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Title: 'Aloha' Doesn't Mean 'Goodbye'
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0, Supernatural.
Genre: Angst, supernatural, pre-slash.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Pre-slash, genre!crack, AU, blasphemy, mild language.
Characters/pairings: Pre-slash Danny Williams/Steve McGarrett, Grace Williams, Castiel.
Wordcount: 2,202
Summary: There was always the threat that Five-0 would be torn apart if the threat of war recalled one of their number to active service. Unfortunately, Steve's military obligations were the least of there concerns.
Details: AU for both series. That statement is a no-brainer as far as Five-0 is concerned, but this fic also disregards season 6 of Supernatural. I haven't seen many episodes of Hawaii Five-0, and they weren't all in order, so I have no idea where in season one this would fit. Obviously pre-finale, but considering the plot, it probably doesn't matter in the long run. Stands alone, but is part of the "Quis Custodiet" multi-crossover AU. I may or may not end up writing the whole thing. We'll see.
Chapter One: Entertaining Haoles
The day had held so much promise.
It hadn't been perfect. Danny Williams didn't believe in perfect. Not any more. Steve's antics on their last case had required more than the usual load of unfortunate paperwork—the usual amount itself being an impressive pain in the ass to begin with. The effort involved in keeping the frustrated swearing under his breath had cost Danny enough awareness that he'd lost track of time. He'd wound up getting out of HQ far later than he would have liked. Still, he had just been able to pick Grace up on time for their weekend together.
Having Steve along for the start of that weekend wasn't particularly ideal, certainly. But given the choice between dropping him off first or making his daughter wait...well, it really wasn't a choice at all. So Grace was stuck dealing with his boss as they drove him home—well, technically, Steve was driving himself home. Which, between the grin on her face and the smirk lifting at the corner of Steve's mouth as he shared a very edited version of his latest attempt to give his partner a coronary, Danny was starting to wish was more of a drag to her. If those two ever joined forces he was so screwed.
And of course, because his mind was elsewhere he missed the only warning he might have had that his entire world was about to come to an end. As they rounded one of the ludicrous ruts in the earth that they classified as roads on this forsaken island—and why Steve was taking this route anyway was a total mystery—Danny was jolted out of his thoughts as Steve slammed onto the breaks. In fact, half-turned in his seat to watch his daughter, the sudden stop nearly jolted him out of his seat as well.
"For the love of—" He bit the words off as his tone started to heat up, wanting so much—so very very much—to lay into McGarrett, but having to moderate it slightly in view of Grace. "Maybe I'm slowly becoming inured to your habit of driving like a complete maniac, Steven, but could you please try to feign some degree of sanity when my daughter—"
His eyes slid past Steve toward the site that held the other man's attention, his words halting immediately as he saw the, yes, admittedly fairly good reason why his partner had made him kiss the dashboard.
Because a man standing in the middle of the road was something you stopped for.
Danny's mouth dipped in a puzzled frown as he filed away the details. Caucasian, short dark hair, his skin the kind of pale he hadn't thought could exist in the islands. And completely batshit insane. Clearly. For while Danny's refusal to shed his tie as a concession to the local climate was easily visible evidence of his stubbornness, then wearing a damned trenchcoat on a muggy, tropical afternoon was plainly indicative of mental illness. That, and despite the fact that the Camaro's bumper had halted less than a foot away from his body, the man seemed completely unruffled, staring at them through the windshield with a piercing blue gaze that made something in the back of Danny's head itch like crazy.
More specifically, the man was staring at him.
Danny found himself staring back, not knowing exactly what locked his attention on those glacial eyes, but his mind was searching frantically, trying desperately to identify what he was seeing there and not coming up with anything. Or at least nothing human. But familiar. Painfully familiar... Elements aligned, the stirring in the back of his skull settled fitfully into place, and like one of those trick pictures that could be two things at the same time, Danny knew. He knew...
And suddenly everything was different.
"Castiel."
Danny's lungs were tight, and his mouth was so dry that the sound of the name could barely be classified as a whisper. Beside him he heard the faint rustle of Steve shifting in his seat to look at him. His heart was hammering and he'd felt the blood drain from his face just fine, thank you, so he could imagine quite easily what stark-white shade of shit he probably looked. He very deliberately did not look at his partner, not wanting to see whatever brand of confusion, concern, or constipation was currently written on his face.
