Fic - Hawaii 5-O - But the Battle Wages On
Jul. 3rd, 2011 02:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
raynedanserwritesFandom: Hawaii 5-O
Title: But the Battle Wages On
Author: raynedanser
Pairing: None, hints at future Danny/Steve
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~ 5000
Author's Notes: MANY, many thank yous to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
powrhug, mickeym and polgaramalfoy for holding my hand from inception to posting and to msktrnanny for her wonderful beta duties. Much love to you all!
Step by step
Heart to heart
Left, right, left
We all fall down
Like toy soldiers
Bit by bit
Torn apart
We never win
But the battle wages on
For toy soldiers
"Toy Soldiers"
Martika
*****
Danny sat on a stone bench under a palm tree and watched the funeral proceedings from a distance. Danny had suggested, and Chin had agreed, that the graveside service should be kept to immediate family and 5-O only. This way, if Wo Fat or any of his men decided to drop in, it would be easier to spot them than if there had been a large crowd to monitor. Chin was there, as was Jenna, both looking spiffy with Chin proudly wearing his uniform and Jenna in a smart pant suit. Kono had been released on bail and stood somberly to Chin's left, but Steve, accused of killing the governor and being a one man deadly weapon, was still in lock up.
As funerals go, it was a nice one, Danny supposed. Prayers were said at appropriate times, the right people sniffled and wiped at their eyes. A reception would be held later and would be filled with many of the local politicians. Danny imagined that it would be less reserved at the reception.
Danny looked over as the rustle of fabric next to him pulled his attention. Seated on the bench was a sharply dressed brunette with large sun glasses and closely cropped dark hair. In one hand she clutched a ratty wad of tissue and she made a show of dabbing at her nose occasionally.
"You shouldn't be here," Danny pointed out quietly, even though the closest people were a hundred feet away.
"Oh I don't know about that. It's not often that one is able to attend their own funeral, Detective Williams."
Danny continued to watch the attendees. “All I can say is this had better work,” he finally said.
“Of course it will. Wo Fat is too arrogant to not watch Steve's trial. Is everyone lined up?”
“Yes, they are. You swear, after all of this is finished, you'll make it right?” he asked again, finally looking the Governor right in the eye. He wanted this over with. He wanted this fixed. Mostly, he wanted Steve out of jail and where he could touch him and make sure that he was all right. This had better work.
“I swear, Danny. How is Steve doing?”
Danny shook his head. “How the hell do you think he's doing? He's been arrested for murdering the governor – you - and even though he doesn't know that you're alive, he knows he didn't do it. He's a fucking mess.”
And he was. Danny had seen him that morning and something in him had died a little. Steve was pale and he wasn't sleeping.
“And Rachel?” the Governor had asked.
Danny stood and held out his hand. “You'd better go,” he said, neatly evading her question. “We don't want to take the chance that the wrong people will see you.”
She nodded once and took Danny's hand, then stood. “Patience, Danny,” she said and then she was gone.
*****
The reception was in a large hall at the Governor's Palace. It was filled with the Who's Who of Hawaiian politics. Standing in suit and tie and holding a glass of wine that he wished was beer, Danny had never felt more out of place. Whenever he'd had some silly to do to attend, he'd always had Steve at his side and Steve was obviously not there that night. As far as nearly everyone was concerned, Steve was the cause of the gathering in the first place.
Chin, Kono and Jenna were standing off to one side in a little group looking equally uncomfortable and Danny went over to them.
“Hey,” Kono said without her usual enthusiasm. Her concern for Steve and for herself had dampened it considerably in the last few days.
Danny tugged at his tie. “Hey kiddo. Can't wait to get out of here and get out of this monkey suit,” he grumbled.
Chin took a sip of his wine, then looked pointedly at Danny before going back to surveying the room. “You should come over to my place after this, Danny,” he said.
“Nah, gonna go home and crash, I think. Been a hell of a week.”
“Danny, you really should come over,” Chin said again, more firmly this time.
Anything else that Chin may have said was cut short when the Lieutenant Governor approached them and Danny watched him disdainfully. He'd only met the man once and his impression hadn't been a good one. The man was a smug bastard as far as Danny was concerned.
“Detective Williams, you're looking well,” Lieutenant Governor Blythe greeted him.
Danny snorted. “Sure, because things are just great here. The Governor's dead, Steve's in jail for something he didn't do, Kono's out on bail, my little girl's in New Jersey. Yep. Things are just great.” He ignored the glare that Chin shot his way.
“Detective Williams, we'll have your team back to work and busy again in no time at all. It was good to see all of you,” he said before turning on his heel and schmoozing with more of the crowd.
Danny shuddered. “That man is the biggest bastard alive.”
“Really Danny? Why don't you see if you can antagonize him a little more? We need to work with him,” Chin chastised.
Danny ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I know, I'm sorry. I just. What kind of comment was that?” he asked in disbelief.
The rest of the evening passed slowly as the four of them watched the level of bullshit in the room rise. When the majority of the people had finally cleared out, Chin announced it was time for them to go.
“See you in a few?” he made a point of asking Danny, and then waited for Danny to nod his agreement.
When Danny pulled into Chin's driveway a short time later, Kono's car was already there, as well as a car that Danny didn't recognize. Danny sighed, shut the car off and got out, then stared at the house. The front was well lit, though the curtains were closed. Once again, he was hyper aware of Steve's absence. More and more lately, he was coming to realize exactly how often they did things together. It was most noticeable when he'd turn to say something to Steve and he wasn't there. Danny jingled his keys, tucked them into his pocket, and went inside.
