AN: Whelp, this chapter ended up longer than anticipated. However, I don't think any of you will mind, especially when you see why I included some of the stuff I did. Thank you all so much for reading! Your feedback means the world to me, and I'm beyond thrilled that you all joined me for this little adventure! Enjoy this chapter!

If there was one truth that Steve would stake his life on in the uncertainty of the past week, it was that Dr. B.T. Sterling deserved a 24 hour long nap and a two week vacation. The poor man had been running ragged since Five-0 "unceremoniously crashed into my life!"

It was all bark and no bite, clearly evidenced by the slight smirk accompanying the grumpy statement. Still, Steve had to admit that the guy had a valid point.

After the raid of Kingsley's giant cargo ship and fighting to stabilize the ill and drugged young elites - which was exhausting enough alone - the doctor spent the next several hours stuffed in a tiny hold with a seizing, half-dead patient. Even unconscious, Danny proved to be stubbornly uncooperative. Steve's little trick had only managed to pull the man back from death, but every other symptom still remained.

Withdrawal from stimulants. Seizures. Crippling exhaustion. Dehydration. Malnutrition. Electrical imbalance. The list was quite lengthy and led to a host of other problems. Throw in a cracked rib or two, extensive bruising, a chip still embedded in his neck, and multiple large lacerations too old to stitch closed, it was clear that Sterling had his hands full.

He'd taken an unconscious Danny to his house when the coast was clear, caring for him with his wife - a traveling nurse by trade - in between shifts. Between running around during the day helping the young elites at the Palace and attempting to stabilize Danny while he was supposed to be home resting at night, the poor guy's reserves were spent within the first 24 hours.

Of course, as soon as all the medical stuff for the kids was in hand, Danny was stable enough for his "reappearance" on the side of the road - also done by Sterling early that morning before his shift. All hell broke loose once more as a critical patient - a kidnapped detective, no less - was brought into his hospital and into his official care.

He spent the next 24 hours split between treating the detective and reassuring Danny's 'ohana that he'd be okay. Danny proved him right by waking briefly for the first time that night and speaking with Steve before falling back into an exhausted slumber.

Sterling got to go home to his bed for a full twelve hours for the first time in days, only to wake up to return to the hospital and immediately catch his highest priority patient in the lobby trying to make a run for it. The sight of Danny limping out the front door of the hospital completely banished any patience the doctor managed to gain from his brief rest.

Steve bore the brunt of that transgression, rudely awakened by Danny and Sterling's argument as the doctor returned the irate patient to his room. Danny, of course, had passed out from the exertion and an epic adrenaline dump almost immediately, forcing Steve to deal with the furious muttering as Sterling checked to make sure Danny hadn't done any additional damage.

Therein lay the root of the issue. When he managed to stay awake, Danny adamantly protested his hospital admittance since he was out of danger. On the other hand, Sterling wanted to keep him a few days to ensure that the antibiotics worked in staving off infection from the cuts on Danny's back and foot.

Fortunately, Steve believed he had the perfect solution.

Meeting the doctor in the lobby, he handed the man a to-go cup of excellent coffee from a nearby shop and winced at the bags under his eyes. "Doc, how's it going?"

"Ask me in a week when I'm fully recovered from dealing with you maniacs, alright? I'm running on coffee and spite right now, McGarrett." Breathing in the coffee fumes, a small smile tugged at Sterling's cheeks. "Although, this might just be the thing I need to get me through my daily argument with Williams."

"Actually," Steve rubbed the back of his neck as he followed Sterling to the elevator, "I might have a solution to that."

"Oh?"

"You said he's doing pretty well, right?"

Raising an eyebrow, Sterling took another sip of his coffee. "For a guy imprisoned and tortured on a cargo ship for about a week, yeah. He's gonna be exhausted for a while and he'll sleep a lot over the next couple weeks. But the seizures stopped shortly after we brought him in and his wounds are alright - - if he'd stop bein' an idiot and reopening them."

"So technically, he could be released."

"You too? Seriously, McGarrett? Do I need to remind you who went to medical school between the two of us? Last I checked, that'd be me."

"Here me out, alright?" Steve held up his hands in a placating gesture. "He mainly needs rest and he's not getting it here. After all he's been through, a hospital isn't exactly a great place for his mental health."

"But it's the best place for his physical health, which is my primary concern at the moment."

The doors dinged and Steve allowed Sterling to step out of the elevator in front of him. "Not if he keeps trying to run off on us. Trust me, Danny's as stubborn as they come and your nurses have better things to do than keep an eye on him 24/7. My team's running on fumes too and he's crafty enough to take advantage of that."

Tilting his head, Sterling seemed to consider it. "Fair point, but there are other issues with him going home. He needs to stay off his feet, he can't drive, and he's going to sleep so much that he'll probably forget to eat. I can't in good faith allow that."

"That's why you'd be releasing him to come to my house, not his." Steve waved his hands in a very Danny-esque way. "Think about it, Doc. My team and I can take care of him and drive him wherever he needs to go."

"And he won't keep trying to make like Houdini," Sterling finished, mulling it over. "Not a bad idea, McGarrett. I'll think it over."

They reached the door to Danny's room, which was shut to ensure maximum quiet for the ill man to rest. Pushing the door open, they walked in to find an empty bed with rumpled sheets…

… and a fully-dressed Danny rooting through his duffle bag.

"What the hell?" Steve growled as he pushed his way into the room. "Seriously, Daniel?"

Danny jumped and whirled around, startled by the unexpected intrusion. A wince was quickly covered by a look of innocence, which fooled absolutely no one present. "Steve, Bones, hey! I, uh, I wasn't expecting you until… later."

