Dark Roller-coaster

By

Landon Richardson and TealRose

Official Disclaimer

The characters of Lieutenant Commander Steven 'Steve' McGarrett, Detective Chin Ho Kelly, Officer Kono Kalakaua, Agent Jenna Kaye, Adam 'Toast' Charles, Malia Waincroft and Lieutenant Freddie Hart do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.

The character of Detective Sergeant Danielle 'Danni' Williams probably can be considered to be mine by now. Although she was originally based on male Danny, she soon evolved becoming her own person. She has her own background, her own family, her own history and her own distinct personality. This isn't to say that the Danny Williams we all know and love is completely gone, he still emerges through her at times. I like to think of female Danni as what Danny could have been if everything in his life had gone his way. As in full custody of Grace and a decent relationship with his ex.

The character of Grace has also changed slightly due to the change in Danni. Her surname is Taylor as this is her father's surname and was Danni's married name (Danni reverted back to her maiden name when she was divorced). Her parents also are amicable which has also impacted Grace but never fear, she's still the sweetheart we know and love, and if anything she's more a sweetheart now.

The character of Special Agent Jack O'Connor, Major David Williams, Lieutenant Commander Riley King, Nyla Leon, Duncan Taylor, also belongs to me as does any other character who you do not recognise from the show. Please do not use them, or my version of Danni and Grace without first asking for my permission to do so.

Thank you.

Author Note

Welcome to Dark Roller-Coaster

This story is a companion piece to go with the original story Roller-Coaster. While the original one was a happy story where everything works out, this story is more realistic in reactions and everything. I have also decided to break it down into chapters rather than the extremely long one shot like the original Roller-Coaster was.

Thank you for sticking with me through my hiatus. This is hopefully at a end now, real life has been tough recently but I now have a writing schedule in place and if I can keep to it which I hopefully can then you should be seeing a great deal more updates and stories from me. There will also be a lot of emphasis on completing outstanding projects like this one.

Please enjoy

Official Summary

One night is all it took to put Steve McGarrett newly achieved happiness at risk. Now he has to decide what's best. What he wants and needs or the needs of his team. Either way, someone is going to lose. (Steve x female Danni)

Chapter Summary

"I don't know about this Smooth, something doesn't seem right here" Cracker said, his dark eyes flickering around him at the surrounding jungle.

Overall Romances

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Mentions of past Duncan Taylor / Danni Williams (Dunni)

Mentions of past Chin Ho Kelly / Malia Waincroft (Chalia)

Nyla Leon / Hunter Leon (Hunla)

Chapter Romances

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Warning

This story features a female Danni Williams in place of a male Danny Williams. Although in some stories I write, Danny does exist, he does not exist in this one. If this isn't your cup of tea than please turn back now.

Other note

I do not have a Beta so please forgive any mistakes which may creep in, I always do my best to edit the story and check it but sometimes mistakes do creep in.

The places I've mentioned in Hawaii are ones which come from google, including the addresses. I've never been to Hawaii myself in person so I apologise for any mistakes which I may make, these are not intentional.

Italics = Dream sequence


Chapter One

Things go bump in the night


"I don't know about this Smooth, something doesn't seem right here" Cracker said, his dark eyes flickering around him at the surrounding jungle. It was thick and dense, requiring the use of a machete to make their way through it. They had been on the hunt for just shy of two hours and were making no head way though no one wanted to be the one to admit it first. The air was closed and stifling, sweat running off their faces mixing in with the dark green face paint they had spread across their skin to blend in with the surrounding area.

"We have a mission and we're not leaving until its completed, whatever it takes to get it done, is what we'll do Cracker" Smooth Dog responded, pushing down on his own sense of unease which was growing by the minute.

"We ain't going to be able to complete any mission if we walk right bang into a trap Smooth, we need to regroup and…" Cracker had begun to say before a sound to the side attracting their attention. They swung round as one, fingers on the trigger but before they could apply the needed pressure, gunfire exploded at them and the world turned into a haze of red and screams.


Steve McGarrett's eyes slammed open, his breath escaping in ragged gasps as he looked around him, his body tense as he tried to get his bearings in the unfamiliar room, sweat poured off of him causing the blanket to stick uncomfortably to his legs.

He could hear someone moving nearby, a slight weight against the floorboards outside, just enough to cause them to creak slightly. He froze for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he took in his situation. He was currently at an unknown location, his team were missing meaning that they had no doubt been captured as well and were now in a similar situation. He needed to take out this guard, grab his weapon and find his men so they could escape. Whoever was coming towards him was a threat to him and needed to be eliminated as such,

He rolled off what seemed to be a sofa, landing quietly on his feet and moved across the room silently, standing next to the door and easing it open slightly so he could see into the darkened hallway.