Part of him wanted to run away, surrender to the strong flight instinct gibbering in his simian brain. He knew it was useless. There was nowhere he could run to where this would not already be waiting for him. He released a slow breath.
"Steve, stay in the car..."
He opened the door slowly, hesitating at the grinding of gravel beneath his foot. The short distance to the front of the car stretched out into the longest walk of his life.
"Danael." The voice was rough, damaged, and flat, a sound that put him in mind of a rusted mechanism more than a person. "It has been too long."
"I'd have to argue that it's a matter of opinion, Cas."
He found his own voice a lot quicker than he would have thought possible. Knowing what he faced, though, Danny couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. Castiel simply cocked his head, seeming not to get the subtle diss. Of course he didn't. Behind him, Danny heard the card door slam.
Because, really, who was he fooling to think that McGarrett would listen to him ever?
Clamping down on his fear—and his imagination, feeding him all the myriad and horrible ways this confrontation could go badly wrong in 3D technicolor—Danny decided to do what he always did best.
Fill the silence.
"Was there something you wanted, Castiel? 'Cause call it a hunch, but this doesn't exactly carry the vibe of a friendly family visit."
"You need to come Home, Danael."
"Bullshit. After all this time? Why me? Why now?"
Castliel's head tilted slightly, his gaze unwavering. It could hardly be called an expression, but what Danny read there was irritation.
"Remember that I can see into your mind." He said, his voice like a saw against Danny's nerves. "Do not pretend more ignorance of recent events than you possess. The Apocalypse has been...indefinitely postponed. While it is theoretically possible for it to have escaped your notice in your current state, I do find it unlikely."
And maybe Castiel had a point, not that Danny was about to admit it. Even reduced to a near-atomic scale of insignificance, the voices of his Brothers muffled behind mental walls as thick as he could build, he'd still been subconsciously aware of the pressure mounting on the mainland. He'd fought tooth and nail for every hour of extra time he could get with his daughter, incapable of knowing when it might be their last. Things had been reaching a critical mass for the past few months, and he knew that kind of energy didn't just blow over...
Or at least, he'd known that until it basically had.
"Balthazar and I have been searching the full span of human history for you and the other Irin," Castiel continued. "The unfortunate fact is that you were simply among the easiest to find. Your grace was not as well concealed as you might have liked."
And behind him, Danny could hear the gravel shift beneath Steve's feet as his posture tensed in response to the threat he knew the other man had misinterpreted. Bless him, as powerless as he was Danny practically could read his partner's mind right now. And the concern the man felt for his daughter warmed his heart, it really did. He just hoped that Steve wasn't about to do something stupid, because right now the last thing Danny needed was to try and explain to psycho-SEAL that even the grenade he was probably carrying in his pocket wouldn't be enough of a threat for the thing in front of them that pissing it off was even a concern.
And right now, he was less terrified of Grace being taken than he was of grace being returned...
"Castiel, please," Danny begged, "Don't do this to me. Do not do this to me."
"My appearing to you is a courtesy. I'm afraid I can't afford to give you the choice. If you will look at this rationally, you will see that you cannot afford that choice either."
Danny followed the infinitesimal shift of that cold blue stare over his shoulder, past Steve who was looking at him in agitated confusion. His eyes fell on Grace where she waited in the car.
"I am sorry." Castiel said.
Angels didn't extend courtesies, and they didn't apologize. Yet the tightness around Castiel's eyes, the set of his mouth held a degree of expression that was almost shocking for a soldier of Castiel's rank. The sympathy it suggested almost baffling. Centuries and the wall of his human condition stood between Danny and the last time he and his Brother had spoken, but still it was difficult to imagine what might have changed the other so much. At that moment, Danny couldn't bring himself to care.
So this is it , he thought. The end of everything he'd built. Everything he loved.
"When?" Danny asked softly, dragging his eyes away from Castiel's face. He was ashamed of his resignation, but he knew there was no way to fight this.
"Very shortly," was the reply.
