'Uhane
Chapter five
Disclaimer: see chapter one

When they had left the offices, Danny reiterated that he just wanted to go home. He had no desire to go by the Governor's mansion; he didn't want to be around other people at the moment. Chin drove them back to Steve's place, now effectively Danny's just knowing that was were the younger man wanted to go. Williams made his way inside, his teammates behind him. "You guys should make an appearance; it wouldn't look right if Five-0 didn't show up at all." Danny sat heavily on the couch, Kono placing the files on the small end table.

"You sure?" Chin asked, not liking the idea of leaving Danny alone, even for a few hours.

"I'll be fine, I just need…I need some time." William's rubbed his head, then absently his leg.

"We'll be back in a few hours, call if you need anything." Chin responded. Kono leaned over and hugged Danny, then the two cousins left.

Danny sat in silence, the thunder had sounded throughout the service but it wasn't until now that the skies finally opened up. Leaning his head back the injured man allowed the sound of the rain outside to lull him into a restless sleep. The image of Steve on the beach, making his way toward the water played out in Danny's subconscious mind, watching his friend disappear beneath the waves as he dived into his beloved ocean caused Danny's breathing to hitch again, even in his sleep. The sound of Steve's voice saying 'as long as it takes' played over the image of his friend swimming away from him.

'Everything's gonna be okay Danny, I promise', those words startled Williams awake as his eyes searched the empty room. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but the exhaustion he was feeling forced his body to do just that. Rubbing his hands over his face Danny moved to push himself up, he needed to get out of his dress uniform. Glancing at the stack of papers he made his way to the downstairs guest room, the place he'd slept the night before, to change. Fifteen minutes later he made his way back into the living room deciding he needed to read through the files the lawyer left for him. He needed to see just what the hell his crazy-ass partner was thinking leaving him the house and just what kind of trust had he sat up for Grace.

Grabbing the files, he used one crutch and slowly made his way to the desk that sat in the den. Moving to open the back patio doors that were right next to the desk, he finally sat down. Taking a deep breath he opened the first file. It was the paperwork for the house, there was a duplicate paper just like the one he'd signed, it was a deed transfer paper. Within a few days Danny knew a new deed would arrive in the mail with his name on it instead of Steve's. "You never did like my apartment did you?" Williams whispered as he looked over the paper. The file also contained the insurance information for the property as well as the title to the Silverado in the driveway and the Mercury in the garage. "Well at least I can drive your car now for a while." Danny couldn't help the chuckle that escape, knowing he would probably never drive the blue truck outside; hell he'd be lucky if he could bring himself to drive the Camaro again.

Sitting that file aside, the next one was labeled, 'bank statements'. Opening it up it took Danny a minute to make sense of the info he was looking at. Williams knew Steve was never a big spender. The only thing he could think of that the guy had really bought since he'd known him was the truck. The house had been his fathers and Steve hadn't changed anything within the house. There were a few new pictures sitting around, mostly of the team, a couple of Grace and Danny. One of Steve and Grace when the SEAL had helped stand Grace up on a surfboard out back of the house during one of the many barbeques he'd have everyone over for. Other than that nothing had been changed inside the house since Steve had moved into it.

But the amounts in the accounts really surprised Danny. Apparently Steve had hardly ever bought anything at all in his adult life. Steve had told him before while in the service he was constantly on the move, never in one place for long, SEAL's were sent where they were needed and needed to move at a moments notice. Within that file Danny also found Steve's life insurance policy through the Navy and was surprised to find that he and Grace were named as dual-beneficiaries. "What were thinking?" Williams shook his head, a post-it note from the attorney stated the insurance company had been notified and the check would be arriving as soon as all the forms were processed.

The final paper in the file was the paperwork for the trust set up in Grace's name; it would become hers when she reached eighteen. It reminded Danny of the savings account he'd set up for his daughter when she was born, he hoped it would be her college fund. He still deposited money into the account, it automatically came out of his paychecks, Rachel didn't even know about it. He just couldn't understand why his friend had done all this and apparently had done all the changes within a few months of meeting him. What had possessed his fallen partner to rework his final papers; giving a man he hardly knew at the time everything upon his death. "What the hell Steven? We still didn't know if we were gonna stay partners at that point." Rubbing his eyes Danny didn't know if he could continue through the paperwork.

Closing that file, Danny came to the last envelope; it looked exactly like the ones the attorney had given Chin and Kono, 'DANNY' written out in Steve's neat script on the front. Taking a deep breath, past the knot in his throat and sick feeling in his gut, Danny turned the object over, pulling the flap open, withdrawing the papers inside.

There was another small envelope with Grace's name on the front, Danny laid that aside as he unfolded the rest of the papers, the same neat script filling the pages.

Danno,

Yeah I know you hate me calling you that, hell that's why I do it, you should have figured that out by now. Okay I'll get past the cliché, if you're ready this then I'm pretty sure I led us into a firefight and wasn't able to lead us out. But my biggest and most important job must have been accomplished, you made it out alive.

I can still remember that day we met; I guess we're both lucky we didn't shoot each other then. Hey I really am sorry for getting you shot that day.

