AN: Hang onto your hats, folks. It's about to get crazy. Thanks so much for all of the love for this story! I hope this chapter makes it all worth it!
Warning: violence
Though ingenious, Kono's ice wall stunt barely bought them the time they needed.
They fell back to a secondary position that was still on the upper deck but far closer to the tower itself. Unlike their first ambush spot, it was far more exposed with more options for their enemies to attack. However, it offered more escape options for the kids should the need arise.
Grimly surveying the situation, Kono swallowed the lump lodged in her throat and shook her head. Many of the young elites nursed injuries of some kind - blunt force trauma, bullet wounds, or side effects from the strain of using their powers. She herself felt battered, her body insistently telling her that such a power expenditure on her part was not sustainable. A fevered chill shook her frame, warning her to stop before it was too late.
Yet she saw no other option.
"Ideas?" she breathed, directing her question to her de facto second in command.
Jason bit his bottom lip, wincing as he accidentally reopened a cut on his cheek. "We can collapse these rows of crates when the guards walk between them." He motioned to the highly stacked metal shipping containers on either side. "No kids in these… he keeps us in the green ones. I can get a group together to accomplish that, but there's gonna need to be bait."
"Leave that to me. Just be ready on my signal."
"You got it."
Motioning the remaining kids not taken by Jason into position, she winced at the distinct sound of ice shattering. A quick ammo check revealed her handgun bullets were low, but her semi-automatic still had four full clips left.
Time to rain down bullets. Grinning darkly, she added, Too bad these guys forgot their umbrellas.
That was a tad dramatic, she'd admit. Maybe Steve was rubbing off on her.
Whispering her plan to the group, she watched as terrified heads nodded in response. Heart clenched, it hurt to imagine that these kids were less scared of bullets than returning to Kingsley's possessive hold.
Boots clomped against the metal deck, too close in her opinion. "This idea sucks," she muttered, tensing as the first wave of guards appeared.
She shouted in warning and the young elites followed suit, sprinting ahead of her toward the tower. The guards open-fired, but she summoned a wall of swirling water to stop the bullets. Head swimming, she too spun around and ran.
3… 2…
Now.
Metal screeched, drowning out the surprised yelps of their pursuers. She turned just in time to watch the huge shipping containers topple like dominoes on top of a crowd of incoming henchmen.
It worked. Holy crap, it actually frickin' worked!
Unfortunately, there was no time to celebrate the victory. A fair number of Kingsley's men were behind the falling crates and avoided the trap. Now, they turned their weapons on the weakened, vulnerable kids who expended everything they had to topple the containers.
With a cry of rage, she let loose a spray of bullets into the crowd. It wasn't enough, it wasn't enough! Bullets pinged off of metal, men collapsed clutching their various wounds, but she couldn't take all of them.
Those kids were going to die.
Then she heard it.
New gunfire coming from further behind Kingsley's men.
Hope crackled in her chest like bonfire cinders as the attackers turned as one to face the new threat. Not one to waste an opportunity, she shouted a battle cry of her own and charged forward with her finger pressed against the trigger of her gun. Behind her, the young elites turned and followed with shouts of their own.
Kingsley's massive army crumpled beneath the dual assault.
Between furiously-flung fists and precise shots, she spotted a few of the mystery reinforcements knocking down grown men like bowling pins. One red-headed boy flew overhead, sending mini tornados to the decks that targeted the henchmen. On instinct, she lobbed a gentle sphere of water his way, waving as he stopped in front of it.
Grinning, the Air elite waved back. Together, they created a mini watery tornado and sent it hurtling through the mass of guards.
As their attackers collapsed, she caught a glimpse of an imposing silhouette blocking their escape with a smaller figure at its side. Twin flashes of flames highlighted steel stocks as bullets spat out into the chaos, the two wading into the fray with fierce determination that was unmistakable.
And suddenly, after the turmoil and uncertainty of the past few days, the broken pieces of her world clicked back into place.
She barely waited for the last bad guy to fall, risking running headfirst into a storm of her own making to confirm her instincts. Hardly skidding to a stop before she collided into them, her cheeks hurt from a beaming smile that refused to leave her face.
Steve loomed in front of her, a vaguely amused expression plaster on her face with the butt of his gun resting on his hip. And beside him - with torn clothes, bruised cheeks, and no shoes - stood Danny. Together again, just as they were meant to be.
