Revenge is Sweet. Payback's a Bitch. 3 of 4
Disclaimer: Sadly, H50 is not mine, sigh. Belongs to CBS
Satisfaction
Steve knew that he needed to be proactive to make sure Rachel couldn’t run back to New Jersey or Great Britain when she left Stan and found that Danny wouldn’t take her back. His first move was to put Danny in touch with his lawyer friend. While Danny was talking with the lawyer, Steve made some more phone calls. He needed evidence that could be used against Rachel to give to Danny’s lawyer.
Steve grew angry as he learned about the real Rachel Edwards nee Morgan. Rachel Morgan had been on the verge of being sent back to England as her visa was ready to expire. Lo and behold, she is married to Daniel Williams one week before the expiration date. The immigration officer suspected that she married to stay in the country but couldn’t prove it since Danny and Rachel had been dating for four months before getting married. Steve also discovered that Rachel had been having an affair with Stan before she separated from Danny. Stan had a lot of nerve seeking revenge on Danny when he did the same exact thing to Danny. Lastly he found that Danny wasn’t the only one Stan had punished. Stan had put Rachel on a very tight financial leash. If she left him over what he did to Danny, she might make out better than staying married to him. This would give her more incentive to get Danny to take her back. It appeared that she liked to be “taken care of” by the men in her life. He needed to find out what she had been up to in England but that would take a little more time.
Steve had debated whether or not to tell Danny but decided that he didn’t want to keep any secrets from Danny. Some secrets were necessary because he had been sworn to secrecy and Danny understood that. This was different; he just hated hurting his kaikua'anna. Steve and Danny had a long talk the night before Danny would get Grace for the weekend. Steve ended up calling Chin and telling him that he and Kono would have to handle things at Five-0 unless something urgent came up. Danny was in no shape to go to work Friday and Steve wouldn’t leave Danny alone to handle his feelings. Danny only managed to pull himself together because he would be seeing Grace. He was very grateful for Steve’s steady presence that day even if he would never admit it. Danny also felt that it would not be a good idea for he and Rachel to be in the same room together until he got a handle on the information that he had learned. He felt used by Rachel and the only good thing that happened was Grace. Danny was relieved that Steve was willing to handle Rachel this time and maybe his lawyer could be the middle person between him and Rachel in the future.
Saturday morning Steve was sitting in his study waiting for Rachel. Stan had finally manned up and told Rachel what he had done the night before. Maybe he waited until Grace was with Danny so she couldn’t overhear the conversation. Steve realized that Stan did care about Grace. He was expecting Rachel to show up at any time to make a move on Danny. Steve was ready for her. The only reason she would walk away from their encounter unscathed was the fact that she was Grace’s mother. Today, Rachel would meet the Navy SEAL not the polite officer he could be when necessary.
Rachel knocked on McGarrett’s door hoping he wasn’t home. She wanted Danny on his own so that she could get him to take her back. Rachel had wanted to move back to the mainland for a few months but Stanly couldn’t because of business. So she had tried to win Danny back. It had been so easy to do. The foolish man was still in love with her, just the way she liked it. She nearly Danny back in New Jersey but McGarrett had to go and get arrested. Danny’s loyalty ensured that he stayed in Hawaii to help his partner. Now that McGarrett was free, Rachel was confident that if she played her cards right, she could get him to take her back, baby and all. Poor misguided Stan had given her the perfect excuse to leave him and go back to Danny. The only reason she had returned to him was because of his money. Rachel would get Danny, New Jersey and Stanley’s alimony which was better than the allowance she was getting now. He had a lot of nerve punishing her affair with Danny when she had cheated on Danny with Stan.
Her hopes were for naught when Steve opened the door. “Good morning Rachel. I’ve been expecting you. Come in.”
Rachel entered wrapping herself in quiet dignity. “Is Daniel here? I would like to speak to him.”
Steve smiled genially. “I’m afraid that Danny and Grace are at the movies. Won’t you have a seat? Can I get you something to drink? Tea perhaps?”
“No thank you Commander. I’ll come back later. I don’t want to bother you any more than I already have today.” She turned to leave finding Steve blocking her path.
Steve’s smile had disappeared. “Danny knew you would be showing up sometime today, so he took Grace out. He wanted to avoid you, so coming back would be a waste of your time. On the other hand I think this is a good time for you and I to have a little chat especially since Grace isn’t here. So, I think that it would be best if you sit down.”
Rachel prepared to refuse politely when she took a good look at Steve. His face was hard and determined. He was not going to be deterred. “Very well, Commander. However, I don’t know what we could possibly have to talk about.”
Once Rachel had taken the indicated seat Steve sat across from her. She noticed that there was a file and a notepad sitting on the table next to Steve’s chair. “Oh, I think we have a few things to talk about. I would like to commend you for your chutzpah in coming here to beg Danny to take you back after breaking his heart for a second time. Don’t bother denying it. I told Danny all about my little visit with Stan and the ultimatum I gave him. Danny knew you would show up to cry on his shoulder about your mistake in going back to Stan and beg for forgiveness. Danny wasn’t interested in hearing it and didn’t want to have a fight in front of Grace. So I told him that I would stay and talk with you. He was relieved because he doesn’t want to see you again.”
“You actually expect me to believe you Commander. I was married to Daniel; he would not avoid a confrontation given the opportunity. However, I did not come here to fight with him. It was a mistake for me to return to Stan. I was planning on leaving him again before our little chat last night.”
Steve’s chuckles interrupt Rachel’s little speech. “It’s true that Danny isn’t afraid of a confrontation. The real issue is that he never wants to see you again. You pushed him too far this time. Furthermore you can save your charm for someone who will fall for it. It doesn’t work for me, particularly since I did some checking into your past. It’s amazing what you can find out when you have worked in the intelligence field. You have kept quite a few secrets from Danny haven’t you?”
Rachel sniffed disdainfully. “Daniel knows all of my secrets. I have always been honest with him.”
Steve quirked an eyebrow at her continued attempt to fool him. “Oh, you mean like telling him about how you hit his car on purpose so you could talk to him? Funny how this incident happened only a few months before your visa expired. Did you ever tell Danny about how you were only months away from being sent back to England while you were dating him? Oh wait, you married him, allowing you to stay in the US so no need to tell him was there?”
Rachel was shocked but hid it well. Oh she’s good Steve thought. He wouldn’t have noticed her reaction at all if he hadn’t been watching her carefully. “I bumped into Daniel because I wanted to meet him. I quickly fell in love with him. The timing of our meeting was a coincidence.”
“Pity I don’t believe in coincidences and neither does Danny. It’s one of the things that make him a great detective. Let’s talk about how you were having an affair with Stan while still married and living with Danny. Did you tell him the truth about that?” Steve stared at Rachel calmly but couldn’t hide his anger completely because he wanted her to see it.
Rachel stared at Steve and shivered. She could see her death in his eyes. She didn’t understand where he had gotten all of this information. She and Stan had been very discrete. Danny had never even suspected her of having an affair. “It’s true that I met Stan before Danny and I separated, but I never cheated on Danny.” Rachel was desperate to keep that from Danny. He would sue for custody of Grace and might win.
Steve shook his head at her. “Rachel, did Danny tell you anything about my Navy career?”
“He said that you are a Navy SEAL and something about intelligence work. What does that have to do with anything?”
“It’s simple Rachel. Due to my years in the Navy and in the intelligence field I have a number of friends in the armed forces, government, and the civilian sector. So, I would appreciate if you stop playing your little games with me because they don’t work. I not only have the information, I have the proof.” Steve tapped the folder on the table next to him for emphasis.
Rachel stared at Steve completely flummoxed before sagging defeated. She could see the truth in his eyes. “What will it take to keep you from telling Danny?”
Steve kept a tight rein on his temper reminding himself that this woman was Grace’s mother and there was no way that he would hurt Grace. “There is nothing a bitch like you could do or give me that would make me betray Danny’s trust. Besides, it’s too late, I already told him.” Rachel paled. “I refuse to keep more secrets from Danny than I currently keep. He is my family and I will always be honest with him just as he is with me. Moving on, there is something that you need to understand. You will not keep Danny from seeing Grace, nor will you be leaving Hawaii with her.”
Rachel rallied her wits and interrupted angrily. “How dare you think that you can dictate what I do with my daughter!”
Steve stood and moved swiftly to lean over Rachel bracketing her with his hands on the arms of her chair causing her to shrink into the chair fearfully. Steve’s voice and aura were menacing. “Oh, I dare Rachel and not just because you disgust me. You don’t have a leg to stand on here. I will do what it takes to protect Danny and Grace. The first thing I did was get Danny in touch with a good lawyer who happens to be a good friend of mine. She is one of the top family lawyers in Hawaii. She will be filing papers requesting joint custody of Grace between you and Danny. She also has the information that I gathered regarding your past. I also contacted some friends in England who are looking into your past there. I wonder if they will find anything interesting.”
Rachel stared at Steve dreading what his friends could find out. She had worked very hard to hide her running out on a former fiancé and the child she left with him. That would not look good in a family court. Steve had her in a bind. “Very well Commander. I will not contest joint custody of Grace. What am I supposed to do now that Stan and I will be getting divorced?”
Steve stood back up heading back to his chair. “Maybe you should get an honest job instead of relying on finding a man to take care of you.”
Rachel gasped. “How dare…”
Rachel stopped when Steve spun to face her barely holding onto his temper now. “I dare plenty Ms. Morgan. I find you utterly despicable and will do all in my power to make sure that you can’t take Grace and run. If you do try that, remember, I have contacts all over the world. I am also a Navy SEAL and Navy intelligence officer. I am one of their top trackers and I don’t give up until I complete my mission. Remember that when you leave today. After today, I’m going to help Danny go for full custody. I can’t stand back and allow a self serving bitch like you continue to raise Grace. I’m afraid that living with you could slowly destroy the sweet, wonderful and loving child that is Danny’s daughter. Come to think of it, I think Danny should request a paternity test be done on the baby you currently carry. After all of the lies you have told, it wouldn’t surprise me to find out the baby is his and not Stan’s. Maybe you decided to hurt Danny for not following you to New Jersey when I was arrested. I think it’s time you left because I can’t stand to look at you anymore.”
Rachel stood up, truly intimidated by the calm but menacing man in front of her. She reached the door when she was stopped by Steve’s voice. “One last thing. Be very careful what you tell Grace. I would hate for you to have an accident.” Rachel shivered. She had underestimated the Commander despite the things Danny had told her about him. She shut the door behind her quietly. She would not be taking any chances and wondered if it would be safer for her to agree to let Danny have sole custody without a fight. She did love Grace, but valued her own life more. Steve had been right about a few things. First, she was a selfish bitch. She had only fought to keep custody of Grace to hurt Danny. Second, the baby was most likely Danny’s and Rachel had lied to punish him for staying in Hawaii. She wondered briefly how Commander McGarrett would handle having a baby in his home along with Danny and Grace.
Strangely Steve was wondering the same thing. There was a difference between Rachel’s and Steve’s thoughts. Steve was looking forward to it even though he knew that his life would be changed forever.
TBC
A/N: Well, Rachel has been “taken care” of in this chapter. If you’re wondering why I didn’t have Danny do it himself I’ll tell you. I was actually afraid of what I might have him do or say to her. Besides, I think using Steve was more effective in getting what Danny should have had all along. Joint custody. Hope you enjoyed. I do have an epilogue.