I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes: reference below to episode 2×16 "I Helu Pu" which featured Steve's spectacular roof tackle of a groomsman to a lower balcony; followed by getting ploughed into by a car when chasing the Russian murder suspect. TWO death-defying transgressions in one episode! I fixed the Vonokov error as my sources were yet again incorrect - I found online that the character had died - so I will simply have to re-watch any episode I personally refer to! Such a shame (NOT)!

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Chapter Nine

"Where's Danny this time?" Two weeks had passed since he'd been released from the hospital and Steve was sitting on his lanai with Chin. In just over fourteen days, Chin knew that Danny had actually been to Steve's house only three times outside of one other visit when they were all together. The first was to drive Steve home from the hospital which didn't entirely count because it had been expected and part of their norm. But after that, things had begun to slightly deviate and change. Danny seemed to be more out of pocket and his next two visits were almost obligatory jaunts to make sure the man was taking care of himself early on in his recovery. Claiming he had urgent things to do, Danny hadn't stayed long and over subsequent days, his calls had eventually begun to dwindle.

During Steve's first few days at home, the change was barely noticeable. Still not feeling well, Steve slept often and fielded any number of other well-meaning visitors and phone calls. He also had follow-up doctor's appointments to attend and any number of other, bland distractions. However by the start of the second week, Steve finally did take notice.

"Is he working again? This case is a little much if he is. I thought it was wrapping up based on what Kono said yesterday." The case in question was the one the Governor had shared with Danny while he had sat in his car in the hospital lot. Because of his tenacity and long work hours with the FBI and HPD, Kono was correct in that it was essentially closed and a wrap.

Even so, it had taken longer than Chin had anticipated for Steve to realize that he was hearing less from his partner. He knew it was because Steve was surrounded by a never-ending tide of people from himself, Kono and Cath to Kamekona, Max and even the Governor. In fact, Chin had slowly come to realize that they were all seeing less and less of Danny outside of work.

Steve hadn't been clued even after he'd asked the team about what exactly had happened that day. It was one of the rare, last times the team had been congregating at Steve's upon his arrival home. Scarcely out of the hospital but a few days, Chin and Kono had patiently described their version. Danny's had been a bit more demonstrative with an enormous amount of sarcasm which Steve had almost found amusing. Each of their reactions to the other had been typical, but Danny had been more temperamental about allowing the team to calm him. Moving into Steve's second week at home, Danny had begged off the few lunches or after work get-togethers with any variety of excuses until even those waned regardless of both Chin and Kono's attendance. If Cath were there with Steve, he wouldn't show at all.

It was now nearing a late dinner time and Chin was sitting with Steve outside with just a few short hours before the sun decided to set. The grill was lit and the beer was readily available; something Steve was finally allowed to drink sparingly. He and Danny had been invited over to Steve's for a quick bite after work; but only Chin had arrived and Steve was beginning to finally take it personally.

"So, Chin? What's going on with Danny? Where is he tonight?"

Burying himself in work, Danny had slowly distanced himself from all of them over the last few weeks. He arrived early, skipped lunch or ate alone in his office and insisted upon staying late to close the office doors. He'd been so evasive, that Chin didn't know where he was that night either. He shrugged and took a long swallow of beer before answering truthfully. "He didn't call?"

Steve narrowed his eyes at his coming realization. He had gotten voicemail and Danny hadn't actually called him back that day. "No, I left him another message."

"I'm not sure. Maybe the gym. Maybe with Grace. Or, he could even be working late again. We have two things perking on the back burner." There was no need for deflection but Steve had finally noticed their missing friend was actually ... missing. While he might not know where he was, Chin knew precisely why since Danny had spouted so angrily, days earlier, about consequences.

"Working .. or with Grace? Mid-week?" Steve was truly surprised at the two completely polar opposite reasons as he checked the time and waved his cell phone in the air. "You don't really know though? Maybe we should call him and make sure he's okay. See if he wants to swing by since I can call him now."

"No, he's fine. Leave it, Steve, and put your phone away." His tone was very abrupt and Steve frowned at what sounded suspiciously like an order or a warning. Looking out across the sand, Chin shifted in his chair and stretched his legs in front of him. He was about to go too far and there would be words shared that night which he couldn't take back. After the recent discussion with their friend though, Chin felt obligated to bring the issue to Steve's attention or the situation would only worsen each day.

With a deep breath, Chin ground out the truth without daring to look yet at Steve. "He'd be here if he wanted to be here."

The silence was almost painful as Steve moved sideways in his chair to get a better look at Chin. His mouth fell open in disbelief as he demanded more information.

"What?" The odd comment pulled Steve up short as he thumbed off his cell phone, dropped it in his lap, and then stared at Chin. "Did I hear that right? If he wanted to be here? What's that supposed to be mean?"

It was tongue and cheek more times than not when Danny ranted about being put in danger by his partner. That wasn't the problem since truth be told, Danny could take care of himself. What he couldn't take care of or control was his errant, oftentimes spontaneous partner. The accident was still fresh and Danny wasn't interested in losing a third partner. 'One to his own crazed tendencies' as Danny had so aptly put it to Chin that night.

"Consequences, Chin. He's not alone .. he's not flying solo though god knows he just tried! I can't do it again .. he's .. I don't know." They had been out together at a local bar and Danny had tied on a few out of frustration that was mounting the closer it got to a date where Steve could return to active duty.

Danny had admitted that he might not be able to do it anymore. "It" meaning be paired with Steve as a partner and Chin had been honestly stunned. "Oh come on, Danny! You don't really mean that!"

