WILD CARD
Based on the characters and stories of Hawaii Five-0.
Hawaii Five-0 is owned by CBS and their respective creators.
Jude Beckett was a simple man. Give him a cold beer, a quiet place to live, good company, and he was happy.
Life in the CIA wasn't for the faint of heart. Getting out of the Marines and joining The Company meant that his propensity for being still was slim to none.
Truth be told, he was ready to slow down. To settle down. The day he released himself from the shackles of working in the clandestine community, stopped collecting a government check, and said hello to his pension - that day was a good day.
That day was today.
Years of protecting agents during covert ops had taken its toll and he was ready to move on. He had been ready years ago, but he had renewed his contract and stayed in to protect her. Now, she was out and he wasn't planning to waste much time on doing anything else.
Shower. Shave. Find Catherine Rollins.
When he had stepped out of Langley for the last time and pointed his mammoth of a truck in the direction of his cabin nestled in the Virginia mountains, the very last thing he expected was a phone call from him.
"Beckett," Jude barked into the phone as he peeled onto the highway.
"Beckett," the voice on the other end began, "You probably don't know who I am, but, uh, my name's Steve McGarrett."
Jude nearly swallowed his tongue. He knew who Steve McGarrett was. Truthfully, he probably knew more about the man than Steve would be comfortable with, but that just came with the territory of being partnered with Catherine Rollins when she was in the CIA.
His silence led Steve to keep rambling, "This is Jude Beckett, right? I, uh, I got your number from a friend."
"Who's your friend?"
"Gina Haspel."
Prince Charming was friends with the director of the fucking CIA? Jude swore colorfully, "Yeah, uh, yeah… It's me. Sorry, man. You'll have to forgive me. I'm not too trusting of unknown callers these days."
Steve cleared his throat, "Look, I don't wanna hold you up, but my wife's been looking for you for a long time. Figured the least I could do was make a couple calls and try to track you down."
Wife.
She had gotten married.
Hell, the last time he had seen her had been years ago. The news wasn't totally out of left field. Did he really expect her to wait around for him after breaking things off because she was still in love with McGarrett? Catherine had been moved off his team after going AWOL on an op to chase down Agent Greer after she sold the names of a Navy SEAL team to a terrorist and got all but one killed.
She had gotten married and he didn't know a damn thing about it. The realization slammed into him like a wrecking ball. How much had he missed?
"You and Catherine finally tied the knot, huh?"
Steve chuckled, "Yeah, a, uh, a couple years ago. We got two little ones now too." Somewhere in the background Jude heard a baby squeal. "Shit," Steve mumbled. "Will! No! Put that down!" Static blasted over the line for a solid minute as Steve tried to wrangle his kid out of whatever trouble he was currently diving headfirst into. "Sorry, man. Look. Uh, Haspel told me you retired. I don't know what's on your agenda, but I know of a former spook who's real worried about you. We're gonna be on the mainland for the holidays. We got a place out in Montana. So, offer stands if you wanna stay with us for a couple days and see her. If you've already got plans, I can just give you her number. Pretty sure it's changed at least four times since she was with The Company."
"How is she?" For years, Jude's only concern had been keeping Catherine Rollins safe. Then, without warning, that responsibility had been stripped from him. He had heard about Coen. He had heard about what went down between the two of them in Spain. Now, he had to accept that there was someone else in her life looking after her; watching her six.
"She misses her partner. Catherine, she, uh… she's been working through some stuff. The last year she was in… Leaving the agency… It, uh, wasn't easy on her." Steve paused and cleared his throat, "Look, I'll level with you. This was not an easy phone call to make. Catherine- she's told me a little about what her time in the agency was like. I, uh, I know about the two of you. 'Bout what you were to each other. And, uh, I don't hold it against you. But truth be told, I wanted to have a conversation with you, man to man, before letting you come around."
Jude's heart was tied up in all kinds of knots. He steered the truck up the steep hill to his cabin and shut off the engine. Slumping back in the seat, he closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. "No worries. I, uh, I guess if the roles were reversed, I'd probably do the same thing."
Steve chuckled, "Alright, well, I've got a toddler who's hellbent on defying the laws of gravity and a baby who's about to lose his mind, but, uh, just give me a call back if you wanna come out to the ranch and see her."
"Will do."
Three Months Later
Steve and Catherine's regular Tuesday night dinners with Danny and Jude had turned into somewhat of a spectacle. When word got out that Jude was sticking around for good, and with Steve's recommendation had carved out his own place on the Five-0 task force, Steve and Catherine's lowkey weeknight dinner with him and Danny had turned into an honest to goodness party.
Shelby Jo and Will didn't mind one bit. All their aunties and uncles were gathered in one place, doting on them and giving them their undivided attention. Eddie had eased into a spot beside the grill, hoping for a chance to catch some scraps. Pickles was nowhere in sight.
