"The Long Road Home"
Shakespeare's Lemonade
Rating: T
Genre: Family/Friendship/Drama
Summary: After the McGarretts are forced to leave Hawaii, they fight to stay one step ahead of Wo Fat. Meanwhile, 5-0, under Danny's command, tries to make home safe again for their family.
Pairings: Steve/OC, Danny/Kono, Chin/Malia
A/N: This is the sequel to "Dying to Live" and is the final installment in that series. It makes a lot more sense if you read the entire series first.
Prologue: This Is Just Temporary
"This is just temporary. Dust once we were; to dust we will return."~Bannerhill
Detective David Beckett had mixed feelings as he waited in the airport. He was happy to be seeing the McGarretts, but equally unhappy at their reason for coming. He understood though, as few people could. He knew the compulsion to protect one's family, even though he had no more to protect. But that was all about to change. Steve, McKenzie, and their new little girl would be his family. He could help protect them as long as they were in his city.
It wasn't long before Beckett saw his temporary family coming toward the baggage claim.
"Welcome to the windy city," he said and was met with tired smiles.
"Thank you," Steve said, shaking Beckett's hand.
"Well, I've got the guest room made up and dinner in the oven, so let's get you three home."
"You didn't have to do all that."
"Of course I did. I'm sure Hawaiians are much more friendly, but I thought I'd give Chicago some good PR. And anyway, I want to."
"We really appreciate it," McKenzie said, adjusting Lucy's position.
"It's the least I can do for all the help solving my case. You have your bags?"
"Yeah," Steve said. "There was some concern about the weather, though."
Beckett smiled as he gave their attire a once over. McKenzie was wearing a black sweatshirt that looked too big for her and Steve wore a jacket along with his usual t-shirt and cargo pants. The latter might be a little light, but Beckett doubted Steve would complain.
"I think you'll live for now," he said. "There's only a little slush. At this point, I'm more concerned about work clothes." He gave Steve an ironic look.
"I had a feeling you would say that," Steve said.
They made it to Beckett's car and then his house without incident. He offered to watch Lucy so they could settle in and shower after their 12 hour flight. Upon entering the house and smelling the food cooking, Steve and McKenzie thought that was a very good idea. So, they went upstairs while Beckett took care of Lucy. She was still sleeping, but soon after her parents left the room, she opened her eyes. At first, she seemed somewhat confused, and unsure of this strange man holding her. But after a few moments of analyzing his face, she appeared to relax and settled for sporadic squirming.
"It's nice to meet you," Beckett said. "You can call me Grandpa Davy... if you want."
Lucy blinked and yawned.
"I suppose you're hungry, aren't you?" Beckett found her bottle and started a pan of water to warm it up. He couldn't remember whether the microwave was safe for that or not.
Once he started feeding her, Lucy seemed to warm up to him. She was content to lie in his arms and enjoy her dinner. It wasn't long before Steve came back down the stairs to find his daughter sleeping again.
"You that boring, Beckett?" he asked.
"Not at all." The other man laughed. "She woke up just after you left. She was very excited about dinner."
Steve grinned. "She takes after her mother."
"Aha. But she looks like you."
"Nobody's perfect."
"She's s lucky girl."
"How do you mean?"
"To have parents who love her so much. Sometimes no matter what we do, we can't keep them safe, but... we do what we can."
"You know, I'm not sure where we'd be without you. You've made this a lot easier."
"I'm glad. Of course, I'm sorry that you had to do this, but glad I could help."
"It's just... McKenzie. She's been through so much in the last year. I was afraid of what this move would do to her."
"She's stronger than she lets on."
"That's true. How did you know?"
"Well, her reputation precedes her. But actually, she reminds me of my Alice."
Steve only nodded. He didn't know much about Beckett's daughter, but if she was anything like McKenzie, he could only imagine the pain of losing her.
"She and her mother were best friends," Beckett continued. "And worst enemies. But if those two were together against me on anything, there was no way I'd win. When we lost Amanda, I saw Alice's heart break. I thought she'd never get over it, but she surprised me. She actually started taking care of me. McKenzie has the same spirit."
Steve nodded again. "She's a survivor. She never ceases to amaze me."
"That's good." Beckett smiled. "Just keep that attitude."
Upstairs, they heard the shower stop running and Beckett thought it was about time to get dinner on the table. He handed Lucy to Steve and headed for the kitchen.
"I'll take you by the precinct in the morning," he said as Steve followed him. "After that, I have a realtor friend who might have found a place for you."
With his back turned, Beckett couldn't see the grateful look in Steve's eyes. "How can we thank you?" he asked.
Beckett turned away from the stove. "Well, for one thing, Sunday dinner is at one. I'll be expecting you. And you can call me Davy. At least when we aren't working."
Beckett watched the look in Steve's eyes intensify and he knew he was doing the right thing. It had been a long time since he'd had any family, but it was something he knew he was made for. He knew Steve and McKenzie needed the help and he was glad they were accepting it gracefully.
"Oh," Beckett added. "I told Lucy she could call me Grandpa Davy. I hope you don't mind."
H-5-O
Danny rested his head on his desk as if that would lessen his headache. It wasn't even his desk; it was Steve's. For now, it was his.
Propping himself up on his elbows, Danny sighed. He knew he had to get over the initial shock of everything and get to work. However, the first item on his agenda, finding a new partner, was possibly the most headache inducing idea of all. But Danny already knew what he was going to do. He just had to work up the courage to do it.
He heard the door that had been Steve's open and close and he looked across the office to see Kono standing there.
"Is this how you do things in Jersey?" she asked and tried not to smile.
"No," Danny replied. "We never have to deal with stuff like this in Jersey."
"Right. So..."
"So?"
Kono came over to the desk and crossed her arms as she leaned against it. "So, what have you decided?"
"I think," Danny began, and the idea of speaking the words made his head hurt worse. "I think I'm going to undertake the impossible task of training Jenna."
Kono smiled. "I thought so," she said.
"Really?"
"Yeah. She wants to learn. She's got the energy, the intelligence, and she's already proven she can take your wrath."
"I don't have wrath."
"You do."
"Fine... You really think this is a good idea?"
Kono shrugged. "What options do you have? It's way better than having to train someone new."
"So what are we going to do when you have to take some time off?"
"I don't have to take that much time."
"I said some."
"We'll figure it out. Maybe we'll solve the case by then and Steve will be back."
"Thank you. We need another optimist around here."
"We'll be okay, Danny."
"I know. I don't know how, but we will. This won't last forever after all."