Mari & Ilna-you're the best.

McRollers-thanks for reading.


Change of Venue (1/1)

Joseph looked around the main recreation room at the VA Center and winced. Every surface, as far as the eye could see, was covered with a thin layer of black soot. The walls, the floors, every stick of furniture, even the carpet.

A small fire in one of the air conditioning units on the roof had sent thick smoke coursing through the duct work overnight. By the time the night guard called the fire department the blaze had pretty much burned itself out, but not before leaving its mark on the large, multi-purpose recreation space.

Luckily the damage had been confined to just a small part of the large building including the space in which he currently stood, a small adjoining kitchen, and two storage rooms. Unluckily, the space was slated to be used for a large Valentine's Day party in less than 36 hours. The band had been hired, the food and decorations had all been arranged, and many of the VA's frequent visitors had been looking forward to the party for weeks.

Finding an alternate venue at this late date would be impossible and Joseph couldn't bear the thought of canceling the party and disappointing so many people. He'd had several offers of help from the local military community, and a promise from a local big box retailer to provide all cleaning supplies and equipment needed, but even with all of that he still wasn't sure they'd be able to get the job done in time.

"I'll either get it done or go down trying," he said to the empty room as he pulled out his phone, sighed heavily, and dialed a familiar number.

"Hey, Dad. How do things look?" Catherine asked as soon as she answered the phone.

"It could be worse but still … pretty bad," he replied. "Sergeant Collins has been making calls all morning but he can't find any clean up company that can be here before Monday."

"Did he tell them the dance is scheduled for tomorrow night?"

"He did." Joseph frowned. "There's nothing they can do. Their crews are all tied up with other jobs."

Catherine put the call on speaker and began working on fruit kabobs for the barbecue later in the afternoon. "So what's your next step?"

"I'm not sure there's realistically any way we can get this room ready in time for the party, but I have to try." His tone was determined. "I'm really sorry, honey. I'm not gonna be able to make it to DJ's Official Day party."

"We call it McGarrett-Rollins Family and Friends Day now," she reminded him.

"That's right." He smiled. "How could I have forgotten the name change?"

"DJ wanted the day to be more about the four of us becoming a family." Catherine remembered how he had proposed the name change at last year's party with Grace's encouragement. "He thought calling it Official Day made it too much about him."

"Which is very much like him." Joseph was an unmistakably proud grandfather. "I just hope he understands why I can't be there. I'll make it up to him. I promise."

"He'll understand," Catherine assured her father. "He's out right now with Steve and Angie on a covert Valentine's Day shopping mission, but I'll have him call you when he gets back."

Joseph chuckled. "If it's a covert mission, how do you know about it?"

Catherine barked a laugh. "Because neither Steve nor Angie can keep a secret."

In the background Catherine could hear the sound of other people talking. "Sounds like reinforcements have arrived."

"I hope they like scrubbing walls," Joseph said. "Have DJ call me when he gets home."

"Will do," Catherine replied. "Let us know if you need anything.


Two hours later an exuberant Angie burst through the door and yelled, "Surprise, Grandpa! We here to help!"

"What … what's going on?" Joseph said as he climbed down off the ladder he was standing on.

"Mommy said you couldn't come to Friends and Family Day because you had to help clean up this room so the veterans can have their party tomorrow night," DJ said. "We all decided we wanted to help. No matter how long it takes."

Joseph looked over the kids' heads at Catherine. "But what about the party at your house?"

Catherine shrugged. "We called everyone to explain and they all understood completely. We're gonna reschedule for one of the next few weekends."

"That's very sweet of you all, truly, but you didn't have to do that," Joseph said.

"We wanted to!" DJ said with a sincere smile.

"We wanted to," Angie parroted. "And I wore my cleaning outfit." She held her hands out at her sides and spun around showing off her camo t-shirt and denim shorts. "Mommy says it's ok if I get 'dem dirty."

"I have a couple more of these in the car," Steve said as he entered the room carrying a large cooler with a case of bottled water balanced on top. "As soon as I get them in I'll fire up the grill outside and cook some chicken and burgers."

"Did I hear someone mention food?" John McCormack, a regular weekend volunteer who always had a joke for the kids when he saw them, asked as he dropped his dirty rag into the trash can and grabbed a handful of clean ones.

"We brought our party food, Mr. John," DJ told him. "We have lots of yummy stuff and Daddy is gonna cook burgers and chicken on the grill outside."

"That sounds delicious." John rubbed his hands together. "And speaking of a good meal, can either of you tell me why basketball players are such messy eaters?"

"Why?" the kids asked in unison.

John grinned. "Because they dribble all the time."

DJ laughed uproariously and Angie followed suit, even though she didn't fully understand the joke.

"There wouldn't happen to be some of Elizabeth's potato salad in one of those coolers, would there?" another man asked as he wiped sweat off his brow.

"Mom and Grandma Ang are on their way and they are bringing it with them," Catherine said with a smile.

"That," the man said with a hearty laugh, "is definitely worth getting covered in soot for."


Two hours later Grace and Kendra arrived dressed in grubby clothes and ready to help.

"We'd have been here earlier," Grace said, "But we were signed up to help with a 5K Valentine's Run this morning on campus."

"The entire Phi Delta Theta house dressed as Cupids," Kendra said. "It was hysterical."

"Is that the kind of thing I pay tuition for," Danny joked as he and Gabby walked in carrying armloads of bags from Foodland. "We know you were bringing food," he explained, "But we didn't know how many people would be here so we brought some back up."

"Aren't the boys you two have crushes on members of that fraternity?" Gabby teased.

Grace looked at Kendra, then at her father, then at Steve. "No comment," she said. "Let's get cleaning."


