Price continued to jog down the street, the hotel was coming into sight, his mail was hidden in the pocket of his hoodie, the temperature was about forty-five degrees and by the afternoon he was going to be heading back to Hawaii and spending Christmas with the woman he loved.

But before he could leave, he had to clear things about Bennett and this current case with McKnight, who had just been released from the hospital the night before. Now things were starting to get back to normal around New York.

As he entered the lobby, he lowered his hood to his hoodie, his sweatpants had a bit of water on them, and melted snow had caused massive puddles in the roads.

He walked up the stairs in a partial jog and walked down the main hall heading toward his room, he pulled the card key out of his pants pocket and slid it into the lock, the light turned from red to green and the door opened to Price's hotel room.

He sighed, tossed his mail onto the desk near his Ipad and turned it on, as it logged on and turned to the desktop, he immediately removed his hoodie and tossed it into the laundry hamper he bought, doing this was definitely a pain in the butt, going to the dry cleaner to do his laundry and pay seventy-five dollars a day for his hotel room was annoying.

As he proceeded to take his t-shirt off, his Ipad began to beep, he turned to a Skype request appearing on his computer, the only time he used this video chat was to talk with his teammates during cases.

As he logged into his account, the request came from SurferCop031304, Price smirked, and he knew who it was immediately. He pulled his chair up and sat down, accepting the request, the camera came to life.

"A little too obvious of a name huh Officer?" Price asked with a smile on his face

Kono's face came onto the computer screen, her hair was down with a slight curl in it, and she smiled gently at him.

"Look at you, all scruffy." Kono playfully smiled

Price rubbed his face "Oh yeah, I haven't had a chance to get myself cleaned up, things have been pretty hectic."

"I know." Kono held up a newspaper "I saw it."

Price smiled at the title Mob terrorist taken down by local governor appointed crime force. "So my work has reached your way?"

"You bet it did." Kono smirked "I'm impressed, figured you'd need me to save your ass all the time."

"Hey, you've seen my ass." Price winked "I don't think I need to worry about myself." He took a pause "So, what's this case?"

"Right, I told you about that." Kono leaned back in her chair "You know Chief Fryer? The one who put me undercover in Delano's group of ex-cops?"

"Yup."

"He…died. Killed by a woman named Hillary Chaver, ever heard of her?"

Price leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment "No, never did."

"She was killed by McGarrett, only problem was that she wasn't working alone, her partner is still on the run and HPD is tracking him down."

"And the two are working for whom?"

Kono rubbed her temples "I don't know. That's another part we're still trying to clear."

"And I take it Max was another victim?"

"How did you know that?"

"He's here in New York. Said something about a conference, but even I knew something else was going on."

Kono nodded "Yeah, he had to go to your neck of the woods for some recovery sessions. He'll be back here by the new year."

Price smiled and began to fiddle with his mail. This was bugging him, he was happy that Kono was talking to him again, but something just seemed to be off with the mail. He was having a bit of an odd feeling; things had been going bad the last couple of days.

"So, aside from cop work, what else have you been doing?" Kono asked

"Well let's see, I got robbed of three thousand dollars by my six months pregnant cousin, I'm just now catching up on my sleep and I dreamt I followed you through Queens."

"What was I doing in Queens?"

"You uh….delivered me a message to me, telling me I need to hurry up before I lose you. Then you climbed into a van with Delano, Ramirez, Bennett and…Adam Noshimuri."

"Really though? You're still jealous about him?"

"What can I say?" Price asked as he stopped at one letter "I'm army, I protect those I'm fighting for." He looked down and sighed "And speaking of the army."

Price tore the envelope open; it was addressed from the Army base in New York City, the same one he transferred to back in '06, as he tore it open, a series of papers were inside. He took them out and silently read them to himself.

"So? What happened?"

Price sighed "It seems I am being honorably discharged from the Army and Delta Force following this whole fiasco with the Enterprise, the Pentagon just now considered it a military mission and catching Ramirez also had its benefits."

Kono smiled "That's great, now you won't be called on deployment right?"

"Yup, it's funny; I've had some tour time I needed to complete anyway." Price smirked "Detective Price…"

"Huh?"

"Oh," Price looked at her "I was trying out my police rank on my tongue, gotta get used to it I guess."

