A/N: Thanks to those who have taken the time to review. I would love to know what you think. Hope you enjoy

Chapter 3: Sacrifice

"Your little FiveO friends showed up at the rental office."

"And?"

"And I sent them packing. This collar belongs to the bureau. You should try and remember that, princess," he said as he reached for a loose strand of her hair. She slapped his hand away, hard. He laughed quietly as if they had just shared a private joke. Agent Amari joined them in the war room.

"Anything new," he asked.

"Where have you been?"

"Some of us have a life, Jenkins. I had dinner with my wife. If you ever dated a girl for more than forty-eight hours, you would know what it's like to really live."

"That's sweet, Amari. How long have you two been married," Lori asked.

"Twenty-six years this May."

"We've been partners for two years now, how come I've never met her?"

"Because I don't want her to worry about me at work," he said with a grin.

"Do you have any children," Lori asked, wondering why she had never asked before.

"We have a son. He lives on the mainland."

"What did you two find out about the warehouse?"

"Got the name of the auto parts owner," Jenkins answered. "He lives on Oahu now. I called him. Only twelve employees. He still has names and addresses. We'll head over tomorrow, get the list".

"What about you, anything new", Amari asked.

"Not yet. I've been going through credit card receipts from our three new victims."

"Any hits?"

"Nothing so far."

"Why don't you call it a night. Eat! Get some rest."

Lori smiled sadly.

"What is it?"

"He's gonna' be desperate. Losing this last victim puts him behind."

"Maybe he'll do something stupid," Jenkins said, "make a mistake and we'll nail his ass... Don't worry, babe. We'll get him."

"Don't call me babe," she snapped.

"Oh, come on Weston. Lighten up."

"Don't call me babe," she said again in a deadly serious tone.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," he said as he turned to leave.

"You okay," Amari asked when the door closed behind Jenkins.

"Fine," she said and forced a smile. "Just tired I guess."

"Go home. Get some sleep. We'll start again in the morning."

On the way home, Lori's phone rang. Butterflies stirred in her gut as she read the name on the screen. "Hello"

"Hey, it's Steve. Are you still at your office?"

"No, I just left. Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I need something to eat. You hungry?"

She hesitated.

"Are you there... Lori?"

"Yeah, I'm here. You cut out."

"You want to meet me for dinner," he repeated.

"Sure. Where are you?"

"Three blocks from FiveO."

"Feel like Lulu's?" she asked.

"Always. I'll meet you in ten"

H5O

H5OH5O

H5OH5OH5O

He watched from his car as they came and went. Sweat poured from every pore. He swiped at his brow and buried the heel of his hand in his right eye. The pounding over that eye was relentless. How was anyone supposed to think under so much pressure? He gripped the steering wheel, begging for relief. All color had drained from his knuckles hours ago. Watching... Waiting... Waiting... Watching... Too short... Too big... Too loud... Too... Too... He leaned forward, resting his forehead on the steering wheel and cried out in agony. He covered his mouth with both hands and screamed again. Rocking forward and backward he felt like he might explode. He ran his hands through hair and pulled it hard at the crown, squeezing his eyes tightly shut against the pain. He opened his eyes and focused on the crowd gathered outside of the row of bars, dance clubs, and hang outs. That's when he saw them. Surely it was a gift. They were perfect, and they were together. He had never grabbed two at once. But how hard could it be. They never fought. They somehow understood that the sacrifice, their sacrifice was necessary, an honor really. Atonement isn't free. Sacrifice is a requirement. Without penance, there can be no peace. He reached for his tackle box, loaded two syringes and tucked one in each jacket pocket. With tears streaming down his face, he exited the car resolved and ready to complete the task at hand.

H5O

H5OH5O

H5OH5OH5O

Steve smiled when he saw her. It was warm and inviting, and "dangerous," Lori chided herself. He stood on the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, perfectly balanced. She walked slowly toward him, drinking him in. "You look tired."

"That's what a girl likes to hear," she quipped.

Steve chuckled. "Beautiful, but tired."

"You're a terrible liar."

"It's good to see you," he said and quickly ran his hands down her arms. Although she smiled warmly, he felt her shoulders tighten under his touch. He stepped back and motioned her toward the door.

They settled on opposite sides of the booth. Lori slouched back in her seat. "You okay?" Steve asked.

"A lot on my brain, I suppose... Did you find anything today?"

"Maybe. The shop owner recognized the dress. Apparently every dress is custom made. She gave me a name and we tracked down the original owner, but she sent the dress along with several other dresses to a resale shop downtown."

"Anything there?"

He shook his head. "It was closed by the time we got there. I'll have Kono check it out tomorrow. Maybe he bought all of the dresses at once. Somebody might remember something like that."

"Worth a shot."

