Thank you all for reviewing the last chapter. If I have missed any reviewer and didn't respond, believe me, it was not intentionally.

A big thank you again to Cokie316 and Sherry57. They are doing much more than just beta-ing my work. Thank you.

Treason – Chapter 11 – Falling into place

Cabin 435 aboard the 'Fortuna'

Steve opens the bathroom door to a sight he did not expect. Gloria standing in the middle of the room, looking like a nervous wreck; and their watchdog Raoul slumped over in a chair.

"I knocked him out," Gloria says and motions to a soda can standing on the desk. "He won't wake up for a few hours."

"Did you put the phone and gun…"

"Yes. Please, you have to help me. I'm so sorry for what I had to do to you. But Norton, he…"

"Calm down," Steve interrupts the almost hysterical Gloria. He looks at her as he leans against the closed bathroom door; the pain in his leg is almost unbearable now. It's a good thing that the pants Gloria provided for him are a size too big or his leg wouldn't have fit into the pant leg. There is a lot of swelling, and his moving around doesn't make it any better. The pain from the abused muscles has increased immensely over the last few minutes, to a point that Steve won't rule out an injury to the bone itself. For sure not a complete fracture, he wouldn't be able to stand on a broken leg, but something is definitely wrong. "You shouldn't have knocked him out."

Steve's whole plan just went down the drain. Now he can't play along anymore; he needs to find another way to find out who Assante's source is. And he needs to get to his mother if she isn't off the ship yet. As soon as Norton finds out what his wife did, they will be screwed.

"Please, Commander, you have to help me. Norton is holding my children hostage. They are on the ship… he… he hit them. My boy has a broken arm because of him. I will do anything to save my kids. Please."

This is getting better by the minute. Now he also has to rescue two children? "What are you talking about? How old are they?"

"Nine and five. They are two doors down. I have the information you are looking for. I know who is selling the information to my husband, and I can prove it," Gloria tells Steve and pulls a small book out of her pocket. "All his transactions from the last twelve months are in here. Names, dates, everything. I will testify against him, but you have to take my children and me with you."

It was no question for Steve that he would have helped her anyway, but getting Norton would be an added bonus. Although before he can respond there is movement at the door. The doorknob slowly turns and any second now someone will be coming into the cabin. Steve motions to Gloria to hush and to stand against the wall next to the door as he makes his way to the door as fast as his leg allows him. He just stands pressed against the wall, ready to grab any intruder when the door opens.

H50 – H50 – H50

U.S. Coast Guard, Sand Island, Joint Operation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection

"Chin, any change?" Danny looks over to the Lieutenant, who has just finished his conversation with one of the Coast Guard officers who are helping them in their operation with Customs.

"No, Steve is still on the ship. Or at least the phone is," Chin added as an afterthought.

"Captain, are your men in position?" Danny looks at the officer who is coordinating the operation.

"Yes. They are waiting with the guys from SWAT for the 'Go'. They are in one of the containers out of sight." Captain Underwood motions for the two Five-0 to join him at the window. They are in the Coast Guard offices on Sand Island, the ideal base for their operation; it is practically next door to the docked 'Fortuna'. "See the light blue container? Our guys are there."

Chin and Danny can easily make out the container and are glad to see that they are covered from view from the Fortuna, but still only a few yards away from it. If necessary they would be on the ship in a matter of seconds.

"Danny, how much longer do you want to wait? It's been forty minutes since our last contact. Don't you think we should have heard either from Steve or Doris by now?" Chin thinks that something went wrong, that Steve's plan was not going according to plan.

"When Customs is ready we will board the ship with a small group. Check out the situation. Get some Intel and then call in SWAT."

"We are ready whenever you are," Captain Underwood assured them.

"Good. Myers, are your men ready to go in?" Danny asks the officer from Customs Services. Five-0 had worked with him before and know that he is competent.

"We're ready, only waiting for you."

"Good, than let's do this."

Five officers from customs, plus Chin and Danny, both dressed as customs officers head out to board the ship for a 'routine' inspection.

H50 – H50 – H50

Doris acts on instinct alone when her arm is suddenly grabbed and she is pulled forcefully into the cabin. She connects somewhat painfully with the half open door, but manages to turn a little in the strong grip that is holding her wrist. Her knee finds its target which is answered by a pained groan, but the grip doesn't loosen. Instead she is shoved into the wall, her arm painfully twisted behind her back. That is when she hears her son's voice.

"Move and you're dead… MOM?!"

She is instantly let go and turns around to the sight of her son. Steve stands slightly bent forward with her gun loosely in his right hand that is now pointing towards the floor. He looks at her with pain filled eyes and pants out, "What the hell are you doing here?" as he goes down to his knees, finally giving in to the pain her knee caused.

