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Changing Direction (1/1)

McGarrett/Rollins Home

Wednesday 7:00 P.M.

"I knocked but no one heard me," Danny said as he walked out the back door onto the deck and saw Steve leaning against the far railing looking out at the beach and disconnecting a phone call. "I figured you guys were back here enjoying the new deck."

Steve pocketed his phone and looked over his shoulder at his partner. "Duke called to say they have a possible location on our forger."

"Are we going in?" Danny crossed to stand next to Steve who shook his head no.

"Looks like he'll be flying back into town later tonight. They'll pick him up when he does and hold him until morning."

"Sounds good." Danny glanced around. "How come Cammie didn't bark when I knocked?"

"She had a lot of extra energy to burn off today so Catherine took her out for a run."

"Ahh, that explains it." Danny dropped his hands to the railing and began drumming his fingers as his eyes scanned the ocean distractedly.

"Not that there needs to be," Steve said as he watched his partner shift his weight from foot to foot, "but is there a specific reason you stopped by?"

"I brought back the Atlas you loaned Grace for her social studies project." Danny's fingers continued their beat against the railing. "I left it on the coffee table in the living room."

"Thanks," Steve replied. "I hope it helped."

"It did." Danny never took his eyes off the horizon as a minute later he dropped down into the nearest chair and sighed heavily.

Steve waited, wanting to give his friend a chance to gather his thoughts. When it became clear a little prodding was needed he asked, "Something on your mind?"

"Yes … no … not really." Danny rubbed his forehead as if attempting to stave off a headache.

"Well that sounded convincing," Steve smiled.

Clearly there was something Danny wanted to talk about and Steve had learned over the years to just give his partner time.

"Grace's birthday is coming up," Danny finally spit out, as if that explained everything Steve could possibly need to know about his current mood.

"Yes, I know." Steve had no idea what Danny could possibly be getting at. "That happens every year around this time."

"Oh no my friend … not like this … this year … this birthday … it's different."

"Why exactly?"

Danny's face took on a pained expression. "I … am about to become … the father … of a teenager. A teenager. My baby girl is about to turn thirteen … years … old. Everything changes when a girl becomes a teenager."

Steve could see Danny getting wound up.

"She's growing up," he agreed with an affectionate smile.

He knew how much Gracie was looking forward to this particular milestone, how excited she was to become an official teenager, but he had a feeling it was going to be a tough one for his partner to get through.

"It seems like just yesterday she needed me to help her tie her shoes and fill her sippy cup. Now she's … off with her friends or at school activities … her social calendar is fuller than mine! Do you remember when you first got to the island? She was a little girl then. Now she's on the verge of becoming … a young woman."

"She's a great kid, Danny." Steve said reassuringly. "She has a good head on her shoulders. You don't have to worry about Gracie."

"I know … and thank you for saying that … but still becoming a teenager is … well … it's big. It means before you know there'll be car dates and driving lessons and SATS and in no time we'll be looking at colleges." A panicked look crossed Danny's face. "What if she wants to go to college back on the mainland? Or worse yet … overseas. I'm not ready for that."

"Relax," Steve said in as calming a voice as he could. "You have a few years before you need to worry about any of that."

"I guess you're right," Danny acquiesced reluctantly. "It's just … wow… thirteen … that's a big one."

"It is," Steve agreed. "But you'll get through it. And you'll make it great for Gracie."

"I hope you're right."

"Aren't I always," Steve smirked and was happy to see it brought a smile to his partner's face.

Along with the expected eye roll.

Steve dropped down into the chair next to Danny's and the two men stared silently at the ocean in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally Danny spoke.

"Would you have ever thought … you know … five years ago … we'd end up here … like this?" His voice held a mixture of awe and disbelief.

Steve's mind flew back to his return to the island he had called home as a child and the early days of his partnership with Danny. He had to admit that while he felt a connection with his future partner right from the beginning he could have never imagined them forging a bond as strong as they had now. "Probably not."

Danny turned and looked directly at Steve when he spoke. Even though he knew his partner was sometimes uncomfortable with direct displays of emotion, though he was definitely getting better about them the more time he spent with Catherine, he wanted to make sure Steve saw the sincerity behind his words. "It feels good though."

"Yeah, it does," Steve agreed.

"Can I tell you something?" Danny grinned, ready to lighten the mood a little.

"Anything."

"If you repeat this I'll deny it."

"Of course." Steve nodded his head solemnly.

"Over Christmas, when we were at Nonna's … "

Just the thought of that trip brought a smile to Steve's face. "Go on."

"There was a part of me … a very small part mind you … but still … if I'm being completely honest … a part of me that … again in a very small way … missed Hawaii." Danny huffed as if the admission had taken effort.

"Really?" Steve had long suspected Danny was more attached to the island than he would ever admit but hearing him say it out loud was a bit of a surprise.

"I could hardly believe it myself," Danny said, his voice lighter almost as if he felt unburdened by finally speaking up. "I mean New Jersey will always be my home … there's no place like it … and I will never get used to finding sand in every crack and crevice … but I kind of missed this place when I was away."

"That's because this isn't just a 'place' anymore," Steve pointed out. "It's home. You and Gracie are building a life here."

"We really are," Danny said in amazement. "Man I never thought that would happen. I mean I knew Grace would settle in here … or at least I hoped she would … but I never thought I'd ever get used to this island."

"It has a way of getting into your heart," Steve replied with a smile.

"Apparently." Danny leaned back, suddenly far more relaxed than just a few minutes earlier. "I mean the biggest thing for me … of course … is knowing Grace has so many people here who love her and want the best for her. And aside from that she's got good friends and she's doing great in school. That's all that really matters to me. But … I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a connection here too."

