Chapter 10

"Unexpected"

Steve sat at his desk trying to figure out how he had been left behind to do paperwork while Danny and Chin had teamed up to follow a lead. They seemed to have bonded recently in a way Steve did not understand. He thought it was strange, especially after he heard Chin say something about Danny being his sidekick. Not that Steve minded; it was just…strange.

He tapped his fingers on the desk trying to ignore the fact that Kono was in the main room at the surface table doing something he considered suspicious. She kept glancing at him when she did not think he was looking, which made him wonder what she was up to.

As he became more restless he swiveled his chair from side to side. He would give anything for a reason to get outside and escape from the monotonous paperwork and boredom of this slow case. He was the boss, of course, and he could skip out if he wanted to, but he liked to lead by example.

Finally, his need to move and his curiosity about what Kono was doing won out. He stood up and went to investigate what had captured her attention.

She heard him coming and before he could get a good look at the screen she swiped her hand across the surface table removing the evidence of what she was viewing.

"What are you doin'?" he asked, inclining his head toward the screen.

"Nothing," she replied nonchalantly.

"Then the things you had up on the screen have something to do with our case?"

Kono looked away for a moment and bit her top lip before swiping her hand across the table again. She watched her boss' eyes widen with surprise as several articles, pictures and a driver's license for Nicole Millay appeared on the screen. She waited for a reprimand, but none came.

Steve understood why Danny described Nicole as a goddess. He was amazed that his little brother, who never had time for girls, knew a woman like this. He cleared his throat. "So…you've been looking into Nicole Millay."

"Yeah," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Do you mind if I help?"

Kono looked at him with amazement. "You wanna help?"

"Sure, why not. I'm a little curious about her myself. What have you found out so far?"

Kono was more than happy to answer that question and she launched into an informative monologue, just like she would for a suspect. "She's a twenty-five year old party girl. There's no mention of her being employed, doing volunteer work or being connected with any charities. She's the only child of Edward and Silvia Millay. The mother is deceased and the father is a real-estate tycoon. He's worth millions. And his daughter seems to take full advantage of that. She spent 100,000 dollars on a party for her dog last year."

"Her dog?" Steve questioned Kono.

"Yeah, her dog, which she accidentally ran over three days later with her car."

Steve shook his head in disbelief. "And my brother knows her?"

"So it seems. He did refer to her as an old friend." Kono's sarcasm was not lost on Steve.

"Hey, about earlier, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I really didn't mean to imply…what I implied."

Kono sighed. "Thanks, boss. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I was just…"

"You don't need to apologize. I understand." Steve crossed his arms and studied the screen for a few moments. "Does um….Nate know how you…feel?" He glanced over at her hoping that was okay to ask.

She tucked some of her hair behind her right ear. "I doubt it."

He nodded his head. "You know," he began, "I teased Nate once about the fact he didn't have a girlfriend and he said to me, 'when I find the right girl you'll be the first to know' and then he told me to quit bugging him. He's never said anything to me about Nicole."

Kono was grateful to her boss for trying to make her feel better when he really did not have to. However, there was one thing that she wondered about. "She called him 'Jamie'. Is that a nickname?"

Steve's brow furrowed. "He let someone call him 'Jamie'? Are you sure?"

"Positive," Kono answered. "Does that have some significance?"

"Yeah, it does. Our mother called him that."

"Oh…so it's a special name."

Steve nodded his head in reply, returning his attention to the screen. He could not shake the feeling that there was more to this Nicole Millay than was evident. She was nothing like a woman he thought Nate would be attracted to, but then he did not seem to know his brother as well as he thought. Could Nate have changed that much? He made the decision to check this woman out more thoroughly.

"Kono, let me know if you find out anything else," Steve said.

"McGarrett, it's your lucky day," a voice interrupted them. The two Five-0 members turned around to face the prince of sarcasm, Jason Lynch, who was accompanied by Governor Pat Jameson. Lynch held up his hands. "Before you pull your weapons on me, I come in peace."

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

"You're doing what!" Steve exclaimed.

"Commander, please calm down," Governor Jameson directed.

"Why don't you take a seat," Lynch suggested. "You look pale."

"Don't tell me what to do in my office, Lynch," Steve replied.

"Fine," Lynch said. "I'll say it again slowly. This is a courtesy call to tell you that tomorrow I will be taking Paul Keller to the airport, and then flying him away," he said stretching his arms out like airplane wings, "back to Langley where I will…oh, I actually can't tell you what I'm gonna do with him."

"Paul Keller isn't going anywhere," Steve told him. "He is going to stay here and stand trial and be convicted of his crimes."

"In your perfect little world, perhaps, but not in mine."

Steve looked to the governor. "You're going to let him walk in here and take Keller away, just like that?"

"We're talking about an order from the President," she replied.

"What order?"

