Prologue

"I'm gone for two hours to speak at Gracie's career day, and when I come back, Chin tells me you two have been off gallivanting all over the island for the past forty-five minutes."

"We haven't been gallivanting," Steve says patiently. "We've been picking up a suspect. From a case we solved without your help."

"For almost an hour? Do you even have him yet?"

"Yes, Detective Williams, we have him. Would you like to say hello? Would that make you happy?" He holds his phone up to Kono's mouth and nods for her add some scruff to her voice and do her best suspect imitation. She shakes her head and fiddles with her own phone. Mouths something that looks like stupid idea, but he's her boss and he has a say in her paycheck, so probably that's not what she said. "Never mind, he's not feeling very chatty."

Steve isn't feeling very chatty either, so he cuts off whatever his partner has to say next and ends the call.

"Okay, I give up," Kono sighs. "Why did we just lie to him?"

"Because if we didn't, we'd have to admit that someone needed to make a stop at the surf shop on the governor's time."

"Didn't take that long," she grumbles, jumping down from the passenger seat. "What are we gonna say if we don't get him?"

Too much time with Danny, he thinks, though out of the four team members, Danny and Kono spend the least amount of time together. Still, their rookie's been picking up habits. Namely, disagreeing with him. "Why wouldn't we get him? He's home, his car's been repossessed, what's he gonna do? Outrun us?"

She shrugs, waits for him to close the truck door before setting off for the one story home of Lance Wallis, who most likely killed his best friend, for an unknown reason, earlier that day. The gun used to shoot their victim in the back (twice) was registered to Mr. Wallis, which was suspicious. Equally suspicious was the fact that Wallis had called in sick to work that morning and purchased a last minute plane ticket to Puerto Rico.

For a completely innocent, unplanned vacation, of course.

So they're there to pick Mr. Wallis up for questioning. And also, probably, arresting. They stand off to the side and look the house up and down, mentally running through exit strategies that their suspect could use. They come up with two. The front door and the back.

"Take the front," Steve orders, tilting his head towards the covered porch and taking his gun from his belt. Kono nods, slips silently into place, nestled between the porch and the tall plants obstructing the window. Once she's hidden, he carefully steps into the backyard, eyes trained on the windows, watching for a flick of the curtains or a moving shadow. Nothing. He closes in on the back door, sidles up against the side of the house, and listens for signs of activity. There's a television on somewhere inside, volume high enough to be heard in the yard, but not so loud that he can't hear the sounds of someone moving in the kitchen. Plates click against each other none too gently, and Steve presses his back to the siding next to the door. Kono will move on his signal, wait until she hears the back door slam against the wall before she breaks her own door in, so he doesn't worry about filling her in. Briefly, there's a flash of color in the kitchen window, and he confirms that the figure is Wallis, at the sink, washing dishes like someone who didn't just murder his best friend.

Gun aimed ahead of him, he steps back, prepares to aim a kick at the door's weak spot, when something heavy lands on his back and growls. The concrete rushes up to meet his as he loses his footing, chin scraping against the rough surface and teeth snapping shut on his tongue. Had there been someone in the yard? Something sharp digs into neck, and he musters up enough leverage to flip over and face his attacker.

The dog barks. He digs his white snout into Steve's shoulder, but doesn't bite. The man shoves at the furry paws on his chest, which are frantically digging at his shirt. His gun went skittering across the concrete, is now resting underneath the wicker chair of an old patio furniture set. The noise must have spooked Wallis because Steve hears a plate hit the floor and shatter. He's probably headed towards the front door, so hopefully Kono hasn't-

"Boss!"

- moved from her post. "Go," he orders, trying to push himself up. "Get Wallis!"

She's hesitant, torn between following orders and staying to help her friend. Finally, she turns to run for the front at the same time that the dog goes for his neck. "Wait!" Steve yells, priorities shifting when he feels the animal's hot breath on his throat. "Shoot it!"

"It's a dog," she yells in disbelief, like he just asked her commit treason. "And it's on top of you!"

