A/N: Thank you to all for the fantastic reviews. I love hearing everyone's thoughts and am so relieved that everyone is enjoying this. Read on and see if you're correct on Danny's reaction to the news about Grace.

Danny shut the door behind Gladys Wentwood, restraining himself from slamming it in fury. Despite the warning phone call from Luka Hara at Grace's school about Ms. Wentwood's visit, he still felt dazed about the whole situation. Were it not for the phone call, he would not have handled the visit as calmly as he had. He had done his best to keep his tone even and temper in check as the Child Welfare Services woman had briefly outlined the allegations against him. Grinding his teeth all the while, he listened as she forbade him from seeing, or speaking, to Grace until the investigation was concluded. Her tone of voice suggested which way she thought the investigation would go, and he was sure it wouldn't be in his favor. He knew the allegations were untrue and a direct result of the media crusade against him over the shooting so he had not said a word and done nothing to jeopardize his custody of Grace. As hard as it was, it was infinitely easier to stay calm now than do, or say, anything he'd regret later or that could come back to haunt him if this abuse allegation actually resulted in a trial.

He owed Luka Hara a huge thank you for calling him and, most of all, for letting him talk to Grace. He had heard the tears in her voice but could tell she was being strong for him. He had smiled at their plan of having Grace stay with Kono and given Luka the okay to call Kono to make the official arrangement.

However, now that Ms. Wentwood was well on her way to ruin someone else's day, he was furious, and he could only think of one place, and one person, he wanted to vent to and get reassurance.

Danny didn't remember the drive to the Palace as his mind whirled with dark thoughts of losing custody of Grace. He knew that if Ms. Wentwood had her way, he would retain absolutely no parental rights. The thought of that possibility made his blood run cold, followed in short order by white hot fury. He slammed the Camaro's door shut and strode across the parking lot. As he reached the outer doors to Five-0 headquarters, he reined in his anger enough to avoid slamming open the glass doors. He made it just a few steps inside the office before he was intercepted.

"Danny," Chin burst out of his office and tried to steer Danny into his office. "You can't be here, brah."

Danny tried to shake him off, "I need to talk to Steve, Chin."

"You can't right now," Chin's voice was low but held a warning tone. He nodded towards Steve's office.

Danny glanced towards his best friend's office and could just make out Steve talking to someone in a suit. The visitor turned slightly and he could make out the profile of Sergeant Cage of Internal Affairs. Danny growled and turned back to Chin, body tense with repressed anger. "I really need to talk to him, Chin."

"I know," Chin grabbed his elbow and led him out of the offices and down the hall. "Kono clued me in on what's going on with Grace. I'm sorry, Danny, that's pretty low for someone to accuse you of that."

Danny sighed and deflated a little, "Thanks, buddy. I just really need to talk to Steve, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," they walked outside and headed to the parking lot. "Steve's been shut in his office with Cage for a couple hours now so he doesn't even know what's going on yet. I'll let him know as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Chin," Danny clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Just have him call me when he gets the chance."

Chin nodded, "We'll be in touch. I think it might be time to rethink our strategy; this is no longer a standard career witch hunt; it's gotten personal."

Danny snorted, "You can say that again." Danny climbed into the Camaro and sped away back home. To him it had gotten very personal.

H

5

0

Kono glanced surreptitiously at Grace in the rear view mirror as they drove to her place after dinner. She had picked Grace up shortly after school as Luka had suggested. He thought it would cause fewer questions with other students which, in turn, would lead to less stress for Grace if Kono met her in his office half an hour after school let out. Now they were headed to Kono's house with bags of takeout from Kamekona's shrimp truck. She frowned slightly as she took in Grace's sad expression as the girl gazed out the window at the passing scenery. Kono was pretty sure Grace couldn't tell her what was outside the car if asked.

Grace stared out the window as they left Kamekona's shrimp truck. She'd enjoyed picking up takeout with Kono and visiting with Kamekona and Flippa for a while, and had actually managed to forget the stressful meeting that morning at school and the fact that the nasty woman had decided she couldn't see her dad for a while. She sighed now as she replayed the conversation in her head and felt tears prick the back of her eyes at the nasty lies the woman had said about her Danno. She brushed back a tear at the thought of how sad he must be without her.

