I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Note: my thanks to Phoebe for tremendous support on plot and direction - sticking to the plan is key. And Jazzie for general 'bunny whumping'!

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O

C.J. rested his chin on the counter top, all eyes as Lou Grover peered teasingly into the over-sized shopping bag.

'Wow,' Lou's mouth said. He rubbed his tummy with his hand and grinned down at C.J. While the big big man could see inside the bag, C.J. couldn't see a thing and he tapped the counter impatiently with his hand.

'Show me!' He tried to sign, almost jumping with frustration when Lou pointed to the bag as if confused.

'What? This?' His mouth said and C.J. nodded eagerly.

'Yes!' C.J. signed, knowing that Lou at least knew that word. Lou knew what yes meant! With a dramatic shrug, the man continued to play this game though. He looked in the bag again and made an 'o' shape with his mouth. He gave C.J. a thumbs-up and then he finally started to pull what C.J. knew had to be his birthday cake out of the bag.

The bag moved as the bakery box came all the way up to the top. It was a big box and Lou was struggling with how heavy it seemed to be. It was really big and C.J. got even more excited. He caught a glimpse of the white and pink picture on its side. A cartoon picture of a lady walking a poodle and carrying a pretty cake box. But then Lou was hiding the box again back inside the bag and C.J. couldn't believe it! He slapped at the counter over and over, his hand moving like lightning but giggling as Lou rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

'You want that?' Lou seemed to ask him, waving a dismissive hand at the bag. 'Nah ... it's no good.'

'Yes! My ... cake!' C.J. signed with one hand, not caring if Lou really knew the finger-signs or not. He knew that Lou was playing a joke and he was funny. But C.J. wanted to see his cake and he wanted to see it now!

He grinned and tapped crazily at the counter when Steve finally came in to the kitchen. He pointed to the bag and then to Lou, tapping the counter again.

'My birthday cake!' He signed to Steve, asking for help. 'Please!' C.J. added for good measure.

'Hey!' Steve said. He signed the word party and pointed to C.J, looking make-believe mad at Lou.

'What?' Lou seemed to ask, laughing and backing up as Steve smacked at the big man's hands before shouldering him out of the way.

Then Steve was in the shopping bag and taking out the bakery box to put it on the counter top. And it was a big box, too. He popped the lid open and smiled happily when he looked inside. For a minute, C.J. thought Steve would be funny like Lou and not show him what was inside and C.J. was sure he would burst. It smelled so good, too - like chocolate. He fidgeted and signed the word for chocolate by making the letter 'c' and moving his hand in a circle like he was mixing a bowl of gooey choc-lately syrup. Steve and Lou didn't understand him though, so C.J. tapped the counter again, his fingers moving so fast to show how impatient he was because he just couldn't wait anymore.

'Okay, okay! Here!' Steve said as he held his hands out to pick C.J. up, allowing him to practically climb up his body.

The cake was big and covered in a rich dark layer of chocolate icing. Then there were fat balloons piped across its top in yellow, red and white frosting with swirly words which C.J. was smart enough to be able to read.

Happy Birthday, CJ !

He read the wish and for some reason he couldn't explain, his lip quivered. His breath hiccupped hard inside his chest and without even warning himself, C.J. burst into tears. He felt a hand on his back, big and warm. Then Steve was talking, the familiar vibration of his voice soft to his cheek. A new pair of hands reached out to take him from Steve and C.J. opened his eyes just enough to see that it was Danny.

Danny had been there when he and Charlie had woken up that morning and that had been a big surprise because Steve had said Danny was still sick and would be in the hospital. But he had been there even if he had those scary bruises on his cheek which C.J. felt really bad about. As Danny took him from Steve, C.J. reached out, going willingly enough into the man's arms and aware that Charlie was there now, too, even as he buried his face in Danny's neck.

They walked together - he and Danny - there in the house, for a good long while. Just between the kitchen and the living room, C.J. was rocked in Danny's arms as if he were a baby. He was still crying the entire time though. He couldn't stop the tears which kept coming long and hard. He couldn't seem to stop even if he didn't know why he was doing it.

Every so often C.J. felt the gentle rumble of Danny's voice through his bouts of uncontrollable, heart-wrenching sobs. Sometimes he could feel Danny's hand as it rubbed nonstop circles over his back while Danny kept walking back and forth with C.J.'s ankles hooked tightly around his waist. And as he calmed down, he sensed that Charlie was still there, following closely and trying to help.

