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H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O

Steve kept glancing over to the passenger seat where Danny was sitting with C.J. in his lap. They were breaking every child-related motor vehicle rule and Danny had been the instigator. But slouched down, not even wearing his own seatbelt, Danny had his head rocked back and his eyes closed. His fingers were linked together supporting C.J.'s bottom. And the boy in question? He was sitting backwards, his head resting against Danny's chest. Eyes closed, too, his arms and legs hung long and loose. The pair was the epitome of peace, but where C.J. was sound asleep, Danny was nursing a migraine. Steve could tell that based on the fine-lines around his eyes and the deeper furrow between them. His jaw was also clenched, his teeth audibly grinding every so often.

"It's a good idea," Steve said. "He understands it. It's the best of both worlds."

"Yeah," Danny replied. "It's a good plan." He squinted his eyes open, not to look at Steve, but to kiss the top of C.J.'s head and his demeanor softened considerably. Nonetheless, something was irking him and Steve carefully chose to push a bit harder.

"So what's up then? Something's bothering you. What's wrong?" Steve asked. He paused and pulled a long face. "Is it the kids? Are you worried about Charlie?"

"Charlie? No ... no, not at all," Danny said. He shrugged and then gave out with a low sigh. "I don't want to hurt him, Steve. And by keeping him and setting the wrong expectations. The more people that we introduce him to; the more he settles in ... that could happen. Then what? What happens when we find his family?"

"And what if we don't?" Steve countered. "What if we don't ... or, we do. But for right now? We offer him some short-term stability until we find his family. What if we're the adults in his life that don't run away or lie to him; the ones that he can trust?"

"Maybe," Danny agreed. He ran a light hand up and down C.J.'s back before turning his head to look Steve square in the eye. "I'm worried about you, too. You already want to keep him. Are you going to be able to handle it if we find his family? Good or bad, he's got a father. Good or bad ... he's got an aunt. Who knows who else is lurking out there? These anonymous people could make a custody battle a living hell."

Danny paused and shook his head, his hand still smoothing across the sleeping boy's back. "Been there, done that, Steven. It's not fun for anyone and worse on the children ... and ten to one, we'd lose to blood relatives."

"Yeah, I know," Steve whispered, his jaw working and his stomach feeling as if he'd just gotten punched. He felt winded without having budged an inch because Danny was right on all counts. A very large part of him hoped they didn't find C.J.'s family. Or, if they did, that they were all completely incompetent caregivers. He didn't think he had an answer but ... it was all true and Steve glanced Danny's way, admitting it out loud.

"He could be part of ours."

"He could be," Danny softly agreed. "If some very important things do or don't happen. Just ... just ... let's be careful, okay?"

Steve ran out of words as he drove them home after a long day visiting with Angela Marcos and the Lee's. Though they were both quiet now and thinking hard, their silence was comfortable. The idea they'd all finally agreed to was both easy and complex. Again, an unprecedented use of positioning which straddled a thin line of legal right and wrong. They had visited the Lee's home where C.J. had instantly backed himself into a corner, refusing to talk by literally sliding down the kitchen wall to sit on his hands. As anticipated, he'd been alarmed at first, shutting down all over again as his mistrust came to the fore. This time, Danny had to laugh and, as he drove, Steve grinned to himself at the recent memory. Oddly enough, Danny's honest show of amusement had eased C.J.'s mind. The rolled eyes and flailing hands had caught C.J. by surprise and he'd relaxed enough to eventually poke around the Lee's quaint home.

Then with Janice Lee's help, they'd explained a new idea to C.J. An idea where the Lee's would watch him during the day so that Steve and Danny could do police work. During the visit, he and Danny had even learned something very important. Baby sign language was not exactly the same as American Sign Language; while there were some similarities, there were just as many refinements and C.J. seemed to know an odd mix of the two. But overall, his grasp of ASL was severely limited. At least in Janice's opinion. His education had started and then stopped. A truth which might be an important clue in the scheme of things.

No matter, with her help, Steve and Danny learned a good many more words and phrases to help them communicate with the boy; so for them, the interaction had been an exciting boon. But they would all constantly need to prove to C.J. that Steve and Danny were telling the truth. That they would indeed be retrieving him each evening so that he could come ... home.

Using that particular word set off all kinds of alarms for the adults, but its use was necessary for C.J. to understand and potentially cope with the unique arrangement.

After all, C.J. had signed the word himself while pointedly staring at Danny and then Steve.

He'd resolutely signed it again, politely smiling to Janice Lee finally trusting that she would explain the finger sign. Joining his fingers to his thumb, he touched his cheek near the side of his mouth. He moved his hand just a bit towards his ear and then touched the side of his mouth again. Sensing that the adults' visit had finally come to an end, C.J. then blatantly opted to take Danny's hand. The boy had virtually been melded to his partner since and as he continued to drive home, Steve smiled to himself.

H5O* H5O

Bernfeld found the proof just prior to checking out of the hotel, but it wasn't what he'd wanted to learn. True, he'd looked but he'd not truly believed he'd find what he had. He thought he'd seen it all and he'd been ignorant which wasn't an easy pill to swallow. His discovery strengthened his belief that the Jane Doe in that Honolulu hospital was his Marjorie Gardner. And based on what he'd found on the dark web, inclusive of pictures of her little boy, things were escalating quickly. Without his mother to protect him, the kid was in the worst jeopardy possible at the hands of his birth father.

"You son of a bitch," Bernfeld muttered under his breath, consumed by his thoughts and wondering what kind of man could even consider doing what he intended to a child as he toed off his shoes at the security checkpoint. He needed to get to Oahu as soon as possible ... find the kid ... get to Marjorie ... then? Then he would indeed deal with the man.

"Excuse me?" The TSA Agent said.

"What?" Bernfeld asked coming back to the present in a rush. He blinked almost stupidly into the annoyed face of a very large, well-muscled man, not realizing until that moment that he'd spoken out loud.

"What did you just call me?" Brow furrowed, the agent had been listening and was suddenly on alert and posturing threateningly in Bernfeld's personal space.

"What? No ... no!" Covering quickly for the gaff, Bernfeld purposefully stammered while tapping the bluetooth he'd forgotten in his ear. At least that part was true, he had forgotten about the small device and he took it now.

"Sorry. Not you," he replied with an apologetic smile as he dropped the accessory into the surveillance bin. "Boss. He's a jerk; and ... well, I'm sorry. This trip isn't a vacation for me and based on his expectations, if I don't make quota by end of the month, this trip will also be my last for the company."

Bernfeld tried to look genuinely embarrassed as he kept the explanation short. Talking too much and maintaining the lie would raise more alarms than just the offering of a few basic words.

"Sure," the agent drawled, not too sure of the honesty behind Bernfeld's excuse. He gestured Bernfeld forward, still watching. Continuing to watch him as he proceeded through the checkpoint without issue and Bernfeld swallowed his distasteful grimace.

He didn't feel as if he wasn't being watched anymore until he got to his gate, fidgeting and knee jumping as he waited impatiently to board his flight. He forgot about the TSA agent soon after because he needed to get to Oahu yesterday.

~ to be continued ~