Family

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

The characters of Lieutenant Commander Steven 'Steve' McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Governor Patricia Jameson, Roland Lowry, Ethan Lowry and Detective Meka Hanamoa, do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.

The character of Detective Sergeant Danielle 'Danni' Williams probably can be considered to be mine by now. Although she was originally based on male Danny, she soon evolved becoming her own person. She has her own background, her own family, her own history and her own distinct personality. This isn't to say that the Danny Williams we all know and love is completely gone, he still emerges through her at times. I like to think of female Danni as what Danny could have been if everything in his life had gone his way. As in full custody of Grace and a decent relationship with his ex.

The character of Grace has also changed slightly due to the change in Danni. Her surname is Taylor as this is her father's surname and was Danni's married name (Danni reverted back to her maiden name when she was divorced). Her parents also are amicable which has also impacted Grace but never fear, she's still the sweetheart we know and love, if anything she's more a sweetheart now.

The character of Agent Ben Krause, Agent Megan Thurston and Duncan Taylor also belong to me as does any other character who you do not recognise from the show. Please do not use them, or my version of Danni and Grace without first asking for my permission to do so.

Thank you.

Author Note

Welcome to Family, the second instalment in the ongoing 'Danni saga'.

Family is roughly based on the second episode of season one entitled 'Ohana'. The plotline of the case is the same or near enough but there are several changes to it. I like making things my own and I think the same thing will happen to this story.

If you have yet to read 'The Beginning' then it might be an idea to go and do so. It's probably not imperative that you do but it would help make the story and the backgrounds and plots interweaved in this story make sense.

If you have read the beginning and are here for the second instalment then thank you very much for sticking with me. It means a great deal to me. After this there will be a couple of one shots followed b the first 'missing case' chapter story which is one which isn't based on an episode but one which I have come up with alone.

This story is done from the perspective of all the characters though it does focus mainly on Steve. It will feature OCs, including one who will have a largest part to play but that is because in my mind it made sense. Doing these stories gives me a chance to change things which left me scratching my head thinking "Why did they do it like that? It would have made more sense if it had happened this way." No OC is simply there for the sake of it, all of them have a part to play and some of them such as the CSU team and agents and the ME will feature in most of the stories.

I hope you enjoy the story!

Official Summary

When Steve McGarrett came to Hawaii to avenge his father's death he never expected to transfer to the reserves and stay on the island. He especially never expected to be given his own taskforce to run. Now, with the life of an ex NSA Agent on the line, Steve had to prove his ability to run his team and show everyone that they are here to stay.

Chapter Summary

It was dark where he was, dark but familiar as though he had walked the path he was on before though how that could be when he could see no pathway in front of him was a puzzle. Silence had surrounding him but now he could hear a voice calling to him, one which was becoming louder with each step he took.

Overall Romances

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Catherine Rollins (McRollins)

Mentions of past Duncan Taylor / Danni Williams (Dunni)

Hints of Ryan Moore / Danni Williams (Rynni)

Meka Hanamoa / Amy Hanamoa (Mekmy)

Mentions of past John McGarrett / Doris McGarrett (Joris)

Michael Landon / Karen Landon (Micren)

Chapter Romances

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Mentions of past Duncan Taylor / Danni Williams (Dunni)

Warning

This story features a female Danni Williams in place of a male Danny Williams. Although in some stories I write, Danny does exist, he does not exist in this one.

If this is not your cup of tea then please hit the back button.

Another note

I do not have a Beta so please forgive any mistakes which may creep in, I always do my best to edit the story and check it but sometimes mistakes do creep in.

The places I've mentioned in Hawaii are ones which come from google, including the addresses. I've never been to Hawaii myself in person so I apologise for any mistakes which I may make, these are not intentional.

Chapter One

Play nice Commander McGarrett

It was dark where he was, dark but familiar as though he had walked the path he was on before though how that could be when he could see no pathway in front of him was a puzzle. Silence had surrounding him but now he could hear a voice calling to him, one which was becoming louder with each step he took.

"Steve… Steve… where are you Champ?"

"Dad?" He called back, his heart aching at the familiar voice.

