Chapter Nine "Butterflies and Thunderheads"

I realized that I updated the last chapter without even a note to those of you who reviewed chapter seven. Once again, you are awesome and I love you. I really appreciate the comments from everyone. Finally, write more fanfiction! Those of you reading this who write for Hawaii Five-0, write more. I realize I have an addiction, but it would be ever-so-nice if you would feed it.

And just a note of clarification: I am doing my senior project on The Chronicles of Narnia, so it's permeating everything in my life and it's working strange metaphors into this story. I also have a strange obsession with C.S. (Jack) Lewis.

McKenzie spread her arms, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back. She could feel the grass around her ankles whipping about in the breeze, her hair blowing away from her face, and a slight sting on the open cuts on her face. The smell of the ocean was just like she remembered from home, only warmer. And the breeze was warmer; the light was warmer. Hawaii was simply warmer. There was a metaphor in there somewhere and McKenzie enjoyed that secret.

She heard a low laugh from her left. She opened her eyes and narrowed them in that direction.

"Is there something you wanted to say?" she asked.

Steve shook his head and stared out at the ocean. "You're very, I don't know, pensive."

"And that's amusing to you?"

Steve glanced over at her. "You're also very amusing."

McKenzie grinned and looked back out at the sea. "I was making comparisons... and metaphors."

"And...?"

"Hawaii is warm."

Steve didn't ask what she meant. He had some idea. "So you're glad you came?"

"There isn't a word for how I feel right now."

"Oh, that again. Let me tell you, you've been reading too much of this Jack Lewis character."

"Jack?" McKenzie gave Steve an incredulous look.

"I looked him up on the internet. Jack doesn't sound so pretentious."

"Nice to see you two are getting along."

"Seeing that he's dead and all."

"Yeah." McKenzie giggled.

They both turned back to the ocean and remained silent for a few minutes. After being cooped up in a very small house for the better part of five days, they were enjoying the small freedom of standing on a cliff in the middle of nowhere.

McKenzie didn't realize she had closed her eyes again until something touched her outstretched arm. She gasped and her eyes flew open as she turned to see Steve had mysteriously appeared on her right and was holding her elbow.

"How did you get there?" she asked.

"I'm like a cat. Here, I need to fix this." He was adjusting the bandage around her wrist.

"You couldn't have said something?"

"Thought you weren't afraid of me anymore."

"Well, that's one thing. Sneaking up on someone is just not nice."

"I wasn't sneaking. I didn't want to bother you. There." Steve released her arm and looked her in the eye.

The tape was admittedly more comfortable. McKenzie stared up at Steve for a long moment, a strange curiosity coming over her.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked with a mischievous light in his eyes.

"Other than that nasty bruise? No."

"I thought we weren't talking about that."

"You asked."

"You were staring."

She was still staring; so was he.

H-5-O

Kono sat in the ER waiting room, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. Chin had stayed conscious on the ride there which was unfortunate for him, but comforting to Kono. The fact that everything was going to be fine did not detract from the sick feeling in her stomach. This murderer was still on the loose, shooting whomever got in his way. They were all in danger now.

Kono had called the family, but no one showed up. She found it hard to believe that they hated Chin so much. The trouble was, she did believe it. She had seen how he was treated by everyone and she knew now that she was the only one in his corner.

And I'm not giving up, she said to herself.

Kono recalled how Chin had introduced himself to Grace at the football game a few months ago: "Uncle Chin." And then how they had decided to call their team Five-O. Steve had said it was a way to make his family feel like they belonged. Well, in a way it still was. It was a way to include these four outcasts in a family when they had no one else.

About an hour after they arrived at the ER, Danny came in. He had set everyone to work going over the crime scene and made sure that Chin's bike was delivered safely. He found Kono staring off into space, so much that she didn't notice him at first. So, he sat beside her and waited for her to respond.

Finally, she turned her head and looked at him. "I think he's gonna be okay," she said, still playing with her hair.

Danny put his arm around her shoulders. "Of course he is," he said.

"Have you been able to call Steve yet?"

"Oh, I haven't tried." Danny pulled out his phone and hit redial. Once again, he heard the vaguely familiar female voice say: "hey, you've reached McKenzie. Leave a message, or you'll never hear from me again."

"This message is for Steve, tell him to call me back as soon as he can, please." Danny hung up and looked back at Kono. "Have you heard anything?"

"No. They didn't seem too worried when we got here though, and Chin was still awake."

"I told you he'd be fine."

"That's not what concerns me."

Danny searched her face for some clue as to what she meant. "What does then?" he finally asked.

"That there is a guy out there who's crazy enough to kill four people in broad daylight, and then proceed to shoot two lab techs and a cop five days later. I'm worried about what would happen to this family if we lost someone."

Danny tightened his grip around Kono and kissed the side of her hair. "Nothing's gonna happen," he said. "We're gonna catch this SOB and he won't be able to hurt anyone. And let me tell you something else." He forced her to look him in the eye. "Nothing, nothing is going to tear this family apart. We Five-Os have to stick together."

Kono smiled slightly. "You always know just what to say," she whispered. Then she kissed him lightly and leaned against his shoulder to wait.

H-5-O

Steve and McKenzie waited for the awkwardness to come, but it never did. Somehow each felt they could stare into the other's eyes indefinitely.

Steve reached out and put a hand on McKenzie's shoulder, turning her slightly to her right.

"Look at that," he said, pointing to the horizon.

Her eyes widened and she inhaled quickly. The western sky was ablaze with the setting sunlight ricocheting off thunderheads.