He hunched down and waited until the figure was close then struck, using his body to slam hard into the person, smashing them against the opposite wall. The startled yelp of surprise and pain sounded female but he ignored the instinct which flared up to stop his attack, reminding himself harshly that women were just as capable of dealing death to an unwary person as a man was.

He pressed his forearm against the woman's throat, cutting out her ability to call out to anyone for help, he could hear her gasping, a small, almost delicate hand pushing against his arm trying desperate to gain some much needed oxygen. It would be so easy to end this all now, a simple twist and the fragile neck could break and he would be safe again and alone with time to plan his next move.

He could hear a roaring in his ears almost deafening him when a faint but familiar voice broke through the white noise, calling to him, providing him with a much needed anchor to grasp. He focused on the voice, using it like a life line, the noise receding allowing the words to become clearer with each passing second.

"Steve please… please… let go… I can't breathe… please"

Steve loosened his hold enough that the woman could escape, sliding down the wall and coughing hard as she gasped in air, her hand coming up to protect her neck.

He looked down at her, horror washing over him when he found himself confronted with the familiar grey eyes of his partner Danni Williams. Eyes which were currently wet, tears escaping down her flushed cheeks though whether she was crying or it was just a reaction from what he did, he didn't know.

What he did know was that look in her eyes was barely concealed fear and it was a look which he had placed there and one which was directed at him.

He swallowed, his mind whirling with the thought that he had attacked Danni, the same Danni who had opened up her home to him and allowed him to stay with her and her young daughter Grace while his own house was being repaired after a case which they had been working on for the Governor had gone horribly wrong leaving the place littered with bullet holes and needing a hell of a lot of work. Danni hadn't even hesitated with her offer and this was how he repaid her. By almost killing her.

"Danni?" He said finally, barely able to get the word out of his throat. He was drowning in the knowledge that he had hurt her, hell he had been going to kill her, the only thing stopping him had been her voice breaking through the haze. If it hadn't, if he had carried on. He swallowed down the bile which rose in his throat.

He couldn't stay here, not now, not when it wasn't safe for her to be around him. The next time it happened she may not reach him in time. If he lost Danni then life wouldn't be liveable but if he had been the one to cause her death, well that was something he wouldn't have been able to live with. He would have waited long enough to make sure that Grace was safe then followed Danni.

A movement caught his eye, his eyes flickering back to see Danni come slowly to her feet, her hand using the wall behind her to support her. She leaned against it, one arm held out to the side of her as though she was using it to balance herself before the other one came up, gingerly rubbing at her throat again, her eyes scrunched close as though the gentle touch caused her pain, something which he knew from experience was the case.

"Danno, god Danno I'm so sorry, I… I need to get out of here, I'll go and stay somewhere else instead" He told her, terror merging with sick horror and guilt, the combination threatening to drag him under, back into that place where he felt as though no light could reach him.

Dark thoughts hit him, floating round his mind on repeat.

What if she never let him back into her home again?

What if that look of fear he seen in her eyes remained there?

What would he do without her in his life brightening it up?

The thought of going back to the life which had been his existence before she entered his lworld was too horrific for him to contemplate resulting in him quickly pushing that one outcome from his mind.

Steve shook his head, turning and moved down the corridor, taking the stairs two at a time, his eyes flickering to the closed door of Grace's bedroom before he pushed open the door to the spare room he had been using. The same room he had been quietly been thinking of as his own. A room which would never be his now. He grabbed his bag off the floor and threw it on the bed, moving round the room and picking up anything which he could see which belonged to him.

He turned, stopping when he realised that Danni had followed him into the room. She had somehow managed to close the door without him hearing her and was now leaning against it, her large grey eyes searching his face carefully as though she was trying to read his mind. There was a lack of anger in her gaze, instead all we could detect was a sadness which he realised with a jolt was directed at him. Danni was sad for him.

He watched helplessly as she moved towards him, stopping in front of him. He expected her to punch him round the face for what he had just done to her but instead she remained still in front of him.

"Steven" She said softly, her voice trailing off for a moment as though she was trying to pick her words before she started again. "It's late so just… just stay okay"

"But I…" He began stopping when she held her hand up.

"But nothing, just stay. We'll sort everything out in the morning" She commented before she sighed and moved forward, reaching forward, her hand stopping just by his chest, hovering for a moment as she searched his eyes before she gripped his t-shirt and used the hold to pull him down and wrapped her arms around him, speaking quietly into his ear when he rested his forehead against her shoulder. "I got you tonight partner"

Steve froze for a moment before he shuddered in her hold, his arms coming round her as words began escaping his mouth in a torrent before he could rein them in.

