Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing. It means a lot to me.

Steve woke to his phone ringing and back aching. He'd slept another night on the couch despite his partner's insistence that they switch places. He wanted to be close to the door in case Chin and Kono needed anything. Things had been quiet all night, and HPD had long since left.

"McGarrett." He answered his cell without even checking the caller ID.

"Hey." Her voice was almost a surprise. They'd only exchanged texts and emails lately.

"Cath." He hadn't seen her in weeks. They never seemed to be in the same place at the same time lately.

"I have that info you wanted." Not getting a response, she added. "The info on the private jet. Steve?"

He snapped back to reality. He really needed to take a swim to clear his head, but he had to be mindful of the stitches in his arm. Not to mention, the way his ribs felt this morning, the ocean might swallow him alive.

"Thanks, Cath. What did you find?"

"Despite there being quite a number of private aircraft coming and going on the island, I managed to narrow it down to two possibles. Both headed for Los Angeles in your timeframe. One continued to Newark, New Jersey. Is that the one?"

New Jersey. "Yea, Cath, that's most likely our guy. Any word on passengers?"

"Unfortunately no. And video from that part of the airport is sketchy too. Nothing useful."

"Thanks, Catherine."

"I wish there was more I could do, Steve. Sorry."

"Well, I owe you a dinner, night out on the town, the works."

She laughed. "I hope these plans do not include anything from a drive up window or shrimp truck."

"I promise. Somewhere nice." It felt good to laugh.

She was gone before he could say anything more. Just like that.

/././

"You're going home. That's final." Danny's hands were on his hips. And he was about to go into full rant mode. This was not a good time to argue.

Eric didn't seem to notice the frown on his uncle's face. "Can't I hang out with you? Help you solve the case?"

"Solve the case? Look at you. Someone get promoted to detective?" Danny threw his hands up and then brushed them through his hair. He took a deep breath. "No, you may not hang out with me. And you most certainly will not help me finish this case. You will go back to Jersey and take care of your mother before she has a heart attack."

"Don't I at least get to see Grace?"

"No, you do not get that privilege." Danny crossed his arms. "I don't want to have to explain to her why you are here."

Eric shrugged. "You could make something up?"

Steve almost managed to stifle a chuckle. Danny threw him a glare that clearly stated this situation was not meant for his amusement.

"Make something up? Have you forgotten who you are talking to?" Danny exhaled loudly. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

Eric didn't answer. Danny shook his head. This conversation was way more intense than he planned. So he changed the subject and the tone.

"You need to get back to school. College is tough, Eric. It's supposed to be. That's why not just any dumb schmuck can be a forensic tech."

"Well, I'm a few years behind on applying myself, Uncle Danny. I don't know if I can hack it. I really want to stay here with you."

"You better decide what you want to do. And it does not, under any terms, involve you staying on this island. You're breakin your mother's heart. And I don't like to see that." Danny didn't have the strength to smack him across the back so he did the next best thing. The complete opposite of what Eric or Steve expected. He mellowed just a bit. "You're a smart kid, Eric. Maybe not like most people. And not in the way most people expect. But you are. Don't forget that. And don't ever let some no good crooks convince you otherwise. None of this was your fault. Except for the getting in over your head with a bookie part. Remember that."

He squeezed his nephew's arm.

"However. I am not in the mood to explain any of this to Grace. Look at yourself. You still look like you got the shit kicked out of you. She will never know you were here. If you tell her what happened to me – ever – I will find you and possibly finish what the Russian gangsters started."

Eric bowed his head. "Yea, Uncle Danny, you're right. I let you down. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. Learn from this. Pick yourself up and get your butt back in class." Danny held out his arms. "Come here."

He pulled Eric into a fierce hug and then added. "Now, get on that plane before I change my mind about all this and kick your ass."

Steve held back, smiling. Happy. Thankful.

The partners lingered until the plane had finished boarding.

/././

"Let's get something to eat. I'm starving." Danny paused, not quite happy about sending Eric home, but relieved for the breathing room. "I'm buying."

Steve considered the offer, but he'd already planned one of his own. He wanted some time alone with his partner to rehash the events of the last few days. Decide how they should proceed. But one step at a time. Dinner first. "Why don't we just go back to my place? I'll cook. You can complain."

Danny smiled. "I did leave all my stuff there."

"Then tomorrow things can go back to normal."

"What ever that is, right?"

They laughed. Only it wasn't a carefree laugh for either of them. Dinner seemed way too easy. This whole thing had been wrapped up in a neat little bow. Again. Just like Danny's rescue. Granted, they both could have been killed in the shootout with the Russians. But. Here they were. Again.

Was it all left to chance?

They climbed into the car and settled into their usual routine of arguing over the radio station. Steve enjoyed annoying Danny with strange song choices he knew would drive his partner nuts. It was nice, comfortable. But not completely soothing.

Danny stretched out, playing with the Velcro strap on his wrist brace. "So what are you cooking me for dinner?"

Steve didn't answer. He was staring straight ahead, both hands on the wheel. "We should have watched the flight take off."

This startled Danny a little. He'd actually let Eric slip from his mind for the first time in days. "Watch the flight take off? What?"

"You heard me."

"You said your air marshal friend is on that flight. State police are meeting the plane when it gets to Jersey. Eric should be good."

"I know what I said."

"Spidey sense again?" Danny suddenly wasn't the least bit hungry. Especially now that Steve was making an illegal u-turn, squealing the tires.

"Just want to make sure, D."

"We know the guy's jet left Hawaii. He's probably back on the mainland or where ever." Danny said the words but Steve's face made them feel useless.

Steve said what they were both now thinking. "I'm still not convinced."

"Then why in the hell did you send Eric back to Jersey?"

"It's probably nothing, Danny."

"I hate it when you use that word. Because with you most things are not nothing."

They buzzed through the heavy traffic, Steve pulling up at the first space he could find near the terminal. "Stay here. I'll check."

"Alright. I'll leave you to your paranoid hunches while I sit here twiddling my thumbs." He prayed it was indeed all a big fat hairy pile of nothing.

"It'll only take a second, Danny. Wait for me."

Danny hit the hazard lights and waited. He watched Steve jog toward the doors, flashing his badge as he went. It shouldn't take long to confirm Eric's flight had indeed departed without incident. They were both just so amped up that it didn't take much to put two and two together and come up with twenty-one.

Steve reappeared in under five minutes, his face somewhat calmer. Exhaling loudly, Danny stretched, running his hand through his hair.

"So? Did Eric hijack the plane?"

Bad attempt at humor, but it did the trick. Steve smiled and fastened his seatbelt. "Everything's cool. Let's go make dinner."