AN: Our boys are slowly realizing that they belong together... But there are people who are interested in that not happening.
Please, let me know what you think.
Enjoy reading
The plane landed on the Pearl-Hickham airstrip at exactly 11:00 pm. Like the rest of the sailors, Steve got up from his seat, took his duffel bag and went down the ramp. He inhaled the night air, feeling at home and started walking towards the main building.
Leaving the base, he went to the Marquis, which was in the parking lot for the base's staff. Tired, he opened the door and threw his bag inside. He looked up before entering the car and then he saw him.
Danny was leaning on the Camaro's trunk, arms crossed and staring at him. Steve sighed, trying to calm the sudden pounding of his heart against his ribs. He slammed the door and walked the fifty steps that separated them.
Silently, he stood next to his friend and adopted a similar posture as he said, "You've definitely become a nocturnal creature, Danno!" For a moment, they both watched the maneuvers of a helicopter that was flying over the base, low height and ready to land. Steve said, "It's not that I don't appreciate the welcoming committee, but, just out of curiosity, what are you doing here?"
Danny's facial expression didn't change a bit, he just took a deep breath and said, "Mmmmh... In your text you said you'd be back tonight... so I thought you might need a ride..." He paused briefly, "I didn't think that you had brought that old scrap heap..."
"How did you know what time I would arrive?"
Danny's voice dripped sarcasm, "Well ... as you kindly omitted that information in your message, I've been here for a few hours."
Steve frowned and looked for the first time at Danny's gaunt face. "Hey... are you okay?" Steve fought against his desire to hug Danny and never let him go.
Danny dropped his arms and sighed, "No ... Steven. I'm not okay."
Steve moved a couple of steps and turned to face Danny. In a firm but calm voice he said, "What's going on, Danny? ... I mean, you come here, offering me a ride, but your attitude is belligerent ... You're clearly looking for a fight and I'm not in the mood for that crap. I'm starving and tired, I've been awake for almost 24 hours; I've been on an uncomfortable seat in a military aircraft for the last six hours ... If you're willing to share a sandwich and a beer in my place, I'm on board ... But, if you want to argue so you can blame me for anything that happened to you today... honestly Danny, you should go home and we'll talk later, okay?"
Danny was silent for a few seconds, Steve was right. He had come here with the sole purpose of smoothing the rough edges in his relationship and being best friends as they've always been, but he was achieving exactly the opposite effect. He shook his head and said, "Okay."
Steve frowned and asked,"Okay... what?"
"Okay ... sandwich and beer in your place, okay."
Steve shrugged, and said, "Okay ... I'll see you there." He turned and walked toward the Marquis. After turning on the engine, he saw the Camaro in the rearview mirror, it was already turning the corner.
While driving through the semi-deserted streets, towards the H1, he tried to remember if there was already beer in the fridge. He stopped at a convenience store to buy a six-pack, rye bread and a huge pot of chocolate ice cream ... He needed some comfort food to regain his mood.
When he got home, the Camaro was already there. He turned to put the Marquis in the garage and went out to join Danny. When he entered the house, his partner was sitting on the couch. He had taken his shoes off and was resting his feet on the coffee table, while he was zapping on the remote control to look for something interesting to watch on TV.
The rest of the house was dark. Junior was nowhere to be seen and Steve worried for a moment. The guy had been somewhat depressed after the probation hearing and the argument with his father, he had spent a couple of nights away from home after that... He smiled at the thought that the relationship with Tani should be growing... in the bottom of his heart, he wished it was so.
"Hey ..." Steve said, as he walked towards the kitchen. He put the ice cream pot in the freezer and the bread on the table, then, he took out some chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise to make some sandwiches. When Danny entered the kitchen, Steve was already making dinner.
Without saying anything, Danny took two cold beers, removed the caps and gave one to Steve, they both collided the bottles and drank long sips in silence. A couple of minutes later, they both went back to the living room, each carrying a dish with two sandwiches and a bottle of beer. Danny sat back on the couch and looked at Steve, who was waiting, hesitant ... Finally he decided and took a seat in the armchair in front of his friend.
They ate in silence for a while, until Danny sighed and said, "Okay... how was your trip?"
Steve drank the rest of his beer and wiped his lips with a napkin, then replied simply, "Good ..."
"Just good?"
"Good... Danny. I don't know what else I can tell you ... There's not much to tell about cumbersome paperwork for the Navy... the newest is I went to LA to visit Mary yesterday... She and Joannie send you their love."
"Nice! That's good. How is she? And Joannie?"
