Steve thanked the sailors who had escorted them home, then locked the door and set the alarm. Jax had already disappeared from the living room, and he called out her name softly. He expected to find her in the babies' room, but she answered him from his office.

She was leaning on the desk, holding a picture of Doris.

"I couldn't remember her name," she said. "I think my brain isn't working right."

"Moderate sleep deprivation, mild cognitive impair," Steve said, smiling at her. "It'll be okay."

"I called her mom," Jax said. "You always call her mom, and so does Mary, and when I recognized her, I called her mom. I don't think she minded?"

"I think she would have been honored," Steve said. "It's okay."

"How is she alive? What . . . did you know? Did your dad know?" Jax asked.

"I'll have to get into all of that with the Navy," Steve said.

"Are you okay?" Jax whispered. She reached for his hand and took it in hers.

"I don't think I've even started to process it yet," Steve said. "I was terrified for you. I really wasn't thinking about much of anything else."

"I tried to set up a clean shot for you," Jax said.

"I know," Steve said.

"He grabbed my hair and -"

"I know," Steve said softly. "Jax. You did the best you could. You came home to me, that's all that matters. You're okay, the babies are okay . . . we'll sort the rest out. But right now, you need to rest."

Jax nodded and moved unsteadily toward the stairs. She flinched at Steve's hand landing on her lower back to steady her.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"It's okay," he said softly.

Pupule wound around Jax's ankle, meowing piteously. She bent and scooped him up in her arms, rubbing his head as he purred loudly. Satisfied with her return, he stumbled to his bed and flopped down.

Jax stood in the center of their room, uncertain.

"I think I want a shower," she said.

"Okay," Steve said, nodding. "I'll grab a tshirt for you, which -"

"I can get my own damn shirt," she snapped. "I'm sorry. I'm not the only one who had a bad day. I'm sorry I keep snapping at you."

He kissed the top of her head as they reached the landing. "It was a shit day, not gonna lie," he said. "But I'm not the one who was held hostage by an international criminal. Cut yourself some slack. Let's try it this way: I'll take a quick shower, warm it up, while you grab anything you need. If you need any help, if you want anything, you tell me, okay? Otherwise, I'm gonna let you fend for yourself."

Jax bit her lip and nodded.

"You had a long, long day of not getting to make your own choices," Steve said quietly. "I get it. I've been there."

"It was only twenty-four hours," Jax said.

He cupped her face in his hand. "About the longest twenty-four hours of my life, how about you?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "Yeah, it was a long twenty-four hours. I'm sorry -"

"Shh, stop apologizing," Steve said.

"Stop interrupting," Jax said, grinning up at him. She sobered quickly. "I'm sorry, that the reason you're so good at dealing with this sort of thing is from experience. Is it classified?"

"Hmm, the particulars are," he said. He kissed her forehead. "I'll be done in just a minute."

True to his word, by the time Jax had rummaged through a drawer and located Steve's soft, faded Coronado t-shirt and a pair of fluffy socks, he was coming out of the bathroom, still slightly damp. She looked up, her eyes filling with tears.

"Hey," he said softly. "You okay?"

"I just . . . this is real, right?" she asked, her lip trembling. "I'm awake?"

"Yes. You're awake, this is real," he said, nodding. "The short periods of sleep you've had . . . if you were dreaming, those dreams would have seemed very real. It's normal to be confused. It will pass. But this, right now, this is real."

He reached for her, and she noticed something crinkle in his outstretched hand.

"What do you have?" she asked.

"Ah. I found letters, to me and to Mary," he said, "in my pants pocket. They are from my mother, of that I am certain. I'm also certain that I can't deal with any more from her right now. I'm saving these letters to read when Mary gets here. I have no idea how she got them in my pocket ... I'll assume the same way she got my phone out of of my pocket."

"Your mom is a CIA pickpocket," Jax said, smiling. She yawned and her eyes fluttered.

"So it seems," he said. "Grab your shower before you can't stand up. I'll be right here, if you need me."

