A/N: I thought I had this chapter done days ago, but then I was reading through it and realized that the conversation between Steve and Danny didn't work. I'd had them have the talk at Danny's place, but then I realized that actually due to Danny's injured he'd have probably been kept in overnight, at the very least. So I had to rewrite that whole scene, and that's why it's been a bit of a wait for this final chapter. Yes I said final, but don't worry, I plan on continuing their relationship in follow-up stories.

Once again, episode dialogue used.

Chapter 4

"You ready?" Steve asked breathlessly as he moved the final large slab out of the way, it was a small opening and there would undoubtedly be more to move along the way. He was also aware the tight space would make Danny anxious but he couldn't help that, it was their only way out.

He turned to see Danny standing over him. "Let's just do this."

"Okay." Steve nodded, crawling cautiously through the gap, listening to Danny's breathless moans behind him as he followed.

They made it as few meters before they reached another blockage. "We work together, we get out of here." Steve said coldly. "Help me with this." He shifted to get a better handle on the lump of steel.

"Worst game of Janga ever." Danny grumbled as he helped Steve shove the metal aside.

"You okay?" Steve checked as the steel and rubble shifted, leaving a gap.

Danny pressed his hand to his side. "Fine."

Steve paused, watching the pain dance over his partner's face for a minute, part of him considered taking a break but he needed to get out, needed fresh air and time to think, tome to accept the decision Danny had made. He wouldn't go back on his word, he'd promised things wouldn't change and they wouldn't, that didn't mean he didn't need time to put the walls back up, the once he'd built four years ago and Danny had torn down with one kiss. "You okay to keep going?"

"Yeah." Danny grunted, twisting to continue crawling.

Steve dropped his gaze as he followed, Danny's ass in his face like a cruel joke. The silence was thick and deafening between them, suffocating tension. He wasn't sure if he was regretful or grateful when Danny broke it.

"Did you tell Catherine?"

Steve looked up, his eyes narrow. He could pretend not to know what Danny meant but what was the point. "She figured it out. She saw the marks on my neck." He hated how cold and distant his voice sounded to his own ears. He and Danny had never been so cold towards one another, not even when they first met and Danny punched him in the face, it felt wrong. It hurt more that the scratches and bruises on his body.

"That wasn't what I asked." He snapped.

Steve met his furious gaze in the dim light, unflinching. "Wasn't it?"

"No, Steven, it wasn't."

Danny huffed angrily before moving forward again.

"She's pretty." Steve announced for a reason he couldn't quite fathom. "Amber. You can tell she cares about you."

"Now is not the time Steven." Danny growled, stopping again to collapse against a foundation.

"I was just saying…"

Danny sighed despairingly. "It's not gonna last Steve."

"I'm sure you and Amber will be…"

"I'm not talking about Amber." He glared. "Eventually I'm going to screw it up and I've got too much to lose when I do. – I can't rearrange my life again Steve. I won't. It's better if we just pretend it didn't happen."

Steve froze, staring at his friend's profile and swallowed thickly around the lump that had found its way into his throat.

"It's not in my DNA to be happy." Danny grunted, forcing himself to move again.

"Danny…"

"No, it's true." Danny insisted over his shoulder. "There is something wrong with the way I'm built. I can't, uh, I can't just enjoy happiness." He stopped, breathing heavily and falling back against the wall once more.

Steve moved closer, his hand touching his partner's shoulder for the first time in over an hour. "You don't think you're being a little hard on yourself?"

Danny met his gaze determinedly. "No, I don't. – When I was a kid, my parents would go out to eat dinner. If they were late coming home I would imagine that they died in a car wreck, just if they were fifteen minutes late. I used to talk to God and beg him please, take my dad but not my mom, 'cause I can't live without my mom." Danny began to move again. "Every time something goes good in my life I think about when is it gonna end, that's all I can think about."

Steve frowned. "For real?"

"Yeah."

"That's not normal."

