Steve glared at Daniel with real contempt, borderline hatred but he doesn't say or do anything that can be construed as threatening. It would make Danny go off on a rant that he wouldn't hear the end of for the rest of the day. Blabbering all about that if Dean left him behind then it's for a good reason, despite the stupidly good-looking man not giving his last name to them.
Chin's already working on getting a positive ID on the man but so far he's been coming up empty in his search. Even Cath's been pulling strings with some old crewmates to help find out who exactly Daniel is but that might take a while to hear back from.
Daniel for his part, kept to the one training Dean made sure Daniel learned, and that is: Don't tell them anything about him. Lie when confronted with the identity he's currently copying.
It's been aproximately been seven hours since Dean's been . . . let's go with gone, and there hasn't been any signs from Dean in that time. It could mean Dean knows Steve and his government friggin' task force is here and he's waiting for Daniel to get away so they could flee or Dean's genuinely missing, and if that's the case; Daniel'll have no choice but to enlist Dean's ex for help. Dean could kill him later after they found him.
But Daniel'll wait on that until it's been twelve hours, their designated "uh oh" time and then Daniel will officially start freaking out and hyperventilating.
And Steve will be the hero because he's a freaking Navy SEAL and Navy SEALs are always the heroes in reality. Not even if Daniel took on Steve McGarrett's visage, he'd still have a hard time figuring out where Dean might be or, on the long-shot he found Dean, he'd have no idea how to save the hunter. Not even with McGarrett's memories.
That's where muscle memory and instinct come through and stolen memories only get you so far.
Five hours until Daniel can start freaking out. Five hours until he has to tell the scary SEAL his (ex? No, seriously, are they broken up for real or is it taking a break type of thing?) boyfriend is possibly missing and if so, the kidnapper has a twelve hour head start on them. He bets Steve will be real happy with that knowledge. Daniel is so dead. Death by Navy SEAL.
That's going to be so painful.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Someone's watching him. Daniel snuck glances to Five-0 but other than Steve glaring a hole on the side of his head, no one else is looking at him. The feeling feels terrifyingly similar to when he first felt Dean on his trail.
Sweat started to form and his hands started shaking as his heart rate picked up.
There's a hunter here.
He only knows of one other hunter on Kauai but Dean said she's retired and she barely helped Dean out with a ghost a while back. Maybe another hunter moved here? Or an island protector? One of those options has to be true because the alternative is someone from Dean's life is currently hunting him.
The smart option should be to remain with Five-0. He'd rather risk a beating from Mr. SuperSEAL than to be killed by a hunter that knows Dean, and so he chooses that option. No hunter would be stupid enough to come after him with Hawaii's finest surrounding him. At least he doesn't think.
Hunters, he's gathering, are a dangerous and weird breed. This hunter might just snipe him out with a goddamn long distance rifle.
Wait. Does this hunter know he's a shapeshifter? Maybe they just know he's different and are waiting to see what he is exactly before trying to kill him. He's going to have to attach himself like a burr to McGarrett.
That's going to be fun.
The man already looks at him like he's worse than sewer sludge. He's going to love having Daniel follow him around like an annoying gnat buzzing around him.
He knows for a fact telling McGarrett and his team he's a shapeshifter would be the dumbest thing he could ever do, especially when he has a hunter on his trail. Dean told him about Five-0's encounter with a shapeshifter last year, they'd sooner kill him than protect, and without Dean to vouch for him, he's dead either way.
Where is Dean?
McGarrett moving towards him had Daniel scrambling back and crashing into the attractive Asian with the killer cheekbones. The man steadied him and shot McGarrett a reproachful look.
"Do you have any idea where Dean is?" McGarrett demanded, seeming to grow to the size of a frost giant as he loomed over Daniel.
Daniel shook his head frantically. "N-No! I - I - I don't," he stuttered out, panicked. McGarrett is scary. "I swear. He's - He said he'd meet me in three hours but that was four hours ago, and I'm supposed to start really freaking out in about five more hours."
He slapped his hands over his mouth, horrified. Doh!
Stupid, stupid, stupid...he chastised himself. He's not supposed to say anything.
McGarrett's eyes narrowed while the area around them grew still. Daniel could feel everyone looking at him, er, more like glaring at him. He really should have kept his mouth shut. When Dean finds out, he's going to make Daniel do PT for three months, and then he'll make Daniel help him take out the next monster they come across. He'd have a more active role next time with the murder of his kin. Regardless of them deserving a hunter's righteous fury.
"Can we - Can we take this inside?" Daniel asked, eyes trained on the forest line. They're out there. He could practically feel the crosshairs trained on him.