Danny knew it was a warning. He turned to Steve who was staring at him, his expression begging for an answer to what was going on. Unfortunately, they wouldn't have time.
"Steve." He managed hoarsely, "I want you to get back in the car and drive Gracie back to her mother's."
"What?" Steve asked uncomprehendingly. His eyes flicked to the car, knowing that the only way Danny would surrender time with his daughter was if things had somehow gone horribly wrong.
"I've got some...business I need to take care of, Steven, and I need you to take Gracie home. What part of that don't you understand?"
Steve shot Castiel a suspicious glance.
"What ever happened to not going into something without back-up?"
Why did he have to make this so difficult? He rounded on his partner, but as much as he wanted to glare and scream and yell, he didn't have the time.
"Steven, for once in your life will you please listen to me?" He begged his partner, softly. Danny hoped Steve knew him well enough to realize how rare that was. "It's important—no, it's essential—that you listen to me right now and get Grace the hell out of here."
Thankfully, the desperate tone of his request burned through Steve's questions. He said nothing, but Danny knew from his hurried glance at the car that he would do it. Satisfied, Danny walked over to the Camaro and opened the door to lean in. Grace looked up at him, and he could see from the confusion on her face that she knew something was wrong. It broke his heart that he couldn't tell her it would all be okay.
"I gotta go, monkey." He told her, trying to smile, trying not to worry her further. "Don't give your Uncle Steve any more trouble than he deserves, alright?"
When she nodded her head, he leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"Danno loves you."
As he stood, he caught Steve looking at him over the hood of the car. His partner's expression was frozen, but Danny could tell the goodbye had shaken him.
"Take care of my daughter, McGarrett. I swear to—" Danny bit off the end of the sentence abruptly, not willing to go there right now. Not feeling the love. "Just..."
"I will." Steve said evenly, "But you're explaining this later. Promise."
"I promise." Danny said, though he didn't know if he'd have any say in keeping it. "Now get the heck out of here."
As he watched them drive away, Danny couldn't help but think that it somehow didn't matter that the Apocalypse had been thwarted. It felt like his world was ending anyway.
Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0, Supernatural.
Genre: Angst, supernatural, pre-slash.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Pre-slash, genre!crack, AU, blasphemy, mild language.
Characters/pairings: Pre-slash Danny Williams/Steve McGarrett, Grace Williams, Castiel.
Wordcount: 2,202
Summary: There was always the threat that Five-0 would be torn apart if the threat of war recalled one of their number to active service. Unfortunately, Steve's military obligations were the least of there concerns.
Details: AU for both series. That statement is a no-brainer as far as Five-0 is concerned, but this fic also disregards season 6 of Supernatural. I haven't seen many episodes of Hawaii Five-0, and they weren't all in order, so I have no idea where in season one this would fit. Obviously pre-finale, but considering the plot, it probably doesn't matter in the long run. Stands alone, but is part of the "Quis Custodiet" multi-crossover AU. I may or may not end up writing the whole thing. We'll see.
Chapter One: Entertaining Haoles
The day had held so much promise.
It hadn't been perfect. Danny Williams didn't believe in perfect. Not any more. Steve's antics on their last case had required more than the usual load of unfortunate paperwork—the usual amount itself being an impressive pain in the ass to begin with. The effort involved in keeping the frustrated swearing under his breath had cost Danny enough awareness that he'd lost track of time. He'd wound up getting out of HQ far later than he would have liked. Still, he had just been able to pick Grace up on time for their weekend together.
Having Steve along for the start of that weekend wasn't particularly ideal, certainly. But given the choice between dropping him off first or making his daughter wait...well, it really wasn't a choice at all. So Grace was stuck dealing with his boss as they drove him home—well, technically, Steve was driving himself home. Which, between the grin on her face and the smirk lifting at the corner of Steve's mouth as he shared a very edited version of his latest attempt to give his partner a coronary, Danny was starting to wish was more of a drag to her. If those two ever joined forces he was so screwed.
