Burn Chapter 9: Secrets and talks, a hawaii five-0 fanfic

Burn

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

The characters of Lieutenant Commander Steven 'Steve' McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Adam 'Toast' Charles, Governor Patricia 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 to be mine by now. Although she was originally based on male Danny, she soon evolved becoming 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 Williams we all know and love is completely gone, he still emerges through her at times. I like to think of female Danni as what Danny could have been if everything in his life had gone his way. As in full custody of Grace and a decent relationship with his ex.

The character of Grace has also changed slightly due to the change in Danni. Her surname is Taylor as this is her father's surname and was Danni's married name (Danni reverted back to her maiden name when she was divorced). Her parents also are amicable which has also impacted Grace but never fear, she's still the sweetheart we know and love, if anything she's more a sweetheart now.

The character of Supervisory Special Agent Jack O'Connor, Detective Abraham Lee. Martin Chen. Rita Chen, Doctor Rosie Lange, Kent Deacon, Ross Hall, Sasha Hall, Nicole Hall, Brent Cox and Special Agent Walker Humphries however do belong to me as does any other character who you do not recognise from the show. Please do not use them, or my version of Danni and Grace without first asking for my permission to do so.

Author Note

Welcome to what is technically the Seventh chapter of 'Burn'

Please enjoy!

Overall Summary

Fire, fire burning bright, which member of Five-O will you try to claim tonight… When Five-O are tasked with hunting down an arsonist who has graduated to murder, they didn't expect themselves to become potential targets. Now it's a race against time to find the murdered before it's too late.

Chapter Summary

Chin looked around at the crowd in the bank, the majority of whom made up the workforce, all of them watching closely as Kono and a uniformed officer whose name escaped him for the time being, escorted a handcuffed Martin Chen out of the back rooms and towards the front entrance of the bank. The man in question looked slightly worse for wear; his dark hair stuck up on end while the skin around his right eye was already swelling and turning a distinct shade of red from where his face had made contact with Kono's fist during his failed escape attempt through the back entrance of the building.

Overall Romance

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Mentions of past Duncan Taylor / Danni Williams (Dunni)

Hints of Ryan Moore / Danni Williams (Rynni)

Meka Hanamoa / Amy Hanamoa (Mekmy)

Chapter Romance

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Warning

This story features a female Danni Williams in place of a male Danny Williams. Although in some stories I write, Danny does exist, he does not exist in this one.

If this is not your cup of tea then please hit the back button.

Another note

I do not have a Beta so please forgive any mistakes which may creep in, I always do my best to edit the story and check it but sometimes mistakes do creep in.

The places I've mentioned in Hawaii are ones which come from google, including the addresses. I've never been to Hawaii myself in person so I apologise for any mistakes which I may make, these are not intentional.

Chapter Seven

Secrets and talks

Monday 4th October 2010

First National bank

Addison Street

Hauula

Hawaii

Chin Ho Kelly's Point of view

"Excuse me, erm excuse me Sir. Do you have a moment?"

Chin turned at the unfamiliar female voice coming from behind him, raising an eyebrow as the woman approached him, her dark eyes flickered between his face and to the spot on his belt where his badge was attached. She looked as though she was a few years older than him with dark hair that was sprinkled liberally with grey which had been pulled back into a tight bum at the nape of her neck. He noted absently that she was wearing the same navy-blue skirt and blazer which the rest of the female employees were wearing indicating that she worked there as well. A quick look at the badge on the lapel of the blazer confirmed she was the assistant manager.

"Yes Ma'am" He asked, keeping his face impassive, her eyes moved past where he was standing for a moment as though she was regretting speaking to him before they focused back on him, her expression becoming a mixture of curiosity and interest which he chose to ignore.

"I'm sorry to bother you but do you know if this will go on for much longer? We need to reopen the bank you see; the early afternoon period is one of our busiest times of the day and we can't afford to be out of action for long or we'll receive complaints." She informed him, rubbing her hands together as though she was washing them.

