Stay tuned for details about the Christmas marathon starting Friday.

Ready, Set, Go (1/1)

"It's only two more sleeps until we fly to Hawaii." Joan bounced excitedly as Mary got her settled in front of the laptop. She was sitting at the desk in her room with posters of Elsa decorating every wall. "I have my suitcase almost packed."

"That's awesome," Grace said.

Kaitlyn nodded in agreement. "We can't wait to see you all!"

"Since there are so many people coming we rented a place to stay but Mama said I can still have sleepovers," Joan reported. "And guess what else! Mama and me went to the mall and we got …"

"Uh uh uh. That's a surprise," Mary reminded her.

"Oh, right!" Joan could barely contain her excitement. "I can't tell you what it is but you'll see when we get there."

"I can't wait!" Grace straightened the paper in front of her and Kaitlyn as Mary left them to complete the interview. "I'm glad we all have today free so we can get your interview done. We still have a lot of editing to do before we show everybody."

Joan clapped her hands. "I'm ready."

"Here's an easy one to start," Grace said and grinned. "Who's your favorite princess?"

Joan beamed and sat up straighter, immediately answering, "Elsa." Her brow furrowed. "Or maybe Anna." She shook her head. "No, Elsa. Definitely Elsa."

Grace chuckled. "I could have guessed as much." She nodded for Kaitlyn to ask the next question.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Hmm …" Joan said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Pink and mint green. Can I have two?"

Kaitlyn smiled. "Sure. It's hard to pick just one."

"Definitely," agreed Grace. "And what's your favorite food?"

"Pizza! And macaroni and cheese. And birthday cake!" She made a face. "But not at the same time."

Grace laughed. "Chocolate or vanilla cake?"

"Chocolate!"

"I remember at the first cupcake baking competition Uncle Aaron and I did, you liked the chocolate marshmallow cupcake the best," Kaitlyn said.

"I did?" Joan asked.

"Yeah, you were really little," Grace said. "Like two-and-a-half. You liked them all, and then you were the deciding vote for who was the master baker and you picked Kaitlyn's chocolate marshmallow cupcake."

" 'Ticky!' " Kaitlyn imitated what Joan had said as a toddler.

Joan covered her mouth, giggling.

"You should make those again sometime, Kaitlyn," Grace suggested.

"Ooh yeah!" Joan agreed.

"Maybe I will," Kaitlyn said with a smile. "But we've gotten a little off track."

Grace grinned. "Just a bit." She scanned the list of questions. "Oh, here's where we left off. What's your favorite subject in school, Joan?"

"I like art and reading and now we have Spanish class and I already know a lot of words because of Daddy and Abuelo!"

"That's awesome!" Grace said. "And what do you like to do for fun?"

"Like when I'm not at school? 'Cause I think school is pretty fun."

"I'm glad you think so, and I bet your parents are glad, too. But yes, what do you like to do when you're not at school?"

"I like to ride my scooter on the sidewalk … oh! And I like making drawings with chalk on the driveway. And sometimes Mrs. Mendoza lets me decorate her driveway, too. And I like to jump on the trampoline at my friend Ali's house, and I like when my cousin Avery comes over and we play games in the backyard."

Kaitlyn grinned. "Is that all?" she teased.

"No," Joan answered seriously. "I like when Mama and Daddy read to me even though I'm a good reader now, and I like going to Grandma and Abuelo's house, and I like when Aunt Deb comes to stay with us, and I really like when we get to come to Hawaii to see our whole big family there!"

"We really like that, too," Grace said, and Kaitlyn nodded.

"Okay, next question," Kaitlyn continued. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I want to work at Disneyland!" Joan answered immediately. "And be a nurse 'cause they get to help people feel better."

"Aww, that's really nice, Joan," Kaitlyn said.

"As long as I don't have to give anyone a shot," Joan added.

"That might be a tough condition, munchkin," Grace said with a grin.

"Are there more questions?" Joan asked hopefully.

"One more," Grace replied. "If you could meet anyone, who would it be?"

