Yes it has been a long wait, hope you'll all forgive me! Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing and adding my work to their favorites list!

On with the show!

Twenty minutes proved a fruitless effort. Steve and the others had torn the sizable house apart from top to bottom. They'd gone through every computer they'd found and busted open every safe and nothing came even remotely close to the information or more so the weapon the sought.

And it was obvious by the dark but amused grin on Peter's face they were running out of time. The point was made when Peter leaning on the doorway of the current room Steve and Chin were checking helpfully said;

"My guys outside tell me SWATs starting to look a little antsy, now I'll hold to my promise, you still have ten minutes but I'm not responsible if they want to start the party early."

"I'll tell them to back off a little," Steve said reaching for his cell phone. The tell take sound of a gun cocking had him freezing mid-reach. A short while after their search began, Sassiwell had disarmed the teams. The SEALs looked like they'd sooner go down fighting but a plea from Danny and an order to stand down from Steve and they relented. Even if Draco did like almost I'll with the thought of handing over his sniper rifle.

So here they were, Hawaii's best task force, arguably one of America's finest paired with four Navy SEALs and they were all at the mercy of one man and some thugs because of one precious little girl and her mother.

Steve turned to face the barrel of the weapon now pointed at his face.

"You kill me you get nothing," Steve snarled.

"I kill you I've got six others to carry on," Peter shrugged. "Contact SWAT, tell them a little girl is about to die because you decided to be a hero." Steve went to reply out of anger once again at the danger Grace was in but thankfully a level head in the room prevailed.

"We've got to be looking at this wrong," Chin cut in. Peter held his gun steady a moment longer before waving it away from Steve and looking at the Hawaiian, weapon now pointed in the air.

"Enlighten me," he encouraged.

"Takata went to too much trouble for us to just walk into this house and find a disc or file lying around on a computer," Chin replied. Steve looked around himself and sighed.

"He's right, we've got to think like a paranoid man who would come short of losing his life to keep something hidden," he nodded.

"Lot a good that did him," Peter chuckled. But then added, "Okay so what WOULD he do with it?"

"How do you out smart someone who's used to technology and fancy digestible bombs?" Steve asked. Peter's eyes sparkled with wicked amusement but the Navy SEAL chose to ignore it. "You go old school, you'd have to, there's no digital trail no computer connected to the internet to hack."

"And you put it in the last place anyone would think to look," Chin nodded. "But where?"

"Found it!" Steve heard Danny holler through the house. Quick as they could everyone joined Danny in the living room revealing a hidden compartment from under the TV. In it was an impressive looking high tech lap top, a note book and a small silver case.

"How'd you think to look there?" Steve asked his partner impressed.

"Everyone figures top secret stuff is going to be on a main computer in an office but locked down. Inu wasn't stupid and knew if anyone came they'd never think something like that would be tucked under the TV," Danny replied then shrugged, "Plus the floor board made a hollow sound just in front of the thing."

In spite of the situation, Steve found himself smiling; Danny truly was the best detective he knew.

"Smart," Sassiwell agreed. Then he raised his gun, "Now hand it over." Steve knew what was going to happen before anybody made a move and he instinctively made the first move putting himself between his partner and Sassiwell as Danny clutched the objects to his chest and spoke.

"You get them as soon as I get my daughter and her mother back," the detective snarled. Peter didn't blink; he simple moved his gun and fired.

Everyone cursed on various levels except for Grant who wailed in pain as the bullet ripped through his shoulder sending him careening into the wall and then the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" Steve hissed. "The hell did you do that for?" He went to move to his downed mans side but was stopped when Peter got to Grant first pressing the gun to the man's forehead.

"By now SWAT heard that shot and isn't going to wait any longer to breach the house," Peter said with deadly calm. "They'll be heading to the entrances and they'll be met with force unless Commander McGarrett tells them to stop... Contact them, Steve or the next shot goes into his leg, then his gut, then h-"

"I get it!" Steve barked.

"Speaker phone please," Peter asked politely. Rolling his eyes the SEAL whipped out his phone knowing it was undoubtedly wired directly to the SWAT commander outside. As expected, as soon as he opened the line there was no dial tone.

"Commander McGarrett this is Captain McCalis SWAT team leader. We heard a shot is everything okay?"