Chin's house was a cozy cottage and the kitchen was in the back facing the beach. It was there he found Chin, Kono and an D.A. he vaguely remembered as being named Mariah. A radio sat on the counter playing some modern rock. He nodded in greeting to each and accepted the beer that Kono held out to him.
“Danny, you remember our cousin Mariah, right?” Chin asked. “She's the D.A. that's helping us.”
Danny nodded and tipped his beer bottle to her in greeting. “I remember. Good to see you again.”
“You too. How's Steve holding up?” she asked.
Danny studied her a moment before answering. Her eyes were kind, her expression gentle. It was genuine concern she showed for their friend. “Like shit. They've got him isolated from the others since he put so many of them there.” He looked at Chin. “I've got to tell him the truth.”
Chin shook his head. “Danny, we talked about this. Steve can't know. We need him to act like he really thinks the governor is dead. It's just too big a risk if he were to slip. All of this – everything - would be for nothing. This is our only shot and we can't take that chance.”
Kono agreed with Chin. “Chin's right, Danny. He'll understand when he does find out.”
Danny's first impulse was to make some smart ass remark, but he caught himself just in time. He knew Chin had as much riding on this as he did. They all did. He nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing dramatically. “I know, I know. What else is there? What about the ME's report? We good?”
Mariah held out a folder to him. “This is the official report that Dr. Bergman has come up with for us, what the other cops will see. Of course, we all know better.”
“The Governor was at her funeral today,” Danny told them. “We're not the only ones that need to be careful. Someone needs to remind her of that.”
Chin nodded. “Ok, I'll talk to her the next time I go to the safe house.”
“Are you sure this safe house is, well, safe?” Danny asked.
Chin nodded. “It's not even an official safe house, so no one else knows about it. It's actually Mariah's grandfather's old house. It would be very difficult to track down.”
“Good,” Danny said.
“How's Rachel and Gracie?” Kono asked quietly.
Danny finished the last of his beer and set the empty bottle on the counter. “Still in Jersey. Staying in Jersey until this is finished,” he answered as he fished his keys out of his pocket.
“And then?” Chin asked.
“There is no “then,” Chin. She lied to me. I don't care that the bastard got to her too, she still lied to me. That's done.”
“Make sure Steve knows that too, yeah?”
“Make sure Steve knows – No, you know what? I'm going to go check on Steve's place, then go home to try to get a couple hours of sleep. Maybe then that will make more sense. Night all.”
*****
Steve's place was dark and the silence was louder than anything Danny had heard. He moved through the house, clicking on lights, checking windows and doors, looking closely to make sure that nothing had been disturbed. As far as he could tell, no one else had been there. Any of Steve's personal files regarding Wo Fat or the murders of Steve's parents had long since been removed and taken to Mariah's house for safe keeping. Danny and Chin had hoped they would be safer with her and their new location less obvious.
When he was satisfied that Steve's house was undisturbed, Danny turned off all the lights, reset the alarm and drove back to his own apartment. There, he stripped down to his boxers and climbed on top of his bed as he tried to sleep.
It didn't take long for it to become clear that sleep wasn't going to come and with a growl of frustration, he got up, got dressed and drove back to Steve's as he had so many other sleepless nights. This time, instead of Steve sitting up with him as they watched old football games together, Danny sat on Steve's couch and watched them by himself as he waited for his brain to stop turning and his eyelids to get heavy.
He watched two football games before giving up and going to Steve's guest room to try to sleep there. Even with the window open, sleep didn't come and Danny listened to the waves as they crashed onto the beach. Only when the sun started to come up did he give up and go make coffee. It was as he was showering that he realized he had no extra clothes with him and while he pulled his shorts back on, he ended up grabbing a tee shirt of Steve's without thinking about it. He sat out on the lanai for a bit sipping his coffee before he decided it had been long enough and went back inside, grabbed his car keys and drove to see Steve.
*****
Danny waited impatiently in the interrogation room – one of the perks of being a detective. He didn't have to go to the visitor's room, thus affording them a little more privacy. When Steve was brought in, Danny's breath caught. He looked so lost; it was actually painful for Danny to watch him. Steve sat down across the table and put his cuffed hands on the cool surface.
“What's the latest? How's Chin? Kono? Gracie? What about Rachel? How are you guys doing?” Steve asked rapid fire. Danny tried to hide his reaction when Steve mentioned Rachel's name, but he wasn't fast enough. “Danny, what? What's going on? Is it the baby?” he pressed.
Danny laughed bitterly and sat back in his chair. “The baby is fine. In fact, there is no baby. She lied.” When Steve narrowed his eyes and his jaw started to twitch, Danny offered up a half smile. “Let it go, babe,” he said, forcing a calm he did not feel. “There's more to the story that I will tell you later.” And then Danny proceeded to distract him with stories about Gracie visiting her grandparents back in Jersey and being spoiled rotten by them, even though when she called every night, she insisted that she “missed her Danno and Uncle Steve.” He made a special point of telling Steve about the picture that Gracie had drawn of the three of them and he'd stuck to the front of Steve's fridge so he'd be sure to see it when he got home.
“Needless to say, she's not helping my mother garden for a long time,” Danny said as he finished his latest tale. “Earth worms in the pockets of her shorts do not stay there when my mother does her laundry, so she tells me.”
Steve leaned forward, hands still on the table, and studied Danny. He did his best not to fidget under Steve's intense scrutiny. “What?” Danny asked when he couldn't stand it anymore.
