#happy McGarrett-Williams family moment right there

[shittykawagirl97]

Phoenix (6/6)

Words: 3582

Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams, Chin go Kelly/Malia Waincroft, Kono Kalakaua/Adam Noshimuri

Summary: Malia's Funeral. Chin and Alyssa philosophically drink. Danny and Steve bickering.

⚠ Set during and after 3.02 ⚠

Funerals, whiskey, and tears.

Alyssa hated death.

She loathed it with all her heart, not because of death per se or the gigantic hole someone left in your life without knowing it, she hated death because of the consequences that it had on the living.

The loneliness, the sorrow, the tears, the cold, the heartache, the mental and emotional breakdown; Alyssa abhorred seeing the people she cared for in that kind of pain because she felt and saw it too many times. Any professional would have said it was kinda unhealthy, at that point.

Death was Alyssa's solo, steady, companion in her life and she despised it.

At the first funeral she attended, she was six and no one had to explain to her what had happened or what was happening. She knew that her Nonno Alberto wasn't sleeping in the casket and she felt like she would have never been able to talk to him ever again, but she was okay with that in a strange way.

She was sad, obviously, but after her mother and sister talked to her, she accepted that it was a fact that no one could change.

What had broken her into a pathetic whine was the devastation that she could see on her parents and sister's faces; she didn't want them to feel that way, she wanted them to smile, to laugh, to enjoy the food it was passed around, but she was six and she couldn't do anything to help.

That broke her spirit and her little heart.

In the mare eight years after, Alyssa attended other four family funerals. The last one, when she was fourteen, was her mother's.

For the first time, she didn't just saw the agony in her grannies' faces or her dad's or her sister's; Alyssa felt it, felt the voidness in her chest, the crack in her soul, the ultimate clusterfuck of emotion that her brain was, one moment she was crying for her loss and the next she was hysterically laughing.

Everyone was telling her to be strong. To be courageous. To be there for her dad, but she just wanted to disappear, to stop feeling, to lose herself into the void.

Everything was too much and she didn't know how to copy. The sun was too bright, the sorrow of the people gathered too fake, the emotions too troublesome and Alyssa just turned it all off.

It took hours, a panic attack at the thought of never being able to feel again, and a hurtful headshot with her cousin's forehead to evade the nothingness and being able to feel again. Years later she would have learned that she had her first emotional overload that day.

But death wasn't done with her.

Her mother's cousin, her mother's aunt, her two grannies, her father's aunt, all died before her twenty-second birthday.

Death wasn't a stranger to Alyssa but she now could handle the aftermath.

At least, that was what she thought before Danny's call.

It had been a long work night. She had just finished examining a young boy that was brought into ER at an hour where you can't tell if it is too late or too soon when her phone ringed. Danny's voice cracked when he told her about Malia's death.

Alyssa was so out of it that she breakdown in the middle of ER. The nurses had to take her phone and tell Danny to come, take her home. Her blond friends didn't leave her alone that night: he brought her to his home and tackle her on the couch, under soft sheets. Told her to wake him if there was anything she needed.

Alyssa the world became blurred after that.

Danny was always present. Showing up on her doorstep every time he could, bringing her something to eat or drink; they passed the hours sitting on her couch silently drinking their sorrow away. She knew Steve was away for a few days – this time the idiot told them – and when one afternoon Danny showed up with his brunette partner, she just buried herself in the hug that Steve was offering.

It was only a couple of hours later and a call away that Alyssa learned that Doris McGarrett was alive and being watched by Catherine, Steve's ex. That afternoon she learned that Danny had to thought for Grace once again, too.

It took Chin a couple of weeks to organize Malia's surfer funeral ceremony and he asked for her help. He knew how strongly tied Alyssa and Malia had become during the past year and it would be offensive to not include her in it.

They met at a twenty-four hours diner and set together almost all nights; they needed someone to talk to, to mourn and cry with. Someone that could understand the hole Malia left behind at a hundred per cent.

Sometimes Steve showed up, no words, just a cup of coffee and his presence - the worst nights his strong arm could have been found over Alyssa's shoulders. Other times Danny followed him and there were a lot of words included, but they were soft and warm. She found herself smiling softly at the couple more and more times alongside Chin.

And then the day came.

The sky was impeccably blue, no trace of clouds, and the sun could break a stone. Alyssa, wearing her most elegant black suit, was standing on the beach barefoot; in the water, a few meters away, Chin was releasing Malia's ashes. Her eyes were burning because of the tears but she stood rigid, head high, paying her silent respect to one of the best women she ever met in her life.

At her right, Danny was squeezing her forearm to remind her that she was not alone in that. Alyssa breathed shakingly and throw a rapid glance in his direction.

Danny's expression was contracted and his jaw was rigid, tightly closed; his eyes were dark and shiny, a little tear had escaped his left eye but he wouldn't wipe it away: one hand closed around her arm and the other was tightly buried into Steve's suit.

Steve, on the other side of the blonde, had an arm around his boyfriend's waist and was whispering things, trying to console the other man. For all the things that had happened in the last few days, Alyssa was really happy that at least these two were finally together.

Kono was at her left and had taken residence against Alyssa's shoulder, hold protectively by her arm; the woman hadn't yet won against the demons that were telling her that Malia's death was her fault and for that, she hadn't been able to be at his cousin's side in the water. Alyssa had promised Chin to keep an eye on her.

Behind them, a little distant, there were Adam and Cathrine.

Alyssa had yet to meet Kono's man but she knew was told that between him and Chin there wasn't a good relationship; that alone explained why, even though Adam wanted to be there for Kono, he was standing respectfully away. Everyone was pretending he wasn't there – no one wanted to witness a fistfight at a funeral – but now and then Kono would look back and waved a hand to tell him she was alright. Alyssa looked at him only a handful of times, their meeting every time and she nodded, just once, to tell him that his girlfriend was alright.

Cathrine was an entirely different story: she wanted to help Steve but stood back a little from them because she didn't know Malia personally and didn't want to intrude.

In the water, the surfers started shouting and splashing the water.

Malia was gone.

The wake had been good. A lot of people passed by for condolences and even more arrived armed with alcohol.

Alyssa, Kono, Danny, and Steve helped Chin in every way they can – from taking the food from a newly arrived woman to greetings people when Chin hid for a moment – but when their common friend would bench them because "I'm suffering not an invalid", Danny had an entire argument against that, they would find themselves in a corner of the room mourning and sharing stories about Malia.

Alyssa brought the glass to her lips and sipped the brown beverage. She wasn't a whiskey woman – rum, rum was her go-to for the sourest nights – but it was the strongest alcoholic drink that had been left around.

Not even two hours in and Five-0, minus Chin, was called away for a case. Alyssa found herself alone, with not a lot of booze left around: the Kelly-Kalakaua clan turned out to be composed of pro-drinker.

Snatching away a glass, and the last but already opened bottle of whiskey, she went outside and sat on the porch's steps. It was only two weeks and she already missed Malia as she would have missed a limb.

There was a huge void in her life, in her work, in her daily activity by now. It was said that you understood what you had after you had lost it; Alyssa always thought she had understood what she had in Malia – a coworker, a friend, a sister – and yet she felt like she had just lost a piece of who she was.

She felt desperation, rage, sadness, and numbness; she felt it all at once or nothing at all.

God! She felt precisely the same as at her mother's funeral. This time, though, she had booze to drown herself in.

Her phone vibrated again but she ignored Steve's text: the brunette wanted an update on her and Chin, every five minutes. Yeah, she was starting to understand why Danny was always in yelling mode.

She sipped again at the whiskey – no but seriously, why no one had brought rum? – and looked nowhere and everywhere.

«Are you okay?» Chin's voice asked her. Alyssa looked over and watched the man stumbled towards her and slumped (fell) next to her (almost on her). When had he become so drunk?

«Shouldn't be me to ask you that?» She retorted, settling him the best she could.

«Meh. I am good for now: the Okolehao helped». He raised his still full glass. «But you are not drunk, not speaking, and starting at nothing».

Alyssa smirked and sipped from her glass.

«What are you? A policeman?»

Chin's elbow found a new home in her left side. Hard. Ouch.

«I'm not so gone that I can't see you burying your emotion under your scary amount of sarcasm», he warned. «I had worked with Steve and Danny for over two years now, I am trained. And Malia complained about it. A lot. And loud enough».

Alyssa snorted. Gosh, that woman!

They settled in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

Chin knew that Alyssa was dangerously similar to Steve when it came to coping mechanisms: where his boss coped from trauma with an insane dose of recklessness, the woman used a foolish amount of sarcasm.

Just like Danny... A lot like Danny.

Chin looked at the dark-haired woman and couldn't stop himself from thinking that she was what Steve and Danny's child would have been like. Grace had saved herself from becoming that thank to Rachel.

«I thought I become good at managing it», Alyssa's voice brought Chin back to the present.

«Managing what?»

«Death, mourning... The void». She answered with a tight tone before dipping the whiskey, trying to force down the knot that was forming in her throat.

«Death is death, Lyss, there is no way around».

She snorted before drinking again. «Didn't I know that».

Chin cringed at her level of sarcasm. Malia, during a rare night spent on the couch with Netflix and ice cream, had confessed to him that she was preoccupied with her new co-worker's coping mechanism. Steve and Danny hadn't yet become her patients at that point.

The two women weren't even friends but, because Malia was the only one that Alyssa respect enough to not insult, their boss had asked Malia to talk to the younger woman. She had made a nurse cry that day, after blowing up for a stupid reason; Alyssa had probably been at her breaking point because she opened up to Malia the instant she asked her what was wrong. The unhealthy amount of sarcasm used during the explanation – it had been her mother's death anniversary – had left Malia on edge for the rest of the day.

«I'm sorry», Chin mumble apologetically.

Alyssa winced.

«God, Chin. No!» She exclaimed, passing a hand on her face. «Don't ever apologize for something like that. Your sorrow isn't less real than mine cause I had a lot of people taken from me! That is a very, very wrong idea to have!»

«And yet, you're undermining your own only because you attended more funerals than me!» He threw back at her. «Losing a loved one is never easy! Even after fifty damn funerals».

Alyssa shakingly breathed in and filled her now empty glass. She needed a lot more alcohol in her to be able to survive that discussion.

«Death touched me when I was a baby, Chin», she gulped down a good amount of the brown beverage, burning her throat. «I grew up with death breathing down my neck. Wherever I look there was death in a way or another. That scars you for life; the only way out of that ache is accepting.

Accepting that death is real. Death is everywhere, at any given moment, and we can't do shit about it. Life's meaning is death and that's it».

Chin watched her eyes puffing and reddening with unleashed tears, he drunk.

«I understand what you mean but I think you are wrong on two things».

«Enlight me, please», Alyssa's tone was sarcastic but her face was grim: she honestly grew up thinking that she hadn't any more rights to feel the loss of a loved one because she had lost too many.

Chin's heart strung at the revelation. He wanted to kill every idiot that made her feel that way and then protect her a lot more: she was a beautiful person, with a gigantic heart; she didn't deserve all the suffering she had been through.

«First», he choked out, «I think that we can do something about death. Yeah, we can't save anyone and death is the destination of everyone's life... But we can help to make their life a little bit longer and a little bit safer. I become a cop cause of that and you wouldn't be such a good doctor if you didn't think the same. At least, subconsciously».

«Second», his voice lower, careful and full of affection, «I think that death can help us understand life better. Can let us appreciate what we have a lot more, never giving someone for granted. I thought that I had the rest of my life to spend with Malia and I feel that I hadn't told her enough how much I love her».

Alyssa shook her head vigorously.

«Malia knew how much you loved her, Chin. She never questioned your seriousness or your resolve. She comprehended how much you were giving her and she worshipped it.

«Never, ever guilt yourself with her death. Please, please, believe me when I tell you that Malia loved you with every inch of herself, despite knowing that one day you could have died in action or that your work could have followed you home. She knew what she was going up to and she never regretted any of that. That was the kind of love she was willing to give you and the kind of love she knew you were giving her every single second of your life».

Chin sipped from his glass and closed his eyes, trying to contain his tears but losing miserably when one ran down his sharp cheekbone. He didn't even try to wipe it away, too tired.

«I wasn't the only one she loved, Lyss», he remarked. «She thought of you as the little sister she never had. She cared about you as much as you cared for her. Yeah, maybe you didn't know her for long, but you have the same rights as me to be upset. To be angry. To be sad.

«She was your friend and you can be broken because of her death. No matter how many people you lose or how many funerals you attended».

Alyssa felt her eyes stung like bitches and didn't fight the tears or the emotional breakdown. She sobbed loudly, hiding her face with her free hand, letting herself honestly mourning her best friend for the first time since she had been told she had died.

Suddenly, a weight was left from her shoulders, and Chin was there to keep her together. She didn't know what he had done to deserve such good friends but she was thankful for them all.

Chin embraced her for what felt like forever, encouraging her to let go of everything, before the sobs subsided and she stopped crying. They stayed like that – her head on his shoulder and his arm around her shoulders – a little more afterwards, just to know that they were not alone.

The only sound was the neverending buzz of her phone.

«Are you going to respond to Steve's text?» Chin asked after the umpteenth notification.

«Nope, he should learn a little bit of patience». Alyssa responded truthfully. «And I am enjoying my mental picture of Danny bitching at him at every new text».

Chin snorted.

«I think you forget who you are talking about in that bottle of whiskey you stole».

Alyssa scuffed and admitted to herself that she was starting to feel a little tipsy; it was a good feeling. For the first time in days, she felt the void inside her subsided a little bit.

«He has a job to do and he should stay focus on it», she smirked. «We have alcohol to keep us at bay and each other, obviously, because misery loves company».

The dark-haired man laughed at that.

«You would have been right if you were talking about anyone else, but you talking about Steve McGarrett here. He will terrify someone for life just to being able to return here immediately and smother us with worries. If you think that Danny will not partner up with him on this, I will say you drunk too much».

The woman rolled her eyes and was ready to retort that yes, Steve and Danny were practically insane and unstoppable when worried for their ohana but this was different because they knew where they were; when the rumble of an engine tore the quiet air in half and suddenly a silver Camaro was stopping in front of Chin's house with a dangerous screech.

The car went silent a moment after and the first thing the two cuddling friends heard was Danny's scared-pitched ranting. Immediately, they couldn't understand the single words – obstructed by the car door – but then Steve swiftly got out of the vehicle and Danny followed him.

«I was screaming for my life you Neandertal animal!» He was wailing, waving his hands everywhere after closing the car door. «You went up to the red zone of the speedo and never come down! You are officially insane and I should have dragged you to a psychiatrist some time like yesterday!»

«I was preoccupied!» Steve ranted back, now at Danny's side with an I-can't–understand–why-are-you-shouting-at-me face. «She isn't answering her phone! Everything could have happened!».

Danny made a large and circular gesture with his hand and ended up indicating Chin and Alyssa.

«They are drunk, you shmuck! They are at a wake, they are grieving the loss of a very special woman in their life, they are crying, and they are drinking an unhealthy amount of alcohol! Just look at them, they are fine!»

Steve let his gaze follow Danny's hands and he finally noticed that the sources of his concerns, cuddling on the front step of Chin's house. Their glasses were half empty, the whiskey in the bottle was dangerously close to the bottom, and their cheeks were stained with dried tears.

No dangerous whatsoever.

He felt his face flush and shyly waved a hand in their direction.

Alyssa laughed out loud at that because, yeah, Chin was right and she had forgotten who Steve was: a closet mother hen. Hell, if she didn't love him for that.

Chin joined in her laugh and she caught the shitty smut grin that Danny was giving his boyfriend.

Alyssa felt alive and at home. She felt secure like she could be herself even in the worst moment of all with her Ohana around.

She hadn't to hide her sadness and sorrow anymore because now she had insane, lovely people that would help through all of it.

Part (1/2/3/4/5/6)

[temperancejones]

Some Kind of Curse- Chapter Six

Kris barely slept that night. Something was plaguing her mind, but she wasn't sure what it was. At 0530, she gave up trying to sleep, and decided to go on a run while Steve caught his last few hours of sleep. Throughout her five mile long run along the beach, Kris' mind couldn't help but to imagine what her new life would be like back home in Hawaii. When she was fifteen, she imagined herself in a completely different life. Dreams of being on the US Olympic volleyball team and touring the world playing the sport she loved while making lots of money seemed like a lifetime ago to her now at 33. Being forced to grow up at sixteen when her mother died and her father, consumed by grief and anger, sent her and Steve away to boarding school on the mainland while Mary got to stay with their aunt in Los Angeles. Kris was thankful for her life now though, she held no real resentment towards her father for everything that he did to her and her siblings- her and Steve got an amazing education at the Navy academy, and Mary got to truly live a free life in Los Angeles, just like she always dreamed of. Even at a young age, Mary told everyone that she was going to be a famous Actress in Los Angeles, where she could have everything she had ever wanted. The dream lasted a little while for Mary, until she nearly died from an overdose at age 25, which then lead to a bit of a downward spiral for her. Aunt Deb always took good care of Mary though, and helped her get back on her feet. Unfortunately, Steve and Kris could not be there to support her during this time, as their location for nearly ten years was on a strictly need-to know basis, thanks to them being in Naval intelligence and the SEALs. A lot of their adult lives were confidential, which lead to a big rift between them and Mary and Deb in LA. Mary blew them off in return, which Kris now understood that it was completely their fault, but Deb always made sure to check in on them whenever she could, and whenever they were able to.

Deb McGarrett had a heart of gold, and always saw the best in everyone. She never gave up on believing in Steve and Kris, and she knew that they were just as devoted to their jobs as her brother, their father once was. Deb secretly hoped that they would have a different and better life than John, but deep down, she knew that they would most likely have the exact same life as he once did, which was working until he died. Even when John was retired, he still worked every single day, up until his death. Deb hoped to god that Steve and Kris wouldn't end up like him, but she figured it was inevitable at this point. Thanks to John sending them away to boarding school, he practically sealed their fates. Deb hadn't talked to them in a few years now and was fearful for their futures. She hoped that they didn't become obsessed with his death as he did with their mother's death seventeen years ago.

--------- When Kris returns from her run, Steve is awake and fully dressed, after having gone on a (shorter) run of his own. He was ready for the day, and apparently had a full itinerary planned for the both of them. Kris quickly showered and got dressed, then listened to what Steve had planned out for the both of them. While Kris was out running, Steve asked the governor if they could borrow a car for the next few days until they could get the taskforce going, to which she agreed- there was a government Issue black SUV waiting outside for them as they spoke. Steve was going to go and recruit Detective Williams and get them to work with them on the case. Steve was impressed with his background, and after a quick little rundown on him, Kris was too. The next person that they had decided to ask to join their team was Chin-Ho Kelly. Even though Chin had been fired from HPD, Steve and Kris knew that he was still a good man and a cop. Chin was essentially an older brother to them when they were teenagers- he was always around their house, learning everything he could with their father, who was his training officer. Their father had trusted Chin with his life, and if John McGarrett could do that, then Steve and Kris could as well.

A coffee was quickly downed by each of the twins, then they head out for their day of recruiting. Steve had gotten Detective Williams' address from Duke, so that was their first stop. Steve pulled into the parking lot outside of the detective's shabby looking apartment complex, and hopped out, wishing his sister good luck.

Kris quickly hopped over to the driver's seat once Steve left, and drove over to Pearl Harbour, in hopes to find Chin-Ho working there. When she parks the car, she quickly goes over what she is going to say to him, then hops out of the car. Thankfully, it has stopped raining now, and it is a sunny and beautiful September day on the harbour. Kris tucks her phone in her pocket and makes sure that she has her wallet on her, then walks over to the gift shop, which is opening for the day. Thankfully, Chin-Ho is there, and he smiles when he sees her approaching.

"Hey, back so soon?" Chin asks, smiling as he begins to make his way over to Kris, who is now smiling back at him. They shake hands when they get close enough, then Kris asks if there is somewhere a little more private that they can talk. Chin quickly directs them inside the gift shop, which is still empty for the time being. Chin and Kris make a little bit of small talk, mostly about how happy Kris must be to be back home on the island after all these years. To be honest with herself and Chin, Kris is very glad to be back home and feel a little bit of normalcy in her life for the first time in a while. Deep down, she really hopes that the taskforce will work out well for them, and that they can hopefully settle down back home.

Once Kris and Chin are seated, Kris gets right to the point. "I'm just going to jump right in. Yesterday, the Governor gave Steve and I command of the new state taskforce to take down Hesse and his accomplices. By the looks of it, we will be special forces in a way, and Steve and I want you. We need someone we know we can trust, and I know that our old man trusted you. We also need someone who knows this island like the back of their hand. We need your help." Kris offers to Chin calmly. Chin sighs and looks down at the table. "I'm the last person that HPD wants to see with a badge again. We did not end on good terms." He replies, looking a little upset. He looks up at Kris, defeated. Kris nods, understanding his perspective. "I understand that. But this is not HPD. We will be working under the governor's command. No backing, no red tape. Just us, doing our own thing. Sure, we will butt heads with HPD occasionally, but you are going to have to face them one day. We are willing and ready to help you when you do so." She explains to him. Chin furrows his brows and looks a little skeptic towards the offer. Something like this must be too good to be true. "HPD thinks that I stole money from their evidence locker, what is going to stop you guys from thinking the same?" Chin challenges, hoping to call out Kris' bluff. He assumes that she must be bluffing at this point, because nobody gave second chances like this. Never. "My father trusted you with his life back in the day. You were a part of our family for a while Chin. If he can trust you, then so can we." Kris explains, now looking Chin in the eye, making sure that she can get a good read on him for the next thing she is going to ask. "I will only ask you this once, then it will never be brought up again by me or Steve. Did you take the money?" Kris asks sternly. Chin takes a deep breath and looks her in the eye before saying a firm "No.". Kris can't help but smile. "Good. Well, the offer still stands. This is your ticket back in the game, Chin." Kris tells him, and then stands up and pushes her chair in, waiting for his response. "You're sure you want me?" Chin asks once more. Kris nods. "alright. I'm in." He grins and stands up himself. He and Kris shake hands once more and smile at each other. "Welcome to the taskforce, Chin-Ho Kelly. Now please, raise your right hand." Kris says to him, and then swears him. Chin chuckles in disbelief once he is sworn in, then quickly heads to the staff area to grab his things. Kris heads outside to wait for him.

While waiting on the pier, she pulls out her phone and calls Steve, who fills her in on his little outing with Detective Williams, who was investigating the possible involvement of Fred Doran, a local arms dealer who may have set Hesse and his crew up with their weapons. Doran himself was a dead end, but his house revealed a big break- Doran was involved in human trafficking. Kris wasn't surprised to hear those words, as Victor and Anton Hesse were highly involved in many human trafficking rings around the world, so it was easy to assume that Hesse contacted a trafficker to get onto Hawaii. Kris quickly fills Steve in on her meeting with Chin, telling him that he agreed to join, and has been sworn in by Kris on a temporary basis until he can get sworn in by the governor. Steve tells her that the Detective is in as well, but Kris already knew that he was going to be, as Steve wasn't going to give him an option- he wanted him on the team no matter what. And if Kris was being completely honest with herself, she wanted him on the team too. His track record was great, and he was nice to look at too.

Chin meets up with Kris a few moments later, and she congratulates him again, then offers to give him a ride back to the palace, where they will be meeting up with Steve and Detective Williams. Chin declines, saying that he brought his bike to work today, so he would meet her there. Kris nods, and they go their separate ways.

Twenty minutes later, Kris parks the car at the Palace and waits for Chin to pull in beside her. They quickly make their way into the building and up the stairs to the new office. Kris gives Chin a little tour and lets him have first dibs on the three remaining offices. Chin chooses one and puts his bag down in there, and then heads out to meet Kris in the main room, where she fills him in on the case so far while they wait for Steve and the Detective to arrive. Within a few minutes, Steve and the Detective arrive, looking awfully grumpy and generally unhappy to be around each other- Danny wont even look Steve in the eye right now, due to his anger towards him and how bad the raid at Doran's house went. Danny had managed not to get shot in his six months on the island. But within one day of knowing the McGarretts, he managed to get shot. He was thoroughly unimpressed. He really hoped that this wasn't going to be a normal occurrence for him but based on the fact that Kris was already nursing an injured arm, he had a feeling it would be. Introductions are made, and the Detective insists on being called Danny, which Kris and Chin note. Danny seems to be favouring his left arm a little bit when Kris looks at him and quickly analyzes him. When Chin asks him about it, Danny grumbles something about a woman biting him, which confuses Kris a little bit, but she doesn't question it any further. The moral of the story is his arm is injured. Kris makes a mental note to ask Steve about it later.

The new team then gathers around the table and discusses Steve and Danny's new findings. Thankfully, Chin pipes up and says that he may know someone who can help with the trafficking lead, which is a relief to Steve, Danny and Kris, who had no idea how to pursue that lead. Steve and Kris had hoped that having a local as well known and liked as Chin would help them out. And they were right. "My guy may have the information, but he probably won't give it to you. He's not the biggest fan of haoles." Chin explains to the three outlanders who definitely would not pass as locals. "but he'll talk to you, right?" Steve asks. "if the price is right, yeah. His name is Kamekona Tupuola. He used to be a big-time gambler and arms dealer, 'till he got handed a five-year sentence in Halawa. He got out a few years back and since then, he has been running a legit shrimp and shaved ice truck. He still has connections to the black market though, so he may be able to help us out." Chin explains to everyone, who is listening intently. "and he can be trusted?" Danny asks the question that was in everyone else's mind. Chin nods. "He is a well-known CI with most of HPD. You may not have heard of him in homicide, but he was well known in organized crime and robbery. He's good. He helped me a lot in HPD." Chin replies, reassuring Danny, Steve and Kris all at once. Kris slaps the table. "alright, let's get a move on then." She says to her team, grinning. She digs her SUV keys out of her pocket and tosses them to Steve so he can drive. She technically isn't supposed to be driving with her arm in a sling, so it's better if Steve does the driving until her arm is feeling a little bit better.

They all then file out of the office and back downstairs and to their cars. Kris ends up hopping in Danny's car, while Steve and chin take the SUV. Kris really wants to get a proper first impression on the detective, and she wants to make sure that he is a good fit for the team. Steve seems to think so based off of their meeting in the garage of their house, but Kris, being the control freak and leader she is, wants to be sure. She learned quickly in the Navy that she needs to be able to trust her co-workers and team members in order for their ops to go well, so she needs to make sure that Danny will fit in well. She already knows Chin will.

