A/N: Just got finished reading this through...hope it looks okay...thanks everyone for your get well wishes... You didn't think I'd leave you hanging like that, did you?

...Wait 'til you see the end of this one.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays if I don't get the next one posted before then... :)

Disclaimer: And yet again, no ownership rights here.

Seven

"Whenever you were working with Steve's dad," Danny said suddenly, "did you ever just get this weird feeling like—oh crap, I smell trouble?"

Despite the situation, Chin chuckled and glanced back at the blonde detective in amusement. "Sometimes. I gotta say, trouble seems hereditary in the McGarrett line. Why do you ask?"

"I've been trying to pinpoint this exact sensation of irritation that recently overwhelmed me, and I realize after close appraisal that it is the precise measure of irritation that I am always overcome with whenever I know that Steve is about to do something daft. Y'know, way, waaay up there on Steve's levels of insanity," he said, gesturing with his hand on a high level.

Again, amusement washed over Chin's features. "In that case, I guess we'd better find him pretty quickly." He pointed a flashlight down each corridor of the tunnels they passed, routinely searching out any signs of the destruction typically left in the wake of the tropical storm that was Steve McGarrett.

"He's probably going to want to get out of the caves at some point, right?" Danny asked. "How would he go about that?"

"Most of the caves here open up to the cliffs you saw overlooking the ocean," Chin explained. "Some go down under the water, some go topside. The easiest way for Steve to go would have been up."

"Okay…then we go up." Danny looked around, and shook his head in disgust. "I hate caves."

"Ah, c'mon. What's so bad about caves?" The corner of Chin's mouth quirked as he shot a glance sidelong toward his teammate.

"What's so bad about caves?" Danny repeated. "Chin, you're starting to sound like Steve and that, friend, is dangerous. First of all, caves are dark. Why would a logical human being, most of whom are not nocturnal, venture into a place that is dark, damp, dangerous, full of explosive materials, and all-around generally creepy?"

"Some people like to learn about those things," Chin offered with a smirk.

"And some people are idiotic teenagers looking to impress their buddies and/or girlfriends and end up getting themselves and said buddies and/or girlfriends dead," Danny retorted. "I like being on solid ground, in the sunlight, surrounded by people and buildings and most importantly good food. Caves, tropical forests, mountains, any particular body of water I may encounter—these are not my scene."

"Well, then it's probably a good thing I know the quickest way topside." Chin paused when they came across a slight incline in the tunnels, the passages splitting up into several different openings.

Danny looked at him oddly. "And you didn't mention this before, why?"

"I was enjoying listening to your enthralling views on caves in all their general creepiness," Chin responded without pause.

He moved on ahead, leaving Danny to stare after him. After a moment, the blonde detective scoffed. "Starting to sound way too much like Steve," he reaffirmed, and followed the Hawaiian.


Steve swayed dangerously on his feet, shifting his stance to help keep his body upright. His head hurt, his shoulder hurt, his ribs hurt, his leg hurt—hell, if there was a part of his body that didn't hurt, he hadn't found it yet. His freaking eyes hurt just staring at the scene in front of him. His mind was slow to form the thought to demand what the hell was wrong with this man—his thoughts were still twisted around ways to get his rookie teammate to safety. He met her gaze for a moment, trying to will to her that she was fine, that everything would be all right.

Her dark eyes were still full of terror, and he glimpsed shame and guilt in their depths.

He frowned, but had no time to console her now—first he had to get her out of harm's way. He swallowed hard, remembering that sip of water he'd taken from the stream as if it had happened days ago, and called in slightly-slurred speech, "Who are you?"

With a smirk, the man returned, "You can call me Old Man Gunner, I guess. 's the name I was usin' anyway."

"What do you want, Gunner?"

The Old Man laughed. "Straight to it, then. I like that." He lifted his arm from his captive's waist to lay a hand at her throat. "I just wanted you ship-shape for this. Figured seein' one of your own being hurt at my hands might liven you up a little, 'specially after the last coupla days you and me've shared." He shook the young rookie by her throat, tightening his grip slightly. "Smile pretty for your commander, girl." He squeezed tighter, and his hostage grimaced.

"Stop it! Leave her alone!" Steve commanded, his tone suddenly dangerous.

Steve watched as the Old Man gave him a thoughtful look, then glanced at his hostage, who choked as she tried to speak. "You have something to say to your superior officer, girly?" Gunner demanded. "You might wanna speak up."

"S-sorry, Boss."

He gave her a genuinely compassionate look. "This isn't your fault. No apologies, you understand?" Dammit, she's my responsibility, he thought irritably. She's not the one who should be apologizing for this. He turned a steely gaze to Gunner. "If you want to fight me, fight me. Leave her out of this."

