Chapter 12

Kalani was growing more impatient everyday with her recovery. It had been a month since her return home from Italy.

The President received word when SAM 29000 landed and she had returned safely to Coronado. He gave a press release thanking Hawaii 5-0, NCIS, and the FBI for their joint taskforce's success in the Kalani's safe return home. The SEALs and Secret Service couldn't be acknowledged because of the highly sensitive nature in their daily work.

The VA Doctors wouldn't let her back into school or get around without a walker..

With Gracie and Damon in school and the rest of her Ohana at work it just left her somewhat scattered brain Aunt Mary to take care of her during the day.

"I only visit a couple times a year and each time it seems like either you or Kalani are in danger." Aunt Mary fumed when she stormed into the McGarrett home with a straggling Joan behind her. "Can't this family ever live a somewhat normal life for once. I knew I should have taken her when Dad died."

Mary McGarrett found an unlikely ally in Catherine Rollins. The two tag teamed on Steve and then onto Kalani. Steve ended up getting the glares and silent treatment where as Kalani got the babying.

"Kalani dinner's ready," Mary bellowed from their small kitchen. Kalani begrudging stood up from her recliner and grabbed for her "Grandma" walker and slowly made her way to the kitchen table. For the most part all her bruising was healed, all her stitches cut off about two weeks ago. She still had to tread carefully due to her internal organs still repairing themselves post-op.

Catherine and Mary took turns "caring" for Kalani. The days Catherine weren't on caring duty, she was helping Five-O in Kalani's place.

"I thought it was Mom's turn today," Kalani asked as she gingerly maneuvered herself into a chair at the dinner table.

"Cath and your Dad are working on a case." Mary callously stated. She wasn't used to Kalani calling anyone Mom.

Kalani just shrugged as Mary placed her meal before her. Looking down at her plate Kalani smiled at tonight's menu. "You know you don't have to make Grandpa's famous meatloaf every time you come here Aunt Mary." It was a tradition that Mary started when Kalani visited her. She would make Grandpa John's meatloaf with loaded mashed potatoes, green beans and mushroom gravy.

"We both know that when it comes to cooking your Dad is useless in that kitchen. Give him a grill and he becomes a barbecue pit master." Mary laughed.

Kalani laughed too because not only was her well-meaning Aunt laughing, she also had a mock horrified face. "Dad has improved a lot though," Kalani chuckled. "I mean he and Danno have been talking about opening a restaurant. Besides Lou and Danno make sure to make me meals at least three times a week."

Mary who had been taking a fork full of potatoes and bringing it to her mouth stopped herself. The fork seemingly left her fingers and clattered onto her plate. "Oh hell no. There's no way Danny would knowingly go into business with your father. Especially considering he knows your father would some how give all of Honolulu food poisoning."

Kalani just shrugged as she finished eating her meal. She looked to Joan sitting her in highchair making a mess of her meal and smiled. "You know I never thought I would live to see the day that you became the responsible one. Joan and I are lucky to have you Aunt Mary."

This put a smile on Mary's face and then a frown marred her lips. Tears started forming on Mary's face.

Kalani knew this was about her current condition and sighed. "Don't do that Aunt Mary. I mean it. This was just par for the course."

"My own mother did this to you Kalani. I can't believe what a monster she truly is." Mary shook her head in disdain, wiped her eyes and started to compose herself.

Kalani reached over to her aunt and rubbed her back. "I've never known my real mom but you, Cath and Aunt Kono are the best women I have ever met. You guys set a really high bar. Not everyone gets parents they deserve. Grandma Doris has always been like this Aunt Mary. She may have fooled Grandpa for a while but she's like a leopard. We all know a leopard can never change their spots. I'm going to get her and she won't see it coming this time."

Now all she needed was to get the VA to clear her for action. She wanted to laugh at her situation. She had only had to answer to two people in the American Government but now she had to deal with a faulty medical system. The VA System was severely understaffed and Kalani felt that the doctors and surgeons sometimes lacked the knowledge they say they supposedly had.

Joan decided that she was done with dinner and done being ignored by the grownups at the table. She started whining and throwing her food everywhere.

The two older females laughed. "You go rest on the recliner. I'll clean this little animal up." Mary stated.

"I wish I wasn't so useless," Kalani grumbled as she stood up from her chair, grabbed the walker and left the dining area.

