A/N: This story does not follow any canonical timeline and I plan to take some creative licence since Mindy is technically no longer on the show.
Standing outside the local Starbucks, Danny waited for Steve to emerge with his drink. It was a hot day in Oahu, and he missed the air conditioning inside Five-O's headquarters. But because his partner was determined to grab a hot, or in this case, cold beverage before reaching the office, he'd reluctantly agreed to tag along. Then again, it's not like he had much of a choice when he was the passenger in his own car. Shaking his head, he squinted through the opaque windows of the coffee giant and caught sight of his best friend and boss waiting beside the counter to collect their order.
Restless, Danny turned and walked towards the magazine vendor a few steps away. Nodding at the owner, he reached out a hand to shove past the bevy of popular beauty magazines he believed was solely aimed at lowering young women's self-esteem. Disgusted with a particular issue that promised its readers would 'Lose a Dress Size in 3 Days,' he snorted loudly before thrusting a copy of Hawaii Golf in front of it.
He couldn't believe women bought into that crap. The first time he'd seen Grace mooning over the glossy pages of some teen magazine, he'd lost it, and spent the next hour lecturing her on how she should never compare herself to those airbrushed imitations. His daughter had merely rolled her eyes at him and dutifully promised never to open one again. Of course Danny wasn't stupid enough to believe her, but he made sure to regularly reinforce the fact that she was perfect, without the help of any artificial enhancers.
Lowering his gaze, his eyes fell on the cover of The Surfer's Journal. Impulsively picking it up, he began leafing through the colourful pages. Almost immediately he was reminded of Dr Mindy Shaw. He hadn't seen her since he'd bumped into her at the morgue a couple of days ago, and he simply refused to examine why he'd been disappointed when he'd made a trip down there earlier that day only to find Max working alone. Perhaps if Steve hadn't been with him, he might have asked where she was. But since he didn't feel like facing an inquisition, he'd let it go.
Danny had met her for the first time working a case. It had been clear at the time that she'd known who he was before they'd been properly introduced. He remembered thinking she was pretty and obviously smart if Max had agree to work with her. Over time they'd gotten to know one another superficially when they worked crime scenes together and before he knew it, he found himself looking forward to seeing her on the job.
He'd realised that he might be in a bit of trouble when he caught her crying outside the morgue a couple of months back. The sight of her swollen, red rimmed eyes had stirred his compassion, his immediate instinct to comfort her. He would have asked her what was wrong, but it hadn't seemed like the appropriate time. According to Max, she was suffering from the effects of witnessing the depths to which humanity could sink. Perhaps it was his instincts, honed over years as a detective that made Danny think that it was more than that. Regardless, he'd admired the way she'd pulled herself together in order to take them through her autopsy findings. Later when he'd managed to catch a private moment with her he'd asked her about it and she'd opened up immediately. The case reminded her of someone she'd once known, a college friend who'd gone missing, her body never recovered. As they'd talked he'd found himself revealing bits of himself, sharing his own ways of coping with the horrors they faced on a daily basis. In the end he'd offered her some advice and been gratified to learn weeks later that she'd taken him up on it – surfing.
The memory made his lips twitch. He didn't get it. People back in Jersey surfed. They went to the beach. Just not with the frequency with which people in Hawaii did. Out here it was like a religion.
"Since when are you interested in surfing?" Steve asked, peering over his shoulder.
Startled, Danny snapped the magazine shut and shoved it back into its slot on the stand. "It's called passing the time."
Steve raised a brow and handed over Danny's iced mocha before walking towards the car. "This doesn't have anything to do with the very attractive doctor you advised to take up that particular sport, does it?"
Danny choked on his drink, glaring at Steve over the top of his straw.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Steve replied good-naturedly, sliding behind the wheel.
"No, that was not a 'yes'. That was my coffee trying to kill me," Danny retorted after a fit of coughing. Grabbing a napkin from the glove compartment, he swiped ineffectively at the brown stains soaking into his white shirt. Shit.