"I know that's not normal. Listen to this…" he laughed humorlessly, twisting around to sit again the wall, his eye meeting Steve. "…my wedding day, I'm looking at Rachel, just about to say I do and all I can see is the day she serves me with divorce papers. No joke. I don't know, the only day of happiness in my life so far is Grace, you know and it's only a matter of time till she turns eighteen and she's out the door, marries some shmuck, I don't know." He sighed, rubbing at the dirt and sweat coating his face.

Steve inhaled as he moved closer. "You can't live like that." He murmured quietly. "Whether it's me or Amber or…someone else, Danny, you've got to stop thinking like that. You've got to change."

"I'd like very much to change but it's not that simple, you know?"

"It can be, alright." Steve said firmly, squeezing his friends shoulder. "Start small, instead of fixating on how it could go wrong, how you're gonna get your heart broken, how…someone's going to destroy your life, think about how good it feels waking up next to someone, that great feeling you get when you see them for the first time or the hundredth, billionth time. Think about the good stuff and push through. Stop listening to the fear Danny. You do it every day when you strap on that gun and badge and step out your front door, you know all the bad that could happen but you go anyway because the good is better, right?"

Steve met Danny's eyes pleadingly. He wasn't pleading for them, he was pleading for Danny, for him to allow himself to be happy. That's all Steve wanted, all he'd ever wanted. Danny was his best friend first and foremost, that was all that mattered in the end.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot." Danny whispered, his eyes boring into Steve's.

"What?" he frowned, surprised. He had never expected Danny to be so easily persuaded, it seemed…uncharacteristic.

"I said, I'll give it a shot." Danny pushed himself back onto his hands and knees and began to move. "If I make it out of here alive, we'll give it a shot."

"We will?" Steve gapped.

Danny glanced back over his shoulder with a smile.

"Who are you and what have you done with my partner?" Steve laughed, his heart skipping at the smile on his partner's lips.

_McDanno_

Steve lifted his head when he was sure the rubble had finished falling, he blinked the dust out of his eyes as he straightened, pushing himself off of his partner. Instinct had him diving to protect Danny the second the ground had begun to move around them. Thankfully they hadn't been buried alive, there was just an extra layer of debris surrounding them. "Danno?"

"Fine." Danny coughed. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Steve asked, pulling his friend up and quickly checking him over.

"Yeah, a few more bruises but I'm good. You?"

"Fine." He smiled before looking at their prison of rubble. The opening they'd been heading towards was gone. Steve scrambled quickly past Danny and began to push at the concrete. "No good, it's too heavy." He grunted breathlessly.

"You know, I'm finding it really hard to stay positive here."

Steve shot him a look before scanning their surrounding for anything he could use to dislodge the barrier.

"What you looking for?"

"I'm looking for that." Steve pointed, his eyes locked above his partner's head. "You see that piece of pipe hanging over you, Danny, break it off and seal off one end for me." He reached into his tac-vest for a grenade.

"What you gonna do with it?"

"This slab of concrete, I'm gonna blow it up." He stated matter-of-factly, working the explosive out of the grenade.

"You're gonna what? How does that end without both of us dying? You blowing something up?"

Steve laughed as he dismantled his lighter, listening to Danny bashing at the pipe with a stare. "It's a directional charge, floods the energy in one direction, anything that's behind it theoretically is reasonably safe."

"Nothing about what you just said sounds reasonable. – That's the best I can do." Danny handed over the pipe, his fingers brushing against Steve for a brief, electrifying moment.

Steve meet the other man's concerned and somewhat fearful gaze and he smiled, nodding reassuringly. He turned to slide the pipe into the small gap in the rubble.

"Is this gonna work?"

"I don't know" he replied honestly, shrugging. "Okay back up."

"Hold on, before we do this I want you to know one thing." Danny held Steve's gaze, his lips curling softly. "Whatever happens, I really, really from the bottom of my heart…hate you so much."

Steve couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I love you too Danno."

"I guess there are a lot worse people to die under a big pile of concrete with."

Steve smiled warmly over at his partner. "You want to do the honors?"

