Author's Note: Well, here it goes. I'm climbing back into the proverbial saddle :) It's been a long time since I've written any fanfiction so I thought I would start out with this little one-shot. Crossing my fingers and hoping that you all will enjoy. Thank you for reading.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.
-You're Worth It-
He had gone from a dead to the world sleep to alert and standing in a matter of seconds. His deft hands unlocked the cabinet where he kept his weapon. He paused at his door listening. There it was again. There was definitely someone in his house.
To make matters worse, Grace was with him. Never before had he wished that she was with Rachel and Stan instead, but now there was an intruder in his house and his baby was sleeping down the hall.
Danny entered the hall way and moved silently his gun trained in front of him. It was a motion he was trained in and very familiar with, but never before had it been in his house with his Grace on the line. His hands trembled ever so slightly.
He spotted the intruder and licked his lips before barking out his order. "Get your hands in the air and don't even think about moving. I'm a police detective and will drop you so fast you'll never even hear it." Danny watched the man's hands slowly creep up toward the ceiling. "Good choice," Danny swallowed. "Now turn around slowly." The man complied and Danny felt a chill as he glimpsed the man's face. He was smiling. The kind of smile that meant…
Danny felt his skull explode with pain. His knees suddenly gave up and he fell unceremoniously to the floor, his gun skittered away from his useless fingers. He tried to blink away the darkness that greyed his vision. He needed to think, but that ability seemed to have walked off hand in hand with his ability to move. He could swear he was getting back up just like his brain was telling him to, but his eyes finally focused on the ground centimetres away. Nope. He wasn't moving.
There was a length of silence then, "What are we going to do now," the one behind him whispered.
"This wasn't supposed to…" Danny suddenly felt himself being pulled up roughly. He fought against it, but strong arms held him in a vice like grip and all the fight left him as he realised he was being used as a shield against a figure who had snatched up his own fallen gun.
"Grace," Danny's voice trembled. His baby girl had his gun in her small shaking hands. Tears filling his eyes, his heart hammering almost painfully in his chest, Danny began praying wildly. God, please. I'll do anything. Not Grace. Kill me… Not in front of her. Not my girl. Anything… Dear God…
"Let Danno go." Grace demanded in her small voice.
"Put the gun down and we won't hurt you," the one who wasn't using Danny as a shield coaxed.
"No," Grace shook her head and squared her shoulders, tightening her grip on the gun. "You don't have a gun. I do. I make the rules."
Danny stared in shock at his daughter. Where had she gotten that from?
The man he was shielding chuckled, "Some daughter you have there. What is she ten?" The arm around Danny's neck tightened. "Tell her to put the gun down, Daddy, or else I'll squeeze the life out of you then use my crowbar her to rearrange her face."
"Grace, sweetheart," Danny felt the pressure against his throat lessen to let him speak. Danny licked his lips. What could he say? He knew that giving up the gun would just leave them both shot. If it had been Steve he'd have told the SEAL to take the shot… but this was his daughter. She couldn't shoot anyone. She'd never fired a gun before.
Grace clicked back the safety on the gun and everyone froze. "Get out of my house," the girl ground out angrily. Danny wanted to yell at her for being so foolish as to leave her room in the first place, but she looked just like him in that moment. It was the William's stubborn temper that he saw flashing in his daughter's eyes, and somewhere in the back of his mind- behind the nearly crippling fear for Grace's safety- he was proud of her bravery. Most kids would have hidden under the bed. Of course, that's where Danny wished she were right then.
"I've called my uncle and he's a Navy SEAL. He can kill you five ways with a spoon." Her frown deepened, "If I don't shoot you first," Grace shared a look with her father before diverting it back between the two men. She listened and understood far more than the adults thought she did.
Steve was coming! Danny nearly cheered with pure relief. As long as it wasn't a bluff. Danny studied his daughter's eyes. Surely his angel wasn't capable of lying like that… but then he'd never pictured her holding two thugs at gun point before either.
Danny tried to speak but the man holding him was cutting off his air supply. He needed to fight back now or risk loosing consciousness. But how would Grace react? He couldn't risk letting getting her caught up in the middle of a fight. If she did end up shooting in fear she might accidentally shoot him. He'd die for his baby in a heartbeat if it meant her safety, but how could she ever get over shooting her Danno?
"I'm going to kill your father," Danny's attempts to loosen the man's grip were failing.
"Danno?" Grace's eyes flashed with fear as she watched Danny struggle for air his face contorting with the effort.
"You see this, girl? I'm killing him. He can't breathe…"
"That does it," the man across the room lost patience and charged toward Grace.
Danny watched through the gathering grey as Grace turned the gun toward the man coming at her. The few seconds seemed to last a minute as Grace's scream of fear echoed in his ears. Then a gunshot replaced that sound. And suddenly he was falling. Falling into a consuming darkness.