The first few minutes of the drive are silent while Danny and Kris try to feel each other out and figure out what is going on in each other's heads. Danny is still angry about Steve's impulsive actions back at Doran's house, which could have easily gotten them both killed, but that was not what was bothering him. What was truly bothering him was Steve's complete lack of empathy and common sense. Steve did not have a way with words, and so far, had come off pretty rude and offensive towards Danny, which just made him feel miserable. Danny was already dealing with enough misery in his life- he hated Hawaii with all of his being- but now, he had no choice to deal with a complete and utter moron who had no people skills and would most likely end up getting him killed before he can see his sweet Grace graduate elementary school. Danny secretly hoped that Kris had the brains between the twins and was a lot better with her people skills than her neanderthal of a brother, but he definitely wasn't getting his hopes up. Kris on the other hand, was trying to figure out what made Detective Williams- Danny- tick. She didn't get to go in his apartment with Steve to get a real feel for him, and she only looked over his work file quickly, which really does not give her the full picture. He drives a Silver Camaro that is in impeccable shape, meaning that he is not a slob and that he is a good driver. So far, he hasn't done anything too reckless yet, meaning that he is quite careful too. Kris glances over to his visor and sees a picture of a little girl and a post card of New Jersey. She quickly thinks back to his file and recalls that he has a daughter, and that he transferred from Newark PD six months ago. Kris hasn't noticed a wedding band or anything on his person, meaning that he must be separated or divorced; he probably transferred out to Hawaii to be closer to his daughter by the looks of it. Kris makes a mental note to ask either Danny or Steve about it when it is appropriate. And finally, Kris takes a closer look at how Detective Williams presents himself. His blonde hair is always perfectly styled back, and he always makes sure to wear a tie with his dress shirts, meaning that he definitely cares about his appearance, and still is clinging onto the mainland, where detectives wear suits and ties. Here on Hawaii, the dress code is a lot more informal; it's hot year-round, and the only time suits are worn are weddings and funerals. Most detectives wear polos or Hawaiian shirts, which would be completely inappropriate on the mainland. Based on Danny's resentment towards Steve so far, He probably isn't impressed with Steve's lack of communication or people skills, so Kris makes sure to not tease him about anything for the time being. Good first impressions matter, especially when you are supposed to be working together and having each other's backs in dangerous situations. Based on all of this, Kris has a good idea about how to approach him now.

"So," She begins, "Steve wooed you with his great communication skills, right?" Kris chuckles, now looking over at Danny when they stop at a light. Danny scoffs. "What gave you that idea?" Kris smiles cheekily. "I've spent thirty years with the man. I think I know how dreadful he can be when talking human beings." She tells him. Danny raises his eyebrows and exhales loudly through his nose, half laughing. "so, what-" He says, and now looks over at Kris. "he's the brawn and you're the brains?" he asks, then looks back at the road and continues to drive, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. Kris shrugs. "more or less. It's more like... we're both the brawns and brains, but him more so the brawns and me more so the brains. People skills are not his strong suit." "yeah, I learned that real quick." Danny mutters, now thinking about his throbbing arm. "He'll grow on you. He always does. He's kind of like a parasite in that way." Kris jokes, hoping to break the tension building between her and Danny now. Danny just nods, obviously not too impressed. "I just don't wanna end up six feet in the ground, okay? I got a kid, I wanna see her grow up- and with him being all impulsive and shit, I'm gonna get killed! I'm not a Navy SEAL like you two. I do things by the book, and I do things to stay alive- I do not have a death wish like you two." Danny says with a little bit of urgency- to kris, he sounds quite angry and upset about this. Kris nods, now understanding his perspective. "okay. Okay. I can work with that. So can Steve, but we just need a little bit of time to adjust, you do need to understand that we have been in the navy since we were eighteen. Old habits do die hard, unfortunately." Kris explains to him, which causes him to loosen up a little bit. He sighs. "I- I didn't think about that. You're right. Sorry- Steve really got me goin'." Danny chuckles. Kris can't help but to smile at the detective. "I know. He's good at that. I just tune him out if he gets like that with me." She confesses, making Danny laugh again. When Danny stops at the next light, he turns and looks at Kris again. They half smile at each other. "And Danny," Kris begins in a softer voice, "We will do everything in our power to get you home safely to your daughter, okay? You have my word. And Steve's. He may not act like it, but he means it." she smiles sadly at him, feeling her heart pang in her chest. Kris tries not to think about the day that her mother didn't come home from work, but at times like these, she can't stop it. She still remembers seeing her father collapse in shock and devastation at the door- the gut-wrenching sobs that escaped her father's lips that day have been permanently trapped in her mind for nearly two decades now.

"thank you," Danny says softly, as he pulls up to the parking lot of the shrimp truck next to the SUV that Chin and Steve drove in. Danny and Kris hop out of the car and greet Steve and Chin, who are already out of the SUV and waiting. Kris nods at Chin, and he leads the way to the window of the shrimp truck.

[cowandcalf]

Writer’s Month 2020 - To Find A Way

Prompt No.14 - Metamorphosis Part II

Chapter 1 - 7

They watch Grace play. Danny stays close the to climbing frame with all the ropes to make sure he could run to the rescue if his girl should get into trouble. Steve mimics a statue and stays silent for a long time. Danny's tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth. All the great remarks he figured he could throw at Steve dissolve into a fog.

He learns once more how difficult it is to transport a special, magical mood into a normal Wednesday. Steve seems to be miles away. The bonding moment they've experienced is non-existent. Danny can't stand the silence any longer. If he wants the quiet, he hikes to the top of a damn mountain or goes snorkeling. "Hey, you okay there, Steve?" He side-eyes the tall, dark, handsome guy next to him.

Steve licks his lips and squints into the bright sunlight. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"You had, uh, a scare this morning with Mary, rattles every man. We think pregnant women are fragile but God, believe me, they're not."

Steve shoots him a thoughtful glance. "You speak from experience, I think. You're a father. You have a sweet girl."

Danny knows Steve doesn't mean to sound reproachful, but his words affect him. "Yes, that's my baby girl. I'm a proud father. We have the life we choose. Or sometimes life chooses us."

"So, you're married? Do you plan on having more children? I haven't seen your wife." Steve gets braver. He even turns and stands closer to Danny. Danny likes where this is going. Steve's checking the turf.

"I was married. Rachel and I have worked hard to become friends for Grace's sake. And no, no more kids on the way. I'm divorced and, uh, I'm single." Danny can't look at Steve. The urge to explain is still pressuring behind his chest. He kind of swipes the playground with his eyes. He hopes he sounds nonchalantly enough. "I'm here for Grace. Today, I mean. It's uh, Rachel, her mother, has an appointment and her husband's not here yet. I'm an emergency backup. Didn't expect to run into you on the maternity ward, though." Danny twists his upper body to check up on Steve's mood. "I honest to God thought Mary's your wife." Okay, his heartbeat just picked up speed. His mouth is as dry as the Gobi Desert.

Steve goes quiet again. Danny senses his troubled mind and wished Steve would be a bit more responsive. It's no fun to talk to a menhir. Danny doesn't get easily pushed out of his comfort zone. But add emotions to the mix and he's as light as a feather in strong wind. Jeez. Danny purses his lips. He fights the urge to assure Steve he's into guys too and that there's nothing wrong with the circumstance to have a family with a woman and why the hell does he even bother? This guy drives him nuts. Danny's armpits are uncomfortably wet.

"No, Mary's my younger sister. I wouldn't be a good father, I guess. I wouldn't know what to do with a helpless bundle, too scared to mess up. I don't know. I've never had to make that decision –" Steve bends his head and watches his shoes, "if I wanna be a father I mean. Hasn't happened so far." He adds.

"Hey, you did well. You made sure Mary's well taken care of."

"We had a big argument before she let me maneuver her into my truck to drive her to the hospital. She's so stubborn. I found her on all four, doing garden work. I freaked. She had cramps and I was so scared. She said, she overdid it and that's all. She just wanted to lie down until everything would calm down. But I couldn't – " Steve rubs with his fist at his forehead. "I got so scared. I had this horror movie running through my mind. I saw how she gave birth, collapsing out on the lawn behind the house or something like this. I needed to bring her here. I can handle tough calls but not when it's my baby sister nine months pregnant with my niece. I've just lost my nerves, I guess." Steve laughs bashfully. "Not my bravest moment."

"You did good, Steve. Mary's going to be fine and she'll be okay. You'll see, nature knows how to do what needs to be done when it's time. Women give birth since humanity exists. Kawika is with her. You're fine and I know you're going to spoil your niece rotten once she's born."

Steve smiles at him and Danny's bones turn into useless goo. "Why haven't you texted? Called? I thought you wanted to get that rain check on lunch?" Danny chews on his bottom lip. His eyes scan the playground to make sure Grace isn't in any danger. "I've waited for your call." Should he have said that? Too much pressure, no, he shouldn't have said that.

Steve clears his throat. "Yeah, about that. I, uh, I was hungry, but I got caught up in work. You know, uhm, I had to get the seedlings into the ground. I would have – would have called, you know? But days," Steve steps closer, still with his arms crossed over his chest as if he has to hug himself, "days sometimes flow into each other and I can't really say how much time has passed. It's been almost a week since we've met and when time passes the things that happened start to shape in something else. I wasn't – it was an intense afternoon. I, uhm," Steve draws a breath before he continues, "you saw me at the worst. I wasn't sure if you wanted to, you know, go for lunch, have a chat. I'm not the funny average guy to talk about the weather over chicken salad."

Danny has his eyes on Grace. He wants to give Steve the space to have his mini freak-out about the fact he might have scared Danny off. He ignores how the heat in the pit of his stomach flows in all directions. "You forgot my number." Danny states calmly, "just say it, Steve. Be honest. I'm not offended. Okay a bit, yes, a bit. I'm offended a bit that you forgot my number." Danny rocks on his heels back and forth while he rambles. "I expected a SEAL, even a SEAL buried up to his nose in flowers and plants to remember a few, easy numbers. Don't you get trained for that? I thought you're tough multitasking guys. The Army is a fun club."

Steve stiffens and scoffs. "I haven't forgotten your number. It's 808-925-1717. Happy? And it's the Navy, Danny. The Navy."

Danny can't believe how fast Steve falls for that dumb joke. "God, you're so easy to tease. Don't be so uptight about it. Look at you, all puffed out chest and standing at attention. I know, man, it's the Navy. I didn't mean to offend you." He hopes his smile is appeasing. "Good to know you didn't forget my number." He darts a look at Steve and sees how he sets his jaw to keep his lips from being pulled into a grin. Instead, he gazes off into the distance and fishes his cell from the pocket and unlocks the screen.

Two seconds later, Danny's cell rings. He takes the call with the unknown caller ID. "Yeah, Detective Williams, HPD – who's it?" He frowns hard at Steve who stands there like a boy who has all fun doing a silly prank.

"Yeah, Detective Williams, McGarrett here, Steve McGarrett. Do you remember me?"

"Yes, you big goof. The Army guy, isn't it?" Danny can't control the laughter. He really needed to say that.

Steve glares at him, for real this time. "You owe me a fat rain check on lunch and for being too dense to know the difference between the Army and the Navy. I'm hungry. Lunch. Today. You're paying. You're in?"

"You know how stupid this is to stand three feet apart and to give me a call, don't you? I can hear you talking and the echo in my hear is strange. How old are you? Five?"

"You haven't answered my question." Steve still speaks into his phone and watches Danny at the same time.

"Yes. Lunch. Today. Good. I'm in. Where do you wanna go?"

"Have you ever taken Grace to Kame's shrimp truck for Kame's specialty of the day? She'll love it."

Whenever Steve says Grace's name, Danny gets kind of dizzy with something he doesn't want to explore. Steve watches him with a gentle, kind expression. Too much for Danny's heart to stand for more than five seconds. "No, I haven't but Kame's place it is." He hangs up.

"See?" Steve seems utterly satisfied, smug even. Danny notices Steve's faintly colored cheeks.

He has tried to keep the love at bay. The crazy beast of feelings is toying with him, tugging at the golden rope wound around his heart. But he can't hold it and he doesn't want to. The way Steve stands there, watching children playing, having a hawk-eye on Grace, makes it impossible for Danny to hold on to the rope that keeps the insane sensation in his heart controlled. He lets the leash go and stands his ground when the wave of feelings rushes through his body.

This guy is going to be the death of him. Danny's cell rings again. This time it's Stan. "Hi, Stan. Yeah, she's fine. Where are you? Give me a second. I'll meet you at the entrance. Yes, she asked me to make sure you'll find her." Danny's eyes search for Grace.

"Danny, it's fine. I'll take care of her. Go, go be with Stan. We'll wait for you right here, okay?" Steve squeezes Danny's shoulder with his large hand.

"You don't mind? You'll keep her safe?" Danny asks hesitantly. He never lets a stranger look after Grace. But Steve, Steve's different.

"Danny, I'll take care of her as if she's my daughter." This time, Steve blushes bright red but he doesn't correct himself. "I'm good at keeping people safe, especially your daughter. Go, Grace is safe with me."

Danny exhales and covers Steve's hand on his shoulder shortly with his own. He swallows. This man, God, he can totally feel the softness of Steve's lips pressed to his just by looking at his mouth. The bottom of his stomach drops out. Danny forces his eyes to stay above Steve's nose, but he gets distracted by the longest lashes he has ever seen on a guy. Steve waits for reassurance. Danny forces his eyes to focus. "Yeah, good. Thank you, Steve. I mean it. I'm back in a flash."

Danny still sees Steve's smile after he reunited Stan with Rachel and made sure they were good. He hurries back to the playground on the other side of the street. But –

He doesn't see Steve. Where the hell is he?

Danny runs faster. And where the hell is Grace?

For a split second, Danny's heart races and his muscles tremble faintly under the strain of too much tension. And then, he hears the lighthearted giggle from his little girl. He jogs over to where the sound comes from. He can't believe his eyes. This tough, combat-hardened SEAL sits on a seesaw with a bright grin on his face. Grace is safely tucked in between the handlebar and Steve's strong arms. He boxes her in to keep her safe. On the other side of the seesaw, three kids shout and laugh simultaneously. They try to fight the weight, to make the seesaw move.

Danny bites the thick rope of emotions back that tries to strangle his throat.

"Danno!" Grace screams and giggles with her head thrown back. She laughs at Steve and Steve looks down at her and answers her laugh with an even brighter grin.

No one ever has told Danny that happiness can be as sharp as a spear. The detonation of feelings almost has him bend over. "Monkey!" He waves and jogs closer. "What are you guys doing?"

Steve whispers something in her ear. "Winning!" His little girl screams on the top of her small lungs. The kids on the other side shout something back.

When they are safely back on the ground Grace throws herself into Danny's arms. "Danno, that was great! Steve is fun! We won!" She clings to him.

Danny hugs her extra tightly. He follows Steve's stance and the way his eyes search his, not letting go until he stands right next to Danny.

"Thank you," Danny whispers.

"You're welcome, Danno." Steve has a way to roll the letters on his tongue that makes Danny want to bury his face in the curve of Steve's shoulder.

Danny puts Grace down and keeps an eye on Steve. "Danno is –" he downplays how much Steve makes him want to reinvent the world. He can't let Steve have that name in his mouth. He can't. "Danno is Grace's endearment for me. I – You can't, it's –"

"I told Steve he could use it, too. He asked me." Grace grabs Danny's fingers and pulls him forward.

Danny blinks. How long has he been away? Two days? "How much have you guys talked? I haven't been away that long!"

Steve shrugs.

"I'm hungry, Danno. Can we go now? Steve said we're going to see a friend. He has shaved ice and French fries."

Danny gawps as Steve. Steve stuffs his hands down the front pockets of his cargos. He looks only half-guilty. "I told her Kame has also lots of different salads and shrimps. And that her daddy knows what she likes for lunch."

"Good choice of words. Good choice." Danny furrows his brows and almost drowns in Steve's gaze. "Yeah, let's head to Kame's. I don't have a car. My HPD partner drove me."

"If that's the only thing that's holding us back, then – we're good." Steve jingles with the car keys. "My truck is over there. Let's go."

Danny has no memory of how they've ended up talking about dolphins. The air is saturated with a heavy scent of wind and sea and a wild beauty Danny has never sensed before. Grace cheerfully answers Steve's questions about the animals she loves the most. Sometimes she also screams their names. "I love fishes! I love dolphins!"

"Baby, tone it down. My ears ring when you shout like that. Dolphins aren't fish, Monkey. They belong to the mammals. They breathe air just like you." He twists on his seat to wink at his baby girl.

She's tiny with the seatbelt across her small chest. The black back seat almost swallows her up. It's huge. Steve's truck is huge and everything in it. She bends her knees and tucks them to her chest. She smiles one of her staggering happy smiles. "I love mamas!" She shouts and giggles at the same time.

"Mammals. A difficult word but you're doing great." Danny's mood is dangerously close to soaring high. It's somewhere up in the stratosphere where rainbows get born and where space waste gets burned when entering the earth's atmosphere. But he couldn't care less.

Steve wears a small smile that makes him glow. Danny looks out of the window. His eyes would have betrayed him under one second flat. He inhales deeply to wallow in the scent of Steve's skin and the way his detergent wafts over to him, tickling his nose and making his heart ache.

"You love dolphins, Grace?"

"YES!" She yells.

"It's time we get some food into you, Grace-face. Look we're here!" Danny unbuckles the seatbelt and pushed the door open. Kame's place is busy with lunch guests. "Hey, Steve! Look! Isn't that Mary and Kawika over there? Whoa, Kono and Chin are also here. Kame's having the time of the day with all the money his getting out of us."

Steve jumps out of the car to scowl over where a bunch of people sit and talk. Danny touches his arm after he helped Grace out of the car. "Steve, you okay?"

"I – Mary's here. She should be lying in bed with her feet on a pillow not moving an inch until the baby's born. What is she doing here?"

"Come on, let's find out. And Steve, before you throw Mary in the back of your truck to drive her home, let Kawika handle it."

"I wouldn't do that!" Steve blurts.

"Maybe you believe that but the way you stare over at her I fear for her lunch. Go easy on her. She's fine Steve. Pregnant women gotta eat."

They get greeted with loud cheering. Kame is serving the first round. "Look what the cat dragged in. Danny with his little girl. It's time you bring her around. Sit down, pua li'ili'i. You hungry?"

Danny places Grace next to Kono. Too many people make her go all quiet and shy. Steve greets the bunch like they're old friends. Kono fires a gazillion questions at Danny only with her eyes. He just ignores her with an elegant move. "Mary, how are you. Is everything okay? Steve was a bit shocked to see you here. He's afraid you might overdo it again."

Mary wipes at her mouth with a napkin. "My brother," she makes sure Steve hears her, "thinks every time I get up our sweet little flower slips out as if I have any intentions to give birth standing upright." She laughs and Kawika pulls her protectively against his side.

"Go easy on him, darling." Danny hears Kawika whisper.

Steve glares at Mary and steals a shrimp off her plate. "Look at your belly. It's so big. You're ripe like an apple. Let me worry okay?"

"Punk, relax. I'm fine. I was hungry. After lunch, Kawika takes me home. Happy?"

Steve takes her hand and has her look at him. "I'll drop by to check up on you."

"I love you, Punk," Mary whispers. "Thank you."

Steve thins his lips. He gifts her with a small smile but doesn't say it back. He takes the seat across Danny and gets involved in a conversation with Chin.

Danny plops down on the bench. "Do you know each other?" He asked dumfounded over to where Steve catches up with Kono, Chin, and Kawika. Kono gifts him with a stupid face and completely slack-jawed.

"You're kidding, right, Danny?"

"No, I'm not. I – I haven't expected you to know each other is all."

"Kukui High, football, quarterback. Freaking Hawai'i, surfing. Brah, of course, we know each other. We hung out together at the beach. We all grew up in Hawai'i. Steve's ohana. He's gone to save the world and now he's back. We all make sure he's fine, getting along with life and all, you know." Kono slaps his back. "Dude, you didn't know that?"

Danny wants to scream. He wants to go for a walk. "How the hell would I know that? I'm the new guy, remember? You have never even mentioned anything about knowing a Steve!" He cuts Grace's shrimps in small pieces to distract him from this unveiling. He can't look in Steve's direction when he sees Steve matching names and events together.

"Danny's your partner?" Steve asks Kono with so much disbelief in his voice it's comical. "He's the haole you talked about?" Okay, that high-pitched voice is a bit unsexy.

After that Danny's memories are blurry.

He remembers a lot of laughter, especially Steve's low, rare carefree rumble. At one point, Kono punches Danny hard and makes faces at him. She points out how he hasn't checked his phone a single time since they've sat down. That got her thinking. She's about the figure out who he might have a secret crush on. Danny kicks her shin and pinches her thigh to shut her up. Kono gives him the stink-eye.

Danny stirs the attention immediately away from Kono with her razor-sharp mind. He calls over to Mary. He asks her if she could be a bit more specific about the details Steve has told her about him. Because that's what she said when they met at the hospital. Strangely enough, Steve chooses that moment to get seconds from Kame's hit of the day. The chatter dies as if well-orchestrated. All eyes are on Steve's sister.

"You have to know one thing, Danny. I talk Steve."

Danny forces himself not to cast a look over to where Steve chats with Kame. "That's a language?"

"Yeah, actually it is. And we all talk Steve. It's – it's a thing. When our mom died and when our dad got lost for some time someone needed to take care of Steve. We all did but I'm his sister. So, he doesn't say much and it's up to us to decipher what is hidden beneath the words he utters. We had a game going as teenagers. He never liked it when we did that. Steve doesn't do emotion; at least not the same way we handle them."

Danny eats. He's not hungry and he's not sure if his body is able to fight the tightness in his throat. He swallows and pretends his skin isn't on fire. "So, okay, what did Steve say that made you recognize me at the hospital?"

Mary's face morphs into a seriousness Danny wouldn't have thought possible. She looks as if she carries wisdom you only gain when of old age. She's calm when she answers his question. "Steve said just two words after a fruitless conversation to get more out of him. He said, 'he stayed' besides that, you're blond and asked all the right questions."

Rachel is downstairs resting from the day's treatment. Stan prepares a simple dinner in the kitchen. Danny tucks Grace in. It has been an adventurous day and Grace is tired. Danny reads to her from her favorite book, but she almost falls asleep. He puts the book aside.

"Did you have a good day, Monkey?"

"Mm-hmm. It was fun. Steve is fun."

"Yeah, he is."

"I asked Kono to take me surfing. Steve surfs too. He said he could teach me, too."

"Grace, baby, we've talked about this. It's still too early. Next year, okay?"

Grace plays with the bed cover before she whispers. "Steve has dolphins and he said he makes me see them."

Danny sits up. He doesn't lose his smile on his face. "He has dolphins. Really? Where?"

"He said, at the beach, where he lives. Danno, dolphins! Can we go see them? I want to go. Steve said we can come anytime." Grace glows and looks so hopefully at him. He knows how much she loves dolphins. "We can go tomorrow. Please, Danno, please." She whines, too exhausted and too hyper about the fact that Steve got miraculously some dolphins somewhere at his house.

"Let me talk to him, first, okay? And then we can go see them. But you might haven't heard it right, Monkey. Are you sure he said there are dolphins at the beach?"

Grace nods enthusiastically. "At the beach, Steve's beach. But we have to paddle out, to see them. He said he's going to show me. Can I go? Please, Danno." She begs.

Danny kisses her forehead and whispers in her ear, "of course, Monkey. We'll go visit Steve and he's going to show you the dolphins."

Back at home, Danny's finally alone with his thought. He can't stand that Steve told, promised even, his little girl dolphins. Real dolphins, the wild ones in the sea. No one promises a child something without keeping it. Danny doesn't know how he feels. Steve should have asked him. He should have consulted him. Danny can't stand the picture of his little girl far out on a paddleboard on the ocean. Not even a boat. Nothing, his girl has nothing lost on the ocean. Not yet, too dangerous.

Danny types already the words to send Steve a text. He's agitated and paces the small space in his apartment. He's also angry. What was Steve thinking to make such a promise?

Danny deletes the written text. He grabs his keys from the kitchen table instead and storms outside. He peels off the parking lot and heads towards Steve's place in the jungle. He needs to ask him in person what the hell he was thinking. Who has freaking dolphins at the beach at home?

Danny's headlights lighten the dark street on the freeway. It's late. The first drop of rain hits the windshield when Danny makes the turn to drive up the dirt road to Steve's place.

TBC

Also on AO3

[five-wow]

I WATCHED 10.22. HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS UNDER THE CUT. i promise they won’t all be in full caps, but i feel i should also warn you that this was not proofread.

the episode is starting! it has started. the start has started.

lots of flashbacks from 10.21 with VERY dramatic music in the background and it’s very much working on me. EMOTIONS.

oh my gosh we’re now getting a flashback (a new one, not “previously on”) to wo fat and victor hesse planning some evil shit with daiyu mei serving them tea and it is EVEN MORE DRAMATIC than the previously on was. i am IMPRESSED. also maybe laughing a little bit, but in a way where i’m genuinely enjoying the extreme “LOOK, THIS IS BAD” of it, gosh.

fun way to remind us of how it all started, with these two planning anton’s extraction! they get to show us bits and pieces from the pilot while we still get something new.

wo fat: “blood. is blood.” hmmm, the show seems to want us to think he has a point but i’m mostly amused this is coming from the ultimate bad guy because yes, that seems about right. (hashtag you don’t owe people anything just because you’re related to them, shuddup.)

daiyu mei looks all shy and awkward when wo fat asks for her input but i’ve decided that’s an act to keep victor underestimating her.

steve and cole are in a car and fjdkfdjk wait catherine is a super code breaker now? idk, she may have displayed some skills that leaned that way in the past, but now she’s suddenly well-known as one of the best in that field even though that’s not even her field as far as we know? i. i don’t mind catherine getting brought up in conversation but this is such an odd way to do it.

“we were together for a buncha years” hahaha, fandom never really knows how to define the start and end of their relationship and it seems steve doesn’t, either.

“she was the one that got away. what’re you gonna do?” well, look sad and frowny while this guy you barely know throws you a somewhat awkward look because you’re suddenly baring your heart to him, apparently! (for real though, i get that people will be upset at this phrasing and i’m sort of thinking this is a lead in to things i won’t like at the end of the episode and that’s bad but for what it’s worth, i don’t mind this at all! she did slip away from him at a time where he thought they were going somewhere else and he’s talking in past tense now.)

cole is worried he ruined steve’s day by bringing up catherine and that’s sweet, actually! seals emotionally supporting seals.

OOF it is TIME for danny to get ABDUCTED. also: i love that steve immediately drops everything, including the very important super secret difficult to arrange meeting to maybe finally get some insight into this cipher that doris left him, to race to wherever danny is in his car. i feel like alerting hpd (or anyone else in five-0 who might be closer) would be a good idea, but it makes a lot of sense for steve to need to Be There himself.

ohhhhh steve continually nearly crashing his truck while yelling for danny but only hearing gunshots over the line is 👌👌👌. THE ANGST. THE TENSION. very good, very good.

the camaro is BURNING. well that’s one way to smack us in the face with the end of an era, damn.

steve is ALSO BURNING because he obviously tried to get inside the car ahhhh.

fjdkf steve calls tani with instruction about cameras and tani asks if everything is okay because he sounds upset and all he says is “danny’s been taken” and that’s how tani an junior find out, poor dears.

steve, instructing hpd: “we’re looking for detective danny williams. you know who he is, my partner, right? we’re looking for him.” YOU KNOW WHO HE IS. MY PARTNER.

steve is already out of breath from sheer stress and he’s just standing around the tech table with the team, my gosh. (I LOVE THIS.)

danny, bloody and chained up and facing his captor, a woman he already knows is very, very dangerous: [makes a joke about exchanging insurance information because they burned his car] (LOVE HIM TOO.)