"I saw you with her the other day, all smiles," Steve said, sending a knowing look his way.
"Wait a minute. So that's the basis of your entire argument? The fact that I was smiling?" He shook his head, not bothering to disguise his mockery. "Congratulations, Steve. You're a genius."
"Why thank you, Danny. I appreciate you saying so."
"That was not a compliment, you moron."
"So you admit it?"
"Admit what?" Danny asked, exasperated.
"That you were making doe eyes at the good doctor?"
"Doe eyes? What are you, twelve? Who says stuff like that?"
"The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks," Steve said calmly, steering the vehicle out of the parking lot.
"Clever. I see what you did there, Shakespeare," Danny countered sarcastically. "If you must know, Mindy and I are just friends." The fact that I find her attractive is irrelevant.
"Mindy, is it?" Steve issued a low whistle. "I still call her Dr Shaw."
"That's because you're a barbarian and she's clearly a woman of taste."
Steve chuckled, unfazed by Danny's surly responses. "Come on, admit it, you like her."
Danny slumped into his seat. Of course he liked her. What was not to like? She was smart, beautiful, funny. But his life was a mess, way too complicated to involve a third party in. Besides, Mindy deserved someone without baggage – a teenage daughter, a son he barely knew, an ex-wife he wasn't sure he'd fully forgiven for being selfish and short-sighted. "She's… nice," he conceded with a shrug.
"Nice?" Steve replied in disbelief. "A grilled cheese sandwich is nice. This coffee is nice. Are you seriously comparing the only hot doctor we know to a beverage?" he asked, waving his paper cup in Danny's face.
"Hey! Watch it!" Danny snapped, eyeing the brown liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim of Steve's cup.
"Honestly, the way you were looking at her, definitely seemed more than just friendly to me," Steve continued. "Why don't you ask her out? Dinner? A movie?"
"Are you kidding me? Have you forgotten that my life is like crazy town right now? I don't have time to date," he replied, gesticulating with his one available hand.
"Is that why you broke up with Amber?"
"Among other things," he evaded. The truth was, he hadn't really been all that into Amber. Also, she'd freaked out when he'd told her about Charlie. Never a good sign.
Steve nodded. "Fair enough. I get that things are a little complicated, but that doesn't mean that your life has to come to dead stop. Loathe as I am to admit this, but there's more to you than just your kids, Danny."
"What a stellar endorsement, my friend. Truly, I'm humbled." Pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, he added, "I appreciate your concern, really I do, but this is none of your business. So how about you butt out and drop it?"
"Like you butt out of my relationship with Catherine?"
Damn. Steve had him there. "Look, I'm not in a position right now to ask anyone, especially someone like Mindy, to get involved in the circus that surrounds me, okay? She's—" He paused. "Different. She deserves better."
"You're saying she deserves better than you? What does that even mean?" Steve negotiated the midday traffic with ease, his gaze flitting between Danny and the road. "I'm going to be serious for a second and tell you something I would never say under ordinary circumstances. You're a great guy, Danny. You're the best friend and partner I've ever had, not to mention the fact that you're a fantastic father. I guarantee you – Mindy could do a hell of a lot worse than you."
Danny stared out of the window, touched despite his discomfort around their current topic of conversation. "Thanks buddy, that's really nice of you to say, but—"
"No buts," Steve interjected as they pulled up outside Five-O's headquarters. "If you don't like her, then fine. But if you do, just ask her out."
Danny sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Alright, Dr Phil. I'll think about it." But he knew he wouldn't. Mindy Shaw was not for him.
"Well, I suggest you think fast because here she comes. Dr Shaw!"
Danny's heart slammed against his ribs as he eased out of the vehicle just in time to see an attractive woman in a pair of dark blue scrubs walking towards them.
