Chapter 10

Danny woke up the next morning and rolled over to find an empty other side of the bed. He looked around and found Cassie standing out on the balcony talking on the phone. She saw him and waved, and a minute later she was back inside.

She climbed back under the covers and snuggled up next to him. "Morning."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Morning."

"Had to call Mom and Dad, and I didn't want to wake you up since it's still a bit early. Yes, I am a grown woman and I still check in with my parents at least once a week."

Danny chuckled. "As a parent, I approve. Can you share that little detail with Grace, too?"

"I'm happy to set a good example, though I don't think you ever have to worry about Grace not wanting to talk to you."

"Yeah, maybe."

Cassie moved so she could lay one arm across Danny's chest and prop her chin on it. "Danny," she said seriously, "you and Grace, nothing is going to come between you two. Spend five minutes with either of you, and anyone can tell that."

Danny smoothed her hair away from her face. "Thank you." She smiled and Danny had a thought. "Hey, what did you tell your parents just now?"

Cassie quickly laid her cheek back on his chest. "You know, the launch went well, Hawaii is lovely and I'm glad I've gotten to see some of it, I've met some really great people."

"And what did you tell them about where you are right now?"

Danny could actually feel her blush. "I'm an adult. I call them, but I don't have to tell them everything."

She sounded peeved, and Danny wanted to laugh. "What was that you were saying about Grace wanting to talk to me?"

"Oh, nothing's going to stop her from talking to you, but that doesn't mean she's going to tell you everything." She shifted back to look up at him. "Would you want to know that Grace had a guy waiting for her in bed when she got off the phone?" Danny looked so horrified that Cassie burst into laughter.

"That's a terrible thing to say!" He poked her in the side and she twisted away and laughed, and then her phone rang. Still laughing, she checked it and said, "Here. You can get back at me for that." She sat up, cross-legged, tapped the phone, and said, "Hey, Jen."

"Hey, Cassie. How's paradise?"

"Pretty damn awesome, actually. Fair warning, I've got you on speaker."

"You working?"

"Nope."

"So who's there with you?" She could hear Jen thinking. "At seven in the morning on a Saturday?" There was a pause and Cassie held a finger up to Danny to say wait for it. "Cassandra Wallace, do you have a boy with you?"

Cassie laughed and said, "Jen, Danny. Danny, Jen. Letting you embarrass me by phone is penance for reminding Danny that his daughter is going to start dating one day."

"How old is she?"

"Thirteen," Danny said.

"Oh, you poor, poor man."

"You're not helping!" Cassie said.

"Okay, Danny, because my darling sister-in-law obviously likes you, let me distract you from your daughter's future dating adventures by instead grilling you. How did you meet Cassie?"

Danny huffed a laugh. "Actually, my daughter introduced us."

"Well, that's a good sign. What do you do for a living?"

Danny looked at Cassie, who nodded. "I'm a cop. I'm part of a special state task force based here in Honolulu."

"Mmm-hmm. And you like our Cassie, yes?"

"As a matter of fact, very much, yes."

"Well, then. It's lovely to meet you, even if by phone. Take care of our girl while she's there. Come visit the East Coast sometime soon, okay? And since you two likely have better - things - to do, I'm going to let you go. Call me when you can, Cass."

"I'll talk to you later, Jen. Bye!"

She hung up and gave Danny an uncertain but hopeful look. He said with raised eyebrows, "So that's your sister-in-law."

"She's a force of nature."

"So are you," Danny said admiringly. Cassie narrowed her eyes, a little surprised by the compliment. He sat up more and pulled her close. "Thank you for introducing me to your family."

She wrapped her arms around him. "You know she meant it, that you should come visit?" He stilled, and she said, "I'm not getting anywhere near that topic, really. Just… you're always welcome. And I would look forward to you meeting the rest of my family, too."

Danny held her for a moment, and when she leaned back, he saw nothing but certainty in her eyes. So he showed her he felt the same way.

They made it down to the restaurant for breakfast, because Cassie couldn't wait to try the macadamia nut french toast with coconut syrup. Danny kept his comments about adorableness to himself, but readily indulged her breakfast food glee.