And of course, because his mind was elsewhere he missed the only warning he might have had that his entire world was about to come to an end. As they rounded one of the ludicrous ruts in the earth that they classified as roads on this forsaken island—and why Steve was taking this route anyway was a total mystery—Danny was jolted out of his thoughts as Steve slammed onto the breaks. In fact, half-turned in his seat to watch his daughter, the sudden stop nearly jolted him out of his seat as well.
"For the love of—" He bit the words off as his tone started to heat up, wanting so much—so very very much—to lay into McGarrett, but having to moderate it slightly in view of Grace. "Maybe I'm slowly becoming inured to your habit of driving like a complete maniac, Steven, but could you please try to feign some degree of sanity when my daughter—"
His eyes slid past Steve toward the site that held the other man's attention, his words halting immediately as he saw the, yes, admittedly fairly good reason why his partner had made him kiss the dashboard.
Because a man standing in the middle of the road was something you stopped for.
Danny's mouth dipped in a puzzled frown as he filed away the details. Caucasian, short dark hair, his skin the kind of pale he hadn't thought could exist in the islands. And completely batshit insane. Clearly. For while Danny's refusal to shed his tie as a concession to the local climate was easily visible evidence of his stubbornness, then wearing a damned trenchcoat on a muggy, tropical afternoon was plainly indicative of mental illness. That, and despite the fact that the Camaro's bumper had halted less than a foot away from his body, the man seemed completely unruffled, staring at them through the windshield with a piercing blue gaze that made something in the back of Danny's head itch like crazy.
More specifically, the man was staring at him.
Danny found himself staring back, not knowing exactly what locked his attention on those glacial eyes, but his mind was searching frantically, trying desperately to identify what he was seeing there and not coming up with anything. Or at least nothing human. But familiar. Painfully familiar... Elements aligned, the stirring in the back of his skull settled fitfully into place, and like one of those trick pictures that could be two things at the same time, Danny knew. He knew...
And suddenly everything was different.
"Castiel."
Danny's lungs were tight, and his mouth was so dry that the sound of the name could barely be classified as a whisper. Beside him he heard the faint rustle of Steve shifting in his seat to look at him. His heart was hammering and he'd felt the blood drain from his face just fine, thank you, so he could imagine quite easily what stark-white shade of shit he probably looked. He very deliberately did not look at his partner, not wanting to see whatever brand of confusion, concern, or constipation was currently written on his face.
Part of him wanted to run away, surrender to the strong flight instinct gibbering in his simian brain. He knew it was useless. There was nowhere he could run to where this would not already be waiting for him. He released a slow breath.
"Steve, stay in the car..."
He opened the door slowly, hesitating at the grinding of gravel beneath his foot. The short distance to the front of the car stretched out into the longest walk of his life.
"Danael." The voice was rough, damaged, and flat, a sound that put him in mind of a rusted mechanism more than a person. "It has been too long."
"I'd have to argue that it's a matter of opinion, Cas."
He found his own voice a lot quicker than he would have thought possible. Knowing what he faced, though, Danny couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. Castiel simply cocked his head, seeming not to get the subtle diss. Of course he didn't. Behind him, Danny heard the card door slam.
Because, really, who was he fooling to think that McGarrett would listen to him ever?
Clamping down on his fear—and his imagination, feeding him all the myriad and horrible ways this confrontation could go badly wrong in 3D technicolor—Danny decided to do what he always did best.
Fill the silence.
"Was there something you wanted, Castiel? 'Cause call it a hunch, but this doesn't exactly carry the vibe of a friendly family visit."
"You need to come Home, Danael."
"Bullshit. After all this time? Why me? Why now?"
Castliel's head tilted slightly, his gaze unwavering. It could hardly be called an expression, but what Danny read there was irritation.
"Remember that I can see into your mind." He said, his voice like a saw against Danny's nerves. "Do not pretend more ignorance of recent events than you possess. The Apocalypse has been...indefinitely postponed. While it is theoretically possible for it to have escaped your notice in your current state, I do find it unlikely."
And maybe Castiel had a point, not that Danny was about to admit it. Even reduced to a near-atomic scale of insignificance, the voices of his Brothers muffled behind mental walls as thick as he could build, he'd still been subconsciously aware of the pressure mounting on the mainland. He'd fought tooth and nail for every hour of extra time he could get with his daughter, incapable of knowing when it might be their last. Things had been reaching a critical mass for the past few months, and he knew that kind of energy didn't just blow over...