"I understand that Ma'am and we're doing everything we can to get this dealt with quickly. Once we've escorted Mr Chen from the premises, you'll be able to open the front of house again through the back area will still in lock down for the present time." He answered, his voice polite though there was an undercurrent to it which she clearly picked up on if the way she shifted awkwardly on the spot was any indication for him to go by.

"Right I see" She said, making no movement to return to the others. He ignored her for a moment glancing over his shoulder to look through the glass panes in time to see Kono pushing Chen into the back of the police car, slamming the door shut behind him before she turned her attention to the Officer who had accompanied her, obviously giving him instructions. Chin smiled at the display of confidence his cousin showed before he turned back around, focusing on the Assistant Manager again, realising with an inner sigh that he would have to say something to her, or put up with her hovering.

"It's Maryam, right?" He asked her, glancing back down at the badge before looking up and waiting until she nodded at him before she continued to speak. "Is it possible you could take me to Martin Chen's office please?" He flashed her a smile, noting the sudden pink flush which covered her cheeks followed by an obvious swallow before she nodded at him.

"Of course, Detective Kelly, if you'd like to follow me" She told him as she turned and headed back through the way they had taken during the initial raid of the bank. "Marty doesn't have an offer per say, only the managers and the assistant managers do but he does have his own personal work space area." She informed Chin as they moved past rows of small work spaces. Chin looked around him carefully, taking a mental note of everything when Maryam suddenly drew to a stop next to a booth. "This is where Marty sat when he wasn't out front serving behind one of the counters."

"Thank you for showing me, if you could head back out to the front and re-join the other employees then I would appreciate it. The sooner that we can get on with our search, the sooner you will all be free to carry on with your day." Chin instructed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of adhesive gloves which Danni had insisted, they carry with them at all time. He glanced up from his task when he realised that Maryam was still standing in front of him and had gone back to shifting her weight from one foot to the other as though she was nervous about something. "Is there something else you'd like to tell me" Chin prompted finally.

"It's just… I really can't see Marty doing anything which might justify him being taken away in handcuffs from here. He's a good man Detective, he's polite to everyone he meets and he might be a bit quiet but sometimes people just are that way inclined. He's dedicated to his wife as well. He doesn't even socialise with the other people who work here because he says that he has to get back home to her and he's never late, or at least hardly ever. I'm positive that you have the wrong man." She informed him.

"Martin Chen is a person of interest in an ongoing investigation, if he has nothing to do with it then he will be released and back at work with you all tomorrow, now Maryam, please re-join the others at the front of the bank." He stated, his voice making it clear that it was no longer a pleasant suggestion and was now an order he expected to be obeyed.

She nodded at him, shooting the surrounding area another quick glance before she moved past where he stood and headed back the way they had come. Chin waited until he could no longer hear the muffled sound of her heels against the carpet before he pulled the gloves on and turned his attention to Chen's desk.

It was surprisingly tidy with everything seemingly in its correct place. Chen's half full coffee mug was on a coaster and even the pens were lined up perfectly straight making him wonder whether Chen was suffering from some form of undiagnosed OCD. He pushed the thought back as he reached down and picked up the sheets of paper from the surface and flicked through them, frowning when he realised, they were merely details of various bank accounts for customers. He dropped them back down and searched through the various pots, taking the key he found in one of them and inserting it into the desk drawer lock, making a hum of satisfaction when it easily turned in his hand. He pulled open the drawer and rummaged through it, shaking his head when he realised that the only things in there were items you would expect to see. He closed it, locking it and placed the key back where he found it, his eyes focused on the frame picture of a young woman about the same age as Chen who was no doubt his wife.

"Did you find anything Cuz?"

Chin glanced around at the sound of Kono's voice and shook his head at her.

"Nothing of interest at first glance." He admitted on a sigh. "We'll have one of the uniforms call a member of CSU to come down here and have a proper look at it. There's always a chance that he has a secret compartment somewhere that I'm not seeing though giving where we are it's unlikely."

