Aloha
By
Landon Richardson
Official Disclaimer
The characters of Lieutenant Commander Steven 'Steve' McGarrett, Detective Sergeant Daniel 'Danny/Danno' Williams, Detective Sergeant Chin Ho Kelly, Officer Kono Kalakaua, Agent Jenna Kaye, Special Agent Lori Weston, Captain Louis 'Lou' Grover, Renee Grover, Samantha 'Sam' Grover, William 'Will' Grover, Grace Williams, Mary McGarrett, Detective Meka Hanamoa, Amy Hanamoa, Billy Hanamoa, Kamekona, Lieutenant Catherine Rollins, Max Bergman, Rachel Edwards, Stan Edwards, John McGarrett, Governor Patricia Jameson, Laura Hills, Wo Fat, Sergeant Duke Lukela, Charlie Fong and Kawika do not belong to me in any shape or form, I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes
The characters of Danielle 'Danni / Elle' Richardson, Caitlin 'Cait / Catie' Richardson, Supervisory Special Agent Jack O'Connor, Lieutenant Commander Riley King, Lieutenant Louisa Palakiko-Cowan Harry Roberts, Julian Perry, Lisa Clements, Charlotte 'Lottie' Davies, Luke Watson, Charles ' Charlie' Reed, Nicholas 'Nico' Walker, William 'Will' Garcia, Simon Ferron, Theresa 'Tess' Walker, Robert 'Bobby' Richardson, Lily Richardson, Nathaniel 'Nate' Richardson, Emma Richardson, Thomas 'Tom' Richardson, Oliva 'Liv' Richardson, Frederick 'Freddie' Richardson, Lieutenant Colonel David Richardson, Doctor Elijah 'Eli' Richardson, First Lieutenant Christopher 'Chris' Richardson, Benjamin 'Ben / Benji' Richardson, Michael 'Mike' Landon, Karen Landon, Louise Brent nee Landon, Commander Tyler 'Ty' Landon, Morgan Landon and Dean Landon do however belong to me so please don't use without permission
Any other characters who might pop up who you don't recognise from the show probably belong to me as well though hopefully I've caught them all!
Author Note
Welcome to Aloha, the fourth part of the 'Love at First Sight' Saga
If you are new coming into this saga then I would seriously suggest that you go back and read Love at First sight. If you don't read that one first one then this story will probably make little sense to you. If you have read that one and are here to continue the journey with me then thank you!
As you can see from the sheer amount of people mentioned in the disclaimer this is going to be a very long story. I'm aiming to pretty much pick it up from April 2011 which is around about mid-way through season one I think and continue all the way to season ten, making changes as we go because obviously this is an AU and Steve, unlike in the show, is in a very serious romantic relationship which will change the way things go for him, especially as it will result in marriage and a family of his own early on in the series.
This story is and always will be a McDanni story showcasing their love and the life they build together but there will be a lot of background romances as well which I shall bring in and plenty of subplot. Some of the main plots from the show may be missing but that's because Danielle is not always aware of what is happening at Steve's work and Steve doesn't always tell her.
All the people you recognise from the show will be featured heavily in the show as will the characters who make up Steve's and Danni's family and friends. Anyone who has read any of my other work knows that I made up my own history for Steve and have kept with it throughout all the stories I write.
As previously mentioned in Love at First sight due to this story featuring both male Danny and female Danni in a substantial role, female Danni shall be referred to as Danielle outside of conversation to ease the confusion between the two.
I feel like I should put a warning here that not only will the chapters of this story be incredibly long but they will also be incredibly fluffy and feel good. I jokingly refer to this saga as my attempt at writing a Mills and Books book. I wanted to write a story with limited angst and hopefully make anyone reading it happy for Steve that he has found someone who loves him like Danielle loves him so early on and how it changes him.
The only other thing I'd like to say now is that when Danielle and Caitlin talk about Danny to each other, they call him Dan, this is due to Caitlin calling Danielle by the nickname Danni. Also when Danielle calls Caitlin, Cait or Catie this is pronounced as Kate or Katie.
I promise that my Author notes won't be this long again!
Please enjoy.
Official story Summary
Steve McGarrett never expected to fall in love or to find someone who loved him and wanted to be with him so when he meets Danni all he wants is to settle down with her and to build a life with her. However, between his crazy job, his best friend's relationship, his friends and family and the trials of a wedding and raising a family, things were never going to be peaceful for him. (Part four of the Love at first sight Saga, McDanni, features male Danny)
Chapter Summary
Danielle makes preparations to return to Hawaii and to Steve and she won't be alone when she does.