"Shoot it!"

Kono rolls her eyes. "Come here, baby," she calls gently, clicking her tongue. "It's alright. You got him. Now, come here."

He clearly no longer works with navy SEALs.

It turns towards her, bounds in her direction, and Steve yells for her to move, drawing his weapon to save her from impending death by mauling. But the dog stops in front of her, nudges her hip with his snout, and sits, holding his paw up to be shaken. Kono smiles. "I'm terrified."

She isn't.

"Come on," he grumbles. "Wallis can't be that far."

The front door is hanging open, but Steve is right. The other man can only go so fast on foot. To their left, there's an open, residential area, with a neighborhood watch and a slew of guard dogs just like his. Probably not very appealing for someone on the run from the police. However, the area to their right is a little on the sketchy side, with plenty of alleys and side streets for Wallis to dash through or hunker down in. They swing right, the dog at their heels, keeping up with their running pace with impressive ease. Behind them, they hear an engine start, and Kono glances back over her shoulder. Her eyes bulge and nearly pop out of her head. "Steve!"

There, behind the wheel of Steve's truck, is Wallis, gunning the engine and grinning like a maniac.

Steve swears.

Kono lifts her gun to fire through the windshield and he reluctantly does the same, mentally calculating bullet trajectory and repair costs at the same time. They're both standing in the middle of the road now, about to play a twisted game of chicken that's bound to leave someone maimed at best. The dog gives up and sits patiently on the side of the road, apparently unwilling to follow his new pals into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Seconds before it's too late, Wallis's wide, unbalanced eyes nudge Steve towards the realization that their suspect is not going to back down, and he tackles Kono out of the way. They crumple into a tangle of frustrated limbs on the side of the road and watch the taillights disappear.

He rights himself and stands up, reaches down to haul his temporary partner to her feet. Without the imminent threat of being run down by his own vehicle, Steve has a minute to process the situation and acknowledge the explosion of temper that's boiling in his chest. Three long, slow breaths through his nose. Kono must not notice how close he is to the edge because she zeros in the sore spot that is his pride and jabs.

"So," she starts, dragging the word out so it's more of a groan. "Left the keys in the truck?"

He nods. Stares after his truck, which is still speeding in the distance, taking out a few trashcans in its path. "Yeah."

"What about you?" he asks finally, realizing that he wasn't the only one to make a mistake. "Thought you were going to stay out front."

Disbelieving eyes stare back. "I thought you were being eaten," she says incredulously, staring at him like she's not sure whether she wants to slap him or shoot him. "What did you want me to do?"

Probably exactly what she did. He sighs and shrugs, offering her an apologetic grin, which she accepts happily. Meanwhile, the dog has curled himself around her feet and rested his head on her knee. Steve frowns. "It seemed bigger before."

Kono snorts. "He's a border collie, boss. Almost the same family as Lassie." She grins. Pauses for dramatic effect and to savor the moment. "You got beat up by Lassie's cousin."

The border collie whines, and Kono sinks to her knees to rub his head, face entirely too close to his teeth for Steve's liking. "Careful. How do you know it won't bite you?"

"Yeah, because I'm clearly the one he doesn't like," she drawls. "We have to take him with us. He can't just stay out here."

"That dog isn't riding in my truck," he grumbles, because that thing tried to kill him and Kono doesn't seem to remember that part of the morning.

She shrugs. "Neither are we."

Oh, yeah. That sucks, too.

They're both still sort of reeling from what just happened, but they can't stand there and soothe their sore pride all day. Finally, Kono snaps out of it and stands up, brushing dirt off her knees. "Hey, boss?"

"Hmm?"

"They can't ever find out about this," she says, fishing her phone out of her back pocket to call for a ride back to HQ.

He couldn't agree more. They have to find Wallis on their own. Before their partners hold it over them for the rest of their lives...

AN: On the road again...

This can be read as a sort-of-sequel to Rogue, but they aren't necessarily related. Thanks to everyone who was so supportive while I was working through Rogue, and I hope you enjoy!