Staying tucked into Danny's chest, C.J. hiccuped and wheezed even as Danny sat down on the sofa in the living room. After a time though, he peeked out from Danny's shoulder, allowing himself to be moved and made to sit sideways across Danny's lap. He didn't want to talk though. He didn't even want to think about anything much at all. Instead as he rested snug in Danny's arms, C.J. sucked in his bottom lip, feeling quieter and a little bit less sad. He thumbed lazily at the corner of Danny's shirt when the man pressed a kiss or two to the top of his head.

He looked at Charlie through his leftover tears, his breath now softly hitching in his chest. His friend reached out and took his good hand to give a small tug. C.J. didn't move though. He wasn't sure he wanted to go anywhere yet when it was so much easier to stay where he was. Ever patient, Charlie tried again. Then, he signed the word for play and pointed towards the lanai.

Maybe, C.J. thought to himself as he considered getting up and going out in the sunshine.

"Come on!" Charlie said out loud, not using any signs but eager to go out and finally, C.J. nodded even as he sniffled and itched at his stuffy nose. He was hot in the house and didn't want to be inside anymore. He didn't want to sit on Danny's lap. He wasn't sure if Danny or Steve might be mad at him though for crying.

He looked up to Danny to see if things were really okay and then said the only thing he could think of saying, almost afraid of the answer. 'Bad?' He signed carefully. He took a deep breath and tapped his own chest. He was surprised though when Danny quickly shook his head.

'No, no, no! You're good, buddy,' Danny both said and signed while giving him a big smile. He set C.J. on his feet and then cupped his cheek only to place a kiss on his forehead. He made a waving motion at the same time Charlie took his hand again.

"Go ... go play with Charlie," Danny said. He spoke slowly, only able to sign the one word play before he pointed to Charlie, then waved his hand towards the beach. "You two go ... go on!"

But C.J. stopped before he really even got moving. He dug his feet into the floor, refusing to move despite Charlie's grip on his good hand. He could still see Steve in the kitchen. Even Lou. They were talking and laughing; busy doing things. Getting food ready. Decorating. Getting ready for a ... party and he couldn't believe what he saw there now.

There were balloons! So many balloons and C.J. looked to Danny, searching his face to be sure.

'It's still your birthday,' Danny explained calmly. He placed his hand on C.J.'s chest and then made the sign for birthday by touching his middle finger to his chin, then to his own chest. 'C.J.'s birthday,' he repeated with a smile. He waved his hand again, insisting that he go outside. 'Party ... three o'clock,' Danny added, making the shaka-like sign with both hands before holding up three fingers and tapping his wrist.

'Play,' Charlie signed. '"Come on!" He said out this loud, his words easy enough for C.J. to understand. Then he pointed to his waist and C.J. grinned. Charlie was wearing his father's 5-0 badge and looking very serious now. He tugged even harder on C.J.'s arm to get his feet moving and C.J. finally allowed himself to be pulled along, looking back to give Danny a big smile.

H5O* H5O

"What the hell was that about?" Steve asked as soon as the two boys left the house. He chanced a glance towards Lou, relieved when he saw their friend already discretely tailing the two children outside. In two steps, Steve was in Danny's airspace, his whisper loud and fraught with worry. "Is he okay? What did I do wrong? He was fine ... then he just wasn't."

"You didn't do a damned thing wrong. I think he reached maximum overload. He's been through a lot," Danny said. God he was tired, Danny thought to himself. They'd all been put through the proverbial wringer.

"He should be happy ... our idea to have a birthday party for him ... it seemed like such a great thing to do," Steve was saying. He all but threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "And why? We thought doing it this way would break the ice with Bernfeld ... his aunt. Be a great distraction and ease into all of these things. Well now? Maybe it wasn't such a great thing to try to do; it's too much for him."

"No. I disagree. It is a good idea," Danny said. "His birthday is a big deal ... but saying something isn't the same as seeing it and the cake ... a real birthday cake ... for C.J.? He's six years old, Steve, and this meltdown of his was the only way he knew how to cope with the attention. It would have happened even if Bernfeld and his aunt weren't coming; it would have happened if they didn't exist because I swear to god, that little boy innately knows that his mother is gone. He's seen more with her than you or I ever have! We only saw the aftermath ... he lived it! So I tell you what: I'd rather this kind of reaction, than no reaction at all."

"Makes sense," Steve replied. He pursed his lips in consideration of Danny's explanation and then nodded in agreement. "All of that shit heaped on him. And now he's got balloons and a cake ... Charlie as a friend," he said. "Lou swung by the store, too, before he got the cake. He picked up a few presents. Simple things. A toy or two. A couple of shorts and shirts. That boy has a lot of people who care."

