One Thing

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Happy Friday my wonderful readers! So here it is! The second chapter. We're going to get a lot of answers here! And we're going to get our first cargument of sorts, except you know they're not in the car. I really hope you guys enjoy this one! As always, don't forget to leave a review, or drop a like or a fav, and I'll see you guys next week!

Chapter 2

Steve had purposely put on his best black suit, his navy blues, specifically for this. He got off the military plane, heading straight for the one person he was expecting to see at the hangar.

He had never been the kind of guy to run into someone's arms, but after what he just went through, he felt it was warranted.

He was the only survivor. The rest of the platoon wiped out. No one could tell him how they had gotten the information, how they had figured out what route they were going to take.

After what happened, he just wanted to go home. Home to his dad who, by all means, was lucky to be alive too. Which meant he was super excited to land in Hawaii, so excited that he had dressed up to see his dad.

Still, he managed to keep his pace at a brisk walk and when he got there, his dad opened his arms and Steve pressed himself into the hug.

His dad didn't look that bad. He had clearly been roughed up but he was alive. And that in itself was a miracle.

Steve and his dad had been on shaky terms for a very long time. Since he shipped him away to military school after his mom died. Life or death situation or not, Steve was still a little awkward with his dad, so he got himself out of the hug as soon as he could.

Which was about when the severe looking blonde woman in the pin-striped pant suit showed up. Steve looked at her, watched as his dad nodded to her, clearly knowing exactly who she was, and then turned back to his son.

"This is Governor Jameson," his dad said pointing to the blonde woman. "She had a proposition for you. How about you two talk and I'll be waiting by the car."

"Thank you for agreeing to see me," she said. Steve forced a polite smile onto his face. He hadn't agreed to anything, they had just been introduced.

Maybe she was taking his silence at tacit compliance.

He shook her hand and she added: "I am so sorry for what happened."

And now Steve was doubly confused. First for why the Governor wanted to speak to him in the first place, and secondly because what happened wasn't her fault.

"Uh, well thank you… but uh… is this about the investigation?"

He had heard there was one. Hesse was in the hospital at the moment, shot three times in the chest, in a medically induced coma, no way to give anyone any sort of information. Their was a man hunt going on for the other person who had been with Hesse. A man his dad said had been wearing a white monkey mask.

Eerily similar to the white rabbit mask he had come across in Korea.

"We have alerts all across the islands," she told him.

"No offence, but I doubt you're going to find this guy with roadblocks and warrants," Steve said. Which was true mainly because they didn't know what he looked like.

His dad had guessed that he was of Asian decent, he saw black hair and tanned skin. He saw a man in a white suit shirt and grey slacks. There had been nothing on his hands in the way of identifiers and he never took off his mask.

"Now, why don't you tell me why you'd really like to talk to me about?"

"This attack on your father was a wake-up call to me and every law enforcement agency in Hawaii. Which is why I'm putting together a task force and I want you to run it."

Oh wow!

Yeah, that was… that was one hell of a proposition. His father had to have known about this and giving him a heads up would have been appreciated.

He had been angling to get Steve out of the Navy for a while, clearly he was trying to use this as his way to do that. He might even try guilt tripping him. It was technically Steve's fault he had gotten grabbed and assaulted after all.

"You don't even know me."

"I know your resume," she countered. "Annapolis, five years Naval Intelligence, six years with the SEALs. Your superiors say that you are the best that they have ever seen." Yeah all of that was true, didn't mean she knew him though. "And you come highly recommended by your dad."

Yeah, his dad barely knew him too.

"Okay, let me stop you right there. I've been tracking Victor Hesse for five years. He is ruthless, he is calculated, and whoever it was who was with him, got close enough to him to not only shoot him but to be let in on this little operation that nearly took out my father," he said. "Now, the girl I had with Hesse, she talked about a brother, two brothers actually, and Hesse and their associates were talking about one of them as if he were a god, as if he were the most dangerous man on the planet. And her just being related to him made her untouchable."

Governor Jameson just blinked her eyes. Yeah, Steve had had a really long flight and a lot of time to think about what had happened out in Pohang and he had realized a quite a few things.

"Now that man, that man sounds like he would be able to get Naval intelligence, because that's the only way they knew what route I was taking. That man had everything in place, not to get back Anton, but to get that girl. And he put himself in place to take out Victor when he got confirmation that he was the reason she was in that mess in the first place."

"So… you're saying…"

"I'm saying a man like that is dangerous, and he's smart. He's smart enough to have an exit plan, one that he's probably already used. So excuse me if I don't want to waste my time chasing someone who's probably eight steps a head of us and already gone," he said trying to side step her so he can join his father.