"No, no, it's your stupid idea, you do it."

Steve took a breath, holding it in his lungs for a moment before touching the flame to the fuse and scrambling away, once again throwing his body over Danny, forcing him back, a couple of seconds before the thing exploded behind them, sending yet more debris into the air.

_McDanno_

Steve blinked as he broke the surface of the hole, squinted at the suddenly too bright light. He closed his fingers around Grover's wrist and allowing the men to pull him the rest of the way up. It took him a moment to find his feet, stepping away from the hole, his eyes landing on Catherine who was looking up at him with watery eyes filled with relief. "Thanks Cath." He smiled warmly. He hadn't expected the tight hug she gave him, especially considering everything.

"I'm glad you're okay."

He squeezed her back before stepping away a second later to instantly find Chin delivering an affectionate bro-hug, then it was Kono's turn.

"Good to see you, boss." she said happily, her voice rough and wet.

"You to. Where's Danny?"

"Ambulance." Chin nodded.

Steve walked away without another word, his focus solely on his partner, his heart pounding against his ribs. He was a few feet from the ambulance when he saw her, Amber, rushing towards him. Steve instantly ground to a halt, his eyes lazar focused on the pair as she leant over to press her lips to his. The bottom fell out of Steve stomach instantly, his lungs collapsing. So Danny had lied, when he'd said they'd try…he shook his head, swallowing the acid taste in his throat. A second later a familiar call rang out and suddenly there was Gracie, rushing towards her father and Steve found himself walked again, his trembling hands hidden in his pants pockets?

"Hey monkey." Danny groaned, as she hugged him. His eyes closing as he savored the warmth and pain.

Steve stopped beside Amber, turning an experienced false smiled on her. "Hey, again."

She smiled back at him warmly and guilt shot through his gut. "Hi. Steve, right?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah. Amber."

"Uh, Amber, could you give us a second?"

She looked between them before nodding and walking away, leaving the two alone with Grace.

"Hey Gracie." Steve sighed, hoping to distract both him and Danny from whatever the man wanted to say.

Grace drew herself away from her father reluctantly, turning to look up at Steve, her lips curving in a soft watery smile. "Hey Uncle Steve." Then she was on him, her arms tight around his waist, her face pressed into his dirty shirt.

Steve hugged her back tightly, bowing to press a kiss to her head, tears burning his eyes. He'd survive Danny's rejection, if only so as not to hurt Grace.

"Gracie?"

"Yeah, Danno?" she looked up, her arm still tight around Steve's waist.

"Could you go wait for me at the ambulance, I just need a word with Steve."

She didn't so much as bat an eyelid as she nodded, smiled up at Steve, giving him a final hug and then vanished.

The second she was gone Danny focused solely on Steve, blue eyes meeting blue eyes in an intense stare. "So uh…I guess…we, uh, need to have that talk."

Steve's stomach cramped. "Its fine, Danny." He glanced over to where Amber was talking to Grace. "I just want you to be happy."

The shorter man stared up at him from the stretcher, two EMT's hovering too close not to be eavesdropping. "I think I want that too." He murmured and Steve forced a smile, ignoring the pain. "But first I think I need to get this probably stitched up." He gestured to his side.

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "I'm…happy for you Danny." He said only half lying. – He was happy for him, he just wished he was the one Danny was going to try and make it work with. He reached for his friend's wrist, giving it a too brief squeeze, his smile tight and forced. Then he was stepping back and waving for the EMT's to continue taking Danny for medical treatment.

Their eyes remained fixed on one another as he was wheeled away, even as Danny was lifting into the back of the ambulance, Grace and Amber climbing in with him. Steve didn't so much as blink until the doors shut. The perfect conclusion to the whole sorry forty-eight hours.

_McDanno_

Steve couldn't believe it was all about his mother, again. Danny had almost died because of what his mom had done in her deep dark past. As horrific as it sounded, as bad as it made him feel, part of Steve wished he'd never found Shelburne. Her return to his life had brought nothing but anger, pain and destruction.