"Steve… son, where are you?" The voice was sharp as though he was scared. Steve looked around him frowning as the darkness lightened, finally allowing him to see around him. He was standing bare foot in the middle of the North Shore beach. It was night time as far has he could gather, the moon and stars which normally blazed in the sky was missing, confusing him while the darkness pressed down on him, almost smothering him. No one was around him as far as he could see. He was completely and utterly alone. "Steve?"

"Dad?" He called out again, trying to take another step forward only to find himself frozen to the spot. He struggled against invisible holds, looking up as he called out. "Dad, tell me where you are? I can't see you!"

"Champ? Champ everything you need to know is in the box. Look into it and find the truth. I know that you can do it son."

"Dad?" He yelled again, flinching at the familiar sound of a gun going off nearby. He looked frantically around him. "Dad? DAD" Steve screamed. He stumbled forward as though he was suddenly released from his frozen state, falling to his knees. The sand felt cold beneath his palms as he pushed against it, coming back to his feet and began running down the beach, looking around him frantically. "DAD, WHERE ARE YOU?"

His eyes fell on a lump on the sand a few hundred metre in front of him. He stopped, staring at it before he reached towards his waist where he kept his gun only to find that it was missing. He cursed out loud, wondering where the hell his head was that. He never left home without it, regardless of where he was going. The Navy had taught him to always be prepared for everything, if anything they had drummed it in until it was second nature.

He ran up to the dark lump, swallowing hard when he saw that it was a body, he hunched down beside. Reaching out he slowly turned the body over, his breathe leaving his lungs in a whoosh as he found himself confronted with his father's ravaged appearance. A large bloody hole in the middle of his face, destroying his familiar features. Steve stared down at him, bile rising up in his throat as his father's eyelids snapped open, revealing lifeless cloudy eyes before his father's hand came up and gripped his shirt pulling him down towards him.

"Look into it Steve, look into it and find the answers. You must find the answers."

"DAD!"

Steve McGarrett's eyes snapped open as his body vaulting forward into a kneeling position, the thin sheet tangling with his feet. He looked around him, his eyes moving frantically before he felt the tension in his shoulders ease as he recognised his surroundings.

He was in his father's bedroom, the same one which he had been using since he had come up with the idea of staying in his family home rather than in a hotel like most people in his situation would have.

Steve breathed out slowly, reaching up and running a hand down his face.

It had all been a dream, just another nightmare.

The same nightmare which he had been experiencing for the past week since he had stepped back on Hawaiian soil, the same soil he hadn't seen since he was fifteen years old. The nightmare was never quite the same, it was always slightly different but the underlying message was always the same.

His father was dead and nothing which Steve did, either in the dream or in real life, changed that simple fact.

Steve had poured over the reports by the medical examiners in regards to his father's murder, every cut, every bruise, everything which Victor Hesse had done to him before he had taken his life, killing his father in cold blood by shooting him at point blank range in the face, he now knew. Reading the reports was difficult enough without having to read his new partner's Danni Williams, handwritten notes on the side from when she and her old partner Meka Hanamoa were the leads on the case. That was before the Governor of Hawaii had met Steve in person and offered him his own taskforce, one that would have no red tape to hold him back and which had given him immunity. His first order of business had been to take his father's case from Danni and Meka.

Steve had never been a fool and he had known even through his desire for revenge that he needed someone with him who knew how policing worked and he had known the instant he had met Danni that he needed her on his taskforce as his partner and second in command and so he had made it happen. One call to the Governor had been all that was needed to have the younger woman transferred to him, giving her a well-deserved promotion and raise.

They had only been working together officially for eight days but it already felt to him as though they had been in each other's lives forever and that she had always been by his side.

She was a rare find; both intelligent and kind hearted with a streak of wit and generosity which was a mile long. He had noticed as well how attractive she was though he was trying hard to push that realisation down.

There was just something about her that he liked and reacted to, something which made him want to keep her close to him.

He just didn't know what it was yet.

He breathed out, his mind focused on her notes, he wanted to ask her about what she had written and the theories which she had placed down but every time he went to, he had stopped himself. He didn't want to see the look of sympathy and concern which would come to her face at his line of questioning.

