Disclaimer: What follows is a work of fiction, purely for entertainment. Not for profit. I don't own the characters.

A/N: Please don't kill me. I promise I will finish my other two fics. This one demanded to be written first. It is my response to the show's craziness.

WARNING: This one-shot is a little darker than my usual fare and contains mature themes. HOWEVER, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I just don't want to offend anyone.

Sometimes the Whole World Aches for Want of a Little Mercy


It had been almost cosmic, the way they had found each other, the way the four of their lives became intertwined – solidified – to form a team, an Ohana.

It was as if the stars had aligned themselves at just the right moment – just for them; as if the unseen hand of a higher power had pulled them together like loose pieces of string braided to form a cord of strength.

They had a bond they thought couldn't be broken.

They had a rhythm that nothing could throw out of sync.

And then…then it had all blown up in their faces.

Steve's arrest for the murder of Governor Jameson had set in motion a series of explosions that, one by one, brought each of them to their knees.

Faith, hope, and an implicit trust in each other, had once been the three elements of their foundation.

For inexplicable reasons, the last few months had left significant cracks in those pillars of support.

Events that should have brought them closer, had only worked to tear them apart.

Five-0 was whole – but it wasn't the same. They weren't unified like they once had been.

And it would take a tragedy before any of them would realize how far they'd fallen.


It was a full week before they got a break in the case.

Seven days of fear, of not-knowing.

They finally arrived at the warehouse (and why was it always a warehouse?) on the seventh night.

Chin and Weston took the back.

Steve and Kono took the front.

It was quick – the firefight only lasted a few minutes.

Steve left Weston in charge of booking the gunmen and calling for backup while the three other Five-0 officers began the search for Danny.

The fourth door was the charm, swinging open to reveal a tiny, windowless room.

In the middle of the filthy, blood-spattered room stood his partner, with his back against the wall.

A dead man lay at his feet, a bullet hole in his head.

Danny was covered in blood and bruises, and he swayed on his feet. He held a gun in his bound hands, and kept it trained on his three friends as they entered.

At the sight of his friend, Steve quickly holstered his weapon, followed by Chin and Kono.

"Hey Danno – good to see you, buddy," Steve said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Don't come any closer," the detective warned, the gun aimed at Steve's chest.

Something in his tone was…off - too harsh, and a little unhinged.

Steve held his hand up to stop the other two from moving.

"Danny?"

"This gun's got four shots left, and I've got an itchy trigger finger; so if you're thinking of rushing me you can forget it."

At first Steve didn't understand. He could tell, even from a distance and in the dim lighting, that Danny recognized them.

But why was he pointing a loaded gun at him?

Then he looked closer, noting the wild, bloodshot eyes and glazed-over expression on his friend's sweaty, blood-covered face.

His partner must have been drugged with something which was causing the erratic behavior.

He glanced over at Chin, who nodded. He'd noticed, too.

"Hey, we're not gonna come any closer, okay? Just – you look like hell, partner."

"You were too late this time, Superman," Danny called out, almost chuckling.

Steve flinched as if he'd been struck.

"I'm sorry," he said, the words catching in his throat.

Danny didn't acknowledge the apology.

"They killed him. Killed him right in front of me," he mumbled in a hushed, detached voice.

A shiver rippled up Steve's back at his partner's tone. He watched the hand that held the gun tremble violently, and swallowed down the dread.

He knew from combat experience what days of torture and mind-altering drugs could do to a man.

He knew Danny was in a bad place.

"It's gonna be okay, Danny. We're gonna take care of it – just put down the gun, okay?"

It was as if the blonde man didn't hear him.

"I loved that dog. He was the one good thing – the one good thing…." Danny couldn't finish. His face crumpled as tears began to flow down his cheeks.

Steve frowned in confusion, just as Chin nudged him, his normally passive expression replaced with one of unapologetic rage. He pointed to a furry, blood-coated lump in the corner.

It was hard to tell, but from Danny's reaction it had to have been his dog.

How the hell had they kidnapped Danny's dog?

Danny had only been its owner for a couple months, but he'd fallen in love with the animal.

Chin had gone looking for the dog after Danny's disappearance, but assumed it'd run away.

