A/N: Hello all! This is a post-ep for 6x17.

I want o thank my pal Narkito for reading through this one and giving me some good pointers.

In any case, all minstakes are mine, my own, my precioussss.

When Gas is the least of your problems

Steve and Danny were still standing, looking at the water when they heard someone calling their names. They turned around to see Duke coming their way with a concerned expression on his face. "Hey Duke, you can transport Novick back to the palace, we'll send all the paperwork to get things moving. I'm not sure if the Feds or NSA will want dibs on her, but for now she's ours and we'll do the booking. Just keep a detail on her at all times." Steve said.

Duke frowned, shaking his head. "We'll handle the booking and the protection detail, but I don't think you'll be able to do the paperwork just yet. A couple of guards just collapsed back in the palace, and we got instructions to take everyone affected by the gas back to Tripler." He said grimly.

Danny looked at Steve in concern. He had to admit that he'd been nursing a headache since he woke up on the floor of the interrogation room. Steve however didn't seem too concerned. "We're good, Duke. We'll handle the booking and head to Tripler if we start to feel bad."

Danny was about to object, but Duke spoke first, frowning at Steve's answer. "I'm sorry Steve, but we got clear instructions from the Governor. Chin and Kono are already in the bus, and Lou is calling Renee to let her know that he's going to the hospital." He said, turning to point in the direction of an ambulance parked nearby.

Steve moved closer to the ambulance while Danny and Duke followed at a distance. "Come on, guys, this is ridiculous! We don't have to head to the hospital if we're not feeling si—" He trailed off when he reached the ambulance.

Inside the ambulance, Chin was sitting with his shoulders hunched, while Kono lay on the gurney with her eyes closed. Chin turned when he heard Steve approaching and offered him a halfhearted smile. "She's good, just a bit of a headache, right cuz?" He asked gently.

Kono just groaned from the gurney, only moving to open one eye and look back at Steve. "'m good, boss…"

Grover finished his call, moving closer while motioning for Steve and Danny to get into the ambulance. "Alright, let's get this show on the road, 'cause I told Renee I'd be home for dinner and I ain't missing her meatloaf!" He said.

Steve looked back at Duke, shaking his head. "Let Kono go in the bus, we'll follow in my truck." He said, but before he could move away, Lou had a hand on his shoulder. "With all the people from the palace being moved to Tripler, we're lucky we got this fine bus all to ourselves, and I don't see them sending another one if you happen to wrap yourself around a pole, so we're getting in this bus like good old Duke here is asking, OK?" He asked, not waiting for Steve's answer. Turning to Danny, he asked instead. "What about your kids? Do you need Renee to pick them up?"

Danny shook his head tiredly. "No, they're with Rachel this weekend. Thanks for the offer, though." He said with a smile, moving to get in the ambulance and take a seat next to Chin. Steve jumped in and sat beside Danny while one of the paramedics followed, sitting in the last space available.

Steve looked in outrage as Lou closed the back doors. "Hey, why'd you get to seat on the front?"

Lou grinned, looking pleased with himself. "Well, I'm a big boy; I need a little bit more space!" He said while he moved to the passenger seat.

The space inside the ambulance was limited, so they were all sitting on the bench shoulder to shoulder. The paramedic squeezed past Steve to check on Kono, and that forced Danny to lean closer to Steve's side.

The drive back to the city would take about 30 minutes and the paramedic reassured them that Kono was resting and that her vitals were stable.

They were all relieved at the update. Chin was still leaning close to the gurney, keeping hold of Kono's hand while the paramedic stood on the other side.

Steve and Danny had moved to the far corner of the bench, where they could leave more room for the paramedic to move freely. That meant that Danny was still leaning somewhat on Steve's side. He was about to tease his partner for curling up so close to his side when he noticed that Danny's eyes were closed and he was snoring softly. "Danny?" He asked in concern.