"A team of CSU Agents are already on their way down here from what I've overheard." Kono replied, crossing her arms over her chest as she shot him a questioning look. "Why do you think it's unlikely that we'll find anything here? It's not as though he doesn't spend a lot of his time here." She pointed out.

"He does but take a look at this place Kono." He stated as he waved an arm around him. "There is no privacy available here at all, all someone has to do is stand up and they'll be able to see everything that everyone here is doing. If Chen has been doing something illegal than its unlikely it would have been done here. From what the Assistant Manager was saying the people who work with him think a great deal of him."

"That doesn't mean that he's not hiding anything Chin, it just means that he is a good actor who can fool those around him." Kono countered before she sighed. "I can see where you're coming from though, it does look like it can get pretty crowded in here." Her eyes turned to look at him as she continued to speak. "The uniforms are on their way with Chen back to our headquarters as we speak. I told them to be careful and to keep their eyes out for any tails or vehicles acting strangely. The last thing we want is for another Roland Lowry hit and run situation occurring." She commented, her mouth curling up into a half smile.

"Good thinking, I've already contacted Steve as well to let him know that Chen is in our custody." He told her as they head out of the back rooms and into the main area of the bank. Chin stopped by one of the Uniformed officers ignoring the way the man's lips thinned as though being in Chin's presence personally offended him. "Officer Watson, we need you and some Uniforms to stay at the scene for the time being. A small team of CSU Agents will be arriving soon, I would like a member of the team to head into the back and process Chen's space. I'd like one of the men to be stationed at his desk until then. We don't want anyone to be able to tamper with the evidence or remove something before CSU arrive." He said, waiting for the Officer to say something but all he did was give a single nod to show that he had understood Chin's instructions, he remained silent, his eyes focused ahead.

Chin shook his head slightly as he moved away from the Officer and headed out into the warm sunshine, aware of Kono at his side.

"I think I might have just got a chill from Officer Watson." She remarked as they moved down the pavement towards the kerb where Kono's red car was parked. "Wasn't he the one who used to date Nyla in High School?" She asked him curiously.

Chin glanced over the roof of the car at her, watching his cousin as she moved around the back of the car towards the driver's seat, taking in her concerned look. He waited until they were both in the car with the doors closed before he spoke.

"Don't stress about what just happened in there." He told her simply. "That reaction is one that we're both going to have to get used to on the job. As long as they follow my orders when I give them and provide us with backup when it's required then I don't care what they say about me when I'm not around to hear it."

Kono shot him a frustrated look as she turned the key in the ignition and moved the car away from the kerb, performing a perfect U-turn before heading down the road which would lead them eventually back to their headquarters.

"It's still not good enough though Chin however you try to paint it." She burst out after a few minutes of silence, attracting his gaze to her. "You're a member of the Governor's taskforce now and what more is that you were handpicked for it. People, especially Officers, should show you some respect and not treat you like you've caught to plague or something. It's not fair and what's more is it's not right and you know it."

Chin remained quiet for a moment, watching as Kono's hands tightened on the steering wheel before he spoke, his voice coming out as calm and even.

"There is very little about this job which is fair Kono and it's a fact you're going to have to adapt to if you want to survive being a cop." He told her softly, aware of her listening to every word he spoke. "That cop back there." He stated, jabbing his thumb back over his shoulder in the direction they had come from. "Thinks that I am a dirty cop who doesn't deserve to wear the badge which he is so proud of. They think in their heads that because I used to be John McGarrett's partner that I have something over Steve, some secret knowledge which I'm using as leverage to be on the taskforce. They can't bring themselves to believe that Steve chose me simply because he believes that I am best suited for the job. If they realised that then they will have to accept that everything which was believed about me was a lie and they forced an innocent cop from his job based on nothing more than hearsay and gossip." He told her, feeling his face fall into an expressionless mask which he knew from experience she couldn't read.

"Chin, it can't be that way. I-" She began to say, stopping when he cut across her.