"No, not people who just care," Danny added quietly. "Adults that tell him the truth; are serious about taking care of him and prove to him constantly how much they really do love him. And Charlie ... it's more than that with him, too."

He inwardly cringed about Steve's mention of Charlie and sat down at the kitchen table. Yeah, Charlie was C.J.'s friend. But what he'd said earlier was fresh on Danny's mind. It was yet something else to worry about and Steve was still clueless as to what Charlie had asked him that very morning. The two boys were quite possibly making assumptions or hatching plans ... about wanting to be brothers. The boys - no, all of them - were fast approaching uncharted territory and it was downright frightening. Danny closed his eyes as his stomach complained about his long-winded conversation; the way his head was thudding in time to each of his shallow breaths. In all honesty, his body was generally disagreeable about everything he'd just done. The walking. The cuddling. The spike in stress over C.J.'s crying jag. Charlie's innocent question about if the two boys might become brothers. All of it was working against him in a nasty way.

"Danny?" He heard Steve say his name and swallowed hard instead of answering. He needed to calm down and relax; maybe even take some pain-killers. But as he tried to force himself to relax, Danny groaned under his breath in self-disgust. He thumbed his forehead hard before tenting his fingers to rest his head. He bleakly wondered when he was going to feel better. He'd had an iffy night, sleep broken by his discomfort and worry over what was coming down the pike at them. Now that the day had dawned, his stress was growing instead of getting better ... along with his damnable migraine. It didn't matter though. None of it. He needed to soldier on and find some way to manage through the hours to come. But damned if he didn't feel sick ...

"Danny?" Steve was scowling at him when Danny finally opened his eyes.

"What?" Danny asked, squinting badly now. His thoughts had slowed and become murky; he'd obviously zoned out. Steve's hands were on hips and Danny huffed a semi-amused noise as Steve put him under a microscope. He'd taken C.J. out of Steve's arms for the very same reason Steve was worried about him: both of them were still hurting. Each had strict doctors' orders to follow and medication to take. But where Danny felt he could manage a sore jaw, a sloppy word or two, and a massive headache, Steve was under orders to not bend, lift or exert himself in any way for a day or two. That included, picking up small children!

"Seriously?" Danny asked snarkily.

"Yeah, seriously," Steve challenged back. "You look like crap again; you've got a dent in the back of your head that you seem to forget about ... a concussion ... you had a bad night, Danno ... and ..."

"All right, all right," Danny interrupted. "I know ... let it go Steven. I'll be fine." Sure he felt sick again. His stomach was as unhappy as it had been the day before. He probably shouldn't have left the hospital but that was one subject that neither he nor Steve would dare bring up. Both of them at least agreed there - Danny needed to be home and medically speaking, he wasn't in any danger to have left of his own accord. Nonetheless, Danny must not have felt well because he simply didn't feel like taking their little spat any farther. Sitting at the table, he once more leaned over and rested his aching head in his hands.

Danny didn't say a word as Steve sat down next to him. But Steve didn't speak either. At least not at first. They were knee to knee though and Danny could feel Steve's impatience through the constant jiggle of his knee.

"The kids are fine," Steve whispered eventually. "We have a few hours ... get off your feet."

"Maybe," Danny muttered into his hands, knowing he wouldn't. He had no intention of laying down or even leaving the kitchen. While he ached to lay down, he knew there'd be no way he could do that, even for a few minutes. He was about to shake his head when Steve stood back up.

"There's no maybe about it," Steve amended his words. "I'll keep you company ... we'll both take an hour ... an hour, Danny. Stay here for a minute."

Danny didn't know what to say as he sensed Steve leave him. His brain simply couldn't compete with the incessant drilling inside his head. Apparently Steve had his own set of plans anyway.

"Let's go. Lou's got the kids," Steve said a few seconds later. He gently pulled Danny to his feet with the obvious intent of helping him to the bedroom. But Steve took a few short steps before he stopped and turned.

"Wait. C'mere," he murmured as he pulled Danny into a warm embrace. The spontaneous show of affection wasn't exactly new, but it certainly bespoke volumes about Steve's worries and fears. Eyes closed and carefully wending his arms around Steve's waist, Danny rested his head against his shoulder, relishing one thing: the simplicity of their closeness.

Whatever happened next, they'd manage it together. All of it. But for this brief, quiet moment in time, they stood there alone just holding each other.

~ to be continued ~