Epilogue

"So... what time shall I pick Grace up on Friday?"

Rachel and Danny's eyes locked as he asked the question. Both knew what he was really saying, no matter how much they tried to ignore it. "I still love you. I don't see why we're doing this. I know you love me too."

They both knew why, but somehow that didn't make it any easier. How could Rachel possibly explain that, during their marriage, a part of her had died a little each morning, the moment Danny had left for work? That she was sick of spending each day just praying that he'd come home safely – or that he'd come home at all? Love wasn't the issue. It just wasn't enough any more. It hadn't been enough for a long time.

They were still in Honolulu airport, their flight having only touched down thirty minutes earlier, and Rachel was waiting for Stan's flight to come in. Danny had offered to wait with her. Grace had fallen asleep on the plane, and she was now curled up on Danny's lap, still fast asleep. Being chased by gunmen must have really taken it out of her, so Danny didn't want to disturb her. He spent little enough time with Grace as it was, he didn't want to give up one moment with her unnecessarily.

"You can pick her up from school if you like," she replied with a smile. He nodded.

"Sure. Is she still vegetarian this week, or-?" he asked, still mildly amused by Grace's announcement the previous week that eating animals was cruel and she wasn't going to do it any more. Rachel chuckled.

"I enticed her to give up her principles in favour of a hot dog," she answered with a wry smile.

"You know what you are? You are a very bad influence, okay?" he said, his tone deadly serious but his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Leading my daughter astray like this! Do you know how far I had to drive to get her pizza with vegetarian cheese on it? Hot dogs! What's next, a drive-thru coronary?"

"This weekend, she can have whatever she likes. She was so brave out there. She didn't cry once," Rachel said, proudly.

"She wasn't the only brave one. Look at you! You kicked some serious tushie out there! Fighting a gunman bare-handed like that - I'm not ashamed to say it, I'm proud of you!" he said, sincerely. She would never admit it, but Danny could see that she'd blushed.

"Well... it was for Grace. If ever she's in danger, it's like the red mist descends, right?" she pointed out. He let out a breath of laughter and nodded in agreement. "Besides, neither of us would be here now if it hadn't been for you. Thank you, Danny." He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Hey, no problem. It's my job, right?" he reasoned. She smiled softly at him and nodded.

"I suppose it is."

"Hey! Danny!" a voice called, breaking the palpable tension that had built between the two of them. Danny turned his head in the direction of the shout and saw Steve running towards him.

"Steven. Perfect timing, as usual," he said in a mumbled voice that only Rachel could hear, his smile comically forced to compound his sarcasm. Rachel giggled as Steve skidded to a halt in front of them. "Steve, can you keep it down, please? Grace has had a tough day, she's battled gunmen and taken them down better than you would've. She needs her rest!" he protested. Steve raised his eyebrows.

"She'll be a good partner for Kono in a few years," he commented. Danny nodded, proudly, but Rachel's face fell.

"One member of Grace's family risking his life every day is enough, thank you," she replied, curtly. Danny visibly winced and looked at Steve. Steve raised his hands in protest.

"I'm sure she'd rather be a beautician anyway," he backtracked. Rachel smiled gratefully at him. "I'm serious, she's pretty good already. Did Danny tell you about the pedicure she gave me a few weeks ago?" he asked. Rachel and Danny both threw their heads back and roared with laughter, waking Grace up.

"What's going on?" she asked, sleepily, snuggling into her father's chest.

"Grace? Do you have something to tell me about Uncle Steve's feet?" Rachel asked, giggling. Danny couldn't stop shaking with silent laughter. Grace blushed and started laughing too.

"It took an hour soaking my feet in acetone to get those sticker things off!" Steve lamented, now purely for comedy value. Tears of laughter rolled down Danny's face, and Rachel was bent double, laughing hysterically.

"What's the joke?" a voice asked. Rachel looked up and saw Stan, smiling amiably at the scene before him. She jumped up and walked over to him.

"Oh, we were just talking about something Grace did the other week. I'll tell you about it later," she promised. "Grace, come on, we've got to go now. Say goodbye to your father and Uncle Steve," she instructed. Danny and Grace both looked up at Rachel, dejectedly. "You'll see each other again on Friday," she promised, suddenly feeling like the most cruel person in the world for turning down two pairs of puppy dog eyes simultaneously. They sighed and turned to each other.

"Thanks for rescuing us, Danno," Grace began. Danny wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Well, your mom did a great job of holding them off. So don't you mess with her, she's tougher than she looks, okay?" he told her, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Grace grinned and nodded her understanding. "C'mere," he added, hugging her again, and hating their goodbyes more and more each time they happened. "I love you, Monkey."

"Love you too, Danno," she answered, squeezing him as tightly as her skinny little arms could manage before finally letting go and skipping over to her mother and stepfather. Rachel smiled gratefully at him and mouthed a 'thank you'. Danny nodded and a smile flickered faintly across his face in return.

"Love you more," he whispered. He turned away sharply, knowing that Rachel would be leaning in to greet her husband with a kiss, and not wanting the extra crack that would appear in his heart if he had to see it.

Steve and Danny both waved the Edwards-Williams family away before turning to look at each other.

"You got him?" Danny asked. Steve nodded.

"Both of 'em. Joe and Frankie," he replied. Danny's eyes widened. "I know, right? Turns out Frankie isn't dead after all," Steve explained.

"He's not dead?"

"If he is, he's the first corpse I've ever gotten a confession from."

"No wonder we couldn't solve his murder case," Danny said. "You know you're gonna have to tell me everything in intricate detail just so I get this whole shebang straight in my head."

"Shebang?"

"Don't distract me. Intricate detail, McGarrett!"

"Fine, fine, I'll give you a blow-by-blow account!" Steve said. He paused for a moment. "So where to now?"

"Where to? Well, my daughter's gone back to another man's home with my ex-wife, and I'm not going to see her again until Friday. I've not slept in twenty-four hours, travelling to Colorado and back and apprehending a guy who was pointing a gun at Rachel's face at point blank range. Where do you think I wanna go right now? Hmm?" he asked. Steve shook his head.

"You want to go for a run?" he suggested. Danny's eyes narrowed as he shook his head in despair.

"No, I don't want to go for a goddam run, frickin' Action Man!" he retorted. "I want to go to the nearest bar and do some serious yet hopefully temporary damage to my liver," he told him. Steve grinned and clapped him on the back.

"I'll drink to that!" he agreed.

THE END