"It is Kono, do you think it's fair that a Detective of Danni's calibre will probably never get any further than she is now while she's on the island simply because she is female and was born on the mainland? She had to work twice as hard as everyone else on a daily basis because some cops look at her and all they see is a pretty face instead of seeing what's beneath it and actually listening to what she has to say to them. I told you to learn from her because you can learn a lot from her, more than you can from me or the others because she is the only one who has been exactly where you are now, a female in a predominately male workforce, and survived it because make no mistake that is what you'll be doing this year as well Cuz. You'll be surviving, taking each day as it comes. You might have escaped the crap assignments that HPD would have sent you on due to your connection to me but you're going to be under extreme pressure in the team. You deal with elite cases which means making no mistakes. You'll be under intense scrutiny at all times and like you mentioned earlier every cop you come across will want your job and wonder how you got it over them. It's a fact of life within this job and the way it works here on the force. You just need to build yourself up a thick skin and brush the looks and comments off like the rest of us have learned to do."

"I understand what you're telling me Chin, I do but that doesn't mean that I have to like it or accept it, if someone comes after me, you better believe that I'm fighting back." Kono warned him after a moment's silence.

"I would expect nothing less from you Kono and beside no one every said that you were going to like every aspect of the job." He responded mildly as he reached up and ran his hand through his hair.

They drove in silence for five minutes when Kono suddenly spoke, a thoughtful note to her voice which had been lacking from it before.

"Can I ask you a question?" She said. Chin glanced away from staring out of the passenger window to focus on her, eyes searching her face for a moment before he shrugged and nodded at her.

"You can ask though I can't promise that I'll answer you." He said, the response causing her to smirk at him before she carried on.

"Do you think it's possible that Steve and Danni knew each other before the day the taskforce was created? Like maybe the two of them had met somewhere in their past or something?" She asked, the random question causing Chin to blink at her in surprise, his mouth falling partially open.

Out of all the questions he had expected her to ask him, that one hadn't even been a contender.

"No" He finally answered her. "Danni's only been out here in Hawaii since the end of February she said and before that she was living in New Jersey. Steve's been all around the world for the Navy but he's never been to New Jersey before, I overheard him telling Danni that two days ago. There wouldn't have been a chance for them to meet before now, the first time they set eyes on each other was that Thursday in his Dad's garage. What made you ask anyway?" He asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

"It's probably stupid, it's just…" She hesitated for a moment before she shrugged and continued speaking, her words rushing together in her haste to get them out. "Don't you think that the two of them just act as though they know each other? You know as in they know each other as more than just colleagues or two people slowly becoming friends? I mean they act as if they have known each other for years and I've noticed they do that thing where they share a look and have a silent conversation with each other and you can't tell me that you haven't noticed that Danni seems to always know what is going on in the boss man's mind which for the record I don't envy her at all about. I mean take today for example, they've known each other for ten days right but Steve just went and took Danni's car like it was his own and no big deal. There was zero hesitation in him mind about doing it and yeah Danni sounded like she was planning all the ways she could kill him when she got her hands on him but she still accepted it with nothing more than a mild scolding."

"I've got to ask what you expected her to do when she was stranding in Headquarters and he was miles away from her in a car heading to a crime scene?" Chin queried, rolling his eyes when Kono ignored what he said as though he had spoken and continued with the conversation.

"And then you have the Boss man solution which was to give Danni the spare key to his home, his actual alarm code and told her to take his brand-new truck and use it for the rest of the day. Who the hell does that unless they have known each other for a while? I don't even know where the man lives and Danni already has a key to the place?" She stated, sounding baffled as she hit the indicator and pulled into the Ali'iolani Hale car park, picking a spot and pulling in, her eyes on Chin as she killed the engine.

He raised his eyebrow at her and spoke, keeping his voice light.

"Have you got a crush on Steve, Kono?" He questioned, watching the way her nose crinkled up at the comment, the same way it had done since she was a young child and had found something which someone had said disturbing.

