shook his head. He spotted his son in the crowd and let out a sharp whistle. "Ay!"

Will grinned from ear to ear as he walked over to his family. "Well, well, well- look who decided to grace us with her presence." He tackled Shelby in a bear hug, "How ya doing, Spook?"

Shelby elbowed him in the gut the same way she did when they were kids. Except now, he was a solid five inches taller than she was and a good ninety pounds heavier. And he smelled like the ocean. Shelby wrinkled her nose in disgust and shoved him away, "You reek! When was the last time you took a shower?"

He ran his fingers over the brown hair that was clipped short on his head. "Eh, it's been a while." Steve chuckled as his own memories of BUD/s.

"I don't care," Catherine beamed as she gave her son a hug. "I'm so proud of you."

Steve was next. "Hell week's a bitch isn't it?"

Will grinned and hugged his dad. "Persevere and thrive on adversity, right?"

"Proud of you, kid."

Will choked down the lump in his throat. He was a fucking Navy SEAL now. He was not going to cry. A blue camouflage cover bounced through the crowd. He spotted the uniform and his eyebrows furrowed. He shook his head to rid himself of the hallucination. It had to be the after-effects of sleep deprivation after that last evolution in BUD/s. He needed a shower, food, and beer. In that order.

He opened his eyes again and she was there. "Lexi?"

Her blue camouflage BDUs didn't help her blend in at all in the sea of green fatigues and business attire. "McGarrett!" She called out as she caught a glimpse of his face. Will's head whipped around as he searched for the origin of the voice. "Hey, Sailor." She smiled as she caught up with him. "Congratulations!"

Catherine clasped her hand over her mouth.

"Lex! What the hell are you doing here?" Will couldn't have been more shocked to see her.

Lexi beamed as he pulled her in for a hug, "The Nimitz is here for maintenance and I got shore leave!"

Will's eyes widened at the news, "Seriously?!" A grin spread across his face. "How many days you got on land?"

"Two. Two days and then my new orders begin." She grinned, "Did your parents and sister come? I'd love to meet them!"

Will wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into the group, "Lexi, these are my parents, Steve and Catherine, and my sister, Shelby. Guys, this is LJG Alexandra Matthews"

"Oh my God," Catherine whispered to Steve as Shelby stepped forward and introduced herself to Lexi. "It's us. They're us."

"Well… Here's the thing" Lexi smiled at Will, "You can't exactly call me 'L.J.G.' anymore."

"Oh really?" Will chuckled, "And why is that?"

Lexi grinned proudly as she pointed to the new insignia on her BDUs, "Because it's Lieutenant Matthews now."

"No shit!" He exclaimed as the entourage walked out to the parking lot, "Look at you, Matthews. Moving up in the world."

She laughed lightly as they walked across the base, "You're still my favorite officer. Why do you think I ran all the way here in my cammies to make it to your graduation rather than joining the rest of my unit for drinks?"

"Because you like me." Will teased, making her blush. "I'm kidding, Matthews." He chuckled. "But a drink sounds pretty damn good after the last few months of hell I've had, so what do you say, I go clean up and throw on some civvies and meet you at the bar."

"Sounds good, Sailor. First round's on me." Lexi grinned as she jogged away from him.

Steve and Catherine sat tucked into their booth at the bar. Pool balls clacked and bottles chimed as new SEALs toasted each other and celebrated making it through SEAL training. "Where's your head at, Sailor?" Catherine asked as she wiggled into his side. They were decades older since the first time they had drinks at the bar together, but they still felt young at heart. That kind of rapturous love and exhilaration never goes away.

"Just, uh, just thinkin' about what you said back on base. About Will and, uh, Lexi."

"What about it?"

He took a sip from the brown glass bottle in front of him and leaned back in the booth. "It was like watching the day I graduated BUD/s happen all over again. You getting leave from the Big E. Surprising me after the ceremony."

Catherine smiled softly, "Yeah, I remember that."

"One big thing was different."

She looked up at him. "What's that?"

"We were there this time."

Catherine thought for a moment before mumbling, "I don't understand."

"When you surprised me after my graduation, you asked if my dad or Mary came and, uh, you said you wanted to meet them."

"Yeah? Your dad stayed in Hawaii and Mary was in LA with Aunt Deb."

Steve wrapped his arm around his wife. "When Shelby was born, and uh, and then when Will was born- I swore to myself that we'd be there for all those big moments. For all of it. They'd always have someone in the crowd. And we were. Even Shelby made it out of whatever the hell she was doing to see him get his trident."

He watched from a distance as Shelby leaned over the bar top and ordered a shot of tequila. In the corner, Will and Lexi flirted and taunted each other as they played a quick round of darts.

A man who could only be described as tall, dark, and lethal sided up to Shelby and ordered a shot of tequila for himself. He gave her a discerning assessment and before knocking back his shot. "So you're not Navy, are you?"

"'Fraid not," she smiled with a sugary ease.

"What brought you out to this little stretch of sand?" He asked.

Shelby grabbed her shot glass and tossed back the tequila. "I heard the drinks were good."

The man eased forward on his elbows and cracked a smile, "You know, the old man who owns this joint is somewhat of a legend around here."