After breakfast, they sat out on the balcony while Cassie wrote out some points for her speech on Monday. She tested them on Danny, who paid attention not only to what she said, but how she put her remarks together. She was a perfectionist, and when she started to get wrapped around the axle of finding a better word for a phrase that was already really good, Danny leaned over and dragged her chair in his direction.

"Hey!"

He put his hands on her knees and said, "It's amazing that you're putting so much time and thought into getting this just right. I know the students and the governor are going to appreciate it. But you're going in circles, babe, starting to change things just to change them. Why don't you put that down for a while and then come back to it later with fresh eyes?"

She stopped and stared at him, then closed her eyes. "I was spiraling, wasn't I?"

"Little bit, yeah."

She opened her eyes and saw the patient, supportive man sitting across from her. She set her computer on the table next to the chair, and leaned forward to kiss him. "Thank you." She leaned back into her chair and propped her feet up in his lap, and they sat for the rest of the morning quietly enjoying each other's company.

Steve waited until almost noon to call Danny, hoping that his friend was having a relaxing morning.

"Hey, what's up?" Danny answered the phone before the second ring, so Steve figured he wasn't otherwise occupied right then.

"Just checking in. How you doing?"

"Are you worried about me, Steven?"

"No…"

"That sounded convincing."

Steve sighed. "It's just… This thing with Cassie seems kind of sudden. I don't think it's a bad thing, partner; it's just not like you. I'm sure she's great, it's just..."

"You think she's not who she says she is?" Steve was silent. "If you're so worried, just run a background check on her." Steve was even more silent. "Ah. You already have."

"Hey, I was being prudent. It wouldn't be the first time someone has tried to come after us using - alternative - methods."

"So…?"

"So, what?"

"Tell me what you found out. I'm assuming it wasn't much, if anything, otherwise you'd have already been here, guns blazing. But you're not going to be happy until you tell me, so…"

"She's exactly who she says she is. No record past a minor fender bender. Has a security clearance for work. She has to file financial disclosure forms, too; no issues there."

"You satisfied?"

"Yeah." Steve paused. "You like her, don't you."

Danny said firmly, "Yeah. I do."

"You're coming back to town today, right?"

"That's the plan."

"The other reason I called is to tell you that the team decided to do dinner at Grover's tonight. Why don't you bring Cassie?"

"You think I should?" Danny asked quietly.

Steve sighed to himself. He wasn't sure if Danny was asking for his opinion or his approval, but it didn't matter. Either way, he wanted to get to know the woman who'd captured the attention of his best friend. Given that Danny bore the scars of relationships past, Steve was still surprised he had pursued anything at all. "Yeah, I think you should bring her tonight. So much of you is tied up in the team, so let her get to know us. And I think we'd all like to get to know her."

"Bring her in closer, right?"

"Yeah, exactly." Steve was surprised Danny remembered his words of advice from when they were trapped in the collapsed building.

Steve could hear Danny thinking, and wasn't surprised when he replied, "Because that worked so well for me last time." But then Danny sighed and said, "I'm sorry. It's still good advice. Just because it didn't work out last time doesn't mean it was the wrong thing to do." There was another pause, and then Steve heard, "I'd like her to meet everyone. I'll ask her, but I think we'll be there."

Danny was leaning against the car when Cassie walked out of the hotel. He was tapping his phone against his other hand, and looked deep in thought. She walked up to him, and his head jerked up, like he was surprised.

She stopped in front of him and asked, "You okay?"

He nodded and moved to hold her, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, one circling her waist. She slipped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. He turned his head to kiss her cheek. "You want to have dinner with the rest of my team tonight?" She pulled back a little, not expecting that. Danny let her go, but rested his hands on her hips. "Steve called. He was, uh, just checking in," he grimaced to show what he thought about his partner's motives, "and to let us know about dinner."

Cassie placed her hands on Danny's chest and played with the edges of his shirt around the buttons. "Do you want me there?"

"Yes." Danny's answer was confident, and she relaxed her hands against him. "I would like for them to meet you, and for you to get to know them."

Cassie studied him, then nodded. "I'd like that, too."

"Okay." He let her go, and she stepped back. Danny held out a hand in invitation and said, "Lunch and a walk around town? I'll tell you what Steve found on your background check."

She laughed and took his hand. They left the car at the hotel while they walked around town and found a good spot for lunch. They spent the afternoon seeing a few sights, and then drove back into Honolulu so they could be on time for dinner.

