Two Weeks

By

Landon Richardson and Tealrose

Disclaimer

The characters of Steve McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly and Adam 'Toast' Charles and anyone else who might sound familiar to the reader do not belong to me in any shape or form, I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes

The character of Danni Williams is probably mine by now. Even though she was originally based on male Danny Williams I think it's probably safe to say that's she turned into her own individual character with her own set of beliefs and personality, especially since I've created a back ground for her which is different to male Danny's background in the show. This also affects Grace who is different from the show as well in ways.

The characters of Jack O'Connor and Riley King most definitely belong to me though

I should also add that if a character is mentioned who you are not instantly aware of then that character belong to me as well

Author Note

So here's a story which has been co-written with the wonderful Tealrose, if you haven't done so then you should read her NCIS stories because they are great and were one of things which got me back into the NCIS fiction world!

I know I had said that I wouldn't put up any stories until some of my others were finished but this story is technically finished so it doesn't require any additional work from me other than reading through it and making sure that I didn't make any stupid mistakes. If I've missed anything then that is completely my fault and no one else's.

This story belongs in 'the what if 'story saga. It could be a part of the main saga (The beginning, family ect ect) but isn't. It's more a look at how some things could have happened but didn't so this is a way which Riley King could have joined 50 but it's not the official way he did. We just like experimenting and keeping the muse happy!

Anyway enough from me, please enjoy and have a wonderful new year.

Overall summary

Two weeks was all it took for everything to go wrong and now it was up to Steve McGarrett to fix things... the only problem was he wasn't sure he could. (Part of the 'What if' Danni saga)

Chapter Summary

Danni finished typing her sentence, saving her work and looked down at her watch with a sigh before she came to her feet, reaching up and rubbing at the back of her neck. She had managed to finish quite a few of the files which had been sitting in her in-tray which was a relief for her. Sighing again she dropped her hand and picked up her coffee mug from the surface of her desk and left her office looking around her absently.

Overall romance

Steve McGarrett/Danni Williams

Eventual mentions of other romances as we go.

Chapter Romance

Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams


Chapter Three


Danni finished typing her sentence, saving her work and looked down at her watch with a sigh before she came to her feet, reaching up and rubbing at the back of her neck. She had managed to finish quite a few of the files which had been sitting in her in-tray which was a relief for her. Sighing again she dropped her hand and picked up her coffee mug from the surface of her desk and left her office looking around her absently.

Other than Toast and Jenna the place was silent and she hated it. Normally she loved the silence but this silence made it clear that she wasn't really needed anymore.

She washed her cup, putting it back in the cupboard before she left the kitchen and headed back into her office gathering her belongings together and closed her system down before she entered the bulpen again, her eyes landed on Toast and Jenna who were working quietly at the computer table.

"Guys, I'm heading out now to pick up Grace from school, you can call me on my cell up until six if you need me." She told them, not waiting for a response as she headed out of the door, thankful that the day was finally over and done with and she could go home and be with Grace.

She glanced up as the elevators doors opened and the rest of the team came out of it, all of them looking frustrated and angry. She raised an eyebrow

"What's happened? Is the child okay?" She asked, her eyes moving over their faces as they came to a stop by her.

"Yes" Kono replied, a tone to her voice which made Danni frown.

"So if the child is okay then why do you all look so angry, did something else happen? You're all okay right?" She asked, she needed to leave to get Grace but she couldn't leave until she knew what had happened.

"We saved the kids from the kidnapper, we had to take him down with a shot in the shoulder. The kid wasn't anywhere near when we made he shot but now his mother is claiming that we deafened her baby boy because he was too close when we fired" Riley explained quietly.

Danni stared at them for a moment before she reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Great just great" She murmured before dropping her hand and looking around their faces aware that they seemed to be waiting for her to speak. "We can get this cleared up, write your reports now about what exactly happened tonight, email me them as soon as you've finished them and I'll read through them and see where we stand" She told them, her eyes flickering around them, lingering briefly on Steve before she turned and headed to the elevator, pressing the call button and stepping in when the doors slid open. She breathed out slowly as she pressed the button for the ground floor, her eyes widening when Chin suddenly slipped through the doors and turned to her. She met his dark eyes, raising a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Is everything okay?" She asked him, surprised when he shrugged at her.

"Not really" He replied surprising her. "The mother was listening in while she was hugging her boy while we spoke to the police telling them what had happened, that was when she had begun to shriek that we had deafened her boy. It doesn't make any sense, the boy wasn't near us when the shot was taken. He was shaken but he was pretty thankful to us considering the kidnapper had him in a death grip on his neck. He was already bruising, the EMTs looked him over and that was the only damage he had. The kid kept telling his mother that he was fine but she just wouldn't listen to him and kept saying that we would hear from her lawyer" Chin explained, his frown growing as he thought back to the scene. "The officers are going to write reports about the incident as well and they were wearing their cameras on their uniforms so we have it all caught on video."

