A Test of Faith

By as

 

 

 

Roused from sleep – that was nothing new.  However as he opened his door to several HPD uniformed officers, Dan Williams knew that this was definitely not the normal occurrence.  A few brushed past him, fanning off into his apartment.  He knew virtually all of the officers there but for some reason none would even look at him, much less speak to him.  He stared, flabbergasted, before finally finding his voice to ask the closest officer what exactly was going on.

 

Pained to have to be the one to actually carry out the orders that had come down from the detective division several hours ago, Nephi Hilton stuttered for several minutes.  Finally, knowing he could not put it off any longer, he drew his handcuffs from their spot on his belt clip and approached.

 

“Danny, I’m sorry. Go get dressed, man OK?”

 

“Nephi, why?  What’s going on?”

 

“Come on, Dan, hurry up OK?  Get dressed.  I don’t wanna have to take you down with you like that.”

 

“Take me down, Nephi?

 

“Go on.  Hurry up.”

 

Dan reluctantly decided to do as the officer suggested. He wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but knew it looked very much like an arrest would go down. His movements were jumpy as he found clothes. A sudden thought hit him.  He needed to call Steve and quickly.  He picked up the phone to dial the long memorized number.  Before he could finish, he heard Nephi at the door calling to him to hurry.

 

“Danny, come on - before they want me to come in there after you.”

 

Dan faced a moment of indecision.  His gut told him he absolutely needed to call Steve, that what was happening was something that was quickly spinning out of his control.  Yet he had too much respect for Nephi Hilton to put the young officer in a position that he obviously did not want to be in.  Hedging his bets on a future ability to call McGarrett, Dan reluctantly hung up the phone and moved towards the door.

 Emerging from his room in jeans and a shirt, he found Nephi waiting for him by the door.  Dan noticed the handcuffs in the officer’s hand.

 

“Nephi, what is going on?”

 

“Turn around and put your hands behind your head.”

 

Confusion filled Dan’s blue eyes as he did what the officer demanded, following orders more out of habit than anything else.  He had no clue what the officers looking through his apartment were looking for or what Nephi thought he was doing.  He wondered if he was dreaming but as he felt his arm being twisted from behind his head to behind his back he knew this was definitely not a dream.  Fear began to fill him as he felt first one cuff and then the other snap into place on his wrists. Danny instantly knew that he should have taken the time to call Steve.  He heard Nephi recite his rights but the words did not sink in until the officer turned him around.

 

“Nephi…”

 

“God, Dan, I’m sorry!  I did not want to be the one to do this but I had to follow orders, you know?  You’re under arrest, Dan…for attempted murder.”

 

Dan’s senses spun, his world reeled as he heard the words but almost failed to comprehend what he was being told.  He watched the officers gather his badge and police gun, saw another officer go into his room and come out with his off-duty piece and place it in an evidence bag, saw other officers with other items in bags, felt Nephi take his arm and lead him out the door.  Nothing sunk in until he had arrived at the police station and was processed the same way he had processed hundreds of criminals.  As the door click clacked closed on the holding cell, he knew that he was in a heap of pilikia.  Yet he still knew that everything would be resolved once McGarrett got involved.

 

               ****************************************

 

McGarrett sat in his office enjoying another cup of coffee as he waited for the arrival of his second in command. They had planned to come in early to catch up on some of the mountains of paperwork.  He heard the door to the outer office open and slam shut and grinned to himself as he prepared to look as if he had been busy at work for hours just to irritate his friend.  He was surprised by a knock on his partially open office door.  Looking up, he wondered at the arrival of John Manicote and could not figure out what had brought the state’s attorney general to Five-O offices, much less what had him awake and working at such an early hour.  As he beckoned the man in, McGarrett asked if he could get him some coffee, noting that it appeared he had already been up for several hours. 

 

The attorney general refused and placed a file on Steve’s desk just out of his reach.  He looked at the head of Five-O and again thought about how much he did not want to be the one doing this. 

 

“Steve, I’ve just come from a meeting with the DA.  They made an arrest last night in the Chokua shooting.  The DA says the case is rock solid and, in looking at it, I agree.”

 

Steve shook his head.  “That’s great – but that’s not a Five-O case.  Why are you bringing it to me?  It’s been an HPD case from the start.”

 

“I need you to promise that you won’t get involved in this, Steve.”

 

“John, you are really making no sense this morning.  I believe you have seriously been up too long.  If the case is as tight as you say, then there is no need for Five-O to get involved.  It will just be good to have another scum bag off the streets.”

 

Manicote sighed, knowing how deeply McGarrett was going to come to regret those words in just a few minutes.  Then he continued to press.

 

“Steve, I need your personal promise that you will not get involved with this case.”

 

For some reason, the hair stood up on the back of Steve’s neck.  He didn’t like the way the attorney general was pressuring him this morning. He was getting the uneasy feeling that he was being boxed into a corner – something he abhorred.  He thought about calling his bluff just to irritate the politician.  Then he looked at the piles of paper on his desk.  He really had too much to do without this needless hassle.  He pointedly glanced at his watch, wanting to convey to John that he thought his time was being wasted.  Briefly, he wondered why Danno was running late and decided to call him as soon as he got rid of Manicote.  Steve looked up and made a hurried decision, deciding to play along with this strange game.

 

“Fine, John, you have my word – no Five-O interference on the Chokua case.  Is that the case file there?”

 

Steve noted the file that had been placed on his desk.  John nodded and sighed, unable to speak for the lump in his throat.  McGarrett reached for the file.  The attorney general struggled to come up with a warning, a way to soften the blow that was about to be delivered.  There was none.  He watched the file folder open and tried to prepare for the eruption that was soon to come.

 

Steve’s eyes narrowed as he began to read the first page.  “Is this some kind of joke?”  He tightly demanded.  Upon not receiving an immediate answer, he slammed the folder shut, shoving it away from him as he did so and nearly jumped from his seat.  His arms were tense and stiff, his hands had clenched in to fists as he tried to control raging emotion.  “This isn’t even amusing, John!!”

 

“Believe me, Steve; I know exactly how you feel!  I was just as shocked a few days ago when the DA first brought me all of the evidence.  But it’s all there and it is as solid as this rock we live on.”

 

“There’s no way Danno did that!  I know him!”  McGarrett’s angry statements were punctuated by the pounding of his fist on the desk.  He reached for his jacket.  “I’m going down to HPD to clear up this mess.”

 

Before Steve could move from behind his desk, Manicote was on his feet.  He was barely able to persuade the detective to read the evidence before he stormed off and did something he might end up regretting.  Reluctantly McGarrett agreed and sunk into his chair, reaching for the dreaded folder as if it was a bomb about ready to explode.  Some time passed as Manicote sat there while Steve read.  The room was deathly quiet except for the occasional sound that Steve made as he flipped back and forth through the pages in the folder, obviously looking for holes and inconsistencies in what he read.  John watched the emotions that played out on his face – disbelief, anger, fury, confusion, outrage and complete helplessness.  Midway through reading the file, McGarrett’s facial expressions closed off into a cold, hard mask.  Finally he closed the folder and stared at the man who sat in front of him.  He raged inside with both anger and confusion.  Why hadn’t Danno called him last night? Where was he now?  Why hadn’t he called yet?  Was he hiding something from Steve?  How could he get out of the promise he had already made?  He didn’t see a clear way out and it definitely appeared that Manicote was going to hold him to the promise.  How dare John trick him in that way?  Steve knew that if he made his displeasure known loud enough that Manicote would back down about Five-O interference simply to get Steve to be quiet. Doubt filtered into his brain.  Should he look for a way out?

