Hey All! So I didn't mind the finale, I actually quite liked most of it but I felt it was definitely rushed so I wanted to add some of my own scenes in. Some of this story is just me extending scenes that actually happened on the show, and some of it (the latter half mostly) is how I wish the show ended. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

This couldn't be happening…not again.

Steve jumped in his truck as he broke every speed limit on his way to the exchange. What if he was too late? What if Danny was already dead?

Danny was his constant – plain and simple. He was the one person Steve knew he could count on no matter what. Every important person in Steve's life seemed to always find a way to disappoint him, hurt him, betray him, or leave him…but not Danny – never Danny. Over the past 10 years they had built a friendship – no, a brotherhood – that far surpassed anything Steve could have imagined. The loyalty and love that his partner demonstrated on a daily basis was nothing short of incredible and Steve was so grateful, everyday, to have Danny by his side. The past year had been especially tough, losing Joe White and Doris, but once again Danny was right there. Steve hadn't had a chance to tell Danny this, but when his mom had died, all he wanted to do was sit in silence and have a beer with Danny. So when he opened that door in D.C. to find Danny on the other side – like he always was – Steve knew that he was going to be okay. He couldn't imagine a world where Danny no longer existed, because if he was being completely honest, he wouldn't even want to exist in that world. He knew that he could get through losing almost anyone, hell, he'd practically lost his whole family at this point. But losing Danny…he knew that would be the one that destroyed him completely.

"Snap out of it, he's not dead, he can't be dead" Steve shook his head as his train of thought was literally making him sick to his stomach. For the rest of the drive he kept repeating the same thing over and over: Danny's alive…Danny's alive...Danny's alive.

Finally making it to the exchange spot, and running on pure adrenaline, Steve got out of his truck as he saw the two SUVs pull up. He watched as 4 different people got out of the SUVs…his heart instantly sinking at the realization that none of them were Danny.

"No no no no, they didn't bring him, f*** they didn't bring him!"

"Where is he?" Steve questioned as was finally able to put a face to the woman who had kidnapped his partner.

"2342 Kapule Avenue, you'll find him there," Daiyu Mei said matter-of-factly, reveling in the fear that was etched all over the face of the man who had murdered her husband.

"No, doesn't work for me," Steve pulled out his phone as he tried to hide the panic that was threatening to bubble over. "You're going to live stream him from my phone. I want the geostat data to prove he's where you say he is and he's alive, otherwise there's no deal, alright."

Seconds felt like minutes as Daiyu Mei flashed her smug smile and took his phone. This all felt too familiar – the fear, the nausea, the dread…Steve was right back in South Korea when Hesse was holding his dad captive.

Steve let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Daiyu Mei flashed his phone back at him.

Danny was alive.

The relief he felt at seeing his partner alive quickly turned to dread as he, once again, took in the sight of Danny tied up by his arms, bloodied and beaten. He felt the pit in his stomach grow. He had been in Danny's shoes in the past, he knew what this felt like, and he had prayed that no one he loved ever had to go through it.

"Danny, Danny you okay? Hey?" Steve knew he sounded panicked, but he also knew that there was no way, given the situation, that he could control his emotions.

"I'm fine Steve, don't trust her okay," Danny's soft voice echoed through the phone. God he missed that voice.

And just like that he was gone.

"Hey!" Steve yelled as Daiyu Mei ended the call.

"Now give me the cipher," Daiyu Mei demanded as she handed the phone back to Steve.

Steve reached into his back pocket without hesitation and handed her the cipher. They had already taken a photocopy of it and all he cared about was getting to Danny.

"Good decision," Daiyu Mei smiled, once again pleased at the fact that she was causing Steve so much anxiety and pain.

Steve started to back up towards his truck as his fear reached new heights; Daiyu Mei got what she wanted, which meant that she had no reason to keep Danny alive. This was Wo Fat's wife after all, and if she was even a fraction of the insane man he was, he knew she would make him pay for taking her husband from her.

