I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes: I am so grateful for such generous praise from everyone for this story! REALLY very much - thank you. RL is overwhelming at the moment and it makes me happy when I can share some things with you all. I apologize for not being able to respond individually (yet) to some of you. This was hard to end (ugh 7 chapters!) - I hope this ending is satisfying. The muses were MAD MAD MAD that Danny went back to Nihau. So a re-write of the original ending was done per Steve's well sold argument. I fibbed about six chapters and then about content *wet noodle - sigh*

Many thanks to CinderH who worked her bottom off reading and re-reading drafts so quickly. **hugs** And to JazzieG and CinderH who kicked the muses out of the final chapter "funk" with some desperately needed words of wisdom!

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

Chapter Eight - END

Steve couldn't help doing what he did. It certainly was more than an owed feeling of responsibility or their deep friendship. Maybe he needed to be there for himself as much as for Danny during the following weeks where every tiny move left his partner a sweaty, exhausted mess as he got his strength back. Unable to manage the simplest of things, Danny stayed a few additional days at the local hospital and then was released into his friend's care. After so many frightening months, that care bordered on the obsessive.

If on the rare occasions when it was not Steve, then Kono or Chin were lingering, hovering or just within ear shot whether he be at his own apartment or visiting one of their homes. Steve insisted or found a way to manipulate days at his own beachside house whenever possible; often blaming it on an easy way to entertain Grace with so much to do within feet of the lanai. If it bothered Danny, no one knew since he never uttered a single word of complaint. Danny readily accepted that it was for many reasons so frankly, did it even matter why any of them did what they needed to do? He took Steve's unwavering presence all in stride at first because he needed the help and after, because then he understood that it not only benefited Steve but as it was pointed out so very often, even Grace. Then even when he was cleared to return to full-time work, Danny often had the luxury of a car-pooling partner at the smallest or most vague of excuses.

That morning, they were all going to meet at a crime scene in the basement of an apartment building quite near where Danny lived. It would afford Kono the fastest route to swing by and pick him up herself; after which, she could simply take him back for his own car or to the office. This particular excuse was a true stretch and Danny had been highly amused by her early morning phone call. But she was already halfway there and once again, the decision seemed to be smoothly made for him.

He knew the real reason however and Kono didn't let him down. Peka was soon to be released from the correctional center after a six-month period, and she had picked up on his mental ramblings as the day of the woman's release got closer. Kono was stunned by what he told her though and at first, she didn't know what to say as she thumped her coffee mug down.

"You haven't mentioned wanting to see her in the last few months. Not once. Ever." Kono was clearly unhappy as she lounged against the kitchen counter. It was no secret that Danny spoke to the warden on occasion, but he had shown no further intention of seeing Peka in person. His news now was unsettling at best and Kono practically glared at him. "I knew you had something up your sleeve. But this? I don't know, Danny."

The window was opened behind her and every so often, Danny would look past her shoulder at the curtain which was blowing in the soft breeze. He had to force himself not to glance uneasily at the front door which was a private surprise even to himself. Getting himself back on track, he poured himself a cup of coffee in an intentionally selected plain white restaurant-style mug.

"It's time and my choice. I need to see her and maybe even take her all the way back so I can talk to a few people." Wanting to see Peka after she'd done her court-mandated time, Danny was even considering escorting her to Nihau. His interest included a desire to see Trudy, as well as little Aaron. He thought he needed the closure to fully move on. However, Kono distinctly disapproved based on her instant reaction.

"You want to do what? To Nihau! Are you out of your mind?" Kono rocked off the counter as the words were left hanging between them. "Steve is going to blow a gasket! He won't like that you even want to see her let alone travel all the way back to that place!"

What both men continued to disagree on had been Peka's future which had quickly become a bone of contention between the two even if that future was somewhat out of their hands. Danny's attempts at intervening did yield some leniency in her case, which wasn't enough for him and yet not nearly enough for Steve. In fact, Steve vehemently felt that Peka was escaping the real consequences of her actions.

However, Danny's compassionate statement was considered in Peka's overall sentencing. The judge had remanded her to a medium-security women's correctional center where she would not only attend educational classes, but grief-counseling since it was deemed that her husband's death might have been a major catalyst.

