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“Always A Cop”

Treatment for HAWAII FIVE-0 Movie for Television

By Kathleen S. Robinson © 11-1-84

“Thanks, Duke, I really need that today,” Danny sighs. “Where is Steve when we really need him?” Then Danny rubs his forehead wearily. Four months of this and he’s about had it. How did Steve do this for twenty years? Duke and Danny laugh and Duke leaves.

Buried in paper, brows furrowed with worry, Danny suddenly swivels his chair around and looks outside for a moment. He secretly envies Steve’s freedom and wishes now more than ever that he, too, were on a leave of absence. Visions of surfing, skydiving, hang gliding and scuba diving bring a smile as Danny daydreams.

The jarring ring of the phone shatters the peaceful moment; Danny’s daydream vanishes and he snaps back to the piles of work in front of him. 

Casually dressed in jeans, sneakers, a blue shirt and a huge floppy hat to protect him from the sun, Steve McGarrett putters around his 30-foot yacht, squinting into the brilliantly sunny day and smiling. Then he continues to polish and burnish the brass railing. His yacht is docked in the Waianae harbor.

“Think it’s polished enough?” inquires a mysterious, female voice. Intrigued, Steve follows the voice, peering over the railing to gaze at a tall, slender, elegantly dressed woman with long dark hair and porcelain skin. She looks to be in her 40’s. She’s also quite beautiful.

Taking a long, silent look, Steve slowly smiles. “Not quite,” he finally replies. Another long look, then, “Want to help?” The lady smiles back. And then she walks towards the yacht.

At the Honolulu dock, workers load the TAKAHASHI IMPORTS crates onto the freighter. The consignment is headed for San Francisco. Nervous, hesitant, Takahashi reluctantly signs the shipment manifest papers. The dock inspector gives him a curious look.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of your shipment,” he offers.

“I’d rather you dumped them all into the ocean,” Takahashi quietly murmurs to himself as the crates disappear into the ship’s cargo hold.

Seated in the candlelit restaurant, Steve McGarrett and Danielle Carter, the lovely mystery lady, gaze at one another. The soft candle glow reflects their joy.

It’s been years since Steve’s let himself fall in love. His life has always been too regimented, too spartan, too devoted to his work. He’s seldom had time to develop a deep relationship. And so this is a new and very pleasurable experience for him, this luxury of enough time to fall in love. Time to think or not to think….time to gaze at the incredible beauty of the islands….time to watch the intense colors of the sunrises and sunsets. And he’s now sharing all this with Danielle.

The professor calls his business administration class to order at the University of Hawaii. 

“We’re delighted to have Joel Fabian as our guest lecturer today. Many of you know he’s made his fortune in the commodities market. He’s here today to tell us how he did it. And now, I’d like to present one of the most prestigious members of our business community, Joel Fabian.” The audience erupts into applause.

The tall, handsome, dark haired and elegantly dressed young man, scarcely more than 35 years old, stands up, strides to the podium and smiles out at his eager, welcoming audience.

“I’m here to tell you that there are still a lot of avenues to wealth, and MOST of them are legal!” This comment is greeted with great laughter and applause. Joel Fabian laughs, too.

ACT TWO

The freighter pulls under the Golden Gate Bridge and into the San Francisco harbor. Slowly she eases into her berth.

As dockworkers unload the cargo, the TAKAHASHI IMPORTS crates suddenly appear. A man carefully supervises their removal from the ship. He walks over to the dock supervisor, talks to him, and signs the papers. He motions to his crew. They move in and load the crates onto a large van.

The same man lifts a receiver and dials. Seated in an elegantly appointed office, Joel Fabian answers at the other end.

“Everything went as planned. We have the goods.”

How was Takahashi?”

“Nervous. You’d better keep an eye on him.”

“If not Takahashi, there’re plenty of others. My source can give me an endless supply.” Hanging up the telephone, Fabian smiles.

