Danny couldn't believe it. That fucking Wo Fat! He had kidnapped his friends and threatened them into helping him, sent him all the information he needed to find the cradle of life and Pandora's box, then he had followed him. Danny himself had been stupid. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! How had he not seen this coming? Come on! The only thing that could've screamed trap more was a cardboard box with a stick holding it open and a string attached to the stick!
He had gotten to Africa and met up with Kono, she was an old friend which had lived across the world at different times and places even though she was quite young. She had recently decided to stay in Africa a little while which benefitted Danny perfectly. She knew the different tribes, the different languages and she was also pretty good at ass-kicking as well.
They had, together with a couple of warriors from a tribe created to protect the cradle of life, followed the instructions given from the orb and been attacked by Wo Fat's men. They had effortlessly defeated the warriors since they used guns and the African's only had weak shields and spears to defend with.
Wo Fat had brought Chin and Toast with them too use as leverage against him, and now they had Kono aswell. He guessed he was lucky that Grace didn't live with him whenever his job called.
"Now, lord Williams show me the way to Pandora's box." Said Wo Fat calmly. Danny wanted soo badly to punch the guy in his face and wipe that smug smirk right of.
"Only if you let Chin, Toast and Kono go." Countered Danny. He would not be responsible for his friend's deaths.
"I will leave a squad back here with the charming hacker, but your butler and lady friend will come with us." Told the evil man.
"Like Hell!"
"Danny, it's no big deal. It's just a little walk." Rationed Chin. He looked calm, if you didn't knew him he looked as if it was just as he said, a small stroll in the park, but Danny knew better. He could see that Chin was pissed for the threat against his family.
"Fine, but if you harm any of them in any way I will kill you! I swear to God, I will kill you!" Swore Danny.
They began walking up the small mountain which climbed up from the red sand. A small path led them up the small mountain and they soon entered a valley, but the valley was filled with dark shadows and dreadful stone-trees. The place was silent and no wind, no sunshine, not a thing could penetrate the veil of darkness that covered the valley. Shills ran through the humans that had entered, it didn't matter if they were soldiers or explorers, all quivered in fear of what was about to happen, and no one knew what was going to happen.
Suddenly screams of terror and pain filled the small valley and a soldier disappeared. Gun shots ran through the darkness hitting stone walls and dead trees. Dark creatures appeared from the darkness and caught the soldiers dragging them into the stone walls and swallowing them in darkness.
"Everybody STOP!" Called Wo Fat out. "Show me the way, Williams."
Danny only stared at him.
"Well, you were the one who thought a walk was nice…" started Wo Fat, pointing his gun at Chin's direction. "… so start walking" he moved his gun in a "go on" fashion.
Chin began to walk slowly and carefully forward on the path. The creatures growled restlessly as the man moved.
"Okay, stop!" Called Danny out in frustration. He looked around the valley after clues. Wo Fat's men had reduced alarmingly (YES!), but his friends were both still alive, for now. He stared out, desperately searching clues and then it suddenly hit him! Of course! "Give me the orb."
"Why?" Demanded Wo Fat.
"Look jack-ass, look at the creatures of darkness, they don't have any eyes, ergo they see with sound and movement. I need to take the orb and put it in that hollowed tree over there. Then the opening will, well, open since that is what openings do. Hopefully the creatures won't follow us there."
"Very good, Williams" Wo Fat took out the orb, but he appeared to have no intentions to give it to Danny, so Danny rushed him, grabbed the orb and ran to the opening. The creatures growled and started chasing him and Wo Fat, which was chasing him. Danny threw in the orb and the opening opened up until there was a big gap that he and Wo Fat fell down into.
He landed hard on the rock solid ground, Wo Fat had gotten up quicker and was now pointing that damned gun at him.
"Well, you're doing a good job so far, let's keep it up."