Steve considered the whole situation much too charitable and nearly a debacle of justice. In the end, only Chin got them to agree on their base need to disagree in order to keep the peace over any discussions that might focus on the young woman or her baby. But now, time was up and Peka was being released under her own recognizance and the constraints of a final probationary time period; and Danny wanted to see her for himself.

"Oh, Danny. I don't know about this." Kono grimaced unhappily as he finished getting his gear together for the day's work. His raised eyebrows and quirky grin showed that he well knew what would happen. He was evidently ready to take Steve on in all his over-bearing, angry glory. She anticipated the fireworks to come and sighed dramatically as they left the apartment together.

"This isn't going to be pretty, brah."

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Danny told Steve his plans later that afternoon in the Five-0 offices. Nearly wincing out loud as Danny sauntered into Steve's personal space and shut the door, she quickly filled Chin in on the situation. His stunned expression mirrored his cousin's from that very morning.

"What's going on?" Immediately leery of Danny's too coy demeanor and the fact the door was now closed, Steve was on guard with his partner.

"Peka is being released the day after tomorrow. She's getting out this Wednesday." It was as far as he got, and Danny had to hand it to Kono that Steve's reaction would be astronomical at the mere mention of the woman's name.

"No. I don't want you seeing her ... at all. She can take a cab to the airport." Even for his obvious dislike, the bluntness of the delivery wasn't entirely anticipated. Danny squinted oddly at Steve because he hadn't even gotten to the good part yet of taking her to Nihau. Only assuming that Danny might want to pick her up at the facility for a friendly ride to catch her flight, Steve was already extremely angry.

"She's not going to do anything, Steve." The not so patient tone was riddled with disgust. "It's time that I saw her and made sure she was okay. For myself."

"No need. Her family will be waiting for her." The remark was pointed and meant to end the conversation, but Danny was far from done.

"I'm going with her to Nihau. I'd like to see..." He was on the verge of explaining his plan in more detail about her cousin and the baby, but Steve was seething in anger. He could barely get the words out as his instincts twisted at the concept of Danny leaving Oahu for the other smaller island.

"Absolutely not! I won't have it." The cousins winced in unison as Steve's shout echoed from behind the closed glass door. "Danny, what is wrong with you?"

"I'll think about you every minute." With his own temper rising as well, Danny clenched the edge of Steve's desk. His sarcastically drawled comment caused Steve to quite literally rear back in a new level of fury. Danny was throwing his own words at him from a different fateful trip that he had once taken without any of their input. To add to the insult, Danny felt his own anger bubbling even more as he lobbed even a few added choice words back.

"Isn't that what you said? Did what I - or, what any of us - want matter to you when you went back to Korea?" Glaring at his partner, Danny refused to back down. "No, not so much. Am I right?"

"And tell me, Danny, how did that turn out exactly?" Hissing now and admitting his own folly, Steve leaned forward meaningfully on his large desk to put them nearly nose to nose. It was the only thing separating them as Steve's knuckles turned white. "If you have to do something, fine .. take her to our airport and good riddance, but keep your distance."

"What is your problem?" Not willing to relinquish his ground, Danny honestly wanted to know. He didn't understand the rising feeling of tension and true hate that was no longer stifled. Steve's eyes were dark with not only anger, but a measure of possible fear.

"I mean seriously, you dislike Peka that much?"

With a firm set to his jaw, Steve stood up, backed away, and folded his arms to hide the angry trembling of his fingers. He looked across at Danny finally relieved to have him back at work and much more himself. He was undeniably healthier, happier and simply put ... home. Because of the man standing directly in front of him, Steve nodded to compound Danny's question as he tried to make him understand.

"I do dislike her. Very much, in fact." He admitted with a quiet venom. "I don't want you to go anywhere near her because it serves no purpose whatsoever. She's dangerous, Danny. I don't care what you or the court has to say. The woman is off and I don't get why you don't see it. If you won't stay away from her for me, then do it for Grace."

"What are you talking about? I'm not asking for a relationship with her!" Stunned to his feet, Danny nearly swiped a stack of papers off the desk and to the floor. "And by the way ... Grace! Grace has nothing to do with any of this!"

