Love Only Knows: 20 Random Facts About the McGarrett-Williams Family
By Darth Stitch

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Belongs to CBS, Peter Lenkov, the Powers that Be that run this wonderful show.

DISCLAIMER TO SAVE MY SOUL FROM GOING TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET: Slash of the Steve/Danny variety. Run if it's not your cup of tea. Again, be warned for some stealth crossovers of the NCIS variety (coughcough). WARNING FOR CHARACTER DEATH (Minor Character).

You were the secret I loved to keep
the name I would only sing in my sleep
Would it be all right if we just lose ourselves tonight
And if you let go, will you reach out again?

She said love only knows
Love only knows if we'll give into fear and choose life undercover
She said love only knows it's special enough that we'll choose one another
We'll choose each other
and I can't breathe without you and I don't

And I can't live without love and I won't...

…and I won't

"Love Only Knows," Josh Groban

1. Steve McGarrett and Catherine Rollins ended the sexual aspect of their relationship as cordially as it had begun. They were friends and they dated and had sex on occasion. They had fun and neither of them desired anything more complicated than that. She found Steve sweet and funny but he had a terrifying tendency to wheedle and get away with things that she would have never stood for in any other situation. She'd have killed him in a week if they were in a serious relationship. Thankfully, both of them were perfectly content with things as they stood.

2. Naturally, Catherine had caught on to Steve's hopeless crush on his loud-mouthed, opinionated New Jersey-born partner immediately. She'd had teased Steve about it, if only because Steve looked terribly cute when he was flustered but did tell him he ought to get his ass in gear soon.

3. Catherine had not expected to end up pregnant after she and Steve called it quits. Five months into her pregnancy, she'd called him, intending to tell him that he was going to be the father of her baby. It wasn't that she needed him for anything – she was quite capable of handling herself and her child and she didn't want him to feel obligated. But she knew Steve and he would not have allowed a child of his to not know who his father was and that the child would be loved no matter what.

4. Three minutes into the conversation, Catherine could hear him happy and content for the very first time in years, having finally gathered his courage to tell his Jersey boy the truth about his feelings. And said feelings were, as she had long guessed, were very much reciprocated in full. She said goodbye to Steve without ever saying a single word about their child.

5. Nine months after Steve spoke to Catherine, he flew back to the mainland to claim his son, Michael John. Catherine had died in a mall shooting by a psychotic Marine, protesting his dishonorable discharge. Catherine had died saving her baby.

6. There was nothing else for Steve to do, no case to solve, no killer to catch. NCIS had done a good job of handling the investigation, finally bringing down the killer and closing the case. Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his team had a formidable reputation all of their own. Steve was left with the much more terrifying part of the deal – mourn the loss of his friend and the mother of his child, meet his months-old son and raise him for the next 18 years.

7. Apparently, baby Michael had a yen for Gothic metal – at least judging from the tiny black goth rocker shirt his doting Aunt Abby dressed him in and the fact that he was sleeping quite peacefully despite the loud music, turned somewhat down for developing baby ears. Apparently, Abby Sciuto and Catherine Rollins were BFFs and as a result, baby Michael was sent off with his father with a set of Goth-themed baby clothes and music that apparently served as lullabies.

8. Danny had only one thing to say to that: "At least your kid has better taste in music."

9. To say that Danny had mixed feelings about this new development in their lives was something of a massive understatement. To Steve, the scary part was that Danny, who could be counted on to say somethingabout anything and everything, was, for once, being uncharacteristically quiet.

10. Danny wasscared and guilty and felt stupid and guiltier for feeling that way. It was a fucked-up mess, all the more so because he knew perfectly well he had no ground to stand on with this, not since he'd placed Steve in a similar situation with the whole mess with Rachel and the baby that never was. And there was this weird ache in his heart whenever he thought about Steve resolutely keeping quiet about his feelings for Danny and how his hopeless, heroic, self-sacrificing idiot of a partner would've been prepared to leave things well buried for Danny's sake.

11. The conversation between Steve and Danny went this way:

"You realize that I'm not in love with Cat and it was never like that between us, right?"

"Stop. You shouldn't have to say that. I know it already, okay?"

"But you needed to hear it."

"Yeah, babe. I guess I did." Danny sighs into Steve's shoulder, not minding in the least that he's got octo-SEAL wrapped around him at the moment. It makes it easy for him to set his stupid pride aside and quietly admit the truth.

12. They make a pretty picture – Steve in his formal Navy dress blues, carrying an infant who bore such a striking resemblance to himself that there was no doubt that this was his son. It was Chin who said aloud what each and every one of the team was thinking, considering the reactions that Steve and his son were getting from bystanders:

"Houston, we have a problem."

13. Grace was eagerly looking forward to having a baby brother. And she was the one who first coined the nickname "Baby SEAL."

14. "Hey, you. You with the tie in your hands. Freeze!" Danny yells, putting on his best scowl.

