When Catherine shuts the door to the small room, Danny sighs, annoyed, and sits down on the wooden table right outside, willing to wait out the torture session. He really doesn't know how to approach Catherine without losing his temper, since he is now doubly annoyed at her: for leaving without an explanation and lying to him, but also for letting a grieving Steve get himself into a potential mess. How would he begin to explain THIS to the Governor? Catherine sits down next to him, on the bench, at a comfortable distance, both facing away from the table. She's willing to wait with him, but is not in a mood to talk. However, Danny not only has a few things to get out of his chest, but also Gregers Thomsen is being tortured right next to him, so he needs a distraction. Unnerved by the screams, Danny begrudgingly acknowledges Catherine, properly.
"So… how have you been? Long time, no see." The resentment is going to be hard to hide, he thinks, with sadness. He always liked Catherine, but he isn't really managing to control his feelings, right now. He needs to rehash her departure, however much he knows he shouldn't.
"I'm well, Danny. How are Grace and Charlie? Rachel?" Catherine answers in a level voice, turning 90 degrees in his direction, no hint of a smile.
"Great. Which you'd know, if you at least called."
"Danny…" Catherine sighs, looking at him, voice even, emotions in check.
"No, don't bother, you know what, I don't want to know," he says, anger finally boiling over, mouth closed, arms gesturing wildly, signaling the finality of his decision. "You left, so now you don't get to ask me about the Ohana. Let's stick to the matter at hand, OK?"
Catherine understands his anger and actually expected it, the minute she saw him coming out of the car; unlike Steve, who bottles all his feelings up, Danny wears his heart on his sleeve and his face shows his every emotion.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Danny. Maybe one day we'll have the opportunity to talk about what happened. But not now. We need to focus and prepare," Catherine answers, with a kind smile, letting him know that she is not angry at his reaction. She resumes her previous position, and waits.
"Sure, deflect. Anyway, tell me, how's he been?" Danny counters, unable to let go, but annoyed at how Catherine always shies away from explaining her reasons.
"Oh, you know, typical Steve, he's built protective walls around himself, not only to keep me out, but also to guard against unwanted emotions."
"He's an expert at that, sure," Danny agrees, leaning his head in.
"He's functioning… and grieving. Going through the motions. Surviving with angry defiance, like placing a wager that death can be beaten at its game."
"And how's that been working out for him?"
"He's coping with the loss as best he can, I think. But putting this matter to rest and capturing Greer and Hassan will help a lot," Catherine goes on, happy to be able to prepare Danny for what the general plans are.
"No kidding… but at what cost, Catherine? At what cost?" Danny laments, thinking about the consequences. "What's he thinking of doing to that man, in there, after he manages to get the information he needs? I mean, if it was Hesse or Wo Fat, I'd understand, but this is a very grey area… how will he cope with his conscience, at the end of this?"
"It'd be far worse if he wasn't given the chance, Danny, ever think of that? Steve's not the kind of man to have qualms over the death of a criminal who ordered the deaths of a second father, as well as 4 guys from his SEAL team, you know that. As for Thomsen… we'll send a team to secure him, once this is all over. The Swedish authorities will want to have a chat with him, after everything we've unearthed."
"You do understand that very well, don't you?" Danny is sad for her, now, and his voice reflects that.
"Sure", she says, eyeing him seriously. "I do this kind of stuff every week, Danny. It's my reality."
"I'm sorry, Catherine. For judging you. I know it must be really hard and that someone must do it," he goes on, still angry, apologizing for what he wants to say next. "But I just… I just wish it didn't have to be you."
"What do you mean?" She seeks clarification, in hopes of not having lost Danny forever.
"You're tainted by association, you know? I know you, and I can perfectly separate Catherine from the CIA. But at what point do you start to merge with them? In Steve's mind, that's a huge drama."
"He knows what I do for a living…"
"Yeah, no, see…" Danny says, huffing ironically, "Knowing it and managing to store it in the "everything's OK" box, in one's brain, are two very different things. Normally, he's able to separate the two, because you're away, doing covert ops God knows where. But every now and then - and I think that when he's around you, those lines get blurred – he has to face the ugly reality."
"What ugly reality, Danny?"
"That you work for the big bad wolf. The Spy-I-A. The bad guys who took his mother from him. And you. Don't forget you!"
-"The CIA didn't take me anywhere, Danny. I went of my own free will."
"See, now, that's one of my oldest curiosities. Was there really a reason for your departure, after you told me, at that lookout point where we met, that you wanted nothing more than to stay? Because as the grown up, independent kick-ass woman that you are, I'm pretty sure that you decided your own destiny. Unless, of course, you were being forced to leave by the big bad wolf", Danny ends in triumphant annoyance, sarcasm lacing his every word.
Catherine is so surprised at Danny's question, she takes a second to compose herself. As she's about to answer him, the door to the little room opens and Steve comes out, bloodied hands, bucket in hand. Prodded by Danny, he tells the assembled company about Hassan's location. Relieved at the results, Danny suggests informing the CIA and getting them to act, giving Catherine the cold shoulder, effectively ignoring that she is CIA. He also thinks his suggestion might kill two birds with one stone: Catherine would leave again, hopefully forever, and take Thomsen with her. Two problems solved. However, when she makes a "uh-huh" sound, eliminating that option from the realm of possibilities ahead of them, Danny again turns to Steve and asks him if he wants him to go to Laos, stressing the question with a "you-to-me gesture", ignoring her again. When she tells him that "they ARE going to Laos", he looks to Steve, pleading with him that it's very far away and that he hasn't brought his passport. Catherine again answers that they won't need their passports, and he can barely control his anger at her. For enabling Steve and for having everything arranged, without him. But this time, since he wants to point out, to Steve, the madness of their endeavor, he now includes her in the count of able bodied people available to take on this operation. Steve tells him that there will be more people coming, and Danny runs out of arguments to throw at him. Laos it is.