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Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.

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Chapter Twenty-nine: Under the Island

Though his frozen fingers still held Brody's gun after managing to shoot Roarke, Danny couldn't force his arms up for a second time as the wounded man turned on him. The bullet had hit him in the back and just below the right shoulder blade. Exiting high near his collar bone, Roarke's shirt was already blood soaked and it was slowing him down but it wasn't a mortal wound. So Danny's satisfaction at actually hitting the correct hazy jumbled shape was all too brief as he was painfully hauled up by his shirt and he lost his grip on the weapon. When it clattered from his hands down to the deck, Roarke kicked it away. In the distance they could both hear the roar of the HPD boat as it honed in and he boldly grinned at the hitman.

"Not as easy as you thought it would be." Danny choked out, but he was gasping from the pain in his side as his broken rib grated and the only thing holding him upright was Roarke's own anger.

Roarke raged at him as he roughly yanked him over to the side of the violently rocking motor boat. "And I told you this would end."

The second boat's engines sounded increasingly louder but Danny knew he was going into the rough seas and he took a huge breath of air as he sagged weakly in Roarke's hands. He also knew either Steve or Kono had killed Brody. They were so very close but he was still fighting the effects of the strong sedative. Taking yet a second deep breath, his eyes widened when a second rosy wound appeared unexpectedly on the man's temple.

"Yeah, for you." Danny muttered sarcastically. But his surge of relief turned to shock when Roarke's dying momentum tumbled them both over the side. Powerless to help himself, he hit the surf hard and had a terrible déjà vu feeling that his had already happened to him before.

As he was battered in the cold rough waters, Danny could see the fading sparkle of sunlight as he sank deeper. Fear spiked through him as he realized his dreams had been a premonition and he was going to drown with or without his friend's help. Already the surface was too far away and he was sinking fast with Roarke's convulsing hands wrapped tightly in the folds of his shirt. The man's death grip was solid and Danny simply couldn't escape the rapid plunge.

Kono's shot was clean and hit Roarke as intended. But she and Chin watched horrified as both men went over the far side of the smaller boat. Cursing, Steve was already in the water and diving down to intercept the fast sinking shapes. Moments later, there was another loud splash as June also dove into the waves.

"Where's she going?" Shouted Kono as she ran over to the edge of the HPD vessel to see June disappearing into the depths. "June!"

On her feet again as the team approached Roarke and Danny, June's breath caught in her throat as she heard Danny's surprised fear when he tumbled over the side. Without thinking, she kicked off her shoes and dove off the HPD boat with only one goal in mind: get to Danny and make the awful premonition "wrong".

She'd been wrapped up in his traumatic feelings for weeks now and was all too familiar with the nightmares. Rather than sitting idly by, she was determined to make it right – change it – fix it. She knew all about Danny's strong impressions of being "off" and of the terrible dreams where he drowned and that left him breathless or in a hyperventilated state. In fact one or two had been so bad, June herself had woken up in the middle of the night believing she herself was dying. But this was going to be different – this was real and he wasn't alone and she wasn't willing to stay the messenger. With Steve already in the water and gaining on the swirling bodies, June was close as she aimed for Danny's unmoving shape and finally reached out to grab him.

Closing his eyes, Danny stopped his faint struggles as his ears popped but he continued to doggedly hold his breath. "Please." He whispered in his mind as he tried to conserve air and his lungs began to burn. And finally, he felt two small, strong arms wrap around his waist as June bravely reached him and fought to pull upwards. Kicking furiously, she managed to get them moving but she was hampered by the combined weight of the two men and the strong currents. Another set of strong hands grabbed his bound arms and then he felt vicious tugging between himself and Roarke's body. Swimming around them, Steve physically tried to yank and pry Roarke away but he realized that the man's hands were seized and clenched in Danny's shirt. June's efforts had at least stopped the descent and allowed Steve precious time, but she was making little headway.

Bound hand and foot, Danny's head lolled in the current and his eyes were closed. "Nonono." The word ran through Steve's mind continuously as his heart hammered in his chest. "Not drowning on my watch, D. No way." He silently promised as he pulled out his knife. Focused on his job, he didn't dare yet look again at his face as he deftly used the knife to cut and peel away Danny's shirt. Once it was off, Roarke's body was forgotten as it rolled away in the fast moving current with pieces of material still clutched in its dead hands.

Feeling the dual support and Roarke's weight drop away, Danny fought to re-open his eyes in the murky waters. Weakening, he grimaced and couldn't prevent the shudder that ran through his body as he fought against the impulse to take in a breath.

With June around his waist and Steve at his shoulder the rescuers were feverishly kicking their way up. Feeling the faint movements, Steve glanced at Danny's face as he helped June swim rapidly upwards towards the surface. Squeezing his bound arms Steve tried to convey his demands that Danny just hold on a few seconds longer. But shaking his head with lungs bursting, Danny wasn't sure he could stop the automatic choking inhale of harsh saltwater. And it happened just before they'd reached the bright sunlight. Terrified now as his one spastic need to inhale let loose, the last thing Danny saw as a flood of seawater entered his body was Steve's frantically worried face just a few inches from his own.

Steve was yelling for Chin and Kono as he broke the surface. June was gasping and had Danny wrapped in her arms as she tread water and fought the high waves. As she was buffeted, her own strength was ebbing and she was having trouble keeping them both afloat. Going under once, June felt Danny being taken away as Steve took over. Surfacing, she coughed and choked her way back to the HPD boat.

