I mentioned in my author note for Regrets that I was borrowing a character from one of my other favourite series. After seeing The Beginning on Sunday, my plot bunnies have given me the idea for how Colby Granger from Numb3rs might end up in Hawaii, and how he might get more involvement than just a quick passing line.

I was going to say how many chapters this will run to, but - well, I said there'd be two for Lessons Learned, and look what happened! So I'll just leave the final chapter count open.

Just to set the scene, this story follows directly on from the end of the episode, just after Danny has told Steve that Koji Noshimuri has been killed. There are also references to The Siege.

To keep to timelines for both series, the story takes place after the sixth and *sniff* final season of Numb3rs, so both Don and Charlie are now married. But I'd like to think that Don is still in charge of the LA field office, and that Charlie still consults for him.

I hope you enjoy!

Calculated Risk - Chapter One

Unfavourable Odds

This was bigger than Steve McGarret had ever realized. More complex than he'd ever imagined. Staring at the images in front of him, he knew the answers to so many questions lay within them. Not just his father's murder, or his mother's, or what had happened to Mary, but… more. Just so much more.

The secrets and circumstances that bound those events together were still a minefield of clues. That minefield had already claimed two precious lives, and as he continued to stare at these images – yes, Steve knew through a sickening clench in his gut that more innocent casualties would follow.

Knowing that Mary was safe now, on her way back on the mainland, offered him precious comfort. He'd done everything he could, to keep her out of the crossfire that he knew was coming. Declaring war on such a connected kingpin as Hiro Noshimuri could only end in blood and bullets.

Now he had to do the same for his team. For Chin. For Kono. And for Danny.

Especially for Danny. He was his partner, after all. The most obvious target for any revenge that Noshimuri tried to take.

Danny could take care of himself, of course. Hell, he could take care of the whole damn planet. What his Jersey boy lacked in height, he more than made up for with street-smart attitude. But that only eased some of Steve's concern now, as he considered what Danny had just told him.

Koji Noshimuri was dead, the victim of another highly and disturbingly convenient 'accident'. His equally ruthless brother was the most obvious suspect behind it, and… dear God! Steve had to grip the table now, as tiredness and the full scale of what he was facing overwhelmed him.

If Hiro Noshimuri could kill his own brother, what the hell could he do to his partner? His team? Anyone else who dared to get in his way?

And what if Pat Jameson was right? What if this was so big that she couldn't fully protect him? He could well be on his own on this one, so he had to start putting this massive puzzle together, fast. Find answers, anticipate his enemy's attack, and work out his counter-strategy, but… damn, he was tired.

He'd been running on adrenalin and little else for the past three days now, and it was starting to tell. Even without the silent anxiety that he could sense beside him, Steve knew he was almost burnt out.

He had to keep going, though – if just long enough to pull out his cellphone, and make a crucial call to Los Angeles. And just as he'd known he would be, Danny was asking questions before he'd finished dialling.

"Calling Mary on the airphone?"

Taking a deep breath, bracing himself for what he knew was coming, Steve shook his head.

"No, she was pretty worn out when I left her. If she's sleeping, I won't want to wake her."

An approving nod was good. The next inevitable question… well, not so good.

"So who are you calling at this time of night? We're in the wrong state for Ghostbusters."

'Deep breath, Steven, and brace for impact…'

"Just a friend that I think can help us with this."

Danny's left eyebrow went up, followed by his right, and… damn, he was like a dog with a bone.

"A… friend? What kind of friend? A proper friend, or some freaky kickass ninja friend?"

'Keep it up, Danno, and I'll kickass you back to Jersey.'

"A friend who can help me make sense of that," Steve replied, nodding towards the table – holding up a hand to stave off the questions and objections that, in truth, he was in no mood to face. "This thing is big, Danny. More complex than I think even the Governor can handle."

As he'd hoped, Danny just stared at him this time, as the implications of what he'd said sank in – giving Steve just the time he needed to make the call that might, just might, keep them both alive.

When he hung up, several minutes later, so the recipient of that call pensively did the same. Reminded of so many memories, for so many reasons, Colby Granger sat staring at his phone – so deep in thought that he didn't notice Don had joined him until his friend and boss sat on the edge of his desk.

"Hey, Colby. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Don… just… uh, had an interesting call," Colby explained, smiling back at him. "An old buddy of mine needs help on a case, and… well, he needs Charlie's help too."

Still keenly watching his friend, Don nodded. Such requests weren't unusual, of course. But the uncertainty on Colby's face definitely was. A few seconds and a raised eyebrow later, Colby sighed and explained why it was there.

"The thing is, Don, this… uh, case isn't in LA, or even the mainland. It's in Hawaii."

"Hawaii?" Don echoed, staring at his friend in disbelief that quickly turned to open delight. It was raining hard outside, so a trip to paradise was just too good a chance to pass up. Even so, he couldn't resist teasing his junior agent - pausing for a moment, before gleefully turning the smile on Colby's face into a wide eyed, 'oh, crap' stare.

"Okay, I'll call Charlie and tell him to pack. And I'll leave you to ask Nikki to stay here and hold the fort."