They were walking slowly in this weird cavern, it was a cave with stone pillars formed by nature reaching here and there, no actual pattern to disclose their search for the box. This was the cradle of life. Reality was twisted here. You could walk up the walls and stand on the roof of the cave. There were no gravity here, and time was a concept very foreign for this place.
"Ah, there it is." Said Wo Fat, staring down a ledge. His sharp gaze was pointed towards a puddle of black liquid and in the middle laid a golden box.
"It is said that when Pandora opened the box and let the horrors of the world free she cried a thousand tears of black acid." Gloated Wo Fat as he forced Danny to walk down to the puddle. "Well tradition says that a woman first found it, but I've never been fond of tradition, why don't you grab it."
He pushed Danny down towards the puddle and grabbed his hand to keep in from falling into the acid.
"I can't possibly reach it, it's too far away" Complained the tomb raider. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the tallest person in the world."
Wo Fat pulled him slightly up, grabbed Danny's shirt and tore it, using it as an extender. Danny reached for the box but just as his hand touched it he swung himself against the thug and punched him. He ran behind a couple of pillars as Wo Fat fired a few rounds at him.
He hides behind the pillars and crawls on the ceiling to evade the other man. He finally got behind the man and attacked him. Danny wouldn't call himself a bad fighter, he was pretty good actually, he got in a few good punches but Wo Fat seemed to be trained in martial arts. After particular hard kick in his abdomen Danny slammed into the wall. Wo Fat found his gun and fired a shot, straight through Danny's arm.
"Well Williams, seems as you are as stubborn as you are talkative." Smirked Wo Fat as Danny gripped his arm and glared heatedly at the thug, clearly in pain.
A noise was suddenly heard behind Wo Fat and he grabbed Danny hard and pushed him infront of him, as a human shield. He pushed his gun against Danny's temple.
Danny opened his eyes, since he had shut them in pain, and didn't believe his eyes. Steve stood there, an AK-47 rested in his arms pointed directly at them. His eyes were steely and controlled anger resided there. He was dressed the same as when Danny last had seen him.
"I don't think so Wo Fat." Snared Steve. "Let him go"
"Steve McGarrett, our roads just keeps on crossing." Chuckled Wo Fat. Did they know each other?
"Shut up and let him go or you will not make it out of here alive."
"I'm sorry, but how do I know you won't just shoot me when I let him go?"
Steve tightened his grip on his gun.
"That's what I thought, it all comes down to what you want more Steve as always, your blind search for the revenge of your parents or him, the only person who you ever cared about." Wo Fat smirked evilly.
"Okay, I don't give a rat's ass what either of you are saying, but you my friend are going to die, right here, in this god forsaken place if you don't let me go right now!" yelled the blond. He tried to loosen the other man's grip, but in vain.
"hmh, I'm sorry Williams, I have neglected you, but you see your friend here has been chasing me for a very long time" chuckled Wo Fat while staring straight into Steve's eyes. "Without any proof, believing that I killed his parents."
Okay, so this is what Danny got. Steve's parents had been murdered. Steve had told him they died in a car crash, but he guessed he had lied. Steve believed that Wo Fat had killed his parents. And finally Steve had chosen to hunt Wo Fat down instead of being with Danny…
"If you're gonna have this dispute right here right now, I suggest you let me go so that I can make sure that no one opens pandoras box so that the world doesn't parish in a plague that no one can stop. Then you guys can go back to killing each other for all I care." Suggested Danny.
Wo Fat pushed the gun harder into Danny's head and tightened his hand around Danny's arm, right next to the bullet wound. It fucking hurt but he only let out a small painful sound.
Even thou the sound was small, Steve had heard it and tightened his gun even further and his eyes turned to steel.
"I have proof that you killed my parents, but since I'm classified as a criminal, I can't turn it in, and even if I did you wouldn't be brought to a fair trial." Continued Steve. "The jury would be in your pocket and you would escape again."
"So you thought that hunting me down would be a better solution? " laughed Wo Fat.