"Clearly," came Sterling's dry reply. "This oughta be good." Then, his brain seemed to catch up to Danny's words. "Wait, Bones? Do I look like Karl Urban or DeForest Kelly to you? Last I checked, this is not the USS Enterprise and you are not Captain Kirk!"

"I dunno," Steve chimed in with a smirk. "I kind of like it."

"Don't you start, McGarrett," Sterling growled. "And you," he spun back to face Danny, "get your ass back in bed and start explaining why you got out in the first place! Because I seem to recall ordering you to stay in it and keep your weight off that foot!"

Danny winced and gingerly complied, a hiss of pain accompanying his stiff movements. "Would you believe me if I told you I was looking for my toothbrush?"

"Not even for a second. Try again."

"While you're at it, explain what happened to your fashionable hospital gown and where Kono ran off to," Steve chimed in. "She was supposed to watch you to make sure you didn't pull another stunt like this."

Settling back against the pillows with a hitched sigh, Danny glared at both men. "I'm a 32 year old man and I carry a gun. Contrary to what you all believe, I can take care of myself and can make my own decisions. I don't need a damn babysitter!"

"I'm beginning to think you do!" Sterling shot back. He approached the bed, donned gloves, then gently peeled back the swatch of bandages on Danny's foot. Danny reflexively tried to yank his foot away with a yelp, but the doctor held fast. "You didn't reopen anything this time, Detective, but this isn't going to heal well if you insist on aggravating it!"

A rustling behind Steve caused him to turn his attention away from the argument. "Where were you?" he asked the former surfer, who appeared more than a little confused.

"Bathroom, then I got coffee from the cafeteria." Moving next to Steve, she caught a glimpse of Danny on the bed. "Damn it, again? He was asleep when I left, I swear!"

"Fortunately, we walked in just in time to catch him packing up." Steve folded his arms, watching as Sterling continued his examination and subsequent scolding of the sullen detective. "Stubborn idiot."

"I think he gets a little leeway this time," Kono whispered back."Kinda hard to blame him after everything that happened."

Watching Danny recoil from the doctor's gentle touch, Steve couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Sterling finished his exam with a huff, moving back to the foot of the bed to jot something on the chart and Steve quickly took his place by Danny's side. Taking in the pain-pinched face, pale skin, and furtive glance, annoyance quickly evaporated and sorrow took its place.

Deciding to try a different approach, he gently rested his hand on Danny's forearm. His friend immediately flinched - eyes darting to Steve - but he didn't pull away. "Hey, Danno," he murmured. "I know this sucks, but we're just tryin' to make sure you get better."

Looking away, Danny's lips twisted oddly. "I know."

"So you wanna tell me what all this is really about?"

This time, Danny refrained from answering right away, choosing to study the blue blanked pooled at the base of the bed instead. That was fine with Steve - he could wait. Silence was a better motivator to get people talking than anything else, he'd learned. Even Danny wasn't immune to its effects.

With a quiet sigh, Danny finally made eye contact - a myriad of emotions mixed in those blue depths. Idecision dominated, but weary acceptance eventually won out. Keeping his expression open, Steve endured the assessing look before Danny finally broke the quiet.

"I just - I don't wanna be here. I wanna be home in my own bed in my own space, not trapped here with people tellin' me what to do and poking me every two minutes and pumping drugs in me without my permission."

Like Kingsley did, came the unspoken addition. Steve didn't miss the seemingly unintentional usage of the word 'trapped' and his chest ached at its presence. His partner went through more than anyone should have to - indignity, pain, worse. Though staying in a hospital bed didn't seem like a big ask, it was for a man who'd spent his recent days stripped of choice and everything that made him human.

And Steve hated himself a little bit for not recognizing it sooner.

"I don't really like hospitals," Danny admitted, oblivious to Steve's inner thoughts. "Never have, not since I was a kid. And after everything that's happened, it's just… I can't."

The desperation in his eyes only succeeded in breaking Steve's soul further, reminding him all too surreally of a similar shared look back on Kingsley's ship. Similar setting, too. Between getting kidnapped from this very hospital and McCallister's unconsented treatment, no wonder Danny kept trying to run.

"Okay, buddy." Shifting his hand to Danny's chest, he tried to forget that his hands had been there only days before with a very different purpose. "We'll figure something out, alright? But you gotta rest or you'll end up right back here."

"I know," Danny whispered, eyes closed. "Not as easy as it sounds, babe."

"I may have a solution," Dr. Sterling cut in, setting down the chart. "Everything looks pretty good, all things considered. I'm still a little wary of those wounds on your back and foot, but proper care should have them healing nicely. That doesn't necessarily have to be here."

Danny's head shot up, eyes instantly brightening. "You're sending me home, Bones?"

The doctor rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "Not quite. I'm thinking of somewhere a bit closer with a little more supervision."

A brief pause, then Danny groaned - clearly understanding exactly what Sterling meant. "Not SuperSEAL's house! C'mon, what's wrong with my apartment?"

"What's not wrong with it?" Steve chimed in with a smirk. "Danny, that place is a black hole of despair. You're lucky CPS hasn't caught onto the fact that you let Grace stay there."

Danny jabbed a finger in Steve's face. "You don't get to complain about my living situation, Steven. I'm not exactly rollin' in the dough to pay for something better, am I?"

"All that aside," Sterling interrupted the argument dryly, "you can't be alone right now, Danny. Steve has medical training and he said the team is staying there to help keep an eye on you."

"Fantastic. Am I gonna need a hall pass to go potty too?"

Sterling continued, serenely pretending he hadn't heard the snarky comment. "There are stipulations to this release. You need to stay off your feet, so crutches are non-negotiable. Rest, eat, hydrate, and you'll need to stay on oral antibiotics until you've completed the entire course. I'll stop by to check on you periodically to make sure everything's still healing well. One sign of a fever and you're right back here."

"Feels like I'm trading one bed for another," Danny grumbled.

