Burn

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

The characters of Lieutenant Commander Steven 'Steve' McGarrett. Investigator Chin Ho Kelly, Officer Kono Kalakaua, Adam 'Toast' Charles, Governor Patricia 'Pat' Jameson and Detective Meka Hanamoa do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.

The character of Detective Sergeant Danielle 'Danni' Williams probably can be considered my own character by now. Although she was originally based on the male Danny from the show, she soon evolved into her own person. She has her own background, her own family, her own history and her own distinct personality. This isn't to say that the Danny we all know and love is completely gone though, he definitely isn't since he still emerges from through her at times. I like to think that this female version of Danny is what he could have been like if everything in his life had gone his way. As in gaining full custody of Grace and having a decent, friendly relationship with his ex.

The character of her daughter Grace has also changed slightly due to the change made to Danni. Grace's surname in this saga is Taylor as this is her father's surname and was Danni's married name before she reverted back to her own maiden name when the divorce was finalised. Grace's parents are also amicable and friendly to one another which has also had an impact on Grace but never fear, she's still the sweetheart we know and love. I do picture Grace differently than she is portrayed in the show so please keep in mind that in my mind, Grace was played by Mackenzie Foy.

The characters of Special Agent in charge Jack O'Connor, Poppy O'Connor, Isabella O'Connor, Natasha 'Tasha' O'Connor, Luke Hunt, Noah Hunt, Duncan Taylor, Supervisory Special Agent Walker Humphries, Martin Chen and Rita Chen also belong to me as does any character in the chapter who is not instantly recognisable from the show. Please do not use them or my version of Danni and Grace without first asking my permission.

Thanks

Author's Note

Welcome to chapter One of 'Burn'

You'll be learning a bit about the characters in this story, including the ones you already know. There will be plenty of hints about their background, about their families and what they tend to do when they have some free time. I think it's important to show that, obviously in the show they don't have time to explore it which is understandable since they only have a limited amount of time to show everything. Luckily, since I don't have that same constraint on me, I can explore them to my heart's content. That's not to say that I'll bombard you with information because I won't, they'll only be mentioned when it's relevant. You'll probably hear more about Chin's and Kono's family for example then you will about Danni's because they will be around more due to where they live

Just a reminder as well that this saga is a slow burn saga which will play out over a great number of chapter stories and one shots. The end game is and always will be McDanni, anyone who knows me or has spoken to me about this will know that. The only question I can't answer is how long it will take, I have a plan in my head but the characters don't always play ball with me so we'll have to see. One thing that I am sure of is that there will be plenty of moments between them both.

There will also be plenty of friendship moments between the team because I want us to experience the team coming together, slowly but surely.

Anyway, please enjoy.

Overall Story Summary

Fire, fire burning bright, which member of Five-o will you try to claim tonight? When Five-0 are tasked with hunting down a serial arsonist who has graduated to murder, they didn't expect themselves to become targets. Now it's a race against time to find the murderer before it's too late. (Part Five of the 'Rewrite Saga')

Chapter Summary

Danni knows a lot of things much to Steve's chagrin.

Overall Story Romances

Meka Hanamoa/Amy Hanamoa (Mekmy)

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Hints of Ryan Moore / Danni Williams (Rynni)

Mentions of past Duncan Taylor/ Danni Williams (Dunni)

Chapter Romances

Meka Hanamoa/Amy Hanamoa (Mekmy)

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Mentions of past Duncan Taylor/ Danni Williams (Dunni)

Warning

This story features a female Danni Williams in place of a male Danny Williams. Although in some of the stories I write which aren't connected to this saga I do write them existing in the same universe, that's not the case here.

If Genderswap stories aren't your thing then please hit the back button.

Second Disclaimer

Please note that I do not have a Beta so please forgive any mistakes which might creep in the chapter. I always do my best to edit the story before posting but sometimes I miss something.

The places which I have mentioned in Hawaii are ones which have been taken from the episode itself, from google including the addresses or somewhere I have made up. I've never been to Hawaii myself so I apologise for any mistake I may make, these are not intentional.

Saga

Part Five of the 'Rewrite saga'

Chapter One

Changes and Early morning chats

Monday 4th October 2010

Danni Williams's and Grace Taylor's home

500 Hakaka Place

Honolulu

Hawaii 96816

Danni Williams's Point of View

Danni Williams glanced around her living room, her eyes sweeping over the large area to make sure that she had everything which she needed for the upcoming day. Giving a nod she turned and headed out of the room and down the corridor towards the front door. She smiled when she saw that her seven year old daughter Grace was standing beside it, her shoes already on and clearly ready to leave.

She was shifting her weight from one foot to the other with an anxious look on her face which pulled at Danni's heart strings.

"You know Gracie, if you need to make a trip to the bathroom before we leave then we do have the time." She teased the young girl softly as she came to a stop beside her and reached out, absently running her hand down Grace's long dark hair, making sure as she did, that she didn't disturb the two braids in any fashion. Grace was going through a particular phase where her hair had to be done just right or she would make Danni redo it continuously until she was happy that it had been done to her exacting standards. It was something which neither of them had time for that morning, not unless they both wanted to be late; Danni for work and Grace for her breakfast club at the school she attended.