One case in particular really bothers Danny. An open and shut murder case is now beginning to take on sinister connections to Washington. He’s been stonewalled at every turn; Washington has told him to keep hands off. He’s clashed with some particularly unpleasant bureaucratic types. Danny misses Steve’s wisdom, intuitive powers and incisive decisions. This case is turning out to be a real mystery.

Danielle Carter runs a busy import shop in the Kahala Mall. Her successful business means long days and late hours. In a masterstroke of role reversal, Steve finds himself having to adapt to her busy schedule. There are cancelled dinners and hastily rearranged outings. When not aggravated by her absence, Steve is amused by his situation. Now he knows how the women in his life have felt all those years when he had to cancel dates and rearrange plans because of his busy schedule. Danielle turns over much of her work to her assistant so that she can spend as much time as possible with Steve. She, too, senses that this wonderful interlude is magic and may not last forever.

Steve calls Danny one day for a casual chat. Danny unloads his frustrations about the unsolved case. Intrigued, Steve recalls the similar case they’d both worked on several years earlier. They never solved it, something that still frustrates him. Maybe there’s a connection.

“Steve, you didn’t call to talk about business! Sorry I laid that one on you. How’s Danielle?”

“We’re fine, Danil. How’s Sandy?”

Danny grows sad. “We’re not together anymore, Steve. The pressure. She couldn’t take it, I guess.”

“I’m really sorry, really. Hang in there, Danny,” Steve offers, then hangs up.

Danny flashes back to that last angry confrontation with Sandy and grows sad.

Steve gazes out the window of his cottage, thinking about the unsolved case he and Danny had worked on five years earlier. And Danielle.

Danny stands in front of the group of undercover officers in his office, briefing them on the logistics of tonight’s stakeout. Pointing to a diagram on the blackboard, he assigns each person the exit he or she will cover. They’ll be staking out an import shop. An anonymous tip has hinted at illegal drug activities.

Coat tossed on the chair, tie askew, gun securely fastened in the shoulder holster, Danny meticulously reviews the plan several times, pinpointing weak spots and then figuring out ways to eliminate them. When the briefing is over, the officers begin to leave the office.

“God, it feels good to get back into the field again! Just to get out of this office!” Danny smiles at Duke.

“You know what they say….if you can’t stand the heat…” Duke teases, smiling.

“Aw, can it!” Danny shoots back as they both leave the office.

The candles burn down in the dim light. Steve and Danielle are in each other’s arms. He leans over to kiss her, then pulls back to look at her. The intensity of his feelings almost overwhelms him.

Danielle can sense his emotional turmoil. He’s being pulled away from her, back to his life as a cop. She heard of his call to Danny today. She can see the wheels turning in his head. She’s powerless to stop him. And yet, he loves her more than he’s ever loved anyone. Sensing his mental struggle, seeing the confusion in his eyes, Danielle softly brushes his cheek.

“Let it rest, Steve. You don’t have to make any decisions right now, do you? Let’s enjoy this moment and not think ahead.” Grateful to be spared the struggle, if only for that moment, Steve kisses her passionately.

The stakeout progresses. Everyone is in place. Danny checks his watch. 11:58 PM. He sits in his car, gazing out into the darkness. The shipment’s supposed to arrive at midnight. Danny makes a last minute check over the car radio to all units.

Suddenly a van pulls up to the back of the darkened building. Looking through binoculars, Danny makes the license number and radios it to HPD, asking them to run it through their computers.

Radioing all units to move in, Danny leaves his car and pulls his revolver. He strains to see in the darkness. Duke silently follows close behind. A side door opens. The van drives inside. At Danny’s signal, all undercover officers rush the building simultaneously.

Gun drawn, Danny yells “You’ll all under arrest, don’t even THINK of it!” as he wheels and draws a bead on a nervous gunman. The man quickly drops his gun and raises his hands.

Inspection of the first piles of crates from the van reveals no contraband, only cheap artifacts. Frustration mounting, Danny continues to pour through the boxes. He opens a box containing Buddhas. Lifting one out, he turns it over. As he manipulates it, the bottom finally pops off. Smiling, Danny pulls out the plastic packet of white powder. Opening the package, he tastes it.

