Yesterday

(Edited By Book 'em Again")

This story takes place after season 12 and is a tribute to the late James MacArthur. A special thank you to my beta "Book 'em Again", for her wonderful work editing this tale of mine.

Mahalo to my other beta for her assistance with certain aspects of this story and a helping hand with the summary. She has requested I add a "Tissue Warning!"

"Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone… But I always thought that I'd see you again…"

-James Taylor; song- "Fire and Rain"

For Dan Williams, it felt like only yesterday when the soles of his bare feet touched the warm beige sand of Waikiki Beach where he used to ride the surf. Now the glaring Hawaiian sun beat down, burning his face, while the breeze blew through his Aloha shirt, keeping the light weight material from sticking to his damp skin. He walked down the sloping dunes, feeling the changes in the consistency of the sand beneath his feet from loose powder to compact and wet. Shielding his ocean blue eyes with his hand from the bright rays of the late afternoon sun, Dan stood on the shoreline looking out to the crystal blue sea. Sighing, he paused in his tracks, welcoming the white water to wash over his feet and ankles in glistening ripples. The smell of the ocean hit his nostrils as he took in a deep breath and held it, savouring the taste of freedom from a time long since passed.

Since his plane touched down on the runway, Dan knew he was home where he belonged even though a great weight pressed down on his heart ready to crush it. It had been a good two years since he left Honolulu and the person he came to know as his true friend behind him. Thinking back, he remembered that day like it was yesterday when he received the letter; the acceptance letter from the Nassau County Police Department that secured his position as a detective in their unit. A week was all he was given to come to a final decision, terminate his position in Five-O, say good bye to a close friend and pack his meager belongings.

Reaching further back into his memory, he recalled the reason behind the decision he was burdened to face. An image of a special elderly woman materialized in his mind's eye. It was the image of his Aunt Clara. The only family he ever came to know he had. From a very young age, she was everything to him. As the years passed them by, she was proud of the man he grew up to be and he in turn, always held her in a special place within his heart. When the telephone calls from Doctor Ross became an almost daily ritual, Dan realized just how short life could be and how near he was to losing his dearest Aunt Clara. The prognosis of her condition gave her little hope of recovering but she was a fighter, always had been. Dan's determination to stand by her side in her darkest months meant he was faced with life changing decisions. The memory came flooding back, when Dan stepped into Steve McGarrett's office and broke the news to the man he loved like a brother. Their parting words were heart breaking to say the least but necessary. The timing was wrong. The reasons were unfair. But I always thought that I'd see you again. How wrong I was.

Crimson streaks painted the sky in rich watercolors of bittersweet and amber hues as the sun dipped lower below the horizon, drowning in the waves that continued to roll over the sand. Blinking away the salt water that stung his cerulean blue orbs, Dan swallowed the painful lump that had manifested in the back of his throat. Had it not been only yesterday that I lost Aunt Clara?

It had been almost a year since the tragic loss to a battle that took her away. The heartbreaking experience, however, did open up a door to a life Dan seldom thought he would live. After losing Jane, he never thought he could find eternal love again. That was, until he met Caroline Peters, the kind nurse who walked the corridors of the hospital that housed Aunt Clara in her final weeks.

A ghostly smile broke on Dan's face at the memory of sweet Caroline. Reaching inside his pants pocket, his fingers curled around the small velvet trinket box. Pulling his hand out slowly, he held the gold rimmed box in front of him and lifted the lid with his other hand. Inside sat the blindingly brilliant marquise cut diamond set in the white gold band of the engagement ring Dan planned on bestowing on his beloved later tonight. He tilted the box and gazed at the spectral colors reflected by the fading glow of the sun. The fire within resembled not only her spirited nature but the spark she ignited in his soul. Closing the lid with a light but audible snap, Dan closed his eyes and carefully stowed the box back inside his pocket.