"I've already used the bathroom this morning Mamma." Grace replied seriously, the tone causing Danni's smile to soften as she moved past the small girl and looked at the selection of shoes which were neatly lined up, lingering for a moment before she selected a pair of black high heels which she slipped on before ducking down and picking up a pair of flats as well which she dropped into her bag. She tilted her head to the side and smiled at Grace who was watching her with a wide smile of her own. Danni's fashion sense had always fascinated Grace who regularly tried to copy it but with her own little flair.

Standing back up, Danni moved over to the state of the art alarm system which she had installed when they had first moved in, and flipped the lid to it down, looking back over her shoulder at Grace.

"If you're sure that you don't need the bathroom then we should probably be on our way." She stated, continuing to speak when Grace nodded and shrugged on her bright pink rucksack. "Now, are you sure that you have everything you need for school and your breakfast club Gracie because I'm not going to be able to come back home today to get anything for you and your Daddy is in meetings all day as well so he won't be able to either." She warned.

Grace nodded her head at her, an earnest look in her green eyes which made Danni smile.

"I've got everything I need for today Mamma, I even made sure to doublecheck my bag this morning because Ms Clarke gave Anna a detention last week because she forgot to bring her science textbook in on Friday and we had science class that day." The small girl informed her, looking briefly horrified at the thought of receiving a detention and marring her perfect school record when she was aiming to be class prefect.

"Poor Anna, I bet she won't make that mistake again, it's a hard lesson for her but hopefully the result is that she and the rest of your class including you Gracie, learn from it." Danni remarked mildly, smiling when Grace nodded at her in agreement. Sometimes she wondered whether Grace was too focused on learning and school, but as her mother had pointed out when she mentioned it, Danni, had been the same when she had been a child and had come out fine. Grace just needed to learn how to balance things and that would come with time and experience. For now Danni was willing to let her daughter find her own path and merely keep a close eye on her to make sure she wasn't over doing it.

"She was really upset." Grace admitted.

"All you have to do is make sure that you pack your bag the night before like I know you do and check it in the morning. If you do that then you shouldn't end up in the same situation as Anna, though if you did Grace and you did get a detention then it wouldn't be the end of the world okay? Remember that." Danni instructed, a smile coming to her face when she caught sight of the look of disbelief which Grace shot her. "Go and wait by the car for me while I put the alarm on and lock up, make sure you stay where I can see."

She reached over Grace's head, unlocking the front door and opened it for her, placing her hand on Grace's shoulder and lightly pushing her towards the door. She watched as Grace skipped out of the house and down the path which led to the garage and came to a stop beside the car.

Turning from her, Danni quickly punched in the code to activate the alarm and closed the unit, shouldering her bag and left the house, locking the door behind her and quickly testing it.

She followed the same route which Grace had, tilting her head back so she could look at the sky above her, rolling her eyes when she was realised that yet again, there wasn't a cloud to mar the bright blue colour. It was the same sight which met her day after day and one which she was slowly getting used to, though she could admit, if only to herself, that she did miss the grey skies and clouds in Jersey.

Danni stepped around the front of the car and came to a stop beside the driver's side, extracting the keys from her bag and quickly unlocked it before pulling the door open and placing her bag in the passenger footwell. She twisted around and pulled on her seatbelt, looking towards the clock on the dashboard. She still had plenty of time to drop Grace off at the breakfast club so at least they wouldn't have to rush there. Danni waited until Grace had pulled on her own seatbelt and was comfortable before she started the engine and headed towards the gate, pressing the button which would open the doors for them, safe in the knowledge that they would automatically close behind them once they were through.

She took the familiar route which led to the school which Grace attended, putting on her daughter's current favourite CD to distract her, and began thinking about her own upcoming day at work and what she would have to do.

They had luckily not received a new case over the weekend and she was determined to try and make the most out of it before a new one was assigned. She was due to meet Amelia Webster, the current head of the District Attorneys office that afternoon to brief her on both the Fred Doran and Sang Min cases which they had closed within a couple of days of the Taskforce which Danni worked on being active. If she knew Amelia, then the older woman would be asking plenty of questions about both cases which meant that Danni would have to read through all the reports which had been submitted, including the ones from her team, from the CSU Units who worked on the scenes and the Medical Examiners reports. If she did it properly, like she knew she had to, then it would probably take her right up to the time she would have to leave for the meeting.

On top of that, there was still the matter of the Roland Lowry case which they closed on Friday which still required a lot of work on it. Reports had to be written and then signed off, the charges against Zankovic would have to be officially filed and the forms completed which would transfer the case and their suspect from them into Interpol hands.

Then there was the Human Resources issues which she had to deal with…

All in all it was going to be a very busy day for her and completely based on whether the Gods above would be kind and not land them with a new case which would push everything to the back burner for her.

Danni sighed out loud, glancing to the side of her with a questioning look when she felt Grace place her hand on her forearm.

"What's up Monkey? Have you forgotten something back at home after all?" She queried as she dragged her thoughts away from her day and focused on the small girl beside her, already trying to figure out the quickest route back to their home.

"Nothing like that Mamma, you're the one who was sighing out loud, not me. I wanted to make sure that you were okay?" Grace asked her, tilting her head to one side and fixing her with a concerned look which warmed Danni's heart.