 

“John, I gave you my word – no interference.  Now did you need anything else?”  McGarrett’s expression was cold and distant, his stare vacant as he stared through the attorney general not at him.  With nothing left to say between them, Manicote stood up and picked up the file, leaving the head of Five-O to deal with the morning’s events on his own.

 

McGarrett sat at his desk, frozen, barely breathing, for a long time after the attorney general left.  The internal argument raged in him.  There was no way Danno could have ever shot Chokua!  But the evidence was there.  So much circumstantial evidence, eyewitness accounts, people who had even been able to identify his friend as the shooter – that part was the most damning for Danno and the most disturbing to Steve. The large amount of evidence against his friend made McGarrett’s blood run cold.  

 

Steve thought back to a conversation with Dan the last time his officer had been accused of shooting someone.  ‘When he pointed that gun at me, Steve, I was glad.’  ‘NO!  Not you, Danno!  I know my man!’ **

 

 He remembered reading witness accounts in the file.  Every one had reported the shooter had been extremely aggravated, as if he was shooting in anger.  Dan’s temper, or rather the lack of being able to control it, was well known throughout the department.  Steve’s heart screamed that it wasn’t true, could never be true, and demanded that he act on these allegations.  He buried the demand with reason, with the promise he had made, with his belief in the judicial system.  Steve had always believed in the court system, no matter what its flaws.  Justice would prevail here, too, when innocence was proven.  He knew that Dan would never be convicted.  

 

                         *********************************

 

The outer door slammed shut with a force that nearly shook the whole office.  Then the inner door of McGarrett’s office was opened without even a knock of warning.  He looked up to find Sgt. Duke Lukela staring at him with tightly controlled rage.  He beckoned the uniformed officer to approach, noticing that the man held a thin folder in his hand. 

 

“Steve, have you seen this arrest that was made last night on that shooting…”

 

Steve’s nod of affirmation cut off the question before it was even finished.  Duke breathed a small sigh of relief.  He should have known that McGarrett would already know and would be on top of correcting the massive mistake that had been made last night.  Without answering the officer, Steve turned and pressed the intercom to the front office, asking his secretary to send in his detectives.  Within seconds, Chin Ho Kelly and Ben Kokua appeared at the door.  He motioned both men in.  As Ben moved, he informed the boss that Danny had yet to arrive.  McGarrett’s jaw clenched and briefly tightened.  He glared daggers at the men in front of him.

 

“Gentlemen, there was an arrest last night in the shooting that HPD has been working on.”

 

“The Chokua case,” Duke supplied.

 

McGarrett nodded briefly.  He glanced at the men in front of him: Chin and Ben, confusion on their faces, wondering why they were being updated on a case that had belonged exclusively to HPD and then Duke, the anger and upset still burned in his eyes but also there was the trust that McGarrett was going to take care of the situation.  Oh well, he bitterly thought.  I guess that all fairy tales will come to their inevitable end.

 

“I’ve already met with the attorney general this morning.” 

 

Again that little nod of Duke’s head.  He was glad Steve was already on top of this mess.  Suddenly the world crashed down around him.

 

“I’ve given John my word that there would be no Five-O interference with this case.”

 

Chin and Ben nodded their heads in acceptance, not understanding why the boss found it necessary to inform them of this.  Duke started in shock.  This was not the announcement he had been expecting!  What was Steve thinking!  Not get involved??

 

“But Steve, this is…”

 

McGarrett cut him off.  “I’m very well aware of the details, Duke.  I’ve seen the case the DA has.  It is solid – rock solid.  As long as the arrest followed the protocol, it appears HPD got their man last night.”

 

He paused for several minutes.  “That’s all gentlemen.  Get to work on the cases that we’ve been doing.”  Then almost as an afterthought.  “OH and Ben – follow up on whatever Danno was working on for now, too.”

 

He waved his hand in dismissal.  Chin and Ben eyed each other and then left the room.  Duke remained rooted in place.  He could not believe what Steve had just said.  Steve didn’t look up for several minutes.  When he did, he stared straight at the angry look in the Hawaiian officer’s face. 

 

“No interference?  You promised this before you knew who they arrested right?”

 

McGarrett didn’t answer at first.

 

Duke was aghast.  “Steve, there’s no way you could have promised not to interfere knowing who they arrested last night!”

 

The two engaged in a brief staring match.  Neither man willing to be the one to back down.  Finally Duke decided that he needed to try a different tactic.

 

“Steve…” he pleaded.

 

“No interference, Duke!  I gave my word,” he paused.  “It doesn’t matter when I gave it.”

 

Duke couldn’t believe what he had just heard.  He remained rooted in his spot, not willing to let this go. 

 

“Don’t you have work to do, Sgt. Lukela?”

 

Not understanding what was going on, why McGarrett was reacting the way he was, Duke turned and left the office without another word.  He stood in the outer area for several minutes.  The shock he felt too deep to move.  Ben approached him, wondering why the officer was so uptight about this particular case.  Duke stared at Ben and then eyed Chin.  He knew he was going to have to admit why this had bothered him so.  It was something he did not want to do.  Steve should have done that this morning.  He could not understand why Steve was acting the way he was.  Chin sensed that there was something going on with the Hawaiian and came to stand closer to Ben.  Feeling the heavy tension in the room, Jenny looked up from the mail she had been opening.

 

“The Chokua case…It’s the arrest they made last night.  It doesn’t make sense.  It can’t be true…I don’t get why Steve promised no interference…Especially knowing…There has to be something else going on…”

 

Not liking the distress he was hearing, Ben put a hand on Duke’s shoulder to try to get him to relax.  Jenny encouraged him to take a deep breath and then tell them what was bothering him.  She thought maybe that they could help. 

 

Duke gave a short, nearly derisive laugh.  That was impossible after McGarrett’s little announcement.  Refusing to meet the eyes of the people he was speaking to, Duke looked off towards Dan’s empty office area. 

 

“The arrest last night in the Chokua case…the charge is attempted murder…” Duke took a breath, struggling to control his raging emotions.  “It was Danny…They arrested Danny last night!”

 

His listeners stared at him, not believing what he had said.  Finally Ben spoke, “Why did Steve promise…?”

 

“Who knows, Ben!  And somehow I doubt that we’ll be able to get an explanation out of him!” 

 

Thoroughly disgusted with what had happened in this office this morning and at HPD last night, Duke left the room.

 

From inside his private domain, Steve could hear the whispers of conversation in the outer office.  He heard the frustration and anger in Duke’s voice.  Then he heard the silence, which told him that the Sgt. had told the detectives the details that Steve had failed to provide a few minutes earlier.  Steve braced himself for the invasion of questions from Chin and Ben.  He was grateful when it didn’t come and he heard the outer office grow quieter and it appeared the people in it returned to work.  Conflicting emotions raged in him.  Anger at not having been involved in the investigation of the shooting, irritation at not being informed prior to the arrest, confusion over the file he had read earlier in the morning, depression over feeling forced to make a promise that he really didn’t want to keep.  All were overshadowed by an overwhelming need to go down to HPD’s lockup and visit his friend.  He tried to bury the urge.  He had promised not to get involved.  Steve knew if he went down there, if he saw Danno face to face he would not be able to keep his promise.  He reached for the phone then pulled his hand back.  No, Steve knew he couldn’t even call to make sure he was OK. 