“Bingo!” he exclaims, looking at the old Asian man. “Care to explain this?”

“I…I have no….no idea where that came from!” the man says lamely.

“You’ll have plenty of time to tell your lawyers all about it,” Danny replies as Takahashi is handcuffed and led away.  Danny looks at the old man as he’s led away. Danny shakes his head.

Danny and the other officers continue to sift through the imports in the warehouse. Danny picks up Takahashi’s ledger books. Flipping pages, his eyes suddenly fall on the name “Danielle Carter.” Stunned, Danny looks silently off into space.

Fabian picks up the ringing phone. The news is bad. Takahashi has been arrested. He slams down the receiver. He paces the room nervously. He picks up the receiver, puts it down, picks it up again and dials.

ACT THREE

Seated opposite each other in Steve’s old office, Danny shifts uncomfortably in his chair, avoiding Steve’s gaze. Steve finally asks why Danny had called him in. Was it the case they’d been discussing?

Distinctly uncomfortable, Danny spreads out the evidence in front of him, explaining to Steve what he’d found, and opening the page to Danielle’s name in Takahashi’s ledger book.

Stunned, Steve is unable to react. He simply stares at the name. Looking up helplessly at Danny, he finally replies, “There must be some mistake.”

“I agree, Steve, but we’ve got to check it out,” Danny replies.

“Of course,” Steve slowly nods.

“I have to use a search warrant. No special favors.”

“No special favors, I know,” Steve replies softly. The seeds of doubt have been planted. ALWAYS A COP.

Disheveled, defeated, dishonored, Takahashi leaves his cell. Bail has been posted and he’s free to leave. His sad eyes scrutinize the slick young lawyer hired to defend him. He watches distractedly as the lawyers haggle over pleas and argue their courtroom strategy. His once proud life is now ruined forever.

Danny and Duke approach Danielle’s shop. Entering, they show her the search warrant. Stunned, she leads them to her import stockroom. They begin to search through the artifacts.

A tall, slender figure appears in the doorway. Steve can’t stay away. Danielle stares at him in anger, shock, disbelief.

“You knew about this?” she accuses.

“Yes,” is all he can reply.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Steve?”

“I couldn’t.”

“Don’t I mean anything to you? ALWAYS A COP!” Danielle cries and storms away.

Duke and Danny reappear. They found nothing. Obviously, Danielle is not involved in the shipments of heroin. But they had to check it out. Steve understands, doesn’t he?

Steve and Danielle are now alone. He is a study in agony. He reaches for her, to apologize for the pain she has just endured.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t ever touch me again,” Danielle says. She’s weary, defeated, on the verge of tears. Turning, she walks away. Left standing alone, Steve feels desolate.

Released on bail, Takahashi is alone in his shop. He takes one last long look around. His life is in tattered ruins. Suitcase packed, he’s got to make a run for it. He knows that his life is now in danger. The door behind him opens softly. Two shots ring out. Takahashi slumps to the floor, dead.

Danny picks up the phone. Takahashi’s been found dead. God, where is this case leading? Someone wanted to shut him up permanently. Takahashi had to be working for someone else. He was clearly incapable of masterminding the crime alone. Besides, up to this moment, he had a spotless reputation as a respected businessman in the Asian Hawaiian community. Someone must have been blackmailing him. What could the old man have done wrong? He was just the courier who got caught. And now was murdered for what he knew. But, what did he know?

For the hundredth time Danny pulls out Takahashi’s ledger books and stares at them. He’s stared at them so much that he’s cross-eyed. The answer is in there somewhere. He flips the pages, carefully scanning them. A light suddenly dawns. Why hadn’t he seen it before? The connection. Of course! Lifting up the phone, he tries to dial Steve at home. No answer. Frustrated, he slams down the phone, picks up the ledger book and leaves his office for the night.

Later that evening, Danny finally reaches Steve at his home. 

“Steve! I think I’ve found the connection in Takahashi’s ledger book. You’ve got to come over here right away, I can’t discuss this on the phone.”