"I'm so sorry Danni; I never meant for this to happen or to bring this to you house and make you deal with it… with me. I just… I get these dreams and they don't stop, every time I close my eyes I see them… I thought I was finally getting a handle on them and then… then I do this… Danni…" He stopped, shaking his head as he sank to his knees in front of her, his arms still wrapped around her slim waist as he buried his face against her stomach, needing the contact with her but not wanting to look into her eyes. Images flashes across his mind, all he could see was blood, all he could hear was the screams of the mortally wounded, everything mingling in with the rough rat tat, tat sound of guns until he felt as though he was losing his sanity.

"Shhhh Steven shhhh come back to me"

Steve blinked, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, somewhere during his flashback Danni had knelt beside him, her arm wrapped around him as she gently rock him to and fro. Her other hand was gently combing through his hair relaxing him despite himself. A soft humming sound countered the roaring in his eyes, a tune which he recognised as a lullaby which he had heard Danni sing to Grace countless times while she had been putting the small girl to bed. It was the same familiar lullaby which he found himself humming while he was at work and needing to focus himself at the task at hand.

The darkness ebbed away leaving him confused as though he was emerging from under water, his gaze flickering around the room until it landed on the alarm clock on the side of his bed. An alarm clock which told him that only fifteen minutes had passed since he had woken up and attacked Danni until now. He had never managed to break free from his living nightmare this quickly before. Normally it took hours before he was able to distinguish between reality and memories.

He sighed shakily, turning his hand and burrowing closer to Danni, letting her warmth sooth him further. He needed this comfort, needed more of the safe haven which she had offered him so freely. He listened to her, realising that the humming had stopped and had instead been replaced by her voice speaking softly to him. "It's okay Steve, everything will be okay. You're safe here, you're home, and you're safe"

"Danni" He murmured softly, his voice coming out harsh as though he had been screaming at the top of his voice for a long period of time. He turned, tucking his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of oranges which lingered on her skin.

"That's right, it's me. You're here in Hawaii in my house and you're safe, It's just the two of us and Grace. No one else is here" She told him firmly, her fingertips massaging his scalp. They sat there for a few minutes in silence before Danni spoke. "How are you feeling? Do you think you can get up?"

"Not yet" He answered her tiredly, barely able to force the words out of his throat. "It safer here" He tightened his arms around her, tilting his head up so he could smell her hair, the vanilla scent calming him further. He knew that what he should do is move away from her, give her space after what he did and beg her forgiveness until the tenseness he could feel in her was gone but he didn't, instead he moved closer, wanting to relish what could be the last time she allowed him near her.

"There's no rush Steve, we can move when you're ready, there's nowhere we actually need to be at this moment in time. When you are ready let me know" She replied.

Steve remained still, his body warring with itself as he fought the urge to wrap his arm around her neck and pull her down into a kiss. He couldn't though, not after what he had just done. He was lucky that she was even in the same room as him, doing anything else, other than what he was currently doing, would be a mistake and he knew it. It just didn't stop his need for her growing until he felt almost overwhelmed by all the emotions he was experiencing.

Breathing out slowly he unwrapped his arms from her and moved away, slowly coming to his feet thankful to see that he was now steady. He watched as she came to her feet as well before he spoke.

"Thank you Danni, you always help me, more than even you realise" He told her truthfully.

Danni remained quiet for a moment, her teeth nibbling at her lower lip before she spoke.

"We're partners, if we don't help each other out then who will" She answered, her hand coming up as though she was about to touch him. She stopped, hesitating for a moment before she dropped it, the simple action causing a sharp stab of pain to Steve's chest as the breath caught in his throat. "Let's go to the kitchen, I don't know about you but I need a drink right now." She told him as she turned and headed towards the door, stopping in front of it when he spoke.

"Are we talking about a hard or soft drink?" He asked.

"As tempting as a hard drink would be right about now, we'll have to stick to soft, we have work tomorrow and I for one don't want to deal with a pounding headache on top of everything else. I'm thinking a cup of tea is the answer" She said, ignoring him when he groaned at her comment and instead continued to speak as though he had remain silent. "There's some very good teas out there, one which can help the body and more importantly help relax the mind. Call me crazy but I think that would do you a lot more good than a shot of whiskey will now" She stated, the tone to her voice making it clear that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"And don't tell me you have all these teas in your kitchen cupboard" He commented, following her out of the room and towards the staircase. She remained quiet as they moved through the house into the kitchen, the silence placing him on edge as he wondered what she was thinking at that moment in time. He was hoping that the fact she hadn't thrown him out of her house or hit him back was a sign that what had just happened hadn't destroyed everything between them.

