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Danny hit the door to his apartment at a run already undoing his tie as he walked through his room and emptied his pockets out onto the little table.
Unbuttoning his shirt he headed quickly for the kitchen and flipped the switch on the coffee maker, that last thing he needed really after 48hours of nothing but coffee, but an evil necessity if he was going to continue at this pace.
Dropping clothes as he went he made his way to the bathroom for the quickest shower and shave in history, he just didn’t have the time, but needed at least five minutes of normality so he could at least try to forget the fuck-fest that had been the last two days.
It had started with the death of Kelly Hu and gone downhill fan-fucking-tastically from there. Steve was currently incommunicado and on the run from the PD for murder.
‘Clean house’ Steve had told them as he ran out the door, and they had; anything relating to Wo Fat and Steve’s parents murders had been gathered and handed over to Jenna Kaye for safe keeping, as she had raced from the Palace, the only one of them who couldn’t be touched by a PD/IA investigation. Leaving him, Kono and Chin to try and clear Steve’s name.
Letting the warm water sluice over his back and try and ease strained muscles Danny couldn’t keep a lid on his anger any more as he slapped the tiles repeatedly in frustration, better his hand that his fist he pondered abstractly as his palm smarted at the treatment. Switching off the shower he grabbed a towel and roughly dried himself off.
The three of them had thrown themselves into trying to clear Steve’s name until IA had contacted Chin and asked…. no ordered Chin to HPD for a meeting and that was the last he’d seen of Chin in an official 5-0 capacity.
Kono and he had exchanged glances as Chin had left and with a determined nod started working smarter and harder.
Less than an hour later IA along with two uniformed officers had come to collect Kono to take her for questioning.
Danny had a pretty good idea what it was about but he had still demanded to know what was going on but IA was tight-lipped about it all. So Kono had been escorted away, with a last stubborn look at Danny, but he could see the fear in her eyes. They’d played with fire and were now getting burnt.
Grabbing a clean pair of shorts and trousers Danny stepped quickly into them, he didn’t have much time, he couldn’t stay in one place for too long, especially his apartment it was the first place they’d look.
Fastening his flies he looked longingly at his crummy sofa bed wanting nothing more than to face-plant onto it and sleep, but that was not an option, sleep would come when all this shit was sorted and he had his team back together.
Knowing that he was the next one IA were coming for, Danny had grabbed what he could and high-tailed it out of the Palace, they were taking the team down one at a time and with them all in custody no one would be able to clear their names.
Danny had headed for Kaye; the only person in this who had a clue as to what was happening and who was working outside the box. The pair of them had spent the last 36 hours chasing round talking to informants, and didn’t it grind on him that he’d even resorted to Steve tactics to get what precious little information was available.
Kaye had tried repeatedly to contact Steve to no avail, and Danny was glad, he was fairly certain that Steve like him didn’t have a fucking clue who he could trust anymore, and it was shitty to think that that also included the team, they’d all been compromised.
With that thought in mind Danny closed his eyes and internally cursed as he decided on his next action, going to the closet he reached on the top shelf for a metal lock box. Scrambling in the dresser drawer for the key he opened it and merely regarded the contents for the moment before, grinding his teeth and grabbing the items that sat in there.
An ankle holster with a back up piece, he checked the magazine and secured it tightly to his right ankle before reaching back into the box.
Yes, ok being around super-SEAL had rubbed off on him, no one knew about these and he was sure he was going to get ribbed for it if.. when Steve returned but damn it he was by himself in this and ok he had Kaye at his back but she was an analyst not a field agent, and granted she could drive a car pretty well, but that was going to do shit to help if they went to guns on this, and fuck it all he really had been hanging around McGarrett too long.
Pulling the knife and sheath out of the box, he balanced it quickly in his hand, before strapping it to his left ankle and pulling his sock over it.
Throwing the lock box back in the closet, he swiftly poured coffee into a chipped mug and gratefully drank it down, Danny glanced at the clock, he’d been in his apartment 13 minutes he couldn’t afford to stay any longer, besides he had twenty minutes to make it to the second ‘safe point’ to check for messages from Steve before he had to meet back with Kaye.
The safe points had been Steve’s idea, as they’d gotten closer to Wo Fat and things had started to go downhill. Steve had suggested that should anything happen, to one of them, the team, in case they had to split up or whatever they had contact points where either he or Danny could leave messages for each other. They had five set up across the island with different times to check them out. Only Steve and Danny knew about them.
‘In case something goes wrong’ Steve had said, ‘Come on Danny it’s not like we’ll actually use them’. How fucking wrong could Steve have been?!
He’d checked the first one at some point in the middle of the night, using the excuse of a meet with a potential snitch to escape Kaye, but the drop point had been empty and Danny didn’t know whether to be relieved or not.