I guess you're wondering why all that damn paperwork the lawyer dropped off was for you, especially when I reworked everything just a couple months after meeting you. I've always thought of myself as a good judge of character, it kept me alive more times than I could count. Now I know you're thinking about Nick Taylor and trust me when I say, when I knew in the SEAL's he was a good guy. But the moment I met you, honestly I had never and I mean never had anyone question me when I spoke. I had been trained to command others and those others were trained to obey my commands without question, but here I was confronted with someone who questioned everything I did. Who loved to point out every mistake I made, who used words like 'ergo'.

At first I couldn't understand how you didn't just do what I said, why you'd argue. Looking back, trying to see those situations from a cops perspective I understand how my military ways ran contrary to your cop ways. But we soon learned to work from each others strengths and you taught me a lot about what it meant to be a cop, something I had never been before, Thank you for that.

As far as the house, I never liked that place you lived in, kept hoping you'd find something better, hell I even considered trying to talk you into moving in with me as a renter. God knows I didn't need this big of a place and you'd have a place for Grace to keep her things too. Well now it's yours, I know you'll take care of it and Grace loves the beach out back, maybe you'll start to like it too.

You weren't far off when you commented that I didn't know the first thing about kids, I'd never been around any before. But watching you with Grace and how quickly she took to me, you've got a really special kid there Buddy. I admire the fact you gave up your life to be close to her, so she'd know her father cared, that he would always be there for her. I loved my dad, but after my mom I never had that. You're a great father Danny, don't ever doubt that and that's what Grace will remember when she grows up. The trust is something I wanted to do; I just figured it could be something she could use when she grows up. I figure you probably have something put away for her, you seem the type, plus I now you don't want Stan to pay for everything. This is just a little something from her Uncle Steve since I couldn't be there to see her grow up.

The rest of it all, none of that stuff ever meant that much to me. As a kid family was more important to me, I learned at sixteen how fast that could all be taken away. You joked about my dad's car that time; it was the only real connection I had left of him. Until my mom's death we had spent many a weekend trying to get the thing running, neither of us was a very good mechanic but it was the time spent with him I remember. After mom he changed, then he sent us away and I lost that.

At Sixteen I lost my family, my mom to that bomb, my dad to his grief and my sister to my dad's warped sense of protection, thinking sending us away was the best. At eighteen the Navy became my life, the only family I felt I belonged in. Then I came home and had you point a gun at me, shortly after we found Chin, who led us to Kono and I discovered a family again. Over the time we've all worked together I've felt a closeness that hadn't been there since I was a kid. Hell until I met you I don't even think I had a best friend. Then as time passed you became my brother in every sense of the word except by blood.

I know you always thought I was reckless, but I was trained to react and to keep those around me alive. I was never reckless with your life, I needed to make sure Grace didn't go through what I did, I couldn't let anything happen to her Danno and because you're reading this incredibly mushy and emotional letter I guess I did my job right.

I know this is going to be tough, but you'll get through it. Don't shut out Chin and Kono, they are your ohana don't forget that. Keep Grace close; make sure she doesn't forget the crazy-ass super SEAL that was your partner, your friend. Don't get reckless like me; you have to be there for her.

Oh and do me a few favors; get your Jersey ass in the water, swim some, learn to surf with your daughter, Kono'd be a great teacher, remember she was pro once. Try to find something to like about this 'pineapple-infested hell-hole' you now call home. And just once try some damn pineapple and ham pizza, contrary to what you believe, New Jersey won't revoke your hometown membership if you do, and you just might like it. And for God's sake get rid of the tie.

Even if I'm not there, I'm there, watching out for you wherever I am. Remember that and remember I love ya brah.

Steve

By the time Danny was done reading the letter, tears were trailing down his face, his hands were shaking and his breathing ragged. Looking blearily at the paper in his hands he felt an anger rise in him, he was angry at Rachel for ever bringing his daughter to the place, causing him to have to move here in the first place, he was angry at the man who'd shot Steve, he was angry with Steve for dying on him while trying to protect him. He was angry at himself to letting the pain in the ass SEAL work his way into his life so much that the sense of loss was nearly that of watching Matty board that plane and fly out of his life, but where Matt was alive, somewhere, Steve wasn't and that's what he was the angriest about. Swiping his arms across the desk, sending papers, pictures and the lamp flying, Danny yelled at the top of his lungs, "GODDAMNIT STEVEN, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!"

Standing Danny forgot about his leg, pain shooting through it as his weight settled on it causing the injured limb to crumble under him. Barely stopping his head from hitting the floor, the unimaginable pain in his leg was nothing compared to that in his heart, in his soul. He rolled onto his back as he crunched his eyes closed, his teeth clinched as pain seemed to encompass his body, his mind. He could feel his hold on consciousness slipping and for once in his life he welcomed it, he wanted the pain to stop, needed it to stop.

Then just as the darkness was slowly enveloping him he felt a slight pressure on his shoulder, cracking his eye's open he took in the dark-haired, concerned blue-eyed gaze of his best friend, his partner. Steve's calm voice whispering assurance. 'Take it easy partner, it'll pass soon. Chin and Kono are coming, but I'll stay until they do. Rest now.' Feeling his friend's hand slip comforting through his hair, Danny gave into the darkness that was beckoning.