 

Steve spent the rest of the morning blankly staring at the reports he was supposedly reading and writing.  In actuality, his brain was going over the case file he had read that morning – Danno’s case.  He thought about all of the evidence that had been gathered.  There was even a weapon at HPD with Dan’s fingerprints all over it.  Granted, it was not one that Dan owned – at least as far as Steve knew.  The doubt hit him with a thud.  Why did he doubt Dan’s innocence?  He had told his guys that he thought the HPD case was solid.  Did he really believe that in his heart?  Or was he just attempting to convince himself as validation for his inaction?  For his willingness to not break the promise he had made to John?

 

                               *******************************

 

As the arrest was made public, it became clear to all involved that this was going to be a very high profile trial.  Reporters crawled over the Palace in an attempt to get an interview with McGarrett.  Never one to enjoy the public eye from the start, he had become even less talkative at this point.  Steve had taken to getting to the Palace before sunrise and staying long past sunset in an effort to avoid the vultures.  Some nights, he chose to just sleep in his office and had finally taken to keeping a change of clothes there so that it was less noticeable when he did so. 

 

A few days after the arrest, a small package arrived at the office.  Not sure what it was, Jenny brought it immediately in to Steve.  He opened it and found inside a note and a leather case. The note said that the case was being returned because it was not necessary as evidence.  He opened the case and then immediately dropped it on his desk.  It was Dan’s Five-O shield.  He sat there in a stupor for several minutes.  He finally picked up the case, turning it over in his hand a few times.  He stared unseeingly at the gold shield and ID that represented way more than just the office, the position that Dan had held – still held.  Filled with an ache that had nearly reached the breaking point, Steve struggled to control the emotions that bubbled inside him.  His thumb lightly traced a pattern around the shield and ID.  He worried often about his friend, locked up with the common criminals he had helped to arrest down at the jail.  He knew that Dan had been moved out of the HPD lockup to a lesser security jail that was used for inmates that had cases about to go to trial.  Part of him wished that Dan was still at the lockup.  Steve felt that his friend would have been safer there.  He wondered how Dan was holding up through the mess.  He fervently hoped that Dan was coping better than he was.  With a start, McGarrett knew he could no longer avoid his arrested second in command, his friend. 

 

Later that day:

 

McGarrett walked next to a guard.  The assumption was that he was there to question the prisoner.  It was an assumption that he did not bother to correct.  Correcting it would have put them in the general visiting area.  This way he was able to have some time with his friend away from prying eyes, away from the scum they had worked together to lock up.  He walked towards the door the guard gestured to and nodded his understanding when told the guards would be right outside the door and that he should let them know when he was done.  Steve glanced through the small window and caught a glimpse of curly brown hair.  He was already there.  Steve wondered if he had been told who the visitor was.  The loud turning of the key in the lock startled him.  All of the emotions he had buried since that awful morning came to the surface.  For a minute, he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to get through this meeting.  Then the door started to open and he pushed the thought from his mind.  He knew, after all, that he simply needed to be with his friend again.

 

Inside the room, Dan had been staring at the table.  But when he heard the door open, he lifted his head towards it, wondering whom this visitor was – Chin, Ben or Duke.  He was shocked to see Steve McGarrett walk in.  He started to rise out of his chair, but stopped.  The guard was still behind McGarrett and he knew he would do nothing to give anyone suspicions about why Steve was here.  He was just so glad to see him.

 

He admitted to himself that he was also just a bit curious about the lack of contact. Chin, Duke and Ben had all been over to lockup the afternoon after his arrest.  They had all been worried and very upset.  He had asked about Steve and was surprised to watch the three simply go very quiet.  Then Duke had said that it was probably better for all of them if they didn’t discuss Steve.  Dan was confused but didn’t say anything. He had assumed that Steve wasn’t around because he had been working to get to the truth of what was going on.  Probably like a bull in a china shop.  Then as he was moved out of lockup and there was still no sign of McGarrett, he became angry and upset. Steve’s absence was just not like him.  Usually nothing would keep McGarrett from Dan’s side or from doing everything in, and at times beyond, his power to get to Dan’s side in a crisis.  That knowledge had given Dan strength and comfort many times. There had never been a doubt in his mind when it came to his faith in Steve; actually there was never a doubt in the minds of anyone who knew the two men.  Dan had always known that he would have Steve in his corner much in the same way that he would always be on Steve’s side, no matter what the problem.  Why did this time feel different?  He thought about bringing the question to Steve’s attention but knew that this was not the time to bring it up.  As the door closed behind him, Steve moved forward.  With the guards on the other side of the door, Dan rose.  Steve stood in front of Dan near the table and placed both hands on Dan’s shoulders, squeezing them. 

 

“Danno…” His voice failed.  All he could do was stare at his friend as a knot clogged his throat.  Steve’s inner resolve, his defenses, crumbled as he looked in his friend’s eyes.  For several minutes they stared at each other.  Steve asking questions with his eyes that fear would not let him voice, Dan answering them in kind.  Tangible evidence that their bond, despite being severely tested, was still intact.  Williams finally looked away and reminded that the guards could see into the room if they so wished.  Steve reluctantly dropped his hands from the shoulders but not before squeezing them one last time. 

 

Dan sat in one of the chairs.  Steve hesitated for a minute and then took up a spot that was familiar to them both as he sat/leaned on the corner of the table next to Dan.  Steve didn’t talk for a while.  He simply wanted to be in the same room as his friend.  He knew if he tried hard enough he could forget the room they were in, the building this room was housed in and why Dan was here.  If he concentrated hard enough, he could pretend that they were back in his office at the palace, Dan listening to Steve, offering suggestions, playing the devil’s advocate the way he always did.

 

He carefully looked Dan over, trying to ascertain if anything had happened to him.  A cop imprisoned with the ones he had helped to convict, especially a state cop with Dan’s reputation, would not be in a very safe position.  Although he had to admit that Danno was putting up a good front, Steve knew better.  He could see the weariness around his eyes, sense his anxious, restless spirit.  McGarrett’s eyes narrowed.  There were the makings of a bruise on Dan’s throat.  Steve longed to ask what had happened, to express his fear for his friend.  Yet for some reason he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the details. 

 

When Steve did start to speak, his words were as much of a surprise to him as they were to Dan.  Steve urged Dan to accept whatever deal the DA was currently offering him.  Dan stared, speechless and aghast.  If he had his trademark sense of humor, he might have asked who this guy was and what had he done with the real McGarrett.  But very little was actually amusing to him of late.  Finally finding his voice, he questioned why Steve would be suggesting he accept a deal for a crime that he hadn’t done.  Steve slid off the table, moving to lean against the wall.

 

“Danno, this is the only way…it’ll save everyone from so much.  It’s the only way”

 

Dan felt the anger rise in him.  “Only way for what?  For Five-O to come out of this clean, unscathed?  Or for Steve McGarrett’s ego to be unblemished, intact?” 

 

He didn’t even bother to acknowledge the hurt that crossed McGarrett’s face.  “I don’t get it, Steve. How many days has it been?  You know at first I kept expecting to see you down in lock up.  Then I thought you never came because you were busy trying to find out what was going on.  But when I got moved here, I started to wonder why you hadn’t been out here yet.  What’s going on, Steve?  You make it sound like you are certain I’m guilt…” Dan stopped and stared at his boss. 

 

A dawning realization struck him.  “You are convinced.  Aren’t you?”  It was more of a statement than a question.  Dan rose from the chair and moved to the door, keeping his back to Steve.  But Steve could see the stiffness in his shoulders and knew that he had hurt Dan immensely.   “I think I’d rather take my chances in here with the people I helped you put away than out there with you. It’s probably safer in here even with a lot of them looking to kill me.  But then maybe one of them will get lucky and succeed.  Then the vaunted Five-O won’t have to suffer through the trial of one of their own.”

