…..

Well… it's been quite a long ride. I was so sad writing this chapter, but I hope that you all enjoy it. Rest assured, Steve and Allie's story is NOT over. This is just the end of part one. After collecting everyone's votes, I have decided to just attach a part two to this same story to make it easier on everyone. I will, however, be taking a small hiatus of a few weeks before I post the beginning of part two, just to make sure that everyone has a chance to catch up.

Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, or private messaging. I so appreciate each and every single show of support that I received for this story. It was more than I ever imaged it would be, and I have all of you to thank for that.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.

Happy Reading!

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Chapter Thirty: Truths and Reunions

Steve

"It's a letter," I said in surprise once I got the box open and took out the envelope inside. There was another, smaller envelope beneath it. "Two letters, actually."

One of the envelopes said: Read first. So, I tore it open and pulled out the sheets of paper inside. After a shaky breath, I began to read.

Steve,

Marriage is the most significant relationship that a person can have, because it's a choice to share everything about your life with another person. You choose to share a home, a bank account, a family. If you get into a terrible car accident or have any accident that renders you unable to make medical decisions for yourself, they turn to your spouse to make those decisions. If you die, they contact your spouse first. It's a very intimate, very serious relationship. A commitment to spend the rest of your life with one person… Through the worst illnesses and the days when you feel like you could run a thousand miles. Through the times where you laugh together in bed all day and the days when you just want to kill each other. And through every time in between.

I never wanted that. Growing up, I didn't exactly have the best example of marriage. None of the adults around me were married – or the ones that were had already gotten a divorce or were headed that way – except for my parents, and you know how that turned out. I didn't hold a high opinion of marriage and I decided when I was fourteen that I was never going to get married. Fall in love, maybe. But never marriage. Maybe that's why I felt like my relationship with Ari was so perfect – we could never go and get married.

And then you came along and ruined everything.

I didn't have much of an opinion of you at first… I knew that you'd been a Navy SEAL and a member of Naval Intelligence. I knew that the governor had offered you the job running the Five-O task force and you took your job very seriously. I even knew about your mother's death and your father's murder. What I didn't know was how disarming you would be. Every time that I thought I had you figured out, you'd go and surprise me – whether it was by taking me to get shaved ice when I was sad or not reprimanding me when I roundhouse kicked that creepy pedophile.

I fell in love with you so quickly that I scared myself, and I considered leaving a million times. I'd fallen in love once before – with Ari – and I'd been a mess after it ended in his death. But one night, I realized something very important… good things end, sometimes. Good people get hurt and bad people walk free, but that doesn't mean that the rest of us can give up. No one knows how much time they have on this earth. So, we have to make the most of each day.

I want to do that with you. I want to wake up next to you each morning and eat breakfast together, even if it's just a granola bar on the way in to work. I want to eat dinner with you and talk about our days. I want to know that even on my very worst days, you're going to be there beside me and we can weather the storm together. I've never wanted all of that with someone before. And then you came along and I want all of that. I want everything that you can give me.

But, first… I need to give you more.

Marriage is based on trust, which stems from honesty. I've kept the first eighteen years of my life mostly hidden from you. Perhaps I've been afraid of what you might think or perhaps I was just too ashamed of it to talk about it, but I've come to realize that it's something you need to know. It's an important part of my history, and you deserve to know everything.

So, here it goes:

Before I turned eighteen, my name was Isabelle Rinaldi. I changed it at the age of eighteen, when I joined the CIA for a deal: they would change my name and erase all record of me before the age of eighteen. Because before I was eighteen… I was on an Interpol watchlist.

I grew up in a family of con artists.

White Collar type stuff, mind you. Never anything violent. But still crimes. Art forgery and art theft, mostly. I, in particular, was very good at the theft part. I had garnered quite a reputation in the con world by the time that I was fifteen – everyone said that I had a bright future ahead of me. And then, one day, I was approached by a recruiter from the CIA. They needed people with my skill set, and they asked me to join. It was a defining moment in my life.

I realized that I could do positive things – steal important information from terrorists, drug cartels, and the suchlike – instead of the things that I had been doing. The things that I had been trained to do for my entire life. And though no one in my family could understand why I was doing it, I gave up the life I'd been living. I buried Isabelle Rinaldi and became Allie Rhodes.

I understand that I'll always have the past that I have. I'll always be the girl that swiped an original Van Gogh right out from under the FBI's nose. I'll always know how to pick locks and pockets. I'll always have connections to that world, because I have friends and family that still live in it. But, I promise you, I buried Isabelle Rinaldi for good the same day that I joined the CIA. I haven't stolen anything since then, and I don't intend to. Allie Rhodes is not that kind of person.

I can understand if it's a lot to take in. I can even understand if you need a little time away from me to absorb all of this and figure out if you're okay with it or not. And I really hope you are, because I really want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I want that to start as soon as possible.