Her shift over, Dr Bergman had asked Mindy if she wouldn't mind dropping off some urgent paperwork for Detective Kelly at Five-O's HQ. Despite being happy to help, she'd felt torn about the possibility of running into Danny. She liked him but she wasn't sure how he felt. Besides, he had a girlfriend? It was best that she avoid him until she got over her crush. Regardless of her resolve, she'd been a little deflated when she realised he wasn't there. So, task done, Mindy shook off her confusion before exiting the building and heading out into the brilliant summer sunshine. It was a beautiful day, the weather clear and bright, the conditions perfect for the beach. She'd already decided to catch some waves when she'd left home that morning, so she'd packed her kit in her car.
Startled when she heard her name, she looked up to see Commander McGarrett stepping into her path. "Commander!" she said, surprised. "Loitering outside? Aren't you supposed to be solving crimes?" she teased.
He laughed, gesturing to his Starbucks cup. "Coffee run. And it's Steve. Where you off to?"
Mindy caught a flash of white in her periphery and turned to see Danny approaching. She tried not to notice how handsome he looked in dark grey slacks and a button down shirt curiously flecked with brown stains. He inclined his head in greeting. "Uh…" She tried to swallow, her throat suddenly dry. "My shift's over so I volunteered to drop off some documents for Detective Kelly. Now I'm heading to the beach."
"The beach!" Steve repeated, nodding towards his colleague. "Hear that, Danny? Dr Shaw is going surfing."
Confused, Mindy looked from one man to the other. The Commander was behaving strangely and if the glare his partner shot him was any indication, Danny thought so too.
"Right here, Steve," Danny said drolly, raising the hand holding his drink. "Not deaf."
"I didn't take you for an iced coffee kinda guy," Mindy said.
He smiled, pushing his free hand into his pocket. "Yeah, well, I'm just full of surprises."
"Oh really?" she asked. She didn't mean for the question to sound so flirtatious, but the sight of that smile made her stomach do cartwheels.
Steve cleared his throat loudly. Embarrassed, Mindy's eyes dropped to the floor, her fingers toying with her car keys.
"You going alone, Dr Shaw?" Steve asked.
"Mindy, please and yes, I'm going alone."
He nodded thoughtfully. "Would you like some company?"
Surprised, she stared at him. "Err, do you..?" her words trailed off. She liked the Commander well enough, but the offer seemed peculiar.
"Oh, no, no. Not me," he replied hastily, realising that she thought he was offering to accompany her. "I was thinking about Danny here."
"What?!"
"What?!"
Mindy and Danny spoke in unison. She didn't know if she should be offended at the vehemence with which he voiced his objection. Then again, her tone was exactly the same as his – but she knew why she should avoid him. She wasn't sure what his motivation was though.
"Steve, in case you've lost your mind while I wasn't watching, I'm on duty. I can't go surfing," Danny said. "And, more importantly, as you are well aware, I don't do surf, sun or sand."
"Seriously? You do know where you live, right? This is Hawaii, not Alaska. It's pretty hard to avoid those things."
"Alaska? What are you—?" Danny took a deep breath. "For your information, I avoid them just fine."
"Believe me, it shows," Steve retorted. Amused, Mindy listened to them bicker. She was trying hard not to laugh.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Danny demanded, clearly incensed.
Steve waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing. You wouldn't understand. Anyway, like I was saying, it's a quiet day. You could do with a break. Weren't you just telling me how crazy things have been?"
Suddenly Danny's piercing blue eyes were focussed on her. "Would you excuse us for a second?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll just drop my bag in the trunk." She continued past them and stopped at her car, shamelessly trying to eavesdrop while she shoved her purse and backpack into the back of her Trax.
"What's the matter with you, huh?" she heard Danny hiss. "What did I just say to you? Don't you ever listen?" He wasn't talking loudly, but thanks to the breeze, his words carried her way.
"Come on. You need a break. This is a perfect opportunity," Steve reasoned.
"Which part of I-do-not-surf do you not understand?"
"Then don't surf. Sit on the sand, swim, I don't know…maybe talk to her?"