He and Kono had been arguing over who would be the one to admit to losing Danny's dog after they got him back.

Obviously, he'd been wrong.

Steve bit his lip and tried to tamp down on the murderous rage brewing inside of him. He was unsurprised when he drew blood.

Chin stepped forward, keeping his tone as light as he could.

"Hey, Danny. We need to check you over, brah. You're bleeding."

Danny shook his head, swaying dangerously on his feet. "No. No use."

Steve made a move forward, sensing an opportunity, and Danny's head shot up, the gun following.

"Don't do that!"

"Okay – okay. I'm sorry," Steve said, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"Back up!"

He took a step back, and the gun lowered marginally.

There was a pregnant pause as Steve analyzed their options. He could feel Chin and Kono staring at his back, waiting for him to form some miraculous plan that would save the day.

But he couldn't find a way to intervene without causing risk of serious harm to his partner. He glanced at Chin and shook his head. They would have to talk him down.

"I can't do this anymore," the detective whispered suddenly, staring at the floor.

Steve's eyes widened at the distinctive note of finality in his partner's tone.

"C'mon brother, put down the gun," Steve whispered. "Please."

Danny sniffed loudly before straightening a bit, as if filled with new resolve.

"I d-don't want to do this anymore."

"You don't have to – okay?" Steve replied desperately, his voice breaking with emotion as he watched his partner battle the darkness.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, Danno. Just – just put down the gun so we can talk this out."

"I want you to leave," Danny calmly replied.

Steve could feel his own hands trembling as he reached out, pleading.

"That's the one thing I won't do, partner."

"We know you're hurting, brah. Let us help," Chin added.

Danny gave them a tremulous smile.

"It's too much. S'too late…too much."

Icy dread wrapped itself around Steve's heart. He tried again, his tone more desperate.

"What about Grace Danno? Huh? Think about Grace."

Danny's face crumpled again, a whimper forcing itself past trembling lips, his entire frame shaking with exhaustion and sorrow.

"She's got Rachel and Stan, and a little brother or sister on the way. I hardly ever get to see her, anyway, now. And then when I do, she can't wait to leave again."

He shook his head. "She doesn't need me."

Steve's reply was immediate and forceful. "That's bullshit, Danny, and you know it."

Danny wavered, blinking rapidly through his tears.

"No, I-I…all I do is let her down."

Steve inhaled sharply, the fear-fueled anger warring with the helpless desperation deep within him.

He was losing his friend.

"Grace isn't the only one who needs you, Danny. We need you too, man."

The dazed expression lifted a little at that, the clouds receding from fever-bright eyes.

"Sometimes I think…you guys are the only family I got," Danny whispered, his face wet with tears.

"I can't lose this. I can't lose us."

"You're not going to lose us, Danny," Kono replied softly, worriedly.

"Feels like I already have. S'not the same," Danny said, his breath hitching. "I know it's partially my fault. I've been an asshole to everybody. It just hurts...and I feel alone."

"You're not alone, Danny. We're right here," Chin said, unable to keep the urgency from his tone.

"You're wrong, Chin," the blonde man replied, choking on his tears.

"I mean – what the hell's a-matter with us? Huh? We don't listen to each other anymore. We don't believe in each other. What happened to Ohana?"

Chin could sense Steve tense next to him, and knew the words were affecting him deeply.

"We're still Ohana, Danny," Chin replied. "That hasn't changed."

"Everything's changed," the blonde man retorted. "We just sweep everything under the rug anymore. But hey, I guess that's the new Five-0."

He shifted his stance, making direct eye-contact with Kono.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you during IA's investigation. I was too wrapped up in my own problems to care about anyone else's."

The sincerity in his eyes, the grief, was enough to undo her, and tears spilled down her cheeks as he spoke.

"God – Danno…Danno, please don't do this," Steve's voice was cracking.

He could see it coming, but felt powerless to stop it. Everything within him was screaming at him to run forward and knock the gun out of Danny's hand.

But he wasn't close enough. And Danny was so far gone that any sudden movements could have disastrous results.

Steve wasn't willing to take that chance.

He watched, horrified, as the nightmare unfolded before him.