Kono smiled "Well, now just transfer to HPD and I'll try to get you on Five-0."

Price returned it calmly, though he knew it could never happen, he wasn't their material, to him, no matter what he did, he'd always be considered the outsider "I'll think on…"

His phone rang next to him; he picked it up "Price. Yes….yes…of course, I'll be there in an hour."

Kono gave him a confused look, the first time they've gotten a chance to talk since he left and he got called back into work.

"That was the Governor, they finished looking over Bennett's will and he wants to discuss the future of the task force."

"Why?"

"Because, he was the main benefactor to the team, his finances provided everything we had, and I highly doubt the New York tax payers will want to pay for a task force that goes outside the law."

Kono nodded "I think that was the same thing with us. So…you have to leave?"

Price nodded, tears in his eyes "Yeah, I'm sorry sweetheart, but I promise, I will be there."

Kono smiled "Good, got a little surprise for you when you get home."

Price's face grew beat red as Kono rolled her chair back, she had a pair of black boots going up to her knees, black pants that framed her legs perfectly, just as Price always told her, that her legs were the part of her body that always caught his eye with a low necked red top. She gently ran her fingers through the one side of her hair and placed her right leg over her left.

Price didn't even realize for how long he had been looking at her….or how long he had been open mouthed drooling.

"Everything okay my Captain?" Kono teasingly smiled

Price slapped himself trying to snap out of it "Oh yeah, yeah, that is definitely a surprise."

Kono smiled again "You're so cute when you blush."

"I try to be." Price smiled "Your pretty cute yourself when you blush."

Kono smirked "Yeah right. You know me too well."

"What can I say Kono?" Price smiled, time to get her like how she got him in the hospital "I like my women like how I like my country, tough on the outside, but all gooey on the inside."

"Are you comparing me to the US or candy?" Kono winked at him

His head hung "Don't mock me!" He brought himself back "Anyway, I'll call you?"

"Yup, I love you."

Price smiled "You're my world Kono. I love you too."


His face was shaved and he was back to normal, grey cargoes and a black t-shirt with a dark gray collared t-shirt overtop, he walked into the Governor's building to find Mark, Robert, Paul and even surprisingly Lori sitting in the waiting area.

"You got the call too?" He asked

"Yeah, it's weird." Mark replied "Where have you been?"

"Had a chat with my girlfriend for the first time in a week." Price sat down beside Robert and Demarco "Any clues about this?"

"I think we're finished." Robert sighed "It's all in the facts; Bennett was a terrorist, now we're going to be trialed as his accomplices."

"Always gotta think the worst of it huh Thorne?"

"Enough!" Price barked at them "We'll find out when we do, until then, everyone just stop thinking about it."

The door to the back opened and Charles McKnight was rolled out to the team by Jessica, the secretary, he always was a stocky guy, being at five foot six, his right leg was in a cast, his three of his fingers on his right hand were splinted along with two on his right, he had a back brace slipped around his stomach and a neck wrap covered his neck.

"Welcome gentlemen." McKnight smiled, he carried the typical and thick New Yorker accent "I figured it would be easier for me to come out here to do the meeting out here in the lobby."

Price nodded "Sir, what's going on?"

"I'll be brief to all of you." He leaned back and removed his neck wrap "Bennett was your sole beneficiary and your leader, but the leader point was null and void." He looked at Ryan "You've done well to keep this team afloat as a leader so that's not a problem. In the last few days I have spoken with the chief of police as well as the Lieutenant Governor and we concluded that a team with the benefits you guys have and not being a part of the NYPD is not going to go over well with the tax payers."

"So this is all about your image then?" Demarco shot back "Should have figured."

"Agent Johnson please." McKnight retaliated, anger in his voice which quickly faded to the calm tone he had been using before "Now, we do have an alternative."

"Which is?" Mark asked as Lori leaned forward

"I am authorized to make you all a part of the NYPD, a branch of major crimes, you will be able to work alongside the local police, but you will report directly to me. So no more of this you don't report to anyone anymore."

Everyone nodded in approval, but Lori looked at the Governor with confusion, Price also just watched him, neither responding nor acting to speak up.

"Sir, why am I here then?"

McKnight smiled a warm smile at her "I know you're not a part of this team Agent Weston, but I would like to offer you this position as well. You and Captain Price saved my life, so I want to make you a member of our team as well."

