This is the sixth chapter (of 10) of 'Affairs of the Heart', an ML / H50 crossover story for challenge 140. In this story, Mick has finally agreed to turn Beth, but is stalling. Beth has traveled to Hawaii to spend a little time with Mary Ann McGarrett and to 'sort through' some issues. Mary Ann, however, is stuck on the mainland and she's asked her brother Steve to pick up Beth at the airport. At the end of the end of the fifth chapter, Mick and Josef have arrived in Oahu. Meeting with Josef's Hawaiian counterpart, Kimiko, they learn that McGarrett has been set up for reasons unknown. McGarrett, however, has been taken out of the investigation as a possible person of interest in the photographer's death. In this chapter, Steve reflects on his future until he is drawn back into the investigation by Mick and Josef and Beth is re-united with her husband.
As always, I don't own any of the characters, I just like to play with them.
Please, enjoy!
Affairs of the Heart
Chapter 6
The call with the Governor hadn’t gone as badly as Steve expected, but it was no cake walk either. Steve respected the man, as much as he could any politician, but with the next election only months away, Governor Denning was clearly worried about his own future more than McGarrett’s. Denning had acquired the governor’s office upon his predecessor’s death and was hoping to keep it based on his own merits. Having the head of his own task force embroiled in scandal could only hurt him.
Denning had done most of the talking, and while he hadn’t relieved Steve of his duties outright, he agreed with him stepping away from Rokuro’s murder investigation and distancing himself from Mrs. St. John. Rokuro may be dead, but any fool with a smart phone could take a picture and make a bad situation worse.
After his one-sided conversation with the governor, Steve tried to distract himself with paperwork, to no avail. Being a man of action, he hated not being in the thick of the investigation, but he knew he had to stay away. When his phone rang, he prepared for another round of apologies.
“Catherine…”
“You sound as though you could use a friend right now.”
“I take it you’ve seen the news. You know I’d never….”
“I know. It’s me, remember? Still, I imagine the Governor isn't very happy.”
“That’s putting it mildly. Where are you, Cat?”
“Not as close as I want to be, but I’ll be there soon. Gotta go, Steve.”
“Catherine….”
I need you
The call ended, the words left unspoken, causing Steve to wonder about his future with Lt. Catherine Rollins. For the last few years, it had been a catch-as-catch-can relationship, one they both seemed content with. Each had careers that took them all over the world, with months passing before they’d get to see each other. So far, that had been enough, but someday, would one of them want more?
Steve reflected on the relationship between Mick and Beth St. John wondering if he would ever love someone as deeply as they loved each other. Despite what some might think, his relationship with Catherine was more than just physical, based on mutual respect and caring, but there were no promises, no long-term commitments. Catherine was just one of the few women who understood him, and one of the very few people Steve allowed behind his formidable emotional barriers. But not even she knew his deepest secrets and darkest fears.
When Steve emerged from 5-0 headquarters, he found a small group of local media had camped out next to his truck. He could only imagine what waited for him at home.
So much for a little peace and quiet on the beach. Screw it. I’m not going to hide from these clowns.
Taking a deep breath, Steve plunged into the crowd. Questions were hurled at him, cameras and microphones shoved in his face, but he just kept focused on getting to the truck. Once inside, the media surrounded it, preventing him from driving away.
Great. Now what?
In answer to his question, a police siren wailed. Soon, two HPD cops nudged the media out of the way, allowing Steve to pull out. Before he did, one of the officers approached him. “Commander McGarrett? HPD was sent to your residence to clear out the media there. If you have any trouble, let us know.”
“Thanks, man. Appreciate it.”
“Thank Detective Williams. He told us to make sure you got home OK.”
Arriving home, HPD had pushed the media more than a block away giving Steve and his neighbors some privacy. Once inside, Steve couldn’t shake the feeling he wasn’t alone.
“Commander McGarrett.”
Gun in hand, Steve spun to face the intruder.
“Unless you have very expensive bullets, they won’t accomplish anything except ruin my equally expensive clothes. I prefer you didn’t.”
“Mr. Kostan! How did you …”
“Get in? I can’t give away all my secrets now, can I? Commander, while I would like to chat, there is some rather important business we must attend to and while your island is quite breathtaking, it’s also miserably hot. I don’t imagine you have air conditioning, do you?”