"Most definitely not." She said as she shot him an unimpressed look. "McGarrett is not my type at all, I mean don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the fact that he is a good looking man, the same way I can appreciate that Jack is a good looking man but that is as far as it goes for me, besides anyone with a set of functioning eyes can see exactly where the boss man's attention is focused and it's not on me thankfully. I would hate to have to kick my boss's ass this early on." She stated, the remark causing Chin to laugh.

He breathed out a silent sigh of relief at her reaction to his question. The last thing she would have needed at that moment in time was a crush on her boss especially as that crush would have been completed one sided.

Chin climbed out of the car with a glance around him as he stood out of the way of the door and shut it behind him, looking back towards Kono.

"It's the same with Jack I presume." He pressed, raising his eyebrow again when Kono merely gave him a bland smile over the roof of the car.

"Speaking of Jack, it looks like him and Steve aren't back yet since Danni's car is still missing. We should probably wait until they are back before we interview Chen, Steve might have a certain way which he wants to go about things and with Danni gone for the rest of the day, he's the one who is solely in charge." She remarked as she leaned down slightly, locking the car before turning and heading towards the building with a spring to her step.

Chin shook his head as he moved around the car and caught up with her just as she entered the foyer. They made their way through security and up the stairs moving through the various doors until they were at the headquarters, pulling the doors open and headed inside.

Chin glanced around, his eyes landing on Detective Lee, lingering on him for a moment. The other man was sitting at the table near the kitchen, a pile of files stacked in front of him which he looked to be going through, one hand was tangled up in his dark hair as he read from one of them while twirling a pen with the other hand, clearly ready to take notes if he needed to. Chin nodded at him when Lee, clearly sensing his gaze, looked up at him before turned his attention to Toast who was standing at the computer table in the exact same spot he had been when they had left to pick up Chen. He found himself wondering briefly whether the taller man had even moved since they had been gone but an open Lucozade bottle which hadn't been there before indicated that he had.

"Hey Toast." He said as he came to a stop on the other side of the computer table from him, waiting patiently until Toast's seemingly dark green eyes flickered up from the table surface to focus in on him.

"Hey, welcome back, Lee just made a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen if you want some, at least I think it's fresh, what's the time?" He commented with a slight frown even as he waved his hand in the direction of the kitchen.

"It's fresh" Lee shouted down to them, giving them the thumbs up when they looked over though Chin noticed that his eyes never moved from the files.

Chin looked back at Kono in time to see her face light up at the news before she turned from them without another word and headed over towards the kitchen, clearly needing a hit of caffeine in her system, something Chin couldn't blame her for.

"You got anything for us here?" Chin asked Toast, leaning his hip against the computer table.

"Well the Officers who you sent Martin Chen with have already arrived and put him in interview room one just like McGarrett wanted and they are currently guarding the door in case Chen decided he wants to be a complete idiot and try and escape the place, I mean he wouldn't get very far but stranger things have happened I guess. Speaking of the boss man, his and Jack's ETA is currently eight minutes and counting." Toast announced, his gaze going to one of the screens. Chin followed his look, focusing on the one which looked as though it was a map of an island with a little flashing purple dot on it. Above the purple dot was a small bubble with the words eight minutes written inside of it.

"Dare I ask what that is exactly?" He queried with a nod towards it.

"That Brah is NATS" Toast replied in a proud tone, his face breaking out into a grin. "It stands for Navigation Automatic Tracking system but that's a bit of a mouthful hence NATS." He explained. "Blondie asked me to establish it because it was something they did when she was back in New Jersey and she wanted it here and I mean she is the boss, or one of them, so what she says goes right?" He stated with a shrug, glancing towards Kono as she came up to them, holding two mugs, one of which she held out to Chin who took it with a smile. "It's not perfect yet, there's still a few kinks in because it was a but of a rush job in between all the other jobs but I'll get Jack to help me out with it." He said thoughtfully as he looked back towards it, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"So, care to share what your baby actually does?" Kono asked as she blew on her drink and took a cautious sip.

