Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer,
Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams
Spoilers/Warnings: none
Author's note: Thanks to Paulette for the beta. Yes, it's the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fusion you never expected or knew you wanted... yes, it's another AU from me. Quelle surprise.

Originally published (on ao3): June 2014

Danny Williams was a rarity in the slayer world. Mainly because a boy hadn't been called up in centuries, but it did happen occasionally, just as plenty of Watchers over the years had been female despite the predominance of them being male. But he was also a rarity because he had survived not just into his twenties, but also his thirties.

Of course, once there had been only one Slayer in the whole world but now there were more, maybe seven or so across the globe (though they were never allowed to meet or know each others' identities) and it had been when Danny was sixteen in Newark that he'd been approached and clued in to what happened when the darkness fell.

It had been a harrowing life from then on and one that he couldn't tell his family or friends about. Of course, some discovered his secret. His brother Matt had found out when covering for Danny over injuries he'd received so their parents didn't worry. Some of his friends found out when he'd saved their lives in a vampire attack on a late night shopping event at the mall. And Rachel knew because he couldn't get married and hide it from her.

They'd been young and stupid. Rachel maybe not so much but Danny had been. He hadn't expected to survive the Apocalypse that year and had hastily married Rachel in order to try to have some kind of normal life before he died. Then he'd saved the world with the help of his then-partner and had lived to fight another day. And Rachel was pregnant.

It was idiotic and reckless and Danny seriously considered asking Rachel to terminate the pregnancy because who would bring a child into the world when they knew what was really out there? But he couldn't do it, and when Grace was born Danny had a new purpose. When he knew he was going to be a dad he thought about retiring from slaying but he had to protect his new daughter, the light in his life, the thing that kept him fighting harder. Both Graces were the reason he had survived that third apocalypse. Grace Tilwell had died so that he could get closer to the demon, destroy it and close the gates to Purgatory. (Which, apparently, were located at the docks in Newark and in some ways it really hadn't surprised him). And Grace Williams was the innocent life in his hands that meant more to him that anything, and nothing else could ever come close.

And who knew that the day that he'd had to fight to save humanity, would be the same day that humanity would hurt itself so badly. He'd almost lost hope in those following few days but he had to keep going. He had named his baby girl after the reason he was alive, the person who saved him, because the tiny bundle in his arms was his new reason to keep on. Maybe humanity had disappointed him, but that one little girl never would.

But Danny being a cop and a slayer was too much for Rachel to handle, it put stress on their relationship and they had divorced. Then his Watcher died at the hands of a witch and the Council had decided that Danny needed to move location and even though he'd resisted for Grace's sake, the Council made a point of guaranteeing that Rachel and Grace would move also. Danny still didn't know how they did it and frankly, he didn't want to, either. But at least on that front he got what he wanted. Then they told him where he was moving.

Honolulu.

Vampires in Hawaii? It had seemed odd to say the least when he'd stepped off the plane into blinding sunshine. Why would a vampire slayer be needed in Hawaii? But all the Council would say was that there was a prophesy blah blah blah and Danny needed to go there and his new Watcher would meet him at Pearl Harbor.

Chin Ho Kelly, one of the smartest men Danny had ever met, was paying the bills by guarding the local gift shop since something had happened with his family and he'd become a rubber gun - no longer combining his watcher duties with that of being a cop himself. But he was skilled in a fight, book smart, tech savvy and was currently training his young cousin while looking out for Danny. It was a big ask of the man and Danny respected that and the way that Chin handled it, so he made a point to be at training on time and ready to go and do his best not to grumble. And when he did, which was often anyway, he would apologize after.

He'd been in Hawaii six months now and nothing major had happened. He went out patrolling and killed more vampires than he'd expected for a state covered in eternal sunshine and he spent as much time as he could with his daughter, making sure she got a decent childhood and was protected from the realities of life as long as he could manage.

But this night felt different. Perhaps because he'd been concentrating on a new case at work and how yet another vampire attack was going to have to be covered up with the 'he took a fork to the neck and bled out' theory but he felt weird. He had prickles on the back of his neck and he kept his ears attuned but nothing had happened and he'd been out for over an hour.

He kept going to the end of the block, then turned onto a quieter street with lights further apart and then the prickles got more obvious and he stopped, instantly knowing what was happening.

"Okay, I know you're following me and have been for a while, so how about you show yourself and just tell me what you want like a civilized person," he said, finishing what he had to say before turning around.