Their argument was in full swing and Kono needed to prevent Chin from trying to intervene. The final fight had to happen and it was now or never. Plus as she whispered to him, Steve was finally getting all of their concerns out on the table. Discussing Grace would be the last piece of the long, emotional puzzle and that also needed to be articulated. From the smart table, the cousins watched as Steve adopted a very sarcastic stance of his own. But his voice dropped considerably and they were unable to hear what he had to say.

"For a such a highly aware, involved and good father, I fail to see how you could possibly think Grace would approve of you going back to Nihau. Or, do you plan to do this on the sly and not tell her?"

Danny blinked at Steve in confusion because he still failed to see some of the connection. He had no intention of keeping this a secret or otherwise. He had assumed his need to finally close the door on Peka wouldn't entirely be a problem for anyone. Heaving a sigh that was fraught with worry, Steve spelled each syllable out and was clear that besides Grace, they all felt precisely the same way. They had all lived through four agonizing, sickly unpleasant months with broken leads, intentional lies, and then what had seemed like a true inconceivable loss due to a partially failed mission.

Firmly pushing down his emotions, Steve calmed himself considerably to finish what he needed. The change was also telling to Danny as he heaved in a deep breath himself, and forced himself to take a full step back from the desk. "Grace is still afraid for you. She's afraid of that woman and that island. She will have zero understanding of why you think you need to go back there." Lowering his voice even more, Steve made a face because he was still upset and at a loss of how to express himself.

"I know Peka says that she didn't really know what she was taking the money for; but I don't entirely believe her. I never will. Her story about meeting up with Colton's men for a fast buck is ludicrous or then being fearful for her family's safety and eventually even for yours. No, I can't trust her, Danno. I just can't do it." Danny glowered unhappily because mixed in with a true concern for Grace, was the now open sentiments of his whole team.

"I don't know why you feel that you have to even utter her name." Steve was much less forgiving of the Hawaiian woman, by far. As he ran out of words and silence over-took the office, the two could only briefly stare at each other. One pleading the other to rethink his most recent and very disturbing idea.

Silently, Danny simply turned and left Steve's office for his own. He had more to think about than he originally ever had considered. He stayed in his office for the rest of the afternoon, only poking his head up when Steve announced he would be driving him home. On tender hooks, the topics of Peka and visiting Nihau were cleanly avoided and tabled for a later discussion.

Steve sat in the parking lot for a few minutes after Danny entered his apartment. Not invited in, it was obvious that Danny needed even more time to think and brood. Steve's not so kindly shared opinions had sounded harsh even to his own ears, but he felt it all had to be said; especially the point about Grace and what stresses she might feel knowing that her father had gone back there. Steve felt strongly that her reaction wouldn't differ in the slightest bit if Danny told her either before he went or upon his return.

He tapped the steering wheel impatiently as he considered Grace. His hand strayed to the ignition and he almost turned off the engine to have another long talk with Danny. With a rough sigh, he shook his head in disgust and decided against it. In the end, Steve would deal with whatever his partner decided. However, he most assuredly wouldn't be doing whatever that might wind up being, alone. With a wry smirk, Steve calmed his temper with that thought before pulling out of the parking lot for his own home.

From the sanctity of his kitchen window, Danny watched Steve's truck as it sat idling entirely expecting to see the driver's side door open and his partner come striding out for another argumentative recap. He stayed there and waited until the truck finally pulled away and disappeared down the road.

"Fine." Relieved to be alone, Danny roughly pulled out the chair from the kitchen table. The surprising intensity of this latest argument wasn't what he wanted and in fact, a big part of him thought that they were all over-reacting. He hadn't kept it a secret that he often wondered about Trudy and how she was managing raising Aaron while his mother was away. Something inside himself had prevented him doing more than contacting the warden at the Center. Danny had let that curiosity linger and now with Peka being released, he felt an urge to know more.

Regardless of his dislikes, Steve was right in that six months was a long time. Now pushed, Danny really didn't exactly know what he wanted or better yet, what was he feeling towards Peka, Trudy and Aaron. If not love, then only an affection but did he need to physically see them? Hashing and re-hashing his original plans against Steve's confrontational argument, Danny pushed himself away from the table.