She raised her eyebrows and pretended to be innocently interested in only a way that a trained CIA agent could. "Oh yeah?"

"He was a Navy SEAL too. Before he joined the SEALs, my granddad was his C.O. in the Navy."

"You're a Navy SEAL?" She gasped in faux shock. "So cool."

"Used to be. Processed out and I've moved on to greener pastures." He flagged down the bartender and ordered two more shots of tequila. "So, if you're not in the Navy and you're at Coronado drinking at a bar, what do you do?"

"I'm an analyst for the State Department." The lie was easy. Practiced. No one ever questioned it.

They clinked their shot glasses against each other and took the next shot of liquor together. "That fella I mentioned? The one who owns this place?" He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "He married this girl who was Navy but then she went and joined the CIA. Whenever people asked what she did, she'd tell 'em that she was an analyst at the State Department."

Shelby giggled, "You're kidding."

He held up three fingers and pledged his allegiance to the boy scouts. "Wrote a whole book about it after she retired. Told the whole story."

She slinked forward and trailed her fingers down the line of buttons on his shirt. "So, Mr. Former Navy SEAL, are you gonna give me a name?"

"I'll give you my name when you tell me what you're doing in Coronado."

"Fine, but you first."

"Fine." He extended his hand and shook hers, "Micah Jameson."

"Nice to meet you, Micah Jameson," she smiled as she felt his large hand swallow hers. "Shelby."

"Are you gonna hold up your end of our deal, Shelby?" His thumb brushed across the top of her hand. "What brought you to Coronado?"

"My brother graduated BUD/s. I flew in for the ceremony."

"From D.C.?"

"Yep." Lie.

"Because you're an analyst for the State Department," he used his fingers to punctuate his disbelief with air quotes.

She flagged down the bartender and asked for a glass of water. "We can't all be Super SEALs."

Micah brushed her glossy hair off of her shoulder, "So, if I just happened to be in D.C. on business and I wanted to see you again, would I be able to stop by your office at the State Department and find you?"

"You know, Micah," she began as she sipped her water. "If you want my number, you could've just asked."

"I'll take whatever you'll give me."

"I never said I'd give it to you. I just said you could've asked."

"Playing hard to get, Shelby?"

"I play my cards close to the vest."

"Poker and life- hand in hand." He scrubbed his stubbled jaw with his hand. "How 'bout a last name."

"How about you tell me what you do. Unless, "Former Navy SEAL" is code for unemployed."

Micah crossed his arms over his chest and flexed, giving her a dopey, lopsided smirk. "Are you always this combative?"

Shelby flagged down the bartender, ordered two more shots, and handed one to him. "What do you do."

"I'm an analyst for the State Department," he said with a wink before downing his third shot of tequila. "What's your last name, Shelby?"

She tossed her shot back and slammed the glass on the bartop. "McGarrett."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Why hello, Pehea readers! It's been a minute! How are you doing? (Comments and thoughts in the reviews- you know the drill!)

I'm doing PHENOMENAL because (drum roll), I just published my first novel! Whoop Whoop! SO! To mark the occasion and give you all the details, I wanted to write a little Pehea bonus content to say THANK YOU for all the support that each and every one of you have given me. It's really because of you guys that I had the guts to do it! SO!

My first book, The Stars Above Us by Maggie Gates, is available on Amazon in paperback, ebooks, and Kindle Unlimited! I had originially announced a release date of March 2, but it got through production much faster than expected and will be available THIS WEEKEND!

So! Go ahead and order your paperbacks if you're old school like me or preorder the ebook to automatically download to your device when it is released on 2/21/21!

Check out the TSAU preview below! (Oh yeah, and there's a McRoll Easter egg in the book. Happy hunting!)

"You seem disappointed that I didn't get blown up just now. Wanna talk about that?"

What happened to Troy Davis?

That's what Becks is determined to figure out. When life takes an unexpected turn and plops her in the middle of the Afghan desert, the hotshot journalist finds herself surrounded by bullets, grenades, and a grumpy Army captain with a chip the size of Texas on his very broad shoulders. The captain is determined to get under her skin just as much as she gets under his.

All Captain Nathan Griffith wanted was to shake off the hell he'd faced over the last few years during a quiet deployment in the middle of nowhere. Lucky for him and the rest of the boys of Company B, Forward Operating Base Blessing fit the bill. When word comes down that a war correspondent is going to be embedded with them during their deployment, she is the last person he thought would ever show up.

After the unthinkable happens, Becks and Griff are torn between duty and desire. He never expected to find his fresh start in the middle of hell, but what will happen when Becks finally gets the answers she's been looking for?

The Stars Above Us includes a sassy redhead, a grumpy Army captain, pranks, shenanigans, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Fall in love with Becks, Griff, and the boys of Company B in this steamy contemporary military romance.

I love you all dearly. FanFiction has been an absolute blast, but I have told all the H50 stories I can come up with. I really do hope you will read The Stars Above Us and follow me on Instagram or Twitter (at XOMaggieWrites) for future book updates. (Because, y'all- I have A LOT of books outlined at the moment!)

I love you, you know. GY6.

XO,

-Mags-

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