 

He knocked a little on the door and asked the guard to take him back to his cell.  Then without even looking back, Dan left the room.  McGarrett stood frozen for a few seconds against the wall. He’d blown it.  He had only wanted to see Dan.  To see with his own eyes that he was dealing with the mess that Steve was unable to do anything about.  Then when he had seen him, all he could think of was the need to get this mess over with as quickly as possible – which had been why he had suggested accepting the deal.  Five-O, be damned! He wanted his friend back – out of this place.  If accepting a deal was the fastest way to get that result, then why not?  But Dan had not seen the thought pattern that Steve had been on – one of the few times he hadn’t.  Now the distance between them was even greater.  The tested bond was nearly broken.  The worse part was that Steve was still unable to do anything to help his friend.

 

Damn his morals and principals! Damn the promise he had made to John! Damn the evidence he had read in that file!  Steve knew there was no way that Danno would have reacted the way he had if he had shot Chokua not even with his habit of self doubt.  Whatever doubt Steve had felt over his friend’s innocence was virtually erased by having seen Dan. Yet now Steve knew that Dan’s faith in him, faith in the knowledge that Steve would be there to help him, stand by him, was shattered. That thought hurt more than he was willing to admit.  And now there was a new fear, a horrifyingly deadly fear.  Steve had known from the start that prison would not be a safe place for Dan. However seeing the bruise on Dan’s throat and hearing him admit that there were people looking to kill him sent piercing tendrils of fear into Steve’s soul.  If he hadn’t already lost his friend to his own pigheadedness, there was now another way, besides having him locked in prison, that he could lose Dan.  He turned around and slammed his palm into the wall in utter frustration and helplessness. Then he too turned and left the room and the prison.

 

As the date for the trial grew closer, the Five-O offices became filled with tension.  The office had been kept up to date on the pre-trial hearings, which were moving abnormally quickly, but Steve had not attempted to visit Dan again after that one horrible confrontation.  Chin, Ben and Duke were all immersed in attempting to keep up with an unusually heavy caseload.  With Dan gone, Duke was temporarily reporting directly to Five-O – a fact that he appeared to be none too happy with.  He had attempted several times to again talk to McGarrett about the Chokua case, but Steve had indicated that the subject was kapu.  Stories of what happened when McGarrett had finally gone to visit Williams were running rampant around HPD. It seemed everyone was talking about how McGarrett had tried to pursuade Williams to make a deal with the prosecution. Many considered that event to be extremely telling as to what the trial outcome would be.  Duke tried to ignore the gossip as best he could and he, along with Chin and Ben, continued to make a habit of visiting Dan at least once a week.  By unspoken agreement, the subject of Steve McGarrett was kapu whenever the detectives were with Dan.

 

                               ******************************

 

The trial was scheduled to start that morning and the three detectives stood together in the outer office.  They had all intended on going over together – a show of solidarity for Dan.  They weren’t quite sure what excuse to give McGarrett though.  None of them were willing to go into the office to talk to him so they did not know whether or not he was planning to attend but they knew that they wouldn’t miss it for anything.  Finally Jenny shooed them off, saying she would simply tell the boss that they were out and asking them to somehow convey her support to Danny.

 

Shortly before the trial was set to begin, Jenny gathered her courage and walked into the inner office.  Hands on hips, she inquired as to when Steve planned to leave for the courthouse.  When he asked why he would go there, she clucked.

 

“Don’t bother with this game you play for everyone else.  It won’t work with me.  I know you’re as torn up about this as those guys out there.  The two of you, you and Dan, are as close as or closer than ohana.  Now you get off your butt and get over there.  Start acting like his friend, not his boss.”

 

Properly chastened and secretly relieved at having been nearly ordered to go, Steve left the Palace.  Deep inside, Steve had known all morning how badly he wanted, no needed, to be in that courtroom, but wasn’t quite sure what was stopping him since it could have been several things.  He knew he was grateful to Jenny for recognizing it and providing the final shove that had sent him out the door.  He hurried over, entering just as the trial was set to begin.  There were a large number of HPD uniforms in attendance but he had no trouble locating Ben, Chin and Duke.  They were sitting just two rows behind Dan.  He moved over to where they were.  Duke looked up and didn’t bother to hide the shock as he shifted over in the row to make room for him.   Steve listened to the opening argument of the DA and was not very impressed.  He instantly knew that the man was out to make a name for himself with this case.  He wished he could pass a note to Dan’s attorney with the observation.  But when it was the defense’s turn to speak, it was obvious that Dan’s attorney had come to the same conclusion on his own.  Steve was touched by the way the attorney spoke about his friend and what they were out to prove. 

 

                                   ******************************

 

Three days into the trial the prosecutor stood, prepared to call his next witness.  He glanced over at the other side of the courtroom.  This was a coup for him.  He wished he could see the man’s reaction face to face. 

 

“Your Honor, the people call Steve McGarrett to the stand!”

 

Dan’s head jerked up. His first thought was that he must have heard wrong. The people?  Steve was testifying against him?  He couldn’t believe that. Then he remembered that Steve was the one who had wanted him to cut a deal with the DA.  While he saw Chin, Ben and Duke nearly every week, Steve had stayed away.  Somehow, the one person he had known he could always depend on had lost faith in him.  He wished there was a way to avoid hearing what was about to be said.  A shadow walked by and then there was a rustle as the witness settled in the stand.  Mind abuzz, Dan didn’t hear the judge swear Steve in; make him promise to tell the truth and only the truth. 

 

Steve sat down and attempted to look anywhere in the room but the defendant’s area.  He hadn’t seen Dan since that one visit a few days after the arrest.  He shuddered as he recalled the tenseness of the visit.  The DA stepped in front of McGarrett, blocking the view he hadn’t been looking at.  Steve wasn’t sure how he felt about that. 

 

Danny stared at Steve throughout the questioning.  The DA was asking some very pointed, direct questions. However Steve was answering them all very directly and honestly.  None of the questions were designed to ruin the defendant, but from Steve’s tone, Dan wondered if even the most damaging question would.  A thought hit him.  Technically, Steve was testifying against him but appeared to be doing his best to give the impression that the Dan Williams that he knew could never have shot anyone the way the victim had been shot and that somehow a colossal error had been made in the case. He glanced down as his attorney scribbled something on his legal pad. 

 

‘Pretty standard stuff.  Nothing too damaging so far.  Your boss is a better witness for us than for them.’

 

Dan had to agree.  Soon it was the defense’s turn.  The attorney’s questions were also direct, mostly dealing with Dan’s tenure as Five-O’s second in command.  The subject of his friendship with Steve was assiduously avoided and Dan was grateful for that.

 

Towards the end of the questioning, McGarrett turned his head and glanced in Dan’s direction.  Danny had lowered his eyes towards the table a few minutes before, but looked up.  He knew it was silly but it was as if he was feeling the heat of eyes on him.  His eyes met Steve’s for a few seconds.  Although he had thought he had done a fairly good job of hiding his fear, his worry through the entire trial, Dan’s resolve crumpled in the power of Steve’s stare.  He had never been able to hide anything from his friend and was unable to do so now.  Dan let Steve read in his eyes what he was feeling.  For his part, McGarrett’s face remained an impassive, unemotional mask.  But for a few seconds, he let his defenses down and allowed Dan to see the mirrored worry and fear in his own eyes.  He also tried to somehow project a soothing calmness, a feeling that all would be fine in the end, to his friend.  Dan blinked, a little surprised that Steve had responded at all, much less allowed him to see as much as he had.  When he looked again, the controlled mask was once again in place and McGarrett was no longer even looking in his direction. 