Danny shook his head miserably, his eyes clouding over again. "M'sorry. I just want t'stop hurting…."

Closing his eyes, he raised the gun to his head in one fluid movement, his body jerking in shock at the instantaneous reactions of his friends.

"DANNY!"

"God – NO!"

"DON'T!"

Hearing their vociferous anguish was enough to give him pause, and he opened tear-filled eyes once again.

It was like waking from a daze, and he could only stare at the scene before him in bewilderment.

Kono had turned to her cousin, who had an arm wrapped her body as she sobbed into his neck. His own face shone with tears as he looked stonily at the wall to their right.

Then he looked at his partner.

Steve's whole body had tensed, and he had taken a few steps forward before clenching his eyes shut in horrified expectation. His hands were in fists at his sides, and pure agony was evident in every line in his face.

What was going on? He had obviously done something to scare his friends, but couldn't think what - his thoughts kept swirling out of reach.

Confused, Danny allowed his arms to drop.

He was suddenly overcome with exhaustion.

"M'sorry," he whispered hoarsely, not even aware of what he was apologizing for.

"M'sorry…I can't..."

Steve rushed forward just as the shorter man's legs gave out, the gun clattering to the ground.

He kicked the offensive object to the side, simultaneously easing his partner's descent to the floor.

Catching Danny under the arms, he maneuvered him so that his upper body rested against his own.

Steve could feel the tremors wracking his partner's too-thin frame, could feel each ragged breath he took, the warmth of a radiating fever and slippery, sweat-soaked skin.

Danny was alive.

"Jesus…" Steve whispered, trying to slow his own heart rate. He closed his eyes and tried unsuccessfully to choke back a sob.

It had been too close.

"M'sorry…m'sorry…I don't know...what…." Danny repeated brokenly.

He squirmed restlessly in Steve's arms, tears still streaming down bruised cheeks.

"Shhh…s'okay partner…" Steve's arms tightened around his friend, rocking slightly as his cheek came to rest against the dirty blonde hair.

Kono knelt next to the pair, leaning forward to rest her forehead on his shoulder, her hand reaching out to gently pat Danny's chest.

Chin knelt at their feet, his strong hand resting against the man's thigh.

It was over.


One Week Later….

Danny was on the mend, having been released from the hospital four days after he'd been admitted.

He didn't remember any of his seven days in captivity, but when Steve had told him they'd killed his beloved dog, he'd wept like a child.

According to the doctor, he'd been beaten, concussed, drugged, and forced to stay awake for days.

But his scars would heal with time, and that was all that mattered.

What he didn't understand, was why the team was acting so touchy-feely all of a sudden. There was a closeness, an appreciation of one another, that he hadn't witnessed in months.

There was less sniping, less evading, and more open transparency in their interactions.

Kono was hanging around more, and there was a lightness to her spirit he hadn't seen in months. It was refreshing.

But every once and while he would catch Steve pinning him with a look of concern, and it confused him. He hadn't almost died - he'd only been in the hospital for a few days.

Something else - something horrible - must have happened. And Danny couldn't remember.

"What the hell happened at that warehouse, anyway?" Danny demanded one evening as he sat on the lanai at Steve's house.

They were having a barbeque, just the four of them – just like old times.

Danny wanted to know what had changed.

He watched as his three teammates froze at his question.

"Can't we just be happy to have you back, man?" Steve retorted, trying for levity.

Danny frowned. "No. C'mon, we haven't gotten together like this in months. Not even after everything with Kono. What's the deal?"

Steve winced, dropping the hot dog he'd been trying to balance on a plate.

"Alright, that's it!" Danny thundered. "I am not sitting here another minute unless someone tells me what the hell happened back there!"

It was Kono who finally sat down next to him, taking his rough hand in her own.

"You had been tortured Danny," she softly explained. "When we got there, you were high on a cocktail of barbiturates, and you had a gun in your hand."

Danny blanched. "Oh my god – tell me I didn't shoot someone!"

"No," Steve interrupted quickly. "Nothing like that."

He shared a look with Kono. Between the three of them, they'd already agreed to never tell Danny about all that had transpired that night.

"It's just…you said some things…."

Danny reached up to rub his brow. "Oh geez…what did I say?"

