AN:Thanks to Norriski for the beta! Just to let you know, I added some more to the story after she sent it back to me so any mistakes you find belong to me. If you are reading, please take time to let me know as it takes me hours to produce a chapter of this length and I also couldn't help but notice that the hits for this story aren't quite measuring up to my other two previous stories I have written for this fandom.
ARRESTED
"We need to question your partner," Harris stood toe to toe with McGarrett as they waited outside the exam room for the doctor to clear Danny.
A CAT scan and x-rays had revealed a minor concussion, which for the most part, could be treated at home; the broken nose however had to be reset. Unfortunately for Danny local anesthesia did nothing to dull the pain as the doctor used his hand to push Danny's nose back into its proper place.
Peeking inside the curtain, Steve watched as his partner gripped the side of the bed in effort to keep from crying out from the pain. "He has a concussion. He can't talk to you right now." Turning his attention back to Harris, Steve looked over the shorter man's shoulder and glared heatedly at Lauren. "But since we're on the subject, why don't we question you?"
"Lauren has nothing to do with this," Harris defended as the petite CPO stood silent.
McGarrett continued to pin Lauren with a steely gaze. "Danny seemed pretty adamant that she's somehow involved and I'm willing to bet as soon as his blood tests come back we'll be able to prove it!"
"Ok, so I was at the bar last night," Lauren confessed. "But last time I checked buying someone a beer wasn't a crime." Confident she had been subtle when she spiked Danny's drink she could guarantee that no one saw her. All McGarrett would have is that his partner had been drugged with prescription medication. She had nothing to worry about.
"If you were at the bar then maybe you can explain how Danny ended up in $5000 a night suite in Turtle Bay."
Pursing her lips, Lauren shook her head. "I left the bar at the top of the 9th inning. As far as I know Danny was still there enjoying his beer, so I honestly have no idea. Just so you know, Williams isn't my type and if he were I certainly couldn't afford to have a one night stand in a $5000 a night suite."
Steve held his ground. "Someone put something in his drink."
"Drugged or not that still doesn't explain the body in the trunk of Williams' car," Harris piped. "And I'm willing to bet that when ballistic on the bullet comes back we'll see that it's a match to his gun and when it does, I'll be back with the District Attorney and a warrant."
Jaw clenched and fist balled Steve waited for them to leave before he slipped inside the exam room where he was greeted by a doctor.
"You can take your partner home in just a little while if someone can provide observation."
That wouldn't be a problem Steve assured. He wasn't going to let Danny out of his sight: at least not until the situation was resolved, they would be joined at the hip. He was pretty sure he could use his influence to keep HPD off Danny's back until some sort of decision had been made but until then he didn't want anyone talking to his partner, especially NCIS.
A shallow groan came from the direction of the bed as Danny pushed himself to a seated position. Vertigo struck causing him to waiver making him wonder if he were actually up right. "Please tell me you hit that SOB with the right cross."
"No…I didn't." Steve responded wishing he had. "But if I see the guy who broke your nose I'll definitely hit him but until then I've got to ask you something."
Danny sounded as if he were suffering from a head cold, "Please don't ask me if I killed that girl. That would be insulting."
"I wouldn't insult you like that but I do need to ask you about your gun."
"My gun?"
"Yes, where is it?"
Danny closed his eyes willing away the pain in his face and head. "It's in the glove box of the Camaro."
"Awesome!" Steve raised a hand in frustration. Of all the times for Danny not to have had the gun on his person, "I'm sure that will work out well for us when the ballistics report comes back." Whoever had shot Kristy probably used the gun knowing that Danny's prints were all over it.
"THE CAR WAS OBVIOUSLY STOLEN!" Danny shot back, nearly causing a blood vessel to rupture "And I'm willing to bet Lauren's prints are all over it!"
Steve shook his head. "No, Lauren is too good for that. She wouldn't leave prints behind for us to find."
Danny shifted his eyes, wishing he hadn't; everything connected to his head hurt. "So what are you saying? That I'm destined to take the fall for this? Whose side are you on exactly?"
"Do you really have to ask?" Steve moved closer to his partner, his tone hinging on explosive. "Seriously? Are you really going to throw that in my face? I'M YOUR PARTNER, DANNY AND AS MUCH AS IT PAINS ME TO SAY THIS I BELIEVE IN YOU!"
"That's touching," Danny quipped trying to defuse the tension he'd caused. "But can I just ask a favor? Can you turn the volume down a bit? I've a got a headache here and when you yell I tend to block out whatever you're saying out."
Hoping to avoid a cargument, Steve said nothing as they drove back to the scene of the crime. The Camaro was still sitting right where he'd last saw it with both navy and civilian crime scene investigators buzzing around.