Lynch began to reach inside his blazer. His movement caused Steve to move for his gun. "Will you relax," Lynch said, slowly opening his blazer. "Look," he smiled, "no gun. See. Paper." He waved the white folded paper in front of Steve. "For you."

Steve snatched the paper from the agent's hand and read the orders. "You expect me to believe the President of the United States signed this?"

"I don't care what the hell you believe, but I'm taking Keller and there's nothing you can do about it." He smiled as he watched Steve try to control his anger.

"Governor, do you really think the President signed this order?" Steve questioned her. "I'm sure his pen never touched the paper."

"Regardless, of what we think, it's out of my hands," she replied. "And I want you to leave it alone."

"Completely alone," Lynch added. "If you come anywhere near our little parade, HPD has orders to arrest you."

Steve opened his mouth to protest, but the governor cut him off. "Commander, that was not a request that was an order." Lynch smiled in triumph, but his victory was short lived when the governor added, "However, Agent Lynch, the rest of Commander McGarrett's team will be allowed to accompany Keller to the airport."

Lynch seemed displeased, but not surprised. "Fine, we'll take the Commander's little crime fighters along. I'm sure I don't need to tell you to keep this quiet," he said to Steve. "We wouldn't want any complications, now would we?" He turned to leave, but could not resist adding one last jab. "Oh, McGarrett, I'll be sure to kiss Alex 'hello' for you when I see her. Ciao."

Steve watched the agent make his exit. He was already furious and that little comment Lynch made about Alex did not help.

If Keller had been a regular citizen, he would be standing trial here in Hawaii, not getting some free pass to Virginia. Although, one had to wonder what fate awaited him. A jail cell might be considered paradise to what he could be facing. But Steve wanted justice and this was not it.

"I'm sorry, Steve," Governor Jameson said. "There is nothing I can do."

Steve looked to his left for a moment in an effort to compose himself. Thoughts of what Keller had done to Alex and Natalie raged in his mind. They're letting him walk, he thought. And she's going along with it.

"Steve, I know this is hard for you," she continued. "I'm sure Hannah and Henri wouldn't want this either, but that's the way it is."

"With all due respect, ma'am, you don't know the extent of Keller's crimes."

Governor Jameson studied the man she had put in charge of her task force. For a moment, she saw him not as Commander Steven J. McGarrett, but simply as a man deeply affected by the wrong doings of Paul Keller. If it had been up to her, she would have handed him over to Steve and let him give out the appropriate punishment. "You're right, I don't know everything he has done, but this is something even I can't manipulate. You need to leave this alone. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said reluctantly.

"Perhaps you can spend your Saturday morning with that adorable little girl Hannah keeps telling me about," the governor suggested. Steve nodded halfheartedly as she continued, "Oh, and I hear congratulations are in order."

Steve searched his mind frantically for the reason he was being congratulated, but he came up blank. "Ma'am?"

She smiled. "You are getting married aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah," he replied, feeling like a complete idiot, "thank you, Governor."

"Have a good afternoon, Steve," she said and left the room.

Steve was hardly alone for ten seconds before Danny, who had just returned, burst in. "What the hell was Lynch doing here and why did he say he would see us soon?"

Steve groaned quietly. "I need some fresh air." He brushed passed Danny, focused on making it outside, so he could process what had just happened.

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

Steve settled under a kapok tree in as secluded a spot as one could find in a public place. Resting his back against the trunk of the tree, he tried to make sense of the recent turn of events. He reasoned he would have to put Keller out of his mind in order to function in the hours ahead. Too many people depended on him. He had to keep it together.

Although, trying to forget one problem only uncovered another lurking in the back of his mind. His conversation with Alex last evening had ended badly and he was not sure what he could do to make things better. Telling her about Wo Fat was certainly not an option at this point, but he also knew when Alex set her mind to uncover something, it would be like trying to hold back the waves of the ocean to keep her from doing so.

He pulled out his phone, but he could not bring himself to call her. He could sit here all day and avoid calling her or, "You can just do it, McGarrett," he said aloud.

He pulled his legs up so he could rest his arms on his knees. He tapped his phone against his forehead and let his mind wander for a few minutes. Sitting with himself in an uncomfortable silence was not something he enjoyed, in fact, he hated this indecisive part of himself where he wrestled with relational issues.

Before he made up his mind whether or not to call Alex, the decision was made for him. His phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw a pair of sparkling blue eyes looking back at him. Alex was calling him.

"Hey," he answered.

"Hi," she replied.

The silence that followed was painful.

"I'm sorry," they said at the same time.

"Look, Alex," Steve began, "I know I shouldn't keep things from you-"

"Steve, if you can't tell me, then don't and we'll leave it at that."

"Really?" Steve said with a note of disbelief. "What made you change your mind?"

