Mari & Ilna-you're the best. Thanks for covering for me last week while I took a long overdue vacation.

McRollers-thanks for reading.

Watching Out (1/1)

Out of habit Catherine came wide awake when Steve's phone rang just before 2am.

"McGarrett." His voice was gravelly from sleep but he was mentally prepared to spring into action immediately. He sat up in bed, phone pressed to his ear, and listened carefully to the voice on the other end. "On my way," he said as he threw back the top sheet and jumped out of bed. "I'll be there in ten."

"What's going on?" Catherine asked as he pulled on the cargo pants and t-shirt he left draped over a chair in the corner in case of a late night call out.

"Something's happening at Michael's house." Steve unlocked the bedside drawer and removed his badge and weapon.

"What?!" Catherine was on her feet immediately. "Is everyone ok?"

"I don't have any details." He slipped his phone in his pocket. "Just that they're rolling units there now."

"Be careful." Catherine circled the bed and kissed his cheek. "And let me know as soon as you have any information."

"Will do," he said as he headed out of the bedroom. A few seconds later she heard the front door close and the truck's engine roar to life.

Steve pulled the truck to a stop behind two cruisers parked in front of Michael's house, threw it into park, and jumped out. In the illumination created by the flashing red and blue lights he saw Michael's parents, Nick and Rebecca, standing on the front porch talking to the officers. Beside them were two men he didn't recognize.

He jogged towards the porch and took the steps two at a time.

As he reached the landing Nick looked up, clearly surprised by the new arrival. "Steve?! What are you … how did you …?"

"Your address is one of the ones on my 'notify immediately' list," Steve said. "As soon as there was a dispatch to your address they let me know."

The man standing beside Rebecca dropped his head to his hands. "Oh my gawd. I'm going to jail for sure."

Steve relaxed immediately when he saw Michael's mom rub the man's back supportively. "You're not going to jail," she assured him. "We'll get this all straightened out."

"The head of Five-0 is here," the man said, desperation in his voice. "I'm gonna need bail money." He looked up at Steve. "Would it be possible to run through a cash machine on the way to the police station? I don't want to wake up my wife at this hour."

Steve looked from the man's pleading face to Nick's somewhat amused one. "Clearly I'm missing something. Anyone care to fill me in?"

"This," Rebecca pointed to the man beside her who was inching closer as if seeking protection, "Is my little brother Derek. Derek, this is Commander Steve McGarrett."

"Nice to meet you." Derek sheepishly extended his hand and Steve shook it.

"And this," Rebecca continued, pointing to the man beside him, "Is our neighbor Sandro."

The man nodded toward Steve who returned the gesture.

"About an hour ago, Sandro saw a man on our front porch acting suspiciously so he called the police," Rebecca explained. "When they got here they found this idiot," she indicated Derek with a smile, "loading our Halloween decorations into the trunk of his car."

Steve covered his laugh with a cough.

"When we arrived on scene he was in the process of attempting to disassemble a twelve foot skeleton," the young officer who had been first on the scene reported. "There were bones scattered all over the front yard."

"I've been trying to get one of those skeletons since last year," Derek chimed in, suddenly eager to plead his case. "Back order. Back order. Back order. Then I drive by her house a few days ago and what do I see?"

"A twelve foot skeleton?" Steve guessed.

"I'm the one who told her about it," Derek insisted, his voice rising a few octaves. "She didn't even want one. She said it was a stupid idea. And then there it is…right on her lawn." His eyes narrowed. "She only did it to win the neighborhood decorating contest. I've won three years in a row and she's mad."

"They're very competitive." Nick chuckled. "Every holiday the display gets more elaborate just because they're trying to outdo each other."

"That's his house over there." Rebecca pointed across the street and down three houses. "As you can see his setup is a little lackluster this year." She looked at her brother with a teasing smirk. "He knows I'm gonna win so he decided to sabotage me."

Derek glared at his sister. "We have a one month old in the house. I've been busy with other things."

Rebecca shrugged. "Bad timing on your part."

Steve looked at Nick with an amused expression. "Are they always like this?"

"Always," Nick confirmed. "Usually I just sit back and enjoy the show but tonight things got a little out of hand."

"I didn't recognize Derek in the dark," Sandro explained. "If I had I probably would have just asked him what he was doing instead of calling the police."

"You did the right thing," the young officer said. "It's nice to see neighbors watching out for each other."

"I agree," Steve said. "I'm assuming no one wants to press any charges here."

Rebecca tapped her lips with her forefinger. "I'm not sure," she teased.

"We're good." Nick chuckled. "As long as Derek helps me put this ridiculous skeleton back together. It took me three hours to do it the first time."

"I can do that," Derek agreed. "Hey, if it's bothering you over here we can always take it over to my house and put it together there."

Rebecca shove him playfully. "Nice try. You're just lucky the kids' bedrooms are in the back of the house and the police lights didn't wake them up."

As the officer finished getting the information he needed for his report Steve stepped away and pulled his phone from his pocket. He knew Catherine would be waiting to hear. She picked up on the first ring and he heard…

"Is everybody ok?"

"Everybody is fine," he assured her. "It was just a big misunderstanding. I'll be home in a little bit and tell you all about it."

THE END

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