Danni breathed a sigh of relief at the news.

"I'll inform the DA of what happened when I've read the reports through. Most of this will just be adrenaline though" Danni told him, her eyes flickering between him and flashing floor number "You think about all that the mother has been through throughout the day, being held hostage, her kid being taken away from her arms and her being unable to do anything about it. Never knowing whether she would see him again. The strain on her would be incredible and sometimes all that fear and anxiety and grief can manifest itself into rage and that can be misdirected. That's most likely what happened here. I would probably be the same if it had happened to me and Grace. Once she calms down and sees things clearly then things will improve. Who took the shot that took the kidnapper down?" She questioned as they both stepped out of the elevator and into the busy foyer.

"Riley did and it was a damn good shot as well. He had to walk away for a bit afterwards, it probably reminded him of something from his past SEAL days" Chin told her, both of them sharing a knowing look with each other before Danni looked away from him.

"How did Riley do out there in your eyes?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow when Chin chuckled a bit in response before he shrugged at her.

"He didn't do that badly. There were times that Steve had to remind him to get out of his SEAL mode"

"SEAL mode?" Danni queried

"Like Steve was at the very beginning, completely focused on the task at hand to the point of have tunnel vision. It be interesting to see how he does when he's at a crime scene but he was asking questions and trying to learn and it helps to have another weapon expert on the team. Steve says he's the best sniper he's ever worked with or come across." Danni nodded once, clenching her jaw at the comment knowing that Chin was probably right and Riley would make a good addition to their team. "Riley's not replacing you Danni, you know that right?" Chin remarked, a rare gentle tone coming to his voice.

Danni couldn't help the wry, almost bitter laugh which escaped her as she turned to the older man.

"Yeah, that's why I was left here in the office while he was out there at Steve's side, covering his six. That to me Chin is being replaced." She told him shortly before forcing herself to smile at him. "I'm late for picking Grace up from school, I'll speak to you later" She turned, not waiting for him to respond and hurried out of the building, and down the steps into her car.

She drove to Grace's school arriving just as the classes were being let out. She climbed out of her car and looked around her, eyes focusing on Amy and Grace who both saw her at the same time, their wide smiles turning into looks of concern as they both made their way over to her, Grace throwing her arms around her and holding on tightly to her as though she had no intention of letting go.

"Are you all right? I heard from Meka earlier that you had a bad case." Amy remarked quietly, her dark eyes flickering down to make sure Grace wasn't paying attention.

"No I didn't, the rest of the team did. I was in the office all day and will be doing the same thing for the next two weeks." Danni answered with a shake of her head. Amy looked up at her giving her a hard look before she spoke.

"We need to go out for a coffee… right now Danni and I won't take no for an answer so don't bother to try and argue with me." She said firmly, pointing her finger at Danni who merely looked bemused. She glanced down when grace hopped up and down on the spot, a gleeful look on her face before she flung her arms around Danni's waist again.

"Snacks at your place Auntie Amy?" She asked hopefully, her smile widening when Amy grinned back at her.

"Whatever you want Ku'uipo" Amy told her brightly with a wink.

Danni opened her mouth to answer but instead just closed it and simply nodded at Amy, leaning down slightly and hugging Grace rightly back for a moment, burying her face in Grace's dark hair, the familiar scent of strawberry soothing her before she stood up.

"Maybe we can get some chocolate cake as a treat" Danni told her daughter, a real smile coming to her face for the first time since Steve had broken the new that morning about Riley joining them when Grace danced on the spot before grabbing her hand and dragging Danni towards their car.

"We'll be right behind you Auntie Amy." The young girl called out, Danni shot her friend a smile over her shoulder before she unlocked the car. The two of them getting in.


Chin Ho Kelly didn't like getting involved in the personal life of his work mates but there was something about this whole situation which had him on edge, something which told him that if he didn't get involved then the 50 team which they had spent so long building wouldn't survive. Steve and Danni were the core of them and if they lost one of them then the team would be finished. He headed back into the headquarters, Danni's words and sad, angry eyes playing round his head and looked around him for his boss.

He found Steve in his office working on his report, a glare on his face which would have made Chin grin at any other time though he didn't exactly feel like smiling or laughing at this moment of time.