"What were you thinking?" Kono said, as she pulled the exhausted young woman back on board.

White-faced and shocked by what she'd done, June's eyes were huge as she coughed up water and fell onto her knees. "It was his dream and I couldn't let it happen."

Kono didn't say a word as she realized the truth of the words and then dropped into the water as Steve approached to help protect Danny from the sides of the roughly bobbing HPD boat. Chin knelt down on the deck as well with waiting arms.

"Needed her help. Again." Steve puffed in admiration sparing June a grateful glance as he positioned Danny's limp body for his team to pull him into the boat. "Get him up. Chin, CPR." Panting from the exertion, Steve dropped to his knees, knife still in hand and felt for a pulse.

"Come on." Steve whispered. Searching grimly, he finally found a slow and sluggish pulse but Chin was frowning as he continued CPR. "Not breathing."

"He's got a pulse. Keep at it." Steve demanded needlessly, and within just a few short seconds Chin was soon rewarded as Danny gurgled harshly. Rolling him to his side quickly, Chin supported him as he choked up volumes of water. Eyes closed and shuddering, Danny wheezed and groaned. At his feet, Steve had already slashed through the zip ties and was fumbling for keys to get the cuffs off in a silent frantic rage.

"Got it." He said with an unevenly as he finally managed to toss the cuffs away and gently massaged Danny's bruised wrists. Helping to roll him onto his back, Steve and Chin continued basic triage starting with the heavy bruising on his chest and around the site of the originally injured ribs. Both men were distressed to find at least one definite break as Danny moaned from their gentle care.

Chin noticed the lack of movement first. "Something else is wrong." He said as he sat back on his heels and studied the too quiet hands. And Steve frowned as he agreed and watched Danny struggle to breathe. Eyes still closed, Danny was panting and grimacing in pain; other than that though, he disturbingly wasn't moving.

"June?" he muttered as he looked from Danny to her. "How's he doing?"

Surprised at the question and the unexpected request, June leaned back down and took Danny's limp hand. Frowning, she felt how exhausted he was and the pain in his chest. And she sensed an extreme lethargy that he couldn't seem to shake.

"He can't move and I don't know why. He's exhausted and his chest hurts but it's more. More than that." Worried, June looked at Steve and then Chin. "He's 'stuck'. I can't describe it."

The whisper was low and almost too soft but it came from Danny as he lay shivering on the deck while Kono packed towels and blankets around him.

"Drugs." First one and then two fingers twitched on his left hand as he tried to find the strength to move and Steve silently grabbed up the weak hand. With the feel of the boat rolling under his head, Danny coughed and wheezed. The sun felt good on his face and part of him felt surprisingly at ease and relaxed knowing now that both Roarke and Brody were gone for good. But he still held a faint spark of fear as he whispered. "Can't move."

And then his breath hitched as he felt Chin at his side, Steve's firm hand on his own and Kono desperately rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm him up. "Not the dream." He whispered. "Didn't happen."

With a rough voice, Steve squeezed his hand harder as he stared at the pale face. "No way, D. We have you. Just rest."

Both Chin and Steve then checked for injection sites but found nothing until Chin reached his neck area. "Here." He said, as he found the small, round red mark on the right side of Danny's neck and very close to an artery. Newly alarmed, both leaned closer to check Danny's shallow breathing as he faded in and out of consciousness. Chin's next words were full of admiration as he realized the massive effort it would have taken for Danny to hit Roarke. "How'd he manage to shoot that guy?"

His answer was a soft snort followed by weakly muttered words. "Couldn't let you have all the fun." Daring to grin, they looked down as Danny forced his eyes open once more. "Hello June." He whispered with a brief smile as he saw the soaking wet young woman next to Kono. Tucking her dripping hair behind her ear, June smiled broadly. "You sir need to stay out of trouble."

But Steve rolled his eyes at her words as he lurched to his feet. "Well that's going to be impossible. He has this problem …" Meaning to say with a certain tone, he found himself interrupted by the prone man at this feet who managed to blurt out a whispered. "Sure do."

And as he raised his eyebrows in surprise, Danny gave a short knowing chuckle that was followed by a few sharp coughs. "Such a face." He muttered, and he trailed off to cough again. Wincing, he closed his eyes but not before Steve could see the subtle glimmer of anxiety. And Kono glanced up worriedly as she fixed the blankets around him.

Concerned about the drugs, Steve didn't take his eyes off Danny as he started to give orders and moved to the HPD boat's controls. "Kono, radio for emergency at the dock and either you or Chin has to bring that boat back to port with Brody's body. Tell HPD to get out here and being a search for the other one."

As he looked at the high swells and gauged the vicious current, he tracked it towards the distant sea cave and smirked. "Tell them to check in there first." Pointing to the booming dark mouth of the cave, Kono followed his eye and gave a hoarse laugh in appreciation. "Nice!"

Chin looked to Kono who was already on her cell phone and he indicated that he'd take the motor boat. Sharing a thumbs up, Kono nodded and took up a comforting position near June and Danny as she voiced her demands for assistance.

Steve turned once more before starting the engine to look down at Danny who was far too quiet and had drifted off again. And he asked June quietly with respect in his eyes. "Stay with him. Please. Until we get back."

Nodding, June sat down on the deck next to Danny and kept a hold of his lax hand under the blankets. Giving him a gentle squeeze, she willed him to calm and echoed his team's feelings of safety and warmth until the EMT's had to move her away at the marina.

~ to be continued ~