A/N: I'm finally getting back to these responses. Thank you to trishy fishy for this prompt suggestion. This is for all the kids, like myself, who have been bullied in their life. It does get better.
Someone who was horrible to you in school shows up 20 years later, wanting to make amends (Prompt from trishy fishy)
It Gets Better
"Little Danny Williams!" A voice boomed in the bull pen of the Five-O office and all five members of the team came out of their offices to see who it was.
"On no." Danny sighed to himself at the sight of the man who rushed forward, with his arms outstretched, ready to take Danny into an embrace.
"Hey buddy!"
"Stop or I'll shoot you." Danny stated with one hand on his weapon and the other held out before him in a gesture that was rarely affective for Five-O, in particular, as there fugitives usually didn't know the meaning of the word stop, but for the man from Danny's past the gesture worked. Danny was shocked as the man stopped and stared at him.
"Awe come on man. It's been twenty years." the man laughed but was frozen in the spot where he'd stopped.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Danny asked and didn't relax his stance.
"You gonna introduce us to your friend, Danno?" Steve asked mockingly as he, Chin, Kono and Lou all stood behind the edgy detective.
"He's not my friend."
"Oh come on, Danny boy! I came all the way from Jersey."
"You should have stayed in Jersey."
"Oh Danny, you're a riot! I'm Mark Michaelson. Danny and I went to high school together." Mark stated and moved around the detective to the other members of the team. "What a place you've got here. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." Steve said with a smile and then shot a look at his partner.
"We're not friends!" Danny huffed and turned back toward his office and slammed the door.
"Wow. Rude. Okay." Mark said and kind of laughed it off.
"So what brings you to Hawaii?" Steve asked.
"Family vacation. I'd head from Danny's fam-jam that he moved out here and got on a super elite task-force. So I figured I'd come by and say hey to my old pal. I left the wife and kids on the beach but now that I have seen this place, I kind of think I should have brought the kids along." Mark added as he looked all around him, taking in all of the sights. "Five-O. Cool" he said as he came to the crest on the floor.
"Thanks." Steve said with a nod as he kept looking toward his partner's office. He could tell that Danny was fuming. "I'm gonna leave you with Kono and Chin. They can give you the grand tour so that you can tell your kids all about it." he added and slipped away as Kono and Chin moved in and Lou headed back to the phones - there was work to be done after all.
5-0
"Who the hell is this guy?" Steve asked as he shut Danny's door behind him.
"My high school bully. That guy made my four years a living hell." Danny grumbled.
"You were bullied?"
"You're surprised? I was the small, scrawny, kid with a flair for the eccentric and a long rooted desire for justice. I also rode horses and worked on a farm in the summers. It's a recipe for disaster at that age and when most of the guys are taller and way bigger than you are, you get kicked around. Mark was the leader of the pack, and I always managed to get into it with him."
"And now you have the badge and the gun." Steve laughed. "And are even more scrappy than you were then - I assume."
"You're a bully too, you know." Danny huffed and continued his pacing.
"Sorry Danny, but the guy seems legitimately interested in seeing you. Maybe he's here to make amends."
Danny shook his head and made an unintelligible sort of sound that sounds somewhere between a snakes hiss and a curse word.
"You know how stubborn you are right?"
"Of course I do!" Danny snapped.
"Just give him the benefit of the doubt. Be the bigger man. If he's not here with good intentions you are a cop, and an elite one at that, he's not going to mess with you. I don't think he's going to try anything, and I doubt very much he'd going to be like I was when we first met, and you've forgiven me so why can't you attempt to forgive him?"
"I haven't forgiven you." Danny said more calmly then before. "That forgiveness is still pending. Everything that has happened since, however, is water under the bridge." he added and Steve could tell that his partner was about ready to relent.
"Besides, this guy came in here looking for you and I've now pawned him off on Kono and Chin, and that's not really a good use of our resources." Steve stated mockingly.
"Hey, turning the tourist over to the native hawaiians is always better then me doing it. We all know how much I love it here." Danny protested with a laugh.
"That's true. If it were left to you he'd be running back to Jersey on the next flight." Steve played along.
"Maybe I should talk to him then."
"That's what I've been saying."
"All right. I'll take over for the cousins but you'd better get back to work and find us a case." Danny ordered and walked out of his office once more.
5-0
"So really, this is that high tech?" Mark asked the cousins as they all were gathered around the smart system when Steve and Danny approached.
"Oh yeah, and with full immunity and means, we can be pretty efficient." Chin chimed in.