They pulled up in front of Lou's house, Danny deftly parking the car next to the curb behind Steve's truck. Something had caught Cassie's attention, and she said softly, "Oh, now there's a beauty."

He put the car in park and turned to see what she was looking at. She tapped the window at the car parked across the street. Danny almost laughed. "You know, I think I might be jealous."

She reached out and, not looking at him, patted the car's dash, which caused Danny to want to laugh again. "You know your car is hot. But it's all showy muscle. That pretty thing over there is classic power." She turned to him and patted his hand like she'd patted the car. "Besides, even though this car definitely suits you, it's still a Chevy."

His eyebrows climbed. "You have something against Chevys?"

She shrugged. "I'm a Ford girl."

Danny shook his head and pulled out his phone. When Cassie went to open her door, he gave her a look, and said, "Just wait, please?"

She humored him and sat quietly while he walked around the car, sending a quick text. He opened her door, and by the time they'd made it to the sidewalk leading to the front door of the house, that door had opened and two men walked out.

Danny waited on them, sighing silently at the one who couldn't follow directions. "Cassie, this is Chin Ho Kelly, who I asked to come out here, and Steve McGarrett, my partner, who I did not ask to come out here." He pointed at each man as he introduced them, glaring a bit at Steve. "Guys, this is Cassie Wallace." Before Cassie could shake their hands, Danny looked at her and waved his hand with a flourish in Chin's direction. "Go ahead. Do your gushing thing."

Cassie gave him a confused look and then understanding dawned. She grinned at him, and said, "Really?"

Danny rolled his eyes affectionately at her. "Yes, really."

Cassie turned to Chin, who was looking on half-amused and half-confused, and said sincerely, "The Mustang is gorgeous." She tilted her head toward Danny. "He's just a little irked that I like your car better than his."

Chin threw his head back and laughed. Danny shook his head, and Cassie bumped his arm with hers. She said to Chin and Steve, "Actually, I think he might be more disturbed that I professed my loyalty to Ford."

Danny groused, "I drove a Mustang. Once. The Camaro is better."

Chin, still laughing, said, "Say the word and I'll let you take her for a drive."

"My dad had a '66, but he sold it before I was old enough to drive, so I may just take you up on that." Then Cassie threw a look at Danny. "You haven't let me drive your car."

"Because you keep falling asleep when we're out."

Chin shook his head like he was disappointed in his teammate. "I'll talk to him about that. It's no Mustang, but the Camaro is fun to drive."

Steve was watching the whole exchange with fascination, and Danny looked at him while Cassie and Chin chatted. "See, you didn't need to be here," Danny said.

"I thought this might be better than throwing everyone at her at once."

Danny snorted. "Just admit you're curious, babe."

Steve shrugged a tiny bit. "Okay, sure."

Danny shook his head, but reached out to place his hand on Cassie's arm. She turned immediately, and Danny waved his other hand at Steve. "For what it's worth, I do not understand the fascination with cars older than I am, but if we're going to have an old-car off…"

Chin picked up Danny's cue seamlessly. "Oh, yes, the Marquis."

Cassie looked at Steve. "You have a Marquis?"

Steve nodded. "A '74."

She poked Danny's arm. "See? Ford." To Steve, she said, "Does she run?"

Danny snorted. "Occasionally." He wasn't sure whether to be amused or terrified of the identical glares Cassie and Steve shot him. Chin, of course, laughed.

Steve said, "It was my dad's, and I'm rebuilding it." To Danny, he said, "Yes, it is a slow process…"

"But that's half the fun," Cassie finished his sentence, and it was Steve's turn to give Danny a 'so, there' look.

Danny dropped his chin to his chest and sighed. When he looked up, he noticed curtains twitching in the windows. He put his hand on Cassie's back and pointed them all to the door. "Why don't we go inside before everyone else ends up out here?"

Lou opened the door before they got there, and waved them all in. Danny tried to manage the introductions so as not to overwhelm Cassie. He shouldn't have worried, though. As soon as she'd said hi to Grover, Kono stepped forward, a huge grin on her face, and Cassie, without saying a word, gave her big hug. The two women broke apart laughing, and Lou looked at Danny and Chin.

"I'm assuming there's some context there we don't know about?"