"What the hell is my car doing way out here?" Danny asked as Steve's Silverado came to a halt.
"This is where the body was found." Steve informed as he put the truck in park. "You should probably stay in truck and rest." The car was an active crime scene; a crime in which Danny was quickly becoming the main suspect.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" Danny ripped pulling at the door handle.
"Danny…please I need for you to wait here and stay cool."
"I am cool," Danny refuted.
"No you aren't," Steve argued hearing the 'tone'. "I can hear it in your voice."
Danny would have narrowed his eyes at his partner if it hadn't hurt so much. "Are talking about my tone again; because I do not have a tone!"
"Yes you do," Steve replied stepping out of the vehicle. "I have a look and you have a tone; and right now your tone sounds like you want to kill someone. No pun intended." Steve was right Danny's tone sounded exactly the same as it had on the day that Rachel and Grace had been carjacked. Not to mention he couldn't afford for Danny to fly off the handle again and get punched again.
"Just give me a chance to clear the scene and you can get out of the car."
Danny raised a hand in defeat, opting to remain silent.
Within a matter of minutes, Steve had used his influence and the promise of his good word not to disturb anything and sent the investigators away. The scene was clear save for one watchful Navy Lieutenant and a uniformed officer from the HPD.
At Steve's signal, Danny was at his flank. "Don't touch anything," he told his partner pulling on a set of blue latex gloves. Meticulously he started to inspect every inch of the stolen Camaro until he found something wedged between the gear shift and the passenger's seat.
"You find something?" Danny asked as his partner pulled a pair of lacey pink panties from the crack between the seats.
Instantly, Danny's hands shot up. "Whoa…those are not mine."
"I certainly hope not," Steve returned, signaling for one of the officers's to bag the new found item. Steve waited until the officer was out of earshot. "What do you want to bet that those belong to Kristy?"
"Just as long as they don't belong to Lauren," Danny added as Steve went for the glove box.
"If they belonged to Lauren that would actually work in your favor," Steve opened the glove box to find it vacant. The gun had already been bagged by the CSI in charge.
"But that would be disgusting."
"You know, aside from her personality, Lauren really isn't that bad looking. If things were different the two of you might make a nice couple," Steve teased as he carefully fingered the soft padding inside. An indention from the weight of Danny's service revolver was embedded to the fabric that lined the inside of the glove box.
"You're kidding right? Do you have any idea of how vile she is?"
Steve looked up for a moment. "She was seemed pretty nice that day we flew home from San Diego."
Danny rolled his eyes, "okay, cupid if you're done trying to fix my love life, which I don't need your help by the way, I'd really like to get back to your earlier idea of saving me from a murder charge."
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Steve frowned thoughtfully at the empty glove box.
"Did you really think the gun would still be there?" Danny asked as matter of fact, hoping to sway the conversation from Lauren. If he never saw her again he would be more than happy.
Steve looked over his shoulder and glared as he took out his phone and started to photograph the inside of the small space. Any strange fingerprint he might be able to find could be sent to Chin in effort to tip the scales in Danny's favor.
Gazing back down at the floor board, Steve noticed a long strand of navy colored thread. "I think I found something."
"A thread?" Danny questioned watching his partner pick it up with his pincher grasp.
"It might be something," Steve replied swallowed in his own thoughts.
Danny put up his hands. "For all we know if could have come from one of us." Though Danny tended to wear more navy than Steve it stood to reason that the thread came from an article of clothing belonging to one of the two partners.
"What was Lauren wearing last night?"
Danny touched the bridge of his sore nose trying to remember. "A White Sox ball cap, jeans and a navy tank top."
"Well?" Steve questioned with his eyes. If they could prove Lauren was in the car, it might just take the heat off Danny and throw it on to the pint sized wave.
"It's a long shot," Danny heard a noise from behind him. Lauren and her partner were heading in their direction. "Uh…oh, we've got company."
"Damn we've got move now," Steve swore knowing that Lauren and Harris were about to have a hay day over Danny's presence. Quickly, the two partners made a beeline for the truck, speeding away before either of the approaching agents were none-the-wiser.
Kono frowned as entered the conference room with a file in her hands. "Well, Lauren's story checks out. According to the bartender at the sports bar Lauren and Danny sat together for most of the night. He remembers Danny buying a round and then Lauren treating for the next, they played a game pool, tossed a few darts and the Lauren left right before the game was over."
Steve's arms were crossed as he looked down at Danny, "Perfect opportunity for her to have slipped you something."
"But did anyone see anything?" Danny added.
"No," Kono answered soundly. "However, the bartender did say that after the game Lauren called and asked the bartender to call Danny a cab. He said he specifically remembers that because she asked if Danny was getting unusually loud. The bartender thought Lauren seemed genuinely concerned and that Danny and Lauren look like they made a really cute couple."