“Danny, I’ll be there as soon as I can. It’ll take me about 45 minutes,” Steve replies, then hangs up the phone and races out the front door of his cottage.

A tape machine is recording Danny’s conversation to Steve. Danny’s phone is bugged. The hand stops the machine. Then it lifts the telephone receiver and dials.

Hearing a sudden noise, Danny calls out, “Steve, is that you?” When there’s no reply, Danny becomes alarmed. He picks up his gun and the ledger book, attempting to hide it in a safe place. The door is savagely kicked open. Danny fires his gun, then tries to shield himself from the shot.

The man walks over to the slumped body, carefully picks up the ledger book and then quietly leaves the apartment.

Steve walks up to Danny’s apartment door. Immediately sensing danger when he sees it ajar, he pulls his revolver and carefully enters. ALWAYS A COP. Glancing around, he sees Danny slumped on the floor. Racing to him, Steve feels for a pulse. Finding a faint one, he grabs the phone and calls 911. A stunned McGarrett can only murmur “Oh my God.” He quickly searches the apartment for any clues. ALWAYS A COP. Then he returns to Danny, cradling his lifeless form in his arms.

The hospital corridor is filled with activity outside the emergency room area. In shock, Steve waits for news on Danny. Sandy walks around the corner, stunned. Steve stands up and walks towards her, instinctively opening his arms to offer some comfort. She can only manage “Steve!” before collapsing into his arms in sobs.

“This isn’t the way I wanted to come back,” Steve murmurs softly as he and Sandy embrace each other.

ACT FOUR

Steve sits at his desk. Slowly he fingers the desktop, touching the different artifacts as he thinks. He flashes back to a funny conversation with Danny; his thoughts move forward to a tender moment with Danielle, and then finally to her angry dismissal and to Danny’s lifeless body on the floor. Steve gets up and stares out the window.

The phone rings. “McGarrett!” he snaps. His body softens as he hears the wonderful news that Danny came through the surgery and will live. Steve is momentarily overwhelmed with relief. His friend is alive. Barely. And unconscious.

The man’s gloved hands turn over the ledger book to Fabian. 

“You didn’t succeed,” Fabian glares back. “That cop is still alive and he knows something. Think you can finish the job this time?!”

Steve sits at the bedside of an unconscious Danny. Reaching out to gently touch Danny’s arm, he urges, “Come on kiddo. Wake up. What do you know?” Then he slumps back in the chair and sighs. He sits for an eternity, silently watching his friend struggling for life. Danny’s hooked up to all kinds of IV’s. Tubes, machines, EKGs are hooked up everywhere. Steve can hardly recognize Danny.

Finally, reluctantly, Steve leaves Danny’s room. He instructs the cop on duty outside the room to be sure a guard is posted on the door 24 hours a day. Danny’s life is still in danger.

Joel Fabian is on the phone again. “We’ve got to move our operations somewhere else. If that cop lives, McGarrett will have the connection. I don’t think your constituents would be favorably impressed with your illegal activities, do you?”

The voice on the other end disagrees. They can sit tight for a while.

“You’re a fool! And you’re pressing your luck. We should leave NOW!” Fabian explodes and slams down the phone.

Steve walks slowly and silently through Takahashi’s shop. His eyes search for any glimmer of a clue. What did Danny find? Why was he so stunned by his lead?

Dressed as a hospital lab technician, the hit man slips by the cop on duty outside Danny’s hospital room. The cop inspects his forged hospital I.D. card very carefully before passing him through. The man enters the room.

Walking over to an unconscious Danny, the man takes out a vial of insulin. Removing it with a syringe, he injects the fluid into Danny’s I.V.

Suddenly the cop opens the door. He forgot he was supposed to observe all the medical procedures. Startled, the man drops the insulin vial, drops the needle, knocks the cop down and races out of the room. Recovering quickly, the cop races out of the room and calls for help.

Danny begins to convulse.

Having now failed twice, the hit man knows that HIS life is suddenly in danger. He knows too much.  He’s a loose end. He hasn’t been able to deliver the goods. The phone rings in his hotel room, but he ignores it. He busily packs to leave.

