Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

Family Life, Chapter 4

Fall, 2021

While Steve enjoyed lunch with his team, Catherine was seething in her office. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Catherine had envisioned an intimate little lunch in her office while they reminisced about their past. She would escalate the memories over a late dinner. Instead, Steve was eating lunch with Danny and the rest of the team while she sat alone.

Meanwhile, Steve was enjoying a bowl of noodles with his husband and the available members of 5-0. The latest members of the team never saw Steve in his uniform and were properly impressed with his new commander's bars. Steve had made a few notes before he left the office so that he was ready to hand out assignments. He gave the team whatever information that wasn't classified and pointed them in a couple of directions that might prove helpful.

Danny was the last to leave the restaurant. He wanted to know more about the assignment. "So, how did it go with Catherine after I left?"

Steve sat back in his chair and gave the question some serious thought. "Well, the briefing in her office bordered on sexual harassment. She did ask about you and the boys. She knew that we had Jesse. She attempted a trip down memory lane, but I was able to cut it short. I had to turn down a lunch invitation because we were meeting here. I guess I could have invited her, but that would have been too awkward for me. You know how I am with mammal-to-mammal interactions."

Danny bumped Steve with his shoulder. "Hey, you've come a long way since we pulled our guns at our first meeting. You don't even scare the little kids in elevators anymore."

"Maybe so, but this is a strain. I've been undercover, but I've never had to basically spy on someone whom I once considered a good friend. I hate that I'm in this position. I don't understand why Catherine is doing this after all these years. I thought that she had moved on."

"Me too, but I guess that I get it. There was a time after Rachel divorced me and brought Grace here that I thought I would never have any happiness or joy except for the snatches of time I got with Grace. I swore I would never get that deeply involved again. I never expected more children. I certainly never thought I would have a husband. I get that she's still hot for you. I am all the time, and we have sex on a regular basis."

Steve wore a goofy grin. "I'm still hot for you Danno. But I need to get back. Call me if something noteworthy comes up. I'll see you at home at the regular time. Don't start supper if you get there first. I think that my promotion deserves an evening at Crystal's. I think I might finally be able to beat you at Skee-ball."

"It will never happen. You can get all the promotions you want but I'll always be better at Skee-ball." Danny walked Steve to his car and hugged him briefly before heading to his car. He spent the afternoon with the team researching information for Steve.

Steve's afternoon was almost as interesting as the morning. His first move was to the conference room to meet the rest of Catherine's team. They were Lt. Frank Higgins, Lt. Jake Sheedy, Lt. Commander Mike Thompson, and Yeoman Leslie Moore. Steve had been the topic of their conversion for the last few days. It was very unusual for someone to be reactivated after so many years, and the scuttlebutt was that their commander was an old 'friend' of their latest member.

They were surprised when Steve approached them after lunch. He introduced himself and told them what he could about his background. They reciprocated and weren't very surprised to find they had mutual acquaintances from various locations. Steve then asked them what avenues they were exploring so that they didn't overlap investigations.

They were in the middle of a brainstorming session when Catherine interrupted them. "Commander McGarrett, what's going on here?"

"Commander Rollins, I'm trying to get caught up with your team and we were exchanging ideas. I'm the new guy here, and I still trying to determine where we are in the process."

"I'm in charge here. I'll tell you what you need to know."

Now Steve was a little pissed off. "And I'm here in a consulting role reporting to Admiral Halloran. I'm working with you and your team, not for you. You brought me in because I was highly successful while working with my SEAL team and intelligence and also because the 5-0 team has been so successful. I have my methods that work for me. If you want to micro-manage me, you could have brought in anyone. Now I would like to proceed unless there is something new you didn't cover this morning."

Catherine's face was bright red. She was equal parts furious and embarrassed. "No, you may proceed. I will join you, if you don't object."

"I have no objections." Steve resisted the urge to smirk and turned back to the team. The yeoman was the team admin assistant; she took notes which were displayed on the screen at the end of the conference room. The session lasted most of the afternoon. Steve spent the remainder of his work day writing a brief status report to the admiral.

Danny beat Steve home by half an hour. Jack and Jesse were met him at the door with a flurry of questions.

"Did you talk to Daddy today?"

"Is Daddy coming home tonight?"

"What's for supper?"

"Yes, yes, and it's a surprise." Danny pulled the boys close for a hug. "Daddy had lunch with me and the team. He should be home soon. Have you guys finished your homework?"

"Yes Danno", the boys answered in unison.

"Then why don't you get a quick shower before Daddy gets home. You look like you have half of the island on you." Danny appreciated that being a kid was dirty work but Jack and Jesse raised it to a new level. It was even worse if Steve joined in the fun.