Jax nodded absently and padded to the bathroom while Steve turned down the bed. He left the softest light burning, and tossed Jax's favorite quilt at the foot of the bed. She came out of the bathroom, her hair damp and smelling of honeysuckle and gunpowder. He smiled at the sight of his t-shirt pulled slightly taut over the curve of her belly.

"What?" she asked.

"Always one of my favorites on you," he said.

"It might not fit much longer," she said.

"The socks, now, those are a nice touch, too," he said, gesturing toward her feet.

"He took my shoes," she said absently, "and made me wear those ridiculous pajama looking things and my feet were cold." She stopped abruptly, looking down at her feet.

Steve closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't resist as he cradled her head in his hand, pressing it against his chest. "Are your feet cold now?" he murmured.

She shook her head, her soft curls tickling against his chest.

"I'm afraid to try to sleep," she whispered.

"I understand," he said. "I've got you, you know that, right?"

She nodded and let him nudge her toward the bed. She slipped under the covers and smiled tiredly as he tucked them around her shoulders. He slid in behind her, as he usually did, and wrapped an arm around her, his hand splayed on the curve of her stomach. He felt her tense.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"I need to see that it's you," she said. She turned, awkwardly, and he couldn't help but smirk as he shifted onto his back. "Shut up. You try turning over in bed with a beach ball stuck up your shirt."

She nestled her head onto his shoulder, slinging her arm across his waist.

"Better?" he asked, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Hmm," she murmured. "I'm too tired to sleep. We should have gone for a swim."

"Yeah, no," he said firmly. "You're pushing forty hours, Jax. That's getting dicey for a civilian."

"Not a civilian," she grumbled.

He sighed. This was no time to argue; he was beyond exhausted himself. "Jax, ku'uipo, you want me to go get that prescription the medic at Pearl Hickam sent home?"

She shook her head and fell silent, but he could still feel the tension radiating through her body. He rubbed her shoulder as he felt hot tears splash onto his chest.

"The nurse tried to get me to take a sedative," she said. "I was afraid to. I couldn't sleep, because I was . . . who can sleep when they're being held hostage? And there was just the hospital type recliner, and I couldn't get comfortable, especially not with those stupid restraints . . . "

His arm tightened around her automatically.

"I didn't want to take the stupid sedative, I didn't trust . . . he used nitrous oxide to knock me out, so I couldn't fight, but a sedative . . . I didn't want to risk the babies, I still don't like the idea . . . but maybe, if I had taken it, he wouldn't have killed her. He wouldn't have killed the nurse," Jax said. "It's my fault she's dead. It's my fault WoFat has your mom. If I just called it in, before I got out of the car, if I had just called HPD, or you, or Danny, or - God, I was so incredibly stupid. It's my fault, all of it."

He rubbed her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "It isn't, Jax. WoFat has been gathering intel for weeks - months. He would have found an opportunity, someday, somehow. And it would have played out exactly the same. Joe would have always contacted my mom, who would have always gladly traded places with you. The only thing that could have changed was the timing. Or . . . if it had been after the babies were born . . ." He swallowed hard. It had been terrifying enough, with the babies safe as long as Jax was.

"I dreamed . . . or hallucinated . . . that I was in the babies' room, downstairs," she said quietly. "You weren't there. WoFat was."

"I'm here, now, and this is real," he reassured her again. "If you have a nightmare, I'll wake you up, and you'll know I'm here."

"I'm sorry that WoFat took your mom," Jax whispered.

"I think . . . I think it's a lot more complicated than that," Steve said. "I think she wanted to see him again. It's going to take a while to get all the answers. Right now, I just want to hold you and not let go."

"Okay," Jax said. That did sound really good. She closed her eyes. Steve felt her muscles relax a bit, and her breathing slowed, though it was still erratic. It would do. It would do for now, he told himself, and the worst was over.

#*#*#*#*#

Jax jerked awake yet again, and Steve's hand was soft on her shoulder, his lips brushing the back of her neck as he murmured to her.