"What does that even mean?" Mark asked as he turned to Danny.
"You will get a different definition of immunity and means from every person on this team. Steve's is the most varied opinion because he likes to twist it so that it works with whatever situation he's gotten himself into. The one that actually counts is the one that comes down from our boss."
"The Governor of Hawaii? That's pretty cool Danny." Mark stated and Danny could see the awe in the man's face.
"Come on," Danny said with a nod. "Let's go for a walk and let this riffraff get back to what they're paid to do."
"Oh yeah, for sure." Mark said and moved away from the smart table. "Didn't mean to interrupt you guys. It was nice meeting you." he added with a wave.
The team echoed the sentiments and Danny lead his guest out.
Once outside Danny and Mark fell into stride with each other as they stepped into the round about that circled the statue of King Kamehameha, and for a long moment they walked in silence.
"It really is good to see you doing so well Danny. I've been thinking about you a lot lately." Mark said and all of his boisterousness that had followed him into the bullpen had left him now that they were alone.
"I wish I could say that the feeling was mutual." Danny sighed.
"I know. I was probably one of the last people you ever wanted to see. I was terrible to you and I wanted to apologize. I've been looking for you for a while now because my eyes have been opened. Really opened. Any way, I am so sorry for the things I did to you back then. I was young and stupid, but that's not an excuse. I was a bully and you didn't deserve that. I mean look at you now. Things do get better. Right?"
"What happened to change your mind? Most people leave these things in the past and that's it." Danny said after another long moment in silence to let his words sink in and to stew about the fact that Steve had been right.
"Well, I'm married with kids, and I see what they are going through. My oldest, my daughter is doing well. She's popular, has a lot of friends and gets on well with people. She's really smart too. She's like her mother. She's also three years older than my son and he reminds me of you. Things have been really, really, bad for him. We've pulled him from school because he's terrified to go and when he tells me about the things that those kids say and do to him, I realize what you had to put up with. How strong you had to be to deal with me and I can't be the father that I want to be for my son because in my heart I know I was just as horrible to you as those kids are to him. So I'm sorry Danny. I literally came out here to say that to you because I needed to apologize to you."
"I forgive you." Danny said and there was a part of him that really felt sorry for the man before him. "You know things are better now then they were for us, when we were kids. You and your family can turn to the authorities if this bullying has gotten that bad. They don't have to live like this and those bullies shouldn't get away with what they are doing to your son."
"I know, we've worked very closely with the Newark police, but it's gotten to the point that no matter what we do or how much those kids are reprimanded and rehabilitated, Dylan is afraid to go back to that school. The trust is gone. He's filled with fear, and so our choices are limited. We could put him into a new school and start all over again and hope that he does better with new people, or we can home school where we know he will be safe but he doesn't make any friends that way. How did you deal with it? How the hell did you stay at that school knowing you'd have to deal with me. What kind of advice am I supposed to give to my boy when I was the tormentor?"
"To be honest, I prayed every night that one day you would get what was coming to you, and then I'd tell tell myself that I wasn't going to let you win and finally I swore that one day I would be that guy to stand up to the bullies for those kids that were just like me." Danny said as they stopped walking and just looked at each other - with the statue of the king looming behind them. "I didn't mean for this to happen to you, not like this. Not when a child is suffering."
"I know," Mark said and clapped Danny on the shoulder. "But I have learned my lesson."
"Good," Danny said and reached out to shake his bullies hand. "Now what can I do to help your son?"
"I'd like to introduce you to the whole family if that's all right. My son knew why we're here. He knows why I left them on the beach today to come and find you. It was the hardest thing I've ever done when I told my son that I was a bully growing up and that I was so sorry for it. And he asked me if I'd ever told the kids that I'd hurt that I was sorry and I've made it my mission to make him proud. So I'd like for you to meet him, if that's not too much trouble."
"I would be honoured." Danny said with a smile. "As long as I can bring my daughter along."
"It's alway nice for the kids to make new friends and you and I can catch up."
"All right, so where and when?"
"We're staying at the Hilton. How about tonight for dinner in the restaurant?"
"Seven sound good?" Danny asked and just happened to catch a glimpse of Kono and Chin dashing across the parking lot.
"Sound good." Mark smiled as Steve reached them.
"Sorry to break this up, but I need him!" Steve stated and tossed Danny his bullet proof vest.
"Duty calls, see you after work." Danny stated as he slipped the vest over his head and fastened the velcro straps - much to Mark's shock.