Danny tried to start a conversation, but Steve simply replied, "They're fine." Without wanting to go into more detail, Steve got up, picked up the dishes and went back to the kitchen. A minute later, he came out with the ice cream pot and two spoons.
This time he sat on the couch, but made sure there was some space between them. He didn't feel strong enough to suppress the unexpected reactions that, lately, his body experienced when he was close to Danny.
Danny looked at him, trying to decipher this evasive attitude. Finally, he shrugged and took the spoon that Steve gave him, both ate the ice cream in silence, with his eyes fixed on the TV which showed a documentary of Discovery Channel.
Danny opened his eyes and rubbed them lazily. He had fallen asleep at some point in the midst of the documentary. The TV was off and Steve wasn't anywhere. He went upstairs hoping to find him... the door to the bedroom was closed, but Danny could see the faint light that filtered under it.
He clenched his fist and moved it with the intention of knocking the door, but his hand was frozen in the air. It was absurd! He couldn't muster the courage to knock on the damn door! He stood there, for a minute or two, then, he went back down the stairs again, quickly put his shoes on and opened the door... deactivating and re-activating the alarm he left the house, closing the door behind him.
Steve was sitting on the bed, with the laptop on his lap, checking the emails that had accumulated in the last few days. He had given up trying to sleep ... As soon as he closed his eyes, he thought Danny was there... lying on the couch, only a few feet away. That thought made the sleep elude him. The surprise of seeing Danny waiting for him outside the base, was a little more than he could handle. He felt weak and vulnerable.
Suddenly, a familiar creak caught his attention ... The third step in the stairs. He waited a few minutes in silence, listening to the faint sound of dragging of Danny's socks sliding against the wood of the floor. He could almost imagine him standing there, outside his room... his ear pressed to the door, trying to hear some sound. Steve remained silent ... waiting ... allowing himself to wish, for a moment, that Danny finally decided and entered his bedroom... Damn it! He felt like an idiot! He was fighting against the only thing he wished to do... to get up and open that door... but an unknown fear kept him motionless.
The third step creaked again and a moment later, he could hear the sound of the main door closing and, a couple of seconds later, the Camaro's engine. Quickly, he put the computer aside and stood up. He ran down the stairs and opened the door, he got to see the taillights of Danny's car as it moved away.
When Danny turned the corner, he almost wished that Rachel's car wasn't parked there, in front of his house, as it had been every night of the last week... but he had no luck. That meant he had a full house. He had always been glad to have his children at home, but that night... he would have appreciated a few hours alone... To have a time for himself... to think ... Sighing resigned, he parked the Camaro, turned off the engine and looked at his watch, it was 2:30 am.
He walked slowly to the door, opening it silently. At the threshold, he took his shoes off and entered the house cautiously. For a moment, he couldn't help but mock himself. He looked like a cheating husband who crawled to his house in the middle of the night, after having an affair. Either way, he secured the lock and activated the alarm in total silence.
The house was completely dark... Silently, he went upstairs and entered stealthily to Charlie's bedroom. True to his custom, the kid slept with his feet entangled in the sheets. Trying not to wake him up, Danny settled the mess, covering Charlie with the blankets, kissed his son on the forehead and went back out into the corridor. He passed in front of his bedroom, the door was closed.
Danny went downstairs again to the living room, took a blanket and sat on the couch. He took his laptop and began to download the last pictures from his last case, in which there were still some loose ends... He couldn't help noticing the irony of the situation, while he thought, "There are not as photographs of a crime scene to distract the mind!" ... God! How he wanted to sleep!
Fatigue began to overcome him, when he heard barefoot steps on the stairs. Rachel approached the couch, "Danny, are you okay?" She asked softly.
Danny looked at her in the dim light of the computer screen ... Rachel wore a black silk nightgown. The brown hair was perfectly combed... She was absolutely beautiful. But Danny didn't feel anything... No love... no desire... nothing. "Hi!" He said, "I'm sorry if I woke you up..."
She sat next to him on the couch and asked as she furtively watched the terrible images, "What's going on? A rough case? "
He shrugged and answered in a neutral voice, "Something like that ..." Hell, he hated lying!
She stood up again and held out her hand, asking, "Are you coming to bed?"
He smiled at her, but didn't move. In a soft voice he said, pointing to the screen, "In a minute... okay?"
She shrugged and went back to bed... Twenty minutes later, Danny closed the laptop screen and placed it gently on the coffee table, slid on the couch, until he was lying down and covered himself with the blanket. The accumulated fatigue finally overcame him and he fell asleep.