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he made his way through Honolulu on his trek home. His lonely, cold and empty house, where he'd fall into bed alone. He was just considering calling Chin and Kono to find out if they wanted drinks when his cell rang. A spark of worry shot through him at the sight of Danny's name and he quickly hit the hands free. "Danno?"

"Hey, Babe."

"What's wrong? You okay?"

"Other than the hole in my side, I'm wonderful."

Steve exhaled the breath he'd been holding painfully in his chest, his shoulders relaxing. "So why you calling?" he trailed off as his voice tightened. He wasn't ready to talk about Danny's decision yet, tomorrow, after a full night's sleep and a couple of beers.

"I was calling…" Danny said, seamlessly slipping into the silence Steve left hanging. "…to ask if you could grab me some stuff, they're keeping me in."

Steve winced. Of course they'd keep him in, he had a hole in his side. "Huh, sure. Of course." It's what friends are for, right? "I'll drop by your place now, I'll be there in about twenty, okay?"

"Great. Thanks, babe."

"No problem, buddy." It's what friends are for. Maybe if he said it enough, he'd forget that they could have been more.

The line went dead, leaving Steve in silence. He could do this, he could go back to Danny's place, could walk into his bed room, that probably still had crumpled sheets from that morning. Could inhale the stale scent of sex. He could do it, because he had to. He was a SEAL, he knew how to disconnect from a situation in order to survive a mission. It could be done.

_McDanno_

He parked as close as he could to the hospital entrance so he could make a quick getaway, yanking the bag out of the backseat. As predicted going back into Danny's house, knowing they'd never be there together again, had hurt in the worst ways imaginable. He'd overestimated the room still reeking of their previous night together but he'd been right about the haunting, gut wrenching sight of tangled bed sheets. He'd moved around Danny's room like he was searching a target's flat and they were on their way to intercept him. He'd been quick and methodical. Clothes, wash-bag, towel. All shoved into a bag. He'd escaped the scene with the minimum of exposure, yet had still received contact burns.

Locking up the Camaro, he white knuckled the bag and marching determinedly into the hospital. He'd drop the bag off with Danny and then leave. Leave Danny with Amber. Leave them together. – He swallowed the angry lump in his throat, it was his own fault really. He should have listened to his 'friend' Fear and kept his distance, kept pretending he wasn't in love with his best friend. – This was exactly what he'd spent years avoiding, the vulnerability, leaving himself open to this kind of pain and humiliation.

He rushed through the corridors after pausing long enough to get a room number from the front desk. Drop the bag off and leave, don't linger to talk. He told himself firmly. It'll only make it worse if you linger. So stepping off the elevator, Steve marched toward 501. He took a deep breath, reached for the handle and froze. Suddenly it was three years ago, sudden all he could see was walking into that room and seeing Danny with Rachel in his arms, looking up at him like it was the most natural thing in the world, with a wide happy smile on his face, completely oblivious to the crushing heartbreak the scene had inflicted on Steve.

Steve's heart hammered painfully against his ribs, stealing his breath. He'd been lucky, he hadn't broken anything in the cave-in. He'd gotten out with a mild concussion and a few scraps and bruises, but right now, stood in front of Danny's hospital room it felt like his whole chest cavity had been crushed. He swallowed, taking a small step back and inhaling, fighting to fill his lungs. He stared at the door for a long moment, then down at the bag in his hands and then glanced down to the nurses' station. He could give the bag to one of them, they could take it in to Danny and he wouldn't have to relive that pain again. – Only worse because this time, he knew Danny felt something for him. He just…didn't want him.

He took another step back, twisting on his feet to start towards the end of the corridor when the door opened and he turned, eyes wide with surprise and horror. It took him a few second to realize it was Kono staring at him and not Amber or Rachel, her brow raised curiously and her lip curving warmly.

"Hey Boss." She smiled.

Steve straightened his shoulders and moved cautiously forward. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Danny asked if I'd take Grace for the night."

