"And what would that be?"

"I don't plan on staying in Hawaii much longer. Once this is over, I'm going back to Coronado to start my police training. I love you both, but the kidnapping only reinforced my decision. I want to leave all of this behind and start fresh."

"I understand. Listen, if that's what you want, it's your decision, and I won't stand in your way. Steve will understand, too."

"I've been wanting to tell you both for a while but was too scared. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I think we have more urgent problems to deal with right now. Let's focus on solving those first."

Helen nodded, and she and Catherine left the house.

Steve was on his way to Danny's place, and he needed it. He just couldn't believe what had happened with his daughter. And on top of that, Joe and Doris hadn't told him a thing. It was all too much. A few minutes later, he arrived at Danny's house and knocked.

"Steve! Damn, where have you been?" Danny immediately pulled him into a friendly hug.

"Hey, Danno, do you have a minute?"

His friend looked at him, puzzled. Since when did Steve ask if he had time? Danny almost said something snarky but held back. Steve looked confused, sad, and angry.

"Come in."

Danny stepped aside, and Steve entered, sighing as he sank onto Danny's couch.

"Steve, what's going on?"

"Helen's back. She's alive."

"What?! How?"

Steve briefly explained what Helen had told them.

"I see, and now you're mad at your mom and Joe."

Steve nodded, that familiar angry furrow appearing on his forehead.

"And I left home before I could yell at Helen for it."

"That was the right thing to do, Steve. And you need to understand Helen. She would've asked you and Catherine for help—you know that. But she was too scared that something would happen to both of you. After all, she's already lost her mother, and you and Catherine have both been in serious danger more than once. She's growing up and taking responsibility, which is a good thing, Steve."

Steve nodded. "You're probably right, Danno."

Danny grinned. "Besides, you've got someone else to be responsible for soon."

"You know about that?"

"Yeah, Catherine asked me for help when you disappeared."

"I'm sorry, Danny. I was trapped in my own bubble, and it took something else to wake me up."

"Well, you're here now, and we need to focus on catching this woman and bringing her to justice."

Steve nodded, and the two stood up to head to HQ.

Ten minutes later, they arrived and met the team, along with Helen and Catherine, who were already there. Steve acted as if it was just another case and didn't bring up the issue with Helen again. Instead, he listened as she explained everything she had worked on with Doris and Joe. It all led to the plan for the team to head to the harbor that evening to capture the woman.

Until then, everyone had time to go home. Everyone except Steve. He stayed in his office, needing some time alone to sort through his thoughts and emotions.

Meanwhile, Helen was at home with Catherine, sharing in detail what she had experienced and uncovered while dealing with the woman. Catherine listened intently, then told Helen about how she and Steve had coped after the explosion. They spent the next two hours together, catching up.

At 5 p.m., everyone reconvened at HQ and packed their gear. As they headed to the cars, Steve turned to his daughter.

"You're staying here, okay?"

"Dad, please let me come with you. I want to help."

"Absolutely not. It's too dangerous. You're staying here where it's safe."

"Oh, and it's not dangerous for you?"

"It's our job! I'm not arguing about this. Stay here and wait for us to come back."

With that, Steve turned and followed the others to the cars. Helen stood there, watching them leave before heading back into her father's office.

Once the team arrived at the harbor, they positioned themselves out of sight and waited.

After half an hour, two black cars pulled up and stopped by the ship Helen had described. Five men and one woman got out.

At that moment, Steve gave the order to move in. The team quickly approached the group, catching them by surprise. However, the men reacted quickly, drawing their weapons and opening fire on Five-0. But not all of them fought back. The woman immediately took off, running toward the cargo containers, and Steve set off after her. The woman was fast, and Steve struggled to keep up with her. As she rounded a container, Steve lost sight of her. When he finally made it around the corner, she was gone. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. Suddenly, he felt something cold against his neck.

"Drop your weapon. Slowly."

Steve followed the command, placing his gun on the ground. Then he slowly turned to face the woman, hoping his team would find him before she killed him.

"Why all of this?"

"You still don't know who I am, do you?"

"No, unfortunately, I don't. So how about you finally put your cards on the table?"

"My name is Sarah. Sarah Hesse."

The realization hit Steve like a punch. Now he understood why Sarah had done all of this. She wanted revenge.

"You're Victor Hesse's wife, aren't you?"

"Good guess, Commander. And I can't let what you did to Victor and Anton go unpunished. I want you to suffer the way my family had to suffer."

"And for that, you kidnap my daughter and fake her death? That's sick."

"It's justice. You should feel what it's like to lose someone you love!"

"Believe me, I already knew that before. After all, your husband murdered my father!"

"He did that only to free Anton! Now, stop talking!"