Official Romances mentioned in the story
Steven 'Steve' McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni /Elle' Richardson
Daniel 'Danny/Danno/Dan' Williams / Caitlin 'Cait/Catie' Richardson
Stanley 'Stan' Edwards / Rachel Edwards nee Williams (Stanel)
Mentions of Past Simon Ferron / Danielle 'Danni /Elle' Richardson (Ferrson)
Mentions of Past Steven 'Steve' McGarrett / Catherine 'Cath' Rollins
Mentions of Past Daniel 'Danny/Danno/Dan' Williams / Rachel Edwards nee Williams (Danchel)
Mentions of past Caitlin 'Cait/Catie' Richardson / Thomas 'Tom' Jacobs (Caitmas)
Please note that more romances will be added as we go
Romances mentioned in this chapter
Steven 'Steve' McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni /Elle' Richardson
Daniel 'Danny/Danno/Dan' Williams / Caitlin 'Cait/Catie' Richardson
Secondary Disclaimer
I do not have a Beta so please forgive any mistakes which may creep into this story, I always do my best to edit the story and to double check it before uploaded one of my works but sometimes mistakes do creep in, this might also include me accidentally using an English word in place of an American word as my brain, being English, doesn't always pick up on it being incorrect.
The places which I have mentioned are either made up or have been obtained from google including any areas or addresses. One day I hope to go to Hawaii in person but until then I'll have to make so with using my imaginations to build the places in my mind.
Saga
Part Four of the Love at First sight Saga
Chapter One
Minus one day – Saturday 9th April 2011
Every minute feels like an hour, every hour feels like a day, every day feels like
Forever but I'll wait forever and a day for you
"Okay Danielle, I need you to turn just a little more to the left for me, just one tiny step, yeah just like that, that's perfect my Darling Girl. Now do me a favour and stare out moodily into the distance as though you're thinking about something which is troubling you. Perhaps you've forgotten to turn off the oven this morning or you left your hair straighteners on and have only remembered when you're already on route to your job and so can't turn back to check. Yes, exactly like that, that's what I'm looking for. You're such a nature at this! Tell me once more why you've decided to leave the modelling world?"
Danielle Richardson resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the photographer's tacked on question to his ongoing flow of directions at her, a question which she had heard more times than she cared to count over the past two and a half months of her life. She ignored it and instead continued to stare out at the distance, barely noticing the beautiful scenery or the people working frantically around them trying to make sure the shoot went as smoothly as possible. She resisted the urge to move as she mentally counted down the seconds under her portion of the photoshoot would be finished and she would be free to kick off the pair of high heels she was wearing, heels which were far too large for her feet making even standing still in them for the photograph a potential health hazard for her.
She wondered as she stood there, trying not to shiver in the cool spring air which had yet to heat up, just how many more times she would have to hear that same question directed at her over the upcoming eighteen months or so until she completed the final modelling job which she had left to do.
She had expected to hear some murmurings from the people in the industry once the news that she was retiring from the modelling world and was leaving all the glamour that came with it behind her to move to Hawaii finally broke out, but she hadn't expected anything like the reaction that there had been. It was as though the modelling world was up in arms about the decision, no doubt wondering what it would mean for them and their business brands. In a way the logical side of her brain could understand the chatter about it especially when it had hit the fashion and gossip tabloids, there was no denying that it was rare for a model who was still fairly young to leave the industry behind when she was at the top of her game, normally when it did happen it was for a bad reason but Danielle's record was spotless.
She was making this choice off her own bat and it was almost unheard of.
It had been a harder break for her to make then she had foreseen it being but she had made it clear to both of her managers that she was taking no more new bookings and was only completing the ones which had previously had a contract signed for before she had made her decision to go. Even now, her desire to do the best she could do and preserve her reputation as someone who kept her word once it was given was strong, warring constantly with her desire to simple pack it all in now and go to where she belonged and where she wanted to be with every fibre of her being.
She was lucky that her managers had been able to arrange for her remaining photo shoot to be shot on the various islands of Hawaii, most likely a decision they had made because she had made it clear to them that once she was back on Hawaiian soil again then she was not going to leave again, at least not for a modelling job.
Ironically the new of her impending retirement had made her more popular than ever within the industry, with the various brands and high powered people begging her to do with photo shoots for them. People, who she knew from what her managers had told her, had been more than willing to pay up to triple time her normal standard rate just to have her do their shoot before she retired. She had resisted though and refused all the offers which had come her way. The industry was swiftly learning that beneath Danielle's serene and kind nature was a stubborn streak which once aroused made it almost for anyone to change her mind about the issue.
Danielle wanted to leave the modelling world and that was exactly what she was going to do, regardless of whether people thought that she was mad or stupid for making that choice, their opinions quite frankly didn't matter to her and never would.
She had always been sensible with her money and had built up a large enough nest egg to ensure that she would never have to work again if she made the decision not to and would still be easily well off with money to spare.
She had kept quiet about her true reasons for leaving the business behind, only telling the six people who were closest to her; her two bodyguards, her two managers, her makeup artist and her hairdressers that she was uprooting herself and moving to Hawaii to be with the man who she loved.
The same man who she had met in Oahu back in January when she had been there on a much needed vacation and who had swept her completely off of her feet, making her fall in love with him with an intensity which she had never experienced before and which she doubted she would every experience again.