"No, but it was my only solution, I dig into my parents car accident and found out that they had been murdered, and when you found out you sent a hitman to silence me."
"Aaah yes, how is Victor?"
"He was rotting away in a jail, until you killed him. Tying up some more loose ends."
"Let me guess, you figured since Victor was so close to killing you and your beloved, you thought that you needed to run away from them to ensure their safety? How noble of you"
Danny couldn't believe what they were saying, that Steve would be targeted and didn't tell him, that he chose to run away to, to, to protect him?! He should've talked to him, told him what was going on! Danny was more than capable to take care of himself, and he could've helped him, supported him! Fuck This!
"Well if you gentlemen are done talking nonsense and done snarling at each other like a pair of alpha dogs fighting over a bone, can we just stop for a second and find a reasonable solution that no one will be shot at?" Both the men were staring silently at him, with no intention in lowering their weapons. "No? Okay, guess I have to be the catalyst yet again…"
Danny swiftly drove his elbow into Wo Fat's stomach then ducked and Steve had a clear shot at the evil man, which he took. The bullets hit him straight in the chest and he stared unbelievably straight forward. He started to fall but in the last minute grabbed a hold of Danny.
Danny fell with him but quickly grabbed a hold of the rock and watched as Wo Fat fell into the pool of black acid, and sank with a terrifying scream of anguish.
His arm throbbed in pain but before he lost his grip he felt two hands grabbing a hold of him and slowly pulling him up. When he was up he was sitting in Steve's lap pressed against his chest with both of Steve's arms wrapped tightly around him. He wanted to complain and rage about it but, right now he was too tired, too near an early death, and he felt safe… more safe than he had felt in a very long time.
"Dammit Danny, why do you always get yourself shot?!" Exclaimed Steve as he buried his head in Danny's hair.
"Well, as I recall it, it usually is your fault!" Mentioned Danny and flinched when Steve hugged a bit too hard.
Steve quickly loosened his grip and took a look at Danny's arm, the bullet was a through and through so it was easy enough to clean. He used a first aid kit that he brought with him in his back-pack, he cleaned the wound and tied a bandage around Danny's arm.
"When we get back you will need some stitches" Informed Steve.
"What? Excuse me? 'when we get back'? there will be no WE who goes back, I appreciate that you just assisted me with Wo Fat, but after this you and I are done, you will go wherever in the world you believe is fine and I will go back home with Chin and Toast and possible Kono, if she still wants to talk to me after this. There will be absolutely no WE, not you and I or me and you, but me alone and you alone! Capish!?" ranted Danny with his good arm waving around to emphasize his point.
"Danny, why can't we just…" started Steve but was immediately cut off by the shorter man.
"NO, no, you do not get to talk right now, okay, you do not have permission to speak! You left me McGarrett, we had something, I thought you were the one, I gave you my heart and you fucking broke it. You left, and we had something, I thought you went on a mission and forgot to tell me about it then some army-shmucks came and asked me were you were, and then the CIA came. I thought it was some sick misunderstanding, I defended your sorry ass, but then I realized that you left me, you left without an explanation." Danny continued "It took me so long to forget about you, but then I met a woman which I fell in love with, someone safe that stayed at home with me, that loved me, we married and now I have a beautiful baby girl which I adore more than anything, and you have no right to come back and be a part of my life again, you LEFT!"
"You're married?"
"…Divorced actually, it didn't work out, because she…she didn't like my work, it was too dangerous or something… but soooo beside the point Steven"
"So you're single now?"
"What the hell! Haven't you been listening McGarrett? Yes I'm single but you have no right…"
Steve abruptly shut Danny up by holding a hand over his mouth.
"I have been listening, I know that I made a mistake, but I would do it again in a heartbeat, I left to protect you. I discovered that my parent's accident wasn't an accident, they were murdered and after I found out too much I was targeted by a hitman named Victor Hesse, I knew that I couldn't stay with you because they would target you too, and I needed to find out what had happened."
