A/N: I've really come to love this story which is why it sometimes takes me so long to update because I want to make sure I get it right. I think there's something incredibly vulnerable about pain and so I'm trying to work with that and show how intimate it can be at the same time. There's something almost sensual about being open and exposed to someone and letting them see your faults and cracks and letting that person soothe those wounds with words or touch.

The sound of his mother's voice haunts Danny. He had called her after leaving Steve's house and as expected it hadn't gone well. First his mother had denied that Matt had done anything wrong and then she had sworn that it was just a misunderstanding and that Matt would come back in a few days. Finally she broke down into full hysterics, screaming at Danny to do something to bring her baby boy back.

"How could you let this happen, Daniel? How could you let my baby boy go?"

His mother had screamed for a good twenty minutes before his father had taken the phone. He had barely gotten off the phone with his parents before his oldest sister Audrey had called him in no better shape than his mother wanting to know all the details and all the implications. It had all been exhausting and Danny had wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower and crawl into his bed and hide in his bed until he was ready to process this all. But then the FBI showed up ruin any hope of those plans happening anytime soon.

Danny hates the inevitable pissing match that always comes along with dealing with the FBI. They accuse him of telling his brother about the indictment and he counters with the fact that they have no evidence to justify that claim. So then the agents threaten him with obstruction of justice charges if he doesn't tell them where his brother is to which Danny informs them that one-he has no idea where Matt is (which isn't a total lie-He doesn't know where Matt is now though he's got a few pretty good guesses) and two-he has full immunity from the governor. The FBI tries to push him around for a few more minutes before realizing that Danny isn't going to give them anything, so they leave, offering one more threat that the governor can't protect him forever.

Finally alone for the first time since he watched his brother disappear into the night sky, Danny has a chance to really think about everything that has just occurred and the repercussions of the actions which leads him to a startling revelation. He was a hypocrite. Danny never hesitated to read his partner the riot act when Steve would do something slightly off color and yet when his brother had done something blatantly illegal, Danny had turned the other cheek. It made the detective sick to his stomach. How was he ever supposed to look at his daughter in the eye again?

Danny's phone rings, cutting through his dark thoughts and bringing him back to a reality. It's Steve and he's got a new case for them. The SEAL tells him to make sure he takes care of his family first but Danny replies that he'll be by to pick up Steve in ten minutes. He needs to get back to work to keep his mind on something other than the disaster that is quickly becoming known as his life. There's a quality to Steve's voice that Danny can't quite put his finger on but he's pretty sure it's suppressed concern. Danny wants to tell his partner to suck up and stop worrying about him. But the words die on his lips as he hangs up. There's something oddly comforting about having Steve McGarrett worry about him and it just might be what gets him through all of this.

"I need some time off." Danny requests as he stands in front of Steve's desk later that week after their case has been wrapped up. Steve takes the request form and sets it off to the side of his desk.

"Going back to Jersey?" The request doesn't surprise the leader of the 5-0 but that doesn't exactly mean he likes it.

Steve has noticed over the past few days that when left alone for any period of time, Danny's face took on a pained expression and it was clear his mind was somewhere else. So he did his best to make sure Danny was never alone for long even if it meant taking him home and tucking him into his bed at night to keep his brain from hijacking his thoughts and robbing him of his sleep.

"The family needs me right now. My mother is not taking this well and we just all need to get together and deal with this." Danny explains.

Steve didn't need to know that his mother had to be medicated because she had gone into full blown hysterics and his sister Audrey was calling him multiple times a day with legal questions and wondering what it all meant for the family. The only ones who were remaining relatively normal were his baby sister Casey and his father.

Steve takes a long look at his partner's face. Danny looks like he's aged ten years in a week. Permanent creases were beginning to develop on his forehead and his eyes had lost all of their radiance. There was a sag in his shoulder that made it look like he was carrying around the weight of the world and his speech was flat as if the words just came out of his mouth on autopilot.

It was obvious that this trip was the last thing he really wants to do. Which depresses Steve in a way. Danny always talks about Jersey and how much he misses it and how much he wants to go back. This should have been a joyous occasion, not a chore. But Steve also knows something about having responsibilities. It's how he had ended up back in Hawaii after his father's death. It was how he ended up as the leader of the 5-0 taskforce. It was how he had become responsible for making sure Gracie always has her Danno.

There's an irrational part of his brain that is telling him if he lets Danny leave, the detective is never going to come back. That being back home in New Jersey will make Danny realize what a mistake he's making and everything will be ruined before it even has a chance to begin. So as much as Steve doesn't want his partner to go because-damn it-there's something there between them and he wants-practically needs- to figure out what the hell it is, he signs the form like a good commanding officer.

"Take all the time you need, Danny." Steve tells the other man. But in his head he can hear himself add

'Just make sure you come back'