Kono bursts through Five-O headquarters' doors like an unstoppable force, dread coiling cold and heavy in the pit of her stomach. She had spoken with Chin on her cell prior to heading over and although he'd remained as stoic as ever, she had already gotten wind that something had gone very wrong during the bust. She'd caught a glimpse of conversation amongst the team she had positioned around the location of the takedown, overheard snatches of words as she was cuffing the suspect they'd caught fleeing the scene. All her cousin would tell her over the phone was to come straight back and to step on it, and that was exactly what she'd done, refusing to hear any further details from anyone. Whatever had happened, she wanted to hear it from her cousin and no one else.
Please, let everyone be okay.
Stepping through the threshold, the atmosphere is equal parts stifling and charged, thick with smothering tension. Her cousin Chin is standing before the computer interface, fingers roaming quick and sure across the illuminated surface. Although he's projecting his usual air of reassuring calm, his shoulders are rigid. It's as sure a sign as anything that all is not well, and it doesn't take a badge to figure out why.
Through the glass walls of Steve McGarrett's office it can plainly be seen that he and Danny Williams are arguing, and that something is terribly amiss. It's not the usual parry between the partners to which Kono and Chin are normally accustomed. There is no give and take, no equal portions of volleys and returns. The confrontation is clearly one-sided, with Steve's back against the wall. Danny is red- faced and livid while the Lieutenant Commander's hands are spread wide and supplicating in front of him in a gesture of submission but the detective isn't backing down. Danny has drawn himself up to his full height and is still having to look up into Steve's face as he yells, but that makes him no less imposing. By the look on Steve's face, Kono can clearly see that he is just as taken back as she to see Danny this way. The detective is volatile, absolutely, but this is more than the usual quick-temperedness and inherent snark. Much more.
"Chin, what's going on?" Kono asks, standing beside her cousin. Chin had been trying his best to keep his eyes on his work, but from the way he keeps stealing quick glances at the scene playing out through the glass it is only too obvious that he's working under extreme distraction.
Chin shakes his head with a sigh. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asks with regret in his voice. He doesn't even need to see her arch an eyebrow to continue. Of course the question had been rhetorical, and of course she had to be informed, but he doesn't have to like it. Ohana is ohana, he reflects wryly. The job could never change that, and so he gets a free pass on hating sharing this part of the workload with her. His gaze returns to Danny, who is visibly vibrating with anger. His hands are gesticulating wildly, clenching, pointing, and jabbing both at himself and his partner, but mostly at himself. Steve looks to still be at a loss, his mouth opening and closing periodically through the rant but apparently unable to get a word in. The thick glass muffles Danny's words, but the sheer volume of his shouts leak through and their vehemence is not lost on Kono. Whatever this is, it's bad.
Chin's mouth tightens, but he reluctantly turns to his cousin. "The bust went bad; I'm guessing you already heard," he tells his rookie cousin gently. His hand spreads flat against the screen, ceasing its activity. "Mahelona had his entourage at the house and we had to split up to keep eyes on them. Danny tailed one of the suspects through the back of the house while Steve took down two guards at the east entrance, and I covered the front." Chin's eyes stray over to Steve's office again, and Kono's gaze follows.
Danny has suddenly gone quiet and now Steve is finally talking, one hand slowly and steadily reaching for the detective's shoulder. Danny allows it, but his posture remains stiff. Whatever Steve is saying doesn't ease the expression on his partner's face, either. Danny's gone from incensed to withered. He looks hollowed out and achingly weary. When one hand lifts to rub a temple and subtly cover his eyes, Kono finds herself looking away, feeling as though she's intruding on a private moment. Chin clears his throat and continues, breaking the awkward pause.
"One of Mahelona's guys managed to slip in behind Danny and follow him into the house. When we heard the shot, Steve and I entered the house. Mahelona and the buyer, Kamaka, were in there but they escaped during the firefight."
"What about the shot you heard? What happened to Danny?"
"Danny was the one who fired the shot; he realized he was being followed before the guy got the drop on him. After Danny took him down he chased after Mahelona. There was a car in the alley waiting for him, and they opened fire on Danny. We couldn't get to Danny in time to give him any cover. They had him pinned behind a delivery truck. There was nothing he could have done, cuz."
"Chin, what are you saying?"
Chin's eyes are downcast, and as though on cue Steve's arm makes its way completely around Danny's shoulders. The detective's head is bent, face hidden behind his hands. Kono feels her eyes prick in response.