"So I heard you had a run-in with Ellie Clayton." Catherine grinned as she sided up to Jude in the buffet line. Her tone was less than subtle. "How is our favorite prosecuting attorney?"
He chuckled and shook his head, "Don't think I don't see what you and Charming are up to."
"And what is it that you think we're up to exactly?" Catherine was the picture of innocence.
Jude dropped a burger on his plate and began to load it up with vegetables, "I appreciate the effort, Princess, but I prefer to meet ladies the old fashioned way."
"What's more old fashioned than matchmaking?" She countered. "Matchmaking goes back thousands of years and spans pretty much every civilization. Besides, she checks all your boxes."
"My boxes?"
Catherine finished piling toppings on her hotdog. She shifted it so that the precariously tall mountain of condiments stayed upright. "All the requirements you told me you had for your perfect woman? Blonde. Accent. Smart. Will only date under special circumstances if she lives in the States." She punctuated each point by licking the ketchup off one finger at a time. "Perfect match."
Jude chuckled, "Those were the kind of women I went for during my wild bachelor years."
"Oh, and you're not a bachelor now?"
He held his hands up defensively, "No roses and hot tubs for me."
Catherine settled into one of the tables on the lawn, "So, Jude Beckette who suddenly changes his type after years and years of swearing he could only fall for one type of girl, what changed it?"
"I fell for you, didn't I?" He winked, causing them to both share suppressed laughs.
It felt good to be friends with him again, she thought. Life was good. "So, have you met everyone?" Catherine waved at Duke Lukela and his wife as they wandered into the backyard and joined the festivities.
Jude glanced around, scanning faces and recalling names, "I think so. I, uh, I…."
It wasn't often that Jude Beckett got tongue tied. He was as well-spoken as they came and his law degree made him excellent at thinking on his feet. For a man who knew more languages than Catherine could even remember, he was having an awfully hard time coming up with words in any language at all. Catherine followed his gaze to where Noelani stood at the end of the buffet line. Her bright smile and infectious laugh had him captivated. Catherine immediately caught her attention and waved her over.
"Catherine, hi!" Noelani beamed as she slid her plate onto the table and gave her a hug, "Oh my goodness, it's so good to see you! I've been so swamped at work and you guys have been travelling and I've barely gotten to see you or Steve since Will was born! How are you?"
"Good! We're good! Noelani, this is-"
"Jude Beckett, of course." She smiled brightly and extended her hand to a very quiet Jude. "I've heard so much about you. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other now that you're with Five-0."
Quickly realizing that Jude's brain had been completely erased, Catherine decided to give him a fighting chance, "Jude this is Dr. Noelani Cunha. She's the medical examiner for Honolulu County."
He stammered something that resembled nice to meet you before breaking out in a grin that made him look like the human version of Eddie. Catherine sat quietly with a sly smile on her face and observed as Noelani jabbered away.
"So, I heard you just moved here. What brought you to Hawaii?"
Jude looked to Catherine who gave him a subtle nod of encouragement. "I, uh, um… I just needed a job and uh… knew Catherine."
She stifled a laugh. Never in all her years of knowing him had she seen him so tongue tied. "Jude and I worked together when I was in the CIA. He just recently retired and decided to move out here."
Catherine was the ultimate wingwoman, he decided. And he was forever in her debt because there was something about the little ball of sunshine sitting across from him that made his six and a half foot frame of two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle turn into pudding. "Yeah, uh… That."
"Very cool!" Noelani exclaimed, "Well, you're in good hands with Commander McGarrett and Catherine, but if you ever want some recommendations from a local, I'm more than happy to help!"
Jude seemed to gather his wits when they exchanged phone numbers. Catherine took the hint and slid out of the table to where Steve was lingering by the grill. "Hey, you."
Steve dropped a kiss on top of her head as he flipped the next round of burgers. "I see what you're doing, Rollins."
She feigned innocence, "And what am I doing?"
He waved the metal tongs in the direction of Jude and Noelani, "Setting up your boy."
Catherine laughed and held her hands up defensively, "Hey, that one happened all on its own."
"You're good. Sneaky." Steve chuckled and shook his head. He looked up from the grill and studied the clumps of people gathered in their backyard. Junior and Tani sat with Danny, Grace, and Charlie. Quinn had reluctantly invited Rick to come with her. The two of them sat closer to the shore with the Lukelas, Adam, and Siobhan. Lincoln Cole and the Grovers had joined in with Jude and Noelani. "When did we become so normal?" He asked.
She laughed as Shelby jumped out of Jude's lap and made a beeline for her, "I dunno. I guess we just got lucky."