The first thing Danny felt was something soft under his head. He was laying on a bed, with blankets tucked snuggly over his chest, there was something on his wrist that pulled when he shifted his hand and some sort of tube under his nose that itched fiercely and was generally annoying,

His eyelids felt heavy, but he managed to open them a crack and found himself in an unfamiliar dim room. "What?" He mumbled with a frown, trying to remember what brought him to this room, but the last thing he could remember was capturing Anna Novick.

Danny's anxiety decided to make an appearance. He had no idea where he was, and his brain felt fuzzy, so his first thought was that there had been some sort of trap. He tried to get his uncooperative muscles to work so he could sit up, but he ended up flopping to his side. "Shit!" He said in distress.

He heard some shuffling movement coming from behind him and it only helped to alarm him more, so he tried to sit up again, this time taking a hold of the railing of the bed he was lying on.

Before he could move any further, a pair of hands took hold of his shoulders and pulled him to lie back down, but a familiar voice made him reconsider his fight or flight stance. "Hey, Danny… Stay still. You're ok, it's all ok…" Steve said gently.

Danny turned to look at his partner, letting himself fall back into the bed. "What?" He asked in confusion.

Steve made sure that the IV on Danny's arm and the cannula under his nose hadn't been dislodged and then sat on the bed, studying his friend's face. "We're at Tripler. Remember that Duke said that some people at the Palace had been more affected by the gas? Well, as it turns out, Novick used Fentanyl, and it hit some people harder than others, so we're all stuck here for the night, while they keep an eye on our breathing, and renal and liver function."

Danny frowned, still a bit confused by the whole situation. "But… I was was the one on the gurney, wasn't she?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, she was feeling dizzy, but the doctors checked her over and she's sleeping it off in a room down the hall." He said, nodding in the direction of the door. "You passed out in the ambulance on the way here. The doctor wasn't really sure why it hit you a bit harder than the rest of us. Maybe you breathed more gas from your position in the room, or maybe you just had a bad day. In any case the guys from the Lab are checking the Palace from top to bottom to make sure that there's nothing to worry about over there."

Danny nodded a little more awake now. "What about the others? Are they OK?"

Steve nodded as well. "They're all good. They have to stay overnight as well, but the doctors were not worried. Lou was grumbling about missing Renee's meatloaf, but she stopped by about an hour ago and brought him dinner, so he was pretty happy after that." He said with a smile. "I also called Rachel, told her that you were fine and that we'd all be out of here by tomorrow. I didn't want the kids to worry if they saw something on the news." He said, looking unsure.

Danny smiled, reaching to pat Steve's hand in thanks. "That's great, thanks buddy."

Steve seemed to hesitate before he spoke again. "I wanted to call Melissa as well, to let her know that you'd be stuck here for the night." He said as an opening, watching in concern as Danny tensed and looked away. "I couldn't find her number on your phone…" He said, in way of a question.

Danny still wouldn't look at his partner, deciding to study the bedsheets instead. "Eh… No, it's OK. We are not seeing each other anymore, so there's no need to call her." He said quietly.

Steve wasn't sure how to react. He was a bit annoyed that Danny hadn't said anything, but at the same time he could tell that maybe this was not the best time to talk about it, so he just drew a tired sigh and patted his friend's leg in comfort. "That sucks, buddy."

Danny just shrugged, still not looking at his friend. "Well, it is what it is." He turned to look at the other side of the room, just now noticing another bed and the fact that Steve was wearing a hospital gown. "Hey, shouldn't you be lying down or something?"

Steve chuckled, patting Danny's leg again before standing up. "The doctor said I can move around a bit, I'm only stuck to this IV until they're done with the tests." He said, motioning towards the IV stand that he had brought with him from his side of the room. "I only had a bit of a headache, so they weren't too concerned about me."

Danny nodded, watching as Steve moved back to his bed and trying to figure out if his friend was feeling worse than he let on. Once Steve was settled on his bed, Danny decided to breach the real subject. "So… How are you really doing?" He asked quietly. "And please, please, don't tell me you're fine." He pleaded.