 

After the defense attorney had finished his questioning, the DA rose, saying he had a few last questions for the witness.  He then proceeded to question McGarrett on Dan’s temper and the number of times he had lost it while working for Five-O.  The DA brought up Gregson, Steve countered with the fact that Dan’s fiancée had been murdered.*  The DA brought up the teen that Dan had

shot in his driveway, Steve reminded that there really had been a gun that the older brother had.**  Then the DA, knowing that he would be unable to get a rise out of McGarrett with his questions, decided to make one last remark.

 

“He’s resigned before, rather publicly I believe, too.  But whenever there’s been a problem or the threat of some sort of charge, you’ve always been able to prove him innocent of whatever he was accused of.  I find it interesting that you’ve been unable or unwilling to do so this time, Mr. McGarrett.  Now what do you suppose that means?”

 

Before the defense attorney could raise his objections, the DA quickly added that it was just a personal observation and that he had no further questions for the witness.  Steve left the stand, unable to look at Dan as he walked past him although he knew that Dan was looking at him.  Steve left the courtroom and did not return for the remainder of the trial until his staff informed him of when the verdict would be read.  Everything hinged on that moment.

 

The judge reentered the courtroom and banged his gavel to bring the room to quiet.  He requested that the defendant rise and then stared over at the audience, knowing that the decision he was about to announce would lead to a firestorm of reaction.  There were many uniformed officers in attendance.  There had been a large amount present through the course of the trial – all friends of the defendant.  He briefly thought about clearing the courtroom but realized that would simply be working against the system and he had vowed from the beginning to always uphold the highest standards possible.  He glanced towards the back of the courtroom.  Most of the detectives of Five-O were there, but not their boss.  For that, he was glad.  He definitely did not want to deliver the verdict with him present.  The door opened to the courtroom and in slipped Steve McGarrett.  The judge groaned softly to himself.  But the detective remained at the back of the room, not moving to join his men.  Clearing his throat, the judge started his announcement.

 

“Dan Williams, in the charge of assault with a deadly weapon, this court finds you guilty. “  A gasp could be heard throughout the room.  McGarrett shoved his hands in his pants pockets.

 

“In the charge of attempted murder, this court finds you guilty.”

 

Another gasp, now accompanied by shocked murmurs, filled the room.  The judge banged his gavel in an effort to retain control.  McGarrett leaned back against the wall, hoping it appeared nonchalant enough so that no one would notice that it was a near collapse.

 

“This court is now prepared to impose sentence.”  The judge paused, waiting for the room to quiet.  He glanced at the back of the room.  The man with the volcanic temper was quiet and way too calm.

 

“Because of the nature and violence of the shooting, because of your role in law enforcement in this state, this court sentences you to a minimum of 30years in prison, commencing immediately.”

 

The whoosh of reaction was like an uproar.  Bedlam threatened to rein.  The uniformed men were aghast at the verdict and the sentence.  The room buzzed with indignation.  Duke, Chin and Ben were nearly on their feet in protest.  Steve attempted to swallow the lump in his throat, his hands fisted in his pockets in an attempt to control their shaking.  His steel blue eyes stared fixedly at the back of the navy jacket that hadn’t even twitched since he entered the room.  He wasn’t sure at this point whether or not he wished the jacket would turn around and look at him.  Would he have the strength to meet that look?  Or would he look away? 

 

Court guards appeared at the front near the defendant.  They moved to cuff his hands behind him and placed on hand on each of his arms.  He avoided looking at most of the people, his co-workers, his friends, in the room.  At the last moment, he looked up towards the back of the room.  Dan’s confused, blue eyes met McGarrett’s and Steve could read the thousands of questions in them.  Their eyes remained locked for a minute, then, knowing the answers to the questions he had thought to himself just a minute ago, he moved.  Steve broke the eye contact with Dan and looked away.  He turned his back then and was not looking when the guards led his friend away.

 

                               *******************************

 

Steve stood just inside, leaning against the door he had just closed.  He had meant to go back to work.  He had even made it up the steps and inside the door of the Palace.  Pausing on the first step inside had been his undoing.  He couldn’t go back in there.  The office that had once been more of a home than his own home was now just work.  What had made him come here though?  As he stood there, leaning against the door, his mind continuously replayed the scene in the courtroom just a few hours ago.  The word pounded in his brain.  “Guilty…Guilty…Guilty…”.  He knew he’d never forget the look in Danno’s eyes when he had turned around and saw Steve.  The stark reality of what had just happened had nearly overwhelmed McGarrett.  Then he had done the unthinkable.  He had turned away from his friend.  Yet again, as he had done through out this trial, when Dan needed him he had turned away.

 

Steve pushed himself away from the door and slowly walked around Danno’s apartment.  He paused to examine the framed pictures.  So many were of the two of them.  Thirty years…GOD NO!!!  It seemed like a lifetime to McGarrett.  He could not believe the judge had found Dan guilty.  But then hadn’t he also judged his friend to be guilty? The system that Steve had put all of his faith in had failed.  But hadn’t Dan put his faith in Steve?  And hadn’t he then failed his friend?  Steve flung open the lanai door, desperate to escape the confinement. Dan was the one who would be physically locked up.  However Steve felt like his heart, his very soul were imprisoned in much the same way.  Restless he moved to living room and finally sat down.  Leaning his head back, he thought back over the entire trial, focusing on his own testimony.  Had he said anything condemning?  He didn’t think so.  Could he have defended Dan more than he had?  Without a doubt!  Did he regret every action he had done and thought he had had since that dreadful early morning visit from Manicote?  Absolutely!  Normally Steve refused to dwell on the past, preferring instead to deal with the present and the future since the past was something that could not be changed.  But, sitting now in Dan’s apartment, that was the one thing that Steve wanted – a chance to go back and somehow change the past.

 

                                *******************************

 

 

Less than a week had gone by when McGarrett suddenly found himself called to a meeting at the Capitol.  He walked into the Governor’s office to find both Jameson and Manicote awaiting his arrival.  As with the morning when Manicote had arrived in his office in the Palace, Steve suddenly felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. 

 

The Governor, as it turned out, wanted to know who Steve intended to appoint as second in command of Five-O.   The attorney general even suggested that Duke Lukela would qualify as an excellent replacement.   Steve was horrified.  The thought of replacing Dan had never even entered his mind much less appointing a new second. 

 

“SIR!  With all due respect, I believe this is rushed, a bit too soon to consider such an action.”

 

Without even stopping to think, Steve knew that THIS time he could not fail his friend.  He pressed on determinedly.  The vehemence of his argument caused John to inquire what cases Five-O was currently investigating.  McGarrett became almost dangerously quiet. 

 

“Have you forgotten the promise you coerced out of me, John?  I doubt that you have otherwise you would not be swinging it over my head like a pendulum.”

 

He then turned his gaze to the governor and stated that he had no intention of replacing Williams in the foreseeable future. 

 

“Steve, Williams’ dismissal papers and at least a list of possible replacements.  I’d like to see them on my desk – soon.”

 

McGarrett mumbled something unintelligible and stalked from the office.  Quiet prevailed for several minutes.  Then the Governor commented about how McGarrett appeared to look very worn out since the case against Williams had come together.  Both men silently pondered whether forcing Steve out of investigating the case on his own was really the best route for all.

 

 

Three Months Later:

 

McGarrett stared up at the imposing walls of the jail.  He was used to coming here, had done it before to speak to many a criminal that he had put away.  But this…this was personal.  This had been put off for way too long, dreaded, and avoided.  He was not proud of what he had done over the last three months since the trial.  He had thought that by staying away he could get past what had happened. He had been lying to himself.  He knew it then and knew it now.  He couldn’t stay away from here – not with his best friend locked up in here like some sort of animal. 

