Hi! This story is set roughly from around S1/ep16 to S2/ep15, and includes big spoilers for E Malama and the S2 ep Mai Ka Wa Kahiko, and a few spoilers of the eps in between.

The character Dr Gabrielle Asano doesn't feature at all (in my fic, Danny never hooked up just because), and neither does Jenna Kaye nor Lori Weston (sorry).

It's a GEN case-fic, with lots of emotional/physical whump (and poor Danny is the focus of all that, although I'm not kind to the rest of the team either - I'm just that mean ;p), and must include the warnings for bad language and some pretty nasty whumping. Lots of crime drama's such as Criminal Minds helped me with the inspiration in this.

Haven't a clue when Danny's birthday is (don't think it's ever been disclosed), so for the sake of this fic, I decided July :D. I've also never been to Hawaii, so, many apologies if my online research about the beautiful State is off, and same for any medical blunders I wrote (not a doctor either).

I have to mention my son here too, because he has this amazing imagination that helped me when my muse ended up backed against a wall and refused to play ball... so lots of hugs and kisses, kiddo!

Anyway, on with the fic... hope you enjoy :o) Bryce x

The Game.

He couldn't get his damned cell to work, kept pressing the answer button over and over until his thumb suddenly melted onto the screen in swirls of red and capital letters that, rearranged, spelled IGNORE.

He could still hear Grace's frightened screams, tinny and sharp, and shouted at the cell stuck to his hand... "Hold on, baby, Daddy's coming..."

"You have a tone. If I have a face, well, you have a tone, Danno."

"What the fuck?" But when he glanced about up expecting to see his annoying partner, Step-Stan was there instead, with a handful of tapes that quickly morphed into a smoking gun...

...and when Danny looked at the cell in his hand again, he saw his shield instead, black ribbon striped across it, and he was suddenly standing by the side of a child size coffin...

Gasping awake, Danny gripped at his bare chest and desperately tried to get his breathing under control. His legs were tangled in his sheet and he fought to free them, cursing as tears and sweat stung his eyes. After a moment struggling, he slumped back and stilled in the darkness, still pricking with the vestiges of fear induced terrors, and made himself say out loud, "Grace is fine, Grace is safe, Grace is alive," until the prickling stopped and he was left wondering how the hell this had become his life.

Since he moved away from his home and family in New Jersey, to a shitty little lonely craphole of an apartment in Oahu, Danny had decided that sleep had rapidly become overrated.

What was it that Shakespeare had said? To sleep, perchance to dream? Well, the dreams that relentlessly plagued him since he joined a task force, where he was constantly shot at/chased/beaten up on a weekly basis, and drove him nearly to the brink of insanity, sometimes made Danny almost wish he could shuffle off this mortal coil.

Almost wish... though he knew he never willingly would. And that was because he had his daughter, someone he'd dragged his ass nearly five thousand miles across the US to be near because he loved her more than life itself. He was a father and took the responsibility to raise his baby girl and keep her safe very seriously. It was his job. He could never leave Grace, she was his absolute everything.

And that's kept him going...

Eventually the pressing need of his bladder overtook the desire to just lay back and stare blindly at the ceiling fan that was so old it barely cooled him, and Danny roughly scrubbed his hands over his face and finally pushed himself up on the sofa bed. It wasn't quite five AM yet, but he was sticky with drying sweat and wide awake, had been for the last hour, unable to sleep as he relived the lingering taunts of his nightmare over and over.

Dragging his aching body finally out of bed, he half stumbled into his small bathroom, squinting at the glare of the harsh, unforgiving strip light above his sink. Jesus, he looked a mess, like death barely warmed over. Ignoring the mirror, he closed his eyes and blindly turned to the toilet, relieving himself with a sigh, one hand firmly on the wall supporting his balance.

The terrifying voicemail of his ex-wife and his baby girl being carjacked screamed in his head again, and his eyes snapped open with a gasp.

"Fuck," he hissed, feeling a warm splash on his feet. He grimaced, yanked his shorts off and switched on the shower, setting the temperature to cool.