"Steve!" she calls out and rushes to him. Gently rubbing his back she looks around the room, seeking out Gloria. Trying to figure out what was going on. "Steve, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" Steve grumbles as he gets back onto his feet. The pain in his leg is as strong as ever, but the other pain is already fading. "How did you get here?" Steve looks his mother over for visible injuries, finding none he looks at her expecting an answer.

"They are too stupid to cuff someone properly," Doris says and takes the gun back from Steve he took from her just a minute before.

Shaking his head Steve turns to Gloria, "Does Norton know that you brought me here?"

"No, he thinks we are next to his cabin, one deck above. He doesn't know we're here."

"So, we are safe for the moment?"

"I think so." She nods her head at him.

"Steve, what is this? Why is this woman not restrained, or better yet knocked out?" Doris obviously doesn't have much sympathy for Gloria.

"Her children are being held hostage two doors down."

"What? Are they okay?" Doris looks at Gloria.

"My husband is a terrible man. I need to get my children away from him. That is why we are here. I hoped to get away, but then your son came on board, and everything… I'm so sorry for what I had to do."

"It's okay. We will get your children." Doris looks at her son, "Steve, we have to go get them. Come on."

His mom's attitude changed so fast it makes his head spin. "Slow down, mom. We will get them." Steve is now heavily leaning against the table. The little 'fight' with his mother didn't help his leg and for sure not his shoulder. "Gloria, are they guarded?"

"No, they are just locked in the cabin."

"Good. Do you have a key?"

"Yes, Raoul had one." She shows the key she took from the still unconscious guard.

"Okay. Gloria, listen to me. Go over there and bring them here. Tell them to be really quiet. We will guard the hallway. Go, before they find out that their prisoners are missing. We don't have much time."

Steve opens the door and looks around the empty hallway, and motions Gloria to hurry. He watches her disappear into the cabin down the hall, and a minute later she comes back out with two kids in tow; a little boy and a bigger girl.

Steve closes the door after the three are in the cabin and looks at the little group. This is for sure not how he had envisioned his plan. Neither his mother nor two children and Gloria were in the equation.

"Do they speak English?"

"Yes, they do."

"Hi," Steve says as he kneels down in front of the two scared children. "I'm Steve, and this is Doris. We are here to help you. Would you like to leave the ship and go to the beach?"

"Yes," the girl whispers. And the little boy only nods his head.

"Okay. Then we will do that. You have to help us though. You have to be really quiet. No talking when we leave the cabin. You think you can do that?" Steve looks at the two with a reassuring smile.

"I can. But my sister is always talking," the little boy says.

"I'm not."

"Do you want to tell me your names?" Steve asks after seeing that they seem to warm up to him.

"My name is Nino," the little boy says and tentatively stretches his hand out staring at him with huge, dark blue eyes under a mop of black, wavy hair.

"Very nice to meet you, Nino." Steve smiles at the little boy and shakes his outstretched hand.

"I'm Luana," the girl pipes in. She doesn't hide behind her mother any longer and also shakes Steve's hand. She is the spitting image of her mother, but also has dark blue eyes. But her hair is a touch lighter than that of her little brother.

Steve learned long ago during his training with the SEALs, if you have to rescue children and have to take them any distance, you better make friends with them right away. It makes it so much easier. It never ends well if you have to carry a screaming and kicking child. If the kids trust you, they do what they're told. Mostly. Hopefully.

"Okay, listen up," Steve starts to say as he stands back up. Coming to his feet, he sways and would have fallen if his mother hadn't stepped in and steadied him.

Doris felt the heat radiating off him when she touched him a few minutes ago, but now almost hugging him, she is worried how warm he feels to the touch. Infection must have set in already.

"Thank you," Steve tells his mom after he finds his balance. The head rush surprised him and almost made him crumple back to the floor.

"What's the plan, Steve?" Doris asks, thinking the best way to keep Steve motivated is to distract him from his various injuries which must be painful.

"We are going to wait a few minutes. I'm calling Danny, and when they are in motion, we go."

Steve hopes that a group of customs officers will divert Norton's attention to that situation, and give them the opportunity to leave the ship the way they boarded. They are just one deck above the hatch through which they came in, and Steve hopes he will manage to get his group down there without incident, so they can be picked up by the waiting Coast Guard.

H50 – H50 – H50

Thank you so much for reading. We're getting closer to a showdown. All the groups are in position. They will make their move in the next chapter.

Has Norton figured out what his wife is up to?

Are they already on the search for Doris?

Will Danny and Chin be able to blend in with the customs officers?

And Steve, will he be able to escort his little group off the ship undetected?

I can promise you not everything goes as planned. ;-)