Some of you have figured it out already...I've always been terrible at keeping a secret. But I hope that you still enjoy the reveal.

P.S. - I'm not sure why I have seemingly turned Jenna Kaye into a secretary, but that is what I have done. Probably because I was not impressed with the character...

Chapter 11 – The Men Who Love Her Part II

"The thing people forget is how good it can feel when you finally set secrets free. Whether good or bad, at least they're out in the open, like it or not. And once your secrets are out in the open, you don't have to hide behind them anymore. But the problem with secrets is even when you think you're in control, you're not." ~ Shonda Rimes

Commander McGarrett's office, the next afternoon...

"Did you have a good date last night?"

"Hmmm?" Steve answered distractedly. He was trying to get through the mountains of paperwork that had piled up on his desk recently and there was nothing the ex-S.E.A.L. disliked more than paperwork. He had put it off as long as he could and was not going to get too much done with his partner chattering away in his ear.

"Your date?" Danny repeated, lounging on the leather sofa in the Commander's office as he perused some case files, "Dinner…and whatever else you do with Catherine?"

"Oh…yeah," Steve said, hunting through one of the piles for a form he had misplaced, "It was fine."

"Fine?" His partner mocked, glancing over at him, "You spent the evening with a beautiful woman in a little black dress who redirects military satellites for you. And you can't come up with a better adjective than 'fine'?"

"It was…I just…" Steve fumbled over his words and finally sat back in his desk chair as he admitted, "I didn't tell her about Harper."

"Well, that's good," Danny advised, "Dating etiquette dictates that your ex-wife should not come up during pillow talk."

"She should when we are now working side by side everyday and Catherine is out in the middle of the Pacific," the Commander pointed out.

"No," Danny said with a shake of his head, "no, that is definitely not a good plan."

"Maybe advice like that is why you're divorced," Steve retorted sharply, knowing full well that he had just opened himself up and painted a target on his chest.

And Danny took the shot by saying, "At least I didn't walk out to take a job promotion."

Steve made what his partner lovingly referred to as aneurysm face and asked, "Harper told you that?"

"Yes," the detective replied quickly, sitting up and facing his partner, "because you see, unlike you, your ex-wife found me interesting and trustworthy."

"I wouldn't believe everything she says," Steve warned, going back to his paperwork and signaling that the conversation was over.

But Danny did not get the message as he asked, "Why not?"

"Because she doesn't know…" he stopped himself before he blurted out things that were none of Danny's business and simply said, "Just don't."

"So you tell me."

"Tell you what?"

Danny suddenly realized that talking to his partner was very similar to talking to his ex-wife as he sighed and said, "Tell me why you left."

"Why is this important to you?" Steve asked, putting his pen down and glaring at the detective.

"Because something doesn't add up…"

"My divorce is not a case for you to investigate," Steve interrupted in disgust, "You need to be finding out who killed Kai Akino and what the connection is to Wo Fat…"

But that was as far as he got since Jenna Kaye buzzed in at that moment and said, "Commander McGarrett, there's a video chat request from Superintendent Mickey James that just came in."

"Harper is not here," Steve told her, "She's out in the field with Chin and Kono."

"I know," Jenna replied efficiently, "He wants to talk to you."

Danny and Steve exchanged a confused look as he asked, "Me?"

"That's what he said," she told him, "Do you want me to send it to your office screen?"

"Yeah, go ahead," Steve said, flipping on the big screen monitor on the adjacent wall.

"And the mystery deepens," Danny teased, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of a showdown.

"We are investigating the death of a guy who killed one of his cops," Steve tried to explain, "It's not that unusual that he's calling…"

"He hates you," Danny blurted out with a smirk, "Why wouldn't he have his assistant talk to you instead of doing it himself?"

"Well, I hate you," Steve shot back sarcastically, "Unfortunately, I don't have an assistant to do my talking…"

"Well, he does!" Danny reminded him, "And yet he…"

"Is waiting, Commander."

Danny and Steve's heads both snapped around so fast it was almost comical. And when they did, the distinguished face of Police Superintendent Michelangelo "Mickey" James was set in granite as he stared at them.

"Superintendent," Steve greeted him, scrambling to stand up in front of the screen. Gesturing toward Danny, he introduced, "This is my partner, Detective Danny Williams."

"Detective," Mickey nodded in greeting.

"Superintendent," Danny nodded comically in reply as he said, "Big fan of your daughter's."

"That makes two of us," he replied, not cracking a smile.

An awkward silence settled over the office before Danny realized that he was in the middle of a private conversation. He began backing out of the room as he said, "Okay and speaking of two…he wants to talk to you. So, I should just leave." Getting to the door, he opened it and winked at Steve before he added, "Okay, nice to see you, Superintendent."

When he was gone, Steve crossed his arms over his chest and told Mickey, "Harper isn't here. She's out interviewing members of Kai Akino's gang…"

"Good," the Superintendent interrupted, "because I think we need to talk."

"About?"

"Don't play dumb, McGarrett," his former father in law said, obviously annoyed already, "You are not a stupid man."

"No, I'm not," Steve conceded, moving back behind his desk, "But I have made some pretty stupid choices."

"If you are speaking of the one you made seven years ago, I disagree."

"Why am I not surprised?" Steve asked with a heartless chuckle. Picking up a folder from his desk and pretending to look through it, he inquired, "What can I do for you, Superintendent?"

"I am calling to ensure my daughter's safety…"

"Harper can take care of herself," Steve interrupted.

"Yes, I know…"

"No, I don't think you do," Steve bit out, knowing that he was completely out of line and not caring one bit.