"Why?" McGarrett demanded as he loomed impossibly bigger. Daniel flicked his gaze to the other members of Five-0 but found them glaring at him suspiciously. Oh, great. "Why should we move inside?"
"Because I don't want to die," Daniel blurted out.
Detective Williams jerked back while the others moved forward, as if to press him for more answers but the sharpness of the Detective's voice pulled the others back like marionettes. Well, that's new. Daniel had been under the assumption that McGarrett was the de facto leader from the few stories Dean told him.
Daniel locked eyes with the detective, trying to convey that he'll only talk when they're safe inside the house with four walls protecting him from the unknown hunter. Well, he didn't convey that last part exactly but the implication was there.
Danny sighed and gestured for everyone to head inside. Daniel ran in ahead of them, making sure to keep McGarrett's giant frame directly behind him to cut off any potential shots the hunter might take. He'd rather McGarrett get shot instead of him. A silver bullet won't kill McGarrett but he might get metal poisoning if not treated immediately.
Five-0 surrounded him in his living room, it made Daniel let out a sigh of relief, and he sent out a prayer of thanks to Enver Mathias for being kind of short. His smaller stature kept him safe for now.
"Explain. Now." Detective Williams crossed his arms, making him possibly more intimidating than McGarrett despite being so much shorter. He's terrified to look at the others. What if they're scarier or just as scary as McGarrett, and, apparently Williams as well. He might have actually been safer outside with a hunter than being in his and Dean's living room with pissed off government cops, especially when the leader is quite possibly emotionally compromised.
Okay, he is emotionally compromised. Not that Daniel could blame him. If he had lost Dean, he too would move heaven and earth to get him back.
"Explain what?" he asked, playing dumb. A growl had Daniel hunching in on himself defensively. "All right, all right. Give me a minute."
Shitshitshitshitshit. What's he going to do? If he tells them he's a shapeshifter, they'll kill him.
"I - I, uh, I..." Daniel dithered. S-H-I-T. He even wrung his hands like a little old lady. Coincidentally, he was a little old lady when he was a teenager, but that's beside the point. Free food and a free place to stay. One of the best times of his short life. Until he met Dean, that is.
The black cloud that is McGarrett moved closer, and Daniel found himself matching him step for step. They were toe to toe with barely an inch between them.
Daniel's really praying they can't hear his knees knocking together.
A squeak of fear escaped before Daniel could stop it when McGarrett gripped by the throat and lifted him up with one hand. Holy shit! McGarrett is strong. He kicked ineffectually at McGarrett's shins as spots started to appear in the corner of his eyes.
"Steve! Put. Him. Down."
Daniel dropped like a sack of potatoes and gasped like a fish out of water. He massaged his throat as he encouraged his lungs that it's okay to breathe now. The spots disappeared as his lungs finally started doing their job and brought oxygen to the rest of his body, and he flopped flat on his back, thinking it would help him catch his breath faster.
It didn't, but he was too exhausted to move.
"What the hell were you thinking?" He heard the man with the amazing cheekbones hiss in anger. He heard the women mutter in agreement. Maybe they'll forget he's here and he'll sneak out the back. He needs to get far, far away.
Moving so he was sitting up was a slow process, and when he opened his eyes, he found Detective Williams glaring at him. He had placed himself between Daniel and the back door.
Damn.
"Hi," he said weakly, wilting at the unamused raised eyebrow.
"Care to tell us why you need to freak out in five hours?" Detective Williams questioned mildly. He has a feeling that's a bad tone, judging by the sudden hush from the others. It honestly sounds like a dad's voice, one who is about to blow their top but is waiting for you to dig yourself deeper in the hole just so they could yell at you about that, too.
At least he wasn't asking about why Daniel wanted to come inside.
"It's our designated 'Uh oh' time," Daniel answered meekly. He saw Detective Williams raise the other eyebrow in confusion. "If we don't get in contact with each other in twelve hours, assume the other is in danger and/or captured," he explained softly.
The hostility and rage radiating from McGarrett is genuinely terrifying.
Honestly, at this point? He'd rather have the unknown hunter.
"Fuck this!" McGarrett snarled and he grabbed Daniel arm and hauled him up to his feet so he could cuff Daniel. "We're going back to Oahu and getting some answers out of him." He glared at the others, daring them to stop him. They didn't. Not even Detective Williams, who Daniel thought would raise a fuss on Dean's behalf.
McGarrett practically frog marched Daniel out the front door only to stop when they found an older woman with greying blonde hair decked out in black combat boots, worn, ripped jeans, a black shirt with a red flannel over it. The double barrel shot gun aimed right at Daniel.