Really, it should have worked – the scowl on his face and the barked command has gotten perps to wet their pants a few times. Hey, he was perfectly capable of doing the Scary Cop routine, with or without a certain Navy SEAL at his side.

However, this particular person happened to be immune.

"Oh God, no, don't. Don't put my tie in your mouth. Oh my God, seriously, what is it with you McGarretts and my ties? Huh? Is it genetic?" Danny carefully pries said aforementioned piece of clothing away from chubby fingers and glares.

He tries, anyway.

He just gets laughed at.

Of course, Danny can't stay mad at him either. Not that he's really angry in the first place. Babies tended to do that to a person. Especially when said baby happens to be Michael John McGarrett, is nearly a year old and happens to be the spitting image of his father Steve.

Despite the traumatic circumstances in which Michael had arrived into their lives, the little guy's a sunshiny little soul, always ready with a cherubic version of his father's sweet smile, especially when he's spoken to. And Danny tends to do that a lot, since he's firmly of the opinion that Steve still needs to work on his communication skills and the kid's already got genetics going against him, so it's up to Danny to work against that by providing a nurturing environment.

"See," Danny explains to the kid, waving the tie in front of him. "This is an essential part of professional male attire. Okay? I don't care if your father can rock the James Bond look sans tie – he's a bad example, you shouldn't be following in his footsteps. Much. What am I saying, you already have the girls falling all over you and you're not even a year old yet!"

The baby giggles and nods as if he understands every word.

15. So Danny stares at this HUGE bag of pastries that Steve somehow manages to cart back to HQ, even though he had the baby with him and he's sure Gracie, Kono and Spooky are staring as well with hearts in their eyes.

Not for Steve, but for the sweet goodness.

And Chin's already reaching for his share, because Chin has his priorities straight.

"Jesus Christ, Steve - we said, bring home SOME food. Not the entire freakin' bakery!" said Danny weakly.

And Steve ducks his head bashfully in typical fashion and says, "I know, but Grandma Nina from the bakery wouldn't take no for an answer and Danno, she's kinda like your Mom in that respect and nobody ever says no to your mother."

The baby giggled in Steve's arms and waved happily. Michael tended to do that a lot, almost as if he already understood the conversations going around him.

And Kono of course, latches on to the obvious. "You mean, you and Mikey carted off all this loot for FREE? For realsies?"

"OMG ILU," said Spooky, forgoing English for the Language of Squee.

Grace had her mouth full already and offered her Dad a sugary grin.

Danny facepalmed. He could just see it. SEAL and Baby SEAL on a food run? No one was safe.

Also, he was a smart guy and: "Hey! Leave some for me you greedy animals! Come on!"

"Danny," Spooky said severely. "I have a uterus that's working overtime. Chocolate is a necessity hence I go homicidal on you all, even if Steve temporarily has the Baby of Immunity. So - DEAL."

"What she said," Kono said happily.

16. And then, Gracie decided she wanted a dog. Danny tried to resist the notion for as long as he could. Because Steve was utterly useless in that department, being as that he thought that having a dog would be a wonderful idea, even though they were already dealing with the fact that they had a baby already. Also, Steve had a hard time saying "No" to Grace, just as much as Danny did.

17. Naturally, Gracie named the dog "Mick." Fortunately, the dog showed no signs of turning into an emo vampire private investigator.

18. Of course, the dog was military-trained and was able to watch both Grace and the baby and work with Five-0 at the same time. Naturally, Danny would end up having a pet who was as every bit as G.I. Joe as his husband.

19. Evidently, the dog took after Steve more than the rest of them realized because it was the dog who brought home the tiny, adorable gray tabby kitten. The dog was quite protective over his little friend and Danny threatened to go Jersey on Steve's ass if he called the kitty, "Danno." It was Kono's idea to call the kitten "Josef."

"Slash shippers aweigh, huh, Kono?" Spooky said dryly.

"Raise the flag, matey. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum," Kono drawled.

20. So this is what it's like to be part of their ohana – Chin just rolls with the daily dose of crazy with his customary aplomb. Kono continues to be the secret master of the entire universe. Spooky deals with the supernatural weirdness. Danny rants about life, the universe and everything. Grace now commiserates with baby Michael about how difficult it is to raise parents, uncles and aunts. Occasionally, they have visits from Mary and Kamekona's always ready with the shave ice and new flavors to try.

Steve thinks about the people he's loved and lost – his mother, his father, Cat and he keeps their memories alive to pass on to his son, so that he'll know them too.

And then he'll take Danny into his arms for a kiss, play with their children, with the pets constantly underfoot and move forward with the family they now have together. And maybe "happily-ever-after" isn't a guarantee for them but Steve and Danny will definitely make it an adventure.

Author's Notes:

You guys should have warned me about how difficult it is to resist the Abby Sciuto Muse! AUGH!