"You're with me, you're safe," he said. She'd shifted back to her left side mid-way through the night, and he'd curled around her in their customary position. After the first several abrupt awakenings, she'd relaxed enough that his voice and touch was sufficient to ground her.

"I don't understand," she mumbled. "I'm still so tired. Why do I keep waking up? I didn't even have a bad dream that time."

"Your body and brain are trying to get coordinated again," he said. "You slept for over an hour that time, Jax. Last night you were only managing ten or twenty minutes. Give it another couple days and you'll be fine."

"I'm sorry, you must be completely tanked," she said. "I keep waking you up."

"Nah, just keeping my SEAL training current," he said. "You know I can go for another twenty-four easy on an hour's sleep. I'll be fine."

"It's morning," she said, noticing the light filtering through the windows. "Thank God. I'll get ready for work -"

"Jax, you're on medical leave," he reminded her. "Remember? The medic at Pearl Hickam sent word to Dr. Marks. You need three normal sleep cycles before you're cleared to go back to work."

"Shit, I forgot," Jax said. "Today and two more days?"

"Um . . . last night wasn't anything near to a normal sleep cycle," he said, kissing the back of her neck again.

"What the hell am I supposed to do for three days?" she grumbled, as she untangled herself from the covers and shuffled to the bathroom.

Steve sighed and flipped over on his back, reminding himself that the irritability was a classic by-product of sleep deprivation.

"We could start with a swim," he suggested.

"Don't you have to go to work?" she asked, mumbling around her toothbrush.

He joined her at the small sink. "I'll swing by the office at some point, to or from Tripler to see your OB; and I'll check in with Nick and Catherine while you're with Lieutenant Allen."

"You're spending your day shuttling me to doctors? Do I get any choice in the matter?" she demanded, spitting angrily into the sink.

"Yes. You get to decide if you want to swim before we go, you get to decide when and what you want to eat, what you want to wear . . . hell, decide which of us is going to drive and whether we're going to take the Supra or the Silverado," he said calmly. "But you don't get to decide to ignore the directions of the medic who treated you last night, who clearly said that you needed to follow up with your own docs."

She stormed into the bedroom and began rummaging for her bikini. Steve followed and quietly pulled out his trunks.

"This is patently ridiculous," she said, as she balled up her t-shirt and threw it into the hamper. "I've been shot, Steve. I've been concussed, broken . . . hell, pieces of the World Trade Center fell on me. I'm . . . tired. I'm a little tired, because I missed a night's sleep. Everyone's losing their shit and going to - to defcon five, or something, and it's pointless and ridiculous."

"It's not just missing sleep," he countered. "I think we both know that."

"I've been held longer, by worse," she said. "It's because I'm pregnant, isn't it? Everyone tiptoes around on eggshells, passing me around with kid gloves. It sucks monkey balls."

She was halfway down the stairs before he finished processing her tirade. He grabbed his phone and followed her.

"You want to swim, though, right?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, because at least in the water I don't feel like . . . like a fucking oompa loompa," she said, slamming open the back door. "Or a - a manatee. Or a penguin. Jeez."

He jogged down to the water to catch up with her. It wouldn't do to let her drown, temper notwithstanding.

#*#*#*#*#

Jax sat silently in the passenger seat of the Silverado as they navigated to Pearl Hickam. Her long swim had diffused her anger and irritability.

"I'm really sorry," she said quietly. "About the . . . monkey balls. I know I'm not the only person who had a bad day, yesterday. I'm sorry about . . . your mom. About everyone lying to you, I mean."

He reached over and wrapped his hand around her knee. "I know, ku'uipo. Nick, Catherine, and I - we were trained to understand the implications of what you experienced. It's not the same as the training you had as a medic. I need you to understand, you're not being treated any differently than Nick or I would be, coming back from that situation."

"I doubt you or Nick would have to see your OB," Jax pointed out.

Steve laughed. "Okay, I'll give you that one."

She was quiet for another minute. "I'm still sorry. I was horrible to you this morning. I'm glad you understand - especially since I sure as hell don't understand - but I'm still sorry."