He peered into the shadows at the service door to a nearby rundown motel and watched as it moved. A tall, dark figure appeared in what little light he could see. "I know what you're thinking," the man said. "But I'm not going to bite you, detective."

"Gee, that's a relief. Perhaps I won't shoot you," Danny said back, his hand resting on the hilt of his gun.

"There's been a lot of strange murders recently. Things must be busy in the Homicide department."

"You seem to know me but I know nothing about you. How about a name?"

"McGarrett," the man said, putting his hands in the pockets of his black cargo pants.

"I meant yours, not my latest victim's," Danny answered.

"That is my name."

Danny took a breath. That explained some of it anyway. "I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm not going to give you any information on an ongoing investigation."

"How about I give you some?" McGarrett asked, taking a few steps closer but stopping when Danny's hand tightened on his service weapon. "Victor Hesse."

"Who's that?"

"He's your killer. A vampire. Old. Strong. Gone by a few different names in his time and this is the most recent. He's up to something. I don't know what it is yet, but it's big. And it's soon."

This guy definitely knew who Danny was. He'd become used to creatures recognizing him for who he was straight away, but never humans. That bothered him. It itched under his skin. It made him question who this guy was and just how human. Looks could always be deceiving and though Danny had a great vamp-dar, it was pinging in different directions with this guy and he couldn't figure him out. He could blame the low light but that wasn't it. It was his eyes. They were softer than a vampire's. Most of them were almost like animals. Smart ones that knew how to ensnare their prey, but animals nonetheless. But this guy? Though he looked like he had that coldness to him, his eyes spoke clearly that he cared.

"Vampires don't exist. Perhaps you should think about seeing a grief counselor or something," Danny tried, giving the man one last out, and giving himself a last vestige of hope that his identity as the Slayer was still secret on this island.

"There's no point trying to bullshit me, Danny Williams. I know you're a slayer, so how about we get to the part where you find and kill Victor Hesse."

And there went that hope. He sighed. "It's just that easy, huh? Find him and kill him."

"That is what slayers do, isn't it? And I've been watching you for a while. You're skilled. You've survived this long, that says something about how good you are and now you're in Hawaii where the vampire population has boomed in the last two years. The Council sent you here for a reason and I'm telling you Victor Hesse has something to do with it."

"Why don't you do it? You seem clued in. You look capable," Danny gestured at the man who, come to think of it, looked pretty trim under the tight black t-shirt he wore. What was this guy's fashion code anyway, Army ninja?

"I would, but he'd see me coming. He doesn't know who you are."

"You have a beef with this guy? Got some history?"

"You could say that," the man crossed his arms and nodded.

"Uh-huh, clamming up now with the information, that's great. Look, I'll do what I can, I'll get my watcher on it, see what we can find out."

The other man gave a curt nod and then turned away to walk off. "I'll be in touch," he threw over his shoulder and disappeared back into the shadows and Danny lost sight of him quicker than he expected.

"Didn't ask you to be," he murmured once he was alone again, before turning the opposite way and heading back to where he'd parked his car.

"He just said the guy's name was Victor Hesse and that he was a vampire, nothing more," Danny shrugged as he leaned on the computer table Chin had stashed in the back room of the Pearl Harbor gift shop.

It was like going into a vault every time he came here. Only Chin had a key for it, citing that only the head of security should have one for the 'back office', and once inside it was a strange mix of old and new. Leather bound books going back centuries adorned shelves yet modern computer equipment sat on the desk and in the case of where Danny was leaning, was actually the table. Chin and Kono had scanned a lot of the documents in for faster access and as part of her training (or slavery, as Kono thought of it sometimes) she had been organizing a fast cross-reference system on the computer that would help them narrow down old lore with modern policing. Chin had FBI, CIA, MI6, Interpol… he had everything. Security agencies from around the world all had links through the council and so Chin had everything he needed at his fingertips. Being a modern watcher was apparently a lot easier than being a watcher even just ten or twenty years ago, when Danny had been starting out and Chin had been halfway around the world from him, completing his watcher training.

"And you said his name was McGarrett?" Chin asked, a soft puzzled expression on his face as he typed onto the table top.

"Yeah. Figure he's a relation of John McGarrett; he gave that impression. Knew a lot, too. Knew I was a slayer, maybe the family has ties to the Council, but he didn't give anything away. John trained you though, right? He ever speak about someone like that?"