"We've got one friendly injured, a shoulder shot but I need you and your men to stand down, Captain," Steve ordered.

"No can do Commander, we've got eyes on some very unsavory looking characters that I'm not about to just leave you vulnerable too," McCalis said firmly. Across the room Steve could see Peter's face flatten and his trigger finger twitch ever so slightly. To Grant's credit, the already wounded man had gotten over his initial pain and instead of looking hurt or fearful he was glaring at Peter with the utmost contempt while clutching his wound.

"Captain, I appreciate your concern but you aren't hearing me," Steve tried again. "I need you and your men to back off at least 200 meters."

"Four," Peter added.

"Who am I speaking to? Commander?" Peter fired before Steve could even begin to control the situation. Grant barked out a slew of curses as his free hand shot down to the second bullet wound in his leg.

"No, no!" Steve snarled. He tried to get to his writhing man once again, everyone in the room did but once again the only gun in the room stayed them all.

"Captain this is the man holding the gun," Peter said into the phone. "I've just shot a Navy SEAL twice once in the shoulder the other in the leg. The wounds are none fatal if treated before the blood loss gets him. That said the Commander has kindly asked you to back off FOUR hundred meters from the perimeter. You've got ten seconds to comply before everyone in here dies and my men start a war with yours outside. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six..."

Steve's heart was pounding in his chest between the horrible ultimatum and his lieutenant bleeding all over the floor he was at a loss for a solution.

"Five, four, thr-"

"We're moving back!" Captain McCalis barked out angrily. "Move out!" He called to the men around him.

"Thank you Captain, I'll be in touch." With that Sassiwell pulled the phone from Steve's hands and hung up.

"Now where were we?" He asked. "Oh that's right, hand over the items detective. NOW, please." Danny opened his mouth to speak but amazingly Grant beat him to it.

"Don't give this psycho a, ugh, god d,damn thing detective," he hissed out. "M,men like him d, don't make deals. G, give it to him n'he kills us all."

"Probably starting with you," Peter said moving forward and pressing his gun to Grant's head. The SEAL shut his mouth but didn't show any sign that he was afraid to eat a bullet for a little girl's safety at the moment.

"Wait!" Danny exclaimed. Steve whipped his head between the two men as the Jersey native stepped closer to Peter. "I just want my girl back and her mother. You're a miserable scumbag but if you promise me no one else dies... I'll give you what you want." Peter's eyebrow went up in surprise and curiosity as if he was expecting more of a fight than that.

"Danny," Steve warned. "I want to help Grace and Rachel too but we can find a better way."

"This is the way right now. He's going to kill Grant and I have to think of my girl," Danny said staring Steve down. "My monkey, my choice."

"Dan-" Steve was cut off as his partner marched passed him and faced off with a once again amused looking Peter Sassiwell.

"Detective d,don't do it! F, forget me!" Grant snarled.

"Tell me where my daughter is," Danny said. Peter cocked his head to one side as if having a conversation with himself in his head.

"I'll do you one better, detective," he finally spoke. "You and the Commander are going to come with me. You get back to your daughter and when you do. I disappear with what I want. See? I'm not heartless."

"A real saint," Danny scoffed. Then he looked at Steve pleadingly. "What choice do we have?" He asked. That's when Steve saw it, a knowing twinkle in his partner's eye. It was just for a split second but immediately Steve now knew while he'd been floundering and worries about his lieutenant, Danny, ever the intuitive one, had come up with some sort of plan.

God bless the hard headed cop from Jersey.

"I don't like this but fine," Steve agreed. "On the condition that you let me check on my man first." Peter waved his gun then aimed it at Danny.

"In fact I insist," he smirked. Rolling his eyes Steve quickly got to Grant's side. The others moved to but one "tut" and a wave of the gun and they were frozen in place.

As soon as he was close enough, Grant used a bloody hand to grab Steve's shirt and shake him a little.

"Don't g, go sir," he grunted. "I d, don't like this."

"Neither do I but we don't have much of a choice. Now hold still this might hurt a bit." Taking off his outer shirt Steve ripped it into strips then started tying it around Grant's leg as it seemed to be the more serious of the two. The second he pulled the makeshift bandage tight Grant barked out a short yelp but clearly swallowed the rest of his pain.

