FIC: Have a Little Faith (6/8)
Oct. 2nd, 2011 04:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stellarmeadowTitle: Have a Little Faith
Fandoms: Hawaii Five-0 and Profiler
Author: stellarmeadow
Pairing: Steve/Danny, Sam/John
Rating: R for language
Summary: How do you handle a threat against your partner when you're juggling work and a new relationship?
Notes: See Part 1 for extensive notes
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
Sam waited out John's silence through half the drive back to the Five-0 headquarters before finally giving in. "What's wrong?"
John glanced over at her in surprise before turning his attention back to the street. "Nothing's wrong."
"Normally you'd be talking away after a brush with a suspect," Sam said. "But you've barely said two words since we got in the car."
"Oh, that." John shrugged, taking the next turn with too much care before glancing at her again. "Nothing's wrong," he repeated, "it just all seemed a little familiar. Reminded me of a few years ago."
"Jack?"
He nodded. "The two of them, a serial killer--it doesn't make you think?"
"It does," Sam said quietly, "but I try not to let it interfere with the job or my judgment. Jack is dead. And he's had enough of my life."
"Agreed," John said. "It's definitely time to move forward."
Sam frowned at him, having the rare feeling she was missing a completely different conversation going on. "What do you mean?"
"Do you ever think that we moved faster when we were buried in the hunt for Jack than we have since?"
Okay, she was definitely missing something. "You think we need to move faster on this case?"
He sighed, shaking his head as he turned in to the parking lot. "Don't pay any attention to me," he said, flashing her a small smile. "I think the time difference is catching up with me."
She watched as he parked the car and turned it off. "You're sure nothing's wrong?" she asked, her hand on the door handle.
"Nothing's wrong," he said again, and she could tell he meant it, but she could also tell there was still something going on underneath it all. But she left it alone, following him into the building to find the members of Five-0 already gathered around their computer table. Kono was tapping away on the screen, pulling up the footage from the door their unsub had tried to use.
Sam looked at Steve and Danny, noticing with no surprise that they were standing so close that their arms were constantly brushing against one another. They hadn't struck her as having the slightest concept of personal space anyway, and she knew all too well how much an event like this afternoon could make you want to constantly assure yourself the person you cared about was still there. She'd lived it for years.
"There," Kono said, freezing the picture on a frame that gave them the best view they were going to get of their potential serial killer. "That's the guy I chased."
Sam glanced at Steve, who was squinting at the screen. "Do you recognize him?" Sam asked.
"I don't know," Steve said after a moment. "Maybe? I mean...he's wearing a hood and it's a grainy picture. It's hard to tell."
"He also had on gloves," Kono said, and Sam could tell she hadn't forgiven herself for losing him, "so no chance of prints."
Steve leaned over the table to look Kono in the eye. "Hey, it's not your fault," he said. "He gave everybody the slip."
Sam watched as some silent communication passed between the two of them before Kono straightened her shoulders, some of her swagger returning. "Okay," Kono said, all business, "I'll run the picture through facial recognition." She looked at Sam and John. "I'll also send it to George, see if he can check it against a shorter list from his searches, but this could take a little while."
"Looks like we're ordering dinner in, then," Steve said.
***
They ended up in two rooms with their food. Chin and Kono stayed in the bullpen with their dinner, conferencing with George and going through files looking for a match on the suspect. Sam and John joined Steve and Danny in the conference room to eat.
Steve finished his dinner while discussing the merits of the Sig P226 over the Beretta 92 with John. They'd gone through several other guns, losing Sam and Danny at some point to a discussion about their daughters, from what Steve had overheard in snippets during his conversation with John.
"I have a Mauser C96 in the armory," Steve said. "It's a beauty, but it's not what I want in my hand if I'm facing an armed suspect."
"You have one?" John leaned forward. "I've never seen one in person."
"Come on, I'll show you." Steve gave Danny a smile as he led John out the door. He took him down to the armory and unlocked his favorite case (the one Danny liked to call Steve's Toy Shop) and took out the Mauser, giving it a physical check before handing it over.