"Not that I remember, he only ever really spoke about his daughter. Anything else about this guy that can help me out?" Chin asked as he typed away on the table.

Danny shrugged. "I dunno, tall, dark, gorgeous…." he cleared his throat as Chin briefly glanced up to shoot him a look. "… in an annoying kind of way. I didn't like him."

Chin smiled quickly but covered it and got back to the matter at hand. "John has no immediate relatives listed. Not male, I mean. Got a daughter, like I said, called Mary. He was an only child himself. I could look further back if you want but this guy didn't give off a vampire vibe to you?"

"No, but anyway, maybe you should stop focusing on the mystery figure I've already met and get on with finding Hesse?" Danny prompted.

"Fine. Victor Hesse. I've already looked into him as much as I can. He popped up around ten years ago using the name Hesse. He had a brother, Anton, but someone seems to have killed him eight years ago, so I'd lay bets right now that Victor isn't the happiest of bunnies, you know how vamps can keep a grudge." Danny rolled his eyes, that wouldn't be news regardless. "He's had other names over the years, nothing major is popping. He doesn't seem important enough to be doing anything himself, more like an assassin for hire or a middle man. He's done dirty work for.. hmmmm, a few heavy weights. Including Salvo, who you already know."

"Yeah but Salvo's dead. I got him years ago, after a very long and traumatizing case, I may add, and I have no recollection of a Victor Hesse. And I was cleaning up for about four months until we got the vamps under control again in Hoboken. Such a mess. Some punk ass kid vampire even managed to get close enough to taser me. On Halloween… still never figured out what he was doing out that night…"

"Still, there's nothing here that would point to Hesse as being the kind of player that could be the subject of an ancient prophesy of doom." Chin finally interrupted Danny's musings.

"About that," Danny leaned back, keeping one hand on the table top and the other waving in the air in front of him. "I'm still not entirely sure how I fit into this prophesy. Or what it's about. To be honest, I doubt its existence."

"Oh, it's real," Chin barely looked at Danny as he answered. "It's being kept in England at the Council headquarters, you know that."

"You've seen it?"

"I've… been made privy to some details. Enough to know that it points to something happening here and that it involves the local slayer."

"See, that's my problem. I'm not local. I was just plucked up and moved here. They could have picked anyone, so why me?"

"Because the prophesy talks about a male slayer and as much as I know nothing about the other slayers out there, I'd wager that you are the only male slayer we have right now."

Danny stood still, a hand all but motionless in front of him, his fingers lightly rubbing against each other and mouth open trying to refute why it had to be about him but struggling to come up with anything to say against it beyond what he already had. He shrugged. "I'll still only believe it when I see it."

"Uh-huh," Chin answered noncommittally. "Well, if Hesse is on the Island like McGarrett says then he'll need a blood supply if he wants to stay under the radar. According to the crime report from the John McGarrett murder, DNA was left behind identifying Fred Doran as a potential suspect."

"What do we know about him?"

"He's in the HPD system. Gun running, drug dealing… I'd lay bets that if Hesse needs something while he's here, then Doran's the guy to get it for him."

"So Doran's human?"

"Well… that I don't know for sure, but he was six months ago when he last got out of jail. But if his DNA is showing up on our murder victim's neck, I'd say Hesse already turned him."

"Great, well, I'll call Meka, tell him I'm following up on a lead. Don't want him involved if it's fang related. It would be easier if I just told him about things."

"You've been in the game a long time, Danny. You know the rules."

"Yeah, yeah," Danny waved off as he walked out the door. Having a partner that wasn't aware of the existence of vampires was a pain in the ass. His life had been simpler when he was partnered with Grace and he'd told her even though he wasn't supposed to. Then she died, and Danny blamed himself. Of course he did. If she hadn't known, he'd never have involved her in his take-down. He'd also be dead right now, but she'd probably be alive and it was a guilt he'd had to push down on years before. After that, he'd not allowed his partners to get close to him enough to let them know what was going on. He just let them think he liked to work alone as much as possible and they stayed clear.

Since being in Hawaii, Meka was the only one in the precinct that didn't think him weird and who worked well with him. He felt bad that when he partnered with Meka, it was the other man who was keen to share and try for a proper partnership, yet Danny pulled back. If he wasn't a slayer, he knew he and Meka would get on brilliantly, go out for beers after work, play some poker… but instead he had to go out on his nightly patrols of the seedier parts of town or the local cemeteries and religious spots and couldn't give Meka straight answers. This was the first partner he'd had since Grace that he'd actually wanted to tell.