“You. There's still something else you're not telling me. What is it, Danno?” Steve asked softly.
Danny leaned forward, his hands on the table almost touching Steve's. “Nothing, Steven. We're doing the best we can to figure out who really killed the governor, but it's going to take time. Just... Hang in there, ok? Please?”
The visit ended shortly after that and it wasn't until after Danny had gotten back into his car that he allowed himself to remember the discussion he'd had with Rachel. . .
*****
Danny had watched as the squad car pulled away, Steve in the backseat looking more lost and confused than Danny had ever seen him. Both of their worlds were falling apart. At the same time that Steve was arrested, Rachel and Gracie's flight for the mainland was taking off from the airport, carrying them back to the mainland, then on to Jersey.
At the same time... Something clicked for Danny and he sent Rachel a text message to call him during their layover. Then he waited – for her to call, for Chin to call – and began the first of many sleepless nights.
Finally, the phone rang the next day. Danny was sitting on his couch staring at his blank tv screen. The phone was on the end table and he quickly snatched it up and answered the call.
“Hello,” he said quietly as the knot in his stomach tightened.
“Daniel,” Rachel had answered softly, as if she already knew that he was figuring things out. He wondered how long she'd thought it would take him. If she'd thought it would be this quickly.
“How was the flight? Is Gracie ok?”
“Gracie is fine. Listen, Danny - ”
“You're not really pregnant, are you, Rachel?” he asked her, smoothly cutting her off. He had better things to do than to wade through small talk, not with this looming between them.
He could barely hear her whispered, “No.”
“Shit. What happened, Rachel? Did you decide it would be fun to jerk me around again? Toy with me with something you knew I wanted? Would have given anything for?” he asked angrily, only stopping himself when he heard her choked sob on the other end.
“It was him. He knew, Danny. He knew about Matt. He said I had to do this, had to get you off Hawaii and back to the mainland or he was going to make sure it came back to haunt you. I did itfor you!” she cried out.
Danny suddenly felt nauseas and he gripped his phone tighter. “He? Who – Wo Fat? Jesus, Rachel, why didn't you say something? I could have - ”
“No, Danny, you couldn't. This time, you couldn't fix this and I was trying to protect you. I really do love you,” she insisted.
“No, Rachel, you love what could have been. I can't do this. Not again,” he said before ending the call.
Somehow he'd known that Wo Fat was behind this, but hearing it made it more unbearable. What else had he done? Who else had he manipulated? He wondered as a thought occurred to him. Chin. His recent reinstatement and puzzling promotion could only have come from one place. How easily they'd all been orchestrated into position, he thought bitterly. He wondered if it could come crashing down just as easily.
*****
As the days crept closer to Steve's trial, Danny found him staying at Steve's house more and more until soon he was pretty much living there. He visited Steve each afternoon after work, making sure Steve's spirits were kept up, that he was eating, that he wasn't being harassed too badly.
“I know how you Army boys are,” Danny had teased easily.
“Navy,” Steve had corrected automatically, a small smile brightening his face, much to Danny's relief. “Danny, my trial's nearly ready to start. When are you going to get me out of here?”
Danny sighed. “Soon, man. Soon.” How many times had Steve asked that question? How many times had Danny given him the same answer? Danny was thankful that the trial was starting shortly and soon it would be all over.
“And then you'll tell me about Rachel?” Steve pressed. Danny pulled a face. “Danny, you know that you're going to have to tell me sooner or later.”
Danny waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll tell you. What, you think you got special privileges or something?”
Steve smirked. “Or something. I have something Rachel doesn't have.”
“Oh? What's that?”
“You.” Steve sat back in the metal chair and leveled a gaze at Danny that Danny knew far too well. Steve knew he had him.
Danny's breath caught in his chest. “Steve, I - ”
Steve leaned forward again, his hands back on the table, close to Danny's, but not quite touching. If Danny crooked his pinky just so, he could almost link his finger with Steve's. “Danny, I'll wait. I know things with Rachel blew up badly. I don't know how, but I know they did. I just... I'll be here when you're ready, ok?”
Stunned speechless, Danny could only nod.
“Ok,” he said as he breathed out slowly, relaxing for the first time in weeks. He stretched his fingers just a little to touch Steve's for only a moment before he had to pull them back again.
After all, you never knew who might be watching.
All too soon, another officer came into the room to let Danny know his time was up. “I'll see you tomorrow, babe,” he said. It was only after he'd gotten into his car and pulled away that he realized calling Steve babe now had a whole different meaning.
*****
This was it. This was the day that everything came to a head. The day that, with any luck, all of this ended and Steve would be released and his little girl could be on her way home. He couldn't ever recall being so nervous as he sat on the hard bench and stared at the back of the bench in front of him. He'd seen Wo Fat walk in earlier, knew that Steve had seen him as well. What Wo Fat hadn't seen, and what Steve hadn't seen, was the Governor seated about two rows behind Wo Fat. He wanted to twist in his seat and stare Wo Fat down, try to shake the man, but he knew that was impossible. The man was infallible. Instead, Danny contented himself with picking angrily at imaginary lint on his trousers with one hand. In his other hand, he held a pair of hand cuffs.
Finally, the judge entered the courtroom, the guard called everything to order and silence fell upon the room. Danny swallowed a lump in his throat and tried not to throw up.
The judge looked around the court room and then squared his gaze on Steve. Danny saw Steve square his shoulders in return and knew he was meeting the judge's gaze evenly. Finally, the judge looked at the rest of the court room and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, another voice echoed through the courtroom.