Leaning back against the wall, Sterling shrugged. "You are. Hospital bed or McGarrett's guest bedroom - those are your choices. Take it or leave it."

Still, Danny waffled, his fingers fiddling with the sheets. Risking a quick glance at Steve, he chewed on his bottom lip. "I can take care of myself."

"Please, Danny." For the first time since the conversation began, Kono stepped in. Fingers practically strangling her coffee cup, her lip wobbled with very real emotion. "We barely got you back. We didn't think we'd be able to at all. Please… please just let us do this for you."

Danny, an absolute softie, couldn't say no to those puppy dog eyes.

But just to be sure, Steve threw in the piece de resistance. "Plus, Rachel said Grace could come over for the weekend."

Wide eyed, his partner gaped at him. "Seriously? How the hell did you - - yeah, I'll stay at Steve's house, Bones. Now, get me the hell out of here, alright?"

Steve grinned, his partner's response exactly what he predicted. Because to Danny Williams, his daughter was everything and he wouldn't waste an opportunity to see her.

Clapping once, Sterling nodded. "Well, that was easy, wasn't it? I'll go get the paperwork and some crutches for the road. Try not to run off in the meantime, huh?"

True to his word, Dr. Sterling returned promptly and had the ill man out the door in less than thirty minutes. Steve sent Kono ahead of him to prep the house while he made the appropriate phone calls to Chin, Rachel, and the Governor, who stood the whole team down for two weeks by request of the good doctor.

With all the necessary equipment and prescriptions in hand, Steve quickly ushered Danny out the door and into the Camaro before anyone could change their mind. Throughout the entire process, Danny hardly said a word and allowed Steve to shepherd him from one place to another with little fanfare.

By the time they reached the pharmacy, the injured man was out cold in the passenger's seat.

Steve never drove so carefully in his entire life, easing around bends and stopping at red lights gently so his precious cargo wouldn't wake. When they pulled into Steve's driveway, Danny still hadn't stirred. One look at the pinched lines of pain and exhaustion - not to mention the undoubtedly painful process of crutching himself to the front door - had Steve considering a rather unorthodox method.

Between his enhanced abilities and Danny's somewhat diminished weight, it was remarkably easy to lift his partner from the passenger's seat into his arms. For his part, Danny only curled closer to Steve's warmth with a soft hum and slipped into a far deeper sleep, earning a chuckle from Steve.

Really, it was the best possible solution. Besides, Sterling had said to keep Danny off his feet. He could withstand the teasing from the cousins if it meant Danny recovered better.

However, those were only convenient excuses. In reality, Steve needed the contact just as much as Danny did.

So when Danny whimpered quietly as Steve went to set him down on the bed in his guestroom, he didn't hesitate to climb onto the mattress with the smaller man still firmly clasped in his arms. Leaning upright against the headboard, he manhandled Danny into a comfortable position pressed against his side and blond head resting on his chest.

Gently patting Danny's sternum, he tried to do what he'd been attempting since finding his unconscious friend on the side of the road. However, the cold sense of loss never came as his partner either ignored or failed to notice Steve's energy offering. Come to think of it, he wasn't entirely sure Danny knew he'd taken anything from Steve at all.

That was definitely going to be a fun conversation.

Sighing, he rested his head against the headboard. "That's okay, buddy. We'll talk about it when you're better, huh?"

Soft snores were his only answer as Danny burrowed further into the warmth of Steve's chest. A gentle smile on his face, Steve felt himself finally, finally relax.

~H50~

When Sterling said that Danny would sleep 'a lot' during his recovery, Steve didn't realize he meant 'almost constantly.'

Granted, Danny looked like he needed it. The dark circles beneath his eyes and weary slump of his shoulders refused to abate even after three days of constant rest in Steve's home. At this point, the question wasn't if Danny was asleep but where he'd fallen asleep. They'd nearly triggered an island-wide manhunt when Sterling stopped by that first night to check on the patient and discovered that Danny wasn't upstairs in his bed like he was supposed to be.

As it turned out, the poor guy had passed out in Steve's hammock, completely oblivious to the ruckus he'd caused. Somehow, he'd managed to crutch past the entire team without being detected, which impressed even the former ninja Navy SEAL.

When he was awake, the cranky detective grumped about his team's "obsessive mother-henned hovering." His claims that he could take care of himself just fine, thanks very much, fell on deaf ears. After the disappearing incident, he got used to waking up with Steve or one of the cousins sitting casually nearby with a magazine or book or case file that they pretended to read.

Of course, none of them could really let the injured detective out of their sight - not for long, anyway. The reality of all that happened with Kingsley was still a raw, gaping wound that left even the strongest warrior shellshocked. For Steve, taking his eyes off his partner reminded him too much of the moment guards threw open the metal door of their cell and dragged Danny from the safety of his arms.

No, he couldn't let that happen again. Danny would just have to deal with it.

He noticed Kono and Chin watching him with a similar look of raw relief and fierce protectiveness. His disappearance must've spooked them just as much as Danny's did. That sparked a warm twisting feeling in his gut which he utterly failed to identify.

The physical symptoms and side-effects of using his gifts were slow to abate - specifically the less-serious ones. A subtle tremor was still evident, along with that persistent weariness. Danny had taken to wearing hoodies around the house, claiming to be cold despite the heat of the day.

Steve, however, had an easy solution to that problem. He shamelessly sat beside his best friend on the couch or bed and draped an arm around his shoulder or placed a hand on a nearby appendage. Even asleep, Danny burrowed into the offered warmth and curled close. The weight of Danny's form in his arms became familiar, so much so that he almost felt strange without it.

Chin and Kono picked up on this as well and started mimicking Steve's tactics, much to Danny's chagrin. Steve occasionally walked into his living room to find Danny's head resting in Kono's lap or the detective drooling on Chin's shoulder. It was sweet - a domestic sight that helped banish the memories of metal exam tables and blood and screams.