He called and left a message, being evasive by not speaking to him directly and relieved when Meka didn't answer his phone. He then drove out to the address Chin had given him for Doran and sat for a while just watching the house, wondering if there was a nest in there or if Doran was alone. Wondering if the neighbors had any idea who and possibly what they were living next to and just how careful he'd have to be if he had to be a slayer right now and not just a cop.

He decided the place was too run down and small to be the home of a nest. Vampires would live anywhere but they were still territorial and still wanted the best they could get, especially when there was a bunch of them trying to get all alpha with whatever pack they'd put together (okay, so that was werewolf language, but it fit for what Danny meant).

He checked his gun then got out, heading to the trunk and to the hidden compartment underneath the board where he kept a bag of slayer essentials with his spare tire. He took out his cross and put it around his neck. He never usually wore it during the day, keeping religion out of the work place, especially because he wasn't religious about it and didn't want to get into conversations he wasn't interested in. He lifted out two stakes, keeping them tucked in at the back of his belt, then grabbed a small bottle of holy water and put it in his pocket.

He went in as a cop, unholstering his gun when he heard voices inside arguing and then put his back to the wall beside the door, cursing that he was alone and didn't have any backup. He didn't really need it if Doran was a vamp, but if he was human and this got ugly then it would have been better.

"Fred Doran, this is HPD."

The arguing stopped and then a gunshot rang out, a bullet ripping through the flimsy wall and grazing Danny's shoulder. He stayed on his feet, ignoring the pain, but then the door slammed open and a woman pushed Danny over on her way out, cursing Doran, cursing the cops, cursing everything as she got out of there.

Danny stayed low for a moment while he got his bearings, noticing immediately that Doran had stayed inside, which tipped the scale in favor of him being a vampire. He lifted his gun again, wincing at the pull on his now injured shoulder and moved carefully inside the house.

"Fred Doran, drop your weapon and come out slowly," he tried. It didn't work.

"You don't know who you're dealing with, cop!" A voice spat from a back room.

"Oh, I think I do," Danny murmured to himself as he moved closer, keeping close to the wall even though he'd already proved that wouldn't stop a speeding bullet. He raised his voice again. "I want Victor Hesse. Tell me where he is and maybe I can cut you a deal. You know… for the whole shooting a cop thing, and the illegal weapon you're holding."

"You think I'd give up Hesse, then you're insane."

"You loyal to him?" Danny asked. "He turn you already? If he did, I'm pretty sure you don't want me arresting you and taking you out of here. Two steps out that door and you're getting a severe case of sunburn so if you want to stay alive you better start talking."

"Who are you?" Doran asked.

"The bogeyman," Danny answered. "I'm your worst nightmare, Doran."

"Slayer," Doran almost sang out as he realized and Danny could actually hear him taking a slow breath in, the vampire's heightened senses seeking out the smell of Danny's slayer gene, then he laughed and Danny got a sinking feeling. "Even slayers can't survive a bullet to the brain."

Clearly Doran had a better weapon than Danny knew, and a hail of bullets pounded into the walls as Danny ducked down low and moved out of the line of fire as Doran peppered everywhere in the house in a way that said he didn't care about wasting the bullets he had.

Danny cursed. A vampire coming at him with a set of fangs was one thing. Taking a new vamp on in hand to hand was almost a sure thing for a slayer unless the vamp got lucky or the slayer cocky. But when you gave said vampire a machine gun, then things got crazy, and just as difficult to deal with as any human faced with raining bullets.

The sound of breaking glass made him cover his head but it wasn't from a window near him. Danny figured Doran must have started shooting even more randomly, but then he heard thumps in the other room and in an instant the bullets stopped.

He waited a moment, counting to three slowly in his head, then braved it. He rose from his crouch, lifted his weapon and turned into the room, pointing it at the dark figure in the shadows, looking at the pile of dust in front of him, the machine gun discarded on the floor nearby.

"Damnit," Danny said, his gun still raised at the figure as he took in the rest of the sparse room, with nothing else in there except an almost bare table and what looked like some dirty sheets on the floor.

"You don't need to point your weapon at me," the man said.