"I can help you find this son of a bitch with full immunity and means," she called out and Steve paused. Wow that was… that was actually pretty good. "Your task force will have blanket authority to go after guys like this, who ever he is, and get them the hell off my island. Your rules, my backing, no red tape."

That was every investigator's dream.

"And I promise you, commander, what you see with me is what you get."

See and Steve would totally believe that except: "Here's what I see. An election year coming up and a politician who needs the PR, who willing to do whatever it takes, including using my dad as a guilt trip, right?"

"None of those things make me feel less responsible. Unless you haven't gathered, I know your father, commander. This is personal for me too."

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to pass."

She nodded as if she were perfectly fine with that outcome, but Steve new she wasn't. "Alright, here's my private number. Please think it over."

Steve took the card but he knew he wasn't going to use it.

There was no formal good-bye, there was no I'll think about it, they both simply turned their backs on one another and walked away.

Steve turned back to his dad, noting that the man was smiling and Steve couldn't help but smile too. He was just going to use this time to reconnect with his dad.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Except John had different plans.

"The guilt trip is not appreciated, dad, and neither is this," Steve said but John just smiled at him.

Steve had figured pretty quickly that his dad wanted to go to Pearl Harbour, the place where Steve's grandfather and John's dad was killed in action, for a reason.

"And what is this?" John asked.

"Bringing me here. Like you think having me hear with ignite some family tradition drive and make me take the job," Steve said. "You just had one guy in a mask and a gun, I had a goddamn helicopter filled with people come at me. More than one helicopter actually. And all they cared about was some hyperactive sneak-thief of a girl. Do you have any idea how lucky I was to have survived that?"

"And I wasn't lucky? The only reason he didn't shoot me, because he was, was because that girl told him not to."

That was true too. Something about a pilot and everything starting when John got shot. He had no idea what Rory was talking about, but the man on the other side, her brother clearly, had and he had listened to her.

That must have been why people were afraid of her. Why having her there would have brokered the Hesse's a better deal. If that man, this master listened to her, then her word was essentially his word. And if he was as dangerous as everyone was afraid of, which Steve had recently realized he was, then he totally got why people were scared of upsetting her, or taking her.

However, it raised the question of how someone like Rory who didn't look like she could walk straight let alone be useful in any sort of criminal plot, ended up with brothers that would let her go on deals. Though, to be fair, it was clear the Hesse's had tricked her into that one.

Still you'd think that her brothers would keep her clear of all crimes. If Steve were her brother, and god was he grateful he wasn't, she wouldn't have met the Hesse brothers at all let alone gotten romantically entangled with one of them.

"And you're sure you didn't get a good look at him?" Steve asked but John shook his head again.

There was something about the way he did it though, something about the way he said he didn't get a good look at him that made Steve certain he was lying.

He turned to look at his dad. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I just want what's best for you," John said instead, bringing back the argument about why he should take the task force position.

To his surprise there was laughter, not from either of them but someone behind them.

"He's a slippery fellow, isn't he?"

Steve turned and one of the security agents was heading towards him. His dad obviously recognized him, going in for the hug right away.

"I know you," Steve said, though he couldn't remember from where.

"You should!" John cried.

"Chin Ho Kelly," the man said and Steve immediately broke out into chuckles and moved to shake his hand.

"Chin Ho Kelly, Kakui High School. You were a great quarterback."

"And one of the best cops I ever trained," John added.

"Well, that's very kind of you to say considering you were the one who broke all my records," Chin said to Steve and then turned back to John and added: "And very nice of you to still think that after everything that happened."

That was cryptic as shit.

"I heard what happened. Was going to check on you once the shift was over," he said to John and then turned back to Steve. "I worked with your father in the 7th. He taught me everything I know about wearing a badge. We still keep in touch."

Steve nodded. "Looks like you've moved on to greener pastures," Steve said though he doubted that was true. Still, he wasn't going to embarrass the man by flat out asking him what the hell happened. No one becomes a cop and then becomes a security guard in the prime of their life. Not unless there was a scandal or an injury.

And since Chin looked healthy it was probably a scandal.

"Well let's just say the Honolulu PD and I had a disagreement over my job description."

"It was a travesty," John growled. "They were wrong, and they steamrolled you instead of admitting it."

"John's always been understanding. He's been very good to me since I was let go. He's always been my friend, and though he won't admit it, it cost him something."

"Nothing this old man cares about," John said proudly and Steve smiled. He liked to think he was like his dad in that regard. He stood by his friends no matter what.

