Hello again. I hope you're ready for some answers :)

Kono sat in front of her laptop, willing the search results to pop up. She bit her lip anxiously, but the cursor was blinking on and off, on and off, and the search showed nothing but a processing tab.

She ran her fingers through her dark hair, wincing as she stared at the screen. Danny disappeared without a trace hours ago and they had nothing. Cameras in the hospital caught him going out, but the ones outside had been broken down a week ago and no one had bothered to get them fixed since. The only thing she was able to find out was that Danny had called a cab company, but wasn't there when the driver arrived to pick him up. Something must've happened during those ten minutes between Danny leaving and the driver's arrival.

For a moment, a spark of hope ignited in her chest when the third set of fingerprints was found in the car from the crash. Two of them belonged to the Kingsley brothers, but hours of search didn't match the third one to anyone in the system. Yet.

With John Kingsley in the wind, and his brother refusing to say much, they had no more leads. One thing was certain, though. Someone wanted Danny dead. What if they had gone through with the plan meanwhile? They had plenty of time.

Damn it. Damn it all. She kicked back, rolling her chair away from the desk a little, and stretched out her arms above her head. She was tired and stiff. She had spent thirteen hours at her desk, more or less, besides a five-minute break to go and get coffee from the coffee machine downstairs and about half an hour of interrogating their only suspect. She had barely moved from her office even when babysitting Joan while Mary was in a hospital to check on Steve.

She's been trying to figure out who had hurt her boss since coming back from the hospital after Steve's surgery and just when she was ready to get some sleep and continue in the morning, Danny poofed into thin air and sleep was suddenly off the table.

When the case got personal like this, involving two men she considered family, it was impossible not to let it consume her. It was easy to get lost in time, to become so single-minded that she forgot to wash, to eat properly, to do anything that wasn't in the service of solving the case.

She checked the screen.

Still nothing.

The clock on her wall showed five minutes past three in the morning when Chin knocked on the door and walked in, his face showing the same signs of worry and exhaustion as hers.

"You okay, cuz?" he asked.

She shook her head. "What if–?"

"Stop right there."

Her gaze met her cousin's.

"It's gonna be fine. They're gonna be okay. Both of them," he assured her, but she wasn't entirely sure she believed it.

She couldn't afford to think that way, though. It wouldn't help either Steve or Danny, and certainly not to herself.

"You got anything?" Chin asked, gesturing at her laptop.

"No. You?" Maybe her cousin had been more successful in search of the other Kingsley brother.

Chin shook his head. "Nothing that could help us find him. Maybe we should talk to Peter again."

"Chin, we've tried that already. You and me both."

"Then we'll try again."

That's exactly what they did. She followed her cousin into the interrogation room, where Peter Kingsley sat in the chair, fuming.

"You can't keep me here this long!" he spat, tugging at the handcuffs. "I'll file a complaint."

"Suit yourself. If you live long enough to get out of this room," Chin said in a cold and calm voice and waited for Kono to shut the door.

Kingsley scoffed, the corner of his lips curling into a mocking smile. "You're cops," he said. "You wouldn't hurt me."

Kono played along, glancing at Chin. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"Looks like it," Chin said, his eyes not leaving their suspect.

"You see." Kono stepped forward, meeting Kingsley's gaze, her fingertips purposely brushing against the gun in her holster. "We're not just any cops. We're Five-0."

"We've got immunity and means," Chin added, his arms crossed over his chest. "And the governor's full support. No one would care if you left this place in an ambulance. Or a body bag."

It was a bluff, she knew it. But hoping it'd be convincing enough to give Kingsley a little scare, she kept on pressing. "He's right. And considering you've messed up with our people, you made this quite personal."

Kingsley glared at her for a moment, silent. "I have nothing else to say," he said eventually. "We're done. I want my lawyer."

"We'll be done when we say so," Kono said. "The sooner you tell us what we want to know, the sooner you can go and get accommodated in a comfy little cell."