"That's a good thing."

"I know. I mean ... it's definitely different than my real family back in New Jersey but still … in its own way … what we have here … it's definitely a family. And now Gabby is back on the island to stay."

"Which is great." Even though their schedules right now didn't allow them to spend as much time together as they would like Steve knew Danny loved having Gabby back in Hawaii. Both for his sake and for Gracie's.

"It really is," Danny said with absolute certainty. "It's just … funny."

"Funny?" Steve had gotten used to Danny's conversational twists over the years they'd known each other, and could usually decipher them pretty easily, but this time he wasn't sure what his friend was getting at.

"Day to day you live your life … and sometimes it feels like the same old same old … like nothing is really changing. But when you think back to five years ago … things have changed in a lot of really big ways."

"Yeah, they have," Steve agreed.

"I mean look at you … " Danny continued. "Sitting here all happy and relaxed … waiting for Catherine and Cammie to come home … but five years ago you were … " His voice trailed off as he searched for the right words.

"I was what?" Steve was legitimately curious how Danny had viewed him in those early days. His partner had often teased him about his reckless ways and penchant for dangerous activities but it was something they'd never actually discussed seriously.

"I don't know … you were … unsettled I guess." Danny tilted his head and looked at Steve. "Running from something."

Steve wanted to disagree with the assessment but couldn't, so he nodded in agreement.

"To be honest," Danny continued, "for the whole first year I expected a call from the governor saying that you'd taken off in the middle of the night and wouldn't be coming back."

"You thought I was gonna run away?"

"I thought you were … I don't know … searching for something … it's hard to explain."

"No, I get what you're saying. It was a tough time. But just so you know, I never came anywhere close to running away."

"Because you'd miss me too much?" Danny smirked.

"Of course." Steve laughed at having his own words thrown back at him.

Danny turned and took in the gorgeous ocean view. "Still … did you ever think we'd be here … like this."

Steve sighed contentedly. "Probably not."

"You're settling down … building a life with Catherine … remodeling your childhood home … turning Five-0 into something we can all be really proud of …" Danny ticked things off on his fingers. "I never could have pictured this five years ago but … it's hard to imagine life any other way at this point, right?"

"It really is." Steve got momentarily lost in thought as he reflected on all the changes he'd been through since coming back to Hawaii. "It's funny though."

"What?"

"When I came back here … after what happened with my Dad … I talked about coming 'home' and making things right for my 'family'."

"Right."

Steve fell silent and Danny knew he was struggling to find the right words to convey what he was thinking and feeling. Then suddenly, as if all the thoughts inside his head came together at the same time, Steve began to speak earnestly.

"The thing is though … at that point 'home' and 'family' were just words to me. Not much more than abstract concepts. I certainly didn't feel like Oahu was my home anymore. And family was … not an option at that point."

"Yeah," Danny said as he remembered the early days of their friendship. "You were definitely at loose ends."

"I had Catherine … " Steve added quickly. "I mean I always knew I had Catherine … but sometimes we'd go weeks without talking and months without seeing each other."

"It's much better having her here full time," Danny smiled.

"That's an understatement." Steve couldn't stop himself from beaming. "Having her here full time, building our lives together is … everything. But Catherine always says that she could sense something different in me, that I was starting to change, fairly quickly after I decided to stay here on the island."

"How so?"

"She says I started talking about you and Gracie a lot. Things you were doing. How you were settling in. How Gracie was doing in school. She could tell we were becoming real friends. Family even."

"She's always been very perceptive. You know it's funny, I think Catherine and I each felt like we knew the other pretty well through you before we ever even met for the first time."

"I think you did," Steve smiled. "She always says she knew I was in good hands with you watching my back. And she felt better knowing I wasn't spending my nights brooding alone. Then I started talking about Chin and Kono and Duke and she could tell Five-0 wasn't just some job I took because I wanted revenge for what happened to my dad but it was a career, something I really believed in. And before I knew it Kamekona and Max were part of the circle too. Among others."

Danny smiled.

"I'd been running for so long I'd forgotten how not to," Steve admitted. "But as soon as I stopped running I found … family. And once Catherine settled here full time it made everything perfect. I'm tempted to say I wish I'd stopped running earlier but … as painful as my reason for coming back here was, I think everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to." Steve's eyes were drawn to the spindles on the deck railings.

"I do too," Danny stated confidently. "That's usually the case, isn't it?"

"So Catherine tells me."

"I guess that means as long as we stick together we'll get through Grace becoming a teenager."

"We will indeed. And Catherine and I will be there to help every step of the way."

"That actually makes me feel a lot better," Danny said genuinely.

Suddenly their attention was drawn to Catherine and Cammie about fifty yards up the beach. Cammie was woofing and dancing playfully, her attention completely focused on something she saw right at the water's edge.

It reminded Steve of her encounter with the gecko. "Looks like Cammie found a new adventure."

"She usually does, doesn't she," Danny asked as he got to his feet. "I have to head out. I'm meeting Gabby for a late dinner. Why don't you go find out what has Cammie so excited."

They both watched Catherine laugh delightedly as Cammie went into a play bow, her tail wagging at top speed.

"I think I will," Steve said happily. "See you tomorrow morning."

"If nothing happens before then." Danny reached down and knocked on the wood railing. He watched for a few seconds as Steve left the deck and began jogging towards Catherine and Cammie.

'You're still running, buddy,' he thought to himself as he turned and headed for the back door. Throwing one last look over his shoulder he saw Steve reach Catherine's side. 'Except this time you're running towards something good instead of away from something bad.'

THE END

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