The less he thought about what Hesse had done to his father, the better it would be for his overall mental health.

Steve glanced to the side of him, startled by the beeping which he quickly realised was the alarm clock. He reached out, turning it off and sat there for a moment, staring out of the window towards the blue sky which was already promising another scorcher of a day.

Shaking his head Steve twisted on the bed and placed his feet on the cool wooden floorboards, pushing himself to his feet as he ran his hand over his dark hair and moved towards the doorway. He stopped briefly to pull on a pair of swimming trunks from the pile of clothing which he still needed to put away and left the room, making his way through the silent house until he was in the kitchen. He quickly located the key to the backdoor and opened it stepping out onto the lanai.

What he needed was a long swim, something which was as familiar to him as breathing and which had never failed, since he was a young child, to clear his mind. Only then would he be able to focus his full undivided attention on the upcoming day.

The Governor had warned him the previously day that his taskforce had now been officially announced to both HPD and the agencies who had branches situated on the islands. Now cases would begin to come in for them, cases which would arrive quickly and continue if the team did well and proved themselves as capable.

Steve glanced around the deserted beach before he ran lightly down the sand and dived into the water, the shock of the coldness bringing him to his senses quickly as he began to power through the waves.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he finally turned reluctantly towards the beach and climbed out of the water. He grabbed the large towel which he had left on one of the chairs and rubbed it over his hair and face before he moved back into the kitchen, dumping the towel on the side and grabbed the kettle instead, filling it with fresh water and placed it back on the hob. He was in desperate need of some coffee to finish off what his swim had started.

He would have to buy himself a coffee machine eventually, mentally adding it to the ever-growing list of things he needed to purchase if he was to turn his old family home into a place where someone could live comfortably in. Nearly everything in there was something which he could remember from his own childhood. He knew that he couldn't live there peacefully if he was constantly surrounded by reminders of everything which he had lost when he had been just fifteen years old.

If he was being honest with himself, he still wasn't sure if living in his father's old home was good for him. The sensible thing to do would be to sell the place, split the money between him and his sister Mary and use his portion to buy himself a place on the island which would be his own and which would have none of the memories attached to it.

The only problem was the fact that he couldn't bring himself to do it.

His family had lived in the same house since his great grandparents, even when his grandfather had died in the attack at Pearl Harbour, his grandmother had chosen to keep the house, renting it out instead of selling it off when she had taken Steve's father and his Uncle Will to the mainland to live. His father when he had returned to Hawaii had moved into the house and stayed there until he was murdered.

It would feel wrong to have someone other than himself or Mary living there.

Not only that but Steve needed the ocean to keep him sane and he highly doubted that he would find somewhere else which would give him unlimited access to it especially considering the price of housing at that moment. Steve could and would put up with the memories if it meant being able to swim each day.

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the counter, his eyes moving critically over the kitchen as he waited for the water to finish boiling.

The room definitely need a hell of a lot of work done on it. There was nothing which didn't look worn or damaged in some way, even the faded paintwork was peeling near the ceiling. If his Aunt ever came to visit him then she would have shrieked with horror at the state of it before she threw Steve out, rolled up her sleeves and got to work to make the place liveable for him.

He frowned slightly as he thought about what needed to be done. Renovating the house would be a good project for him to focus on. Something which would help fill his empty evenings and weekends. He would spend the time turning the place back into the happy home he remembered when he was growing up there. The only difference was that this time he could do it as he wanted, getting rid of most of the old stuff and starting anew.

Maybe he could bring Danni with him when he went to the shop to pick up all the materials and paint which he needed. She had mentioned to him a couple of days previously that she had redecorated her home by herself and she had handpicked the colour scheme for their headquarters, picking a colour which all of them had liked. There was no reason why she couldn't use that same talent for his house. She could plan it, pick everything to decorate the place while Steve did the actual work. It would be a win, win situation for him, giving him the chance to spend more time with her outside of work so he could learn more about her.