Danny removed Steve's hand from his mouth but continued glaring at his ex-lover.
"You should have told me, I could've helped Steve, I am NOT some frail maiden in distress that you need to protect, I can take care of myself!" told Danny, he truly didn't understand why Steve neglected to tell him. "I would've helped you find out the truth."
"I know D, but I couldn't risk you, you're the only one that I ever cared about, you are too precious to me, I only had you and your family… I needed you to be alive, to be safe."
Danny abruptly stood up and walked away from Steve, he couldn't handle this right now, he walked down to the puddle of acid and looked long and hard at the box.
"Danny…"
"No Steve, not now, can we at least finish this mission or whatever…" Danny used Steve's discarded AK-47 to pull the box closer to him, when it was in reach he slowly picked it up.
"Are you going to open it?" Asked Steve who had placed himself right next to Danny.
"Something's aren't meant to be found" Proclaimed Danny while he slowly sank to his knees in front of the pool and put it down, letting the acid slowly swallow it, a small light shined from the box and then… it was gone.
Danny sighed heavily and put his arms around himself, careful about his arm. Steve looked concerned at him.
"I'm tired okay, and a bit cold, but it's nothing, stop it with the brutal stares at the back of my head. I don't usually strip anywhere I can, and this wife-beater doesn't cover much… so just stop with your worrying." Said Danny tiredly.
"I'm sorry Danny, for everything." Apologized Steve while he silently enclosed Danny in an embrace, he pushed Danny's back against his chest and took a hold of his arms. (*)
"Why is it that even thou it has been so much time I still feel safe within your arms?" Whispered Danny silently, he was shaking silently, not knowing what to do, should he take him back?
Grace snuck into his mind then, would she accept Steve? He wouldn't survive if his daughter rejected him and if she didn't like Steve and he had to choose between them, he knew that he would always choose Grace. No matter what. So that would just result in another heartbreak. Was he just looking for a reason not to take a chance on Steve? He was being selfish.
Danny slowly turned in Steve's embrace and stared up into his eyes.
"I'm sorry Steve, but I have to think about my daughter first, I don't know how she would react to you, and my divorce is still pretty recent, I don't want to spring another adult into her life right now, I'm sorry" said Danny sadly.
"So is your daughter the only reason…?" Steve looked almost crushed.
"It just… it's too soon after my divorce and I don't know if I can take a third heartbreak Steve, third time's the charm" whispered Danny, he could no longer look into Steve's hazel eyes.
"I won't break your heart D, I won't just let you go" pressed Steve desperately on.
"I'm sorry Steve, but no, let's just get out of here."
Danny forced himself out of Steve's arms and headed slowly back to the exit, he felt Steve walk behind him silently supported him when needed.
When they came out of the hole they were greeted by the worried faces of Chin, Toast and Kono. The tribe that had been created to protect the cradle of life had been there and Danny had reassured them that the box was safe, that something's aren't meant to be found.
They had taken the helicopter that Wo Fat came in, to get them back to civilization. After Danny had been brought to a hospital and been checked out he thought of saying his final goodbye to Steve, but the man was already gone.
He returned to Williams manor back in New Jersey and was greeted by his smiling daughter. He hugged her close and breathed in her sweetness, he knew that he would do anything for her.
Danny, Chin, Toast, Kono who had followed them home to have a little 'vacation' and Grace all sat by the large fireplace in the manor and shared small stories and ate biscuits and coffe, except Grace who got warm chocolate.
Danny stared wistfully into the fire and imagined a handsome ex-navy-SEAL's face within the flames, but was soon interrupted by Grace questioning face. He reassured her that nothing was wrong, but the others knew better. He had sacrificed his own happiness again, all for his daughter.
…
AN: okey I know that in the movie the character that Steve is playing dies in the end, but I couldn't kill him okay… I just couldn't T.T so I altered it a bit… but I can't leave it like this, sooo there will be an epilogue, kind of ;P
