Chapter 2
"Home"
Steve knew something was wrong. The scuffling noises and muted words he heard through his earpiece gave him an uneasy feeling. He looked around the large air vent to try and glimpse the shooter, but the only thing he saw was the shooter's rifle discarded on the roof.
"Is everyone okay?" he spoke into his headset. Chin stood only a few feet away and he heard Kono confirm she was alright, but no response came from Danny. "Danny, are you okay?" Steve said urgently.
"Just peachy," Danny replied in a gruff voice.
Steve did not like the tone in his partner's voice or the groan that followed his reply. "Do you see Tarella?" No answer came and Steve exchanged a concerned look with Chin as Kono hurried over to their position. Something was definitely wrong.
Steve sent Chin back to retrace Danny's steps while he and Kono proceeded forward with caution. Their guns were drawn, ready for anything; except for what they discovered.
About twenty-five feet away, they saw Danny kneeling on the ground with his hands laced behind his head. His forehead boasted a long, thin cut over his left eyebrow, which was of little consequence, considering the gun that was held to his right temple by the shooter, Nick Tarella.
"Stay there!" Nick yelled. His brown eyes held a wild look as they darted back and forth between the man and the woman coming toward him as he tried to gauge which one held the greater threat.
"Okay, we're staying right here," Steve replied.
Nick focused on the man and noticed the intensity on his face. He had seen that look many times in Afghanistan on the faces of his fellow solders during the height of a mission. He came to the conclusion that the tall, dark haired man was out to complete a mission; he was definitely the one to worry about. The woman faded away and was forgotten as far as Nick was concerned. "You," he said, referring to Steve, "put your gun down or I'll shoot him."
"I'm Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett-"
"I don't care who you are. I'm going to hurt this guy if you don't do what I say."
Steve raised his left hand to try and calm him. "I don't think you really want to hurt anyone."
"I will if you don't put your gun down!" Nick threatened. Steve did not respond fast enough, so Nick yanked Danny to his feet and wrapped an arm around his neck, pushing the gun hard against his hostage's head. Danny grimaced from the pain, but did not make a sound.
"Okay, okay, I'm putting it down," Steve said, holding up both hands. He carefully bent down and placed his gun on the roof, kicking it aside with his foot. "Why don't we talk about what's going on with you, Nick."
"How do you know my name?"
"Your brother Nolan told me. He's here and he's really worried about you."
"I told him it was too late," Nick blurted out as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his upper arm. "Why did he come?"
"He cares about what happens to you."
"He's my brother, he's supposed to care, but it's not enough." His gaze wandered into the distance. "I need…" Nick trailed off as his gun fell away slightly from Danny's head.
"What do you need, Nick?" Steve asked.
This caught Nick's attention and he shifted his eyes back to Steve. Desperation filled his voice and covered his face as he answered, "I need my little boy. My wife is going to take him away."
Danny closed his eyes; he could identify with that. He remembered the agony he suffered when Rachel left New Jersey and took Grace with her. Grace was his world. Nick Tarella's boy seemed to be his world, too. Maybe Steve could somehow use that to help resolve this conflict. Danny could tell his partner was searching for the right words to say. He made eye contact with Steve and mouthed the word "Grace" to give him an idea where to begin.
Steve understood what his partner wanted him to say, but he found himself feeling frustrated that Danny had a gun to his head and all he could do at the moment was try to talk the gunman into putting down his weapon.
Steve was the man of action. Danny was the man of words. This was not how things should be, yet here Steve found himself; not do or die, but talk or die.
He focused on what Danny wanted him to talk about. "What's your son's name?" Steve questioned Nick.
"Eric," he answered hesitantly.
"That man you have there, his name is Danny, and he has a little girl, her name is Grace. How do you think she'll feel if her father isn't there to pick her up from school?"
Nick looked down at his hostage. "You have a little girl?"
"Yeah, she's eight," Danny replied.
"My boy's five."
Nick seemed to calm down somewhat.
"If you put the gun down now, everybody goes home," Steve suggested.
The word "home" produced a fire in Nick's eyes, almost as if Steve had lit a match with that word.
"Home!" Nick cried out. "I don't have a wife, I don't have a son. How can I have a home?"
"Eric is your son," Steve reminded him.
"No, he's not," Nick wailed, shoving the barrel of the gun back into the side of Danny's head. "My wife just told me after all this time that Eric isn't mine and she's leaving me for his father."