"And that is now officially a wrap for you on this shoot Danielle, you're finished here. Fantastic job as usual, the photos have come out look perfect and are exactly how I wanted them to be, it's like you read my mind, the same as usual. Thank God they chose you for this shoot, you're an absolute godsend to me. If these photos here don't sell this product then nothing will, I'm positive about that." The photographer stated loudly, attracting her from her thoughts, she blinked before glancing towards him.
"Thank you." Danielle responded politely stepping down carefully from the makeshift platform which they had placed her on. She leaned down and pulled off the high heels with a relived sigh, thankful that she had lasted through the whole shoot without breaking her neck. She picked them up and accepted the large towel which one of the harassed looking assistants held out for her, passing the woman the shoes. She wrapped the towel around herself, nodded at the photographer who was still talking to her, raving about his photos before she turned to look at Julian Perry, one of her bodyguards who was standing near to her with a watchful expression on his face as his green eyes constantly scanned the surrounding area, clearly looking for any threats or anything which was remotely even out of place. "I'm ready to head back to the trailer now." She told him, smiling when he merely nodded at her, the hard, icy look in his eyes easing away as he handed her over a pair of black ballet pumps which she recognised as the ones which she tended to wear out and about which he must have picked up from her trailer.
"Figured you might need these." He remarked as she took them for her.
"God you have no idea just how much." She told him quietly as she slipped them on before nodding at him to indicate that she was ready to move out. She turned and headed across the crowded area towards where the trailer she had been allocated when she arrived was situated, aware of Julian falling into step beside her like a comforting shadow.
She breathed out shakily, allowing her eyes to drift close for a moment to gather herself before she forced them back open, a smile coming to her face, which she couldn't hide even if she had wanted to.
It was finally all over for her.
All the commitments which she had made which had taken her around the world and to the mainland were finally completed meaning that she could head back to Hawaii. Her eyes landed on her second bodyguard Harry Roberts, her smile widening when he grinned at her from where he was leaning back against the side of the trailer, looking completely relaxed and as though he didn't have a care in the world though she knew from personal experience just how misleading that assumption was when it came to the tall man.
He was anything but relaxed when he was on the job, especially when they were out in a crowded set where anything could happen.
She climbed up the shallow metal steps leading up to the door of the trailer and turned around to them, her mouth opening though she closed it mere seconds later when Harry spoke up, clearly reading her mind.
"We'll wait for her here outside the trailer Danni, I've been here the whole time so no one who wasn't meant to be in there got in there, just take your time with getting ready because we have plenty of time to get to the airport before our flight takes off." He reassured her with a wave of her hand while Julian took up position on the other side of the door.
She nodded at him smiling at them both once again struck by how different the men were from one another before she pushed open the door and stepped into the confined space which was merely made up of one long room with various chairs in, a table and a couch and a small bathroom area near the back of it. She closed the door behind her, cutting off the sounds of the active photo shoot and took a moment to simply lean back against it the wood, her eyes drifting shut again as a wave of relief came over her leaving her feeling weak at the knees and suddenly thankful for the additional support.
"You know when you're out there posing in front of the camera you look like an absolute pro, that sort of natural skill isn't something which can be taught and it what makes you so popular because you always, somehow look natural when you're out there. Are you positive that you want to give up your career when you're in your prime for love?"
Danielle jumped at the unexpected voice, her hand coming up to cover her heart as her eyes moved to the bottom of the trailer to land on her older sister Caitlin as the dark haired woman exited the bathroom. A smirk on her beautiful face clearly noting Danielle's reaction to her voice.
"Were you hiding in there to give me a scare Cait because I would prefer if you didn't give me a heart attack. Also remind me to kill Harry later on for not giving me any warning that you were in here waiting for me. I think I may have just lost ten years of my life due to the pair of you." Danielle grumbled with a shake of her head as she pushed herself away from the door and into the main area of the room, stopping next to the shabby looking couch where she had dumped her small suitcase when she had arrived on set that morning.
Looking down at it, she couldn't help but smile, amused by the knowledge that despite all the possessions she owned back at her house and the ones she had waiting in storage for her, everything which she truly seemed to need to be able to function was able to fit into a small suitcase which still had plenty of room left over for anything new which took her fancy. She wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a sad thing but it was a way of life for her.
"No need to be dramatic Sis, we both know you're as healthy as a horse and always have been" Caitlin said, brushing her comment away and attracting her attention again.
Danielle glanced down taking in the designer jeans and top which Caitlin was wearing, her dark hair recently cut into a shorter bob which framed her face and suited her features while her makeup had been done sparingly to give her that natural glow as though she had been out in the sun. A pair of high glittery sandals finished the look.
"So, care to explain to me what you're doing standing in my trailer in the middle of Japan when a couple of days ago you were in Berlin, doing a shoot? I mean that must have finished what? Yesterday evening at the earliest?" She asked, unzipping her suitcase and flipping the lid open, glancing down at her belongings for a minute, tilting her head towards her sister to show the other woman that she was listening when she began to answer her.
