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2024 Holiday Marathon
Part One:

Shop with a Cop XI

The annual Shop with a Cop event was in full swing and the whole Five 0 family and ohana were on hand, dispersed among the crowd, pitching in wherever it was needed.

Jadon stood in the parking lot, clipboard in hand, checking off names. Jess had been teasing him all morning about being like Santa Claus-making a list and checking it twice. But he was determined not to let anything fall through the cracks.

Last year's event had gone fairly smoothly, with only a few minor glitches, and with support from Duke, Jadon felt confident in his ability to manage everything successfully once again. The experienced Sergeant had even encouraged him to put his own stamp on the event and he had embraced the opportunity with his usual level of boundless enthusiasm.

"Sarge!" he called out, waving over to the veteran officer who was busy setting up a gaming table with a group of kids.

"What's up?" Duke replied, grinning as he tossed a colorful bean bag to a child who yelled with delight as he caught it.

"Do you think we're good with the wrapping station? I don't want it to get too crazy over there."

Jadon gestured toward a table filled with rolls of festive paper and ribbons, where a few kids were already trying to wrap their purchases with the help of Kendra and Linda.

"I think we're good. The other two volunteers are coming to wrap in a couple of minutes," Duke said, smiling.

On the other side of the wrapping station, Angie was running a BINGO game with Grandma Ang. "WINNER! We have a winner!" she chanted, her hazel eyes sparkling with excitement as she gave the lucky child their prize.

DJ stood with his grandparents and Jacob at the grilling area, preparing for the pancake eaters to arrive.

Catherine squeezed his shoulder before moving on to the beverage area. "Save me some of Grandpa's home fries."

"I will, Mom," DJ promised.

As the shoppers arrived for the buffet, Danny pointed at the young boy. "Don't let your father eat all the pancakes."

"Please," Steve said, "You first, make sure you leave me some syrup." He smirked, filling his plate with Joseph's famous home fries.

"Can you even handle the sugar rush from syrup, Commander Healthy Eating?" Danny shot back, earning a chuckle from Elizabeth as she piled pancakes on his dish.

Charli Lee, one of the officers, joined them in line, her laughter ringing out along with the two kids she was shopping with. "I'm glad there's a wrapping station – I'm not good at wrapping - there's usually paper flying everywhere."

"My wrapping is strictly gift bags," Kono said, walking up with Casey, who was grinning.

"Me, too," the younger woman agreed, looping their arms. "Thanks to you."

As the buffett tent filled, Jadon clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention. "Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Shop with a Cop pancake tent! We're having a great time with you all. Enjoy your breakfast and after you're done we have a special surprise… we have gifts to give out to you guys this year!"

A roar rang through the tent when the kids squealed and the sound echoed through the parking lot.

Jadon beamed. That was exactly the reaction he was hoping for. He loved seeing the children's excitement at picking out gifts for their loved ones but he also wanted them to have a little something to take home for themselves.

This new initiative had required some extra organizing, but all of the time and effort and lost sleep had been worth it just to see the smiles on the kids' faces.

Lou approached Jadon, a broad smile firmly in place. "We've got a ton of donations. Good job, by the way. I have to give credit where credit is due. This was a great idea."

Jadon grinned, remembering the moment late one night when he had first hatched the plan. "Thanks. My mama and her church friends are very big on the joy of giving, and I agree, it's an amazing thing. It's what Shop with a Cop is all about. But I just thought it would be nice if these kids could experience a little of the joy of receiving too. I hoped maybe we could fill a squad car with gifts, see how full we could get it. Then everybody jumped on it and we ended up filling a SWAT vehicle. Thanks for that, by the way."

"My pleasure." Lou chuckled. "Wait till the kids see it." He clasped the younger man's shoulder. "We'll aim for two trucks next year."

"Angie's already volunteered to help," Jadon added, nodding toward the beaming little girl who was eating breakfast next to her great grandma. "And who could say no if she's asking for donations?"

"She's a natural," Lou said, shaking his head in amusement. "Just like her mother."

