Synopsis: The road to recovery isn't as easy as Danny Williams thought it would be. Steve McGarrett is hiding inside his mile-high emotional wall and, without meaning to; he has started blocking Danny out. But when gun smugglers come searching for payback, will Steve be there for Danny? Or will his Jersey partner be forever silenced. DANNY!WHUMP and STEVE!ANGST. NO SLASH. Friendship only.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawaii Five-0 and am not getting any monetary gain for this story, just playing in CBS's sandbox for a while. These characters and storylines remain the property of CBS. No disrespect intended, just great characters that inspire their own stories.

Rated: T for violence and injuries. Not a Death-Fic.

Notes: Angst and Hurt/Comfort are kinda my thing and I opened a can of worms in the first story, 'Words can Kill'. Here's the sequel.

Epilogue:

Broken Dreams

Danny sat watching Grace as she ran in and out of the rising surf. Her giggles bringing a smile to his face as he sipped on some juice. No alcohol! His incredibly obnoxious partner had informed him when he'd shown up for the barbecue. The weather was nice, warm without being too hot and nice breeze blowing gently through the tops of the tall palm trees. The comforting smell of surf and food mingled to create a warm cocoon of safety and the cop couldn't help but relax against the back of the wooden chair.

Kono was chatting animatedly with Chin and Adam. The older cop was still marching around on a set of crutches, but he was all smiles when he glanced over and caught Danny watching them. He and Chin had talked a lot over the last several weeks and Danny had a better understanding of what had happened when he'd been taken. He'd been understandably upset when he'd learned about the danger his team had placed themselves in to find him. But the older cop had quietly explained that Danny would have done the same thing for any of them. And of course that was true, but that was different...wasn't it?

Chin held up a glass of dark cranberry colored juice and 'saluted' the Jersey cop.

So Steve put you on the juice restriction too? He thought with amusement. Leave it to McGarrett to decide what his injured team was allowed to drink. Control freak. Like they weren't old enough to recognize that they were on pain meds and mixing those alcohol wasn't the best idea.

Danny had been released from the hospital two weeks ago. He was healing up fine, though he still had vast patches of lost memories. The doctors had explained that there was a chance he would never get those back. That had been a particularly frustrating realization for him. Danny knew that something had happened in that lava tube. Something that had healed the broken wall Steve liked to hide behind. But for the life of him, he couldn't recall the precious memory.

His emotionally stunted partner wasn't ignoring him anymore and he wasn't trying to keep Danny in the dark. Steve had simply explained that some things couldn't be expressed twice. That little gem had earned the SEAL a rant. Which had left him smiling and Danny frustrated.

"So how's the head today?" Steve asked as he walked over and sank onto the chair next to Danny. The cop was quick to notice that the SEAL had a beer. Which was completely unfair in Danny's opinion...if anyone would've bothered to ask Danny's opinion. Which they hadn't, bastards.

Danny lifted his eyebrows and considered the answer. The constant headaches were still rattling around inside his noggin, but he was able to function through them now. With time they should dissipate into nothing. He hoped that came sooner as opposed to later, because Danny really didn't like having his head used as a battlefield…on the inside anyway. "It's okay." He lied.

Steve tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Liar." He stated easily.

The blonde looked over at his partner and pressed his lips together in irritation. "Did you just call me a liar?" When Steve simply nodded, Danny shot him a glare. "I'll have you know, oh clairvoyant one, that I do not lie. I may bend the truth so that it fits my version of it, but I do not in fact, lie."

The dark man just shook his head. "You seem a little sensitive about this whole lying thing. Has someone called you a liar before, Daniel?" There was humor just beneath the surface and that actually irritated the detective further.

"In case you've forgotten. I was seriously injured recently and because of that, I am allowed to alter whatever facts I see fit until such time as I can recall the actual facts of the situation at hand." Danny had every intention of going further with his little 'rant'. But the second he saw the smile slip from Steve's face and real distress seep into his stormy eyes, he stopped. "Steve? I was just kidding."

Steve looked down at his hands and then the sand under the chairs they were sitting on. The laughter from the other groups made its way back to them and he found that he couldn't smile. Because how could Danny ever think that he would forget what had happened over the last three months? Seeing his best friend and partner nearly die, twice…it was more than enough to feed his nightmares for decades to come. And to be perfectly honest, Steve hadn't needed any more fuel for those particular fires. They were already stocked high with the betrayals and the deaths of those he loved. He didn't think that he would have survived adding Danny to that list.

Danny watched the emotions crash across Steve's face as he swallowed and forced the vivid memories into the chasms of his battered mind. He reached out, his white cast now adorned with Steve's signature, catching the slowly waning light of the Hawaiian sun.

"Hey! The steaks are almost ready." Chin called out.

The detective glanced up and held his hand up asking for a moment. Chin frowned but nodded in understanding.