OOF though, daiyu mei lets danny know she knows he has two kids and the jokes are over because that’s definitely the line with danny, god.

here’s the scene from the one preview clip i watched! i’m really enjoying daiyu mei, by the way. she’s still a totally bonkers way to bring the threat of wo fat back even after he’s dead, but she is genuinely threatening.

“i have the person you care about most in the world” hello yes i’m still yelling about that one and might not stop soon

daiyu mei telling steve not to make the same mistake he did with his father and “allow a loved one to die” is so mean but so good and narratively pretty darn cool.

we’re not even eleven minutes in and we’re already at “come alone, commander, or your friend dies”. [insert that escalated quickly meme]

steve thinks he has zero options except give in to exactly what daiyu mei wants and it’s very unsteve of him but also fits perfectly with the mindset they’ve maneouvred him into over the past few episodes and with DANNY BEING GONE so i like it. i like that steve is very obviously freaking the fuck out.

never though i would say this, but... steve, you should listen to adam. it’s shocking, especially this season, but he is making an actual good judgment.

steve alone in the elevator on the verge of either a panic attack or breaking down crying and curling up into a ball is A LOT.

steve goes to the meeting alone, gets a location and confirmation that danny is alive and then hands over the cipher, and that’s good but also... i mean, for real, if he had just printed some random symbols on a similar piece of paper (maybe even the same symbols but in a different order!) how on earth would daiyu mei have known?

OH. OHHHH. danny does the badass steve-ish thing where he pulls himself up by his shackles to somehow get himself free, holy fuck, yes man.

IT WORKS. knocked out the guard, got the keys, got a gun - damn son. not only do we get worried out of his mind steve, we ALSO get bamf danny, ahhhh.

AND THEN HE GETS SHOT IN THE SHOULDER, which is where all those promo pictures came from obviously, and also means we’re about to tick off the hurt part of h/c in an even bolder font than we already had.

fdjkfdjkfd steve’s litany of comforting little nonsense lines while he’s dragging danny to the car and getting him into it and NOT GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL BUT STAYING WITH DANNY IN THE BACK is killing me slowly.

fdjkfd steve hugging danny’s bloody face in his lap oh my god

apparently that wasn’t GOOD ENOUGH YET because then they’re at the hospital and steve tells the doctor’s what’s up and they’re about to roll danny away and danny, half dead and according to steve in and out of consciousness, somehow finds the time to try to grAB AT STEVE’S ARM BLINDLY. steve: “hey, i’m with you buddy, it’s okay.” DEAD. NOT DANNY, ME. I AM VERY DEAD.

the entire team is stressed and worried and just dead quiet, watching danny and steve. ohhhh boy.

oh fuck oh fuck steve is praying and red-eyed and furious and telling god “you wanna take somebody? take me. not him, you take me.” and i have a very big massive weak spot for exactly this.

cole comes to find steve to offer to figure out the cipher thing and steve has a very hard time giving a single flying shit and then HANDS COLE HIS GUN. welllll. just letting go of stuff they never would have normally left and right, here. i was kind of expecting steve’s badge to follow.

tani has a lot of good worried moments and i love that.

danny is out of surgery!!! steve gets to see him!!!

oh GOD we get a sad version of all for one while steve is in danny’s hospital room and grabs danny’s hand and i am. oh. oh. not okay.

STILL ONLY JUST PAST THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE EPISODE.

it’s honestly kind of weird that cole has this much screentime (i know he was supposed to be back for the season 11 that will never happen, but with the way things turned out that’s not very relevant anymore in story), but i mind it less than i thought i would have. i like him, and i’m glad he has quinn with him now, because i always want more of her.

danny wakes up and his slightly loopy conversation with steve has me fjdkfdjkfd. d: [says you’re supposed to be happy when a patient wakes up] s, like he might still be about to cry: “i’m happy.” d: “yeah? yeah, me too.”

steve is hurting and blaming himself for everything (very in character) and danny tells him he’s already annoying and that if he had a dollar for every time steve saved his life he’d have like twenty bucks (also very in character) and i’m glad for that bit of comic relief and they need it, too, but somebody also needs to give steve a good shake until the thought that this is on him leaves his head. if anyone except daiyu mei is responsible here, it’s doris. blame doris, jfc.

danny, after nearly dying and only just waking up in the hospital, while he still has trouble speaking: “put [the call steve is getting] on speaker, would you, i’m bored.” more jokes! but it also makes me go fjdkfdjk because you will not convince me that this is not danny, extremely injured, still trying to take care of steve by distracting him from all the misery they’re in.

fjdkfd OKAY SO. plot stuff: the cipher translates to coordinates that apparently lead to the place where the mcgarretts thought doris was buried. steve says he knows the place because his dad used to take him there and ? because i always thought john sent his kids away pretty soon after doris died so he can’t have had much time to visit her grave a lot with them, but also just, the drama of it, wow, doris. send your son an encrypted message that sends him to your fake grave, why don’t you.

jfkdsjlfksljfds the mcgarretts have a family mausoleum now, apparently, omfg. and there was still a space with doris’s name on it? even though they’ve known for how many years by now that she was still alive oh my gosh

cole is along for the ride to doris’s fake grave and steve keeps dropping these little nuggets from his family history and cole keeps (rightfully!) looking a little confused and/or alarmed, poor guy, hahaha.

daiyu mei is running full tilt and doing some mad parcour shit in a suit and what looks like high heels and there is a whole action scene here with lots of players and constant shooting and some one-on-one fighting, but i am fully distracted by the shoewear.

oh, false alarm, probably! not quite high heels, just something ballarina like with a very tiny heel. that’s better.

fjdkfjdkfd OOF daiyu mei nearly kills steve, steve gets the upper hand, daiyu mei says some things and we’re given another flashback to wo fat and victor hesse and this time also john when he was held hostage, and suddenly we’re told he’s not surprised that doris had a secret son (wo fat) and that he suspected her death was staged.

OH MY GU==fdj

okay so those were typos but i’m LEAVING THEM because “whatever happens next, don’t tell my son. it would be too hard on him.” HELLO JOHN, FUCK YOU JOHN. he wanted??? to keep this secret??? from steve??? and also he doesn’t even acknowledge that he maybe has more than just a son. maybe there is a person called mary out there somewhere? might ring a bell, if you think about it long and hard.

wo fat: “you’re a good man, john mcgarrett.” i really don’t know if we’re supposed to agree with things wo fat says but he’s mostly voicing the opposite of what i feel this episode.

daiyu mei to steve: “you are your father.” oh gosh. oh no.

ahh, here’s a point where cole’s presence really starts to take away from other characters. he shows up to steve and daiyu mei’s confrontation to back steve up, and that obviously should have been any other character that we’ve known for way longer and have way more attachment to (junior! that would have been so good, or maybe lou, who’s also been here for seven years, or tani, who keeps worrying), especially, very very much especially when steve goes “book her, cole”. that’s just confusing, too. so far the cole and steve parallels have been thrown at us and now he’s suddenly in danny’s place.

32 minutes out of 42 and we’re at “one week later” and steve hopping through his garden to get to the beach chairs where danny is sitting. this is good but worrying for how early it comes.

danny says he misses the very nice nurse who brought him jello and steve tells him not to confuse a caregiver for someone who cares and danny goes “yeah? you know jealousy is not uh, pretty on you.” and then they’re both awkwardly quiet for a moment. dear lord.

AND THEN THINGS WENT PEARSHAPED. danny: “you all packed?” my heart is sinking fast. maybe i should just quit here and leave it at danny telling steve jealousy is not pretty on him (which implies other things are pretty on steve - let’s get back to that).

steve to danny, who is talking up hawaii (which is of course very good): “who are you?” i am having FLASHBACKS to junior asking tani that exact same thing just a few episodes ago.

danny seriously questions steve’s decision to just up and leave hawaii a bunch of times and yes, danny, good, grill him. this is a stupid plan.

danny: “you know, it don’t feel like it’s gonna be okay. it feels like- my main dude is leaving me.” HI STEVE. MAYBE DON’T. MAYBE DON’T GO. MAYBE DON’T HURT DANNY.

“you got a phone, right?” we’re seriously at that point. we are. seriously at that point. wow.

steve forces danny to get up to give him the frigging tenderest, dopily smiliest hug and it is so very sweet yet so very wrong.

“I LOVE YOU, MAN.” / “I LOVE YOU TOO.” THEY DID NOT YELL THAT BUT I AM BECAUSE THIS IS ALL I’VE WANTED FOR TWO YEARS and now it’s under these circumstances which ugh BUT I AM STILL HYPED. THEY GOT TO SAY IT AGAIN. GOOD. FUCKING GOOD.

“don’t make me come looking for you” danny says after he sits back down and without another word steve starts walking away and then he stops and looks back and catches danny looking over his shoulder but quickly looking away again and holy fucking damn if this isn’t how stories go when they try to tell us that two characters shouldn’t be parting because they don’t want to. turn around, steve. it’s so easy.

EDDIE. my gosh, ANOTHER blond guy who loves steve to pieces and who steve Should Not Just Leave, wtf.

eddie gets an i love you too and then a kiss and my heart! is having a hard time today!

oh LORD there’s a knock at the door and it’s the whole entire team and lou!!! is making me cry!!! and everyone whispers how much steve means to them at him while they’re hugging him and fjdkfd what. why is he leaving! it’s starting to sound like a worse decision by the second.

i could cry at all of these goodbyes seperately but right now i am also crying at tani immediately hugging noelani when she joins the pile of people who have said goodbye. ohhhh.

EVERYONE IS CRYING. not cool. VERY UNCOOL. also, honestly, i love that danny got to say goodbye seperately and it’s fitting that he just can’t watch steve actually walk out the door but also... he should have been here, gdi. now there’s this huge emotional team moment and he’s absent and it’s weird.

steve boards a plane and sits down and his phone beeps and it’s danny texting him “miss you already” and i cannot believe this is actual canon and had to pause to kind of laugh/gasp for air for a little bit.

and catherine shows up! i’ve been braced for this so i’m not surprised and it’s less bad than i thought in many ways but also. they talk about cath driving danny’s car and steve says they can’t have danny williams driving his own car and if that’s true, then why the hell are you leaving, steve. what are you doing to danny? (also. uh. danny’s car kind of went up in flames? he has a new one already? i. what.)

cath asks if steve is ready and they hold hands and steve turns to look out the plane window and smiles and that’s very suddenly it.

you know what? you know what, for the most part, i absolutely loved this. i was prepared for VERY BAD THINGS and i don’t enjoy steve leaving at the end at all and i have MANY NOTES on how things could have maybe ended even better but i. i am okay with this. i am okay with this! that is honestly more than i thought i would be able to say and i’m just VERY RELIEVED right now.

as for the show ending with steve and cath... that was weird, but... he also held danny’s hand this episode and that was supposedly platonic, and steve and cath did not suddenly have a big romantic kiss or get engaged, so i am choosing to take this as a platonic reunion with a person from steve’s past he still cares about, someone who travels a lot and was in hawaii to break that code and therefore this makes sense. he leaves with cath, and then, in a few weeks’ time, he comes back to danny (the person he cares about most in the world), and canon just, y’know, forgot to mention that little tidbit. it happens.

anyway, i had EMOTIONS and i still need to let all of this sink in and i hope you’re all doing okay after this whirlwind of a thing and ahhhh, it is so very weird that it’s over now. 💖

[sojourner-between-worlds]

Merry Band of Misfits

Fandom: Alex Rider/ Hawaii Five-0

Summary: After an incident, child services questions whether Steve is truly a good fit for Alex. Steve won’t stand for Alex being taken from him of course, and Danny is right there with him.

A/N: This started out as a little angst, a little comfort, and a whole lot of cheese, but somehow it turned into a little cheese, probably a lot of inaccuracy of how the system works, and a ton of angst sprinkled with comfort. What ya gonna do, tho, lol.

. . . .

They were still chasing their suspect through the crowded outdoor market when Steve’s phone vibrated incessantly in his pocket for the third time. His mind immediately jumped to Alex, wondering if he was okay, but he couldn’t exactly answer at the moment. Ready to be done with this chase and praying the call wasn’t anything too serious, he jumped up onto a low, narrow wall. Now moving faster than the man attempting to push his way through, it took less than a minute to catch up. Launching himself off the wall, Steve tackled the man to the ground.

“Oh, just give it up,” Steve grumbled at the still-struggling man underneath him as he wrenched the suspect’s arms around and zip-tied his wrists together. He pulled the man back up to his feet as the rest of his team finally caught up. “Book ‘im, Danno.”

After they had pushed their way back out of the market, Steve finally fished his phone out of his pocket.

3 Missed Calls - Kapi’olani Medical Center

He stopped dead in his tracks, heart in his throat, as he played back the voicemail they’d left for him. It didn’t give him much to go on, unfortunately, but since the woman had introduced herself as a child advocate with the hospital, that didn’t bode well. He didn’t hesitate to call her back.

The other end rang twice before the same woman who left the message, Alana Kelekolio, answered.

“Yeah, this is Commander McGarrett. You called about Alex? Is everything okay?”

. . .

As Steve stormed into the office, he didn’t fail to notice the two people in the room who were clearly not medical staff, but for the moment he ignored them, opting to head straight for Alex, who had stood up as he had entered.

“Hey, you all right, kiddo?” Steve asked, wrapping him in a hug.

“Shoulder hurts, but otherwise I’m fine.”

Steve snorted. “Yeah, that happens when you dislocate it. What happened?”

Alex shrugged his good shoulder. “Got my feet tangled up with Nathan’s fighting for the ball during practice and fell.”

“Yeah, you might need to spice that story up a bit before you tell it to anyone else.” That comment finally pulled a small smile out of the teen as Steve turned to address the other two people in the room. “So we’re good to go then?”

“Not quite, Commander.” A man Steve vaguely recognized as Alex’s social worker stood up and stepped forward. He’d been by the house a handful of times, but Steve honestly had a hard time remembering his name; he didn’t leave much of an impression. Robert something, maybe? Robert Kent? That sounded right. “If I could have a word with you alone?” he asked, gesturing towards the door.

Once they had stepped out and the door had clicked shut behind them, Robert continued. “This is negligence at best, Commander.”

“What do you mean?”

“You are Alex’s only emergency contact.”

“Yes, and here I am. So what?”

“The only reason I am here is because the hospital couldn’t get a hold of you.”

“I was literally in the middle of chasing a human trafficker through Chinatown. What was I supposed to do, huh? Ask him to wait while I answer my phone?”

“And that is exactly why Alex’s case is going to be reviewed.”

For the second time in an hour, Steve felt his heart jump into his throat. “What does that mean?”

“It means I think someone was a little quick to hand you Alex’s custody, so there is going to be some careful thought as to if this is really the best situation for Alex.”

. . .

“I could have punched him, Danny. Was it oversight on my part? Yes, I’ll admit that it was. Initially I wasn’t sure who else to put down since chances are if they can’t get me then they wouldn’t be able to get any of you guys either. So I put it off -- a little too long evidently -- but reviewing his case over that?”

Danny sat quietly, watching as Steve paced, waiting for him to finish.

“I mean, isn’t that a little extreme? Especially coming from a guy who talks to Alex for maybe ten minutes in a month. He doesn’t know anything.” Steve stopped with his back to Danny, a long sigh escaping. “He’s finally starting to settle a little and they’re about to take all of the progress he’s made away.”

“That does seem like a little much,” Danny sighed when it seemed like Steve was done. “Especially for something that’s a quick fix. Did he tell you how soon they’d make a decision?”

“End of the week.” Steve plopped down into one of the chairs opposite Danny’s desk, rubbing wearily at his temples.

Danny nodded. “Okay. I’m assuming you plan to fight this if they decide to pull him, right?”

“You have to ask?”

“If it comes to that, you know I’ll do whatever I can to help. I’ve got your back, babe.”

Some of the tension bled out of Steve’s shoulders at Danny’s words. “I know. I know you do. Thank you.”

. . .

Alex stopped at the end of the driveway, staring at Steve’s truck with a frown. They’d left at the same time that morning so Alex knew Steve had driven himself to work. If it was here, that meant Steve was home already -- very, very early.

Which likely meant something was wrong.

He parked his bike next to the garage and went inside to find Steve sitting on the couch, elbows on his knees, chin resting on his clasped hands, face pensive.

Steve dropped his hands, face softening slightly, when he noticed Alex. “Hey.”

“You’re home early, which is never a good thing. What’s wrong?”

Sighing deeply, Steve motioned to the spot next to him on the couch.

Alex dropped his bag onto the stairs and sat down.

“I already tipped you off, so I’ll just get right to the point. You -uh, you remember on Tuesday when you got hurt at practice?”

“Hard to forget. Go on.”

“The hospital called in child services when they couldn’t get me right away, and that made them...less than happy.”

Alex’s stomach dropped. When he spoke, the words didn’t feel like they were coming from his own mouth. “They’re taking me away, aren’t they?”

Steve sighed again. “They want to, but I’m not letting that happen without a fight. I told you from the start that I’m not gonna leave you on your own, and I meant it -- I still mean it. I have a hearing with a family court judge in a few weeks to decide the final verdict.” He wrapped an arm around Alex’s shoulders, and the teen easily melted into his side. “I’m not going to let them take you, Alex. Okay?”

“Okay. I trust you.”

As true as those words were, they still felt hollow on Alex’s tongue. He wanted to believe them but he knew it wasn’t as simply as that either. No matter how much faith he had in Steve, they could still take him away.

And there would be nothing either of them could do about it.

. . .

The hearing was not going well and Danny knew it. Robert Kent seemed bent on removing Alex from Steve’s custody and was bringing up every even slightly questionable thing Steve had ever done, whether it related to Alex’s care or not.

And Danny was done listening.

“And furthermore, it was clearly negligence on Commander McGarrett’s part in failing to list a second emergency contact.”

“Your Honor, I’m sorry to interrupt, but to be honest, none of this is in any way relevant.”

“Detective Williams, this is not your forum, and I do believe I am perfectly capable of determining what is relevant and what is not.”

“Yes, I am aware of that, and I apologize -- I really do -- but if I may, I have something I need to say.”

“I do believe you will already be giving a statement.”

“I will be, but this has nothing to do with what I’ve planned to say, your Honor.”

The judge was silent for a moment before saying. “I’ll allow it, but keep it brief, Detective.”

“Your Honor, with all due respect, if you allow Alex to be taken from Commander McGarrett’s custody based only on what you have heard so far, then you will be making a huge mistake.” He paused, taking a deep breath. Steve was either going to hug him or kill him for this later. “I’ve known Commander McGarrett for a long time now, and I will be the first to admit that I hated his guts back then. I thought he was completely irresponsible and reckless. But here’s the thing: he’s downright terrible at first impressions. So forget the bad first impression you’ve been given here so far today because what you are probably thinking is exactly what I thought, too. But the fact of the matter is, your Honor, that I trust him with my life and, moreover, with the lives of my own children.

“See, first impressions don’t tell you everything about a person. My first impression didn’t tell me that his guy was going to give me a place to belong in a place that I hated and a family in a place where I had no one.

“If the other members of Five-0 could be here right now, I know they’d say the same because Steve McGarrett likes to fix broken things. He has again and again taken the outcasts and the misfits and given them a place to call home. All of us at Five-0 are a family.

“And Alex is part of that family now, too.”

Danny paused; he’d been told to keep it short and he was sure he’d already talked longer than the judge wanted, but he hadn’t been stopped yet either.

“Right now, Mr Kent is trying to tell you from a collection of ‘first impressions’ why Commander McGarrett is unfit to be a parent, so allow me to tell you why Mr Kent is dead wrong.

“In the past eleven months, Alex has gone from withdrawn and emotionally volatile to outgoing and emotionally stable -- as stable as any teenager can be, anyway. In the first three months alone Alex was diagnosed with PTSD, properly medicated to help mitigate symptoms, and started in therapy -- all things that should have happened much sooner but were easily overlooked as he was written off as a ‘problem child’ and quickly passed around between homes like he didn’t matter -- and maybe to those people, he didn’t.

“But therein lies the fundamental differences between everyone else Alex has been placed with and Commander McGarrett: instead of calling Alex the problem, he addressed the problems Alex had, and -- maybe even more importantly -- he has never once even considered giving up on Alex.

“Commander McGarrett may not be the perfect parent, but he is a good one, and he does genuinely care about Alex’s well-being and wants the best for him. One oversight that is easily corrected -- because make no mistake, that’s the real reason why we’re here right now -- should not detract from all the good that has already happened -- and it has happened, your Honor; I’ve witnessed it myself. And that is how I can say with absolute confidence, your Honor, that if you allow this to happen, you will be making a huge mistake.”

Danny sat back down in the eerily quiet courtroom.

The judge cleared her throat. “Thank you, Detective Williams. Your words will be taken into consideration.”

. . .

Alex couldn’t concentrate, plain and simple. Steve had offered to let him stay home from school but Alex had declined, thinking it would be a good distraction. But it wasn’t, and he was seriously considering going to the office and signing himself out for the day. His anxiety was the worst it had been in months so he doubted they would make him stay, but would it really be any better if he went home? He doubted it. So at school he would stay for the long four hours that still remained.

Maybe.

He really wasn’t sold on the idea.

(But, again, being home alone probably wasn’t the best idea either, but those were his only two options.)

He forced himself to take a couple of deep breaths; having a panic attack in the middle of World History would not do.

Somehow he made it through the rest of the class and to lunch, skipping the line and heading straight to his usual table, folding his arms and resting his head on them. Maybe if he could close his eyes and focus on his breathing for a minute then his stomach would dislodge itself from his throat and go back to where it belonged.

“Alex?” The clunk of a tray against the table and the thud of a bad against the floor accompanied the voice.

“Hm?”

“Maybe you should go home, man.”

“‘M fine.”

“Yup. That’s very convincing.”

Alex took a breath and raised his head just enough to glare at his friend. “I’m fine, Koa.”

“Ya know, I actually have to agree with him for once,” Nathan said as he slid into the seat next Koa. “You really don’t look good, man.”

Letting his head thump back down, Alex muttered, “It’s just anxiety. It’s nothing.”

A pause, then, “Alex. Go home. I’m serious.”

Alex knew they were right, but… He pushed himself all the way up, meeting their concerned gazes. “I really don’t want to be alone so school is the better option right now.”

Koa shrugged. “Then call Commander McGarrett.”

“Can’t. He’s in court right now, and I don’t know when he’ll be out.”

As if on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket with a text from Steve.

Steve McGarrett: Hearing’s over. They’ll call with the decision sometime this evening. Are you doing okay?

Alex sighed in relief; Steve always seemed to know when he was struggling and Alex didn’t feel guilty about admitting it if someone asked first as opposed to him just saying it.

Alex Rider: Honestly not really. Steve McGarrett: Omw

“He’s coming to get you, isn’t he.” It wasn’t a question.

Alex nodded. “Yeah. I’m just...gonna head to the office then. See you guys tomorrow.”

“No, you won’t.”

Alex glanced at Nathan as he stood up. “What?”

“No school? It’s Thanksgiving.”

Alex stared blankly for a moment. “Oh. Right. Forgot. Uhm, Monday -- I’ll see you Monday.” I hope.

By the time he got to the office, Steve was already there, still in his dress blues from the hearing, and it took Alex a minute to realize that Steve must have been headed this way to get him already even as he’d texted.

“So how’d it go?” Alex asked as he settled into the passenger seat of the truck.

Steve let out a heavy sigh. “Well, not as good as I’d been hoping, honestly, but not horribly either. We’ve still got a shot.” He paused, shifting into drive and pulling away from the curb. “So what would you like to do with this suddenly school-free afternoon?”

Alex shrugged, worrying his bottom lip. His anxiety was still through the roof so he honestly didn’t want to do much of anything.

“Did you eat?”

Busted. Once again, Steve always seemed to know. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he shook his head, stomach still rather queasy.

Expression full of understanding, Steve nodded once. “Okay. I want you to try when we get home though, all right?”

Alex took a deep breath. “No promises on success.”

“That’s okay. Just try.”

“Okay.”

The rest of the ride was relatively silent apart from Steve assuring him that he didn’t need to worry about school or homework, that they would just relax until they had news. 

Once home, Alex changed from jeans to sweats; no need to be anything less than completely comfortable all things considered. Alex sat down on his bed, listening as Steve went down to the kitchen to find something for them both to eat. Simultaneously exhausted and restless, he honestly didn’t know if he’d rather take a nap or run a marathon. His breathing hitched, and he tried to push everything he was feeling into nice, neat compartments. He knew he shouldn’t, that he should just get it over with and deal with it now, but if he could shove it away for only a few more hours, then he wouldn’t have to deal with it at all. (Because in a few hours they would get word that he was staying -- he would be -- because if he wasn’t, he didn’t know what he would do.)

Calloused hands gently pried his apart, and as Alex’s eyes slowly focused on where Steve knelt in front of him, he wondered when the man had even come in. How long had he been sitting here that Steve had had to come up to get him?

“Oh, kid.”

Those two words were all it took to open the floodgates. An ugly, hysterical sob tore out at the same time Steve pulled him into a hug.

Alex wasn’t sure how long they sat there before the knot in his chest eased and the sobs pettered off into hiccups, but he did know that he didn’t feel any better. Wasn’t that what was supposed to happen? But he didn’t, exhaustion settling even thicker in his bones, his stomach still uncomfortably lodged in his throat. If anything, he only felt worse.

“How are you feeling, buddy? Any better?”

“Not really.”

Steve hummed in thought before he said, “Why don’t you come lay down on the couch and watch a movie with me, and we can go from there. Okay?”

He didn’t want to move, but lying down definitely sounded nice. “‘Kay.”

Steve took one corner of the couch, and Alex curled up next to him, head on the man’s thigh. Some Disney movie played quietly on the TV, but Alex wasn’t really paying attention. Time seemed to drag on; it could have been hours or only minutes before Steve asked if he was feeling up to eating. Alex could only shake his head in response and, strangely enough, Steve didn’t push it.

Then finally -- finally -- Steve’s phone vibrated with an incoming call. Glancing at the ID displayed on the screen, Steve murmured, “This is them,” before picking up. “Steve McGarrett.”

Alex sat up. He had thought he’d feel something when the call came, but all he felt was numb.

After a moment, Steve said, “Thank you very much for calling.” As soon as he’d set his phone down, he turned to Alex and wrapped him in a hug. “Remind me to thank Danny by picking up his tab at Side Street next time. Looks like you’re stuck with me for a little bit longer, buddy.”

It took a moment longer than it should have for the meaning of those words to register, but when they did, Alex almost felt like crying all over again. Instead he tightened his grip and breathed for what felt like the first time in weeks. He couldn’t help but think that maybe Steve really had been telling him the truth all along, that maybe it would actually be true this time.

Maybe he really would never have to be alone again.

. . .

“So, a little birdy named Lou told me you might be needing someone as a second emergency contact for Alex,” Renee commented as she mixed up a salad at the counter. “If you haven’t figured someone else out already, you can always put me down, you know; I don’t mind.”

“Really?” Steve asked, glancing up from the pan he’d just pulled from the oven. “I hadn’t figured that out yet, so I’d really appreciate that actually.”

“Shoots, a sista beat me to it,” Kamekona said from the doorway. “I was gon’ offer, too.”

