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

Notes: Xenogenetic: the supposed production of an individual completely different from either of its parents

We're batting a thousand this year with issues! Mom fell twice this weekend and has a concussion. I have more tests to make sure I'm "miraculously cured". Mom is 82 and will be okay; but I'm taking her to the doctor today. Then I am going tonight and tomorrow to the hospital for my (hopefully final) tests.

This all means: the next chapter after this one will probably be issued on Friday. :-) you knew I'd say that, didn't you? :-)

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Chapter Ten

"Yo, brah .. we missed a letter. Though I have to admit, I've got no suggestions for it." It was Wednesday morning and Kono was goading Danny in the break room as he poured what was already his third cup of coffee. She had two boxes of pastries in hand to welcome Steve back to work and she was balancing one on top of the other hoping he'd notice. When Danny didn't even turn around though, she was positive that he'd missed her comment entirely.

"Danny? You in there?"

His eyes were tired and far away when he faced her, and she frowned back at his unhappy expression. "Kono, it's old and he's coming back today. I'd rather not deal with it anymore."

She studied his weary face but then saw this extremely tidy, impeccable attire. "You're wearing a tie and a really nice dress shirt, brah." Kono blurted it out before she could think of anything else to say.

"I thought you only did that last week for the final debriefing with Dawson at the FBI offices."

"Guess again." Danny commented dryly as he tried to sneak past her to return to his desk, but Kono smirked as she danced in time to block his moves. "I like my ties; I found out that I miss them, and it's about time I did what I wanted to do around here."

"Fine. Okay." She gave in much too quickly to his almost defensive remark as she balanced the boxes and refused to allow him to leave. "But we left out letter X and with Steve coming back to work today, I thought we could finish it up quickly before he got here."

He could only stand and stare at the young woman blankly. Kono refused to move out of his way and the cup was getting hotter, forcing Danny to switch hands as she intentionally delayed his escape. With no where to go, Danny thought hard for a minute and lifted one eyebrow in success.

"He's xenogenetic." Danny pursed his lips, nodded to himself with satisfaction and then shrugged to approve his final choice. "Yeah, that works. I unfortunately never got to meet his father, but I doubt the man had Steve's utter disregard for personal safety. So unless Chin proves me wrong, Steve's xenogenetic; especially if you compare him to Doris, which I guess is a compliment for him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some work to do."

"Doris .. what? But. But!" Kono's eyes widened in surprise as he brushed past her with a queer smile on his face. She continued to stammer in confusion while catching the soft tail-end of a pleased chuckle.

"But .. wait, Danny! What does that mean?"

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"Welcome back, boss!" Kono had the malasadas and a card waiting for Steve when he got to his office a short time later. The three were waiting for him with open arms for the most part; only Danny was more reticent than usual. After nearly a month, Danny was undoubtedly pleased to see Steve firmly back on his feet and in his element, but there definitely was a marked difference in the Detective.

First as Kono had noticed, the tie was back. Steve did a double-take before trying to make light of it. He could feel the odd tension creeping in especially as Chin tried to convey his earlier message with a certain, distinctive look.

"What's with the noose?" With a bright laugh, Steve flapped the tie arrogantly under Danny's own nose and ignored the missing smile in return. What he next noticed was the lack of color in his friend's face along with a cheerlessness he hadn't seen in quite some time.

Then there was a distant coldness as Danny smoothed his tie back down. "Professional protocol."

With a glance towards Kono, Steve refused to take the comment any further but saw that her eyes were not exactly happy with certain changes. Danny motioned to each of their offices as he swiped a bulky file and tablet from the smart table. The action cut the festivities short, causing both cousins to awkwardly return to their own work sooner than they would have preferred.

"Mine or yours? I know it's your first day back and a short work week for you, but I've got a few things going that you should be brought up to speed on." Steve sat quietly in his partner's office as Danny waxed on about the details behind both the current open and closed cases. He dutifully returned to his office when they were finished to find the neatly stacked and labeled folders that Danny had prepared for him. Each clearly described as his copies for his own files and personal review.

Danny bit back the sigh as he watched Steve and then went back to focusing on the higher priority Vernon homicide which he had neatly taken over as his own. It was proving to be a complex case and he welcomed its strange mix of clues, unknown victims, and confusing details. Then he timed his departure from the office perfectly and just before lunch to avoid an obligatory social session.

"Where are you going?" Steve was on the prowl though as he too, noticed the time; made worse by not being made victim to the long-overdo dressing down he'd expected. At 11:30, after what Chin had said about Danny's recent behavior, the ploy was at least obvious to him.

