Disclaimer: Hawaii 5-0 and characters belong to CBS, only the story is mine.

Thoughts: Italics

Danny accuses Steve of being careless by leaving a grenade in the Camaro where Grace could find it. What if Steve wasn't careless? How would that affect the partners? Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Confrontation

Danny was sitting in his office working on the paperwork for the kidnapped teenager's case. He was writing up the incident at the pawn shop when something occurred to him. Steve had put a grenade in the Camaro, his car. The same car which he used to take his daughter to school or pick her up and drive her around on the weekend. His nine year old daughter who had been in the car that morning. There should not be grenades or any such weapons around his daughter. When he imagined his daughter finding a grenade and pulling the pin, he panicked. With these thoughts running around his head he stormed into Steve's office slamming the door.

Steve looked up startled by hearing his door slam. "What the hell…"

"How dare you keep a live grenade or any weapon in my car? Did you ask me if you could keep weapons like that in MY car? No you didn't. Did you even think about the fact that my daughter rides in that car? MY little girl could have found that grenade and blown herself up." He was pacing, arms flailing wildly. "Did you even consider that when you put that THING in my car? I can't believe you! I don't think I want you near Grace anymore!"

Steve stood up. "DANNY!" Danny stopped in spite of his anger. Steve had never used that tone with him before. Steve wiped a shaking hand over his face. He took a deep breath to regain control of his temper. At first he had been shocked, and then hurt by Danny's accusations. Now he was just angry. "Do you really think so poorly of me that you would believe I would leave any kind of weapon where anyone could get their hands on it, let alone Grace?" He held up his hand to forestall Danny's answer. "That was rhetorical. You wouldn't have accused me if you didn't think so. Let me ask you something. Have you ever, and I mean ever seen me leave a weapon lying around?"

Steve's first question had made Danny pause long enough to actually listen. So he gave Steve's question some thought before answering. "No, I haven't."

"That's because I don't. My father taught me the responsibility that came with having guns around the house. The Navy furthered that teaching. If you leave something lying around, you can't find it when you need it." Steve turned away from Danny crossing his arms over his chest trying to hold in the pain. "I placed that grenade in the glove box that morning. I would have grabbed it at the end of the day. I have placed spare ammo in there before; I always removed it at the end of the day." He pulled a key from his pocket. "The last time the Camaro was in the shop I had a special lock put on the glove compartment so that we could leave spare guns in it. Only you and I have a key to it. Even if I had left something in the box, there is no way that Grace could have found it, because I lock the box as soon as I put anything including the grenade in there." Steve looked at the floor. "I should have told you about changing the lock, I forgot because we had to rescue that witness and the mess with Stan." He looked at Danny who was struck by the pain he could see in Steve's eyes. "I'm sorry you think that I would be so careless as to endanger Grace like that." Steve's face morphed into his stoic mask, something Danny hadn't seen since the early days of their partnership, as he headed for the door, he paused in the doorway. "You need to decide if you want to partner with Chin or Kono from now on. I'll partner with either. If you want to go back to HPD, I'll sign the paperwork without argument."

Steve left the office walking by a concerned Chin and Kono. They had been worried when they saw Danny head for Steve's office obviously angry and slam the door. They were shocked when they heard Steve yell.

"Brah, what happened?" Chin questioned Danny quietly.

Danny sank into one of Steve's chairs face dropping into his hands. "I think I just lost my partner." Before explaining about what happened at the pawn shop and his accusations and Steve's response.

The cousins sat down as they listened to Danny's story shocked that Danny could think, let alone accuse Steve of being careless with Grace's safety.

Chin contemplated his next words carefully before he spoke. "Danny, I thought that you realized that Steve may seem reckless but he really isn't. He definitely isn't careless." Danny looked ready to say something but Chin held up his hand to forestall anything Danny had to say. "I know that you think he's crazy sometimes which makes him reckless; but he is a trained Navy Seal who knows what he can and can't do in most any situation. It is what they're trained for isn't it?"

Danny realized that Chin had a point and that he had realized it deep down. He was just such a cautious person that Steve's gung-ho attitude appeared reckless to him. "Yeah, you're right. I was—the idea that my daughter could have found that grenade in my car scared me spit less and I didn't think." He admitted as he dropped his head back into his hands. "I basically told him that I didn't trust him. How do I fix this?"

Chin and Kono stood up. "Other than apologize? I don't know. An apology may not be enough this time. Wish I could help you." He patted Danny on the back.

"Maybe you could find a way to show Steve that you really trust him? How is up to you. Pomaika 'i Danny." She squeezed his shoulder as she left.

He stood up and started pacing. How could I be so stupid? He sent me to find Grace at that football game even though duty said I should have stayed with him. He set the governor on Step-Stan so that Rachel would drop her custody suit. He kicked Steve's trash can. He even talked me down from beating up Step-Stan when he was in the middle of the jungle. How can I prove to Steve that I do trust him in spite of what I said? Suddenly an idea came to him. He walked into his office, sitting down at his desk he began to write. Once he was done, he left the office at a brisk walk hoping that this would work. He didn't want to lose his friend because he panicked.

TBC.

A/N: I just can't picture Steve as being careless, as some other fanfiction has portrayed him. Oh, he can seem reckless but is he really? This is my response.

Will they or won't they repair their partnership? You'll have to read the next part to find out.