"I know, Jax," he said. "We're good."

"You've . . . had this happen. You said . . . I know it's classified," she said. "How long - how long were you gone? And how long did it take for you to feel . . . normal again?"

"Four days," he said. "And . . . okay, honestly? A couple weeks. But I had some additional injuries, so you're going to be better, faster. Okay?"

She nodded. "Can I do something to help . . . I'm going to go crazy, Steve, if I can't work for days -"

"Let's see what the docs say, and then we'll talk," he said.

She sighed and rested her head on the back of the seat. They rode in silence for a few minutes, until he stopped at a red light. She flinched violently and grabbed at the seat belt.

"Whoa, hey," Steve said, "you're safe. You're okay, Jax, you're with me."

"Holy shit," she said, closing her eyes again. "I need that to stop happening. How long was I asleep?"

"Um, about ninety seconds, give or take," he said.

She shook her head. "I don't understand this. I need to talk to Dr. Marks, to Gus."

"I'm sure they'd work you in -"

"No, ew, I don't want to see them as a patient, that's weird," Jax said. "No, I mean - Tripler is a military hospital. I don't . . . you're right, this isn't covered, not even in my tac medic training. I know how to patch and stabilize, but . . . I wouldn't have recognized this. If it was a patient, I wouldn't have understood . . . so I need to get more training."

"Okay," Steve said. "Jax, though, listen . . . just - it's okay. It's okay to be on this side of things."

"On the patient side, you mean," she said. She shook her head. "No. No, it isn't, really."

He sighed. "Yeah, okay. I know." He wrapped her small hand in his, and wished that she wasn't sitting so far away.

#*#*#*#*#

"I had a fax from the clinic at Pearl Hickam waiting for me this morning," Lieutenant Allen said. She folded her hands on her desk and looked at Steve. "Moderate clinical sleep deprivation with accompanying micro sleeps - so I'm going to assume the mood swings, temper, and generalized instability that go with it?"

"Yeah," Steve said, rubbing his face. "Apparently - and I quote - it sucks monkey balls and she feels like a fucking oompa loompa. I think the monkey balls was in reference to the required doctor's visits, and the oompa loompa, I think, is because she's put on a couple pounds."

"I see," Lieutenant Allen said. "You know, this pregnancy is difficult enough for her. We could have done without - let's see, I haven't read this thoroughly - oh dear. Hostage situation?"

"Longest twenty-four hours of my life," Steve said. "Worse even than the time she almost died from sepsis. Not coincidentally, caused by the same person."

"This person still living?" Lieutenant Allen asked.

"Yes. My mother voluntarily agreed to an exchange, for Jax," Steve said. "And then she put herself in my line of fire, prevented me from taking a shot. It's a clusterfuck."

"I thought your mother was dead," Lieutenant Allen said, her face crinkled in confusion.

"So did I," Steve sighed. "So did the CIA. Which is why I can't tell you any more about the particulars."

"And how are you feeling about this development?" she asked.

"Royally pissed," Steve said. "Angry. Confused. Betrayed. And not just by my mom, either, by someone I trusted. Thought I could trust."

"And yet you brought Jax in, and didn't make an appointment for yourself," she said.

"After I wrap my brain around the case, I will," he promised. "I'd rather talk to you when I actually understand how this happened."

"That's fair," she said, nodding. "So, how much temper are we talking about? She's getting coffee, right?"

"Bathroom - again - and yes, coffee," he said. "It's a vicious cycle. Danny says it just gets worse, now that she's in her third trimester. I don't know what to tell you about the temper. She's messed up enough that she's lashing out, but not so much that she's unaware that she's doing it. Then she feels bad, and apologizes. I'm familiar with the cycle."

"First hand?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come on in," Stephanie called out.

Jax opened the door and entered the room quietly, a coffee clutched in her hand. "Sorry," she said. "I went to the bathroom, and then made coffee, and then had to go back to the bathroom . . . it's ridiculous. I was a little dehydrated, after - anyway. Extra fluids. Extra trips. It's a whole thing."

