DISCLAIMER

One of these days I WILL claim victory and call them mine!

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Valentine's Day, 2014 – 9:30 AM

The day started like any other. Danny started ranting the moment he got in the car. "Could this day get any worse? All I wanted was a simple cup of black coffee… that's it! But nooooo, my damn coffee pot exploded on me, literally. I ruined my favorite tie, you know, the one Grace gave me for Father's Day. And like THAT wasn't enough, when I put on a clean shirt, I was so pissed about the coffee I ripped the sleeve on the new shirt when I was putting it on!" Danny was now screaming while Steve just sat there staring out the windshield just waiting Danny out.

When it seemed that Danny's rant had finally slowed to a low simmer, Steve looked over at him and said "Are you done? Cuz if you are, we've got a case. Let me know now though if you'd like me to turn around and drop you back off at home so you can go back to bed and start this day over. I can call the bad guys and let them know you're having a shitty day and to maybe hold off on killing anyone else until tomorrow." Steve turned to Danny with his 'I'm-the-funniest-guy-on-the-planet' face and grinned smugly.

"You're not even remotely funny, you know that right?" Danny waved both hands through the air as if trying to prove his point. "Okay, so tell me what this case is before I shoot you myself."

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Twenty minutes later, the Camaro pulled up to the crime scene. Steve and Danny got out and immediately searched out Chin and Kono, who were standing over the victim listening to Max.

"Hey, so what've got?" Steve said as he stood with his arms crossed listening intently as Chin prepared to fill him and Danny in on what they had so far.

"The victim's been identified as Navy Lieutenant Sally Parker, she's 32, and lived…" Chin had barely gotten started when Steve finished "here on Oahu." Danny, Chin, and Kono all looked at Steve as he dropped his arms and immediately walked over to the victim with the others trailing right behind him.

The body was now covered with a tarp, so Steve knelt down and carefully lifted the tarp to confirm that it truly was Sally. He swallowed deeply as he took in her appearance. The body looked peaceful, all except for the deep, dark circles around her eyes and the blood that had dripped out of her ears, nose, and mouth. Nothing else looked amiss; she was dressed in her blue fatigues, and her purse lay right beside her, still hanging over her shoulder.

Kono looked first to Chin and then Danny and then went ahead and asked the million dollar question. "Boss, do you know this woman?"

Staring at the body, Steve answered "Ya, she's Catherine's friend. They both served on the Enterprise together until Cath's retirement." Steve wondered if the two of them had been in touch since her ceremony back in October. He wasn't looking forward to breaking the news to her about her friend, especially about the gruesome nature of her death.

Standing up, Steve turned to his team "We HAVE to find out who did this. Chin and Kono, you go see Max and check on TOD. Danny and I will head to the office and see if Cath's there yet. She had an appointment at Pearl and then was heading in. She'll have Sally's parents' number for notification. I'm pretty sure she mentioned once that they lived here on Oahu as well. Hopefully Cath's been in touch with her recently and maybe knows what all she might've gotten mixed up in. Call when you've got something from Max."

With that, they all walked towards their cars and left for their assigned destinations.

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Once in the car, Danny noticed that Steve's mind was someplace else. "Hey, what's up, babe?" Not getting a response, he tried a little louder this time "Steve! What, you wondering where your subscription to Guns & Ammo went, huh babe?" Danny knew that wasn't the case, but tried some levity to grab Steve's attention.

Steve bit the inside of his cheek and gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white. Finally he spoke. "Danny, I've seen this before."

"What do you mean you've seen this before? Seen what?" Danny looked puzzled.

"THIS! The way Sally looked." Steve sighed heavily and continued. "On a mission six years ago, we had tracked this chemical terrorist all over the Middle East. After about six months, my team finally got solid intel and was sent in to take him out. We breached his compound at night and took out several targets and secured the chemical weapons. The mission was a success. At least that's what we thought. By the time we got back to base, Green was already sick. Danny, it happened so fast. Within a couple of hours he was dead and we were all placed in quarantine for 48 hours while they tried to figure out what the hell killed him."

"Steve, this wasn't your fault. You were following orders. The mission WAS a success. You quite possibly saved millions of lives by finding those weapons."

"I know Danny, but Green was only 24 years old. He was just a kid."

"Yes, a kid who chose to be a SEAL, Steven. He was a kid who proudly served and protected his country, just like you did and still do. I know I always bitch at you and your over-zealous ways, but Steve, you're hero, and so was Green."

"Thanks man, but I was just doing my job, and so was Cath." Instantly, Steve turned to Danny with a panic-stricken look on his face. "Cath… Oh god Danny! Catherine was the intel officer on that op."

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Steve pulled abruptly into their parking spot at the palace. As he and Danny got out of the car, Steve quickly tried Cath's cell phone. "Damn it! Voicemail, again!"

"Steve, don't panic, you said she was at Pearl. Maybe she's in a meeting and can't answer. Or she's not getting cell reception where she's at." Steve was now in a full-on sprint into the building and up the stairs to the Five-0 offices. Danny struggled to keep up, but his mouth didn't. "STEVE! Slow down! I'm sure Cath's just fine."

As the guys entered the office, neither one expected to see Chin and Kono, because they were still with Max. But Steve definitely hoped to see Cath and she wasn't there.

Breathing heavy from the sprint up the stairs, Danny huffed "See, like I said, no need to panic. She's probably still at Pearl."

Steve finally calmed down a bit and took in his surroundings. She hadn't been there yet, so maybe Danny was right. Just then Steve's phone rang.