"Is everything okay with me?" Danni repeated with a smile. "Yeah everything is okay with me Gracie-Bean, I was just thinking about all the work which I have to do today and figuring out the best way of tackling it." She assured the young girl. Grace nodded at her, her expression morphing from concern to one of understanding as she patted Danni's arm, either ignoring or entirely missing the amused look which Danni shot her at the action.

"I know how you feel Mamma, we have two tests at school today and we've been told that we have to get at least seventy percent on them both in order to pass otherwise we'll have to retake the test after school on another day. I think I should be okay for the English test because Ms Clarke says that it's one of my best subjects and that I'm one of the best spellers in the class but I'm worried about the Geography test because I'm not very good at it. I find it really hard to understand." Grace confessed with a sigh before she took her hand away from where it had still been resting on Danni's arm and brought it up to her mouth, biting down on the skin beside the thumbnail anxiously.

"You have nothing to be concerned about Grace so try not to worry too much about either of the tests." Danni said as she took her hand off of the steering wheel and reached out, running her hand gently down Grace's hair to comfort her, smiling when her daughter automatically tilted her head into the touch with a happy sigh. "Did you study for both of them?" She continued, reluctantly taking her hand away so she could hit the indicator and raise her hand to thank the driver who slowed down to let her into the lane.

"I was studying for them both last night and I've looked at it every day since Ms Clarke told us that we were going to have a test." Grace answered her, her gaze fixed on Danni's face.

"Well, that's a good sign for a start if you've been studying every day Grace. Do you still remember the basic of what you're been looking at?" Danni pressed softly.

"I can remember it Mamma, I made bullet points for it like you taught me to do." Grace told her as she slowly lowered her thumb from her mouth and instead resting both of her hands in her lap.

"Well in that case you're as prepared for them as you can be Grace. You can't do anything more than what you've already done. If you do fail the test though then it won't be the end of the world and it will be nothing to be upset about. Like me and Daddy have told you before, there is absolutely nothing wrong with failing something the first time you try it as long as you don't give up and you try again." Danni instructed with a warm smile. "Besides my little Monkey, you haven't failed a test this year so far so there's no reason to think that it will be different this time around."

She glanced towards the small girl, her smile widening when she saw the thoughtful look on Grace's face which told her that her daughter was mulling over what she had said to her, something which she was thankful for.

Danni pulled the car to a stop in the parent drop off area outside of the school, noting as she did that the other parking bays were still free. She killed the engine and grabbed her bag from the passenger footwall before she opened her door and climbed out, her eyes already moving carefully around the surrounding area looking for anything which looked out of place or which could be considered a threat. Years as a Detective had drummed the need to be careful and to be aware of everything happening around her into her and she doubted that she would ever stop doing it, especially when her daughter was with her.

Danni moved around the front of the car to where Grace stood waiting for her and smiled down at her when the small girl reached out and grabbed Danni's hand in her, holding on tightly.

"You ready?" Danni asked her, squeezing down on Grace's hand, her smile widening when Grace merely grinned back at her. They moved through the empty playground towards the building where the breakfast club was being held. It was only Grace's second time attending it and although she had told Danni that she had liked it and had made friends. Danni still wanted to see it herself though with her own two eyes to make sure that the club was everything which Grace's form tutor had assured her it would be.

"I've decided that you're right about the tests today Mamma, I'm just going to do my best with them and hope that it will be enough for me to pass." Grace said, breaking the silence which had fallen between them.

"That's the best attitude to have about it Grace." Danni agreed, stroking her thumb across the back of Grace's hand as she continued to speak. "Make sure that you have a good day at school and be on your best behaviour for Ms Clarke, listen to what she has to tell you and work hard at your lessons okay? I'll be in the usual spot to pick you up at three." Danni assured her as she pushed open the door to the classroom they needed and reluctantly let go of her daughter's hand so she could go inside.

"I will Mamma, I'll see you this afternoon, I love you." Grace answered as she twisted around and wrapped her arms around Danni's waist, giving her a tight hug.

"I love you as well Gracie bean." Danni said as she leaned down and returned the hug, placing a soft kiss on Grace's forehead before she forced herself to move back, smiling at the large grin Grace shot her and watched as the small girl turned from her and entered the classroom.

Danni glanced around her, her eyes sweeping the room, taking in all the details available to her. There was one teacher at the front of the room who was talking to one of the students who was already there while the other six children she could see working away on something. They appeared to be a similar age to Grace and seemed pleased to see her if the way their face lit up and the way they greeted her was any indication for Danni to go by.

Danni nodded at the teacher when he glanced over at her before she looked back once more towards Grace to make sure she was happy. Satisfied that she was, she turned and headed out of the room, closing the door behind her and made her way back to her car.

Danni breathed out as she climbed back into the car and started the engine, pulling out of her parking space and away from the school, heading down the nearby road which she had already discovered was the quickest route available to her to get her to her partner's Steve McGarrett's house. He had called her the previous night after Grace had gone to bed and had asked her to swing by on the way into the office and pick him up because there was something which he needed to speak to her about.

She had been curious about what he had wanted but when she had tried to ask him, he had merely sidestepped her questions, laughing down the phone line at her before he hung up on her, leaving her listening to the sound of the dial tone.