"Tani, yeah it's me listen, I need an all units alert. Send HPD SWAT to 2343 Kapule avenue. Tell them that's where they're holding Danny. I - I'm 5 minutes out, you tell them that, okay?"

"You got it," Tani replied.

Steve stepped on the gas pedal as his heart rate picked up. He knew that every second was going to count if he wanted to find Danny alive.

After rolling up to the house, the next few minutes felt like a blur. He had managed to get Danny into his truck as Tani sped to the hospital.

After giving his instructions to the hospital, Steve turned his attention back to his best friend who lay bleeding out on his lap. He could feel the warm blood seeping out of his partner's wound as he closed his eyes trying to settle his racing heart.

"You're good buddy, just hang in there Danno," Steve coaxed, hoping to keep Danny conscious.

Danny groaned as he struggled to breathe.

"Ste…"

"I'm right here buddy, I'm right here."

"Y-you, you gave her…" Danny started before Steve abruptly cut him off.

"Of course I did, I don't care about the cipher Danny, you're more important than that, than anything, this should have never happened," Steve choked back the tears as he tightened his grasp around Danny.

Tani took a second to glance in the rear-view mirror as she took in the scene in the back seat. Her heart hurt seeing the way Steve was holding Danny. Anyone who knew Steve and Danny knew that if you lost one, you'd lose the other. She admired their friendship, admired their devotion to each other and how they would do anything and everything to protect the other. She couldn't count the amount of times Danny and Steve risked their lives for each other. It was unlike anything she had ever seen between two partners and it broke her heart to think of either of them being gone. She looked back again as she heard Danny trying to speak.

"N-not y-your fault," Danny managed to get out as he reached his hand up to touch Steve's arm.

The simple gesture shattered any resolve Steve had as he let out a muffled cry, no longer able to the hold back the tears he had been trying so hard to keep at bay.

"I'm so sorry Danny, I'm – " Steve's heart dropped to his stomach as he felt Danny go limp in his arms.

"Danny! Danny! Come on buddy stay with me! Tani faster!"

Danny was finally on a gurney in the ER and as the double doors opened up he could see the team waiting to operate on Danny.

"Uh, GSW to the chest, in and out of consciousness, his pulse is thready," Steve tried to relay as much vital information as possible.

"Let's get two IV lines, run them wide open infuse two units 0 negative. All right? Let's go," the surgeon instructed her team.

Steve kept the pressure on the wound as Danny instinctively reached his hand up again to find his partner. The slight gesture, the same one Danny was able to muster up in the truck, spoke volumes to Steve. Danny was scared, he wanted to know that Steve was by his side, and it killed Steve that Danny was the one fighting for his life instead of him.

"Hey I'm with you, bud. It's okay," it pained him that words were all he could offer Danny at the moment.

"I'm sorry commander, you need to wait here," one of the doctors spoke up as they started to rush Danny into the O.R.

Steve stepped back without arguing, knowing all too well how this worked and that every second was going to be crucial in saving Danny's life. Steve watched as the doctors and nurses wheeled Danny through the double doors. As they turned the corner, Danny no longer in his line of sight, Steve started to back away from the doors as everything suddenly became hazy. He could feel his whole team behind him, but he couldn't bear to look any of them in the eye. Slamming his back against the wall, Steve closed his eyes as images of finding Danny bleeding out on the ground kept replaying in his mind. How did he let this happen, how had Daiyu Mei been able to grab Danny without her ever even being on Steve's radar?

"Boss…," Tani spoke up, swallowing the lump in her throat as Steve's glazed eyes turned to her. "We should call Rachel."

"Yeah…yeah we should do that," Steve nodded his head trying to keep his composure.

"I can call her," Tani volunteered wanting to take the burden off Steve, who everyone could clearly see was struggling.

"No I'll – I'll go call her. Her and the kids should be here," Steve wiped a hand over his face as he walked past the team.

Tani looked from Adam to Lou, "I think someone should go with him."

Junior shook his hand as he placed a gentle hand on Tani. "No, let him be alone for a bit, he needs to process…this is really heavy."