For his part, Danny only blushed - especially when he woke up to find his head pillowed by Kono's lap - but wordlessly accepted the care.

Over the course of the three days leading up to the weekend, Danny gradually slept less and less. The side-effects all but disappeared, leaving behind only the aftermath of Kingsley's sadistic treatment. Cracked ribs from too many punches and the violent CPR ached persistently, as did the long gash across his back. The thin slice on his neck from Sterling to remove the taser chip only increased his discomfort.

However, his foot was the worst of it. Three slices into sensitive tissue caused a bolt of agonizing pain at even the slightest bump. Forced to use crutches to get from place to place, Danny constantly battled between the pain in his torso from the walking aids or pain in his foot from not using them at all.

All in all, the tough detective was a mess - physically and mentally. Normally quite verbose and animated, Danny's constant chatter and movement stilled to something Steve dared describe as 'quiet.' That alone was enough to tell the SEAL that his partner was more than a little shaken from this whole ordeal - not that he blamed him.

Danny might be too exhausted to get any nightmares, but Steve awoke with a soundless scream at least once a night. He dreamed of terrified children fighting each other, of Danny's blood staining his hands and splashing at his feet on the floor while Kingsley's slithering voice and Danny's screams mocked him.

He'd take silence to those agonized howls any day.

Unfortunately, there were many weighty conversations that still needed to be had. Though they'd cleared the air somewhat on Kingsley's boat, Steve was still desperate to talk about why specifically Danny lied about his powers and apologize for leaving him in the first place. Part of Steve blamed himself for Danny getting kidnapped in the first place. He'd failed his partner through the most horrific of avenues - weakness. And though he'd helped Danny save himself, that failure simply was not acceptable.

Knocking on the door of his guest room, he forced the vague memories of last night's dream to the wayside. Back in a somewhat normal sleep cycle, Danny firmly stated that he wanted to "sleep in a bed I don't gotta share." Steve had checked on him a few times - once after a nightmare and once this morning before his swim - and found him soundly asleep each time.

He opened the door at Danny's muted permission, taking in the image of his partner sitting on the edge of the bed. "You ready?"

"What do you think?" Danny barely looked up, hands clenching the rumpled sheets. "Let's get this over with so I can get back to doing nothing, huh?

"Fair enough," Steve replied easily, ignoring Danny's grumpy tone. He didn't exactly relish this process either, but it needed to be done.

Gathering the things he needed from the top dresser drawer, he took a moment to scan his best friend. Clad only in sweatpants, Danny raised one arm to cradle his battered torso. The bruises spanning his chest and stomach were a deep purple or sickly green now - the most painful of which centered on his sternum in a very distinct shape.

He shook his head minutely, ridding himself of the image as he set the medical paraphernalia on the bed. Today was the day, he firmly reminded himself. Today he told Danny exactly what happened on the boat - how his best friend had died and somehow came back.

Today was the day he told Danny that his powers - the ones he despised - saved his life because Steve wasn't strong enough to keep him safe.

Looking up, he immediately spotted Danny studying him strangely. "What?"

"Why d'you got aneurysm face this early in the morning, Steven?"

Frowning defensively, he tore open the packaging of the gauze. "I'm just thinking, alright?"

"Don't hurt yourself."

"Hilarious. Listen to me laugh." Having sorted everything he needed to not to prolong this torturous process, he pointed vaguely in Danny's direction. "Which one do you wanna do first, D?"

"How 'bout neither?" Grumbling under his breath, Danny hesitated a moment before leaning forward slightly with a hiss. "Back, I guess. I'm already sitting up."

Steve nodded, immediately moving to get a better angle on the white bandages spanning diagonally across Danny's back. Though this was the less painful of the two major wounds, the cut was so large that it took an agonizing amount of time to complete the care ritual. If Sterling had been able to stitch it, Steve had no doubt that the count would've been in the twenties - if not even more.

Danny flinched - just as he always did - when Steve's hand first brushed the skin of his back. Jaw clenched, the blond's fingers slowly curled into fists as Steve started tugging the first piece of tape loose from his skin.

They sat in silence for a while - broken only by Danny's muted pained gasps - as Steve slowly pulled off piece after piece of gauze to reveal the angry-looking cut beneath it. With each bandage he removed, Steve found himself tensing further as the anger at Kingsley resurfaced with a vengeance.

That bastard deserved more than getting his brains blown out.

"You good back there?" came Danny's strangled voice, breaking him free from his dark thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to relax. "I should be asking you that."

"My back feels like someone sliced it open with a knife. But other than that, I'm swell." Danny's ribs expanded as he sucked in a grounding breath of his own. "You about done?"

"Almost," Steve swiftly promised, forsaking gentleness for speed on the last little portion. Danny yelped as he pulled the last bit free, and he gently patted his shoulder in a silent apology. "It doesn't look too bad, buddy. You'll have a pretty cool scar once it's all healed up."

"Yeah, because that's exactly what I wanted: a memento of this fun little adventure."

Steve winced at the bitterness in his friend's normally cheerfully snarky voice. "At least you won't be able to see it anyway, right?"

Danny's huffed half-chuckle was the only answer he got.

He generously applied the antibiotic cream, trying to ignore the tremble growing in Danny's hands as he started applying fresh bandages. It didn't get easier - causing his partner pain even if it was for his own good. Sometimes, he wondered if it hurt him just as much as it hurt Danny.

"Sorry, sorry," he murmured when Danny pulled away from him. "Almost done, buddy. Just hold on, okay?"

Acutely aware that he was invading his friend's rather rigid personal space bubble, he was caught completely off guard when Danny's hand slowly snaked out and patted his knee in reassurance. "Don't worry about me, babe. I can handle this."