He’d got an idea or two as to where Steve might have gone; who he may have gone to for help and where he might be holed up, but there was no way that Danny was telling anyone. He just hoped, Danny sighed heavily and sent a glance upwards, he hoped that Steve was safe.
Placing the empty mug in the sink, he crossed to the chair to grab a shirt and tie, now he really had to go before…...
“Fucking shit!” Danny cursed, reaching for his gun from off the table and carefully peeking a look through the blinds covering the windows.
“Shit!” he cursed again but lowered his weapon as he went to open the door.
“Now is not a good time Rachel.”
“Hello to you too Daniel.” Rachel looked at him from the doorway taking in his state of partial undress with a slightly raised eyebrow.
“Rachel, this really isn’t the best time.” Danny tried again but stepped to one side to let her in the apartment with a quick glance outside before he closed the door.
“I’ve spent the two days trying to reach you.” Rachel began.
“Yeah I…look Rach can we do this another time.” Danny rubbed at the back of his neck as he crossed to place his gun back on the table.
“This is important Danny. We need to talk.”
“I know we do, but now really isn’t the best time.” Danny tried again.
“Funny, it never does seem to be the best time recently.”
“Rach...”
“Sit down Daniel, your pacing is most irritating.” Rachel complained
Danny gave a little bark of laughter, “Rachel I do not have time to sit down.”
“Sit down before you fall down,” Rachel reached for his arm and he let Rachel steer him towards the bed as his tiredness caught up with him and slowed him down “You look terrible.”
“Well it hasn’t exactly been the best of weeks so far.” Danny said reluctantly sitting on the bed, automatically moving over to lie on the bed as Rachel stood beside him and tapped his knees for him to move so she could sit.
Sitting down facing Danny on the bed Rachel began with no pre-amble, “I’m divorcing Stanley.”
“Jeez Rachel…” Danny wasn’t sure what she wanted from him.
“So we need to talk about what we’re going to do, about Grace and Hawaii.” Rachel continued as though he hadn’t interrupted.
“Rachel I agree but not now… and what do you mean about Hawaii?” Danny was suddenly more alert than he had been a few minutes ago.
“Well we moved here for Stan and his business, now I’m not with Stan, we have no reason to be here any more.”
“Rachel what are you saying?” Danny asked he really didn’t need this right now; he needed to be out of here working on finding Steve.
“I think when Grace finishes school; I’ll take her over to England to visit with my mother for the summer. After that I’m thinking New York, I know it’s not Jersey but it’s closer than here and I can get a good job there and we can have a nice apartment.” Rachel explained
“I do not believe this! You’re taking Grace away from me again?” Danny scrambled up to sit higher on the bed.
“I would have thought you of all people would have been happy with that. You’ve done nothing but complain about Hawaii since you came here.”
“Have you asked Grace if she’s happy to once again be pulled from a place where she’s just started to settle in and make friends and be happy? Have you asked Grace how she feels about being up-rooted again?” Danny’s voice rose with his anger.
“I’m Grace’s mother I think I know what’s best for my daughter.” Rachel defended starting to get angry herself.
“This isn’t about what’s best for Grace this is about what you want, your selfish needs and once again Grace is going to get dragged around with it.”
“We can have a better life in New York, and I would have thought you of all people would be happy, you’d be back in the city and near your family again.” Rachel couldn’t see Danny’s issue.
Danny pushed and rolled himself off the bed, this was too much at a really, really bad time and right now he couldn’t sit next to Rachel without wanting to grab her and shake her hard. He paced the floor running his hands through his hair repeatedly
“And you’re just assuming that I’ll move with you and follow you again.”
“What? Well of course you’ll move with us, you moved 5000 miles to here to be near Grace. We’ll find somewhere nice, an apartment in a good area, you can transfer to NYPD, I’m sure they’d be delighted to have someone who’s worked on the Governor’s Task Force.” Rachel started to babble.
“Woah! Oh.. Oh.. Oh!” Danny paused in his pacing and counted silently to 5 to try and reign in his anger, “It’s nice that you’ve obviously thought all this out and given me such a prominent part in this …fantasy of yours.” Danny said sarcastically
“Fantasy? Daniel…” Rachel took a deep breath “I’m trying to explain this to you as rationally as I know how. There is no reason for us to be in Hawaii any more, I thought New York was a good enough compromise instead of Jersey. Of course you’ll move with us, you moved here for Grace, so I know you’ll move to New York for Grace and me….”
“Ok lets stop right there.” Danny interrupted, “I moved to Hawaii because you moved Grace here, and now you’re talking about moving her to New York and we’ll live there, you seem to have plotted my life out pretty nicely Rachel considering you’re my ex-wife.”
“But I assumed, I mean with everything lately I assumed….”