Once he leg was taken care of, Steve did the same to the shoulder and by the time he was done, Grant was glassy eyed and pale as a ghost.

"You stick with me okay lieutenant?" Steve urged.

"M'ere sir... M'still owe y'fer the s, shot n'the nuts," the SEAL slurred badly. Then he grunted and winced in pain adjusting himself futilely. "Sir..." He muttered. "You get a chance, you p, put a bullet in him... Fer me." Taking the man's bloody hand and giving it a firm squeeze, Steve nodded.

"My word lieutenant," he said fully aware Sassiwell was listening and not caring in the least. Then reluctantly he eased the man into a relatively comfortable sitting position against the wall and stood.

"Time to go Commander," Peter said. He grabbed Steve by the collar and pressed the gun to the back of his head. "If you'd be so kind as to lead us out detective?" Danny just gave him a look before giving Steve another knowing nod then headed for the door.

'What ever you're planning Danny, do it quick,' Steve thought to himself wishing he could say the words out loud.

The drive to wherever they were going was tense and silent. When they'd exited the house, Steve had just caught a glimpse of HPD lights in the far distance before he was jabbed in the ribs with a rifle and tied up in the back of a van next to his partner. He briefly heard Peter order most of his men to stay behind to make sure they weren't followed and thanked all the powers that be for small miracles. Smaller numbers meant more chance of a plan for freedom succeeding.

Most of the ride all Steve could do was try and ignore the feeling of cooling blood on his clothing and desperately hope Grant was getting the help he needed to stay alive. Fortunately it was to dark in the back of the vehicle to actually see the blood. The other part of the ride was being slightly confused as Danny would occasionally shift, grunt then go still again.

They'd been driving for almost an hour when the van finally started to slow and at last stopped. Steve looked at Danny waiting for a sign that it was time to move or do something but the detective just looked back and shook his head ever so slightly just as the van doors opened.

Before Peter could even speak Danny was climbing out of the van, items clutched in his cuffed hands and glaring.

"Where's my daughter?" He demanded. As Steve climbed from the van and allowed his eyes to adjust to the light he realized they were standing in the deserted parking lot of a WW2 era hospital. The SEAL knew there were abandoned buildings from the Pacific conflict and tried to remember where any of the hospitals were, at least then he could have a sense of where they'd been taken.

"All in good time detective hand over the items and I'll take you to her," Peter said reaching out. Danny however pulled back.

"And I'm telling you, take me to my daughter and you can have the items. No exceptions," he spat. Peter let out a short laugh and shook his head.

"You realize I could just TAKE them from you, right detective?" He replied. "You're unarmed and guarded but out of the goodness of my heart I've treated you fairly and with respect; something you are seriously lacking."

"You're not ready to kill two well known Hawaiian state officers because your plan's falling apart and you've already got enough heat on you," Danny shot back. "You also don't want to get "handsy" because Mr. I-made-a-promise-to-shoot-you here won't waste a second fulfilling that wish and you're smart enough to know he'll win. So take your respect, shove it and bring. Me. To. My. Daughter. NOW." Steve would have smiled if the situation wasn't so dangerous. Sometimes he had to remind himself how many years of being a cop Danny had under his belt and just how good of negotiator or threatening the man could be with criminals; especially ones who thought themselves smarter than him.

Still though, Steve's gut was churning as if felt like they were running out of time and losing the upper hand. Once Peter had the samples and documentation he really had no reason to let anyone live. Unless he needed hostages but the Navy SEAL was sure his partner wasn't willing to let it get that far.

After a long hard stare with no blinking between the two men, Sassiwell stepped on an angle and waved the two men in the direction of a stairwell door.

"Right this way," he smiled. "Sweet Grace shouldn't be left waiting."

Just as they reached the top of the stairwell, Danny seemed to trip and being the partner that he was Steve instantly lunged forward to catch him. The save stopped him from spilling everything in his cuffed hands but not from falling face first into Steve's chest.

"Sorry, little clumsy with all this junk," Danny muttered. However just has he righted himself his eyes met Steve's.

There it was. The uncertainty, the fear, the pride and the loyalty and faith all jammed into on look that told Steve something was moments away from happening and he should be ready to react no matter what. To that Steve gave his partner an every so slight nod before standing the man up again and turning to face their captor.

