Test of Will

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. Nope, still not mine, no profit from this.

A/N Hello, I am back, I hope you remember me. This story takes place not long after Halloween. I've decided to put McGarrett into hot water once more, the muse seems to like it. This took time since I had to get a feel for the new members of the group. I have tried to capture them and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter I

Steve McGarrett emerged from the ocean, wiping water from his face as Eddie bounded towards the chairs where Steve's towel waited. The early morning sun caused the water droplets on his skin to sparkle as he joined the dog and reached for his towel. A smile graced his handsome features as he watched the dog shake himself dry vigorously. Steve's morning swim had become more enjoyable since Eddie decided to greet him in the water on his return from swimming further out in his routine. The dog had become a perfect roommate. The recent addition of Junior Reigns to the house was nice as well and Steve enjoyed mentoring the young man but it was the yellow lab who had become a soothing addition to McGarrett's life. The dog asked nothing more than to be fed and cared for and gave back unconditional love and support.

"Good swim Eddie. You're a good boy," Steve said reaching down to scratch the dog's ears. "Ready for some breakfast?"

The lab's tail wagged furiously as he let out a loud woof. With his tongue hanging out, he raced toward the lanai ahead of Steve. McGarrett slipped into his shoes and with the towel hanging around his neck, he followed, the sun's warmth on his shoulders felt great. Reflecting on things, Steve was happy that he was feeling pretty good lately, the medications were keeping any symptoms of the radiation poisoning at bay for now. He felt almost normal again.

Junior met them at the door, a large towel in his hands to wipe the remaining water from Eddie's fur. The big dog tolerated it for a bit and then eagerly pushed past the young man to enter the house.

"You sure know when breakfast is ready," Junior called after the dog with a laugh and then smiled at Steve. "Did you have a good swim sir…uh Steve?"

"Yes I did. Eddie likes to escort me in the last few yards," Steve acknowledged with a grin. The kid was finally beginning to relax and the "sirs" were becoming less frequent. He took note of Junior's attire, shorts, tank top and running shoes and figured the young man had gotten in an early run. "How far did you go?"

"About three miles," Junior replied looking disgruntled.

"Not bad," Steve chuckled as they went inside. "You sure you don't want to run in the HPD charity run next week?"

"I don't think I'm conditioned for a 10K," Junior said uncomfortably. "I'm out of practice. Are you sure you should be running in it? Is it safe?"

"I'm feeling fine," Steve answered sharply. He strode past the kid, heading into the kitchen and grabbed a coffee mug. "My doctors okayed it," he added as Junior followed him into the room.

"I…..I wasn't referring to your health sir," Junior stammered. "I mean…we don't know if Navarro's people will take a shot at you. You are one of the few people who knows where the witness is being hidden. That cartel has a reputation for eliminating witnesses before trial."

"You've been talking to Danny, haven't you?" Steve asked, his irritation easing. He filled his mug with coffee, added butter before taking a sip. He leaned one hip against the counter.

"He's concerned."

"I'm fine, I can take care of myself. Orlando Navarro isn't going to trial for four or five months. The witness and his family are safe. If they kill me they will never discover where Harvey Wong is, so there is no point in killing me," McGarrett shrugged.

Junior nodded, seeing Steve's point but not ready to let the subject drop.

"The Federal Prosecutor has a protection detail," he pointed out.

"Morrison isn't a trained SEAL. Listen Junior, I appreciate your concern but I'll be okay. You're here in the house and at work I have my team watching my back. I'm safe but if you're really worried then run the race with me," Steve grinned.

Shaking his head, Reigns looked really guilty.

"I would but I haven't run 10K in some time. I'm not sure I can keep up with you unless you dial back on your pace," the young man admitted.

"Not happening," McGarrett smirked, then sobered. "It's for a good cause. HPD widows and children benefit from the money raised. I have pledges for two hundred dollars," Steve informed him. "As you can imagine, Danny and Lou won't run and for some reason Tani begged off as well." He placed a bagel in the toaster.

"I'll think about it," Junior stated. "I'm concerned about the course layout, that's a lot of ground to protect."

"I'm not going to be the only runner out there. Yes there is a sharply curved stretch near the finish but I will have others out on the course with me. And I'm pretty sure I won't be leading the pack all alone," laughed Steve.

"Well…Danny…" Junior began.

"Danny wants to wrap me in bubble wrap and lock me in my house. His concern about my health is suffocating. There is a reason I haven't informed any of the team where the witness is being held. Danny, Lou and Tani all have family members that could become pawns for the cartel to force the information from them. That is why we made sure that Navarro's lawyers know that none of the team but me knows that location." Steve paused when he saw the flash of hurt in Junior's eyes before he resumed a stoic expression. "Listen Junior, you aren't 5-0 yet. I know you have skills, I know your strengths but I won't involve you in something this deep yet. Your time will come, I promise," he assured the kid.

"I do understand sir," Junior responded, meeting Steve's gaze squarely. "I know I have a lot of ground to cover. And I fully intend to have your back here until the trial is over."

"I'll sleep better because of that," Steve responded seriously. "I'm glad you are here."

"Thanks Steve," Junior replied. He knew McGarrett was playing fair with him even though he hadn't confronted the Commander about Tani becoming a member of 5-0 in spite of being thrown out of the Academy. He figured McGarrett had his reasons for his decisions.