“Exactly Rachel you assumed, you didn’t ask me what I wanted or what Grace wanted or even what was best for Grace, you just took control and assumed I would follow in your footsteps with my tail between my legs. We are not married Rachel, you do not get to call the shots in my life. I am Grace’s father I get a say in her life too.” Danny paced as he ranted, one eye constantly on the clock, he was going to have to wrap this argument up for another day.
“Look Rachel I really don’t have time for this.”
“So you keep saying, what on earth is more important than this discussion about our future about our daughter’s future.”
“Jeez, Rachel right now my life is going to hell in a fucking hand basket and you babe, are not helping.”
“The job?” Rachel spat, “nothing is more precious to you that your bloody job! That’s why you don’t want to move from here because of your precious job. Because you like the power and glamour that come with being part of the Governor’s Special Task Force.”
“Look I moved 5000 miles away from my family, my friends and my job because you moved Grace out here. So forgive me for making a life here for myself, I didn’t realise I was supposed to sit here and wait in abject misery for you to decide to give me the time of day again!” Danny roared, he glared at Rachel who had risen to her feet, hand on hips, her heels making her a couple of inches taller than Danny, but he wasn’t intimidated.
“Oh God! That’s it isn’t it? You’re jealous? You drag me kicking and screaming to this island and then get jealous when I find a job I like and that I’m good at and friends, people that I can call family, ‘Ohana’”
Danny did nothing to stop her as Rachel slapped him hard across the cheek,
“How dare you!”
Danny just looked at her before striding to the chair for the shirt and tie he’d been after when she’d first turned up.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me Daniel!”
“I do not have time for this.” Danny got out from between gritted teeth; right now all he wanted to do was punch the hell out of something.
“What is so bloody important that it can’t wait?” Rachel demanded
“What wait for us to finish screaming at each other? Gee let’s see. My partner… Steve is currently being accused of murder and is on the run from the police and those who framed him for said murder. I have no idea where he is, if he’s safe, or hell if he’s still alive for that matter. So I have to go find the evidence that will clear his name, and then find him, hopefully still in one piece and breathing.
Kono has been arrested for her part in Grand Theft, so I have to go either bail or possible break her out of jail.
Chin…. Chin I have to go knock his head up against a wall, since he seems to have turned his back on all of us and gone back to HPD and is currently heading up the manhunt to catch Steve.” Danny’s rant got quieter as he began to realise the enormity of the goal he’d set himself, how the hell was he going to do this he was just one man, and Kaye.
“So once again Grace and I aren’t a priority.” Rachel sat back down hands folded perfectly in her lap and gave Danny a harsh look.
“No Rachel, that’s where you’re wrong, Grace….. Grace has always been and will always be my number one priority. Which is why I gotta make a phone call first.” Danny finished fastening his shirt and left the tie loose around his neck as he snatched up his phone.
“I don’t think the Governor can you this time.” Rachel said snidely, before realising the error she had just made. “Oh Daniel I’m so sorry I didn’t mean…”
Danny just silenced her with a harsh glare, eyes ice cold and his voice matched, “I’m calling my attorney. You took Grace away from me one, and I’ll be damned if I’ve going to let you do it again. Grace is my daughter and you are not going to take her away from me. On that Rachel you have my word; you will not take her away again.”
Danny started to dial as he gathered his gun, wallet, badge off the table, he had to go now, get out of here before……..
“Fucking shit!” Danny cursed, he hung up the phone before it could connect and went to answer the door, knowing in his gut that his time had just run out.
“Detective Williams.”
“Sergeant Cage.” Danny acknowledged
“Danny what’s going on?” Rachel got to her feet glancing at the tableau in the doorway, Internal Affairs Sgt Cage stood with three uniformed officers, all looking more than a little uncomfortable.
“We need you to come with us to answer some questions, pertaining to Commander McGarrett’s potential whereabouts, and your knowledge and possible involvement in the theft of $10 million from the HPD forfeiture locker.”
“$10 million? Daniel what the hell is going on?” Rachel insisted, suddenly realising that perhaps Danny hadn’t been lying when he said now hadn’t been the best time.
Danny stood silent and still, weighing up his options, no way he could get past the four of them, he just hoped Kaye would realise he was now down for the count as well and that she’d be able to sort all this out.
“Ok.”
Before he could step forwards, Cage placed a hand on his chest, and Danny practically vibrated with the need to rip it off,
“I’m going to need your gun.”
Danny gritted his teeth and un-holstered his weapon and gave it to Cage, who passed it to a uniformed officer and placed a firm hand on Danny’s arm.
“You must be fucking loving this Cage.” Danny said not hiding the disgust he still felt for him after the whole thing with Meka.
Cage didn’t answer just pushed Danny towards the door,
“Hey I need to make a phone call.” Danny said as he was ushered out the door, he glanced backwards at Rachel, his eyes held his promise,
“You can let yourself out!”