Stephanie chuckled. "It's a whole thing that won't last too much longer," she pointed out. "And then there'll be a whole other thing. I'm sorry to hear that you went through such a harrowing experience. Thankful that you and the babies are okay, relatively speaking."

"Fine," Jax said. "Really and truly. I'm fine, the babies seem to be fine . . . we'll see the OB this afternoon. I just need to get everything signed off so I can go back to work, once I'm sleeping normally and not biting everyone's heads off."

"Well, that's an admirable and understandable goal," Stephanie said. "Let's talk about what happened."

"Okay," Jax said. "Steve, didn't you say you were going to check in with Nick and Catherine?"

Stephanie looked up at them. "If possible, Commander, I'd really like you to be here for this session," she said. "I think it's in Jax's best interest, and in your best interest as a couple. This situation has profoundly affected both of you."

"Absolutely, I'll stay," Steve said.

Jax bit at her lip.

"Jax, are you uncomfortable with Steve staying?" Stephanie asked gently. "Why?"

"I don't - he has enough to deal with," Jax said. "He shouldn't have to always deal with my shit. It's too much to ask."

"When Steve is ready to talk about this development with his mother, I'd like you to come with him," Stephanie countered. "Do you think that's too much to ask of you?"

"Of course not," Jax said. "No, if you think it would help, even a little, then - oh. Oh, okay."

"There you go," Stephanie said. "Now, let's talk . . ."

#*#*#*#*#

Danny leaned in the doorway of Steve's office and tilted his head toward Kono's office, where Jax sat, headphones in place, listening to audio surveillance.

"You sure that's a good idea?" he asked quietly.

"She can't go to work . . . she's still drifting into microsleeps and waking up disoriented," Steve sighed. "I have to go to Pearl . . . I'm not leaving her home alone. Plus, Danny, we're spread thin. We can use the extra set of ears."

"All true," Danny nodded. "How'd it go this morning?"

Steve rubbed his hand over his face. "OB says babies are completely fine. We stopped there after seeing Lieutenant Allen, which was . . . I don't know, Danny. She's got a lot of anger to process . . . and guilt. She's holding herself responsible for the whole thing - for stopping without calling in, for my mom . . . she thinks, if she hadn't been pregnant, that she could have done something different. Fought back. I think - I think maybe she resents being pregnant right now."

"She had to be compliant, in order not to risk the babies," Danny said. "That's not really in her nature."

"He would have been ruthless," Steve said quietly. "Brutal. Being pregnant spared her that. I'm insanely grateful for the fact . . . I don't think she sees it that way."

"She'll come around," Danny said. "I'll keep an eye on her while you're at Pearl, you know that."

"Yeah, I do," Steve said. "Thanks, Danny. Well . . . I guess it's time for me to go find out who Doris McGarrett really was."

#*#*#*#*#

Chin hung up the phone and joined Malia, Kono, and Caviness at the cozy table in the safehouse.

"That was Steve," he said, shaking his head.

"How are they doing?" Malia asked. "How's Jax?"

"Shaken up," Chin said. "But physically just fine, thank goodness. Her OB at Tripler gave her and the babies a clean bill of health. Steve has her working on this case, since she's not cleared to return to work."

"Good," Kono said, nodding. "She'd go crazy if she felt like she couldn't contribute something. How's Steve doing with the whole thing with his mom?"

"He's on his way to Pearl Hickam now," Chin said. "I guess . . . I guess he'll be briefed, or whatever the Navy and CIA agree to tell him. I can't imagine."

"I've seen families reunited after decades . . ." Caviness said. "Malia, if you were able to come out of witness protection . . . are there any family members who you would want to contact?"

"No," Malia said, shaking her head. Her eyes filled with tears. "No, not any more. My parents passed away while I was in med school. Some distant cousins . . . but they wouldn't remember, or care -"

Chin covered her hand with his. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

She brushed away the tears and smiled at him. "I have a wonderful ohana right here, and I wouldn't change a thing."