The tone was weighted in a way that Steve didn't quite understand, but he nodded anyway and managed a small smile.

As he fastened the last piece of tape, he moved back and watched Danny's shoulders slump in relief. "Take a minute before we start the next one, huh?"

"No." Danny was already moving back against the headboard with his bad foot extended. "I wanna get this stupid part of my day finished sooner rather than later."

Steve couldn't really argue with that.

He gently grasped Danny's ankle, knowing full well what was about to happen next. These wounds, due to both location and depth, were far more painful to treat - not to mention the vivid memories for Danny of their infliction. Taking a deep breath to ground himself, Steve carefully began working to remove the bandages.

Just as he expected, Danny immediately tried to yank his foot away with a bitten back hiss. Steve held firm and continued, trying to ignore the way Danny's gasps of pain pierced his very soul.

Funny, he'd always been able to block out the screams of pain from his SEAL team members as he treated their wounds in the field. However, the slightest wince from Danny ripped him apart from the inside out. Those quiet grunts scraped his soul raw, leaving his emotions a bleeding, shredded mess.

For the umpteenth time, he tried to pass a piece of his energy to Danny, but to no avail. Unfortunately, that also reminded him of the very sensitive topic he'd yet to bring up.

However, one look at the sweat beading on Danny's forehead and his pale pallor had Steve biting his lip and choosing a far more pleasant topic.

"So what do you have planned for Grace?" he asked lightly, removing the final bandage and wincing at the three deep slices revealed. "Nothing too strenuous, I hope. Sterling will read you the riot act if he finds out you overdid it."

"He won't know if you don't tattle." Once again, Danny hissed and tried to yank his foot away as Steve began cleaning the wounds, but the SEAL held firm. "Easy, babe," he whispered. "I'm not used to walking on glass or rusty nails like you are."

"Sorry, buddy." And Steve was, especially since he wasn't strong enough to prevent the pain from happening in the first place. The very least he could do was try to take his mind off of it. "You still haven't told me your plans."

For the first time all morning, Danny's expression lit up and finally showed signs of life. "She likes playin' on your beach, so I'm sure that's where we'll spend most of our time. And before you say anything, I only get three days with her and I am going to make the absolutely most of it, alright? Bones is just gonna have to deal with it."

Raising his hands in mock surrender, Steve smirked as he secured the last bandage. "I wouldn't dream of telling him - I won't even need to. When he comes and finds you out surfing or something stupid like that, he'll have a cow."

Danny's indignant squawk earned an outright laugh, and the flurry of cursing that followed made the past half-hour totally worth it.

He gently pulled Danny to his feet, helped him don a shirt, then handed him his crutches and turned to leave the room. Danny had yelled at him multiple times for hovering, so he allowed his stubborn friend to make his own way from one place to another. His dignity had taken enough of a beating these past weeks, and Steve loathed contributing to that particular burden.

This time, however, Danny's quiet voice stopped him. "Hey, thanks, man. Seriously. I couldn't have gotten through all this without you."

Turning to meet his partner's gaze, he was once again struck by that unidentified, weighty emotion that lingered behind those blue orbs. Weighing his response carefully, Steve settled on a warm smile. "You don't need to thank me, Danno. I'd do anything for you - no questions asked."

"Yeah?"

Steve nodded, nearly floored by how true his response actually was. "Yeah, buddy. Partners are there for each other, right? That's what you always say."

They were saved by the heavy lilt of Danny's mouth by the ringing doorbell and loudly squealed "Danno!", which instantly lightened the blond's expression. True to form, Grace managed to brighten her dad's mood with only her presence and Steve was eternally grateful for it. Danny was more himself, teasing and snarky and the picture of a doting father.

The weekend was fairly lowkey due to Danny's injuries, with plenty of movies and naps interspersed amidst playing on Steve's beach and some cookouts. Both father and daughter clung to each other a little more than usual, especially once Grace caught sight of the stitched wound on the back of Danny's neck where Sterling removed the chip. Her innocent questions were easily diverted, but she still spent more time cuddled in her dad's lap than normal.

Not that Danny seemed to mind. He held his child close, love warring with an odd sadness in his eyes. It rubbed Steve the wrong way, but he didn't push.

When Rachel's driver knocked on the door Sunday night to pick up the little girl, both Danny and Grace seemed particularly anguished. Earlier that day, Grace had solemnly asked Steve if he was still helping her Danno with his special powers.

"He feels kinda sick sometimes," she had said solemnly. "But he doesn't like to talk about it. You'll take care of him, right, Uncle Steve?"

How could he deny the little girl's plea?

Looking on as Danny reluctantly released his daughter from his embrace, he took a sip of his beer as Chin helped Grace carry her bag to the door.

"Monkey," Danny called, voice tight. "Danno loves you very much. Always remember that."

Her feet pattered across the wooden floor as she ran to give her father one last kiss goodbye. "I will," came the stalwart response. "Love you too, Danno."

There was that weighty look again, blue eyes troubled as Grace disappeared behind the closed door. Though the night was still young, Danny was all but nonverbal as his team conversed around him. He just kept staring at the door, seemingly lost in thought.

Chin and Kono left a short while later, both casting concerned glances in Danny's direction. Steve mirrored their expressions, but he chalked Danny's forlorn mood up to the low of having to watch his daughter leave. A quiet conversation and a promise to call them if Danny got worse was enough to send them on their way.

A very subdued Danny slowly eased himself off the couch to go to bed - a stark contrast to the cheerful man who catered to his daughter's every whim this weekend. Unable to keep his worry contained, Steve paused his clean-up efforts and turned his full attention to his partner. "You okay, D?"

Danny hesitated, fully stopping in the middle of the floor as his expression twisted in indecision. Waffling for a moment, the man finally sighed and nodded. "Fine, yeah. 'S just hard to tell her goodbye, y'know?"