"It's gorgeous," John said, inspecting it carefully.
Steve nodded. "Shoots great, too, when it shoots. Problem is, it jams about every fifth bullet."
"Must be nice," John said, handing the gun back to Steve, "having access to this kind of arsenal."
"There are perks to running a task force for the Governor," Steve admitted, leaving out the ways that had changed with the new governor. There were still perks--mainly the fact that the new Governor wasn't one of the head criminals. He hoped. "I would think the FBI would have some nice weapons."
"The FBI has very nice, officially sanctioned weapons in one of three government-approved styles."
Steve laughed. "The Navy is similar, though with a slightly larger variety."
"I had a few nice pieces of my own, but when Sam and I moved in together, I didn't want to keep any more guns in the house than what we used for work, not with Chloe living there, so I got rid of them."
"How old is Chloe?"
"Nineteen."
Steve raised his eyebrows; he'd been picturing someone about Grace's age. "So she's not your daughter?"
"No, though she doesn't remember her dad very well. She was just a kid when he died." John's tense look relaxed into a smile. "She's not officially my daughter, but...it still feels that way."
"I get that." He hadn't been around Grace long enough to have the kind of relationship John seemed to have with Chloe, but he certainly loved and protected her as if she was his, because she was Danny's. And because she was impossible not to love. "How long have you and Sam been together?"
"About five years," John said, handing the Mauser back to Steve. "We moved in together a few years ago."
Steve put the gun away and locked the cabinet. "And it works? I mean, working together, living together?"
John raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?"
"Well," Steve said, clearing his throat, "I mean, we've only been...it's new."
"Sorry," John said with a slight smile. "Sam tells me I have no tact."
Steve laughed. "Funny, Danny says the same thing about me, just with more words."
"He does seem a little..."
"Verbose?"
"Something like that."
After securing the second lock, Steve turned to lean against the cabinet. "He drove me absolutely nuts for the first couple of days," he admitted. "I swear I could still hear him talking in my sleep. Now..." Steve shrugged. "to be honest, I can't stand silence anymore. And I hope to God he never hears me say that, or I will never hear the end of it."
"At least you wouldn't have to worry about silence."
"Good point," Steve said. "So why aren't the two of you married?" he asked, then shook his head. "Sorry. See? No tact."
"It's okay," John said, leaning against the wall. "Honestly?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box, opening it to reveal a diamond. "I've had this for about six weeks, looking for the right time to ask her. When we caught a case in Hawaii, I thought it was perfect, but now that we're here...I don't know. Things are good. What if I screw them up by asking, you know?"
Steve did know. All too well. But. "If there's one thing I've learned in the last couple of months," he said slowly, "it's not to leave things too late. I nearly lost my chance this year. Twice. I wouldn't want to make that mistake again."
"I know," John said. "After everything with Jack terrorizing us for years, I felt so lucky to get a chance for what I have...now I'm nervous about asking for more."
"Then I guess the real question is can you live with just what you have?" Steve said, pushing off the cabinet. "Come on," he said, looking at his watch. "Danny will send SWAT thinking this guy has attacked if we're gone much longer."
"Are you sure the two of you aren't actually married?" John joked.
"Sometimes I wonder," Steve said as he led the way back upstairs.
***
"Just wait," Sam said, leaning up from the couch in Steve's office to put her plate on the table. "You think it's rough now--wait until she goes to college."
"How long has Chloe been gone?" Danny asked.
"Ten months."
Danny's eyes widened. "First year, huh?"
"She's just finishing her summer session exams," Sam said with a nod. "I thought her first boyfriends were difficult--they had nothing on her first set of exams last year. She was on the phone with us every night for a week."
"Not just you? I mean, you're her mom."
Sam shook her head, remembering several of the more difficult calls. "There were a couple of times that she absolutely refused to talk to me. She'd only talk to John. Said I was, and I quote, 'too damn perfect to understand how hard this was.'"