"We aren't going anywhere with your goons behind us," Steve snapped. "You could at least uncuff us."

"Or I could shoot you and drag you there," Peter shot back finally showing that maybe he was a little more frustrated than he let on at the moment. "MOVE," he ordered.

They headed out down a hallway with paint long since peeled from the walls and water-stains from most likely unattended pipes in the ceiling. Finally after passing several doorways they stopped at one where Steve and Danny were pushed through at gun point.

"Danno!" All else was dust. Danny shoved the items he'd been diligently carrying into Steve's arms knowing he would take care of them and rushed over to his daughter. For the most part, Grace was actually looking half decent. She was sitting up despite her casts and IV's and though her cheeks were still pinked with a fever her, cried out eyes were now alight with hope at seeing her father.

"Grace! Baby… Monkey are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Danny whooshed out gently taking his daughters bruised face into his hands as best he could.

"I'm okay Danno… I want to go home," Grace sniffed. "Or back to the nice hospital with the good doctors."

"I'll take you to the moon if it's what you want sweetheart," he grinned. Then he glanced over at Rachel on the far side of the room who also looked relieved despite her disheveled state.

"Daniel… Steve I, I can't tell you how good it is to see you," she said with only a slight tremor in her voice.

"Everything's going to be okay Rach," Danny nodded. "We're going to get you two out of here."

Something in Danny's voice, a finality that stirred a dark pit in Steve's gut. The feeling was magnified ten fold when the detective gave his daughter a smile that was as proud as any father could give but also laced with a deep sadness. Then Danny met eyes with Steve and it took everything the Navy SEAL had not to raise both eyebrows to his hairline in confusion and concern.

"Steve?" Danny asked. The SEAL swallowed but gave a nod.

"Yeah partner?"

"DOWN!"

The world exploded, quite literally, exploded. Steve barely had time to throw himself and the cargo in his hands over Rachel to protect her as cement and plaster rained from every angle. One could only hope Danny had managed to cover his little girl from the mayhem as Rachel's screams of fear for herself and her daughter nearly deafened Steve in one ear.

Not that the explosions helped either.

"Freeze!" When the world finally calmed to a dull rumble Steve dared look up. What he saw had his mouth gaping open.

Where a wall used to be, there was now a gaping hole; through which, covered in plaster and cement had come Chin, Draco and Kato.

They'd blasted THROUGH the second floor wall and swung in on rappelling ropes. How they'd known where Steve and Danny were the SEAL had no idea but he almost let loose a guffaw of delirious excitement.

The problem was now everyone in the room who was armed was pointing their gun at someone else. Steve's team pointed it at the three thugs that had come up with Sassiwell and Peter himself held two guns one on Steve, the other on Danny.

"Well sh**, haven't had a good old Mexican standoff in a while!" Peter laughed. "We really going to do this with the lady folk present?"

"This isn't the wild west Sassiwell," Danny said. "And you sure aren't Clint Eastwood." As he spoke, Steve managed to free Rachel from her binds and as safely as she could she raced to Grace's side taking up Danny's former position of protection.

"Walk away Peter," Steve said slowly joining his partner's side. It was all he could think to remedy the situation. Rachel and Grace needed to be safe and that was the priority. Sometimes you had to make a call and if it meant Sassiwell lived to fight another day in trade, so be it. "Just walk away, there's no way this doesn't end badly for you," Steve encouraged. Sassiwell raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Or you from where I'm standing," he replied. "Walking out of here is giving me a chance to figure out a better plan, you realize that McGarrett?"

"I do, but right now I just want everyone I care about in this room to get home safe," Steve replied. "You've done enough damage. Let this one go." For a genuine moment it looked like the man was considering Steve's offer.

But then the SEAL saw the man's nose twitch, his brows flatten just slightly and his eyes narrow a fraction of a hair.

Have you ever watched an action movie where the editors have slowed it down for dramatic effect? When the hero charges toward the main villain in the last epic battle of the movie. You don't know who's going to survive. You don't know what's going to happen and all you can do is sit on the edge of your seat screaming at the screen to make sure everything turns out okay.

