Synopsis: It's common knowledge that Danny would do anything to protect his daughter, but now he has just one hour to prove exactly what "anything" means.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Seriously.

Author's note: This is my first sojourn into this fandom, so I hope I do it justice. Also, here in the UK, we are only up to episode 17 so forgive me if anything goes against future canon. P.S. Those of you who know my work will also know I'm prone to the odd evil cliff hanger. You have been warned!

One Hour

By

Helen Louise

Chapter One

They met for their brief first thing in the morning, as was their routine. Four of them – Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua – always tried to start the day by taking a half hour to drink coffee, review any ongoing cases and generally get a head start on whatever might lie in store for them.

It was a routine Danny liked because, since essentially being drafted into Five-0, routine was something that had definitely been lacking in his life. So, when said routine was interrupted by the beep of a cellphone, a brief frown flickered across his features – before he sheepishly realised that the sound had come from his own hip.

With an apologetic smile, Danny pulled his phone free of its holder and glanced at the display. He had a text message, with a picture attachment and his heart began to race as he read the words: 'Isn't she beautiful?' With a hand that trembled only minutely, he opened the attachment.

"What the hell?" He couldn't prevent the words from escaping – and his tone immediately had the rest of the team looking worriedly at him.

"What is it?" Inevitably, it was Steve who asked the question. Five-0 was his team and he took his responsibilities towards them extremely seriously.

A confused frown marring his handsome face, Danny turned the phone so they all could see. "It's Grace..." His voice shook. He couldn't help it. His entire world revolved solely around his daughter – and sudden, inexplicable fear twisted in his gut. It was only a picture after all; a picture of his daughter sleeping, seemingly peacefully. But who had sent it – and why?

"Who's it from?" Kono asked, her own concern evident in her voice and written across her expressive features.

"I don't know... It doesn't..." He checked his phone again, just in case he'd somehow got it wrong the first time. The sender still showed up as 'unknown'. "I don't know," he said again.

"Where is Grace right now?" Chin asked, getting over the shock quicker than the rest of them – and realising that 8.30 was too late for the little girl to still be sleeping on a school day.

"Ah..." Danny was off-balance and fighting off full blown panic. He couldn't immediately process the question, much less formulate an answer. Nothing pushed his buttons like even a perceived threat to Grace.

"Danny..." Whatever Steve might have been about to say was cut off by the cellphone, still in Danny's hand, startling them all by bursting into life.

Glancing down at it, the detective felt his panic threaten to escalate out of control. 'Unknown Number' flashed mockingly back at him. He swallowed heavily and thumbed the 'receive' key.

He heard Steve say: "Danny, put it on speaker", but he ignored the command, because he knew – he just knew – that his entire world was about to come crashing down.

And he was right.

"Ask McGarrett how it feels to hear a shot down the telephone; to know what that shot means; and to be unable to do anything about it."

The voice on the other end of the phone was unrecognisable, obviously electronically disguised. But, even so impersonal, the words sent a chill down Danny's spine and had his racing heart thundering in his chest.

"If you hurt her..." Anger was rapidly catching up with fear and he couldn't help the somewhat clichéd words that spilled out.

"Now is not the time for empty threats, Williams," the voice interrupted him – irritation carrying despite the synthetics. "Now you listen and you do exactly as I say."

Danny paced as he listened; restless, impotent energy had him stalking around the briefing room, his free hand clenching and unclenching as he fought the urge to hit something. He glanced up occasionally, but couldn't quite bring himself to meet the eyes of his team-mates. He felt unshed tears burning at this implicit threat to his daughter – and his pride didn't want to let them see his weakness.

He saw Chin working at the main computer, but paid it no heed. Instead, he spun abruptly on his heel and asked the obvious question: "What do you want from me?"

"That's better. That attitude will keep your daughter alive," the accursed voice continued. "And I'm giving you exactly one hour to make sure she stays alive."

"What are you..?" Danny tried to interrupt – belatedly recognising that Chin was trying to put a trace on the call, but he was swiftly cut off.

