CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Title: "Salvation: Forever and Always: Our Love, Our Legacy"

Author: Michelle Heath

Rating: MA for adult situations and language

Summary: Story #8 in the Salvation series. The Five-0 family face challenges that make them all re-evaluate their lives.

Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the property of the author!

Date Written: September 20, 2011

(After hanging up with his wife, Danny hits the speed dial for his father-in-law and lies down on top of the hotel room bed while he waits for him to answer. Danny's mind is working in overdrive and he's trying to figure out exactly what Alexei's agenda is, but nothing is standing out.)

"Danny? Did you get anything out of Dimitri?"

"Yeah. I think Steve's in trouble."

"What makes you say that, Son?"

"Dimitri Kasavich knew Steve was in command of the SEAL team sent to get his brother. He also said he'd rather his brother die a martyr than spend the rest of his life in prison. I'm going back out to the prison in the morning and try talking to Dimitri again, but I doubt I'll get much more out of him."

"Listen, Danny, don't waste a lot of time on him in the morning. If you don't get anything else, get yourself on the first plane back here. If you're right, we have a bigger problem than we first thought. Have you told anyone else what you suspect?"

"Yeah, Caroline, but I told her not to say anything to Sam."

"Good."

"I'm going to check the visitors and phone logs at the prison in the morning and see if anyone's been to see or called Dimitri since he's been there. He said he hadn't seen or talked to Alexei in years, but that doesn't mean he hasn't had a third party swapping messages between them."

"Agreed. How the Hell could Dimitri or Alexei Kasavich, or anyone else for that matter, possibly know that Steve would be called back to active duty and given command of the team sent in to get Alexei?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself, Mike. There's more to this threat that meets the eye."

"I think you're right, Son. I'm going to have a talk with Bill Harte first thing in the morning and see what he has to say about this. In the meantime, you be careful."

"Always, Mike."

(Mike is very troubled when he ends the call with Danny, and he stands on his back deck looking out into the night. He knows that Steve's team is on the ground at a U.S. base close to Jalalabad waiting for Alexei Kasavich to show up to collect the biological weapon, and he's worried. Glancing at his watch, he sees that it's 2145 hours, but he doesn't hesitate in the slightest. Pulling his cellular phone back out of his pocket, he hits a speed dial and waits patiently.)

"Lt. Montgomery."

"Good evening, Lieutenant. I'm sorry to call you at such a late hour, but I'm going to need you to meet me at the base ASAP. I've just received some new information regarding Lt. Cmdr. McGarrett's op that we need to deal with immediately."

"I'm on my way, Sir. I'll be there in twenty."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Just what's so important that you have to go running back to the base at this time of night, Mike?"

(But when Mike turns around and Libby sees the worry in his eyes. Mike Thrasher isn't the kind of man to worry needlessly, and it takes lot to make warning klaxons go off in his head. If Mike feels he needs to return to the base at this hour and needs Tony to meet him there, something is most definitely wrong. Libby also knows that her husband is in full military mode and won't give her any specific information because it's classified, but she asks anyway.)

"What is it, Mike, what's happened? Is it Steve?"

"Steve's fine as far as I know, Libby. I've just received some new information and I need to deal with it so I'm going to the base. I'm not sure when I'll be home."

"Do I need to go to Sam?"

"No. Sam doesn't need to know anything about this, Libby. Not yet, anyway."

"Mike. ."

"I'll call you as soon as I can, Libby. Try not to worry."

(Libby doesn't say another word. She simply hugs and kisses her husband and offers him a small smile following the code that the wives of SEALs live by every, single day; send your SEAL off with a smile, no matter what. .

Caroline, her pillow in her hand, walks into Sam's and Steve's bedroom to find Sam already in a night gown and walking out of the bathroom. Sam smiles when she sees the pillow in her sister's hand; when they were little girls and had spend the night parties, they would end up sitting on each other's beds watching horror movies on television and giggling long into the night; at least, until either Anne Murdock or Libby Thrasher put an end to the girls' fun.)

"So, you channel-surf for a horror movie and I'll get the popcorn?"

"Deal."

"Be right back."

(Caroline watches her sister walk out of the room and takes a moment to pull herself together. She's never kept anything from Sam before, not even when they were little, and she doesn't want to do so now. But Caroline knows that Sam would only be upset if she knew what Dimitri Kasavich told Danny, and the last thing Caroline wants to do is give her sister another reason to worry about Steve. By the time Sam comes back upstairs with a huge bowl of buttered popcorn and some napkins, Caroline has found a 1970's Christopher Lee Dracula movie that has both of them in stitches ten minutes into the movie. . .

(Steve is lying on a cot in the tent that was assigned to him upon reaching the U.S. base, and is staring up at the top of the tent. They've just returned from doing recon on the weapons laboratory, which is nothing more than an abandoned house at the edge of Jalalabad, and he's got a feeling. Something's off and he just can't quite put his finger on what that something is, and it's driving him nuts. Checking his watch, he realizes that it's 2230 hours in Hawaii and Mike is most likely asleep, but he needs to know if they've picked up anything new since last they talked. Getting up, Steve rapidly strides toward the communications tent. The young Sergeant on duty looks up in surprise as Steve steps into the tent.)

"Lt. Cmdr. McGarrett, I was just going to send someone for you, Sir. Adm. Thrasher's on the line for you from Pearl."

"Put him through, Sergeant."

"Yes, Sir."

(And in moments, the video screen flickers and Mike, with Tony sitting across the conference table from him, appears on the screen. Steve's gut is beginning to churn and he knows he was right in his suspicions that he was missing something.)

"Admiral, you have some new information for me, Sir?"

"Indeed, I do, Commander. Dimitri Kasavich knew you were in command of the SEAL team sent after his brother."

"How the Hell did he know that, Sir?"

"That's what we're trying to find out now, Son. Until we do, I want you and your men to lay low."

"But, Sir, if Alexei Kasavich shows up to pick up the weapon. . . "

"Lt. Montgomery just checked in with the C.I.A., Alexei is still in Istanbul."

"For the time being, maybe, but he won't stay there much longer."

"Be that as it may, Commander, your orders are to go into a holding pattern and stay there until further notice. I want to know how Dimitri Kasavich knew you were going to be in command of the team coming after his brother before you go anywhere near that weapons lab. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly, Sir."

"Good. See to it that you're in the communications tent around 0930 hours my time tomorrow."

"Aye, aye, Sir."

(Walking back to his tent, a smile touches Steve's face as he realizes his father-in-law just told him he was going to be able to talk to his wife again. The smile, however, is quickly replaced by a frown as he tries to figure out just what the Hell is going on.)