It Belongs in a Museum
By: Dean's Leather Jacket
Chapter One: Introductions and Reflections
Daniel "Danny" Williams walked into a bar… all right it sounds like the start to a bad joke, but he really did walk into the Lono Bar one evening after a hard day at Five-0. He had chased a suspect, gotten shot at, and almost lost his cool… again… with his new partner. You know, the usual. It was now time to kick back a nice, cold beer and go home to watch re-runs of "MacGyver."
Danny smoothed his black tie as he sat at the bar, rolling up the sleeves to his blue collared shirt. He flagged down the bartender and ordered a Guinness. When the bartender returned with his drink, he took a hearty slug and sighed as the liquid slid easily down his throat, instantly soothing his current inflamed attitude.
"Hey there, Danno, sorry I'm late." Came a female voice he instantly recognized. Said female jumped up onto the barstool next to him, placing her purse on the bar in front of her. It was a woman Danny could not easily forget. He had known her pretty much all of his life, having a mutual relation (they shared a cousin, but were not related themselves) and hanging out during the summers and certain holidays while they grew up. She was twenty-nine, a couple of years younger than he, and she had shoulder length dark brown curly hair with compelling hazel eyes situated behind stylish, rectangular shaped glasses. She hadn't gotten a chance to change from work, as she was still wearing her business attire she wore whilst teaching.
"What'll it be?" Asked the bartender, that age-old question.
"What he's having, please." The woman indicated the pint Danny was drinking. The bartender nodded and moved away to fulfill the order.
"Sorry again that I'm late." She said. Danny just shrugged and shot her a smile.
"Pen, really, it's fine. I had just started on my first Guinness. No biggie."
Dr. Penelope Harrison smiled back at Danno. She knew he hated being called that name unless it was Grace using it, so naturally, Pen had to do it too. He was probably her best guy friend in the entire world, and she saw him as another older brother.
"How was school today?" Danny asked. The bartender had gently plopped down the pint of Guinness in front of Pen. She paid him, and sighed after the first sip, the feeling of the alcohol unwinding her nerves.
"Fine. Teaching on a college level is a whole lot easier than having to teach on a high school level. I don't think I'd have ever been able to handle those little shits." Pen laughed. Danny just shook his head and smiled.
"I think you would've been able to handle it, but, you're right, I think I do see you more comfortable in a college setting. You can curse all you want to college kids."
Pen had moved from her home state of Virginia to Honolulu a few months prior to when Danny had made the move to be closer to his daughter. A job offering had been presented to Pen, one that paid a whole lot more than the university she had been at, so she made the move. It was hard at first, because the only people on the islands of Hawaii she knew were her goddaughter, Grace, Danny's daughter, and Rachel, Danny's ex-wife, whom Pen was actually still decent friends with. Then, Danny made the transfer to the Honolulu Police Department, and everything was almost right in the world. She Skyped with other family members back on the mainland, and made promises to come home for holidays.
"Yell at anyone in Latin today?" He asked her, breaking her out of her reverie.
"Not today, although I did teach everyone the 'swine from the devil's herd' phrase." Danny laughed and shook his head. Pen was a Classicist, a person who studied ancient Greece and Rome (more of an emphasis on Rome for her because it was her life's passion), and had joined the ranks of professors at Hawaii Pacific University, right in Honolulu.
"How was work for you?" Pen asked. She was always afraid to ask. She felt like she knew everything about everyone and everything Danny did at his job. She especially wasn't sure about this Steve McGarrett character. He sounded like a loose canon that could get somebody killed with his recklessness. Pen had yet to get a chance to meet Danny's coworkers, but she hoped that it would eventually be soon.
"The usual." He deadpanned.
"Let me guess: got shot at, chased someone, almost lost your temper, but still caught the bad guy in the end?"
"You would be correct." He replied.
