"Old Friends"

Shakespeare's Lemonade

Rating: T

Genre: Friendship/Mystery

Summary: Steve's old friend Sam comes to visit, but things go wrong when Sam and Danny disappear and the team from LA comes to help find them.

A/N: I haven't watched as much NCIS: LA as I have Hawaii Five-0, so if I get stuff wrong, let me know and I'll try to do better. Obviously, there will be a certain amount of AU stuff because it's a crossover.

Chapter One "Welcome to Hawaii"

"Hawaii?" Callen asked with raised eyebrows. "For some reason, that doesn't seem like your thing, Sam."

"I'm not going as a tourist, G." Sam said.

"It's vacation right?"

"Right. I have an old friend who lives in Honolulu that I'm staying with."

Callen shrugged. "Well, have fun."

Sam almost laughed. "I doubt it'll be much different than around here. Steve heads up this new police task force and from what he's told me, things won't be very relaxing."

"So why are you going again?"

"'Cause I haven't seen Steve in years and when I told him I was actually taking a vacation this year, he invited me down there for the week."

"How do you know each other?"

"Navy. I haven't seen him in—I don't know—it's been a long time."

X

"I hope this isn't like last time," Danny said, sitting heavily on Steve's couch.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve asked, crossing his arms.

"I mean, I hope we don't end up with a miniature war on your lawn."

Steve shook his head and pointed. "Okay, for one thing, Sam's nothing like Nick Taylor. For another, he's NCIS."

"What?"

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service."

"Why can't you just say that?"

"Because it takes too long. You say HPD."

"But everyone knows what 'PD' stands for. After that, it's a matter of simple deduction." Danny wore his signature superior look.

Steve rolled his eyes and sunk into a chair. "As I was saying, Sam is not the type to betray everyone for money."

"And Taylor was?"

"Guess so."

"I know the likelihood of something like that happening again is pretty much nonexistent, but knowing you..."

"Yeah, sure. All my friends are mercenary assassins."

"Except me."

"What about Chin and Kono?"

"You know, I'd say them too, but you're really a magnet for trouble, so you never know."

"I'll be sure to tell Kono you think she's a mercenary assassin. She should take that well." Steve gave Danny a knowing grin.

"Shut up."

"And what about Grace? She's my friend too."

"No. I won't allow that."

"What? You won't let her got to assassin school or be my friend?"

"Both."

"I'll let you break the news then."

"Never mind. Is that room all cleaned out now?"

"Yeah. I never knew how much stuff my parents had."

"You know, usually, emotional jobs like that are done over longer periods."

"The only thing you were emotional about was pizza."

"Where is it by the way?"

"Coming. Anyway, it wasn't that bad. My dad's room had less stuff than the others."

"This is the last time I help you, if that's considered 'less stuff.' Pizza is not a sufficient bribe, especially when you rarely end up actually paying for it."

"Fine. We can't eat until Sam gets here anyway."

Danny unconsciously looked out the window as his stomach growled. "When is he getting here?"

"He said the plane landed at seven-thirty."

"It's eight."

"I don't think we'll send a search party until he's at least a couple of hours late."

"You think you're very funny, don't you?"

"Me? I'm hilarious. But I understand, when it comes to you, food is no laughing matter."

"No. So stop being hilarious."

"It's my house."

"I just moved several tons of crap out of your house."

Steve was about to reply when out of the corner of his eye he saw a car pull into the driveway. He got up and headed to the door. Danny stood too, but stayed where he was.

Outside, Sam exited his rental car. He got his bag and locked the car just as Steve appeared in the doorway. Both of them noted with some satisfaction that neither seemed to have changed much in the years since they'd seen one another.

"Before I let you in, you have to promise you're not a mercenary assassin," Steve said.

"What?" Sam asked with a laugh.

"Danny's still a little sore about Taylor."

Sam smirked. "I guess I don't blame him. All right, I'm not a mercenary assassin; I promise."

Steve reached out and pulled Sam into a handshake/hug, then stepped aside and allowed him in.

Danny came over and introduced himself.

"Yeah," Sam said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"All lies, I'm sure." Danny glared at Steve.

"Nothing worse than what you tell Grace about me," Steve said.

"But that's the truth," Danny insisted.

"Are you sure you don't exaggerate just a little?"

"No. I never exaggerate when it comes to you. You are that evil."

"There's a pizza guy in your driveway," Sam said.

Steve looked out the still open door. "Danny, you want to get that and I'll show Sam upstairs."

