Chapter 3

"You know I have interrogated suspects that looked more comfortable than you two right now."

Myah made a face. "You serve rice and stir-fry in the interrogation room?"

Steve raised an eyebrow. "You better hope you never find out."

"Oh…" Myah tilted her head to the side and eyed him coyly. "I'd just remind the cops who my daddy is." The words were barely out of her mouth before self-preservation had her throwing her hands up in defense. "I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding!"

"Dad." Nahele stood up. "I'm going to get you a beer. Myah, do yourself a favor and start pushing em' out."

"I'm sorry, do you make the rules around here?" Myah kept her tone light and when Nahele shot her a stern yet expectant look, she sighed and dropped down. "How many, boss?" Her attention suddenly turned to her arms which had apparently still not recovered from the morning's workout and betrayed her by turning to jello when she attempted to hold the top of the push-up position. "Oomf.." Myah collapsed onto her belly. "Nahele this is your fault." She felt his foot resting on her back. "Uncle… Dad, this is your moment to prove you're just as hard on him as you are on me."

"From where I'm sitting, he saved you."

"Yeah, right. Get off me!" Myah rolled to the side and shoved Nahele's foot to the side. When she sat up she grabbed his offered hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"Anyway…" Steve eyed her while taking a sip of his beer. "I guess I can start. I feel like it goes without saying that I expect you to be honest and respectful. I expect you to obey me, and to use common sense. No putting yourself in danger unnecessarily." He paused and looked rather pointedly at Myah, who shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Don't worry. I'm actually not much of a thrill seeker, believe it or not."

"I don't want you guys to feel like I'm babying you, but in general I need to know where you'll be. I made a google family calendar for us, so you can add your work schedule, Nahele, and anything else that might come up. Maybe I'm over protective but I see the worst side of people, so I don't think I can help that. If your plans change you need to let me know." Steve paused and looked expectantly at them.

Nahele cleared his throat. "Is it cool to have friends over?"

"Definitely. Your friends are welcome. I want to get to know them. Obviously no illegal fun and nobody touches the guns."

"So sleepovers are good then?" Myah felt excitement mounting at the idea.

"For Sam and Grace, definitely."

He didn't say it, but Myah easily read between the lines to understand that he didn't entirely trust her taste in friends. Her slightly tender backside reminded her that she wasn't sure she blamed him. And since he'd given the okay on the two people that mattered, she didn't mind. She met Steve's eyes and nodded, indicating she understood him and wasn't going to argue.

"So…" Steve continued. "One thing we definitely need to talk about. I don't think we can function too much longer sharing the truck."

"Aw…" Nahele sat up straight. "I'm sorry. I know I've been using it a lot. I can try to carpool more with Lliam-"

"You could. But I think it's time we looked into getting you a car."

Nahele's lips parted in amazement. "I've… I've been saving up, but I don't have near enough…"

"It's okay. I've got you. I am expecting you to pay for your own gas and part of your insurance. And while your work is priority, you'll need to help me in chauffeuring your sister around."

Myah tucked her chin and smiled. She loved seeing the look of happy surprise on Nahele's face. Sometimes it caught her off guard how much she could care about another person. If someone had asked what made her happier, receiving a gift herself or seeing Nahele receive something, she could easily say that it was the latter.

The sound of their door opening drew their attention to the front of the house, as Danny walked it. "Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt dinner."

"Ah, typical." Steve gave him a chin up greeting. "We're about done anyway. You hungry?"

"Well… yeah, kind of. But you and I need to talk."

Myah immediately felt on edge and she turned to look up at Grace's father. "Uncle Danny if this is about today, I am really sorry. It was completely my fault."

"Yeah, well, if the mall cop had used his brains he could have looked at you three and realized there's no way you're the type to take anything." He squeezed Myah's shoulder.

"The mall cop… Danny?" Steve said, dryly.

"Yeah, I have worked plenty of security in my day, and there was no reason to drag the girls into the office."

"Why did I think of the two of us, you'd be the stricter dad? I'm supposed to be the cool one."

Myah snorted at the comment and stood to pick up her dishes. She was extremely relieved that Danny didn't seem to hold any ill will towards her regarding the events of the day. She knew Grace was the light of his life and that he was extremely protective. Her heart warmed a little at the thought that his protective nature seemed to have expanded to include her as well.

