A/n: So the resounding theme from the last few chapters is: Poor Danny, Steve's an ass. Well, let's see if we can work on Steve a little bit. And just when we think we're done with the bombshells, Kono goes and stumbles across another one….
Listen Jesus I don't like what I see, all I ask is that you listen to me. And remember, I've been your right hand man all along. You have set them all on fire, they think they've found the new messiah. And they'll hurt you when they find they're wrong.—Jesus Christ Superstar, Heaven On Their Minds
"Commander McGarrett?" Steve glanced over his shoulder towards the door where a tall blonde stood waiting with what he assumed was supposed to be an easy smile. He wasn't fooled. She screamed 'shrink' from her perfectly coifed blonde bob to the impractical black pumps on her feet.
"Can I help you?" He asked in a disinterested tone. This might have been part of Mason's plan but that didn't mean he had to like it.
After admitting to his friend that he needed help, Mason had detailed out to him a plan that would help lead him to both mental and physical recovery and first on that list was for Steve to talk to a mental help professional—aka a psychologist. Steve was not thrilled with this idea but he knew that he didn't have much of a choice at this point. He had been stripped of control over his own life for the time being and though he'd never admit it out loud, that was probably a good decision. He didn't exactly have a good track record when it came to making choices lately.
"I was actually hoping that I could help you." The woman declared as she entered the room and came to stand at his bedside. Steve barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm Jennifer Lewis. I'm—"
"A psychologist." Steve finished for her. She gave him a crooked smile.
"That obvious huh?" She joked. He just nodded. "Well I just wanted to stop by and talk to you for a little bit. I've heard that you're going through a bit of a rough patch right now." She added in a sympathetic tone.
Steve wanted to tell her that he was fine and that he didn't want to talk to anyone, least of all her. But as he turned his head to look at her better he caught something out of the corner of his eye that made him stop and bite his tongue instead. Mason had taped a picture onto the bedrail to serve as motivation to remind him why he had to get better. It was from this past Christmas. Steve and Danny sat next to each other on the couch, dressed semi-causal in jeans and a button-up shirt. On each of their laps sat one of their daughters—Grace with Danny and Makayla with Steve. The eldest sat sweetly on her father's lap with her wrapped around his neck as she smiled at the camera while the youngest squirmed helplessly, pawing at his face as Steve attempted to stand her up on his legs. They were all laughing and looked extraordinarily happy.
Was that the last time we werethat happy? He wondered to himself as he stared at it. He tried to think of the months that had passed since then. It had been over six months since that picture was taken and so much had changed. How much of that is your fault? He asked himself but it was a question he already knew the answer to.
"Commander?" Mae called out, reminding him of her presence. "Are you alright?"
'No,' Steve thought to himself. 'But that's why you're here, isn't it?'
Kono had an advantage over the rest of her counterparts at 5-0 and it was simple—HPD actually liked her.
Despite their ill feelings towards her cousin, most of the officer in HPD knew and respected her if for no other reason than her bloodlines. Being a cop was kind of the family business with the Kalakahuas and Kellys and she had numerous family members of vary degrees of relations on the force. That bought her a little bit of credibility. The skills and abilities that she had shown while on the job had earned her the respect.
A part of her felt bad about the acceptance that they gave her and not the rest of the team. While Chin was slowly beginning to regain a lot of the recognition and respect that he had lost, Kono also knew there were some guys who would never believe that her cousin was innocent and would never change their attitudes toward him. Steve garnered respect based upon his position as the leader of 5-0 and as a Naval officer but there were a lot of officers who resented him for those same reasons. Not that it ever seemed to bother Steve. No, the one who was affected the most by the resentment was the SEAL's partner and second-in-command. Poor Danny took the brunt of the hits for 5-0 from HPD. They would probably never truly accept him as one of their own, no matter how many of them he saved or how hard he worked to protect the island he had now accepted as his new home. He would always be a 'haole' to them.
Today she was on a recon mission. There was just something odd about the way the Governor had reacted to their trip to North Korea and she knew that Danny suspected something was up as well. But he had enough on his plate at the moment so she had decided to take this one on with the help of Chin.
She was sitting at the counter of one of the local diners that also happened to be a favorite with HPD officers, both off duty and those grabbing a quick bite during their shift. A coffee cup rested idly in one hand while she pretended to read the newspaper with the other. Two uniforms sat a few stools down from her and they could have given a group of little old ladies a run for their money with the way they were gossiping over their plate lunches. She could barely make out that they were talking about something that had gone down during the last shift. So far, they hadn't mentioned anything of interested to her and so she kept one ear trained on them while she watched a group of plain clothes walk through the door.
"…..The Governor was livid, man. I guess her precious pets finally screwed the pooch for good this time." One of them stated as he walked through the door. Kono ducked her head down, hoping they wouldn't recognize her right away. Her curiosity was peaked and she didn't want them to stop short because they saw her.
"It was only a matter of time before McGarrett and his merry band of misfits finally hung themselves. She gave them enough rope to do it with. I mean, really, full means and immunity? I can't believe he fell for it." It was a different guy this time, the tallest one of the group who wore a suit that was about two sizes two big.
"I just can't believe that she waited this long to pull the plug on that little experiment. She had to know that he was eventually going to figure things out and when he did, he'd expose everything." The third guy of the group chimed in. Kono risked another glance at them before she finally recognized who these guys were. They were part of the Governor's protection detail. Excellent. She thought to herself as they passed behind her without recognizing her.
"Nah, she's not totally screwed. McGarrett managed to land himself in the hospital for awhile and she disbanded his lackeys. She's got time to fix things before he realizes what was really going on." The first one spoke again. Kono's eyes went wide as she realized what they were implying. She listened to their conversation for a few minutes more but they soon moved on to other topics so she quietly paid her bill. As she slipped out of the diner, she pulled out her phone and dialed her cousin.
"Chin, it's me. We've got a problem—a major one."