"Not you too," Danny would have narrowed his eyes at the rookie if his nose hadn't been so swollen.
"Not my words, Brah," Kono quipped in defense before Steve shut the conversation down.
"Did you get the name of the cab company?"
"Aloha cab and shuttle," Kono replied. "And according to their manifest, they picked Danny up at nine-fifteen and dropped him off at Turtle Bay. The manager at the cab company said they had a call from a woman claiming to be Danny's fiancée and that she was planning a romantic evening and that she would pay double the usual fare if the driver would help him up to the room."
"Well that explains how you got into the room," Steve interjected as Chin came into the room sporting a long face."
"Bad news," the easy-going Chinese American began. "The ballistics report confirms that the bullets used to kill Kristy Yamamuri are a match to Danny's gun."
"Gee, what surprise," Danny muttered under his breath, wondering how his day could possibly get any worse.
"That's not all," Chin swallowed looking straight at Danny. "The DA is calling for Danny's immediate arrest. The woman I spoke to said they're giving us a choice. We can either bring Danny in ourselves or HPD can come and get him."
"Well, how big of them."
Steve closed his eyes pinching the bridge of his nose. He hadn't wanted things to go down this way. "Ok, if they want Danny we'll give them Danny."
Waving his hands, Danny attempted to make a facial expression that matched his emotions. "Hello, why are you talking about me like I'm not here and why would you just want to hand me, YOUR PARTNER, OVER?"
"Because it's the right thing to do," Steve shot back knowing Danny was thinking back when Chin had the bomb strapped around his neck and Steve had gone all out to steal the ten million. In Danny's mind he probably suspected that the former SEAL was giving up which was the farthest thing from the truth as far as Steve was concerned.
Danny pointed a finger. "You're amazing. You know that?"
"Well, what would you expect me to do? Have us run?"
Danny thought for a moment. "Honestly, that seems like the Steve McGarrett thing to do."
"Sorry to disappoint you but we're not running. That will only make things worse. I can get more done if I know that you're safe in jail." Steve returned, noting the look on Danny's face. It said that he had just been betrayed by his best friend.
Danny's hand shot out, "You actually think I'll be safe in jail?"
"You're a cop. It's not like they're just going to throw you into the general population!"
Danny rolled his eyes in disgust. "If that's what you really think you, my friend, still have a lot to learn about police work."
"Maybe so," Steve replied. "But I promise it'll only be for a couple of days. I'll call the governor, she'll make sure you're kept safe."
Danny's face suddenly changed to worry as the depths of his situation started to become clear. If he went to jail he would lose Grace. "Just promise me one thing." He said wagging a finger. "Promise me, whatever you do, you will not let this get to the media. If Rachel hears one word about this I will lose Grace forever."
Steve's eyes reflected his partner's worry. Grace was the only reason Danny had for being here, his only reason for living. "I swear to you. You will not lose Grace. We'll do whatever it takes. It won't get into the media."
"We can talk to Rachel, tell her you're undercover," Kono added as two HPD officers and assistant DA, Roberts appeared at the door, looking through the glass. "You know they have a warrant," Danny told his partner.
Fear building in his chest, Steve could only nod. With exception of his father dying at the hands of Hesse, Steve had never felt so helpless as when the assistant DA told him that he would have to put the cuffs on Danny.
"Is that really necessary?" It's not like Danny was going to run.
The pretty assistant district attorney frowned, "I sorry the deputy Governor is insisting that no special favors be given to detective Williams in this case."
"The Deputy Governor?" Steve repeated in surprise.
"Yes, Governor Jameson is out of the country trying to promote good relations with the Philippines. She can't be reached. That leaves Deputy Governor, Azre Bustemante, in charge."
On his feet, Danny leaned towards his partner. "Just do it. Get it over with."
A hardened look washed over Steve's face as he placed his hands on Danny's, "Sorry, Danno."
Eyes lowered, Danny refused to show any emotion as he felt the cold steel circle around his wrists and click snuggly into place. His heart hammered inside his chest as Steve kept one hand firmly on his bicep, leading him out to their Government issued Suburban. The last thing McGarrett would allow was for his partner to be carted off in the back of a squad car and although every wandering eye were upon them Steve was determined to make sure that Danny's reputation as a first class detective stayed intact.
As Steve opened the passage side door, Danny caught a glimpse of Lauren. She was standing across the parking lot with her arms folded over her chest. "Do me a favor," he said lifting his chin, so that Steve would notice her too.
"What's that?"
Danny swallowed as he ducked his head allowing Steve to assist him into the back of the SUV. "Bury her."
"Already on it," Steve vowed, pinning the ruthless CPO with his gaze. As soon as he knew Danny was settled he would catch the first flight off the island to Lauren's hometown in search of anything that might lead him to clear his partner's name.
