Fic - Coda to 2.15, H5O
Bad language. Pre-slash. Scary!Steve.
Coda to 2.15
"Oh, now I get it."
Steve's smile was bland as he looked at Rick Peterson through the reinforced glass of the visitor's booth. "You remember me?"
"Hell, yeah, I remember you, Uncle Steve. You're Danny's partner, and I tell you, listening to you and him on the phone was pretty damn hilarious. And, uh, just between you and me, if sweet little Gracie hadn't been so easy to find," he made a gun with his hand and pointed it at Steve's forehead, pretending to pull the trigger, "you'd have made a great secondary target. Danny would've never forgiven himself if something happened to you."
Steve nodded. "Probably not."
Peterson tipped his chair back as far as the short phone cord would let him. "So why am I here in gen pop instead of at the Fed? You gonna have them take me into a room so you and I can have a little face time? Been there. Ain't nothing I haven't been through before."
Steve held his free hand up to his heart. "Me? I'm not going to touch you. In fact, this is probably the last time you and I will ever speak again. So, why do you think I had something to do with your transfer?"
Leaning forward, Peterson folded his arms on the counter. "Who else?"
Steve shook his head. "No, man, not me. The federal penitentiary's a little overcrowded these days, so Halawa's helping out with the overflow." He frowned. "You okay in here? Got everything you need?"
"Cut the crap, I know this isn't a social call. What do you want?"
Steve shrugged. "Not a thing. Oh, I do have a message from your ex-wife. Funny thing, she hates you more now than she did before, so nice job there."
"Fuck you." Peterson's tone was defiant, but Steve knew his taunt had hit home.
"Ah, yeah, speaking of that." Steve mirrored Peterson's position, resting his elbows on the counter. "I'm glad you brought that up. Take a look to your right. Go ahead, look. I'll wait."
He watched as Peterson turned his head to the right, then looked back at him, visibly shaken.
"So what, I've seen cons before. Big fuckin' deal."
"Now to your left."
Peterson hesitated, swallowing hard before looking to his left. This time when he looked back at Steve, there was no mistaking the slowly dawning terror in his eyes.
Then slowly, deliberately, Steve let everything he was feeling-and everything he'd felt the day Rick Peterson entered his life-show in his face. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he spoke into the phone.
"Now listen to me, very carefully. You hurt my family. You came after my family and you hurt them. And even though we both know you're going to prison for the rest of your life for killing a federal officer, you have to pay for what you did to them."
"Your family?" Peterson tried to smirk, but failed. "I figured that you and Danny were tight but-"
"You're going to do everything I tell you to do."
"Fuck it." Peterson switched the phone from one ear to the other, his fingers trembling. "Danny betrayed me. He deserved everything he got."
Steve tilted his head to one side. "I'm pretty sure," he said slowly, "that I don't ever want to hear you say something like that again. Not to your lawyer, not to your priest, not even in your sleep. That's another thing. I don't want you to have any contact with Danny. None."
"Son of a bitch will have to be at my trial-"
Steve tapped the glass once with his forefinger. "No trial."
Peterson's mouth opened and closed several times before he spoke. "I'm entitled to-"
"Nothing. No trial. You will change your plea to guilty on all charges."
"The hell I will," Peterson hissed. "This is going to drag on for years, and Danny will have to live with it, just like I will. Just wait until Grace has to testify-"
"You don't get it, do you? I'm not giving you a choice."
"I was a cop in a New Jersey prison, McGarrett. Nothing scares me any more."
Steve smiled and the color drained from Peterson's cheeks. "I'm sorry to hear that. In the mean time, please enjoy our island hospitality. Oh, and when you change your mind, you'd better make sure that you get word to me immediately. Otherwise," he shrugged, letting the word hang in the air.
When Peterson didn't reply, Steve hung up the phone and got to his feet. He heard the sound of chairs scraping the concrete floor on either side of him, then shifted his gaze from Peterson to watch the other two convicts leave the room. A guard came in to take Peterson back to his cell and as he walked away, Steve knew he was halfway to his goal. Peterson had gotten the message, but he'd made a fatal mistake-he thought Steve McGarrett, head of Five-O, was bluffing.
He'd find out the truth soon enough.
"We good, brah?"