He blinked when he realised the kettle was whistling at him and turned the flame off, opening a nearby cupboard and grabbed the first mug which he found. He quickly washed it out before putting a spoonful of instant coffee in and added the water in, stirring the hot liquid absently. He glanced once more at the kitchen before dropping it on the side and picked the mug up, heading through the house back up to the bedroom which he had taken for himself. That was another room which would need a lot of work to be done on it.

Steve placed the mug on the bedside table and sighed, rubbing his hand over his tired eyes before he turned and headed into the bathroom. He quickly showered and dressed, grabbing the first thing which he came across from the rucksack he had brought with him. Now that he was staying in Hawaii he would have to contact someone in his old unit and ask for them to pack up the belongings he had left behind and send them to him.

He ran a hand through his damp hair, grabbing his coffee and taking a sip before he left the bedroom and went into the dining room. Placing his drink back on the table he moved into the old study and grabbed the rusty red tool box, moving back into the dining room and placed it on the table.

He stared at it for a moment, eyes narrowing as they scanned over the familiar sight. There was nothing special about the box and yet his father had clearly thought that it was important enough to spend his last few minutes alive trying to tell Steve about its existence. He had found it as soon as he had come home and had looked at it and its contents many times, more since the Hesse case had come to an end but he still didn't understand what it was exactly he was meant to be looking for.

Steve shook his head, growling slightly in frustration as he reached forward and flipped the tool box open, looking down at the contents again. Contents which still made little sense to him no matter what way he looked at them. The only thing which he had managed to gather from the mix match of items was the fact that his father had been investigating something, just what that something was, was a mystery. There were no notebooks or written notes which would indicate what exactly the investigation was about. Steve saw random photos, a key which didn't fit in any keyhole which were in the ho use, there were random maps of Japan and Hawaii and god knew what else and none of them, even when they were placed together, made sense.

He knew that the sensible thing would be for him to take a step back from it all and allow Danni and Chin Ho Kelly to take a look at it and see whether they saw something which he didn't. He already knew how talented Danni was at her job while Chin had been his father's partner for fifteen years and had been trained by him. If there was anyone who could look at the contents and see what Steve's father had been doing then it would be Chin.

Between the two of them they would probably be able to point him in the right directions and yet he found himself reluctant to make the call to them about it. His father had hidden the tool box and what he was doing away from everyone which told Steve that he hadn't wanted anyone in his life to know about the contents. There had to be a reason for that and until Steve knew what that reason was, he would keep it to himself. If his father had been looking into something which was potentially dangerous then the last thing he wanted to do was drag his team members into it, especially Danni who was a mother to a young daughter.

Steve reached into the box and took out the Dictaphone, sitting himself in the nearest chair at the table and took a moment to simply stare at it. It had become a ritual for Steve to listen to the tape each morning before he went to work. The first time he had heard the sound of his father's voice, he had cried, finally shedding the tears of grief he had been keeping hidden from everyone. Now he could listen to the tape without crying though he still got a lump in his throat. Licking his lips, Steve pressed down on the play button and leaned back in his chair, allowing his father's words to flow over him.

"When he was five years old, I asked my son Steve what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said 'I want to be a cop Dad like you.' I told him to be anything but that. The life of a cop is not easy. It's not that I'm not proud of the work that I did, but more than anything I have, uh, I have regrets. The toll it took on my family, the way it hurt them. It's, uh, something I think about every day. Now I'm, uh I'm alone here. Losing my wife was almost unbearable. But giving up my kids, that, uh that just broke me. I'm so proud of them, but they'd never know it. I've missed so much of their lives, you know, watching them grow up and all. I guess that's the way it had to be, till I figure this out…"

Steve blinked in confusion when his cell phone suddenly went off. Reaching out he quickly stopped the tape, taking a moment to compose himself before he reached into the pocket of his cargo pants and extracted the phone, hitting the connect button before bringing it to his ear without bothering to look at the screen.

"McGarrett."

"Hey" Danni's voice said causing a slight smile to come to his face. She sounded happy which probably meant she had already had the first of her morning coffees. Steve had made the mistake of calling her before she had one, two days previously and it was an experience he was not willing to go through again unless he really had to.

"Hey yourself Danni" Steve responded.

