A/N: Wow, the little one shot All That I Am got me writing :) Three little stories in four days. This can be read as a prequel to All We Are. The idea started to form, when serenity pen (from livejournal) asked for a story about the background of Steve's promise in those two stories. Hope that I don't disappoint.

The Promise

It had been a normal day for 5-0. This meant that they had run around trying to find an arms dealer and ended up in a shoot-out with said arms dealer and his men.

Danny fingered the frayed hole in his bullet proof vest. Not so normal. Usually they got away with scratches, or sometimes the odd hit to the arm or leg. But this, a direct shot to the vest, was unusual. And Danny was well aware that he'd be dead, if he hadn't worn it. Vowing to himself that he would by some stock holdings in Kevlar, he threw the damaged vest on the couch in his office.

It had felt like being hit with a sledgehammer when the bullet had come stuck in the vest. When he had laid on the ground, trying to catch his breath, the only thought that had run through his head had been about Gracie. Wondering what would happen to her, should he die. Someone needed to show her the world outside of the gated community, needed to make sure that she would not turn into a snobbish high-society girl and someone needed to make sure that she would always remember that Danno loved her.

It was then, that McGarrett's face had floated into his field of vision and the answer became painfully obvious.

After he had spend the rest of the afternoon in the ER, asserting that he did not have any broken ribs, Steve had taken Danny back to their headquarters.

He'd paced in his office, unsure if he really could ask that of Steve and how to best formulate his request. Taking a deep breath, Danny finally stepped out of his office and into Steve's. He still had no idea on how to approach this, but ad-libbing had always worked for the two of them. So why not now.

Steve looked up from his paperwork, when he heard Danny walk in and watched as he sat down on the edge of his desk. There was a troubled expression on his partner's face and for a second he was worried that Danny had been more injured than he had let on.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Danny replied. He scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to begin. "I want you to promise me something."

Steve's face was wrinkled in confusion, but he nodded.

"Should something happen to me, like getting killed, I want you to watch out for Grace. Make sure that she's not turning into one of those spoilt, rich brats. That she's not going to forget me."

"Hey, she's not going to forget you," Steve replied, "and nothing is going to happen to you."

"We're getting shot at five out of seven days in a week. I have a bruise the size of my fist, because I got shot in the vest. At the rate we're going, we're not always going to be that lucky."

The Commander nodded solemnly. He had seen many colleagues die in the line of duty, knew that their job was dangerous. Still, since his team had been spared from any serious injuries, Steve had half believed them to be invincible.

"Okay, I promise. But you gotta promise me something too." Steve waited a second to be sure he had Danny's full attention, "Don't get killed. Grace needs you, the team needs you."

This time it was Danny's turn to nod. "Not getting killed, I'll keep that in mind. Now that we're past the fluff. I need a beer. And you're paying. If you forget your wallet again than I won't help you out and you can wash the glasses by yourself." With that Danny slipped off the desk, waited until Steve had pocketed his wallet and with his friend just a step behind him, left the headquarters.

The End