Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is a proper noun. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Last chapter...

After a little while, Steve and Charlie ambled back into the room. Charlie held his smoothie cup with both hands. Even though he had a straw, he had somehow managed to get sweet stickiness all over his face and hands. Steve held two cups and was sucking in a big gulp of his as he entered. "Hey, everything okay here?"

Danny spoke up first. "Yep, yep. We, uh, had a good conversation. Didn't we?"

Grace nodded as she took the offered smoothie cup from Steve.

"So, uh, where is mine?" Danny asked as he pointed toward Steve's cup.

"Oh, doc said you probably shouldn't have too much of this so soon. Said a little would be okay, though. Thought we could share. Here." Steve pointed the straw at Danny's mouth as he reached the cup his direction.

"Are you kidding me? Get that thing out of my face." Danny pushed the cup away. "What are you, an animal? I'm not drinking after you. I don't want your tainted germs."

"Ooo…kaaay…" Steve replied. "But you're the one missing out. This stuff is really good. Isn't it Charlie?"

"Un huh. Would you like some of mine, Danno?" Charlie innocently offered.

"No, buddy, looks like you're about out. Most of yours is everywhere but your tummy. Thanks, though."

"Come on, Charlie," Grace said as she set her cup down on the side table before taking and doing the same with Charlie's. "Let's go get you cleaned up." She rested her hand on her brother's back and guided him toward the bathroom.

Danny beamed with pride as his kids left. "What about that? Hmm?"

"Impressive," Steve answered.

"Said she wants to be a nurse or maybe a doctor someday. You know?"

"Well, you'd keep her in business."

"Look who's talking."

"So, didn't I tell ya? She's good, huh?"

"Yeah, she's 'good'. Thanks for bringing her back to me."

"Enough with the 'thanks', okay?"

"Good morning there, fellas. How's the patient doing today?" Lou interrupted as he sauntered in.

"Hey, Lou. Still feeling pretty good," Danny let him know as he pointed at the medicine hanging behind him. "But, do you think you can get this guy outta here?"

"I'll give it a try, but just wanted to let you both in on a little more information first."

"What do you got, Lou?" Steve asked, interest piqued.

"Well, first and foremost, the Coast Guard found the body of a one, Hollis Killian. They got a positive ID this morning."

Steve closed his eyes in relief. Danny stared straight ahead as though unaffected by the statement. For him, the confirmation was not needed. He already knew justice had been satisfied. He was not going to allow Killian to have any more control of him, and that included his emotions.

The stoic reception was not lost on either of Danny's teammates. When Lou saw he didn't need to allow any time for the news to sink in, he continued. "I have some other little tidy tidbits of information you may find interesting. Come to find out Killian had been working with a theatre staging and rental company, doing construction and other behind the scenes work, including the one that was contracted out with our kids' school. He had been around that whole time."

"Son of a bitch!" Danny projected his anger and frustration. He quickly looked to the bathroom door to make sure his kids hadn't heard his lapse in parental profanity restraint. They weren't there, so he felt free to go on. "You mean to tell me that bastard was there for what… weeks, months even. Damn it!"

"I know how you feel, friend. It sickens me, too. There with Will, Grace… all those kids, working in the background, gaining information to pick his… well you know." Lou thought better of continuing. "You want to hear something else HPD came up with?"

"What Lou? Come on," Steve said, intrigued.

"You remember Killian had a son? Well we didn't meet him, but we came close. The young fella that lived downstairs at the quadplex apartment building that Killian had lived at for a time? That's him. We don't think Killian ever made contact with him and he has yet to be informed that his biological father was on the same island, much less deceased."

"You've got to be kidding me," Steve responded in shock.

Danny had heard about a son but this was the first he was hearing about Killian's former residence. He knew he had missed something and would get more of the story at a later time.

"Yeah, they're thinking he was just seeing him for himself and observing."

"Sounds like stalking to me," Danny interjected.

"It does a bit. I agree," Lou had to admit. "CSU also found your SK discarded in the brush where the tussle went down."

"Yeah, Danny, I meant to ask you… why in the hell did you charge the guy? Were you just wanting to get shot or were you out of your head with that drug?"

"I was very much in my right mind, thank you. Remember Kono said you were doing all that nonsense counting last night? Well you're not the only one that can count, Steven. I knew he was out. I knew he had my gun and I knew exactly how many rounds he had. I heard and kept track of each one, even back at the hangar."

"Should have known." Since the door had been opened, Steve stayed on the theme of putting pieces together. "Alright, so how did you get lose from the tape?"

"A key. I found a key in the seat of Killian's truck. It took a while but I finally used it to puncture and weaken the god-awful stuff and with a little more effort I got it to rip off the rest of the way."

"Well, CSU found a small key out there too. That must have been the same one," Lou informed.

"Silver? With a red cap?" Grace asked as she came back in her father's room.

"Well, yes," Lou answered, surprised that Grace knew.

"And you found it in the seat of the truck?" she asked her dad. "129. That was my locker key. I had it in my hand when…" She looked down at her brother and stopped mid-sentence. "Well, you know."