"I'm just calling to see if you wanted me to pick you up on my way into work today?" She asked him. He could hear her moving around with the faint sound of music in the background which probably meant that she had the radio on and was in the process of getting her daughter ready for the upcoming school day.

"What time were you thinking?" He queried as he reached up and ran his hand over the top of his head, feeling some of the left-over tension from his nightmare easing away at the sound of her voice.

"I would probably be with you about seven thirty, maybe seven forty at the latest." She answered promptly.

"Seven thirty is pretty early for you, normally you don't get into the office until about eight thirty, why the change?" Steve asked curiously.

"Yeah, Duncan and I went to dinner a couple of nights ago to discuss Grace. With both of us having early starts we decided it was best to enrol her into the breakfast club at her school which starts at seven fifteen. The school confirmed it last night that she had a place so today will be the first time she starts it. You live fairly near the school so it should only take me about ten to fifteen minutes to reach you from there unless there is a major holdup in traffic which should be unlikely given the time." She explained

Steve remained silent for a second, his mind drifting over her casual comment about her and her ex-husband having dinner together before he forced himself to focus back on their conversation before Danni picked up on something being wrong.

"You know that I know all of the shortcuts here on the island. If you let me drive Danno when you get here then we won't get caught in any traffic at all. We'd probably set a new world record on getting to the headquarters from my place." He commented, a grin coming to his face when he heard Danni laugh softly down the phone at his comment.

"Nice try." She said, a warm undercurrent to her voice. "But I have a distinct memory of telling you that you were on a ban which was to last up to five months when it came to driving my car. I haven't forgotten a certain reckless stunt you pulled with a police car and a Chinese freighter a week ago."

"That certain reckless stunt wasn't so much reckless as much as it was required unless you wanted to allow Hesse and Etienne to escape to China, knowing that you didn't want that any more than I did should mean that I'm not punished for it. Besides Danni, I would treat your car with all the respect it deserved since it belongs to you. That police car belonged to the state and will be fixed by the state if it hasn't already been done." He pointed out, leaning back in his seat again, still grinning as he tried to remember the last time a simple conversation with someone had made him smile so much.

"That is a good point you raise." Danni replied thoughtfully. "I'll take it into consideration."

"Is there anything else I can do which will help lessen the ban?" Steve queried with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe, just maybe, if you have a coffee ready for me when I arrive at your house then I can add that into the equation." She said, sounding amused over the line.

"I can make sure that I have a coffee ready for you as long as you don't bitch about the fact its instant coffee due to me not having a coffee machine yet." He remarked.

"Still haven't got that yet? I would have… sorry Steve give me just one moment." She said, her next words sounding muffled as though she had taken the phone away from her ear and covered the hand piece with her palm. "Gracie bean? We're leaving here in ten minutes so make sure you have everything and that you're ready to go… sorry about that Steve" She commented, her voice becoming clear at the end again.

Steve opened his mouth to answer when he closed it with a frown when his cell began to beep insistently at him.

"Danni, hold the line for a moment, I'm getting another call in, it might be work related." He said.

"Sure, I can wait" Danni agreed. Steve nodded even though she couldn't see him and spoke, pressed a second button on the handset and spoke, his voice becoming professional again.

"McGarrett."

"Commander, it's Governor Jameson here. I have a case for you and your team."

"Okay." Steve answered with a raised eyebrow. "What is the case?"

"About thirty minutes ago, a former NSA agent called Roland Lowry was kidnapped from his vehicle. I need you and your team to find him and find him fast. I don't need to tell you of all people how important it is that he is retrieved. The information which he has in his head is of national importance. It could be the reason why he was taken in the first place." She stated.

"Have we got any idea what Lowry was working on for the NSA before they parted ways?" Steve asked.

"No, all of the information is unfortunately classified Commander, I've just finished on a call to the Director of the NSA in Washington and informed him on the situation here. They have a Special Agent who is currently on the island, apparently, he was due to give a lecture to the cadets at the Police Academy. The Director is going to get in contact with him and have him meet you and your team directly at the scene. He has top level clearance and will be able to access their database which should give you access to the information you need to solve this case. Try and place nicely with Commander McGarrett. We want to have the NSA on our side. If we handle this situation carefully and diplomatically then it would work out well for your team. Having an agency as big as the NSA owing you a favour is not a bad thing to have." She stated, a stern tone coming to her voice which caused him to roll his eyes.