Rachel took a long time to go back to sleep. Her mind was spinning as she waited for Danny to join her. Everything was slowly collapsing. For a few wonderful weeks, she had dared to think that, finally, her relationship with Danny could be revived again. But he was slowly slipping away like water in her hands.
Danny was a wonderful man, kind and loving. An excellent father and a great cop. What she liked most about him was his smile and the way he made her laugh. Why the hell didn't she see that when she had him? For the thousandth time since she divorced Stan, she regretted each and every one of the bad decisions he had made regarding Danny over the years.
Her mind traveled back, when she left Danny for Stan. She had justified her decision, blaming Danny's job... but that wasn't entirely true. Rachel thought that, with Stan, she would have everything she had always wanted... To be fair, Stan gave her everything he could and more... she had luxuries, parties, trips, fancy food, a nice house and a lot of money... but Stan's love never equaled Danny's love.
Danny's love was hard to equal... When Danny loved someone, he gave all his heart, unconditionally. Rachel shuddered to remember the way Danny treated her during the years of their marriage... with unconditional love, almost with veneration... and when he made love to her, she felt full, happy... As if she was the center of the universe. She never felt this way with Stan.
Then, her mind returned eight years ago... to those few weeks that followed Matt's flight. She really thought things would work that time, Danny treated her with the same love and, again, he had the same attention and details that made her fall in love with him the first time. She and Grace went to Jersey, waiting for him to join them... but he never did. The damn job again!
This time... since Grace's accident, Danny had been kind and gentle... But he lacked that fire... that overflowing passion. They had talked a lot and decided that they would forget the past and try again... for the sake of the children. But Rachel didn't want just that. The children were important, of course... but she wanted to have Danny completely... she wanted to be the owner of his mind,his body and his soul...
At this moment, in the solitude of the bed, wishing without hope that Danny would enter the room and lie down beside her, he realized that she wouldn't have that, unless she fought for it. Maybe Danny was reconsidering his decision to go back to her, but she was determined to get it, whatever it cost... Finally, she did have the right to be happy, after the disappointment of her marriage with Stan, didn't she?
Furiously, she wiped the tears that slid down her face. While he was getting ready to sleep, she turned off the lamp, and began to think of a plan... She would need all the help she could get, to win Danny's heart again... and she was determined to do it.
The morning at Five-0 headquarters was total chaos. Everyone's phones had been ringing for an hour. They had a new homicide case... the governor's niece; but they still had to make a final arrest in their previous case. The team divided the tasks. Steve decided that he and Lou would take care of the new case, while Danny and Junior would close the pending case.
The absence of Jerry weighed on everyone's spirits. The guy had left the hospital and was at home recovering, so Adam and Tani stayed in the office to do the job that Jerry usually did.
At 10:00, Danny and Junior went up to the Camaro to go back to talk to the victim's wife... They had a new witness who saw her at the crime scene at the time of her husband's death... despite her alibi said she had been in Waimanalo at that time.
Lou and Steve arrived at the morgue, where the body of a 22-year-old girl laid on the table, covered with a white sheet. Although she had not performed the autopsy, Noelani gave them a report on the cause and the probable time of death. Ten minutes later, they both left to the scene where the body was found.
On the way, Lou silently studied Steve's face.
Steve was driving in silence. It seemed that he had not slept properly for some time ... the captain noticed that his friend had lost a few pounds in the last few weeks. Lou started talking, trying to figure out Steve's mood, "So... how was your trip?"
Without taking his eyes off the road, Steve replied: "It was fine ... I was in Coronado and solved some problems, then I went to Los Angeles to visit Mary".
"Good!" Lou said enthusiastically, "How are she and little Joan?"
"Excellent!" Steve said, letting out the first sign of joy, "That girl is growing s fast, Lou! Both are very good."
"I'm happy to hear that... and you? What about you?"
Steve sighed... the captain never went around the bush. He meditated for a moment on his answer and finally said, as he prepared himself to hear a sermon, "I'm ... I'm good."
"Look, Steve." Lou said, "I know you're going to hate me, but we've already talked about this... Something's wrong."
"Lou... just leave it, will you? I'll be fine." Steve's attempt to cut off the conversation didn't turn out well. He only encouraged Lou, so he said, "You won't be, if you don't talk about that, Steve... Something is happening that is eating you inside... At first, I thought it was about Jerry, but now I think it's... something else."
"You're right, Lou..." Steve said in a trembling voice, "Something's wrong... but I'm working on it. I'll pull through, okay?"
Lou shrugged. It was clear that he would get nothing from this conversation. Steve was locked in his usual secrecy; Finally he said, "If you say so... Listen, Steve... I just want you to know that, if you need to talk, I'm here".
