A/N: Here's the promised epilogue. Thank you Phoebe for your continued help and to everyone for reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.

Epilogue

Danny pushed the door open to the lanai with one crutch. Beer bottle sticking out the top of his shorts pocket, he headed across the grass to one of the chairs which normally sat at the edge of the sandy beach. Steve, his overly concerned mother hen, had moved them closer to the house.

Steve followed his partner out, stopping on the lanai to watch him. "You shouldn't be drinking while on pain meds, Danno." Steve shouted.

"One won't kill me, mom."

Danny rocked unsteadily on one leg while he placed the bottle on the table between the chairs. He paused for a second, half expecting his over anxious friend to appear by his side, but thankfully Steve gave him his space. Breathing a sigh of relief, he propped his crutches against one of the chairs before slowly easing himself down into one of them, careful not to put any weight on his bad leg. He proceeded to twist the top of his Longboard.

Steve was half way over to Danny when he sensed his presence might not be appreciated. He knew his partner craved some independence after constantly being fussed over and man-handled.

"I won't be long buddy." Steve called out while heading back inside.

"Take your time, babe." Danny took a long swig of beer. He closed his eyes, and smiled contentedly.

Free from a wheelchair for the first time in three weeks, Danny savoured his new-found freedom. He'd spent six days in hospital following his surgery, before being discharged into the care of Super SEAL. His sprained knee had healed, and x-rays of his fractured leg showed it was on the mend, so much so that the external fixation frame had been swapped the previous week for a fracture boot. The stitches had been removed from the cut to his head, and his hair was growing back. Life was slowly getting back to normal.

He'd also come to terms with never seeing Buster again. Keeping his unhappiness about that particular situation from the rest of the team had been difficult. If they'd noticed they hadn't said anything, but his smart, young daughter hadn't missed a trick. Promising to keep her Danno's heartache between the two of them, she'd managed to find the dog's family on Facebook. Grace was now friends with their teenage son, much to Danny's annoyance, but it was the price he had to pay if he wanted to see his beloved Buster.

He had to admit everyone had been great, taking care of his every need, but there were some tasks he was happy he could now do alone. His ohana had rallied around him to help with all aspects of his life from doing his laundry to driving him to his hospital appointments. Steve had done the most, firstly converting the downstairs office into a bedroom with en-suite bathroom. Danny still couldn't fathom how he'd pulled it off in less than a week. He'd also gone above and beyond, assisting with some of his more personal needs. Danny knew he would have to do something special to thank his best friend. After all, he wasn't the easiest of patients.

Grace and Charlie had loved looking after their Danno. Their dad's wheelchair was a firm favorite with Charlie. He especially enjoyed riding on his dad's lap with Grace pushing them. This weekend was his first without his kids around, and Steve had gone out to get provisions for an impromptu barbecue with the rest of the team. No husbands, wives, or girlfriends. So, Danny sat back and relaxed, listening to the surf and feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

"Danny's sitting out by the beach. Lou and I will go get Buster." Steve stood at the front of his house with the rest of the team.

"You sure he never heard us pull up?" Kono retrieved some grocery bags from the back of Chin's Mustang, passing one to her cousin.

"Nah. I doubt he'd hear anything other than his stomach grumbling. You two had better hurry, and sort the food out before he starves." Steve grinned before gesturing to Lou. "We won't be long."

"Don't worry we'll take care of it." Chin bumped shoulders with Kono.

"I thought the dog was called Gus?" Lou climbed in the passenger side of Steve's truck.

"Apparently it doesn't obey any commands when they call it Gus, so they've been calling it Buster. It's not very well house trained either." Steve pulled off the drive.

"And you're letting them both stay at your place?" Lou laughed.

Steve couldn't help but smile at the thought of his partner and the dog.

"If it makes Danny happy. He's done a terrible job at covering up his disappointment at not keeping Buster. I found out from the family that Grace and their son are Facebook friends. He's been posting pictures of the dog for Danny to see."

"He must have it bad if he's letting Grace make friends with someone of the opposite sex." Lou chuckled.

"Knowing Danny he had a mini heart attack."

"You're a good friend McGarrett."

"Yes I am." Steve smiled smugly.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

The door opened, Buster jumped from the seat down onto the hot ground. His wet nose tested the air, but the familiar scent from the seat he'd just laid on was now gone. He followed behind the tall man who held his lead. Stopping by a number of feet, he sat back on his hind legs and looked up at the group of humans talking loudly. Every so often someone would pat his head or stroke his back.

Then they were on the move again. He walked up some steps, across a wooden floor, the smell from earlier was back again. He tried to cross the room towards an open door, but he was stopped by a quick tug on his leash and a command to stop. His lead was removed, and after a warm hand gave his head a good scratching, he was encouraged to go outside. He sniffed, catching the familiar odour once again. Leaping onto the grass, he ran towards the sandy beach, growing more and more excited as he followed the trail. His ears pricked up at the noise of the waves breaking, but the loud noise didn't deter him. He stopped when he reached a pair of chairs and barked a few times. The man sitting there turned to look at him, a beaming smile appearing instantly. Buster bounded forward, tail wagging wildly, and licked the friendly face.

~ the end ~

If you love Buster you'll be happy to know he'll be back in the sequel I'm currently writing.