It had been weeks since that incident had happened, since some lowlife motherfucker had pulled out a gun and terrorised his daughter, but the memory was still too fresh, still too raw, and the nightmare – always the same, over and over again - lurked around the edge of his sleep, waiting for him to close his eyes before it gripped him in its terrifying claws, latched on and dragged him under, and refused to let go.

Danny could still vividly remember how his life had literally exploded into white blind panic when he heard the voicemail, remembered how much he'd wanted to kill Stan, beat him to a bloody pulp when he learned that it was him that had put Grace in danger through his stupid and thoughtless actions. And he hated the fact that Stan had seemed so oblivious to the consequences of what he'd done, that the risks he'd taken could've gotten his family killed.

Jesus Christ! What had the idiot been thinking? His daughter had been terrorised and had a gun pointed at her, and it was all Stan's fault!

The intense crushing ache in his chest had nearly suffocated him when Stan finally told Danny everything, about Bruce Hoffman, (an apparent corrupt housing commissioner), and a certain set of taped recordings, and Danny did the only thing he could. He demanded the tapes, and made the problem go away for Stan, for the sake and safety of his daughter.

Slamming the housing commissioner up against a set of kitchen shelves while he informed him that he, Detective Danny Williams, and not Stan Edwards, had the tapes now, and imprinting his badge number on the bastards forehead just in case he forgot his name, along with a very serious threat to never go near his daughter again, had only been marginally cathartic.

His chest still tightened as if in a steel vice every time he thought about it.

One thing out of the whole mess though, was that he and Stan had a new understanding of each other, and since then, contact between him and his ex-wife had been almost amicable.

Staring at himself in the mirror, Danny did regret having to leave his team to deal with a missing high profile witness, but a small smirk lifted one side of his mouth as he couldn't help the image of Steve, filthy and dishevelled and still smudged with camouflage paint and mud, popping into his head. The Navy SEAL might have pulled off the whole GI Joe Badass Special Forces Super Soldier thing with flare, if he hadn't been standing there with a huge goofy grin on his face when Danny had walked back into the Five-O headquarters that evening, after dropping Stan back home.

Shuddering out a deep breath, he climbed into the tiny shower and washed the vestiges of yet another bad, sleepless night away. Three minutes later, (and wouldn't Steve be surprised that he did know how to take a Navy Shower?), Danny stepped out, dried and shoved his legs into a pair of shorts, securing the support brace around his knee, (the ACL damage was healed but Danny didn't like taking chances). Sniffing an old NJSP t-shirt he found in his hamper, he decided it was still good and pulled it on as he toed into a pair of running shoes.

Steve McGarrett swam, he ran. Not that Steve actually knew that, because frankly, Danny didn't know how long he'd be able to survive SuperSEAL's competitive streak before feeling an intense need to kneecap him. Running was a great way to clear his head, and since being shanghaied into being partnered with a certifiable lunatic, Danny ran simply to stay fit too, because said lunatic partner was like an energiser bunny on crack.

Grabbing his keys and pocketing his phone, he pulled door locked and left silently.

The sun was just thinking about rising when Danny hit the beach, and he picked up his pace, sprinting steadily along the sand, kicking up grains in his wake, and listening to the rolling waves drowning out the early morning bustle of city life.

For a little while the whole world just consisted of the gentle sounds of Hawaii and the rhythmic thud of his feet as he ran, and Danny emptied his mind and focussed on that.

His phone beeped thirty minutes later reminding him to return home and get ready for work.

H-5-0

Setting the high tech zoom lens camera to take multiple shots, the rapid fire clicks of pictures being captured suddenly filled the cab of the innocuous truck parked near Iolani Palace.

Each frame captured Detective Danny Williams perfectly.

The ex-New Jersey native, now a member of Hawaii's new elite Five-O task force, enchanted the truck's only occupant. Not the tallest of men, but his personality and character certainly made up for what he lacked in height, and always smartly dressed, even down to the tie, the Detective was proving to be a perfect choice for an opponent when the next game began, especially after researching his impressive case solving history. A worthy adversary indeed. It would be fun to see just how much it would take to break this one.

