Ladies here we are! Welcome to my new story! It's AU from episode 2x10 and a bit angst, but don't worry I promise an happy ending. I promise. I hope you'll like this story. As usual reviews are love! Oh and thanks to my beta simplyn2deep, you did a wonderful job as usual!

Kisses

Xenia90

Danny, Joe and Chin were getting close to where they thought Steve was being held prisoner. The explosion in front of them startled the three men but they kept going. They had to find Steve before Wo Fat killed him. If he wasn't already dead. Danny shook his head to push away that thought. Steve wasn't dead; he couldn't be dead, like Jenna. He was a SEAL, Jenna was just an analyst; she wasn't even an agent. Steve wasn't Jenna. So if she was dead he must be alive. But for some reason he couldn't forget Jenna's body, lying lifeless on the floor of that warehouse. So he kept running with Chin and Joe, hoping, praying that they weren't too late and that Steve was still alive.

They reached the truck where they hoped Steve was. Danny was the first. And what he saw broke his heart. Steve was in that truck. He was lying lifeless in the truck, but his eyes were still open, and focused on something Danny couldn't reach, and there was a pool of blood near his body.

Danny shook his head. He couldn't accept what his eyes were seeing. Chin jumped in the truck and checked Steve's pulse. He shook his head and closed his boss' eyes. Danny shook his head again. Steve couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. All Danny wanted to do was scream.

Danny woke up with a start, his eyes wide open in the darkness of the room, his heart was beating fast in his throat. He knew that it had been just a dream, but he wasn't able to calm down. He turned toward the person who was asleep next to him. As usual Gabrielle didn't wake up; she never woke up when he had a nightmare.

Sighing Danny got up from the bed and went in the kitchen to take a glass of water. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep now, the nightmare too fresh in his mind. He was fully awake and fully conscious that he'd dreamt, but still he couldn't calm down. The panic washed over him in waves, the image of Steve dead too clear in his mind. He needed to be sure that Steve was okay, that he was alive and safe at home. For a second he thought about getting dressed and going to Steve to make sure he was okay, but then his mind won over his heart. He didn't have any reason to go to his partner's house. Since they were back from North Korea their relationship had changed, they'd slowly but steady grown apart. Most of all this change was Danny's fault. North Korea had made clear that Steve was too reckless. He never thought before getting himself in dangerous situations, he risked his life without even thinking.

Danny had tried to warn him, he'd tried to tell him that it could be dangerous, but Steve hadn't listened. All Steve knew was that one of his friends needed his help, so he had just left everything behind and helped her. Danny knew that Steve would have done the same thing for him. He knew that it wasn't really his fault. None of them could imagine that Jenna would betray Steve. But still. He needed to put a little space between him and his partner, because he couldn't bear the thought of loosing Steve. If Steve died, Danny probably would follow. He needed space because he knew that Steve would die prematurely, maybe doing something stupid, like a crazy mission on his own to help a friend, or running behind a suspect without proper backup, and Danny couldn't be there when that happened. He couldn't be too close to Steve because his death would kill him and he couldn't die because his baby girl needed him. Danny even put space between Grace and Steve, because he didn't Grace to suffer, he had to protect her from Steve and his recklessness.

Now though he needed to be sure that Steve was okay or he wouldn't sleep for the rest of the night. Even if in practice his plan was working and he and Steve were every day a little more distant, his partner still held the biggest part of his heart after Grace of course. He couldn't sleep if he wasn't sure Steve was okay. So he took his phone and dialled his partner's number. The phone rang three or four times and Danny's heart started beating fast. Maybe he hadn't dreamt, maybe Steve was really dead. Panic almost chocked him and then Steve picked up the phone.

- Hey Danny- he said.

Only hearing his voice relieved him and he was able to breathe again. Still he had to fight against the panic that had closed his throat before answering.

- Steve? - he managed to say after a while, almost as if he was asking, as if he was surprised to hear him.

Steve laughed and his voice was warm and soothing.

- Yeah Danny, it's Steve. You're the one who called, you know? - he said.

- Yeah, I know, sorry. I…. thought I was calling my parents, you know with the time zone…..- he knew he was being pathetic. His reason was pathetic, like the other ones he used to justify his calls. Almost every night he had those nightmares and almost every night he had to call Steve.

- Sure. Your parents. - Steve said. Danny could easily pick up the doubt in his partner's voice. He could picture his face clearly. – Now I let you go, if you have to call your parents. - Steve added after a few seconds of silence.

Danny wondered how long Steve would accept his reasons, how long it would take for Steve to call his bullshit, how long it would take him before demanding and explanation for his behaviour.

- Yeah. I should go and call them. Sorry for waking you.-

- Don't worry Danny, it's fine. See you tomorrow. - Steve said. – Night Danny.-

Danny. Steve had stopped calling him Danno months ago and he missed it. Since Danny's relationship with Gabrielle had became more serious Steve had stopped asking him to go to his house to watch a game or drink some beers on the lanai. Maybe this happened even because usually he politely declined his invitation. Steve had stopped calling him Danno. Completely. He never said Book 'em Danno anymore. The only thing he hadn't stopped was asking him to tell Grace that he loved her, even if he'd stopped inviting them over to swim when Danny had his daughter for the weekend.

- Night Steve- he said hanging up.

Danny remained in the kitchen for a while, staring at the Hawaiian sky out of his window. Once again he asked himself if pushing Steve away was the right thing to do. He heard Gabby moving in the other room. Sighing he went back in his room and joined his girlfriend in their bed, he let her cuddle with him and he fell asleep with Steve's voice in his ears and his face in mind.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Steve put his phone on the nightstand and leaned against the headboard, closing his eyes. Just a few seconds before Danny's call he'd had a nightmare and now he was seeing those terrible images again.

He was alone in the truck. He was sure he was going to die. No one knew where he was. His team thought he was safe with Jenna. No one would come to rescue him. He had several broken ribs and some blood was dripping down his face from a cut he had on his forehead. He was sure he was going to die. Then the truck was opened and Danny's face appeared. Relief flooded in him. Danny had found him. His partner had come to rescue him. The relief was short lived. Wo Fat appeared next to Danny, his gun pointed toward his head. With a devilish smile Wo Fat, pulled the trigger. Steve screamed.

And then his phone rang. Steve had woken up scared, his heart beating so fast that he feared it would explode, Danny's dead body still clear in his head. Since he'd come back from North Korea he was hunted by that nightmare. Sometimes it was Chin who died, sometimes it was Kono or Mary or Catherine, but more often than not, it was Danny. With his eyes opened in the dark Steve had thought about going to Danny to check if he was okay, if he was still alive, to make sure he hadn't caused his partner's death; that he hadn't taken him away from Grace.

Since they'd come back from North Korea Danny's relationship with Gabrielle had become more serious, and Steve had wanted to be happy for him, but he couldn't. He and Danny had grown slowly but steadily apart. He'd stopped coming by to drink beer or watch a game, and he didn't bring Grace over for the weekend anymore. Steve had last seen Grace when Rachel had taken her to visit him in hospital, a few months ago. Honestly Steve could understand why Danny was acting that way.

The North Korea incident must have opened his eyes, had shown him how dangerous was to be his friend, probably Danny had understood that being his friend would lead to his own death and would made Grace an orphan. Danny had decided to put some space between them and Steve could understand why. So he decided to make things easier for him, he'd stopped calling him Danno and inviting him over for beers and games. And it looked as Danny hadn't even noticed. Steve would never do anything to make Danny unhappy. Still…Sometimes he missed him so much that he couldn't breathe. He knew he wouldn't sleep anymore that night so he got up and went in the kitchen.