Steve lifted his eyes to meet his partner's and then lowered them to look at his blankets, much like Danny had done before. "Honestly? I have no idea… I mean, I have really tried to move on, I knew that she was off doing what she thought was right, but now… I just don't know…" He said quietly. "I'm just tired of it all I guess." He said, looking back at Danny again.

Danny nodded, knowing far too well the feeling. "I know, babe. But you're not alone, ok? You need to get that into that thick skull of yours. You have me and Kono and Chin and Lou. And we've got your back." He said fiercely.

Steve looked at him in gratitude. "I know, partner… Thank you." He said quietly, reaching for the water glass on the side table by his bed and taking a drink.

A nurse showed up right then, giving them a chance to collect their thoughts and take a breather. She took both their vitals, helped Danny to the bathroom and back and took off, promising to be back in a couple of hours.

After the nurse left, both men remained in a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Steve was the first to shake himself out of it, turning to look at his partner. "Hey, Danny. You do know that the same applies to you, right?" He asked.

Danny looked back at Steve in surprise. "What?" He asked in confusion.

"What you said before, about me not being alone. You're not alone either, and we all got your back…" Steve said gently.

Danny looked down, seeming a bit uncomfortable. "Yeah. Of course I know that…" He said uneasily.

Steve moved to sit sideways in his own bed, not wanting to crowd his friend but wanting to be able to look at him more easily. "Do you, really? Because it sounds like it's been a while since the thing with Melissa is over, and you hadn't said anything until now."

Danny just looked up to glare at his partner, but looked like he was working hard to bite his own tongue.

Steve on the other hand, didn't really need Danny to say anything after all, the look on his face said more than enough. "Damn,I've been such an asshole that you didn't bother with trying to tell me about it." He said, looking down in remorse.

"No! It's just… Things have been shitty for everyone lately, ok? I just didn't want to add my problems to the mix." Danny argued, not wanting to make Steve feel bad.

Steve looked at Danny again. "OK, but now I know, so why don't you tell me what happened?" He asked, still curious.

Danny shrugged, looking uncomfortable again. "Nothing really happened. She needed something I couldn't give her, so she decided to leave. It's better that way, she deserves someone better anyway." He said quietly.

Steve shook his head in disagreement. "Danny…"

Danny just lifted his hand to stop any word of encouragement. "It's true, she deserves better, so it's ok."

Steve shook his head again. "It's not ok, buddy." he said sadly.

Danny chuckled tiredly, lifting a hand to rub his forehead. "Yeah ok, it sucks; I'll give you that." He said with a sigh, leaning back against his pillow to stare at a random point on the wall. "It's still better than the alternative." He muttered under his breath, not noticing that he was thinking out loud.

"What? What alternative?" Steve asked, not realizing that the last part was not meant for him.

Danny jumped a bit at Steve's words but recovered himself quickly. "What? No, never mind, I'm just tired I guess. I'm not making much sense…" He said, as he moved a bit restlessly on the bed.

Steve frowned, standing up and pulling the IV stand with him, so he could move closer to Danny's bed again. He leaned against the side of Danny's bed so he could be at the same level as his partner. "Hey, when have you ever made sense anyway?" He said with a smile. "Knowing you, the idea of a happily ever after is the worst fate you could turn up with, right?" He said, studying his partner.

Danny tried to force a smile, but it came up short. "Yeah…" He said, trailing off.

Steve leaned closer, reaching out to gently squeeze Danny's forearm. "Hey, Danno, you know you can talk to me—"

Danny pulled his arm away, growing even more restless. "No. I don't want to do this. I don't want to talk about this. Can we please not talk about this?" He said forcefully, an edge of anger in his voice.

Steve stepped back, lifting his hands in a placating gesture. "OK, man. I'm sorry. We don't have to do this, Danno. " He said quietly.

Danny looked at Steve, shaking his head and knowing that there was no getting away from it now. He felt self-conscious and trapped, and he didn't want to talk about things, but as usual his partner would get his way. "It's just- I'm tired of losing people." He said, blowing a shaky breath. "But it's better if they leave, 'cause I'm even more tired of hospitals and funerals," he finished in a choked up voice.