Steve gets the call over the car radio. Cursing, he pounds the steering wheel in utter frustration, then changes course to speed to the hospital and Danny.

Harassed, agitated, Fabian calls his contact. “I need to see you NOW. You know where. The usual spot.”

The sleek black limousine is parked in a deserted area of the Honolulu docks. The two occupants are in a heated discussion. Fabian argues that they must terminate operations immediately and move elsewhere. They’re on the verge of being discovered. Williams is still alive; the hit man bungled it again.

“McGarrett’s a lot smarter than you think,” Fabian replies. “He’ll have both our hides before this is over. Why do I listen to you?”

“Because I’m how you’ve made all your money, Fabian,” Simmons coolly replies. He gets out of the limousine. He walks back to his own car and drives away. A close shot reveals that he has Hawaii State government license plates.

Steve paces the hospital corridor. Inside the room, a team of doctors with a crash cart has just brought Danny out of his cardiac arrest induced by the insulin. But, he’s still unconscious.

Steve enters the room to see a doctor taking Danny’s pulse. “That was close,” the doctor says.” He leaves the room. The nurse remains.

Steve moves to Danny’s side. He reaches over to touch Danny’s arm. “I need you, Danny. Sandy needs you….”

The governor calls Steve to express his concern about Danny and to tell Steve it’s nice to have him back, even under the terrible circumstances. A fatigued Steve replies that they are onto something really big. He’ll keep the governor informed as soon as he knows anything more.

The hit man steps into the bathroom at Honolulu airport. Glancing around nervously to see if he’s being followed, he plans to hide out here until his flight is called. The door opens. A gun with a silencer appears. A single shot silences the hit man forever.

The report comes back to Steve as he sits in his office. The dead body is that of the man who tried to kill Danny at the hospital. The cop on duty made the positive identification.

Two men silenced for their part in WHAT? Steve asks himself. Who would hit the hit man unless they had a hell of a lot at stake?

The telephone rings. The news is wonderful! Danny is conscious, if only barely. Finally, a break! Steve races from the room to his car.

Steve leans close to Danny. Danny opens his eyes and smiles weakly. He’s barely conscious, drifting in and out.

“What, Danil, what did you want to tell me?” Steve gently probes. Danny is still groggy, very confused. His mind, bruised by the bullet, has not sifted out the sequence of events, and the head wound may have impaired his memory. So, Steve has to gently lead him in the right direction.

“Danil, you said it was someone big. Can you tell me who?” Steve probes.

Looking at Steve, Danny can barely see the blurry form in front of his eyes. The bullet did temporary damage to his optic nerve. He tries to speak but nothing comes out.

“What? Say it again, Danil,” Steve leans over until his ear is almost pressed against Danny’s mouth.

“Governor’s Office,” Danny finally whispers. And then fades back into unconsciousness. McGarrett looks utterly puzzled.

The governor is seated in his office. Beside him stands Edward Simmons, his closest aid and most trusted friend. The Governor is ready to sign into law new legislation, which will expand trade with Asia. Eager, restless reporters fill the room for the signing ceremony. With a flourish of his pen, the Governor signs the bill, smiles broadly at the applause, and then turns to Simmons.

“Without your tireless efforts to lobby this bill through a stubborn legislature, we wouldn’t be sharing this triumphant moment, Ed. All my thanks go to you. I don’t know what I’d do without this guy,” the Governor smiles as he shakes Simmons’ hand. The cameras click furiously. Both men smile broadly.

ACT FIVE

“I know, Governor, it sounds strange, and it doesn’t make much sense, but that’s what Danny said,” Steve offers.

“What does he mean, Steve, ‘the Governor’s Office?’ I trust my staff implicitly. I can’t let you launch an investigation. It would destroy that trust,” the governor replies.

Steve hotly insists that some very damaging evidence, which almost cost Danny his life, was in the stolen ledger books. This evidence will link someone in the Governor’s office to the heroin operations.

