CHAPTER 1

"The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he's in prison."

— Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Friday morning, temporary Five-0 offices:

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Steve physically flinched at the vehemence of Danny's words. He stopped short of the door to their temporary office space and turned to face the riled up Detective. Danny's face was red, which contrasted greatly with his sandy blond hair and pale complexion. Steve briefly wondered if he had spent too much time in the sun before he spotted the scowl on his partner's face. That look never meant anything good.

"I…um," Steve stumbled over the words as he tried to explain why he was there.

It had been barely a week since he had been released from the hospital following his latest misadventure (the one that involved someone from his past concocting a convoluted plan that had resulted in the destruction of the Iolani Palace and his truck) and he was bored out of his mind.

He followed Danny inside the room and looked around. Somehow, despite all the destruction they'd been faced with, life at Five-0 hadn't changed one bit.

Chin was sitting at his desk, working hard filling out reports. He looked right at home in front of his computer, his face as impassive as ever as his fingers flew over the keyboard. He was dressed, as usual, in his comfortable trademark Hawaiian shirt.

Kono was also sitting in front of another computer on a desk in the corner of the room. She differed from her cousin in that she was just staring at the screen and tapping her hand impatiently on the desk. She had a look of frustration on her face; her eyebrows furrowed deeply and her mouth a thin line.

Danny was standing in front of him, evidently having just returned from the break room to retrieve what had to be his third cup of coffee if his frazzled appearance was anything to go by. He was dressed in his customary slacks and a surprisingly nice button down shirt. Steve guessed the tie was missing because he had spilled coffee on it at some point that morning.

Danny moved and talked at the same time, almost spilling his coffee on the floor. "I know for a fact that the doc has not cleared you. He said at least three weeks before he would think about letting you come back to the office. It has been five days since you were released from the hospital. You should be at home, resting and watching TV, maybe drooling a bit, not here annoying me."

Steve's lips quirked upwards at Danny's rant. He knew it had only been five days since he last saw his team. He had especially missed Danny's oftentimes ridiculous rants. They were like a soothing balm to his busy mind.

But Danny was right. The doctor hadn't cleared him for work yet. He was slowly healing after being in a coma for nineteen days. As much as he hated to admit it, the journey from the road where the taxi had dropped him off to the provisional Five-0 headquarters had taken too much energy for his currently weak body to handle. He hated the fact that his body was betraying him. He knew he had a long recovery ahead of him, but he also knew he couldn't spend all of that time sitting at home doing nothing.

So, instead, he had opted to come to the temporary office to see if he could be helpful somehow.

Danny continued to rant at Steve. "And if you say you are here to help with the paperwork, that's a big fat lie. You can't even write!"

Steve looked down at his right wrist, which was still encased in a fibreglass cast. The bone had snapped when he had crashed his car whilst trying to escape capture. At the time it had seemed like a solid plan but, regretfully, it hadn't turned out as such. Steve tried not to dwell on that too much.

Danny walked over to his desk hurriedly and Steve followed him at a considerably slower pace. Steve stood in the doorway and watched with amusement as Danny searched through the drawers for some unknown item with something akin to desperation on his face.

"What are you looking for?" Steve asked.

"My tie. I spilled coffee on it this morning. I have a spare around here somewhere…"

"Why do you need a tie? You look fine without it," Steve said, trying to sound sincere.

Danny looked up at Steve with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression. "I need a tie Steven, because I have a meeting with the Governor of freaking Hawaii!"

Steve snorted. "Come on, Danny. Denning's not that bad."

"Says Captain Cargo Pants," Danny muttered to himself.

Steve shook his head ruefully and turned to greet the cousins, only to hear a familiar voice call his name.

"What on earth are you doing here, McGarrett?"

Steve aborted waving at the cousins and turned around at his boss' bellow. The Governor's loud, booming voice echoed off the walls, gaining the attention of his team mates and probably the HPD officers sitting at their desks in the bullpen. Steve sighed and took a few steps towards Governor Denning. The tall man stood before him, his face expressionless as he surveyed Steve.

"Good morning, Governor," Steve greeted the dark-skinned man.

"You didn't answer my question, Commander," the Governor replied sternly. "I know the doctor hasn't cleared you for duty. You have no business being in the office. So I ask again, why are you here?"

Steve looked down at his feet, feeling much like a chastised child caught doing something they shouldn't. "I thought I could make better use of my time here. Do something productive, Sir."

The Governor's eyes narrowed at Steve. "You mean you thought you could work without Doctor Palamo's explicit permission and push yourself over your limits?"

The guilty feeling in the pit of Steve's stomach reminded him of the first time his mother told him off for pulling his sister's hair. Now he really felt like a scolded child.

When he didn't answer, the Governor sighed. "Steve, if you push yourself too hard, you will put yourself back and your recovery will take longer than anticipated. Don't get me wrong, I want you back at work as soon as possible, but I want you back at one hundred percent. Do you understand me?"

