Steve gave her a tour of the house before taking her out on the lanai. Looking across the backyard that led down to the beach behind the house, Madison sighed. "It's just like she described it," she said quietly.
"Your mom?"
She shook her head. "When Mom got sick and was going through treatment, she started telling me about the two of you. She shared memories…and told me how beautiful the view was from your back yard." She grew very quiet again before turning back to look at him. "We lived in L.A…so the 'views' were mostly of other houses and lots of smog. I remember thinking how wonderful it must be to grow up with the beach literally in your backyard." She grinned, but then emotion started to take over as Steve saw her chin start to tremble. Before he could reply or react, she took a step towards him.
Steve pulled her to him, "Honey, come here," He felt her shaking so he held her close, "Shhhhh….I know you probably feel very alone right now, but everything is going to be okay."
Steve continued to hold her. When her tears began to subside, he pushed her away gently, wiped a stray tear from her cheek, and smiled at her. "What d'ya say we get those steaks going. Huh?"
She nodded in agreement. "Thank you," she said.
"I promise….you're not alone anymore. You have me…..and Eddie…..and an entire Ohana with you now."
Eddie chose that moment to bark in agreement as he pushed his way between Madison and Steve for some love of his own.
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After they'd eaten dinner…..which Madison would admit was in fact one of the best steaks she'd ever put into her mouth….Steve insisted she let him clean up dishes so she could get a shower and relax. She'd had a long, stressful, couple of days.
Madison made her way back upstairs and got things together before going into the bathroom where she found one of the largest bathtubs she'd ever seen. There was also an impressive shower that was separate.
Who has a separate tub and shower?, she thought. The shower was large with marble tiles on the floor and walls. The showerhead alone looked more luxurious than anything she & her mom had ever seen.
She looked back towards the garden tub. It sat in front of a large window and was lined with candles along the back ledge looking out into the ocean. Forget the shower, she thought. A bubble bath is in order. And who would've thought Steve McGarrett was the candle and bath type? Must be more to that story…Is there a woman in his life?
She shook the thought off; She was just getting to know him. Everything would come in time.
She looked into the cabinet and was pleasantly surprised to find three different bottles of bubble bath, so after filling the tub, she found a lighter in a drawer and lit a few of the candles before slipping inside and starting to relax. It had been a very long time since she'd been able to enjoy such a luxury since the university only had showers. Nearly an hour later, she emerged from the bathroom and made her way back downstairs…Exhausted but completely relaxed. She was going to sleep so well that night! She found Steve sitting in one of the chairs down by the beaches edge in his back yard.
"I forgot how long it can take girls to take a bath," he grinned as he took a drink from his beer.
Her cheeks reddened. "Sorry….It's been a long time since I got to….."
He motioned for her to sit in the chair next to him. "Relax. I'm just kidding. I told you to make yourself at home."
"I was actually surprised you had bubble bath on hand…..and candles. You don't seem the type," she giggled and he found he loved the sound of it.
"Well…..I always have it on hand for when Mary or Catherine…..um…." he stopped himself and she noticed that he was the one shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
"Mary is your sister, right?"
He nodded.
"Who's Catherine? A girlfriend?"
Steve was trying to figure out what to say when she laughed again. "Come on, Steve. It's not a big deal if you have a girlfriend. I mean it's not like you and my mom had seen each other in the last 17 years."
"It's not that….It's just…..Actually, I don't know what Catherine and I are. It's sorta complicated."
"So you just have sex," she stated matter-of-factly. "I totally get it."
Steve looked at her wide-eyed before she saw something else there that made her clamp her mouth shut. That was definitely a 'dad look'. "Sorry. Listen….I'm really, really tired….so I think I'm gonna call it a night."
He stood up with her. "Okay. Maybe we should both do that. It's been a long day."
She surprised him by putting her arms around him for a hug. "Thank you for everything," she said quietly and the sadness in her voice tugged at his heart.
"Everything's gonna be okay, Maddie. We'll get through this."
She leaned back and looked up at him with a strange look on her face…..as if searching for something.
"What? What did I say?" Steve asked.
"You called me 'Maddie'."
"Oh….uh….sorry…..I just….."
"NO…..It's great…I mean, only my closest friends call me 'Maddie'. Well, besides Mom. She only called me 'Madison' when she was angry."
Steve grinned. "Let's go in and get some sleep…..Maddie. Tomorrow's a new day."
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Steve woke early per his normal routine and got ready for a morning swim. He peeked into Maddie's room and found her still sound asleep. He couldn't help but think she looked like an angel curled on her side and hugging a bear she'd brought with her when they'd packed an overnight bag for her the night before. Suddenly, recognition hit him and he took a step into the room to take a closer look; While she had packed her things at her dorm, he'd been 'standing guard' and giving her some space to get her things together. At first glance, he'd thought it very endearing that she still had a teddy bear to bring along since he knew his sister still had one given to her from their dad. However, now that he was getting a better look, memories were coming to mind;
He and Morgan had gone to a festival together. Too much junk food and rides later, she'd begged him to win something for her at one of the games that were set up. Being the star quarterback at their school…..and wanting to impress his girl….he knew it was risky since those games are usually rigged so that it's nearly impossible to win anything. However, he'd given into the big brown eyes he loved so much and given it his best shot.