"Records. I need to pull a few old files that I believe are related to the Vernon situation."

"Now? You need to do this now?" Without responding, Danny stood rock solid in the hallway with car keys in hand. It was the truth because Michael Jameson, the apartment owner's son, had been questioned in a seemingly unrelated and yet still unsolved dock-side murder from 16-months earlier. He wanted to see the files and any collected tangible evidence before the case became too cold.

Though Max had yet to prove much related to the two dead men at the Vernon Fields tiny apartment complex, Danny felt the owner's son was a prime suspect and his association to the open murder on the docks was totally relevant. It was a personal, gut instinct and he was intrigued by the strong possibility. However, it was also true that his research into the records could easily wait a few hours.

Steve heaved in an aggravated sigh but didn't push him. When he said nothing, Danny turned on his heel and left the building. He had expected the showdown to commence first thing upon his arrival. Steve was sure Danny would have said something in his office that morning; rather, he got a professional read-out on their latest projects. It left Steve feeling uncertain about how to even initiate an apology.

Similar tactics continued for the remainder of that day and all of Thursday. Each time something might be mentioned outside of casework, Danny was conveniently unavailable for a break, lunch or what would have been the team's first official after work impromptu gathering. On that Friday morning, Danny was at the office very early. He was ready to put his theory to the test about Michael Jameson and the two cases, but his plans were sorely disappointing to Steve.

They were in the main bullpen area and Danny was once again getting ready to leave. This time for the bulk of the morning; and with an almost reluctant Chin Ho Kelly who was standing awkwardly off to the side as Danny verbally floated his plans. The older man winced inwardly as the explanation rolled off Danny's tongue and Steve's face took on a rather offended cast.

"It will take Chin and me about two or three hours .. maybe longer. So I'd like to suggest that you and Kono take a trip out to Halawa to look into the Ito problem."

"Me and Kono? The Ito case?" He'd been ready to approach Danny directly that day and talk things out. But the announcement derailed Steve in his tracks. Stunned, he stood there staring at Danny who remained completely unflustered in his seriousness. His tone was decidedly stern as he glared at the Detective. "Side bar. Now."

They were closer to Danny's office, so Steve indicated the room and watched as his partner swung on his heel leaving him to follow in his wake. With a weak smile, Chin chose to remain outside while the two had their discussion. Chin flinched again as the two faced off behind the closed door and he watched them through the glass.

Danny's desk was a wall between them and his defensive stance was obvious as Steve demanded to know what was going on. Rather than shouting, Chin watched in amazement as Danny simply folded his arms over his chest and Steve's face reddened.

"Not good, cuz." Kono whispered worriedly. "This is building into a real mess."

They expected more than what actually occurred. The meeting was succinct, though at times Danny couldn't refrain from using certain dramatic gestures or elaborate words to explain the two divergent cases that the team had been tasked with. During a tense lull, he escorted Steve back to his own office where three perfectly maintained manila folders were labeled and neatly placed on his desk.

"What's all this?" Steve asked tightly.

"One closed and two in progress. These are current and up-to-date copies for you." Though his mood was continually rising, Steve blandly walked around to read the tabs. "Ito" and "Vernon Homicide" were the two top files which Danny continued to explain. The closed case reflected the one assigned by the Governor which now included the final debriefing from all involved agencies.

"Like I've been saying, Kono and you could take a ride out to Halawa to question Ito. I figured that Chin and I could revisit the apartment on the North Shore and do another walk-through since it's starting to look more and more like a double homicide. I'd like to test that theory I've developed."

"Well, you figured wrong." Steve was angry by what the obvious suggestions implied and he practically growled out his own revisions to the ideas. He had gotten nowhere with Danny in his office as his partner oddly refused to engage him in more than work. "Kono and Chin can handle Halawa."

With that, he stalked from his office to have a brief conversation with the cousins, who were equally at a loss for words based on their genuine reactions. Danny watched the three convene by the smart table without expression. He hadn't thought his idea would work and so, wasn't exactly surprised by Steve's countermanding of his plans for the day. Though his stomach was in a turmoil, it was taking everything Danny had at his disposal to appear to be calm. He was determined to remain focused as he also ignored Chin's knowing look and Kono's almost injured eyes as he watched them leave together for Halawa.

Clenching his fists which were shoved deeply in his pockets, Danny faced Steve blandly enough which only infuriated him more as they resumed their conversation. "You and I are taking on Vernon."

"Fine. We'll be following up on this possible homicide then out by the North Shore." After wiping his palm on his slacks, Danny started to leaf through the files as he spoke. He only looked up when he had found what he wanted to slide the crime scene photos over to Steve.