 

He jumped a little as the door slammed behind him.  He knew the routine but this time it just felt different, more unsettling.  He stared at the small table and two chairs. This was not the normal visitors’ area.  Because of who he was more than because of who the prisoner was, the warden was allowing this visit to be secluded, allowing it to be face to face and not through that hideous plastic with the phones.  He knew he should be grateful for that. 

 

Unable to sit, he prowled the floor near the far wall.  He knew this visit was a long time coming, should have happened months ago.  His own pride had kept him away.  He wondered if it was too late to reach out, to try to bridge the gap that would now be between them.  He wondered if their bond was irretrievably broken.  He heard a noise outside the door and knew he had no more time to think of what to do or what to say.  His chance to back out was past. He made a quick decision.  Funny how it suddenly seemed so easy to decide what his role really was here.  Now he simply had to act and talk like the friend he supposedly was.  He waited for the door to open, anxious to see his friend.

 

He heard the clank of handcuffs being removed.  Then the door was opened and Dan stepped into the room.  Dan’s facial expression flickered briefly when he saw Steve and he moved to lean his back against the wall that was closest to the door – practically the farthest point away from where McGarrett was.  Steve sighed.  He’d known this visit would not be easy on either of them, but he had not really expected Dan to make it more difficult by closing himself off to where he seemed almost unapproachable.  He tried to think of a way to break the tension, but Dan beat him to it.

 

“So what do you want, Steve?”

 

McGarrett blinked, taken back by the sterile politeness in the voice.  A voice inside his head whispered that he deserved it and more.  Suddenly he wasn’t sure how to approach his friend – how to tell Dan that he knew how much he had to make up for, how much he wanted to not lose Dan as his friend. 

 

“I just wanted to see you, Danno.”

 

McGarrett watched Dan bristle at the nickname he had always used for him.  He wondered if he was too late, if he had already lost his friend, the friendship that had meant so much to him. 

 

“Well you’ve seen me.”

 

McGarrett knew the conversation could not continue in the way it was.  One of them was going to have to make a conciliatory step towards the other.  Instinctively, he also knew that no matter how against his nature it was, he was going to have to be the one to do it because Dan appeared ready to run from the room as fast as possible.  Steve stepped away from the wall and moved towards the center of the room.  He leaned his hands on the chair and studied Dan.

 

“There is more,” he paused waiting to see if there was another smart remark coming.   When Dan remained silent, he continued.  “You look tired.”

 

“Simply brilliant, Mr. McGarrett!  Let’s see, if I remember right, the LAST time I saw you was when you tried to convince me to accept a plea. Now have you come to say ‘I told you so’?”

 

Dan’s tone was clipped. His formal use of Steve’s name hurt McGarrett, the way Dan knew it would. He noticed McGarrett’s hands were locked in a death grip on the chair. 

 

Steve couldn’t speak.  He felt like he couldn’t breathe.  While he understood that he probably deserved a lot of this, he was shocked at the cold hardness of the attack, the almost hopeful willingness to cause pain.  Anger flared in him momentarily.  Danno might be his friend, but how dare he! 

 

“Danno…” Steve stopped.  He cleared his throat before he spoke again.  “No, Danno, not that.  I really just wanted to see you, to talk to you.  I’ve been concerned about you.”

 

“That’s a switch – concerned about something other than work or your own principals!”

 

The personal attack hurt the most.  Steve struggled with himself, wanting to turn and walk out of the room.  He knew, oh God please, that Dan didn’t mean the tone or the words, but this really hurt.

 

“Danno,” This was even harder than he thought  - taking the first step in an apology, even to Dan.  “Look, I really just wanted to make sure you were…as well as you could be. “ His voice dropped to a near whisper.  “And to apologize.  It was wrong of me to ever suggest that you accept a deal.”

 

Dan stared, shocked.  In all the years he had known him, he could never remember Steve sounding this remorseful.  Finally he noticed the tired, worry that lined Steve’s face and the dark circles under his eyes.  He straightened a little and moved away from the wall.  Steve stared – not moving, not wanting to scare his friend away.  Finally Dan moved over by the table.  He stood across from Steve and, in a copying gesture, placed his hands on the back of the chair he was in front of.  The tight expression on Steve's face relaxed just a little.  Maybe, just maybe, they could work this out.

 

 

                              ********************************

 

McGarrett sat in his office, no longer able to concentrate on the endless reports he had been attempting to finish.  His mind whirled with possibilities, with hope – the hope that Dan was innocent after all.  He winced at his choice of wording, having trouble thinking that he had ever really believed that Dan was guilty.  Yeah the judge had said he was, but judges just made decisions based on what was in front of them.  A nagging guilt assailed him.  HE had thought Dan was guilty. Wasn’t that the reason he had stayed away?  The reason he had refused to do anything about the arrest?  The reason behind his promise of non-interference to Manicote?  Until Chin brought him the folder earlier today, the folder with the notes of the investigation that he, Ben and Duke had been doing on their own – without his knowledge, approval or support, McGarrett had almost assumed that the trial had been forgotten by his men.  He should have known better.  He should have known that, unlike him, his men would never forget or turn their backs on a friend.  Chin had thought it was time that he knew, but stated that the three of them would continue to work on their own.  They believed in Danny.  That point was definitely stressed.  And they were willing to risk their careers to clear him. 

 

“I can’t sanction this investigation, Chin, not officially.”

 

“Boss, we aren’t asking you to.”  With no other comment, the Chinese detective left the office.

 

Steve was torn.  He had promised - no interference from his unit. He had rigidly stuck with that promise no matter the price.  He thought back to how he had let the evidence convince him of Dan’s guilt.  Now it all seemed so insane.  His heart screamed that he should have known better. He had failed at the ultimate test of faith – his faith in his friend.  Logic answered that there was no way to refute what had been, on paper, a very solid case.  His detectives had managed to punch holes in the evidence although they still didn’t have a clear picture of what had actually happened.  Yet Dan had already been convicted, was already 4 months into serving his sentence – that ridiculous sentence.  McGarrett’s principals demanded that he do nothing.  Friendship countered that he needed to get involved with this clandestine investigation.  He knew that the men were mostly working on the case in the evenings and on weekends so as not to take time away from their official duties.  That gave them precious little time left to spend with their families.  He also knew that they had continued to visit with Dan, though not as often as when he had first been arrested, but they still went.  They were proving themselves to be far more dedicated of friends than Steve could claim to be.  That thought sliced his soul.  He publicly called Dan aikane and privately called him brother. Many even referred to the two men as ohana.  Yet when he had needed Steve the most, he had been refused, ignored, and pushed aside.  All because of a promise – McGarrett’s immovable morals. 

 

Over the next several weeks, the detectives suddenly found themselves with a little extra free time during the day.  Five-O cases, though still numerous, did not seem to have as many assignments as before.  The need for legwork, interviewing witnesses, tracking suspects had lessened a great deal.  Without comment, the three used all of their new free time to work on the case that was closest to them, the one whose solution meant the most.  Only Chin Ho noticed how little McGarrett was in the office of late.  He remembered the comment about how the boss could not sanction their investigation, at least officially.  And he wondered if it was possible but did not venture to voice his opinion to anyone. 