"I'm glad you asked Kono." Toast stated gleefully. "NATS has the ability to track where each member of the team is at any given time, or rather it tracks their cars which is why Danni's car is the only one showing at the moment. It uses the GPS tracker which HPD installs into the car when they go in to be fitted for sirens and stuff to state where the vehicles are. I created a formula for it so it can use the information it gains from the car to indicate how long it will take whoever it is to reach the destination from the Homebase which is here indicated by the yellow diamond on the map." He explained. "The whole thing is password protected so that no one who isn't on the team can access it, eventually I'll add a thumbprint scan to it. I've put on every firewall and form of protection I know as well and I'll get Jack to do the same. Everyone will have their own set colour as well. Danni's car and house location are purple because that's her favourite colour, the home locations are hidden unless needed so people can't see them. Once the rest of your cars and trucks have been outfitted then I can add you on there and we'll be able to track people so have a think about what colours you want."

"Wait, and you're saying that you created all of this when we were out getting the Chens?" Chin asked in disbelief, lifting his mug and using it to indicate the screen.

"Like I said I've been doing it among other tasks." Toast replied with a shrug. "Once you know the best computer coding to use for it the rest is child's play."

"Why do you keep saying that you'll have Jack take a look at it for you, I mean you're the computer genius right?" Kono asked him suddenly, tilting her head to the side with a curious look on her face. Toast blinked at her in response, a confused look coming across his features as though her question baffled him.

"Why?" He repeated, waiting until she nodded before he continues. "I'm asking him to take a look because he's only Jack freaking O'Connor." He answered as though it was the obvious answer to an obvious question. Kono shot Chin a questioning look which Toast caught if the way his eyes suddenly widened was anything to go by, he sounded as though he had been winded. "Please tell me that you know who Jack is?" He demanded looking between them.

"Clearly not as well as you do if the way you're acting is anything to go by." Chin responded mildly. "Care you share with the two of us what you know about him."

Toast hesitated for a moment but before he could answer the main doors open and Steve and Jack entered. Chin raised an eyebrow glancing back to the screen housing NATS before he looked at Toast, spotting the frown on the other man's face as he pulled at his lower lip and made a sound of frustration at the back of his throat before looking over at Chin clearly noticing his look.

"I told you it had some kinks that I needed to get ironed out before it was properly good to go." He said, the comment causing Chin to smile as he turned to Steve as the younger man came to a stop beside them.

"Any problems with Chen?" Steve demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Nothing major other than the fact he tried to make a run for it when we breached the front. Kono made sure that he didn't get too far though." Chin told him. "What about you and the wife?"

"Nothing either, she hasn't spoken a word since she got in the car." Steve admitted. "Chin I want you with me when I interview Martin Chen. O'Connor, take Kono with you and have a shot at his wife and see whether you can get anything from her. I want to know which one of them is the one who is in contact with our Arsonist."

"You don't think either of them are the Arsonist then?" Kono queried as she took a sip of her drink, her dark eyes flickering between them all as she waited for an answer to her question.

"No" Steve answered with a shake of his head. "We can only place them at two or three of the crime scene and Lee think the Arsonist is responsible for at least six fires, probably more, whoever is doing this is extremely skilled at it. Danni and I think that he or she has honed their craft somewhere else first, maybe on the mainland and then came over here at a later date. If they had been here for a long time then we would have heard something long before now. Chen and his wife have lived on the island since they were born which means that they have cross paths with him or her here in Hawaii. If we can figure out where that is when we can use it to trace the one, we want. Kono speak to the duty judge and get a warrant for both Chens cell phone records and their house phone if they have one. From what Danni was saying earlier we should have enough evidence to at least get that. Toast, when they come in, I want you to go through them with a fine-tooth comb. I want to know everything about the people they are calling and receiving calls from and see whether any of them stand out. If you're unsure then get Lee to help you when it comes to narrowing them down. He knows the traits of an Arsonist better than any of us." He commanded with a nod.

"The calls or text between them probably started either before or around the time of the first murder since that is the first time, we have on record of Rita Chen being at the crime scene. We should focus on that time period first and then expand if need be." Chin added.