"Actually I do, feel free to mock all you want but I happen to like tea" She replied, looking at him over her shoulder with unreadable eyes as she reached out and flipped on the light switch, flooding the kitchen with light. She moved across the floor to the kettle, picking it up and headed to the sink to fill it with water.

"I know you do but it doesn't change the fact that you're the woman who lives on coffee for the majority of her day. You've already said you can't function at the beginning of the day before you had some and after seeing what you were like without coffee I agree. Why do you think I went and bought you a coffee machine for the office? It was for the sake of the team and my own sanity" He stated, watching with a sense of relief when she smiled at the comment.

"Is that why you got it" Was all she said with a shake of her head before she changed the subject. "A tea in the evening is good to relax, something which is often needed after a day with you, especially if you've been driving Steven" She retorted.

Steve snorted at her remark, pulling out one of the seats from around the kitchen table and lowered himself slowly into it, not wanting to make any sudden movements. He looked round the kitchen carefully before he focused his attention back on Danni, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.

She was ignoring him, her attention fixed on the task at hand. She looked as though she was in her mid-twenties rather than a Detective who he knew was thirty one years old. A lot of that probably had to do with her lack of height and slim fame though he noted that she was womanly in the place which it counted. She was dressed in a pair of shorts and an oversized football jersey with her surname across the back which he suspected she had swiped from one of her brothers when she moved. There was no denying that she looked beautiful in the overhead light and it was a sight he wanted to see daily.

He licked his lips absently as he scanned her mouth before his eyes dropped lower to her throat, taking in the bruising which was already forming on her pale skin. By the time morning came round he knew it would be a riot of colours and beyond painful.

"Danni your throat is already bruising, I can't stay here knowing that I'm the cause of it" He told her.

Danni froze for a moment before she sighed, moving down the counter until she was by the toaster which she picked up, clearly using it as a mirror to examine her throat.

"There's nothing we can do until tomorrow" She replied calmly, placing the toaster back down and straightening it almost absently.

"Danni if you need medical care then-" Steve began stopping when Danni cut across him.

"I said tomorrow Steve. There's nothing we can do now" She repeated. "Unless of course you expect me to wake Grace up and take her to the hospital with us because all that will do is upset her and that is the last thing either of us need in this situation. Yes my throat hurts, yes tomorrow it may be a good idea to go and see Nyla just to make sure things are okay but right now all I want is to have a cup of tea, for you to have a cup of tea and then to go to bed to try and attempt to get some sleep so we're not both zombies tomorrow, Understood?"

"I understand" Steve said quietly, watching as she breathed out, clearly forcing some of the tension away from her shoulders.

"I'll use concealer and foundation tomorrow and a scarf round my neck for tomorrow to try and hide it. It probably won't work but the last thing I want and I doubt you want is to try and explain this to the other. The fact that I'm apparently the fashion plate of five-0 will work in our favour for once because no one will question the accessory" She remarked, bringing her hand up and brushing her fingertips against her throat as she spoke before she dropped it, turning back and picking up the two mugs on the counter. She moved towards him, placing on in front of him before she took the seat opposite him. "Drink all of that Steve, it will help" She stated before blowing on her own drink. Steve wrapped his hand around it, looking down at it "I take it that what happened in the hall way isn't the first time something like this has happened?" She asked.

"It's rare but it happens occasionally." He admitted before he looked up and met her eyes. "We both know the cost of doing what we do Danni, the cost is just higher for me because of what I did before Five-O. I wouldn't change being a SEAL but… but there are some things I wish I could change. The dreams are one of those things."

"Have you a therapist you can talk to?" She queried, waiting patiently until he nodded at her. "Okay the first thing you need to do tomorrow then Steve is book an appointment and ask them to see you urgently. I can't have you here with me if you don't. I have Grace to think of and I have my own safety to think of as well. I know you would never hurt me on purpose and I trust you with my life Steve, you're one of the best men I know but you need help and I'm not qualified to help you though I wish to God I was." She said sadly.

"Danni I…" He began to say before he stopped focusing on the tea for a moment as he tried to focus his thoughts. "Is that your only condition to me staying with you still, even after the fact I could have killed you tonight? Therapy? How are you going to explain this to Grace when she sees the bruises tomorrow? She's a smart girl Danni, she'll put two and two together and then she'll… she'll hate me and I wouldn't blame her."