Taking a slight step forward, she aborted her initial plan to hug Danny when the blond took a slight step back and Steve subtly blocked her.
"You barely left any for us," he teased lightly. "Show off."
"Serves you right. You're late." Eyes twinkling, she allowed her relief to enter her voice. "Besides, I needed a good workout after you two got kidnapped to avoid the paperwork from the Vivoldi bust."
That earned a guffaw from Danny, giving Kono another opportunity to study the mainlander. Taking note of the pale complexion, odd pupil dilation, and occasional twitch, she summarized her findings in a simple comment. "You look worse than when you were in the hospital, brah. And what the hell happened to your shoes?"
"Turns out they prefer casual footwear on this ship more than you crazy Hawaiians do," he shot back smoothly before Steve could interject. "And I'm not a huge fan of flip-flops."
"They're called 'slippahs', Danno. Maybe if you learned the lingo - -"
"Never. I will speak English like a normal person, thank you very much!"
Steve smirked, which was quickly replaced by his battlefield glare. "Everyone's been freed and is either here or with Sterling, so we gotta get everyone here to safety. The tower's probably the best defensive position, so we'll get the injured up and move them there."
She and Danny both nodded and moved forward, but Steve's arm shot out to block the blond's path. "Not you, pal. Keep watch; get off that foot."
Danny's face twisted in disagreement. "Steve - -"
"No, Danny." The SEAL stepped closer, lowering his voice until she could barely hear the words. "Believe me, I know, buddy. But we can't risk these kids right now and you're teetering. Do you really want a repeat of what happened with Sterling?"
"I can help - -"
"I'm not risking it - their health or yours. You're gonna crash, D, so let's not speed up that inevitability. You're already leaking blood everywhere and you're operating on less than an empty tank. Sit this one out."
Leaning forward, Steve's forehead briefly touched Danny's. "If we need it, I swear I'll call you over, alright?"
Danny nodded, adam's apple bobbing up and down. He pulled away and strode off slowly to place himself between the downed kids and the rest of the ship. Even in the dark, the dark stain on the back of his shirt was unmistakable.
Eyes wide, she grabbed Steve's arm. "Boss?"
"Later, Kono. Let's get this done, okay?" Judging from the dark look on his face, the story involved more than just a simple beatdown. "How're you holding up, huh? That was quite the show."
The question only reminded her of her parched-dry mouth and feverish skin, not to mention the swaying vision and off-keel balance. Now wasn't the time for that, though. Other kids were unconscious, injured, worse.
So she straightened her spine and plastered a grin on her face. "Nothing a quick nap won't cure. Let's get moving, huh? We're on the clock."
And despite his rather suspicious glance, he nodded once and followed her toward the young elites.
~H50~
As soon as Brad Kingsley abandoned the auction to go "resolve an internal issue," he made his own preparations to leave. He knew when to cut his losses, and apparently many of his colleagues felt the same way.
Ever the specialist, he quickly offered his services to those who wished. Not that anyone here trusted each other - no, trust was for fools. Rather, they knew his reputation and would rather accept his offer than a tenuous wait on Kingsley's fancy yacht.
Yeah, he snorted at that. True wealth and power wasn't flashy and it wasn't meant to be flaunted. It was subtle, yet unmistakable. Beautiful in its graceful simplicity. This gaudy monstrosity was the opposite of that.
So he took the last of Kingsley's speedboats and offered a seat on it to anyone willing to pay his price. No one dared negotiate. In a room full of dangerous people, it paid to be the most deadly of them all.
Now, as he guided the boat away towards shore, he mused on the disappointment of the evening. Kingsley was a distasteful fellow, but he had a massive trade that had many uses. He'd come here hoping to find a solution to his growing problem back on Hawaii - a problem named Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett.
Disappearing in the night, Wo Fat started sorting through alternative methods. As the old adage went, there's always more than one way to skin a cat.
~H50~
It was all wrong.
Even now - positioned so far away from everyone - Danny still felt the tug of power and the call of injured souls. It was like his gift was tearing apart - part of him screaming to 'take more!' while the other part begged to 'fix this!' One might call it agony or hell, and he'd be inclined to agree with their assessment.
After this was over, he'd never complain about feeling weird or off again.
Sure, Steve was probably right to make him stay away. Any sort of touch only heightened that war inside of him. One look at Kono had him fighting the instinct to reach forward and take away that severe case of dehydration and fever that plagued her, yet skin to skin contact would initiate the desire to drain all of her energy for himself. Steve saw through it and made the right call.