Over her shoulder, Kono said, "Oh, Danny knows."

"Kono and I are practically old friends," Cassie added.

Kono looped her arm through Cassie's and said, "Here, let me introduce you to everyone else."

Danny raised his eyebrows, but let them go without comment. Lou looked at him in askance, and Danny shook his head. "I've annoyed Kono all week; I'm not about to get in her way now."

Lou looked at the two women, and then back at Danny. He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "This is why she kept asking you about the conference?" Danny nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets. Lou clapped him on the shoulder. "Beer is in the kitchen and there's a game on in the den. You might as well get comfortable while you wait."

Danny took him up on that, but grabbed two beers and carried one to Cassie. She took it with a smile. Danny gave her a questioning look, silently asking if she was good. Cassie nodded twice, reassuring him that she was fine. He brushed her arm with his hand as he left her to talking with Kono, Adam, and Renee.

After a little while, Renee called everyone to come eat. Danny found Cassie talking with Kono and Adam, and stole her away to walk with her into the kitchen. After filling plates, he led her out to the lanai, where Lou had set up a few tables.

Danny pointed Cassie to an empty space at one of the tables, planning to sit across from her, but before he could, Steve sat down there with a full plate. Danny caught her eye, and she gave him a small smile and shook her head. She'd figured this conversation would take place at some point. So Danny mouthed "yell if you need backup" and moved to another table where he could still see her.

Steve focused on his food for a moment, then looked at Cassie. She looked back evenly, but instead of waiting for him to speak, she attacked first. "Did you find everything you needed on the background check?"

Steve's eyebrows went up. "What makes you think I ran a background check?"

"Other than Danny telling me you probably did?" She shrugged.

Steve cut his eyes at his partner, who just waved to make him turn his attention back to Cassie. Steve said, "I did find everything I needed, yeah."

Cassie smiled at him. "So."

Steve echoed her. "So." He looked at Danny again, who rolled his eyes. Steve relaxed a bit, and said quietly, "He doesn't do this, you know. He's not impulsive."

Cassie nodded. "I do know that. And I know it looks like it, but he wasn't impulsive. And neither was I. It was fast, but not impulsive."

Steve thought about that. "He hasn't really talked about it yet. I didn't know he was seeing you until yesterday."

"I think," Cassie said slowly, "that both of us were trying to find our footing. Are still trying, to be honest. Finding each other was unexpected. And as far as what comes next, well, we're welding the engine to the plane as we taxi down the runway. Neither of us knows what happens next."

Steve didn't say anything, but he looked thoughtful, so Cassie continued. "Are you asking me what my intentions are towards your partner?"

Steve laughed a little at that. "Yeah, I guess I am." He tilted his head. "You don't live here, so I'm just wondering where this goes."

"Well, first of all, I'm here for five more days. I know that doesn't seem like a lot of time, but it was enough to get us here. And second, you know, there are flights between here and DC. Or here and there and somewhere in the middle. It's not ideal, but it's not like we can never see each other again."

"So you want to see him after you leave?" Cassie raised her eyebrows and cocked her head, and her expression said, well that's a dumb question. Steve added, "Would you move here to be with him?"

Cassie heard a fork drop and looked to see Danny start to move, but she shook her head quickly at him.

"You know, Danny got to talk to my sister-in-law this morning. I expect he'll be having a similar conversation with my brother soon enough." She paused, not in hesitation but for emphasis. She said quietly, but firmly, "We haven't talked about it. If Danny wants to talk it out with you, he will. I'm not going to speak for him - or for us - until he and I have talked."

Steve sat back and studied her, then finally nodded. "So. How'd the launch go?" He dug into the food on his plate.

If Cassie was phased by the sudden change in topics, she didn't show it. "Beautifully. Got all the data we could have hoped for." She pointed a fork at him. "Had a good Navy crew working with us, too."

Steve lifted a shoulder as if to say of course. "What did you learn?"

Cassie told him a little more about the mission, and wasn't surprised when Chin and Lou sat down next to her and Steve to ask a few more questions about the launch. Chin asked how she'd liked the North Shore and told her about a couple of other places she might want to check out.

"You're here at a good time. Weather this time of year is usually pretty nice, but we've had a stretch of exceptionally good weeks."