“As was I,” Max added as Steve turned the corner, carrying the turkey to the table. “Given my profession, I surmised it to be highly unlikely I would not be able to get away if called upon.”

“Great minds think alike,” Jerry piped up next. “I mean, I don’t exactly ever have anything I couldn’t step away from if you needed me, after all, and when I work with you guys I’m not really in the field for all the dangerous stuff, anyway.”

Danny laughed as he came out of the kitchen, carrying more dishes. “So, uh, you think child services will be happy now with that many numbers to choose from?”

Steve couldn’t help but chuckle. As Alex came up beside him, he threw an arm around the teen’s shoulders. “I’ve definitely got a lot to be thankful for his year, you know that? So, thank you, guys -- I mean that; it’s been quite a year and I couldn’t have done this without all of you.”

“You don’t need to thank us,” Chin replied with a smile. “We’re ohana; it’s what we do.”

“Yeah, if anything we should be thanking you,” Kono added. “None of us would be here right now without you.”

Steve looked around at the people he called family and realized that Danny had been only partially correct. He may have created a space for them all to belong, but he needed it just as much as everyone else did. They had rescued him just as much as he had rescued them.

A merry band of misfits -- maybe that was just how it was always meant to be.

. . . .

Tags: @diekatimitdemhutohnehut @just-add-butter

[murphyhatesme]

Sorting it out

Summary: The boys sort it out with a little help from their extended family (notes at the end - AO3 Link )

Steve sighs as he puts his phone back in his lap. Leaving Danny is the hardest part of this but the mission has run its course, he’s done. He needs time to shake the memories, to find the fabled peace of mind. A sense of dread tries to claw its way up from the pit of his stomach, he squashes it but it’s too late. A visual has already wormed its way into his mind, Danny, alone in his chair on Steve’s beach. The urge to get off the plane and back to Danny is strong but he manages to suppress it. He wonders what would have happened if he finally told Danny that the casual ‘I love yous’ had taken a deeper meaning for him over the last two years. This afternoon, for one glorious moment, he thought Danny was going to lean in and kiss him, but his partner turned away and left Steve staring at his back. It cemented his belief that he needed to leave the island, get over Danny, find peace and then maybe he could go back to seeing Danny as his best friend and not a love interest. Then he remembers Danny’s face and the look he gave Steve. He rubs at his eyes, fuck is he making a mistake?

“Is this seat taken?”

Steve glances up in shock, because he recognises that voice.

“Catherine ..”

“Hey sailor”

“It was you? You cracked the cypher?”

She nods her head yes.

“Lincoln got a hold of me, said you guys needed some help. So ..”

“He’s a good man”

“He must be, did you really give him the keys to Danno’s car?”

“Well, we can’t have Danny Williams driving his own car”

“Yes we can, you just won’t allow it.”

They both smile before Catherine sits down and takes his hand, squeezing it slightly.

“What are you doing Steve?”

He sighs, letting his head fall against the rest and closes his eyes.

“I just need to be on my own for a while. Find a semblance of peace”

“No, I’m not talking about that and you know it.”

Cath tugs on his arm and he rolls his head towards her, taking a deep breath before he looks at her.

“Why in god's name are you leaving the one thing behind that can give you everything you are looking for huh?”

“I .. Now listen. We don’t .. Jesus Cath, Danny doesn’t love me that way okay?”

She squints her eyes, a broad smile taking over her beautiful face.

“I meant the team, you know, your chosen family? Funny you immediately jumped to Danny.”

“I ..”

But Cath holds up her hand and shakes her head.

“No. shh. Let me talk okay?”

When he doesn’t answer she prods his shoulder.

“Fine! Were you always this bossy?”

“Yes I was, you liked that about me. And I’m pretty sure it’s why you fell for Danny.”

He shakes his head and opens his mouth but she gives him a look and he makes a zipping motion with his hand.

“Look, I know the past few years have been hard, especially the last months. I, more than most people, understand the need to get away. After Billy, I needed to find some peace but most of all quiet. A place where I could admit to myself that we” she gestures between them “became complacent. We were together because it was comfortable, easy if you will. I love you, very much, but we weren’t in love  at the end. You and Danny? You fit. He loves you. Probably more than he’s willing to admit. And you love him, have loved him for a while now. I don’t understand why you haven’t said anything yet? You were never shy? And I know what you guys got up to in the barracks after the light went out.”

“Can I talk yet?”

“Don’t be a smart ass.”

“Danny and me, it’s complicated. I always thought once we’re settled, with a pension plan in place we would see what we could become. But it was never the right time, always something going on and then a few months ago he started pushing me to date. And then I realised I missed my window.”

She looks at him intently for a moment.

“So nothing happened to make him push you away? Nothing at all?”

“No?”

“So you didn’t sell the restaurant? Told him you weren’t ready?”

Steve blanches, Danny knows it was just the restaurant. Right?

“Danny knows that was just the restaurant!”

He’s aware of the slight panic in his voice as he echoes his thoughts. Cath places a warm hand on his arm and he focuses on that as he takes a deep breath.

“That was your pension. Your happily ever after. The one you pushed to have, together. And then suddenly you’re out? That must have stung and maybe it told him you weren’t ready to take the next step.”

“But he said if you’re out, I’m out. I mean this wasn’t my decision alone!”

“Of course he said that.  He. Loves. You .”

“I know. We’re best friends.”

“Right, I hoped this wouldn’t be necessary but you are .. argh!”

Steve frowns as he watches her raise her arm. Within seconds two air marshals come into the cabin, stopping short at their row.  

“Commander McGarrett,” the marshal, Andy Turner, steps to the side as Cath moves to the empty seat across the path “If you’d be so kind as to follow us.”

Steve narrows his eyes at Cath, he gets up but he’s not feeling kind at all.

“What did you do?”

“It’s for your own good.”

“What did you do?”

He repeats and he’s conscious of all the eyes on them.

“Missing a window is not possible if you are the one crafting it. Also if there was a right time? Then this is it.”

“Cath you can’t force this. It’s not your decision to make.”

She grins at him as she pushes past him to take the window seat.

“As I said, it’s for your own good. Oh and Steve?”

He stops but doesn’t look back.

“Don’t blame the kids okay? They just want you to be happy.”

The marshals lead him off the plane straight into a holding cell. It’s bare, one cot, pillow, sheets and toilet and sink in the corner. They leave him there. He inspects every surface of the small room, already knowing he won’t find any surveillance equipment because monitoring the cells is in violation of the privacy law. He sits down and waits.

Not even thirty minutes later the door opens and Danny comes in, leaning heavily on his cane. When Tani lingers in the doorway Steve suddenly and with clarity knows exactly what Cath meant with don’t blame the kids. He rushes forward but Tani is quicker and she closes the door with a deafening sound. He slowly turns to Danny and goes for the offence.

“Look what you did! Now we’re stuck here.”

Danny hmms, sits down on the cot and purses his lips.

“Do you honestly think I didn't know they were up to something? Steve, you’ve been gone for an hour and a half, when Cath called to tell me you were detained at the airport nobody was surprised. Charlie is a better actor than most of our team.”

Steve grins at that, remembering Charlie’s innocent face when a bag of candy appeared on the belt at the supermarket. Danny catches his eye and Steve’s heart seems to skip a beat. The dread turns into hope and somehow that’s worse.

“So why are we here Steve?”

“Because Cath is a busybody.”

Danny’s sigh is filled with disappointment and Steve’s stomach clenches.

“Fine. We’ll wait them out.”

The silence is oppressing and Steve struggles to keep quiet when suddenly Danny’s cane hits the ground, hard.

“No. You know what? You’re finally going to listen to me without deflecting or running away! You’re an asshole.”

Steve opens his mouth but Danny is suddenly in his space holding a finger up.

“Shut it.  You are an asshole. You were perfectly fine with walking away and not looking back. I get it. I do. But fuck Steve you left me months ago. You twisted your way into my heart, my home, my life and eventually my retirement. And I let you. That is on me. But just when I, we, landed on the same page you dropped me. The restaurant was too much. You couldn’t do it. It wasn’t you. And again I got it. I let you walk out but you kept coming back and I couldn’t handle it. So I pushed you away, onto the dating scene, hopefully giving me a fighting chance to get over you and still I .. Then you told me you needed time. Away from me, from everything you call home and for the last time I told you fine. I thought this is it, I was going to tell you but you shut me down. I just, I desperately wanted to be the reason you’d stay. But this morning made me realise I’m once again not enough. And that’s fine, this is the story of my life. I .. with all my negative thinking, with every imagined scenario you leaving me behind never crossed my mind. That’s how sure I.. Look, I’m sorry. This isn’t fair but damn it! I’m pissed.”

Steve blinks, the hope burst into a million tiny butterflies.

“Okay, sit down before you keel over.”

He helps a grumbling Danny back to the cot.

“I really just meant the restaurant Danno. I could never truly walk away from you. You’re in my heart. I don’t want to give you a fighting chance. You’ve always been enough for me.”

Danny narrows his eyes at him but Steve ignores it and kneels down between Danny’s legs. He tugs him close and buries his face into Danny’s neck, inhaling the familiar scent. Danny tightens his arms around him, mumbling half hearted threats into his shoulder and Steve feels a tension, he didn’t know he was holding, leaving his body. He sags into the embrace, closing his eyes and just breathes for a moment. Eventually he draws back and looks Danny in the eye, he leans in slightly, giving Danny ample time to pull away. But when Danny raises his brow, Steve grins and plants a soft kiss on the corner of Danny’s mouth. Danny huffs and yanks him into a proper kiss, groaning when Steve deepens the kiss almost immediately. He gets lost in the kiss, loving the feeling of Danny’s fingers carding through his hair. They kiss for a long time, mapping each other’s mouths, necking like teenagers on a first date. He slips his hands down Danny’s back, but pulls away when he feels Danny twinge. Right, bruising, from the kidnapping. Fuck.

“Ah sorry.”

“You didn’t beat me up Steve.”

“No but it was ..”

Danny kisses the words out of his mouth and for a moment he forgets everything around him. Until Danny breaks the kiss, sweeping a thumb over Steve’s sensitive bottom lip.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“But Danny, you are the most important person in my life right now and everybody knows it. I can’t do this without you. I’d rather be miserable on my own knowing you are safe than be responsible for your .. So you see now why it’s better for me to leave?”

He looks at Danny willing him to understand only to be met with an eye roll and a cuff to the back of his head.

“I know you like to think you are superman but you do not control the actions of other people Steven. I’d rather have you here, being able to save me than thousands of miles away and not being able to do a damn thing. Afghanistan and Korea taught me that. So if you are going to stay, then make damn sure that this is what you want because if you leave again then we are done. No take backs, no do overs.”

Steve looks away, he’s going to have to stop fooling himself seeing as how he isn’t fooling anyone else. Cath was right, now is the time.

“I hear Jersey is nice this time of year.”

Danny’s laugh is music for his soul and he leans in to taste it.

******

Smiling, Tani quietly closes the peephole in the door. She checks her watch and shoots off a text to Cath  ‘mission accomplished’  seconds later she gets a  ‘I love it when a plan comes together’ back.

Fin

I seem to be on a roll, part of it is that people keep giving me inspiring prompts and another part of it is the fandom collectively deciding we needed a slightly altered ending. This tiny fix it story is based on a tumblr post from mcdannohmygod, @mireilleleerves​ tagged me in it and I really liked the idea. I did give it a twist, though. Hope you enjoyed it!

[chrissys2boys-dannysteve]

The Bodyguard - Part Six available

The Bodyguard (A McDanno AU)

Senator Daniel Williams is facing a problem – a spate of kidnapping attempts on kids of other Senator families in his circle has him on edge.

His six-year-old son Charlie is the guiding of his life, and he’d do anything to protect him. As it turns out, though, ‘anything’ must include hiring the man he slept with and ghosted on six years ago to serve as a bodyguard.

Daniel went on a date with Steve McGarrett that was filled with chemistry, fondness and a night of passion – but the morning after, fear overtook him, and he slipped away before Steve woke up.

Part Six

So my dear readers of the story, this is the last part. Thanks a lot for your likes, reblogs and lovely reviews.

I dedicate this chapter to @gatorasmus. Thanks for being such a wonderful friend to me.

Charlie just wanted to go to bed as soon as they arrived home, and of course Danny could understand that. When he had tucked his son in and returned to the sitting room, however, he and Steve had no chance to rest themselves. Flopping down into his seat, Danny sighed heavily, and let his eyes flick over to Steve on the couch. “You want to tell me what’s wrong now?”

Steve’s brow was still furrowed - his lips slightly pursed. “I know I got him,” he said. “But it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. He should never have been able to pick Charlie up. It was too easy.”

Danny was stunned. “You can’t beat yourself up for that,” he assured him. “These things happen, and… I mean, of course Charlie was afraid, but he’s a hardy kid. He’ll be okay. We got him back. You got him back.”

Steve seemed surprised by this answer, his eyes flicking up to meet Danny’s. There was a sensitivity and vulnerability there so deep that Danny felt he could fall into it – but then, he’d always had a soft spot for Steve’s eyes, even all those years ago. “You really aren’t mad?”

“Of course not, Steve,” Danny assured him. “You saved my son. You did exactly what you were supposed to do.”

Steve scrubbed at his face. Realizing that there’d be no telling-off or angry rant from Danny, he sank back into the cushions. “Okay,” he said, sounding limp. “That’s good. Alright.”

Danny shook his head, clearing his throat. “Honestly, I’m very impressed. It was just like you’ve been telling me. You knew exactly what to do straight away. No hesitation.”

Steve smiled, appreciating the compliments on his job. “I tried my best,” he assured Danny. “I did.”

“I have to admit I was afraid for you,” Danny admitted. “Watching him swing that knife.”

“Afraid for me?”

“Absolutely,” said Danny. The surprise in Steve’s voice - well. Surprised him. Did he really believe that Danny didn’t care what happened to him? “I was watching it happen. I was terrified that something might happen to you - that you might get hurt.”

“It’s all part of the job.”

“Nothing I’d want you to go through,” Danny insisted. “I mean, I…” he trailed off, wondering what the best way to phrase this was, before giving up. Danny was just going to have to come out with how he felt. There was no other way. “I really care about you, Steve. I cared about you when we first met, and it never really went away.”

Steve cleared his throat, meeting his eyes only briefly to confirm that Danny was being serious. When it was clear that he was, those eyes flicked right back to the floor. “But that’s what I don’t understand,” he said. “I’ve been feeling that from you recently - just a little, I mean. Don’t get me wrong. But then why would you have walked away in the first place?”

Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I was just beginning to grapple with my sexuality back then. When I woke up sober, I was afraid of how much I liked you. I knew what it would mean - in my social circles and for my political career…”

Steve’s voice was gentle as he responded. “But the wider world is going to accept you.”

“I know that now,” Danny said. “It’s just… some big steps to take, especially on my own.”

It took a long time for Steve to answer, but Danny couldn’t say he minded. The feeling he communicated when the words finally came was absolutely worth waiting for. “Maybe you don’t have to take those steps alone.”

Danny looked up, finding Steve’s piercing eyes right on his. The intensity of the moment floored him, and he swallowed, feeling that they were looking directly into parts of each other that no human being had ever seen - not even back then on their date.

“Yeah?” Danny croaked.

Steve took a moment before nodding. “Yes.”

The time for pausing was done with. It had taken weeks, but now that the floodgates had opened and the words had been said, they had nothing more to wait for. Danny crossed the room with the sounds around them fuzzy in his ears, practically melting against Steve on the couch.

Steve’s hands were strong and warm as they skated over Danny’s body, sliding up underneath his shirt to immediately insists that it be removed. His eyes were hungry as they traced over Danny’s body. Then those eyes flicked back up to meet Danny’s, spellbound, and they finally leaned closer to kiss.

Kissing Steve was like returning home after a long and tiring trip - like the plane ride that never ended or the political work that never stopped. He was so strong and secure around Danny that there was nothing to be concerned about. It didn’t matter that he was kissing a man, or what the world outside would think, whether good or bad. It felt like they were doing the right thing, and that was important to Danny. Judging by the easy, happy grin on Steve’s face when they pulled apart briefly, it was equally as important to him.

“You want to take this to your room?”

“Yes.”

~

“I’m glad we found each other,” Danny told him, reclining back against the bed where he was placed, watching as Steve stripped off his clothes. “I’m glad we’re getting a second chance.”

“Me too,” Steve assured him, and he sank down to the bed to occupy his mouth with something rather different than a long-overdue conversation.

Hands sliding up his thighs, he bobbed his head over Danny’s length with a skill the Senator well-remembered. If Danny was honest, he’d been living off the memory of the last night they spent together for years. The thought that it was happening again right now was as blissful as the sensation. Well. Nearly.

As they lay together afterward, Steve’s hand loosely carding through the messed-up tangle of Danny’s hair, the events of the kidnapping attempt seemed miles away. All three of them were safe. Judging by Charlie’s reaction to Steve coming to live with them, he’d be even more excited to hear that they were a couple – and that meant that all three of them were happy, too. Frankly, Danny intended to keep it that way.

The Senator’s smile widened as he felt the light press of a kiss against the top of his head, and he glanced up at a rosy, lazy-looking Steve. “You’re thinking too hard, Danny.”

“Only about the future,” he assured him. “About how I’m not going to waste my second chance with you.”

“Mm,” said Steve, kissing the top of Danny’s head again, and humming in mock-disapproval. “Just see that you don’t.”

The city is slowly coming to life and something told Danny that this was the start of a really glorious, lucky chapter of all their lives.

I’m tagging: @murphyhatesme, @surewouldbeinteresting , @82tweeder, @dawilly76, @soarincynindlca, @nephilimeq, @thekitsuneko , @iheartmbm, @power-bottom-steve, @annechoulie, @xsxmxp, @just-fandomthings , @avictoriangirl, @mcdannoangelwolf, @thename-ofthewind, @break233 , @fvckboi-carlile, @mymcdanno, @alexisa1206, @cowandcalf, @kozuszek, @teamfortress2ofresidentevil , @ohmy-mcdanno, @bertolio, @auntie17, @shelton-devers , @minahahj, @telltaleclerk, @saratour, @mkbcaan, @aries470, @neko-suke , @yoko787878, @nathiawarrior, @tinocrane68

[chameleon-of-the-fandom]

Brothers In Arms: Pt 2

Words: 2375 Part 1

Magnum bends over, his ribs aching from the swim. Once he manages to get the pain under control, he stands back up and looks at the man still handcuffed to him. "What next?" He looks around, but there is nothing in sight. He doesn’t understand why these men just jumped into the ocean and dragged him onto this uninhabitable island. Kaho'olawe. With the amount of unexploded ordinance on this island, this trip was going to be interesting.

"Now, we load onto the ATVs stashed a mile in, and we get what we brought you along for." Great, just like Hannah's gold all over again. At least this time he was on land. Despite injuries, Magnum made it to the men's ATVs. Black shirt unlocked the handcuff on Green shirt's wrist and moved it to Magnum's open wrist. "You do anything stupid, like try to jump off the ATV, and he'll," Black shirt nodded at Buzz Cut," shoot you. We might need you for obtaining our treasure, but afterwards? Not so much, SEAL. Now get on with Jack, here." Ah, so Jack was the man in the green shirt.  

Thomas nods. "You got it. Causing no trouble."

"Good." With that, they started up their ATVs and headed into the trees. While riding, Thomas couldn't help but hope his brothers were doing okay. He was planning on doing everything he could to get back to them. At least they weren't here.  Before he knew it, the ATVs were rumbling to a stop. He looked around for a landmark to help identify where they were on the island. Unfortunately, it seemed they were nestled between two ridges. The only thing he could positively identify is the distance from the ocean, roughly a klick. They were stopped on the hill and he recognized one of the nearby gulches swimming in. Black shirt crawled off his ATV and picked his way over to Magnum. "Here we are." Buzz Cut lifted his gun out of the holster to a resting position. As Black shirt undid his cuffs, Magnum held his hands up. "Your objective is to retrieve this box." Black Shirt pulled up a picture on his phone to show the box, then slid right to reveal a map. "It's about 165 yards off this trail to the right. You bring that back to us, and we'll take you back to Oahu and you can go home safe and sound. Understood?"

"Can I know what is in there?" Thomas asks, more out of curiosity than anything else.  

"No. You find out, and we'll leave you here."

"Okay, okay. No looking in the box, grab it, bring it back to you, and I go home safe. How long do I get?"

"We'll be generous and give you 30 minutes."

Thomas nodded and started towards the direction Black Shirt had given him. Since they weren't going to follow him in, he knew he was gonna look in the box despite their warning. They had kidnapped him, he wasn't going to do whatever they wanted simply because they promised him safe passage home.  

About 10 minutes of carefully picking his path while looking for explosive ordinance, and he finally noticed a wooden box, that almost resembled his footlocker at home. He knelt down in front of it, and cautiously opened the box.  

"Holy-" He cut himself off. Rough estimate, there was a million dollars in this box. There was absolutely no way he was taking this back to them. They could use the money to disappear or worse. But, they know where it is. "Screw this, guess I'm not going home." He picks it up, and travels farther into the trees. All this moving is exasperating his injuries but now, he has no choice but to push through the pain. He carries it a couple hundred yards before realizing that if he's careful, he can deposit it on the island and get back to the boat before the kidnappers. They'd be left here with no way off.  Mind made up, he puts the box down and covers it loosely with some dirt. He then spots the beach they arrived on and quickly, yet carefully makes his way towards it.  

Magnum is breathing hard by the time he makes it to the beach, and his ribs are twinging with every breath. He looks back to see if the men have made it down here yet, but doesn’t quite hear them. Deciding to not wait to see where they're at, he runs into the water to start heading for the boat that's anchored about half a mile from the shore.

Rick is steadily pacing, as well as Higgins, TC, and Kumu. His phone rings.  

"It's an unknown number." Kumu shoots him a look.  

"Well? Answer it." She looks back to the phone. He taps the answer button and puts it on speaker.  

"Rick Wright."

"Rick." Thomas' voice comes over the line. "Good to hear your voice."

"Brother, it's good to hear yours. Where are you at?" TC speaks up.

"Currently, I'm sitting on a Coast Guard Vessel about 40 klicks from Lanai Lookout."

Everyone looks at the phone. "Thomas. Why are you with the Coast Guard?" Higgins asks.  

"Um. Long story. Please tell Katsumoto he can call off the search though." He doesn’t think Higgins or Kumu can hear the pain in Tommy's voice but by the slight flinch TC gives off, Rick knows he can hear it too.

"Brother, Katsumoto doesn’t have the case anymore. Five-O took it."   "Okay," Usually, Thomas would crack a joke about Steve, but when he doesn't make it, Rick knows either the pain is really bad, or Magnum's brain is running away. "Would you please let him know he can call off the search dogs?"

"Of course. What can we do?" Kumu asks again.

"N-nothing at the moment." Both TC and Rick catch the stutter from the pain. "I'll have someone drop me off at the Nest when I'm finished giving my statement." Rick catches the unsaid and after I get checked out. Not for the first time since the call, Rick wonders how bad shape Magnum is in, especially to get checked out.  

"We'll see you when you get here, man." TC states with fondness. The line goes dead pretty quickly after that.  Rick looks at his friend. "Orville, we'd better get things ready." Rick agrees. Higgins looks between the two men.

"What does that mean?" she questions.  

A look passes between the two men. "Ladies, it may not be best for you to be around when he gets back."

Kumu reads between the lines and agrees. Higgins still wants the information, so she waits until the older lady leaves before asking again.

"Higgy, look you know you're part of our little family, but Magnum is gonna be fighting some demons when he gets back. Trust us, as much as you want to be here, it might be better if you weren't. It's gonna get pretty dark. You think the Hannah issue was bad? This is gonna be worse." Rick looks at TC, a wordless conversation passing between the two. "But, if you want, you can stay until he gets here."

"I can work with that. Thank you, gents." She accepts.

My fault. My fault. Stop, please. Please. No. Don't touch them. No. I will do whatever you want. Just please don't touch them. It’s my fault. I am sorry. So sorry. The words spin and rattle in Magnum's head.  

"Lieutenant Magnum, I'm Master Chief Smith. Commander Steve McGarrett is picking you up from the dock to take you home as well as take your statement. Paramedics are also waiting to check you out." Magnum nodded at the woman who gave him the information.  

"Thank you, ma'am."   "Of course, Lieutenant." He tugs his arm a little closer to his side as they hit a wave that hurts.  

When they finally arrive back at the port, Magnum makes his way over to the paramedics, who inform him that he probably has a couple broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and to monitor the small nicks and cuts for any sign of infection. His next stop is the black Camaro parked two spaces over.  

"Hey, Steve." "Thomas. You sure know how to take a few years off a man's life." The SEAL grins, relieved to see his comrade alive.

"Yeah, I've had some time to perfect my technique since I saw you last."  

"Hello." Danny speaks up from behind his partner.

"Detective Williams." Magnum greets respectfully.

"Hey, Danny works for me. Nice to meet you Lieutenant Magnum."

"Please, just Thomas."

"Wanna walk us through what happened?" Steve chimes in again.

"I was driving, on my way to see a prospective client, when an SUV pulled in front of me. I slowed down, and couldn't pass it, but it stopped. Three men climbed out, one with a Glock 9mil, the other two with ARs. They had me climb into their vehicle. One of them punched me and the next thing I know, I'm waking up in an abandoned warehouse. They pushed me around a bit, questioned me about the Rosalita."

"Questioned how?" Danny asks, and glares at the look his partner shot him.

"Pushed around, knocked around." Magnum keeps the answers vague. Danny nods in response, sensing Magnum's reluctance to talk about it.  

"They didn't like the way I phrased some of my responses, so they cracked a couple ribs. We were there for about 3 or 4 hours. After that, they got me back into the SUV and we drove to a dock. We loaded into that boat and drove over to just off Kaho'olawe. There was a box full of money they wanted me to retrieve. Unfortunately, once I saw it, I took off in their boat."

Steve nearly jerks backward, only his training keeping him from moving. Kaho'olawe was known, well known even, for being covered in unexploded ordinance.  

"I know how you feel about your clients, Magnum. But I gotta ask, is it possible they were targeting you?" Steve asked.  

"Possibly. I'd hate to put a client in that position, but it's very possible that they set me up. All one would have to do to find my past is search my name on Google." Magnum looks at his friend. "After our escape, we were very... well-known. We even did a press conference. "

Danno looked thoughtful at this new avenue of information, "I think we have all we need. Steve?" He turns to his partner.  

"I think you're right, brah. Magnum, we'll keep you updated and informed of any new information. Just don't do anything stupid." The man in question simply nods in response, more than happy to just go home and see his brothers.  

As Steve pulls into the Nest, he sees some of the blinds in the guesthouse fluttered, and knows Magnum's friends were waiting on him. Once he has the car in park, he turns to the SEAL in the backseat. "We're here. Seems like TC and Rick are waiting."

"Yeah." Thomas takes a second to shore up against his nerves. The words my fault have yet to leave his head.  He knew TC and Rick would help him get rid of the words, but he feels like he deserves the pain they cause. He opens the Camaro door, and thank Steve and Danno for the ride. He knows he is stalling, but he isn't sure he wanted to go in, to have his burden alleviated. It feels like it's his burden to bear, not something he deserves help with. He listens to the car tires crunching gravel as he makes his way to his home.  