Danny's laughter was kind. "Suddenly I feel much better about Grace asking to talk to Steve last week and refusing to tell me why."
"Get used to that," Sam said. "I hope he's not too much of a pushover when it comes to her, or you're in trouble."
"I am so screwed," Danny said, dropping his head into his hands.
"Afraid so," Sam said with a laugh.
He looked up with her, a question in his eyes as he played with his beer bottle for a long moment. "So you and John...why aren't you married? If you don't mind my asking," he added quickly.
She shook her head. "I don't mind," she said, tracing the edge of her glass with a finger while she thought about how to answer. "I'd say 'he hasn't asked,' but I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't know he'd have asked years ago if he thought he was sure of the answer."
"He doesn't seem that insecure."
Sam laughed. "He's not, believe me. But...." She lifted her eyes to meet Danny's. "These past few days...you're getting just an idea of what it's like. Imagine living like this for years." She saw him wince. "And then imagine you were replacing the last guy the killer murdered for daring to love his muse."
The wince faded into sympathy, but the kind she could actually deal with. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to dredge anything up."
"It's okay. The odd thing is, it doesn't really bother me as much anymore. Jack's dead, we're fine, Chloe's far more well-adjusted than I probably had any right to even hope...he hindered a few years of my life, but he didn't take it all." She shrugged. "And I got John out of it, so...."
"None of which answers my question," Danny said, eyeing her closely.
"And this is why it's so hard always being around detectives," Sam said with mock frustration, giving him a smile to let him know she was kidding. "I don't know," she said after a moment. "I could ask him. I know him well enough that I could probably just hint around until he asked me. I just...things are good. We have a good life. I don't want to mess that up."
Danny was still watching her closely, and she forced herself not to squirm in her seat. "I would think that you would understand better than most people that you never know what's going to happen," he said slowly. "You can't put things off forever, because there isn't a forever."
"So does that mean you and Steve are headed to the courthouse sometime soon for a civil union?" she asked.
"I'm going to assume you know what you did just there," Danny said with a grin, pointing at her, "and I don't have to explain deflection to someone with your talents."
Sam laughed. "No. You don't. And your point is well taken. But my questions still stands."
"We've only been together a couple of months. Though judging by the number of times someone's asked how long we've been married, apparently it seems longer."
"I would imagine most people would think that, yes," Sam said, nodding, not managing to hide her smile. "You do act a bit...old married couple."
"He makes me crazy," Danny said with a shrug. "This...thing between us doesn't change that."
"It wouldn't," Sam said. "How'd you meet, anyway? A case?"
She hadn't expected a faint hint of pain mixed with amusement in Danny's eyes. "His father was murdered," he said softly, "and Steve showed up at the crime scene and pulled a gun on me."
"He pulled a gun on you?" Sam said, surprised.
"Well, to be fair, I pulled mine, too."
She tilted her head, giving him an amused look. "Was there a measuring stick involved before this meeting ended?"
Danny laughed. "No. But by the end of the day, he'd joined the Navy Reserves, taken on a task force, conscripted me into service as his partner and gotten me shot, so there really wasn't a lot of time for measuring."
"That's...a busy first date."
He laughed. "You know...I hadn't thought about it that way, but I suppose that was kind of our first date." He shook his head. "All those other times I'd apparently been doing it wrong...without the guns and fist fights."
"Fist fights?"
"Yeah, I might've punched him." She raised an eyebrow at him, questioning, but he shook his head. "Long story," he said, "and they'll be back any minute."
"I'll buy you a drink sometime and you can tell me more."
Danny nodded. "Deal."
He clinked his bottle against her glass just as Steve and John walked back into the office. "Did we miss anything?" Steve asked, eyeing Danny.
"Not a thing," Danny said, shaking his head. "No things at all."
"Danny, what did you tell her?"
Sam laughed as Danny held up his hands in protest. "I didn't tell her anything that wasn't true."
"Okay," Steve said, "but your version of the truth--"
Kono came running into the room, cutting him off. "We think we have a name," she said, turning and running back out.