"I do. I do because I see him fall every night. Every single night before I go to bed and then in my dreams. He falls and none of us are going to be able to pick up the pieces the day it finally happens and there are no pieces left. I'd like to think this was a wake-up call, but I'd be fooling myself."

It was becoming both a trust and respect issue, as well and the accident was beginning to sound like the last straw of many. Danny had a remorseful and highly emotional memory of Meka and then had suddenly called it a night. Chin had been left sitting by himself at the bar with his head spinning from the unexpected admission. And as Chin asked his next question and gauged Steve's responses, he could see by Steve's response that Danny was absolutely correct.

"Watching his back - wait no! - his six - is like trying to herd cats and I can't deal with the responsibility. There will be a day when I can't do my job because of his penchant for disaster." Chin had laughed at the sarcasm, however Danny had not because Danny couldn't save Steve from himself.

Eye for eye, Chin cornered Steve now where they sat together outside. "What were you thinking when you jumped after that guy?"

It was a question that no one had thought to ask him directly, least of all Chin. But he asked it now and he expected a detailed answer. "I mean really, Steve. When you ran through the hotel room and that lunatic jumped through a plate-glass window and over a balcony wall ... what were you thinking when you followed him?"

The older man maintained his silence and waited the SEAL out. He waited through half a bottle of beer and then slammed the dark bottle down on the table when he couldn't wait any longer. "Well?"

"Is that what's wrong with him?" Chin was annoyed by the surprise laced into the question as he finally lost his own temper. He swore under his breath when Steve actually began to smile as if it were a joke.

"Him? Yes .. that's what's wrong with him. Really all of us, but him the most." It wasn't as if Danny would consider leaving 5-0 .. Chin had reassured himself with that thought but he had recently begun to wonder if Danny had finally been pushed past his breaking point. Never that, but things were going to have change if the man decided to stay.

"I want to know what you were thinking." He demanded to know, and then wasn't surprised when Steve truly had no answer. "That's what I thought but I have to admit, I'm still surprised." Jaw clenched in a fury, Chin shook his head at the non-answer he received as he got up to leave.

"You come back to work in one day, Steve. One short day. Here are my friendly words of advice ... you better start thinking for all of our sakes."

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Steve was stunned when Chin left on those not so subtle words. He found it hard to believe that his team could be so angry with him, but most of all Danny. He was doing his job exactly the way he always did. So what was the big deal all of a sudden?

Leaning over his kitchen counter, he closed his eyes and tried to digest what exactly it was Chin was saying. Danny had been reserved of late; reserved and overly quiet. It was true that he hadn't seen him very much; in fact, Steve realized that many of his last voicemails had yet to be returned.

"Voicemail." Steve frowned more deeply as he racked his brain for the last time he'd verbally spoken to Danny in person. He hadn't even realized he should have questioned that the other day. Danny was calling at the odd hour when Steve would likely not be available to answer his phone. Evidently, he should have questioned that subtle nuance as well because once again, that day's call had also gone to Danny's voicemail. Steve hadn't thought he was being ignored or avoided until that very moment. Danny had blamed his hectic schedule on case work and Steve had readily accepted the excuse, but Chin was saying it was more than that.

"What were you thinking when you jumped after that guy?"

Steve growled out a sound deep in his throat and then shrugged lamely to himself. He hadn't thought about anything except doing this job. Find the bad guy - bad guy runs - chase and bring him down.

Could he really be so base? The answer was obviously a resounding yes because he was physical person, trained to react and thus, only doing his job. With a bit of remorse, Steve recalled a similar issue that had set his partner completely off ... and he'd done no less than two horrific moves in Danny's eyes that time. His unprecedented dive off a roof top to tackle a distraught groomsman. Followed by being hit by a car as he chased Dmitri Vonokov down.

"What? Are you going to tell me the balcony wasn't enough of an adrenalin rush for you? You had to go and do one better with a car, Steven! What happened to looking both ways before crossing a street?" Both he and Vonokov had been injured, though Steve had gotten off extremely lucky according to the doctors.

He'd shaved years off Danny's life both times .. of that Steve was certain based on the four-day binge rant he'd received at the drop of a hat. Evidently, Steve on a backboard with a neck-brace did nothing for his partner's blood pressure. Still, Steve had made light of it and thought that Danny also had ... however now, it most definitely wasn't the case.

"What were you thinking when you jumped after that guy?" Actually, Steve hadn't thought much at all. Just like he hadn't thought about the roof top incident or considered his blind haste in chasing down Vonokov.

"Damn it, Danny." He habitually rubbed his chest where a dull ache sometimes crept in after a long day and he'd already suffered through one of his last therapy sessions that afternoon. Cleared to work but promising to take things easy, Steve would rejoin his team in a day's time. His personal gut-instinct was to be annoyed that Danny was being overly sensitive and obviously still on edge.

There was another key difference though - Steve hadn't been read the riot act. Not once as with every, other time. And if comparing to the past, Danny was very late about being in Steve's face.

"What were you thinking when you jumped after that guy?" Danny wasn't the only one perturbed with him now though and Steve shook his head as he continually tried to deny that he'd been entirely wrong. Chin was much different, but the man was almost equally put out about what he'd done. There was no doubt that Kono would also be feeling some level of similar emotion.

So Danny hadn't just been busy and immersing himself in work, he had been avoiding him. According to Chin, he was avoiding the social aspects with his other team members too. Purposefully limiting their interaction and focusing solely on work related conversations and professional concerns.

Worried now that he'd accidentally created a situation and one that he might not be able to repair, Steve got ready for bed continually mulling over Chin's advice.

~ to be continued ~