Mindy could feel the heat rising in her face. She could sense they were looking at her. In an attempt to appear distracted, she started rearranging her swimming gear in her tote.
"Look, I can't just leave—"
"Of course you can, I'm the boss. I'm telling you to go."
"Even if for some stupid reason I agree to this, what the hell am I supposed to swim in? Does this look like beach wear to you?"
"I don't think you want me to answer that. But seriously, there are stores selling what you'll need on every street corner."
"Steve—"
"So it's settled then? Great. Mindy?"
She turned around to see Danny gnashing his teeth together in obvious annoyance. Conversely, Steve's face held a smug look of triumph. "Yeah?"
"Looks like you've got a partner." He patted Danny on the shoulder. "Enjoy the afternoon off, buddy. You can thank me later." With that, he walked away.
Danny stood glaring after him. Mindy, more than a little uncomfortable, spoke first. "I know you're not really into this, so if you don't wanna come, you don't have to."
His head swivelled towards her, the sun glinting off his blonde highlights. Mindy knew she was giving him an out. She'd already convinced herself that he'd refuse when he replied, "Sure, why not? I can't promise that I'll actually be any fun because me and the beach and all that…" His mouth curved into a reluctant smile. "But what the heck?"
Astonished and suddenly a little nervous, she licked her lips. "Are you certain? I mean, I wouldn't be offended or anything." Disappointed, but not offended.
"No, I'm good. I guess I could do with some fresh air."
"Um, okay. Your car or mine? Or both?" she added hastily in case he preferred to travel separately.
Danny patted his pockets, then groaned. "Dammit. Steve has my keys. Do you mind?"
She shook her head. "Not at all. Hop in."
Traffic was manageable as they headed towards her favourite spot on the North Shore.
"You're a pretty good driver," Danny said, glancing her way.
"Why do I get the impression that's high praise?"
He grinned and her belly flip flopped. "It is. Steve prefers to drive when we're together and to be perfectly honest I always fear for my life when he's behind the wheel. This is a nice change."
"Why do you let him drive?" she asked curiously.
"Because he's a control freak and constantly being coached while I'm driving is marginally worse than yelling at him while he does."
She laughed, genuinely amused. "You two have a great relationship."
"Yeah, if anyone had told me when we met that Steve would end up being my best friend, I would not have believed them," he said, the warmth in his voice similar to the tone he'd used when he'd talked about his kids.
"You didn't get along?"
He shook his head. "Not at all. All that dangling people off balcony stuff was not my style."
"So why did you stick around?"
"Initially, because of Grace. She was living here with her mom and I needed a job that would allow me to be close to her. Then after some time passed I realised that my team started to feel like a family and Hawaii started to feel like home. But if you ever tell Steve that, I will deny it."
Mindy stopped at a red light and smiled at him. "My lips are sealed."
She watched as his eyes dropped to her mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. For a heartbeat Mindy couldn't breathe, her gaze focused solely on him. The moment was broken when the car behind them honked loudly. The light had changed to green.
A little flustered, she looked ahead and stepped on the gas.
What the hell are you doing? God, this is a mistake. I should never have agreed to do this. Friends. We're just friends. Stop! Do not look at her lips again. That's not what friends are supposed to do. It's dangerous. It leads to thoughts about kisses and—No! Do not go there, Danny. For his own self-preservation heturned his thoughts to his partner. Damn you, Steve and your interfering. I'm going to kill you. I'm going to—
"So," Mindy said, interrupting his murderous train of thought as they arrived at their destination, "here we are."
For the past few minutes Danny had been mentally berating himself, going over all the reasons why Mindy Shaw was off limits. The frustrating thing was he couldn't seem to remember any of them.
Stepping out of the vehicle, he looked around. The beach had a smattering of people here and there, but since it was technically the middle of a working day, it wasn't too busy.
Mindy was getting her gear from the back of the car. "Are you really just going to sit on the sand?"