"Hey, kiddo," Kono interrupted her thoughts. "We're here."

Grace jumped slightly and then blinked rapidly as if coming out of a trance. She looked around to see that they were indeed at Kono's house. She grabbed her take out bag, handing it to Kono so she could grab her crutches and followed her into the house. She unslung her backpack, wobbling slightly, and looked around at the tidy, comfortable house, "Where should I put my school bag?"

"How about if we just put it right here for now?" Kono took it from her and set it by the end of the couch. "Do you have much homework tonight?"

Grace nodded and studied her feet as she responded, "Not much, but..."

"But what, Grace?"

Grace's eyes flitted up to meet Kono's briefly before returning to look down at her feet, "I just don't feel like doing it, but... but Danno won't be happy if I skip my homework."

Kono frowned slightly and then went to the girl's side for a quick hug, "It's okay, Grace. I have a feeling your dad will understand this one time. Why don't we eat, and then maybe you'll feel like doing a little."

"Okay," Grace readily agreed, fighting back tears for the umpteenth time that day.

Kono managed to get Grace to talk a little during supper. Grace told her about her cheerleading practice and the mishap that resulted in her needing the brace and crutches. Kono commiserated with her on the knee injury and, for the first time in a long time, shared her surfing story of how she blew out her knee and ended her professional career. Before they knew it, their supper was gone, leaving only the empty takeout bag and containers littering the table around their cups of water.

"Here, I'll get the dishes," Kono winked at Grace as she started to get up to throw away her stuff.

Grace giggled as Kono quickly cleared the table and disposed of their food containers. They were both startled when the doorbell rang. Grace wasn't sure why she was suddenly afraid of who it might be, though the fact that she had felt ambushed at school by the horrid Ms. Wentwood may have explained her uneasy feeling.

Kono noticed the slight look of panic on Grace's face and patted her shoulder as she walked by on her way to the front door, "Don't worry, it's probably just a friend."

Grace watched as Kono peeked through the peephole in the door and relaxed when she saw Kono's grin as she reached for the doorknob. She opened the door, "Hey, cuz."

"Hello, ladies," Chin grinned upon entering and seeing Grace.

"Uncle Chin!" Grace got up and limped over to him, leaving her crutches abandoned at the table.

"Hey, Grace," Chin leaned down to accept her hug and then held up the bag he was holding. "Your dad thought you'd need some clothes for tonight and tomorrow."

Grace smiled sadly at the mention of her dad, "He didn't want to bring it to me himself?"

Chin frowned and wagged a finger at her, "You know he wanted to, but he's trying really hard to follow the rules, even if none of us like it right now, so that he can get you back as quickly as possible."

"I know," Grace sighed as she took the bag from him.

"Here, Grace," Kono handed her the crutches. "You can put your bag in my room and sleep in there tonight."

"Hey, Grace," Chin stopped her before she could head back to the bedroom. "Don't worry, okay? Uncle Steve and I have a plan... and if your dad put a note, or something, in your bag, I'm sure I don't know about it and no one else knows either, okay?"

Grace's face lit up at the mention of a plan and got even brighter at the thought of a note. She hurriedly crutched back to the bedroom and shut the door to open her bag and find the message her beloved Danno had hastily scrawled and sent to her even though she knew he could get into trouble for doing so.

Kono and Chin smiled as Grace rushed back to find the note Chin had mentioned. As soon as the door shut, Kono rounded on Chin, "So how's Danny really doing?"

Chin shrugged and sighed as they moved over to the couch to talk, "How do you think? He's mad and frustrated and can't stop pacing, but the worrisome part is that he's quiet. Much too quiet, and it's eating him up. How's Grace?"

"She's sad, and I don't think she understands what's going on," Kono told him, folding a leg under her as she sank onto the couch. "I'm not sure I do either, actually."