"Well, they must still be mad at you. I heard the chief of police put a haole on your case," Chin said and John just shrugged. "Word is he's fresh meat from the mainland which means he has no clue how this island works."

"I'm trying to not hold it against him," John said. "He's pretty smart for a haole and he's been pretty dedicated to figuring out what happened. I can already tell he's frustrated with me."

Probably for the same reason Steve was frustrated.

Steve nodded. "Well thank you, and you know, when ever you wanna drop by, feel free," Steve said, and then he pulled his dad away.

Maybe it was time he did his own investigating.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Despite how long it had taken him to get back to Hawaii, his dad's house was still an active crime scene. Probably because Hesse had basically almost died in his house.

John was staying at near-by hotel. Steve had a room adjacent to him, but he didn't stay there. Once he was certain that his dad was tucked away, he snuck out and headed to his childhood home to do some recon of his own.

There was police tape all around the back lanai which meant that was how the bad guys got in, and found that the back door had been forced open. Right, so he was on the right track.

As he walked in, he turned on the lights that CSU had been using to help illuminate evidence and then took in the scene.

His dad had said that it had gone down between the living room and his office.

Hesse had been shot in the living room. Not a single bullet had missed him. This had been a clinical and clean-cut execution. Hesse had been lucky to survive

There was a puddle of dried blood and beside it was shoe prints, lost of shoe prints. The tread was not thick or heavy, but thin and barely defined. These were dress shoes.

Who the hell wore dress shoes to something like this?

The prints were just a little smaller than his, so this was someone of a smaller stature. Good to know.

He then went to his dad's desk.

His dad said that was where the man with the monkey mask had sat. He hadn't really paid attention to him though. Steve could now see, just by the pattern that was left in the dust and mess on his dad's desk that the man had been on a computer.

No doubt tracking his convoy's movements.

He used wheel lube his dad had left around to reveal a palm print that he quickly took a picture of. You know, to help out HPD seeing as they seemed to have missed that.

And then he went to the garage.

This was a strange choice but he had two reasons for doing that.

Firstly, to see if his dad's beloved car was still there. It was.

Secondly, the monkey masked man had left through the garage. Maybe he had bumped into something, maybe he had left a fingerprint behind.

But Steve got distracted. Once he saw that tarp, he knew he would just have to see what was under it.

He pulled it back and looked lovingly upon the Mercery Marquis that this father loved so much. Many of his fond memories with his dad revolved around him standing there pretending to help him as his dad worked on it.

The thing never really ran right, but his dad loved tinkering with it, and Steve loved being with his dad as he did.

But there was a third reason, and probably the most important reason, why he had gone into that garage.

Champ.

He had asked his dad why he had called him Champ several times during that phone call, when he never had in his life, ever, called Steve anything close to that before. But his dad had just said it was the only thing his mind could think of at the time. The thing was, when he said it Steve knew right away that he was lying.

Then he thought about why his dad would lie.

And he was pretty sure he knew why.

John had thought he was going to die and he was leaving Steve a clue. A clue to what though?

Steve didn't know what it was, or why it was, but it all lead back to Champ. Like the Champ tool box he had always had in his garage. Where he kept all his tools to fix up that old Marquis.

There was something in there that a dying John McGarrett wanted Steve to find.

Problem was, it was not in the garage.

Apparently, the man in the monkey mask had figured out the clue too.

Steve sighed, leaning against his dad's work bench. This was not good.

He wasn't sure he could even get his dad to tell him what was in there, but he would love to see his reaction when Steve told him it was gone.

And then the door opened.

Steve turned just in time to see someone come into the garage.

"Hey, you hands up!" the person shouted, but Steve had already gone for his gun.

"Who are you?" they asked at the same time.

It was a haole. Probably the haole on his dad's case. Or maybe, since the blonde haired, tie wearing haole was of a shorter stockier stature, maybe this was master returning to the scene of the crime.

"I am detective Danny Williams…"

Right so it was the haole in charge of his dad's case. "Lieutenant Commander McGarrett," Steve said interrupting his spiel. "This is my father's house."

Danny didn't care though. "Put your weapon down right now!"

"No, you put your weapon down!" Steve shouted back at him. "Show me your ID!"

"I'm Honolulu PD!" he snapped. "You show me your ID! Right now!"

Damn he was bossy.

"I'm not putting my gun down," Steve growled, because he still didn't trust him.

"Neither am I."

"Use your free hand, take out your ID," Steve ordered.

This just made the blonde man's eyebrows raise in almost defiance. "Please, after you."