"Look, you tried to kill two police officers. Two members of the governor's elite taskforce. So it's in your best interest to help us," Chin tried. "Because if they die, I'm personally gonna make sure you wish you'd never been born for the rest of your miserable life."

"What?" Kinglsey snapped. "Two? I already told you I wasn't driving that car. I had nothing to do with that one."

"You were in the car, though, weren't you?"

"Yes, and you should thank me for that. If I weren't, your friend would already be dead right away."

Kono's senses sharpened. "Wanna elaborate?"

"Start at the beginning again," Chin proposed.

Kingsley remained silent. But Kono could see the defiance slowly dissipate from his eyes.

"Kono?"

She understood. Trying to keep eye contact with the suspect, she raised her gun and trained it in his direction. "Right or left knee?"

Kingsley's eyes grew wide. "You wouldn't."

"Watch me." She unlocked the safety lock.

"Fine!" Kingsley called out. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he released an annoyed sigh. After a thoughtful silence, he spoke. "As I said already three times before, John was driving. We were following the car. Thought it's Williams."

Kono gestured for him to go on, keeping her gun in the air.

"It wasn't planned. We were only supposed to follow him at that time, but John lost it, and… you know the rest. He wanted him dead, so we went down to make sure. But he was still breathing."

"And it wasn't him," Chin said.

"No. John wanted to shoot him anyway. Didn't want to leave any witnesses. But I stopped him. I grabbed his hand as he aimed the gun, so he missed."

"Why?"

Kingsley scoffed. "You kidding? Did you see that thing sticking out of his chest? That man was as good as dead anyway."

Kono's finger tightened around the trigger, bubbling with anger.

"It could have looked like an accident," Kingsley said. "But with a bullet in his brain we would have cops in our heels straight away. So I persuaded John to leave."

Kono couldn't help but think that either of the brothers were the smartest. If Kingsley was telling them the truth, none of their actions seemed planned and they weren't good at covering their tracks either.

"You said you were supposed to follow him," Chin said. "Why?"

Kingsley swallowed hard as he looked into a muzzle of Kono's weapon, but didn't reply.

"We know about the money your brother has received," she said. "What was it for? Murder? Surveillance?"

Nothing.

Chin cleared his throat. "Who ordered it?"

"I don't know anything about that. Ask John."

"Gladly. Where can we find him?" Kono asked.

Kingsley's lips formed a thin line. Did they just reach his limit?

"So?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Kingsley spat out. "I've been here for hours! And even if I knew I wouldn't tell you. So, are we done?"

Chin shook his head, his hateful glare stabbing into Kingsley's.

"We're just getting started."

When Danny's eyelids fluttered open, electric light blazed around him. Pain thudded through his head with the beat of his pulse and he felt the cool tile of the floor pressed against his cheek. His mind working with dazed lethargy, he rotated his head, watching the room come into focus. White tiles, white cabinet, seashell prints on the white wall.

The bathroom.

For a short moment, he wondered how he got here. He remembered being in a hospital with Steve and–

Memory returned in a flood, and he straightened, a groan slipping past his lips as the pain stabbed behind his eyes. His shoulder ached, too, and when he glanced down, the bandages were soaked with blood.

Damn it.

Something tugged at his arms as he sat up, and it took his dazed mind a few moments to realize his hands were tied up behind his back. The restraints cut into his wrists when he turned to get a better look. Two thick pipes ran beside the wall from the floor up to the ceiling, and the rope that held his wrists together was also secured around the pipes. He gave it a hard tug, but it wouldn't move.

He looked around again, trying to notice anything that might help him get out of this mess. The white door was closed. There was no window and the naked bulb over his head was the only source of the illumination. Besides a shower in the corner, a basic toilet, and a sink with a small cupboard above it, the bathroom was empty. There was also a small mirror, and his hopes focused on that. If he managed to get out of his restraints, he could smash the glass and use it as a weapon.

He twisted his wrists, starting to work on the rope. His wrists were raw and bleeding soon, but that didn't stop him. He had no idea how much time had passed, but it must've been hours before he finally heard some noise on the other side of the doorway.