Chin shook his head, "It feels very personal, but Steve and I checked out this Ms. Wentwood with Child Services, and we can't find any connection that would explain why she is going after Danny so hard other than that seems to be her normal mode of operation. Unlike other case workers, 90% of her cases results in the child being removed from the home even though 75% of those cases result in the child being returned to the parent with no further incidents being recorded. She especially targets single fathers, it seems. Every case she has ever had where the allegation is against a single father, she has vehemently opposed the child being returned to him even with overwhelming evidence to support his case."

Kono whistled, "Wow, sounds like she has an axe to grind."

"Yeah," Chin agreed. "I need to do a little more digging, but at the very least, we want another caseworker assigned to the case."

"So that's the plan?" Kono sounded a little disappointed.

Chin cocked his head at her and then smiled, "You really think we'd stop there? We're meeting with the governor tomorrow. Steve's convinced he can get Denning to step in on the custody problem even though Danny's opposed to having the governor throw his weight around on his behalf."

"Why is Danny upset," Kono shook her head, "if this helps him get Grace back sooner?"

"You know Danny. He really wants to do this by the book and make sure no one has cause to question anything. He's getting so much heat over this shooting that the media is watching his every move and questioning everything he does or says so he doesn't want more attention on him if the governor steps in on the custody issue."

"This is all such a mess," Kono huffed.

"We're working on that, too, cuz," Chin assured her. "Steve is going to encourage the governor to help expedite the internal investigation of the shooting as well. He's just as frustrated as we are about the senator's involvement and the media's witch hunt."

"I hope so," Kono slumped back on the couch. "This whole thing has been blown way out of proportion especially with Danny's custody of Grace. It all just feels so surreal; I can't imagine how Danny, or Grace, feels."

Chin put his arm around his cousin and pulled her close, "I know, cuz, but we'll all be okay if we stick together."

"Ohana all the way," Kono affirmed with a definite nod.

"Stay strong, Kono," Chin encouraged her as he stood. "Gracie needs you right now. And Danny is infinitely better knowing you have her and not some stranger so don't think that what you're doing isn't helping him because right now I think you are the most important part of this whole plan."

Kono took a deep breath. She hadn't realized how much she'd needed to hear that. On a subconscious level, she had felt out of the loop, but she knew Chin was right; she was right where she needed to be for Grace, and for Danny. Danny's stress levels would be so much higher if he was worried about Grace, and he may be tempted to say or do something stupid. But this way, he knew Grace was in good hands. Hands he trusted, and she was more than happy to provide that for him. She walked to the door with Chin, "Keep me posted on what's going on, okay?"

"Of course," Chin assured her. "Danny said to tell you that if Grace wants to go to school tomorrow, that's fine, but if it will be too stressful for her, he said he's okay with her just hanging out with you. So you let us know in the morning what's going on, okay?"

"Ohana, cuz," Kono reminded him. "We'll all take care of each other, and that includes letting each other know what's going on. Give Danny a hug for me, will you?"

Chin smiled, "Sure, and remind Grace that Danno loves her and so do we."

"Thanks, cuz. Night." Kono shared a brief look with Chin before quietly shutting the door and taking a deep breath to dispel the tension. She was okay. They would all be okay. The situation was bad, but they were going to change that. Nothing was going to break apart this team or anyone connected to one of them. She headed back to the bedroom and softly knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Grace answered in response to the knock.

"Gracie, can I come in?"

"Sure."

Kono slowly opened the door to her own bedroom and found Grace stretched out on the bed clutching a worn sock monkey. She didn't look up, but Kono could see tear stains on her cheeks. She sat down and rubbed Grace's back, "You okay?"

Grace shrugged and buried her face deeper into the pillow, sock monkey partially obscuring her features.

"It'll be okay, sweetie," Kono soothed, fighting back her own tears. "We're going to get this all figured out and get you and your dad back together again very soon."

Grace nodded and rolled over slightly to look at Kono, cuffing away tears with the back of her hand, "Do you really think so?"

"Of course I do!" Kono smiled, rubbing Grace's arm. "Uncle Chin, Uncle Steve and your dad are already fighting to do just that."