WOW! Steve was starting to get real annoyed here.

"At the same time?"

It was about the only compromise this man was going to get. And he better take it. Steve would hate to embarrass him by beat this haole up at his own crime scene.

"At the same time?" he echoed like he couldn't believe that Steve had even offered that.

"Yeah. At the same time!"

"What, like on the count of three?"

The attitude was not appreciated but that would work.

"Okay. Three is good."

"One."

The both took their spare hands away from their guns, but their guns never wavered from their targets.

"Two."

They both had their IDs in hand now.

"Three."

And they were open and they could see exactly who they said they were. Right Steve could relax now.

Both of them carefully went about putting their weapons away and then Danny was walking towards him.

"Listen, I get it. What happened to your dad, it's scary, but you can't be here right now. This is an active crime scene."

Yeah, like Steve didn't know that.

"Doesn't seem that active."

"I can't share any information with you," Danny continued as if he were reading lines out of the cop handbook on how to deal with a distraught relative. But Steve wasn't distraught.

"Hesse wasn't in here alone, okay?"

"Yes, we know, the man in the monkey mask," Danny said.

"Well did you know he had a laptop?" he asked and Danny's face solidified into a passive mask. "There was a space at my dad's desk cleared for a 13-inch laptop and my dad hates computers."

"Okay, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"And when I'm done looking around I will," he said. "Now where did you guys move my dad's toolbox?"

"Toolbox?"

"Yeah, the red one. Said Champ on it. Where is it?"

"There wasn't a toolbox there," Danny said.

Oh yeah and what happened to not sharing any info with him.

"Okay, fine, you want me gone, I'm going."

He went to move but Danny was talking again. "How do I know you didn't take the box?" he asked. "It's evidence and you know that."

"I obviously don't have it, where would I be hiding it if I did?"

"I don't know how long you've been here. And quite frankly, I know your father is hiding something. Maybe he sent you back to get the toolbox for some reason. Who knows what reason yet, but I will find out sooner than you and your dad would like, no doubt."

Wow! So what, he was saying his dad was in on his own attack? But hey, at least Steve wasn't the only one who could tell his dad was hiding something. Wish he knew what it was though.

"How long have you been with the Honolulu PD?" he asked trying not to laugh at how ridiculous this man was.

"None of your business. What are you Barbara Walters?"

The sass was strong with this one. Damn Steve couldn't wait to get away from this psycho.

"No, it is my business if you're investigating what happened to my dad."

"I am and I'd like to get back to that, and the sooner you tell me what the two of you are hiding the quicker this will all go."

"We're not hiding anything. I'll just leave you with your… active… crime scene," Steve said going to leave again.

"Okay, stop right there. You can either agree to answer my questions now or I can arrest you, which is it?"

Steve just laughed. "You gonna call for back up?"

Danny thought about it and then said: "An ambulance."

Well, Steve had to admire the courage. Man should have done a little research on him. Steve was heavily trained in hand-to-hand combat. Detective Williams wouldn't stand a chance.

Steve turned back to him and Danny smiled. "Thank you."

Yeah this wasn't what he thought it was. "Don't thank me yet," he said as he took out his phone and the card the Governor had given him. He dialed her private line and then waited for her to answer. And while it rang he kept his eyes on Danny.

He got her secretary. Oh yeah, personal line his ass.

"Yeah, Governor Jameson, please. Tell her it's Steve McGarrett."

"Please," Danny said with a sigh.

Oh didn't believe him huh? Steve put her on speaker.

Commander McGarrett. Governor Jameson here, what can I do for you?

"Oh you gotta be kidding me," Danny muttered going to lean against his dad's car.

Yeah when Steve was off this phone call, Danny was gonna get slapped for thinking that he could do that. He quickly took her off of speaker phone for the rest of the conversation.

"Governor, I'll… uh… I'll take the job."

"You've had a change of heart?"

"No, let's just say I found something that changed my mind," he said.

"Okay, we can have you start tomorrow…"

"No, immediately," Steve said instead and she paused once more. "I'll transfer to the reserves and I'll run your task force."

And she must have liked that because she said: "Alright. Raise your hand."

"What right now?"

"Right now."

"Okay," and then he repeated after her. "I Steven J McGarrett do solemnly declare upon my honour and conscience that I will act at all times to the best of my ability and knowledge in a manner befitting an officer of the law."

"Alright, that's it. The task force is yours."

"Thank you, Governor." He then turned back to Danny. "Now it's my crime scene."

Which was loosely translated to get the fuck out. And luckily for both of them, Danny did just that.