Joan exhaled slowly, her eyes drifting to something offscreen as she thought. Finally, she smiled. "Grandpa John," she said. "Mama's daddy. I would give him a big hug and ask him if he's happy I'm named after him."

"Ohhh," Grace and Kaitlyn said at the same time.

"I would tell him Mama misses him a lot but she tells me stories about him from when she was a kid like me so I kinda feel like I know him even though I never met him."

"That is so sweet, Joan," Kaitlyn added.

"He would absolutely be happy and proud that you're named after him," Grace assured her.

"And I would tell him that I'm going to keep the nightstand with his spindles forever and ever even when I'm old."

"Oh my heart," Kaitlyn said.

"That's really beautiful, Joan," Grace said. "I'm so glad you have that special thing to remember your grandfather."

Joan smiled, nodding.

"Well, that's it for the questions," Grace said.

"It is?" Joan said, clearly disappointed.

"I think that's the perfect one to end on," Kaitlyn said.

Joan sighed, but suddenly brightened. "Okay, but can we do this again tomorrow?"

"Hey." Danny looked up and smiled as Carrie entered the bullpen at headquarters. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company today?"

"I came to show McGarrett these." Carrie smiled as she pulled several pairs of adorable earrings out of a bag emblazoned with the logo of the jewelry store that Angie insisted on visiting every time she went to the mall. There were simple studs, small colored faux gems, an orange kitty, a dog that looked remarkably like Cammie, and of course, an anchor.

"I still can't believe you and Catherine convinced Steve to let Angie get her ears pierced for Christmas."

"They still haven't convinced me yet," Steve said as he came out of his office. "She's only four. Isn't she still too young?"

"You've seen the way she lights up when she stands in front of the racks of earrings at the mall," Carrie said. "The look on her face is adorable."

"She's always adorable." Steve beamed. "But she's only four," he said again, then looked at Danny for reinforcements. "Would you have let Grace get her ears pierced at four?"

"I should have." Danny chuckled. "It would have saved me from watching her bottom lip quiver with sadness everytime we passed the piercing place at the mall until I finally relented and let her get it done."

"Angie is ready, Steve," Carrie said confidently. "This isn't just a passing fad with her."

"Catherine told her that if she did get it done she'd have to be very careful about making sure she takes care of her ears, so now she gets up every morning and dabs her ear lobes with a wet cotton ball to pretend she's cleaning her piercings." He couldn't keep the pride off his face as he continued. "We don't even have to remind her. She does it all on her own."

Danny chuckled. "She's ready."

"And look how cute these are." Carrie showed Steve the earrings. "Can't you just picture her wearing these?"

Steve's resolve was quickly weakening. "Catherine has a pair with anchors." He smiled. "They could match."

"If I thought this was something she just wanted to do to be like the other girls, or because she saw it on tv, or in a movie, I'd be right there with you in questioning whether or not she's ready," Carrie said. "But that's not Angie. She knows her own mind. She wants it because she wants it. Not because of what anyone else thinks."

Steve finally relented. "Ok. But I have two conditions."

Carrie grinned, sensing victory. "What are they?"

"She only wears earrings like that for the foreseeable future," Steve pointed to the bag in Carrie's hand. "No hoops. Nothing dangly."

"That sounds reasonable," Carrie said. "What's the second condition?"

"Angie has it in her head she can get a tattoo when she's five." Steve chuckled. "Catherine and I have tried to explain to her that 'when you're older' doesn't mean next year but she's being a little bit stubborn on the subject."

Danny snorted. "I wonder where she gets that from."

"You have to help us get her off the tattoo thing," Steve told Carrie. "At least until she's thirty."

Carrie barked a laugh. "Good luck with that. She wants to be like daddy. But I promise I will do my part. No tattoos."

Steve smiled. "Thank you."

Carrie's eyes sparkled with mischief. "At least not until she's old enough to wear makeup. So you have a couple of years."

Steve dropped his chin to his chest. "Go. Before I change my mind."

Carrie laughed as she headed for the door. "Too late now. I'm calling to make the appointment. Merry Christmas! Cool aunts rule!"

THE END

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