Catherine's Secrets

Chapter 1

   Steve looked over the vast ocean as he sat on the beach with his best friend, Danny Williams. He couldn't believe the news he had just gotten over the phone. Catherine's mother had died and of course the family couldn't get a hold of her. Wasn't surprising to him as he could never either. When she wanted to disappear she certainly could.
  "I can't believe she's gone Danny, Catherine is going to be devastated. I just can't believe she made me the head of her estate. I don't understand why she wouldn't have her daughter do it. She barely knew me." Steve sighed and took a sip of the beer in his hands with a picture of a tiger shark on it. Danny looks over at his friend and laughs. Steve furrows his eyebrows together wondering what's funny.
  "Steven, no one can ever get a hold of Catherine. I think you should go and throw her a nice funeral and see what she left for you. It must have been important." Steve stands and sets the beer in the sand. Using his hands he rubs his face.
  "I guess I have to go book a flight, Danno."

****

Steve sat nervously on the airplane waiting for it to land. He hadn't been to see Catherine's family since 2005. It's been years. He occasionally spoke to her mother over the years when he'd worried about never hearing from Catherine, but of course she never contacted her mother either.

  "Flight 982 welcome to Columbus, Ohio where the local weather is 35° and it's slightly cloudy. We hope you enjoy your stay." Steve shivered at the thought of thirty five degrees. He lived in Hawaii for a reason. He was an extremely tough man but hated the cold. Stepping out of the plane he sees Catherine's cousin, Genevieve.
  "Steve! Over here!" He watches as the smaller woman with bouncing blonde curls waves him over with a smile. Walking over he gives her a hug and regretfully tells her he's sorry for her loss. Genevieve shrugs him off.
  "It's okay Steve, this has been coming for a while she knew she had the aneurysm and refused the surgery because she was too worried about the girls." Steve was confused about this, Catherine never mentioned any siblings and he had certainly never met any.
  "Girls? What girls?" Genevieve looked at him in shock, she had never told him?
   "Um, I'll let the estate lawyer fill you into what's been going on." Steve wasn't a very patient man when it came to surprises. He wasn't happy about the fact he had to wait.
  "Genevieve, what girls?" Genevieve sighs and looks at him with pitiful eyes. "Look Steve, I can't tell you, I don't have the heart okay, just wait for the lawyer please." Steve watched as the woman's eyes clouded with tears. He slowly nodded and left it be. The woman was already burying her aunt, he didn't want to add anymore pain to her heart today.
  "Let's go get some lunch and then we will go meet the lawyer. Deal?" Steve says to Genevieve who in return asks him, "pizza or Thai?".

***

   Steve sat in a very nice, high end office of an extremely wealthy lawyer. There were awards and extremely expensive books in the room along with a law degree from Harvard hanging on the wall. Catherine's mom had pulled out all the stops to ensure she had the very best lawyer in the state. After all, her estate was extremely important. Steve quickly came to a stand as the lawyer entered the room.
   "Hello, I don't believe I have any appointments until tomorrow Mr... ?" The man looks at him expecting a name. "Steven McGarrett" Steve throws at him in turn the lawyers eyes go wide.
  "Lieutenant, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow. It's very nice to meet you, please have a seat.Hal Monroeville" he says introducing himself after they shake hands.
  "Yes, I do apologize but I just couldn't wait sir, I'd like to know what's going on." The lawyer nods and pulls a file out for the desk.
  "I'm sure, with the girls and all I'm sure you are very anxious to get them home where they belong." Steve growls softly, he was done asking who these girls were. Had her mother left him Catherine's siblings?
  "Sir, what girls I'm extremely confused. Did Catherine have younger siblings?" The lawyer takes his eyes of the file and looks at the man in utter shock. He had no idea. LouAnn Rollins had promised she'd tell him as he had told her he didn't feel comfortable being put in this very situation he was in now. To be the one to tell another man this.
   "She didn't tell you did she?"
"Obviously not, Hal, or I wouldn't be asking "What girls"." Steve said his patience was very thin. Hal clears his throat before bringing out two pictures of a fourteen year old girl, and an eight year old girl. He spins them around for Steve to look at. The youngest was the spitting image of Catherine but the oldest looked exactly like Steve had at that age. It made his heart beat out of his chest.
"Who are they?" Steve asked.
"They are your children, Steve." Steve looked at him his face paled.
"How is that possible, I never slept with -"
  "No Steve, they are Catherine's daughters that she had with you. She never told you because she didn't want anything to do with the girls. In turn her mother begged her to leave them with her. So she signed them away to her mother on the promise she'd never tell you. But when the aneurysm came up she knew she'd have to leave them to someone." Steve felt like his heart had been flung at a vegetable chopper. He couldn't believe this lie Catherine had done a lot of bad things to him emotionally over the years but this certainly topped the cake. He looked at the two little girls in the picture and knew in his heart they were his. He didn't need a DNA test. Especially the oldest.
  "What's this one's name?" He pointed to the brunette with his same facial structure.
  "Stephanie Jacklyn McGarrett, and her little sister is Julie Ann McGarrett. The mother thought it was fitting they have your last name, said it was only right a child has their father's last name." Steve scoffed at the thought, it should only be fitting the children grow up with their father not the grandmother.
  "So who is getting custody of my children?" Steve could only pray it was someone who had their life together.
  "She left them to you, Lieutenant." Steve felt his heart flutter and panic as he thought about the unknown that was punching through his entire body and all he could mutter out of his mouth was.
  "When can I meet them?"