Steve frowned. "Oh." Usually Danny would ask him, it wasn't like he hadn't done it before. He was obviously trying to put some distance between them. Steve had said he wouldn't leave Gracie if they didn't work out, he hadn't considered Danny taking her from him.

"Hey Uncle Steve." Gracie grinned, her eyes shining.

"Hey Gracie. You okay?"

"Yep." She popped. "I'm staying at Kono's tonight. – Are you staying here with Danno, like last night?" she asked, her lips quirking ever so slightly.

"Last night?" Kono frowned, looking up at Steve curiously. So Catherine hadn't called Kono.

"Yeah, Uncle Steve has cockroaches. She slept on our couch."

Steve forced a calm smile and shrugged. "He's crashed on my couch enough, I figured he owed me. So…." He cleared his throat. "Where's the patient."

"In here!" Danny called. "When you're finished blocking the doorway. Gracie needs her beauty sleep and we need to talk."

Kono chuckled, rolling her eyes at Steve as he twisted to let them pass. "He's been bitc….complaining about you almost getting him kill, again, for almost an hour. Good luck, boss." She laughed, winking at him.

"Thanks, I'm gonna need it." He nodded. "Night Gracie."

Grace paused to give Steve a tight hug, her cheek to his lower chest. "Night Uncle Steve."

Steve didn't enter the room straight away, he stood there watching Grace and Kono step into the elevator, waving a final farewell to them. With them gone he had no more excuses, no more distraction. Squaring his shoulders again and taking another deep breath, Steve stepped into Danny's room, letting the door swing closed behind him. He was more than a little surprised to see the room empty but for Danny, who was lying in bed, a hospital gown covering his toned furry chest and Steve had never been more grateful for anything in his life. The memory was bad enough.

"About time you found your way in here. I'm the patient you know and considering I'm here because of you, I'd think a little more hast is called for."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Sorry Danno." He sighed, placing the bag on the chair in another haunting moment of Déjà vu. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone skewered me with a telegraph pole. How you think?"

Steve slipped his still dirty hands into his pockets and shrugged, his eyes searching the room for any sign of his partner's girlfriend, assuming she'd just popped to the bathroom, but there was nothing. "Where's Amber?" he asked reluctantly.

Danny shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know, she left."

Steve's head snapped around to stare at him with wide astonished eyes. "She left?"

Danny nodded, shifting on the bed, while reaching for the glass of water, winching as the motion pulled at his stitches. Steve was there in a second, handing over the glass. "So Kono say this was all because of your mother." Danny huffed.

Steve inhaled through his nose, refusing to meet his partner's gaze and he pulled up the chair. "Not now, Danny. Please."

"I'm just wondering if I need to take out extra life insurance." Danny hissed quietly, placing the glass closer. "I mean if her old 'friends' are going to keep coming out of the wood work and trying to kill…you."

"I dealt with it." Steve insisted forcefully. "And it wasn't about her, it was about me sticking my nose where it wasn't welcome."

"Cambodia?"

Steve nodded, slouching back into the chair, his head falling backwards, his eyes closed. "But it's done, the guys…."

"Dead, yeah, Kono said." Danny whispered. "You shouldn't have gone there without back-up, it could have been you laying on Max's table tonight."

Steve lifted his head, looking intensely at Danny, his heart clenching at the pale fear he saw in the man's features. "Well, what could I do, my back-up was unavailable." He smiled, trying to lighten the moment.

"Because you put him in hospital." Danny grumbled.

"No, the bag guys put him in hospital. Would he have rather gone to the morgue? No, I didn't think so. So stop bitching."

Danny twisted his head to shoot him one of his withering I hate you so much right now looks and Steve could do nothing but grin brightly at it.

They felt silent again for a few minutes until the tension began to settle once more. "So….what happened with Amber?" he asked quietly, his gaze flickering to the window and the dark sky beyond the glass.

"What do you mean?" Danny frowned, his eyes burning into the side of Steve's face.

"Well, you guys left together." He replied trying to sound unaffected.