That didn't mean he had to like it.
In fact, he hated it - and he hated himself most of all. Here were hurting children, kids who suffered at the hands of the same madman who harmed him. And he couldn't do a damn thing about it, which was completely unacceptable.
Recalling his fit of rage at the very same idea that led him to challenge an entire Samoan gang and subsequently be handcuffed in the back of Kamekona's shop only heightened his self-loathing. When the chips were down, all his talk disintegrated into inaction and fear.
What if it was Grace? Would you stand by then?
No, of course not. That was his daughter, after all. But these children were all someones' sons and daughters too.
Heart aching and mind made up, he pushed off the railing back toward the group, only for Steve to glance his way and glare. No, the overprotective SEAL mouthed, pointing back to the railing.
Danny mouthed back some not-so-appropriate insults and also flipped him off. With feeling. Steve didn't appear phased by it at all, the jerk.
His own body was beginning to ache once more, especially the cut on his back and the gouges on his foot. Still barefoot, the cold metal of the deck both exasperated and helped numb the aching limb. By tomorrow, he was certain that walking would be completely off the table.
Apparently, the stolen energy was beginning to lose its buzz, which made his craving for more about twice as intense. With a quiet growl, he studied the single row of bloody footprints left on the deck and resigned himself to this fate.
Steve was right, as much as it pained himself. Since Danny couldn't guarantee that he remained in control of his abilities, he should stay away for now.
Sighing, he returned his gaze back to the sea and tried not to think about how the bobbing waves made his head spin. If he focused on one particular spot, he couldn't even see the waves moving at…
Wait.
Thumbing the button on the earpiece Steve had given him, he squinted at the dark waves. "Chin, buddy, you still got eyes on the ocean?"
A brief pause, then, "No, I'm doing a final sweep of the tower and destroying evidence before I come down and join you guys. I want to make sure we didn't miss anything here. Why?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure I see some boats coming at us from that giant yacht, but I can't exactly tell from this distance."
"Luke, are you still on the roof? Can you see anything?"
Luke - must be the guy with hawk-like sight, he mused. That was a cool superpower. Imagining his shooting scores with that little trick almost made him depressed.
"Yeah, I can see it. There's two boats - a speedboat and a bigger boat." Then the kid gasped, voice trembling as he added, "Mr. K-Kingsley's on it."
Throat suddenly coated in sandpaper, Danny could only stand with his hands dangling uselessly at his sides despite his mind screaming at him to move, damn it! All he could hear over the sound of blood rushing to his ears was the trafficker's oily voice, his glee when he electrocuted Danny past the point of screaming. That snake managed to get into his head, and he had no earthly clue how to get him out.
You can take his too, you know. Become invincible, all-powerful - -
"- -anno, snap out of it, buddy."
A warm hand - it was practically a furnace to his freezing skin - clasped his shoulder, grounding him once more. Familiar and strong, it chased away the overwhelming dread with a voiceless reminder.
Maybe you're not as alone around here as you think, Danno.
"Kingsley's coming," he gasped, eyes aching as he tried to make out the man on the dark blobs on the waves. "He's got more men with him."
"We heard, and that's actually a good thing. Now we don't have to track him down; he's coming to us instead." Then his friend hesitated, his voice unusually soft. "You don't have to do this, D. Chin, Kono, and I can - -"
"No, I'm not sitting this one out." Eyes closing, he sucked in a deep breath before he turned to face the worried SEAL. "I won't hide from a man like him. I took an oath, and I intend to keep it. Besides," he added with a nearly hysterical giggle, "I wanna be the one to put a bullet in his damn brain."
Steve's wolfish grin and firm nudge on his shoulder cemented the final broken piece of his soul in place. "Not if I shoot him first."
"You really gotta ruin everything like that? Screw you! I called dibs, Steven!"
"So? You can't call dibs on something like this! We're not twelve years old, Danny!"
"Children, as fun as this is to watch," Kono interrupted in a dry tone clearly learned by her cousin, "we gotta come up with something before the bad guys get here."
As usual, Steve took charge. "Move all the kids back into the tower. Enough of them have gotten hurt as it is."
"No way."
Spinning around, Danny spotted one of the older elites, a guy he'd seen leading the charge with Kono. "We're not sitting this one out," he said firmly, brushing away a trickle of blood dripping from a cut on his cheek. "If this is our shot to actually end this once and for all, we aren't gonna risk standing aside while you take down Kingsley."