“Your Honor, if I may approach the bench,” the Governor said confidently.
The reaction was almost deafening – the shocked gasps that filled the courtroom, the surprise that rippled across the rows. The judge rapidly rapped his gavel as he tried to regain some semblance of order. In front of him, Steve's head whipped around and met his gaze. Danny could see when all of the details clicked into place for him, knew when Steve had figured it out. The expression that lit Steve's face, the pride Danny saw there when Steve realized what his team had done for him, was enough to calm Danny. He smiled back at Steve and nodded.
Even the judge was flustered for a moment. “You may, Governor. What is this? Why are we clearly wasting my courtroom's time if you're most certainly not dead?” he asked firmly.
The Governor cleared her throat and walked towards the judge's bench, but spoke loudly and clearly enough for everyone to hear. “Your Honor, my apologies. My team, including the defendant, has been working on a case for me to catch a man that managed to elude us many times. This was only done as a last resort.”
“I see. Is this man in the courtroom today?”
“He is, Your Honor.”
Again, Danny could hear the shocked gasps around the courtroom, heard the shuffle and turned around as Wo Fat stood and, Danny noted with surprise, actually appeared flustered. Danny held up a pair of hand cuffs and grinned.
“Wo Fat, you're under arrest,” he began. Never had five words ever felt so good to say. He stepped back as another officer finished the process and walked over to Steve.
To say that there was disorder in the courtroom was a huge understatement, but Danny had expected that. The Governor was busy discussing the operation with the judge, the DA and the defense lawyer, leaving Danny and Steve alone, yet surrounded by people. Danny was grateful that Chin and Kono stood a few feet away and allowed them a moment of privacy, even if it was really only an illusion.
“Really, Danny? You couldn't tell me?” Steve asked, though he softened the question with a proud smile.
Danny shook his head. “No. We had to keep your reactions genuine. I'm so sorry, babe. I hated not telling you.”
“I understand. It's really over?”
Danny shrugged. “There's a mountain of paperwork to be filled out and signed. I know how much you love that. But yeah, for you, it's really over.”
“And Wo Fat? We still don't have him for my parents, Danny.”
This was something that Danny was truly sorry for and hoped he'd be able to remedy. “I know. He'll be arrested for the attempted murder of the governor, which will certainly put a crimp in his operations. And we'll keep working on a way to catch him for your parents, I promise.”
Wordlessly, Steve nodded, then pulled Danny into a hug. Steve cupped the back of Danny's head and tipped his head down a bit, murmuring in Danny's ear, “Thank you.” Then just as quickly, Danny was released. “This still doesn't help Kono,” Steve pointed out.
“Actually, it does,” the Governor said as she approached Steve and Danny.
“How so?” Kono asked as she and Chin joined them.
The Governor fixed a firm gaze at her, daring her to dispute it. “You were working under my orders, weren't you, Officer Kalakaua?”
Kono hid her surprise quickly. “Yes, ma'am.”
“Then the charges will be dropped. You and Steve will have to stay a while and sign some papers. I'm sorry, Steve, I know you probably wanted to get home.”
Of course, because the outcome had been known ahead of time, the D.A. had the paperwork prepared already, so even though there were many forms that everyone needed to sign, the actual process didn't take very long.
“So that's it?” Steve asked again, as though he could hardly believe it.
“That's it,” the district attorney repeated.
Steve grinned. “Great. My place. Beer, burgers, whatever else you feel like bringing. You coming, Danny?”
Danny smiled to match Steve's. “Oh yeah.”
Danny's mood deflated a bit when Rachel called him on his way to Steve's. “Rachel, I cannot do this right now,” Danny told her when he answered. “Yes, Wo Fat manipulated you. Yes, I was angry. No, I am not anymore. But the fact remains, you still lied to me,” he said before she could ask any of her questions.
Rachel sighed at the other end. “Danny. We both know it would never have worked. The reasons it didn't work the first time are still there, nothing was resolved. We were chasing a memory, weren't we?” she asked softly and Danny could hear the hitch in her voice at the end.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “We were. Be happy, Rachel. Fix things with Step-Stan, if you can, but be happy,” he finished before ending the call.
*****
The party at Steve's had continued until nearly dawn before it was just Steve and Danny. Danny had been anxious all evening and finally, finally they were alone.
“So,” Steve said. “You going to finally tell me what happened with Rachel?”
“Don't mess around, do you McGarrett?” Danny asked.
“Nope, but you knew that. What happened, Danny?” Steve went through the motions of making coffee, then turned and leaned against the counter as he watched Danny.
Danny sat at the table and sighed. “Short explanation is that she lied. About everything. Us. The baby. All of it. It was another string for Wo Fat to pull.”
“Jesus, Danny. I'm sorry.”
Danny shrugged. “It wouldn't have worked anyway. She called on the way over and we both realized it, though she realized it first. Nothing's changed from when we tried this the first time around. Just the location. We were chasing a memory – or something.”
“And now?” Steve asked.
“Now we move on. Forget the past.” Danny stood and approached Steve. “Got any ideas on how I can do that?”
Steve grinned and pulled him into a hug. “Oh yeah, all kinds. I know you're not ready yet, but we've got time.”
The hug was cut short when Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive played from Danny's pocket. “Shit. That's Chin.” He answered the call. “Go Chin.”
“Is Steve with you?” Chin asked.
Danny could hear the alarm in his voice. “Yeah. I'm putting you on speaker phone. What's up, Chin?”