The traffic itself was light so it only took her ten minutes to reach Steve's place. She pulled to a stop outside his house, beeping twice in rapid succession before she leaned back in her chair and proceeded to wait for him, absently tapping her fingers against the steering wheel in time to the beat from the music. She tilted her head to the side when movement caught her attention and smiled when she saw the front door open and Steve appear from within. He was wearing a dark red t-shirt and black cargo pants, an outfit she was beginning to think was the backbone of his entire wardrobe.

Steve looked down towards her, raising his hand in acknowledgement to her before he turned back to the door, closing and locking it behind him, He turned and made his way down the path towards her, pulling the passenger door open and climbed inside, slamming the door closed behind him, the action causing Danni to roll her eyes, knowing even as she did that there was no point in commenting about it.

"Morning Danno" He commented as he pulled his seatbelt on, his hazel-blue eyes dropping to take in her outfit before he looked back up at her with an expression of amusement in his eyes which had previously been lacking. "I'm guessing from the way that you're dressed today that you're expecting to be in the office for the majority of the day?" He queried, the comment making her glance down to look at the black skirt with it's white flower and green stemmed border design which she had teamed with a simple black vest top and her heels before she looked back up at him and simply shrugged as she pulled the car away from the kerb.

"Well, what can I say Steve, I live in hope, besides I have way too much on today without having to add a fresh case on top of everything." She said.

"I can almost guarantee that we'll have a new case come through to us today Danni." Steve told her, a confident tone to his voice. "Knowing you, you're probably wearing heels so tell me that you've at least brought a pair of flat shoes with you in case you need them?" He asked, sighing when she shot him a quick look.

"Whether I'm wearing a pair of high heels or not is irrelevant, I've already proven that it doesn't matter what I wear to work because I can still keep up with anything which is thrown at us." Danni pointed out to him, flashing him a smile which grew into a grin when he responded to her comment by rolling his eyes at her.

Shaking her head, she reached up and rubbed at the back of her neck, squeezing down on the muscle before she lowered her hand back to the steering wheel, focusing her attention back on the road and growing traffic.

"So what exactly do you have on today when it comes to work then?" Steve questioned, breaking the silence had fallen between the two of them.

"What I have is a hell of a lot of reports which I need to read through this morning for the meeting which I have this afternoon with Amelia Webster." She responded.

"And who is Amelia Webster again?" Steve queried with a raised eyebrow, the comment causing Danni to sigh.

"I have told you this before Steven, Amelia Webster is in charge of the DA's office which for the record our team will have a lot to do with on a weekly basis. It would actually be pretty beneficial if you came with me to the meeting later on so that I could introduce you to her. If I'm not around for some reason then you'll have to be the one who has a meeting with her instead." Danni told him seriously as she risked taking her eyes off of the road so she could look towards him.

"What time is your meeting with her scheduled for?" He asked, his face falling into a frown as though he was running through a mental check in his head of his own day.

"It's due to start at one o'clock this afternoon which means that we will have to leave around twelve thirty to make it there on time. The meeting itself tends to last around about an hour though, considering the fact I have both the Doran and the Sang Min case to talk to her about I think it will last until around two thirty. That reminds me, we still need to write up the charges against Zankovic case today and interview him, he's been in lock up over the weekend after all and we can't keep him there indefinitely, however tempting it might be." She told him, raising an eyebrow when he shook his head at her.

"The Zankovic interview is already taken care of Danni, I spoke to Chin yesterday and he and Kono are taking care of it first thing this morning, in fact they are probably already in the interrogation room with him conducting it. He wanted to get it over and done with so they could write up the report and send it over to you. Once you've checked them to make sure they are up to scratch you can pass it over to O'Connor who can use his various connections and find out who we need to contact at Interpol to have the case and Zankovic passed over to them. As for the meeting with the DA, I'll try and make it though I won't make any promises since everything will depend on whether we get a case today or not." He stated.

"Thank you for taking care of that, the sooner we're finished with him and the reports, the quicker we can let Interpol deal with things. One less case for us to deal with would be heaven right about now." Danni remarked, flashing him a smile before she focused back on the road. "So, are you going to tell me yet why you needed me to pick you up this morning? Did something happen over the weekend?" She asked, waiting for him to speak.

He remained quiet, as though he was deciding the best words to use to express himself before he sighed, twisting in his chair so he was facing her.

"I thought about the conversation we had in the car on Friday when we were on our way back to the office after we rescued Lowry and his son." He told her, his eyes flickering away for a moment. "More specifically about the point you raised that if we had someone who had been at headquarters during the case running the background checks and looking into the Intel we received then maybe we would have found that the name Natalie Reed was an alias and that she was involved before it got as far as it did."

"You mean Kono ending up in a fight with her and then being kidnapped with Evan?" Danni asked, her voice quiet.

"Yeah" Steve agreed, breathing in nosily.

"I remember the conversation." Danni said finally when the silence continued. "And I also remember that you didn't seem keen on the idea of expanding the team further Steve." She brought the car to a slow halt as a light turned from amber to red before turning to look at him again. "What changed your mind?"

"Lets just say what you said made sense" Steve said, his mouth quirking up into a small smile. "It didn't take me long after we spoke that you were right and that having someone to do those jobs was essential for us to be as efficient as possible so while you were picking up Grace from school on the Friday I rang the Governor and spoke to her and told her that we needed a computer and Intel specialist, I also mentioned to her that I had someone in mind for the post."