"I don't?" Danny kept it up. "Because you just killed my lead and on top of that, I don't actually know who you are or if I can even trust you, so I think I'll keep it where it is, thank you."

"I told you last night, my name's McGarrett, Steve," the other man answered, a perplexed look on his face. "And I'm not a danger to you. I just want to get Victor Hesse."

"Something I was trying to do until you killed the vampire who knew where he was!" Danny answered.

"What, this guy?" McGarrett pointed at the pile of dust. "You were in trouble, I was helping. And why didn't you tell me this guy was so important! You shouldn't have come on your own!"

"And I was supposed to tell you how, huh?" Danny asked, waving his gun to the side now, forgetting that he didn't actually trust the guy yet. "You waltzed into my life last night with a name and nothing more. You're not a cop and you're not a slayer, you shouldn't be involved in this."

"You didn't even bring your watcher?"

"He's busy and I'm the slayer. This part is my job and I'm used to doing it alone."

"Not always," McGarrett said, throwing Danny.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, for the first time really wondering why McGarrett seemed to speak to him like he knew him, like he knew his past, like an old friend.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything. You're hurt."

"I'm fine. I heal quickly."

"You should still have someone look at that," McGarrett said as he walked around the dust where it sat in the sunlight from the broken window he'd smashed to come to Danny's aid, and then he handed him a card from his pocket. Danny looked at it. Nondescript, just a white card with a phone number.

"What's this?" He asked, playing dumb.

"In case you need me."

"In case I need you? You think I'm going to call you if I need help? There are plenty of people above you on the list, buddy."

"There shouldn't be. You put me at the top of that list, okay?" McGarrett stood close and the air between the two men lay heavy and thick and Danny felt strange when he looked into McGarrett's eyes, like he had butterflies in his stomach, though he berated himself for thinking it because he wasn't a twelve year old girl with a crush. Those eyes intrigued him, that was all, that's what he'd keep telling himself. He was fascinated because he couldn't read McGarrett like he wanted to, like he usually could with everyone else. These eyes were soft, but hard, young but ancient, they danced with a lightness and happiness but this man held a deep pain over something.

He may know things about Danny's life, but Danny knew nothing about his and he found himself wanting to know and it was more than a slayer curiosity to find out what things were and if they needed to be killed. Danny knew the butterflies even if he tried to deny them because he'd felt them before when he'd met Rachel. After the divorce he'd vowed never to get married again and that it was best for him and for the world if he just stopped with relationships and concentrated on the lonely path he needed to take to save the world over and over. He had his daughter; he didn't need anything else.

And now this guy had walked into his life like a second shadow. Danny shrugged internally. Just because he'd sworn off relationships didn't mean he'd become a monk. Maybe if there was a strong spark that McGarrett felt too, then maybe they could have something casual once the case was done. Maybe.

"Listen," Danny cleared his throat, breaking the spell between them "I gotta call this in before the neighbors do. And I need to start covering your ass for dusting Doran."

"Just say he went through the window."

"That window?" Danny pointed behind them. "The one that's smashed inward?"

McGarrett took a moment. "There was someone else here that got out, say they smashed it in to give him an exit and they left together."

"Whatever, I don't need your help," Danny waved off. "Just go as well before anyone sees you and I need to work out how to explain you."

"I will, just buy me five minutes and I'll make sure I've not left any evidence behind, then I'll leave."

"Fine," Danny scowled, curiously as McGarrett seemed like he was refusing to leave until Danny was out of the room. He didn't have time to play a game of reverse chicken with McGarrett and instead took himself outside to his Camaro and called in the details. When the first black and white arrived he used their bullshit story to explain everything and waste some police man hours with a hunt for someone who was actually a pile of dust on the floor and not running away somewhere, and he listened as the notification went out over the radio. All the while he had an eye on the house. He hadn't seen McGarrett leave but there was nothing else he could do as uniforms began looking for evidence inside and bagging up the gun Doran had used.

Danny left them to it and headed back to the precinct to fill out the paperwork. Once done, he got his ass back to Pearl so he could work out his next move with Chin.

"There's only one thing for it," Chin said as their trail went cold on finding Hesse.

"What?" Danny asked, not sure he was going to like the answer. Chin gave him a steady look. "No, come on. Shamu?" Danny moaned.

"Hey, he's got good intel. Stuff we don't have."

"It's hocus pocus, not intel."

"Just because he's a warlock doesn't mean he's a bad person, Danny."