Picking up the camera again, the lens aimed towards the building, the shutter snapped quickly when a taller, dark haired man came outside to greet Danny. A smile formed on the face behind the camera.

"Ah, hello Lieutenant Commander McGarrett."

The Navy SEAL, along with the final two members of Five-O, were hopefully also going to play a vital part in The Game.

Lowering the camera, calculating eyes watched as the two men, oblivious to the surveillance, turned and headed to the Detective's car. Ten minutes after the Camaro left, so did the truck.

H-5-0

"I'm serious, Steve, okay?" Danny repeated, his voice high, index finger emphasising how serious he actually was. "There's gonna be no party shenanigans whatsoever! You understand me?"

Smirking, Steve threw a small glance Danny's way. It didn't matter what the man said, it was Danny's birthday at the weekend and Grace had asked her Uncle Steve if they could maybe have a party for him at his house.

Steve didn't even have to think about it.

"What is that look?" Danny demanded, eyes narrowing. "You have a look. What have you done, huh?"

Looking mildly affronted, Steve blinked and waved a hand, "I haven't done anything. I swear!"

And it was true... technically. All he'd done was give Grace and Rachel the spare key to his house for them to decorate it. He pulled the Camaro up to the coffee shop and switched off the engine.

"No, I don't believe you," Danny accused as he climbed out of the car. He leaned on the roof with both elbows and pointed at his partner. "You have that look!"

Closing the door, Steve shrugged innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Danny."

Danny growled under his breath and watched Steve saunter into the shop. He rolled his eyes, closed his door and followed him.

"...yeah, and cocoa puffs too, thanks."

"Jesus, Steve, you eating for two and didn't tell me?" Danny smirked when he saw the order for malasadas and cocoa puffs being bagged for them. The barista chuckled when Steve scowled at Danny.

"Ha-ha, very funny." He paid for the coffee and pastries and dumped the bags in Danny's arms.

Grinning, Danny followed Steve back to the car and got in. He deposited the bags on the back seat and reached for his coffee as Steve manoeuvred them back into the flow of traffic, taking a long drink and savouring the caffeine hit. It perked him up a little more and Danny could finally shake the last of the residual fatigue that fogged his mind.

The car stopped at a set of red traffic lights, and Danny waved and smiled at a pretty girl dressed in a green palm tree print bikini, holding a sign for a surf shop on the sidewalk. Steve gave him a smirk and chuckled when the girl waved enthusiastically back.

"Isn't she a little young for you, Danno?"

"Shut up," Danny growled rolling his eyes. She was too young, but she was pretty and hell, he was just as red blooded as the next man! And if she was going to stand there holding that sign looking like that, Danny was going to wave, being the friendly guy that he was.

Plus, he caught Steve checking her out, too. Pot and Kettle, anyone? The lights turned green and someone honked behind them. Danny chuckled at the embarrassed flush pinking up his partner's ears as the Camaro screeched off a little too fast.

"You not gonna dig in?" Steve asked a moment later.

"Huh?" Dig in? What?

"The malasadas and cocoa puffs. Breakfast!"

Shaking his head, Danny reached back and grabbed a bag, immediately stuffing a whole cocoa puff into his mouth. Steve grinned.

"Happy?" Danny asked chewing openly, sugar sprinkling down his front.

"Ah man, that's just disgusting!"

Laughing, Danny returned the bag to the back seat again, brushed the dusting of cocoa powder from his shirt, and drank his coffee, ignoring the slightly confused looks Steve was now giving him. Eventually though, he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"Is that it?"

"Is what it?"

"One cocoa puff?"

What the hell was Steve talking about? Danny frowned irritated. "One cocoa puff? What about it? What're you on about?"

Sighing, Steve lowered his voice and said softly, "Danny, there's another notch on your belt."

A little thrown for a second by Steve's words, Danny stared at him. And then he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Hmm, I don't know whether to be flattered or a little bit disturbed that you've been checking out my figure, Steven," he grinned suggestively.

Steve's eyes widened and the tips of his ears pinked up again. "What?! It's not... I'm not checking out... Look, I'm just concerned is all," he sputtered.

