A/N: Thanks to honu59 for beta-reading and her, as always, excellent input! :-)
Cover image by James Gaddis, used with permission.
Hawaii Five-O (1968) belongs to its owners, not me. I'm playing some more in the sandbox!
The office was typical of a newspaper reporter's. Paperwork everywhere – on the desk, on the filing cabinet, various drawers opened and closed with paperwork spilling out.
Dan Williams entered and looked around. He shook his head. "You've gotta be kidding."
"Not at all!" a young woman with short blonde hair and wire-rimmed glasses exclaimed as she peered over her desk. "Sorry, dropped my pen." She sat fully in her chair, gesturing to an empty chair on the other side of her desk. "I'm glad you're here."
"I'm not really clear why I'm here." Danny grinned as he sat.
"Well," she began while she rubbed her hands together. "I'd like to talk to you about the five reasons …"
Danny smiled politely when he really wanted to groan. "The five reasons, huh?" He shifted a bit in his seat. "Well, one we can discount right away."
The reporter laughed, "Ah yes. That you died."
"Have you watched A Death In The Family?"
"I did a while ago." She smiled.
"Well, the bottom line is that Steve was a basket case and nearly lost his mind. … Imagine if it had been me."
"Some have explored that …"
"Sure." Danny smirked, "But, I'm here, aren't I?"
"Of course." The reporter shuffled some papers, clearing a place for a notepad so she could take notes.
The movement made Danny cringe. He couldn't imagine working in such a disorganized way. Nothing would be accomplished if Five-O operated like this.
"So, let's discuss another possible reason for your departure." The reporter wrote some notes. "Special assignment?"
"Okay," Danny shrugged and smiled. "That could cover anything with Five-O or perhaps another agency either in Hawaii or on the mainland."
"What about Europe? Or a location in Asia!?" she asked excitedly.
He smiled impishly and joked, "If I told you more, I would have to kill you."
The reporter tried to smile but couldn't quite get there.
Danny felt amused and had to hold back a laugh.
"All right," the reporter moved on and returned to her notes. "So the third reason would be a family emergency."
Danny nodded. "Aunt Clara was the only relative mentioned, so it could concern her. But there's other possibilities, right?" He sat back in his chair. "Where are my parents? Do I have any siblings? What about extended family? If more family exists, where does everyone live? Is the emergency there? Am I going to the other location? Am I staying in Hawaii? Give me time, I can come up with dozens of other questions." He smiled.
The reporter returned to her notes. She wondered if there was any part of this interview that her subject wasn't thoroughly enjoying. She cleared her throat then spoke, "Then the fourth reason could be a medical issue or an injury to you."
Danny sighed, "That seems to be a favorite among many." He pondered for a moment then continued. "Well, here again, a dozen questions can be asked."
The reporter sat, slack-jawed. "Such as?"
Danny sat forward. "Well, such as … is the injury permanent? What happened? Did I fall? Did a car run me down? Was I shot? Stabbed? Bitten by a dog? Mauled by a mongoose?"
The reporter slammed her head down on her desk. "Mauled by a mongoose!?" She looked back up, not amused. "Now you're being ridiculous!"
"You wanted this interview." Danny grinned.
The reporter face-palmed.
"Hmm," Danny tapped his fingers on the chair. "I could have been buried alive. Or was I hit in the head with a surfboard? Helicopter crash? Hang-glider accident? Wiped out while surfing? Left for dead?"
"I get it," the reporter stopped him.
"I'm sure I can come up with some others. Like being kidnapped – that actually happened."
"Let's move on," the reporter smiled sweetly. "The fifth reason you disappeared is the one that most people think actually happened."
"That would be because some loud-mouthed reporter … not you, by the way, spouted off about it," Danny tensed.
"Oh."
"Yeah … oh."
"Well," the reporter smiled slightly, "can you expand on that?"
Danny shrugged, "What would you like to know? The reason I would resign? It could have been any number of things. Maybe I didn't see eye-to-eye with Steve on a case. Maybe I just got fed up being second-in-command. Did you ever think about that?"
"No," the reporter sat in shock.
"Remember, you wanted this interview." Danny grinned.
The reporter groaned.
"Let's see, why else would I resign?" Danny gazed around the office. "Maybe I was tired, bored, or something else caught my attention, perhaps?" He shrugged. "Hard to say."
"I think I have all I need." The reporter stood and offered her hand to shake.
Danny stood and shook her hand. "I hope that I helped."
"Yes, you did." The reporter half-smiled. "Have a good day."
Danny departed the office, shaking his head on the way out.
Kono and Ben were waiting for him in front of the building. They were eager to know how it had gone.
Ben started laughing when he saw Danny swagger out.
"Give her ideas, bruddah?" Kono asked, grinning ear-to-ear.
Danny nodded with a smile that wouldn't quit. "Who said creative writing couldn't be fun?"
Then Danny's eyes me those of the tall Samoan. "Oh and Ben? She wants to talk with you next!"