A/N: Hi all! I'm new to H5-0 fiction, but have dabbled in other fandoms before. My love for this show will never waver, and I hope it is renewed for season 9, maybe even 10. This story takes place early in the show, I'd say season 3ish, not quite sure if I will reference any specific eps or not. Recently I have more free time as well, so I'm planning on writing a lot more, including my own novel. Hope you enjoy! The typical disclaimer applies, I don't own the characters, etc. Rated T for thematic elements and peril. P.S. Please forgive any geographical or other errors, I'm not a native Hawaiian and there is only so much Google can tell me ;).
Hiking Adventures, Chapter 1.
Danny huffed a breath and wiped his dripping brow. It was a regular Hawaiian Tuesday, temperature hovering around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and his buffoon of a partner had thought it was a great day for a hike. Danny looked ahead at Steve's shrinking figure. "Hey cargo pants," he called out. "Why don't we rest a minute? It's freakin' hot and I'm tired."
Steve paused and turned to face his whiny partner. "Come on Danno, even Grace is handling this even better than you, isn't that right Grace?"
Danny's daughter cupped a hand over her mouth to keep her dad from hearing her giggle. "Right Uncle Steve," she whispered gleefully. They high-fived dramatically for Danny's benefit, and he rolled his eyes.
"You're a terrible influence on my beautiful monkey Steven," Danny groused, but inside he was amused. Grace had blossomed around Steve, becoming less shy and more adventurous. As much as Danny hated to admit it, Steve was tremendous around kids, and was a patient teacher to Grace. He taught her countless wilderness survival tips, like how to tie a rope into complicated knots, what plants were edible and which weren't and even useless trivia facts. Grace absolutely adored her adopted uncle, and Danny couldn't be more grateful that Steve had stepped in when Danny's own brother couldn't fill the familial role. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he trudged ahead to keep up with them.
Grace giggled again and wrapped her arms around her dad, and thanked him for allowing her to tag along on the impromptu hiking trip. Steve made it routine to go to a different trail around the islands at least once a month, whenever work permitted. Sometimes he went alone or various members of 5-0 joined him. This time it was Jersey's turn, much to his chagrin. They hadn't gotten the chance for several weeks due to criminals running amuck all over the islands.
For this trip Steve had decided on Waimano Falls, on O'ahu. This trail in particular was known for being somewhat difficult, and Danny had hesitated when Grace asked if she could go. Steve insisted they could turn back or he would carry her if things got too rough, so in the end Danny consented, albeit reluctantly.
So far the trail had been rather tough, but still doable. Grace happily clambered along after Steve, her ponytail bouncing every which way in the hot breeze, chattering about all sorts of topics, from boys to what she was learning in science class at school. Steve was listening intently and chattered back nearly as much, and Danny could see the stress of the last few months leave his partners' face. Being a cop had its pitfalls, and stress had been doing a number on both of them, making this little jaunt a much needed respite from the criminal hunting chaos.
Ahead of them, the trail narrowed and looked a little bit steeper. Steve glanced around and motioned to Grace. "Let's rest a minute Gracie. The trail gets harder from here on and we need to rest for a minute."
Danny sighed dramatically and plopped himself down on a large moss-covered rock to the left of the trail. Grace plopped herself on his knee and planted a kiss on his cheek. "What was that for Monkey?" he asked with a smile. She leaned her sweaty head on his shoulder and whispered, "Just because I love you Danno." Danny hugged her tightly, extremely grateful to have her with him.
Steve watched their interaction, and something akin to sadness flitted across his features for a split second then was gone, but not without Danny noticing. He pretended he hadn't, for Steve's sake. The man didn't know how to convey his emotions well, so Danny let it go without comment.
Steve wiped his face with a blue bandana he had tied around his neck, and gulped a long drink from his stereotypically camouflaged canteen. It had been somewhat of a gag gift from Danny the previous Christmas, but it had come in handy on many occasions.
He surveyed the trail ahead in amicable silence, listening while Danny chatted with his daughter. It was getting later in the day, so he was mulling over his plan for turning back, so they could get back to the base of the trail and his truck before dark. They had already been hiking for several hours, and while Grace carried on like a trooper, he could tell she was getting tired.
He dug into his backpack and pulled out a smaller insulated bag, which contained ham and cheese sandwiches and fruit cups, along with a bottle of chocolate milk for Grace. "Who's hungry?!" he exclaimed, with a wink in Grace's direction. She squealed in delight upon being handed the milk, and hurriedly shoved it into Danny's hands for him to open it.
The three quietly munched on their food, with Danny volunteering the occasional terrible joke to entertain Grace. Her giggles and dramatic sighs filled the quiet air, and Steve relaxed in contentment. It was times like these he was incredibly happy life had brought him back to Hawaii, even though horrible circumstances had been the first motivation. While his life had definitely thrown him in between a rock and a hard place quite a few times, times like these helped refocus him. They helped him survive.
He was brought out of his reverie by Danny chucking Grace's empty bottle at his shoulder. "Wake up cargo pants," Danny said mischievously. Steve rolled his eyes at the nickname, and retorted with the fact Danny was also wearing cargo pants on this hike. That quickly but a stop to Danny's jabs. They packed up their trash into a separate bag Steve passed around, and resumed their hike.
Steve led the way, armed with a machete to cut through the overgrown vines. Danny held Grace's hand to guide her on the increasingly unsteady trail. After several minutes of Steve's brush hacking and Danny nearly toppling over, he cleared his throat. "Excuse me super SEAL, I think we should call it a day. It's getting impossible to take a step without slipping," he insisted.
Steve turned around to face him. He wiped his brow on his sleeve, and sheathed his machete. "You're probably right Danno," he agreed, reluctance clear in his voice.
Grace leaned against her dad and yawned, solidifying Danny's opinion. He knelt down and let her climb onto his back, like a monkey. "I want to see the waterfalls Danno," Grace insisted, then yawned again.
Steve smiled and patted her head. "Don't worry honey, we'll try again another day. Gotta get an earlier start next time," Steve reassured her. Suddenly the former SEAL straightened and his face visibly tightened. He scanned their surroundings intently, motioning to Danny for silence. He signaled for Danny to get down, which the Jersey detective didn't argue with. He swiftly knelt down and shielded Grace, shushing her questions.
Whatever Steve sensed, it wasn't friendly fellow hikers; that much Danny could guarantee. Unfortunately they both had left their service weapons at home, and all they had for protection was Steve's machete. Or so Danny thought.
Steve deftly pulled his secondary weapon from a small concealed pocket in his pack, still holding his index finger over his lips in the universal sign for quiet. "I'm going to circle around," he whispered, so quietly Danny barely made out his words. Without another word, Steve disappeared into the shrubbery.