Notes: Mari and Sammy – Thank you for the understanding during my mini freak-out, the selfless offers of help, and the wonderful feedback, as always. Special thanks to SuperSammy for another SUPER title!

Readers and REAL McRollers – Thank you for sticking with us over the last three years as we explore different corners of the REAL World.

And a TREMENDOUS thank you to Esther for being a wonderful friend and future travel buddy (one more day!), and in particular for all your help with this story explaining customs and suggesting Korean dishes. I can't thank you enough for making the details REAL!

Hope you enjoy!

Up, Up and Away (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)

"And there they go," Kono said, still waving at the familiar helicopter as it flew away from land.

"Now I understand why the big guy passed on all alcoholic beverages at the reception," Danny observed.

"Yep, he was dead set on flying his bride to the Big Island for their honeymoon," Chin confirmed.

Most of the guests, Five-0 and their extended ohana included, had walked the short distance from the hall to the helipad to send Esther and Kamekona off with a fanfare.

"What a beautiful wedding," Leilani said.

"Definitely," Jenna agreed. "I thought it was so nice how they blended their cultural traditions during the ceremony and reception, and also incorporated some Western elements."

"Like writing their own vows," Grace said. She sighed happily, clutching her hands underneath her chin. "So romantic."

Kamekona, dressed in a simple black tuxedo sans tie, cleared his throat as he turned to fully face Esther in her beautiful white dress, taking both her small hands in his larger ones.

"Esther, when I asked you to marry me, I said I was lucky. All my life, I thought I knew what lucky meant. But then I met you, and I found out that I had no idea. Because that day I met a woman who is kind and generous," he grinned, "and who knows her way around a spicy shrimp plate."

Light laughter filtered through the guests, and Esther grinned back at her beaming groom.

His face grew more serious as he continued, "A woman who is beautiful, on the inside and the outside. And a woman who makes me better … just by loving me." He paused, swallowing around the sudden emotion. "Sometimes … sometimes I still can't believe you do. You know all about me and the mistakes I've made, and you love me anyway."

Esther nodded, squeezing his hands, tears falling down her cheeks.

"So for all that," he vowed, "I promise to love you and be your husband every day we are lucky enough to be together as partners in everything."

"And I'm supposed to be the writer here," Esther said, sniffling and smiling through her tears.

The gathered guests laughed again, and Kamekona smiled happily that she had so obviously approved of his vows.

Esther took a deep breath and released his hands to wipe at her eyes. She turned to her sister who passed her a small piece of paper. She took one of Kamekona's hands and held the paper in the other.

"I knew I'd forget if I didn't write it all down," she admitted. She looked down at her handwritten notes then back up at him with another deep breath. "Kamekona, you came into my life in an unexpected way, and I haven't been the same since the day I met you." She glanced back down at her notes and read, "I've grown to love your sense of humor, your big heart, and your entrepreneurial spirit," she added, smiling knowingly.

Louder laughter reverberated among the guests who knew Kamekona well.

"You know all my little quirks and you still love me," Esther continued. She looked at her notes again. "You respect me and you make me laugh, two qualities I value quite highly, as you know," she said with a smile at him before glancing back down. "You are the man I want to marry, and today, I promise to love you as your wife …" She paused. Releasing his hand, she folded her paper and gave it back to her sister. She turned back to him and took both his hands again, smiling brightly through shining eyes. "I promise to love you and be your wife every day we are lucky enough to be together as partners in everything."

Kamekona's smile was as bright as hers, and he leaned forward as if to kiss her. He stopped just short and chuckled. Glancing toward the audience, he called out, "Almost stole your move there, McGarrett."

Steve grinned from his seat near the front. "Go right ahead," he called back.

Catherine squeezed the hand she held in both of hers on her lap, and he smiled at her, both remembering his impatience at their own wedding ceremony when he'd kissed her before the chaplain had even begun to speak.

Kamekona looked back at Esther and smiled softly. "No," he said quietly. "I can wait. A little while longer."

"They were very sweet vows," Gabby said, her arm around Danny's. "It was so clear how much they love each other."

"Definitely," Catherine agreed.

"My favorite part was when Mr. Flippa couldn't find the rings!" Jacob cried.

"Now there was a moment," Chin said.

"I think we all held our breaths," Adam agreed.

"May I have the rings?" the officiant, an old friend of Kamekona's, asked, turning to Flippa who stood behind his cousin.

Flippa smiled and nodded, reaching into his pocket. His eyes widened suddenly, and he began frantically patting the pockets of his pants and tuxedo jacket.

"Cuz, what are you doing?" Kamekona asked in a not-so-hushed whisper. "Where are the rings?"

"I … I …" Flippa faltered as he continued searching, his face panicked.