Laughing at his friend's hilarious denial, Danny relaxed and finished his coffee. "Well, don't be. I'm fine," he promised. Hell, he'd been a cop a long time, he knew stress, even this level of stress, and he could handle a few – okay, more than his fair share – nightmares, thank you very much. Sighing to himself, Danny knew Steve would not give up though, ever. The man was insatiable; like an oversized, excited puppy begging for more doggy treats, and he turned and gave his friend an open, honest smile. "Really. Hey, it's been a rough couple of months, and I do appreciate your concern, however ambiguous it might seem-" he winked, "but seriously, I'm fine. Alright?"

Parking the car in its customary space next to Iolani Palace, Steve turned off the engine and nodded at his partner. He wasn't completely convinced that Danny was one hundred percent okay, because the paleness of his skin and dark circles under his eyes seemed to be a permanent fixture lately, and he knew dealing with the carjacking had to have left him with nightmares, but Steve couldn't rightly argue the fact that Danny was certainly not letting any of it affect his work.

Didn't stop Steve worrying though.

"Hey, if you ever need to, y'know, talk..."

Danny gaped at Steve. "Uh, no. Thanks, but I'd rather chew off my left foot," he snorted, ignoring the almost comical relieved look flitter across his partner's face. SuperSEAL? Talk?! Priceless!

H-5-0

The McGarrett Residence looked like a party bomb had exploded inside it. Streamers, balloons, banners, fairy lights decorated the place to the extreme. Steve stopped in his tracks as soon as he opened his door and actually back pedalled right back outside again.

"Oh my God," he snorted, and then laughed loudly. "Oh man, Danny, your daughter would make an awesome party planner!"

The little girl had outdone herself. His eyes tried to take in everything at once, but were quickly drawn to the huge, handmade banner that stretched along the whole of the back wall, proudly printed with "Happy Birthday, Danno!" in carefully painted letters and enhanced with glitter, feathers and sequins.

A huge smile filled Steve's face and he bravely ventured inside and closed the door. It was just beautiful. It looked like a craft store had thrown up in his living room, but the effort Grace had put into everything warmed his heart, and he knew despite his bitching, Danny would absolutely love it.

Rachel answered on the second ring when Steve called, and happily handed the phone over to Grace when he asked to speak with her. "Uncle Steve!"

"Hey, Gracie, you're not in bed are you?" he asked. It was only eight o'clock, but it was a school night.

"No, well, not technically," she said. "Mommy said I could stay up a little bit in case you called, and you did, Uncle Steve! So, what do you think? Do you like it? Do you think Danno will like it?"

Laughing at the enthusiasm in Grace's voice, Steve answered with a resounding, "Wow! It's amazing, honey! Your Danno is gonna love it!"

He had to hold the cell away from his ear when Grace squealed loudly. "Oh, mommy says I have to go to bed now, but you gotta promise not to tell Danno about the party. It's a surprise, okay? Promise?"

"I promise, Gracie, cross my heart," Steve smiled listening to Danny's daughter hand the cell to her mom and skip off to bed shouting 'goodnight'.

"Thank you, Commander, for doing this for her," Rachel's voice sounded a moment later.

"No problem," Steve shrugged sincerely. Truth was he'd do just about anything for Grace.

"You do realise that Daniel might not be too enamoured with all the attention, of course," Rachel chuckled, knowing her ex husband very well.

And having been treated to numerous threats by his partner on the subject of parties, surprises and anything birthday related, Steve barked out a laugh. "Yes, but you leave that to me. The place looks great, Rachel, Danny'll love it. Trust me."

Rachel snorted, but she finished the call by telling him that she hoped the day went well, and to remind Danny to have Grace home by six PM on the Sunday.

H-5-0

As soon as the school bell rang, Grace grabbed her back pack and raced to the door. She was being picked up by her dad and was staying with him the whole weekend, and she was so excited! Tomorrow was his birthday, and they were going to have a party, and it was going to be the best party ever!

She'd spent hours decorating Uncle Steve's house and lanai, she'd even used shells and pebbles on the beach to spell out Danno's name in the sand! She couldn't wait for her dad to see it.