"What about you? Anything new?"

"Should have an employee list from the auto parts warehouse tomorrow. Jenkins said the owner moved to Oahu. He talked to him on the phone. Only twelve employees."

"Jenkins… that guy's a piece of work."

Lori nodded in wordless agreement and quickly changed the subject. "Did Kono come up with anything?"

Steve frowned at the 180, but let it ride for now. "There were a lot of names on those lists. It's gonna' take some time putting faces to all those names."

"Well if anybody can sort through all of that and get it done, it's Kono. I saw her a couple of months go at the beach. She was surfing". Lori sat her glass back on the table and lifted her hands in mock surrender. "She's amazing!"

Steve smiled at Lori's animation. She had been quiet when she worked at FiveO... intense, but when inspired, he remembered, her eyes would dance and her hands would fly, echoing that intensity. "Yeah, she's good. The only thing that frustrates her on a board is Danny."

"She still trying to teach him how to surf?"

"More like he's still trying to learn."

They both laughed, but it was quiet and short- lived. She was nervous, her body radiating tension. Ignoring the two ton elephant in the room, Steve pressed on.

"So how long have you been back on the island?"

She hesitated and arched an eyebrow. "I never left," she said quietly.

"What?" Steve jerked. "I thought you were going back east?"

"That was the plan, but, let's just say that, when the governor filed his official reprimand, my future with Homeland Security wasn't quite as bright as it had been."

"You lost your job?" he said, shocked.

"Oh, it all worked out," she said trying to make light of what had been a pretty rough time. Steve knew better. He could see it in her eyes.

"I don't understand. What the hell was he so mad at you for?"

"It's not important."

"It's important to me," he persisted.

She sighed, knowing he wouldn't let it go. "I told the governor that you were under the impression that FiveO had the go ahead from his office to raid the Russian consulate."

Steve's brow furrowed. "You told him the raid was your idea?"

"No… I told him that you thought you had his permission." She sat across from him, eyes wide, waiting for him to understand.

"You took the fall for FiveO," he said quietly, as the truth sank in. "I should have known when the governor didn't call me out... Why would you do that?"

"The governor needed someone to blame... officially. My resignation gave him that."

"But..."

"Look, it was my decision. I believed in what you and your team were doing. Shutting you down would have been a huge mistake. I don't regret it," she said sweeping her hand across the empty space over the table.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. It's done. Besides, I like my new job. Better use of my skills anyway."

"So, how did you end up back at the bureau?"

"I called in a favor," she said with a wink as the waitress delivered their plates. Steve watched Lori tear into an extra large hamburger, fully dressed accompanied by a large side of fries. He had forgotten how much she could eat.

H5O

H5OH5O

H5OH5OH5O

He moved quickly up the sidewalk, hands in his jacket pockets. His heart felt like it might fly out of his chest. The pain over his right eye threatened to knock him over. It would get better. Once he had them in his possession, the pain would go away. It always did. One of them slipped on the slick sidewalk. They both giggled, holding on to each other as the one removed her stilettos. Their laughter pierced his sole causing him to gag as a wave on nausea brought him to his knees. They heard him and glanced back, laughing even harder. Laughing at him. Rage flared in his gut, calming the nausea and forcing him to his feet. He trotted after them, gaining speed as he closed in on his prey. He slammed the first one, face first, into the brick building as they rounded the corner to the darkened parking lot. Her head hit the wall hard, with a loud crack. "Damn it," he thought, "not the face". He grabbed the second from behind, his arm encircling her neck as he deftly removed the syringe from his pocket. In one perfected motion, he slid the needle into her neck, right side, at the hairline. He prayed it was painless as her grip loosened and her hands slipped to her sides. He drew in a long breath and buried his face in her hair. Movement caught his attention. The first girl was on her feet, blood spewing from her broken nose. Her eyes were wild as she faced him, barefooted and trapped. Somehow she had managed to hold on to her shoes. She gripped them fiercely, one in each hand. Wordlessly, he rushed her, shoving her back against the wall and held her there with his forearm taunt across her neck. He fumbled for the second syringe, unaccustomed to using his left hand. His fumbling afforded her the precious few seconds she needed to bury the heel of her shoe in his ear. He dropped his arm from her neck as his vision blurred, and grabbed his head. The constant ache that plagued his right eye disappeared under white hot stabs of pain from the left. He went to his knees when her bare foot connected with his groin. Falling forward to his hands, he tasted iron as blood ran from his ear and across his cheek to his mouth. He new she would be screaming for help, but all he could hear was a sharp ringing as it pierced his brain. He crawled toward the motionless heap on the ground next to him. Pulling her over his shoulder, he struggled to stand. Stumbling forward, he disappeared into the shadows.

TBC

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