"Fine." The repeated sigh continued to hold a note of annoyance. One thing was for certain: he could not afford to have a talk with Grace about Peka, Trudy, Aaron or visiting Nihau. That one truth as so bluntly shared by his astute partner was absolute. Because of that one truth, Danny did have to wonder then what he thought he might need to resolve. Grumbling to himself, he vowed to come up with a compromise that would work and make more sense.

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The following morning, Steve found Danny at the office much earlier than anyone else. He looked a bit weary and ruffled around the edges making Steve frown in despair about the day's prior overly involved discussion. Worried about what might come, Steve sat on the edge of the desk and mindlessly pushed a pen around.

"Listen, Danny." He started and then was interrupted as Danny got to his feet.

"No, you listen. You're right." Stunned by the first words and finality of the tone, Steve waited for the rest of it. He was worried but Danny seemed more upset with himself. "I don't have to go to Nihau, or even see Peka for that matter."

Completely unable to hide his small smile, Steve had to grin which made Danny purse his lips. "But ... I want to see her."

Steve's face fell slightly before recovering to share his quick ultimatum. It was something he had rehearsed for half the night. "Okay. But Danny ... not alone. I'm going with you whether you like it or not."

It was Danny's turn to smile because he'd finally come to accept his partner's deeply ingrained distrust for his Hawaiian friend and her small family. But then again, that wasn't entirely the case since Steve was wholly focused on Peka. He nodded to agree and saw the rising tension dissipate as quickly as it appeared. "I'd be happy seeing her at the Center tomorrow right as she leaves for Nihau. Just to make sure she's okay and to satisfy my curiosity. I'd like to ask about Trudy and the baby."

The heaved relief of the second sigh was unmistakable and Danny had to grin widely. "Thank you. I need to do .. something .. this will work."

"Are you sure?" Steve surprised himself but he meant it. Relieved twice over when Danny felt it would be enough. "Alright .. it's a good idea, Danny. You could always do more later if you wanted to follow-up or talk to her."

That next afternoon, Steve and Danny sat quietly together as two or three women were released from the Center. Two cars and a taxi sat idling more closely and nearer the curb to the sidewalk. Parked across the way in the lot, Danny had his hand poised on the handle to the door. He was about to get out and approach Peka when he saw her wave wildly to someone in the idling taxi.

"Who's that?" Steve frowned and squinted as he tried to see through the glass in the sun. But the passenger in the back was momentarily hidden from view. When the heavy-set woman struggled out, he heard Danny's surprised intake of breath.

"Oh. It's Trudy .. her cousin." Sitting up taller next to Steve in the passenger seat, Danny watched as the heavy-set woman welcomed her cousin with a warm hug. Turning back into the taxi, she fumbled for something and Danny realized it was the baby who had been sitting in a car seat.

"Look who she brought." Steve murmured quietly with a smile in his partner's direction. "I guess that would be Aaron?"

Danny nodded before sinking more contentedly back. The baby was kicking in his excitement to get to his mother and Peka was smiling happily as she hugged him away from Trudy. "Yeah, he's huge already ... practically a toddler."

"So? Are you going to sit here or say hello? It's a perfect opportunity." Uncertain as to why Danny had yet to move, Steve pushed gently against Danny's shoulder. But he only rocked back into place as his hand dropped from the door handle. Watching Peka nearly throw her son into the air with peals of laughter, he suddenly wasn't moved to make his presence known.

"No." He breathed out quietly. Steve suspiciously eyed the Hawaiian woman out of habit for he couldn't forgive her entirely. Her cousin had made the trip to retrieve her and had brought her son. He could sense that Danny's appearance could be awkward or at least, somewhat uncomfortable. He watched as Peka quickly surveyed the parking lot as if looking for someone or something, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Danny frown. It was almost as if Peka did expect Danny .. her Will .. to show up. And maybe that unto itself was the issue since Will didn't exactly exist the way she would have wanted.

Dutifully intending to follow them to the airport in case Danny changed his mind, Steve started the truck as soon as the taxi pulled away from the curb. But a touch on his arm stopped him as Danny shook his head because he possibly had reached the same conclusion after seeing the trio reunited.

"No. Don't." Content and at peace with what they just witnessed, Danny shrugged before grinning. It felt like enough had happened as the taxi disappeared from view. "You don't have to."

~ End ~