The three teammates shared a look.

Danny about blew a gasket. "What – what is that look? Just spill, already!"

Finally, Chin spoke. "You implied that maybe over the last few months we've been neglecting our Ohana."

The blonde man deflated, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Oh. That's it?"

"That's it, brah."

"So that's what this is all about? Huh?"

Steve shrugged. "Kinda."

"I don't get it. What do you mean, kinda?"

Steve licked his lips thoughtfully before replying.

"I thought – maybe we needed time to get stuff out in the open. We haven't really had time to talk about all that's happened; how it's affecting us."

Danny squinted at him in disbelief.

"When the hell did you turn into Doctor Phil, huh? Is this what I did to you? I said something, while high, that made you feel guilty, and now we have to have a team shrink-session?"

"That's about the size of it," Chin replied, sitting down next to him and cracking open a beer.

Danny glared. "This isn't even fair. I can't have alcohol."

"You have Vicoden."

"Not the same thing."

"I just want to try to get back to where we were before," Steve cut in. "That's all."

"Alright, big guy, sounds like you got something you need to get off your chest – so why don't you go first," Danny said, only half-teasing.

Steve sighed.

He opened his mouth to speak...

Only to be interrupted by Kono.

"Steve – wait. We don't need to do this."

The three men just stared at her.

"We all know, deep down inside, the things that we've done that have hurt one another. Am I right?"

Steve looked at his feet.

Danny fiddled with a button on his shirt.

Chin studiously picked at the label on his beer bottle.

Kono knew, even as she tried to ignore it, that they were all feeling guilty. Mostly about their treatment of her, and while the hurt part of her wanted to hear the humble apologies – and if this had happened a week ago, she might have demanded it – things had changed.

Danny had almost died at his own hand.

And even though he'd been tortured and drugged – the things he'd said were too real to be insignificant. Seeing the raw pain on her friend's face had put things jarringly back into perspective.

This was her Ohana. Imperfect? Absolutely. But it was hers.

If she learned anything from Danny's near-death experience, it was just how much they all need each other.

Once she saw Danny, alive and cradled in Steve's arms, Kono's forgiveness had been immediate and absolute.

It wasn't enough though, to merely go on like nothing happened.

There were too many skeletons in their respective closets – too many demons yet to be faced – and she didn't want them carrying around unnecessary guilt.

Kono had to let them know, in her own way, that she had forgiven them.

She continued on, determined. "We don't need to rehash things. We just need to be better."

She saw Steve nod slowly, understanding gracing his features. When their eyes met, his were shining with unshed tears.

Steve wondered if he would ever be able to get the image out of his head of Danny raising a gun to his temple.

No matter what the doctors had said, Steve knew in his heart that some of what Danny was saying and feeling that night had been real.

The man was carrying around some serious pain. He also obviously felt bad about everything that had gone down with Kono.

Steve felt bad too, but it wasn't until Danny apologized to Kono that he realized how wrong he'd been in not addressing it.

Her forgiveness meant the world.

"You mean, like a mulligan?" Danny piped up.

She gave him a sideways glance. "Huh?"

"A mulligan, you know, like in golf. A do-over."

Kono smiled, biting her lip thoughtfully. "A do-over. I like it."

"'Cept there's some things we can't change," he added, a faraway look in his eyes.

For Chin, it was almost surreal.

The moment he'd seen his friend's arm raise, bringing the gun to his head, he knew it was over.

Danny was too far gone - he was ready and willing to pull that trigger.

And then, somehow, it hadn't been the end.

Danny's life had been spared. He'd been given back to them.

They'd all been given a second chance.

And if they spoke a little lighter to one another now, it was only in response to the mercy they'd been shown.

Chin reached out to grip Danny's knee, bringing him back to the present. "Hey, brah. There's always hope."

Kono raised her beer in a toast. "To being better."

Steve raised his own, his face stony with determination. "To being better."

A better partner, a better leader, a better friend.

Chin smiled, clinking his bottle against the other two. "I can drink to that."

"This is so not fair right now," Danny huffed.

The resulting laughter echoed down the beach.

And the stars re-aligned themselves.

El Fin.


A/N: Please do share your thoughts. :)