Or at least, he'd known that until it basically had.
"Balthazar and I have been searching the full span of human history for you and the other Irin," Castiel continued. "The unfortunate fact is that you were simply among the easiest to find. Your grace was not as well concealed as you might have liked."
And behind him, Danny could hear the gravel shift beneath Steve's feet as his posture tensed in response to the threat he knew the other man had misinterpreted. Bless him, as powerless as he was Danny practically could read his partner's mind right now. And the concern the man felt for his daughter warmed his heart, it really did. He just hoped that Steve wasn't about to do something stupid, because right now the last thing Danny needed was to try and explain to psycho-SEAL that even the grenade he was probably carrying in his pocket wouldn't be enough of a threat for the thing in front of them that pissing it off was even a concern.
And right now, he was less terrified of Grace being taken than he was of grace being returned...
"Castiel, please," Danny begged, "Don't do this to me. Do not do this to me."
"My appearing to you is a courtesy. I'm afraid I can't afford to give you the choice. If you will look at this rationally, you will see that you cannot afford that choice either."
Danny followed the infinitesimal shift of that cold blue stare over his shoulder, past Steve who was looking at him in agitated confusion. His eyes fell on Grace where she waited in the car.
"I am sorry." Castiel said.
Angels didn't extend courtesies, and they didn't apologize. Yet the tightness around Castiel's eyes, the set of his mouth held a degree of expression that was almost shocking for a soldier of Castiel's rank. The sympathy it suggested almost baffling. Centuries and the wall of his human condition stood between Danny and the last time he and his Brother had spoken, but still it was difficult to imagine what might have changed the other so much. At that moment, Danny couldn't bring himself to care.
So this is it , he thought. The end of everything he'd built. Everything he loved.
"When?" Danny asked softly, dragging his eyes away from Castiel's face. He was ashamed of his resignation, but he knew there was no way to fight this.
"Very shortly," was the reply.
Danny knew it was a warning. He turned to Steve who was staring at him, his expression begging for an answer to what was going on. Unfortunately, they wouldn't have time.
"Steve." He managed hoarsely, "I want you to get back in the car and drive Gracie back to her mother's."
"What?" Steve asked uncomprehendingly. His eyes flicked to the car, knowing that the only way Danny would surrender time with his daughter was if things had somehow gone horribly wrong.
"I've got some...business I need to take care of, Steven, and I need you to take Gracie home. What part of that don't you understand?"
Steve shot Castiel a suspicious glance.
"What ever happened to not going into something without back-up?"
Why did he have to make this so difficult? He rounded on his partner, but as much as he wanted to glare and scream and yell, he didn't have the time.
"Steven, for once in your life will you please listen to me?" He begged his partner, softly. Danny hoped Steve knew him well enough to realize how rare that was. "It's important—no, it's essential—that you listen to me right now and get Grace the hell out of here."
Thankfully, the desperate tone of his request burned through Steve's questions. He said nothing, but Danny knew from his hurried glance at the car that he would do it. Satisfied, Danny walked over to the Camaro and opened the door to lean in. Grace looked up at him, and he could see from the confusion on her face that she knew something was wrong. It broke his heart that he couldn't tell her it would all be okay.
"I gotta go, monkey." He told her, trying to smile, trying not to worry her further. "Don't give your Uncle Steve any more trouble than he deserves, alright?"
When she nodded her head, he leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"Danno loves you."
As he stood, he caught Steve looking at him over the hood of the car. His partner's expression was frozen, but Danny could tell the goodbye had shaken him.
"Take care of my daughter, McGarrett. I swear to—" Danny bit off the end of the sentence abruptly, not willing to go there right now. Not feeling the love. "Just..."
"I will." Steve said evenly, "But you're explaining this later. Promise."
"I promise." Danny said, though he didn't know if he'd have any say in keeping it. "Now get the heck out of here."
As he watched them drive away, Danny couldn't help but think that it somehow didn't matter that the Apocalypse had been thwarted. It felt like his world was ending anyway.
Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three