"Jason," Kono tried to placate the determined elite, "you've done enough."
But Jason shook his head. "No offense, Officer Kalakaua, but this is our fight. You have no idea of what this scumbag did to us, what he made us do. We're finishing this." Smirking, he gestured behind him. "But y'all are welcome to come too, if you want."
He strode off toward the rest of the elites and the three teammates stared at his retreating back.
"If no one else is gonna say it, I will." Kono grinned. "That was badass."
Danny nodded in agreement. "Ballsy kid, that's for sure. 'M guessing SuperSEAL here is thinking about recruiting him."
"The thought definitely crossed my mind."
"Guys, they're heading for the far end of the boat," Chin's staticky voice interrupted their musings. "I'm coming as fast as I can, but you're gonna have to start this party without me. What's our plan?"
As it turned out, the 'plan' was the Steve McGarrett Special: meet Kingsley and his men head on. Jason rounded up about thirty elites who were relatively uninjured and had the most combat experience. Given the size of the unregistered arsenal Kono and Chin decided to bring, anyone who knew how to use a weapon got one.
If the sight of young men and women bearing arms twisted Danny's insides, he was careful not to show it. Blinking away blurriness he swore wasn't from tears, he silently checked his own weapon before following Steve at a dead run away from the tower.
Yeah, that's right: away from the tower - their defensive position and escape route. Sometimes, Danny marveled at the sheer strategic genius of his partner, but this was not one of those times.
"You're not gonna make it!" came Luke's frantic warning. "They're already docked!"
Gritting his teeth against the throbbing that was quickly overtaking his senses, Danny picked up speed in a futile attempt to reach the designated point. But cargo ships like this were huge, spanning the length of several football fields in length. Kingsley's men would reach the top and open fire before Five-0 reached its designated position with plenty of cover.
Sure enough, the first wave of henchmen climbed up over the side and immediately pointed guns in their direction.
"Kono!" Steve shouted, the desperation in his voice an undisputable order.
The rat-tat-tat of gunfire forced all of them to dive for cover behind the shipping containers - everyone except Kono Kalakaua. No, she stepped forward fearlessly with one hand raised, concentration furrowing her brow.
And a moment later, the biggest wave Danny had ever seen rose over the deck of the ship, hovering for a moment before it crashed directly over those guards and swept them into the Pacific Ocean.
The entire boat rocked from the force of it, knocking Danny off his feet. Around him, Steve and their young allies crashed to their knees as well as the huge ship actually rocked.
"I'm never getting on another boat as long as I live," he muttered to himself, shaking his head to regain his equilibrium.
A familiar hand was thrust into his field of vision and he gratefully took it, allowing Steve to pull him to his feet. "C'mon, partner, it's not over yet."
Ahead, Kono dropped to one knee - exhausted and obviously hurting - as more men poured over the side railing. How they managed to get up there with the ship buckin like a wild bronco, Danny had no idea. However, this phenomenon quickly became old news as something far more interesting grabbed his attention.
Brad Kingsley stood before them, brushing an invisible crumb off of his immaculate suit with those spidery fingers. A peeved expression crossed his face, and Danny couldn't help but feel proud for being partially responsible for its presence.
Apparently, everyone else had noticed him as well. Around him, the young elites' spines stiffened as they fearfully glanced between the Five-0 team and Kingsley's army. Silence fell on the ship, of which the scumbag took full advantage.
"I believe there's been a misunderstanding of your positions here, elites," he called, contempt dripping from his voice. "Such incursion will not be tolerated, not after you all took advantage of my generosity."
Unfortunately for the trafficker, threats rarely worked on one Commander Steve McGarrett. He only smirked back and offered an ultimatum of his own.
"Brad Kingsley, you're under arrest for kidnapping, conspiracy to commit muder, unlawful imprisonment, assault of officers of the law, assault of minors, and human trafficking."
"Am I, indeed?" came the smug retort. "How exciting!"
"Get on your knees, interlock your fingers!"
Tilting his chin, the slimeball of a man slowly shook his head. "No, I don't think so."
That same rage that drove Danny to attack a Samoan gang on their home turf welled up once more, propelling him forward before common sense could stop him. "Surrender now, Kingsley, or your guys are gonna start eating bullets!"
Just like that, Kingsley's smirk disappeared. "I'm not in the habit of listening to my property telling me what to do - even one as valuable as you. So perhaps it is you that should surrender."