Steve nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Good. Now, go home. You are not to come back here until Doctor Palamo clears you," Denning said in his most commanding voice.

"Sir, surely there is something I can do here? Paperwork, cleaning, reorganising the store cupboard, inventory," Steve suggested.

"Perhaps I have not made myself clear. You will go home and rest. Watch TV, read a book, whatever it is you do to relax. I don't care what it is, just go home. Your team can handle a few weeks without you."

"Sir, with all due respect, I can think of nothing worse than lounging around all day," Steve argued.

"Then go shopping," Denning said, his irritation at the stubborn man in front of him very clear.

"Shopping?" Steve asked in confusion.

"Yes, shopping. It's what people do when they need something. They go out, find the item they are looking for, purchase it and then take it home. Shopping," the Governor explained simply.

"What would I go shopping for?" Steve asked, perplexed. Had the Governor of Hawaii just explained shopping to him?

"I don't know. Surely there's something you need?"

Steve shook his head. "No, Sir. I have everything I need."

"Well, it doesn't have to be something you need. Maybe there's something you want? Something to fix your car? Or perhaps an ornament for the house," Denning paused, quickly realising his explanation was falling on deaf ears. "I don't really care what you do. Just do something other than hanging around the office. Consider this a vacation."

Steve looked at the Governor, gobsmacked. He had never heard the man speak so many words in one sitting.

"Okay," Steve said, dumbfounded.

He turned and walked out of the office and passed the many HPD officers moving about the busy precinct, feeling a little numb and unsure of himself. He had never been told to go shopping before. In fact, he had never been kicked out of his own office before. More like he had never let anyone kick him out of his office before. To be fair, it wasn't exactly his office anyway.

The Governor had negotiated with HPD to find them an office space that they could utilise until the Palace had been repaired. The old store room was the best they could do on short notice. Besides, it was only temporary.

Slowly, Steve made his way outside. As he crossed the front lawn, he hailed a cab and climbed inside, grateful to be off his feet for a while. He could only walk short distances before his legs would start to shake with effort. Another thing that frustrated him.

"Where to?" the cab driver asked.

Steve started when he realised he had no idea where to go. "Um, is there somewhere near here that sells gardening supplies?"

The driver frowned at Steve in the rearview mirror. "Sure. Are you looking for a nursery or more of a hardware store?"

"Either," Steve answered with a shrug. "Whichever is closer."

"Alright," the cab driver said as he pulled away from the curb.

Steve glanced out the window and watched the HPD precinct disappear into the distance as a familiar feeling swirled deep inside him.

Who knew vacations could be so stressful?

Governor Denning shook his head at the departing figure that was Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett.

"How long do you think it will be before he returns?" Denning asked the Detective standing next to him.

"If he forgot his wallet, maybe half an hour?" Danny suggested with a smile.

Danny had listened to the entire conversation between his boss and his boss' boss. It had been quite amusing to watch two otherwise intimidating men have a discussion about shopping of all things. If only Danny had recorded it for future blackmail material…

"Is he even supposed to be out of bed?" the Governor asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"If you asked him, he would say yes. The doctor didn't say he couldn't get up and go for a walk, but he knows his limitations, believe it or not."

"And what about his mental state?" Denning asked, pinning Danny with an intense stare.

Danny shifted uncomfortably. "He's…okay. He's not really good with sharing his feelings, but he confides in me sometimes. He's working through some pretty heavy stuff at the moment."

Denning nodded in understanding. "I meant what I said. I want him back to work, but only when he's truly ready. He can't push it."

"I know that and I think on some level, he knows it too. He's just impatient. He doesn't handle inactivity very well, as I'm sure you've noticed. That man is a like a damn energiser bunny. Even injured, he still has the energy to annoy me."

Denning smiled genuinely.

Danny clapped his hands together. "Now, I'm sure you didn't come all this way to ask about McGarrett. What can we do for you, Sir?"

"Yes, you're right Detective. I have a case for you," the Governor answered.

'Finally,' Danny thought as he tried to contain his eager anticipation.

Ever since Steve had been kidnapped by Qari Nazeef, the Governor had backed off considerably to allow them to investigate. They had barely heard from the man during Steve's entire ordeal. However, once Steve had been recovered and was, for all intents and purposes, on the mend, the Governor had resumed assigning them the most difficult cases.

However, when it became evident that Steve's absence was having a significant effect on their ability to solve those tougher, high-priority cases, the Governor had begun assigning them simple, open-and-shut cases. While their solve rate had increased, the team had grown increasingly frustrated at the lack of responsibility the Governor was giving the state taskforce.

They all knew it was because they were still reeling from what had transpired with Nazeef and his minion, Vice Admiral Walker. The whole team had been affected by the ordeal so Denning had backed off a bit.