"Glaring at it isn't going to make it go away" Chin commented as he entered the room, closing the door behind him, he didn't want any of the other members of the team to hear what he was going to say. They were still already on edge even if they didn't want to admit it. Danni being upset wasn't something they were used to experiencing especially while at work.

"I wish it would" Steve said now, dropping his pen onto the paperwork. "I had plenty of paperwork to do when was a SEAL but the amount we do here makes that look like a walk in the park" Steve sighed with a shake of his head before he looked up, his eyes moving over Chin's face, his smile fading into a frown. "Is something wrong Chin?" He asked.

"Something could be wrong." Chin said, moving towards the desk and leaning against the side of it, his eyes fixed on the younger man wondering how best to broach the sensitive subject, no one ever really knew how Steve would react when his partner was involved. At least he assumed Danni was still Steve's partner, she had certainly seemed unsure about whether she still held that position on the team which concerned him. None of them, himself included, wanted to see a Steve who was without Danni's calming influence on him. "I'm concerned about Danni, Steve" He stated bluntly.

Steve stared at him for a moment, a look of confusion on his face before he spoke.

"Danni is fine Chin I'd know if she wasn't, I looked through her office and she's got a lot of her paperwork done which I know is something she wanted to get done. The more paperwork she can clear the less stress she'll experience which is a good thing. We're still looking for someone just as good as she is to help with that side of her job but I know we'll find him or her soon and when…"

"That's not what I mean Steve" Chin interrupted the other man with a shake of his head, deciding that the blunt way was clearly the only way to get through to Steve. "Are you taking Riley as your new partner because that's the way it seems to me and if it seems like that to me then it's going to seem that way to everyone else as well, Danni included."

Steve stared at Chin, his mouth open in surprise, the silence between them growing before Steve broke it, coming to his feet and moving to the other side of the desk, so he was opposite Chin.

"Why do you think that?" He demanded, leaning his hand down on the surface of the desk, his eyes never leaving Chin's face.

"Where do I start Brah?" Chin said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You didn't tell her about Riley even though you're always the one telling us that Danni is in second in command of the team and that we should obey an order from her the same way we obey one from you. The minute Riley arrives on the team, you seem to drop her like she's a hot potato. You left her here with Toast and Jenna when we had an active case a though she was the team's PA or a member of the brain squad instead of a highly training Detective who is one of the best out there and as far as I can see you still haven't given her the time of day today to explain why you've done all of this. To me, it seems like you've been making do with Danni as your partner until you could get Riley on the team and it wouldn't surprise me if everyone else and Danni feel the same way. You must have felt the atmosphere growing because I sure as hell have." He told the other man, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Steve opened his mouth before he closed it, his eyes moving frantically from side to side before he closed them, breathing out a sound of acknowledgement.

"Damn it, so that's why she's being acting weird all day… Fuck, I thought she understood why I've done this. I want us all to get some time off and not to feel so overworked and the only way to do that is to hire people, that's why I'm so desperate to find someone to help her with the aftermath of cases so it's not just on her" He said, bringing his hand up and squeezing the back of his neck, his eyes squeezing shut for a moment before he opened them and looked up at Chin. "I've messed this up royally haven't I?"

"As much as I'd like to say no, you kind of did mess this one up, not only have you managed to annoy Danni but the rest of the team aren't exactly your biggest fan either. I'm pretty sure that Toast and Jenna are planning to unleash a virus on your computer as pay back and it wouldn't surprise me if they get Jack involved. You did it for the right reasons Steve, you just did it the wrong way." Chin remarked, his mouth curling into a small smile as he thought back to the whispered conversation between Toast and Jenna that he had overheard.

"I'll speak to the team" Steve told Chin who nodded at him.

"What's with the sudden desperation to get more people in, I know you and Danni have talked about it before but over the past week you've been almost obsessed with the idea. Is there something behind it?" The older man questioned thoughtfully.

Steve raised an eyebrow at him making his face blank. The last thing he wanted was to explain why he wanted more time alone with Danni. He didn't think the rest of the team knew about the change in his and Danni's relationship. A change he had been wanted since two weeks after he met her, once the grief of his father's murdered had cleared enough to really see the woman who he had made his partner. It wasn't just her looks which attracted them though he could admit she was the most attractive blond he had seen. It was her personality which had really attracted him to her, the more time he spent with her both in and out of work, the more he fell for her. That night, the week before was one of the best nights of his life and he was determined that he would spend every night falling asleep with Danni and waking up with her. He just needed to convince her of the same thing, a plan which had just experienced a major hit.

