Extension of episode 4x01. Final instalment to my mini-arc of Things Unknown ... and Eloquent Silence. One-shot, because apparently that's all I have time for. Direct quotations from the episode are marked as such.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I wish to, own any part of the H50 TV series, and I make no pecuniary profit from any of this. However, I write as I cook: I take what I find and rustle up something (hopefully) palatable. My aim is to leave all original ingredients recognisable, but the amounts used, their combination, and the seasoning are what makes up the eventual taste ... so, enjoy!

I have your back ... always

The moment Steve turned to Danny, he knew something terrible had happened. And with equal certainty he knew that he was going to be involved. He was the back-up, after all, in more ways than one.

Hurrying over to Steve, his mind ran through all kinds of scenarios, all of them involving someone who was near and dear to his best friend. A work-related situation, or a stranger, could never bring on the scared-out-of-my-mind face Danny was seeing. His worst concerns were confirmed when he heard Steve frantically repeating Catherine's name. It was bad.

Like the good back-up he was, he followed his best friend, into the car and on one of the crazier rides he had weathered with Steve. Out of habit, and out of genuine concern, he fell back on his default response: he ranted. And then it happened. It was one of the few occasions in which Steve used his words, clearly and concisely. "Stop. Listen to me."

Wasn't that what Danny had vowed to do? Stop ranting every now and then, and learn again to listen to his best friend? So he shut up and listened.

He should have been prepared for what was coming next, because when Steve made a request like this, it was for a very good reason. "I lost my dad dealing with people like this, and I'm not gonna lose Catherine, too."

And there it was. Steve's deepest pain, guilt, regret, all wrapped in sixteen short words and a look that said it all.

Staring at his best friend for a long moment, Danny said the only thing he could think of to reassure Steve he was not alone in this mess: "I have your back ... always."

H50H50H50

It was crazy, and possibly career-ending, as Danny had correctly pointed out, but it was the only way. It was also nothing Danny hadn't done before, and as much as he shuddered at the memory of the day Rick Peterson had kidnapped Grace, he knew exactly what his best friend was feeling now. He had put bullets into one innocent and one very guilty man that day, and he still didn't regret either action. That was why he had little to no moral misgivings about what Steve was doing, about what they both were doing right now. Getting Catherine back alive and well was the only thing that mattered right now.

Sure, in general Danny agreed with the notion that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of a single person. His years on the police force – and even more so, his years as a father – had taught him, however, that people could only endure so much when it came to the needs of their loved ones. He knew from his own bitter experience that it was relatively easy to lay down one's own life for other people, and nearly impossible to put the life of a loved one on the line, even if it might serve a greater good.

So when they arrived at the place where they would supposedly find Catherine, the fact that they had just broken at least half a dozen laws was the last thing on his mind. He started looking for her, calling out for her along with Steve, painfully aware of the fear in his best friend's voice. And when they found her, relatively unharmed and most definitely alive, Danny knew it had all been worth it.

He watched from a short distance as Steve clung to Catherine, holding on for dear life, and she clung to him just as hard. Tears of relief stinging in his eyes, he turned away, muttering something or other about waiting by the van. He knew neither Steve nor Catherine heard him in that moment, and that was just as well.

H50H50H50

Danny was so relieved to have Catherine back that he didn't even rant about the loss of his beloved Camaro ... too much. And he didn't have time for that, either, because there were still criminals to be caught and ruffled feathers to be smoothed. Standing in Aloha Stadium, gun in hand, watching his best friend pull one of his crazier stunts, he vowed to do all of that single-handedly and without so much as a breath of complaint if he only got his reckless partner back in one piece. He knew what Steve was trained for and what he was capable of, but what he saw was scary. It was also borderline deadly, if the wide-eyed look on Catherine's face was any indication.

A few endless moments later, it was all over. Steve was safely on the ground, and they were bickering like the proverbial old married couple. Free beer was mentioned, and sure enough, after showers, some necessary first-aid treatment and fresh clothes, all of them were sitting around a table: eating, drinking, laughing, and deliberately not mentioning the harrowing events of the day. People had died, people had been saved. Loss had been imminent, loss had been averted.

Late in the evening, when Chin had already gone home and Catherine had left for the ladies' room and to pick up the tab, Steve and Danny remained sitting at the table, each lost in his own thoughts. Danny looked at Steve, wondering how the other man was still vertical and coherent after all that had passed today. Steve looked at Danny, knowing the other man had once again risked his life and job to make sure his friends got home safe and sound. "Thank you for today", he said quietly. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

Danny studied his best friend in silence. A dozen snarky comments on the tip of his tongue, he chose to keep his mouth shut because this was too important. "You're welcome", he finally replied. "And I meant what I said before: I have your back, Steve ... always."

A/N 2: This has been sitting in my files for several weeks now, but the muse was too lazy to finish it. Apparently having a rather depressing day with a funeral in the morning and seemingly endless hours of proofreading a paper on statistics in the afternoon/evening did the trick. This is unbeta'ed, though, so all mistakes are mine and mine alone.