"Shut up!"
Danny nearly jumped at the new voice, staring as Jason stepped forward with a rifle aimed directly at the trafficker's head. "See, your property currently outnumbers you. So, unless you want a brand new hole in your skull, do. what. they. say."
But Kingsley only tilted his head at the threat and pulled a familiar fob out from behind his back. "I disagree."
And Danny's world erupted in agonizing pain.
~H50~
Out of all of the horrors Steve had experienced, none of them came close to matching the sound of dozens of voices howling in pain as their bodies crashed to the ground.
Of course Kingsley would have a universal override frequency for those chips! The devil didn't get to be the devil by being dumb. No, this scumbag obviously prepared for the inevitable uprising of his ill-gotten 'property' and solved the problem by mass-tasing all of them.
Around him, bodies thrashed on the deck - including Danny, who was rapidly losing the newfound color to his cheeks. Worse, Kingsley still hadn't let go of the button.
Now, only Kono and himself remained upright against Kingsley and the last batch of his goons - horribly outnumbered once more.
Only, Steve was way past caring. Kingsley had been dumb enough to not chip him, and he would pay for it now. If this was how he died, he could think of no better way to go out than by taking Kingsley with him.
He raised his gun with a cry of rage, glimpsing Kono doing the same out of the corner of his eye, and braced himself for the inevitable as the guards aimed directly at him.
Then new rapid gunfire cut through the chaos, and half of Kingsley's men melted away like sunlit snow.
The screams stopped abruptly as Kinglsey, his men, Kono, and himself spun to seek out the source of the shots. And there, kneeling on top of a tower of crates out of range of Kingsley's weapons, was Chin Ho Kelly with a massive automatic shotgun.
Reminded once more how much he loved his team, Steve grinned and unleashed a barrage of bullets of his own. The guards scattered, and in the chaos, he lost sight of Brad Kingsley.
Between his and Chin's assault, most of the hired henchmen were mowed down before they could reach cover behind the crates. Only five or so remained, their occasional gunfire reduced to nothing. Still, he didn't stop laying down cover fire to give the kids a chance to crawl back behind the crates.
Apparently, Kono had the same idea. Though her hand was far more shaky than before, she raised it once more and water rose to meet her call.
Crack!
The water crashed back to where it belonged as its commander lost their hold of it. For the second time in so many minutes, Steve found himself spinning to see the source of unfamiliar gunfire with his own gun raised.
But all he saw was Kono, standing stiffly still about fifteen yards away from him. Without warning, she crumpled to the deck of the ship, revealing Brad Kingsley standing there smirking with his pistol still raised.
"Oops," he said, smirking. "Guess it's just you and me, McGarrett. Shame, you're not much of a challenge."
Eyes searching the area desperately, Steve knew he was out of options. Both Kono and Kingsley were too far away from him for Steve to help her or disarm him. Judging from the distant howl of rage, Chin was also too far away with no clear shot. It was a standoff that he could ill afford, especially as blood pooled beneath his unresponsive teammate.
Still he took a step forward, only for the barrel of a pistol to halt him in his steps. "Not another step, or I put one in her head."
Once again, he was too far away to prevent the inevitable, just like with his father.
Then something caught his eye, a shape barely moving amidst the bodies strewn across the deck halfway between Kono and Kingsley. Because in all the chaos, he'd forgotten about one very important player.
Danny.
~H50~
It took far too long for Danny to realize that Kingsley was no longer shocking him, his body having quite literally hit the breaking point. Everything burned, as though a fire licked away at his flesh and sinew. The comfortable numbness he'd gained from McCallister's stolen energy was a distant dream, leaving behind something so much worse than how he'd felt before.
This was what everyone was referencing when they referred to a 'fate worse than death.' At this point, he'd take a bullet to the brain over this special brand of hell, thanks very much.
He would've been content to lie there forever and play possum if it weren't for a tiny voice in his head that insisted he stay aware. Something important was happening! it screamed. His team, people who'd become more than mere friends, needed him.
Peeling his eyes open, it took precious seconds to survey the scene. Bodies lay strewn all over the deck, including one very familiar one that sent his heart pounding.
Kono lay to his right, blood pooling from a gunshot wound to the abdomen just below her vest. Her eyes were closed, but his special sense told him she was still alive. However, she wouldn't be for much longer - not unless he intervened.