Steve nodded, imagining that the ache in his own heart must be at least ten times more painful for the doting father. "You're a good father, you know. Grace is lucky to have you."

Something flitted across Danny's expression, disappearing before Steve could fully glimpse it. Turning back towards the stairs, Danny lowered his head and seemed to focus on the step in front of him. "Thanks, Steve."

Maybe relief blinded him - or perhaps it was his desire to pretend nothing was amiss. When a rather subdued Danny told him goodnight - even hesitating at the top of the stairs as if he wanted to say something more - Steve never suspected it meant… this. After all, there was a good reason for Danny's melancholy. The man had just watched his daughter leave yet again and was battling both physical and mental wounds alike from his ordeal with Kingsley. He had every right to withdraw a bit if he desired.

But the day dawned clear and bright with nothing amiss, the water still as glass and inviting him for the perfect morning swim. He swam for longer than usual, cutting through the water and allowing it to calm his soul from the remnants of nightmares.

It was in this relaxed state that he re-entered the house, still toweling off his hair. The space was quiet; Danny wasn't up yet, which was hardly unusual.

Caught up in reveling in the peace of his soul post-swim, he nearly missed the piece of pristine white paper folded and carefully placed on his otherwise spotless table. His name was written on it in Danny's messy scrawl, but Steve still didn't think much of it until he unfolded it and started reading the short note.

It took a second for the message to register, but then a steady stream of cursing worthy of a SEAL filled the once peaceful kitchen. Dropping the paper carelessly on the floor, he bounded through the house without noticing the wet footprints he tracked everywhere.

"Danny!"

Nothing. The living room was empty, as was the guest bedroom and the bathroom. A quick glance out the window showed an empty spot on the asphalt of his driveway.

Careening down the stairs, Steve nearly slipped and hit his head on the counter as he lunged for his cell phone and car keys.

Because Danny Williams had run, and a sinking feeling in Steve's gut told him that his friend's disappearance wasn't temporary this time.

~H50~

"Just where do you think you're going?"

The familiar voice startled Danny so badly that he nearly face-planted, already off-balance from juggling his duffle bag and maneuvering with his duffel bag. The move to keep himself upright pulled at his back, earning a harsh hiss and he pushed away the pain. Cursing, he dropped the bag and glared at the placid man leaning against the Camaro.

He'd been so careful, making the final preparations in the dead of night after Grace, Chin, and Kono left and Steve was fast asleep. Hell, he even managed to keep a straight face through this past week while accepting his team's TLC with full knowledge that he would disappear for good as soon as he could maneuver on his crutches.

That had been the second-most difficult thing about all of this, overshadowed by seeing Grace walk out the door last night. He'd barely held it together, and he nearly gave it all away when Steve asked him what was wrong with those concerned, soulful green eyes.

But he made it through the gauntlet, only for his best laid plans to implode thanks to the tenacious Chin Ho Kelly.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped, his default emotion rising to the surface to shield him from the thing eating him alive on the inside. Damn it all, there was a reason he'd snuck out!

Please go. Don't make this any harder than it already is.

In the face of his frustration, Chin was totally zen as he pushed off of Danny's car with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Confirming a hunch. Didn't think you'd actually go through with it, brah."

Jaw clenched, Danny gripped the handrails of the crutches so tightly that his fingers hurt. "Are you here to stop me, Chin?"

Tilting his head, Chin was silent for a moment before answering. "No, I don't think so. Your mind's already made up, and I don't think there's a force on this planet strong enough to change that. You'll just try again later."

"Great. So get out of my way."

Chin, however, only stepped forward. Ignoring Danny's low growl, he bent down and retrieved Danny's bag from the ground. "I'm here to give you a ride," he called over his shoulder as he moved to throw the bag in the backseat. "Figured I'd at least make sure you got a proper send-off. Plus, you're not supposed to drive with that foot yet."

Danny stared at the unusually chipper man, rooted to the grass in the middle of Steve's front lawn. Of all the responses he'd expected, this one hadn't even made the list.

"You coming or what? I'd want to put as much distance between me and here before Steve gets back from his swim."

Damn, that man was good.

Gingerly hobbling his way to the passenger seat, he lowered himself inside his beloved car with a soft groan. Chin climbed into the driver's seat and accepted the keys from Danny. "Where to?" he asked casually as he started the car.

Hesitating one last time, Danny strengthened his resolve. "Airport."

"You got it."

Then he said nothing else, weaving through the residential streets until they reached the morning rush of Honolulu. Danny half-expected him to drive elsewhere, but Chin dutifully headed in the direction of Honolulu International Airport. Danny's one-way ticket sat heavily in his pockets, purchased in cash from a travel agency using the alias on his fake passport - one he'd gotten in New Jersey a long time ago for just this contingency.

Once that plane took off, he'd disappear for good. He'd be nobody's father, friend, brother, or son - just a lost soul on the run.

And Chin, who no doubt knew all of this, said nothing at all. Braced for a lecture or an attempt to talk him out of his plan, Danny was nearly drowning in the accepting silence. It rubbed him in all the wrong ways.

Here he was, expecting a speech that would undoubtedly chip away at his resolve - maybe even convince him to give it up entirely - but Chin hadn't said a single word. If the situation was reversed, Danny would be serving up the mother of all rants about hair-brained schemes and trust and… well, anything else he could think of. He wouldn't just accept his friend's plan to flee, let alone help him with it.

Careful Williams, or you're gonna talk yourself out of doing this. It's for their good, remember?

Time to change the subject - mentally, anway. Fiddling with the rubber armpit rest on his crutch, he stared stalwartly out the front windshield in an effort not to make eye contact with his friend. "How'd you know I'd run?"