"And they can do anything when they do it together!" Grace sat up and smiled, sounding more confident. "My dad said so... he meant you, too, of course."

Kono laughed, "I know, but my part of the plan is to take care of you."

"Thank you, Auntie Kono, for letting me stay with you tonight," Grace hugged her. "When that nasty lady told me I couldn't stay with Uncle Steve because he was a man, it made me mad, but then I thought maybe you wouldn't mind. I really didn't want to go stay with some foster family... I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind," Kono assured her. She squeezed back and then released her and leaned back to look at her, "I'm glad you thought of it. Now you should get a shower and freshen up. I'll go grab you a towel."

Grace took one more look at the note from her dad as Kono retrieved a towel from the linen closet for her. The simple words of, "I love you, monkey!" scrawled in her dad's handwriting, along with the stuffed sock monkey he'd given her as a baby, made her feel a little closer to him and brave enough to go on.

"Here you go, Grace," Kono handed her the towel, "Come on out when you're done, and we'll see about some of that homework, and I'll pop some popcorn for a snack or something."

The rest of the evening was uneventful and free of tears as Grace showered and then finished her homework. She assured Kono she'd be ready for school in the morning. Kono agreed that the normal routine would probably be better than sitting around worrying, and she was sure the Grace could go to Luka if need be. Plus, Kono told her if she decided differently during the day, she would be sure to pick her up as soon as possible. Kono checked on her five minutes after she went to bed and smiled when she found her fast asleep, sock monkey tucked under her cheek as she slept.

Kono wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep on the couch before being awakened by yelling from her bedroom. She kicked off the light blanket covering her and raced to the bedroom to find Grace thrashing on the bed.

"No! No! No!" Grace yelled and sobbed in the midst of a nightmare. "Danno, save me!"

"Grace!" Kono sat next to her and shook her lightly as the girl began to cry in her sleep. "Gracie, wake up! It's just a nightmare, sweetie. Please, wake up. It's okay. You're safe."

Grace jolted awake, eyes wide as she frantically looked around at unfamiliar surroundings. She let out a shaky breath when she saw Kono and practically pounced on her for a hug.

Kono pulled Grace close and put both arms around her. It broke her heart to hear the quiet crying which, thankfully, faded away after a couple of minutes. She brushed her hand down Grace's hair, "Sssh, it's okay, Grace. You're safe. Everything's okay."

Grace nodded as she heard Kono's soothing words but continued to hold on tight as she fought to stop her tears.

"It's okay, Grace. Really," Kono continued to just hold her and allow her to decide when she was ready to pull away.

After another minute, Grace loosened her hold and sat back a little. She looked around and located her sock monkey, which she quickly grabbed and held close, shuddering at the remnants of her dream.

"You okay?" Kono asked, keeping a hand lightly on Grace's arm.

Grace nodded and looked up to make eye contact before quickly looking down again while mindlessly twirling the monkey's tail, "I'm okay... it was just... I was dreaming about... about Rick Peterson."

Kono nodded in understanding while mentally cursing the wretched Ms. Wentwood for bringing back bad memories. She remembered Danny telling them about Grace's nightmares after the kidnapping and the haunted look in his eyes knowing he could do little to ease his little girl's fears. "It's okay, Grace. It was just a nightmare. Everything will be okay."

"I know," Grace assured her, feeling better as the awful dream faded. She took another trembling breath, and this time when she met Kono's eyes, she didn't look away, but held them with a silent plea.

"Do you mind if I stay with you the rest of the night?" Kono asked, correctly reading the look in Grace's eyes. "That's the best way to end a girls' night, isn't it? With a sleepover?"

Grace nodded and crawled back under the covers as Kono eased under the covers on the other side of the queen sized bed. Kono smiled as Grace took her hand in the dark and fell back asleep. She waited half an hour before allowing herself to sleep, making sure Grace didn't slip right back into the dream. She continued to hold Grace's hand and closed her eyes, praying that Danny's waking nightmare of the shooting, and Grace being taken away, would be resolved in his favor soon. She hoped he was faring better at a restful night's sleep, but she doubted it. She would find out later how right she was.