"How did she take it when you told her that?" Danni queried.

"She thought having a member of the team to focus on Intel and computer idea was a good idea. She was less keen on who I suggested for the job but we came to a compromise." He said, meeting her eyes as he continued. "She agreed that I could hire Toast in that position for a month to begin with, a probational trial if you will, if he proves himself to be excellent in the post and fits in with the rest of the team then the probational period will be extended to six months and then after that he'll be a fully-fledged member on the team like the rest of us."

"How did you manage to talk her around?" Danni asked as she moved away from the light as it turned green.

"I told her he was one of the most skilled individuals I had seen and that you trusted in him and his ability and therefore I did." Steve told her. "Once I had her agreement, I spoke to Toast and offered him the job before Kono's graduation and he accepted it, his first day will be today though I've told him to arrive at ten for the team meeting."

"Thank you Steve, this… this is the chance he needs to turn himself around." Danni said confidently, knowing in her heart that her words were true.

"Maybe but you should know that he has restrictions placed on him which are linked to his probation. I know you trust him and that you see something in him but it's my responsibility as head of the team to think of everyone. I need everyone who wears one of these badges to be at the top of their game whether we're in work or not because there is no saying when we might be landed with a case. We're the Governor's personal taskforce so everyone will be watching us, waiting for us to make an error just like you've told me countless of times." He stated.

"Well, it's the truth." She said before she could stop herself.

"It is." He agreed. "Toast can't be at his best if he spends the majority of his day baked out of his head so I've told him that one of the conditions of his employment in the team is that he must attend mandatory rehab meetings, I've spoken to a few friends I have who still live on the island and they've got him into one of the best centres on Oahu. They are well known for their success rate and for their level of discretion. This is an one time deal though Danni, if he smokes even once and gets high or he fails to attend his rehab meeting then he's off of the team and nothing, not even you, will change my mind." He warned her.

"What if he misses it because of something out of his control?" She asked.

"The only way, I'll accept it is if we're working an extremely urgent, high profiled case that requires all of us. If that was the reason then I would let it pass but I would also expect him to go to the next available meeting." Steve commented, an undercurrent to his voice which told Danni that he meant every word he said.

"I understand Steve, it seems reasonable to me." She agreed quietly.

"That's the most you're going to say about it to me? That you understand and my conditions seem reasonable to you?" He replied, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as they moved over her face. "Now that I think about it, you don't seem greatly surprised by the new that I hired Toast to work with us."

"That would be because I'm not." She admitted with a shrug. "I already knew that you had hired him to work with the team, though in fairness I didn't know about the conditions but they do make sense."

"You already knew? How did you find out about it? I haven't mentioned hiring him to anyone unless…" He stopped, his eyes widening for a second before they narrowed again. "Unless it was Toast himself who told you about it? It has to be him, he's the only other person who knows."

"He was the one who told me." She confirmed. "He came to see me on Saturday when I was at the North Shore with Meka and the others."

"For the Barbeque?" Steve asked.

"That's right, any time we have one, we start the day off by going down to the beach, normally the North Shore, and relaxing there. Toast mentioned that you had offered him a job as the Computer and Intel Specialist on the team and that he had accepted it. Whatever you said to him when you spoke to him clearly made an impression on him because he seemed determined from what I could see, not to let you down. He refused my offer to stay and hang out with us because he said he needed to get over to the centre for a meeting. I'm guessing based on what you've said he must have been talking about the rehab centre you got him into and a meeting there." She explained

"Anything else he told you?" Steve asked, sounding peeved.

"He said that you had told him that the only reason you were offering him the job on the team was because of me." Danni said, glancing towards him again in time to see him shrug.

"He's right, I did say that and it's the truth, I hired him because of your faith and trust in him Danni, I just hope that he doesn't let you down." He remarked, reaching up and running his hand through his short dark hair. "There's something else I should tell you, it's about O'Connor he's…"

"Joined the team as well" She finished for him. "He called me yesterday to let me know and to say that today would be his official day. Beside you've already gave it away earlier when you told me to hand the Zankovic files over to Jack so he could use his connections to deal with Interpol. Why would you say that if the had already gone back to Washington, it would make no sense." She grinned at him. "I'm a Detective Steve, I pick up on these things."

"O'Connor told you about it over the phone yesterday? When did he even get your cell phone number? Did you give it to him because I don't remember seeing you exchange phone numbers." Steve stated, ignoring the second part of her statement.

"He has all our cell phone numbers because he worked with us on our last case. He got them from the folder which Chin has set up which had them all in. He needed to be able to reach us in order to discuss what he was finding. Is any of this ringing a bell with you?" She asked, almost smiling when she saw the look which came to his face. If she didn't know better then she would say that he was pouting at her. "When his Director told him about the transfer and that he would be working in the taskforce he did the sensible thing of saving the numbers to his phone, figuring like any logical person would, that he would need them in the future."

"No offence to you Danni but why would O'Connor call you to tell you about his transfer. He mainly worked with Chin on the case and you were with me." Steve pointed out, the hand resting on his thigh curling into a fist.

