Chapter seven

A/N: First of all, thank you to everyone who left feedback for my 9x10 coda, "If Tomorrow Never Comes". That episode is still haunting me, and I needed to let my feeling out.

I still don't own anything but my own angsty brain and an unconditional love for these characters. Also, arrest procedure in Hawaii may not be exactly as I've described it so please allow me some creative license here. Hope you enjoy it and thank you for reading.

They were here.

They had found her.

Steve immediately tensed, squaring his shoulders in the tough-guy demeanor that had defined him for most of his adult life.

Mary sensed the change in his behavior and instinctively pulled him close. "What's wrong? Steve?"

"HPD's here."

"Where?"

"Outside."

He moved over to the window and peered through the curtains. Two cruisers were parked on the other side of the street, along with an unmarked car that looked a lot like the one Kao had been driving earlier.

Had he followed him? It hadn't even occurred to him to look for a tail.

He ran a hand through his hair. This wasn't the way he wanted it to end, not with officers ready to storm inside like they were dealing with a hardened criminal.

Think, McGarrett, think.

He could talk to them, reason with Duke so he would keep the detective at bay. Or he could sneak his sister out the back door and take her to the station later. Either way, there was no delaying the inevitable.

"What's going on? Are they waiting for us?"

Steve didn't answer. He stared out the window, focused on the action in the parking lot— or lack thereof. Two uniforms were standing beside their RMP, waiting for instructions. Another squad car was parked behind, a lone figure sitting inside.

About ten feet farther, detective Kao was inspecting the pay phone Mary had used earlier, his trusted notebook always in hand.

"So, what happens next?" she tried again. She was getting more and more nervous by the minute. One thing was to confess a murder to her brother, another to tell the truth to a whole bunch of cops. Somehow it just made everything more real.

Steve turned around and exhaled deeply. "I don't know, Mare. Case like this is gonna be treated as a homicide so there's probably an arrest warrant issued in your name."

"Arrest warrant?"

He walked back to her and gently kissed her forehead. "Don't worry. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Mary leaned against him, her head tucked beneath his chin, where she could listen to his heart.

"Steve?"

"What?"

She lifted her head off his chest and gazed into her brother's eyes. "Are you in trouble with them?"

Steve pulled back to look at her. "What you mean?"

"The police. They know you're not part of this, right? That you didn't plan it with me?"

"Is that what you did? Plan it?"

She shook her head. "No. But Anthony hurt me. I didn't want him to get away with it."

He wouldn't have, Steve thought to himself. I would have taken care of it.

"He messed with my head, Steve. And I was afraid he was going to hurt Joan so I had to—"

His hand shot up to cut her off. "Shhh— Don't. Don't say that again. Ever. You shot him in self-defense. He was going to hurt you, so you had no choice. That's all you need to say. Just... stick to that and it's gonna be okay."

"Take care of her, alright?" she repeated, placing her palm on his cheek. "Promise me, Steve. Promise you will."

"I promise. Just until this is over."

"Thank you."

Steve looked down, feeling once again the sudden prick of tears. "We'll be okay," he whispered in reassurance. "We'll all be okay." Another promise he didn't know if he could keep. "Come on, it's time to go."

She wordlessly nodded and followed him as he unlocked the door, swinging it open.

Danny was standing on the other side, his fist raised, ready to knock. He jumped, startled, and took a step back. "Hey. I, uh... I'm sorry about all this," he said, pointing to the flurry of activity outside. "I came as soon as I could."

If Steve was surprised to see him, he didn't show it. The only emotion the Jersey detective could read, bright as if displayed on a white neon sign, was the heartbreak plastered on his partner's face, no doubt courtesy of Mary's full account of the facts.

"Hey, Mary. You alright?"

"Yes," the young woman nodded, holding onto her brother's arm. "Sorry about last night..."

Danny shrugged. "Water under the bridge."

"They tailed me," Steve said, a mix of incredulity and shame in his tone.

"I asked them not to. Told them I'd take care of it. I'm sorry, buddy, I did my best. Kao's a stubborn son of a bitch, it was the only way he agreed to let you out of prison."

The former SEAL hesitated a couple of beats, then stepped back and opened the door wider, allowing his friend inside.

"Duke know about this?"

Danny nodded. "They're waiting for us."

Steve tiredly rubbed his temple, feeling the all-too-familiar throb of another headache working its way through his skull.

This was it. It was time to turn her in.

"Come on, Mare. We need to go."

Mary wanted to ask him where it was exactly that they were taking her, and what was gonna happen after that, but she couldn't force a single word out. Fear had stiffened her body and filled her mouth. For one long second she stood frozen in place, too afraid to do anything but stare at her brother and his partner, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.

Danny sensed the other woman's disquiet. He'd seen tough, loud-mouthed criminals turn into scared little boys at the mere thought of spending jail time so he knew from experience that the law and its procedures could easily intimidate someone, especially if you didn't know how it worked.