"CSU finished processing the bulk of it yesterday and initial reports are there. You have dupes of these photos in your file." The overly zealous and meticulously organized comments were grating on Steve's nerves and he set his jaw in annoyance. "Max and the crime scene unit have already gone through the site and it's secure. But something is bothering me about it and how these two men died. Max has started to float this as a homicide and I concur."

"You concur." Steve repeated the two words in disgust which finally at least earned him a dark, unhappy look before Danny simply continued speaking. What he added though, certainly contributed to Steve's escalating irritation level.

"Since you're recovering and supposed to be taking it easy, I guess it should be benign enough for the two of us to walk-through. And I'd like to gain another perspective."

"Benign? That's very thoughtful of you, Daniel." Steve was undeniably angry after taking the files and thumbing through the photos. His partner's tone was condescending and his attitude was almost a challenge; to what, Steve wasn't yet certain because the man wouldn't speak to him in detail.

"So." Danny leaned back to stand taller and studied him closely. "You good to go then? Or is too much on your first week back? Because if it is, we don't have to do this today .. I can handle it alone or we can .."

"No." Holding his hand up to stop the mindless chatter, Steve shook his head as he forced his anger to stay down. "No, it's fine. I feel fine and you're not going out there alone."

"Alright. Good." He was surprised when Danny bounced on his toes, file in hand and then motioned to the door. "Let's go then. There's a meeting at three with the Governor and I'll need to transition a few other things back to you after lunch."

Danny tapped his watch as he slid his car keys out of his pocket and then had to stop when Steve blocked his path. He was angry, confused, and at a loss by that time on how to get his partner to actually speak more than a few terse words.

"What's really wrong, Danny? Why are you acting like this?" Steve expected the open invitation to be enough. He certainly wanted it to be. But it wasn't. Never one to pull punches, prepped by Chin's comment and now on the receiving end first-hand, Steve folded his arms over his chest to mimic his partner - and then immediately changed his mind about having a worse confrontation. He didn't miss the smirk that flashed almost too quickly across Danny's face. Danny was not ready to talk and their heated words would only deteriorate quickly into an argument of mammoth proportions.

"I'm focused on this case, Steven, and there's absolutely nothing wrong. The workload has quadrupled since you've been out on disability and there's a lot to catch you up on. Including what looks like a double homicide." His voice was too low and the tone was all wrong, plus the answer gave Steve nowhere to go. Danny gestured again around Steve's shoulder to the exit and he reluctantly moved aside.

"We have a lot to do today, we can always discuss more of the case in the car." He waited until Steve finally moved to follow but was aware enough to insist they use the elevator to save Steve the stairs. Keys firmly in hand, Danny strode to the driver's side of the Camaro and never hesitated sliding in behind the wheel. It took a long second for Steve to react to the overt move. His only recourse was to turn towards the passenger door and settle in for the ride.

They drove in silence until unable to help himself, Steve tentatively broke it first to try once more. It was a personal battle to keep his voice even and words moderate. "Danny .. listen ... I think we need to talk about a few things."

"We are talking." The only evidence of Danny's temper was a stiff posture and utter inability to take his eyes off the road in front of them.

"The apartment is empty like I said. I have a theory in that the complex is a cover and that the shooter actually dumped the bodies after he'd already killed them by overdose. Even though he's having trouble with time and cause of death, Max isn't entirely sold on the hypothesis yet."

"Stop changing the subject, Danny!" The tone had been flat and highly professional with no real emotion and Steve's own short temper began to tease at him no matter how hard he kept it at bay. "Again with the damned casework? When I said talk just now, that's not what I meant, Danno, and you know it!"

"And I've told you a thousand times not to call me that." He wasn't kidding anymore. The joke was over and the teasing done. The cold anger flung back at Steve stung as Danny glared at him across the short distance.

"I have a job to do and I plan on doing that job to the very best of my ability. It begins and it ends right there." Sweat broke out on Danny's brow as he laid out the painful ultimatum.

"After intentionally burying yourself at work and avoiding me .. and now everyone for weeks .. that's it?" The stern darkness that leaked across Danny's face proved Steve right in that his partner was not ready to discuss the real issues. So he didn't wait for an answer as he stared first at Danny and then glanced out the window.

"This is not going to be it, Danny. Not by a long shot."

Steve's anger was rivaling Danny's own but he wasn't sure how to yet handle a side to his irate friend that he hadn't quite experienced before. Underneath the rock-hard coolness, Danny was highly emotional and ready to blow a gasket.

His fingers were white on the Camaro's steering wheel column and he refused to reply more than through a brief acceleration of his car.

~ to be continued ~