AN: A short one shot for the Coconut Wireless Forum challenge (sorry, this one's a late entry), where I have chosen to write an alternate ending to the season 6 episode, "Draw Me A Killer". I'm not sure if anything has been written associated with this episode but I personally haven't read any fan fiction based on it.
Dedicated to Honu59 for her persistent yet kind nudges for me to write more H5O stories ;-)
Disclaimer:
Tanith
The dirty walls of the alley beside the thrift store felt like it was closing in on Dan as he carefully walked onward into what could very well be a trap. His heart hammered so loudly, he was sure it would give him away. Idly he wondered if Steve could hear the organ's incessant thumping rhythm through the small microphone attached to the wires under his shirt. He suddenly felt rather self-conscious.
Any minute now.
Take it easy, Williams.
He couldn't help but think that any second could be the last time his heart would beat inside his chest. He drew in one steady breath after another, trying to calm his nerves. Steve, Chin, Duke and Ben are just a block away. Maybe less now, he told himself.
From the moment he saw his picture being sketched for the popular comic strip saga, Dan had felt uneasy. This was not one of his usual undercover assignments. This was like having a big red target painted on his chest. Admittedly, when Steve first shared his hunch that they were after a mentally unstable suspect who was influenced by a series of comic strips, Dan almost thought his boss was the one going crazy. Of course Steve was rarely wrong with his hunches, and this was just another example of why Five-O never outwardly questioned their leading detective's theories.
The alley seemed to be getting narrower and darker as Dan continued. A tower of cardboard boxes stood at the end. He slowed down and paused, trying to peer around the stack to see if anyone was hiding in the shadows. Nothing. As he turned back to face the entrance of the alley he heard someone call out, "Mr. Policeman!"
Dan froze then turned to see where the voice came from. The wall of boxes stared back at him blankly.
"I want to talk to you Mr. Policeman."
This time, Dan looked up at the roof tops. Still no one appeared. "Why don't you come out where I can see you? He called out.
"No, no tricks! You come down here."
Dan licked his lips and nervously took a step forward. "Okay."
"Alright, look, hold it…hold it right there!" the voice commanded.
From around the corner at the end of the alley, Dan saw the barrel of a pistol appear, followed by a bespectacled and unimpressive looking young man in a Hawaiian shirt. Dan slowly raised his hands, preparing for the worst.
"I wanna ask ya a question," the man said. "Why are you being so mean to Judy Moon? Why do you want to hurt her?"
"You're wrong," Dan answered calmly and shook his head. "I don't want to hurt Judy.
"You're lying."
"No, I'm not," Dan said licking his dry lips. "I'm not lying. And you know what they wanted me to do? Well, I decided I wouldn't do that," he continued to play along.
"You're lying! You may have fooled Judy, but you can't fool me. I'm her guardian angel."
Dan wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to keep up with the charade when Steve's voice called out to him quietly from behind a door to his left.
"Danno, we go in two. One, two.."
Just as Steve stepped out from the doorway leading up to a block of apartments, Dan tried to duck for cover behind a stack of crates to his right.
Four shots were fired in quick succession. One bullet disarmed Steve before he could fire his revolver while another left an angry graze across Dan's hip. The momentum sent him crashing to the ground but at least he was out of the line of fire.
Steve clutched his hand in pain and looked across to see his second in command curled up and leaning against the wall. He couldn't tell if Dan had taken a bullet but he wasn't moving and his arm was wrapped around his lower body. He prayed that his friend was not gut shot.
"I won't let you hurt Judy again!" the gunman threatened. He proceeded to move toward the crates where he was sure the policeman was hiding.
Dan grimaced in pain as the graze to his hip burned each time he tried to move.
"Danno!" Steve whispered worriedly.
Dan gave Steve a nod of assurance that he was okay then poked his head around the crates. Another shot rang out and he was forced to retreat back under cover. He'd counted five shots. Six. Seven. The hail of gunfire was so close, he flinched. Behind him the tires of a white sedan parked alongside the alley became the gunman's latest victim. Williams drew his hand away from his hip and un-holstered his pistol. He was certain that the gunman had a .32 calibre Beretta and there was only one shot remaining.
Steve caught his protégé's attention and gestured for him to wait for his signal. With his own gun out of his reach and lying in the heart of the danger-zone, Steve decided to keep up with role playing, in the hopes of ending the stand-off without any more casualties. A very sick man was behind the semi-automatic and there was no telling how much further he was going to take his delusions. "It's over. You don't need to kill Officer Williams. He'll pay for his crimes!" Steve shouted. "I promise you that I will protect Judy but she needs you to help testify against Williams. Can you do that? Can you help me put this dirty cop behind bars?"
"You…you have Judy?" the gunman asked suspiciously.
"Yes, she's in a safe house. Will you help her?"
Silence.
"Will you help her?" Steve repeated.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" the gunman asked suspiciously.
"You'll have to take my word for it if you want to help Judy."
"Come out where I can see you!"
"Alright, but I need you to put your gun down first," Steve negotiated his terms.
Dan could now see the toes of the gunman's shoes. His finger tightened on the trigger but he forced himself to remain in position.
Steve slowly rose from where he was crouched, cradled his hand, and looked the gunman in the eye. "It's over."
"Where's Judy? I wanna see Judy!"
"I told you, she's in a safe house."
Fury blazed in the young man's eyes as the voice in his head told him that he was being deceived. He needed to protect Judy just like he always did. "You're lying!" He raised his gun and skirted around the boxes on the ground until he had this big-shot-detective clearly in his sights. He aimed his gun at the detective's chest and started to squeeze the trigger.
Steve didn't need to give Dan the signal. The sandy-haired detective clenched his teeth together and braced for the pain as he rolled out from his position and fired a round into the gunman's leg.
A pain-filled howl echoed through the alley as the bespectacled man fell back and tried to scramble away. Chin rushed forward from the entrance of the alley while Duke and Ben appeared from the back. Together the three detectives secured the wounded and still unnamed gunman.
"Chin, get an ambulance!" Steve ordered then nursing his bleeding hand, he knelt down beside Dan who was struggling to get to his feet. "Easy, Danno." With his good hand, he examined Dan's wound which was located low on his side.
"Just a graze, Steve," Dan said weakly. "I'm fine."
Steve nodded and gave Dan a small smile of relief then drew out his handkerchief and pressed it against the wound.
Dan let out a hiss and lay back against the concrete ground, gritting his teeth together. When the pain subsided he gasped, "How's the hand?"
"Just a scratch, Danno. Just a scratch." Steve carefully tucked his hand into his body and tried to hide the injury. He would deal with it later but first he wanted to ensure his friend received some medical attention and that the crime scene was secured.
Both men could hear the wracking sobs of their suspect nearby and couldn't help but feel pity for him. The man's mind was trapped in his delusional fantasies and it was clear he was psychologically incapable of separating the world of fiction from reality. It was a case like nothing Five-O had ever handled before. After all, who knew that Palmer's comic strips would draw a killer out of one of its fans?
Pau