In his seat, Jacob shook his head and said, "He should've kept them in a bowl."

"Shhh, Jacob," Jenna hushed him.

Finally, Flippa found the two rings in his shirt pocket. The room seemed to heave a collective sigh of relief as he handed them to the officiant who prepared to bless them with water as part of the Hawaiian custom.

"Well, I know what Dylan's favorite part was," Chin said with a teasing grin as he wrapped an arm around the almost-teenager's shoulder. He made kissy noises with his mouth. "You may now kiss the bride."

Dylan laughed, elbowing him in the side.

"I did think it was funny how Esther had to stand on her tiptoes," he admitted. "That was kinda cute."

"Cute?" Chin balked, his grin growing. "You thought something to do with kissing was 'cute'?"

"Oh no," Jenna groaned while simultaneously trying not to smile. "My boy is growing up."

"Please allow me to introduce Kamekona and Esther Tupuola," the officiant said, smiling brightly at the end of the ceremony and presenting the happy couple as the guests cheered and applauded.

Esther bounced a little in place, her hands fluttering around the lei at her neck as Kamekona leaned in to kiss her. She stood up on her tiptoes to meet him, and they kissed for the first time as husband and wife.

With a happy laugh, Kamekona lifted her off her feet and swung her in a circle. Flippa, Anna, and the officiant wisely stepped back to allow them room, all beaming almost as much as the bride and groom themselves.

"Well, I'm with you, Jenna," Catherine said. "I thought it was wonderful how they incorporated traditions from both their cultures."

Jenna nodded. "Like between the wedding and the reception, while we were eating the buffet, they went with their families to another room for a special ceremony."

"There you are," Jenna said as Esther joined her, Catherine, and Kono on her way to the buffet.

"Here I am!" Esther said, beaming. She hugged each in turn. "I'm sorry, I'm in a very huggy mood right now."

"No apologies necessary," Kono said with a grin. "It's your day."

"Did you all get enough to eat?" Esther asked, glancing at the long table.

"Definitely," Catherine said. "So much to choose from."

Esther smiled. "We wanted to have Korean dishes as well as some of Kamekona's signature favorites."

"I think that's fantastic," Jenna said.

"You disappeared for a while," Kono noted.

"Oh yes," Esther said, "for a Korean ceremony. Pyebaek."

"Oh?" Jenna asked, interested.

Esther nodded and explained, "The bride and groom wear traditional Korean wedding outfits and sit at a low table with all sorts of food. Each has a symbolic meaning, like long life and prosperity, that kind of thing. The younger members of the family greet the couple with bows," she continued, demonstrating, "and when the parents of the bride and groom come to greet, they sit behind the table while the couple bows to them."

"That's wonderful," Jenna said sincerely.

Esther grinned. "Then the bride and groom hold a long white sheet between them while the parents throw chestnuts and dates for them to catch."

"What does that symbolize?" Jenna asked.

Esther blushed slightly. "It's supposed to predict how many children you'll have. Chestnuts for boys, dates for girls."

Kono grinned. "And how many did you and Kamekona catch?"

"I'd … rather not say," Esther hedged.

All three laughed, and the bride joined in.

"And now, if you'll excuse me, I am definitely ready to eat," Esther said. "All our family gets to take some food home from the pyebaek table, so we didn't eat anything yet. I'm starving."

"Don't let us stop you," Catherine said. She smiled as she looked over Esther's shoulder. "I think your groom has the same idea."

They turned to see Kamekona headed toward them. Esther met him with a kiss, and he nodded to the three women with his trademark grin.

"Ladies, if you'll excuse us, my wife and I are ready to eat."

Esther's smile could have lit up the entire room.

"And how'd that buffet work out for you?" Steve asked Danny.

"You know very well how," Danny grumbled.

"You liked it fine until you knew what was in it," Steve countered.

"Finally getting a chance to eat?" Danny asked as Esther and Kamekona filled their bowls from the lengthy buffet.

"You got that right," Kamekona said. "I am ready to dig in."

"Did you enjoy the food, Danny?" Esther asked.

"I did indeed," he replied. "Because I stayed on the Korean side of the buffet. Far away from the SPAM you insist on including in your dishes," he added, pointing at Kamekona. He smiled proudly. "I enjoyed a sizable helping of that nice Korean rice bowl."

Kamekona and Esther exchanged a look that Danny couldn't help but notice.

"What?" he asked.

"Um … brah, I don't know how to break this to you …" Kamekona began. "But that rice bowl had SPAM in it."

"No, it didn't," Danny stated.

" 'Fraid so," Kamekona said.

"But … it was … it was on the … the Korean side," Danny half-stated, half-stuttered, thinking of how much he had eaten. "It had … vegetables, and an egg on top, and lots and lots of rice …"

"And SPAM," Kamekona added proudly.