***
Chapter 7
Fandoms: Hawaii Five-0 and Profiler
Author: stellarmeadow
Pairing: Steve/Danny, Sam/John
Rating: R for language
Summary: How do you handle a threat against your partner when you're juggling work and a new relationship?
Notes: See Part 1 for extensive notes
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
Sam waited out John's silence through half the drive back to the Five-0 headquarters before finally giving in. "What's wrong?"
John glanced over at her in surprise before turning his attention back to the street. "Nothing's wrong."
"Normally you'd be talking away after a brush with a suspect," Sam said. "But you've barely said two words since we got in the car."
"Oh, that." John shrugged, taking the next turn with too much care before glancing at her again. "Nothing's wrong," he repeated, "it just all seemed a little familiar. Reminded me of a few years ago."
"Jack?"
He nodded. "The two of them, a serial killer--it doesn't make you think?"
"It does," Sam said quietly, "but I try not to let it interfere with the job or my judgment. Jack is dead. And he's had enough of my life."
"Agreed," John said. "It's definitely time to move forward."
Sam frowned at him, having the rare feeling she was missing a completely different conversation going on. "What do you mean?"
"Do you ever think that we moved faster when we were buried in the hunt for Jack than we have since?"
Okay, she was definitely missing something. "You think we need to move faster on this case?"
He sighed, shaking his head as he turned in to the parking lot. "Don't pay any attention to me," he said, flashing her a small smile. "I think the time difference is catching up with me."
She watched as he parked the car and turned it off. "You're sure nothing's wrong?" she asked, her hand on the door handle.
"Nothing's wrong," he said again, and she could tell he meant it, but she could also tell there was still something going on underneath it all. But she left it alone, following him into the building to find the members of Five-0 already gathered around their computer table. Kono was tapping away on the screen, pulling up the footage from the door their unsub had tried to use.
Sam looked at Steve and Danny, noticing with no surprise that they were standing so close that their arms were constantly brushing against one another. They hadn't struck her as having the slightest concept of personal space anyway, and she knew all too well how much an event like this afternoon could make you want to constantly assure yourself the person you cared about was still there. She'd lived it for years.
"There," Kono said, freezing the picture on a frame that gave them the best view they were going to get of their potential serial killer. "That's the guy I chased."
Sam glanced at Steve, who was squinting at the screen. "Do you recognize him?" Sam asked.
"I don't know," Steve said after a moment. "Maybe? I mean...he's wearing a hood and it's a grainy picture. It's hard to tell."
"He also had on gloves," Kono said, and Sam could tell she hadn't forgiven herself for losing him, "so no chance of prints."
Steve leaned over the table to look Kono in the eye. "Hey, it's not your fault," he said. "He gave everybody the slip."
Sam watched as some silent communication passed between the two of them before Kono straightened her shoulders, some of her swagger returning. "Okay," Kono said, all business, "I'll run the picture through facial recognition." She looked at Sam and John. "I'll also send it to George, see if he can check it against a shorter list from his searches, but this could take a little while."
"Looks like we're ordering dinner in, then," Steve said.
***
They ended up in two rooms with their food. Chin and Kono stayed in the bullpen with their dinner, conferencing with George and going through files looking for a match on the suspect. Sam and John joined Steve and Danny in the conference room to eat.
Steve finished his dinner while discussing the merits of the Sig P226 over the Beretta 92 with John. They'd gone through several other guns, losing Sam and Danny at some point to a discussion about their daughters, from what Steve had overheard in snippets during his conversation with John.
"I have a Mauser C96 in the armory," Steve said. "It's a beauty, but it's not what I want in my hand if I'm facing an armed suspect."
"You have one?" John leaned forward. "I've never seen one in person."
"Come on, I'll show you." Steve gave Danny a smile as he led John out the door. He took him down to the armory and unlocked his favorite case (the one Danny liked to call Steve's Toy Shop) and took out the Mauser, giving it a physical check before handing it over.