Lou looked at Steve and Chin. "Hey, speaking of weather, when was the last time Oahu was hit by a hurricane?"

The two men looked at each other, and Chin said. "Oahu? Iniki probably did the most damage in '92, but it just skirted the island. Kauai usually gets the worst of any storms - Oahu gets the edges. But as a whole, we're kind of out of the path of most storms."

"Huh. I heard there's a tropical system headed in our general direction that might become a hurricane. First time I've ever seen that kind of forecast here."

Chin nodded. "It is that time of year, but they usually turn before they get close. I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Cassie nodded. "We saw that on the long-range forecast. If we'd had to slip the launch any, we might have run into a problem with the weather."

"Hurricanes were something we definitely didn't have to worry about in Chicago. I'd be just as happy if I didn't have to worry about it here."

Steve's phone rang and he stepped to the far end of the lanai to answer it. When's Danny's phone rang about 15 seconds later, Chin and Lou exchanged glances and started picking up their plates. Cassie observed, but could guess what was about to happen. Kono stepped outside and asked, "Where's Steve?" Chin pointed in his direction, just as Steve hung up, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

Danny said, "Thanks, Duke," and hung up. He looked over at Steve. "The Governor?"

"Yeah. Someone hit the Museum of Art and stole several paintings."

Kono said, pointing a thumb behind her, "It's all over the news. The museum is open late tonight for a gala event, and it looks like they walked out with the artwork during the event."

Steve nodded. "The governor was attending, and he'd like us to have a visible presence there working with HPD."

Danny spoke up. "Duke says they're taking statements from both guests and staff, and they've got the area roped off."

"Great. Kono and Lou, can you work with Duke and talk with the guests and museum staff? And Chin, check the security cameras to see if we can get anything that might give us an idea of what happened. Danny and I will check in with the governor and talk to the museum curator about what was taken and if they have any idea why."

"Got it, boss," Kono said, and Chin nodded.

Renee walked outside, and waved at Lou, who was getting ready to carry things into the kitchen. "Go on. I'll take care of this."

He kissed her on the cheek and headed to get his gear. "You're the best, sweetheart."

"And don't you forget it!" she called after him.

Danny was already moving towards Cassie. He dropped into the empty chair next to her and leaned forward. "I gotta go, babe."

She nodded. "I know. I'll be fine, Danny. Let me grab my stuff out of your car, and I'll call a cab to take me to a hotel."

Danny huffed. "Not a chance."

"You don't have to worry about me. Really. Go, catch bad guys."

He took her hands and looked at her seriously. "I don't know how long we're going to be out, but I will be home tonight and it would make me very happy to have you there with me. If you'd rather stay here with Renee while we're at the scene, or if you're uncomfortable being at my place alone, you should stay and I will pick you up when we're done. I know I can send you out there to find a hotel and you will be fine, but I'll worry less if you don't have to do that."

Seeing that he was sincere, Cassie said, "If it's okay with Renee, I think I'd rather not be by myself."

Renee stopped at Cassie's chair and put a hand on her shoulder. "Of course, you're welcome to stay here."

Steve added from across the room, "Danny, why don't you leave your car here in case Cassie needs it? We'll take the truck."

"You mean you're going to drive your own vehicle? Steven, are you feeling okay?"

Steve smirked. "Get your gear, Danno. Let's move."

"it's terrifying when you're nice. You know that?"

"I'm always nice." Steve walked out the door, with a "leaving in 90 seconds!" tossed over his shoulder.

Danny stood and pulled his keys out of his pocket. He handed them to Cassie, who looked amused at the exchange between Danny and Steve. "If you decide you want to head to the house, here's the key. The alarm isn't set right now, so you don't have to worry about that. Renee can give you directions. Text me if you do and I'll have Steve drop me off there."

Cassie nodded and stood with him. Her amusement had faded into concern, so Danny pulled her inside the house and out of the way of the sudden flurry of activity. "Hey. I'm sorry I'm messing up our weekend." She started to shake her head, but Danny cupped her face with his hands and continued. "I promise I will be back soon." He kissed her, then stepped away checking her expression one more time. She gave him a smile and a firm nod, and he turned to go find his partner.

Danny was too quiet on the other side of the truck, so Steve finally asked, "Everything okay, buddy?"

"Yeah. I'm just… I'm fine."