As luck would have it, he won her a prize. She picked out the teddy bear he saw Maddie hugging as she slept. Just as it had done a dozen times in less than 24 hours since meeting her, he felt his heart twist. Did she know that story? Or was it just a coincidence that she was fond of the stuffed toy he'd won for her mom?
Emotion started to overtake him, so he shook it off and looked at Eddie who was sitting at his feet looking into the room too. Normally, Eddie would join him outside and play in the water while Steve swam, but Steve didn't want Maddie to wake up and be alone on her first morning there.
Her first morning there. He smiled as he found himself hoping this would become a normal occurrence.
He squatted down to Eddie, "I'm going for a swim. Stay with her, buddy. Okay?" Eddie wagged his tail happily and trotted over to her bedside where he looked at her adoringly. It was obvious Eddie was already smitten. Steve couldn't blame him. One last look at them and Steve made his way outside for his workout. He also needed to clear his head. His life was changing at lightening speed and he hadn't yet had time to process all of it.
When he came back into the house nearly 45 minutes later, he found Maddie sitting on the couch with Eddie by her side as she looked through a photo album that she must've found on one of the bookshelves.
She looked up when she heard him come in. "Sorry…." She apologized. "I…uh….saw you swimming. I just…..started exploring and found these."
Steve sat down on the coffee table in front of her and put his hand on her knee. "How many times do I have to tell you to make yourself at home, young lady?"
Her cheeks turned red but the tension in her seemed to ease.
"See anything interesting?" he asked.
She flipped back a few pages and held the album out to him. He took it from her and looked down at the pages she had opened.
There were several pictures of Steve and Morgan looking very young and smiling as they posed in the backyard; Steve in a tux and Morgan in a pretty satin dress with her long curls in an up-do. Steve felt a pained as he remembered that night.
"Junior prom," he said. Madison looked at the nostalgic expression shadowing his face.
"Really?"
Steve shook his head as if to chase away whatever memories had come to mind….and looked up at Madison again.
"Yeah. We went together our junior year. My mom died halfway through my senior year; Or at least we thought she'd died…..and my dad sent Mary and I both to the mainland."
"What do you mean, you thought she died?"
"Long story. I'll tell you sometime, but it's kinda heavy for first thing in the morning," he smiled hoping to distract her. "How about some breakfast? Do you like pancakes?"
"Lemme guess….You make great pancakes too?" she laughed.
Steve feigned offense, "Do I make great pancakes? Just wait…..Come on. I'll start the cakes and you can cut up some fruit."
Madison stood up. "Okay…..but….Just so you know, I need to watch my carbs. Especially in the morning. Can we do pancakes with some protein too? Maybe eggs?"
Recognition crossed his face and he grimaced. Madison was diabetic….How could he have forgotten. "Right….Sorry….Insulin levels. "
Madison shrugged. "It's okay. It's not like you're used to it."
Steve made pancakes while Madison made scrambled eggs and coffee. They both worked on putting some fruit together and Steve squeezed fresh orange juice. Maddie was seriously impressed at the man's skills. Not what she would've expected from a former ate on the lanai since it was such a beautiful morning as Steve shared stories of times he and Morgan had spent together before they'd been separated their senior year.
Steve's phone rang just as they were finishing. It was Danny with a lead on their case.
"Alright, pick him up and hold him. Madison and I will be there soon."
Even though Madison tried to excuse herself out of going into HQ with him, Steve wouldn't hear of it. She tried to bargain to let Eddie stay with her at the house, but his answer was still a resounding "No".
"Not open for discussion, Maddie. We still need to talk about what happened yesterday….so until I know you're safe, I'm not leaving you alone. Not even with Eddie." Looking down at Eddie, he rubbed him behind the ears, "No offense, buddy."
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Less than an hour later, Steve, Maddie, and Eddie walked into HQ. Steve told Maddie to go into his office with Eddie while he got an update from his team. Eddie followed her into the office, she settled on the couch, put her air pods in and took out a book. Once she was sufficiently distracted Steve turned back to the team.
"So how did last night go?" Danny was the first to ask.
Steve understood the curiosity, and while he wanted to find the son of a bitch who'd threatened his daughter as well as other girls, he knew that would happen more quickly and efficiently if he gave them a quick update with a promise to share more later.
"Things went great," Steve said. "I made dinner…..We talked…..and then got some shut eye. When I got back from my swim this morning, she'd found one of our family albums with pictures of Morgan and I from our junior prom."
Kono's smile grew wider. "Wait….Boss….are you tell me YOU went to prom?"
"Of course I did," he smiled back at her, but then grew pensive. "It was the last big thing we got what to do together since I left during our senior year."
Everyone grew quiet.
"So listen while I'd love to continue this conversation, I really want to finish this case and find the asshole who's targeting these girls. THEN, I can get to know my daughter better. We all can."
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Getting back to the case in the next chapter…..but there is still a lot more Steve & Maddie getting acquainted to come!
Please let me know your thoughts!