Five minutes later, the door was finally unlocked and opened. A woman that had tricked him came into the bathroom, her expression as casual as possible. Like this was nothing out of the ordinary. The pretended panic of a worried mom was gone, as well as a comfy pair of jeans and t-shirt she had been wearing before.

No, she looked different now. The dark eyeshadow and eyeliner blended into a lighter tone created a smokey effect, highlighting her steel-gray eyes. She wore a red lipstick, and her long dark hair were falling on her uncovered shoulders. Dressed in an expensive-looking silver dress that copied her slender, but sporty figure, and wearing matching high-heel sandals she looked almost as she was dressed for a special occasion.

"We going somewhere?" Danny asked, trying to look unfazed by the fact that he was held hostage. "I'm afraid I forgot my suit at home. You know, I didn't think I'd need it when I went to work yesterday morning."

She smiled at him. A warm kind of smile, reaching her eyes. "You like what you see?"

If the circumstances were different, Danny wouldn't hesitate with the answer. She was attractive, there was no doubt about that. But there was something in her eyes that unsettled him for some reason.

"Might be a little overkill," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "What's the occasion?"

She reached up to the cupboard above the sink and took an empty plastic cup out of it. "I'm celebrating the best day of my life," she said as she filled it with water.

He straightened himself up and caught her glance in the mirror. She turned and walked up to him, offering him the water. "Here, drink up."

Danny turned his head when she brought the cup to his lips.

"Come on, love. It's just water."

He stood his ground, ignoring the unusual way she addressed him, anger rushing through his veins.

She took a cue, shrugged, and placed the cup on the sink.

"Why am I here?" Danny asked, wondering where 'here' was.

"Because that's where you belong. Even if you don't see it yet."

"What are you talking about?" he snapped, his patience slowly running out. "Who are you?"

There was it again. That flash of hurt in her eyes even though her lips didn't stop smiling. Danny already thought she wouldn't answer when she finally spoke.

"My name's Jennifer. But I was really hoping you'd know that somehow."

How was he supposed to know? Did he know her? He didn't remember meeting her.

She was about to say something when the door opened and closed somewhere, and her head snapped to the left to see the newcomer. She walked outside to meet whoever just arrived, leaving the bathroom door open.

Danny craned his neck to get a clear view of what was going on.

A man in his mid-thirties walked up to Jennifer, his face contrasting her calm facade. His frown was deep, his dark brows pulled together. "I can't reach Peter," he said. "I've been trying the whole night."

"Is that so, John?" she asked, calmness still radiating from her voice. "Was he not with you?"

Danny's brain whirred. Those names were awfully familiar. Could that be…?

John and Peter Kingsley. The men responsible for his best friend's condition. He tugged at the restraints harder, suddenly wanting to spring up and strangle that bastard with his own hands.

"No," John said. "He had some business to attend to in the evening."

"What business?" she asked.

John averted his gaze, fixing it on Danny, his eyes widening as if he didn't expect him to be there at all.

"John, I asked you a question. What business?"

"Me," Danny stepped in, finally piecing the puzzle together.

It was his car that got pushed off the road. And Peter Kingsley had a chance to turn his gun to Steve in the hospital room, but he didn't. Yet, he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger when the weapon was trained at Danny. Not to mention it was him who got kidnapped.

"It was me you wanted dead, wasn't it? That's why your brother came to the hospital. Not for Steve."

John's face lost all its color, and his lips parted.

Danny wasn't sure why, but something he said wiped the smile and calmness off Jennifer's face. "

"What is he talking about?" she growled.

"I… I don't k–" John stuttered.

"You said the car crash was an accident," she interrupted. "Or was it a lie?"

"It was!" John said quickly. "An accident, I mean."

"Bullshit," Danny muttered under his breath, but they must have heard it, because for a moment, both looked at him before turning their attention back to each other.

"Come on, Jen," John said with a hint of desperation in his voice. "Are you really gonna trust him over me? You've known me since childhood!"

Confusion clouded Danny's mind. What the hell was going on here? Why was she angry? Why was he so anxious?