The living room telephone rang the moment Kalani finally situated herself into her recliner. She reached over to the end table picked up the receiver, "McGarrett Residence."

"Thank god you answered the phone," a male voice she hadn't heard in months answered.

"Damon," she questioned.

"Hey babe," he answered. "You're a hard girl to get a hold of."

Kalani laughed. "Well you could have visited me. I've been home for over a month now," she said in all seriousness. "I don't ever leave unless I have a doctor's appointment." Which she felt was becoming more and more intrusive everyday.

"Every time I've called you've been asleep. That witch you call an Aunt is more vicious then your Dad and Uncle. I felt persona non-gratis."

Kalani knew what Damon was saying true. Mary was fiercely protective of Kalani and Kalani knew it was because of their similar childhoods without an ever present mother figure.

"Well I'm awake now, I don't have any appointments. Come on over," she invited. She saw from the corner of her eye that Aunt Mary was glaring at her for the invitation.

There was a pause before Damon spoke again, "I'll be over in ten minutes. I just got out of football practice."

Kalani smiled, "Great see you then." Hanging up the phone she turned to her Aunt. "Don't look at me like that. He is my boyfriend Aunt Mary. I haven't seen him since before I was kidnapped." She finished crossing her arms.

Mary continued to glare while cleaning up the table. Joan, by then, had been tucked into bed. "I don't like that boy. He has a hidden agenda I can tell."

Kalani rolled her eyes. "He's fifteen years old Aunt Mary. Of course he has an agenda. He wants to get into my pants." With an arched eyebrow she watched her stunned Aunt open and shut her mouth like a fish out of water. "Not to worry that hasn't happened yet and it won't until I finish my primary objective."

"Which is?" Mary asked while stopping wiping the table down.

"Killing Grandma," Kalani said in a tone that Mary had never heard out of her mouth before. "I was playing nice but after almost being killed by her and her associates all bets are off."

Mary gasped again. "You're talking revenge. This is not the girl I helped raise."

"No this is survival. If I want to continuing living I need to eliminate my number one threat. She harbored Wo Fat because she felt guilty for killing his father. Wo Fat killed Grandpa because he was married to Grandma and Grandma had an affair with his father. I will finish my primary objective Aunt Mary. It may not seem moral to you but she is an American Traitor. The government secrets she knows can not be disclosed to our enemies."

"What secrets can she possibly know. She's been out of the game for a long time."

Kalani wasn't at liberty to discuss the secrets her grandmother knew. The less Aunt Mary knew the better..

In the background the television was on, the program which Kalani couldn't care enough about, turned to breaking news.

A few months ago a local teenage girl was abducted in broad daylight. She has since been rescued and as eyewitness reports are saying...she is recovering at home quietly. Though she is safe and sound it appears that her abductors are not going down without a fight.

Kalani turned to the end table, she picked up the remote, turning up the volume, and looked to her Aunt. The two female McGarretts couldn't stop looking between the screen and themselves.

It appears that members of the Hawaii Five-0 task force and members of a militant faction of the Egyptian Special Forces are in a Mexican Standoff. This has been going on for five hours as the militant group have an undetermined amount of hostages being held in this shopping center. Their only demands are their leader to be released out of Five-0 custody.

"Like hell that is going to happen, " Kalani murmured. "I have to call Jerry." Panic filled her as she went in search of her cell phone. Since she's barely used it since she was home, she had a hard time remembering where she last placed it. "Where's my phone? I need my phone!"

Mary wanted to make the situation easier but stood frozen. She had dealt with these kind of scenarios a few times as a child. Every time it happens she would freeze.

Kalani's eyes widened. "You need to lock yourself in your room. You and Joan hide in the closet. Don't come out unless I tell you too," Kalani ordered. She was in high alert.

"Kalani KaPua Adelle!" Mary raised her voice. "I'm not going anywhere and you are not doing anything. The situation is under control." She walked to her niece and gently directed her into the recliner.

Just as Mary got Kalani into the recliner, the doorbell rang, signaling Damon's arrival. "You stay there. I'm answering the door." Mary went to the front foyer desk, opened the hidden compartment and pulled out the sidearm that was being hidden. Just incase it isn't Perry White's obnoxious grandson.

She slowly walked up to the door and called 'Who is it?' quickly receiving a 'Me, Damon.' Not one to let her guard down, she aimed the sidearm at the door as she opened it to the outside.

