I made up the name of the hotel, and I don't own the characters :)
H50
Chapter 2
AP
Danny sighed, rubbing his head into his hands. This day couldn't get much worse. He had woken up late, therefore getting Grace to school late, having Rachel then call and yell at him. Not starting off his day well had made him glare at everyone and everything.
The store where he usually picked up his morning coffee was closed, starting today for renovations, and he was too late to scope out another place. He ended up grabbing a cup from the office, and promptly throwing it out. Someone should forbid drinking office coffee. Danny mused. That crap is definitely not a beverage, it's an attempt to poison anyone who drinks it. We need to get a Hazardous Materials sign for that thing.
Since he woke late, his clothing was dishevelled, and he wasn't wearing a tie. Ignoring Kono's smirk, and Chin's knowing look, he stormed into his office. Then he realized he had forgotten his phone at home, and had to rush back, pick it up and head back into the office.
Partway back, the phone rang, and Danny groaned, slamming his head into the steering wheel. The horn went off, making him jump.
Stabbing the green button on his phone, Danny barked "What?"
"Detective Williams." The governor sounded amused.
"Sorry, sir, long day." Danny apologized, but said nothing else.
"It's eleven in the morning," The governor replied slowly.
"And it feels like 11 at night. What can I do for you, sir?"
"There was a homicide. A couple was killed at a motel last night. I want 5-0 on it."
"Why us?" Danny asked.
The pause at the other end of the line.
"You work under me, Detective. Do I need a reason to put my best team on this?" He hung up, leaving Danny glaring at the phone.
"I do not need this!" He yelled at his steering wheel, pulling into Palace parking lot. He groaned, grabbed his phone and stepped out of the car, tripping over an undone shoelace. Feeling like lying down and not moving, Danny trudged up the stairs.
Chin grinned at him.
"Hey, brah, get your phone?"
"Yeah, yeah," Danny grumbled. "Rookie! Other rookie!" Two officers walked into the large space where Danny and Chin were waiting. Dark hair was pulled pack, and light make up made Kono look younger than she had in a while. Akamu Pakelika followed her, affectionaly called A.P. by the rest of the team. Akamu, new to the HPD, was loaned to 5-0 while their boss was absent.
"What's up, Other Boss?" Kono asked. A.P, being new to HPD, had never met the whirlwind of destruction that was Steve McGarrett. He at first questioned the cousin's name for Danny while Steve was gone, but was sat down by Chin who explained the dynamics of the team, what to say and what not to say, and to formally welcome the rookie to Five-0.
"Ever heard of the Royal Walaina Resort?"
"Sure, apparently it's a nice resort. Touristy, but of course, all resorts are." Chin shrugged.
"Yah, its known for the location," Kono supplied.
"Well, now it's also known for its dead bodies. Got a dead couple, murdered. Governor wants us investigating."
"Why us?" Kono asked. "Seems straightforward to me. Can't HPD handle it?"
"Apparently he wants his best team on this. You know what that means." Danny rolled his eyes.
"Yeah," Chin said quietly, his eyes shifting to where Steve's office lay untouched.
"He wants us out of the way." Kono growled.
"I don't think so," AP cut in. Three sets of eyes turned to look at the new recruit. He withered under Danny's angry stare.
"I just mean that I think he wants you busy," AP supplied meekly. "You know, keep your mind...off...things." Danny suddenly wilted into a chair near the wall. Rubbing his forehead again, Danny's eyes strayed to the abandoned office of his best friend.
"Yah, I guess you might be right." The detective sighed. "Okay, rookie, Chin, head out and check out the scene, Kono and I will work things from back here." Chin nodded, and AP lit up at the chance to examine a crime scene with only one older detective peering over his shoulder. Chin patted Danny's shoulder briefly before he walked out the large glass doors, AP trailing behind him.
"You alright Danny?" Kono asked softly, aware of Danny's growing headache.
"Bad day." He stood up, stretched his arms out and brought his hands together. Pointing at Kono, a grin lit his face.