"Here's what's gonna happen," he tried. Maybe if he explained it to her, she wouldn't be afraid. "We're taking you into custody now. That means you're coming with us to the station. When we get there, we're gonna need you to make a statement and then you're going to be fingerprinted and photographed. It's what we call 'processing'. Steve will be with you through all of that."

He cast a sideway glance at his partner who nodded in appreciation.

"The station is probably where you're going to spend the night, waiting to see a judge. That part is called 'arraignment'. What they do is inform you of the charges against you and what rights you have. That's also usually when bail is set."

He paused for a moment to make sure Mary was following him.

"After that, it's really up to the Grand Jury. They're the people who must determine if you have to go to trial or walk away free. Is everything clear so far?"

"Y-yes. Thank you."

"Now, before we do any of this..." his words trailed off as he turned to Steve, who was looking at him like he was begging him to make it all go away, to make everything better. Danny wished he knew how and gave him an apologetic look before continuing. "...I'm gonna need to read you your rights."

Mary Ann's hand flew to her mouth and she froze, looking like she was about to shatter into a million pieces. The McGarrett genes kicked in a moment later. She squared her shoulders, folded her arms protectively across her chest and nodded at him in understanding.

Danny thought this would be a good time for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. He'd take just about anything to spare them all this painful moment. The only thing keeping him upright was the thought that he'd rather it be him than some unfamiliar officer or worse, a heartless bastard like Detective Kao.

"You have the right to remain silent," he started, feeling like the biggest jerk walking on earth. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney..."

Steve closed his eyes and tried to drown out the sound of his partner's voice as he went on with his speech.

Minutes later, as he escorted his sister out of the motel room and inside one of HPD's cars, he pretended to ignore the stares of the officers gathered outside, not wanting them to feel sorry for him. His face was cold and emotionless, as if he had successfully managed to block all personal feelings to just go through the motion.

The ride to the station was also a blur. The only thought cutting through the pain was the memory of a similar night almost a decade back, when he had been accused of the Governor's murder.

Apparently, not much had changed.

Life was spiraling away from him again, and he was powerless to stop it.

It was just short of midnight when they finally arrived at the precinct.

Under the watchful eye of Sergeant Lukela, Steve took his sister to one of the interrogation rooms, got her a cup of coffee and told her to wait. "Don't say anything to anybody," he advised her. "I'll be right back."

Then he closed the door, walked past Danny, past a concerned Duke, and disappeared into the men's room.

He needed a moment.

Just one moment to collect himself.

He needed...

His legs suddenly felt numb and he was forced to lean against the wall to catch himself from falling. Hands on his thighs, he closed his eyes and just stood there, listening to his ragged breathing.

"You gotta breathe through your nose, Sir."

He nearly jumped at the sudden voice coming from his left. Junior Reigns was standing a few feet over by the sinks, snatching paper towels out of a metal dispenser on the wall nearby.

"That's what I do when I, uh... need to calm down," he added, taking in his boss' distraught appearance. His face was drawn, and he looked bone-tired. There was also a kind of sadness in his eyes that he'd never seen before.

"I'm sorry about what happened your sister."

Steve drew in a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts. He considered telling him to leave him alone, that he was not afraid or panicking, but there was really no point pretending he was fine. Not with Junior anyway. The kid was too smart to buy his crap.

"How's she doing?"

And insistent. He could be very insistent.

"She killed someone," he replied uncomfortably, shifting his eyes off him.

Junior shrugged like it was no big deal. "Word is it was justified. The man had it coming. I'm sorry I wasn't home to help."

Steve stared at him, taken aback by his honesty. He should've asked what he was doing at the station so late, why he was always so damn polite, instead he just stood there in silence, waiting for his heartbeat to slow back to normal.

The younger man took a few steps towards the exit then stopped, debating whether or not to say what was on his mind. For some reason, he felt compelled to share one of his deepest secrets. They were close, after all. And McGarrett had given him a job and a family when his own blood had turned their backs on him. "I know," he eventually admitted. "I know what it's like when you can barely breathe. When it feels like you're suffocating and no one else gives a damn."

Steve blinked, not sure how to respond to that. "You do?"

Junior nodded. He did know. He knew it perfectly well. "When Maya died, I felt as if I'd lost purpose. I felt stranded, lost, unsure. My sister was my anchor, and suddenly she was gone and I… I didn't know how to live in a world where she was no longer around."

Steve nodded, too stunned to speak. He stared at him for a full five seconds before his body shocked itself into response. "I'm sorry, man," he whispered. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

The young SEAL shrugged off his concern with the raise of a hand. "It's okay, Sir. I just wanted you to know you're not alone. Take care of your sister," he said before striding out of the room.

A moment later, Danny peered his head in. "You alright?"

Steve rubbed his tired eyes. "No," he sighed. "I'm not."