Steve looked out across the yard where strangers who had become friends were now family. He picked up his beer and pointed it out towards the scattered crowd. "Family. Friends. Food. We put one foot in front of the other and stay thankful for it every damn day."
Jude finished off his beer and sauntered past the grill, shooting Catherine a wink. "I owe you, Princess."
Catherine grinned, "What are best friends for?"
He chuckled and grabbed two more Longboards out of the cooler, "You gonna give me a briefing on her? Share your intel?"
"You'll have to ask him." Catherine nodded her head towards Steve. "He knows her way better than I do."
Steve let out a sharp whistle, catching Eddie's attention. The dog bolted across the yard and dropped his furry rear at Steve's feet. "Leash is in the house."
"You pawning off your dog-owning responsibilities on me, McGarrett?" Jude raised an eyebrow.
Steve chuckled, "She loves Eddie. Ask her to go with you." When Jude gave him a doubtful look, Steve raised his hands defensively and grinned, "Trust me, man."
Jude shrugged and disappeared into the house, returning a few minutes later with the leash in hand. "Yo! Eddie!" He sank back down onto the picnic bench across from Noelani as Eddie came barreling towards him. "You, uh, you wanna take a walk with me and Ed?" He asked as he snapped the leash onto Eddie's collar. Jude looked up and shot her a thousand watt smile, "Give me some good company?"
Noelani blushed, "Um, yeah." She giggled nervously and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Just down the beach or were you thinking out on the sidewalk? I mean, we can probably go farther on the sidewalk, but the beach might be safer and closer and I-"
He chuckled and decided to put an end to her rambling as he pulled her away from the Grovers and Lincoln Cole, "Don't worry, Sunshine." The low timbre of his voice was soothing. "You'll be safe with me."
Her deep brown eyes widened, "I… okay."
Jude glanced down at her feet, "You gonna be good walking in your flip flops?"
"Slippers."
"What?"
Noelani smiled and swung her legs over the other side of the picnic bench, "Island 101, Hotshot. In Hawaii we call them slippers. And yes, I'll be fine."
Jude chuckled and gave the leash a tug as they dipped out of the backyard and hit the sidewalk, "Slippers are for the bedroom, Sunshine." He shot her a playful wink that nearly knocked the tan off her skin.
"So, Jude Beckett who just moved to Hawaii to join Five-0 after working for the CIA, what brought you to my island?"
"I decided to get out of The Company but wanted something to keep me busy." When Eddie made the decision to stop and sniff around a neighbor's tree, Jude let his free hand drop and brush against her back. "Uh, Steve and Catherine... Steve, he, uh knew I retired and reached out to me to help me get in touch with Catherine. He knew Danny was looking to fill an office at Five-0. And Catherine- she's family to me. So the decision was pretty easy. Packed up, sold my house in Virginia, and moved out here."
"They're good people."
"Funny, that's what they said about you."
Noelani chewed on her lip for a minute before tilting her head all the way up to look at him, "You asked about me?"
"'Course," he grinned as they turned on the sidewalk and headed back to Steve and Catherine's house, "Pretty little thing like you probably has men chasing you all over the island. Had to figure out what my chances were. I like knowing what I'm up against."
The raucous laugh that burst from her lips wasn't subtle in the slightest, "Oh my God. You're joking, right?"
"Joking about what, Sunshine?"
He had to be kidding. There was no way he was being serious, she decided. His six-five towered over her five-foot-nothing. He was all muscle and man compared to her stocky curves. She had never met someone who was quite as opposite from her as Jude Beckett. Noelani stopped dead in her tracks and waved her hand from the top of his head down to his feet, "You- you're… you're, well… You! And I'm just me."
Jude let out a piercing whistle and snapped his fingers. Eddie obeyed the command and immediately laid down at his feet. "Sunshine," He began as he took a step closer to her, his eyebrows creasing into a deep valley, "I've known you for five damn minutes and already I can tell that everything about you is incredible and anyone who says otherwise is a fool." Jude gently tapped a thick finger on her forehead, "So don't tell yourself otherwise."
Her breath shuddered as he loomed over her, his mossy eyes boring into her soul. "You don't bluff, do you?" She whispered.
A cocky grin curled up at the corner of his mouth, "Who needs to bluff? I'm your damn wild card, sweetheart."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Happy New Year, loves!
Jude and Noelani's story - COMING SOON!
PS- If you haven't read "Pehea wau i ʻike ai i kou makuahine" yet, you need to go back and start there! Consider it Jude's origin story. Trust me, "Wild Card" will be a hundred times better if you do!
I love hearing from you guys so don't forget to drop a hello, tell me what you thought of chapter one, or tell me what you'd like to see! Leave it all in the reviews, loves!
XO,
-Mags-
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