Cleanup was a quick job, as they had managed to wash most of the dishes used in prep while the stir-fry was cooking. A late summer storm had moved in and the clouds opened up in full force. Nahele lay down on the couch and flipped the television on. Myah sat down on the floor with her back against the couch, and pulled open the adult coloring book Chin's wife Malia had given her. She wouldn't have expected an oncologist to engage in a hobby like coloring, but Malia said it was one of her favorite ways to de-stress. Having overheard the comment, Chin had responded with an "Oh, really…" that had Malia blushing and Myah rolling her eyes. They were quite honestly the sweetest couple she had ever met. Malia had included a large box of colored pencils along with the book and Myah pulled out a light purple to continue with the intricate picture of an owl against what looked like stained glass. She was less interested in the show Nahele had turned on and more interested in what Danny and Steve were discussing in the study one room over. She was careful to keep her eyes on her picture, however.

Nahele absently tugged on her ear and restlessly she brushed him away. They both looked up when Steve's voice carried through.

"The ranger unit that supported me in capturing Anton Hesse in North Korea has been redeployed. There's no way that they could escort Jenna to the drop site."

Myah's ears perked up at the name. It had only been within the last couple of months that Steve had given her details regarding his father's death. "Anton Hesse?" she whispered to Nahele. "It was his brother that killed grandpa." He nodded in response.

"Okay, listen." Danny was speaking. " I know you want to put on the cape, and you want to save the day, but please keep in mind that this is not a puddle jumper to Lanai. Okay? This is North Korea."

"I'm aware of that. Thank you, Danny."

"Okay. What do you want to do?"

"What am I going to do? I've got to help her. I'd do the same for you, anybody on the team. You know? What am I going to do?"

"Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm just assuming whatever it is you're about to do, you've done before, right? Ah, it's classified. Of course." Danny was shaking his head, concern evident on his face.

His worry was causing Myah's concern to grow as well. She knew Steve had a dangerous job; everyone on Five-0 did. It was all she had known since living there and in general, she tried not to let it worry her. Or rather she tried not to think too much about it. She was just self-aware enough to know that having lost her mother had definitely increased her general anxiety to a higher than normal level. However, her confidence in Steve's ability to take care of himself was rock solid. In her mind he was a real life superhero and the most confident, capable person she'd ever met. However, the fact that Danny was concerned enough about whatever the job was, that he would come over to talk about it, put a different spin on things. She ducked her head when both men looked her way and then looked at each other.

"You haven't told them yet?" Danny asked Steve.

"Ah, no."

"Well, come on, jerk."

Nahele sat up and automatically muted the television when the two men entered the living room, indicating that he had been just as aware of the conversation as Myah was.

"Thanks, bud." Steve said softly, before taking a seat. "Long story short, I'm going to North Korea."

"Wow, way to ease into it, partner." Danny scoffed, disapprovingly.

Steve shrugged. "There's no way to sugar coat it. A friend needs my help. Nahele, you might remember Jenna Kaye. Her fiance is being held there and they're willing to make the trade for cash."

Myah hesitated, unsure what to think. "Will you be gone for long?"

"I don't know. Hopefully not. Three or four days."

Nahele cleared his throat. "You're going by yourself? Without the team?"

"Yeah. This is more personal, not like a work mission."

"Is it really dangerous, then?" Myah asked.

Steve hesitated briefly. "There's always risk with what we do. You know that."

"I know." Myah said, feeling ashamed for having asked.

"Look, this mission is dangerous, I won't lie." Steve said. "But it's nothing I haven't done before. I'll be fine. And…" he slapped Danny on the shoulder. "You'll have your very favorite Uncle Danny to care for while I'm gone. He'll get cranky without me, fair warning."

Myah smiled as the tension in the room dissipated a little and she giggled at the disgusted look Danny shot Steve.

"Do me a favor, watch yourself?"

"I'll think about you the whole time."

"Thanks." Danny shook his head, and then looked pointedly at Myah. "And you laugh, but I'm telling you, you two better behave. You think I'm all fun and games..."

"Don't worry." Myah told him. "We just had a meeting on our family rules. I get a sleepover every other night, a hundred dollars a day in allowance and Nahele has to do all the chores." She held up an arm in a poor attempt to fend off the pillow Nahele swung at her head.