Except Steve wasn't the one screaming at the TV, he was the hero making the charge. To be fair, Danny did make the first move but Steve, with all his all-star high school football glory, got there first putting himself between his partner's family and the villain. He lobbed the items in his hand to Chin in a twisted game of keep away, pushed Danny from harms way and charged.

And as the bullet tore through his upper body he didn't dare lose focus as he tackled Sassiwell to the ground knocking one gun loose and desperately fighting for the second.

"The phone! The phone!" Sassiwell barked to the other two men. One pulled out a cell phone while keeping his gun trained on the others. When he pushed a button and got nothing he frowned.

"Sorry," Steve grunted receiving a punch and delivering one in kind. "No one else is getting blown up."

"No!" Sassiwell yelled. He contorted himself then dug his fingers into Steve's bullet wound causing the man to be temporarily blinded by pain.

That split second was all it took, bullets flew, calls of surrender and alarm went out and by the time Steve regained himself Danny had Sassiwell pinned to the ground with a gun to the man's head.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't redecorate the floor with your skull?" Danny said deadly serious.

"Because you're not a killer Williams," Sassiwell hissed. "You'd rather see me behind bars for a good long time than explain why you shot an unarmed man."

"Danny," Steve wheezes trying to ignore the searing pain riding through his upper body. "We got him, put the gun down," he added as he climbed to his feet with Chin's help after retrieving one of the discarded guns.

Sassiwell's goons were now either in cuffs or wounded and none looked willing to continue the fight. Most likely what ever they were being paid wasn't enough to give their lives for.

Danny looked at Steve incredulously but his gun didn't waver.

"What happened to the promise you made Grant!?" He asked.

"Yeah Commander? What about that?" Sassiwell chuckled. Steve narrowed his eyes and raised his gun.

"Chin get everyone out of here," he ordered. "I don't want Grace to see this." Chin wasted no time, while the SEALs marched their captives from the room, the Hawaiian gingerly lifted Grace and with Rachel's help took her from harms way.

"Alone at last," Sassiwell chuckled. "How's the wound Steve?"

"You know there's something I don't get Sassiwell, you've clearly lost, what possible reasons could you have for making this worse on yourself?" Steve asked.

"Because men like you need men like me to make life interesting," Sassiwell replied all too happily. "Because it's as much in my DNA as it is in yours. Me bad, you good, make sense?"

"You're a special kind of insane and they'll an even more special place in hell for you," Danny snarled. He turned to Steve with anger wild in his eyes. "You promised Grant."

"Yeah, to shoot him not kill him," Steve nodded. Sure Danny was clear of the line of fire; Steve gave Peter just enough time to go wide eyed before he shot the man in the leg. Sassiwell roared in pain but was held down by Danny. "I keep my promises... Danny get him out of here. In one piece please," the SEAL added. Danny gave him a small smirk and an eye roll before hauling the limping man from the room.

Everyone safe at last, Steve suddenly became aware of just how much adrenaline had been keeping him going over the past few days. The nightmare of thinking his partner had lost his mind and Grace was seriously injured all came crashing down on the Navy SEAL and for a God's honest moment, his mind shut down. It went completely blank and his body sunk to the floor completely void of life.

All he could so was blink and hope his brain would restart itself. After all paperwork had to be done, criminals processed, the correct people notified of the happenings but most importantly those he cared about needed to heal. HE needed to heal.

A pressure partially on his shoulder and partially on his upper chest was just what he needed to finally come back to reality. Danny was squatting next to him holding a large gauze to his wound.

"Danny?" Steve grunted.

"You were expecting someone else?" The detective asked fondly. Steve swallowed and blinked.

"Grace?" He asked. Danny locked eyes with him before turning his attention back to his task.

"She's with Rachel, Kono and the paramedics… another rig is on the way for you tough guy," he replied. So many thoughts were running through Steve's mind.

"How?" He asked. Again Danny locked eyes and this time didn't look away.

"Steven I get all tingly when you go monosyllabic on me," he smirked. "I couldn't risk Sassiwell finding out but Dax tagged me with a transmitter when you were helping Grant."

That's right, Steve's brain pieced together, the two men had been standing pretty close to one another. It had almost seemed like Dax was slightly behind the detective.