"What was I meant to do, dump her in the middle of a disaster zone after she'd been there waiting for me, worried sick?" Danny huffed, unamused. "It was bad enough doing it in a hospital room with nurses coming in and out." He sighed warily. "I hate being the dumper."

"You ended it?" Steve gaped, surprised.

Danny's eyes narrowed. "Of course I ended it." He snapped. "Isn't that what you wanted?" his voice dropped, his tone uncertain.

Steve met his partner's tentative gaze, shifting forward on the chair. "Of course. – I just…" he shrugged, dropping to stare down at his hands. "I – I just…assumed you'd chosen…her. - You didn't say anything."

"I believe I said we were going to give it ago and frankly after what happened last night and this morning, I would have through that was enough. I didn't realize I had to take out a double page spread in every newspaper!" he snapped angrily.

Steve dropped his gaze shamefully, his thumb nail scraping at the dirt on his other hand. "I…I was hoping for a billboard." He laughed, trying to defuse the situation.

"Not funny right now Steven. I can't believe you'd think I'd sleep with you and share my inner most fear and then go back to the woman I've only know a couple of months." He growled, shaking his head with disgust. "Maybe this isn't going to work after all."

"No, Danny." Steve snapped, shooting forward and grabbing his partner's arm. "Don't, don't say that. Look I'm sorry okay, I just…" he shrugged. "We were drunk, and well you were…I figure you probably horny, and this morning we were still…"

"Stop!" Danny snapped furiously. "Just shut your month before I deck you." He pushed himself up right on the bed, his eyes blazing with indignation, not caring about the pain that shot through his side. "I wasn't drunk! Some of us can hold our liquor and while I may have hoped my night was going to end like that, I wasn't so desperate to get laid that I'd jump the first person that happens to be around." He growled, his face reddening. "And I certainly wouldn't risk utterly destroying my life by screwing my best friend unless I was damn sure I wanted it!"

Steve stared at Danny surprised, his heart hammering in his chest, his fingers tightly curled around one another. "I…"

Danny exhaled as he twisted back against the pillow. "Two and a half years, Steven."

"What?"

"That's how long I've been wandering around with you under my god-damn skin, two and a half fucking years. – I certainly wasn't expecting it." He shook his head, hands flapping around anxiously, not looking at Steve as he rambled on. "From the moment I got that call from Jenna telling me you'd been captured by Wo-Fat. My entire world felt like it was ending. The last time I felt like that was when Rachel told me she was taking my little girl away. – I didn't care that she was leaving me just that she was taking Gracie." He breathed in sharply. "I almost lost it. All I could think about was you dead." He shook his head.

Steve swallowed thickly, he hadn't even allowed himself to imagine that Danny had felt anything more for him than friendship. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

Danny looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Why didn't you?" he countered.

"I didn't think you were interested. I'm not exactly experienced at reading signals, at least not those kinds, not that you were giving any off. – Unless bitching at me endlessly is you're way of flirting." he laughed, smirking at his partner. Then his smile slowly began to fade to shock. "No." he shook his head disbelievingly. "Seriously?"

"It's called banter, you didn't notice I do the same thing with the woman I date?" he raised a brow questioningly.

"I…no. You never…bitched at Gaby the way…."

Danny shrugged shyly. "Well I wasn't all that into Gaby. I mean, I liked her and it was nice having someone but…" he looked at Steve harshly. "I only started dating her because you forced me to. – And don't look at me like that McGarrett, you've spent the last five years in a relationship with a woman…"

"We weren't in a relationship." Steve interrupted insistently.

"Right, right. It was a mutually beneficial agreement." He scoffed.

Steve glared at him, pushing himself out of the chair and marching over to the window, his arms folded defensively.

He stared out over the hospital parking lot, into the distance, the dark indigo sky still holding onto the last rays of sunlight as if scared to let them go for fear of them not returning. He could relate. "So…" he breathed out quietly. "You've been flirting with me for years." He tried to sound lighthearted but somehow he failed, the observation ringing with uncertainty.