Sarah placed her finger on the trigger, and Steve didn't know what else to do to escape. He was too far from her to disarm her, and running away wasn't an option. He had to accept that he might die in the next few seconds. So, he closed his eyes, picturing Catherine and Helen, when suddenly a shot rang out.

But Steve didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes to see Sarah lying on the ground, her face contorted in pain. Behind her stood Helen, holding a gun, her hands were shaking.

At that moment, the rest of the team arrived, called an ambulance, and took care of Sarah.

Steve pulled Helen aside to talk to her privately. But first, he embraced her.

"Thank you. You saved my life."

"And you're not mad?"

"Why would I be?"

"You ordered me to stay in the office."

"Trust me, I don't care about that right now. I'm just glad you didn't listen to me. Otherwise, this could've ended very differently. But you're still giving me that gun. I don't like you walking around with it."

Helen handed her father the gun and hugged him again.

"I really missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart."

They stood there for a moment, holding each other, enjoying the moment. Eventually, Catherine joined them, and the McGarrett family headed back to the cars...

Two months later:

(Music: All good things - Jackson Browne)

The time had come. Steve had dreaded this day. He didn't know how he was going to get through it. Helen had truly decided to leave the island. She wanted to forge her own path and return to her homeland.

So, Steve and Catherine stood with their daughter in the living room as she gathered her luggage.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and when Steve opened it, Chin, Kono, Danny, Grace, and Kamekona entered. Kono was the first to speak to Helen.

"You didn't think we'd let you leave without saying goodbye, did you?"

"I was hoping you would. I hate goodbyes."

Kono hugged her and whispered something in her ear.

"You're going to be a great police officer. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Kono."

Next, Chin stepped forward and embraced her, offering some parting words.

"Even though you'll be living miles away, call us if you need help, and we'll be there as fast as we can. You'll never be alone. Malama pono."

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she started questioning whether leaving was really the right decision. Especially when Kamekona hugged her, it truly hurt to say goodbye. He had always felt like an uncle to her, and she had always felt safe and comfortable with him.

"Take care of yourself, Mini-McG. I miss you already."

"I miss you too, Kami."

Two hours later, she was startled awake by a loud noise coming from downstairs. Helen immediately jumped out of bed, though it wasn't easy as she was feeling dizzy, but she pulled herself together and carefully walked down the stairs, following the noise into the kitchen, where she found Kamekona.

"Kamekona?"

"Ah, hello, Mini-McG. Your dad asked me to look after you while you're sick."

"That's great."

"I think so too. I'm making you shrimps. It'll have you back on your feet in no time."

"Uh-huh. But actually, I'd just like to sleep, so maybe you could save the meal for later? Mahalo."

As soon as he let Helen go, Grace ran up to her, and the two girls hugged tightly. They had become best friends, able to talk about everything, so saying goodbye to each other was especially hard.

"Promise me you'll call me every day."

"Promise. I'm going to miss you, Grace. And thank you for everything. Thanks to you, I felt at home in school right away."

"Of course. I'll never forget the time we spent together here."

As she was about to continue on her way, she heard someone call out "Uncle Steve!" and a girl about her age with long brown hair ran over to her father and hugged him.

"Hey, Gracie."

Steve hugged the girl warmly. Then he waved Helen over.

"Helen, may I introduce you to Grace, Danny's daughter."

The girls shook hands.

"What grade are you in?"

Helen told Grace her grade.

"Cool! We'll be in the same class."

Grace looked at the clock.

"Come on, we have to go. Dr. Hatsumi hates it when we're late." Grace pulled Helen by the arm, and Steve grinned, feeling like the two girls could become friends.

Finally, Danny approached Helen. This was especially difficult for him. He had quickly grown attached to Helen, and saying goodbye now was incredibly hard.

"Are you sure you want to go? I wouldn't mind if I wasn't the only one here who can keep our Neanderthal in check."

When Danny saw Steve's battered face, he just shook his head.

"I forgot to mention one thing on the plane: danger magnet."

He winked at Helen.

"I believe that immediately."

But then Steve chimed in, speaking seriously, though he found it amusing.

"Hey, this time, I wasn't the target, okay? Besides, you were the one attacked, not me."

"Yeah, but look at my face and then yours. Who was more careful?"

Danny couldn't hold back his laughter. It was too funny how a young girl, at least a head shorter than Steve, was arguing with him just like he always did.

"I already love this kid."

"I'll miss your humor, Danny, but I'm still leaving. I have to do it, to find peace with myself and to close this chapter of everything that's happened here."

"I understand. But promise me you'll be careful."

"I will, don't worry. And look out for Mom and Dad for me, okay?"

"You got it."

Danny let go of the hug, and Helen addressed everyone in the room again.

"I want to thank you all. You never gave up on me, you gave me a home here, made me feel safe…" Tears began to fall, the ones she had been holding back the whole time. "Thanks to you, I know… what Ohana means… I love you all."