Caviness' phone buzzed, and he stepped away from the table to take the call.

Malia turned to Kono. "Now, we need to plan a baby shower for Steve and Jax," she said.

"That's my cue to go make some sandwiches," Chin said. He kissed Malia on the top of the head as he went to the kitchen.

Kono and Malia were still chatting happily when Caviness hung up the phone, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What is it?" Malia asked, as Chin came back from the kitchen.

"There's news from the San Francisco office," Caviness said. "It's significant. Do you want some privacy -"

"No, please, Chin and Kono will know anyway," Malia said.

"Yesterday, the body of David Pellosi was positively identified as the victim of a boating accident," Caviness said. "There were witnesses. Alcohol and speed were at play - there's absolutely no reason to suspect it was related to his father's organized crime syndicate. It's an unfortunate loss of life . . . but, the fact that he wasn't a target, apparently, means you're even further removed as a target. The less he is - was - associated with his father's crime, the less of a chance you are. From a WITSEC perspective . . . we consider this good news."

"Oh," Malia said softly. "He . . . he seemed, at the time, like a good person. I'd always hoped that maybe he would find his way out of the family."

"The FBI has processed his apartment and office," Caviness continued. "There's no indication whatsoever that he was searching for you, or that he ever suspected that you were still alive. Again, from a case perspective, it's good news. It's looking more and more like you're not a target. Unless we find something on the extensive surveillance of The Company suspect . . . I'd say this ordeal can be put behind you."

#*#*#*#*#

"Hey, rookie," Danny said, smiling down at Jax. "Time got away from us . . . late lunch? Grover's going to make a deli run. What would you like?"

Jax pondered for a moment, placing her headset carefully on Kono's desk. "A reuben," she decided. "Without the meat. Extra sauerkraut."

"Okay," Danny said, completely nonplussed by her request. It wasn't the strangest he'd heard. He passed along the request to Grover, who laughed, and then returned to Kono's office.

"I need brain bleach," Jax commented, sighing. "Nothing about the Pellosi family, but plenty of other shady stuff. Nothing we could take to a DA, just . . . blech. Has anyone else turned up anything?"

Danny shook his head. "Nothing so far."

"That's good, right?" Jax asked. "I mean . . . lack of evidence means it's at least not likely that Malia's a target?"

"That's what we're thinking," Danny said. "Marshal service will make the final evaluation."

"Malia of all people doesn't deserve to live with a target on her back," Jax said. She stood up and rubbed her back absently.

"No one does," Danny said. "Not Malia, not any of us. Definitely not you, either."

Jax shrugged. "Yeah, but I knew I was a target, Danny. I shoulda called it in when I came up on that car. It was a rookie mistake. A mistake that forced Steve's mom to come out of hiding. She was safe, Danny, until I screwed it up."

"She was mixed up with the CIA," Danny said. "I don't think she was exactly safe. You're gonna hafta let this one go, kid."

He gave her a gentle hug as she paced toward the door of the office.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she kept walking.

"I'm going to pee, Danny," she sighed. "It's my new hobby."

#*#*#*#*#

The office was empty except for Danny and Jax, who was curled on the sofa in Steve's office, snuggled under one of his spare hoodies.

"Thanks for waiting here. She okay?" Steve asked Danny quietly.

"Yeah, I convinced her to take a nap," Danny said. "She's been sleeping for about thirty minutes."

"That's definite progress," Steve said. "That's a really, really good sign, actually."

Jax blinked drowsily at the sound of Steve's voice. "Hey," she mumbled. "What'd you find out?"

He chuckled. "And hello to you too."

"Hello," she said, smiling as she sat up, her hair tumbling around her face in disarray. "I was dreaming about macaroni and cheese. Weirdest dream ever."

"Mac and cheese?" Steve laughed. "Okay. Well, that's much better than dreaming about international arms dealers."

"No kidding," she said. "So, what'd you find out?"

Steve said down on the sofa next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Danny slouched in one of the chairs across from them.