It wasn't until they were pulling into central booking that Steve offered some words of advice.
"No sleeping in jail. You got that? With a concussion, I don't want you to slip into a coma."
Danny let out a long sigh of defeat, "To tell you the truth, slipping into a coma sounds pretty good right now."
Whipping his neck around Steve growled at his partner, "I'm serious Danny!"
"So am I!" Danny retorted, "The one thing I fear more than losing Grace is being locked up with all of the sick bastards I've put away!"
"That's not going to happen." Steve returned getting out of the car. He was still talking when he circled around and opened the back passenger's side door. "You're going to spend one, two night's tops in central lock-up. You will be fine."
Danny raised an eyebrow as Steve's arm once again wrapped around his bicep. "Can you really guarantee that some sick bastard the size of Kamekono won't try to use me as a replacement for his long lost girlfriend?"
Steve swallowed, unsure. "Well…if that happens, you just defend yourself." He said unconvincingly, "You have skills and besides people like Kamekono wouldn't be interested in you anyway."
"Yeah, why's that?"
"Because…you're a haole."
"Great," Danny smiled tightly. "Another reason to get my face bashed in."
"Stop being so negative," Steve chided.
"Negative?" Danny tossed his partner an incredulous glance. "In case you haven't noticed I am going to jail now forgive me but I fail to see anything positive coming from that!"
Steve stopped forcing Danny to stop as well. "Listen to me. Kono, Chin and I are going to do everything we can to get you out but until then I need to know that you can handle this."
"Handle this?" Danny repeated. "What, you think I can't handle jail?"
The thought had crossed Steve's mind. Danny was hyper and loud at best. He didn't know how to be calm. Locking him up in a jail cell would make the detective akin to a ticking time bomb. For his own safety, he would not be able to survive an explosion of that nature. Steve could just see Danny getting himself killed.
"I'm not saying that," Steve said quietly as a uniformed escort started towards them.
Danny looked at the uniformed officer and then back at Steve. He didn't have much time before he was going to be formally booked and charged. "Remember, what I said about Rachel. I can't…"
"I'll take care of it. I already told you I have your back," Steve finished, knowing there was no way in hell he was going to let Danny lose Grace.
"There's one more thing," Danny adding pulling away as the officer reached out for his arm. "I need you to do me a favor."
"What?"
Danny lowered his head, speaking in a soft voice. "I need you to go over to my place and feed Mr. Hoppy."
"Mr. Hoppy?" Steve repeated with wide eyes. "Who is Mister Hoppy?"
"He's Grace's rabbit. Step-Stan bought him for her but Rachel can't handle the thought of having a furry animal in the house so he sort of lives with me and if anything happens to him…"
"Fine," Steve agreed as the officer started to give them the evil eye. "Mr. Hoppy will be well taken care of." He only wished he could say the same about the Danny.
Midnight
Steve rubbed his temple as he sat at his desk going over all of the evidence from the case. As much as he hated to admit it, everything he had pointed directly at Danny; except for the toxicology report. That pointed at Lauren, but even with that it wasn't enough to prove that Danny was innocent. It was just enough to prove that someone had spiked his drink and even though they highly suspected Lauren, he had no evidence to outright prove that she did it. All he had was Danny's fingerprints on the gun.
Gazing up at the clock, he rubbed his eye only to realize that he had forgotten something: Mr. Hoppy.
With lightening speed, he arrived at Danny's studio a quarter after midnight and quickly noticed a light burning in the living room. Danny didn't have a timer for the lights at least not that he knew of…
Pulling into the Camaro's customary parking spot, Steve killed the engine on the Silverado exited the vehicle armed. Danny didn't have much in the way of anything but what he did have Steve was going to protect.
Crouching on the stairs, Steve noticed the door to the apartment was slightly ajar. Whoever was in there wasn't being too subtle he thought, as the sound of broken glass erupted. Taking a few more steps, the navy commander carefully pushed open the front door, keeping his weapon trained.
"Five-0, come out with your hands where I can see them!" From his position in the door jam, Steve could see that most of the items in the living room where still intact save for a framed picture of Danny and Grace that had fallen onto the linoleum. From the corner of his eye he saw Mr. Hoppy twitching in his cage.
"I'm coming in!" he shouted fairly confident that whoever was invading Danny's apartment had nowhere to go. The perp had to be either in the bathroom or in the kitchen. Both of which locations would allow Steve a clear shot.
"Don't make me do this the hard way!" Steve had just stepped inside when someone sprang out from behind the door, tagging him in the neck with a taser gun. The attacker watched as the mighty Five-0 leader swayed slightly before falling on the floor with an echoing thud.
Once again, Steve McGarrett should have thought to call for back-up.