Danny nervously scanned the corridor of the court house. He reached the conclusion that whoever designed them intentionally set out to make them look as imposing as possible a second before he caught sight of his partner strolling down the hall as if he owned the place. Danny couldn't help letting out a relieved breath. It was nice to have ohana. Steve kept a steadying hand on his shoulder until he was called into the courtroom.
A quick scan of the crowd revealed Linus and Molly on the far left about midway back in the audience section. Rusty lounged (yes, lounged) in a seat on the right, almost to the back. He was putting on the charm smile for the court officer who was glaring at the hoagie in the con man's hand. Virgil sat as close to the front as possible right behind where Danny would be, brushing down his mustache with his thumb and middle finger, looking like he was the one who was going to be run through the ringer. Steve took the first open chair he could find exuding military confidence. Danny took a calming breath; with this kind of support, there was no way he could lose this, though he could have done without having to try and talk them out of bribing the judge.
Feeling like the whole world was weighing down his shoulders, Danny walked into his office to grab a couple of things before heading out with Steve on the case. The large fruit basket was impossible to miss, the garishness close to overwhelming. It screamed Rueben. The card, meant to be reassuring, read, "On your side, kid. Remember to control your mouth." Shit, he didn't need a reminder. He hoped he hadn't made too big of an ass of himself before the judge. That speech really was meant to be directed to Rachel. Oh, God! He shoved his hands in his pocket to find three folded pieces of paper. Man, those guys were sneaky. He hadn't been able to talk directly with any of them, yet they'd managed to Morse Code him. Each note carried words of encouragement. Danny heaved a heavy sigh, put the notes under his blotter and headed out to join Steve so they could get on with this case.
Danny ended the phone call with his lawyer and looked back towards where his partner and Governor Denning sat. He could feel himself vibrating with glee and he needed grounding. Everything they'd done, all the scenarios (he'd come clean with Chin Ho and Kono as well) his friends had helped him run. It paid off; Grace was staying. He couldn't wait to share the good news.