"No, no, no, no, no," Danny said, waving his hands dramatically.

"What?" Steve asked, spreading his arms.

"I believe I mentioned earlier your propensity to offer to pay for things and then not actually do it. So I will show Sam upstairs and you get the pizza."

"Fine." Steve made a show of shrugging like he didn't care, but Danny knew better.

Sam only shook his head and tried not to laugh as Danny led him up the stairs.

"He hasn't changed has he?" Sam asked.

"You mean he was always like this?" Danny said. "I'm sorry."

Sam laughed. "I think he's mellowed a bit."

"I find that extremely difficult to believe. I mean, if he were any more irritating, I think anyone within a ten mile radius would be shooting themselves."

"Then how'd you get to be friends?"

"Apparently, no one else can put up with either of us." Danny opened the door to what used to be John McGarrett's room. "Here you are," he said. "We spent the entire day cleaning it out. I guess Steve's dad never got rid of anything."

"Sorry about the inconvenience."

"No. I get the satisfaction of McGarrett paying for something out of the deal."

"Speaking of that," Sam said, leaving his bag on the floor and turning back to the door.

"Yeah," Danny said, and they both returned downstairs.

Then all three of them enjoyed their pizza and talked late into the night. Danny hadn't been quite sure what to expect when Steve told him an old Navy friend was coming to visit. The only thing he could think of was the Nick Taylor incident, and while he teased Steve about it, he didn't honestly think all his friends were evil. Of course, Danny still couldn't imagine Steve having any sane friends, including himself, but Sam seemed normal enough. He was vague about his job, but he explained that it was classified.

"Are you satisfied now?" Steve asked Danny as the evening was winding down.

Danny looked at Sam and made a show of rubbing his jaw and looking thoughtful. "It's looking good for you," he finally said.

"Am I supposed to be happy about that?" Sam asked.

"Means he won't hurl his verbal daggers at you," Steve said. "I'd be pretty honored."

"You know, you can be very melodramatic?" Danny said.

"Just wait," Steve said to Sam. "You'll see what I mean."

"I think I already do," Sam said, noting the glare Danny sent Steve's way. Suddenly, Sam's phone rang and he wondered who would be calling him so late. He had his suspicions. Looking at the caller ID, they were confirmed.

"What's up, G.?" he answered. "You do realize it's midnight here?... No, I was up, but why are you? Never mind... Hawaii's fine... Look, just go to sleep already." Sam hung up and looked at the other two who looked amused.

"Your friend's name is G.?" Danny asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied, not bothering to elaborate. "He doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not chasing down spies and terrorists."

"Sounds like someone else we know." Danny looked meaningfully at Steve.

"Hey, I know how to have a good time," Steve argued.

"Yes. When it's hanging people off roofs or tossing them in shark tanks."

"Or tying them to the hood of your car."

"That was not fun."

"It was for me."

"Okay, so you see my point?"

"You have a point? That's new."

Sam laughed. "Just like old times," he said.

"No, I really can't believe he was always like this," Danny said.

"Believe it," Sam said. "Where do you think I got my sense of humor?"

"You should try it, Danny," Steve said. "It might help you deal with those anger issues."

"I don't have anger issues. I have an anger issue: you."

"That's enough for anyone," Sam said. "But compared to my partner, I'd say you have it easy."

"The guy that calls you at midnight?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. He doesn't sleep."

"Does he nearly drive you off the road at least once a day?"

"I avoid riding with G. He has a tendency to run red lights because he's going too fast to notice them."

"Okay, I can sympathize with that."

"I am a very good driver," Steve said.

"Yes. You are. And I would rather have never learned that... Well, some of us have to work in the morning." Danny stood up.

"Sam's tagging along this week, right?" Steve said.

"Yeah," Sam replied, smirking. "I can't wait."

"Then you need to bring your car," Danny said to Steve. "Because there's no way Sam will fit in the backseat of mine."

"You would," Steve said.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. Besides, we never take your truck."

"That's because your car can go more places."

"But it's about time you ran over somebody and it would be so much cleaner in a truck."

In the end, they drove Danny's car, but Steve was forced to sit in the back. Danny called it compromise and Steve wondered how Danny even knew that word.

Sam was beginning to think this might be the most fun he'd had in a long time because when he knew Steve years ago, he had been sort of no-nonsense, but now he was actually sort of ridiculous at times. Sam credited it to Danny's influence. And he thought that maybe if he annoyed G. more, they're partnership could become stronger. The trouble was, G. was better at being annoying.