"Looks like we're gonna have a storm," Steve said.

McKenzie could hear the grin in his voice, but couldn't take her eyes off the massing clouds. Blood red contrasted with charcoal black, and golden beams shot up into the deep blue sky beyond.

"Does it always look like that," McKenzie asked.

"No," Steve said. "It never looks the same."

"One summer, I was on the Washington/Idaho border. Hell's Canyon. It reminds me of that."

"What, you don't have colorful sunsets in Oregon?"

"No, never... yes we do, just not as much. It rains all the time, remember?"

"Yeah, how do you put up with that?"

"We Oregonians are depressed all the time." McKenzie looked very serious, so Steve wondered for a second. Then she laughed. "It's hot in the summer. And we have great beaches. I spent most of my spring breaks in Brookings."

Steve was silent for a moment, staring at the sky." If we want to get back before the downpour, we should go," he said. "Not that I'd mind getting wet, but we don't want you slipping in the mud and falling off the face of the earth."

"In my defense, that log saw me coming."

They headed back down the trail and the air started to smell damp. McKenzie couldn't help feeling excited about the storm. The two of them chatted amicably on their way home and it was decided that McKenzie would be making dinner; Steve would be doing the dishes.

H-5-O

Danny finally decided to call the first number he had for Steve, even though he'd been told not to. The first thing he heard when Steve picked up the phone was a female voice singing loudly and some kind of sizzling.

"What's going on over there?" he asked.

"McKenzie's making dinner," Steve replied as if it were obvious.

"And giving a concert?"

There was a brief pause. "Yes."

"Okay, well, I've been trying to call you since about two, but you must have had better things to do."

"We went for a walk."

"A walk?"

"Yes, there's nothing to do here and I'm bored. What did you want?"

"Steve, the suspect escaped."

"Escaped? What do you mean 'escaped'."

"I mean mortally wounded a guard, stole his gun, and ran out the door. But there's more."

"How could there be more?"

"Chin was going to visit the lab when our friend decided to retrieve his possessions. He killed two lab techs and a security guard and Chin has a rather ugly wound on his shoulder. He'll be okay in a couple weeks we hear."

Steve didn't reply for a long time and when he did it wasn't printable. The background singing stopped. Danny waited a couple of seconds before going on.

"Kono and I are at the hospital now. We have every available officer on this. You don't need to worry. Hadley doesn't know the witness gave us a description."

"Neither does he know that she couldn't remember. He probably thinks she gave us a description right off."

"He doesn't know where you are anyway. And now his picture is all over the island. He won't be able to get away."

"Yeah... you have no idea how much I want to get my hands on that SOB now."

"Actually, I do... wait, you don't know about that." Danny looked over to where Kono was sitting, staring at the opposite wall.

"What?"

Danny stood up and walked across the room, stopping by a window. "Well, it's nothing, I mean, Chin's my friend and... you know what, never mind."

"Danny, what's going on?"

"It's Kono."

"What about her?"

"Oh, come on, man, you are not that dense."

"Okay. You like her."

"And apparently, Chin knew that and then the strange hugging started."

"Wait, did I miss something?"

"You miss a lot of things."

"Funny, Danno. Are you and Kono dating?"

"I think the future tense would be more appropriate there."

"If you don't stop correcting my grammar... Seriously, what's going on?"

"We've sort of been busy trying to catch a murderer and haven't had much time to define it yet."

"Right. I'm sure I'm very happy for you, but don't let it get in the way."

"I figure since this team is like a family already not much would change."

"See now you're getting with the program."

"Yeah, whatever. Go protect your witness."

"Bye, Danno."

H-5-O

When Steve hung up the phone, McKenzie was humming softly again. She appeared to be immersed in her cooking, but he knew she had been listening.

"What did you hear?" he asked.

McKenzie looked up briefly. "Something about escaping and you were rather upset. Then there was some discussion about your coworkers dating or something. I curious what the problem with your grammar was; I didn't hear anything. Well, there was that one thing, but it was technically proper grammar."

"He wanted me to use future tense."

"Ah."

"That smells good. What is it?"

McKenzie stood protectively in front of the stove as Steve came closer. She waved her hands at him and said, "not yet. Go set the table or something."

When dinner was ready they ate in silence for a while. McKenzie was trying to figure out how to ask if the killer was on the loose again. She couldn't imagine who else could have escaped. At least, no on Steve would be so upset about. There was no other explanation, but McKenzie didn't like to assume.

"So, is he really out?" she finally asked.

Steve looked up from his plate. "Who?"

McKenzie sighed. "You know who."

"Yes."

"Does he know where we are?"

"No. If he did, he would have been here by now."

"What makes you so sure?"

"His behavior up to this point. He escaped from custody and went straight to steal the evidence. If he knew we were here, he would have come after that. He's not the sort to leave loose ends."

McKenzie picked at her food. "Once again, you manage to fill me with confidence."

"I'm sorry if I'm not very tactful after this psycho just shot one of mine."

"What?"

"He killed two lab techs and a security guard and injured one of my team."

"Will they be okay?"

"Yeah... it could have been a lot worse."

McKenzie noticed that Steve was in a mood for the rest of the evening. And from this she concluded that as tough as he was, he loved his friends. He talked about them all the time, especially Danny. From what McKenzie could gather, they were more of a family than coworkers. She couldn't imagine someone she loved getting hurt like that. Even if he would be okay, the fact that the man who did it was lurking out there somewhere made her shiver when she thought about it.