As soon as Thomas walks in the door, Rick and TC jump up off the couch to greet him. As they walk up to him, Magnum nods, letting them know it was okay to hug him, something they hadn't done since their time in hell. They pull him between them and fold him into a hug, where he sags, happy to be home and relieved that he made it.  

Rick is ecstatic his brother has made it back to them, but he can see the torment in Tommy's eyes. A look that he's seen very little since they made it back from Afghanistan, one that was present when Nuzo died, and when Higgins got injured helping them solve a case. Dread sinks like a pit in Rick's stomach at that look, and he shoots a glance at TC, hoping the other man had seen it. When TC barely moves his head, Rick knows the pilot had seen the same thing he had. "You're here, you're okay." Rick starts to murmur, knowing Magnum is fighting not to visit a flashback. "This isn't your fault." Those words are going to make an appearance at some point today, so it's best to get a jump on fighting those thoughts off.  

Juliet had stuck to her word and as soon Magnum had walked through the door, she'd been gone. But now that she was sitting in her study, she was horrified. His shoulder was a lovely shade of bruising, and the way he was walking- well, she knows that walk well. His ribs were, at the least, cracked, if not broken. But, the thing about him that scared her the most was his look of fear, and self-recrimination. Like he was blaming himself for the entire situation. Which, knowing him, she reasoned, is probably very true at the moment. Now she understands why Rick hadn't wanted her and Kumu there when he arrived. He looked miserable. Hopefully his brothers can help pull him out of the pit he's digging himself, and quickly.

TC knows it's gonna be a long evening, when Rick murmurs that it's not Tommy's fault, and he flinches at the words as if fighting their effect on him. Both uninjured men guide Magnum to the couch, and help him gingerly sit. They take their place on either side of him and put gently pressure on his arms, cognizant of the damage done to his shoulder and the extensive bruising coloring it. It's not the first time they've helped him heal this way, it's probably not the last. Unfortunately, TC thinks.

The End (for all)

Thanks to those who read this! I appreciate it. Let me know what you think, even if you think it sucked. I feed off the comments! Thank you!  

[soarincynthia]

New McDanno fanfic!

Hey y’all, here’s my new fanfic, I hope you enjoy it!Stay tuned for the sequel chapters!

It was quiet when Steve walked into the 5-0 headquarters, he had spent the morning in court, testifying for their latest case at the new prosecutors request, normally his partner would do this, but he was currently visiting his parents in New Jersey so Steve had to do it, As he quickly looked at his watch, he saw it was past 12pm, which explained the quiet, the rest of his team was certainly on their lunch break, he quickly did the maths in his head to calculate the time in Jersey, maybe he could try and call Danny,he had been gone for almost a week and he really missed his partner "STEVE, STEVEN,Come on buddy!" Danny's voice came from Tani's office at the other end of the headquarters, what was going on?

"Danny?Back already, babe?I thought you were flying back next weekend, what happened?" Steve was at the door in a few strides and quickly entered the room without knocking, scanning the room for his partner His smiling face turned into a frown when he realized the sound came from the screen on the far wall of the office, the rest of his team sitting in front of the tv with big popcorn buckets

"What's going on here, guys? What are you watching?" « Told you guys he would be back soon and he wouldn’t be happy” Lou smiled with an I told you so expression Jr looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, while Jerry looked deeply interested in his popcorn, looking everywhere but at him, only Tani had the balls to smirk, though a blush crept up her cheeks, “Well, see, boss, it all started when Jr here kept going on and on about your heroics in the field and how you were so strong and so amazing blah blah blah, “Oh really, thank you Jr” Steve smirked watching Jr, who blushed crimson instantly, man, he forgot how fun it was to make the new recruits squirm Tani continued: “So naturally I had to shut him up and I told him that while you were a great boss and commander, in many ways, Danny was the better detective and deserved more credit” Lou intervened “And of course this resulted in the kids fighting all week, so I asked Jerry to prepare us a few of your best moments, both of you and Danny, and now we’re rewiewing evidence to determine exactly which daddy is the best and the strongest, Not that I care but I just couldn’t stand listening to the kids bickering anymore” Steve shook his head,his team could be badasses when it came to being under fire and catching the worst criminals in the islands, but they also could act like stupid college students in a frat dorm “Ok, then who’s winning for now?” “We’re on a tie, after Lieutenant Williams flying into Korea to rescue you, and you flying into Colombia to rescue him, so we’re trying to break it now” Jr responded, looking at him before looking at Tani who smiled softly “Ok, then what are we waiting for, hit play and let’s find out who’s the strongest, a navy commander a Jersey cop” Steve said before taking a chair and sitting next to Jr, looking at the TV and stealing a handful of popcorn “Just one minute,boss” Tani said, fiddling with her phone for a few seconds, before putting it down and hitting play on the remote “Ok, here we go” “Steve, you son of a bitch, don’t you die on me now, you hear me?” Danny’s voice resonated in the room, and suddenly Steve found his eyes filling with tears hearing his partner’s desperate tone, Truth to be told, he had never looked into what happened that day, never requested the file or listened to the recordings, what use could it be for him, he’d been there, lost a liver, gained a new liver and nearly died, he didn’t need to know anything else, Oh but how wrong he had been, he clearly had missed out a few important details, like how this had also impacted his partner’s life Yeah, Steve had acted like a selfish prick, as Catherine had called him in one of their phone conversations during his convalescence Steve watched in horror at the screen, it was a news flash info showing the beach being cleared out, the plane coming closer and closer,before crashing on the beach, Danny’s discussion with the control tower resonated in the speakers, the guy asking Danny to land in the water, Danny refusing to do it, choosing to put the plane on the beach, to leave a chance to Steve to survive, at the risk of his own life, then Danny coming out of the plane, yelling at his team to come get Steve, that he was still alive, clutching his own ribs, walking with difficulty, but still yelling and fighting for his partner and best friend Damn, he never realized how brave Danny had been, of course he knew his partner always had his back but he knew that in that plane, while he was unconscious, Danny had been left fighting for both their lives, and yet he never hesitated, he chose the best option for Steve, never even giving a second thought for his own life, for his kids, for his family, he had been ready to put everything at risk for a little chance for Steve to be safe, damn that took some courage, the kind of bravery that even some of the best of the best seals wouldn’t have been capable of; Steve looked at his hands in shame, all the times he had made fun of Danny, ribbing him about his height, his moody grumpy attitude, damn, he’d even went as far as telling him his son would grow up to hate him like he did, just hours after Danny had saved his life twice, by landing the plane on the beach then by giving him a piece of a vital organ, his mom would have slapped him good, if he’d heard him being so ungrateful while growing up. “Here is Lara Hough, reporting live from Honolulu, Hawaii, where a reduced 5-0 team is currently in operation, Earlier in the day, Commander McGarrett, head of the 5-0 special force has been injured while undercover on a mission, which resulted in his team continuing the case without him, his second in command Lieutenant Williams, who earlier in the day landed the plane carrying the injured Commander, acting as head of the force for the rest of the case, even though he appears to be injured himself, if the way he is walking is any indication As you can hear,and see, the firefight seems to have now ended and the team is currently walking out with their prisonners, let’s see if we can talk to Lieutenant Williams or Lieutenant Kelly to get more informations” But before the reporter could even call out to the team, the camera panned to Danny, his face bloody and tired, still clutching at his ribs, talking on the phone, speaking a few words to Kono and Chin, before getting into the camaro and driving off like a racedriver “Well, it looks like the force team has received an important message and must move now, so we will try and catch up with them later, let’s wait for the head of the HPD Duke Lukela, to give us more details on this case” Steve didn’t wait for the end before he took the remote from Tani’s hands, switching off the TV “Ok, I get it, Danny wins this one, guys”Steve said, looking at the young ones, “I agree, sir, that was seriously badass” Jr added, looking like a kid meeting one of his superheros Steve nodded, his mind still couldn’t process how this small haole cop could be so jaw dropping amazing, he knew he’d made a great choice in picking Danny, the man was loyal, protective, sweet, a wonderful father, a great cop, his best friend but man, this was exceeding his craziest expectations, Danno was just awesome, as Charlie would say, and Steve could only nod, the kid was right about that, his partner was just awesome and he wondered how he could have been so lucky to draw his gun on him 9 years ago, yet so blind not to be grateful for his luck Yeah, making Danny his partner was clearly the best decision Steve had ever made, and suddenly he knew what he needed, what he’d needed all along, he had to go see him, he had to talk with Danny, and he couldn’t wait for the weekend, he had to go to him, maybe he could go home early today, pack a few things and call the base to see if he could get a flight on a navy plane, that way he wouldn’t have to wait for the next flight out of the island to the mainland, Maybe he could call the base now, see what he could do to go see Danny as soon as possible, maybe he could even see if the Governor could lend him his private plane, after all the team needed his second in command to work properly, maybe…. “Boss?” Tani’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “Your plane leaves in an hour, I’ve saved you a seat, Lou will drive you to the airport, Jr will take care of Eddie until you both come home, and you already have a bag of clothes in the camaro’s truck, so off you go, go get your boy” Steve just smiled softly at her, standing up, kissing her on the cheek quickly, murmuring his thanks, before fleeing the office with Lou behind him, muttering something about idiots in love making him run, Jerry excused himself, with a boyish grin and an admirative smile directed at Tani Jr just looked at Tani with wide eyes “When did you get him a plane ticket?” “When he came into the room and took a seat to watch with us, remember I was on my phone for a few minutes? I was on the airlines website, booked him a seat then” “How did you know he would want to go to Jersey?” “Boys are so thick, seriously babe, you want to be a cop, you have to learn to observe things more closely, Steve ran in because he heard Danny’s voice, you’ve seen how they both are with each other, how close they are, they both are head over heels over each other but they were too stupid to admit it, so it was up to us to push them in the right direction, mission accomplished, tada!” Jr just shook his head “You are good, remind me never to doubt you again” Tani smiled proudly “And don’t you forget it, now forgive me I have to go call Kono and settle a little bet, oh and would you like to have dinner with me tonight, as a date I mean?” Jr blushed, before nodding his head and smiling at her “Good, then pick me up at 7pm?See ya later,Junior”Tani winked at him before exiting the room, her phone already on her ear “Yo Kono, guess what?You owe me 200$, yup I did it….”

Now alone in the room, Jr took a few minutes to look at the file Jerry had bought in with him, going through it quickly, he had to admit that while Steve McGarrett was clearly a model for Navy seals, if he wanted to make a career into 5-0, it was Danny Williams he should look to emulate, his track record and experience were unbeaten, he now understood why Steve had asked Danny to take Jr on the field, he knew everything about being a Navy Seal, but he had to learn how to be a cop, to be any good at this job. He clearly needed to apologize to Lieutenant Williams for the way he disregarded his career and importance in the team, his place as Second in command in the force was clearly well deserved. Shaking his head in amazement, Jr put the file back in the desk drawer, before making his way out of the HQ, Since there was no pressing case, Jr decided to leave early, he had to go to Steve’s house, pick up Eddie, maybe go for a swim or a run for a while to manage his anxiety, then get ready, he had a date tonight with the perfect lady.

[dannowilliamsrp]

@hikariyaoishipper Part 3 of your McDanno request 

Part 1 and Part 2  

“You wanna name the baby Matty?” Danny asked with disbelief. 

After his talk with Catherine about named, they decided that Matthew Joeseph was a perfectly good name. Steve wanted to tell Danny as soon as possible. 

“Yeah!” Steve said with a bright smile. He was sure this was a great idea, but the look of uncertainty on Danny’s face made him frown. “What’s with the face?”

“What face?”

“You stole my aneurysm face!” Steve accused. When Danny did it again, he pointed it out, “There, you did it again! What’s wrong with the name?” 

“Nothing! It’s my brother’s name...” 

“We know,” Steve said as he grabbed Danny’s hand and pulled it to his lips to kiss it. “Look. I and Cat are so damn grateful to have you guiding us through this. But sometimes it feels like...you’re unsure? But not like that! Not about us...but...your place with the baby.” 

“Cos it’s your baby,” Danny said automatically but then he caught himself. “It’s our baby...”

“That’s right.” Steve nodded in agreement. 

Danny sighed and pulled Steve into a hug. When he pulled back he kissed his boyfriend before telling him. “I’ve been through all of this with Grace and it was one of the best times of my life. Watching and experiencing her grow until she was here, in this world, in my arms...it was...Steve, it was so damn special. It’s part of why I couldn’t forgive Rachel from keeping Charlie a secret from me...this is your first kid, babe. From the start like this and I...I’m okay taking a back seat because I want you to feel all the amazing emotions as you watch as day by day, little by little...that lil angel begins to become just a bit more  real...”

Steve couldn’t deny that he felt very emotional at Danny’s speech. He can only hope he’ll be half the father Danny is. He pulled Danny in for a passionate kiss. 

“I love you...so much,” Steve told him. 

Danny smiled, “I love you too...are you sure you’re sure?”

“Now more than ever.”  Steve nodded firmly. “Danny, not once have I felt that you’re overstepping at all. In fact, I’m constantly looking around to make sure you’re there cos I don’t wanna fuck it up...and you are. And I want you to be. You know how important this is...you’re not gonna enjoy it for me, you’re gonna enjoy it with me. And this kid, oh Danny this kid is gonna be so spoiled with love...and he’s gonna have part of Cat and part of me...and with his name...he’s gonna have part of you. So you see? It’s more than perfect...please say you like it...”

Danny teared up a bit before he pulled Steve into a kiss, “Yeah, I like it you big lug.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Grace asked Catherine as she handed her some water. 

Catherine accepted it happily and took a long sip. She was in the guest bedroom of the McGarrett/Williams home. They were days away from the due date, so they wanted her to be around rather than on her own. 

“My head’s about to explode, I’m as big as a house, my ankles are swollen...I can’t say I recommend this to anyone.” She said with a small pained laugh. 

“My mom was the same with Charlie,” Grace said before reaching over to rub the belly. It took months for her to get comfortable just doing it. She knew it was rude in many circumstances, but over the last couple of months, Catherine’s become a bigger part of their lives than before. The people who could freely rub Cat’s tummy without the threat of getting a finger snapped were Steve, Danny, and Grace. 

“Was it hard?” Catherine asked suddenly. When Grace gave her a look that silently asked ‘what?’, Catherine continued, “Liking a little brother you thought was of a different father?” 

Grace thought about her answer for a moment before she said, “It was weird. I had gotten used to their divorce sorta...being here in Hawaii was also different. Danno’s new family with Five-Oh was also very different but accepting. Things were tensed between mom and Stan and Danno...Stan felt threatened. Though Danno probably thought the worst of himself with Stan’s job and status...he was the one that was happy. Charlie was a surprise and for a while Stan was happy but..he wasn’t a Danno.”

“How’d you mean?” Catherine asked. 

“Danno left his whole family and life back in Jersey to come and be with me...Stan, even though with mom being pregnant with what he thought was his son didn’t have a problem leaving for a long time because of his job.” Grace explained. “Might sound selfish but it made me happy...I felt some jealousy, but I knew I had the better deal. I had Danno.” 

“Will you...”

“Matty will be my baby brother too. And he too is lucky. He’s got all of us.” Grace said with a smile. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catherine went to labor the next day. Everything seemed to be going as normal as possible. During labor, she actually broke one of Steve’s fingers, but he was so stressed he didn’t even notice until after. 

Catherine got to hold and kiss the baby once before...tragedy struck. She began to seize and Steve and the baby were escorted out of the room. One of the nurses took the baby and Steve stayed by the doors to watch with bated breath as panic and dread washed over the happiness and joy he had felt moments before. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m very sorry for your loss...you’ll be able to see the baby soon. Do you have a name yet?” A nurse asked Steve, but he was very out of it. 

Danny was the one who answered, “Matthew Joseph Rollins.” 

Steve let out a choked sob before hiding his face in the crook of Danny’s neck. The baby named after three amazing people that passed before their time. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was sad to write that but I hope you did you justice in your request ^^ 

[amarabliss]

Eia Au, Eia ‘Oe ~ Here I am, here you are - 13 (Steve McGarrett/Twin Sister & Danny Williams/Reader)

Just a things begin to return to normal again after Steve’s arrest and escape, Steve’s twin sister comes walking into their lives McGarrett style dropping an emotional bomb. Danny is intrigued finding it hard to resist that McGarrett charm, finding it irresistible in ways he never thought possible…

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six* Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Elven Part Twelve

*Contains music you must listen to, to better set the mood…Trust me…

You felt cold as you sat bound to a chair. You could hear people close by but their voices we’re muffled and not being able to see was making your anxiety rise faster.

A door opened and instinctively you balled up your hands bracing yourself for whatever may come next. You winced as a blinding light hit your eyes when they removed the hood from your head, “Jesus…we said extract her not beat the shit out of her…”

Your eyes focused quickly when you recognized the voice, “Leo?”

“Hey buddy…” A dark man came into your view after he released your hands. He reached up touching your face causing you to wince, “You’re a mess…let’s get you to medical.”

He began to help you up and cringed putting a hand to your side, “Leo…what’s going on?”

He put your arm around his firm shoulders sighing, “Brass didn’t take your no seriously…but enough that they forced you back.”

You stopped looking around the hall. You pulled your arm away from him. You’d been knocked out on the way here and had no sense of what time it was or where you were, “Where are we?”

Leo frowned looking down, “Y/N, we all tried…”

“Where are we!?” You repeated as your voice rose.

“Chabahar.” You looked over to see Tree and the rest of the unit standing in the hall looking at you. They all looked ashamed.

You took a deep breath and looked away from them trying to remain in control. You had to now…you didn’t have a choice, you were working, “Where’s my brother?”

“Y/N…you should see-”

“Where is he?” You snapped at Leo making him take a small step back.

Tree stepped forward nodding for Leo to take off as he began helping you down the hall. You looked up at the ginger as he helped you walk, “Was this your idea?”

He looked down to you and then away, “If you wanna blame someone…sure…but it wasn’t our unit that extracted…”

“Kidnapped.” You corrected.

Tree let out a soft sigh before speaking again, “It wasn’t us…we refused, and brass moved without us…”

He opened the door letting you inside a holding room. Steve reacted about the same way you did, but was fortunate to hear your voice to the rescue, “Steve…”

He relaxed as you undid his hands and pulled the hood off. From the look on his face, you looked awful, “Y/N …”

“Steve…” You swallowed down your emotions looking him in the eyes, “brother I need you to be my second right now…more than that actually…I’m not…I need your help.”

He put his hands on your shoulders leaning his forehead against yours as he nodded. He could feel your anxiety and tension. Worse he knew exactly what was going on with you, which is why you were taking the camping trip together.

He sighed as you spoke again, “They’re not going to let me go, but I don’t know if I can manage…”

“We will figure it out…First, we need to try and get you home. No matter what we have to try…” He whispered looking into your eyes, “Then we figure out the next step…remember, it’s all about steps.”

Your brother, your protector, the man you shared so much with strode over to Tree hands balled up and jaw set. You almost wanted to let it happen, and you could see Tree ready to take the assault Steve was about to rain on him, but something in your gut stirred, “Steven…”

He stopped almost immediately when you used his formal name. He swallowed down the knot in his throat letting his nose flare as he exhaled and spoke very clearly, “I need to speak to who is in charge.”

Tree nodded slowly, “Happy to retrieve him for you, but let’s have him meet you in medical. Prince looks like she needs some help.”

Steve looked back to you as you stepped forward holding your side, “Fine…we’re also going to need a SAT phone or computer. I’m sure our family is worried.”

Medical was about what you expected for a Spec Op joint, sparse. You checked out, just lots of bruising, more than likely as a result of radiation and chemo mixing with being handled in a rough manner. Steve was worse off then you with a busted lip and bruised ribs.

However, he was more concerned with your care. Letting the doctor know everything. Your cancer, your condition, your meds.

You let out a sigh as the doctor looked over at you nodding to Steve, “I can get everything if…if things don’t end up fairing your way…”

“Whoever’s in charge has got to understand that, Y/N is sick. She can’t operate in the field. You should have some input into that right?” Steve stood up putting his shirt back over his bandaged chest.

“I can put in some input yes…but I don’t get the final say. I will stress it though.” Steve seemed satisfied as he stepped over to you.

“Steve…” You looked at him apologetically, “I…”

When you didn’t go on he sighed, “Not exactly the weekend I had planned…and you know when I said I had a craving for field rations this is not what I meant.”

You let out a laugh as he took your hand. He always knew what to say to bring you back. Always had since as long as you could remember.

“Something funny?” You both looked over to a gruff looking man. Older then the both of you, but not quite retirement age.

“Yeah…your idea of asking people for help.” Steve practically placed himself between you and the Lieutenant Colonel, “You’ve not only kidnapped the both of us, but have put my sister’s health at great risk.”

“Mr. McGarrett…” The man began placing his hands behind his back as he took a step forward.

“Commander.” Steve corrected him, you both saw the irritating look he flashed them. Essentially, your brother and this man were the same rank just different branches.

He cleared his throat correcting himself and spoke slowly, “Commander McGarrett…I’m sure you know that your sister is involved in some sensitive missions.”

Steve glanced back at you taking in a deep breath, “Y/N, only ever mentioned that she was involved in high level extractions and worked with a Delta unit to proceed with these missions.”

“Well one mission forced her into the field. We need her back in order to capture Sharif Nadim.” Steve watched your posture change at the mention of this man. The Colonel looked to letting his arms drop, “You see why it’s imperative that you’re here?”

“I don’t…” You looked over to Tree then to Steve, “I can’t promise anything, sir. I am very sick…and… if I do this I need Steve to be my guardian.”

“Wait…” Tree stepped forward protesting.

“Done.” The Lieutenant Colonel nodded quickly before looking to Tree, “Get them up to speed…and read Commander McGarrett in.”

“I also require a secure line…” You glanced at Steve again, “We have people who are no doubt worried and looking for us.”

“I’ll have one set up and waiting for you once you are fully informed of the mission.” He nodded slowly.

He left them in the room alone with Tree. You stood up, “Andy…it isn’t personal. Steve and I have a bond…he will know if I’m compromised before I do.”

“I’m not upset about that.” Tree shook his head frowning, “I just remember this guy being super skittish…anything out of the norm and he bolts.”

“I remember.” You nodded slowly, “But he’s the only way to Nadim.”

“Wait…” Steve looked between the two of you, “we’re not dealing directly with Nadim?”

“It’s a … complicated situation. We’re meeting with a man named Whalid…he fancies beautiful, strong, fair complexion women.” Tree crossed his arms, “Sketchy little dude…but knowledgeable.”

Tree explained everything while the doctor finished up his tests and devised a treatment plan. It was fairly simple and to the point. Steve would pose as your brother who was taking over for the unfortunate ‘death’ of Tree your former bodyguard.

“What happened to the tall red haired man?” Steve stood near your chair watching you swirl warm bourbon around in a glass. You paused as Whalid stood waiting for an answer, “You say he no longer works with you, I find it hard to believe you would just let him leave…”

A cruel smirk appeared on your face that made Steve’s stomach drop for a moment. You played your part well. The dossier on your persona was a cruel arms dealer who wouldn’t hesitate to sell to even the darkest scum of the earth, if the price was right, “There was an unfortunate incident and he’s no longer with the living.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, I found him funny.” Whalid relaxed a little finally stepping over to you and taking a seat pouring himself a drink.

“Don’t be…people who steal from me get dealt with. Usually a bullet to the head is enough, but dear McCoy set an example for several others who doubted me.” You smiled at him before reaching back taking Steve’s hand in yours, “I’m in better company now anyways…you remember me telling you about my brother?”

“This is him?” Whalid smirked looking at Steve, “You two looking nothing alike.”

“I take after my mother.” Steve spoke for the first time since Whalid entered the lavished hotel room, “Sis, takes after dad.”

Whalid laughed pointing up at him, “This is funny! You are a funny man, sir.”

“Charlie.” You looked up at Steve holding up the glass, “Could you get me some ice please?”

Steve took the cup between his fingers moving away as Whalid relaxed further leaning toward you, “Echo…it’s been a long time…what can I do for you?”

[cowandcalf]

Alternative first meeting - McDanno AU - Headcanon

@space-ace--ravenclaw-demigod

Imagine...Steve’s parents are alive, still happily married, living in Hawaii. Steve’s mom is a school teacher at Kukui High, his father is a great cop at HPD. Mary has married Kawika, her high school sweetheart (because I ship Mary and Kawika so hard and I put them in every fic I can to breathe life into this ship - Mawika) and they have a daughter. She’s four years old and her name is Maleah-Joan (Maleah is Hawaiian and means ‘calm or gentle waters’) and she’s an adorable toddler who loves flowers in her hair and her Uncle Steve. Kawika is the head of Kapu and a highly respected leader of his people. Kamekona is Maleah-Joan’s godfather and he spoils her endlessly.

So, Steve Lieutenant Commander McGarrett is on his way home. He has returned from a black op in which Freddie almost got killed but they made it out alive. It was Steve’s last mission before he’s on shore leave and he has just made it home. He can’t wait to see his family. He’s bone-deep tired and no one knows he’s coming home. He wants to surprise his family.

He gets out of the cab and walks the short distance to his home. He hears animated chatter and instantly recognizes Mary’s and Kawika’s voice. Happy little giggles tell him his niece is there too and there’s another voice he can’t place. A male voice with a funny accent.

When he walks up to the small group of people sitting on the lanai Mary spots him first. She stares shell-shocked at her brother and covers her mouth with her hands. She starts crying. “Oh my god, Steve, oh my god. I missed you. I missed you much. Oh my god, Punk...” And she runs toward him and lunges at Steve and into his open arms. And Steve catches her with ease, cradles her head and buries his face at her throat. Steve’s just as overwhelmed with feelings. He scrunches up his face when he chokes on air. He missed his little sister so much.

Maleah-Joan comes screaming and running towards her uncle and Steve crouches down with Mary in his arms to hug his niece and Kawika flashes him a bright smile, tears glinting in his eyes, too when he walks over to the little group. Kawika wraps his arms around all of them and for a moment they sway not able to say any words. Mary laughs and cries and kisses Steve’s cheek over and over again and Maleah-Joan laughs and screams and hugs her Uncle Steve with her little arms. “it’s good to have you back, brah,” Kawika pats Steve’s shoulder and ruffles his hair. “Look at you, looking good, man.”

Steve’s eyes travel over to where the stranger stands aside with his hands shoved down the front pockets of his slacks. The wind dishevels his blond hair and this guy stares right back at him. “Who’s that?” Steve asks Kawika.

“Oh, that. That’s Danny. Detective Williams, he works for the HPD and dropped by for a coffee.”

“What’s his name again?” Steve asks still hugging Mary and Maleah-Joan.

Kawika grins and waves. “Danny Williams, come over, meet my brother-in-law, Steve McGarrett.”