Oh. Not good.
"Silver bullets," the huntress informed them with a dark grin. "Guess who they're for."
ALK
Steve had to admire the woman. She had five guns on her trained on her yet she's completely unphased, her own gun aimed right at Mr. Model, who paled at her words. He tried to scramble backwards to put himself behind Kono but the woman merely shifted her position to keep him in her sights, but also taking care to make sure Kono wasn't in her way.
Danny manuevered himself so Mr. Model couldn't use Kono as a human shield. The guy whimpered before hanging his head when discovered he couldn't hide himself.
"Who told you?" Mr. Model asked in a defeated tone.
"A concerned father."
Steve didn't think it was possible, but Mr. Model paled even more.
"How'd he -?"
"Don't know, don't care. I'm just here to do a job."
"I thought you were retired."
Steve exchanged a look with Danny. Mr. Model seemed to know a lot about the woman.
"How'd you know?"
"Dean."
"Ah."
"Yeah."
"Ready?"
"No, but I don't think that matters to you."
The woman grinned. "Nope." She thumbed the safety off the shotgun, ignoring Five-0's tensed stances. "He's a shapeshifter," she informed them. "And I have permission by someone you people deem important to kill him."
Steve holstered his weapon at once. The others following slowly, except for Danny. He kept his gun trained on the apparent hunter.
"You shoot him, and I promise you I will make the rest of your life hell," Danny ordered in an icy voice.
"Danny," Steve started but Danny cut him off and practically shouted at them, "He was sleeping in the house with Dean! Know what that means, huh?" They kept quiet. "That means Dean knew what he was and didn't care. You're not killing him," he directed at the hunter. "I don't care if Dean himself told you to hunt him. He's under Five-0 protection, under my protection."
The hunter sneered at him, her voice cool when she replied with, "For now. He's under your protection - for now."
She stepped back into the forest and disappeared into the shadows.
"That -," Kono started but stopped.
"-Was cool," Cath finished for her.
"And scary," Chin added.
Steve snarled before rounding on Danny.
"Why the hell are you protecting that ... thing," he demanded of his insane partner. "He's a," his voice practically dripped with disgust and hatred, "shapeshifter. There is no way Dean would be protecting that thing."
Danny glared back and stood protectively in front of that ... thing. Steve felt betrayal start to build deep within his chest and branch out throughout the rest of his body.
"Because Dean protected him, and apparently teaching him how to hunt, you dumbass," Danny shot back. "Dean sent him away when he saw that we were getting close to finding them. Dean wanted to keep him safe. That's why I'm protecting him, Steven."
The betrayal bubbled over and Steve let out an inarticulate yell of rage and slammed his fist into that Thing's face. He heard bone breaking and blood spurted from the now broken nose, it had Steve grinning ferally.
"For fuck's sake, Steve!" Danny yelled and gave him a powerful shove away from the shapeshifter.
Steve stumbled back several steps. He made to move forward again, determined to get one more good hit in but Chin came out of nowhere and pinned his arms. It took everything in Steve not to react on instinct and break out of the hold and accidentally hurt Chin. Catherine and Kono quickly flanked him, while Danny quickly took care of that thing's nose.
With a snarl, Steve shook Chin off and stalked off to the treeline. He found the hunter smirking at him. He blinked. He never even noticed her or felt her presence.
A shiver of unease slid down his spine.
Is this one of Dean's numerous talents? Did Dean not use this particular talent so it wouldn't freak him out? Steve wouldn't put it past his boyfriend. Dean did give up hunting for a whole year for him.
The hunter looked at him in sympathy when pain flickered across his face at the thought of Dean. She held her finger up to her lips, winked at him, and faded into the forest like a wraith.
Creepy yet awesome.
He looked around hoping to find a trace of her but couldn't even find a damn footprint in the fairly damp soil. He did find a note though.
A quick glance behind him to make sure he wasn't being watched, Steve quickly leaned down and picked up the note and pocketed it. He turned around to see Chin staring at him curiously. Steve shook his head and remained where he was.
Danny's ire kept him from saying anything. As long as Danny temporarily forget he was here, Steve could keep from lambasted from the verbose man who wielded words like sharpened swords.
That and Steve's honestly afraid he'd spill Danny's secret crush on Dean because he so angry right now. He'd love nothing more to see that shocked look on Danny's face and the embarrassment and shame of having feelings for his best friend's boyfriend. He's that angry at Danny. He'd love nothing more than to feel that vindictive pleasure of making Danny feel the hurt he does right now.