Clutching her pack to her chest she trotted down the steps and right into Danny's waiting arms.

"Danno!"

"Hey Monkey," Danny smiled hugging her tightly.

"Daddy, you're squishing me," Grace giggled, squirming when Danny's finger's danced lightly over her ribs.

"Did you have a good day at school?" he asked as he took her hand and walked with her to the Camaro. She skipped along happily telling him all about her day. A few mothers waiting for their children smiled at Danny as he strolled passed them, but he only had eyes for his daughter.

"I made you something, Danno," Grace said when Danny opened the door for her. "It's for your birthday, but its okay to give it to you now 'cause I made you something else too, but that's a secret!"

Grace looked like she was dying to tell him, like the secret was desperate to burst out, and Danny smiled widely. He had the most precious little girl in the world!

"Yeah?"

She reached into her pack and pulled out a flat wrapped parcel. "I made the wrapping paper myself and I wrapped it up, too!"

Her excitement shone in her big brown eyes, and she watched eagerly as Danny took the gift like it held the crown jewels and ran his fingers over the brightly painted surface.

"Oh Monkey, this is beautiful!" he breathed reverently, meaning every word. Rainbows, flowers, seashells adorned his gift in every colour Grace could think of. He held it up and admired it. "I'll hang it up on the wall, so I can see it all the time!"

Grace rolled her eyes. "You gotta open it, silly," she laughed. Danny smiled at her before he plastered an exaggerated excited look on his face.

"There's more?"

"Daaannno!"

Hunkering down so he was level with his baby girl, Danny carefully opened the paper and peeled it back. His eyes softened when he saw the picture frame, beautifully hand decorated with tiny seashells and glitter, holding a photograph of his daughter.

For a moment, all he could do was stare at it as he held a tight rein on his emotions. This one small thing, so obviously made with love, meant more to him than anything money could buy.

"Is it okay, Danno?" Grace asked quietly, her enthusiasm dampening slightly and a touch of worry shining through. Danny pulled in a deep breath, gathered his daughter close, and held on tightly.

"Is it okay? Monkey, this is the best gift in the history of best gifts, baby." He pulled back and looked at her, "I love it, and I love you. Thank you."

"Love you too, Danno," she smiled widely again and turned to climb into the car when Danny prompted her. "I thought you could put it on your desk at work," she suggested as her dad started the engine. She pulled on her seatbelt. "That way we can sorta always be together even when we're not."

Feeling his heart swell with love for his devoted daughter, Danny leaned over and planted a kiss on her hair. "That is a great idea, Monkey!"

"Can we stop for a shave-ice?"

Danny pulled into the flow of traffic and headed towards Waiola Shave Ice, chuckling as Grace listed all the flavours she wanted to try.

H-5-0

The scene outside the school was so sweet that the truck parked nearby stayed longer than was necessary. The owner knew it was risky, but a perverse desire to see the Detective in every personal facet of his life outweighed the risks, to the point of becoming a little obsessive.

But that was alright as it wasn't the time for The Game to begin yet.

Grace Williams would not be used in The Game physically, but a slow smile spread over the truck driver's face at the possible idea of using the little girl to taunt the Detective.

Oh, this time The Game was going to be simply magnificent.

H-5-0

Danny woke up to the smell of burnt toast instead of the clawing terror of a nightmare. He slowly sat up to see Grace, still dressed in her pink nightie, standing in the small kitchenette spooning peanut butter and strawberry jelly onto the charred slices of bread, her tongue sticking out slightly in concentration, and sighed happily.

God, he loved his daughter.

Carefully pouring a glass of orange juice and only spilling a little, Grace then slowly carried her birthday breakfast over to her dad.

"Happy birthday, Danno!"

It looked about as appetising as one of Steve's beloved MREs, but Danny smiled and licked his lips much to his daughter's delight.

"You made this all by yourself?"

"I did. I was careful and didn't burn myself on the toaster, and only spilled a little," she told him proudly. "You gonna eat it?"