Danny huffed. "Unintentionally at first. – I didn't realize I was doing it, I didn't realize I liked you like that. – I might have been more self-aware if I'd thought for a moment that you were playing for the other team, but I hadn't a clue. You don't exactly ooze gay. It never once crossed my mind."

Steve glanced over his shoulder. "You're not exactly glowing rainbow colors either, babe." He scoffed. "Besides, as we established last night Danny, the correct description for my team would be Bisexual. I sleep with women, I just prefer…or at least, I always thought I'd prefer to be sleeping with guys."

He watched Danny's eyes widened almost comically. "Wait, do you mean to tell me you've never…? – With a guy?"

Steve flushed and turned back to the window, his spine ridged. "I never had the opportunity okay. I went from high school to the Army/Navy Academy to Annapolis into the Navy, I didn't have that option." He glanced over at Danny's curious, surprised face. "I…fooled around with a guy in high school but it never went furthered than third base, then mom…" he shook his head. "It didn't mean anything and I never…"

"Wow." Danny gasped, shaking his head. "So last night was… was your…wow."

"It's not like I was a total virgin Danny." Steve whispered, rolling his eyes. "Are you saying you weren't?" Danny swallowed convulsively, his eyes flickering off away from his partner. Steve felt a blazing ball of jealousy ignite in his stomach. "Danny?"

"Billy." Danny whispered, his fingers curling around the blankets, his eyes lowered.

"Billy?" Steve frowned, confused. When Danny looked up at him, hurt and somewhat angry, it came back to him. "Oh, Billy. You're…oh."

Danny sighed, settling further back into the pillow, his head rolling back and his eyes closing. "We were just kids." He sighed. "We never…We didn't even get to third base." He whispered sadly. "Barely reached first before he…" he choked off.

Steve turned, setting his ass against the ledge of the window and silently watched Danny, waiting for him to continue. He wanted to go over to him, every instinct screamed for him to but he knew Danny wouldn't want that, not yet. He'd feel babied and then he'd just start pushing Steve away. He needed to say whatever it was he wanted to say before he'd allow Steve to react to it.

"After he...died I disappeared into himself. I – I never let anyone in, always expected them to…" he shook his head. "I didn't even attempt anything with a guy again until college and then it was only ever just sex, I never let myself feel anything for them. – For anyone, not until Rachel."

Steve forced himself to breathe shallow and even, even as his heart ratcheted up at the mention of Danny's ex-wife and previous lovers.

"And then that all fell to shit, like I knew it would. She didn't die and maybe that was because I didn't love her enough, but… - I gave up after that, and then you had to come crashing into his life, turning it upside down until I didn't even recognize what was happening. Forcing your way beneath my skin with your super SEAL ninja moves and making me feel everything I'd tried so hard not to. The day Wo-Fat grabbed you in Korea, it was Billy all over again, it shocked and scared the hell out of me, because those feelings had been dormant for so long I didn't even realize they were there until I thought I was going to lose you." He breathed heavily, rubbing at his chest and swallowing hard. "When I found you in the back of that truck, it was both the best and worst day of my life."

Steve frowned, torn between hurt and confused. "What?"

"I suddenly recognized that gaping hole in my chest, and that it was never going to heal because I couldn't risk…it happening again. I couldn't allow myself… I'd rather have you alive and at arm's length than give in and lose you to whatever dumb ass stunt you pulled. That was of course assuming by some miracle you'd actually want me like that." He huffed angrily.

Steve marched across to the bed, his eyes stinging with unshed tears at the distress in Danny's voice, the fear. Suddenly everything he'd told him that afternoon made sense, it was all so clear now. He perched on the side of the bed, cupping his partner's face in his hands and pulling him in for a soft, lingering kiss. Just a simple press of lips to lips, meant to reassure more than anything. He pulled back and looked into Danny's watery eyes, his thumb rubbing gently at his rough five o'clock shadow. "Danny." He breathed. "I meant what I said down there, you can't let fear control you, you have to face it." He practically pleaded. "I did. I still am."

Danny frowned.

