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The sound of the shot still rang in the air, Reyes was laying motionless on the table in a pool of his own blood, the smugness finally gone from his face, and Danny was standing right in front on him, gun still raised and Steve was frozen at the feet of the stairs. For a while there was just silence in the room. Steve didn't know what to do, how to help Danny, how to get him to move. Because Danny was standing still in front of Reyes, the gun now lowered, and it was staring at that damn thing where Matthew body was. And Steve really thought that Danny shouldn't open that thing and see his brother, but he didn't know how to take him away, he didn't know how to help his partner through the pain that was coming in waves off his body.
It wasn't like Steve didn't know what they would find. He had known Matthew was dead the moment Danny had come into his office saying that Reyes had his bother. Steve knew people like Reyes, he'd spent half of his life chasing after them. And he knew the only reason Reyes was now here trying to get his money from Danny was because he couldn't get a location from Matthew because he was already dead. Men like Reyes weren't that stupid. They would never try to force the hand of a cop, unless they had no other way to have their money back. Steve knew. And he had tried to tell Danny. To make him see that they had no proof that Reyes had Matt or that he was still alive. But Danny had refused to see, all his partner knew was that Reyes had his brother and he couldn't take the chance. He needed to try and save him. But Steve knew. He knew it was useless, he knew that the money couldn't save Matt.
And now Reyes and his men were dead, and they had to leave. Sooner or later someone would come to check things, gun shots had been fired, lot of them, and even though they were in a place where gunshots were common, surely sooner or later someone would come. And they couldn't be there when that happened. No one could know that Steve and Danny were in the house of a powerful drug dealer, with money that Matt has stolen from him, plus five million dollars from Malia's brother and the dead bodies of the entire crew of the dealer and Matt. Because they weren't supposed to know where he was, they weren't supposed to have any contact with him. And this time if they were found there no one could save them from AI and an investigation. So they had to get out of there, quickly. But Danny was still frozen on the spot, staring at wall and at Reyes blood in it and Steve had now idea how to drag him out of there.
- Danny - he said softly trying to get his partner's attention. Danny slowly turned to stare at him. And even if Steve was relieved to see him moving, the empty and death expression in his eyes scared him.
- Danny we need to go-
- But... But we can't leave him- Danny said in voice that was cold and broken at the same time. Like his brain couldn't quite grasp that Matthew was dead but his heart already knew. And Steve's heart broke hearing that voice, but now there wasn't time. He needed to stay focused and take them out, then he could focus on Danny and his grief.
- We have to. No one can know that we've been here. You know that. We need to go Danny. We need to go now. - he said. Danny turned his back to him and started to move toward the bin and reached out to open it.
Steve moved quickly grasping at Danny's arm to stop him. He couldn't let Danny see Matt, because whatever was in that bin it surely wasn't Matt anymore, and it surely wasn't the last memory Danny should have of his brother. It was already bad enough to that his last memory was the imagine of Matt leaving Hawaii with dirty money, now he didn't need to see the extreme consequences of that choice.
- Let me go. I need to see him-
- No. You don't. - Steve said. Danny tried to break free from his grasp but Steve reinforced it.
- Look at me Danny. Look at me. You can't see him. This can't be the last memory of your brother. You need to listen to me and leave. Now Danny. We can't stay here, you know we can't. You need to leave and go back home, back to Grace. You need to be there for your family when the news will reach them, when the police will identify Matt. We have to go. - he said softly.
Grace name seemed to work the magic. Danny looked at him, his eyes clear and focused for a second, then they returned blank, but he nodded and moved. He let Steve guide him out of the house.
He let Steve drag him to the car they'd rented and he let him drive to the airport and then guide him onto a plane. He let Steve take control of thing because his brain couldn't live with the nightmare in that house in Colombia. He couldn't live with his little's brother death. He couldn't live with the rage and the hate that had made him kill Reyes.
In the safety of the plane, flying back home, Steve could finally take a breath and relax. No one would ever know that they had been there and now he could focus entirely on Danny and his pain. Steve looked ad Danny. His partner was slumped in his seat, his head resting against the window and his eyes staring at the clouds under them without really seeing them. Steve's heart ached for his partner, he knew all to well what he was going through, what he was feeling.
Because he would feel exactly the same it the roles were reversed. He was sure that Danny was now blaming himself for Matt' death. He could see the thoughts forming in his head. Maybe if he hadn't come to Hawaii with Grace Matt wouldn't have lost all his clients money and he wouldn't try to stay out of prison by stealing money to drug dealers. Maybe if he had shot Matt that night stopping his escape now Matt would still be alive. In prison but alive. Maybe if he had believed Reyes in the first place he would have found the money sooner and Matt would still be alive. None of that was true. When Reyes had landed in Hawaii Matthew was already dead. Steve knew Danny knew that, but he also knew how much his partner had held on the hope that his little brother might still be alive, hoe much he had wanted to believe that Matt was still alive. And knowing Danny like he did Steve knew he was probably starting second guessing his decision to kill Reyes.
- Danny- he said.
He had no idea what to say to help his partner but he knew he had to say something before he retreated to far into his head.
-He's dead, Steve, my little brother is dead- Danny said in a voice so small that Steve almost didn't hear him.
- I know. I'm sorry.-
- Maybe if I had found the money sooner....-
- No, no Danny, don't go there. You know Matthew was already dead when Reyes come to see you, you know that, it isn't your fault. -
- I should have stopped him that night....-
- Danny...- Steve said leaning closer to him and forcing his partner to look at him - it's not your fault. Matt made his choice when he lied to you and took that plane. He chose his fate when he run away. It's not your fault. You did everything you could to save him. - Steve said softly.
Danny didn't say anything but turned to stare out of the window again. Steve sighed. They stayed quiet for a while then Danny spoke again.
- I murdered Reyes. He wasn't a danger for us anymore. We had already killed his crew. I murdered him. I'm no better than him-
Steve sighed again.
- Yes you killed him, yes you did it for revenge, yes he wasn't a danger in that moments- he said - But Danny... You can't feel guilty over Reyes and you're not anything like him. That man murdered your brother and threatened your daughter, he probably would have us killed. He was an horrible man, and yes you killed him. But that wasn't a murder, it was justice. You did the right thing in there Danny. I would have done the same thing- he said.
Hearing those words Danny turned and looked at him.
- You would?-
Steve nodded.
They sat in silence for a while, then Danny's shoulder started to shake and his breath became more frantic and broken, tears flowed down his cheek. Without saying anything Steve got closer and put his arms around Danny's shoulder, dragging him closed to him until he was pressed against his body, face hidden in his chest. Steve could feel Danny's tears soaking his shirt, his body shook with sobs, he could barely breathe. - My brother is dead.- he kept saying in between sobs, the words barely understandable. Steve hugged him tightly, ignoring the worried looks of the flight attendants. - I know. I'm sorry. I've got you, everything is going to be fine. I've got you.- he said over and over again trying to calm him. They stayed like this for a while, Danny's crying in the warm and safe circle of his lover's arms and Steve murmuring nonsense to calm him. Eventually Danny's breath heaven out, exhaustion had the best of him and he fell asleep cuddled again Steve. And Steve held him through his sleep. He knew that this breakdown was just the beginning. Danny would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming Matthew's name, he would beat himself over his death and he would dream of Reyes and his blood on the walls and his decisions to kill the man would haunt him for a while. But Steve would be there for all this, he would hold him through the nightmares and the sobs and the pain. And eventually everything would be okay