He could almost feel Chin shrug beside him. "I'm a detective, Danny. It's my job. You might have the others fooled, but you tipped your hand at the hospital when Sterling caught you makin' a break for it. You did a good job playing it off as a hatred of hospitals - totally valid, by the way. But the best lies are based in truth, I guess."

"Oh yeah?"

"In my experience, yeah." Risking a glance over at the driver's seat, Chin was stoic as ever. "Then, last night, you told me your timeline."

"I didn't tell you anything!"

Shrugging, Chin drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Not me, specifically. But when you told Grace goodbye and to always remember that Danno loves her… well, I couldn't get the look on your face out of my head. That was no ordinary 'see you next week' goodbye, was it?"

Danny kept stubbornly silent, afraid to confirm the theory lest the silent tears that streaked down his cheeks last night in Steve's guestroom made a reappearance. He'd nearly called the whole thing off then and there, heart breaking as he realized that Grace would grow up without her dad to threaten her boyfriends or walk her down the aisle. Only Steve's cries of pain echoing in his head as he was shot over and over again kept him on this path, reminding him of what could happen to his little girl if he stayed.

She was better off without him.

"Of course, I ignored those suspicions at first. I mean, there's no way a guy who moved 5,000 miles to be a father to his daughter would leave her at the drop of a hat."

"No," Danny shook his head firmly, gritting his teeth as fire raced down his back at the movement, "no, it's not like that. I'm doin' this for her."

"And what the hell gave you that idea? Danny, Grace will be crushed by this. She won't understand and she'll think - -"

"Don't you think I know that? Do you think I actually want to do this? Because I don't!" Biting his bottom lip, Danny fought back the prickle of tears. "I've been wracking my brain to come up with any other idea, but this is all I got. I'm - - I'm a danger to her now that people know. They got Steve and shot him in front of me to make me show my hand! Who's to say that next time - -"

A choked back sob stifled his words, the thought too terrible for him to even voice. It took three aborted tries for him to spit out the words. "I can't put my baby girl in danger, Chin."

"You're starting to sound like your ex-wife, brah. What is it you always tell Rachel? Grace is safe because you're in her life, not in spite of it."

Already shaking his head, Danny involuntarily clenched his fists as the remember screams rose in his head once more. "You don't know that. You weren't there when they shot Steve four freaking times just to make me show my powers. They nearly killed him over and over just to experiment on me! Yeah, Kingsley's gone, but there's more. There will always be more people chasin' me for what I can do! What happens when they find out I have a daughter, huh? What happens then?"

Chin's hand clasping his forearm was nearly his undoing, but he didn't have enough willpower to pull away.

"Okay, but consider this, Danny. What if that never happens, huh? You're giving up your friends, your daughter, all for a 'what if.'" Chin's voice, normally so, so steady, cracked ever so slightly. "Running away is not the answer. No one wins in this scenario, brah. All you're going to do is leave gaping holes in a lot of people's lives."

"Don't." Danny stared out the side window through a curtain of tears, clearing his throat in an attempt to breathe around the boulder lodged there. "I don't have a choice, Chin. This is what's best, and you know it. Don't make this harder than it already is."

The Camaro purred as Chin merged onto the H1, planes taking off on the horizon. After a moment of silence, the Hawaiian native spoke up once more with a voice tinged with an anger that made the hair on the back of Danny's neck stand up on end. "Leaving the island and everyone who loves you in some convoluted scheme to 'protect' us is not what's best and you damn well know it. You know what I think? I think the only thing you're running from is yourself and this is just your way of justifying it."

An unequivocal fury bubbled in Danny's sternum, drying up his tears and giving him the strength to stare down his friend. "Take that back, you son of a - -"

"You're not even gonna deny it, are you?" Focused entirely on the road, the only physical manifestation of Chin's anger was his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. "I mean, you said yourself that Kingsley made you wear a ski mask so no one would know who you were. If no one knows who you are, then everyone is safe, right?"

"People still know there's someone out there who can do what I can. It's only a matter of time before the next big bad guy comes along and tries to exploit me by using you all as bait! But please, feel free to question my motives when it's you who gets shot for these stupid powers next time!"

"Bullcrap. Maybe a big reason for this stunt is protecting us, but there's a small part of you that doesn't want to face what you're capable of doing. That maybe - if you run far enough and fast enough - you can forget that you even have powers in the first place. Only it's never going to work. You can't outrun this no matter how hard you try. You're special, Danny, and it's part of who you are."

A punch would've hurt less - - hell, getting shot would've felt like a hug compared to that statement. Reeling, Danny found himself face to face with Chin's words.

It's part of who you are.

That was the linchpin of it all, wasn't it? He'd built an entire life around the elusive concept of being ordinary, even going as far as to pass people by. Only his Grace and a few family members back in Jersey knew the truth.

Then this case happened, turning his life upside down. Suddenly, he couldn't pretend to be ordinary if he tried. He was an elite, and his team knew it and yet didn't care. Nothing would ever be the same, and that scared the crap out of him.

Chin continued, oblivious to Danny's thoughts. "And when this catches up with you next time, you're gonna be facing it alone. Do you really want that?"

No.

There was the exit for the airport, and true to his word, Chin took the ramp without hesitation. Still, word flowed from the quiet man's mouth, nearly desperate in tone. "You don't need to face trouble alone, kaikaina. Steve, Kono, me - - we're here for you and Grace. We'll move heaven and earth to protect you, just like you'd do for us."

The car pulled up to the departure area and Chin threw it in park, blinkers flashing. Twisting in his seat, Danny finally caught a glimpse of the anguish written across his face.

Swallowing hard, he managed a sketchy grin as his resolve wavered. "I know you do, buddy. But with this, that's just too much to ask of you. You've already done too much backing me up in this whole mess."