"Steven, I need you to look at me." Danny asked as his cast touched Steve's unsteady hands. When the blue-green gaze lifted to meet Danny's steely blue, it was almost more than the Jersey man could handle. There laid out in front of him were the flayed remains of Steve's soul. "I need you to listen to me, Steve. Really listen."

Steve nodded, but remained silent.

Danny licked his lips and took a breath, ignoring the slight twinge of pain in his side as he shifted forward. "I do not blame you. I have nothing but gratitude for your relentless and sometimes sadistic attention to a case, without which I probably wouldn't be here right now." Danny's eyes flickered over to Grace and her friend, Hannah, playing happily in the shallow waters of the Ocean.

"I…it just never should've gotten that bad." Steve whispered.

"And that is every bit as much my fault as it is yours. We are a great team, but that means that we literally almost live in one another's back pockets. And we are going to annoy each other. But that doesn't mean that I don't trust you or that I would want any other person as my partner. You're it babe. The best partner I've ever had…and the best friend."

Steve started to say something, but Danny interrupted. "Not done yet, Steven. I have no doubt that we will piss each other off in the future and that we will fight and argue. But we will also have barbecues, parties, and eventually maybe another wedding or two. The point is, we will do all of this together as friends, as partners, and as brothers."

Tears burned in the corners of Steve's eyes as he listened to what Danny was saying. Somewhere in his heart he had been terrified that the detective had lost faith in his ability to be a good partner. But listening to Danny now, he knew that they were going to be okay. Danny smiled and started to stand up, Steve's words pulled him back.

"You know I feel the same, right Danno?" Steve smiled. For the first time in months he actually smiled and it wasn't forced…it was genuine.

Danny titled his head to the side and raised an eyebrow in response. "I just poured my manly heart out all over this beach and you're stealing it? Seriously? My awesome bromance moment has been reduced to something that is worthy of plagiarism?"

Steve actually scoffed at that. "Well, you said it so well, I didn't want to mess with perfection."

The blonde glared at him. But there was no heat behind the action and there was a considerable amount of humor. "I'm going to remind you that you said that in the future."

"Of that I have no doubt." Steve shot back good-naturedly.

Grace interrupted them as she sprinted to Danny's side. "Come on, Danno. The food is ready and I'm starving."

"Okay, monkey. Uncle Steve and I will be there in just a minute." The child grinned a toothy grin and hugged him.

"Love you, Danno." And then she raced off with Hannah in tow.

"Love you too, monkey." Danny called after her.

Kono had taken that opportunity to wander toward the small group. "Is this an invite only party or can anyone join?"

Danny laughed. "You're always invited." She hugged him and he found himself feeling better than he had in a long time.

"Kamekona and Max are on their way. I think they're bringing Flippa and Jerry too." She added with a wry smile as she started toward the table with all the food.

Danny groaned. "Great, hide the tin foil and the left overs."

Steve blinked in surprise at the caustic remark. "I think Jerry gave up the tin foil hats."

"Yes, but they will now wrap all the left overs in foil and take them." Danny pressed his lips together in mock irritation. "Every time we have one of these? The extra food just ups and disappears. Maybe I'd like to take some with me?"

Steve shook his head. "You've been staying here, Danny. There's more than enough in the fridge." They started toward the large gathering and something occurred to Steve. "Bromance? What the hell is a bromance?"

Danny glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know, I heard it somewhere. I watch television."

"So do I. Pretty sure I've never heard that." Steve responded with a sigh. "Besides I don't think that's a technical term."

Before Danny could respond they were drawn into the festivities of the barbecue. Smiles and laughter permeated the air as much as the mouth-watering aroma of food. For now, the whole team was good…very good. But tomorrow was another day...

H50 H50

Danny didn't know what hauled him out of the depths of sleep. But something had him clutching his chest as panic tripped through his body in uncontrolled waves. He couldn't remember the dream, but he knew enough to know that it had scared the hell outta him. He'd felt confined and trapped…no way out and his hope was draining away as quickly as his energy. The worst part was, he was alone. Inside, Danny knew he was going to die and he was terrified that it would be entombed and alone...in the darkness.

The sweat ran down his face and quickly disappeared into his soaked t-shirt. He swung his legs over the edge of the couch and leaned forward. His previous injuries were only moderately painful at the moment. But his heart was slamming inside his chest like he'd run a marathon. Danny glanced up to make sure that Steve had not been awakened by his nightmare. The upstairs door to Steve's bedroom was slightly ajar and there was no light and no movement.

Danny swallowed his panic and reached down, turning on the television. He made sure it was faint and settled back in to watch some infomercials. He was definitely not going back to sleep tonight.

The Real End...

Author's Note: Okay so I wanted to play out the memory thing and I think that's where the third part of this series will focus. That and finding the last remaining man that tried to kill Steve and Danny. Thank you to everyone that took the time to read and review, I really appreciate it.

PLEASE REVIEW: And let me know, if you haven't already, if you're interested in one last story in this 'injured Danny' verse.