"Most of it is heavily classified and redacted to the point of incomprehension," Steve sighed. "But I can tell you this: my mom was an operative long before she had me and Mary. She was mixed up in an operation that orphaned WoFat. She felt . . . guilty, I guess. Raised him for years, in Japan. The CIA offered her an exit strategy that involved placing WoFat into a children's home and relocating here. She met my dad . . . went on to live the life of a civilian for two decades. Someone, somehow, leaked her identity and she became a target. She faked her death as a diversion, and her records were completely sealed."

"So the CIA knew?" Danny asked. "They knew, all this time?"

"Her old handler knew," Steve said. "And Joe. Joe knew. He also knew that if I found out, I would have searched for her. He tried, in his own way, to protect me and Mary . . . he'd hoped, I think, that since Hesse tried to get the information from me and couldn't, that WoFat would realize that Mary and I were clueless, and give up. But when WoFat snagged Jax . . . we guess he realized that he wasn't going to stop, not until he had Shelburne. My mom."

"What will he do with her?" Jax whispered, horrified. "Aren't they going to launch a rescue mission?"

"The CIA and Special Activities Division intel indicates that my mother faked her death to WoFat, too," Steve said. "She was absolutely certain that she could convince him that she did it to protect him and that she's turned - that the CIA betrayed her twice, hung her out to dry, forced her to abandon her life, and that she's going to actively work to undermine the SAD."

"You think he'll buy it?" Danny asked.

"I don't know," Steve said. "Hell, she's a good enough actress, she fooled my dad for twenty years."

"Maybe not," Danny said quietly. "He had all of those scraps of paper, hidden in that toolbox."

Steve nodded slowly. "And he was the one that asked Joe to protect us . . . shit. What a clusterfuck."

Jax swiped at the tears spilling over onto her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. If I hadn't let -"

"Hey, stop right there," Steve said, shifting to face her. "Jax, she had a life - two lives - that none of us knew about. This goes back to her choices. At some point, he would have found her. This was inevitable. And if she's telling the truth now . . . she's going to work to bring down his entire network. Apparently . . . well, apparently she was a damn good operative. They have a lot of confidence in her."

"She didn't look afraid," Jax said. "When she came up to me - she didn't look afraid, not one bit. That's good, right?"

"Yeah, that's really good," Steve said. "I think - I think we have to just believe that she knows what she's doing, that she can pull this off. She didn't hesitate, Jax. The minute she heard from Joe, she got on a plane and came. She wanted this, she wanted to secure you and the babies. What - what did she say to you?"

Jax smiled. "She said that I looked like someone who could hold my own, and that was a good thing since I'd married a McGarrett."

Steve chuckled, then sighed. "I have to tell Mary."

"Are you going to call her?" Jax asked.

"I'll wait," he said. "She's coming next week, coming here to stay. I'd rather wait and tell her when she's here, with us. Hey, Danny, your family is waiting for you, man. Let's call it a day. Anything on Malia's case?"

"Surveillance is turning up zilch," Jax said.

"And Caviness called with an update," Danny continued. "The man Malia was married to? Killed, in an accident. No suspicious circumstances. FBI gave his effects a clean sweep - no mention of Malia."

"Damn, that's a relief," Steve said. "I know Chin's going to sleep better already."

Danny grinned broadly. "Danny's Law. I predict that in a couple weeks - it's going to be a happy, happy Thanksgiving."

#*#*#*#*#

Steve waited for Mary at the gate, watching anxiously, searching for her amidst the rush of passengers coming off the plane. It was hard to find her petite frame in the crowd.

Mary, however, spotted Steve easily, standing a head above most of the people in the crowded airport. She shot her hand up in the air and waved, and he grinned and rushed to her. He picked her up in a hug, twirling her around.

"Welcome home, Mare," he whispered, holding her tight.

She clung to him for a moment, and then smacked him playfully on the shoulder. "Put me down, you oversized G. I. Joe. Where's Jax? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Steve assured her. "She's waiting for us at the house. There's . . . come on. Let's grab your luggage, and then we're going to take a little drive. There's something I need to tell you."