"Look, I've done this for you, all right?" John said. "I told you I didn't even want the money. I would have done it anyway."

"No, you've done nothing," she objected. "But it's my fault, I suppose. I've always known that if I want to have something done properly, I need to do it myself."

"But–"

"I was generous, John. I paid you well. You know how important this was for me."

"Jen…"

"I never asked you to kill him!"

John's face went even paler as Danny's brain tried to process the new information. If she was the one giving orders, and she didn't want him dead, then why were the two brothers so adamant to get rid of him?

"Wasn't I clear enough when I told you I want him alive?" she snapped. "Care to explain why you and your idiot brother did what you did? And I want the truth, John."

John sucked in a deep breath. "All right, you're right. I wanted him dead."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" It was John's turn to raise his voice. "Because maybe if I got him out of the way, you'd finally realize that the man who loved you was right there the whole time."

What? Danny's jaw dropped.

She took a calming breath. "You wanted to kill him so you could have me?" she asked, her voice softening somewhat.

"Yes! Because I love you, Jen. But you're so focused on Williams that you can't see that!"

Still working on his restraints, Danny shook his head in disbelief. Surely he got this wrong. It couldn't be the reason she had kidnapped him, could it?

"You… you love me?"

"I do," John said. "I always have."

"Wait here."

For a moment, she disappeared from Danny's sight, and John stood there, almost as confused as Danny, glaring daggers at him. She was back in a few seconds, all the anger gone from her face.

"John," she said softly, her hands behind her back. "I forgive you. But don't you ever lie to me again."

For the first time, a shabby smile crossed John's face. "I won't. I promise."

"Come here," she said, her long lashes fluttering as their gazes met.

John obliged. He closed the distance between them, his eyes hungry. They were so close that they could surely feel each other's warm breath on their skin.

Jennifer pressed a kiss to John's lips. He closed his eyes and took her face into his hands as it grew more passionate.

Danny didn't see it coming when in one swift motion she brought a huge kitchen knife from behind her back and stabbed it through John's abdomen. She pulled away, staring coldly at the surprise and pain twisting John's face into a grimace, then yanked the knife away.

At that moment, Danny forgot about the restraints that wouldn't budge. He watched, his eyes wide, as John crumpled to the floor with a pained gasp. A pool of blood formed underneath him, soaking into the snowy white carpet.

With a knife still in her hand, she stepped over John and made her way toward the bathroom. She stopped at the doorway.

"He tried to take you away from me," she said as Danny stabbed his eyes into her, still barely breathing. "He shouldn't have done that."

Danny shook his head in disbelief. This wasn't happening.

"But it doesn't matter anymore," she said, her smile returning to her face, oblivious to the fact that John was bleeding out behind her back. "Because you're here now. And you're mine."

And with that, she shut the door.

Chin felt an icy knot in the pit of his stomach as he opened the door to Steve's hospital room, and walked past a rookie police officer Pua Kai, who had been assigned to guard Steve.

He'd been gone for nearly twelve hours–the same amount of time Danny had been missing. Twelve hours of frantic searching for evidence and questioning Peter Kingsley over and over again. To no avail. The man ether didn't know much, or didn't care what would happen to him if he didn't cooperate.

Taking in another deep breath, he closed the door behind him and walked in.

Steve must've heard him coming because he stirred in the bed and opened his eyes just a few moments later. At first, his face maintained the serenity of sleep, but it didn't last very long before confusion clouded across it.

"Hey," Chin whispered in a soothing voice. "Sorry to wake you."

The familiar voice seemed to attract Steve's attention. He furrowed his brows even more, and his frown deepened as he squinted his eyes against the bright light.

"D'nny?"

The whispered name of their friend came out almost unintelligible, yet, Chin understood. It wasn't hard to guess who Steve needed right now. "Nah, it's Chin."

A painful groan interrupted whatever Steve was about to say, and Chin was almost grateful the question didn't come even moments later. What was he supposed to tell him? How could he tell Steve his best friend has been missing for twelve hours and they didn't have a single lead on his whereabouts? How could he tell his stubborn boss the truth, knowing Steve was still in danger himself? There was no doubt the SEAL wouldn't be able to get much-needed rest to recover from his injuries if he knew.