“I hate to tell you this, guys, but Wo Fat's escaped.”
Title: But the Battle Wages On
Author: raynedanser
Pairing: None, hints at future Danny/Steve
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~ 5000
Author's Notes: MANY, many thank yous to
powrhug, mickeym and polgaramalfoy for holding my hand from inception to posting and to msktrnanny for her wonderful beta duties. Much love to you all!Step by step
Heart to heart
Left, right, left
We all fall down
Like toy soldiers
Bit by bit
Torn apart
We never win
But the battle wages on
For toy soldiers
"Toy Soldiers"
Martika
Danny sat on a stone bench under a palm tree and watched the funeral proceedings from a distance. Danny had suggested, and Chin had agreed, that the graveside service should be kept to immediate family and 5-O only. This way, if Wo Fat or any of his men decided to drop in, it would be easier to spot them than if there had been a large crowd to monitor. Chin was there, as was Jenna, both looking spiffy with Chin proudly wearing his uniform and Jenna in a smart pant suit. Kono had been released on bail and stood somberly to Chin's left, but Steve, accused of killing the governor and being a one man deadly weapon, was still in lock up.
As funerals go, it was a nice one, Danny supposed. Prayers were said at appropriate times, the right people sniffled and wiped at their eyes. A reception would be held later and would be filled with many of the local politicians. Danny imagined that it would be less reserved at the reception.
Danny looked over as the rustle of fabric next to him pulled his attention. Seated on the bench was a sharply dressed brunette with large sun glasses and closely cropped dark hair. In one hand she clutched a ratty wad of tissue and she made a show of dabbing at her nose occasionally.
"You shouldn't be here," Danny pointed out quietly, even though the closest people were a hundred feet away.
"Oh I don't know about that. It's not often that one is able to attend their own funeral, Detective Williams."
Danny continued to watch the attendees. “All I can say is this had better work,” he finally said.
“Of course it will. Wo Fat is too arrogant to not watch Steve's trial. Is everyone lined up?”
“Yes, they are. You swear, after all of this is finished, you'll make it right?” he asked again, finally looking the Governor right in the eye. He wanted this over with. He wanted this fixed. Mostly, he wanted Steve out of jail and where he could touch him and make sure that he was all right. This had better work.
“I swear, Danny. How is Steve doing?”
Danny shook his head. “How the hell do you think he's doing? He's been arrested for murdering the governor – you - and even though he doesn't know that you're alive, he knows he didn't do it. He's a fucking mess.”
And he was. Danny had seen him that morning and something in him had died a little. Steve was pale and he wasn't sleeping.
“And Rachel?” the Governor had asked.
Danny stood and held out his hand. “You'd better go,” he said, neatly evading her question. “We don't want to take the chance that the wrong people will see you.”
She nodded once and took Danny's hand, then stood. “Patience, Danny,” she said and then she was gone.
The reception was in a large hall at the Governor's Palace. It was filled with the Who's Who of Hawaiian politics. Standing in suit and tie and holding a glass of wine that he wished was beer, Danny had never felt more out of place. Whenever he'd had some silly to do to attend, he'd always had Steve at his side and Steve was obviously not there that night. As far as nearly everyone was concerned, Steve was the cause of the gathering in the first place.
Chin, Kono and Jenna were standing off to one side in a little group looking equally uncomfortable and Danny went over to them.
“Hey,” Kono said without her usual enthusiasm. Her concern for Steve and for herself had dampened it considerably in the last few days.
Danny tugged at his tie. “Hey kiddo. Can't wait to get out of here and get out of this monkey suit,” he grumbled.
Chin took a sip of his wine, then looked pointedly at Danny before going back to surveying the room. “You should come over to my place after this, Danny,” he said.
“Nah, gonna go home and crash, I think. Been a hell of a week.”
“Danny, you really should come over,” Chin said again, more firmly this time.
Anything else that Chin may have said was cut short when the Lieutenant Governor approached them and Danny watched him disdainfully. He'd only met the man once and his impression hadn't been a good one. The man was a smug bastard as far as Danny was concerned.
“Detective Williams, you're looking well,” Lieutenant Governor Blythe greeted him.
Danny snorted. “Sure, because things are just great here. The Governor's dead, Steve's in jail for something he didn't do, Kono's out on bail, my little girl's in New Jersey. Yep. Things are just great.” He ignored the glare that Chin shot his way.
“Detective Williams, we'll have your team back to work and busy again in no time at all. It was good to see all of you,” he said before turning on his heel and schmoozing with more of the crowd.
Danny shuddered. “That man is the biggest bastard alive.”
“Really Danny? Why don't you see if you can antagonize him a little more? We need to work with him,” Chin chastised.
Danny ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I know, I'm sorry. I just. What kind of comment was that?” he asked in disbelief.
The rest of the evening passed slowly as the four of them watched the level of bullshit in the room rise. When the majority of the people had finally cleared out, Chin announced it was time for them to go.
“See you in a few?” he made a point of asking Danny, and then waited for Danny to nod his agreement.
When Danny pulled into Chin's driveway a short time later, Kono's car was already there, as well as a car that Danny didn't recognize. Danny sighed, shut the car off and got out, then stared at the house. The front was well lit, though the curtains were closed. Once again, he was hyper aware of Steve's absence. More and more lately, he was coming to realize exactly how often they did things together. It was most noticeable when he'd turn to say something to Steve and he wasn't there. Danny jingled his keys, tucked them into his pocket, and went inside.