The letters in his pocket felt inexplicably heavy as he drove toward the lookout.

#*#*#*#*#

Caviness and Kono waved and smiled at Malia and Chin as they pulled away from Chin's tidy home.

"They get their happily ever after," Kono said. "And Malia can even marry Chin now, if she wants to."

"There's six people who know her identity, though," Caviness said. "And one of them's dating a U.S. Marshal. It does raise her exposure a bit."

"No more than any cop's wife," Kono pointed out. "It's something they warn us about in the academy. We take down bad people, and it makes them angry. Any of our loved ones could be caught in the crossfire, or used as leverage. She would have accepted a certain amount of risk anyway, just being with Chin."

"So . . . our risk is exponentially doubled, then?" Caviness mused.

"Hell no," Kono laughed. "Not with the way we shoot."

#*#*#*#*#

"Danny was right," Jax whispered, as Steve joined her outside on Thanksgiving morning. He smiled at her, handing her a cup of steaming coffee and sitting down in the aged wooden chair.

"No. Danny?" he teased.

"Yes," she laughed. "It's Thanksgiving . . . Malia is in the clear, Mary is here - to stay - and Gus even offered to take my shift today so I could be home. Danny was right. It's going to be a happy, happy Thanksgiving."

The sound of two car doors in the driveway had Jax turning toward the house. Steve grinned knowingly.

"I have a Thanksgiving surprise for you," he said. "Don't be mad."

Jax's face lit up as Fred and Maureen Hart appeared around the side of the house, walking toward them.

"Oh, bless your heart," Maureen said, laughing, as Jax stood up and waved. "You look just precious! How far along are you now, honey?"

"Twenty-nine weeks," Jax said. "I feel like a beach ball."

"You look absolutely radiant," Maureen declared firmly. "Now, I understand that we can convince most of these yahoos to go play football, keep them out from under our feet in the kitchen. That is, if you don't mind my help?"

"I'd love it," Jax said, "since I can't play football."

"Next year, darlin', Mo and I will hold the babies and you can join the game," Fred promised.

#*#*#*#*#

The house was soon full and overflowing with friends and family, and the day passed quickly with laughter and groans of overindulgence in the food spilling from every available surface of the kitchen.

"You ever get tired of emergency medicine, I have a job for you," Kamekona said, nodding his approval at Jax. "I love a woman who isn't afraid to use butter."

"Simply marvelous," Rachel said. "Now, you look like you should be off your feet, Jax. Sit, enjoy the game - Renee and I will supervise clean up." She handed Charles Nolan off to Danny, who plopped next to Jax on the sofa.

Charles Nolan rested his head on Danny's shoulder, his thumb in his mouth, while one chubby hand reached curiously toward Jax's curls. He tangled his fist in her hair and chortled.

"Hey, it's humid," Jax said, grinning at him. "Don't make fun." She traced the back of her finger over his soft cheek, and he reached for her with both hands. She looked at Danny uncertainly.

"He wants you to hold him," Danny said. "I'm old news, but his pretty Aunt Jax is a novelty. Here."

Charles Nolan sat on Jax's lap, babbling up at her and batting at her hair. She held him awkwardly at first, but then settled in to bouncing him gently on her knees. He grinned up at her, toothless, and then broke into a huge yawn. Danny nodded in approval as she lifted him to her shoulder and rubbed his back. His little thumb popped back into his mouth, and he tucked his head into her neck and closed his eyes with a contented sigh.

"Oh," Jax said softly, her eyes wide as she looked at Danny.

"There ya go," Danny said quietly, smiling back at her. "See? Now it won't even matter if the Jets lose."

A few minutes later, Danny felt a warm weight against his shoulder, and looked over to see Jax sound asleep, still securely holding the sleeping baby. He heard the muted sound of a camera shutter, and looked up to see Steve grinning at him over his cell phone.

"Happy Thanksgiving, partner," Danny said quietly. He smirked - he couldn't resist. "What'd I tell ya, hunh? Danny's Law."