"I was over there for a shoot but we actually finished yesterday morning, don't ask me how but it seemed that for once everything went the way it was meant to and there was a competent team in charge and a photographer who knew what he was doing, it made such a nice change." Caitlin said happily. "Only problem was there I was in the middle of Germany with nothing to do and then I remembered that you were over here in Japan and I figured, why not come and visit you on your last ever photoshoot outside of Hawaii so here I am. Think of me as moral support of something. I did try and get here before the shoot but I got caught up in traffic. Harry saw me when I arrived and told me to wait in the trailer as you'd be coming back there. I don't think he's greatly impressed that I ditched Will and Nico again but he'll get over it. He's your bodyguard after all, not mine." She explained as she walked over to where Danielle was and collapsed beside the suitcase.
"Well he is right you know, you shouldn't be going anywhere without them, especially not on a long flight like Germany to Japan." Danielle responded absently as she pulled out a pair of black jeans and a simple dark green vest top which would be good for travelling.
"I'm fine." Caitlin said with a roll of her dark hazel eyes. "Seriously sometimes you're just as bad as Dad but enough of that, you didn't answer my question earlier on, are you sure that you want to do this because now is the time to say you've changed your mind. Luke and Charlie would be thrilled if you did. Giving it all up for love seems so… so old fashioned especially when you consider just how hard you worked to get to where you are now."
"I'm sure it's what I want and I'm not going to change my mind regardless of how many arguments and points gets thrown at me." Danielle replied simply, a brisk tone to her voice as she looked over at Caitlin. "The main difference is Cait that I don't see this as me giving anything up because when you say it like that, it make it seem like a negative choice when it's the furthest thing from that."
"Is it?" Caitlin prompted when Danielle fell silent for a moment, a thoughtful frown on her face.
"It is" Danielle confirmed with a nod. "This is the first time in years, literally years Caitlin, that I'm making a decision for myself based entirely on what I want. I've been in the modelling industry since I was nineteen and barely nineteen at that and now I'm thirty. It's about time that I started living for myself and to see what else is out there for me. I want to be happy and Steve makes me extremely happy, he has done since the first day we met each other."
"Oh I know he does Baby Sis." Caitlin stated on a sigh. "You forget that I was on the side-lines watching your romance with McGarrett as it happened, I'm well aware of how you feel about him and how he clearly feels for you as well. It just, well, you can't deny that this move you're making to Hawaii is a massive step for you and completely out of your comfort zone. I just want to be sure that you're going to be okay over there and that you've given it some thought about what this move will entail for you. It's going to be like starting a new school in a new state where no one knows you and you barely know anyone, or something like that anyway, you can come up with your own metaphor for it."
"I've spent the past two and a half months thinking about this Caitlin or have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Danielle asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're the one who is always accusing me of overthinking every little thing in my life."
"True" Caitlin admitted.
"Let me tell you the same thing which I've told Mom and Dad and David when they've called me asking me the same thing you are now. Moving to Hawaii to be with Steve, whether that's just me dating him or living with him or whatever, is all I want, he makes me happy and that should be the main thing which counts to you all." Danielle stared in a confident tone.
"You're right and your happiness is the main thing, it's just a lot to take in Danni, like I knew from the minute you came back from that first date with him that this was going to happen, it was beyond clear but now that it is here, it just seems crazy." Caitlin admitted before she breathed out nosily. "Still you're thirty years old like you've already said which makes you old enough to make your own decisions about your own life, there is one thing I want to ask you though?" Caitlin said, shooting Danielle an expectant look.
"Go on" Danielle said, drawing the sentence out, waiting to see what Caitlin would throw at her next.
"Does McGarrett know that you're arriving in Hawaii tomorrow and that you're arriving for good?" She asked, a grin coming to her face when Danielle responded by shaking her head, a rare cheeky grin coming to her face which reflected the mischievous look which Danelle knew would be on her face.
"He doesn't have a clue." She admitted with a shrug. "I thought about telling him that I was coming but then I decided that it would be better left as a surprise for him instead. We spoke to each other this morning and we mentioned that his team had just finished a high profile case which means that tomorrow should be a paperwork day for them which as you can imagine has gone down like a lead balloon given the small fact that tomorrow is a Sunday which is their usual day off."
"Why are they working then?" Caitlin asked, raising a questioning eyebrow at her.
"I think the case today was a high profile one which the Governor was involved in and when she's involved it means there can be no delays when it comes to paperwork." Danielle explained. "It does mean that they should be in the office for at least the morning which works out perfectly for me because my flights lands in Honolulu international airport tomorrow morning at ten, so I'll get a taxi from outside the station straight to their office and hopefully be reunited with Steve again by eleven. All the while he'll be thinking that I'm still here in Japan, none the wiser that I'm on the island again." She said with a wide grin.