Danny looked at Esther for confirmation, his face stricken.

She nodded. "True traditional Korean dishes don't have SPAM, but otherwise, there's no guarantee. We put it in tons of dishes now. Rice bowls, stews." She held up her own bowl. "Buddae jjigae has the whole thing: SPAM, hot dog, rice cake, kimchi …"

Danny glanced between the two. "You two are busting my chops. There was no SPAM in that. It was pork."

"That was in there, too," Esther said.

"You're kidding me." He shook his head slowly. "I may need to sit down." He took a step away, then turned back. "Well, why don't you serve stuff like that at the shrimp truck?"

"It's in the works, my friend," Kamekona said with a slow grin. "In the works."

"Okay, so I liked the rice bowl with SPAM," Danny admitted. "You gonna rub that in at every opportunity?"

"That's the plan," Steve said. "You shouldn't have told me."

"I realize that now."

"I loved the cupcake display," Kaitlyn said brightly. "It was so amazing how it looked like a cake with the different levels, but it was all cupcakes!"

Danny chuckled, his SPAM-related annoyance completely gone. "I can see the wheels turning already," he said, tapping her head playfully. He looked around at the group. "Who's birthday is next? I bet they're getting a cupcake display."

"All the cupcake varieties are available at Esther and Kamekona's Cupcakes," a young woman told a middle-aged couple as they each selected a cupcake from the large display. She smiled as the man took a chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting and the woman chose a coconut cream. "You can't go wrong with chocolate, and the coconut cream is a particular favorite of the bride and groom."

"Thank you," the woman said warmly before she and her husband walked away with their desserts.

"And a particular favorite of mine," Steve said with a smile as he and Catherine approached. "Hi, Carmen."

"Commander McGarrett, Lieutenant Rollins," she greeted them with a bright smile. "Then you definitely need to try one of these." She plucked a coconut cupcake from the display and handed it to him. "And what about you, Lieutenant?"

"Catherine, please," Catherine said, then surveyed the labeled layers of treats. "They all look delicious. I may need a minute to decide."

"Take your time," Carmen said. She turned back to Steve. "Well?"

He swallowed the bite he'd taken. "Mmm, very good. Second best coconut dessert I've had this month," he said, smiling at Catherine.

She squeezed his arm lightly, smiling back in response.

Carmen smiled at the exchange, not sure exactly what he was referring to, but having a pretty good guess.

"I think I'll try one of these vanilla bean cupcakes," Catherine said finally, picking one up.

"Good choice," Carmen said. "Simple, but quite divine, if I do say so myself," she finished with a grin.

"Ohh," Catherine said after taking a bite. "You're right. That's fabulous. I think I might need another one of those."

"Please do," Carmen said. "I made plenty. It's great to see so many people enjoying them."

"You made all these?" Steve asked surprised, looking at the large display with more cupcakes waiting behind the table to fill in the holes.

"Most of them, yeah. I've been working more on the cupcake truck lately." She smiled a bit self-consciously. "Seems I've got a knack."

"I'll say," Catherine said, finishing her cupcake.

"Esther and Kamekona are even leaving me in charge of the truck while they're on their honeymoon."

"Wow," Steve said. "That's huge."

"I know. I couldn't believe they would trust me with such a huge responsibility, but they insisted I was the only person for the job."

"Well, Kamekona and Esther know their business," Steve said. "I'm sure they made the right call."

"And it's all thanks to you, Commander, for getting me the job with Kamekona in the first place."

He shook his head. "I just pointed you in the right direction. You did the rest yourself."

Kamekona and Esther joined them, both grinning from ear to ear and positively glowing with happiness.

"How are the cupcakes doing?" Kamekona asked. "Has anyone taken a business card?"

"Quite a few," Carmen said.

Steve grinned, shaking his head, and nodded at the Esther and Kamekona's Cupcakes sign on the dessert table, complete with a stack of business cards. "Leave it to you to use your own wedding as an advertising opportunity."

Kamekona shrugged. "They're the best desserts I know."

"He's right," Esther agreed with a smile.

"The display was all Carmen's idea," Kamekona went on. "We've been talking to Boris about possible catering opportunities. This was like a trial run."

"Well, I'd say the trial run is a success," Catherine said, finishing her second cupcake.

"That's good to hear, sistah, since you're speaking for two," he said with a smile and a nod down.

She smiled, running a hand over her belly in an almost automatic response.

"I'm sorry there's no watermelon for you," Esther said.

"You know that story?"

"Everybody knows that story," Kamekona said.

Catherine looked at Steve, raising her eyebrows in question.

He held both hands up, shrugging unapologetically. "I tell it with pride."