[five-wow]

i’m watching 10.21!!! [insert excited but apprehensive noises]!!!

by the time you’re reading this i’ll be done watching, so as always, thoughts under the cut:

i opened up the episode, steve’s voice said “previously on ha-” and i paused it because i actually need some food before i do anything right now.

food (and coffee that is 90% milk) acquired! the previously on is just the last few seconds of the previous episode, and oof, it reminded me how hilariously evil this micheal claypool sounded with that intense british accent they gave him (surprise twist: the h50 finale is actually the new bond movie), but now he just showed up on steve’s doorstep and he looks like a really kind somewhat older man, gosh.

steve: “please uh, come on in and make yourself at home.” danny, wherever he is right now: “NINE YEARS. I HAD TO WAIT NINE YEARS AND THIS GUY JUST SHOWS UP AND-”

mr. claypool comes in, sits down, hands a still standing steve a letter and then gathers his coat and briefcase and is immediately back out the door, fdjkfd. also, omfg, i don’t like that doris is still causing drama from the grave, but i have to say, it’s impeccably in character, at least.

steve looks a little disbelieving and unhappy about the contents of the letter, which is not great. it couldn’t have been just a nice “hello my son, sorry you’ve had to live without me for these past four months, i wanted to tell you one last time that i love you and hope you’re doing well”, could it? (for that matter, does mary get a letter??? it always feels like mary either got out in time by not going into anything like law enforcement and therefore not getting pulled into her family legacy of dangerous shit all the time, or like she’s just been outright rejected by their parents who keep building all of their mysteries around steve.)

okay so now we’re watching a woman and her son being held hostage by two criminals who probably killed a cop and want her to stitch one of them up, and obviously they’re bad guys, but one of them just said “think bus boy’s got a thing for you” about the dude who just rang the doorbell and hand delivered a toy the kid had forgotten at a diner and yes!!! i agree!!! and it looked super cute so maybe you could just put your guns away and let them fumble around each other for a little before one of them finally asks the other out on a date and then they end up as a really cute little family.

oh SHIT crush guy just burst into the apartment and really, really seems to know his way around a gun and how to hold his own in a fight against armed criminals. oh! ohhhh, this is the new character they were going to introduce that would potentially have become a cast member if the show had continued without steve, isn’t it? ahhh. that makes sense.

while the woman calls the police, crush guy (who heroically saved her and her son and got shot in the process) just. leaves. that’s not suspicious at all!

the intro!!! feelings!!!

we’re at the cemetary where john mcgarrett rests so i expected to be shown steve, but instead we get?? danny rolling up in the camaro to look at steve crouched by the grave? oh my gosh. ten times better.

danny is SO WORRIED. and he is RIGHT because steve is acting very unlike steve.

fdjkfdjk OF COURSE doris’s message is a bunch of symbols. doris!!! you do not write goodbye messages to your son in wingdings!!! be a good mother for maybe once, perhaps, my gosh!!!

!!!!! steve telling danny he just doesn’t think he really cares anymore and wants to be done with doris’s whole thing is !!!!! very good!!!! i am using too many exclamation points and very aware of it but !!!!!!

i just. look. i just. steve has SAD FEELINGS and he TALKS ABOUT THEM with DANNY and this is pretty much a dream come true. YES. not the sad feelings, i’d rather have happy feelings, but after everything these characters have gone through they need to acknowledge that there are sad feelings before happy feelings can be had.

also, omfg, i had a brief heart attack because steve says joe’s name but he says it with an abandoned “and” kind of tacked onto it, a little mumbly, so it sounds like “losing joe’n- and mom” and for a long moment i was like, losing joan?? what?? because that would not be okay, holy shit, no.

on a lighter note, steve: “i’ll drive.” what a suprise!!! truly a shocking turn of events. :p

yes, steve, antagonize the scary-looking dude who is grieving over his dead brother while standing over the dead brother’s body in the morgue. i’m sure that’s a brilliant plan.

wait what, we suddenly see adam and junior who are talking on the phone because junior called adam to give him an update, and then adam goes, right, but the bad guys don’t know the address yet, and we do! and it turns out he is. standing in the apartment both parties are looking for right at that second. uh. communication, adam, dear lord.

there is some team organizing in hq around the case and then they all disperse and danny looks ready to follow steve into his office but then he gets distracted by tani asking to talk to him for a minute, and then they go out onto a BALCONY that i don’t remember ever having seen before? omg. secret headquarters balcony.

tani asks about steve!! she is worried too!! i’m forgetting about the balcony betrayal and having intense feelings again.

fdjkfd danny tells tani that steve has been running non-stop and is getting burned out and tani asks “alright, well, what are we gonna do about it?” and with absolutely zero hesitation danny goes “i’m gonna force the issue.” i don’t even think that’s a bad plan per se! but the quick and determined way he says it has me laughing anyway, like danny’s been daydreaming while the team was talking about their case and thinking, hm, what can i do to help steve? i know! i’m going to push him in a corner and keep him there and make him FEEL his FEELINGS. danny’s solution here is to throw a grenade at steve, but like, one full of love and caring and hopefully pancakes.

danny is telling tani that he’s seriously concerned about steve’s functioning on the job at the moment and meanwhile steve is out with junior interviewing a guy with an axe. fdjkfd.

okay so steve and junior catch the bus boy crush heroic rescuer guy (whose name is cole) and he won’t talk, and then junior arrives back at hq and tani comes out of her office to talk about steve again, ahhh. she is so worried! and junior is extremely uncomfortable because he feels like he has to defend steve and he ends up saying that steve will deal with things in his own way and oh junior, no, sometimes being hurt and pushing it away is not the best thing. even MORE reasons why steve needs to work through this in a healthy way: he’s setting a very destructive example for junior.

meanwhile steve is chilling on the floor of their rendition room “interviewing” cole all on his own, which seems to boil down to psychoanalyzing cole in a way that sounds suspiciously like steve’s pulling apart pieces of his own mind but attributing all of the problems to cole because that’s way safer than admitting that maybe most of these are his own issues, too, that he’s giving voice to for probably the first time ever.

steve to himself cole: “you’ve been here in this hole since [name of place where tragedy happened]. you‘ve put yourself there.” SUBTLE.

fdjkfd i paused at the perfect moment because immediately after that sentence cole goes “you know, something tells me i could say damn near the same thing about you” and uh, yes. thank you for making my point in-universe, cole, gosh.

steve: [gives a hard stare for a second and then switches back to cole’s current situation without addressing cole’s comment at all]

ahhhh there is a shot that starts with lou, tani and quinn around the tech table analyzing a video that shows our Bad Guys of the moment holding the poor diner lady and her kid hostage (again!) and then moves smoothly through steve’s glass door into his office where he and danny are having a heated discussion about the case and twirls around them. that was very cool!

so the bad guys want cole or they won’t release their hostages, cole wants to do it, danny wants him to do it and convinces steve after multiple little scenes of them disagreeing about it, and then military police comes in and takes cole away, preventing them from actually carrying out their plan. oops!

and THEN cole escapes out of a vehicle with three men guarding him, hah. i’m definitely seeing the heavy handed parallels with steve they’re throwing at us, omg.

danny about cole to steve: “i think this guy might be crazier than you.” i kind of love that every time a new intended team member shows up (tani, junior, i'm pretty sure quinn too?), danny has to compare them to steve in some way. it’s a rule. every time anyone says something vaguely snarky steve physically can’t stop himself from saying “ah, did you know you sound just like danny williams?” and every time someone does something ill-advised yet heroic, danny is obligated by the universe and the wiring of his own heart to go “ugh, you remind me of steve.”

cole gets a pass because he did good stuff and is a war hero, steve and cole make friends, and then cole says he noticed the cypher on steve’s desk and we’re back to the thing i thought this episode would focus on way more heavily.

steve HAS been doing research to try to crack it! danny was right about steve not being able to let this go.

cole knows a guy who’s good at cracking codes! i guess that’s a neat way to connect him to steve’s finale plot and move it along at the same time, haha.

steve is still at the office when his phone rings and it’s danny and then steve walks onto his beach where danny is waiting for him in their two chairs with two beers, and i love that, especially because we don’t hear danny’s side of the phone conversation but it was a very short scene so what did he say, exactly? “come home, i’m lonely, i have beer”?

steve: “what’s the face, you got a face on, your face” fdjkfd. eloquent!

SCREAMING. “you think lincoln is my new bff? yo, no one can replace you, you’re my danno!” i am. oh my gosh. this is steve reassuring HIMSELF, not danny, but it is also incredibly sweet and YOU’RE MY DANNO. now THAT’S the kind of content i want. yes. good. holy shit.

danny says to stop doing “that”, by which he means deflecting, and steve just goes “okay” and looks uncomfortable but starts talking anyway and i LOVE THEM. this is a good, healthy friendship.

steve: “i kinda feel like i’ve been protecting everybody except for myself, does that make sense?” YES. YES, STEVE, IT DOES, and i am VERY GLAD you’re saying those words with your own mouth.

i am making very high pitched noises at the moment. a) steve says he can’t take a break “here” because there are too many memories and that SCARES ME because he SHOULD NOT LEAVE THE ISLAND but also really really validates a fic idea i’ve had for ages in a way that i love, b) steve says “i will say this is how i thought it would end for us, couple old guys, sitting on a beach, watching sunsets” and YES oh my gosh, and c) then DANNY GOES, “i mean that sounds great to me, we can still do that” and HELLO YES it is SO GOOD to hear them VOICE these things that they’ve obviously both wanted for literal years and which we’ve been shown through steve’s clinginess when danny wanted to retire and danny’s bringing steve in on the restaurant thing and danny’s literal dream of him and steve sitting on that very beach as old men with steve telling him he loves him. just, my gosh, this is all those things but put into words that they are saying and it is very validating and sweet and necessary and scares me very much about where this is going, but for the moment i adore it.

the episode has two and a half minutes left and i’m kind of feeling like this is enough. let’s just end it here. happy end, guys, let’s all go home! except steve and danny, who are already there, obviously, and should do the opposite of move, ever.

OH. OHHH. steve tells danny he doesn’t know anymore and danny looks sad and then steve continues about how he’s been trying to distract himself with stuff like “a bunch of dating, which was nice, but didn’t help” and the RESTAURANT gets a mention though i’ll admit it’s one that’s very confusing because steve says “when it closed”, which... it didn’t, as far as we had been told until now? isn’t kamekona still running it? i always assumed he’d have turned it into a very successful bussiness venture.

danny looks UNHAPPY ABOUT THINGS STEVE IS SAYING and i relate, while i’m at the same time weirdly very very proud of him for saying these things? i don’t want him to feel this unsure about everything (particularly whether he can stay in hawaii, because it seems that’s what he’s talking about and that’s Bad), but it is a needed breath of fresh air to have stuff that happened and that he’s been bottling up for ages actually impact him emotionally.

okay, fjdksfdjslfs, danny suggests steve should GO TO JERSEY and says that steve has NEVER BEEN and i get that this is mostly kind of a joke but actually YES, STEVE. GO THE FUCK TO JERSEY. that would be perfect! danny can subtly follow you under the guise of an extended visit to family and you can spend time there together exploring danny’s home state instead of steve’s and you can come back home to hawaii when you’re ready and it would be beautiful and a very nice, symbolic way to end the show. we start with danny moving to hawaii to find a home there, and we end with with steve moving to jersey to realize where his home is.

this argument though, it’s giving me life. steve when danny starts suggesting other places, angrily, for no good reason: “now i HAVE to go.” danny, both giving and getting up: “i’m gonna get another beer.” steve, calm again: “okay, i’m gonna go to jersey.” danny: [walks away while steve yells after him about all the recommendations he’ll need for when he’s in jersey]

danny is inside to get the beer, hears a noise, finds a burglar at steve’s desk, fights him, destroy half the living room and is found by steve who also heard noise from the house and suddenly keeps saying “yo” to danny a lot this episode.

of course the burglar was there for the cypher that doris sent steve, because she can never just pop up in steve’s life in a way that isn’t  somehow dangerous to him and everyone around him. it was good, though!!! a very nice cliffhanger.

final thoughts: VERY GOOD, VERY INTENSE EPISODE. i liked cole more than i expected for a character that gets introduced as potential main cast in the last two episodes of a show that’s by now already been cancelled (that could have been problematic, but i think the writers handled it well by brick-to-the-face using him to explore steve’s issues) and i love danny being so worried about steve and tani following his lead and wanting to talk to everyone close to steve about how worried she is, too, and everything steve says has ME worried about how they’re going to end this, but so far, it’s also amazing A+ perfect fanfic fuel, holy effing shit. EMOTIONS. FEELINGS. STEVE HAS THEM. it’s literally that easy to please me, fdjkfd.

and i will say that while i’m worried about him and he’s clearly hurting and there are ways the show could take this that i won’t like (steve leaving the island at the end of the show while danny stays, mainly, which would be kind of horrible in all kinds of ways), i do somewhat love seeing steve deal with the fact that he’s older than he was ten years ago, he’s never really worked through all of the incredibly horrible shit life kept heaping on him, and he’s just getting really damn tired of everything. old, tired steve is a good thing; it’s the start of a new chapter, one where he hopefully doesn’t keep clinging to that endless denial of hurt and his tendency to put the job above everything including his own mental and physical health. i just hope, hope, hope that this last chapter that we actually get to watch play out on screen will be one that ends in a place that feels right, because this could either end perfectly or so, so badly. 🤞

[sojourner-between-worlds]

Burn the Ships, Chapter Seven

A/N: Sorry for the delay; holidays are rough for me, so I didn’t even start writing this chapter until New Year’s Eve. XP

As a disclaimer, I know pretty much nothing about how the foster system works, but I just go back to Danny’s very true words to Lou: “He always gets what he wants.” I have no doubt that would also be true here. :P

Also, shout out to SilverLightRaita and their fic Crashing and Saving on AO3 because that was 100% the fic that opened my eyes to the possibilities. So if you liked this and want more after this concludes next chapter, be sure to check it out!

. . . . .

Chapter Seven

“Hey, Danny. I don’t think we’re going to make it tonight after all.”

Alex couldn’t help but eavesdrop from where he lay on the sofa, guilt settling in his gut. Commander McGarrett had been upstairs for a while, but now it sounded like he was out in the kitchen. He didn’t remember hearing the man come down, so he must have dozed off; Alex wished he could actually fall asleep like he longed to do.

“Yeah, he’s asleep on the couch. Can’t really blame him for crashing; it’s been quite a day.”

He had no idea how long he’d been laying there, but it had been long enough, apparently. The numbing agent they’d given him while getting stitched up had worn off, leaving behind a dull, burning ache. It didn’t really hurt, per se, but it was uncomfortable.

“It wasn’t hard. I just told them he’s a witness in a case and offered to keep him in protective custody. It’s Christmas Eve -- you really think they’d argue? Someone’s gonna swing by on the twenty-sixth, but with any luck…”

Alex frowned. McGarrett had said he wasn’t going to abandon him, but now that Alex thought about it, he didn’t actually know what that was going to look like. The future had never seemed so uncertain.

“Yeah, we’ll try to swing by sometime tomorrow, but I can’t make any promises. I’d better let you go, though -- get back to the party. Wish everyone a merry Christmas for me.”

The guilt swirling in his gut rose in his throat at the realization that McGarrett was missing out because of him. Would he ever stop ruining people’s lives by simply existing?

The couch cushion dipped near his hip, and a moment later calloused but gentle fingers combed through his hair. He couldn’t help but lean into it a little.

“Hey, buddy. Food’s ready. Think you can wake up long enough to eat?”

Instead of answering, and without bothering to open his eyes, Alex murmured, “‘m sorry.”

“What for?”

“You’re missing the party because of me.”

A soft laugh. “Yeah, well… I know I said this morning that this is an annual thing, but the truth is, it’s really not. We plan it every year, but you’d be surprised how many times we’ve ended up working so it just didn’t happen. And that’s okay. Sometimes other things are more important -- like the teenager asleep on your couch after getting shot. You know, the usual.”

Alex finally cracked his eyes open to find that the only light in the room now was what streamed out of the kitchen. But even in the dim light, he could tell McGarrett was smiling. He huffed, sparing a grin of his own. “Yeah, I’m sure today was a totally normal day at the office.”

“You might be surprised. Crazy things happen a lot around here.” McGarrett stood up. “So anyway, I’ve got homemade pizza out in the kitchen. What do you say we get some before it gets cold and put on a movie or something?”

Alex nodded as he pushed himself up with his good arm; even keeping his weight on his right, he couldn’t help but wince at the unwelcome pressure on his left. “Okay.”

Commander McGarrett’s smile turned sympathetic. “And maybe get you something for your arm.”

Now that he was sitting up, the injury was throbbing a good bit more than it had been. “Yeah, that definitely sounds good, too. Thank you.”

For everything, he wanted to add, but judging by the look on the commander’s face, he already knew. . . .

Steve was pulled from his slumber by the incessant vibrating of his phone against a hard surface, and he couldn’t help but pray to every known deity that it wasn’t work-related. Eyes still closed, he fumbled around the top of the table beside him and finally picked up the device just as it went to voicemail.

Peeling back his eyelids, he discovered he was still in the living room, late morning sunlight streaming through the windows, with his feet kicked up on the coffee table and one teenaged boy curled up under his arm, face smushed into his hip bone.

That cannot be comfortable, he thought as he brought his phone to life.

One missed call -- Danny Williams

No doubt wondering if they were coming over since a glance at the time told Steve it was after nine already. Rather than risk waking Alex, he shot his partner a text, complete with photo evidence of why he was choosing not to call.

A moment later, Danny responded: That cannot be comfortable. Poor kid must really be out of it. Dinner’s at 1. We won’t wait unless you tell me otherwise then.

Steve tipped his head back against the couch, gaze wandering down to where Alex lay, still peacefully oblivious. The kid had made it all the way through It’s a Wonderful Life and the Santa Clause before losing the fight halfway through the Polar Express. Steve had been surprised he’d made it that long with how exhausted he’d seemed. He knew he’d have to wake Alex eventually, but a little longer wouldn’t hurt anything.

The peaceful silence only lasted a few minutes longer before Alex stirred, slowly blinking his eyes open, brow furrowed slightly like he wasn’t quite sure where he was yet.

“Morning, Alex. You slept a long time.”

He slowly rolled onto his back with a grunt and a yawn, his eyes sliding shut again.

Not completely awake then. That was fine, though; there really wasn’t any rush, so Steve would let him wake up when he was ready.

The silence settled comfortably around them again, and Steve thought maybe Alex had dozed off, but after a moment, Alex muttered into the quiet, “I haven’t slept that well in a long time.”

That was… concerning to say the least. But Alex had copped to having nightmares already; maybe that was all he meant. “You usually don’t sleep well, huh?”

Alex shrugged. “Bad insomnia mostly, and when I do sleep it’s always...disturbed, so.”

Steve winced; he knew exactly how that felt. For the longest time, he had pushed down everything that had happened with the Hess brothers, but when he couldn’t anymore, he’d been subjected to the same sleep patterns. It wasn’t fun.

Alex finally sat up, scrubbing the grit from his eyes. “I -- uhm, I overheard you on the phone with Detective Williams last night. I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but you should go. Don’t let me keep you here.”

He hadn’t been expecting that to be the second topic of conversation for the morning, but he asked the question he’d been planning to, anyway. “Do you feel up to going?”

Alex looked up, clearly startled. “What?”

“Do you feel up to going?” Steve repeated. “Because I’m not going without you.”

“Why not?”

“Well,” he sighed, “we’ve always kind of had this thing between us -- Danny and I. As you already know, Danny is divorced, which means he only gets his kids for Christmas every other year. Since I don’t have any family on the island, it kind of became this unspoken thing -- that no one should have to spend Christmas alone. And Danny -- he’s got Grace and Charlie this year, so… It’s entirely up to you if you want to go over there or not, but I’m not leaving you here alone, either.”

“I’d be intruding…”

“No, you wouldn’t. In fact, Grace would probably be thrilled to have someone else her own age around.”

Alex studied him intently for a moment before turning away with a nod. “Okay. Then, let’s go.”

“You’re sure?”

“I want to.”

“Okay.” Steve smiled. “I know they’ll be happy to see you.” . . .

Steve fell into bed that night tired but content. He honestly hadn’t been sure how Alex would do, but he needn’t have worried at all.

“Hey, Charlie! Merry Christmas, buddy!” Steve stooped over to pick up the boy, and Charlie instantly clung to him like a koala.

“Merry Christmas, Uncle Steve! Who’s that?”

Steve turned to smile at the teen still standing awkwardly by the door. “That is Alex. He’s going to be spending Christmas with us. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Steve chuckled as Charlie squirmed back out of his arms and marched up to Alex, completely unafraid.

“Do you like Legos?”

Alex floundered for only a second before he replied, “Uhm, yeah. Yeah, I guess.”

“Come on.” Charlie reached up and grabbed his hand. “Grace was building with me, but now she’s helping Danno, so you can help me instead.”

And that had been that. Steve had watched them for a moment, but almost as soon as they’d started, the tension had drained from Alex’s shoulders, and Steve had headed for the kitchen, confident they’d be okay by themselves for a bit.

As it turned out, they had been more than okay. Within the hour, it was apparent that Charlie had dubbed Alex his best friend for the day. He had insisted on sitting next to the teen at dinner, and when they’d made gingerbread houses that afternoon, Alex was the only one allowed to help him.

Neither Steve nor Danny could figure out exactly how that had happened, so later that evening, as they were settling in to watch a movie, Danny had asked.

“You seem to be pretty good friends with Alex already, huh, buddy?”

Charlie nodded. “Yes. He needed a friend.”

Danny smiled. “You think so?”

Charlie nodded again, his face completely serious. “Yes. So I thought I could be his friend.”

Steve chuckled. “I think you made a good choice, buddy -- a very good choice.”

Charlie nodded a third time. “I think so too.”

As soon as Alex had come back from the bathroom and sat down, Charlie had plopped down in his lap as the opening credits of How the Grinch Stole Christmas rolled. It wasn’t a long movie, but by the end, Steve could tell Alex was starting to drift so they hadn’t stayed long after Charlie was put to bed.

As soon as they’d gotten home, Alex had headed to bed as well; his arm had started to bother him again though he’d been fine most of the day, so Steve had quickly checked it, rewrapped it, and had given him ibuprofen before he crashed.

It had been a good day, and Steve hoped it would be another good night as well. . . .

Alex woke to bright sunlight streaming in through the gaps in the blinds, feeling surprisingly well-rested. He had startled awake around three o’clock but had obviously managed to fall back asleep. Frowning, he stared up at the ceiling for several moments before rolling out of bed. He hadn’t slept this well since before his uncle’s death; why was it suddenly so easy now?

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found Commander McGarrett sitting at the dining table, sipping at a cup of coffee with his work tablet in front of him. If he was working, Alex didn’t want to interrupt, but he also knew he would feel awkward rooting around in the man’s kitchen to find something to eat; he didn’t live here, after all. Debating his next move, he stood there, one hand still on the railing, for who knew how long before the commander looked up and saw him.

“Morning, Alex. Sleep alright?”

Finding his feet again, he moved towards the table. “Yeah, thanks. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

“You’re not. Besides, it’s paperwork; you can interrupt that any time you want, and I will thank you for it.” McGarrett stood up. “Let’s get you some breakfast.”

“No, no!” Alex was quick to protest, holding his hands up in front of him. “You don’t need to do that.”

“Do what? Feed you? Because I’m gonna have to disagree with you there.”

“No -- just -- I can do it myself. You don’t have to get up.”

McGarrett took a sip from his mug before speaking again. “Is that why you were standing there for a solid minute not moving? Because you didn’t want to bother me?”

Dang it. He’d been made from the start. But the commander had been nothing short of hospitable -- more than, honestly -- up until this point, and Alex didn’t want to put him to extra work. “There’s still pizza in the fridge, right? I’ll just eat that.”

The commander raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to eat pizza for breakfast? You’d really prefer that to -- I don’t know -- scrambled eggs?”

Alex had to admit that sounded good, but… “I mean, it has Canadian bacon on it -- that’s technically a breakfast food.”

McGarrett snorted, sitting back down in his chair. “Alright, have it your way. I’ll just go back to my exceptionally boring paperwork.”

Sighing in relief, Alex stepped around the corner into the kitchen, grabbed a couple of slices from the fridge and dropped them on a plate, then returned to the table and sat across from McGarrett. “So, when do you suppose CPS is going to show up?” he asked, taking a bite from the first slice.

“Hm?” McGarrett glanced up, pausing in his typing. “Oh, the lady was already here -- eight o’clock on the dot, as a matter of fact.”

Alex’s brain stuttered. “Then why am I still here? I thought…”

The commander folded the screen over the attached keyboard, giving Alex his full attention. “You thought you were gonna be shuffled off to another foster home?”

“I assumed -- I mean --.” Alex cut himself off as the realization hit him. He was staying here?

“I’m petitioning for your custody. It didn’t work in California to be shuffled around, so why would it work any better out here? At least, that was my reasoning. You need to be someplace where you’ll have time to settle and, Alex, I won’t lie: that can take months -- especially given what you’ve been through. And if no one is willing to give you longer than a week, then you’ll just end up right back where you started. I can’t promise I’ll even be a good guardian, but if there’s one thing I can give you, it’s time.”

He sighed. “Look, I’m not going to force you to stay with me if you don’t want to, but you should know that if you choose to leave, I’ll still be here for you, okay? You can always come to me if you need something or if you have a problem. I told you I wasn’t going to leave you on your own, and I meant it. Okay?”

Alex steeled himself, heart in his throat, to ask the question he was most afraid to hear the answer to. “What about Agent Branning? He could contest this, couldn’t he?”

McGarrett nodded. “Yeah, he could, but I don’t think he will. Even if he does fight it, I’ll fight back twice as hard, and I’ll keep fighting until it happens.”

Alex let out a shuddering breath. He had so many questions he wanted to ask. “Don’t you have to be, like, certified to foster though?”

“Also yes, but you let me worry about that, alright? You don’t need to worry about a thing; just leave it all to me.”

Alex swallowed harshly. He was not going to start crying again, dang it. But there was one last thing he had to know. “Why are you doing this? It’s just… it’s a lot, and you barely know me.”

“Honestly? It was the best way I could think of to get you out. I told you it’s time to burn some ships of your own, right? The idea behind that phrase is to move forward with no chance of going back to where you were. So if you don’t want to be a part of that work any longer, then I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you don’t feel like you have to be.”

Alex let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Okay.” His voice was shaky, but he was holding back the tears so he considered that an accomplishment, at least. What had he done to deserve this kindness? Absolutely nothing. He had lied and broken his promises and run away. Yet Commander McGarrett was giving of himself so freely anyway.

After a pause, McGarrett asked, “So, I take it this arrangement is good, then? You’re good? We’re good?”

Alex smiled and let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, we’re good.”

“Good.” He flipped the tablet screen back up again. “Eat your very strange breakfast, then we’ll talk more, alright?”

In response, Alex picked his slice back up and took a bite out of it, feeling like maybe he would finally be able to rest for the first time since his uncle’s death.

Maybe there was hope for the future after all.

. . . . .

Tag List: @diekatimitdemhutohnehut @ghostly-homo @grungeweasel @just-add-butter

[imalifegen89]

A Legacy Left Behind - Chapter 2 - The Lions of the Valley - Part 2

The Aftermath...