“No…”
“No matter. We won’t be here long.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
“Beth indicated that you had been rather rudely dismissed from the investigation and had returned to Honolulu. We’re here to help you resolve this unfortunate situation, clear your name and take Beth home.”
“I’d like nothing, better myself, sir, but I don’t see how…”
“Beth also indicated that our killer may be a vampire. If we could view the paparazzo’s body, we can verify that.”
“You keep saying ‘we’. I don’t see anybody but you.”
“Ah, a precaution on my part. Forgive me, Commander, but I must ask a rather personal question, one I suggest you answer truthfully. Have you bathed since last night?”
Steve resisted the urge to sniff his armpits. “No. Do I need to?”
“No. I just wanted to make sure….”
“Josef just wanted to make sure you didn’t reek of my wife.”
Steve froze recognizing the voice behind him and the anger in it. Turning slowly, he came face-to-face with a fully vamped out Mick, and Steve saw the part of himself he hid from others. “If you had, you wouldn’t leave this house alive.”
********************************************************************************
Max Bergman was examining Rokuro’s body when Steve entered the morgue. “Commander McGarrett, I thought you weren’t supposed to be working this case.”
“I’m not, Max, and I’m not going to ask you any questions so you won’t get into any trouble.”
The logic of McGarrett’s statement, or lack of it, baffled the ME. “Then why are you here?”
“A friend of mine would like to see the body. He’s an expert of sorts and may help us identify the killer.”
Max seemed offended. “Are you questioning my ability to perform the autopsy to your satisfaction?”
“No, Max, it’s not that. It’s just that my friend has a special… skill. He’ll just take a minute….”
“Very well. But I must remain present while he examines the body. I can’t allow him to do anything that would compromise the autopsy results.”
“He won’t.”
When the ‘expert’ entered the autopsy room, Max backed away, thinking he was seeing double. “Ah, Commander McGarrett….”
Seeing the ME’s confusion, Steve did the introductions. “Max, this is Mick St. John. Mick, this is Max Bergman, our medical examiner.”
“Mick St. John? Is it not your wife….”
Mick silenced the ME with an icy stare, then sensed Rokuro’s body. Without a word, he nodded to McGarrett and left.
“Forgive me, Commander. I meant no offense.”
“It’s OK, Max. If Mick had taken any, you’d have known it.”
********************************************************************************
Kono packed her bag, disappointed that what had started out as an intimate getaway had cast an unwelcome spotlight on her relationship with Adam. Lost in thought, she never heard him approach until she felt his embrace.
“I’m sorry, Kono.”
“Adam, it’s not your fault that Rokuro was killed.”
“Are you sure? From what I’ve heard, our nosy friend was executed – Yakuza style.”
Kono faced her lover. “Why are you doing this, Adam? I know you had nothing to do with Rokuro’s death.”
“Then why are you so sad?”
“Because people will jump to conclusions just because you’re Hiro Noshimuri’s son. It’s just not fair.”
“No, it’s not, but that’s the price I have to pay for loving my father and not distancing myself from him. But it’s one I can’t ask you to pay. You should have listened to me, Kono. You should have stayed away.”
“Do you want me to?”
“No! You’re an amazing woman, one I’m honored to have you in my life. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“And I want to be in yours, Adam.” Kono kissed her lover deeply. “Besides, I’m tougher than I look.”
*********************************************************************************
Back in her cottage, Beth was getting anxious; Mick had called and confirmed that Rokuro’s killer was indeed a vampire and that he, Josef and McGarrett were on their way to the North Shore. It wouldn’t be long before she’d have to face Mick, something she both longed for and dreaded.
Danny picked up on Beth’s apprehension. “Hey, look on the bright side. If Steve is still alive, Mick can’t be that pissed off.”
Despite herself, Beth smiled. “True. But still, all this trouble…”
“Isn’t your fault. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and that schmuck photographer took advantage of you.”
“Sadly, it’s not the first time….”
But the end result was the same. Both men are dead, with Dean Foster’s blood on my hands.
“What, this has happened before?”
“Sort of….it’s a long story, Detective….”
“It’s Danny, and you don’t have to tell me anything. Besides, I probably don’t want to know, do I?”
