Steve turned his key in the lock for what felt like the first time in ages. Joy, contentment and relief flowed through him, almost overwhelming him. He was back to work, no restrictions! Pulling the door open, he grinned and let out a happy chuckle. He wasn't quite ready to face his in box so he flipped on all the lights, started the coffee and wandered around looking for any changes. He was disappointed and relieved at finding none. He dallied a bit longer before giving in and going into his office.

Steve stopped in surprise a his tidy office. The In Box held only a couple days worth of stuff. A stack of papers sat squarely on the desk, post it note instructions telling him what action needed to be taken; read, sign, remember, ignore, see Chin, etc. When his email booted up, he found only a dozen that hadn't been dealt with already. He really did have the best team.

Steve had deliberately came in early to immerse himself in the feeling of rightness at being back where he belongs. People think his need to be constantly working or doing something stemmed from his naval training but the truth is he'd always been that way. On more than one occasion in his childhood, his parents threatened to weigh his feet down to keep him in one place for even a few minutes. Steve used his hour of solitude to catch up on the few items Danny hadn't appraised him of yet. A commotion in the bullpen forced him to stand up to investigate. His three team members were nosily barreling into the center, Chin leading the charge, carrying a cake with what looked to be a large firework on it. He cautiously opened his office door.

"Welcome Back Bossman!" they yelled. At this point the candle started sparkling and whistling. It took him a second to recognized Hail to the Chief.

Laughing, he walked out to join the team. "What's all this?"

"We wanted to welcome you back with style," Kono said.

"Actually, we wanted to have some cake. Your return to the land of working stiffs is our excuse," Danny claimed.

"As long as it's buttercream frosting, I don't care your reasoning," Steve laughed.

They had all of an hour before they caught a case. Danny started to toss the car keys when Steve raised a preventative arm. "Would you mind driving?"

Danny did a double take. "You're really letting me drive my own car?" Danny pulled back to eye his partner critically. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just thought I'd let you drive one more time," Steve replied.

"Okay," Danny drawled, "I'm not buying it but I'll let you get away with it for now but we will be revisiting this conversation."

"Thanks for the warning," Steve sighed, crawling into the passenger seat.

The entire drive was spent in silence, an incredible record for the pair. At the crime scene, Steve jumped in with both feet like he'd never been away. Danny would openly admit it felt good, having his partner back. Steve was pure crazy poetry in motion. Danny beamed, his partner was back at least up until they got back to the car and Steve headed again for the shot gun position.

Danny waited till they were on the road before attacking. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my friend?"

"Danny," Steve sighed.

Danny ran all the evidence through his head, piecing it together until he had the big picture. "Steven, how did you get to work this morning?"

Steve huffed and grunted for a few minutes. Danny's silence finally got to him. "I took a taxi."

Danny pulled his upper lip in, sucking on it for a few seconds. "Are you afraid to drive? The doctor cleared you, ya know."

"Yeah, I know," Steve said lowly.

"So you chose to take a cab. Makes sense."

"I… Well, I…" Steve couldn't finish his thoughts.

"You could've called me," Danny said softly.

"Yeah, I know."

"But you didn't want to be a burden, stand on your own two feet. Am I right?"

Steve shifted uncomfortable. "I just need my, I don't know, my freedom I guess."

"That's all fine and dandy but you would have more freedom if you were driving." When Steve refused to even look at him, Danny continued, "How about this. We get the case solved and then you and I take a nice, leisurely drive all over the whole island with you behind the wheel. We'll go up and down all the hills, around the twisty corners and with any luck we'll drive through a shower or two while we are along the coast. How does that sound?"

Steve rubbed his hand over his face, then wiped his palms on his pants. "Thanks, Danny."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, it's a yes. What else would it be?"

"It might be a no. The potential is there. You're welcome, babe."

"Can we get back to the case now?" Steve asked.

"You're the one holding us up, babe," Danny replied already out of the car. He smirked because Steve hadn't registered they were already back at HQ.

The partners walked shoulder to shoulder through the office doors. Chin looked up from the magic he was working on the super table with a smile. "Hey, guys, I have something."

"Already?" Danny question in disbelief.

"I know," Chin replied, confirming the incredulity. "For once we have a completely reliable and cooperative witness."

"Tell us what you got," Steve requested stepping up to the table.

Turned out that not only did they have a good witness, they had a really stupid criminal. An arrest at an ice cream parlor of all places, led to fourteen and a half minutes in the rendition room before the idiot not only confessed to the crime he'd been arrested for but three others as well. They had him booked and in a nice comfy cell by four-thirty. By six, the paperwork had been completed and Steve was glaring at Danny across the roof of the Camaro.

"Danny, we can do this tomorrow."

"Yes, I'm sure we could but we can also do it now. No time like the present and all that."

"It's been a long day, being my first day back. I would really like to go home and put my feet up. If you don't want to drive me I'll get a taxi," Steve argued.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I call bullshit! Now get in the damn car and drive."

Steve's hands shook as he put the key in the ignition. He knew his fears were irrational. He hadn't had an episode in weeks and even if one started to come on, there were very few roads where he couldn't pull over. "Maybe we should do this with my truck."

Danny reached over to clasp Steve's forearm. "I never thought I'd see this day. Steve, it's gonna be okay. Let's do this. Take a deep breath and start the car. Nothing is going to happen."

"How do you know?"

"How do I know? I know because the odds of you destroying my car again are incredibly low. Now. Start. The car."

Another deep breath or three and Steve finally put the car in gear. "Where am I going?"

"I'll navigate, you just drive and turn when I tell you," Danny replied. Steve grumbled under his breath.

Danny directed them inland at first, wanting to get the hills and shelf roads over with while it was still daylight. He kept up a running commentary about Grace's latest science project while exaggerating his regulated breathing. It worked. Steve slowly relaxed, releasing his death grip on the steering wheel. By the time Danny got them to the coast, Steve was participating in the conversation, adding suggestions for the project.

Steve pulled in next to his truck. He turned off the engine and draped his wrists over the wheel. Danny waited for his friend to gather his thoughts.

"You wanna come in for a beer? We could order pizza," Steve asked.

"Sounds good. I could definitely eat. Lunch seems like an eon ago," Danny replied.

"Good. I'll get the beers, you call in the food," Steve said as they exited the car.

"Mediums or large?" Danny asked, following Steve inside.

"Large for me. I want some leftovers," Steve answered with his head stuck in the fridge.

Danny took the opened drink from Steve as he waited on hold. "You want onions?"

"Nah, I'll pass."

Danny placed their order. "Thirty minutes."

"You okay if I take a quick shower while we wait?" Steve asked.

"Go for it. I'm gonna see if there's anything good on," Danny replied, plopping down on the couch.

Steve tromped downstairs ten minutes later. He'd changed into shorts and a tank. "What'd you find?"

"Captain America. It's just started."

The pizza arrived and they were three quarters of the way through the movie when Steve brought up the day. "Thanks, Danno, for well, everything. I really don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been here through all this."

"That's what family is for, ohana right?"

"Yeah, but this is more. There's family and then there's family. I've barely heard from Mary. You've been here every day. Put up with all my crap. Shared Grace. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you."

Danny swiped at his mouth to give himself time to collect his thoughts. "For as much as we bicker and bitch at each other, you gotta know that I'll always, always be there for you, buddy."

"I think I finally got that when I woke to find you sitting by my bedside in Afghanistan. I'd do the same for you, you know?"

"I know. Let's hope that the day never comes when you have to go to a foreign country to save my sorry ass."