Nick was escalating. Steve needed to act quickly.
"Hey, take it easy," Steve cautioned.
"I'm in position, Boss," he heard Chin say through his ear piece.
Steve glanced to his right and saw Kono also poised to shoot if necessary. Unsure of what to say next, he listened as Nick rambled on about the son he no longer had.
A few moments later, Steve felt his phone vibrate with the second alarm he had set as a reminder that he should be at Natalie's school by this time. It was three o'clock. Natalie, he thought. "What does your son call you?" Steve asked suddenly.
This surprised Nick and he stopped with his angry rant. "W-what?"
"What does Eric call you?"
Nick thought about that for a second. "Um…daddy. But I'm not his daddy."
"Not true," Steve corrected him.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have to be someone's flesh and blood to be their father. I know from experience that a kid doesn't call you 'daddy' unless they accept you as that."
"D-do you have a kid?"
"Yeah, her name is Natalie. She's not related to me in anyway, but she's mine, and I would do anything for her. Just like you would do anything for your son. Do you want your son to remember you like this?" Nick still held the gun to Danny's head, but he was wavering. "It's your choice," Steve told him. "Remember, your decision will affect not only your son, but your brother Nolan, too."
Nick blinked several times trying to think through the words that had just been said to him.
Steve felt beads of sweat trickle down his back as he waited for Nick to make a decision. "Just put the gun down."
Nick looked at the gun in his hand for a long moment and then attempted to raise it to his own head, but a voice of reason called out to him.
"Come on, Nick," Steve encouraged him. "Your brother is waiting for you."
It seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was merely a matter of seconds before an agonizing moan emanated from deep within Nick. He slowly lowered the gun to his side and released Danny. His legs wobbled beneath him and he collapsed onto the roof crying.
Danny sank to his knees breathing a sigh of relief. That was too close, he thought.
Chin walked forward to handcuff the man and Kono picked up the discarded weapons. Steve came alongside Danny, but did not speak, giving his partner some time to compose himself.
"I think this is where you're supposed to ask me if I'm okay," Danny said, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
"That's quite a cut you have on your forehead," Steve remarked. "Are you okay?"
"It doesn't mean the same thing if I have to remind you to ask how I am."
"You didn't really give me much of a chance, but I really do want to know if you're okay."
"I'm fine," Danny said attempting to stand, "but this thing with us changing places has got to stop."
"What?" Steve said helping him to his feet.
Danny sighed. "I just did something really stupid," he said emphasizing the last two words with his hands.
"Yeah, you did." Steve was unsure how Danny ended up in such a precarious situation, but he had to agree it was stupid; however it happened.
"And you," Danny said pointing to Steve, "did something amazing. You used your words. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks…I think." Steve was questioning whether or not that was actually a compliment.
"It's moments like this that I realize why I try and help you." Danny clapped his partner on the shoulder and began walking away. "Oh," he said turning back, "I almost forgot…book 'em…Steve-O. Hey, I kind of like that!"
"Don't even," Steve warned.
"Don't worry it will grow on you," Danny assured him with a big smile.
And with that he walked away.
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Nolan Tarella was relieved to see his brother alive. Before Nick was taken away, in the police vehicle, he and his brother were able to have a minute together. Steve and Danny observed the two brothers embrace each other from where they stood a short distance away.
"I'm glad things worked out with you and Nate," Danny said quietly. "It's important that brothers stick together."
Steve glanced at his partner knowingly. He felt sure Danny's mind lingered on his brother Matt and the loss he felt because of their estranged relationship.
"I think I need to see Grace tonight," Danny said, his words catching in his throat. I'm gonna go call Rachel while I check on my car."
Danny pulled out his phone as he walked away and had a brief conversation with his ex-wife, while the fire department finished shutting off the water to the broken hydrant. Surprisingly, Rachel had no problem with him taking Grace for the night, but before he could be with his daughter he had to deal with his car.
He stood with his arms crossed and a pained expression on his face as he surveyed the damage.
Nothing this bad ever happens in Jersey, he thought. "Who am I kidding?" he snorted. "It would get car jacked."Steve walked up next to him and looked at the wreck. "I've lost two cars in less than two weeks," Danny continued, more to himself than his partner. "I hate to think how this is going to affect my insurance?"
"Maybe it's time to get yourself an armored vehicle," Steve joked.
"Please, don't joke with me right now."
"Maybe it can be fixed."