"I understand Governor. Where was Lowry taken from?" He queried.

"According to the report he was taken from the Ala Moana Boulevard in Waikiki Commander. HPD have already secured the area for you and are waiting for you and your team to arrive. I've also been informed that Supervisory Special Agent Moore has dispatched a CSU team who are already processing the scene. I suggest that you gather your team together and head down there as soon as possible.

"Understood Governor, we're on our way." Steve answered, eager to be finished with the call.

"Just remember what I said Commander, this situation needs to be dealt with delicately. There is a great deal more at stake here then just the kidnap of a retired NSA Agent" She remarked cryptically before Steve heard a clicking sound indicating that she had ended the call. Steve sighed, pressing the retrieved button on his phone and spoke.

"Danni, are you still there?"

"Yeah I'm still here though I'm about to leave to take Gracie to school. What was the call about? Was it a work one or something personal.?" Danni asked sounding curious over the phone.

"Work related, the Governor's given us a new case. I'll fill you in on the details once you get here."

"I'm still not going to be able to get to yours until seven thirty Steve and it's only ten to seven now. It might be a better idea if you text me the address of the crime scene and I'll meet you there once I've dropped Grace off. That way you can get down to the crime scene and start processing it and seeing what we're dealing with. We can't afford to lose any potential leads or let evidence deteriorate while you wait for me to come for you." She pointed out seriously.

Steve remain silent for a moment, considering what she had said before he nodded slowly.

"That's probably for the best. I'll send you, Chin and Kono the address of the crime scene. I'll meet them both there. Take care of Grace and then meet me there, I'm going to need your eyes at the scene Danno."

"Well that is why you brought me into the team, which reminds me, what did I tell you about calling me Danno Steven?" She asked, a mixture of amusement and frustration causing him to smile, a smile which grew as she continued speaking. "You know what, don't even answer that, I'll see you at the scene in about forty minutes. Try and remember what the proper procedure and please for the sake of my sanity listen to anything Chin tells you. He knows what he is talking about and I don't have time to sooth any ruffled feathers you may cause with the officers or CSU team so please be pleasant to them" She stated on a sigh.

Steve opened his mouth to defend himself when Danni uttered a goodbye which was swiftly followed by the dial tone indicating that his partner had hang up on him without giving him a chance to speak. He shook his head, tossing the Dictaphone back into the tool box and closed it, lifting it and taking it back into the study. He stored it beneath the desk, trying hard to ignored the fact that he was in the room where his own father had died and quickly left it, heading back into the living room. Steve grabbed his guns and his badge, securing them on his person before he reached over to the arm chair and snagged the dark grey shirt which he had thrown over there the night before. Pulling it on, he gave the room one more glance to make sure he had everything which he needed before he left the house, pulling the door to and locking it behind him. The air was warm against his skin as he headed down the driveway towards his new truck which had finally been delivered to him two days previously and climbed into it, adjusting the seat for a moment before he started the engine, smiling at the healthy sound it made.

The truck may not have been as fast or sleek as the car which Danni owned but at least it was his, a sign that for once he was beginning to place roots down in a place. Something he hadn't done since he had been eighteen and moved from his Aunt and Uncle's house into the accommodation at Annapolis.

Pulling out his cell phone from his pocket he quickly sent the address to his three team members with instructions to meet him there as soon as possible. Chucking the handset on the passenger seat he reversed off the driveway and set off towards the crime scene, his thoughts fixed on the who the NSA agent being sent to them would be and what he would be like. Knowing their luck, he or she would probably be a stuck-up dick who would try and take over the investigation and demand that everything was done the way they wanted. Something which Steve already knew he wouldn't allow to happen which would probably mean arguments and Danni playing peacemaker yet again.

He had been driving around twenty minutes before he pulled his truck to the kerb and killed the engine. Stepping out, he gazed scanned the scene in front of him, taking in as many details as he could from that first glance. A battered, black SUV was on its roof in the middle of the road, with all its window shattered while another white van stood nearby with all the doors flung wide open. Steve frowned as he moved closer to the yellow tape surround the closed off area. A Medical Examiner was in the middle of the area placing a yellow plastic tarp over the still figure of a man dressed in a suit on the floor.