"We never said 'goodnight' or 'I love you' last night," she said quietly. "I don't ever want to regret that I didn't say those words to you because we were at odds with each other. I trust you, and I know if you don't want me to know something you have good reason for it. So, I'm just gonna leave it alone."

Steve knew this was very difficult for her. "Alex, I don't know what to say."

"Then tell me you still love me."

"You know I do," he assured her. "I can't wait until you come home."

She chuckled. "You know 'home' has a really nice sound to it."

Her laughter pulled him out of his gray mood. "Hey, what do you think, if on Sunday, after Natty and I pick you up at the airport, we'll have a semi-romantic dinner at home. Then Natty can play in the water, while we sit on the beach together and you can fall asleep in my arms." He was not sure, but he thought he heard her sniffle. What was so sad about his excellent idea? "Alex, are you alright?"

"Please don't be upset with me." She was crying. "I'm overwhelmed. I can't get everything done here, I really thought I could. Two of my sisters have been at my house everyday helping me, but there are still so many things to do here and at work…I won't be back until the end of next week." She waited for him to respond, but he said nothing. "Please, tell me you didn't hang up." She waited again. "I hate it when you do this, say something."

He stood up and glanced around as if searching for the right words to say. "I'm coming to get you."

"You can't, Natty needs you there."

"What about what I need?" He should have slammed his teeth down on his tongue before he spoke those words. This was not what Alex needed to hear at the moment. She was stressed enough. He knew she was not one to cry when giving unwanted news, but he needed her and he refused to apologize for that.

Wiping a hand over his face as if trying to remove his needs for the moment, he said, "Alex…just let me know when you'll be at the airport and I'll be there."

"Okay," she said in a soft voice.

"I'll tell Natty, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Thank you. I was dreading the thought of having to do that."

"Hey," he cleared his throat. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, alright."

"Okay," Alex replied with disappointment. "I love you."

"Love you, too." Steve ended the call, but he was not ready to go back to the confines of the office. His mind was on overload. He needed time to process what Alex had just told him. He sighed. I guess this can count as my lunch break.

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

Jason Lynch was quite pleased with himself as he drove to his destination. He confessed he enjoyed irritating Steve McGarrett. If only he had a picture of the SEAL's face when he made that last jab about kissing Alex. The photo would have been rewarding, but kissing Alex Reilly would be spectacular.

He turned left onto a shaded driveway and came to a stop at an iron gate. Lowering his window, he punched in the numerical code on the keypad and waited as the gates slowly separated. Driving through the opening, he followed the road until it curved in front of a large house. He parked behind a silver Corvette and climbed out of his vehicle, then he walked up the landscaped path to the front door.

Lynch was admitted to the house by an elderly gentleman. "Alfred, it's been too long. How are you old man?"

"If you address me as old or Alfred one more time, I will cut out your tongue," the older man threatened in a calm voice. "Is that understood, Mr. Adams?"

"Aw, Alfie, let's not go throwing real last names around, shall we," Lynch said, edging away from the man. "Where are Batman and the Boy Wonder?"

"If you mean Mr. Hamilton and Mr. McGarrett, they are in the study."

"That's disappointing. I expected them to be in the Batcave."

The older man rolled his eyes. This agent was number two on his list of most bothersome agents and sadly that list was quite long. They just don't make them like they used too, he thought.

Lynch found the two men he was seeking, playing a game of darts, which he gladly interrupted. "I've taken care of the problem," he said, making himself comfortable in a chair. "The "President's" signature on an important looking document always does the trick." He looked at Nate. "You should have seen your brother's face. It was priceless."

Nate did not respond, but his boss did. "I did not give you permission to antagonize Commander McGarrett. You were simply to inform him of the situation."

"I did," Lynch said innocently, "the situation was apparently antagonizing to him." The look the boss gave him should have been enough to silence him, but Lynch was not so easily persuaded. "Mr. Hamilton, may I remind you that when your previous plan to break Keller out of prison fell to pieces because of an unwilling party," he looked at Nate, "I was the one who fixed the problem. It will be less messy this way. You'll be thanking me later," he smiled.

William Hamilton or Liam, as he was known to his close friends, was a patient man, but this young agent stretched his patience to the limit and reminded him of someone else he would rather forget. "So, I imagine we have you to thank for the success of procuring Keller?"

"Please, hold your applause," Lynch smirked. "All this praise is killing me."

"If only it would," Mr. Hamilton replied, throwing a dart at the board.

"Well, excuse me, if I outdid the Boy Wonder," Lynch said as he rested his feet on a footstool. "I had no idea that wasn't allowed."

"Is there a reason you are still here, Mr. Adams?"

"McGarrett, is he always this snippy with you?"

"Close the door on your way out," Mr. Hamilton ordered.

"Do you always let him talk for you?"

Nate did not respond as he twisted a dart between his fingers.