Price leaned forward "Its Detective now Governor. I got discharged this morning from the army."

Everyone looked at him in shock, Price had always been the military guy of the team, and the guy who they thought was regular army and make a career out of it.

"Besides, I prefer being a cop rather than being an Army Captain anyway." Price smirked reassuringly

"I'm glad Price, because the new team needs a leader." McKnight pulled a black box out of his pocket "I knew about your discharge days ago, the commissioner spoke and we both agreed on this."

Price opened the box to the silver single Lieutenant bar inside, he was partially disappointed, going back to Lieutenant was something he didn't want to do for his future, but he knew it had to happen.

"I'll take it sir." Price smiled and closed the box "Guess I'll have to get my old uniform out."

"Things that you thought were real…won't exist anymore."

He thought about what Elias told him when he was arrested, things were changing, and what he thought was reality was slipping away; he needed to know one thing.

"Sir, I need a warrant drafted, and I don't have days to wait for a Judge to get it done."

"What for Lieutenant?"

Price looked at him "I need to dig up a casket….my fathers."

McKnight looked at him with shock as Price leaned back, his hands reaching for his dog tags….only to remember they were currently around Kono's neck.

"I was never allowed to attend the funeral, and I….I need to know it's him in there."

McKnight nodded "I'll contact the DA and have it sent to the church. Anything else?"

Everyone didn't say another word; McKnight took his leave as he went to make his call. Price didn't let his team see him leave; he stood up and stormed out of the room. The last thing he wanted his team to see was their commanding officer crying.

Your seven years old Ryan, quit acting like a baby. His father's words echoed in his ears


The warrant didn't take long to procure, the Governor was very persuasive when it came to the DA, the construction company had begun to dig up the ground surrounding Alex's grave. Price stood off to the side, watching, he was alone, he wished Kono could have been there, even to just provide some sort of comfort.

When it came to his father, she was always there for him, he didn't know why it made him feel so good when Kono was near when his father was brought up, he didn't talk about Danielle much, but he knew how she felt about him.

As the coffin was lifted, Price stepped over, he knew he could identify his father, all he needed to see was his father's arm, when he was in the Marines and when he became a CIA agent, he had a tattoo on his right bicep of the SOG symbol, he felt like he was going to waste a warrant if his father was in the casket.

As the door was lifted by the Minister of the church, Price began to search the body, it was decaying, and the face was already showing the skeleton like features from skin decay, as he lifted the sleeve on the man's shirt, he felt the tears begin to stream down his face.

His theory was confirmed, the tattoo on his right bicep matches the one Price was always told by his family about, the skull with a green burette with the phrase MAC V SOG.

He turned his head "Go on ahead, send him back down."

As he walked back to his rental car, he was done, he knew what he knew was true now, and now he had to get back to Kono and get back to Hawaii.


5 hours later….

Kono pulled into the driveway of her house and sighed, the case was finally done and now maybe things could get back to normal between her and the man she loved.

Something caught her eye with the door, she quickly got out of her car and drew her gun and approached the door, and it was broken in. She quickly pulled out her phone and began to dial a number.

"This is Officer Kalakaua; I have a reported break in at my home, moving in now, and awaiting backup." She clicked her phone off and proceeded inside

Her lock was broken, but it seemed like nothing was touched, as she moved closer, she began to search each one of the rooms, moving from her living room, to the dining room, finally moving into the back rooms, the guest room was clear, but when she moved into the bedroom, it was in absolute shambles.

The sheets were torn off the bed, clothes were thrown from the drawers all over the floor and some of her picture frames were broken, she walked over and held up one in particular that was smashed aside from the picture inside.

She was eighteen when it was taken, Price was standing beside her, it was during her surfing competition before the one that caused her accident, she held the trophy in the cup of her bicep and forearm, Price's arm was wrapped around her hip and her head was on his shoulder.

"Now, he must suffer how I have suffered."

Kono turned as a teaser was hit onto her neck, her head hit the floor, blacking out quickly as the one who attacked her scooped her over his shoulder and took her away.

One chapter left! I decided to merge somethings rather then have it finish it with 30 chapters. Stay tuned for a cliffhanger ending and be ready for everything to come full circle!