"Won't he try and call you tonight when you're on the plane?" Caitlin pointed out.
"I've thought of that already, I'm going to text him just before we're told to turn our phones off and tell him that my phone is out of battery and that I won't be able to call him back until it's charged." Danielle answered.
"Well, by this time tomorrow then you'll be with him so not long to go." Caitlin remarked, remaining quiet when Danielle turned and headed over to the bathroom, the clothes she had already picked held under her arm. Caitlin moved on the couch, glancing around her briefly before she spoke, raising her voice slightly so Danielle would be able to hear her through the closed door. "So, I've been meaning to ask you Danni, is McGarrett still knee deep in the process of planning your wedding? Has he gotten around to telling you the date of it yet? I'm just asking because I'm wondering what I'm meant to wear for it"
"Cait, I've lost count of the number of times you've brought this subject up with me and the answer to it is always the same. Steve is not planning our wedding because he hasn't even asked me to marry him yet. We might have discussed it briefly with one another before I left to do the runway in Paris and we may have agreed that he could have a think about who he would want to stand with him as his best man but that is the limit of what we agreed." Danielle replied as she re-entered the room, securing her long hair back into a ponytail so that it was out of the way.
"It warms my heart that after so many years in the business you still are that naïve over things and that you believe that he kept to that agreement. I hate to be the one to break this news to you but McGarrett has gone well beyond merely thinking about who his best man would be when you got married. He's already in the process of planning the wedding down to the finest detail, making sure that everything for it is perfect for you both. I don't think the fact that he hasn't proposed to you yet matters to him." Caitlin told her, another smirk coming to her face as she crossed her legs at the knee, resting her arms on them as she leaned forward.
"And how exactly would you have all this knowledge Caitlin? Have you been speaking to Steve since January?" Danielle asked, a tinge of curiosity to her voice as she turned and walked over to the small coffee table and picked up an unopen bottle of water from it, unscrewing the top and taking a sip as she waited for an answer to her query.
"God no, nothing like that Danni." She assured her, her nose wrinkling up as though the mere thought of having to have a conversation with Steve McGarrett was enough to pain her. "I've only seen your other half once and that was early last month when I managed to get to Hawaii for a long weekend to see Dan. My conversation with McGarrett literally consisted of me saying hello to him because Danny and I were late for some reservations which he had booked for us. Besides, even if I was suddenly struck with the desire to talk to him it would be impossible because I don't actually have his cell phone number and I'm not about to ask Dan to provide it to me either." The older woman stated, as she grabbed the second unopened water for herself.
Danielle nodded slowly as she lowered her drink.
"I didn't even know you had gone over to Hawaii" She remarked in surprise.
"Yeah, well you were in the middle of that evening gown shoot in Rome and I knew it was stressing you out so I figured I wouldn't mention it because it would only make you feel worse. I wasn't there long either, I flew in mid-afternoon on Friday and left Sunday morning so it really was more a stop off." Caitlin told her, meeting her eyes for a moment.
Danielle studied her sister before she nodded, seeing the logic behind what Caitlin had said, there would have been little point telling her and if she had known then she would have most likely been jealous that the brunette had been in Hawaii while she was stuck in Rome.
"That was a short trip." She said finally.
"Yep, I don't even know why I did it." Caitlin commented, sounding quiet for a moment as though she was considering her own comment before she shook her head. "Anyway, to answer your previous question, the reason I know what is happening back in Hawaii is because Dan is constantly filling me in. I think he needs to talk to someone who isn't involved in it because he can't quite believe what he is seeing. Did you know that McGarrett has asked Dan to be one of his best men for the day?" She asked.
"Nope" Danielle responded before she suddenly frowned. "Wait, you said that he was one of his best men, as in best men plural, as in Steve is having more than one."
"Apparently so, according to what McGarrett has mentioned to Dan in passing, he couldn't choose between certain people in his life so he made the decision that the only way to solve his problem was to ask all three of them to be his best men and then ask the other men he's close with to be Ushers in the service. That way he could have everyone involved and no one's feelings would be hurt when he didn't pick them." Caitlin answered before taking a sip of her own water, her dark hazel gaze never wavering from Danielle's face as the younger woman digested the news.
"So, based on that it's probably safe to assume that he's planning for our wedding to be a big one then?" Danielle remarked finally, sighing when Caitlin shrugged at her in response.
"Dan hasn't come right out and said he is but I would guess so, I mean let's be honest you're not going to have three best men and several Ushers if you're planning a wedding with only a few people invited." Caitlin pointed out sensibly. "But we do also need to take any information which is coming from Dan with a pinch of salt since he does tend to exaggerate about things ever so slightly, especially when it's about something which McGarrett is doing." She admitted.