Catherine, Gabby, and Elizabeth were almost finished setting out the food on a newly scrubbed clean banquet table when they heard Angie yell, "Look where I am, Mommy!"

They turned to see the beaming young girl at the top of a tall ladder, strapped securely to her father with a safety belt. She had a smudge of soot on her nose and a stain from a spilled joice box on her shorts.

"You're very high up," Catherine said. "Are you having fun?"

Angie waved her rag. "I helping clean."

Catherine smiled. "You and Daddy are doing a good job."

Angie looked at the ceiling, then at the ground, then at her father. Her eyes lit up. "Can we jump down from here?"

"Gee, I wonder where she gets that," Danny snorted

"Not today," Catherine told her daughter. "Jumps like that are for the gym."

Angie scowled. "Mommy said no," she told her father.

Steve barked a laugh. "That's probably for the best."


"Are those cupcakes?" DJ asked excitedly when Jenna, Kaitlyn, Dylan, and Jacob walked in carrying white bakery boxes.

"And cookies," Kaitlyn confirmed. "I decided to bring these ones for tonight and I'll bake fresh ones when you reschedule the party."

"I think that was an excellent idea," Danny said. "Maybe I should test one to make sure they survived the trip in the car alright. Let's take a look at what you've got."

"There are chocolate, coconut, key lime …" the teenager started to explain.

"Hey Kaitlyn," Grace called from across the room. "Wanna come help us over here?"

"Sure!" Kaitlyn thrust the bakery box at Danny and darted off across the room.

"Apparently my daughter is far cooler than I am," Danny said as he watched her go.

"My daughter doesn't think anyone is cooler than Grace," Jenn said. "So don't feel too bad."

"Me and Grandma Ang are scrubbing the chairs," DJ told Jacob. "It's super important because people will be dressed up for the party and we don't want them to get stains on their good clothes."

Jacob smiled. "Do you need some help?"

"Sure." DJ beamed. He loved spending time with Jacob. "Mr. John told us a new joke today. Wanna hear?"

"Of course I do." Jacob smiled. "And I have a few to tell him too."


"Dylan is going to be heading to Annapolis this summer," Steve told several of the men who were working hard to get the room into shape. "He made a big impression last year at the summer program. They could barely wait to offer him a spot."

"Congratulations," the men told him.

Dylan blushed. "Thanks."

"I hope you like getting up early and working hard," one of the men said. "It'll be a tough four years, but it's worth it."

"I can't wait," Dylan told the men. "I think I'm ready for the challenge."

"There's no 'think' about it." Steve squeezed the teenager's shoulder. "I know you're ready."


"Wow, you've got quite a crowd of helpers here," Carrie said when she and John arrived an hour later.

"There's still plenty left to do," Steve assured her.

Carrie grinned. "My timing must be off. We could go away and come back in a couple of hours."

"Too late," Kono said as she walked in with Chin and Leilani. "We parked behind you."

"Oh well," Carrie elbowed John. "Looks like you better grab a rag."

"What about you?" he asked.

"I'm here in more of a supervisory capacity," she teased.

"Come over here and help us with the chairs," Grandma Ang said. "I'm telling the story of the time Steve and Catherine tried to build a luge run in the backyard of the house in Chicago."

Carrie made a beeline for Ang's side. "How have I never heard that story?"

"I've been saving it." Grandma's Ang's eyes sparkled with delight. "It's a good one."


"You're pretty good at that," John said to Kono as he looked at the large section of wall she'd cleaned single handedly since arriving just an hour earlier.

"Years of polishing surfboards," she said. "It's all in the wrist."

Leilani pushed a strand of hair off her face. "Maybe you can come over and help me wash the walls some day. I haven't done it in a while."

"I don't know," Kono replied. "My schedule is pretty full."

Chin whispered something in Leilani's ear.

"I'll make Chocolate Haupia Pie," she offered.

Kono beamed. "My cousin knows me too well. I'll be there."


Around dinnertime a local restaurant that had gotten wind of what was happening sent over free pizza to help feed the second wave of volunteers that had turned up in the late afternoon. Even though the idea had seemed nearly impossible earlier in the day, with everyone pulling together the room was mostly finished by 9:30 pm.

"Are you leaving too, Grandpa?" DJ asked as everyone prepared to go home.

"In a little bit," Joseph told him. "We just need to scrub the floors and set up the big fans to help get rid of the smell of all these cleaning products. We won't be long."

"Do you need me to help?" the young boy asked as he stifled a yawn.

"You're very sweet to offer but we'll be fine," Joseph told him."Thanks for coming over to help. I'm sorry you had to cancel your party."

DJ looked around at the familiar sight of family and friends, laughing together as they said goodbye, making plans for the coming days. His eyes stopped on the pile of dishes and coolers ready to go to the car.

His smile widened until it seemed to fill his entire face.

"We didn't really cancel the party," he said. "We just moved it here. I still had lots of fun."

"Me too," Angie said tiredly. "Very, very much fun."

"And the best part is that now the veterans won't have to miss their party," DJ said. "I like helping people."

"I know you do, buddy," Steve said as he tousled his son's hair.

"We're very proud of you," Catherine said. "Both of you."

"You two need to get home and into the tub then to bed," Elizabeth said. "Tomorrow you have to finish writing out Valentine's Day cards for your classmates and then we're going to bake cookies for your school parties."

"Chocolate chip?" DJ asked hopefully.

Elizabeth smiled. "Whatever kind you want."

"Are we gonna give Mommy the surprise we got her at da store?" Angie asked.

Catherine chuckled as she pretended not to have heard.

"Shhhhh," DJ told his sister. "It's a surprise."

"I remember," Angie said. "Shhhhh. Are we given' it to her tomorrow?"

"Not until Monday," DJ said. "That's Valentine's Day. We'll give out presents then."

TBC on Monday


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