Chin's house was a cozy cottage and the kitchen was in the back facing the beach. It was there he found Chin, Kono and an D.A. he vaguely remembered as being named Mariah. A radio sat on the counter playing some modern rock. He nodded in greeting to each and accepted the beer that Kono held out to him.
“Danny, you remember our cousin Mariah, right?” Chin asked. “She's the D.A. that's helping us.”
Danny nodded and tipped his beer bottle to her in greeting. “I remember. Good to see you again.”
“You too. How's Steve holding up?” she asked.
Danny studied her a moment before answering. Her eyes were kind, her expression gentle. It was genuine concern she showed for their friend. “Like shit. They've got him isolated from the others since he put so many of them there.” He looked at Chin. “I've got to tell him the truth.”
Chin shook his head. “Danny, we talked about this. Steve can't know. We need him to act like he really thinks the governor is dead. It's just too big a risk if he were to slip. All of this – everything - would be for nothing. This is our only shot and we can't take that chance.”
Kono agreed with Chin. “Chin's right, Danny. He'll understand when he does find out.”
Danny's first impulse was to make some smart ass remark, but he caught himself just in time. He knew Chin had as much riding on this as he did. They all did. He nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing dramatically. “I know, I know. What else is there? What about the ME's report? We good?”
Mariah held out a folder to him. “This is the official report that Dr. Bergman has come up with for us, what the other cops will see. Of course, we all know better.”
“The Governor was at her funeral today,” Danny told them. “We're not the only ones that need to be careful. Someone needs to remind her of that.”
Chin nodded. “Ok, I'll talk to her the next time I go to the safe house.”
“Are you sure this safe house is, well, safe?” Danny asked.
Chin nodded. “It's not even an official safe house, so no one else knows about it. It's actually Mariah's grandfather's old house. It would be very difficult to track down.”
“Good,” Danny said.
“How's Rachel and Gracie?” Kono asked quietly.
Danny finished the last of his beer and set the empty bottle on the counter. “Still in Jersey. Staying in Jersey until this is finished,” he answered as he fished his keys out of his pocket.
“And then?” Chin asked.
“There is no “then,” Chin. She lied to me. I don't care that the bastard got to her too, she still lied to me. That's done.”
“Make sure Steve knows that too, yeah?”
“Make sure Steve knows – No, you know what? I'm going to go check on Steve's place, then go home to try to get a couple hours of sleep. Maybe then that will make more sense. Night all.”
Steve's place was dark and the silence was louder than anything Danny had heard. He moved through the house, clicking on lights, checking windows and doors, looking closely to make sure that nothing had been disturbed. As far as he could tell, no one else had been there. Any of Steve's personal files regarding Wo Fat or the murders of Steve's parents had long since been removed and taken to Mariah's house for safe keeping. Danny and Chin had hoped they would be safer with her and their new location less obvious.
When he was satisfied that Steve's house was undisturbed, Danny turned off all the lights, reset the alarm and drove back to his own apartment. There, he stripped down to his boxers and climbed on top of his bed as he tried to sleep.
It didn't take long for it to become clear that sleep wasn't going to come and with a growl of frustration, he got up, got dressed and drove back to Steve's as he had so many other sleepless nights. This time, instead of Steve sitting up with him as they watched old football games together, Danny sat on Steve's couch and watched them by himself as he waited for his brain to stop turning and his eyelids to get heavy.
He watched two football games before giving up and going to Steve's guest room to try to sleep there. Even with the window open, sleep didn't come and Danny listened to the waves as they crashed onto the beach. Only when the sun started to come up did he give up and go make coffee. It was as he was showering that he realized he had no extra clothes with him and while he pulled his shorts back on, he ended up grabbing a tee shirt of Steve's without thinking about it. He sat out on the lanai for a bit sipping his coffee before he decided it had been long enough and went back inside, grabbed his car keys and drove to see Steve.
Danny waited impatiently in the interrogation room – one of the perks of being a detective. He didn't have to go to the visitor's room, thus affording them a little more privacy. When Steve was brought in, Danny's breath caught. He looked so lost; it was actually painful for Danny to watch him. Steve sat down across the table and put his cuffed hands on the cool surface.
“What's the latest? How's Chin? Kono? Gracie? What about Rachel? How are you guys doing?” Steve asked rapid fire. Danny tried to hide his reaction when Steve mentioned Rachel's name, but he wasn't fast enough. “Danny, what? What's going on? Is it the baby?” he pressed.
Danny laughed bitterly and sat back in his chair. “The baby is fine. In fact, there is no baby. She lied.” When Steve narrowed his eyes and his jaw started to twitch, Danny offered up a half smile. “Let it go, babe,” he said, forcing a calm he did not feel. “There's more to the story that I will tell you later.” And then Danny proceeded to distract him with stories about Gracie visiting her grandparents back in Jersey and being spoiled rotten by them, even though when she called every night, she insisted that she “missed her Danno and Uncle Steve.” He made a special point of telling Steve about the picture that Gracie had drawn of the three of them and he'd stuck to the front of Steve's fridge so he'd be sure to see it when he got home.
“Needless to say, she's not helping my mother garden for a long time,” Danny said as he finished his latest tale. “Earth worms in the pockets of her shorts do not stay there when my mother does her laundry, so she tells me.”
Steve leaned forward, hands still on the table, and studied Danny. He did his best not to fidget under Steve's intense scrutiny. “What?” Danny asked when he couldn't stand it anymore.
“You. There's still something else you're not telling me. What is it, Danno?” Steve asked softly.