"He called me because I'm the only other member of the team who is a parent." Danni replied simply, watching from the corner of her eyes, the startled look which came to Steve's face which told her that he had completely forgotten that Jack was a father. "He rang me because he was looking for some advice about what the schooling in the area is like and if I knew of a good school, preferably with a breakfast and after school club. To ask me that, he kind of had to explain why he was looking."

"I guess" Steve replied.

"He's moving his whole life from Washington DC to Hawaii and that includes his daughters. He has two of them you know; Poppy and Bella. It turns out from what he was saying that Poppy, who is the eldest of the two girls, is only a few months older than Grace is so I was able to give him the details about the school which Grace attends."

"You think he'll apply for the same one for Poppy?" Steve asked, his earlier annoyance gone, leaving him curious.

"I think so, it's a great school and they have extremely good programs there and security which was why Duncan and I chose it for Grace. I'm pretty sure they can find room for one more, especially giving the amount of money they charge for attendance." Danni said with a shake of her head.

"A lot?" Steve asked.

"Put it this way, I'm glad my ex husband is high up in banking and earns a lot of money. If we were relying on my salary…" She stopped, knowing that she wouldn't have to go into any further details and that Steve would understand. "Jack asked if Grace and Poppy could meet so we've arranged some playdates. I'm hoping that they hit it off with each other and become friends because it would help Jack's daughter to settle if she already had a friend, especially if they did end up going to the same school as one another."

"What about the other kid, what did you call her? Bella?" Steve pressed, sounding interested. She figured that he probably was since Jack was now a member of his team.

"That's right, she's younger than Poppy, I think he said that she was three years old so the move from the mainland to here shouldn't affect her too much. There are plenty of kindergartens which she could attend as well." Danny explained with a soft smile before turning her attention back to work. "To be honest with you Steve, I think that Jack being transferred over as the NSA Liaison to the team is a good thing. Not even you can deny that he really helped us out with the Lowry case and went above and beyond what he needed to do. Add to the fact that he fitted in well with the dynamics on the team and got on really well with Chin and we're in a good position."

"I can't deny that he was helpful." Steve admitted.

"With him as the liaison as well we should be able to have access to the NSA database, that added to your ability to use your connections to access the military database and Toast's ability to use both quickly means that there won't be much that we won't be able to find out about any victims or the suspects. If they have a record then we should know about it and be able to access it." She stated with a pleased smile before she became serious. "You haven't mentioned how you feel about the change to the team." She turned the car into the Ali'iolani Hale car park, pulling the car into the parking space which was now reserved for her use only. Something which she was extremely thankful for, especially as no one had stolen it from her like they tended to do back in HPD.

"I'm going to reserve judgement on the pair of them until I see how well they can work with us when they are officially part of the team and on the payroll." Steve answered her as he leaned down and unclipped his seatbelt. "Don't get me wrong though, I can see that O'Connor is a skilled and competent investigator and good on computers which is what we need but…" His voice trailed off causing her to smile at him, a look of understanding in her eyes.

"But Jack is the first member to this team who you didn't handpick yourself because it was a decision which the Governor and the NSA Director made between the two of them. You were simply informed of it and then told to deal with it right?" She said as she reached over and patted his arm gently, meeting his gaze when he looked over at her. "Just remember before you judge Jack that he didn't ask to be transferred over here, he was just informed like you were. Only difference is that the result of that decision for him is Jack having to pack up his whole life, move over here with his daughters and still run his old team in Washington DC but remotely. He's got a lot going on now so try not to give him too hard a time for a decision that wasn't his."

"I'll give him a chance." Steve repeated before he frowned. "What about Poppy's and Bella's mother? You haven't mentioned her, is she coming over as well?"

"I doubt it" Danni said with a shake of her head. "Jack never mentioned her when he was talking, all he spoke about was Poppy and Bella. Based off that and what he mentioned on Friday I would guess that she isn't in the picture and that he's raising Poppy and Bella on his own as a single father."

"Huh" Steve said, a thoughtful look in his eyes before he looked back up. "Are you happy with our newest members?" He came to her side and began walking with her towards the entrance, matching his stride to hers.

"Yeah I am, I think that both of them are going to make good additions to team as long as we all give them the chance to." She said, giving him a pointed look. "What did Chin and Kono say when you told them about it on Friday when you all went out for drinks together. I assume you mentioned it to them? Did you have fun with them?" She smiled at him as she slipped past into the cool reception area when he held the door open for her, using his hand to usher her in.

"It was fun but were missed." He told her with a shrug. "But to answer your question, neither of them know about the change to the team because I was waiting to speak to you about it first. You're my partner and my second in Command after all, of course I didn't expect that you would already know everything that's gone down in the team since leaving on Friday." He frowned as he followed her in and came to her side again.

Danni smiled at him, reaching out and catching his hand, squeezing down on it for a second as though she was comforting him before she let go of him.

"It's not always going to be that way. There are still going to be plenty of times where you tell me something which I'll have no idea about and which you can then tell me about. Me knowing all this information is probably an one off." She said soothingly to him, showing her security card to the guards, heading towards the elevators. "I see the security is continuing to be beefed up, something you're behind I'm guessing?" She sighed as she leaned forward and pressed the button to call the elevator.