 

From her vantage point in the center of the office, Jenny watched them all.  She wondered if Danny knew how hard Chin, Duke and Ben were working to clear him.  She wondered if any of the four men fully understood the price McGarrett was paying in this ordeal.  She thought about the amount of free time that the detectives suddenly found themselves with during the day and knew it was because Steve had taken on most of the investigative work for the open cases.  It was why he was gone so much of the day.  She doubted that the three men realized exactly what was going on and she knew that Steve had not been back to see Danny since that one visit about a month ago.  That part she didn’t understand.  But she didn’t dwell on it.  When Dan was cleared, he could straighten things out with Steve on his own.  And she firmly believed it was when and not if he was cleared.  There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that one of the three detectives would discover something.  She knew Steve believed it too.  If he didn’t believe that Dan would be cleared, then she wouldn’t be taking the various messages that she was taking for him.  She smiled a private, little sad smile and she wrote up the latest message from the landlord of Dan’s building.  She was sure that no one knew what McGarrett was doing but sincerely hoped that one day he would tell Danny.

 

                                      ******************************

 

McGarrett restlessly paced his office.  He added another month to his countdown.  It had now been five months since Dan had started his prison sentence.  He wondered if his detectives were any closer to a break through in their investigation.  He longed to ask to see what they had done, but forced himself to stay away from it, hoping that his not getting involved would make it appear that the office was not officially doing anything.  He needed to go back to the prison to see his friend again soon.  His last visit had been almost two months ago.  It had been tough at first. One reason was that Steve could not bear to see Dan locked up like a common criminal, like the filth he worked so hard to get off the streets.  Also Danno had developed an edge to his attitude.  Steve understood that he probably needed to do so in order to survive, but it still hurt that his aikane felt the need to take the attitude with him.  But then until that visit he had not been acting much like a friend.  The tension in the room when the two men had first faced off was palpable.  Slowly they had come to an uneasy agreement concerning McGarrett’s behavior and comments during his other visit prior to the trial.  Neither man had brought up any of the other touchy subjects that still lay between them.  Both were fearful that the uneasy truce would be splintered and the friendship ended if they tried to work everything out.

 

Duke and Chin walked in with Tommy Aleha between them.  Tommy was one of the suspects in a case that McGarrett had been working on.  He had asked the two detectives to pick the suspect up instead of going himself.  He had very little on his agenda for the day.  He had gotten in the habit of keeping the anniversary of the end of the trial as empty as possible, preferring to spend the day in the solitude of his office remembering, regretting, and wishing.

 

Duke nearly forced Tommy into a seat near the desk.  McGarrett came and sat on the edge of his desk, informing Tommy that they were going to have a little talk.  Over the next hour, McGarrett questioned and Aleha danced around the answers.  But then Aleha made a mistake.  In a little aside after he didn’t answer a question, Aleha made a comment about how trapping cops and getting them sent to jail was becoming easier and easier.  McGarrett had moved from his desk to pace near the lanai but hearing the comment, he whirled, nearly leaping over his desk in an effort to get in Aleha’s face.  Duke and Chin glanced at each other, each wondering if this was the break through they had been hoping for.  Tenaciously McGarrett demanded complete answers to his questions.  When Aleha started his dance routine, McGarrett had slapped his hand on the desk very close to where the tape recorder was sitting surreptitiously hitting the pause button so that the next exchange would not be on tape.  Then he leaned down so that he was virtually nose to nose with him and quietly informed him that if he thought he wasn’t getting the complete truth, then maybe he just needed to take his suspect for a little car ride. Then he carefully turned the tape recorder back on.  His detectives gaped at him unable to believe that they had heard that come out of the boss’s mouth.

 

Bit by bit, the complete story came out.  Duke dispatched several officers from HPD to pick up the people that Aleha named as being a part of the cover-up. 

Finally figuring they had gotten all they were going to get from the prisoner, McGarrett had Duke take him over to HPD lock up.  After Duke left, Steve grabbed his phone and punched out the numbers to the attorney general.  In short, succinct sentences, McGarrett laid out the events that had just taken place in his office.  Manicote expressed his doubts but McGarrett pressed on, saying that the conversation had been taped and then volunteering all of the evidence that the team had gathered.  Finally the two hung up but not until McGarrett had extracted a promise from the politician to get the DA before a judge that very afternoon. 

 

In his office, John briefly wondered why he had not questioned the under the table investigation that must have been going on at Five-O.  After all, he thought, didn’t he have McGarrett’s non-interference promise from a little over six months ago? Shaking his head, John thought that he should have gotten a group promise from all of the detectives and not just McGarrett. Although in hindsight, he admitted that he was glad things appeared to be turning out the way they were. He didn’t think he liked this version of Steve McGarrett and knew he would be glad when things at Five-O returned to normal.  However he knew that would take a while even after Williams' release.  He picked up a phone and dialed one of the judges he knew who agreed to meet with him later on that afternoon.  Then he dialed the district attorney who reluctantly agreed to re-open the Chokua shooting in front of the judge later that day.  As he hung up the phone, he wondered at the activity that must be going on at the Palace. 

 

Back in Five-O offices, McGarrett turned and realized that Chin Ho was still there and had overheard his conversation with Manicote.  The relief was plainly written on Chin’s face and Steve wondered if his own expression was as scrutable.  He approached his detective with hand outstretched.

 

“Great job, Chin!  You and Duke and Ben – none of you ever gave up.  I’m very proud of the work you’ve done with this.”

 

Chin hesitated then decided to take a chance.  “We couldn’t have done it, Steve, if you hadn’t picked up most of the legwork on the cases so that we had the time we needed.”

 

Steve glanced up, but didn’t bother to deny what the officer said.  Chin smiled and nodded his head just a little.  He knew he had been right all along.  McGarrett could not officially sanction the investigation but he had done everything possible to ensure that they had ample time and resources to find the answers as quickly as possible. 

 

Steve eyed his detective.  “Well, you know, Kelly, I think if you and Ben left right now, you could stop at HPD and pick up Duke and still make it over to the jail to break the good news to Dan.”

 

Chin wondered why the boss didn’t want to make the visit himself.  But Steve offered no reasons, just a refusal.  Not commenting, Chin left the office and joined Ben and Jenny for a brief congratulatory moment before the two detectives left.  Steve sat at his desk, pleased that his nightmare was finally coming to an end.  He almost didn’t hear Jenny enter the office with his mail.  She stood in front of her boss.  He looked so much happier than he had in the morning when she had first seen him. 

 

“So boss, you are going to tell him everything that you’ve done, right?”

 

McGarrett eyed her suspiciously.  “Wasn’t me, Jenny.  Chin, Duke and Ben kept did all the work and never gave up.  They are the ones who kept the faith, not me.”  Then almost as a whispered comment, he said.  “I failed him.”

 

Jenny chose to ignore the comment, but also noticed that the boss’s voice was a little sad.  It was better than pointing out things she wasn’t sure the boss wanted anyone to know.  She wondered how long it would take to actually get Dan back in the office. 

 

Later that afternoon, Steve restlessly paced his office.  The detectives had returned and Steve had nearly pounced on them, wanting to know how Dan was and how he felt knowing that he could actually be cleared soon.  By prior agreement, none of them mentioned that Dan had wondered why McGarrett wasn’t there also.  That reckoning they knew would come later.  Now Chin, Ben and Duke sat in Steve’s office while he paced.  All were waiting for the phone to ring and wondering what could possibly be taking so long.  To them, it was a simple open and shut deal of obviousness and none of them thought that anyone else would see it any differently. 

 

Finally McGarrett’s direct line rang and he pounced on it.  His side of the conversation was brief and cryptic.  No one was able to get any information from his one-syllable replies.  When at last he ended the conversation his fisted hand punched the air.