Steve looked at his partner for the first time and said, "Thank you, Lou ... I know ... and believe me I'll talk to you. I just need to solve this first, okay?"
"All right," Lou answered. At that moment, they arrived at the scene, where there were some police cars and HPD officers walking the beach. Quickly, Steve and Lou left the Silverado and went to work.
At noon, the Camaro parked in its usual place, just at the same time Steve and Lou came down from the Silverado.
"Hey ..." Steve greeted Danny and Junior, "What happened to Mrs. Kahanamoku?"
Junior smiled while leaning on the Camaro's trunk and answered, "She had no choice but to confess... She killed her husband and her boyfriend was in Waimanalo at the same time, with her phone and her credit card, to back up her alibi... Duke took her away to book her... Finally, this case is closed".
Danny's phone rang, and he walk away to answer. Meanwhile, Steve approached Junior and, placing his hand on the guy's shoulder, asked him, "How's the matter with your father?"
Junior's face darkened, "He's still angry... He doesn't answer my calls or my text messages..."
Steve looked into Junior's eyes, as he spoke, "You have to give him some time, Junior. This is difficult for him... Listen, sometimes talking to someone outside the problem, can help... Do you want me to try? I can talk to him... help him to understand."
Junior shook his head saying, "Thank you, sir... Steve. I think, as you say, he needs time. We'll try later... as a last resource, okay?"
"Of course, Junior," Steve squeezed the boy's shoulder affectionately, "Anytime... I'm here, okay?."
Junior smiled and said, "I know... I really appreciate it."
At that moment, Danny approached them, while Lou said, "I'm starving! What do you say if we order Chinese food?"
Steve and Junior agreed, but Danny said, "Sorry, I'll have to pass. I must go to pick up Charlie to school and take him to his baseball game."
Steve, Lou and Junior walked together and entered the building; Danny got back into the Camaro, started the engine and stepped on the accelerator pedal. Nobody noticed the white car that was parked in the corner, under the shade of the trees. The driver waited a few minutes... got out of the car and walked towards the Palace.
Lou was in his office, ordering the food. Steve, Junior, Adam and Tani were gathered in front of the smart table, commenting on the details of the new case. The body of the governor's niece had been found on a deserted beach on Sand Island. There were no wounds or signs of struggle, and Noelani told them that the probable cause of death could be drowning... Lou and Steve had talked with some people... no one had seen or heard anything. They still didn't know if it had really been a crime or an accident... They would have to wait for the results of the autopsy.
At that moment, the doors of the headquarters were opened and the four turned to look at the newcomer, who was accompanied by one of the security guards. Steve was surprised to see her. Rachel wore a black skirt, a white sleeveless blouse and high-heeled shoes. Her hair was tied in a complicated bun.
"Rachel, what a surprise!" Steve greeted her, and then looked at the security guard, "Thank you..." he said and the man left.
Steve turned to look at Rachel and said, "I'm sorry ... Danny's not here. I thought you knew... He went to pick up Charlie to take him to the baseball game."
She looked at him ... with a false, condescending smile. It had been a long time since he had seen a smile like that in her face... Steve remembered that he hated that smile. "I know..." she said, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you... Do you have a minute?"
Frowning, Steve nodded and said, "Of course!" And pointed to his office. Rachel started walking towards there, and he followed her. She stopped in front of the glass door, he came over and opened it, silently asking her to enter.
Steve walked beside her and, pointing to the two chairs, he said, "Please, sit down." He sat in his chair and leaned back, peering into her face and trying to guess the reasons she was there.
"Okay..." he said, "how can I help you?"
She spoke softly, leaning forward, "First of all, I'd like to ask you not to tell Danny anything we talk about."
"I don't know, Rachel. I'm not comfortable with hiding information from him..." he said, shaking his head.
She hesitated for a moment, if Danny found out that she had talked to Steve, she'd have a lot of problems.
"Listen, Steve. What I want to talk to you about has to do with Danny, and he'll feel very embarrassed if he knows I told you. Please…"
With displeasure, he replied, "I won't say anything, Rachel, but if he asks me I'm not going to lie to him, okay?"
"Fair enough... Anyway, he won't ask," She said. Then she paused to clear her throat and started talking, "As you know, since Grace's accident, Danny and I have spent a lot of time together," she paused and he nodded silently.
"Well ... Danny and I went to Kauai to spend some time together. We 've talked a lot and we decided that we will try to get our family together again... of course, that means we will get married again."
Steve felt a wave of panic rising from his stomach, but his face was cold ... unalterable.