Danny moved to stand beside her, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes fixed on the wisps of dark hair that had escaped from her bun to curl against the nape of her neck. "I sense your disapproval."
"Not disapproval, exactly. But it's a beautiful day. The water is bound to be lovely. Why resist?"
Why indeed, he thought, not at all thinking about the water. "Technically I don't have anything against surfing. It's the sharks and the skin cancer I'm more concerned about."
Her lips twitching, Mindy rolled her eyes. "Are you always this paranoid?"
"You have no idea."
"Come on," she coaxed, grabbing hold of his forearms. "It'll be fun. I promise to fend off any sharks looking to rip into you."
Danny tried to ignore the softness of her skin against his. "Oh, I'm sorry, is that supposed to be comforting?" he joked. "Because I just want to let you know that it's not."
She laughed. "Say yes."
Danny shook his head. "Look, I'm not really an ocean kinda guy. I mean, I like looking at it, but getting wet, sand sticking to unmentionable places, plus the obvious threat of massive predators looking to kill me doesn't make it particularly appealing, you know?"
Mindy's hands tightened fractionally. "It's not that bad. Just give it a try. Please? For me?"
Danny sighed, feeling like a heel for disappointing her. He was about to refuse a second time when his gaze locked with hers, those deep brown orbs staring fixedly at him, the hope in them almost blinding in its intensity. Shit. With a sinking feeling he realised that he couldn't deny her. "Fine," he grumbled, ignoring the way his pulse leapt when she spontaneously launched into his arms with a delighted whoop! The embrace was short, over before it began, but he could swear he still felt the imprint of her curves plastered against him. Shit, shit, shit. In an attempt to gain some perspective, he stepped back and looked around. "Gimme a second. I need to purchase a pair of shorts."
Her smile was disarming. "I'll get changed and hire us some boards. Meet you down there?" She pointed towards a flat stretch of golden sand.
Nodding, Danny made his way towards a popular swimwear apparel store. Fifteen minutes later, wearing a blue board shorts, a bag with his work clothes and a bottle of the highest rated sunscreen he could find (liberally spread over his body before he'd left the store) in hand, he navigated towards the spot Mindy had indicated. Of course she was already there, and from what he could see, she wasn't wearing much – just a black bikini and a long-sleeved rash vest. Her long, dark hair had been let down, falling across her shoulders and down her back. When she leaned over the two surf boards lying parallel to one another on the sand, he caught a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage and cursed.
Swallowing hard against the ever rising tide of attraction stirring within him, Danny decided to focus on her face. The problem with that resolution was that he found that part of her equally striking.
Mindy must have heard him approach. The smile on her face froze in place when she caught sight of him. Danny watched as she scrambled to her feet, her gaze darting between his chest and his face. Seems you're not the only one who's distracted, pal. The thought was not at all comforting. Friends, he reminded himself.
"Nice…shorts," she said, her colour high.
"Thanks," he replied, feeling ridiculously self-conscious as he dropped the bag with his clothes and shoes as well as the bottle of sunscreen into the soft sand. Was he supposed to compliment her on her swimwear? And what did he say? Hot bikini? Surely that would sound like a come-on? Perhaps he should—
"So, um, surfing," she said, pointing towards the boards and effectively silencing his wayward thoughts.
"I think this would be the time to confess that I'm not a complete novice. I know the basics, although I can't say that I've practiced recently."
She looked surprised, but pleased. "Alright. So are you ready to catch some waves?"
Resigned, Danny bent down to pick up a board. "Let's get this over with." Despite the stoic nature of his words, his tone was laced with humour.
Grinning, she walked beside him into the water. The initial chill melted away almost instantly, the water cool and invigorating as it lapped at their ankles, then calves and eventually their knees before they flipped onto their boards and paddled out towards the horizon. Neither talked as they made their way deeper, stopping and turning to face the shore once they reached a calm, flat stretch of water. Some distance from them were other surfers lounging alone or in pairs as they waited to catch the next wave.