"I expect you to go to every therapy session they give you even if it means you leaving work and an active case to do it. Whatever they tell you to do you will do Steven, if you don't then… then we will have to rethink this arrangement which I don't want to do because for some reason it's working but I have to put Grace before everything. I know you understand that right?" She asked, waiting until he nodded before she spoke again. "As to what I'll take Grace about the bruising, well I'll tell her the truth Steve, that you are suffering from PTSD and that it's not your fault."

"How do you know the symptoms of PSTD?" He asked her

Danni tapped her fingers against the mug, looking to the side of them before she spoke.

"I don't know if I've spoken to you about my younger brother Christian" She said, her eyes flickering to him, a slight frown appearing between her brows when he shook his head. "I thought not, Chris is a fighter pilot in the air force. He's had to do a lot of things in the name of his country which he struggles with. Things he can't talk about either because he's been instructed not to or because he can't bring himself to say the words. If you meet him then you'll never know what he's been through because he's always smiling and friendly to anyone he meets but beneath that smile lies a broken man, or so he says. I still see my baby brother in there even if sometimes he can't" She told him, her hand tightening round the mug as she continued. "Chris was diagnosed with PTSD about two years ago after he had to physically pull him off his twin brother Benjamin. Benji is the younger of the two and there is no way that Chris would ever knowingly hurt him. From the way Benji tells it, he simply walked in the room after a shift at work and Chris attacked. Kind of the same as what happened tonight" She said with a shrug. "He realised at that point that he needed help before he did something which he couldn't take back, he confided in us and he got help and now he's on the road to recovery."

"He sounds like he's been through a lot" Steve commented.

"More than any of us know" Danni agreed. "The things is Steve that what happened tonight isn't… well it isn't your fault, it a symptom of a deeper problem which you must get seen. You aren't alone in this fight anymore, you're surrounded with an Ohana who love you and who will have your back through anything. We'll help you through it, you just need to let us."

"I don't deserve you" Steve told her seriously after a pause.

"I'm sure Meka agrees with you there" She replied lightly, her mouth curling into a half smile before she sipped at her tea,

"What if you tell Grace and she doesn't react the way you think she will. What then?" He queried.

"Then we'll speak to Chin and see whether you can stay with him until your house is fixed." She replied simply. "I know my daughter though Steve because I raised her and she won't turn her back on you. She's been through this before with Chris and she managed it then. She will manage it here as long as we're truthful to her and give her all the facts that she needs"

"We're talking to her together?" Steve questioned, raising an eyebrow when she nodded.

"Grace will have questions which she needs answer and it will have to be you that answers him. We need to try and figure out triggers as well" She commented before her eyes softened. "Grace thinks of you like an Uncle, just trust her okay"

"How would I answer her questions?" He said. "I would have no idea what to say."

"What you say is the truth, tell her your situation without going into graphic details. Edit it so that it becomes something that an eight year old girl can understand" She replied before glancing at his mug. "Are you finished?" She asked "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and we need to get some rest" She stood, taking his empty mug from him and placed them both by the sink before she headed to the door "Let's go"

Steve came to his feet and followed her out the room and back up the stairs, surprise washing over him when she reached back and wrapped her hand round his wrist and pulling him past the spare room and further door the hallway before she tugged him into the room on the right.

The room which he knew was her bedroom.

"Danni?" He asked her uncertainly as he looked around the room, taking in the details before his eyes landed on the large king sized bed in the middle of the room.

"Chris has always said that the quickest way to ground him back into reality is to be with someone he trusts which right now for you is me so that is what this is Steve. I sleep by the window so you take that side" She commented, nodding to the part closest to the door before she moved round the bed and pulled back the cover, climbing in and covering herself with them.

Steve breathed out, glancing toward the door before he gave in and moved to the side she had indicated. He pulled his t-shirt off out of habit and threw it on the nearby chair before he lowered himself next to her on the mattress. It was surprisingly comfortable, the mattress firm beneath him, the pillow soft and fluffy. He tilted his head into it and breathed in, unsurprised to be hit with the scent of oranges and vanilla mixing together. It was the same scent which surrounded her every day, the scent that clung to his clothes and skin when he was around her, that filled their car and his office with its subtle scent. None of the others had ever mentioned it so he assumed it was just him who was aware of it.

He felt her shift on the mattress followed by a clicking sound which plunged the room into darkness.

He moved, freezing when their shoulders touched, only relaxing when she spoke, her voice calm and slightly husky as though she was fighting sleep.

"Relax Steven, we'll figure this out tomorrow. You're safe for now" She promised him before her breathing evened out telling him without words that she had drifted off to sleep. He listened to it for a moment, matching his own breathing to her before he closed his eyes and succumbed to the darkness.


Author Note

Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.

I really appreciate it