Tani hesitated but then nodded as she trusted Junior's instincts. She then followed the team as they headed to the waiting area.

Steve came out of the chapel into the waiting room just as Rachel, Grace, and Charlie walked in.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace ran up and hugged him.

"How's Danny?" Rachel asked with fearful eyes, as she carried a sleeping Charlie in her arms.

"He's still in surgery, we haven't heard anything yet," Steve replied as a whole new wave of guilt washed over him.

"How did this happen?! Why would someone kidnap him and try to kill him?" Rachel asked wide-eyed and frantic.

Steve closed his eyes as he looked at the ground. When he looked back up, Rachel was taken aback by the sorrowful eyes staring back at her.

"It's because of me. Someone was trying to get back at me, and they used Danny to do it," Steve choked back the tears. "I'm – I'm so sorry Rachel."

Steve prided himself on being able to read people but right now, the expression on Rachel's face was emotionless. She probably hated him, and he wouldn't blame her – he hated himself more.

Steve watched as Rachel turned around silently and walked away, taking a seat beside Junior.

Steve shook his head as he looked at the ground. He almost would have preferred if she had yelled at him, told him that this was all his fault, blamed him for not preventing this from happening. Steve immediately noticed that Grace was still beside him so he turned his attention to her.

"Hey Gracie, how are you doing?" Steve asked as he placed a hand on the back of her head.

"Is Danno going to be okay?" Grace looked up with pleading eyes.

It killed Steve that he didn't know the answer.

"Hey – your dad's the toughest guy I know okay, if anyone can get through this, it's him," Steve assured her.

He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay, but Grace wasn't a child anymore, and Steve didn't have it in him to lie to her when he didn't know if Danny was going to make it.

"Why don't you go sit with your mom for a bit, I think she could use you right now," Steve managed a smile as he kissed Grace on the forehead.

"What about you?" Grace asked worried.

"What about me?" Steve asked incredulously.

"How are you doing Uncle Steve?"

Steve instantly felt the tears well up again. Her dad was fighting for his life and here she was asking him if he was okay.

"I'm okay," Steve lied as he tried hard to keep the tears from falling.

"You're a bad liar," Grace smiled as she hugged him again. She then walked over and sat down beside her mom, knowing that this was not the right time to get her Uncle Steve to talk.

Steve shook his head as he turned around and walked down the hall. Grace was so much like Danny.

It was hard for Steve to be around the team, Rachel, Grace, and Charlie knowing that he was the reason Danny was fighting for his life. The guilt was eating him up inside and seeing the fear in everyone's eyes was too much to bear.

Steve found an empty hallway right around the corner from the waiting room and slid down the wall till he was sitting on the ground. He stared straight ahead at the white, slightly stained, wall in front of him. The events of the last few hours came rushing back; getting the frantic call from Danny, the exchange that wasn't actually an exchange, finding Danny bloody on the ground with a gunshot wound…Steve's chest started rising and falling quickly as he tried his best to calm his breathing. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back as he tried to block out the images of, what had easily been, one of the worst days of his life.

Steve wasn't sure how long he had been sitting on the floor when he felt someone leaning against him. He opened his eyes to find Grace next to him.

"Hey Gracie, what are you doing here?" Steve had been so lost in his guilt that he hadn't even heard her coming down the hallway.

"I thought you could use some company," she smiled as she squeezed Steve's arm.

Steve smiled back. Yeap, Danny's kid alright. "I'm okay."

"No you're not Uncle Steve, you know how I know?" Grace asked as she turned to face him.

"How?"

"Because this is how Danno looks every time he's worried about you," she smiled a sad smile.

Steve looked away nodding, not wanting Grace to see his tears threatening to pool over for the umpteenth time. Him and Danny definitely had their fair share of close calls over the past 10 years.

"Uncle Steve," Grace continued, knowing that convincing her Uncle of this next bit was going to be next to impossible.

"Hm?" Steve turned to look at her again.