Danny leaned forward, his hands on the table almost touching Steve's. “Nothing, Steven. We're doing the best we can to figure out who really killed the governor, but it's going to take time. Just... Hang in there, ok? Please?”
The visit ended shortly after that and it wasn't until after Danny had gotten back into his car that he allowed himself to remember the discussion he'd had with Rachel. . .
Danny had watched as the squad car pulled away, Steve in the backseat looking more lost and confused than Danny had ever seen him. Both of their worlds were falling apart. At the same time that Steve was arrested, Rachel and Gracie's flight for the mainland was taking off from the airport, carrying them back to the mainland, then on to Jersey.
At the same time... Something clicked for Danny and he sent Rachel a text message to call him during their layover. Then he waited – for her to call, for Chin to call – and began the first of many sleepless nights.
Finally, the phone rang the next day. Danny was sitting on his couch staring at his blank tv screen. The phone was on the end table and he quickly snatched it up and answered the call.
“Hello,” he said quietly as the knot in his stomach tightened.
“Daniel,” Rachel had answered softly, as if she already knew that he was figuring things out. He wondered how long she'd thought it would take him. If she'd thought it would be this quickly.
“How was the flight? Is Gracie ok?”
“Gracie is fine. Listen, Danny - ”
“You're not really pregnant, are you, Rachel?” he asked her, smoothly cutting her off. He had better things to do than to wade through small talk, not with this looming between them.
He could barely hear her whispered, “No.”
“Shit. What happened, Rachel? Did you decide it would be fun to jerk me around again? Toy with me with something you knew I wanted? Would have given anything for?” he asked angrily, only stopping himself when he heard her choked sob on the other end.
“It was him. He knew, Danny. He knew about Matt. He said I had to do this, had to get you off Hawaii and back to the mainland or he was going to make sure it came back to haunt you. I did itfor you!” she cried out.
Danny suddenly felt nauseas and he gripped his phone tighter. “He? Who – Wo Fat? Jesus, Rachel, why didn't you say something? I could have - ”
“No, Danny, you couldn't. This time, you couldn't fix this and I was trying to protect you. I really do love you,” she insisted.
“No, Rachel, you love what could have been. I can't do this. Not again,” he said before ending the call.
Somehow he'd known that Wo Fat was behind this, but hearing it made it more unbearable. What else had he done? Who else had he manipulated? He wondered as a thought occurred to him. Chin. His recent reinstatement and puzzling promotion could only have come from one place. How easily they'd all been orchestrated into position, he thought bitterly. He wondered if it could come crashing down just as easily.
As the days crept closer to Steve's trial, Danny found him staying at Steve's house more and more until soon he was pretty much living there. He visited Steve each afternoon after work, making sure Steve's spirits were kept up, that he was eating, that he wasn't being harassed too badly.
“I know how you Army boys are,” Danny had teased easily.
“Navy,” Steve had corrected automatically, a small smile brightening his face, much to Danny's relief. “Danny, my trial's nearly ready to start. When are you going to get me out of here?”
Danny sighed. “Soon, man. Soon.” How many times had Steve asked that question? How many times had Danny given him the same answer? Danny was thankful that the trial was starting shortly and soon it would be all over.
“And then you'll tell me about Rachel?” Steve pressed. Danny pulled a face. “Danny, you know that you're going to have to tell me sooner or later.”
Danny waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll tell you. What, you think you got special privileges or something?”
Steve smirked. “Or something. I have something Rachel doesn't have.”
“Oh? What's that?”
“You.” Steve sat back in the metal chair and leveled a gaze at Danny that Danny knew far too well. Steve knew he had him.
Danny's breath caught in his chest. “Steve, I - ”
Steve leaned forward again, his hands back on the table, close to Danny's, but not quite touching. If Danny crooked his pinky just so, he could almost link his finger with Steve's. “Danny, I'll wait. I know things with Rachel blew up badly. I don't know how, but I know they did. I just... I'll be here when you're ready, ok?”
Stunned speechless, Danny could only nod.
“Ok,” he said as he breathed out slowly, relaxing for the first time in weeks. He stretched his fingers just a little to touch Steve's for only a moment before he had to pull them back again.
After all, you never knew who might be watching.
All too soon, another officer came into the room to let Danny know his time was up. “I'll see you tomorrow, babe,” he said. It was only after he'd gotten into his car and pulled away that he realized calling Steve babe now had a whole different meaning.
This was it. This was the day that everything came to a head. The day that, with any luck, all of this ended and Steve would be released and his little girl could be on her way home. He couldn't ever recall being so nervous as he sat on the hard bench and stared at the back of the bench in front of him. He'd seen Wo Fat walk in earlier, knew that Steve had seen him as well. What Wo Fat hadn't seen, and what Steve hadn't seen, was the Governor seated about two rows behind Wo Fat. He wanted to twist in his seat and stare Wo Fat down, try to shake the man, but he knew that was impossible. The man was infallible. Instead, Danny contented himself with picking angrily at imaginary lint on his trousers with one hand. In his other hand, he held a pair of hand cuffs.
Finally, the judge entered the courtroom, the guard called everything to order and silence fell upon the room. Danny swallowed a lump in his throat and tried not to throw up.
The judge looked around the court room and then squared his gaze on Steve. Danny saw Steve square his shoulders in return and knew he was meeting the judge's gaze evenly. Finally, the judge looked at the rest of the court room and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, another voice echoed through the courtroom.
“Your Honor, if I may approach the bench,” the Governor said confidently.