"Don't play me for a fool. Go to the payphone at the pier-head on Main and we'll talk again." There was a soft, malicious chuckle. "Need I warn you to come alone? Hurry, Williams, or one hour from now your daughter dies."

Steve and Kono could only watch helplessly as their friend talked and paced; empathic to his distress, but still unable to intervene. At least Chin was doing something: his slender fingers typing in commands on the tabletop, as he sought to give them some clue as to what was going on.

Steve almost envied him, as he wished there was something he could be doing as well. But all he could do was be there for his partner when the time came.

And that time came with startling alacrity. Danny's arm dropped back to his side and a look of complete despair weighed down his features.

"Danny?" Steve felt his own panic flare at the defeatism his normally feisty friend was displaying. "Danny, what did he say?"

"I uh... I have to go..." He scrubbed one hand over his face. "He has Gracie and he'll kill her... And I have to go..."

"Not by yourself." There were too many threats out there and Danny wasn't thinking – he was merely reacting. And Steve didn't want him going off half-cocked and without backup. "Take a minute, Danny. Tell me what he said."

But Danny exploded in anger and frustration and downright terror: "I don't have a minute! Not a minute." He grabbed for his jacket. "Because, in one hour there are sixty minutes, Steve. Sixty, that's all. Sixty minutes... I gotta go."

"Danny..." Steve's voice was sympathetic and he held out a placating hand. "Danny, let us help."

"No... No, you can't. Let me handle this." He was almost at the door, but turned to look back at his friends. "Please don't follow me... Please... For my daughter..."

And then he was gone.

Kono stared at the door through which Danny had just disappeared – and then turned incredulous eyes on her boss:

"You're not going after him?" she accused.

"Not right now," Steve answered, curtly. He was hovering over Chin's shoulder and barely spared her a glance.

"Well, would you mind if I..?"

"Danny's car is equipped with Lo-jack – and he's in no presence of mind to disable it." Steve straightened up and offered her a smile. "We'll follow him, but we don't want him, or anyone else, to know it."

Chin also stood up to face her: "Our best chance was a trace on the cell, but it's a bust." He shrugged apologetically: "Disposable cell with no GPS tracker. Danny could have kept him on the phone for an hour and we still wouldn't know who or where they are."

"So what do we do?" Kono asked, hating the plaintive tone to her voice, but unable to prevent it.

Unsurprisingly, Steve's response was firm and assured: "I'm going after Danny; I've given him enough of a head start. You two work on the photo. And try to get hold of Rachael. Try and figure out where she is in all of this."

Then he was gone with a suddenness and urgency that matched Danny's own.

"Work on the photo?" Kono arched her brows. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"You think I took all that time working on a trace?" Chin grinned back at her and pulled the photo of Grace up onto the main screen. "Word of warning, cuz – don't keep anything open on your phone for more than a minute if you don't want me to see it."

Danny drove like a maniac; in fact, he drove in a manner that would have made Steve proud as he tore through the streets of Hawaii – with blue lights flashing and a blatant disregard for his own wellbeing.

In spite of his recklessness, it was still some fifteen minutes later when he screeched to a halt beside the designated phone booth, relieved to see no-one in it. The reason for its availability became clear when he got out of his car and saw a crudely fashioned "wet paint" sign stuck to the door.

Danny ignored it, because the telephone in the booth was already ringing.

"What do you want?" he demanded, breathless simply due to the arduousness of the situation.

"You made good time. Are you alone?" The now-hated voice intoned.

"Yes..." Danny looked around wildly, praying he was telling the truth. "Yes, I'm alone."

"Good. Then here is what you will do. In order to save your daughter's life, you will kill the Governor of Hawaii."

Danny felt like all of the breath had been punched out of his body. Kill Governor Jameson, or let his daughter die. Be the assassin of an unarmed and innocent woman; or seal Grace's fate.

"Please..." He was reduced to begging, but he didn't care.

"A life for a life. Prove how much you love your daughter."

"Please..." He begged again.

The voice on the end of the phone was unmoving: "You have thirty-nine minutes remaining."

Then the phone went dead.

To be continued...