"It's gorgeous," John said, inspecting it carefully.
Steve nodded. "Shoots great, too, when it shoots. Problem is, it jams about every fifth bullet."
"Must be nice," John said, handing the gun back to Steve, "having access to this kind of arsenal."
"There are perks to running a task force for the Governor," Steve admitted, leaving out the ways that had changed with the new governor. There were still perks--mainly the fact that the new Governor wasn't one of the head criminals. He hoped. "I would think the FBI would have some nice weapons."
"The FBI has very nice, officially sanctioned weapons in one of three government-approved styles."
Steve laughed. "The Navy is similar, though with a slightly larger variety."
"I had a few nice pieces of my own, but when Sam and I moved in together, I didn't want to keep any more guns in the house than what we used for work, not with Chloe living there, so I got rid of them."
"How old is Chloe?"
"Nineteen."
Steve raised his eyebrows; he'd been picturing someone about Grace's age. "So she's not your daughter?"
"No, though she doesn't remember her dad very well. She was just a kid when he died." John's tense look relaxed into a smile. "She's not officially my daughter, but...it still feels that way."
"I get that." He hadn't been around Grace long enough to have the kind of relationship John seemed to have with Chloe, but he certainly loved and protected her as if she was his, because she was Danny's. And because she was impossible not to love. "How long have you and Sam been together?"
"About five years," John said, handing the Mauser back to Steve. "We moved in together a few years ago."
Steve put the gun away and locked the cabinet. "And it works? I mean, working together, living together?"
John raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?"
"Well," Steve said, clearing his throat, "I mean, we've only been...it's new."
"Sorry," John said with a slight smile. "Sam tells me I have no tact."
Steve laughed. "Funny, Danny says the same thing about me, just with more words."
"He does seem a little..."
"Verbose?"
"Something like that."
After securing the second lock, Steve turned to lean against the cabinet. "He drove me absolutely nuts for the first couple of days," he admitted. "I swear I could still hear him talking in my sleep. Now..." Steve shrugged. "to be honest, I can't stand silence anymore. And I hope to God he never hears me say that, or I will never hear the end of it."
"At least you wouldn't have to worry about silence."
"Good point," Steve said. "So why aren't the two of you married?" he asked, then shook his head. "Sorry. See? No tact."
"It's okay," John said, leaning against the wall. "Honestly?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box, opening it to reveal a diamond. "I've had this for about six weeks, looking for the right time to ask her. When we caught a case in Hawaii, I thought it was perfect, but now that we're here...I don't know. Things are good. What if I screw them up by asking, you know?"
Steve did know. All too well. But. "If there's one thing I've learned in the last couple of months," he said slowly, "it's not to leave things too late. I nearly lost my chance this year. Twice. I wouldn't want to make that mistake again."
"I know," John said. "After everything with Jack terrorizing us for years, I felt so lucky to get a chance for what I have...now I'm nervous about asking for more."
"Then I guess the real question is can you live with just what you have?" Steve said, pushing off the cabinet. "Come on," he said, looking at his watch. "Danny will send SWAT thinking this guy has attacked if we're gone much longer."
"Are you sure the two of you aren't actually married?" John joked.
"Sometimes I wonder," Steve said as he led the way back upstairs.
***
"Just wait," Sam said, leaning up from the couch in Steve's office to put her plate on the table. "You think it's rough now--wait until she goes to college."
"How long has Chloe been gone?" Danny asked.
"Ten months."
Danny's eyes widened. "First year, huh?"
"She's just finishing her summer session exams," Sam said with a nod. "I thought her first boyfriends were difficult--they had nothing on her first set of exams last year. She was on the phone with us every night for a week."
"Not just you? I mean, you're her mom."
Sam shook her head, remembering several of the more difficult calls. "There were a couple of times that she absolutely refused to talk to me. She'd only talk to John. Said I was, and I quote, 'too damn perfect to understand how hard this was.'"
Danny's laughter was kind. "Suddenly I feel much better about Grace asking to talk to Steve last week and refusing to tell me why."