"I don't know if Danno was able to talk to you before…on the way here," Grace choked back her own tears at the thought of what condition her dad must have been in when they came to the hospital. She quickly pushed that thought away as she needed to get her point across. "But if he wasn't, he'd want you to know that this isn't your fault Uncle Steve," Grace softly coaxed as she could see the guilt written all over Steve's face. Her dad wasn't here to rid her Uncle of his guilt so she knew it was up to her.

As hard as he tried to hold back the tears, Grace's words opened the flood gates as he closed his eyes and let the tears trickle down his face. If he was being completely honest, the guilt he was feeling was heavier than anything he had felt before and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it together without completely breaking down.

Steve opened his eyes as he quickly wiped the tears, hoping Grace hadn't noticed too much.

"Grace, that's sweet of you to say but – "

"No buts…look at me Uncle Steve," Grace said as she fully turned to face him. "This is NOT your fault."

Steve took a deep breath as he tried to get control of his emotions. The conviction in her eyes almost made him believe her.

"Grace, there are things you don't know," Steve shook his head, unable to maintain eye contact with her, knowing he didn't deserve her understanding or forgiveness.

It was Grace's turn to take a deep breath, knowing that her next few words were crucial if she was going to convince her Uncle Steve that none of this was his fault.

"This woman is the wife of the man who tried to kill you right. The man who kidnapped you, Wo Fat?" Grace questioned, already knowing the answer.

"How did you…" Steve looked at her with wide eyes.

"Know? I overheard Uncle Lou and Aunty Tani talking. I may or may not have been eavesdropping," Grace smiled sheepishly.

Steve shook his head, "No I mean, how did you know about Wo Fat and the kidnapping?" After the incident, Steve and Danny had talked about shielding Grace, Charlie, and even Mary from the details of that day, as well as from knowing who Wo Fat was. The plan was to tell them that Steve had been taken by a suspect from a previous case, but to not mention Wo Fat's name.

"Because of Danno," Grace shrugged her shoulders. "He had some pretty terrible nightmares after they found you. I think it was about a week after you had gone home, I know dad spent the first few nights at your house to keep an eye on you, but once he came back home he wasn't sleeping."

Steve's attention was now fully on Grace. He had no idea that Danny had been struggling to sleep after that day.

"One day I woke up in the middle of the night, because I couldn't sleep, and I found Danno in the kitchen just staring at the wall; his eyes were red and I could tell he had been crying," Grace continued. "He wouldn't talk to me at first, did what you're doing right now and told me he was okay – but I knew he wasn't. It took a few minutes but he finally told me parts of what had happened to you, and I was able to the piece together the rest. He wouldn't tell me details, but he told me enough…I understood why he wasn't sleeping. It was really scary what happened to you Uncle Steve."

Steve just nodded, remembering that entire ordeal. And although he hated the idea of Danny worrying about him to the point that he wasn't sleeping, he wasn't surprised in the least. His partner wore his emotions (every single one of them) on his sleeve; it was one of the things he loved so much about Danny.

"Let me ask you something Uncle Steve," Grace continued softly. "Would you change how close you and Danno are? Like if you had the option to not be brothers, would you want that?"

"Of course not," Steve answered instantly, to which Grace smiled.

"Okay, well you can't control what other people do with the fact that you two are as close as you are. This woman, she knew the best way to hurt you was to go after your best friend, so unless you wish Danno wasn't your best friend, I don't know how this is your fault. And you can't say it's your fault because you killed her husband. From what dad told me, if you hadn't killed him, he would have killed you. It was self defense. That's not your fault Uncle Steve," Grace finished with determination.

Steve looked up in awe at the kid…no, the young woman… before him. He saw so much of Danny in her. Her fire, her spirit, her loyalty, her determination, but most of all, her massive heart. She was Danny's daughter through and through.

For the first time since Danny's frantic call, Steve managed to smile as he looked at his niece with pride. God he loved this kid.

"Come here," he reached his arm around as he embraced her. Closing his eyes, he kissed the top of her head. "Thank you Gracie…I really needed this."

Grace smiled as she hugged Steve a little tighter, "I know you did Uncle Steve."

To be continued...