Steve nodded, letting it go for a moment. "She really is great, Danny. More than a match for you."

"Thanks. I think." He leaned his head back against the seat with a tiny thump.

"That's a good thing, right?" Steve looked at his partner.

"It's a great thing. And that's the problem. She's a great thing that lives thousands of miles away."

"Have you talked about it?"

"Ah, no. We've talked about everything but the literal ocean between us." Danny sighed heavily.

Steve nodded, pursing his lips. "Would you want her to move here?"

"No, Steven. I like her. I wouldn't encourage anyone to move to this pineapple-infested hellhole, especially someone who likes seasons and snow and real pizza." He sighed and closed his eyes. "And yes. I would very much like it if she moved here. But I've known her for six days. And even if it were six months, it's really not fair for me to ask her to do something I can't."

"Shit."

Danny looked at him. "I know, right?"

"No, I just… you like her."

"Yes, Steven. That's what we've been talking about. I like her."

"I mean, you like her like her."

Danny stared at him. "What are we, five? The fact that I like her has been established."

Steve sighed. "I thought… I just mean that I haven't seen you this worked up over a woman since Gabby." Danny sighed again, loudly. Steve looked over, apologetically. "Sorry, buddy. It sucks that you're dealing with the same thing again."

Danny sat silently for a long moment, staring out the window. "It's not the same," he said quietly.

Steve pulled the car up to the crime scene, as close to the yellow tape as he could get. "What do you mean?"

Danny waved him off. He knew it wasn't, but he couldn't articulate why. And now wasn't the time to get into it anyway.

Duke met them at the police tape, and gave them a quick rundown. He pointed them toward some of the museum staff, who were waiting to speak with Five-0. Danny and Steve went through the group asking questions, and when they met up again fifteen minutes later, they had information, but nothing that seemed to indicate motive or identities.

Danny filled Steve in on what he had learned. "Looks like the only reason we even know something is gone is that the building alarm went off."

Steve nodded. "The paintings were in a part of the building not being used for the event. The alarms for those particular rooms were disabled in such a way that it didn't trip any master alarms. No one noticed anything out of the ordinary, and the staff I talked to said they probably wouldn't have noticed the missing art if it weren't a standard procedure to clear the building by walking through it when there's a building alarm."

Danny said, "So we have missing art that's not connected to the exhibit, and they didn't take anything from the guests. No one was hurt, and it seems like if anyone saw the thieves, they didn't know it."

"They must have tripped the main alarm when they exited the building."

"How could they do such an effective job on not setting off any of the interior alarms and then screw up with the big one?"

Steve shook his head. "Maybe they didn't take it into account? Let's see if Chin's been able to get anything from the tapes, or if any of the guests saw anything."

They caught up with the rest of the team, but none of them had anything definitive. Chin volunteered to run what they did have over to the crime lab, and Steve sent the rest of them home while he went to brief the governor.

Both the kids were staying at friends for the night, so after she, Cassie, and Adam cleaned up the remains of dinner, and Adam had headed home, Renee grabbed a bottle of wine, two glasses, and took them out to the lanai where Cassie was sitting. She poured a glass for Cassie and then one for herself. Cassie thanked her with a smile, and took a drink.

Renee settled back in a chair and drank from her glass. "How're you doing?"

Cassie didn't even pretend to misunderstand her question. "I'm not quite sure. I don't know if I should worry. I don't even know if it's my place to worry."

Renee made a noise that was half agreement, half protest. "You do actually get used to it, even if that's disturbing in and of itself. You always worry, but you'll learn when to kick that worry into high alert." She took another drink. "And from what I saw tonight, it is absolutely your place. Danny is crazy about you."

Cassie demurred quietly, and Renee cut a sideways look at her. "Please, girl. The way he looks at you? And it means something that he brought you here tonight."

"I know," Cassie said, playing with her glass.

"It means something that you came here with him, too, doesn't it?"

Renee's question sounded more like a statement, and Cassie turned to her and smiled. "I would have done it just because he asked me to, but yes, I think it meant more than that."

Renee nodded, satisfied. "Good. You hang on to that."

The two women sat, mostly not talking, just appreciating the cooler evening weather and the company of someone who understood. When Renee heard tires in the drive, she smiled and sat forward. "That's Lou's truck." Cassie thought she might go meet him at the door, but instead Renee waited until the glass door slid open and Lou stepped out onto the lanai. He leaned over and kissed his wife's cheek and she smiled happily up at him.