Commander Joe White’s Office, Naval Command, Bagram Base -

Afghanistan

Two days after the raid of ‘Lions of the Valley’

(Seven days after Major John Sheppard's retrieval from Parwan)

After two days of intense briefing and debriefing sessions that took place in the CIC- starting with Commander Joe White in person and many other higher ups in Naval Intelligence Command who joined from the States via secure video links, Steve was finally free from their grasp. He knew that Kono and Adam were still going through the same process with their respective agencies.

The three targets of the mission, Victor Hesse, Anton Hesse and the newly identified Wo Fat had already been transported to a location unknown, for thorough debriefing sessions.

Steve entered his CO’s office and took a seat in front of Commander Joe White as ordered.

“Well Steve, now that you have tied up here nicely, how would you like to take some leave and go home?”

Joe White took the slowly spreading smile on the young Lieutenant’s face as an affirmative.

“Yeah. I thought so. I have arranged for the bodies of those SEALs to be transported in two days time. You can handle the escort from here to Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The requested escorts for the other two SEALs will take over from you there. I take it Hart will be taken to National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific?”

“Yes Sir. He was from Hawaii, so the funeral will take place there.” Steve replied.

“Well then, you can take care of it. Details have already been sent to Hickam and somebody from there will help with the arrangements. Leave has been approved for your team and I’m sure Danny will find an excuse to tag along with you.”

“That, he will, Sir,” Steve agreed. Danny Williams believed that Steve was in constant need of supervision and that he was the one to provide it.

……….

As promised, two days later the military cargo plane transporting the bodies of the fallen SEALs, with Lieutenant Steve J. McGarrett and SCPO Danny Williams as their escorts, took off from Bagram to Pearl Harbor-Hickam on their journey back home.

Unknown Location

Ten days after the raid of ‘Lions of the Valley’

(Fifteen days after Major Sheppard’s Retrieval from Parwan)

"What Happened Human?"

The figure known as Mr. Smith flinched and tried to maintain his less than dignified kneeling position as the Wraith's pissed-off hiss reverberated inside his skull. He felt the dark and slimy presence of the Wraith known as Mind-Reaper pick apart everything that happened throughout the past month with disdain.

Mind-Reaper was not happy that Mr. Smith did not show up as soon as possible when he could not retrieve their Hybrid. Mr. Smith was doing his best to mentally list the reasons for his disappearance; he had to avoid the SGC team in Afghanistan to keep his cover, he had to avoid the other soldiers from the Navy, Army and Air Force who were on high alert, he had to renegotiate with that asshole Wo Fat and crazy Hesse brothers for a change of plan. All of this took time when you had to keep looking over your shoulder. But none of the reasoning was doing anything to placate the Wraith that was busily shredding his mind, giving him the mother of all headaches.

Finally after what felt like hours but was in reality just a few minutes, the Wraith released him and started to pace. Mr. Smith swayed and placed a hand on the floor to keep himself more or less upright while still kneeling. He fought against the nausea and headache and did his best to concentrate on what his master was saying. This was the first time the millennia-old Wraith had ever shown any trace of frustration. The thing barely even moved from its throne during all other reports; preferring just to skim over Smith’s mind to see the plans coming through as directed. And the plans had been coming through as well as they could; even after the fiasco in Canada. Smith had managed to get the things back on track until this stupid pilot from nowhere had gone and destroyed everything.

……….

Now that was a turn he never saw coming. Smith had been standing there in a state of shock, stranded right next to the chopper that was destined to die a fiery death. Smith had known what was coming the moment he had seen the soldier with the radio calling for help. He had barely managed to clear the area before the pre-arranged deadly gift made an appearance. Once he made his return, he had witnessed the SEALs who had answered the SOS, busily securing Sheppard and placing markers for body collection. He had wisely stayed hidden and then gone in search of his masters. And he had found bodies instead. Despite receiving shock after shock, Mr. Smith had gotten on top of the situation and managed to secure and clean up the scene of carnage, before anyone else got any wiser.

‘But the pilot, oh that FUCKING ASSHOLE of a pilot...’

Mr. Smith or any of his agents had still no idea how that slip of a man managed to kill a mated pair of Wraiths. They had done everything they could; except ask for another Wraith master to read the asshole’s mind. That was a risk he had not been willing to take at all at the time. They had interrogated the fucker to hell and back and he had still stuck to his guns stubbornly. Smith had a grudging respect for the man's tenacity. He had sent the blood and tissue samples he collected during the session and their specialists had come up with nothing. No traces of anything in the man’s blood, drugs or otherwise to suggest that he was capable of killing a Wraith. He had even stuck a few Ancient gadgets in the man’s face to check for ATA gene at the end, but again, there had been nothing.

Smith still couldn't figure out how the SGC knew to show up when they did. He had barely managed to escape. The incompetent soldiers he had at Parwan had run the moment the fight began. He had also lost a couple of his agents and he was glad they didn't know anything of worth that they could spill, when the SGC got around to asking.

He had spies at the SGC but none of them had high enough security clearances needed to find out anything about the pilot they had rescued. Smith was quite sure that the pilot was not going to live that long. Most of his internals were shutting down when the SGC team had shown up. And he was sure that even the SGC didn't yet have any technology that could bring back the dead, or the mostly dead. But he had to make absolutely sure. That was the crux of the matter. He had to gain entrance to Cheyenne Mountain and find out if the pilot had managed to tell them anything. If not, he just had to make sure the fucker was gone for good.

While he was at it, he needed to put pressure on his Chinese counterparts to tighten up the security of the beaming tech. That would happen as soon as Smith managed to contact the bastard who had gone into hiding. He was still waiting for a message from 'Valley of the Lions', where the asshole had supposedly hunkered down.

'Talk about escaped horses and open barns.' He sighed to himself.

Now that the SGC knew about the beaming technology, they needed to take some extra precautions on that end as well.

The Wraith was extremely angry at this particular setback. He remembered how his headache pulsed like a thousand knives when it came across that bit. This memory brought him back to the present where he was supposed to be listening to his master; not contemplating his mistakes and solutions.

……….

"You must find him and bring him to me." Smith realized that the Wraith was thinking along the same lines. Or more like reading along, as Smith was busy thinking his thoughts. Smith realized the reason he wasn't dearly paying the price for inattention towards his Master was because the pilot had sparked an interest in Mind-Reaper as well.

"I shall speak to our allies. We cannot have this Stargate Command derail our plans further. Not when we are so close to taking over. You must make sure there are no more mistakes!"

Both verbal and telepathic commands assaulted his ears and mind simultaneously. Mr. J. Smith hurriedly took his leave after the dismissal before the Wraith could change its mind and decide to suck on his life force. He had been there and done that- he was not looking forward for a repeat.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu - Hawaii

Thirteen days after the raid of ‘Lions of the Valley’

(Eighteen days after Major John Sheppard's retrieval from Parwan)

Steve stared at the grave marker of Freddie Hart, thinking back to the funeral with full military honors that took place six days ago. It had been a harrowing affair and he’d been quietly grateful for the steady presence of Danny, who had been with him every step of the way till the end of it.

They had both been surprised when Kono and Adam had shown up briefly to pay their respects as well. Steve knew Kono was also a Hawaii native, but he never thought she would be there for the funeral. They had both soon departed with promises to keep in touch. Danny had also taken off the next day, to see his family back in New Jersey, after sternly advising Steve to call him if there was any need.

Life had been a whirlwind of activity after his return. Steve had been involved in the funeral arrangements for the first couple of days and then the funeral itself. Afterwards, he had been called to the base at Hickam for more meetings. At the end of those, he had been informed of his promotion to Lieutenant Commander.

So when he found himself today at the cemetery, still in his dress whites and medals that he wore for his awarding ceremony earlier, Steve realized that he just needed to pay his respects in private, away from the grieving friends and family.

Steve let his mind wander back to that day it all started…

Freddie Hart, he had known, would never have gone against orders; moreover he wouldn’t have been scared to death and screaming for help. The Freddie Hart Steve knew, would have armed himself and fought the enemy face to face till death. He would have been defiant to the end.

But people changed, Steve thought to himself tiredly. And he had no clue what had really happened back there. Maybe it was something that even Freddie couldn’t fight against. He simply didn’t know.

He also kept thinking about the mystery Colonel as well. The man didn’t have a reason to lie to him. The Colonel in fact didn’t have to tell anything to a lowly Lieutenant. But he did. Steve was a fairly good judge of character and he had certain instincts about people. The Colonel struck him as an honest man. So he believed that the Colonel was more right than wrong and that something had been off with his friend. And he sure as hell hoped that Colonel Sumner and his military branch would catch the people responsible for the whole fiasco. He had the impression that the Colonel would.

This was again why he wasn’t storming the naval base for anyone who would put him on the trail of John. Steve knew he wouldn’t rest until he found him if he really held John responsible for Freddie’s demise. He didn’t. Because he instinctively knew that John wasn’t someone who left his fellow soldiers behind. The man had proven himself many times whenever he crossed paths with Steve; it had been one of the reasons Steve was drawn to him. And he fervently hoped that wherever he was, Shep was still alive and was being taken care of.

Lost in his private musings, he didn’t hear the approaching footsteps, until they were directly behind him.

Steve reacted purely on reflex. He had only just got back from months of active duty and his reflexes were still finely honed and on edge. He turned swiftly with his service weapon, a Sig Sauer P239 already out and held securely in a two handed grip; pointed squarely at the face of the intruder.

And then he froze completely in shock.

“Hey, Steve.”

After what felt like forever, but was only a handful of seconds in reality, Steve finally registered the fact that he was pointing a loaded weapon at the pale and wide-eyed face of John Sheppard.

He holstered his weapon and took two long strides to close the distance. He saw Sheppard tensing; bracing himself for what was coming his way, but making no move to get away or defend himself.

Steve wrapped his arms around the man who had been a source of constant worry in his thoughts lately, hugging him fiercely. Steve felt him going rigid in his arms. He was clearly not expecting that reaction from Steve and considering their last meeting, Steve couldn’t blame him. So Steve kept holding him tight, needing to make sure that he was well and alive; and right there. Then Steve felt the tension leave the body in his arms as John returned the embrace with equal need and strength, his hands tightening around Steve’s waist.

Steve reluctantly let go of him after a spell, but kept a grip on his shoulders; not wanting to let go completely yet. John kept one hand lightly resting on Steve’s hip.

“How are you, John?” He asked; voice quiet and heavy with meaning.

“I’m alright Steve. I’m fine. Sumner and his team got to me in time.” John replied just as quietly, with assurance.

Steve let go of him and straightened. Then he scanned his friend from head to toe to assert the truthfulness of the statement.

“What in the hell happened back then man? Why did you run away? Who or what the hell killed Freddie? And who on earth beat you half to death and why?”

Now that he knew John was truly well and alive; he couldn’t help raising his voice and nearly shouting all the questions he had, in rapid fire. The past few weeks of frustration, guilt and anger had finally found a proper outlet to boil over.

“Steve, listen. I will answer your questions with what I can. Just… will you please give me a few minutes here first?” John’s quietly pleading voice brought Steve back to the present and where they were.

“Yeah… Shit...yeah… I’m sorry. You want to go and grab something to eat then? After you are done here? Because we need to talk. I'll go wait by my truck over there. ”

John agreed and Steve walked away to wait for his friend. He was going to get some answers at last, Steve thought, as he watched Sheppard standing there by the grave with his head bowed down.

Kamekona’s Shrimp Truck, Honolulu - Hawaii

Kamekona, a big cheery Hawaiian, lifted Steve bodily off the ground as he greeted him with a crushing bear hug. Steve had known the man since Kamekona had turned into a confidential informant for the Police after his brief stint at the prison. Steve’s dad was Kamekona’s handler and with his dad’s help, the big Hawaiian had turned his life around and had discovered a talent for business. He was now the proud owner of ‘Wailoa Shave Ice’ and ‘The Shrimp Truck’ by the beach.

Kamekona put Steve back on the ground, bestowed a saucy grin on Sheppard, and hurried away with a promise to bring lunch on special - along with an even more special 10% discount of course!

They both sat on the wooden benches facing the breathtaking view of the Honolulu beach.

“So they promoted you hah? About damn time.” Sheppard was watching the waves. His hazel eyes were bright and the still unruly mop of hair was dancing merrily in the wind.

“It happens when you bag some big time wanna-be terrorists.”

“Congrats.”

“Thanks.”

They sat in silence for a while.

Sheppard took a deep breath and turned to face Steve, just as Steve was beginning to think that Sheppard didn’t want to talk after all.

“Look, Steve, I’m sorry about what happened to Hart. I know he was your friend,” said Sheppard.

Steve could read the guilt written plainly on his face.

“It wasn’t your fault Shep. Was it?’ Steve asked.

“Sumner told me that they got displaced. It was a planned thing. Your friend or anyone else with him didn’t have a chance. Their cargo transport mission was compromised before they even got to the air and your friend just ended up with the wrong cargo, at the wrong time in the wrong fucking region of the planet.” Sheppard blew out a breath. He was trying to make Steve understand without giving out ops specifics.

“And you?” Steve asked pointedly.

“I ended up in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. I just didn’t know it then,” Sheppard replied quietly and Steve heard the complete conviction in his tone.

“What the hell were you doing, Shep? You clearly planned to evac them when you landed your bird. Then you took off? What the hell happened?” Because this crazy stunt he pulled was eluding Steve’s ability to understand.

“You know, they told me you got an SOS? Was it normal? Did Hart sound normal to you? Didn’t you notice anything off at all?”

Steve was taken aback by the question. How would John know anything about the particulars of that call?

“I didn’t notice at the time. No. Because he was screaming for help one moment and then he was dying in an explosion. It’s a hard thing to listen to over a fucking radio Shep.” Steve concentrated on reigning in his anger, when he spoke again.

“But later, when I talked to Danny, I realized it wasn’t like him at all.”

They both waited quietly when Kamekona returned with their food - garlic shrimp. Sensing the heavy mood between the two men, the big Hawaiian withdrew quickly after placing the food in front of them.

“There were, ah, these elements on the ground. These elements had a certain influence on everybody who was there at the time. Well, except for this one spy. He managed to run before you got there.” Sheppard started recounting carefully.

“So, um, these elements, like I said, they messed with everybody. That’s why Hart did what he did. And then they were targeted remotely. The people who brought them there, blew them up.”

Steve was getting confused. He could not think of anything that could mess with someone’s personality or mind. Wasn’t that what Sheppard was implying?

“Look, I know it sounds crazy. Believe me, I know - because I was going through something similar at the time too and I didn’t even realize it.”

Steve apparently hadn’t covered up his skepticism over what John had said.

“So what did you do then? How did these ‘elements’ mess you up?” Steve asked.

“I went hunting for them and killed them.”

Steve stared.

“Sumner’s people were hunting the same things. Those things had been killing villagers. They didn’t know that I eliminated their targets, until much later.” Sheppard continued.

Now Steve knew what the black-clad Marines in the secured village were doing. Well, as much as he could know.

“So that was why Sumner came for you?” he asked.

“Not really. That was something else entirely and yet connected to the same thing,” John finished with a grimace, realizing he was making no sense to Steve at all.

“Listen man, I've had some time to think through the whole thing and now I know a whole lot more than then. I guess what I’m trying to say is, that if I had to do the entire thing all over again, knowing I was leaving my fellow soldiers behind to die, I would still go after those damn things first, every time. I am just so fucking sorry that I couldn’t get back to them on time. You know I would’ve got them out if not for those explosions.” Sheppard implored Steve to understand.

“So it was that important, that you had to finish these ‘elements’?” Steve needed to make absolutely sure.

“Yeah. Steve, they are bad. I can’t tell you more without violating the hundred paged NDA I signed. But I can tell you that they are real bad - genocide level bad.”

“And Sumner and his people are dealing with this threat?” Steve asked with great composure, tamping down the astonishment he felt at John’s little information bomb.

“I’m a part of it now too and that’s part of the job. To fight these things to the bitter end. To keep this world safe.”

Steve stared at John for a long time; Sheppard held his gaze, willing him to believe.

Steve nodded once decisively.

“Fair enough, John.”

“Just like that?” John desperately wanted to know if he meant it; whether Steve could forgive him. Whether they could move past this and become the friends that they had been, again.

“I trust you. I trust that you had your reasons for what you did and that’s good enough for me.”

Steve watched John’s eyes go a little wide at his words. But it was the plain truth. When all was said and done, Steve did trust him.

John nodded back. Steve watched as relief washed over, brightening John’s whole face and bringing a small but genuine smile for the first time since they met back in the cemetery.

Steve couldn’t help the answering smile he felt twitching on his lips.

They finished their meals in companionable silence.

“So, you got a new job hah? I know this uniform of yours is not from any normal branches. Care to tell me what they call it?” Steve asked with a smirk.

He had noticed John sporting the same, yet a bit toned down version of the same uniform Sumner and his merry band had been wearing. It was peeking from underneath the somewhat baggy jacket Sheppard was wearing. He figured it didn’t hurt to pry a bit and see.

“Ha. I can’t tell you that shit man - it’s classified.” John answered with a wink and Steve was treated to the mischievous crooked grin that he loved seeing on Sheppard’s face.

“Oh fuck you,” Steve laughed.

“Right back atcha.” Sheppard joined in.

Entrance - Pearl-Hickam Base

Honolulu

Steve was officially on leave for two more weeks but Sheppard wasn’t. Sheppard had caught a ride from Peterson Air Force Base to get to Hawaii because he had wanted to visit the grave of Freddie Hart. Steve was thankful for whatever made him wander into the cemetery after his awarding ceremony today. Otherwise he would have never run into Sheppard and they would never have had the chance to properly talk; to get past that horribly unpleasant gulf between them and re-connect. Steve thought that that was the best coincidence that had ever happened to him.

“So what’s next for you?” he asked John. Steve had offered to drop John back at Hickam after the meal when he mentioned that he had to get back to the base. Sheppard had to catch his ride back to Peterson, so he could make it back to Cheyenne Mountain on time.

John was sitting in Steve’s Blue Silverado on the passenger side, making no move to get out, despite the fact that they were already parked by the base entrance.

“I don’t really know Steve. I’m the new guy still. Probably a load of training and shit before they let me into the field again,” said Sheppard.

“You will have people watching your back, yeah?” Steve needed to know.

“Why?” John was curious about the strange question.

“It’s just something my CO told me. According to Sumner, Hart was part of NORAD. Now you are going to Cheyenne. I’m concerned.” Steve replied.

“Hey, it will be fine Steve.” John replied with a reassuring smile. “I’m not saying it’s going to be a safe and cushy job. But yeah, I will have good men on my six.” John promised.

There was nothing else Steve could think to say. He watched John realizing that he didn’t have any reason to keep staying in the truck. He flashed another slight smile at Steve and turned to open his door.

“Ah, fuck it.” Said Steve, before grabbing the man by the collar of his jacket and turning John back towards him. Then he kissed him thoroughly on the lips like he had wanted to do the moment he had seen him standing there by the grave, looking so goddamn alive.

John kissed him back with matching vigor, one hand tightening around Steve’s neck and the other cupping his jaw.

Soft moans intermingled with answering groans as they explored each others’ mouths, tongues battling for dominance. Familiarity of having done this many times, long ago, was taking over.

Neither of them wanted to end it, but they had to part for air. Steve saw that John looked just as wrecked as he felt. He took a couple of deep breaths to steady himself.

“Stay safe and keep in touch whenever you can,” he implored, his voice rough and fingers still clutching John’s collar.

“I will and you too,” John murmured. Then he leaned in and planted another soft, lingering kiss on Steve’s lips before getting off the truck and walking away towards the base entrance.

Steve swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, as he watched the man he had begun to fall for walking away. He prayed fervently that he was not making a mistake by just letting him go - that they would somehow manage to find their way back to each other one day.

Inside a Globe-Master - Military Cargo Transport Plane

En route to Peterson AFB

John had gotten lucky when he had managed to catch a ride to Pearl Harbor the day before in a chopper. Although he didn’t get any time behind the stick, he had enjoyed the ride any way. But now, he was sitting in the cargo area by himself with only the bone-rattling vibrations and the cacophony of noises of the Globe-Master’s shuddering frame to keep him company on his way back to Cheyenne Mountain. He let his mind drift back to the circumstances that led to meeting Steve.

……….

Dr. Lam had managed to worm herself to the top of John’s schedule the next day, after the debriefing session. He had found himself sitting in a surprisingly comfortable chair, in a smaller meeting room in Level 21- led there by Caroline Lam herself. Several other doctors had joined their little meeting, bringing along an assortment of teas, coffee, cookies, sandwiches and even a plate of cheese. It would have been a nice and cozy tea party, if it wasn’t for the subject they had gathered to discuss.

They had dissected each and every aspect of John’s meeting with the Wraith and the following battle. They had several projector screens filled with various renditions of available Wraith and Wraith Drone biology. Some of the drawings and charts had come from Terra Atlantus; John could tell by the little labels and descriptions they had on them in Alteran language. They had accompanying English translations tacked underneath neatly. But they didn’t contain much information other than identifying males, females/queens and some body organs. But the others, mostly of the Drones and some Hybrid creatures, most probably had been done by the doctors. Apart from drawings, they had rather disturbing arrays of photographs they had taken during autopsies of some Drone and Hybrid bodies. John had figured those bodies must have come from battles that caused the other ATA gene carriers to ‘go-online.’

John had helped the best he could. He had pointed out the main weak areas on Wraith biology; area around their necks with the enzyme sacks (oh, so that’s what the gill-like things were, John had realized) and the feeding hand, mainly. He had also realized that he still had information in his head with perfect clarity, when he had known to point out some of the other weaknesses as well. For example, he had known that the Wraith had vulnerable points behind the back of their necks, at their temples and in the genitals, just like ordinary humans. But they also had much thicker hides, almost like an exo-skeletal layer over most of their vulnerable areas. After a recent feeding, this layer would get stronger to such a point that it would be capable of repelling bullets. Only the necks and the feeding hands were uncovered by this natural protection and it had something to do with the feeding process. The Wraith apparently released an enzyme from the sacks in their necks that traveled to their feeding hands. This enzyme would then enter the heart of the human they had at their mercy- making it possible for them to feed the ‘Life Force’ of a human or most of other humanoid races. This enzyme also kept the human body organs from failing too quickly- so the Wraith could enjoy a longer meal.

It didn’t matter that the enemy had vulnerability out in the open like that though; most humans never got even the slightest chance to fight back, once they were in the clutches of a Wraith.

After finishing the discussion on Wraith biology, they had moved on to their mental abilities. John had shared his experience in detail, about the mental resistance and shielding ability he seemed to have inherited. The Wraith seemed to have a certain distance of influence that they could project. The older they got, the more telepathically advanced they became. The pair John had fought had been young and they had about a hundred yard radius of area they could influence, being able to assault any human within that radius. They also seemed to feed on the negative emotions they influenced - but it didn’t provide them any sustenance, only pleasure. John had shuddered, realizing the amount of details that had been stored in his brain, that he found himself sharing with his avid audience.

After they had mined all the details they could from John’s brain, the doctors had moved onto discussing how to incorporate this new information in future encounters with Wraith. John had agreed to interrogate Terra Atlantus further about defense/training against any form of attack from the Wraith, physical or mental. The long five hour meeting had finally ended - the doctors with their heads, notepads, laptops and PDAs full of new information and John sporting another nausea-inducing headache. Lam had taken one look at him; escorted him firmly to the infirmary next door and given him a painkiller. Then she had told him to go eat a proper meal and take a break.

In the late afternoon, everyone at the SGC had received a revised report on the Wraith and an attendance-compulsory lecture schedule, to discuss the new findings in detail.

And the same day later in the evening, John had been informed that he had been granted the requested leave to visit the Arlington and National Memorial of Pacific to visit the graves of the fallen soldiers...

……….

John grimaced thinking about all the things that came to light during that meeting. How he managed to perfectly recall every scrap of data he had been carrying in his brain about the Wraith after ‘coming-online’. These thoughts had been whirling around in his mind on his way to Hawaii, making him think about that call; the call that led to the end of Hart and others, the call that made Steve an unwilling witness to all of it… but helpless to do anything about it, other than to keep talking to his friend till he died…

The more he had thought about it, the more he had realized that it didn’t make sense at all. It had been obvious that something happened to the chopper during its transportation, causing it to crash. But the SEAL he knew wouldn’t have just stayed there like that calling for help; he would’ve been out there fighting. In fact, thinking back to it, John had realized none of them had acted like they were supposed to. John had dismissed everything except for the Wraith - but the SEALs had been scared and screaming for help, instead of getting organized and taking control of the situation, like the trained operators they were. And Smith - the crafty fucker - had run away, because he had known exactly what was coming. John had realized how the Wraith had influenced the SEALs, probably to make sure their little Hybrid creep got to safety first. John had known it all along, but he had dismissed it then; it hadn’t been important at the time.

And when John had the chance to speak to his friend, Steve had confirmed that Hart hadn’t sounded normal, even under the circumstances.

Thinking about Steve brought a wholly different set of emotions to the forefront of his mind. A minor miracle had put the man right in front of John, saving him the trouble of looking for him as he had planned to do. He had finally had the chance to talk to the man and make him understand. As much as he could anyway. John remembered how immensely relieved he had been when Steve had understood. He had said he trusted John…

His lips still tingled when his thoughts inevitably drifted towards the kiss they shared. John was glad he was the only one sitting here in the shaking and shuddering old Globe-Master without anyone to witness him touching his lips, face heating up with longing at the memory. Losing himself in the depths of Steve’s intense green and blue interchangeable eyes, John had desperately wanted to stay there forever. But the reality had intervened; they both had jobs to do and they were both very much dedicated to their jobs. And they both understood this about each other. Unknowingly echoing the same thoughts as Steve, John made a heartfelt wish that they’d find a way back to each other soon.

W-F7/24A - Detention Facility-CIA Black Site

Undisclosed Location

Fourteen days after the raid of ‘Lions of the Valley’

Anton was done. He was just plain fucking done.

“'Trust me, little brother,' he said. ‘This our big break,' he said. ‘Once we pull this off, we are going to be the richest men in the fucking world,’ he said. Oh and what about expanding the business to other fucking worlds? ‘Yeah man, we are going to get off this rock and go to fucking Pandora he said.” Anton was mockingly mimicking the happy predictions that’d been spilling from his big brother’s yap, for the past couple of months. He was working himself up to a good bout of histrionics.

“Well, what about the part where we get our asses handed to us by the fucking army, hah, Vic? Did you forget about the part where we get maimed for fucking life? I told you that creepy fuck, who came like Santa Clause in April, with his stupid face and stupid promises and fucking fairy tales was bad news! I told you!! And let’s not forget about that military fuck who was on our fucking tail for the past fucking forever!” His voice increased the volume steadily as he neared the climax of his rant.

“'Don’t worry about them,' you said. ‘They have nothing on us, they are just sniffing around everyone,’ you said! Well, how about it now, Victor? You have a fucking stump for a hand and I’M GOING TO BE FUCKING LIMPING AROUND FOREVER BECAUSE SOME ARMY FUCK WAS JUST SNIFFING AROUND MY ASS!!! VICTOR!!!”