The Governor continues to protest, but Steve insists on permission to put the staff under discreet surveillance. Finally the Governor relents.

“Nothing to report on Edward Simmons, Steve, sorry,” Duke radios over his car phone.

“OK, come on in then, Duke,” Steve sighs wearily. Slowly he crosses another name off the list. Only two left to go now. Maybe the idea was wrong after all. What could Danny have meant?

Fabian is shouting into the phone, “You’re under surveillance, Ed!”

“I’m clean. I passed the test,” Simmons responds. “I saw the report. Meet me in my office tomorrow, just like we planned.”

The next afternoon, Steve heads out of the Governor’s office. At that precise moment, Fabian and Simmons step off the elevator together and stand in the hallway, deep in conversation. They shake hands. Fabian walks directly past McGarrett. Steve walks a few steps. Then he stops dead in his tracks. The light suddenly dawns.

Fabian? Fabian is syndicate. Oh sure, he’s got a reputation as a legitimate businessman, but the cops know better. They’ve just never been able to get anything on him. McGarrett turns and watches Fabian’s retreating figure intently. Simmons glances at McGarrett and instinctively knows that McGarrett’s made some kind of connection.

Recovering quickly, McGarrett glances at Simmons and nods, “Hello, Ed, nice weather, eh?” in passing. Simmons turns to give McGarrett a long, hard stare.

As McGarrett storms into his office, he yells in passing to Duke “Get me the files on Joel Fabian!” Ripping off his tie, he settles in for a long night.

Fabian hurries to his car. He races off. An undercover car follows at a discreet distance.

When Fabian enters the warehouse, the technicians have dismantled most of the equipment and are packing it away in crates. He pitches in to help them pack.

“I need a search warrant!” McGarrett shouts into the phone. “Get Judge Carter out of bed!” He slams down the phone, throws on his jacket and races out of the office.

McGarrett and Duke break down the door to Fabian’s offices. They begin to search for evidence linking Fabian to Simmons and both of them to the heroin operation.

Glancing around quickly, McGarrett isn’t sure what he’s looking for. Some kind of ledger books, Danny said. Time’s working against them, they’ve got to find something quickly.

The safe! Where is the safe? McGarrett finally finds it carefully hidden behind a painting. Shooting the lock, he opens the safe. Pulling out two small accounting ledgers, he flips the pages. TAKAHASHI IMPORTS. This evidence links Fabian to both the murder of Takahashi and the attempted murder of Danny. Good enough to make an arrest.

Steve and Duke race to the warehouse. The undercover units on stakeout have radioed him that he’d better get there fast. Fabian’s about to escape. McGarrett tells them to move in and make the arrest. He’s on his way.

McGarrett arrives in time to find Fabian cuffed. “Want to take the rap yourself, or are you ready to name your accomplices?” McGarrett asks a sullen, silent Fabian. “Book him! First degree murder, two counts, attempted murder, and illegal narcotics, for starters.” Then McGarrett leaves the warehouse. 

Quickly rifling through his files, he pulls some documents, stuffs them into his briefcase. He has no intention of going to the airport. That’s a false trail, left for McGarrett’s benefit.

ACT SIX

The Governor sits slumped in his chair, speechless, stunned. “Steve, I just don’t believe it! Not Ed Simmons!”

“God, when I think of the information I’ve trusted him with….” the Governor trails off lamely.

“Governor, he’s got to have a hideout. A place he goes to get away from everything. He’s not about to head to the airport. Does he have a cottage?”

 “Let me think….Steve, he’s got a yacht, at the Waialua harbor!”

“Thanks, Governor, we’re on our way,” Steve call back on the run out of the Governor’s office.

Simmons races onboard his yacht. He tries to turn over the engine.  It’s sluggish. It won’t start. Frantically, he keeps trying to turn it on.

In a helicopter, Steve radios his ground units. “Duke, find out the name of the yacht. We’re on our way to the harbor. He’s going to make a run for it on the yacht.”