"Of course." And then a silence lapsed for awhile, just the two of them enjoying their beers and soaking in the other's company without really even having to say anything. People began trickling in as they got off work, and the din of the bar rose higher. An old jukebox in the corner played some classic rock ballad that Pen couldn't make out through the chatter in the bar.
"So when do you have Grace again?" Pen asked, finally breaking the silence.
"I have her for the weekend." Danny replied. "Hopefully I'll be able to spend time with her, and not on a case."
"If you get called away you know where to drop her off." Pen offered like she always did. She loved her goddaughter so much, and was glad that Rachel still let Pen be a part of Grace's life.
"As always, thank you, and you know I'll take you up on it. But anyway, regardless, Grace wanted to go out and have brunch on Saturday morning if you have nothing going on." Danny said.
"Me? What do I have going on a Saturday other than grading papers and piddly little chores around the house?"
"I don't know, I thought you might have a hot date or something." Danny joked, a smirk on his face. Pen rolled her eyes.
"Please. When do I have time for hot dates?" Pen asked.
"Well, you're going on a date with Grace and I to brunch. You could consider that a hot date." Danny pointed out.
"This is true. I could consider it. But I don't think you're hot." Danny laughed.
After more conversation over another Guinness, the two best friends called it quits and went their separate ways. As always, Danny offered her a ride back to her house, and as usual she refused, saying she preferred the walk. This was basically the only time Pen ever took it upon herself to do physical exercise, so she figured it better happen after two beers. Danny pulled her into a quick hug before he made his way to his own car and returned to his apartment. Pen meandered through the streets of Honolulu, making her way to her own townhome apartment squashed in between two, tall buildings. The top floor of the townhome was her apartment, and the bottom belonged to her landlord, Mrs. Smith, a widowed older lady in her seventies.
Pen keyed her way into the building and up to her apartment. She plopped her messenger bag on her tiny kitchen table, and pulled a water bottle out of the refrigerator. True to her own normal routine, Pen changed from her work clothes and into sweatpants and a t-shirt. She pulled out a stack of papers to grade, sat down in her "grading" chair, and flipped through the channels. She had almost given up hope that anything good was on, until she landed on the TCM channel and saw an old John Wayne, World War II flick was on. Satisfied with this development, Pen sat back in her chair and got down to work grading some assignments from her freshman.
True to his normal routine, Danny returned to his own small apartment, changed from his work clothes to more casual ones, sat down in the one comfortable chair he had, and watched reruns of "MacGyver." He had even cracked another beer, a Heineken this time, and sat back to enjoy the show.
He had to admit that he wasn't as miserable in Hawaii as he thought he would be. The only reason he came down here was for Grace. His ex-wife had pretty much stomped on his heart, so the only thing he cared about in the world was his daughter and his job.
The jury was still out on what he really thought about his new partner, Steve McGarrett. The guy was absolutely nuts, and on a few occasions completely scared Danny with his intensity. But he had to admit; Steve did get the job done. In his own crazy, Navy SEAL trained way; he really helped catch the bad guys in the end.
Danny's wonderings turned to Pen, his best friend. His aunt and uncle's house in Maine had been the vacation Mecca for both of their families when he was a kid. He would come up from New Jersey, and she from Virginia. They would exchange letters as kids, and when the Internet really hit it big, they would exchange emails. She was like the younger sister he never had. It was awesome when she had gotten into Columbia University for her Ph.D. program. It meant that she was a lot closer and they spent more time together, Pen, Rachel, Danny and Grace. Those were some of the best times of his life, and he thought he had lost them when the divorce had completely finalized. Now, it was only a matter of different place, different people.
Hawaii wasn't so bad. Even with the unprofessional dress of his coworkers (which he always got flack for, but didn't care). The most important people in his life were there with him, he was in a tropical paradise that he SHOULD be appreciating, and he had a job that he was starting to love (despite the increased danger factor).
Danny nodded to himself, draining the rest of his beer, and watched as MacGyver successfully escaped from a locked room with just his shoelaces. Yes, he could really make it work here.