Slicking her now wet hair back from her forehead, Mindy sat up and glanced over at him. She was close enough for him to track the droplets of water racing from her hairline, down her throat and disappearing beneath her rash vest. Forcing his gaze upward, his eyes connected with hers, her thick, long lashes heavy with moisture.
"Admit it, the water is sublime."
Danny straddled his board, trying his best to ignore the streaks of warmth that flashed through him whenever Mindy's thigh bumped against his as they gently bobbed on the surface of the water. "I'll admit that it's pleasant."
"Just pleasant? Come on. If you close your eyes it almost feels as though there's no one else around." He watched as she did just that, tilting her face backward until the sun kissed her cheeks. "Imagine that everything is calm, at peace. There's only glorious sunshine and miles and miles of open water. How can that not be a beautiful thing?"
"Yeah. Beautiful," he echoed, his voice unusually gruff as he continued to watch her. Unnamed emotions swept through him, feelings that made him uncomfortable.
Something in his tone must have alerted her to his altered mood because her eyes popped open, clashing with his. For a moment there was only the sound of the waves as it crashed against the distant shore, and a world of nothingness beyond. He didn't need to close his eyes to imagine they were alone.
Danny cleared his throat. "Actually, err, you know you could look at it in a completely different way. Being surrounded by miles and miles of open water could also imply that you're stranded at sea. This would, in turn, mean dying a slow and horrible death due to dehydration and exposure. That doesn't really sound like such a beautiful thing, huh?"
Mindy's lips curled up at the ends, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "Wow. You're not really a romantic, are you?"
He returned her smile with a shrug. "Sure I am. But with a dash of realism."
He loved the sound of her laugh. Clear and uncensored; sincere. "Why do you hate the ocean?"
Looking towards the shore, he didn't say anything while memories rushed to the fore. "I didn't always. In fact, when I was a kid I loved it. Then one day, my best friend Billy and I were out swimming. With the current being on the strong side that day, we didn't realise how far out we'd gone until we had trouble getting back." She didn't say anything, merely placed a hand on his shoulder. "I made it to a rocky outcrop and climbed out of the water, urging him to swim to me. I was exhausted, my arms straining to reach him but the waves kept taunting us – bringing him closer one moment and then carrying him away the next." It had been a long time since Danny had spoken about it, but the memory was still crystal clear, and the emotion it evoked still close to the surface. "I watched my best friend drown that day and there was nothing I could do about it."
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "You know it's not your fault, right?"
He nodded, oddly comforted by her presence. "But there's still this part of me, you know, that resents the ocean and its power."
For a long while they merely sat in silence. It didn't feel awkward or tense. In fact, it was surprisingly easy, calm, reassuring. Mindy spoke first. "It is powerful, and it can certainly be merciless and unforgiving at times. It has the ability to destroy, to conquer to crush." She went still, her hand reaching down to squeeze his fingers. "But it also has the capacity to give life, and then to nurture and sustain it. It's more diverse than anything else on this planet and it has the gift to enthral and inspire and awe us in ways nothing else can. So yes, there is darkness, Danny. But there is also infinite beauty. Maybe if you try and focus on the one and remember to respect the other, it might make the ocean a little easier to forgive?"
An unexpected lump in his throat, Danny didn't know what to say, so he didn't bother trying. Instead, he curled his fingers around hers and squeezed back. For some reason he couldn't fathom, this woman, who for all intents and purposes was still a stranger to him, understood. Her words and the silent support that followed said that she did. Slowly removing her hand, she looked away, giving him some time.
When they heard some excited shouts from behind, both of them turned to see what the commotion was about. A wave was building, perfect for any surfer looking to catch some action. Within seconds Mindy was flat on her board, paddling away from him. "Race you to the shore!" she called playfully over her shoulder.
Danny laughed out loud. It felt really good. Dropping onto his board, he set out in pursuit.
Shit. He liked her. He liked her a lot.