The next day was a Monday and a full workday for Steve. He, Malani and Steban all came to the agreement that Steban would stay with her for the day, seeing as Steve had already moved in weeks before, and he would be living there anyway. It was simple for Steban to pack up his things for the move, seeing as he didn’t have a whole lot of stuff yet.

Malani’s island estate had much better security than Steve’s beach house, as well as a fully stocked library; a game room; five cats; two Irish wolfhounds; a very motherly cook; her sister, who was the maid, and a chauffeur who was as big as Kono, and twice as deadly.

When he got to his office, well ahead of everyone else as usual, he went through his mail, got caught up on his casework, and checked his schedule.

At eight o’clock, Duke, Chin Ho, Ben, Kono and Frank had checked in and were in Steve’s office for their weekly Monday meeting.

Steve told them about what had transpired at the trial, hitting all of the pertinent highlights.

“Danno did a good job with his testimony,” Chin remarked, “To tell you the truth, that judge scared the hell out of me.”

“No foolin’,” Steve said, “Now, to tell you what happened when I picked him up Saturday night.”

Steve told them the entire story, including what he had learned from Steban, as well as about Malani’s pregnancy. After he was finished, he sat back in his chair in amusement, as the other guys simply sat there in shock, trying to digest what he had told them.

Chin Ho was the first one to recover from his daze. “Congratulations Steve. You have to have him checked out by a doctor. If the kid’s stepfather is as bad as all that, he’s probably been beating him.”

“Not yet, Chin. I only just got him back; I don’t want him being poked by a doctor, asking all sorts of questions about his home life. He’s freaked out enough as it is. I’ll make an appointment for Wednesday. I’ll also get a court order, if I can for his medical records, and see if that maid, Carmen Rodriguez will testify about Mr. Diaz’ character or lack thereof.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Kono said, “When do we meet him? He’s ohana now, after all.”

“Saturday at the estate, that’s when his birthday is. Knowing my fiancée, she will spoil him rotten. Oh, and make sure your gifts are suited to a twelve year old boy.”

Danno came in five seconds later, and plopped himself into an empty chair. “Sorry I’m late. My neighbor went into labor, and started screaming for help. I had to deliver the baby myself. Ten minutes later, the ambulance shows up. Mother and baby are doing fine. She named the baby Danielle after me.”

Danno did look wiped out, and Chin took pity on him, catching him up on the conversation so far.

At the news of Malani’s pregnancy, he grinned at his friend, and soon to be brother-in-law, “Nice one, Steve.”

“Any cheap cracks about getting three for the price of one will earn whoever utters it a punch in the mouth,” Steve said sternly, giving all of his men the evil eye. No one said anything in that vein, but Chin, being a father of eight, had to throw something in.

“Just wait until the babies are born. Getting up at two o’clock in the morning to feed and change a baby is no joke. I ought to know, I’ve done it eight times.”

That was when the reality of Malani’s condition really hit Steve like a ton of bricks.

“Sweet Jesus! I’m gonna be a father!” he exclaimed, and the guys all laughed at him.

“Now he gets it!” Ben managed to get out, “I’ve heard of being thick, but you take the cake Steve!”

“Ha, ha. Verrrry funny. All right gentlemen, let’s get to work.”

Danno was the last one out of the office, still snickering, which stopped on a dime when Steve remarked, “How’s Mickie doing, Danno? She is Malani’s identical twin sister, you know. What happens to one usually happens to the other.”

Danno’s face turned white at the though and he scrambled into his cubicle, grabbing for the phone. He dialed Mickie’s number, and waited impatiently for her to pick up.

Before the phone even rang, Michaela Stewart picked up the phone, “Hey Danny honey. What’s wrong? I can feel how anxious you are.”

“Are you pregnant?” he whispered urgently, not wanting anyone else to hear him.

“Am I what? Where’d you get that idea?”

“Steve. Malani’s pregnant and he said that what happens to one twin happens to the other.”

Mickie gave a disgusted sigh. “I’m going to KILL Steve,” she grumbled into the mouthpiece.

The light for the other line flashed and Mickie said, “Hang on a minute hon. That’s the other line.” She put Danny on hold, and picked up the other line. “Mickie’s Soup and Sandwich, how can I help you?”

“Mickie? It’s me, Elizabeth Herrera, Dr. Jackson’s nurse. I have the results of your latest blood test.”

“Oh, hi Liz. What’s the word?”

“You’re pregnant.”

Mickie’s jaw hit the floor. “Thanks Liz, I’ll call you back later.” She gently disconnected, and reconnected with Danny. “Danny, honey! Liz, my doctor’s nurse just called with my test results. I’m pregnant.”

“Huh? How’d that happen?”

Mickie started giggling. “Well, once upon a time, there was a Mommy bird and a Daddy bird, and they wanted to have a baby bird, so they…”

“I know how babies are made Mickie,” Danny groused, “What I mean is how? You were on the pill and I was using a condom.”

“Pills can poop out and condoms can develop holes. Check yours.”

Sagging in his chair, Danny could only say, “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you tonight at home hon. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Danny put his head on his desk and took a deep breath. What were the odds of both the pill and the condom failing at the same time? Just when it was the right time for her to conceive?

If he were to listen hard enough, Danny would have heard Someone giggling over his predicament.

Fate could be verrrrry sneaky sometimes.

For Steve, the rest of the day went by in a blur. He dealt with his cases, requisitioned some new police cars and dealt with a yutz from the Policeman’s Union. At the end of the day, he was more than ready to go home.

The drive to the estate was uneventful and Nani, the maid, met him at the door.