"Sleepovers? If this fool agreed to that, he has clearly never been kept awake literally all night by the incessant giggling and screeching that seem to be an integral part of those."

"Screeching?!" Myah gave him a mock look of offense.

"Yeah, screeching." Danny sighed. "Alright kids, I need to head out. I'll see the two of you tomorrow night." He tousled Myah's hair, fist bumped Nahele and shook his head at Steve, before exiting through the front door, where he cursed softly at the rain.

Myah settled back down on the floor and began to color again. She was aware of Nahele turning the television back on and Steve having returned to his computer, his focus on the screen. Normal behavior, but suddenly it seemed that everything had changed. You're fine, she told herself sternly. Uncle Steve… Dad… has done this before… this is probably what he used to do all the time. This is what he loves doing… going on dangerous adventures… protecting people… Regardless, Myah felt a knot building in her throat. What if something happens and he doesn't come back? The point of the purple pencil suddenly broke and she started, realizing she had been digging it into the paper. Don't even think like that, she told herself. This is just the first time he's traveled since he's adopted me… us. Myah shifted and tried to unobtrusively look back at her brother to see if he seemed to be as bothered by the situation as she was. By all accounts he seemed as laid back as normal, his gaze focused on the television.

After a long minute, Myah stood and wandered over to Steve who was still sitting at his desk. "I guess we can't train in the rain." she said lightly.

Steve chuckled but didn't look up. "We could, but we're not going to tonight."

Myah hesitated. She desperately wanted to curl up on his lap and feel him squeeze her until she could hardly breathe. She wanted him to tousle her hair and tell he'd decided not to leave the island. However, she'd never been the one to initiate that kind of contact.

"You need something, kid?" Steve's voice wasn't irritated but he did sound distracted.

"No… sorry. I'm just going to make some tea." She turned quickly and made her way into the kitchen. She absentmindedly filled the kettle and then stood at the sink staring out the window and then changing her mind, set the pot down, pushed the back door open and stepped out into the rain.

Myah's hair was almost immediately soaked and she had to pause to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Without looking back, she strode out towards the ocean, passing the two chairs that sat on the sand. Finally stopping, she closed her eyes and took in the pounding of the rain against her face. She did sit down finally and laid her head against her knees. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there when the rain finally slowed to a drizzle. She jumped when she realized someone was directly behind her.

"Myah! What are you doing?" Nahele stared down at her incredulously.

"Nothing…" she said, unsure how to explain. "Just needed some air."

"It's after ten."

"Oh, crap…" Myah glanced back towards the house. "Did Uncle Steve send you out here? I mean, Dad?"

"No… he's been on the phone for forever. They're figuring out weapons logistics in another country. Since he's not going in as military, I guess it's more complicated."

"I wish he didn't have to go. I know that's really selfish."

Nahele shrugged. "It's his job. It's who he is."

"But what if he… if he doesn't…"

"He will. It's dad. Now, go to bed. He's got to focus on stuff tonight."

Myah saw the wisdom in Nahele's few words… Steve needed to focus on preparing for his mission to ensure the return trip. That didn't mean she appreciated hearing it from Nahele. "I don't really need you bossing me around, thank you very much."

"Well, you're going to have to deal with it for a few days, so get over it."

"Nooooo… Uncle Danny is staying with us."

Nahele squinted his eyes at this. "I don't know why… I mean, Danny's cool, but I don't need a babysitter." He smiled briefly, and nudged her sitting form with his foot. "I mean you definitely do…"

"Very funny. Maybe he'll be too busy to notice I'm still up."

Nahele shrugged. "I can try and distract him."

Myah nodded but found herself still caught in the storm of emotions that had driven her to sit outside in the pouring rain for over an hour. Every day she was growing increasingly confident in the family unit she was now a part of. She adored Nahele and Steve. If anyone asked, she was proud to say who her dad was. His bravery and capabilities in everything he did… Myah was coming to the uncomfortable realization that it would possibly be easier to have a dad who was not so brave and adventurous. That would not get called on to put himself in harm's way to protect other people. She felt horrible for even thinking that. She didn't want Steve to change. She just didn't want to lose him. She couldn't imagine trying to explain that to Steve while he was trying to prepare for a mission. He didn't need to be dealing with her foolishness on top of everything else. As she gazed back at the house, inspiration struck. "I could climb up the trellis." She indicated the trellis on the side of the house that led up to the second floor deck.

