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Just Like Daddy (1/2)
Catherine leaned against the bathroom door frame and watched Steve dry himself off after getting out of the shower. "I don't know, sailor." She waggled her eyebrows. "I could get used to this new look."
"Don't." He grinned back at her. "It's not staying."
She took a few steps towards him, ran her hand over his three-day beard growth, and purred. "It's sexy."
He couldn't resist one deep kiss before pulling back. "It's itchy."
"Well there is that too." Catherine chuckled. "I still can't believe Angie bested you in a negotiation." She drew circles on his chest with her fingernails. "I mean we knew the day would come eventually. But at five?"
"She didn't best me," he said defensively. "We compromised."
"You grew a little beard because Felix has one," Catherine pointed out.
"Yes, I did." His eyes lit like they did when he thought he was gaining the upper hand. "But she wanted me to wear a fake beard which would have violated my 'no mask' policy. I'm not wearing it, therefore I won!"
Catherine snorted. "You keep telling yourself that."
"I didn't lose," he insisted. "We compromised."
"Uh-huh." She swatted him on the butt playfully. "We're leaving for the haunted house in half an hour so you better get ready." Her eyes sparkled with laughter. "Don't forget your horns."
Catherine sat in the rocking chair in Angie's room while the five year old, who insisted she could get ready herself, carefully donned her chosen costume: Five-0 team member. Catherine coached her daughter through fixing the shirt she had put on backwards and putting her boots on the right feet. Once that was done there was only one thing left. She carefully clipped her own Five-0 badge on Angie's belt as the five year old fidgeted excitedly.
Thinking back to a time when her daughter had found the same badge in her night table and ran to show Steve, Catherine smiled. Angie was about two and she'd wanted to wear a 'batch' as she called it and help her daddy at work. The badge hung to her mid thigh then and the memory of father and daughter strolling to the beach on a 'mission' still made her heart full.
"Okay, baby girl, you're officially ready." She turned Angie to look in the mirror on the back of the bedroom door.
"I'm on the team!" The little girl was delighted beyond words. "Stop, bad guys, you're going to jail!" she said to her reflection and beamed. She wore cargo pants, a white t-shirt and a little blue button down over it. An Angie-sized thigh holster was on her right leg and her tac vest with McGarrett on the velcro ID strip completed her look.
"Watch out, bad guys," her mother said with a kiss to the little cheek. "Be safe out there, Angie McGarrett." Catherine adjusted the ponytail that held her daughter's curls in check.
"I'll be super duper careful." The answer was matter of fact, but she giggled when her mother tickled her tummy.
"Good girl. Let's go. Grandma brought some Halloween cookies. You can have one," Catherine held up her finger, "before we go meet Kaitlyn, Jacob, and Jenna at the haunted house."
Down the hall in DJ's room, the nine year old stood back from his grandfather and said, "Do I look okay, Grandpa?"
"You look one hundred percent authentic," Joseph said as he stepped closer and handed him a holster, a rubber bladed knife and fixed the camo vest across his grandson's chest before pinning on the trident. "Ready to show your dad?"
A last look in the mirror had DJ smiling. "Ready!"
He took a deep breath and the two headed down the hall. Steve was facing away from the staircase, speaking to Grace when his niece's eyes widened. She gave a little gasp and said, "Ohhh," softly.
Turning to see what had caused her reaction, Steve stood stock still for a second as his son descended the final two steps.
Coming to a stop, DJ looked up, his eyes filled with excitement, waiting for his father's reaction. "Surprise," he said just before Steve reached him in two strides and wrapped him in a hug.
"Look at you," Steve said around the lump in his throat. "A SEAL."
"Not just any SEAL," Joseph said from the landing.
"SEAL Team 9…" Steve cleared his throat. "You're …me?"
"I'm you, Daddy. When you were on the teams." DJ beamed at his father's expression. He was being regarded with absolute love and pride and that always gave him the warmest feeling in his tummy and chest. "Look, your friend who said you called him Rowdy gave me a trident so I wouldn't have to ask to borrow yours and mess up the surprise." He pointed to the insignia that normally wouldn't be worn on the desert camo BDUs during a mission and Steve's smile grew.
"I'm absolutely flattered, DJ, and you did great. That's a perfect costume. You look mission ready." He tousled the boy's hair and received another enthusiastic hug.
"I got the idea from Angie. If she's Five-0 like you, I thought I could be you before you were running the task force."
"I love it," Grace said, "Uncle Steve…" She moved forward and squeezed his arm. "They both dressed like you. That's the sweetest thing ever."
Steve's smile threatened to split his face in half and Catherine stepped up, pecking his cheek before hugging their son and placing a kiss on his head. Pulling back, she twirled a finger in the air. "Turn around, sweetheart, let's see the whole costume."
As he spun, Angie squealed, "DJ, you match Daddy, too!" as she entered the room from the kitchen, a cookie in each hand, followed by Elizabeth. "Daddy from a long time ago when he was a SEAL, right?" She looked at her father who laughed and said, "Not so long ago", and bent to tickle her under the chin.
When Catherine eyed the two cookies Angie grinned and handed one to DJ.
"I got the idea to be Daddy from you," DJ told his sister. "And Grandpa helped me get all the stuff. We got the desert camo cause Daddy wore it in that picture with his team that's on the wall, and the boots. I got it all at the Army Navy store, and I can wear the clothes and boots after Halloween so they won't get wasted or anything." He looked at his parents and smiled. "Grandpa's friend knows Mommy and Daddy, his name's Bryan but they called him Rowdy and he's super nice and gave me this trident to keep."
Angie touched it gently, suitably impressed. "It's very pretty."
Steve grinned and pulled out his phone. "Stand next to your brother, I need a picture."
After he snapped it, Elizabeth said, "Get in there," and took a few of the four of them.
As they posed, Danny walked up to Grace and she slipped an arm through her dad's. "We were right." She told him and he kissed her cheek.
"Of course we were." His eyes glinted with a smile. "About what?"
"That Uncle Steve and Auntie Cath would make great parents. I'm dying of cuteness overload right here on the spot and now you can tease him about Angie joining the team like he used to do to you."
"Truer words," he said and stepped forward to lift his goddaughter into a hug. "Hey, you." He booped her nose. "Maybe you can join Five-0 and outrank your daddy now and I'll get shot at way less."
"I gotta go to school first," Angie said seriously. "And college like Grace, then I can come help you, okay?"
With a laugh, he placed her on her feet. "Okay, but for tonight, you are definitely on the team." He wrapped an arm around DJ. "And you, McGarrett on SEAL Team 9." He lifted his hand from the boy's shoulder and pointed at his best friend. "Look at your father's face. Like he won the lottery." He smiled at his nephew's beaming look. "Which he did. With you, your sister and of course…" he straightened, "the original reason he's the luckiest guy alive…" He gestured at Catherine and DJ's smile got impossibly wider when he replied, "Mommy."
"Definitely your mommy." Danny winked at her and she returned his grin.
"I wholeheartedly agree." Steve said. "When your Uncle Danny's right, he's right."
TBC
Tune in Monday for the conclusion of the story
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