"Now, we'll take a 30 minute sleep break, and you can do whatever you want. When Chin and the rookie call, let me know and we'll start working from here." Using his hands, Danny pointed to the areas he would be occupying as he spoke. "Break!" He said enthusiastically and went to his office.
Chin examined the hotel room, letting AP make suggestions and giving him advice. The rookie was practically humming with excitement, and he shot a huge smile at the older cop.
"Chin, does Danny know my name?" AP suddenly asked, smile dropping from his face as he peered intently around the room.
"What?" Chin couldn't think of anything else to say. Dark eyes turned to Chin. AP was young, with long, dark brown hair. He had a quick smile, but was quick to anger as well. Danny had placed him with Chin in hopes of 'bringing the damn kid back down to a normal emotional range.' Kono commented that 'AP is sweet when he isn't threatening to shoot you or bursting out of his skin in happiness. I like mellow. He's sweet when he's mellow.'
"Does he know my name?"
"Why would you ask that?" Chin inquired, but he already knew the answer. Ever since McGarrett left, Danny had quieted a small amount, barely noticeable if you hadn't known him before. Rants were cut down, and his arms didn't flail as much anymore. But Chin knew that Danny only missed his friend. For weeks, Danny did not even mention Steve's name, and resented the fact that the Governor assigned a new recruit to the team. He made that abundantly clear to the new rookie, who, for the first month, went out of his way to avoid the temporary team leader.
"I don't know," AP answered. "I get the feeling Danny doesn't want me around." Chin leaned down to look closer at the marks around the woman's neck.
"Danny chose you out of all the offers HPD made," Chin told AP reassuringly. "I'm sure that it doesn't mean anything if he's a little distant. You know that you were the best we saw."
AP gave him a small smile of thanks. He pointed to the bruising running up and down the man's arm. Chin brought out his camera and snapped two quick photos of the victim's faces, and sent it to the Five-0 email.
"I just feel that he doesn't want me around!" AP repeated himself, flushing in the face. The rookie stood back and abandoned what he was doing. "He ignores me, says demeaning things to me, calls me rookie all the time, and every time I make a suggestion, he makes me feel like an idiot! He doesn't respect me at all!" Chin placed a calming hand on AP's arm.
"Hey, he's having a hard time right now. We all miss McGarrett, and Danny was forced to choose a new member for the team. We're glad to have you, but he probably was worried about the fact that it seemed he was replacing his partner so easily."
"I can't replace McGarrett though!" AP snapped, his face red with anger. Chin shed his gloves and the led the new officer back to their car.
As they buckled their seatbelts, Chin turned to AP.
"I know you can't, Kono knows you can't and Danny knows you can't. You're different people, and Steve was Danny's best friend. As much as we like you, Steve was our friend first, and it was a different dynamic. Calm down."
"I just wish he stopped acting as though doing something nice would suddenly destroy the friendship he and McGarrett had."
"Danny rants and raves, hollers and seems mad a lot. He's worried, AP."
"Why? All you guys have told me is that he's busy doing something else, and was called away. I know he was in the Navy, was it something for them?" AP's anger had transformed into curiosity. Chin turned the key for the engine and pulled out onto the street.
"Steve McGarrett is a Navy SEAL, and three months ago, he was recalled to active service. We haven't heard from him or seen him since then, except one small video conference before the mission deployed. It's hard not knowing where your best friend is, Akamu."
"So, like, you don't even know if he's safe?" AP asked quietly. Chin shook his head.
"Don't know what he's doing, why, where, we don't know anything. Steve left, said we could use his house whenever we wanted, and then we were suddenly down one member. Danny and Steve were close. We were all close, and having him back out there, risking his life, you can imagine how choosing someone new felt a little like replacing him. Danny is holding on to any hope he can get, you see."
"What do you mean?"
"We don't know if Steve's dead, hurt, alive, healthy, an hour away or half a world away. Danny fears the worst, and if keeping his office clean, and spending Saturday's at Steve's house lets him hold on to a little hope, well, we're all for it. Because me and Kono? We need to believe that he's coming home as well."