Steve nodded at Kamekona, who'd been sitting in the booth on his right and was now standing at his side. "We're good. Thanks."
Kamekona glanced at the seat Peterson had vacated. "No problem. After what he did to Danno and Gracie, it was my pleasure."
"You don't mess with ohana."
Steve turned at the softly spoken words. "No, Kawika, you don't."
He held out his hand and Kawika grabbed his wrist, pulling him in until their shoulders touched.
"No mercy," Kawika whispered, "until you give the word."
Steve took a step back and looked at both men. "I'll let you know."
***
Four days later, Steve was sitting in his office when Chin came in, reading something off his phone.
"Get this," he said, "Peterson has changed his plea."
Steve set down his pen. "Yeah? When?"
"This morning. Asked to see his lawyer while he was in the hospital ward at Halawa."
"Hospital ward?"
Chin looked at his phone again as he sat down in the chair across from Steve. "Yeah, sounds like he was in a really bad way, he's getting his food from a tube." He shook his head. "I don't think he made any friends in prison, though it sounds like a couple of guys got more than friendly with him, if you get my meaning."
"Hmm." Steve rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand. "Did you say he's pleading guilty on all charges?"
"Apparently. He's also asked for a transfer back to the federal prison." Chin looked at Steve, one eyebrow raised. "I wonder why he got transferred to Halawa in the first place?"
Steve looked at the ceiling. "Hard to say."
"Right." Their gazes met and Steve didn't bother to deny the silent question in Chin's eyes. "Anyway," Chin continued, "I bet Danny'll be glad to hear there won't be a trial."
"Speaking of Danny," Steve got to his feet, "I'm out of here. We're having dinner with Grace and I'm supposed to pick something up on the way home."
Chin stood up and pocketed his phone. "That's happening a lot these days, you and Danny and Grace."
Steve grinned at him. "Yeah," he said. "I know."
It wasn't until he was in his truck that he remembered that he needed to get word to Kawika and Kamekona that Peterson had finally seen the light. He started to text them, then thought better of it and made a note to do it later. Peterson would get his reprieve eventually, but Steve had more important things on his mind.
He had family waiting for him at home-and no one messes with Steve's family.
I'm not sure I'm done fussing with it (too short! my brain is melting).
Coda to 2.15
"Oh, now I get it."
Steve's smile was bland as he looked at Rick Peterson through the reinforced glass of the visitor's booth. "You remember me?"
"Hell, yeah, I remember you, Uncle Steve. You're Danny's partner, and I tell you, listening to you and him on the phone was pretty damn hilarious. And, uh, just between you and me, if sweet little Gracie hadn't been so easy to find," he made a gun with his hand and pointed it at Steve's forehead, pretending to pull the trigger, "you'd have made a great secondary target. Danny would've never forgiven himself if something happened to you."
Steve nodded. "Probably not."
Peterson tipped his chair back as far as the short phone cord would let him. "So why am I here in gen pop instead of at the Fed? You gonna have them take me into a room so you and I can have a little face time? Been there. Ain't nothing I haven't been through before."
Steve held his free hand up to his heart. "Me? I'm not going to touch you. In fact, this is probably the last time you and I will ever speak again. So, why do you think I had something to do with your transfer?"
Leaning forward, Peterson folded his arms on the counter. "Who else?"
Steve shook his head. "No, man, not me. The federal penitentiary's a little overcrowded these days, so Halawa's helping out with the overflow." He frowned. "You okay in here? Got everything you need?"
"Cut the crap, I know this isn't a social call. What do you want?"
Steve shrugged. "Not a thing. Oh, I do have a message from your ex-wife. Funny thing, she hates you more now than she did before, so nice job there."
"Fuck you." Peterson's tone was defiant, but Steve knew his taunt had hit home.
"Ah, yeah, speaking of that." Steve mirrored Peterson's position, resting his elbows on the counter. "I'm glad you brought that up. Take a look to your right. Go ahead, look. I'll wait."
He watched as Peterson turned his head to the right, then looked back at him, visibly shaken.
"So what, I've seen cons before. Big fuckin' deal."
"Now to your left."
Peterson hesitated, swallowing hard before looking to his left. This time when he looked back at Steve, there was no mistaking the slowly dawning terror in his eyes.