"He did time because he used magic to rob ATMs," Danny pointed out.

"Well, he's reformed."

"He hates me," Danny put in with a sing-song tone in his voice.

"He's wary of you. And only because you're the slayer and you've repeatedly threatened to burn him at the stake. Which means I'm going to have to be the one to talk to him."

"Sounds good to me."

"Oh, you're still coming," Chin stated as he grabbed a few things from the table and stuffed them in his pockets.

"Why?" Danny moaned.

"In case my brand of persuasion isn't strong enough to get any information from him."

Danny leaned by the car. Chin had banished him to it when he'd almost threatened Kamekona by blithely asking if he could float or not, and that made things worse by getting the price jacked up. He bounced against the door and squinted into the sun, taking in the tourists around him on the beach. As usual he wished he could be like them. Like anybody, really, who didn't know what was out there and blissfully went about their ordinary lives.

It was as he looked around him that he recognized the dark shape in the door of a nearby building. The fact that he recognized it already and could pick it out in a crowded area after such a short time was not something he liked. He sighed and pushed away from the car. With his hands in his pockets he sauntered over.

"Well, if it isn't my annoying shadow," he said, looking up the steps into the doorway of the shack at the man inside. Still wearing dark clothes and looking rather out of place, the man looked Danny over in return.

"I followed you," he said, watching around them, eyes wary as if on alert for danger.

"I figured that out already. I'm not an idiot and you, my friend, are not subtle." Danny replied and got nothing back from McGarrett. "You feel like filling me in on the why? Hmm? Why are you following me?"

"In case you needed my help again."

"That last time was a fluke," Danny pointed out.

"And in case you didn't call me like you're supposed to. Which you haven't, by the way. My phone is working perfectly."

"Uh-huh, well I don't actually have anything to call you about yet. But why am I justifying myself? We've had this conversation already and honestly, I probably wasn't going to call you. All you're doing is making my life more difficult."

"You need my help to kill Victor Hesse," McGarrett said, finally meeting Danny's eyes.

"I need- since when? You came to me, McGarrett, not the other way around." Danny was beginning to get a crick in his neck from looking up the steps at the giant of a man that Steve McGarrett was, so he moved inside the shack.

Danny's movements made Steve take a step back and turn to keep talking to him. He crossed his arms. "If I go after him head on, he'll know it. He knows me too well. Besides, you're the slayer, so you have the resources and the strength to go up against him, but not alone."

"You make him sound a lot more dangerous than the vamps I've come across in the past."

"He is," Steve was adamant. "And it's not just his age and experience that sets him apart from the run of the mill vamps you meet in dark alleys. Hesse has ties to big players. Big."

"Like who?"

McGarrett shuffled his feet a little. "I don't know yet."

"Wow, that's some amazing intel you got there. What is it, 'word on the street'? Gossip is no good to me, McGarrett. I need names, places, skill sets…" And maybe then, Danny added in his head, maybe then it still isn't good enough to save everyone. He learned that the hard way in 2001.

"Okay, you want more information then fine," McGarrett sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, clearly unsure as to whether to tell Danny this or not. "I did get close to something when Hesse just arrived on the island. Before he killed John McGarrett to taunt me and try to warn me off. There was talk about 'the harvest' and at first I thought the vamps were talking in some kind of code but now I'm not so sure."

"What was it?"

"They said 'the sleeper will wake'," he paused. "'And the world will bleed'. It's important, Danny. Whoever Hesse is working for has something big planned and we need to stop it now, before it gets worse."

"Well that's… dramatic."

"Are you witches?" A small, high pitched noise said from somewhere around their knees. They looked down the steps at the little girl who stood there with big eyes.

Danny leaned down, hands on his knees. "No, sweetheart. Witches are female. Guys are warlocks."

"Are you warlocks, then? You look like warlocks."

"No, we're not," Danny smiled as Steve immediately asked her if she'd prefer to go back into the sun and go get some ice cream.

The girl practically ignored Steve and continued on. "My Uncle's a warlock."

"Let me guess, your uncle is Kamekona," Danny asked and the girl nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, come with me, I got something better than ice cream." Danny left the confines of the shack and headed back to his car where he pulled a stuffed rabbit from the backseat. He'd been planning to give it to Grace but she'd already called him about how her step-Stan had bought her the real thing, and he knew the stuffed version wasn't going to be so cool. Besides, he hoped that giving this young girl the gift would maybe help ease some tension with Kamekona so that he gave them information in the future.