 

“YES!!”

 

Duke finally had to ask the boss what happened when no other information was offered.  McGarrett explained that once the DA and the judge had been presented with the facts the detectives had uncovered there had been no other choice but to reverse the original verdict. 

 

“That’s awfully quick, isn’t it Steve?”

 

“Ben, I’m sure having the attorney general himself standing there had something to do with it.”

 

“Yeah, and the backing of the chief of Five-O probably didn’t hurt,” Chin added.

 

McGarrett chose to ignore the comment.  “Well gentlemen, we have a lot of work to do if we are going to pick Dan up tomorrow afternoon.”

 

Broad smiles broke out on the faces of the detectives in front of him.  Ben and Chin eventually left the office.  They wanted to be able to clear up as much work as possible today so that they could pick Danny up tomorrow and spend the rest of the day with him.  Duke hung around.  He needed to apologize to Steve for the awful things he had said and for the way he had acted since Danny had been convicted.  Steve wouldn’t let him.  He simply told Duke to make sure that his schedule was clear for the next afternoon also so that he could accompany Chin and Ben to the prison to get Dan. 

 

“You are going this time, right Steve?”

 

‘We’ll see, Duke.  We’ll see.”

 

Steve ended up not going to the prison the next afternoon.  He claimed that someone needed to stay in the office.  If the truth were told, he wasn’t sure how to approach Dan after everything that had happened.  His own lack of faith in his friend weighed heavily on his mind and heart.  He had done whatever he could think of while Dan was locked up to try to make up for his faithlessness, but next to what his detectives had done he wasn’t sure if it was enough.  He wasn’t sure that his friend would want him there so he stayed behind.  He had given the keys to Dan’s apartment to Chin so that they would be able to get in the building.  Chin had taken them, a little surprised that Steve had been holding them.  McGarrett again ignored the question he saw on the Oriental detective’s face. 

 

Later that evening, after Jenny had left, Steve remained.  Duke had returned to the office a short time ago and let him know that Dan was settled in his apartment and that Ben and Chin had gone home.  He didn’t go into many details about what had happened during the afternoon but had let Steve know that Danny had wondered where he was.  With a last comment that Steve couldn’t avoid dealing with things for much longer, Duke left the office.  Steve leaned against the door to the lanai.  He had spent the afternoon in conversation with both the attorney general and the governor.  It had been rough since both men were politicians by nature and very worried about public opinion. But this time Steve had been very forceful.  Both men had been taken aback by his insistence and absolute refusal to accept anything less then what he had come there for. In the end he had gotten his way – full reinstatement, effective immediately.  Steve wondered if the meeting he had just completed had been the simpler one than the one he still faced. 

 

Steve knocked on the door in front of him, wondering, not for the first time if this wasn’t a big mistake.  In his jacket pocket, he held the real reason behind the visit.  In his hands, a peace offering – Chinese take-out.  The door opened and he stood face to face with Dan. 

 

“Hello, Danno.”

 

There was a moment’s hesitation then the door opened wider.  “Come on in, Steve.”

 

McGarrett exhaled the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.  He entered the apartment and placed the food in the kitchen.

 

“Are you hungry?”

 

“Not really, but reheated Chinese take-out doesn’t sound very appealing.”

 

They ate in relative silence.  Dan obviously knew what had happened in the office earlier.  They talked a little but mostly about the changes that had happened with Chin’s and Ben’s families. Finally after they were almost done with the meal, Steve brought up his one prison visit after the conviction.

 

“Yeah, well, I…UH…I owe you an apology, Steve.  For my behavior that afternoon.”

 

Steve quickly assured his friend that there was nothing that had been said there which required remembering so many months later. There was a tension in the air that Steve wasn’t sure how to break.  After the meal, he walked out to Dan’s lanai.  Jenny thought he should bare his soul.  But that was not something he could easily do.  He felt he still had a lot to atone for with his friend.  But he wasn’t even sure where to start.  Obviously there were still some very deep issues that lay between them.  At least that was what he was sensing from Dan.  Steve felt Dan come up behind him.

 

“How do I tell you mahalo?  It seems so inadequate.”

 

Steve turned, puzzled at the comment.  The last thing he had expected was this. 

 

“Not me, Danno.  It’s Chin, Ben and Duke that you need to thank.”

 

Danny shook his head.  “You too.  Chin told me about all the extra work you’ve been doing so that they had time to work on the investigation.  Duke told me about your promise not to interfere to Manicote.  Bet he was annoyed when you called him yesterday.”

 

Steve acknowledged the statement with a nod.  Privately he still felt he hadn’t done as much for his friend as he probably could have.  But Dan continued speaking.

 

“I talked to Aunt Clara just before you got here.”

 

McGarrett’s head jerked up.  He hadn’t expected that.  He wasn’t ready for this conversation.  Tonight was supposed to have been sharing a simple meal with his friend, something they had done hundreds of times.  Except now he was testing the strength of their friendship, testing whether or not it had survived. Actually, the most he had hoped for, outside of not getting the door slammed in his face, was to be able to convince Dan to take what he still held in his pocket. 

 

“I called her to tell her it was over and to thank her for all she had done.  She didn’t know what I was talking about. As I started to name specific things and she denied them, I knew.  I knew it was you.  I knew that you were the one I needed to thank.”

Steve shook his head but Dan refused to let him speak.  He needed to get this out. 

 

“You promised not to interfere, yet you’re the one who hired the lawyer.  I know his reputation, Steve.  I know he wasn’t inexpensive.  Yet all this time I thought it was Clara and you never said a word about it.  Duke said you stored the Mustang at your place.  And this –“ He gestured back into his apartment.  “ The landlord told me, Steve.  You’ve paid my rent for over six months – Steve, how can I ever repay that?”

 

McGarrett shook his head.  “You don’t have to, Aikane.  I failed you when you needed me the most.  I turned my back and allowed outside influences to sway me from what I knew.  I owe you, but I’m not sure I could make up for something like this.”

 

Steve’s hand was in his pocket, fingers fingering the badge case.  There was so much more he wanted, needed to say.  But Dan was shaking his head, making it seem like an apology was unnecessary.  Steve was stunned at the forgiveness he saw in his friend.  He drew the leather case out of his pocket, turning it over in his hand.  He didn’t know how to ask Dan to take it back, how to ask Dan to return to being everything that he had been a few months ago.  He didn’t think he could speak past the lump in his throat.  Finally he simply held the case out to his friend. 

 

Dan looked at him, surprised.  He hadn’t expected this, at least not right away.  He’d been sure there would be a bunch of formalities he would have to go through first.  Suddenly it dawned on him that the offering was the reason why McGarrett had not been there in the afternoon.  He hadn’t been able to come to the jail because he’d been busy putting Dan’s life back together in the same way that he had quietly held Dan’s life together the last several months.  He wondered at the arguments that must have taken place in the Palace and Governor Jameson’s office before Steve finally got his way.

 

He reached out and took the case in his hand.  Steve held onto the case for several minutes, tightly clasping Dan’s hand in both of his. He thought about all he needed to apologize for:  his awful behavior the first time he had visited Dan and the many other things he had done and said while his friend was imprisoned. Somehow looking in his friend’s eyes, Steve knew that no apology was necessary. As usual his friend was quick to forgive him although McGarrett knew that it would take time before he was able to forgive himself.  The hurt words that had been flung back and forth over the last several months carried no weight, no meaning when the final outcome was that he was once again standing here with Danno in Dan’s apartment.   Finally he thought he could trust his voice.

 

“Welcome home, Danno.”

 

 

 

Pau