The boys took longer than Steve's 3-minute Navy shower to scrub the grime off but they managed to be downstairs when Steve pulled in the driveway. They ran outside to meet him before he could turn the engine off.

"Daddy, Danno said we're having a surprise for supper. Did you bring something home? We're hungry." Jack was always hungry after playing outside. Jesse wasn't far behind him.

Steve grabbed his hat and stood at attention. "Commander Steven J. McGarrett reporting for daddy duty."

The boys stopped short of the SUV and mimicked Steve's salute. "Yeoman McGarrett-Williams reporting for kid duty." The boys had worked out their greeting that afternoon before Danny came home. They were equally anxious about their daddy's return to duty and proud to see him in uniform. They were proud of both of their daddy's. Then Jack noticed something different in Steve's uniform.

"Daddy, the things in your collar are different. Did you lose one and have to get a new set?"

Steve had his goofy grin on his face. "Well Danno, should we give them the news?"

Danny frowned and shook his head. "I don't know Steve. Maybe we should wait until after pizza."

The boys tackled Danny, laughing as he went down on the living room floor. "Tell us Danno. We don't want to wait."

Danny tickled the boys and pinned them to the floor. "That was a pretty smooth move. I guess we can tell you now. Your dad was promoted to full Commander this morning. The admiral's office called me in and I got to pin his new insignias on him."

Steve found the pictures from the promotion ceremony and showed the boys. Then he explained the terms of his temporary assignment. They were excited about Steve's promotion and relieved to hear that their daddy would make it home in the evening.

Crystal's was a family favorite so their supper was a happy celebration. They had enough leftovers for another night, and the boys beat Steve at Skee-ball. The family made it home early enough to have story time. The boys alternated choosing the book, and periodically the reading material was simple enough for the boys to take turns reading to their dads.

Later when evening chores were complete (lunches packed and homework checked), Steve and Danny had took their beers and sat down by the beach. They were content to sit and watch the waves lap the shore until the sun set.

Finally Danny broke the silence. "So are you exhausted from fending off Catherine's advances?"

Steve considered the question. "Actually, she was more antagonistic than anything else this afternoon. I spent some time picking the brains of the rest of the team and she was upset that I didn't consult her first. The others are pretty sharp and I think that we should be able to find the threat to the island. It might take longer than I would like. But to get back to your question, I'm not that tired. What do you have in mind?"

Danny took Steve's hand in his and rubbed his thumb over the back of Steve's hand. He thought not for the first time how beautiful Steve's hands are. In fact there wasn't any part of Steve's body he didn't love. "I was thinking about getting my shower. Want to join me?"

Steve stood and pulled Danny into a hug. "Have I told you today how much I love how your brain works?"

Danny leaned into Steve, relishing the feel of Steve's arms around him. "You love my mouth too."

"Yeah, I love that smart mouth of yours. You keep me on my toes, but I can be myself around you. I noticed that the first day. It was a strain today trying not to be…me, I guess. I'm older and more senior than the rest of the team, excepting Catherine of course. It was so tempting to tell them to call me Steve. It's okay for the 5-0 team but not exactly regulation in the Navy. And I really missed you today Danny. Can we postpone the shower for a bit? I have a more pressing need."

Danny could feel the need; it was pressing against his hip. Danny was aroused too and more than amenable to helping Steve out. "I guess that could be arranged. It's my turn to be on top."

"I'll toss you for it."

Danny's reply was lost as he made a break for the back door. He knew Steve would beat him easily, but this way he got to ogle Steve's ass.

Steve was already naked and pulling down the comforter by the time that Danny locked the door, activated the alarm, and climbed the stairs. Danny unbuttoned his shirt enough to pull it over his head. His trousers and boxers came next. He threw his clothes in the hamper and joined Steve on the bed.

From the house next door, Catherine watched as the tears spilled down her cheek. She had arrived while the family was a dinner. It killed her to see the happy family spill out of the SUV and go into the house. It was even worse when Steve and Danny sat on the beach. She wished she could eavesdrop on their conversation; she had no way of knowing that for the most part there was nothing said.

When the men hugged and ran for the door, Catherine knew that sex was on their agenda. She could see into their bedroom from her vantage point. She could only guess that the men didn't close the blinds because the house was purportedly vacant. Now that the men were on the bed, she only caught glimpses of random body parts. It was enough for tonight. Catherine quietly slipped out of the house.

The day had been a train wreck for her. First Steve was promoted. Then the admiral made it clear that Steve would not report to her. Then Catherine got a first row seat to the Steve and Danny show. On the drive back to the base, she pondered the predicament she was in. Not only was she stuck with Steve during the day, now she had a montage of happy McGarrett-Williams family moments running in her head. It was going to be a long night.