Lieutenant Commander Stephen J. McGarrett took a nighttime run along the stretch of beach behind his father's house. This was not something he was normally wont to do, but tonight he felt the urge. It had been a good day at work, the bad guy had been caught, and Steve needed a way to calm down. The sand flew everywhere beneath his sneakers as he pounded down the beach at a steady pace, breath heavy and panting. The thought vaguely crossed his mind that he could really make this a routine thing to do. Nothing beats a nighttime run along the beach.
Running had always been an activity that Steve enjoyed. He did it when he played football, and he did it when he had a brief stint in track and field in high school. There was plenty of it when he went to Annapolis to the Naval Academy, and of course, the intense physical training of the Navy SEALs. It was truly the one activity that Steve had to himself, a way to take a step back and look at the events of the day. A good activity to think about things in his life, and what step to take next. The endorphins were running full force throughout his body, and he felt invigorated again, and renewed for another day of Five-0 tomorrow.
Steve's mind briefly slipped to Danny Williams. Poor Danny, he had no idea how to handle Steve. Danny had no idea how to let go, and not follow things by the book. There was a reason the governor had given them this task force, a task force, which had no set of rules. Steve could tell that their relationship was improving a millimeter a day, which was all the progress he could ask for really. He knew he was a difficult person to work with sometimes, but it didn't stop him from getting the job done.
The former SEAL finally turned his direction back towards his dad's house, and gave a final hard push at the end. Steve took gulps of water from his Camelbak as he stood on the back porch of the house and looked off into the distance of the ocean, listening to the crashing waves. He had to admit that he loved Hawaii, and could imagine no better place to live and work and relax. With that final thought, he polished off his water and made his way back into the house to hit the shower and finally go to bed. The run had done him some good, and he could tell he was going to get a fairly decent night's sleep.
Chin Ho Kelly and Kona "Kono" Kalakaua had enjoyed an evening much the same as Danny and Pen had. They commiserated about life over a couple of beers, and then the two cousins finally went their own separate ways. Chin decided that he did not yet want to return to his empty apartment; instead he made a trip to the firing range. It was a place where he felt at home, felt in control of his situation. Since he had been basically coerced into resigning from the force, Chin had not felt quite at home anywhere else than this shooting range. Only recently, upon joining the Five-0, did he feel like a part of something special again, and he greatly appreciated the opportunity given to him by Steve McGarrett.
Chin purchased a couple boxes of rounds for his service pistol and took his favorite spot on the range. No one else was there at this time of the day, and Chin enjoyed the silence as he placed the ear protection over his own ears. He carefully, almost lovingly, loaded his gun, took aim at the target, and squeezed off a whole clip. With each kick back of the gun, Chin felt closer to feeling like a cop again.
The former Honolulu police officer repeated the previous actions until he had run out of ammunition to shoot off. He holstered his weapon back on to this hip, and exited the range, throwing a wave at the range attendant behind the bulletproof glass. Outside, the sun had mostly set beyond the horizon. It set off vibrant colors of red, purple, blue and orange. Chin loved his home state, and would not choose to live anywhere but the islands. He walked briskly to his car and returned home to that empty apartment he had so dreaded. He could still feel traces of his wife, long after she had left him because of his supposed "shame." Chin could never begin to understand the allegations of corruption that had been brought upon him, and he could never hope to clear his name.
Five-0 was his life now, and he was glad to be a part of something so spectacular. Steve McGarrett was a commendable leader and asset to the team, and Chin felt honored to work with him. Steve was a lot like his father, even if he didn't want to admit it, and Chin admired that about him as well.
For the rest of the evening, Chin decided to read the latest Tom Clancy novel he had picked up from the bookstore, and went to sleep at a decent hour. This night, his sleep was not plagued with nightmares.
Kona "Kono" Kalakaua, after a long day at work for the Five-0, decided that the perfect stress reliever activity would be to surf. It was one of the few places and activities in life that she could truly let go of herself, and feel at one with nature, at one with the wave.