As she ran off, happy with her new toy, the sound of laughter came around the car and Danny turned to his watcher.

"Making friends?" Chin asked through a smile.

"Yeah yeah, mostly trying not to," Danny pointed over to the shack, but McGarrett was long gone. "Seriously, is the man a ninja?" He asked no one in particular.

"Who?" Chin asked.

"McGarrett," Danny shook his head in disbelief. He never saw the man arrive or leave, he really was an enigma.

"He was here? Did he say anything?"

"Talked about 'the harvest', said he'd overheard about it, thinks it's related to Hesse, and maybe someone bigger."

"I'll look into it when we get back. In the meantime, Kamekona came through for us. Said if Hesse is laying low, the person to keep him hidden is called Sang Min."

"Never heard of him," Danny said as they both got into the car.

"Neither have I, but apparently he's been working with the underground for a long time. Vampire, turned in the early 90s. Doesn't trust readily and doesn't work with humans."

"So how do we get in?"

"I have an idea…"

It turned out that Chin's idea involved Kono taking a day off from training and surfing and allowing Kamekona to put a spell on her to make her look like a demon, though Danny had argued that they could use make-up, but apparently they needed to mask her human scent, so it had to be a spell.

There was very little Danny could do. He wasn't a research type (not when it came to slaying; he did enough of that in his day job). He was the action guy and his strength was, well, strength. So he left Chin alone to look into the harvest, and Kono disappeared to Kamekona's shrimp truck leaving Danny to do his own thing.

He visited Grace first. One downside of the Council's interference on getting Rachel and Stan to move to Hawaii was that they got primary custody. But she was his girl and he always needed to see her. She was his rock and the thing that kept him grounded and reminded him that there were things in the world worth saving. That and the simple fact that she was his daughter and he loved her and loved spending time with her as often as he could.

All too soon it was her bedtime and he bid her a goodnight, left Rachel's palatial house and headed out to do his other job. It was a boring night of hunting and in the end he bought a beer at a small bar and headed out the back doors and onto a little stretch of beach.

He was happily leaning against a low wall a little away from the hubbub of the bar when a familiar feeling came over him. He shook his head. Goddamn familiarity. "Let me guess. You were in the neighborhood?" He turned to see McGarrett saunter closer, hands in his pockets.

"Would you believe that?"

"You aren't holding a beer, so no," Danny pointed out, considering Steve had to walk through the bar to get to where they were standing now.

"I left my wallet at home," he shrugged.

"Guess I'm buying then," Danny groaned. "Come on," he motioned for Steve to follow as he started back into the bar, but a hand on his bicep stopped him.

"Wait, what did your watcher find out?"

"He's looking into it," Danny shrugged, but it didn't dislodge McGarrett's hand.

"That's it? You've got nothing else? I haven't checked in with you for hours, I figured you'd have found something by now."

"Well, Mr. Smartypants, maybe we're not as efficient as you thought we were," Danny finally pulled out of Steve's hold and brushed by him to head back to the bar when he was spun around to face Steve again.

"Wait. What are you not telling me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Danny. You've been telling me all the time since we met that you won't come to me. That's why I keep coming to you and I can tell when you're hiding something from me."

"We've known each other for a day. You don't know me at all."

Steve kept his stance with nothing more than a momentary eye flicker. "Tell me."

Danny sighed. "Fine. So we got word about a guy who might know where Hesse is. We're putting a plan in place for tomorrow."

"What kind of guy?"

"Vampire. The kind of vamp that deals with import/export. Real pillar of the community."

"Sang Min," Steve said.

Danny frowned. "You know him?"

"I know of him. He's been on the island for years. I should have thought of him earlier."

Steve moved to back up and leave but it was Danny's turn to grab his arm and stop him. "Whoa, hold on, Speedy Gonzales. Just cool your jets, we're hitting him tomorrow. No sooner."

Steve acted like he couldn't understand why Danny would hold back. "This is the best lead and you're sitting on it? This is serious, Danny. Victor Hesse wants you dead and the island in the palm of his hands and you're drinking a beer?"

"Right now, Sang Min is out there doing his thing. He's awake, alert, strong, hungry. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait until morning and we hit his lair then, when he's not expecting it. Whatever this big plan is, I doubt 12 hours is going to make a difference, so do me a favor and grab a beer and keep me company."

