Pressure Makes Diamonds

Chapter 1

A tag for Oia'i'o

Danny had watched Steve get arrested by Chin and had reacted emotionally instead of thinking first. He had yelled at Chin, accused him of betraying 5-0, Steve, and him in that rant and no sooner had the patrol car driven away, he had regretted it. He had internally berated himself and momentarily wondered if Steve had become a bad influence on him. After cooling off for a few minutes, he had called Chin and had asked him to join him at the very same bar where they had pledged to support one another as they both ventured into the unknown as team members of the, at the time, newly formed Five-0 task force. With Five-0 dismantled, at least for now, Danny knew the first thing he had to do was mend the fissures that had been created so that he could move forward to save Five-0, the team, Kono, and Steve.

Danny had gotten there early to get a start on trying to make sense of everything that had happened with a couple of beers. He had called Rachel, but it had gone straight to voicemail. He looked at his watch and realized that she was still on the flight back to Newark, a flight he should have caught with her, but in the confusion and chaos, he had forgotten about it. He had left a message, using the best pleading voice he could muster, explaining about what had happened and that he hadn't changed his mind…at least not about her, Grace and the baby. Relocating, that was another thing entirely. He didn't know if he could do that, not right away anyway and not without making things right first. He had to hope that Rachel would listen to the message, hear the tone in his voice and understand. He could never live in Jersey knowing he had left Five-0 in ruins and his friends in prison. The idea that she might deny him visitation of Grace and their new baby because he hadn't left with them or because she had thought, like she had in the past, that work came first, would always come first, was unthinkable for him. To have come so far to reconnect with her and Grace only to have it crumble back to the animosity and threats of before, he couldn't let that happen again. He had to admit that beginning the affair with her had felt selfishly right, but a part of him felt that he was also not doing right by her marriage to Stan. Rachel had met Stan after they had divorced. They had never cheated on each other, just had lost their way to each other. He had been raised to respect marriage and no matter how he had felt about Stan, he understood that if the shoe had been on the other foot, he'd have been devastated, but after everything that had happened with Steve and Kono, his renewed relationship with Rachel and the happiness it had brought him seemed insignificant in comparison.

For now, he had to work on getting Steve and Kono out of jail while continuing to plead with Rachel not to judge and punish him for not going with her and Grace. Multi-tasking had taken on a whole new meaning at that moment. What he did know was that he couldn't just leave his friends behind to face whatever was ahead alone and without support. That was not the kind of cop, the kind of friend he was. Rachel had wondered if he could leave the life that he had forged there and though he had scoffed at the notion that he had built any life there, that they were his life, he had to grudgingly admit that he had created a life in Five-0 that he had been proud to be a part of and would find difficult to leave behind maybe even more so now because all the good they had done was in jeopardy of being negated. He may argue with Steve about his methods, but he couldn't argue the results they had achieved and it was because of Steve that they had been brought together. He had to get Steve and Kono exonerated.

Chin had joined him at the bar, sat next to him, a beer bottle already waiting for him, ordered by Danny in advance.

"Thanks," Chin said as he took a swallow.

"I'm sorry," Danny said. "What I said was completely out of line."

"Given what you were seeing, it was justified. I didn't have a chance to explain, it all happened so fast, but I want you to know that I haven't given up on Five-0. I meant it when I said that I couldn't just stand around and do nothing. Well, this was it. I had turned down the promotion when they had first offered it to me, but when Steve was getting framed for Laura's murder I thought that the best thing I could do was work the inside. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Danny listened and felt better knowing that he had Chin on his side.

"We're good and you're right. I'm gonna need your help. As far as evidence goes, Wo Fat did a pretty solid job of making it look like Steve killed Laura and the Governor. Believe me, Super SEAL didn't help himself, but what else is new? Impulsive, thy name is McGarrett. At this point, I have no idea what our first move is gonna be."

"What I can do is find out what kind of evidence is in the Governor's office. Hopefully I'll find something that will show that Wo Fat slipped up somehow. I'll get Max to help us. I've learned that he might be an eccentric, but if anyone can find the smallest inconsistencies, he will. He's got integrity."

"Good to know," Danny said as he took another swig of his beer. "Chin, you need to know that I'm going to be crossing some lines here to get information anywhere I can to clear both Steve and Kono. I think I've been around him too long."

Chin could only smile. "Haven't we all?"

"I want you to know that I will not drag you down if things go south for me –"

"Danny –"

"I mean it, Chin. You're a good man and a good cop. Never doubted that for a second. Do NOT do for me what you did for your Uncle. You hear me? Do NOT ruin this second chance you have to do good in the department. It needs someone like you there. Do everything you can to help Steve, by the book, and I'll do what I can to do the same, BUT, we both know that if Wo Fat had the Governor in his pocket, he's probably got a lot of other powerful players working for him as well. We don't know who they are, but the more we shake loose, the more they're going to try to keep us from finding out the truth. There could be more dirty cops. I've come to terms with what I have to do and what I'll be risking. With Five-0 disbanded and its reputation down the dumper, I know I'll be about as welcome as the plague around HPD. The ranks are closing tight already. All I need from you is that promise."

Chin looked into Danny's determined face and his respect for him only grew. Chin knew that Danny was the most upstanding, by the book cop he had ever met and he had met his share, including Steve's father. For him to even think about breaking the law, could only come from a deeply seeded loyalty to his friends and for him to make Chin promise not to sacrifice his own law enforcement integrity and life for him was noble.

"Can't do that, brah. Ohana. Family. It means more than just blood. I will honor the law just like you do, but I won't turn away from injustice if I see it, just to save my career, not anymore than you would. Five-0 is where I belong, where we all belong. "

Danny took in a breath and understood. He wanted all the cards out on the table and though he meant what he had said, hearing Chin say that he would stand by him had been reassuring. Ohana. It was nice to belong to something that important, with people who thought the way you did.

"Okay, long as we know where we stand."

Chin nodded and smiled, then they clinked their bottles together just as they had months ago.

Next stop for Danny, seeing Steve.

TBC. This story is slowly forming in my head. Thanks for your patience and hope you'll enjoy the read.