When Chin speaks again, his voice is soft and careful. "No one saw the little girl until she was right there. She just came out of nowhere. Her mother was screaming after her. She ran out in between Danny and the car -" Chin cuts himself off. He can see it too clearly, the memory too fresh, the blood too livid. He remembers coming around the corner after exiting the house with Steve, both of them in desperate pursuit to get to their vulnerable partner. Chin remembers the little girl's pigtails streaming behind her and Danny yelling, standing up and waving his arms frantically despite the bullets flying all around him. He can still hear the echo of that final gunshot splitting the air and the stunned, heavy silence when the girl went down, blood already matting her hair. He recalls the sound of tires squealing as Mahelona's car sped away, the girl's mother in hysterics. Most of all, he can still see Danny, standing frozen in shock, gun slipping from his lax fingers, eyes on the crumpled, dead child not ten feet in front of him -
Chin stops himself, pulling out of his reverie and giving his head a quick shake. "The bullet was meant for Danny. They shot the little girl right in front of him, just out of his reach." He rubs his mouth for a moment before murmuring, "I guess it goes without saying we lost both Mahelona and Kamaka."
Kono lifts a hand to her mouth, blinking back betraying tears. "Oh God," she breathes shakily. "Is Danny okay?" She shakes her head distractedly. "What am I saying? Of course he's not." Her eyes fill with tears again. Chin's expression is sympathetic; he clasps her shoulder and bends his forehead to hers briefly. A couple quick breaths and Kono pulls herself together, straightening herself and willing herself to take control of her emotions. Now is not the time for crying. She scrubs at her eyes briefly with the side of her hand, sniffing once and clearing the lump from her throat. When she speaks next, her voice is even and steady.
"What was the girl's name? How old was she?"
Chin risks another quick glance in the direction of Steve's office before answering. "Ewa Kaloke, six years old. Her mother's name is Ailani Kaloke. They-"
Chin is suddenly cut off by the sound of Danny's voice. He and Kono look up to see the detective striding across the floor.
"Leave it alone, Steve," Danny growls as he walks away from McGarrett, leaving his partner in the doorway to his office, face struggling with restrained emotion.
"Danny-" the Lieutenant Commander begins.
Danny holds up a finger in warning but doesn't turn around. Instead, he quickens his pace and brushes past Chin and Kono without giving the cousins so much as a second glance. He's missing his tie, and there are blood splatters dotting the front of his shirt. His face is haunted and wan.
They shot the little girl right in front of him, just out of his reach. Kono represses a shudder, remembering Chin's words.
"Don't, Steve," Williams grates. "Just, don't."
With that, the detective throws the doors to headquarters open, stalks through and is gone, leaving the team in quiet bafflement.
Steve sighs quietly and approaches the cousins, nodding at Kono in acknowledgement. "Good work out there with your takedown, Kono," he greets, trying for a small smile that doesn't quite work. His face is dark and shuttered, obviously disturbed and worried for his partner.
Kono nods in return, too heartsick to even try to smile back. "How's Danny?" She asks softly. Steve's face dims further and he shrugs, sighing.
"Angry," he says simply, voice low. "He blames himself. I offered him some time off. I thought maybe he would want to see Grace." His eyes move to where Danny made his exit. "He didn't take me up on my offer."
"Clearly," Chin observes. "Do you think he's okay to be on his own right now, brah?"
"Absolutely not." Steve sounds dead certain. "But I don't think he's going to have it any other way, and I know better than to push it."
"You could be right about that," Kelly agrees reluctantly.
"That's why I'm not even going to ask," the Lieutenant Commander finishes flatly, and strides away after his partner.
Danny groans when he hears knocking on his door and undrapes the arm thrown over his eyes. He looks up from his sprawl on his pull out bed, glaring at his door.
"What do you want, Steven?" he asks, letting his annoyance bleed into his tone.
There's a short pause, followed by a subdued, "How did you know it was me?"
"Because you're the only one daft enough to come by unannounced, especially since I thought I had made it adequately clear by my storming out that I was not in the mood to entertain houseguests." All the same, Danny pulls himself up off the bed with a muted groan.
"Yeah, I got that. Calling me an asshole leaves little room for misinterpretation."
Danny throws the door open and leans against it as he squints at Steve. His head is pounding. "And yet, here you are," he says, one hand gesturing at McGarrett standing on his lanai.
Steve looks slightly chagrinned. He holds up his hands, clutching a six-pack and a paper bag. "I've brought peace offerings," he tells his partner, who is still eyeing him warily. "Beer and malasadas."