"Vow of silence, huh?" Lynch questioned.

"Don't let the door hit you on your way out," Mr. Hamilton said.

"Life is so rough when your boss is outranked by the infamous William Hamilton. I'll be glad to get back to my day job."

"And so will the rest of us," Mr. Hamilton replied.

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

Danny sat tapping a pencil against his desk, while he read through a file concerning the new person of interest in their case. The problem was their POI, Trevor Wheatly, had disappeared. This case was beginning to get old. Every time they acquired a new lead it only led to another dead end.

The tired detective rubbed his eyes before glancing up into the main room. Steve had not come back yet and Danny was beginning to worry about him. He already had a suspect that was MIA; he did not need his partner disappearing as well. Tossing his pencil on the desk, he shoved back his chair and marched out of his office to locate Steve.

Danny finally found his missing partner sitting on a bench outside, looking a little overwhelmed. "Hey, Steve, what are you doing out here?"

"Lunch break."

"You're not eating and you don't take lunch breaks, what's wrong?"

"My whole day," Steve responded, staring off into the distance.

Danny sat next to him and leaned back, crossing his arms. "You wanna talk about it?"

Steve pressed his lips together in concentration. He knew Danny needed to be filled in about Keller's departure from Hawaii, but what came out of his mouth was, "Alex isn't coming back."

Danny's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?" he said leaning forward on the bench. "Steve, I'm so sorry. Is there's anything I can do for you or- wait, what's gonna happen to Natalie?"

Steve was perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

"You said Alex isn't coming back."

"I meant she had to postpone her flight until next weekend."

Danny put his hands over his face for a moment. "Why didn't you say so?"

"All I said was that she wasn't coming back. You're the one who jumped to conclusions."

Danny threw his hands in the air. "You can't just say 'Alex isn't coming back' without using any qualifiers."

"What?" Steve frowned at him.

"Just forget it." Danny took a deep breath trying to calm his pounding heart. "And please, don't do that to me ever again, okay."

Steve shrugged, not fully understanding what he had done wrong. "Okay."

"Do you mind telling me what our favorite CIA agent was doing here?"

Just the mention of Lynch rekindled Steve's anger. He clenched his jaw as he selected his words carefully. "The CIA is taking Keller to Virginia."

"What?" Danny exclaimed. "How can they do that? Can't the governor do something?"

Steve shook his head. "There's nothing anyone can do." He told Danny everything else he knew and ended with the fact that he himself could not take part in transporting Keller to the airfield.

"So, the three of us can go, but you can't," Danny said. "Do I need to be worried about what you'll be doing tomorrow morning?"

"No…" Steve could barely say the words. "I'll be at home…with Natty."

"You gonna be okay?"

Steve was tired of not being okay, but he answered as he always did. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

The two men sat in silence for several minutes as Steve tried to push aside his frustration about everything that had happened in only half a day. Natalie had been miserable that morning. She had acted more like a two year old than the eight year old she was. At one point, he found himself staring out the kitchen window as she clung to him and cried, uttering unintelligible words. He had wondered if there was some medal of valor that parents received when their children were fully grown and gone from home.

His day had gone downhill from there when he accidentally upset Kono. Then Lynch had dropped the bomb about taking Keller and informed him he could not be part of transporting the rogue agent. The final blow came from Alex. It was not intentional it was just how things worked out.

He decided his day needed to end better than it began.

"Danny, what are you doin' tonight?" Steve asked. "Unless you have plans with Chin."

Danny gave him a confused look. Then shaking his head he asked, "Why are you gonna need a designated driver?"

"No," he said firmly. "I'll be at home."

"Oh," Danny smirked, "so you want a drinking buddy?"

"Why are you assuming I'm going to be drinking? I have Natalie."

"Just looking out for you. What'd you have in mind?"

"How about a couple of steaks on the grill and a few laughs."

Danny stared at his partner. "Laughs? With you?"

Steve frowned. "Do you want to come over or not?"

"Hey, free food, I'm there for you, buddy."

"Bring Gracie with you if you can, Natty will like that."

"I'm sure I can work something out. After all Grace would be playing with a friend and Rachel is big on child socialization. You know, Steven," Danny said placing a hand on his partner's shoulder, "I like the fact that you have a little girl and I have a little girl and our little girls are friends and we're friends and-"

"I get it, Danny," Steve interrupted him. "Now let's get back to work."

A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait. I had a case of writer's block that I hope is gone now. Enjoy the chapter and thank you for reading and reviewing.

I wanted to thank the anonymous reviewer, Caseofmistakenidentity, your comments made my day. I know you said you don't usually review, but it means a lot for writers to hear what readers think, so I appreciate you taking the time to do it. And I'd love to hear more of your thoughts. :)

And thanks to my beta Shakespeare's Lemonade for taking time out of her busy schedule to read over my chapters.