"We have fewer people than HPD do Chin so when we get called in we all get called in, even on our days off when we have plans with friends, family or we have planned outings together. We can't do those things, we don't even have many days off and that's only if we get lucky. Even Kono has been sad because she's can't get as much time surfing as she used to and both Jack and Danni are missing time with their kids. That's why it's so important we get more staff in as soon as possible." He said, hoping that the answer would satisfy Chin enough that he wouldn't ask any more questions about Steve's motivations.

Chin nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing as he watched Steve.

"There's something else behind this" He stated confidently. "Something that you're not telling me and we can stay here until you tell me. I've got all day after all."


Danni pushed open the door to Amy's coffee shop and entered, taking in a deep breath, a smile coming to her face when she was assaulted by the familiar smell of coffee and chocolate, two of her favourite smells.

"You both go and grab a table and I'll get our usual order in." Amy told her and Grace who both nodded at her. Danni took Grace's hand as they headed over to their usual table which was thankfully free. She sat down in her chair, her eyes widening slightly in surprise when Grace plonked herself down in her lap, her arms wrapping round her neck and nuzzled close to her.

"Is everything okay baby?" Danni asked her, running her hand down Grace's hair, bending her face down slightly, trying to peer into her face. Grace nodded, leaning back her big brown eyes focusing on her.

"You look sad Mamma. What is wrong? Even Auntie Amy sees it." She said, nibbling at her lower lip.

"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding but I'm not sure. It's hard to explain baby" Danni answered with a sigh, brushing a kiss over Grace's hair.

"Grown up stuff huh?" Grace said with an echoing sigh.

"Yeah grown up things" Danni repeated, hugging Grace tight as she looked up to see Amy approaching the table with a big piece of hers and Grace's favourite chocolate fudge cake that they liked to share, along with a large, steaming hot cup of latte for her and Amy and two smaller mugs of hot chocolate for Grace and Billy.

Danni smiled when Grace scrambled off of her lap and onto the chair next to Billy. Amy waited until the two children were paying the adults no attention before she turned to Danni and spoke.

"Care to explain what's wrong with you? Did something happen at work?" She asked him, keeping her voice low and quiet. Just because the children were busy now, didn't mean that they would remain that way. Danni hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering away from Amy to stare out of the window.

"I think… I think I've been replaced as Steve's partner." She admitted lowly.

Amy tilted her head to the side, looking at her friend hard. She knew how badly not fitting in at HPD had hurt and damaged Danni, more than the other woman would ever admit though Amy knew, having been there from the very beginning. She had liked Danni from their first meeting finding the younger woman generous and kind with a wicked sense of humour which never failed to make Amy laugh. It hadn't taken them long to become best friends or for Danni to be switched from the position of friend to beloved younger sister resulting in her and Meka being rather over protective of the blond. If Steve McGarrett had somehow taken Danni's new confidence and happiness and damaged it somehow then Amy swore silently that she would make him suffer in return. Still she had seen the way they were together and maybe on this one occasion Steve deserved the benefit of the doubt. Glancing again at the children she spoke.

"Why would you think that? I can see the way Steve feels for you and how much he cares for you. He watches you constantly and I know you have feelings for him as well, don't bother trying to deny it." Danni closed her mouth knowing it was pointless to argue when he knew that Amy always saw too much. "You know Danni, you've been longing for a true day off, one where you wasn't always on edge because you might be called in; you've even had to leave our BBQ's before because of work. Last time we spoke about this you were excited about getting some new members of the team."

"I know" Danni said reaching up and rubbing his forehead. "It's not that it's…" she stopped.

"It's what Danni?" Amy asked, tilting her head to the side. "You know I'd be the first to kick Steve McGarrett's ass if the situation at hand called for it but is it possible that he's actually doing this for you? That in some way he's trying to be…" Her voice trailed off hesitantly for a moment as she tried to pick the right word. "Romantic towards you by giving you what you want and need? Obviously he's gone completely the wrong way about it but this is McGarrett we're talking about after all." She pointed out with a shrug.

Danni took a huge bite of the cake, almost moaning at how good it tasted as she tried to put into words exactly how she felt. She took a sip of her latte, swallowing it and spoke.

"It's not the fact he's hired people, it's the way he's done it Amy. He's gone and hired his old friend, a man by the name of Riley. Do you remember him?" She asked, watching as Amy's face brightened.

"Of course I do, he's the one who makes Rosie blush every time his name is mentioned. He certainly is handsome, I may be happily married but I still have eyes after all."

Danni smirked slightly as she nodded but her heart wasn't really in the smile, something which Amy picked up on instantly.