"You mean, bribes for permission to gain entry to my residence?" Danny twists his mouth into a frown and scratches above one eyebrow, contemplating Steve. McGarrett shrugs, waiting expectantly, and Danny snorts. "Fine, permission granted. That beer better be cold." He turns around and shuffles back to his bed, putting it away and converting it back to a couch. Accepting a proffered beer from Steve, he sits down and cracks it open.
Steve also takes a seat, taking a cautious drink from his own beer in hand, watching as Danny grabs the remote and turns the tv on, flicking through channels disinterestedly. After a few minutes of uneasy silence, Danny finally puts the remote down with a sigh, turning to Steve.
"Look, Steven," he begins, setting the beer down so he is free to gesture with his hands unimpeded. "I know you're here out of concern for me. You're worried that I'm on the cusp of some big emotional breakdown or whatever. But. I'm. Fine." He pauses for emphasis. "I'm fine, got it? Today was the worst day of my entire career as a cop, yes, but we all got through it. I'm just glad you and Chin didn't get killed because of my stupidity."
Steve's hackles are up instantly at the blatant self blame and reproach.
"Danny, like I told you before, there was nothing you could do. None of us saw her until it was too late."
"Christ, Steven, you don't think I already know that?" Danny snaps. "But it doesn't change the fact that I fired first, back in the house. Maybe if I'd thought a little quicker on my feet I wouldn't have needed to shoot. Maybe I wouldn't have had to blow our cover and we wouldn't currently be empty handed and none of this would have happened. Maybe that little girl would be at home right now, safe and alive." He picks up his beer again, takes a pull.
"We're not completely at a loss here, Danno," Steve corrects his partner. "Kono arrested one of Kamaka's men. Name's Kekoa Kali. Chin's interrogating him right now. If the suspect has any knowledge where Mahelona's hiding out, he'll get it out of him."
"I hope you're right about that." Danny says, and falls silent again. Steve finds it disconcerting to see his partner so short on words.
"You sure you're okay?" McGarrett asks skeptically, giving his partner another searching look, his eyes sweeping up and down. "I meant what I said earlier. If you want to take some time off to, you know, process…"
Danny shakes his head, incredulous. "You're like a dog with a friggin' bone, you know that?" He stands up and runs his hands through his hair, pacing his small living room in tense strides. After a few passes, he stops in front of Steve, hands flying erratically as he speaks, voice rising with exasperation. "I don't know what I have to do to convince you. Would it make you feel better if I swore on the Bible when I tell you that I'm fine? Stop treating me like a victim, and stop trying to get me off this case!"
Steve frowns, sensing that they are getting to the heart of Danny's disgruntlement. "Is this about my offering you a leave?" He throws his own hands up in the air. "Danny, that was not me trying to get you off this case. It's not, okay? I just thought you might want to take some down time."
"And what makes you think that?" Danny snarls, and before Steve knows what he is even doing he's surged to his feet, standing over his agitated partner.
"Because you saw a child get gunned down right in front of you, Danny!" he shouts, unable to help himself. "Is that what you want me to say? Because correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd call that a pretty traumatic experience! You must think I'm pretty stupid if you actually believe for one second that I shouldn't be worried about you after something like that." He tries to grab Danny by his shoulders, but his partner twists away and lifts up an arm to intercept his reaching hands.
"Goddammit, this is exactly what I'm talking about," Danny's voice is pitched low and rough, and Steve knows that tone. He's said it before: Danny has a tone, and this is definitely it. It means that a line has been crossed, and Steve needs to choose his next words carefully. He takes a step back, gives Williams the space that he needs to breathe, the Commander's expression is still unfalteringly intense. He's knows that Danny isn't backing down on this, either, so he keeps his voice hard.
"What do you want me to do, Danny?" Straight to the point, because there's no sense in much else anymore: The words "Danny" and "verbose" are practically synonymous but right now Steve's partner is choosing words with a definite economy, and this sets off big, flashing warning signs in his head.
There's a short pause from Williams before he turns around and strides to the door. Opening it, he turns and gives Steve a pointed look, making a sweeping motion to outside.
"I want you to leave, Steven, if you don't mind." Danny's face is stony, and Steve is a little stunned at how quickly the conversation has gone from bad to worse.
Outside, as the Lieutenant Commander is turning the key in his ignition, he lets out a frustrated exhale.
That didn't go nearly as well as he'd hoped.