Damon stared wide-eyed at the woman holding a gun in his face. "Miss McGarrett, It's me Damon. Kalani told me to come over,"

Mary exhaled a relieving sigh and motioned for the teenager to come in. "She's in the living room watching the news. Tread carefully I won't be far away and I will have this," she held up the weapon in her hand.

Damon carefully walked in the direction of the living room. He could her a news report clearly blasting from the speakers. When he was finally in the room, he immediately understood why he'd been greeted at the door with a gun in his face.

Kalani looked up and produced a sad smile, when she saw him. "Hi stranger," she greeted, standing up slowly from her chair. She self-consciously smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes and the fly away strands of hair out of her face. She felt like a slob and looking at her boyfriend with freshly damp hair made her feel inadequate.

Seeing Kalani before him battered and bruised sucked the air out of Damon's lungs. His girl was strong, courageous and beautiful no matter how bad he knew she was feeling. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her forehead. What he had wanted to do was give her a proper kiss and distract her.

"Hi Beautiful," he murmured in her ear. "God, How I have missed you." Gently pushing her out at an arm's length to check her from head to toe.

"I missed you too," she said closing the gap and kissing his lips. "It's great to see you but I'm worried about my family at the moment,"ignoring her boyfriend's distraction tactics.

Sighing Damon continued holding her in his arms. "There's nothing you can do at this point."

Kalani groaned. She was getting annoyed with that "Everyone needs to stop saying that. I'm not useless. I have skills. I thought I took care of the ESF but apparently I stand corrected."

The one thing she hated above all else was failing to complete one mission. The breaking news on the t.v. just confirmed she had failed to complete yet another mission.

She threw her walker to the side, stepped out of Damon's arms and took her first unaided steps in a month. She smiled victoriously at the lack of pain she felt. Sure she was unsteady but this setback will not stop her from her new agenda.

"You're as stubborn and unhinged as your old man," Damon stated. "Even I know you can't be walking around without support."

Kalani glared at the comment. "I've been a victim long enough. I'm calling Jerry and offering my assistance. You can either hop along or jump ship. Your choice."

Damon groaned. This was the girl he remembered from camp. The one who had to outsmart and out run everyone. He turned to her Aunt, Mary clearly wanted him to back up her decision to keep Kalani away from the action.

"You will sit your ass right down in that recliner, right now young lady," Mary yelled. Having her hands on her hips, she giving Kalani a pointed look. "You're not going anywhere and you will not be calling anyone."

Walking up to Kalani, Mary ripped her niece's cellphone out of Kalani's hand. Then went to the house phone and ripped the cord out of the wall. She stormed out of the living room to her bedroom and threw the phones into the room, shutting the door and locking it.

She then walked back to the living room with a satisfactory smile on her face. Kalani stared gaping at the scene before her, looking to Damon for support.

Damon raised is arms up in surrender. Being the decision maker between two McGarrett women was not something he was enjoying. If he sided with Mary, Kalani wouldn't talk to him for weeks, maybe even break-up with him. If he sided with Kalani, chances were he would never ever be in Mary's good graces. "I'm staying out of this."

Kalani very rarely acted her age, "You can't do this. That's not fair," she wined. "Ugh, I hate you so much right now!" She meant both her Aunt and boyfriend. They were tag teaming her.

"Hate me all you want but until the doctors say otherwise, you do not go into battle of any kind…" Mary growled. She watched Kalani forming a remark, "Of any kind period. In case your far more superior mind doesn't understand what I just said," she paused for emphasis, "No calling Jerry, No strategic anything, no fieldwork, nothing!"


Kono sat perched on a rooftop, waiting for Steve to give her the signal. This stand-off has been going on far too long. It had gained media coverage and she could almost guarantee that Kalani was at home fuming .

Kono can you get a clear shot on one of the unsubs? Catherine called into her earwig.

She took her shot which gave Catherine her confirmation. "How's that for a yes?"

Great! Can you get anymore?

Surveying the scene below her Kono knew she couldn't get another shot in without an innocent bystander getting in the way. "Negative. How's the hostage negotiating going?"

Before Catherine could response, shots were fired. We're okay! However we can't say the same for the unsubs, Steve assured the everyone.

Soon both Kono and Catherine saw hostages running out of the shopping center, Steve, Chin Ho, Danny, and Lou each had unsubs in cuffs, dragging them to the SWAT bear cat waiting outside.