Everyone was moved by Helen's words, gathering around to hug her one more time.

But soon, it was time to leave, or she'd miss her flight.

Twenty minutes later, Steve and Catherine were with Helen at the airport, and it was time for them to say their goodbyes to their daughter. Catherine went first since it was harder for Steve, and he wanted to delay the moment as long as possible.

"I hope you find what you're looking for. You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, Mom. Can you keep me updated on my little sibling over the next few months? I'd like to be here for the birth."

"Of course, I'd be happy to."

Helen noticed that Catherine was struggling with the whole situation too and wished she could do something to lift her spirits, but she had no idea what. Right now, they could only sit together and wait for news.
"Mom, I just want to say, you're really an amazing mother. I'm really glad to have you and Steve as parents."
"Thank you. I admit, motherhood was new to me and came so suddenly, but now I'm glad it did. I really care about you, and I know Steve feels the same."

Now it was Steve's turn to say goodbye. Slowly, he walked toward his daughter, thinking about what to say.

"I'm glad you came into my office that day, Helen. It gave us the chance to get to know each other, and I'm incredibly grateful for the time we've spent together, even though not everything was easy. I love you, and I hope you'll be happy in Coronado."

"I love you too, Dad. This isn't easy for me, but I think it's the right decision."

"Yeah, probably. But please call us from time to time so we know you're doing okay, alright?"

"Promise."

"Last call for flight 408 to Coronado," came the announcement over the loudspeakers.

"I should go."

Before leaving, Helen hugged her parents one last time.

"Thank you for everything."

"Take care of yourself."

"I will, Dad. See you soon."

Helen turned and walked away as Steve and Catherine watched her go.

Suddenly, she turned back for one last word to her parents.

"Aloha. A hui hou."

"Aloha," they both responded.

One final look, and Helen walked on. Only after she was out of sight did Steve and Catherine head back to the car. Both had a few tears running down their cheeks, but they knew this decision was what was best for their daughter, and that was all that mattered...

"Can I help you?"

"Are you Steve McGarrett?"

"Yes, that's me, and in case you didn't know, we're part of a major crimes unit, so…"

The girl cut Steve off mid-sentence without showing any hesitation.

"I know, and I need your help. My name is Helen Alex Upton."

"May I sit with you?"

Helen nodded and looked up. Her face was expressionless, almost distant.

"Are you about to play the dad card and tell me what to do?"

Steve looked hurt. "Is that how you see me?"

Shocked by her own words, Helen backtracked a bit.

"No, not really."

"Good."

They sat in silence for a while. Suddenly, Helen spoke softly.

"I'd like to get to know you."

Steve nodded. "Me too. We probably can't make up for lost time, but we can live in the here and now."

Helen stepped up to Steve's bed and gently took his hand.

"Hey, Dad. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened to you. After all, it's my fault. If I hadn't come to you a few days ago, none of this would have happened... And you sacrificed yourself for me, so now I know that what Danny and Catherine said about you is true—you're someone people can count on, no matter what, and you're always there for your people. I hope I can repay you one day... Anyway, I'm really sorry, but something good came out of this trip too. I'm sure now that I want to stay with you. I… I love you."

Helen hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward, pushed her hair back, and kissed Steve on the forehead.

A few hours later, Helen stirred, her eyelids fluttering before she opened her eyes.

"Hey, sweetie, how are you feeling?"

Tears filled Helen's eyes.

"Shhh, it's okay. Everything's alright."

Steve had stood up and was holding his daughter in his arms. She wept uncontrollably, her face pressed against his chest. Then, slowly, she pulled away and looked up at him.

"You were right, Dad. I'm sorry."

"Me too. Just promise me one thing: don't ever lie to me again."

"Promise."

A few weeks later, all the McGarretts were home again. Hirsch had cleaned up everything, so there was no trace left of the shootout. Steve had fired up the grill, and one by one, their friends arrived. Catherine sat with Helen on chairs by the beach, both gazing out at the ocean. Steve came up behind them.

"Hey, you two dreamers, dinner's ready."

"We're coming."

Arm in arm, the two women walked back to the yard, and Steve watched them lovingly.

"Well, if I'm being honest, I'd love to forbid you from having any contact with boys, but I trust you, okay? So I think you should give Leon a chance. But if he ever hurts you, I'll protect you. Cath and I are always here for you."

"Thanks, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

THE END

I hate to say this, but this story has come to and end. I just hope, that all of you had a great time reading it and I didn't wrote it for nothing. Also I want to thank all the readers, who were here from day 1. It means a lot to me 3 I would be really happy, if you could leave me a review here :)

And maybe I will come back here one day for another story. But until then: Aloha a hui hou. Malama pono.