"Hey, we got your message Brah."

Steve blinked at the voice, glancing over his shoulder in time to see Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua approaching him from his right side.

"Good, thanks for getting here so quickly." He replied with a nod at them both, his mouth curving into a slight smile at the sight of them.

"Where is Danni? Did you not arrive here together?" Kono asked, looking around her with a searching look as though she expected Danni to be standing somewhere near by talking to someone.

"Danni is on her way to the scene but she had to drop Grace off at her breakfast club first. She got the same text as you both did so she knows where she's heading. The three of us can start while we wait for her." Steve answered before moving forward, his gaze flickering to the uniformed police officer standing to attention by the tape. "Governor's taskforce, we'll be taking it from here." He stated to the man. The officer looked down at the badge which Steve flashed at him before he nodded and reached back, lifting the tape so they could slip underneath it. Steve ignored him as he stepped into the scene, his eyes narrowing slightly as he began issuing orders to the team. "Okay Chin and Kono I want you to take the SUV and see what you make of it. I want to build up a clear idea on what happened here. I'll deal with the van, Danni will be working with me when she arrives so if you see her before I do then tell her I want to see her." He stated, looking towards them.

"You've got it boss." Kono answered with a nod, slipping a pair of adhesive gloves from her po cket and pulling them on, her gaze already focused on the SUV with an analytical look which Steve hadn't seen before. He wondered briefly whether the Rookie had gotten the gloves from Danni who seemed to have a never-ending supply of them stashed away in her bag for them all to use. For a moment the image almost made him smile before he forced himself to focus on the case at hand and moved away from his team towards the van in question.

He stopped in front of it, looking at it for a moment before his eyes focused on the tall, dark hair man who was dressed in a navy-blue CSU jumpsuit and working at the rear end of the vehicle. Steve took a step towards him, crossing his arms over his chest before he spoke, raising his voice slightly.

"What have you got here?"

The man looked up, a confused look in his green eyes before they dropped to take in Steve's badge which was attached to his belt. A look of recognition coming to his face which told Steve that the other units had been made aware of their existence, something which would make their lives a great deal easier.

"Nothing of note so far Commander." The man answered him in an Australian accent which told Steve instantly that the man in front of him wasn't a local or a native to the island. "There's no fingerprints or anything like that so the men or women who are involved in this must have used gloves. We're still going over it but once you give the word, we'll have the van and the SUV transported back to the lab so we can go over them both using the equipment there. If they made a mistake then we'll find it." He assured Steve confidently.

"I want to have a look at the van myself before you bring it back to the lab. I'll call you over once I'm done with it, after that it's yours." Steve stated, watching as the man raised an eyebrow at him as though he was surprised by the request before he merely nodded.

"Understood Commander" He said before he leaned forward and banged his gloved hand against the side of the van. "Megan, Commander McGarrett want to have a look at the van, we've got to vacate for now." Steve blinked when a dark-haired woman suddenly struck her head out from inside the van, her light brown eyes flickering towards Steve before she focused her attention on the Australian man instead.

"Yeah sure thing Ben" She said as she climbed out and moved away. Ben gave Steve another nod before he turned away as well and followed his partner towards a small group of CSU agents.

Steve moved around the vehicle slowly, his full attention fixed on it. There was nothing about it which stood out in anyway; no logo on the side of the back to indicate where it had originally come from. The licence plate on it was still attached so they would at least be able to do a search on it though Steve was positive that it would flag up as being stolen. Sighing, he hunched down looking at the floor, his gaze falling on a bullet casing which had fallen beneath the van. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pencil and used the end of it to pick up the casing and examine it closely with a frown on concentration on his face.

This would be something which they would be able to use.

"Hey, what is the situation here? What do we have?"

Steve glanced up at the voice, placing the casing back on the floor as he pushed himself to his feet, his eyes landing on his partner who was standing beside him, staring at him with a questioning look on her face.