"Get used to that," Sam said. "I hope he's not too much of a pushover when it comes to her, or you're in trouble."
"I am so screwed," Danny said, dropping his head into his hands.
"Afraid so," Sam said with a laugh.
He looked up with her, a question in his eyes as he played with his beer bottle for a long moment. "So you and John...why aren't you married? If you don't mind my asking," he added quickly.
She shook her head. "I don't mind," she said, tracing the edge of her glass with a finger while she thought about how to answer. "I'd say 'he hasn't asked,' but I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't know he'd have asked years ago if he thought he was sure of the answer."
"He doesn't seem that insecure."
Sam laughed. "He's not, believe me. But...." She lifted her eyes to meet Danny's. "These past few days...you're getting just an idea of what it's like. Imagine living like this for years." She saw him wince. "And then imagine you were replacing the last guy the killer murdered for daring to love his muse."
The wince faded into sympathy, but the kind she could actually deal with. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to dredge anything up."
"It's okay. The odd thing is, it doesn't really bother me as much anymore. Jack's dead, we're fine, Chloe's far more well-adjusted than I probably had any right to even hope...he hindered a few years of my life, but he didn't take it all." She shrugged. "And I got John out of it, so...."
"None of which answers my question," Danny said, eyeing her closely.
"And this is why it's so hard always being around detectives," Sam said with mock frustration, giving him a smile to let him know she was kidding. "I don't know," she said after a moment. "I could ask him. I know him well enough that I could probably just hint around until he asked me. I just...things are good. We have a good life. I don't want to mess that up."
Danny was still watching her closely, and she forced herself not to squirm in her seat. "I would think that you would understand better than most people that you never know what's going to happen," he said slowly. "You can't put things off forever, because there isn't a forever."
"So does that mean you and Steve are headed to the courthouse sometime soon for a civil union?" she asked.
"I'm going to assume you know what you did just there," Danny said with a grin, pointing at her, "and I don't have to explain deflection to someone with your talents."
Sam laughed. "No. You don't. And your point is well taken. But my questions still stands."
"We've only been together a couple of months. Though judging by the number of times someone's asked how long we've been married, apparently it seems longer."
"I would imagine most people would think that, yes," Sam said, nodding, not managing to hide her smile. "You do act a bit...old married couple."
"He makes me crazy," Danny said with a shrug. "This...thing between us doesn't change that."
"It wouldn't," Sam said. "How'd you meet, anyway? A case?"
She hadn't expected a faint hint of pain mixed with amusement in Danny's eyes. "His father was murdered," he said softly, "and Steve showed up at the crime scene and pulled a gun on me."
"He pulled a gun on you?" Sam said, surprised.
"Well, to be fair, I pulled mine, too."
She tilted her head, giving him an amused look. "Was there a measuring stick involved before this meeting ended?"
Danny laughed. "No. But by the end of the day, he'd joined the Navy Reserves, taken on a task force, conscripted me into service as his partner and gotten me shot, so there really wasn't a lot of time for measuring."
"That's...a busy first date."
He laughed. "You know...I hadn't thought about it that way, but I suppose that was kind of our first date." He shook his head. "All those other times I'd apparently been doing it wrong...without the guns and fist fights."
"Fist fights?"
"Yeah, I might've punched him." She raised an eyebrow at him, questioning, but he shook his head. "Long story," he said, "and they'll be back any minute."
"I'll buy you a drink sometime and you can tell me more."
Danny nodded. "Deal."
He clinked his bottle against her glass just as Steve and John walked back into the office. "Did we miss anything?" Steve asked, eyeing Danny.
"Not a thing," Danny said, shaking his head. "No things at all."
"Danny, what did you tell her?"
Sam laughed as Danny held up his hands in protest. "I didn't tell her anything that wasn't true."
"Okay," Steve said, "but your version of the truth--"
Kono came running into the room, cutting him off. "We think we have a name," she said, turning and running back out.
***
Chapter 7