H50oooooooooH50ooooooooH50oooooooooH50oooooooooH50oooooooH50
"Danno, wake up." His daughter was crying. He could hear the tears in her sweet voice. I'm right here, Grace. Don't cry. But she didn't stop. Hadn't she heard him? He felt a trembling hand on his arm and then other one rested over his heart. A tear dripped onto his face. "Danno..?
"Danny, come on you're scaring Gracie." Another voice joined from a distance but was getting closer. "Time to wake up, Partner. You're missing the excitement." A stronger hand clasped his hand with a familiar strength.
Steve was there. He had Grace. She was safe. Danny almost let himself wash back out into the blackness, but Grace was crying. He was a father first, always. He experimentally let his eyes open half way. "Grace," He meant it to be a strong comforting word for his daughter, but it sounded weak in his ears. He licked his lips and blinked the two hovering figures into focus. "Hey, Steve."
"Hey yourself," the SEAL relaxed seeing his friend's coherent gaze. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Danny swallowed. He knew Steve was just trying to make sure he was okay, but truth was he wasn't ready to admit out loud what had gone down. He had failed to protect his daughter- his reason his life.
Steve saw the guilt and shame flash in his partner's face. He knew why. He'd probably have to spend weeks trying to convince Danny that he had done everything he could have. That it wasn't his fault. He himself had been shocked beyond belief when he had busted in to see Grace with her father's weapon. He had gotten there as quickly as he could after receiving Grace's call that there was someone in the house and Danny was going after them, but still he had nearly been too late.
"Grace, I'm sorry, Baby." Danny nearly choked on the words.
"You're not mad at me?" she asked timidly.
"Mad at...? No, Grace, well, yes and no." Danny looked at Steve who helped him into a sitting position. "Next time, God forbid there ever be a next time, please hide under your bed and do not come out. Grace if I lost you…"
"But they were hurting you." Grace defended with a hint of a pout starting on her lips.
"I know that, but…"
"They were trying to kill you." Grace was mad now the William's anger making its appearance again.
"You are far more important to me than my life, Grace." Danny pulled his girl into a hug. "If you had been hurt…" His voice broke and again he couldn't finish the thought because he truly couldn't begin to fathom what he would do without his precious Grace. His heart ached just thinking about it. About how close he might have come to loosing his child.
"It would have been worth it, Danno." Grace pulled back from her father's hug, tears gathering in her beautiful eyes. "I love you." She meant it with every beat of her 10 year old heart.
Steve watched through glistening eyes as the father and daughter met in a firm embrace. Neither showed any intention of ever letting go as they wept together.
"Promise me, Grace, that you'll never put yourself in danger," Danny pleaded, "not for me. Not for any reason."
"But, Danno..." Grace reached up and touched her father's face.
"I couldn't live without you, Grace." Danny whispered kissing her head gently. They weren't just words and his daughter knew it. She'd always known it. He had shown her his love everyday of her life. He'd proven it more times than she could count.
"Me either, Danno," Grace hiccupped in her father's arms feeling safe and cherished.
"You'll never have to, Grace. No matter what happens I will always be with you. You know that don't you?"
She nodded against his chest. "Thanks, Danno."
He held her there whispering his love and soothing her until she fell asleep tucked safely against his chest.
"Danny we have to get HPD over here." Steve whispered and gestured to the blanket draped body that somehow Danny had failed to notice and completely forgotten about.
His wide fearful eyes asked Steve what his voice could not.
"I got both of them." The SEAL had Danny's gun in his hand. "Your gun wasn't fired."
Danny's fatherly heart heaved a sigh and a grateful prayer. "Can we stay with you tonight, Steve?" Danny looked around at the mess on his living room floor, "Maybe tomorrow too?"
"Of course. As long as you need, Danny." Steve pulled out his phone. "I'll let HPD know and we'll leave. They can get statements in the morning."
Danny nodded and stood slowly and unsteadily, grateful for his partner's watchful eye should he need help with his cargo. "Truck out front?"
Steve nodded, "And Danny…"
"Hospital?" it was a whispered groan. He had been waiting for Steve to bring it up.
"Don't argue. We need to get your head examined."
"Pot calling the kettle black, Steven?" Danny smirked as Steve shrugged. "I won't like it, but I'll do it for her." He held his girl a little tighter. "Seems she doesn't want to grow old without me either." Tears filled his eyes again.
"Neither do I, Danny." Steve grinned and followed his brother out to the truck. "Neither do I."
The End.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for taking the time to read my very first H50 story- yay!
Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. I look forward to seeing what you think… constructive criticism is also welcomed.
I write because I love to and if you have advice to make it more enjoyable for you, the reader, I accept that and acknowledge that I am far from perfect.