Cassie was surprised to see Danny behind him, and turned to sit sideways on her chair. "Hey." She set her glass down on the table as he walked around Lou and held out a hand. She took it and he pulled her up into a quick hug.

"Steve is stuck briefing the governor, so I caught another ride." He tilted his head toward Lou.

The ride in question, with his hand on his wife's shoulder, said, "Nothing else to do tonight, so might as well get some rest while we can." He looked pointedly at Danny. "Take your girl home, Williams. I'll see you tomorrow."

Danny looked at Cassie. "Ready?"

She nodded, and when Renee stood, gave her a warm hug. "Thank you. For dinner and everything."

Renee patted her back. "Remember what I said."

Lou walked them to the door, and when they were in the car, Danny shifted to face her, but instead of saying anything, he just watched her. She looked at him, curiously at first, then finally smiling. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," she replied.

He flipped one hand up. "For now, we've done all we can do. There's something weird about this case, but I don't know what it is yet."

"You want to tell me about it?"

Danny thought. "Yeah. Let me tell you what we know." He talked most of the way home, except for her occasional question, and when he pulled into his driveway, he thought that he felt better about the case. Not closer to solving anything, but his mind didn't feel jumbled with all the facts and theories.

But once they got inside, Danny didn't know what to do with himself. He gave her a tour of the house, puttered around getting her settled, and generally couldn't seem to sit still. Cassie ended up sitting quietly on the couch, thinking, while Danny fixed tea.

He walked in and carefully handed her the mug. He didn't sit down, but instead moved a pile of something from the coffee table to another table.

Cassie said, "Danny." He looked at her, and she pointed her chin at the couch while turning to sit cross-legged facing the other end of the couch, hands wrapped around the mug. He sat, and even then he didn't stay still, tapping his fingers and shifting on the couch.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

She tilted her head to look at him more closely. "Is it weird having me here?"

Startled, he jerked his head up. "No." When she just raised her eyebrows at him, he relented. "Maybe a little. It's not you, specifically, it's just…" He thought about it. "This whole week has been… like a break from my real life. And today that break collided with my real life, and it's thrown me a little bit."

He looked at her evenly, and she looked down into her mug, trying to find the right question to ask next. When she looked up, Danny could see the vulnerability there, like she wanted to ask her question but maybe didn't want the answer.

"Is it - this week, today," she waved a hand to indicate everything he'd just said, "a good thing or..." she trailed off.

He did the only thing he could do - he took a deep breath, looked her in the eye, and told her the truth. "It's a very good thing, that's going to break my heart." Cassie blinked at him, tears forming in her eyes, and Danny couldn't stand it. He reached a hand out and brushed the drops away. "And that's my own damn fault, not any of yours, babe." He hesitated. "Can I tell you about something?"

Cassie nodded, not able to speak.

Danny scooted back a bit, needing some space to tell her the story, even though it hurt to not be touching her. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly for time to think. "A few years ago, I was dating someone." He held up a hand quickly. "And I'm not comparing you to her either. But… the situation is not dissimilar." He gathered more words. "Gabby was offered a job on the mainland, and she took it. She came back, but then was offered another one. And she offered to stay, but I wouldn't let her chose me over the job. I told her she needed to go, but I ended things because I couldn't see us ending well. I just saw… an ending." He leaned forward, wanting her to understand. "So this," he motioned between them, "is all my fault. Because I should have known better. I know there's only one way this ends."

Cassie sat silent, and took a long moment to set her cup down on the coffee table while Danny watched her. When she looked up, Danny couldn't decipher the look in her eyes, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Danny knew she was more than upset. She was well on her way to being pissed.

"So, this," Cassie made the same gesture, but sharper, "is all you?" Danny started to nod, and she stopped him with "I had no say in what's been going on this last week?"

"No, I just mean the fact that it's going to hurt both of us when you leave - that's my fault."

"So all of this - getting to know each other, this really great week, being happy - that's all been a bad thing in reality because it has to end."

Danny nodded emphatically. "Yes."

"And if you'd just, what, ignored me? Not asked me out? This all would have ended differently, and so this is all on you?"