With both arms spread wide Danny exclaimed, "Are we looking at the same car? It's beyond repair!"
"Maybe Nate can take a look at it," Steve suggested.
Danny's eyes seemed to brighten at the thought. "He's really good with cars, isn't he?" he asked.
He's not a miracle worker, Steve thought, but remaining optimistic for Danny's sake, he replied, "Yeah, I'm sure he won't mind looking at it. I'll give him a call." Nate answered after two rings and Steve explained the situation to him. Ending the call, he told Danny, "Nate will be here in five minutes."
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Steve met Nate at the police barricade that was still in place until the rest of the street could be cleared of the water, glass and other debris.
"Hey," Steve greeted his brother. "I didn't take you away from anything important did I?"
"No, I was just on my way home," Nate replied as they walked toward the Camaro.
Nate still referred to the house he lived in for only the first seven years of his life as "home". Steve liked that. He realized with Nate here it felt more like the home he remembered and he did not want to lose that. He thought back to Danny's earlier comment about brothers needing to "stick together". He was not sure how long Nate would be in Hawaii, but he hoped it would be for a long time.
"Are you going to be home tonight?" Steve asked. "Natalie is spending the night. I know she would like it if you were there."
"I'm going out, actually, sorry."
Steve noticed Nate seemed distracted. He realized his brother had been like this for the past couple of days. "Is everything okay?" Steve questioned him.
"Sure, why?"
"I don't know, you've been kind of quiet the past two days and I just want to make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine. I've been busy with some stuff that's all."
"Alright," Steve said, nodding his head. "Well, see if you can help Danny out with his car. I have a few things to finish up."
Nate watched as Steve walked away. He felt a stab of guilt about the "stuff" he had been busy with. However, he did not have much time to dwell on it as Danny saw him and called him over to his car. Nate hardly needed to walk closer to tell that Danny's Camaro was totaled.
"What do you think?" Danny asked hopefully, searching the younger man's face for an answer.
"Give me a couple of minutes."
Nate began to inspect the car, walking from one side to the other, while Danny followed close behind. Perhaps he followed a little too closely because he bumped into Nate, who stopped abruptly to look at something.
"Sorry," Danny apologized. "I'll just go stand over there." He pointed with his thumb to where Steve and Chin were discussing something a short distance away.
Nate nodded his head and smiled slightly as Danny walked away. He knelt down to get a better look at the front of the car. It was worse than he thought.
"So, what are we looking at?" said a pleasant voice from beside him.
Nate looked up to see Kono standing with her hands on her hips, smiling down at him. He returned her smile and said, "A mess. It's not worth fixing."
"That's too bad. I kind of thought that would be the case." They were silent for a few moments while Nate checked out a few more things. Kono finally continued, "So, are we still on for tonight?"
"Yeah, we should probably check with Chin and Danny to make sure they're still up for it after your adventure here this afternoon."
"Adventure?" she laughed. "This is a normal day on the job for us. Your brother has a way of making life interesting."
Nate stood up and wiped his hands off. "Sounds dangerous."
"Sometimes."
Danny made his way back over to the car with Steve and Chin trailing behind him. "Well?" he asked.
"I'll take care of it for you," Nate offered.
"Really? You can do something?"
"Yeah," Nate assured him and Kono threw him an amused look. "Until then, what would you like to drive?"
"What would I like to drive?"
"I can get you anything from a bicycle to a Ferrari."
Danny's eye widened. "Wow!" He had the look of a little boy on Christmas morning. "How about you surprise me. Uh, just one request."
"Anything."
"Make sure it's not a purple mini van with flowers on it."
Nate was confused by the request, but grinned. "Something sporty then?"
"That's good. That's more than good. That's excellent. That's-"
"Enough, Danny," Steve interjected.
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
After returning to headquarters and finishing up some paperwork, Steve was finally on his way to the Reilly's to pick up Natalie. Kono had driven Danny to pick up Grace, and Chin said he would make sure everything else was taken care of.
Steve decided to call Alex on the way. He used the voice command feature on his phone and said, "Call Alex Reilly."
The voice replied back, "No match found."
"What? Oh, right," he smirked. Being the efficient person he was, he programmed her name into his phone as "Alex McGarrett". Why bother changing it after they were married when he could do it before. "Alex McGarrett," he said smiling. He liked the sound of that.
"Hello," Alex answered.
"Why so formal?" Steve asked.