Then another sense screamed just as loudly, prompting him to look left. And there was Kingsley, standing cockily nearby with his pistol raised at someone else. He hadn't noticed him yet, and Danny's aching body let loose a familiar cry at the sight of the man who'd caused so much evil.
He could take it, all of Kingsley's energy. He could watch as life fled from those snake-like eyes and laugh. He could get everything he needed and more, all while killing a man who deserved so much worse.
But Kono was dying now, and no amount of triage could save her. Only Danny could.
Save her.
Take it.
Save her!
Take it!
SAVE HER!
TAKE IT!
Yet again, there stood a terrible choice - and yet, it wasn't much of a choice at all. With a feral grin, he pushed aside his pain and mustered all of his energy to leap to his quarry.
He crashed to the deck amidst surprised shouts, his hand finding his intended target's nearest limb before anyone could do anything about it. Eyes barely open, he took a deep breath and made his choice.
And he couldn't help but smile more widely as that familiar cold overtook him, as pain erupted in his stomach. It was too much and he knew it, and he didn't care one bit.
If the voice was to take for himself or save someone in his family, he'd pick his family every time.
With that thought, he let something darker than unconsciousness sweep him away the instant he felt the last piece of Kono knit back together.
~H50~
As soon as Danny moved, so did Steve.
He didn't let Kingsley get another word in, barely let him turn in surprise as something moved in the corner of his eye. All that did was cause the trafficker to lower his gun just a smidgen.
And to a SEAL, a smidgen might as well have been a mile.
Unceremoniously, he emptied his entire clip into Brad Kingsley. Watching emotionlessly as the scumbag shook under the barrage, he didn't stop shooting until his gun clicked empty. Between the blood and, uh, other stuff on the deck, he knew for certain Kingsley was dead as a doornail.
He didn't see the last few guards surrender to the armed elites, nor did he see Chin leaping across shipping containers like a parkour king. No, he only had eyes for his downed teammates.
Skidding to a stop beside them, he dropped to his knees so hard he was sure it'd leave bruises even with his powers. Both were unconscious from what he could see - Danny pale as a ghost and Kono soaked in blood. He ripped off her vest and pulled up her shirt shamelessly, breathing a sigh of relief as he spotted a faded scar amidst all the blood smeared across her stomach.
"Atta boy, Danno," he murmured, double checking her pulse just to be sure.
"Steve!"
At the sound of Chin's breathless voice, he raised a shaking hand to his earpiece. "She's fine, Chin. Danny saved her."
"That's not it!" He heard Chin grunt, followed by a crash. "Danny's signature - - it just disappeared! Check his pulse!"
Cursing, Steve's fingers slammed into his partner's neck. He had to slow his own breathing as he searched for a pulse.
Nothing. Danny's heart wasn't beating.
Eyes wide, he immediately pushed the limp man flat and started CPR with bone-cracking strength. "No,no,no, don't do this to me, Danny! Not now!"
Two breaths, resume compressions.
Because this couldn't be happening. He couldn't let Grace lose her father, not after Danny had saved him so many times! She'd be heartbroken, truly devastated, and it'd be all his fault. She wouldn't be able to take it.
Or maybe, Steve was the one who couldn't handle losing the feisty blond he'd begun to see as a brother.
A second figure dropped to their knees beside him as he administered two breaths. Chin. He grimly started compressions immediately after Steve puffed a second breath, ignoring the growing crowd of terrified onlookers.
It struck him as ironic, suddenly, that a man who could heal everyone with a touch couldn't do a bloody thing to save himself.
Wait.
He scooped up Danny's limp hand, eyes glued on his friend's face. It was a stupid idea - a desperate one born of a fool's hope. But in the end, that was all he had. Carefully gathering a small portion of his energy, he willed it toward Danny with everything in his soul and begged his partner to accept it.
C'mon, you stubborn son of a bitch, take it. Please take it. Don't make me tell Grace you died. She needs you, Danno.
"I need you," he whispered.
Nothing.
Then he felt a rush of weariness as Danny let loose a shuddering gasp all on his own, causing Chin to leap back. He instantly reached for Danny's neck for that all-important pulse point just to confirm what Steve already knew.
Then, the normally stoic Chin Ho Kelly met his gaze, eyes shining with tears.
"He's back."
See, I could've been super mean and ended the chapter a paragraph earlier and left you all with an epic cliffhanger. ;) I hope that epic climax lived up to expectations, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!! Only a few more chapters to go!