Before Dan could stop himself, a silver tear escaped out of the corner of his eye and slid down his weary face. The clear salty liquid filled the lines that marred his once boyish features. Another face appeared before him. Strong jaws, cobalt blue eyes and a heart of gold hidden behind a steel plate of armour. He was the man Dan admired and loved like an older brother and sometimes even a father. Steve McGarrett was like no one Dan ever met before or would meet again. There were times in his life when Dan felt completely lost and when he fell, Steve would be there to pick him up off the ground, each time guiding him. He had the admirable ability to push aside the clouds of doubt that hung over the younger man in troubled times and Dan was forever thankful for all Steve had done. Steve stood by his younger protégé on countless occasions and never once did he regret any of it.

Opening his eyes once again, Dan stood in the fading light. The crashing sounds of the surf amalgamated with the ocean breeze penetrated his ears and he allowed himself to be one with the sea. He could no longer feel his feet as the water covered them in its cool embrace. An explosion sent a jolt through his body, but he quickly recognized it to be another memory enfolding in his mind. He remembered the re-enactment of the event that scarred him, played out on the television screen, in full living color. He could still hear the detonation like it was only yesterday. It brought little closure that the round face of the Chinese red agent was behind bars as he smiled up at the camera. The perpetrator responsible for ending the life of a friend, a brother and mentor, Wo Fat proved to all of them that even behind iron bars he was capable of spreading his poison and taking the life of Honolulu's finest and most memorable detective.

Seems like just yesterday morning they told me you were gone. Dan's thoughts brought him back to the phone call that woke him in the early hours of one cold morning at the apartment he had only begun to share with Caroline in New York. It was the call that shattered him to his very soul. He almost dropped the receiver upon hearing the news and if it weren't for Caroline, he didn't know what he would have done. She was his rock and in the days leading up to the funeral, she was there by his side every step of the way to pull him through just as she had with Aunt Clara's passing. She was truly a gift he could not ever face losing.

The sun had now disappeared below the endless horizon, leaving Dan shrouded in darkness by the breaking tide. His tears had long dried and in his grief he realized life was far too short to not live it. For too long he let too many opportunities fly him by and watched the people he loved lose their lives along the way. It had been two months since Steve was killed in a car bombing outside the Iolani Palace and a month since the Governor had called on his return to take Steve's place as head of Five-O. Initially, with a heavy heart, he turned down the offer but Caroline's words of wisdom made him re-consider. New York was becoming too crowded for her and Caroline's application for a transfer to the pediatric sector of Kapi'olani Hospital was successful.

Caroline had always known that Dan loved the islands. Perhaps it was the way his eyes lit up each time he reminisced the years he spent in Hawaii. Maybe it was simply the way he talked about how he loved to watch the long sunsets by the shore, to ride the wild surf and bask in the serenity of Maui whenever he could afford the chance to explore the land. She also felt how much Steve McGarrett meant to her soul mate, and that in itself, to her, was enough of a reason for them to pack their bags and start a new life in Honolulu together. Whatever the reasons, she wanted to be a part of it and follow him wherever he would go.

Tomorrow morning Dan would be walking up the steps of the Palace just like old times and enter the outer office of Five-O before making his way to his office. Steve's old office, Dan thought sadly.

"It feels like only yesterday when I first met Steve." Dan had told the young, vivacious, petite woman over breakfast as he ran his fingers lightly through her honey blond strands.

"He'd be proud of you if he knew you came back!" Caroline had assured Dan with her words before she left the apartment for her first day at the hospital.

Smiling sadly at the fading memories, Dan turned his back on the sea and wondered back up the beach.

Yesterday's sorrows would end with tomorrow's new beginnings, Dan nodded to himself and thought about his impending marriage proposal followed by his first day back in Five-O as their leader and mentor. He hoped deep down that he had what it took to fill in Steve McGarrett's shoes for he would always remember the words, "Book 'em Danno!" like they were spoken only yesterday.

Pau

'