My mother was a very big part of my life. She taught all of her children everything that she knew about art, and I used to stay up way past my bedtime to watch her as she painted in her studio. I thought that she was the most beautiful, and the most brilliant woman in the world. She encouraged me to chase my dreams. To show all of the men out there that it's actually women that run the world. I wanted so badly to make her proud.

And then she just disappeared. My heart was broken. And when I found her all of those years later and she told me that she'd left because her work was more important than her children, my heart shattered. We should have been everything to her. She carried us inside of her own body and raised us to teenagers… and then she just left.

I decided after that talk that I never wanted to be a mother. People had always told me that I was more like my mother than any of my siblings, and I was afraid that it would carry over into motherhood. I was afraid that I would have children and discover that they didn't mean as much to me as they should. The thought terrified me.

But it doesn't anymore.

Before you start on the next sheet, open the other envelope.

I set the stack of papers aside and picked up the other envelope, sliding my finger beneath the flap to open it. Then, I reached inside and felt smooth, glossy paper.

A photo, maybe? I thought, and then I pulled it out.

My heart stopped as I stared at the single black and gray image. A field of gray, with a black hole in the middle. And in that hole was a gray shape with helpful white lettering that read: Head.

At the bottom was the pattern of the heartbeat.

My baby's heartbeat.

Tears fell from my eyes as I checked the date in the top left corner of the ultrasound picture. The date was from the day that Nicolas Medici had come to find her. She hadn't been getting a physical that morning… she'd been confirming a pregnancy.

And according to the ultrasound, she'd been 8 weeks along.

When I went to pick up her letter again, I noticed that my hands were shaking, and no effort that I made could steady them. More tears fell as I began to read from where I had left off.

Surprise! You're going to be a father!

I know that it's a lot to take in. We definitely didn't plan it. When I first suspected, I tried to just put it out of my mind. And when I took a pregnancy test that came back positive, I thought that I was going to faint. My last hope was that I would get to the doctor's office and he would tell me that it had been a false positive. But he didn't. Instead, he did an ultrasound to get accurate dating. And when I saw that little baby…

I cried. A lot. I cried because this is the most miraculous thing in the world, that a baby can grow inside of me. Because I get to share this little life with you, and I'm so excited to get to watch you be a father. I cried because this is terrifying; I didn't exactly have the best example of a mother in my later years. Because I don't have even the slightest idea how to take care of a baby. Disarm a bomb? Sure. Break into a heavily guarded art museum and steal a valuable painting? No problem. Take care of a helpless human? Sorry.

I know that you must be feeling a thousand different things, too. But I hope that ultimately, you're happy. I know that I am. I can't wait to meet our son or daughter. I can't wait to finally hold that sweet baby in my arms. I can't wait to watch you get to be a father, and I know that you're going to be amazing. Probably a bit overprotective, but that's a dad's job, right? You're going to be amazing. And the best part is that we get to do it together. As one big, happy family. Who knows… maybe we'll even have a few more babies down the road.

When you're ready, let's talk about this and figure it out. All of it. Where we want to set up baby registries, which hospital we want to deliver at, possible baby names… There's so much to do in the next few months. But if you're ready, then so am I. Because we can do absolutely anything together.

I love you, Steve McGarrett. And I love our baby even more.

I can't wait to have you both in my life for as long as I get to live on this earth.

With all my heart,

Allie

"Steve?"

I looked up to see Kol standing on the other side of the table, looking at me with concern.

"Steve?" he asked again. "Are you okay?"

"She's pregnant," I said softly.

All of the color drained from his face. "What?"

I offered him the ultrasound picture, watching as it shook in my hand. "She's pregnant. And she's gone."

He took the picture, looked it over, and cursed. "We'll get her back. We'll get both of them back."

But I could only sit there and cry.

Hours later…

I wasn't sure how much time had passed when someone knocked on the door. Kol left me sitting on the couch and went to answer it, and I looked up to see Five-O walking in, all of them looking alert and concerned.

"I called them," Kol said to my questioning look. "My people won't start getting here for another few hours."

I nodded, watching as they sat down, Danny beside me on the couch and Chin and Kono on the loveseat. Kol asked if anyone needed anything – likely taking over the host duties since Allie was gone – but everyone said no. He nodded, said that he'd be upstairs making some calls, and then disappeared.

No one said anything for several long minutes.

Finally, it was Danny that broke the silence. "You want to… tell us what happened?"

"Didn't Kol tell you?" I was surprised at how raw my voice sounded.

"He just said that Allie was gone and you needed us. He said you'd fill us in when we got here," Kono said. "Where is she?"

"He took her." I cleared my throat. "Medici took her. We think that he is holding one of her brothers until she does something for him."

"Until she does what, exactly?" Danny asked. "What could she possibly do for him? Build a bomb? Connect him with someone to make a fake ID?"

"She's actually more talented than we ever realized," I said, and I began to explain the letter. That before she'd become Allie Rhodes, she had actually been a part of a family of con artists, and she'd been one of the best. Kol had backed all of that up, not that I had ever doubted it.