She nodded, satisfied. "All right, then," she said with a smile.

He leaned closer. "And if you and Niblet want some watermelon, I'll gladly go get you some."

She smiled at him, leaning up for a quick kiss. "Thank you, but we are perfectly happy with these vanilla bean cupcakes."

"Yeah," he grinned, "what is that, your third?"

"Shhh. They're small. And really good." She offered him some.

"That's what you said about the watermelon." He took a bite.

"Equally true."

"You two are so adorable, you know that?" Esther said.

"I–" Steve started before Catherine nudged him. He smiled. "I think you two are the adorable ones today. Congratulations."

Catherine matched his smile. "We're so happy for you both." She set the rest of her cupcake down so she could hug each of them. "I'm sure you're going to have a long, happy life together."

"Thank you," Esther said as Steve also hugged her before he gave Kamekona a quick hug and back slap as well. "If anyone knows what happily ever after looks like, it's you guys."

"That's right," Kamekona agreed. "And that's where we're headed, too."

Steve smiled softly. "I have no doubt."

"Me, either," Catherine said.

Kamekona and Esther shared a happy smile at their words.

Catherine picked up her cupcake and finished the last bites, eyeing the display.

"And now we better move along before the whole cupcake display disappears," Steve said with a teasing grin, taking Catherine's arm.

She gasped as if affronted, then smiled brightly. She winked at Carmen even as she wrapped her hands around Steve's arm. "Save me a vanilla bean one."

"You got it," Carmen replied with a grin.

"What about you, Casey?" Kono asked. "What was your favorite part of the day?"

Casey looked out at the disappearing helicopter and smiled. "Them leaving in the chopper. That was so awesome. I wonder if Kamekona would teach me how to fly."

"How about you learn how to drive a car first," her mother suggested. "Before you start thinking about giving me a head full of gray hairs by flying a helicopter."

Casey grinned. "Deal."

"I thought everyone's reaction when they came out of the hall was great," Cody said.

Jess nodded. "Yeah, who would've thought they'd come out in matching t-shirts?"

Steve, Catherine, Danny, Kono, Chin, Max, Adam, Gabby, and Leilani all raised their hands.

The guests lined the walkway out of the hall, waiting for the newlyweds to appear.

"Here they come!" Jacob shouted when he spotted them in the doorway.

All faces turned toward the bride and groom as they stepped outside. Laughter, applause, and cheers broke out among the guests at the sight of their bright green matching t-shirts proudly emblazoned with, "Esther and Kamekona … Just Married!" and the date, with outlines of their smiling faces and wedding bells attached to the tail of a helicopter in the center.

Raising their joined hands, they walked between the rows of guests, many of whom blew bubbles into the air around them using the small bottles provided to send off the happy couple.

"If you liked that," Flippa said as he joined the group, having heard the last of their conversation. "You're gonna love the wedding favor."

"Don't tell me …" Danny started.

"Bam!" Flippa said, holding up a yellow t-shirt.

A similar design with, "Up, Up and Away … I was at Esther and Kamekona's Big Day" was printed on the shirt surrounding the familiar faces, bells and helicopter, and the date.

"There is a wide selection of colors and sizes available at the table," Flippa informed them in his best pitchman's voice, motioning to the long table that had been set up to the side with folded t-shirts.

"Seriously, does he have some kind of deal with a t-shirt manufacturer?" Danny asked. "Does he get these things wholesale?"

"At least tell me he ordered more than one size," Steve said, remembering the bachelor party shirts.

"He wasn't going to, but Esther thought they should," Flippa said.

"And he listened?" Danny asked, surprised. "Well, that does bode well for their future happiness."

"Indeed," Max agreed. "And I, for one, am going to procure my size before they run out."

"What he said," Chin added with a broad smile, taking Leilani's arm and following Max toward the table.

The rest started moving in that direction as well. Flippa stopped Steve and Catherine.

"The newlyweds ordered a special one for you," he said and pulled a small onesie with the same print and image on it from a bag. "For the pēpē."

"Ohh," Catherine said, taking the onesie. "That is incredibly sweet. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, I'm just the delivery guy."

"Still," Catherine said, leaning up to kiss his cheek, causing him to blush.

Steve smiled. "Thank you." As Flippa walked toward the table, Steve shook his head slowly in amusement. "Leave it to Kamekona to get his face on my daughter's clothes even before she's born."

"I think it'll be a sweet reminder that she was here on this beautiful day," Catherine said.

He looked down at her smiling face and, unable to resist, leaned over to kiss her. "And leave it to you to put the nicest possible spin on it."

Her smile grew in response.

Wrapping an arm around each other's waists, they turned to catch the last glimpses of the helicopter holding their two friends on the start of their happily ever after.

Hope you enjoyed!

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