“Probably not.”
“Listen, I’m going to check in with Chin and Kono, see if they’ve found any else. Based on what Kylie told us, we found the murder site but not much else. I’ll be back in a little while.”
A short time later, Danny and Chin were going over what little new evidence they’d been able to gather when Steve and Josef entered their command center. Chin couldn’t help but notice Danny’s discomfort as Steve did the introductions. “This is Mr. Josef Kostan, a friend of the St. Johns. Mr. Kostan, this is Lt. Chin Ho Kelly, another member of the 5-0 task force. You already know Detective Williams.”
Josef shook hands with Chin, then Danny. “Of course. Good to see you again, Detective, although I wish it were under cooler and better circumstances. Mick’s been so worried about Beth. He’s really quite stressed.”
Chin looked from Danny to Steve and back again, noting that while the former paled, Steve seemed mildly amused. “Isn’t Mr. St. John with you?”
“Mick wanted a few moments alone with his wife before they join us. Where’s Kono?”
“She’s with Noshimuri. She should be here in a minute.”
Josef reacted to this bit of information. “Noshimuri?”
“Adam Noshimuri. He’s a local businessman.”
“I’m aware of his business, Commander, and that of his father. Should I infer that Noshimuri has a relationship with a member of your task force?”
Chin bridled. “Not that it’s any of your business…”
Steve silenced Chin with a glance then turned his attention to Josef. “Kono is Chin’s cousin and yes, she’s in a relationship with Adam. Is this relevant somehow?”
“It might be. A friend of mine on the island, a very old friend, is responsible for bringing this unfortunate situation to my attention. It was she who forwarded images of Beth’s arrival and the subsequent dinner you two shared. That old friend has ties to the Noshimuri family.”
By the use of the word ‘old’, Steve inferred that Josef’s friend was a vampire, but that wasn’t what he reacted to. “Wait a minute…we haven’t seen any images of us at dinner. And I think I’d have remembered someone like Rokuro taking pictures. Just how did your ‘friend’ come by them?”
“Answering that question, Commander, may help you find your killer.”
************************************************************************************
As the sun drifted toward the horizon, Mick caught the scent he knew and loved so well. Soon, a familiar heartbeat drew him to the woman who was his life. As soon as Mick entered the cottage, he crushed Beth to his chest, feeling her joy wash over him. For the longest time, they held one another, each murmuring apologies for offenses real and imagined. They’d been apart less than a day, but that had been enough to make Mick realize that Josef had been right; without Beth, Mick’s life wouldn’t be worth living.
Yet there was something unwelcome in the room, a treacherous scent that wasn’t McGarrett’s. One of his kind, one who had already killed, had come very close to Beth, arousing the ire of the vampire within.
Someone dangerous has threatened the one who loves us ….they will pay!
Before he pulled away, Mick kissed his wife deeply, the only way he express his love for her now. “Beth, I’m sorry for stalling, for being stubborn, everything. Whenever you want, I’ll turn you. I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that, St. John.” Beth returned a gentler kiss. “But not until I understand why you were so reluctant.”
“You once asked me if I’d ever turned anyone. I haven’t, Beth. This is a first for me and I was afraid something would go wrong.” Mick’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I was afraid of losing you like Josef lost Sarah.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I thought you’d change your mind about being turned or maybe want someone else to do it if you’d lost faith in me.”
Tears threatened as Beth sought to reassure her lover. “Never. I want you, only you, no one else.” Another kiss was exchanged, a promise of things to come. “For now, let my mate kiss me to know that I am his and only his.”
The vampire within emerged, not in rage, but in awe, drinking in the scent of his mate’s blood, and with it her love. A trail of soft kisses eased the bite’s sting, and in their bloody communion, a solemn vow was made.
And I am yours……..forever.
(And may I say, that little reunion scene between our vampire and his mate was just meltingly wonderful...) 
and who took the pictures of Steve and Beth at dinner, and who the vamp was, in Beth's hotel room... 
I think Mick has been given a wake up call he can't ignore, although where and when he'll 'do the deed' has yet to be determined. As for Danny, I think you'll be surprised. 
Mick is all very tender now that he knows she's safe, but later on he's anything but.