"The security of this building and the people in here is my responsibility. A place like this would be a perfect target for the criminal elements on the island to target."

"Because of the DA moving in during November?" She queried.

"Yep, with them here and the taskforce here. I just don't want to be taken by surprise." He said as they stepped inside the elevator when the doors slid open, both turning to face the door while Steve hit the button for the third floor.

"I don't think we need to worry about that." Danni said, glancing down at her watch on her wrist before she changed the subject. "Are we still going to have a team briefing this morning?"

"Yeah, it's going to be something which we're going to do on a weekly basis. I need to tell Chin and Kono about the change to the team though there is a chance that they already know about, especially if O'Connor is already in the office." He commented.

"That would kind of give it away" She agreed with a nod. "There is a chance that they might know about Jack joining us if like you say he's in the office or Chin might have spoken to him over the weekend, he is an expert on the island after all so he probably would be able to guide Jack better than either of us could do." She pointed out, smiling at the brief look of pain which came over Steve's face, no doubt at the thought of someone being more of an expert on something which he knew about. She ducked her head, her smile growing when he changed the course of the conversation.

"On top of that I need to start looking at what everyone's roles on the team will be. I want to have it spread out so that everyone on the team has a speciality." Steve told her as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the back wall of the elevator.

"It has to be one that suits them though" She warned as she patted his arm and stepped out of the elevator heading down the corridor towards the entrance to their headquarters. "You can't just force any old job on people until they've learned the necessary skills to do them."

"That's why you're going to help me figure it all out." He responded, clapping his hand on her shoulder before opening the glass doors and gently pushing her into the room.

Danni glanced around her automatically, a smile coming to her face when she saw Jack standing alone at the computer table which had been set up, late last week, in the middle of the bullpen, a dark green mug held in his hand which he was absently sipping at. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt but she could see, from his body language alone, that he was comfortable.

Her attention flickered from him to focus on the computer table. She still had no clue how it worked and, since she had been banned by Steve on the phone the day before from attempting to use it until she had been given lessons on it, she would have to just rely on the others for information.

Another quick look towards the offices showed that Jack was the only one, other than herself and Steve, who was there meaning that both Chin and Kono must have been down in the interrogation room interviewing Zankovic.

"Good morning Jack" She said as she approached the tall blond, a smile on her face. She watched from the corner of her eyes as Steve walked past both of them, giving Jack a simple nod as a greeting before he entered his office and closed the door behind him.

"Morning Danni" Jack replied, attracting her attention from her partner and his lack of people skills.

"I just wanted to welcome you to the team, you've definitely joined it at the right time since we're still a new unit trying to get their bearing. You'll be a great edition." She said warmly, her smile widening when Jack grinned at her.

She had to admit, if only to herself, that the man in front of her was certainly good looking, especially when he smiled causing his pale blue eyes to twinkle with amusement.

"Thanks for the welcome Danni, I appreciate it, hopefully everything goes well for us and me coming here will be a smooth transition." He told her before he turned his head slightly so he could nod towards the door which led into the kitchen area. "Just so you know, there's fresh coffee made up in the kitchen if you want to grab yourself a mug. I only made it up about fifteen minutes ago. Truth be told, I've never quite learning how to get started in the mornings without at least two coffees." He admitted on a laugh.

"If it makes you feel better than neither have I, I'm blaming it on being a parent because before I had Grace, I rarely touched the stuff." She confided, grinning when he laughed again before she turned and headed towards her own office which was next to Steve's, anxious to get on with her day.

She stepped through the door, allowing it to close behind her before she headed towards the desk. She still had a few things which she needed to put away to make the office a place where she could feel comfortable working in but there was no denying that it was better than it had been when Steve had allocated her the space. At least now it felt as though it was her own.

She powered up the computer on the desk and typed her ID and password into the waiting screen before dropping her bag beneath the desk, pulling a face when she saw the amount of files already stacked in her in-tray which had been delivered probably late Friday or early that morning. She had no doubt in her mind that they were made up of a mixture of reports which were a part of the three cases which they had already closed, and brand new cases which would need her attention.

Her first job before she started looking into them in-depth was to separate them into piles to make it easier on herself. She needed some sort of routine in place or she would drown under it. It wasn't enough just to look at the case, decide it wasn't for them and throw it back. She needed to see whether they could offer any advice or provide backup which would mean, reading through them all and either responding to it herself or passing it over to a team member for them to add their own notes. Any that did require physically back up for them would have to be passed directly to Steve so he could set up the operation.

She reached up and rubbed at her eyes, already knowing that it would be a time consuming job but it was a job which Steve had already included in her official job description which was signed off by the Governor. Danni was the point of contact for the team who had to go through every initial case which came through to them, unless it was one which came straight to Steve from the Governor. She would just have to accept it and admit that Steve was probably right when he had told her with a smile that she was the best person on the team to do it. She just wished that she wasn't also the one responsible for what went on after the case as well.

She thought back to the Lowry case which they had closed on Friday and the amount of work which was still required on it from the rest of the team before it could be passed over Interpol. Reports still needed to be written, the interviews they had conducted needed to be transcribed and she needed to have a meeting with the CSU Agent who had been in charge of the case so she could give them a heads-up on what would be happening so they could have all the evidence ready to be picked up. On top of that they would need to arrange with Interpol for Zankovic to be collected from custody at some point that say or the day after, all based on how quickly they could get a team of agents over to Oahu.