It's not the same but he really doesn't care. He just wants Danny to feel the sting of betrayal like he does.
Chin and Kono came to get him, escorting him really, to one of the Surburbans while Danny and Cath got that Thing in the other. Chin drove while Kono sat with him in the back. He has no idea why they think they need to keep a close eye on him. Both Dann and that Thing are in the car ahead of them.
"How we getting home?" Steve asked idly.
The cousins shared a look.
"Danny and Catherine are taking Daniel on the first flight over while we catch the next one," Chin answered.
"And do you guys agree with Danny about that ...Thing?"
Another look.
"I don't know, Steve," Kono replied softly. "But what if he's right and Dean was protecting it?"
Steve sneered. "Then why did that hunter say Dean gave her permission to kill it?"
That seemed to stump them but then Chin asked, "How do we know it was Dean that gave permission? She only said 'Someone we all deem important', and that can mean anyone Dean trusts or considers family, and not just Dean himself."
"Then who would know that Thing is a shapeshifter? Sam is at school, as far as I know, and Dean's been on the outs with his dad."
Chin shrugged at him while Kono frowned in thought.
"Maybe it really was Sam who informed the hunter of a shapeshifter on the island," Kono offered. "Remember Dean and Sam came to Kauai to hunt a ghost, maybe she was their contact, and Sam figured out Dean's here with a shapeshifter."
Makes somewhat sense but not enough.
"But if Sam knew about the shapeshifter, then why didn't he ask us to kill it? Why would he ask a retired hunter to kill it?" asked Steve.
"Because the last and only time we went against a shapeshifter, we got our asses kicked. Maybe Sam thought we couldn't handle it," Chin offered. "And maybe he wanted to punish you by letting you find out about the shapeshifter living with Dean, and quite possibly having a relationship with the creature. He would blame you for Dean taking off like he did."
Steve deflated at that. It sounds like something Sam would do. That kid can hold a mean grudge, especially when it concerns his surrogate father. Those two are so co-dependent, it's a little scary.
"And what do you think about Danny's reactions to that thing?"
They shared another look. That is seriously starting to piss him off.
"I - We," Chin corrected, "think that Danny has his reasons for protecting Daniel."
That is so diplomatic, Steve wants to hurl. He clenched his hands into fists as they shook with suppressed rage. Kono saw and caught Chin's eye, tilting her head at their C.O..
"All right, Steve," Chin started, he pulled the car over on the side of the road, waving the other car on. Danny waved back since Catherine is driving. "What is wrong? You've been . . . good so far. Not as angry as you are now. Sad, yes, but nowhere near as..." he trailed off, unable to think of a suitable adjective.
Luckily, Kono had his back. "Ballistic."
Chin nodded a thanks at her and picked his train of thought. "What she said. Now, care to explain the sudden violence? It can't just be because of Daniel being a shapeshifter or the possibility of him sleeping with Dean."
Steve grit his teeth, and he thinks he heard one of them crack from the pressure.
"You just proved his point," Kono pointed out with glee. Steve glared at her but she brushed it off. He's been working way too long with them if his glare didn't even phase her.
"I did not," Steve shot back.
"You did. In a way."
"Then I didn't prove anything."
"How do you figure?" Chin chimed in from the front.
"Because doing something 'in a way' is not actually doing something," explained an increasingly annoyed Steve. "I've learned that from Mary . . . and Danny." He felt his lips curl back into a snarl at Danny's name, it didn't go unnoticed by the cousins.
A worried exchange of facial expressions too fast for Steve to keep up with, and an even faster argument that Kono lost happened within milliseconds of Steve's last statement. He's a little impressed by that.
"What's your deal with Danny, Steve?" Kono asked, keeping her gazed fixed on his face. "You can't just be mad at him for protecting Daniel."
Steve's entire body went rigid and his expression shuttered.
"Nothing."
"Steve."
"I said there's nothing. Now drop it." The steel in his voice told them he's done talking about it.
And they did. Chin and Kono exchanged another worried glance but kept their silence. Chin turned the vehicle back onto the road and drove to the air field for their ride back to Oahu. Both of them praying Danny and Catherine got the shapeshifter onto their plane because they don't think they could keep Steve from beating the shit out of the creature, or Danny for that matter. They don't know what's going on with them but it's new, and they don't like it.
Steve and Danny fought before, of course they have, but they've never seen Steve this pissed off before.
God, they need to find Dean, and fast. They have a feeling Dean'd know what's wrong with them. He'd get them to talk and he'd fix everything wrong with the team. It's a juvenile hope but it's all they have at the moment:
Find Dean and everything will be better.