They all knew Steve would be okay physically, but mentally? That was another question all together. In the week since Steve had been released from the hospital, the team had taken turns dropping by Steve's house, only to be told that he was 'fine' and didn't need to be babysat. Steve had withdrawn more than ever from his team, and the lack of interesting cases had everyone feeling antsy.

So, when Denning had come to the temporary Five-0 headquarters to give them a case personally, Danny was immediately intrigued and all thoughts of his partner fled from his mind as he focused the information Denning was feeding them.

"HPD received a call earlier this morning. One lucky man won a bag from the surplus auction at Honolulu International Airport. Only he didn't bet on winning a dead body," Denning handed Danny a file before continuing. "It was pretty ripe when the unfortunate man opened the bag."

Danny flicked through the pages in the file. He had to disagree with the Governor. Ripe didn't even begin to cover the state of the body. Just looking at the photos, Danny could tell the body was in the advanced stages of decomposition. He passed the file to Chin and Kono, not missing the barely masked grimace on their faces.

"How come no one reported the smell of decomposing flesh?" Danny wanted to know.

"It's common procedure for all unclaimed luggage to be kept for five days in the airport before it's sent to storage. Then, after sixty days, the still unclaimed luggage is then donated to charities or auctioneers," Denning explained. "No one moved the bag or went near it until the auction."

Danny's phone vibrated in his pocket, but he ignored it. "It seems unlikely that no one thought the smell coming from the bag was something to check out."

"That's what I thought. Anyway, the bag arrived on a flight from Los Angeles three months ago. Liaise with L.A.P.D. and find out who boarded the flight and who put a dead body in the cargo hold."

"It sounds like you think it's going to be that simple," Danny said.

Denning sighed. "I know the Commander didn't pick his team based on your looks. You have great investigative skills. Don't let them get rusty while he's on leave."

Danny's phone began vibrating again. "You just want us to stay busy."

"No. I want this team to stay a team. An effective one. I know it's different without McGarrett, but he will be back soon. He's not one for letting inconvenient things like injuries slow him down."

Danny grabbed his phone from his pocket just as it finished vibrating. He had two missed calls from Steve. Shaking his head, he shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"While that's very true, I don't think that's the only thing holding him back right now," Danny said.

Denning frowned in concern. "What do you mean?"

Danny sighed and shifted his weight from one leg to another. "He just found out that someone he thought he had killed during a classified operation was actually alive. That man then threatened our lives to get Steve to talk. People he worked with, people that he trusted, betrayed him and he's having a difficult time processing that. He thinks the best thing for him is to get back to normal and act like nothing happened. If he comes back too soon, he's going to have a relapse and then where would we be?"

"Detective—"

"I'm just saying that it will probably be a while before the taskforce returns to normal capacity, is all."

"I understand, Detective. What he went through…it's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies. No one deserves the hand that he was dealt. I was just trying to show my support, not just for Commander McGarrett, but for all of you." Denning looked around at the group and his expression softened. "You all went through the proverbial wringer in the last few months."

Danny shifted awkwardly. "Right. Thank you, Sir."

Denning smiled. "You're welcome."

Danny's phone vibrated again. "Excuse me. I should probably take this."

Denning nodded and Danny answered the phone without looking at the caller ID.

"Steve, this is not a good time," Danny said.

"Detective Williams, this is Doctor Palamo from Tripler," the person on the other end said.

Danny slapped a hand over his eyes. "Yes, Doctor Palamo. What can I do for you?"

"Perhaps you could tell me why my patient, the one that was released from the hospital barely a week ago, is currently standing in front of a gunman in a garden variety store? I thought I explicitly told him no working? That looks like work to me."

Danny frowned. "Uh…Doc, I have no idea what you are talking about."

Doctor Palamo sighed into the phone. "Turn on the news. Any channel will do."

Danny covered the receiver with his hand and yelled out to Kono. "Kono, turn on the news please?"

Kono gave Danny a confused frown but did what he asked. She quickly found the remote and turned on the small television near the door. The team and the Governor watched the scene playing out before them with a sense of amusement mixed with dread.

"Thanks doc," Danny said into the phone. "I'll, uh, deal with this."

"Just make sure he doesn't hurt himself," the doctor said with a hint of frustration before he hung up.

Danny turned to the television and sighed as he watched the aerial overview of the scene from one of the news helicopters continue to play out across the screen. He could just make out the form of his partner standing with his back to the window, his hands raised by his head. There was a masked man holding a gun, aimed at the head of a small child that was struggling in the hostage taker's grip.

Danny looked down at his phone and suddenly realised those two calls from Steve that he'd avoided had probably been him asking for help. Danny instantly felt overwhelmed with guilt. He had spent a lot of time telling Steve it was okay to ask for and accept help and yet he hadn't been there when his partner needed him.

What kind of partner did that make him?

'A pretty horrible one,' Danny thought miserably.