They were surprised, to say the least, and they had about a hundred questions. I answered them all as best I could and then said, "There's something else, though."

"On top of the fact that she was a career criminal before turning over a new leaf?" Danny asked with a raised eyebrow. "This should be good."

"She was a white collar criminal, Danny," Kono said defensively. "It's what she grew up doing. At least she really did turn over a new leaf and start helping catch these people."

Danny mulled that over for a few moments and then nodded, conceding. "You're right, you're right. I'm sorry. I just… it surprised me." He looked at me very seriously. "You know I'm here for you, buddy. And for Allie. You're both family to me."

"There's one more," I said, and my voice cracked.

In confusion, he asked me, "What do you mean? What are you talking about? One more what?"

"One more member of the family." From the pocket of my shirt, I withdrew the ultrasound picture and handed it to Danny. His eyes widened in recognition and he looked up at me.

"Allie's pregnant?" he asked me, even though he was holding all of the evidence in his hand.

"A little over eight weeks," I nodded. "She just found out a few days ago. The day that Medici came to the office looking for her, actually. She wrote me a letter and put that and the ultrasound picture in a present. I think she was going to give it to me tonight."

Danny handed me the picture. "I'm so sorry, buddy."

"Are they in any danger?" Chin asked me. "Don't guys like Medici have a code about hurting women and children?"

"Kol says that he does," I agreed. "That's why he needed her brother for leverage. But Kol also thinks that he needs her to break in somewhere and steal something. And because he wants her, specifically, it has to be a hard job. Maybe even a dangerous one."

"We'll help you find her," Kono said fiercely, and the look in her eyes told me that Allie was her family, and she was going to do everything she could to protect her family. The rest of the team had that same look in their eyes.

"Kol called some people," I said. "People from their world, I think. He said they should start arriving soon."

"Why don't you try to get some sleep?" Chin asked me. "I think we all should."

"No," I shook my head. "I can't."

Danny was the voice of reason. "I know that you feel like you shouldn't be sleeping right now, but there's really nothing to do yet. Once everyone is here and ready to start formulating a plan, we'll come and get you, okay? But for now, the best thing that you can do is be well rested."

I nodded and stood. "Okay, I… there is a guest room on this floor and a guest room upstairs. Or someone can sleep on the couch…"

"They'll be fine, Steve," Danny assured me and pushed me gently towards the stairs. "Go get some sleep, okay?"

I didn't think that it would be possible – especially sleeping in the bed I usually shared with Allie – but it took me less than a minute to fall asleep.

Hours later…

I wasn't sure how long I slept for, but I felt relatively rested when Danny shook me awake. The grogginess disappeared as soon as I sat up and I took the bottle of water that Danny offered me.

"There are a lot of people here," he said as I took a long drink. "Seems that this con community is quite tight knit. I think they're ready to start talking about strategy. Kol said I should probably come and get you."

I nodded and stood up. "Let me splash some water on my face and I'll be right down."

He nodded and went back downstairs while I went into the bathroom and spent a few minutes cleaning myself up and getting myself together. Of course I was afraid for Allie and our baby, but the best thing that I could do for them was to stay strong and participate in this plan. They needed me at my best, and that's what I was going to give them.

Once I was ready, I went downstairs and was surprised to see all of the people there. Danny had said that several people had turned up, but there were fifteen people there in total, including Kol and Five-O. The furniture had been pushed back against the wall and chairs had been brought in from the garage. A couple of people with laptops sat at the kitchen table, typing furiously.

The people were of all varieties – men and women, tall and short, old and young. And all of them had expressions ranging from concerned to determined. These seemed like the kind of people that I wanted on our side.

When Kol saw me, he came forward and told me that a couple of the women had cooked a large batch of pancakes for everybody. I wanted to tell him that I didn't need anything to eat, but I knew that wasn't true. I needed to be at my best to be of any use to anyone. So, I filled up a plate and began to eat as Kol took me around and introduced everyone, along with their talent.

The hackers, the forgers, the language experts… there were so many different talents among them. Allie's other two brothers – Max and Michael – were there as well. As Kol was about to start, Michael asked Kol a question in a language that I didn't recognize.

Kol shook his head. "I tried, but I don't think he's coming. We should get started. Steve? Why don't you go sit by your team?"

I set my plate aside and went to do as he'd asked, sitting between Danny and Chin.

"Okay, everyone," Kol said. "I think we should get started."

But as he began, the front door opened and two men stepped inside.

They were both older, and dressed casually in jeans and Oxford shirts. Their hair was salt and pepper, faces clean shaven, and eyes dark. And there was something about them… something that I couldn't put my finger on.

"Uncle Edward," Kol said to the one that stepped forward first. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," he said and sat down next to an older woman, who greeted him warmly.

Kol then turned to face the other man, a million different expressions on his face. "Dad."

Allie's father nodded solemnly. "Son. What's the plan?"

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Kol's mouth. "I was hoping you could help with that."

He nodded and stepped into the middle of the room. "Let's get started, then."

End Part One