Chin was already shaking his head.

"It's nothing you haven't already done," he said, fire glimmering in his eyes. "The only person in my life before this team who had my back no matter what is Kono, and I had to watch her get shot when I was too far away to do a blessed thing about it." Chin's adam's apple bobbed up and down. "But you saved her without any hesitation, even at the cost of your own life. There's nothing I can say or do to thank you in a way you deserve."

Cheeks heating up in a familiar embarrassed blush, Danny fidgeted in his seat. "You don't need to thank me. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Then why do you expect less from us towards you?" Tone still gentle, Chin's request was genuine and almost heartbreaking. "We'd jump in front of any bullet for you - literal or metaphorical. We conducted an illegal op just to get you back - that's how far we'd go for you. If it means taking a pounding to protect your secret, so be it."

"No, Chin, that's not the same thing and you know it. I can't ask you to do that."

Chin only smiled, coffee-brown eyes gentle and warm. "You don't have to ask, Danny. That's what 'ohana does."

The words washed over him like the waves washed over the shore, that simple truth all but drowning him. Though the urge to run still remained, it was utterly overshadowed by the reality of what he'd found on this sunbleached, pineapple infested rock in the middle of the Pacific.

Family - one that needed him just as much as he needed them.

Danny Williams never wanted to be an elite, nor did he ever expect to end up on a team full of them. Yet, amidst the chaos unfolding from that reality, he realized he wouldn't want it any other way.

Turning to look at the bustling departure gate, he pulled his ticket out of his pocket and tore it up without a second of hesitation.

"For the record," he grumbled in an attempt to hide his true emotions, "you suck at the whole 'not talking me out of this' thing."

Chin's laugh was a beam of sunlight breaking through dark storm clouds. "Well, if that didn't work, I wasn't too worried. Steve's a Navy SEAL, brah, and you're his partner. He'd track you down in a week - - maybe a month, tops."

Groaning, Danny couldn't resist the urge to facepalm. "Damn it, Steve's probably back from his swim and saw my note by now. We gotta get back before he blows something up!"

"Say no more." Chin slammed down the accelerator and pulled out of the parking space at a speed that would make even Steve jealous. "You should probably call him before he does something drastic."

It took Danny a few tries to pull his phone out of his pocket - a phone he'd turned off so his team couldn't track him. Thumbing it on, he winced at the notifications on his screen. Texts, missed calls, and messages - too many to count - filled the screen, all from an anxious Navy SEAL. From the looks of things, the man hadn't stopped trying to contact him since finding the note.

As if to prove that point, his phone started vibrating almost immediately and his ringtone for his partner rang cheerfully in the car. With yet another groan, Danny tapped the 'accept' button. "Steve, just let me expl- -"

"What the ever-loving hell are you thinking?! Of all the boneheaded, idiotic crap you could pull, you - - you - - Where the hell are you?"

"With Chin," he answered, desperately trying to placate his furious, anxious friend. "It's fine. We talked, everything's good. 'M on my way back now, alright?"

"Back from where, Daniel?" came Steve's demand. In the background, Danny could hear sirens wailing.

Chewing his bottom lip, he debated not answering and just hanging up. However, a low growl from Steve quickly eliminated that idea. "The airport. And before you even start, Steven, don't pretend like you wouldn't have done the same thing!"

"Are you out of your mind? I'm not the one who ran out with a two-sentence note as the only explanation!" Danny winced at the volume, holding his phone away from his ear. "We're gonna have a long talk about this, Daniel! If you're not at my house in the next twenty minutes - -"

Danny hung up to the sound of Steve's furious threats, glancing over at Chin's amused face. "Gonna take it you heard that?"

"Me and the rest of the island, brah," Chin replied gravely. "He's angry, alright."

"I'm screwed. Kill me now and get it over with."

Chin chuckled. "He's just freaked out, but you're in for a hell of a lecture."

"I don't suppose you'll take me to my apartment instead…?"

Shaking his head, Chin shot him a half smile. "Nice try."

The rest of the car ride was devoid of conversation as Chin chose to turn on the radio instead, allowing Danny to lose himself in thought. The worry about the future now that his secret was out and the guilt of all he put his friends through still lingered, but he felt a bit lighter now - like a piece of his burden finally fell off his shoulders.

They'd barely pulled into Steve's driveway before a pickup truck skidded in behind them. A furious Navy SEAL was already out of the cab and sprinting to Danny's side of the car before the injured man could undo his seatbelt.

The door was all but ripped open and Danny instantly raised his hands, palms open as his muscles tensed. "Steve, before you say anything, I'm sor- -"

His words were cut off as his partner yanked him out of the seat and pulled him into a hug, nose instantly buried in Danny's hair. With an oomph, Danny found his face pressed against Steve's chest in a desperate embrace that he quickly returned. Even as Steve's arms pressed against the aching wound on his back, the sense of home piercing Danny's chest completely overshadowed the pain.

"I'm not gonna leave," he murmured into the cotton fabric of Steve's shift, and the hardened SEAL squeezed even tighter.

They stood like that for a long time ignoring the wetness that blossomed on Steve's shirt and the crown of Danny's head. Steve essentially bore more and more of Danny's weight as time progressed, neither wanting to let go.

Finally, Steve sniffled and loosened his arms, though he didn't let go completely. His forehead ended up pressed against Danny's own in a mirrored image of that quiet interaction they'd had back on Kingsley's boat. Surprisingly, Danny found that he didn't mind it one bit.

Voice husky with emotion, his words vibrated against Danny's head. "If you ever, ever pull something like that again, I will find you and break every bone in your body."

And in spite of it all, Danny smiled and clumsily patted his friend's back. "Understood."

Aaand now you see why the chapter is so long. I almost left you all on another cliffhanger, but I decided to be benevolent. Thanks so much for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!