He was screaming at the top of his lungs through clenched teeth by the time he reached the end of his triad. His jailers didn’t even bother checking on him when he went on his rants anymore. The number of blow-outs had been steadily increasing in volume, profanity and the crying that followed immediately after, as the time spent in captivity slowly broke down Anton’s resistance. Not that there had been much of a resistance from the younger terrorist to begin with.

……….

It had only taken a few hours, with Anton secured to an uncomfortable metal chair that was bolted to the floor in a small dark room with a single light bulb dangling above him providing scant illumination. This clichéd beginning was used deliberately to study the subject’s reactions; then they would use that information to plan a detailed, tailor-made debriefing session specific to the subject, that would yield the maximum results.

The interrogators had been observing him via the live feed through a camera that was hidden in the dark room. They were discussing Anton’s reactions to physical and mental intimidation, when Anton had decided to make things easier on everybody involved. He had started off brave enough; swearing and shouting obscenities at the empty room. But only two hours into isolation with only his vitriol to keep him company, Anton had crumbled and started bawling rather unpleasantly in a way only a grown man could manage. With tears running down his face, mixing with snot and drool, he had begged anybody and everybody who would listen, to come and let him out so he could tell them everything! EVERYTHING!!

The interrogators had done as requested. A Few hours into Anton’s verbal diarrhea on his life and all of assorted crimes he had ever taken part in, the interrogators had to draw the line finally, when Anton started confessing about how used hide in his brother’s closet to watch him have sex. Afterwards, they had just put him in his cell and had left him there. Anton had made it even easier when he started airing all his mental ailments loudly whenever the mood struck him - letting more information about their enterprise slip out. The interrogators only studied the feed from his cell at the end of the day to check for anything new, nowadays.

……….

Anton was on the crying stage of his usual routine now. He was done with the screaming and the anger had turned to fear like it did every time. He was also worried about his brother. Deep down, really, really deep down, he cared about his brother and hoped he was faring better. Anton knew for a fact that his brother was tougher than him and would never break down as easily as Anton did. He felt ashamed that he had betrayed his brother so quickly. But in his defense, HE WAS GODDAMN SCARED! He had never had to do hard things like fighting and shooting or anything else that required physical strength. He was the bloody tech guy. He maintained the records, managed bank accounts, kept records of supply and orders and all other sorts of things that only required a good laptop and a secure internet connection. He was bloody good at his job too. He kept them all undetected and secured, didn’t he? Well, um, until now anyway. Now, all of that was confessed in great meticulous detail, to those cunts outside. Shit! Did he mention he was BLOODY FUCKING SCARED? He sobbed to himself.

1500hrs

Unbeknownst to Anton, or any other soul at the facility, a strange white light appeared about fifty yards away from their establishment. When it dispersed, it left behind a group of rather unusual individuals.

There were twelve of them.

One was freakishly tall and thin; his white hair flowing past his shoulders. He was rather young for his species. His cat-like eyes blinked rapidly to get rid of the effects of the light. He shook his head once and shot an arrogant look over his shoulder to his counterpart from their allies.

Father had been quite serious when he ordered Claws of Vicious Death on this mission. He was to make nice with them and help them as required because the allies had a problem and Claws had to make sure their tenuous alliance held.

‘So, I get to finally witness the Snakes in action. Ha. I hope they are as worthy as Father seems to believe,’ Claws of Vicious Death thought to himself in disdain. His two guardian Drones took positions on either side of him and stared ahead blankly through their masks.

Standing next to Claws, but with a respectful distance away to make space for his bodyguards, was an ordinary-looking human. With his average height, average weight, and very much bland features, he would’ve passed for a generic clerk in any office. But that was where his ordinary humanness ended. He was one of the hosts for a race of sentient symbiotic parasites called the ‘Goa’uld’. This one called himself ‘Montu’ and had been appointed by his master to take care of their business on earth. But he had been having trouble fulfilling his master’s wishes due to the meddlesome bunch of Stargate Command. Then he had come across the species called the ‘Wraith’ and managed to strike up an alliance only a few months ago. After some careful negotiations and somewhat reluctant technology sharing from both sides, he had been able to get his grand plans back on track. Now he was here in person, to sort out the most recent glitch. But he knew this time things would get done in a much easier manner, thanks to some help from his new friends. He was not looking forward to disclosing this little side project to his master though; but he hoped that he would be able to convince Ba’al, of the advantages these Wraiths could bring for their ultimate goal.

‘If only these Life Suckers had a little less pretentious names! I think convincing my master to utter those ridiculous things is going to be the hardest!’ He suppressed a shudder at the thought.

Gerak, his First Prime, was waiting patiently with the seven other Jaffa warriors they had brought for this venture, for Montu to give the order.

“My friend, Claws of Vicious Death.” He hid the grimace at the mouthful. “If you would kindly stir trouble in that little nest of humans? So that my warriors can retrieve my servant, most importantly the information he carries,” he inquired of the young Wraith politely.

“As you wish.”

The Wraith hissed an acknowledgement. Then directed his gaze towards the human detention facility, his entire body going completely motionless.

Claws directed his mind into the humans he could sense inside the facility. He detected three prisoners and left them alone for the Jaffa to deal with. There were twenty-eight other humans in the facility including the security, and he took perverse pleasure in instilling utter terror in each and every little mind. He thoroughly enjoyed the screams, the whimpers, the begging and the useless prayers that erupted throughout the facility, following the mental assault. He fed on their fear and the misery emanating from everywhere and basked in the glory of destruction he caused in all those delicious little minds.

He gave a satisfied shudder and came back to himself.

“If your warriors could bring back a few humans along with your servants please, Montu? I find that I’m in need of sustenance after expending my energy. And my servants need to feed as well,” Claws requested.

‘There. Father should be proud. I even said please,’ the Wraith mused privately.

The Goa’uld instructed Gerak to get on with it and bring back a snack for the young Wraith as requested.

The team of Jaffa returned with the three prisoners and five other humans within ten minutes. The whole facility had been in a state of chaos in the aftermath of the Wraith’s telepathic attack. It had been a walk in the park for the seasoned Jaffa warriors to kill them all and retrieve what they had been sent for. Once they were back with their leader, Gerak activated the bomb they had placed before they had evacuated the facility.

The white light took them all back to where they came from, in a bright flash.

Another bright light flashed ten seconds after their departure; this time, the light was accompanied by a fiery explosion.

When the authorities finally reached the site, alerted by the light and sound of an explosion, only a perfect fifty-yard radius circle of scorched and blackened earth remained.

There were no signs of W-F7/24A - Detention Facility, to be found.

Montu’s Al’kesh - Spaceship - Earth Orbit

Positioning unknown

The day after the destruction of W-F7/24A - Detention Facility

Montu found the non-stop screaming that erupted from that one nasty little human, extremely annoying. He had directed both of them to be stunned and placed in the brig. He didn’t know yet why his servant had insisted on bringing them with him. But he would know soon enough.

He watched dispassionately as the human servant known as ‘Wo Fat’ struggled against the restraints holding him securely to the gurney. It was such a futile battle - he was going to be serving a much higher purpose, soon enough.

Then he motioned the Jaffa to continue. The Goa’uld, Nerus, needed the host and Montu needed the information this little human carried with him about his operations. More importantly he needed him to stop failing in the future. This was the best solution for his problems. He would tolerate no more failures. His master would not take kindly if Montu were to delay his plans any further. What with Nerus being a scientist and all that, Montu was sure he could use the extra brain power his master had kindly sent his way, to keep things firmly on track.

Besides, he was now in debt to his Allies. One had to keep note of such things when one was involved in certain kinds of alliances with certain kinds of individuals. Now Montu had to pay the Wraith back for their support. He would contact his agents of the 'Trust' and make arrangements for another meeting with the agents of 'Keepers Collective.' The new and improved 'Wo Fat' would be ready and more than capable of handling that pesky Mr. Smith. This was what the Mind-Reaper requested in exchange, after all.

Well, more like demanded, but it wouldn't help Montu if he went nitpicking on such things. He had the big picture to worry about. The damnable SGC that kept wreaking havoc in his life, and the consequent threat of his Master's displeasure hung over his head, as a direct result. It was a good thing that the Wraith had the same thorny problem. Enemy of my enemy and all that...

'Ah, maybe this blossoming alliance will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship after all...' Montu reflected philosophically. And then laughed out loud at the ridiculous notion, heartily. 'As if that would ever happen!'

But Montu was a forward thinker and he had plans upon plans for contingencies already in place. He was quite sure Ba'al would be pleased - very pleased indeed.

[youngeditor1999]

Why Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams Deserve Everlasting Happiness Together: An Essay by a Hardcore Shipper

Ok, so before I begin this, you should know that I am a hardcore McDanno shipper. Aside from Kono and Adam, they are my number one O.T.P. on Hawaii Five-0. I am literally so obsessed with Steve and Danny and their relationship, and I'm not ashamed of it, either. Therefore, this comment I'll most likely come off as biased, but I have very good logic behind what I'm about to say. (Also, I can already tell that this post is going to be verrrrrryyyy long, so buckle up and get comfy if you are planning to read everything I've written.)

To start, I see many comments reading, "They have great chemistry, they should still be together, they are endgame..." etc. while all of this is true, to be honest, they are better suited off as friends. They tried to make a relationship work, but usually, it did not.

"But they were together on and off for five seasons!" Is what some of you are probably already thinking. This is true, but unfortunately, it does not mean that they are forever meant to be together.

Remember Billy, Catherine's ex from season 3? Just to clarify, he died in the middle of season 4. However, before he died, he was trying to get back together with Catherine. She had chemistry with him, too. The only problem was that she was legitimately already with Steve at that time. To be honest, I always liked her better with Billy then I did with Steve. They just went better together, in my opinion.

So Catherine and Steve were together. Then, in season 5, she and Steve went to Afghanistan (or some other, terrible, Taliban filled town) in order to save somebody that had helped Catherine when she'd been in the military. If you'll recall, at the end of that episode, Catherine decided to stay behind to help the people get their son back. Steve went back to the United States, heartbroken and crying.

All of this made me still think that Steve and Catherine still had a slight chance to make it. But then.

BUT. THEN.

Catherine returned in the season 5 finale to attend Kono's wedding. Ok, cool. Steve has a date for the wedding of the century. That was all fine and good. Obviously, that was the same episode when they broke up. To be frank, I always thought it would be Steve that broke up with Catherine, obviously so he could go FINALLY be with Danny, his one true love. But instead, Catherine broke up with Steve, citing that she decided to go do some good, volunteer work in a foreign country. I remember her saying to Steve, "Five-0 is your thing. Please, let this be mine."

Then her car to take her to the airport arrived, and she got in. She made a phone call.

Now, to the viewers who had history with this show, they knew that as SOON as she punched in a code before speaking that it was no good. Steve's mom, also a spy, had done the same thing in previous episodes, so they knew what was up. The real slap in the face, though, was when she said to the voice on the phone who she was-badge number, name, the whole nine yards. Then, we hear a male voice on the other end of the line ask, "Is he fooled?" (Or something similar). Catherine's reply came sharp. (Again, not an exact quote, but pretty close. I think you'll get the memo). "He doesn't know anything. He thinks I'm volunteering," she said.

It was then that I officially stopped wanting them to be in a relationship. I get why she couldn't tell Steve, but still! She fucking choose that same life/lifestyle that his mother had had; a lifestyle that she knew he hated. If she truly loved and cared for him as more than a friend, then she would've rejoined Five-0, or at LEAST have found a cool, different job in Oahu.

But no. She literally betrayed Steve, and for what, anyway? We never did get a good understanding or explanation of why she decided to join the C.I.A. It is a concept that stills boggles my mind to this very day. Most recently, Catherine came back for the 150th episode, which is where this clip is obviously from. But this point, I was beyond done with her. I was so irritated when she came back, especially because she interrupted Steve's date with Lynn. Oh, right. And she never told Steve that she became a spy, so he was clearly shocked when she divulged this piece of information.

This brings me to my next point. Steve, his mom, and Catherine had to fight off some bad guys after his mom, and then hide from them. When the doorbell rang at the safe house, it was the rest of the Five-0 team, minus Danny who was in New Jersey to be there for his dad who'd just had knee surgery. (In real life, Scott Caan was busy with his new family and couldn't schedule to film the 150th episode). Steve had called Danny earlier that day to tell him what was going on, and Danny decided to call the rest of the team to help him.

Yeah. Danny called the team. Not Catherine, who probably knew that they were gonna need backup. Danny, who wasn't even there, called the team and made sure they were there for Steve.

That's just one example of why Steve and Danny are so important to each other and belong together; much more so than Steve and Catherine. Let's go back few years, to season three. Danny had accidentally stepped on a bomb. The bomb would explode if he stepped off, killing everyone in the vicinity, himself included. Steve know this, but he stayed anyway. Even at Danny's persistence of him to, "Just go, Steve. Go me there for Grace. Get out of here, save yourself!", Steve did not budge. He insisted on staying and they talked and tried to get Danny to forget why he was even there in the first place. His persistence in not wanting to go proves that they have more than friendship, especially when he knew exactly what to talk about or get Danny calm enough so that he would momentarily forget about the bomb.

Fast forward to season four. The episode where the building collapsed had to have been the most dramatic episode of season four. To refresh, Steve, Danny, and the rest of the team were in a paring grange, looking for a victim. I don't speak exactly remember why, but the rest of the team left the garage, except for Danny and Steve. They investigated until they found a man bound and gagged, tied to a chair in a separate room. Just as they were figuring out what he was saying, which was, "BOMB!" the bomb went off, collapsing the building.

That episode was solely focused on Steve and Danny and how they were gong to get out of their predicament. Danny was also badly hurt, his leg trapped under a cement pillar. Steve didn't give up. After freeing Danny, he temporarily managed to fix his wound, and then created a mini-bomb that would let the people looking for them where they were. It worked and they were free. Once out, they exchanged their first ever "I love yous" while hard-core hugging. This was no "hey bro!" hug. This was an "I am so serious about this, I really do love you," hug. And I don't think I'm wearing shipper goggles for that moment. I genuinely think that that meant what they said. They embraced for a really long time, surprisingly longer then what I would've thought producers would've liked.

After that epic bromance scene, season five was filled with plenty more bromantic/ shipper-O.T.P. feels. That was the season when they went to therapy! Ok, fine, true, it's because they are "work partners" and it was mandatory, but you can't tell me that they weren't acting like a married couple throughout all of those scenes. There is one episode from that therapy time period in particular that I am thinking of, and it has everything to do with undercover work. It's the part of the episode where there is a huge bank heist and Danny and Steve decide to head to an apartment across the street from the robber so they can spy on her and see what she is planning on doing next.

The Five-0 team (but more importantly, the production staff and possibly Peter Lenvok) could have had anyone do this. They could have had cousins Kono and Chin watching out or even the odd combination of Grover and Chin. But no. They choose Steve and Danny. Shippers all across the globe rejoiced.

The best part of their stay in the place (besides, of course, seeing how Danny and Steve would live with each other if given the real chance to) was when it was nighttime and one kept a lookout while the other one slept. Steve decide to watch first, so Danny slept, and he randomly woke up in the middle of Steve's shift. He noticed that the "Perfect Partners" workbook the therapist had given them had been moved, which he thought was funny, because Steve already made it a known that he didn't want anything to do with the book. So he said something about it, and Steve didn't confess to moving it, even though we all know that he did.

Steve then told Danny a story about his youth; a salty that made him seem more human in Danny's eyes. He started it of by saying, "Music. I'm into music," when Danny asked why his hobbies were. "So?" Danny had retorted. "That's a cop-out. Everyone is into music." "No, I meant I'm into playing it," Steve responded. He then told Danny the story about when he was a junior in high school and was in the school talent show to play his guitar. But he had had major stage fright and hadn't actually gone through with it, getting off the stage before he even began. He said to Danny, "That is the reason why I still don't play the guitar to this day," Steve had finished the story. He also add that he had previously never told anyone that story before, which is why it was an important plot point in the McDanno tale. Once he was done, Danny laughed at him. "A little bit of stage fright stopped you from forever playing the guitar?" He'd asked. They then had one of their cute little arguments over the whole issue, and right before Danny went back to sleep, he said, "You know, after all we've been though together...your father...my brother...I would be thought you would've opened up to me more by now." Steve causally responds, "I just did." The McDanno universe (myself included) lost all chill, reblogging that moment over and over.

Later, at the end of that same episode, Steve, Danny and everybody else were at Kamakoahs to eat. Steve and Danny had to leave early, in order to go to their thereby appointment. Ruth, who we met earlier in the episode, was really confused. Remember, she was the old lady who thought that Danny and Steve were gay and living together, to which Steve responded, "We're not gay, we're Five-0." Later, after she left, Danny said, "You know, I would've just vine with the gay thing." So that happened, which does is why Ruth was so confused. As they left, she said, "Wait. I thought they weren't gay." The rest of the team didn't even deny it, they just joyfully laughed, as if to say, "Yeah, girl, we know. They're just faking it. We know they are gay together."

So they walked to Danny's Camaro, and that's when a fan fiction moment happened. You possibly know what I'm talking about. In case you don't, fanfiction moments are those little things in which you think, "Yeah, this can definitely only and will only happen in this fan fiction universe. Sigh." But then the thing from the fan fic actually does happen on the real show, and life suddenly becomes magical. Anyway, this fan fic moment was when Danny revealed that he'd gotten Steve a gift. After telling Danny that he didn't do his part of their assignment, joking that the dog ate his homework, we find out what the gift is. In the trunk of the Camaro, Steve pulled out an elegant black guitar case. Steve had asked, "What is this, Danny?" Danny, his usual snarky self, responded, "It's a tuba, you schmuck. Just open it and you'll see." Inside the case was a beautiful, new guitar which Danny had purchased specifically for Steve. As Danny looked on proudly, Steve muttered, "Danny, Danny, DANNY," with a small smile on his face. He strummed a few strings, and they had a little back and forth conversation about Steve's new instrument, including some things about why Danny had purchased it in the first place. I don't remember what exactly was said, but I do recall that Danny had gotten it for Steve so that he could get back into playing again. Then, Steve put the guitar back in the case and looked thoughtful for a moment. He slammed the trunk of the Camaro and tossed the keys to Danny, saying, "You know what? You drive." Danny caught the keys, a look of pure shock on his face. "I drive. Wow," a stunned Danny said as he accepted the gesture. "Don't get too excited," Steve had replied as he climbed in the passenger seat for the first time in a long time. "I'm still controlling the radio." Driving away, Steve did exactly that, messing around with the switch from the passenger seat.

Ok. That scene was very important for many reasons. Let's start with guitar. Danny didn't have to get him that. Steve never asked him for it, he simply told Danny a story. A story which he had never told anyone before, ever. This obviously includes Catherine, which doesn't make sense. If they were so close, wouldn't Steve have trusted her enough to tell her this about himself? But he never did. He chose to tell Danny instead. Danny went above and beyond what any purely platonic friend would, and it showed. I'm not saying that friends can't buy friends nice gifts for no reason, but it just felt different, in that case. I know that whenever my friends tell me something about themselves, I don't immediately rush out to buy them some thing hella expensive for no reason at all. And it wasn't even the fact that he bought Steve a gift for no reason. It was the fact of what it was, combined with the fact of the story (as mentioned above). It also didn't hurt that Danny could see that that life experience really affected Steve, and that he missed playing his guitar. Steve was extremely touched by the gesture, and Danny was so proud of himself for buying that expensive instrument for Steve. I don't think Danny had ever done doe thing like that for anyone before, not even the people in his family. It was especially worth it to him when Steve admitted to loving at first touch. The smile on both of their faces when the guitar was revealed says enough about this topic, in my opinion. It proves that A) They care enough about each other to listen, talk, and reveal information about themselves without getting made fun of (at least not too much, anyway) and B) they are willing to go the extra mile just to make each other happy.

The other reason that end scene was crucial was the whole "Danny is driving " thing. For those who are casual watchers, it is important to know that basically, ever since the day they met, Steve has been driving Danny's Camaro. This fact has been brought up many times before in the script, and it is the main source of their many "carguments" (I'm not telling you what that is. You can look it up yourself if you don't know). It was even brought up in one of their therapy appointments from earlier in season five. For Steve to actually let Danny drive for once was a huge milestone on his part. He was so affected, surprised, and touched by the gift of the amazing guitar that he felt like he had to let Danny drive after that. It was a compromise he was willing to make. It also shows the progress that they made in their relationship that day, and it was just more overall proof that they are the endgame couple.

I could clearly go on and on forever about these two. Another really good example of their relativity is when they have to go to couple's counseling as part of their mandatory therapy. Do you all remember that? Just for a refresher, that was the one where Steve literally signed them up for couples counseling; as in husband-and-wife couples counseling. Anyway. That episode is "feels worthy" in its entirety (especially the ending where they were just chilling at a table, eating lunch together. Also, Steve round Danny's arm to "feel the effects of the lotion". Sure, Steve. If that excuse works for you...).

Beside those specific examples, there have multiple hugs and touches that have lingered for far too long. Danny calls Steve "Babe"; a nickname he rarely calls anybody else, and Steve calls Danny "Danno". True, this is mostly to annoy him, but as Danny gets to know Steve better, he slowly realizes that he actually doesn't mind it. "When I say 'Danno'...it's a term of endearment," Steve said in season one when Danny was protesting it. Much to Steve's surprise, Danny responded, "Do it every day, then. I like it." Steve smiled all goofily, and it was worth it for all those times of Danny yelling at Steve to not use it. Another point to bring up-they are the few people to ever use each other's full names; Steven and Daniel, respectively. The only other people who occasionally call them by their full names are the few times their parents (sometimes not even that, but a parent-like figure) have been on the show. Whenever they call the other by their full name, it's usually to prove a point, to get the others attention, or even just to subtly let them know that they are different from what everyone else knows. Again, this is just my opinion.

Then there are various innuendos that refer to Danny and Steve in a non-bro/non- platonic way, including the amount of times they say, "I love you," to each other. The one after the building collapse made sense, but every time they say it after that is just to mess with shippers. They really do love each other, though. In fact, at the end of one particularly memorable occasion, Danny combined nickname with an I love you. He was talking to Steve about something, and at the end of their conversation, he looked up at Steve and said, "That's why I love you, babe." All of the McDanno shippers died a little bit that day. (Well, I know I did, anyway.) Also, side-note: Remember the "air hearts" from season two?! Oh! And that time in season three where they went fishing together and then got stranded for almost the whole episode? Tell me that wasn't one of the greatest things to ever see on Hawaii Five-0, and in the McDanno world...! My point is that they have all these endearment terms that they say to each other, sometimes for no reason at all. They are saying them because they want to, not because they feel like they have to. To me, it doesn't feel forced onto the characters, either. It just seems natural and easy with them. Even people who don't ship them (yes, there are some) raised eyebrows at the amount of times they are unusually sweet on each other.

I also want to mention episode 8 from season 7, specifically the ending. (SPOILER ALERT. Duh.) It was an emotional episode all around, but after the Five-0 team arrested all or the bad guys, and all of the hostages were free again, they all individually hugged it out with one another. Steve and Danny were a good space apart from each other. They were smiling and looking at each other, clearly enjoying the fact that they were both ok. Finally, Steve broke the silence by saying, "What, no hug?" Even the casual viewer would be able to tell that he was disappointed and slightly sad about this fact. And then Danny Williams said the most scream-worthy thing he's said in a long time.

"If I hug you, I might kiss you, and then where would it stop?"

ASDFGHHJKLLKJFFDSAA. That was literally my reaction to that quote, aside from screaming and jumping up and down. True, people could say that they were just so relieved that both of them were safe, and that's why he said it, but honestly? I don't think so. First of all, they looked at each other, goofily smiling for way too long, as they usually do. Next, Danny said, "then where would it stop?" If he had left that part out, it would be less scream-worthy. In that one sentence, everything Danny Williams has ever actually, truly wanted was finally made clear. He wants Steve.

Catherine has never done anything like this for Steve. Honestly, she was always too busy playing the damsel in distress and worrying about herself rather than Steve and trying to fix the problem at hand. Even though she was in the Navy, same as Steve, Danny somehow understands this fact better than she does. The funny thing is that Danny was never in any sort military whatsoever. To clarify, I'm not even talking about all of the times where Danny has casually made fun of what branch Steve served in. In my opinion, Danny understands the things that happened to Steve while he was over there, and he can relate to the trauma he went through. Catherine, on the other hand, never wanted to talk about serious issues with Steve, even if he brought it up. Most of the time, unless it involved a problem she was in, she gave no care to what Steve's past experiences had been. However, I know that this argument is, as my Algebra II teacher would put it, "weak sauce", so you can come after me for that if you'd like. Anyway, back to the point. I just think that Catherine was a poorly developed character from the moment we met her. Aside from occasionally helping Five-0 with some cases, she didn't really add any substance to the story, especially when it came to matters involving Steve. In fact, the only real, solo plot lines she ever really got was the things with Billy, her ex, and then of course the would "I'm going to stay in Afghanistan" Taliban thing. She also got the spy story line, which was bitter to many, and it didn't do a great job on making me believe that she and Steve could ever be in a real relationship. It was lazy acting, especially on Michelle Borth's (the woman that plays Catherine) part. She could have done a lot better, including trying to convince the writers and producers to come up with a better story for Catherine. Ok, to be fair, I think that if that dumbass spy storyline was better, it could've possibly saved their sinking relationship. But alas, it didn't, and in all honesty, I thought it was a dumb plot twist. To me, it wasn't even a plot twist, but I regress. To get back on topic...even when she was with Steve, actually in a relationship with him, there were still things with Danny that made her side–eye and question them. Obviously, I have examples, but that would take too much time to write all of them down. Trust me, though, there's many examples of this.

Overall, given all of the great evidence I have provided, it is clear to see why Steve and Catherine do not belong together. They will never be my personal endgame, anyway. Danny and Steve have something special; something more than friendship, or even a silly, fun bromance. I will 100% stand by the McDanno ship until the day I die. Even if it has absolutely no chance of ever legitimately becoming canon, I will not give up. Fuck, when the show eventually, ends and if they are STILL not together, I will be shipping it. (And also writing letters/making phone calls/leaving messages on all of their social media's to the production staff and writers questing why the hell they baited us after all of those years and then never followed through on it.) It is my belief that if two people are meant to be together, they will find a way to be together. Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams clearly are these two people. They have gone above and beyond on showing the world what love really is. Catherine and Steve have not. Sure, they've had a lot of fun together, but that does not begin to compare to the amazing relationship that Danny and Steve have built for themselves. I will never lose hope about McDanno.

Catherine is just another thing standing in the way. Danny and Steve WILL be together one day. For real. Forever. It's just a matter of time and bravery. The fans are more than ready, and the writers have been leading up to a real relationship between them for years. I don't care who you ship, you absolutely cannot deny the fireworks happening between those two. Mark my words and take this long-ass...thing I've written as proof. But until everyone (writers, actors, fans, literally everyone involved with Five-0) gets their shit together...well, at least there's a fanfic for that!

If anyone would like to discuss post this with me, feel free to message me directly. I'd be thrilled to talk to you about McDanno. And of not, that's cool too. I'll always be here, though, if you need to desperately drop a line(: