Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0.

Chapter 1

The waiting was taking so much longer than I expected. I was aware that we had a hostage situation and I wasn't being insensitive. But when I'm dealing with a situation where lives could be taken if I mess up, I get pretty emotional.

I looked around and saw my fellows positioned in their places. HPD had the house surrounded and I had a clear view of the main entrance and Steve, who was trying to talk with the kidnappers, but they were not cooperating.

Steve stepped in the sidewalk.

"Don't come closer!" A voice shouted from inside the house. "Or I'll kill everybody in here!"

Steve raised his hands and stepped back. "Listen to me! Let the family go so we can talk!"

"As if this was going to happen! This family is my ticket out of here!"

"So you do understand if you hurt 'em you're not gonna go anywhere."

There was no response.

"Can you at least tell me your name so I know who I'm talking to?"

I heard laughter inside the house. "You can call me James."

"Okay, James. I'm Steve McGarrett. Is everybody in the house okay?"

"They might be."

"Can you show them through the window?"

There was a pause and then the kidnapper growled. "Walk!"

The frightened face of a man showed up in the window. The father.

"And the other, James?"

"They're fine!"

"Ok, James, I'll believe you." Steve walked towards the truck we were. "Listen, they are not giving up." He stated.

"And we can't open fire now." Kono added. "We don't have a clear view of the kidnappers and we could hurt the family."

I sighed and put my gun on the truck. "I'll trade myself for the hostages."

"What?!" I heard from the four of them say and their eyes widened at me.

"No! You can't do that, Kali!" Steve said, almost scolding me.

"It's too risky." Kono stated.

"Look," I started. "They are not gonna let the family go. They need a guarantee. So it's better to have somebody in there that can actually knows what to do."

"Kali, still it's very risky." Chin insisted.

"I know." I sighed. "But it's riskier let this family there." They all exchanged looks. "It's risky either way, but once inside I can negotiate with them."

Steve ran his hand over his face and look at our co-workers. They didn't agree but also didn't object. "Okay." He sighed. "But Danny goes."

"What?!" Danny and I said at the same time.

"They're not gonna allow Kali go in there with a gun and I don't want them messing around with her."

"Oh, so it's okay for me to go in there without a gun?" Danny asked ironically. He turned to me. "Not that I'm saying you should go instead of me, Kali. I wouldn't allow you do it."

I raised my hand, motioning to Danny it was okay, and then I turned to Steve. "It was my idea, I should go."

"End of discussion." Steve walked away and I gaped at his back.

Danny put a hand on my shoulder. "That's okay, Kali."

"No, Danny! I came up with this, I should go in there."

"Steve's just concerned with your security."

"And what about your security?"

He sighed. "I'm used to Magnet of Danger McGarrett."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry!"

He smiled. "That's okay, really." He put his gun on the truck and sighed.

We waited Steve, who took a few more seconds to come back.

"So what's the plan, boss?" Kono asked.

"I'll talk to the kidnappers; say we want to offer a trade. If they accept, I'll ask them to let the kids go, and then I send Danny. After Danny enters, I'll ask them to release the parents."

"Are we allowed to shoot 'em?" Kono asked.

"Yes. I told the HPD to hold fire, but anyone of you who has a clear view can shoot them." Steve started to walk towards the house. Chin and Kono followed him.

Danny scowled. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I guess."

I groaned. "I'm so sorry, Danny!"

He shook his head. "Not your fault."

Steve motioned to Danny follow him. Danny got up and I put both hands on his shoulders. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Danny nodded and walked towards Steve. Chin, Kono and I went to our positions. Steve and Danny stopped by the sidewalk.

"James, we want to offer you a trade." Steve shouted to the house and James' face appeared in the window. "What about we trade the family for one of our officers?"

"So as soon as I release them you shoot all of us?! I don't think so."

"James, why don't you let the kids go first? Then I'll send Detective Williamsin there."

James stared at Steve then looked inside the house. "Fine!" He said unwillingly. "But it's better if your friend's not carrying a gun!"

"He's not, James."

James left the window and the front door opened. A boy and a girl were standing there, crying. They were about 10 and 7 years, respectively. My heart skipped a beat as I saw those kids with wet eyes and frightened expressions. I just wanted to shoot the damn kidnappers and make sure the kids would be okay.

Steve crouched and extended his hand. The kids ran to him and he hugged them. Steve said something to Danny and he raised his hands, showing he was not armed and stepped in the sidewalk. He continued walking towards the house as no one stopped him.

As Danny stepped in the doorway, a hand pulled him by his arm and then the door slammed.

"Shit!" I spat. My gun was pointed to the door, but it was impossible to succeed a shot in that distance, considering the aim was too small and it moved so fast.

Steve motioned an officer to the kids and they ran to him.

"Everything's going to be okay, kids." I whispered to myself.

"Now can you release the couple, James?" Steve asked.

"No!"

"James, come on. We made a deal."

Laughter came out of the house again.

"James, can you talk to me? What do you want?"

"I want to get out of this fucking island!"

"So let this couple go, James. As we agreed."

"You think it'll be that easy?!" He laughed nervously. It seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than Steve.

"You're the one who's making it harder. Just let them go. You have Detective Williams as a guarantee."

I gaped at this phrase. I knew Steve and Danny were friends since long before I joined the task force and Steve was probably the person who cared about Danny the most in the team, but still… To think about Danny as a hostage because of my idea and Steve calling him a guarantee… Just made me feel angrier with Steve. I tightened the grip around my gun and stared at the living room window.

"What do you say, James?"

The front door opened and one of the guys pushed the couple out. The couple ran to Steve and he motioned the officer who had their kids. The couple ran to them.

In the meantime, Chin, Kono and I took the chance to approach to the house quietly. Well, I guess it was not that quietly, 'cause one of the guys stood in front of the window, pointing his gun in Danny's temple. The panic made all of us stop.

"Trying to fool me, huh?" James smiled in the window. "Let's see what your friend thinks of that!"

"No!" I whispered to myself.

From this moment, everything happened too fast.

I shot. Two people fell down. All I could hear was gun shots encouraged by my own. I saw two of them looking around, trying to understand what had happened. James looked at me then pointed the gun to the ground. Danny's alive! Danny's alive! The panic was apparent in my face. He smiled devilish as he noticed it. He was playing with me. He pointed the gun to me and I shot again but I didn't have the chance to see what happened to him, 'cause I fell back.

As I tried to understand what happened, I felt a sharp pain under my arm. I looked beside and saw blood coloring the floor. Chin and Kono were rushing towards me with despair on their faces.

I felt a hand on my painless shoulder and looked over. A paramedic had arrived before my fellows. "Can you hear me?" He asked.

"Yes." I said hoarsely.

Chin and Kono knelt down beside me.

"We're taking you to the hospital. Stay with me."

I closed my eyes slowly.

"Kali!" Kono called.

I tried to reach her hand to say I was listening, but that made the pain increase and I roared.

"Stop moving, Kali. You're already going to the hospital." The soothing voice of Chin said.

I felt myself being lifted, and then padding in my back. Someone grabbed my hand as I felt the stretcher move. I couldn't see who, 'cause I was feeling weaker and weaker.

A/N: Hey, you guys!

Thanks for reading!