I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes: Patterns of Warmth - some evils are necessary to get to the place you should have been all along.

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O

He was on the swing-set during recess when he saw him. It was such a surprise, at first C.J. wasn't sure though. On the opposite side of the street. On the other side of the tall school fence, C.J. didn't think it could be that man. But when he smiled and then lifted his hand to wave to him, C.J. knew. He stopped pumping his legs and slowed the swing down by dragging the toes of his blue sneakers in the hard-packed dirt rut until he stopped moving altogether.

Eyes riveted to the man's face, C.J. began to tremble. He wanted to run but he couldn't move. He wanted to tell his teacher that someone bad was too close. But his hands wouldn't work.

C.J.'s tears welled up as the man waved to him again. He waved and then pointed his finger at C.J. before tapping his hand twice to his chest. It was clearly a finger sign which scared C.J. so badly that it finally got him moving. He stood up from the swing, still staring through the fence and across the street. He clearly saw the man laugh as he pointed to C.J. again, once more tapping his chest twice.

That man had never liked it when C.J. tried to talk with his hands. He would slap at his fingers, sometimes pinch him hard, or laugh at him other times. He would never - ever - use sign language at all to say anything to C.J. Not ever. But that man did now. and C.J. didn't know what to think as the man did it for a third time, bursting out into laughter when C.J. shook his head.

'No.' It wasn't true. The man only laughed harder while pointing at him.

C.J. knew that mean look and knew that the man was making fun of him. His chin trembled and a tear rolled down his cheek. Suddenly the man wasn't laughing any more. His face looked mad now. It was the bad face that he would make before hitting his mommy or punching a wall ... or sometimes, even hitting C.J.

'You.' The man pointed to him again. His eyes were mad as he stood even taller before tapping his chest twice. Firmly. Making those two taps as a big, big motion.

'Mine.'

'No,' C.J. shook his head again and again. 'No!' It wasn't true! He backed up towards the school. 'No!' He managed to sign the word even though his hands were shaking. He turned and ran then not waiting to see what the man would do. Sobbing hard, C.J. ran to the safety of the school.

He bolted up the steps, stopping only when his teacher grabbed his arm. She made fast signs - her face saying how worried she was for him - asking him with her hands what was wrong and wanting to help. He tried to tell her through his tears but he was too afraid. When he failed at making the right words, he pulled and struggled to get away from her so he could hide. But she only swung him up into her arms, holding him tight, rubbing his back soothingly.

He wanted Danno and Daddy. He wanted to go home.

Frightened by what had happened and not knowing what to do, C.J. cried and cried. As his teacher carried him quickly into the school, he hid his face in her shoulder. He stopped fighting and wrapped his arms around her neck. Danno and Daddy said he would never come back. Aunt Emily had promised that he would never ever come back ever again.

But all of them had been wrong.

~ to be continued ~