The engine finally sputters and turns over. Simmons slowly guides the yacht from its berth in the harbor. FOXY LADY heads slowly out through the breakwater and into the open seas. Simmons finally begins to relax and smile. He’s going to make it after all.

“FOXY LADY? Thanks Duke, we’re almost there,” McGarrett barks in to the radio transmitter over the noise of the helicopter’s engine. They’re now over the harbor. Peering through binoculars, Steve strains to read the names of the yachts. Suddenly he catches sight of the speck headed out to open sea. “Over there!” he points. The pilot changes course.

His yacht racing over the calm waters, Simmons is startled by the noise of the helicopter. He looks up, then turns on the speed as fast as he can push the straining yacht.

McGarrett peers through his binoculars. “FOXY LADY! That’s it! Radio the Coast Guard and get me down closer!” McGarrett shouts to the pilot.

McGarrett leans out of the helicopter, bullhorn in hand. “Simmons, you’re under arrest! Stop dead in the water! NOW!”

Simmons aims his gun and fires. The bullets narrowly miss McGarrett as he hangs precariously out the side of the racing helicopter. Simmons is a good shot.

“Down!” McGarrett yells. The helicopter drops down low and runs interference in front of the yacht, forcing it to zigzag and slow its speed so as to not collide with the hovering helicopter. Simmons has trouble steering his yacht, avoiding the helicopter and trying to fire at McGarrett, all at the same time.

The helicopter pulls dangerously close to the speeding yacht. McGarrett jumps down on top of Simmons, knocking both men to the deck. Simmons’ gun flies out of his reach in the collision. Regaining his balance first, McGarrett quickly decks Simmons, then aims his revolver.

“You’re under arrest for first degree murder!” McGarrett snarls over the noise of the motor, as the yacht slows down and turns aimlessly in ever-larger circles.

Defeated, Simmons sullenly glares back at his captor. In the distance, a Coast Guard cutter races to the scene. The helicopter signs off and flies away.

Danny sits up in bed, smiling weakly. Sandy stands protectively at his side. Sheepishly, he tells Sandy that maybe she was right. He came pretty close this time.

Sandy leans over, kisses him tenderly, then brushes away a stray lock of hair poking out from beneath the bandages.

“And I learned that I can survive it. I love you, Danny.” Her finger gently traces the outline of his profile.

Wandering into this tender scene, Steve turns abruptly to leave.

“Come back! Steve!” Danny laughs. Steve turns back and walks over to him. “How are you feeling, Danil?”

“Better. Better. You made any decisions?” Danny chides Steve.

“I guess I’m back to stay,” Steve replies ruefully.

“Great! I was just going to tell you that you can have your job back. Gladly!” Sandy, Danny and Steve all break up laughing. Steve leans over the pat Danny on the shoulder, but the gesture becomes a warm embrace between two friends who love each other.

“Glad to have you back, Danil,” Steve says softly.

“Glad to BE back, Steve,” Danny smiles.

It is the end of a long day. Darkness has long ago fallen in Honolulu. Steve sits slumped at his desk. Tie askew, he runs his hands through his hair. Another late night.

In the semi-darkness, a figure appears. In the dim glow of his office lamp, Steve finally recognizes the figure of Danielle. He stands up slowly, unsure of how to react, silent.

“Truce,” she offers gently as she walks towards him. Steve’s face reflects hope, uncertainty, and anticipation.

“Am I forgiven?” he asks, finally breaking the heavy silence.

“Not yet. But we might be able to negotiate a truce,” Danielle smiles. The two move closer. Both are still hesitant.

Suddenly Steve opens his arms. Danielle rushes into them. They hold each other in a long, lingering embrace and then kiss a long, slow, passionate kiss. Steve pulls back.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Steve asks softly, his chin resting on her thick, dark hair.

“Steve, I’m not SURE about anything. But we can try. That’s all anyone can ask, right?” Danielle replies.

“Right,” Steve murmurs, smiles, then buries his head in the crook of Danielle’s beautiful, long neck and hugs her tightly. She hugs back. They both look at each other and kiss again.

 FADE OUT – THE END

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