Steve was reluctant. He took a moment, then hitched his cargo pants. "Fine. I'll be right back."

Danny watched, not entirely trusting the man, so he kept his eyes on him as he got a beer from the bar. He only allowed himself to lean on the low wall and look out over the ocean once he could feel Steve's presence close by him again.

Danny frowned. "Wait, since when did Victor Hesse hate me? I thought he didn't know I was here so wouldn't see me coming?"

"Well, he doesn't know exactly who you are, but I think after the last 24 hours he must be clued in that the local slayer is looking for him."

"Hmmm. If he doesn't know my face or name then it doesn't change things much then," Danny glanced at Steve and saw his confused look. "He's a vampire," Danny hinted, with a wave of his beer bottle. "Vampires are thick-headed, over-confident, stuck in their ways and always believe they are in control."

"They're not all like that," Steve scoffed as he took a gulp.

"Trust me. They are. I should know, I think I've met enough in my time. They're watered down demons and so it's their way or the highway, right? Like they're compensating for the fact that they're pretty much just a half demon. Even the smart ones think no one can stop their plans. It's very Bond villain."

Steve turned to lean his side against the wall and face Danny. "So you've never met a vampire that was… different?"

"One that wasn't a soulless, sadistic demon?" Danny screwed up his face incredulously. "No."

Steve smiled ruefully and played with the label on his beer bottle. "Considering that you have fought so many. You ever think about quitting?" He finally looked up at Danny.

"Sure. All the time. Every day."

"Seriously?"

Danny waved his head side to side. "If you were to ask Chin considering how much I complain during training then yeah, but… I guess not really."

"So you've never had doubts about continuing?"

Danny swallowed. "Once." He took his time deciding how much to say to this guy he'd known for just over a day and Steve didn't push. "I had just won a fight but I'd lost a lot during it. It was the worst day of my life."

"So what made you carry on?"

"It just so happened that I got some incredible news that day that led to the best day of my life."

It dawned on Steve what Danny meant. "Your daughter."

"Yeah," Danny nodded, realizing in the back of his mind that he hadn't told Steve about Grace, but assuming he guessed because of the giant stuffed bunny earlier in the day. "And I knew I had to keep fighting. To make it safe for her. So she could grow up and not be so fearful of things around her."

Danny felt a warmth on his hand where it lay on the wall and looked down to see Steve's covering it. "You're a good father."

"Maybe. But maybe I get myself killed by some fang-face and where does that leave me, huh? I can't help, I can't be there for her if I'm dead."

"You're a cop, too. That's just as dangerous a job."

"Sure. But I'm good at what I do. Slaying and being a cop. I guess I keep going because I like to be reminded that I'm good at what I do."

"She knows you love her, that's what she needs most. But we'll also do everything we can to make sure you go back to her at the end of every day."

"We?" Danny asked, still feeling the warmth from Steve's hand seeping into him and it felt like a charge going through him, straight into his chest and he could feel his heart pounding to cope with it.

Steve was so close, and he answered with an imperceptible nod, then his other hand was on Danny's chin, lifting him closer before their lips were touching, and they were kissing. It took long moments but was still over too soon when Steve pulled back; a hand going to his upper chest.

"You okay?" Danny asked, concerned.

"Fine, just a little bit of heartburn. The beer, I guess." Steve's eyes were almost watering.

"Okay, umm, I thought I did something-"

"No, no it wasn't you," Steve continued to rub at his chest, fingers at the neck of his t-shirt. "I'd very much like to continue this. Very much. I just… rain check."

"No, I get it," Danny interrupted this time, making the whole thing feel just that little bit awkward. But truth was, it was best that they stopped. There was a reason Danny had considered this for after everything was done, and not before. New things could work out well but new things during a case were never a good idea. New things added new variables and that could throw him off. He did like this new thing, he really did, he just… shouldn't do it now. "You should go home. I should, too. It's late and there's a lot to do tomorrow."

"Call me," Steve said. "And actually do it this time."

"Okay," Danny said, then moved to walk away. As he did so he checked his pocket for the stake that was still in there, shifting it where it was digging into his side a little. His other hand tangled in the chain of the crucifix around his neck - a nervous twitch he was aware he did. He was always checking if it was there or not, making sure to take it off at the end of a night's hunting. He should probably put it back in the trunk of the car where it lived.