Steve didn't really know what to say. He feared he was just as tired as Danny, only he couldn't really bring himself to admit it, but he didn't know how to make things better himself, either.

At Steve's silence, Danny started worrying that he'd said too much. "Hey, forget about it, ok? It's just ridiculous. Can we just pretend this whole thing didn't happen?" He asked, pleading.

Steve shook his head. "Sorry, buddy, but no, can't do." He said seriously. "I can't do that, mainly because you're not the only one feeling like that right now." He said, making an effort not to look away from his partner.

Danny scoffed. "Now you're just being an asshole." He griped in annoyance.

Steve shook his head, still looking at his partner. "Well, we've already established that I've been a huge asshole lately, but right now I'm telling you the truth."

Danny studied his friend's face for a minute, his face crumbling in sympathy. "Man, we're so fucked up…" He said with a weary chuckle.

Steve chuckled as well. "Yeah, but I think we've been going about things the wrong way. I've been trying to just move on, deal with stuff as I usually do, and I lost sight of my partner's back. I left you behind." He said sadly. Danny was about to interrupt, but Steve just kept talking. "No, I did, Danno. And while I was busy moving forward and pretending that nothing happened, you were getting hit from all sides, with your back to the wall, just trying to make it till the next day."

Danny looked down, not wanting to admit how bad things were. "It wasn't that bad…" He said lamely.

Steve didn't look too convinced. "Either way. I'm done; I don't want to keep going as we were." He said seriously.

Danny didn't like the sound of that, but knew that he couldn't force Steve to do anything he didn't want to do. "Ok, so what do you propose?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"I propose that we start working on this thing." He said pointing at the space between them.

Danny frowned, not liking what he was hearing too much. "Please don't tell me that you want to go to another couple's retreat." He pleaded.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "No, Danno. I just want you to come to me when you get weird ideas in your head. No matter how strange they are! If you start worrying that some aliens are going to abduct Grace, you come to me and we'll deal with it together. If you're worried that Charlie has a runny nose, you come to me and we deal with it together. If you're worried about the FBI setting us up, then what do you do?" He asked, motioning for Danny to answer.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I come to you and we deal with it together." He parroted, not sounding too convinced. "Funnily enough, for some reason I'm the only one doing anything in your plan." He said, letting some annoyance seep in.

"Well, my part in our plan will be to go to you when something comes up that I don't want to deal with or that I'm brushing under the carpet. You'll be there to make me deal with shit and I'll be there so you can see that you don't have to deal with everything." He said with a smile.

Danny didn't like the idea any better after Steve's explanation. "I don't see how that's gonna help with everything that's going on."

Steve smiled in encouragement. "Well, I can't guarantee that we won't still be the sorry sons of bitches that we are right now but at least we won't be alone if we are, which is at least an improvement from how things were." He said with a shrug. "We can always bring in the team to share in our misery." He finished with a grin.

Danny didn't look amused at all. "I can't promise that I'll tell you about every single thing that makes me anxious." He said, sounding unsure.

Steve nodded in understanding. "Can you promise you'll try?" He asked.

Danny took a minute to think about his answer. "I will if you will…" Danny finally replied.

Steve nodded, extending his hand for Danny to shake. "Then we have a deal, partner."

Danny shook Steve's hand and then started shooing him away. "Alright, now can you move back to your bed, 'cause I'm freaking exhausted and I have no intention of spooning with you."

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going!" Steve said while he stood up and started to move back to his bed.

Before he reached his bed, Danny spoke. "Babe?"

Steve turned back to look as Danny settled more comfortably in his bed. "Yeah, partner?"

"Thank you. Sometimes you're not as big as an asshole after all." Danny said with a small smile.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "Right back at you, Danno." He said as he got into his bed.

The End

Well, for starters, it was amusing to see a whole building full of people being gassed with a misterious substance and that everyone was just fine after it, so I wrote this one as some sort of fix-it. The rest was my usual schoop.

I'd love to hear what you think of it!