"Two of my sisters are here," she whispered into the phone. "If they knew it was you calling we wouldn't get anything done for the next hour because all they would want to do is talk about you…me…and the wedding."
"I was actually thinking we need to talk about the wedding. What do you think about this Sunday?"
"To talk about it?" she wondered.
"No, to have it."
She did not respond.
"Alex?" Steve said. "Are you there?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"Not really."
"I'm coming back on Sunday and I'm going to be dead tired. I think I might like to be a bit more responsive on our wedding day."
"I guess I'd like that, too."
"I bet you would." She paused for a few seconds and he heard one of her sisters ask what she wanted to do about a rocking chair. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go. We're in the midst of trying to figure out what I should keep and what I should get rid of. It's mind boggling. I have so much to do and I want to be at work by seven in the morning, so I can wrap up a few things. I'll call you later, okay."
"I'll be waiting."
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Steve was not really sure what to expect when he arrived at the Reilly's. He wondered how Natalie would react to his unavoidable broken promise. He stepped out of his truck and began walking toward the house, but saw no trace of the rambunctious little girl coming to meet him. Henri met him at the door, which Steve thought was probably not a good sign.
"Did everything work out okay with your situation?" Henri asked.
"Yeah, on my end everything worked out fine," Steve replied. "How upset is Natty?"
Henri grinned. "She was determined to sit on the front steps of the school and wait for you to get there. It took me five minutes to talk her into coming with me instead."
"Sounds like my day. Any words of wisdom before I go in?"
"Be firm, but understanding."
Steve nodded and followed Henri inside. He found Natalie in the living room sitting on the couch watching a movie.
"Hey," he said.
She did not respond.
"Natalie?"
The little girl did not acknowledge him. This silent treatment was new to him. He was not sure how to work something out when the other person would not respond.
Crossing in front of the television, he sat down next to her and slouched so he could be at her eye level. He glanced at her and then at the television, wondering what was playing.
"What are we watching?" he asked. When she did not respond, he sat quietly for a few minutes, taking in the animated scene that played out on the screen. Some girl with extremely long, golden hair had a male hostage tied to a chair and she hit him with a frying pan. He looked at Natalie, then at the screen and then back again. "Are you allowed to watch this?"
Silence.
Steve saw the remote sitting on the couch to Natalie's left. He reached in front of her and grabbed it, hitting the stop button.
"Hey!" Natalie shouted.
"You can talk," Steve said.
"Put it back on!" she said as she tried to snatch the remote out of his hand.
He held it up and away from her. "It's rude not to respond to someone when they're talking to you."
Scowling, Natalie turned away and folded her arms across her chest.
"I came by to take you home with me tonight because that was the plan. But if you're going to be this way I'm going home without you."
Natalie followed Steve with her eyes as he stood up and walked out of the room. She listened as the front door opened and closed. Jumping up, she ran for the door. As the little girl came into the hall she froze. There Steve waited with his arms crossed and a look that said "gotcha".
Natalie mirrored his posture, but her expression said she was very unhappy with his charade.
"You have something you wanna say to me?" Steve asked.
Natalie looked at the floor and mumbled something unintelligible.
"What was that?"
"I don't…" she trailed off, sliding her hands behind her back.
"You don't what?" he questioned, inclining his head toward her.
"I don't want you to leave without me!" she quickly repeated in a loud voice.
"Come here," he said as he knelt down.
Natalie shuffled forward with her head bowed.
He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head upward. "I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up. I know I promised, but someone wasn't safe and they needed my help. Can you understand that?"
"That's what papa said," she sniffed. "But…"
"But what?"
She did not answer at first, but wiped her eyes. "I was afraid you left me because you didn't want me anymore." As she replied tears began to roll down her cheeks.
Steve pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair. "Sweetheart, I would never leave you. I'll always want you." He lifted her off the floor and rose to his feet. "I love you, Natty."
"I love you more, Daddy," she whimpered.
"No, I'm sure I love you more," he teased, resting his forehead against hers.
"Nuh uh," she squeaked.
"Uh huh."
"I love you times infinity. You can't beat that!"
"I guess I can't," he grinned. "Can we go home now?"
"Yes!" she agreed. "We can go home."
A/N: I hope you liked the chapter. Can YOU guess what movie Natalie was watching? Thank you for reading and reviewing. And for all the story alerts and adding this as your favorite story. You're all so wonderful.