"As we left he slipped me an ear piece, that's what I was doing in the dark van, listening to what the plan was," Danny explained further. Steve shook his head but then nodded.

"Good," he slurred. "S'good wrk..."

"Steve? Hey come on babe... Ah damn it," Danny snarled. Steve opened his eyes in confusion not knowing when he'd shut them. He looked down and was surprised to find his shirt soaked through with blood. It could only mean one thing.

"Artery?" He croaked.

"Think so, must be a nick because it's bleeding good but you aren't dead so..." He trailed off. Steve couldn't help but laugh despite his pain.

"S, silver l, lining, yeah?" He grinned wondering when the room had gotten so cold. "D, didn't think y, you had it in y, you Danno," he added cockily.

"Yeah, yeah, you weren't bleeding like a sieve I'd pop you one for that. I can be very optimistic," Danny shrugged then added, "when I almost die of poisoning and my daughter is targeted by an international psycho and my best friend takes a bullet for my family... I'm optimistic it can't get any worse than this... Don't make me a liar and die on me Steve because I won't come back from that, you hear me? I nearly lost Grace but we saved her, my heart can't take another scare like that. Besides, I put work into you, a lot, I'll be damned if I'm going to house train a new pet SEAL. One in a life time is all I can handle."

By the end of the rant, Steve was grinning from ear to ear and despite his dropping eyes and numbing body. The smile disappeared however as the tang of copper started filling his mouth.

"Danny..."

"Just hang on Steve, helps almost..."

"Z'ere's no exit w, wound," Steve slurred as the metallic taste increased and it became harder and harder to breathe. "N, not j, just the artery," he added. He'd seen wounds like this before, on soldiers on victims... On bodies. If they were lucky enough to survive them they very rarely came out the same.

And that scared the hell out of the rough Navy SEAL.

"You remember that time at your place after I busted my knee chasing a perp? You invited me and Grace to your beach?" Unsure of where Danny was going with his story and why Steve dying brought it on, the SEAL could only nod remembering the exact moment Danny was talking about.

"I couldn't go in the water but Grace wanted to and I told her to stay shallow but do you remember what happened?" Danny asked. Steve slowed his breathing to try and hold out longer and nodded settling into his partner's comforting warm embrace. "What happened Steve?" The detective urged with a bit of a jostle.

"R, rip tide... R, rocks," Steve wheezed.

"That's right," Danny nodded. "I was terrified but you in all your dolphin flipping glory ripped off your shirt and swam like it were your life that depended on it."

"H, had too," Steve coughed. "Grace..."

"Then you got caught and put yourself between her and the rocks and took a pretty nasty beating before getting both of you back to shore," Danny continued. Steve smiled through bloody lips and nodded again.

"Th, three ribs..." He managed.

"Cracked, yup," Danny finished for him.

"N'st, stitches..."

"43 to be exact and a fantastic concussion but you still pulled my daughter to safety and she didn't have a scratch on her," the detective said almost in disbelief. "All you asked for the next twenty four hours when you woken up for concussion checks was if Grace was okay... Steve... Steven!" The Navy SEAL popped his eyes open again not realizing he'd let them shut.

"M'ere," he squeaked barely. The cold hand of nothing good was becoming all too strong for Steve to ignore as his head lulled into Danny's chest and his eyes refused to stay open.

"You're a fighter Steve, not just for your own survival but to make sure others do to," Danny practically pleaded. "Don't let this be it, you hear me? You've got a lot a people that'll be pissed if you roll over and die, me included. Understand?" Steve did understand, when he was with the SEALs he'd almost died a few times but he'd never really had something to come home to. He never really had a "home" in his adult life period.

"Eh! McGarret, do you understand?!"

Then Five-0 had been dropped in his lap, a strong team with a bond as close as family and as Steve's body started shutting down he thought of just how many people would actually truly miss him if he died.

"M'ere D'no…" the SEAL whispered. "N'c'nt leave y'n charge…" The last thing Steve felt was Danny chuckling and then the sound of boots running towards them.

Thoughts? Hope this wasn't TOO sappy but I had to get it out of my system as the muse dictated to me. LOL. Still a few more to go and NO this isn't a death fic... could you imagine? I'd beat myself up for ending it like that. Ha ha ha

Thanks for reading!

Oz