"Ever so slightly?" Danielle repeated with a raised eyebrow, her mouth tilting up into a smile when Caitlin merely breathed out and threw her hands up. "So, what did Dan actually say to Steve when he asked him to be best man. I'm assuming he told you that when he was telling you the story?" She asked, placing her water back on the table as she moved back towards the bathroom, quickly picking up the clothes she had worn for the shoot before re-joining her sister and swiftly folding up the items.
"How do you think he answered him? He said yes of course when McGarrett asked him to be his best man, the guy is Dan's partner and his best friend and their relationship with each other is more brother like then anything else. There was no way that Dan would have given him any other answer. Nothing was going to stop him from standing at the Commander's side on one of the most important days of his life. On top of that Dan actually likes you and thinks you're perfect for McGarrett so he's in favour of the wedding. It seems like everyone over in Hawaii knows it's going to happen and that you and the Commander will get married soon, they are all just waiting for him to get around to proposing to you."
"Is that why you're here now?" Danielle asked, going on to explained when Caitlin shot her a puzzled look. "Because you want to see my reaction to everything once I see Steve?" She clarified, rolling her eyes when Caitlin's face lightened and she nodded with a grin. "I should have realised that you had a reason behind your visit here, no one flies from Berlin to Japan just because they felt like saying hello to someone, that's what phones are for. So come on hit me with what you're planning. Are you coming to Hawaii with me so you can see Dan or this wedding stuff what really behind it because when we spoke to each other a week ago you had no plans on going to Hawaii."
"I'm going so I can see Dan for a few days, he's been going through a tough time with a couple of bad back to back cases so I just want to give him some support and distract him for a while." Caitlin admitted to her as she dropped her hand down to her lap and absently began picking at the material of her dark blue jeans before she continued speaking, her eyes kept lowered to her task. "The long-distance aspect of things is harder than I thought it would be because I guess I like him more than I originally thought I did and I find myself hating knowing that he is upset and that I'm not there." She admitted, the answer causing Danielle's eyes to widen in surprise. "I don't have any runways or photoshoots booked until at least next week so it made sense to come over now and be able to give you some support as well in your move over there."
"That's sweet of you Catie." Danielle told her softly.
"Yeah, well don't tell anyone, I've got a reputation to keep hold of, I can't have people think I'm turning soft in my old age." Caitlin told her sternly.
"Your secret is safe with me" Danielle promised as she turned and placed the clothing on the side ready for someone to pick up once she was gone. "Where will you stay while we're out there? With Dan?"
"No" Caitlin answered the instantly, the quickness of the reply causing Danielle to stop what she was doing and to turn around, giving her sister her full attention, realising that something was bubbling beneath the surface. "I've booked myself into the same hotel where we stayed in January, or rather the place I stayed at since you pretty much moved in with McGarrett after your first date with the man. I'm assuming that staying with him is your plan this time as well?"
"I assume that will happen but I don't know for certain because we haven't discussed it with each other since I left." Danielle told her as she jumped up onto the counter top, resting her palms against it as she began absently swinging her legs from side to side. "If for some reason he doesn't want that to happen straight away then I'll book into a hotel somewhere, rent it for a month and start looking for a place to buy for myself, a property in Hawaii is always a good investment." Danielle stated with a shrug, a smile coming to her face as she thought back to the last time she had been at Steve's place and the memories they had begun to build there together.
"I can't see him sending you to a hotel." Caitlin said dryly. "Still at least with you back in Hawaii with him, you should hopefully be able to rein him in slightly when it comes to all this wedding stuff since according to what Dan has been telling me, your husband to be is a bit of a Groomzilla." She stated with a laugh. "From what I've been told he's treating the whole thing as though it's some sort of Naval operation that he's in charge of and he's recruited the rest of the Five-O team to help him accomplish it."
"Trust me, one of the first things I plan to do once I'm settled is have a long talk to him about it" Danielle promised her on a sigh, lifting one hand up to her neck and digging her fingertips into the tense muscles to try and ease the sudden tension her sister words had caused. "I can't believe he's been doing all of this and I had no idea, he never said a word when we've spoken to each other. I kind of wanted him to be able to meet the parents and the brothers before we began planning a wedding but that idea is seemingly out of the window now. The only person from our family he met has been you and that was interesting to say the least."
"God yeah, McGarrett and I are literal chalk and cheese but that is what is going to make watching this all play out from the side lines so interesting for me." Caitlin said gleefully before her face softened. "I can see that you're stressed about it already and I can't blame you really. I probably would be as well if I was you and my soon to be fiancé had gone a bit crazy over things, it's one of the reasons why I have no desire to marry anyone." She stated, swiping her hand through the air as though she was swiping the mere thought of getting married off of the table.
"Never say never" Danielle responded absently as she lowered her hand.