“Come in Mr. Steve. Ms. Malani and your son are waiting for you in the den. Mickie, Danny and Sebastian are already here, and they love him.”

‘I guess there’s no need to ask if he’s inherited the McGarrett gift of charm,’ Steve thought, and went to the den. Sebastian, Malani’s brother was sitting with Steban at the chessboard, using a set that had been in the family for a good four hundred years.

The white pieces were carved from pure white marble, the bases chased with platinum and the black pieces were carved from pure black onyx, the bases chased with the same precious metal as the white pieces. The chessboard was a thing of beauty, made of teak and oak, polished to a high sheen.

Steve looked at the board and smirked. Sebastian was caught in a very neat trap, with no way out and Steban was the very picture of angelic innocence itself.

Steban picked up his knight, moved it to the proper square and said, “Checkmate.”

Sebastian did a double take and his mouth dropped open in shock at what Steban had done.

“Hah! Very nicely executed, nephew,” Sebastian said with respect, “You’ll have to teach me that trap.”

“Thanks Tio Sebastian. You’re pretty good too. Mami taught me how to play chess when I was four years old.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at that little tidbit of information, but said nothing.

Steban finally noticed his father standing there and grinned at him in greeting.

“Hey Popi! I beat Tio Sebastian!”

“Very good Steban. Now all you have to do is beat Malani’s grandfather, James at it. I’ve known him for the past six months and I haven’t beaten him yet.”

“Dinner’s ready!” someone called from the kitchen.

The someone who had called was Lani, Nani’s younger sister. She had been with the family since she’d been a teenager, and considered the triplets to be the children she had never had. She was of above average height, with grey-streaked black hair, and sharp black eyes.

She and Nani watched fondly as the group filtered into the dining room. Danny and Mickie has ‘fessed up about her pregnancy, and were blaming Steve for putting that particular thought out into the universe.

There really wasn’t any way that Steve could reply to that without looking like a smart-ass, so he remained silent.

Once everyone was seated at the table, he looked at the two sisters and was struck once again by both their similarities and their differences. They were mirror images of each other physically; right down to their crooked left little toe.

They even dressed alike in turquoise blue broomstick skirts, peasant blouses and sandals. Even their hair and makeup were alike!

The only real difference between them was their engagement rings. Malani’s was an emerald cut sapphire, surrounded by diamonds and Mickie’s was a simple diamond ring.

Their personalities were where the real differences lay between them. Malani was wild, passionate, pushy, argumentative, reckless and quick to bite, not simply snap. Mickie, on the other hand, was reserved, quiet, practical, and had patience in abundance.

Mickie complemented Danno’s personality well, as Malani complemented Steve’s. She was also a trained chef, and could make the most ordinary dish taste like something from a four-star restaurant.

Tonight’s dinner consisted of Chicken Ramen Soup a la Mickie, followed by the leftover paella, a pot of red and pink beans in tomato sauce and pastellios, a meat filled, hand sized pie.

The soup, unlike most commercial soups, had plenty of chicken in it, along with peas, carrots, corn and bean sprouts, along with the ramen noodles. The broth was homemade chicken stock, rich without being too salty.

The rest of the dinner was fantastic as well. Steve and Danno, who had both been warned by Dr. Bergman against losing too much weight, had each gained a good ten pounds since they had become engaged to Malani and Michaela.

Steban packed away everything he had been given, and even asked for seconds.

‘He’s my son all right.’ Steve mused, ‘He’s got the appetite of a hungry bear before it goes into hibernation!’

During the meal, Steban kept everyone in stitches with the story of how he’d been treed by a wild boar at the age of three years. Sebastian, who told the story of how he had nearly been eaten by a shark on his third birthday, when the he, his sisters and parents had gone to the beach, countered this tale.

Steve, not to be outdone, told them of how his mother had cursed out a nun, when he’d been fourteen years old, for supposedly cursing in the classroom.

Malani, of course, topped all that off by telling the tale of how Steve had found her and her siblings in sound asleep in his Jeep, after they had escaped from a kidnapper when they were almost four years old.

After dinner, they all moved into the living room, where the tall tales continued well into the night. It was only after Steban fell asleep on the sofa, that the adults agreed that it was late.

Steve picked up his son, who didn’t even twitch, and took him up the stairs to his new room. He undressed him and looked down at his torso in shock.

There were bruises marring his back; old and faded, but still there, contrasting with his pale skin. Steve gritted his teeth in rage and made a solemn vow to kick Antonio Diaz’ rear end in for him.

He swiftly dressed Steban in a pair of pajamas, covered his with a blanket, and then went into the room he shared with Malani. He took one look at her face, and knew that she had sensed his emotions about what had happened to Steban.

After changing into his own pajamas, Steve slid into the huge double bed next to her. Malani’s five cats, which all adored him, took this as their cue to swarm over the two of them, wanting to be petted and cuddled.

For several minutes, the two indulged the demanding little felines, and then one by one, set them aside.

“All right,” Malani said after setting aside the long-tailed tabby named Lucky. “What’s the matter? I know you’re royally pissed about something.”

“Steban was beaten by his stepfather.” Steve said in a low tone. “When I get my hands on him, he’s going to regret being conceived, let alone born.”

Malani curled up on her side, wrapping her left arm around his waist. “We’ll get him, beloved. With all of the firepower we have together, we can leave him penniless and bereft of the children he has. Now get to sleep. You have a full day tomorrow.”

Steve settled against his pillow, determined to get justice for his son. As he fell asleep, he was dimly aware of the cats coming back onto the bed, but, as they curled up, on and around he and Malani, the purring put him straight to sleep.

*****