Now, Danny's face flinched at the revelation. This could only be regarded as a possibly divine, and at least fortuitous, providence. The realization that if it had not been for Grace, his own daughter, leaving behind the little implement of escape, there could have been a completely different, and most certainly unfavorable, outcome.

Kono pushed Chin's wheelchair into Danny's room. Chin had on his street clothes and looked refreshed.

"Well, you're looking better," Danny offered.

"You are too, my friend," Chin reciprocated.

"Doc just signed off on his release. Thought we'd stop in before getting him home. Hope we're not intruding." Kono saw the room was a bit cramped with visitors. She left Chin and went to give Charlie and then Grace a hug. "You doing okay?" she whispered in Grace's ear.

Grace smiled and answered, "I am now. Thanks for everything, Auntie Kono."

"You got it." Kono stood and spoke up. "So, we saw your mom. She's patiently waiting to take you guys home."

"Is she not going to come in?" Danny inquired, tamping down any indications of eagerness.

"We told her she should, but I think she felt a little awkward. She said she'd just wait."

"We're going to go, Danno." Grace gave him a goodbye hug and kiss. "Remember what I said." She backed up to allow Charlie his turn. Charlie hugged his dad and then made sure to give each person there their own goodbye hug.

"Charlie, what do you say to Uncle Steve for the smoothie?" Danny reminded.

"Thank you, Uncle Steve." The singsong response from Charlie was followed by his sister's turn.

"Yes, Uncle Steve, thanks for the smoothie."

"You're welcome, Gracie… Charlie."

"Yeah, thank you, Steven, for getting me one." Danny had to get his dig in.

"Hey, I tried. You turned it down, but you're welcome too, Danno."

Grace waved as she walked out the door with Charlie. Danny became more quiet than normal after the kids left, already missing them dreadfully.

With just the core team left, Lou took the opportunity to get Chin and Kono up to speed on the latest information.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"No, I most certainly did not say that."

"Sorry, man, but you did. Chin, Kono, and Lou all heard you. Back at the palace? … When we were learning about Killian? … You said it, Danno." Steve was adamant.

Changing the subject, Danny groused, "How long does it take for them to get here with a wheelchair? That whole thing's stupid anyway. I don't need a wheelchair."

"You're avoiding the subject and you know it's policy. How many times have you done this?"

"Too many."

"Anyway, you've been in here for almost a week. What's another ten minutes? Todd said he'd be here as soon as he could."

Danny developed a devilish grin.

"What?" Steve asked defensively, wondering what the new expression was about.

"I forgot to tell you. You know that menacing, evil-looking, nefarious degenerate you saw at Grace's school the night of her play? You know, the one you were so sure was involved in all this mess that we just went through? You wouldn't leave me alone about it. Remember?"

Steve's face was puzzled. "Yeah, I remember. Why are you bringing him up now?"

"Todd."

Steve glanced at the door expecting to see Todd. When he didn't, he turned back to Danny. "Yeah, he'll be here soo… Wait."

"Todd," Danny said again.

"Did someone say my name?" Todd asked as he pushed an empty wheelchair into the room.

"Yeah, uh, I was just telling this chucklehead how you two had a brief encounter at the school play and that's why the mutual recognition."

"Oh, yeah, we figured out that I have a niece that attends the same school as Danny's daughter. She was also in the play and I was there that night… and you spoke to me… out in the vestibule. Remember? Some coincidence, huh?"

Steve looked dumbfounded. "Yep… Some coincidence… How… 'bout… that?" he squeezed out as he gave Danny an exasperated look.

Danny returned a completely smug and satisfied smile at his partner.

"Say, when I passed by earlier, it sounded like you two were having some sort of argument? Guess I shouldn't be surprised by now."

"No, we don't argue. Do we?" Danny looked to Steve.

"No." Steve innocently shook his head in agreement.

Danny continued, "We just have… discussions, uncompromising, pig-headed, and sometimes high-octane… discussions. Wouldn't you say?" Again, he looked to Steve to see if he would concur with his assessment.

Steve looked to the ceiling and bobbed his head from side to side in thought. "Yeah, I'll go along with that… discussions."

"Ooo… 'kay… I'll take your word for it. I have a feeling I should stop now while you're agreeing," Todd backed down.

"No, it's okay. It really was nothing. I was just reminding Danny, here, how he had endearingly called Oahu his island."

"I did not say, 'my island', Steven." Danny spoke as he settled in the chair, Todd patiently waiting behind it. "It's your island. Why would I say my island?"

"You did, Daniel. Why can't you just admit it?"

"Maybe, because I didn't say it?"

"'Discussion'… my big toe," Todd mumbled under his breath as he pushed Danny out the door following Steve as this 'discussion' continued.

"You did."

"I didn't"

~The End~

(BTW: Yep… he did… in chapter 10)

Author's notes:

I want to humbly thank everyone for reading.

For the follows, what an encouragement.

For the favorites, such a compliment.

To the reviewers, a special THANK YOU! LOVED the input. :-)

On to the next...

\,,,/BronsonL