"Oh, okay, if you can't make it just leave a message at the front desk." Mark said and backed away slightly at the sight of the weapon Steve handed Danny and as Danny handed Steve the car keys.
"What have you gotten me into this time?"? Danny almost yelled as Steve forced the gun into his hands.
"Stand off with HPD down at the docks." Steve answered. "We're backing them up."
"I will try to make it for dinner." Danny stated and shook Mark's hand once more before he dashed away leaving the man from his past filled with shock and awe at the feet of the great protector of Hawaii.
5-0
Promptly at 7 PM, Danny and Grace walked into the restaurant dining room. Danny made eye contact with Mark and he waved them toward the table.
"Everyone, this is Danny Williams and his daughter..."
"Grace," Danny said and smiled as the three strangers looked on in shock.
"This is my wife Julie," Mark said and Danny leaned in to shake her hand. "And my kids Margot and Dylan."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Danny smiled as he shook Dylan's hand.
"You were just on the news." Dylan said sheepishly as he stared at the man before him.
"We totally didn't think you'd make it after what we saw on the 6 o-clock news!" Mark stated.
"I told you I'd try to be here and I'm a man of my word." Danny said and winked at the little boy before taking the seat right beside him - Grace sat next to Margot and fell into conversation easily with the girl of nearly the same age.
"So what was that all about?" Mark asked and motioned over his shoulder to the bar TV. "Or is that top secret information." he whispered for effect to play to his son's awe inspired imagination.
Danny laughed. "It was a drug bust that got a little messy and when messy happens people like to call in Five-O because my partner is a crazy person and takes over, and usually settles things down - that is after he first makes things worse."
"So did it look worse than it really was?" Mark asked when his son fell silent.
"No, the media caught us at the worst possible time and then didn't cover that it calmed down quickly after that. We were back in the office before the end of the day and our counterparts at HPD were cleaning up. It doesn't usually happen that quickly, and that's not really what we usually do, but when the extra man power is needed or the sharp shooting skills of our people can be of service, then yeah we move in. You never know when we're going to be the ones in a bind and we'll need HPD to help us out of things. Usually it's us calling for back up, but ultimately we will cover each other."
"Wow!" Dylan gasped and Danny smiled.
"We may be dealing with a little case of hero worship." Julie said and smile at her son across the table.
"That's okay," Danny said. "Sometimes we all need a hero in our lives. You know what I mean, Dylan?"
Dylan nodded. "How, after being bullied when you were a kid did you get into this?" he asked shyly.
"Well, I've always wanted to be a cop, even when I was younger. I think a lot of the reasons why I was bullied was because I tried to stick up for people that were also being bullied. I just always told myself that no one would take my dreams away from me and now here I am on the most elite task-force in the state, maybe even the country, doing good and putting an end to the bullying and crimes that are being committed around me. People are now scared of me, but not because I'm mean to them, but rather, because I'm right and just, and I've always been looking for justice above all things. Do you have a dream, Dylan?" Danny asked.
The little boy nodded.
"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to, but never give up on your dreams and always strive toward them no matter what may stand in your way. Don't listen to what other people say or do because they are not you and you have to do what is right for you. That is what will keep you strong, and things will get better."
"I want to build really big buildings when I grow up, but I want them to be environmentally friendly, and sustainable and safe." Dylan said as he sat up a little straighter in his chair.
"Wow, that is so cool!" Danny stated and he was a little shocked by the little kids ideas and aspirations.
"I can't believe how big some of the buildings are down here in Waikiki."
"Me either!" Danny stated. "It always baffles me that such a civilization could rise up out of the ocean on such a small island. But you know, some of the coolest buildings on the island are the really old ones like Lolani Palace and the Ali'iolani Hale."
"We're going to see them both tomorrow."
"You'll have to stop in and say hi. My office is in the Hale. I'll show you all the cool police stuff we do there."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah!" Danny answered. "It will be fun and then your dad will not be the only one to know how cool Five-O really is!"
"Can we really go, Dad?" Dylan asked excitedly.
"When you're invited by Five-O, how could I say no?" Mark answered and nodded his thanks to the man across the table from him.
Danny winked and carried on in friendly conversation for the rest of the evening.
The next morning the Michaelsons arrived as promised and all of the members of the task-force were waiting excitedly for their guests. Even the Governor of Hawaii made a surprise visit and gave the real definition of 'full immunity and means' - even though Steve protested. Dylan left feeling empowered, Mark left forgiven and Danny ended his day happy with how much things really had gotten better.