Toast nodded, grabbing a pen and scribbling it down on a pad of paper to the side of him which looked as though it was a to do list with several things already crossed out.

"Have you found anything else out?" Steve asked Toast, meeting his eyes when Toast looked up at him.

"I've been doing the background checks on the name that Lee has been supplying me from the files like you asked. I've emailed the documents and everything to Danni because she said that she would look into them once she's picked her kid up from school. I've also been looking into the employees who worked with Martin Chen at the bank like Danni asked to see if any of them pop out since it could be a way that their paths crossed." Toast reported.

"Good." Steve commented, sounding vaguely pleased as he looked past Toast, a frown coming to his face as he looked back at the other man. "Who are those for? They weren't here earlier" He asked, waving his hand towards a stack of files which had been left on the table behind Toast. He glanced towards them before focusing back on Steve.

"Oh them, someone from CSU brought them in about twenty minutes ago and said that they were all for Danni and that she would need to go through them or something. He didn't go into much detail and I was in the middle of a background check so…" His voice trailed off as he shrugged before he continued. "Her office is locked up for the night though because of the other files which are already in there which she hasn't gone through so I thought I would leave them there for a moment until I knew what to do with them." He explained.

Chin watched as Steve's frown became more pronounced, he was silence for a moment before he spoke.

"I'll take them and store them in my office until tomorrow." He remarked before looking at Chin. "Be ready to go when I get back." He warned him as he moved away from them and over to the table, picking up the files and heading into his office, closing the door behind him.

"Jack." Toast said, breaking the silence which had descending with Steve's exit. "I need you to take a look at NATS later on when you have a moment. It's still got a few bugs in it and Blondie wants it up and running as soon as possible and you know how much I hate letting Blondie down." The comment causing Jack to laugh.

"Everyone is aware of that fact." The blond replied back dryly with a smile. "I'll have a look at it later on or tomorrow for you." He promised before turning to Kono. "Shall we head downstairs then?" He asked.

Chin grinned when he saw the way Kono's eyes lit up at the suggestion as she nodded and placed her mug down on the nearest table.

"We shall indeed." She replied, following Jack from the room.

"What were you going to say about Jack earlier before we were interrupted?" Chin questioned once he was sure that Jack was out of hearing range. "Do you know him from somewhere?"

Toast glanced up with a shake of his head, looking awkward.

"It's not my story to tell Brah, I shouldn't have said anything. If and when he's ready then he'll tell you all about it, I'm sure. It's nothing serious though so you don't have to worry about that. Jackie boy is properly one of the good guys." Toast assured him, a tone to his voice which warned Chin that Toast wouldn't be swayed on the topic and had said all he was going to say on the matter.

"Fair enough then." Chin replied after a brief pause as he looked past Toast in time to see Steve's office door open and the man walk out from within, his eyes sweeping the room before they landed on Chin, a cold, almost deadly look in them as though Steve was preparing for battle.

"Let's go Chin" Steve said, moving past the computer table and towards the exit.

"Oh, Boss man before you go." Toast called after them. "I forgot to say that Blondie asked me to tell you to text her when you arrive at her house later with her car keys and for you to make sure it's after seven thirty because that's when Gracie goes to sleep and she doesn't want her nightly routine messed up."

"Did she say anything else?" Steve asked, his shoulders tensing up slightly.

"Nope, or rather she did but they were instructions for me, there was nothing more for you other than that." Toast responded before he turned back to his work, his fingers flying over the keyboard again.

Chin shook his head as he followed Steve out of the office and towards the elevators.

"So, I guess that Danni isn't happy with you about the whole care thing then." Chin commented lightly, watching the way Steve's jaw clenched at his words as though the other man was grinding his teeth together, telling Chin without words that the thought of Danni being upset with him was bothering Steve a lot more than he was letting on. For a moment Chin wondered whether Kono was right and Steve and Danni did have a past together but he pushed it away to be considered at another time. "Okay, let's go and make Martin Chen talk." He stated, watching some of the tension ease away from Steve as he looked towards Chin with a brief smile.

"Let's do that.

Author Note

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