"Am I gonna eat it? Of course I'm gonna eat it, Monkey! You made it for me!" Taking a bite, Danny moaned appreciatively around a mouthful. "Deee-licious!"

"Yay!" Grace grinned, flung her arms around Danny and hugged him. He carefully held the plate and glass to the side and buried his face in her neck.

"Thank you," he murmured with a big smile.

"You're welcome!" She hopped off the sofa bed. "I'm gonna have my shower, and then we have to get ready and go to Uncle Steve's house, right, daddy?"

Oh, right, he'd forgotten about that. Steve had invited them over because "If you don't wanna celebrate your birthday, Danny, at least come over with Grace for a barbeque and a couple of beers, alright?" But this was his weekend with his daughter and he saw Steve all the time. He had to make sure Grace was okay with that, and he cocked his head to one side and asked, "You sure you wanna do that, Gracie? We can do something else if you want."

A fleeting look of panic washed over her face before she quickly shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. Uncle Steve has his own beach!"

And apparently that was explanation enough. Danny nodded and watched her disappear into the small bathroom, a small inkling of foreboding settling in his belly. What was that look of panic?

What was his daughter planning?

Stealthily hiding the burned toast deep in the garbage can, he cleaned up the kitchen area, marvelling how someone so small could create so much mess, and took his turn in the shower when Grace had finished.

By ten AM, after a quick warning phone call, they were on the way to Steve's.

H-5-0

Steve quickly moved away from the window when he saw the Camaro turn into his drive and park, and waited with a huge grin on his face. Standing still, almost at parade rest, he saw the front door finally open and winked at Grace as she scurried to his side, before they both watched as Danny shuddered to a halt just inside the house, his mouth hanging open in stunned silence.

"Oh my dear God," he breathed, his wide eyes darting over the elaborately decorated interior of his partners house. He couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.

"Do you like it, daddy? It's your surprise birthday present!"

Looking at his daughter, Danny blinked dumbly. "I'm... ah, I... I'm surprised..." Glancing up at Steve, the SEAL held up his hands and shook his head, 'Nothing to do with me!

"You did all this for me, Monkey?" Danny asked still gobsmacked at the over abundance of glitter and streamers and balloons. It seriously looked like a clown had thrown up in Steve's house!

Beaming proudly, Grace rocked on her feet. "I did! Happy birthday, Dan-nnoooo!"

Danny gathered her up in his arms and swung her around, making her squeal in delight, with Steve watching happily from the side. It was good to see his partner happy and relaxed, and he always loved to see the way he and Grace doted on each other. Like a family should.

As soon as Danny let her go, Grace ran into the kitchen to start pulling out the trays of cupcakes she'd left in the fridge, leaving Danny standing in the room with Steve.

"You okay with this?" Steve asked quietly. Danny looked a little lost and overwhelmed. "The guys aren't gonna be here for another hour, but we can still cancel-"

"No, no, don't," Danny smiled. He shook his head again in awe. "I can't believe she did this. I can't believe you let her do this... and then lied to me!"

"Hey, I didn't lie to you," Steve instantly defended. "You... didn't ask the right questions."

Scowling, Danny glared at him. "The right questions? I didn't ask-" He shook his head, smiled again and clapped his hands together. "You know what? It doesn't matter because I have the best daughter in the world and look what she did, huh!"

Steve nodded as Danny swept his arms wide around the room. He couldn't agree more.

"Thank you," Danny said quietly to his partner. "Thank you for letting her turn your home into a Princess Palace. You do know you're gonna be picking glitter out of the furniture for months, don't you?"

And when Danny left Steve looking mildly horrified and headed into the kitchen to see his Gracie lovingly arranging cupcakes on plates, he knew, as he helped himself to a mug of freshly brewed coffee, that maybe living here on a pineapple infested island might not be that bad at all. Even with the nightmares, being shot at on a weekly basis, fake tsunamis, severed heads in boxes, and an insane partner that thinks police protocol includes dumping suspects in shark cages and dangling them off rooftops...

...as long as he had his daughter and his friend's around him, Danny realised he was actually happy with his life.

Happy.

H-5-0