Danny tilted his head from side to side. "Basically, yeah."

"Danny," she said slowly, patiently but frustrated, "where am I from?"

Confused, but not wanting to upset her more, he answered, "Washington."

"Do you think I remembered that when you asked me out on a date and I said yes?"

"I would hope so."

"And I think we can stipulate that, since you more or less asked me out for two dates during that particular conversation, I did not forget that fact the next time we went out. So we can agree that when I said yes to those dates, I was fully aware of the geographic challenges. In case it needs saying explicitly, I did not forget when I asked you to go to the North Shore with me, or when I agreed to meet your team."

She was getting wound up and oddly enough, that made Danny feel better. It also made him want to pick her up and carry her back to the bedroom, but he thought that might be the wrong reaction to have at that particular moment.

"And if that weren't enough, the fact that we agreed on Friday that we weren't ready to talk about the distance thing yet, shows that we've both been thinking about it." She held her hands up like she wanted to strangle something. Then she rubbed her hands over her eyes and looked right at him "Danny, is this a fling?"

Taken aback by the question, Danny took a second to answer. But when he did, it was solid and heartfelt. "No. I don't know what we are, but even from the first time we met, when I hoped to see you again at the bar, I've never thought of us as a fling."

She nodded. "Then you do not get to take responsibility for this on your own. I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew when I said yes that I was going to have to get on a plane at the end of this trip, and that that moment was going to suck. I don't know what we do yet, but I do know that if you can't see that where we are isn't your fault alone - that I have just as much say and effect on... whatever we are - then there's not much point even having that conversation."

She sat back and crossed her arms. Danny thought about her words, and realized that he'd gotten caught in a worry spiral. He'd just assumed that, because he knew there was a goodbye in their future that things would end badly, and that it would be his fault. Because that was the way things worked. He looked up at her, and saw by her expression that she didn't blame him. Oh, she was still pissed at him, no doubt about that, but she hadn't written him off. Yet. And if she did, that would be his fault, because he couldn't accept that she had just as much say in what had, and would, happen.

And then he realized what he hadn't been able to articulate in the truck earlier with Steve. It wasn't the same. He wanted to fight for his growing relationship with Cassie. He wanted it to work, whatever he needed to do. He wasn't going to give up without trying, but more importantly, he realized that she was right there with him. He knew what it was like to go into a fight with good people, and he felt that way now - she had his back and and he had hers. As long as he remembered they were in this together, whatever happened would work out okay.

Danny sighed. "You're right," he said, and she relaxed just a tiny bit. "You know, you forgot something though." Cassie's eyes narrowed, and she gave him a confused look. "Technically," he said, "it can't be my fault, babe," and leaned forward like he was letting her in on a secret. "Because you asked me out first."

Danny was delighted to see the look of surprise cross her face, and then a smug smile.

"Damn straight," Cassie said. She lunged for him and Danny caught her as their mouths met. She pushed him back and he wrapped his arms around her, then slid his hands down to pull her knees toward him. She ended up straddling him as he tried to get as much contact as he could. Between breathless kisses, Danny murmured, "You know, we still have to talk about…"

Cassie leaned back a little, her arms laced around Danny's neck. "Do you want to talk about it now?" Danny laughed, low and husky, and the sound sent delightful shivers through her. "So, that's a no?"

Danny pulled her back to him and took his time kissing her, moving down from her mouth to the bend where her neck met her shoulder. When he looked up again, he said, "If you want to talk now, we will talk now. But, to be honest, my brain is somewhat occupied at the moment." She nodded, but Danny wanted to make sure she was really okay. He was the one that pulled back then, running his hands over her face, brushing her hair back so he could see her clearly. "Hey, Cass. I'm not trying to deflect here. I want to talk - we have to talk - and you're right that I was overstepping on the responsibility front. But I am also really, really turned on. That speech was very hot, babe."

She shook her head at him, but couldn't help the ends of her mouth curling up even though she tried not to smile. "You are incorrigible."

"This is true," Danny said, nodding.

She bent back towards him, holding herself so that only their lips touched, and this time their kiss was intense and slow. Danny lost himself in that kiss, and for once, didn't worry about what was going to happen next.

She slid off him to stand, holding out a hand. He took it and she said, "We'll talk about it tomorrow."