"Hey, I didn't expect you to get here so early" He commented, ignoring her question for the time being. Danni shrugged at him, her eyes moving from him to take in the rest of the scene as she answered.

"The traffic on the way to Grace's school was ridiculously light for once and I took a shortcut which Meka had shown me a while back to get here quicker." She explained with a faint smile, no doubt brought on by the mention of her former partner who she had worked with before Steve had taken her for his own taskforce and partner. "What can you tell me about the case?"

"It's a kidnapping" He told her briefly. "The victim's name is Roland Lowry; his car was T-boned an hour ago." He waved a hand towards the totalled black SUV which Chin and Kono were still working on before continuing. "Witnesses from the nearby building stated that they heard gunshots being exchanged and it looks like both passengers in the SUV were killed. All of this happened in broad daylight."

Danni made a sound at the back of her throat as she looked away from him to look at the scene again, a sharp look in her eyes. He wondered briefly what she was thinking and whether there was something about what was in front of them which she saw but he didn't. It had taken him less than a week to know that Danni's brain was wired differently to the way his was. She saw patterns which no one else did and Steve didn't think he had ever come across anyone who was as good at reading people and body language as she was despite having worked with every brand of the armed forces. Having Danni as a partner was like having a human lie detector for one though he noticed that she tended to keep quiet about what she observed. A fact which intrigued him, though he knew that if he questioned her too much or pushed her then she would simply clam up and he would get nothing out of her other than a thoughtful, unreadable look.

"And you say that all of this happened in broad daylight?" She queried thoughtfully, breaking him away from his musing as she looked back at him thoughtfully.

"According to what the Governor told me this all happened at six fifteen this morning." He confirmed with a nod.

"You know there is something about this which just isn't adding up for me." She commented, one hand slicing through the air before she crossed her arms over her chest. "This whole thing seems like a pretty messy grab to me just to yank an ordinary, everyday man from his car. Whoever did this must have known his routines and what he would be driving and where he would be at the exact time he was taken. Which then begs the question on whether this is his actual route, if it is then why did he take this particular road? Was he on his way to work or was he heading somewhere differently and if it was somewhere differently then what would have been open this early in the morning that he could go to? Why this guy out of everyone on the island? What made him so special that the kidnappers decided that taking him in such a public fashion with witnesses galore was a risk which was worth taking?" She said, the questions flying out fast though Steve had the impression that she didn't expect him to answer and she was merely speaking out loud.

"The guy who they took wasn't just some ordinary, everyday guy Danni. He's an ex NSA agent who used to have top secret clearance which means that his abduction could be a serious threat to national security. The Governor wants us to deal with this in a subtle manner and she wants us to bring him back preferably before he breaks and starts telling the people who took him exactly what they want to hear from him."

"He's an ex NSA Agent?" Danni repeated sounding surprised as she uncrossed her arms and instead reached up with her hand to rub at the back of her neck. "If he is one of theirs then they are going to be all over this. I highly doubt they ever really let one of their employees go without some precautions in place in case something like this happens."

"Apparently they do. They have already been in contact with the Governor and told her that they are sending one of their agents over to assist us with the investigation. He or she happened to be on the island giving a lecture at the academy today." Steve told her, there must have been a tone to his voice because she shot him a quick look before she spoke, lowering her voice so that they wouldn't be overheard even though no one was around them at that moment in time.

"It's not unusual for agencies to send someone to talk to the Academy in the hopes that they will spot a talent and seduce them over to their side of things." She said "Whatever it is that you're planning on doing when they arrive you can forget. You have to play nice with the person Steven. We're going to need all the help we can get on this case especially when it comes to figuring out exactly what he was working on which could have made him a target in the first place." She warned him sternly. "I'm going to head over and speak to Doctor White, the ME before he leaves for the morgue, maybe he can provide me with the name of our two victims and give me some details. I'll also check out the licence plate on the van and see what pops up. It's probably stolen but you never know, maybe we can still strike it lucky with it."

"I doubt we'll have any luck with this case but go ahead, I'll carry on working here." He told her turning his attention back to the van with a frown.

Somehow, he had the feeling that this was only the beginning of a very long day.

Author Note

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