Hearing the edge in the Commander's voice, Mickey said tightly, "Say what you have to say, McGarrett."

"I was raised by a tough cop, too, Superintendent…"

"My condolences on the passing of your father, Commander."

That was unexpected. In fact, it was such an unexpected expression of sympathy that Steve almost couldn't finish his statement.

"Thank you," Steve said quietly, but then gained his composure as he continued, "Anyway, that was one thing Harper and I could always talk about. Our fathers and our relationships with them. But the difference between my father and you is that he didn't preach independence and then take back handed short cuts to undermine the independence he was fostering in us."

"I don't believe that is what I have done…"

"That is exactly what you have done."

Mickey James pursed his lips in anger and had to visibly calm himself down before he stated, "One day, Commander, you will know the joy of being a father…"

"I could be a lot closer to that goal if it weren't for you."

Silence. And, as they say, it was deafening.

Finally the Superintendent cleared his throat and continued, "But along with the joy of parenthood comes fear. The day my daughter was born, I cried like a child. Holding her, so small in my arms, I never knew I could love anything so much, so fast. I had the same sensations when my sons were born, but this was different. The need to protect her was animal-like. Primal. And part of me was terrified. Raising a daughter is more a matter of faith than most people know. Because I knew what kind of life she was destined for…a child born with her mother's beautiful face into a police legacy family. I did what I had to do."

Steve considered Harper's fathers heartfelt words before he asked, "But what about what she's had to do?"

"Meaning?"

"Harper has lived every day of her life trying to live up to your accomplishments, to your expectations," Steve explained, "She loves being a cop as much as you do…"

"Well, I wish that she didn't," Mickey interrupted with a tired sigh, "The day she announced she was going to the police academy scared the hell out of me. But I never talked her out of it, not once. I am not a man who bends, Commander, but I bent for her so that she could follow her dreams. Because she is my daughter…"

"But then you took every step possible to ensure that she would never be able to stand on her own…"

"I did not," Mickey shot back defensively, "Everything that she has accomplished has been on her own. I stood as far back as I could and let her do it her own. I never interfered until you came along."

"Do you even know her?" Steve asked, completely frustrated with a conversation that seemed to be going nowhere. They were two stubborn men and both believed that they were right. "Do you know what she is capable of?"

"Of course I do," her father replied sharply, "I know her better than anyone."

"No," Steve argued, trying to get him to understand, "you know the little girl whose universe revolves around seeing you smile or hearing you say how proud you are of her. But do you know her? Do you know what an amazing cop she is?"

"I am fully aware of her service record…"

"I'm not talking about her service record," the Commander corrected him, shaking his head as he came back around from behind his desk. He was fully engaged in the conversation now. "I'm talking about the cop…the instincts she's inherited from you. When I was with S.E.A.L.s, I was forced to put my life in other people's hands every day and ask them to put their lives in mine. I know immediately what kind of people I can trust and your daughter…" Steve got a little smirk on his face as he thought about his ex-wife, "Sir, she is tough and she is difficult and she's as hard headed as hell. But I wouldn't think twice about putting my life or my team's lives in her hands. She is strong, caring, honorable and she protects the things and the ones she loves with a ferocity like I've never seen before…she is exactly who you raised her to be."

"Yes, she is," Mickey agreed, not missing the undeniable passion in Steve's voice, "Which is why she can never know what we did."

Steve visibly prickled at his former father in law's words and informed him, "I've already played the bad guy in this little scene, Superintendent. I'm not going to do it again by being the one to tell her what you did. Is that why you called? To make sure your secret is safe?"

"I…"

"What secret?"

Steve closed his eyes and his heart dropped to the floor when Harper walked into the office.

Wrinkling her forehead at Steve's reaction, she explained, "I saw my dad on the big screen. Dad, what secret are you talking about?"

Harper turned toward the screen to study her father's handsome face, with thin lips that so often had praised her in moments of triumph. But gone was their warm, wry smile; it had been replaced with a hard unyielding line as he stated, "Harper…"

Panic rose up inside her at the tight sound of his voice, so she asked quickly, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Steve said quickly. Despite his feelings toward Mickey James, this was not a situation any father should have to be in and he would try to get him off the hook.

"Don't lie to me," Harper warned, never taking her eyes off of her father, "Either of you."

"I'm not…"

But Mickey James was not going to have Steve lie for him, so he stated matter of factly, "I was checking in on the case."

"Then why would you call him?" Harper asked accusingly, gesturing toward Steve as she used Danny's logic from earlier, "Why wouldn't you call me? This isn't about the case, is it? This is about me. What's going on?"

"Your father wanted an update and no one else was in the office…"

"You are lying," Harper hissed, turning toward her ex-husband with fire flashing in her eyes, "I know you're lying. You know how I know? Cause you're a bad liar!" She was shouting now and she didn't seem to care as she went on, "Danny was here and my father would rather talk to a stranger than to you."

The pair locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity and then Steve made the decision that was going to turn everyone's world upside down. Turning to look at Mickey on the screen, he threw up his hands in defeat and told him, "I already told you…I'm done being the bad guy."

"What does that mean?" she asked, a wild look coming over her face. Walking over to stand next to Steve and facing the screen, Harper demanded, "What secret about me do the two of you share?"

Mickey James knew it was his show and he cleared his throat as he stated in an emotionless voice, "Seven years ago, I was instrumental in securing Commander McGarrett's promotion and transfer to Little Creek base in Virgina to command S.E.A.L. team Two. And I advised him that one of the conditions of his promotion was that he had to go without you. And that if he did not, I would see to it that his military career would be in serious jeopardy."