"You sure?" Gunner asked with a devilish smirk. "Because I could really have fun with this one…she's feisty." Steve's fingers itched to draw the side arm and shoot the bastard, but Gunner's eyes were trained on him. "It's been awhile for me, McGarrett. I haven't seen any worthy piece of action since I went AWOL a few years back…got bored," he said by way of explanation. "Hell, still am bored. But you…you seem like the kinda guy I can trust to make things interesting. So here's what I'm gonna do." He reared his arm back and struck the back of his hostage's head with the butt of his gun before Steve could cry out in protest. "Ah-ah!" Gunner called, waving with his gun toward Steve's stolen weapons and supplies as the commander started forward. "Drop the guns. And anything else you've got there."

Steve glared at him, and slowly disarmed himself, tossing all the weapons away from him to where the vest was lying. After he'd finished, he looked at the older man pointedly. With a nod, Gunner released his burden and moved back as Steve rushed forward. He caught the rookie quickly, grimacing with pain as he lowered her unconscious form to the ground and checked the knot at the base of her skull. She'd be fine, he assessed after a moment of concern.

"You have your little surfer back," the Old Man said from above. Steve lifted his gaze to Gunner's, rage flaring in his deep blue eyes. "Now, show me you deserve to live. The good, old-fashioned way." Gunner tossed aside his gun and shed all his weapons and his own vest. He crouched into a familiar stance, lifting both brows to invite Steve to the fight.

Steve carefully lowered his officer's head to the ground, and painfully climbed to his feet to step around her. He glanced back over his shoulder, increasing the space between the madman and his teammate as much as possible before he finally met Gunner's gaze.

Gunner didn't give him a chance to voice any thoughts he may have formed. The older man suddenly charged, and Steve did his best to deflect the fists flying at him while Gunner continued to press forward like an animal. Steve was too late to put up his arm at the last second, and grunted and coughed up blood when a fist collided with his ribs.

"Careful, McGarrett…"

For the last time, shut up, Gabby.

Steve dropped to his knees out of the way of a follow-through swing, and then hoisted his body upward, effectively tackling Gunner and lifting his body off the ground before they both crashed down into the dirt. Steve ignored the jabbing pain in his chest and the throbbing in his shoulder as he twisted around to clamber to his knees in order to try and pin Gunner down. Gunner, however, was a lot quicker than the wounded SEAL, even with the hurts that Steve's rookie had managed to inflict on him in her struggle, and swept one leg across Steve's chest, effectively knocking the wind out of him before his back hit the ground hard.

Gunner moved to dive atop Steve, but Steve curled his knees and scissored his legs to the side, knocking Gunner off balance long enough for Steve to push his body off the ground, arcing onto his feet.

He managed to stay upright long enough to swing his arm back, catching the other man in the face with his elbow. As he fell, he tried to pivot out of the way of a counter from Gunner, who flipped his body to deliver a blow toward Steve's jaw. Steve leaned back just in time, and sliced his arm sideways into Gunner's knee. A satisfying snap filled his ears and he grunted as he kicked the other man backwards. Steve fell with him, bracing himself on his knees and punching him once.

Gunner groaned, and Steve fisted his hand in the man's shirt to hold him in place as he punched him again, then repeated the action a few more times—for good measure. Gunner laughed through each punch, grabbing at Steve's arms until he finally dug his fingers into the wound on Steve's shoulder.

Steve cried out in pain, and Gunner shoved him away, swinging a punch into his gut before he did. Steve lay there in the dirt for a minute, collecting his thoughts and his bearings. He didn't remember other fights being this hard…'course, he usually wasn't bleeding from six or seven different holes or gashes in various areas of his body.

He looked up just in time to roll out of the way as Gunner dropped his elbow to the ground where the commander had been laying. Gunner followed through, chopping through the air to latch onto the gunshot wound on Steve's back again, momentarily stunning him until Gunner slammed his head injured-side-down into the ground.

Steve hissed in pain and discomfort, and threw his arm backward, elbowing the man in the side once, then again and again until Gunner's grip loosened. Once Steve had the chance, he slipped out from beneath Gunner and pushed off his hands to swing the toe of his boot into the side of the older man's face. Gunner stumbled backward and fell to the ground.

Fell to the ground right beside the unconscious rookie.

Steve cursed himself a fool as he watched the Old Man scramble for the gun he'd dropped near his teammate, and turned to drag himself in a half-crawl, half-somersault toward his own weapons.

In one instant, everything froze, as both the SEAL and the mercenary reached their destinations and fingers caught hold of handguns.

Steve swung his arm around, gun aimed at Gunner's chest just as Gunner swept the girl up in one arm and pointed the gun back at the commander. The Old Man inhaled deeply, then smiled despite his bloodied mouth. He threw back his head and laughed out loud, "You are a lively one, McGarrett! I'm glad to have had this opportunity. But a job's a job, innit? And you wouldn't dare shoot at a man holding one of your own hostage, 'specially not as shaky as you are. So…"

He spat blood to the side, eyes never leaving Steve's as Steve caught his breath. "Goodnight, Lieutenant." Gunner smiled wildly as he steadied his aim on Steve.

Three shots were fired in quick sequence.