"Don't you have class soon?" Steve asked. "Go hit the shower, I like all the good reports I'm getting on you. Keep up the good work."

"Sure thing," Junior answered and rushed out.

Eddie padded up to Steve and sat before him, staring at his human as Steve bit into his bagel.

"You ate buddy, this is mine," Steve grinned. "I can always count on you having my back, can't I boy?"

Eddie let out a solemn bark.

"I know buddy," Steve approved. "Everyone worries too much," he muttered and finished his breakfast.

*H 5-0*

As Danny Williams entered 5-0 headquarters, his first glance focused on McGarrett's office out of habit. The knot of tension in his gut loosened when he saw his partner working on his computer at his desk. Heading for his own office, he was brought up short when he heard his name called.

"Danny…..in here," McGarrett ordered from his doorway.

"Sure Steve, what's up?" Danny asked, wondering how the man noticed his entrance and reached the door of his office so quickly. He took a seat in a chair in front of Steve's desk as McGarrett again sat in his leather chair and looked at him squarely.

"Are you filling Junior's head full of concerns about my safety because of the Navarro case?" Steve asked mildly.

"What? No…..uh….maybe I expressed some concern but I didn't make a big deal out of it," Danny said defensively, stumbling over his words. He couldn't meet Steve's eyes.

"Danny…..I will be okay. I do not need you worrying Junior or yourself about my safety," Steve stated. "I'm fine and Navarro's people are not after me."

"You can't know that."

"I also don't know if any other criminal or family of someone we've put away will come after any of the team. I have you, Tani and Lou with me during the day and Junior…who is a SEAL by the way, at home at night. And Eddie is an excellent guard dog. Stop being a black cloud hanging over my head."

"I resent that comment," Danny blustered. "I'm not a black cloud. Just feel lucky that I care about your sorry ass."

"Right Danno," Steve nodded. "But your caring is becoming stifling. I will live my life as I see fit."

"And that philosophy is aging me beyond my years," Danny grumbled. "We know that Navarro's organization eliminates witnesses to keep out of jail. It is only reasonable to assume that they will go after anyone who knows where Wong is," he reasoned. "You've put a target on your back but act like you're completely safe."

"And I am safe Danny. I am getting tired of this argument. As I said, I have you, Tani and Lou watching over me on the job and at home I have Junior and Eddie. What more do you want me to do?" Steve enquired.

Williams stared at Steve in frustration. He knew he had no reasonable answer to McGarrett's question. He hated knowing that Navarro's people would zero in on Steve as one of the few who knew where Wong was. In truth, Danny would love to have Steve go into hiding as well.

"You just won't listen to me, will you?" Danny complained.

"Not when you are not being reasonable. You are asking for the impossible. I will not crawl into a hole for four to five months. Navarro is going to Halawa and even if I was compromised, I would not give up Wong's location. You forget that I have been trained to resist questioning," Steve said firmly.

Danny opened his mouth to argue and quickly closed it as he realized it would do no good to continue this conversation. McGarrett was willing to risk his own safety with the belief that he could withstand torture and not reveal where Wong was hidden. Danny had only one option and that was to wait while he came up with another way to convince Steve to change his mind. His stomach churned at the thought of his partner being subjected to more abuse in his lifetime.

"Good," Steve said taking Danny's silence as agreement with him. "Now…..can we concentrate on our job? We need to establish if these jewelry store robberies on the various islands are related or coincidence. The Governor is worried that it is a coordinated event and tourists will begin to avoid parts of the islands."

"Doesn't the Governor have more important things to worry about than a few jewelry store robberies? Is she going to keep assigning us cases to save tourism?"

Leaning back in his chair, Steve smiled at Danny indulgently. He agreed with Danny's questions about the Governor's motives but was also aware that Governor Mahoe felt tourism was extremely important to the islands.

"She is our boss Danny. I believe that gives her to the right to assign us cases if she deems them important," he said mildly. "We will look into this and clear it up as quickly as possible."

"Okay," Danny conceded. "I'll gather the police reports from each robbery and Tani and I will review them."

"Good plan," Steve approved. "I'm sending Lou to the Honolulu store to double check the employee's accounts of what went down. Look for any similarities and what doesn't match up."

"Will do," Danny said rising to his feet. "I'll keep you informed on what we learn." He left the office, ready to occupy his mind with work and push his worry about Steve's safety to the back of his mind.

Steve watched him go and then turned back to his computer. After ten minutes, he checked in with the US Marshal's office on a secure line to see how the Wong's were doing. Pleased to hear they were fine and Harvey was writing down all he knew, Steve hung up. His next call was to Federal Prosecutor Morrison.

"Randall, how's the case developing?" he asked.

"Really good. I wish I could nail Navarro for more than murder at this time but that's all Wong witnessed. He is providing us with names he overheard while in the compound. We will find a way to bring this whole cartel down, I promise. Wong seeing Navarro kill an undercover DEA agent in his own home is a good beginning. It lets us put him away as we dig for other charges," Randall replied. "A murder conviction will give us leverage. Navarro made a huge mistake killing Vincent Kahana when Wong was in the house."

End chapter.

So there you are, the beginning of another story. I hope you will stick with the muse and me as we develop this story. Thanks. My postings will be as regular as I can manage. Real life is a bit difficult now but I hope that having readers will push me to keep on a schedule.