After drinks with her cousin, Chin, Kono returned home to grab her surfboard and change into her favorite surfing bikini. Kono knew it wasn't at all smart to surf in the dying light of day, but at the same time, it was the perfect time to surf. She drove to near her favorite surfing spot, parked, and prepared herself for wave riding.
The swells were decent this evening, she had seen better, but she would take what she could get. Kono had to admit that her favorite parts about surfing were not the actual surfing parts, but the paddling out the distance for good swells, and the anticipation for the perfect wave. This was Kono's perfect place to think and reflect on the day.
Kono ran out into the waves, flopped on her belly onto her board, and began the paddle out to the proper distance needed to catch the best wave. The water lapped at her body as she made her way out a ways. Finally, she stopped, turned her board around, and just sat up on it. Gazing out back towards shore, she took in the lights of the city. The sound of the ocean, probably her favorite sound, drowned out the noise of cars and trucks driving. This was her heaven, her haven.
She had been so proud of herself that she had made it through the police academy and followed in her family's footsteps. Not to mention it was the best thing when Steve recruited her right out of the gate, hell, even before she had graduated! The thought of the incident with her knee sobered her thoughts again. That had been an awful day; she had legitimately feared she would never be able to surf again. Turns out, she just would never be able to surf professionally again.
Kono looked behind her and saw it—the perfect wave. She readied herself, felt the wave lap over her, and hoisted herself up onto the board, digging her feet into the material under her, and letting out a shout of delight as she surfed back into shore. The feeling of catching the perfect wave was exhilarating, like catching the bad guy at the end of the day. Knowing that another scumbag was behind bars was rewarding enough; knowing that the streets of Hawaii were safe again. At least, until another bad guy showed up.
Kono waded out into the water a few more times, and rode a wave back in a few more times. When it got to the point where she really could not see her hand in front of her face, was when she finally stopped. Tomorrow would be another day.
William "Bob" Morris swept his flashlight up and down one of the docks at the Oahu Shipping Company. It would be just his luck that he would be stuck with the graveyard shift this week. He and his wife were having marital issues, and this was the week he was planning on making it all up to her.
Bob really didn't like this security guard job. In this economy, it was the only thing he could find after being laid off from his construction job that he had had for about ten years or so. Now he was stuck here, a glorified rent-a-cop, with no real power what so ever, except to watch.
He suddenly heard voices from a good distance down the pier, and Bob wondered what could be going on. There were no shipments or anything scheduled to come in that night, and there were definitely no other employees on shift. He cut his flashlight and used the faint light from the dock lights and the city to guide his way closer to the voices.
What he eventually came upon confused him greatly. There were at least half a dozen men unloading crates from a shipping container, all looked of Asian descent.
"Excuse me, gentleman. Are you authorized to be here? I don't have you on my sheet." Bob decided to intervene, in case they really weren't supposed to be there. The one man that had been surveying the others as they unloaded turned to Bob. He did not look happy to see him… not at all. Bob suddenly grew nervous, and knew instantly that they weren't supposed to be here, and he stumbled upon something that he wasn't supposed to see.
Bob Morris did not see it coming, nor in his wildest dreams did he expect to leave this earth in such a manor. For the man that seemed to be in charge of this band of people, reached into one of the crates, pulled out a weird looking pointed object, and came at Bob so fast, there was no way he would've known what hit him. The object pierced his heart, a few minutes later, Bob gurgled his last breath, all the while thinking of how he wished he had made up with his wife sooner.
A/N: Ok, so, obviously this is my first Hawaii Five-0 fan fiction, and it's honestly the first sort of cop procedural I have ever written. I'm going to do my best, and we'll see how it goes. Sorry that this first chapter was kind of slow. I felt like it'd be kind of cool to do a little introduction of the characters and see what they may be thinking. Please, I welcome constructive criticism, I relish in it because I know I can always improve, but PLEASE don't send flames. They're really unnecessary. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and I'll hopefully have more chapters up soon.