"It's weird to think that this time next year you and McGarrett will probably be married. You'll be the only other person in our family other than Nate to be married out of the siblings so you know that Mom and all the Aunties are going to be all over this from the moment you announce the engagement to them. To say that they are going to be pissed off if McGarrett has gone and taken care of everything to do with it instead of them will be an understatement." Caitlin remarked thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing slightly as she continued. "We'll all be feeling the repercussions of his actions for years to come because it means that they'll be even worse when one of the brothers decides to take the plunge and get married because they'll be determined to be involved because they were denied the opportunity to help on your big day. Mom will never forgive McGarrett if he deprives her of being able to help plan her daughter's wedding so we can expect upcoming family events to be tense because of it."
"Is this your attempt at making me feel better about what's been going on while I've been away working because if it is Caitlin then you have failed miserably at it." Danielle snapped at her, shooting her a glare which clearly made her sister feel bad about what she had said if the way she shifted on the couch was any indication for Danielle to go by."
"Look everything will be fine Danni once you've spoken to him and explained the situation to him and how if he wants to be accepted into the family by Mom then we needs to let her help with the wedding planning. It's not like you're asking much from him let's be honest. Let's just hope that he listens to you and chills out about the whole thing, I mean like you keep saying, it's not like he's officially asked you to marry him yet, if anything he's jumping the gun a bit. If I was you I'd say no the first time he asked just to mess with his head a bit." Caitlin told her cheekily, winking at her when Danielle rolled her eyes at her.
"You're awful at times, you know that right?" She asked.
"It's part of my charm." Caitlin immediately responded with a grin before she became serious. "Have Mom or Dad mentioned to you yet about them coming over to Hawaii to visit you and to meet McGarrett for the first time or is that fun conversation still pending for you? You'll have to let me know when it's arranged so I can make sure I'm off for it and on the island because watching someone like McGarrett go up against someone like Mom and Dad is not something which should be missed, I'll have to make sure I have popcorn and a drink ready for it when it goes down."
Danielle rolled her eyes again at the comment, knowing that Caitlin was deliberately trying to wind her up. She instead jumped off of the counter and headed over to the couch and zipped up her suitcase.
"Mom has already told me that they are flying into Hawaii for a visit on the 15th July and are planning to stay until the end of August, whether the brothers will come with them or make their own separate trips when they have time I don't know, you'll have to call them yourselves to find out what their plans are. Mamma only spoke about herself and Dad coming." Danielle told her as she stood up straight.
"Coming to the end of August would make it about six weeks that they are here so Dad must have some sort of venture planned for Hawaii. There's no other way that he would be able to get over here for that long otherwise." Caitlin remarked thoughtfully before she pulled a sympathetic face. "If they are arriving on the 15th July then that doesn't give you much time to get yourself settled over there and into some sort of routine. It's already the 9th August, that gives you literally just over three months to prepare for them and that's going to fly by.
"Trust me, I'm well aware of the lack of time I have, I tried asking Mom if they could come at the end up August or even September just to give me that small amount of extra time but Mom said no and that the tickets were already bought and paid for. It seems that Dad is determined to meet Steve in person as soon as possible and July is the earliest he can get away or it's when his business deal kicks in." Danielle commented.
"Well, it's not like we both don't know why they are desperate to meet him." Caitlin said with a shrug.
"Yeah, they want to meet the man who is the reason behind me leaving the modelling world behind me. I mean Dad's always hated me being a part of it, that much was clear but at least the jobs were frequent and provided me with a healthy, steady income and we both know how he feels about money coming regularly into the bank." Danielle stated, resisting the urge to bite at her fingernail, the same way she always did when she was stressed about something.
"I think it' safe to say that we have all had to sit through that very same talk with him Danni. It's like some weird rite of passage in our family. You turn sixteen and you get the summon to his study at the farm and then you get the two hour talk about your future and what you expect from it." Caitlin said with a shudder, no doubt remembering the meeting. Danielle couldn't blame her for the reaction, it was a vivid memory for her as well.
"Two hours? Mine only lasted forty five minutes." She couldn't help but remark, smiling when Caitlin glared at her.
"Well clearly he thought you needed less guidance then I did." Caitlin replied huffily before she changed the subject back to their previous topic. "When you consider it from their point of view though then you can't really blame them for wanting to meet him. I mean like you've said yourself, he is the reason why you've gone and made such a drastic change in your life and its made even more drastic by the fact that you are the one making it, if it was me or say Chris then they would simply roll their eyes about it, but you're meant to be one of the steady, sensible ones of the family. You're the one who takes years analysing something before you actually do it." Caitlin pointed out as she pushed herself up to her feet.
"It's hardly years" Danielle said wondering briefly who was the more prone to exaggerate out of her sister and Danny.
"Have you warned your Commander about the upcoming visit from the parental unit so that he can mentally prepare himself for what is coming?" She asked, surprised when Danielle responded by shaking her head at her.
"Don't give me that look Caitlin, Mamma only called me late last night to tell me what they had decided and I've been pretty much rushed off my feet since the day started with the shoot, even my call with Steve earlier was only about two minutes long. I figured since I'll be seeing him tomorrow in person then the news could wait until then." She explained.
"Makes sense" Caitlin agreed.