Danny's gaze faltered, dropped away. "We're ready when you are."

"I'll be right out," Steve replied, but his partner was already gone. Then he turned around, balled his hand into a fist, and punched a hole in the wall.

Everything was ready.

Paperwork had been filled out, phone calls made, arrangements settled.

Steve relieved the officer posted outside the interrogation room and stepped inside. "Come on, Mare," he said softly, sliding his arm around his sister's shoulders.

Mary stood up and followed him like a zombie, mechanically taking one step after another as he led her through the hallway and towards the holding cells.

"They can't arraign you until tomorrow, so you're gonna have to spend the night here," he explained. "I'll stay as long as I can, and I'll make sure they take care of you, alright?"

She nodded. Danny followed a few steps behind, running interference and shielding them from any unwanted attention. He knew Steve would rather endure a torture session than escort his own sister to jail, but at the same time he wouldn't trust anyone else with such a painful task. And the irony of it was, this could've easily been him turning his baby brother in if he'd had the guts to stop him all those years ago.

Matty would be behind bars, but he would be alive.

Danny regretted that decision every day. As his own memories and pent-up emotions began to leak out of the hollow in his heart where he'd bottled them up the empty, cold cell came into view at the end of the corridor. The fluorescent lights flickered above their heads as both siblings dragged their feet across the floor, instinctively slowing their paces to delay the inevitable.

Duke Lukela was waiting for them, his face and demeanor showing his deepest sorrow and regret. When he opened the cell, motioning for Mary to get inside, Steve's heart sank. His fingers clutched the cell bars as he watched her hesitantly step inside the confined space, his lungs struggling for breath against ribs of stone.

A tear rolled down his cheek.

He felt completely torn apart, at the mercy of a devastating grief that was coming in waves, grueling like a shard in his guts, and wished for the millionth time he could've spared her all this.

Then the door closed, as loud as a gunshot, and they both jumped. The sound of the locks clicking shut followed a moment later. Mary curled both hands around the railing, close to her brother's, and they both lowered their heads until their foreheads almost touched.

That's how Danny left them, quietly stepping back into the hallway with Duke to give them a few moments of privacy.

Hunched over, lost, sharing a vulnerability that they rarely allowed themselves to feel.

"So, is it good?" Mary asked as soon as the judge dismissed her case.

"It is," Steve smiled. "For now, at least. It means you're coming home."

"But how, I mean... it was only a couple of minutes. How can that judge decide in such a short time? He talked like he didn't even care."

"He doesn't have to," Steve said flatly. "They do lots of arraignments every day. They don't have time to care."

"It's not unusual," Danny chimed in. "This is not a trial. He's not here to decide if you're guilty or innocent. He just charges you, sets bail if he feels like it, and tells you when to show up for the hearing with the Grand Jury."

"Is that what he just did? 'Cause to me it sounded more like a bunch of words in a foreign language."

Danny barely suppressed a smile. Arraignments were fast, frustrating, and filled with legal jargon. No wonder Mary was confused.

An officer grasped her arm to escort her outside. "Come on, we need to clear the room."

The young woman froze. "Wait, where is he taking me?" She turned to Steve, a look of panic on her face. "You said I could come home! I wanna see Joanie!"

"You will," he immediately reassured her. "I just need to post bail and sign some papers first." He nodded to the uniform. "This officer will take you to the cells behind the courtroom. You're gonna have to wait there until I'm done."

Mary looked at him, not entirely convinced. "What about the bail money?"

"What about it?" he asked. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Steve, wait. It's a lot of money."

"So?"

Did she really think he cared? He could end up broke and not give a damn as long as she didn't have to spend time in jail.

"My bedroom," she said as the officer led her through the door. "Second drawer to the left. Find my bank account info—"

Steve kissed her on the cheek, effectively silencing her. "I love you. I'll be back to pick you up in a few hours."

Danny's lips curved into another smile. The relationship between Steve and Mary had always fascinated him. Two polar opposites that loved each other fiercely, two people who weren't afraid to call each other's bullshit but would walk through fire to save the other.

Over the years, Steve had shown the same overprotectiveness towards him and to a lesser degree, Grace and Charlie. Sometimes it annoyed him, but most of the time Danny felt lucky to have such a strong presence by his side, someone who wouldn't bat an eye before sacrificing himself for the people he loved. And though he'd never admit it to anyone, his attention had always flattered him. If you were one of the very few people Steve McGarrett loved, well... it was very reassuring.

"It's gonna be alright, Steve. I promise."

"Uh-huh." He kept his eyes on his sister until she was completely out of sight and then turned to Danny. "Thank you. For everything you did. For being there for us." The look he gave him was one of pure, unadulterated gratitude and love, one of those looks that makes you feel like you're one of the most special people in the world.

Danny nodded, gave his arm a comforting squeeze and guided him outside.

Yes, he thought, very reassuring.

TBC