******

Steve sat on the patio of LouAnn Rollins patio anxiously tapping his knee as he awaited the biggest day in his entire life. He couldn't even believe it. He had children. Two little girls as a matter of fact. Steve said and looked at the massive pool with a flowing waterfall that wasn't covered and knew it was heated. Looking around he saw top of the line toys, electronics, a huge outdoor stove and grill. It screamed that his children had a good life. He could only hope they weren't spoiled. Catherine was a very good person and had a good head on her shoulders aside from the fact she was emotionally unavailable.

  "I am so excited! What is the surprise??" Steve jerked his head up from the ground to the eyes of his beautiful, youngest child. Julie Ann. He couldn't believe it. He watches as she walked over and tilted her head as she looked at him.
  "Who are you?" Steve laughed and stuck out his hand for her to shake.
  "Nice to meet you, Julie Ann. I'm Steve McGarrett." Julie gasps as she realizes he knows her name.
  "You have got to be kidding me!" Julie and Steve turn around to see Stephanie standing there fuming.
  "What's the matter sissy? Do you not like Mr. Steve?" Stephanie bawls her hand in a fist and angrily stomps over.
  "No! Because if he's here it means we are getting uprooted from our home! I heard nonna talking to her lawyer." Julie looks at her sister confused.
  "I don't understand sissy. Why would we have to go with Mr. Steve?" Steve suddenly becomes extremely uncomfortable this isn't how he wanted either of them to find out.
  "He's our fucking father! He lives in Hawaii! I am not moving to fucking Hawaii!" With that Stephanie stomps off to her bedroom. Julie starts jumping up and down with joy and hugs Steve hard.
  "I've always wanted a daddy!" Steve laughs and hugs her back.
  "Where is Hawaii?"
"It's an island, it's beautiful you will love it sweetheart." Steve softly plants a kiss on the small girl's forehead when she leans in to hug him again. Julie jumps up again and runs away yelling she's gonna go pack. Steve sighs and looks up to the window of Stephanie's room to see her yelling to someone on her cellphone, undoubtedly about him.
"Stephanie's a little brat, she could definitely use a father right around now. Lou was starting to have a lot of trouble with that kid. She thinks she's an adult now that she's a teenager and can do whatever the hell she wants mainly because Lou gave into her every whim." Hal speaks up to Steve who he can clearly tell his hurt.
   "I can certainly tell that. I'll  nip that in the ass eventually. I just don't want to start on the whole dad bit yet. I wanna give them a couple days of space. We leave for Hawaii a couple hours after the funeral." Hal slightly nods in understanding.
   "Well lieutenant, that's about a week from now. I wish you luck with the girls."
  "What do you know about Julie?" Hal smiles and pats Steve on the shoulder.
   "Excellent kid, good grades, respectful, full of life. She's gonna be just fine. It's Stephanie you're gonna have the biggest issue with like I said. Come by my office whenever you are ready, I have some xs and os for you to dot. LouAnn left you money for the girls for college." Steve nods as he watches the elderly man walk away.

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