"He probably won't be thrilled though" Danielle admitted, going on to explain when Caitlin shot her a questioning look. "It told me last week that his own family were planning on coming up in July to see us and to spend time with us so they could get to know me, which mean there will be time clashes." She commented, reaching up and rubbing at her forehead, already dreading how busy they would be trying to keep both set of families happy.
"Jesus, just make sure that you keep September dead quiet otherwise you'll end up burning out from everything." Caitlin advised, reaching up and pinching at her lower lip thoughtfully before she dropped it again. "It's not that big a surprise though that his family want to meet you, you've probably changed his world just as much as he has changed yours and he's no doubt spoken to them about you and probably told them that you are both getting married and that he loves you and you're his soulmate and all the other romantic stuff that people tend to say which I can't think of right now. I feel like McGarrett is not the type of man who just blurts out declarations of love for people so when he does then it's a major deal to the people who care for him. It's probably something they drill into them during SEAL training, the mission is first, emotions are second."
"Which from what you've been telling me is probably exactly what he has gone and done. I mean technically he's not wrong, we will be married, hopefully someday soon and I will be his wife. We do love each other and we are soulmates, he's just possibly misleading them slightly when it comes to the timeline for us getting these things done." She remarked, picking up her suitcase and placing it on the table.
"Time to go?" Caitlin asked, waiting only until Danielle nodded before she walked over and picked up her coat, pulling it on before grabbing her sister's one and holding it out for her. Danielle took it with a thank you and shrugged it on, doing the buttons up as she wondered whether it would be one of the last times she wore it since Hawaii wasn't quite the state where coats were needed.
Breathing out, she picked up her suitcase, absently testing the weight of it before she spoke to her sister, her eyes searching hers.
"I'm heading off to the airport now to check in for my flight, admittedly it's not due to take out for a few more hours but to be honest I'd rather be there just in case something goes wrong and I need to get another flight. Harry and Julian are coming with me on it because there is no way they will allow me to get on a flight which will take eight hour plus flight alone, especially after what happened on our way to L.A from Hawaii in January. What are your plans though? Are you on a later flight to what I am?" She queried.
"Actually, I think that we're going to be on the same flight as each other. Mamma gave me the flight details you had given her when I last spoke to her so I booked myself a ticket, I figured, and I'm sure she did too, that if we were going to the same place then we might as well go together on the same flight." Caitlin told her before she turned away and picked up her own suitcase and bag which Danielle noticed had been stowed away in the corner, no doubt from when Caitlin had arrived.
"Well neither of you are wrong since that does make sense" Danielle agreed with a casual shrug.
"Hopefully we'll be sitting beside each other on the flight or at least fairly close to one another as that's what I requested when I booked the ticket but we both know how airlines go, just because you ask for something to happen, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will get it." The taller woman said, the comment causing Danielle to nod with a rueful expression. She had, had her own share of incidents at airports in the past.
"Well we'll soon find out when we get there so let's get moving shall we? Harry seems to think that we have plenty of time to get there but like I said before, I don't want to risk being late plus I'm starving so getting some lunch at the airport before we board the plane would be good."
"How are we getting to the airport?" Caitlin asked, watching as Danielle moved around the trailer doing a final check clearly making sure that she had everything which belonged to her with her.
"The people behind the photoshoot assigned me a personal driver so he's waiting to take us there now or at least they have assigned me a driver, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Julian has hijacked the car and is the one driving now. " Danielle remarked with a grin as she moved towards the door and stepped out into the crisp April air who eyes glancing around her before they focused on Harry, noticing instantly that Julian was missing.
"He's gone to check out the area around the car to make sure it's safe." Harry told her when she shot her a questioning look, clearly knowing without speaking what she wanted to know from him.
"Of course he is and when you say that he is making sure it's safe what you really mean to say is that he is in the process of hijacking the car from the driver, don't think I don't know for a minute what you two are like." She replied, sharing an amused look with Caitlin before she began walking towards the area where the cars were parked, Caitlin falling easily into step beside her.
"So now that this is coming to an end do you think that you'll miss anything about this life?" Caitlin asked her quietly, waving her free hand around them to indicate the organised chaos they were currently walking through.
Danielle remained quiet for a moment, looking around her thoughtfully before she nodded slowly.
"I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm going to miss some of it but what you've got to remember is that I still don't technically retire for another eighteen months. I'll still be doing photo shoots during that time period, they'll just all be on Hawaii meaning thar I won't have to travel often." Danielle reminded her before she gave the older woman a long look. "The truth is Cait that I am more than ready for this change in my life to happen. I'm finally ready to do something for me."
"You're ready to move onto a new chapter of your life." Caitlin remarked thoughtfully, smiling when Danielle nodded at her, flashing her a smile of her own.
"That's exactly it Cait, it's time to open up that new page and begin anew."
Author Note
Thank you for taking the time to read my story, it's much appreciated. An especially big thank you if you left a review, a favourite or a follow. It means a great deal to me.