The SWAT vehicle pulled up and parked prominently at the center of the lot. It was a sight to behold, its windows barely visible behind mountains of brightly wrapped gifts.

Kids cheered as they tugged at their shoppers' hands, eager to get a glimpse of the surprise gifts.

"Okay, everybody!" Jadon called out, his voice cutting through the excitement. "We're going to start passing out gifts in just a minute! Who's ready?" His clipboard was clutched tightly in one hand, while the other waved theatrically, trying to rally the crowd.

"Woohoo!" came another chorus of cheers from the kids, their faces filled with anticipation.

"Let's keep it organized," Duke added, his experienced eye scanning the area for any potential chaos. "We don't want a stampede."

As the chatter subsided, DJ stood next to the SWAT vehicle, eyes wide with excitement. "Look at all those presents! The kids are gonna be super happy." He turned to Jacob, who was grinning ear to ear.

"And everyone here is on the nice list!" Jacob called out, doing his best Santa Claus impression, complete with a 'ho ho ho' that made DJ laugh.

Meanwhile, Kendra, Linda and Grandma Josie were manning the wrapping station with Leilani, the sound of rustling paper and excited chatter around them. Many of the teenagers were getting things wrapped before their younger siblings who were at the SWAT truck could peek.

Back outside at the truck, Steve and Danny were helping unload the gifts.

"Are you sure you can handle this after sucking down so many pancakes?" Danny quipped.

"I needed fuel to keep up with my daughter," Steve smirked.

"Okay, I'll give you that, Hurricane Angie's in true form today," Danny chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm just glad she's on our side."

"Speaking of which," Steve said, nodding towards the seven year old coming their way as he handed down a pile of gifts.

Angie burst onto the scene with Grace at her heels. "Daddy! Can I help pass out presents?" she asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Absolutely," Steve replied, "Stay with Gracie."

"I've got her, Uncle Steve," Grace said with a grin. "We're on to Operation: Presents."

"Yes, ma'am!" Angie saluted with a giggle, before taking her cousin's hand and darting off around the front of the SWAT vehicle.

"There goes the future of Five-0," Danny said, eliciting a broad smile from Steve.

"That's my girl." He smirked, watching as Angie climbed up next to Jadon, ready to assist.

"Okay, everyone!" Jadon's voice boomed over the megaphone. "We're going to start passing out gifts! My awesome family is going to come up, get them and pass them out. When they call your name, come on up to them and grab a present!

"First up to help, DJ McGarrett!" Jadon said, grinning as DJ stepped forward. "Angie McGarrett and Grace Williams," he called.

"Next are my sisters and brothers from another mother … Cody, Casey, Kaitlyn and Jacob Allen," Jadon continued. "My soon to be sis in law Jess and then my actual bros from our awesome mama… Dre and Reggie." He pointed and as their kids went up to help, Jenna and Kendra looped their arms and shared a proud smile.

As the line continued, Kono and Chin joined in, helping to manage the chaos. "Let's keep the line moving, guys! Who's next?" she said.

"Look what I got, Dr. Gabby!" a little girl of about four exclaimed to Gabby who'd been her shopper.

"He's beautiful and so cuddly," she replied.

"Yay! You got a goat stuffy!" Angie squealed with joy. "Goats are the best!"

"Let's see what you got." Jacob handed a box wrapped in blue paper to a little boy whose face lit up as he tore into it.

"A truck! I got my brother a truck today. Now we can play with them together," he beamed at his shopper.

The excitement continued to build as gifts were passed out. Each child's face lit up in delight, and the air buzzed with laughter and chatter until everyone had a gift.

"Alright, everybody! Thank you for coming to the Shop with a Cop event! We're so glad to see all our old and new friends!" Jadon said as the buses pulled up to transport everyone home.

"You did a very good job, Officer J!" one child shouted, and chuckles and applause erupted from the adults.

Jadon grinned and thanked him, as Cody approached and gave his best friend a one armed hug. "He's right, you nailed it."

THE MARATHON CONTINUES TOMORROW… Thanks for Reading

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