The reaction was almost deafening – the shocked gasps that filled the courtroom, the surprise that rippled across the rows. The judge rapidly rapped his gavel as he tried to regain some semblance of order. In front of him, Steve's head whipped around and met his gaze. Danny could see when all of the details clicked into place for him, knew when Steve had figured it out. The expression that lit Steve's face, the pride Danny saw there when Steve realized what his team had done for him, was enough to calm Danny. He smiled back at Steve and nodded.
Even the judge was flustered for a moment. “You may, Governor. What is this? Why are we clearly wasting my courtroom's time if you're most certainly not dead?” he asked firmly.
The Governor cleared her throat and walked towards the judge's bench, but spoke loudly and clearly enough for everyone to hear. “Your Honor, my apologies. My team, including the defendant, has been working on a case for me to catch a man that managed to elude us many times. This was only done as a last resort.”
“I see. Is this man in the courtroom today?”
“He is, Your Honor.”
Again, Danny could hear the shocked gasps around the courtroom, heard the shuffle and turned around as Wo Fat stood and, Danny noted with surprise, actually appeared flustered. Danny held up a pair of hand cuffs and grinned.
“Wo Fat, you're under arrest,” he began. Never had five words ever felt so good to say. He stepped back as another officer finished the process and walked over to Steve.
To say that there was disorder in the courtroom was a huge understatement, but Danny had expected that. The Governor was busy discussing the operation with the judge, the DA and the defense lawyer, leaving Danny and Steve alone, yet surrounded by people. Danny was grateful that Chin and Kono stood a few feet away and allowed them a moment of privacy, even if it was really only an illusion.
“Really, Danny? You couldn't tell me?” Steve asked, though he softened the question with a proud smile.
Danny shook his head. “No. We had to keep your reactions genuine. I'm so sorry, babe. I hated not telling you.”
“I understand. It's really over?”
Danny shrugged. “There's a mountain of paperwork to be filled out and signed. I know how much you love that. But yeah, for you, it's really over.”
“And Wo Fat? We still don't have him for my parents, Danny.”
This was something that Danny was truly sorry for and hoped he'd be able to remedy. “I know. He'll be arrested for the attempted murder of the governor, which will certainly put a crimp in his operations. And we'll keep working on a way to catch him for your parents, I promise.”
Wordlessly, Steve nodded, then pulled Danny into a hug. Steve cupped the back of Danny's head and tipped his head down a bit, murmuring in Danny's ear, “Thank you.” Then just as quickly, Danny was released. “This still doesn't help Kono,” Steve pointed out.
“Actually, it does,” the Governor said as she approached Steve and Danny.
“How so?” Kono asked as she and Chin joined them.
The Governor fixed a firm gaze at her, daring her to dispute it. “You were working under my orders, weren't you, Officer Kalakaua?”
Kono hid her surprise quickly. “Yes, ma'am.”
“Then the charges will be dropped. You and Steve will have to stay a while and sign some papers. I'm sorry, Steve, I know you probably wanted to get home.”
Of course, because the outcome had been known ahead of time, the D.A. had the paperwork prepared already, so even though there were many forms that everyone needed to sign, the actual process didn't take very long.
“So that's it?” Steve asked again, as though he could hardly believe it.
“That's it,” the district attorney repeated.
Steve grinned. “Great. My place. Beer, burgers, whatever else you feel like bringing. You coming, Danny?”
Danny smiled to match Steve's. “Oh yeah.”
Danny's mood deflated a bit when Rachel called him on his way to Steve's. “Rachel, I cannot do this right now,” Danny told her when he answered. “Yes, Wo Fat manipulated you. Yes, I was angry. No, I am not anymore. But the fact remains, you still lied to me,” he said before she could ask any of her questions.
Rachel sighed at the other end. “Danny. We both know it would never have worked. The reasons it didn't work the first time are still there, nothing was resolved. We were chasing a memory, weren't we?” she asked softly and Danny could hear the hitch in her voice at the end.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “We were. Be happy, Rachel. Fix things with Step-Stan, if you can, but be happy,” he finished before ending the call.
*****
The party at Steve's had continued until nearly dawn before it was just Steve and Danny. Danny had been anxious all evening and finally, finally they were alone.
“So,” Steve said. “You going to finally tell me what happened with Rachel?”
“Don't mess around, do you McGarrett?” Danny asked.
“Nope, but you knew that. What happened, Danny?” Steve went through the motions of making coffee, then turned and leaned against the counter as he watched Danny.
Danny sat at the table and sighed. “Short explanation is that she lied. About everything. Us. The baby. All of it. It was another string for Wo Fat to pull.”
“Jesus, Danny. I'm sorry.”
Danny shrugged. “It wouldn't have worked anyway. She called on the way over and we both realized it, though she realized it first. Nothing's changed from when we tried this the first time around. Just the location. We were chasing a memory – or something.”
“And now?” Steve asked.
“Now we move on. Forget the past.” Danny stood and approached Steve. “Got any ideas on how I can do that?”
Steve grinned and pulled him into a hug. “Oh yeah, all kinds. I know you're not ready yet, but we've got time.”
The hug was cut short when Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive played from Danny's pocket. “Shit. That's Chin.” He answered the call. “Go Chin.”
“Is Steve with you?” Chin asked.
Danny could hear the alarm in his voice. “Yeah. I'm putting you on speaker phone. What's up, Chin?”
“I hate to tell you this, guys, but Wo Fat's escaped.”
no subject
Date: 2011-07-04 04:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-04 07:58 pm (UTC)