Then slowly, deliberately, Steve let everything he was feeling-and everything he'd felt the day Rick Peterson entered his life-show in his face. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he spoke into the phone.
"Now listen to me, very carefully. You hurt my family. You came after my family and you hurt them. And even though we both know you're going to prison for the rest of your life for killing a federal officer, you have to pay for what you did to them."
"Your family?" Peterson tried to smirk, but failed. "I figured that you and Danny were tight but-"
"You're going to do everything I tell you to do."
"Fuck it." Peterson switched the phone from one ear to the other, his fingers trembling. "Danny betrayed me. He deserved everything he got."
Steve tilted his head to one side. "I'm pretty sure," he said slowly, "that I don't ever want to hear you say something like that again. Not to your lawyer, not to your priest, not even in your sleep. That's another thing. I don't want you to have any contact with Danny. None."
"Son of a bitch will have to be at my trial-"
Steve tapped the glass once with his forefinger. "No trial."
Peterson's mouth opened and closed several times before he spoke. "I'm entitled to-"
"Nothing. No trial. You will change your plea to guilty on all charges."
"The hell I will," Peterson hissed. "This is going to drag on for years, and Danny will have to live with it, just like I will. Just wait until Grace has to testify-"
"You don't get it, do you? I'm not giving you a choice."
"I was a cop in a New Jersey prison, McGarrett. Nothing scares me any more."
Steve smiled and the color drained from Peterson's cheeks. "I'm sorry to hear that. In the mean time, please enjoy our island hospitality. Oh, and when you change your mind, you'd better make sure that you get word to me immediately. Otherwise," he shrugged, letting the word hang in the air.
When Peterson didn't reply, Steve hung up the phone and got to his feet. He heard the sound of chairs scraping the concrete floor on either side of him, then shifted his gaze from Peterson to watch the other two convicts leave the room. A guard came in to take Peterson back to his cell and as he walked away, Steve knew he was halfway to his goal. Peterson had gotten the message, but he'd made a fatal mistake-he thought Steve McGarrett, head of Five-O, was bluffing.
He'd find out the truth soon enough.
"We good, brah?"
Steve nodded at Kamekona, who'd been sitting in the booth on his right and was now standing at his side. "We're good. Thanks."
Kamekona glanced at the seat Peterson had vacated. "No problem. After what he did to Danno and Gracie, it was my pleasure."
"You don't mess with ohana."
Steve turned at the softly spoken words. "No, Kawika, you don't."
He held out his hand and Kawika grabbed his wrist, pulling him in until their shoulders touched.
"No mercy," Kawika whispered, "until you give the word."
Steve took a step back and looked at both men. "I'll let you know."
***
Four days later, Steve was sitting in his office when Chin came in, reading something off his phone.
"Get this," he said, "Peterson has changed his plea."
Steve set down his pen. "Yeah? When?"
"This morning. Asked to see his lawyer while he was in the hospital ward at Halawa."
"Hospital ward?"
Chin looked at his phone again as he sat down in the chair across from Steve. "Yeah, sounds like he was in a really bad way, he's getting his food from a tube." He shook his head. "I don't think he made any friends in prison, though it sounds like a couple of guys got more than friendly with him, if you get my meaning."
"Hmm." Steve rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand. "Did you say he's pleading guilty on all charges?"
"Apparently. He's also asked for a transfer back to the federal prison." Chin looked at Steve, one eyebrow raised. "I wonder why he got transferred to Halawa in the first place?"
Steve looked at the ceiling. "Hard to say."
"Right." Their gazes met and Steve didn't bother to deny the silent question in Chin's eyes. "Anyway," Chin continued, "I bet Danny'll be glad to hear there won't be a trial."
"Speaking of Danny," Steve got to his feet, "I'm out of here. We're having dinner with Grace and I'm supposed to pick something up on the way home."
Chin stood up and pocketed his phone. "That's happening a lot these days, you and Danny and Grace."
Steve grinned at him. "Yeah," he said. "I know."
It wasn't until he was in his truck that he remembered that he needed to get word to Kawika and Kamekona that Peterson had finally seen the light. He started to text them, then thought better of it and made a note to do it later. Peterson would get his reprieve eventually, but Steve had more important things on his mind.
He had family waiting for him at home-and no one messes with Steve's family.
I'm not sure I'm done fussing with it (too short! my brain is melting).