"Riley and Steve are best friends from their SEAL days together, even when we cleared him of that crime he was framed for I could still tell that the bond between them was at full force and now he's working with us, with Steve as his partner for the next two weeks. I thought I was Steve's partner but he didn't even tell me that he was hiring him. He had plenty of opportunity and yet he says nothing. I know that Steve and I don't share the same bond as him and Riley but to be pushed aside so publically in front of our team. How can I forgive that? He's undermined me completely. What's next, an email going around to tell everyone that Riley is now the second in command while I'm what? The clean-up girl for our cases?"

"Danni…" Amy began stopping when Danni continued.

"He stood there in front of me and told me he was benching me for two weeks and the he told me that I could stay in the office and get on with all the paperwork while he and the rest of the team went out and worked the cases. I'm sick of it Amy, I'm sick of being treated like a PA and having to deal with all the cases once they are completed, why can't one of the others go and present the cases to the DA's office? I'm tired of it and I feel… I feel…" She stopped, looking up at Amy when the other woman covered her hands with hers with a sympathetic look.

"Underappreciated?" She suggested, wincing when Danni nodded after a moment.

"Underappreciated" She agreed quietly swallowing hard and looking down at her cake, unable to keep eye contact with Amy.


Steve froze at Chin's comment, glancing up at him and hiding a wince when he recognised the look in the older man's eyes which told him that Chin had slipped into Detective mode and wouldn't stop until he had all the answers that he was seeking.

Answers which Steve didn't want to give. Sighing he shook his head and began to talk.

"Look Chin, Danni is tired, I can see it in her eyes, especially since I live with her still while the house is being fixed up, and I see her when the mask is down. It's not just Danni, Jack doesn't get much time with his two girls either. We can't even do anything together as a group, we can't plan things in advance just in case we get called into work and when we finally do it more often than not gets cancelled. We can't go on like this." Steve stated, rubbing the back of his neck, a habit which Chin knew the younger man had picked up from Danni.

"Yeah, it has been a bit stressful. I mean don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change being a part of the team for anything but a few breaks and days off would be good here and there. We get why you hired Riley. Steve. No one is disagreeing with the fact that we need more people to help with the workload.

"Exactly, not to mention the fact that Grace has a lot of events and games coming up at school and she is desperate for her mother to be there for each one and I know Danni is desperate to be there as well. Grace is in the school play and she's on the softball team. I don't want Danni to miss things because we're so bust here. You've seen the pile of files on her desk right? Half of those files are potential cases for us. Picking the right one is a lot of work so it makes sense for Danni to stay behind while I deal with Riley" Steve stated, looking up and meeting Chin's eyes, keeping his gaze. Chin's eyes narrowed slightly before he spoke.

"Why does it have to be you who is with Riley?" The older man queried curiously. "It would make more sense for Riley to partner with Danni or with me while you stayed behind and look through the potential cases. You and Riley know how to work together. Danni is a detective and I doubt Riley has worked with anyone like her before. If there's anyone other than me who can tell if Riley is suited for police work then it's her. I mean Danni is still teaching you after all, you're the one who told me that." Chin pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

Steve chuckled at the comment, shaking his head.

"That's true but she doesn't know his quirks yet and she doesn't know either how to get him out of the SEAL mode that can get into. You saw that first hand today when the kidnapper had the kid before Riley took that shot. It's going to take a while for him to get out of that mentality and until he does then he'll need something familiar. The code words I used earlier is something we used when we were still in the SEALs. Until I can be sure that Riley can stay out of that mode then it's best to do things the way we are doing them" Steve told Chin, frowning slightly when he thought back to that time. He knew exactly what Riley was going through, he had gone through it at the beginning as well, consumed by rage at his father's death and the situation he had found himself in until he realised that what he had found in Hawaii helped make up for what he had lost. If he had never returned home then he would never have found Danni and that was something he didn't want to think about.

"Yeah I guess we don't need to go through that again. I agree with that but you've got to remember that you haven't explained any of this to Danni and she's going to feel like she's being replaced by Riley if you don't tell her the reasoning behind everything soon."

Steve shook his head in denial at Chin's comment, a frown coming to his face.

"Danni wouldn't think she's being replaced by Riley" He stated confidently, his eyes narrowing slightly when Chin raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? Did Danni say something to you earlier to make you think she was feeling that way?" He demanded.

"It's not my place to say Steve. What Danni says or doesn't say to me is between just me and her but as your friend Steve I would suggest you head home early tonight and talk to her or you might find yourself faced with the silent treatment from her and no one wants that punishment from Danni. Once was enough for everyone Brah" Chin told him, turning and heading out of the office leaving a thoughtful Steve staring after him.


Author Note

Thanks for taking the time to read, an especially big thank you if you've taken the time to review, follow or favourite the story. I really appreciate it!