"Just… go inside. If he sees you, just tell him you're sad he's leaving. I don't think he'll be mad."

"No… I don't want to distract him from what he's doing. Like you said, he needs to focus on the mission. What if he forgets some important detail because of me?" Even as she spoke, Myah felt sick at the very idea. The thought of compromising his safety was worse than the idea of two spankings in one day. "I can do it. I can climb up." She quickly moved to the side of the house and gazed up at the trellis, with a new concern surfacing. What if it can't hold me? Myah knew she had started to lose some of the extra weight she had packed on during her mom's illness, but the damage done from years of inactivity and drowning her sorrows in bags of chips and reeses pieces was going to take more than a few months to come off. But surely she was strong enough. If only the roof didn't suddenly seem so high. Myah felt her initial confidence slipping. She glanced at Nahele. "Maybe you should go inside and turn the tv on in case the wall squeeks?" she suggested.

"I left it on and no way am I not going to at least be here to spot you."

Myah took a brief moment to envy his naturally athletic build and strength. She knew he could have scaled the wall with no qualms in less than a minute, if he'd wanted to. As if sensing he was the subject of her thoughts, Nahele exhaled impatiently.

"I shouldn't let you do this. I should just haul you inside."

"No. It's my fault for not paying attention to the time and I don't want to distract… dad." Myah took a deep breath and reached up to take her first step. The trellis felt sturdy under her grip which was a relief. However the rain made things slippery and she felt very precarious. When she finally reached the top and managed to clamber over the rail, her heart was beating rapidly. She felt a small rush of adrenaline at her success and she waved down to Nahele, who shook his head and turned to go inside. Her success felt short lived when she realized the door was locked from the inside and she didn't have her phone. Feeling like even more of a fool, she sank down on one of the chairs and prayed that Nahele would come.

He proved his worth once again, appearing on the other side of the door about five minutes later and quietly unlocking it for her. "Move fast." Nahele murmured. "He just realized he forgot to come read to you."

Myah didn't delay, moving as quickly as she could while not making excess noise. She felt further panic in her room when she realized she was still in soaking wet clothing. She barely had time to strip them off and yank on a hoodie and slide into bed, before hearing footsteps on the stairs. When her door opened, she was sure her heart was beating so loud the neighbors could hear it.

"Hey kid." Steve said softly. "You awake?"

Myah knew there was no way she could slow her breathing down in time to fool him and so answered softly, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry I lost track of time. I didn't mean to forget you." He sounded so tender that Myah had no trouble forgiving him.

"It's okay." She tensed when he stroked her hair.

"Why's your hair so wet?"

Myah's stomach clenched and she tried to summon up the willpower to tell him she had showered before bed. She had never lied to him and her conscience pricked strongly against starting tonight. "I was outside."

"Oh."

To Myah's relief, Steve seemed content with that answer, as he kissed his fingers and pressed them against her cheek. "Go to sleep, kid."

When the door closed, Myah let out a breath she had not realized she was holding, but could not relax. It was the first time she had gotten away with something that was certainly not on the up and up with Steve, and she did not feel happy about it. Turning on her side, she brushed a wet piece of hair off her face. It was tangled having not been brushed before bed. Our relationship won't be worth anything if we can't trust each other. Myah didn't remember what the situation had been, but she clearly remembered Steve saying those exact words to her. I didn't lie… she tried to tell herself, but knowing that she had certainly not been honest made the dull ache in her chest even worse. With all her heart, she wished she could throw off the covers, walk downstairs, climb onto Steve's lap and give him all the details of the evening, even if it meant she'd get turned over his knee. It was Nahele's words that came back to her this time, and she recalled that Steve was downstairs, not researching antique car parts, but figuring out logistics for acquiring the weapons he'd need before a mission to North Korea. There was no way she could interrupt that. Feeling more lost than she had in a long time, Myah curled up and cried.

Author's Note: The H50 characters and the episode this story is based around Ki'ilua do not belong to me. Thank you so much you wonderful readers and reviewers. Had a bit of life get in the way of writing, but will hopefully be back now with more regular updates. Poor Myah is feeling the angst, Nahele is trying to keep the peace, Danny gets to babysit and Steve's going on a mission. Sleep tight, everyone!