"It wasn't just thinking you weren't interested that kept my feelings for you buried." he took another deep breath and dropped his hands, reaching for Danny's wrist, his thumb rubbing at it gently. "It wasn't even the possibility of losing my career. I don't like feeling vulnerable and you…make me vulnerable."

Danny stared at him, mouth gaping open, eyes wide. "I…What?"

Steve smiled softly at him. "You're my weakness Danny. – I stayed with Catherine because she was safe, because I knew she couldn't really hurt me and I know that makes me sound like the world's biggest asshole, but it's what it is. – But you…" he shook his head. "Since the day I met you I've known you'd get me killed."

Danny scoffed. "I'll get you killed?"

Steve's smile grew slowly, sneaking its way across his face. "Yeah. – But yet, here I am." He grinned brightly. "I faced my fears and now it's time for you to do the same."

Danny sighed softly, shaking his head. "It's not going to be easy, there's a lot at stake if this doesn't work out. Grace, Five-0…."

"We can make it work Danny. We've already survived one another this long." He insisted hopefully. "You haven't lost me yet Danno, and you won't." he promised. "Cause it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not, we've got each other and that's a lot."

A laugh exploded out of Danny's chest followed swiftly by a loud pained groan. "Are you seriously quoting Bon Jovi to me right now? I thought you hated Bon Jovi?"

"Hey, I never said I hated Bon Jovi!" Steve sharply defended.

Danny rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Okay Steve, let's give it a shot." He grinned.

Steve pulled Danny to meet him, kissing him thoroughly until another pained groan clawed its way from Danny's throat.

"But maybe we could start this properly tomorrow." Danny breathed, wincing at the pain in his leg and ribs.

"Sure Danno." Steve smiled brightly. "We can deal with this tomorrow when I get you home."

Danny leant back, eyes fixed on his partner. "Rule number 1, Steve, you are not staying over while my daughter is in the house, you've traumatized her enough for one day thank you."

"So what, I'm never going to spend the night again? Seriously, Danny, she's already seen…"

"Exactly." Danny nodded. "I don't want her getting…I just need this to go slow Steve, not just for Grace's sake." He looked up at his partner. "Baby steps, okay? - Step by step, we'll make it, I swear." He smirked.

Steve let out a whole hearted laugh as he got to his feet again and settled himself down in the chair.

"What are you doing?"

Steve shrugged, kicking his feet up on the bed and knotting his finger across his stomach. "Sleeping with my partner." He winked, smirking as he closed his eyes.

Danny rolled his eyes and closed them, listening to the soft sound of Steve's breathing, until exhaustion and relief lulled him off to sleep.

Steve sat watching over his partner, a goofy grin on his face. "Whoa, ho, living on a prayer."

"Shut up, Steve."

THE END

A/N: Anyone who's read my other works knows I suck at endings, sorry if this is another example of that. Anyway, I hope you liked the story. I have a real obsession Danny's childhood friend Billy Selway being his first love, just because it would explain so much about Danny's personality and why he's reluctantly to start a relationship with Steve. [Oh and please let me know if I've got his name wrong, I'm sure its Billy but…part of me keeps saying I'm wrong.]

I didn't originally intend to have Steve woo Danny with Bon Jovi, despite the story title coming from a B.J album, but as I was writing it, it just felt like the right thing to do, so I went with it. I have been wanting to write a story using Bon Jovi songs ever since the cargument where Danny starts pouting them.

Finally, if you're wondering why Steve wasn't taken to hospital too, I decided that after finding out about the CIA guy, he'd brush off the medics to go deal with that and as Danny was already gone, there was no one there to force him to go to hospital and get checked out. Because we all know Danny's the only one that can make Steve do anything, if he really wants him to.

Anyway, that's it for now. Thank you all for the wonderful feedback and everything. I'm sure I'll have another story in this series soon, fingers crossed. But until then, aloha.

Update 4th Jul 2014: Thanks to Nieceyluvsfanfic for correcting me on Billy's surname

Gatergirl79 signing off.