Breathing out slowly, Danni picked up her coffee mug from her desk and headed back out of her office and towards the kitchen. She entered the large room and made a bee line over to the waiting coffee pot which she picked up and poured into her mug with a thankful sigh of relief. She pulled her milk out of the fridge and smelt it before nodding to herself and adding it to her drink, making a mental note as she did to pick up some more to bring in the next day.

Danni left the kitchen and made her way back over to Jack, speaking as she came to a stop beside him.

"So, how was your first weekend here in Oahu? I'm going to guess that it was hectic." She commented, leaning against the computer table as she blew down on her coffee, waiting for an answer.

"Hectic is definitely one word for it. I spent the whole weekend looking into houses and cars." Jack replied on a sigh. "I found a place I liked but it will take time to buy it, especially as it's in a chain on their end so I'm staying at a friend's place. He's out of town for a couple of month in New York working on a big stock broker deal so the place is lying empty. He said that I'm doing a favour by moving in since it means he won't have to worry about the place being broken into. I'm using his car until I can buy one of my own so the weekend was spent getting the place ready for a family to move into."

"That's really good" Danni said, meaning it. She knew from first hand knowledge how difficult it could be to get into the housing market on an island like Oahu, it had taken her around four months to buy her own place.

"It's really handy, at least when the girls and my Nephews and my older sister fly over this afternoon I'll be able to bring them to a house rather then a hotel." He remarked, reaching up and running his hand through his thick blond hair.

"Is your sister coming over with them to bring them with you or is she planning on staying until you're all settled in and then flying back? I'm assuming the Nephews you mentioned are her sons?" Danni asked curiously.

"I think from what she was saying, she was planning on staying a while over here. Tasha has been wanting to have a change of scenery for a while and I guess my transfer over to Hawaii was just the reason she was looking for. She can come over with the boys, safe in the knowledge that there is someone she knows on the island. It works out well for me because she'll be staying with us which means that she can take care of the girls, while I'm here or dealing with the hundred of things which need to be dealt with when you're moving over here from the mainland."

"I remember those things." Danni said ruefully with a shake of her head. "What does your sister do for a living? Tasha you called her? Short for Natasha I'm guessing?"

"You'd guess right. She owns a bunch of successful creches back in the DC and surrounding area. She's built up quite the little empire and she's often spoken about expanding into a different area. I guess Oahu would be as good a place as any to try and break into the market." He answered her, reaching up and rubbing tiredly at his eyes.

Danni watched him for a moment, wondering what the story behind what he was telling her was. She couldn't think of many sisters, especially a successful sister who would be willing to pack up their life, on extreme short notice, and move from the mainland to a small island in the middle of the Pacific where they knew no one other than the family members they were accompanying. On top of that, she had clearly pulled her sons out of school to bring them here again and she knew from personal experience that it was not something which you did lightly.

She was tempted to ask him some more questions about it but held back on the impulse, reminding herself that Jack was entitled to having a private life and could tell them about it if he wanted to.

"If it's any consolation then the whole moving to Hawaii from the mainland adjustment does get easier with time." Danni assured him, a sympathetic note to her voice which she knew he picked up on since he looked back towards her. "When I first arrived here back in February, I was kind of in the same boat as you. I knew no one other than my ex-husband Duncan and my daughter. For the first four months, Grace and I had to live with Duncan in his house while I looked for the perfect one for us. I'm lucky that Duncan and I are still close friends so it wasn't as awkward as it could have been but I still didn't like the message it was sending Grace or confusing her."

"I can imagine it would have been hard" Jack said.

"It was but thankfully I did find our dream home and managed to buy it, after that things changed. We both had made friends and had put down some roots. The thing I'm trying to say is that I understand how difficult it will be and if you want someone to talk to who isn't your older sister, then I'm happy to listen and to answer any questions you might have about the schools and where to go." She offered.

"Thanks Danni, I… I really appreciate that offer and I might take you up on it." Jack said after a brief pause. "I never asked but how was your weekend? Did you have a good time at your former partner's Barbeque?" He asked.

"The Barbeque was great as usual and much needed after last week and then yesterday was spent doing the usual set of chores and motherly stuff which always needs to be done so all in all it was a good weekend." She replied before she glanced towards her office. "I best crack on with my work, I've got a lot to do today so I guess that I'll see you at the team meeting at ten. Feel free to knock on my door if you need anything." She said, slipping back into work mode as she turned and headed towards her office before she stopped and turned back to face him. "While I remember, if you haven't already submitted you report for the Lowry case then could you email it over to me and also let me have a hard copy of it to place in the physical file. Steve needs to talk to you about the Lowry case later on."

"Sure" Jack said with a nod. "I'm nearly done with it so I'll make sure you have it by lunch time."

"That's good to hear" She said, flashing him a smile before she turned and made her way into her office and seated herself behind her desk with a sigh.

All she needed was a few hours of uninterrupted time to make a dent on her work.

The only issue was that she had a feeling that she wasn't going to get it.

Author Note

Thanks for taking the time to read this chapter. An especially big thank you if you decided to follow the story or favourite it or left me a review. It is much appreciated!