Chin watched Steve struggle to breathe in, a painful grimace lining his clammy skin covered with sweat. He squeezed his eyes shut, his dark lashes in contract with his flushed cheeks. With another groan escaping his lips, he fluttered them open again, revealing the glazed blues that seemed darker than usual.

"How are you feeling, brah?" Chin knew it was a stupid question–he wasn't blind after all. But he had a chance to talk to him for the first time since the car crash, and he definitely wouldn't start with 'hey, the men who had done this to you actually wanted your best friend, who's missing' kind of thing.

"'m fine." Steve's voice was more of a raspy whisper.

Chin shook his head in disbelief. "Sure you are."

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but a fit of cough interrupted him. The pain reflected in his face was obvious, and Steve definitely wouldn't fool anyone. He was far from fine. Definitely not in any shape to help find their missing friend.

"Steve, do you know what happened?" Chin asked as soon as Steve's cough receded.

Steve nodded, lifting himself higher up in the bed. He sunk in the pillow as though the tiny movement took all of the energy from his reserves.

A spark of hope ignited in his chest. Maybe Steve would be able to tell them something useful.

"There were two men," Steve started.

Chin nodded. "Peter and John Kingsley."

Steve looked up at him. "You got them?"

"Just one of them so far. But we're working on it. Do you know them?"

Frowning, Steve thought about it for a few seconds. "I don't think so. Never saw them before."

Chin gestured for him to go ahead.

"It was a blue Dodge," Steve said. "I saw it coming at me, but it was too late. The car rolled over and then–" Steve furrowed his brows in concentration. "Then it stopped and–"

"And what?"

"I saw them coming. Thought they were there to help, but then I saw the gun."

"Okay, what happened then?"

"I… I'm not sure." Steve's frown deepened. "I don't remember much. Why can't I"–?

"It's okay," Chin said, well aware of Steve's concussion. "You hit your head in the crash. Give it time. Is there anything else you recall?"

Steve shook his head slightly, his eyelids already drooping. It seemed he wouldn't be able to tell him much more. Not yet, anyway.

"Where's Danny?" Steve's whispered question came after a short moment of thoughtful silence. "He's mad at me, isn't he? I ruined his car."

Chin's heart seized with the mention of Danny. "No, of course not. No one's mad at you, okay? The car can be replaced but you can't. So you only worry about getting better. Besides, it wasn't your fault and Danny knows that."

"Then where is he?"

His stomach bubbled with unease. But he knew the question would come. He'd volunteered to be the one to answer it, after all, to save his cousin from the SEAL's wrath. He cleared his throat. "He's–"

The door swung open, cutting him off. Steve's doctor waltzed in, wearing a soft smile at her lips. "Commander, it's good to see you awake," she said, then turned to Chin. "I'm sorry, Sir, would you mind waiting outside? It won't be long."

"Not at all." Chin stood up. "Actually, I have to get back to work now. One of us will be back later."

"I have no doubt about that," the doctor said.

Chin's gaze slid back to Steve. "Be good. Try not to give these nice doctors and nurses a hard time, okay?"

"Uh-uh."

The lack of protest from a man usually so eager to leave the hospital as soon as humanly possible worried him and the weakness and exhaustion Steve was so obviously fighting didn't help him to feel better either. He looked at his friend once more from the doorway, hoping that he'd be okay, and walked away to meet Kono.

She met him in the corridor. "How did he take it?" she asked, compassion radiating from her dark eyes.

Chin let out a loud sigh and lowered his eyes. "I didn't tell him."

"You didn't tell him?"

"I couldn't."

"But–"

"I know," Chin said. "He needs to know. But, cuz, you know what the doctor said. Steve's still not out of the woods. If I told him the truth, what do you think would happen?"

Kono held his gaze in silence.

"It's Steve we're talking about. With Danny missing, he's not gonna be able to stay put," Chin stated the obvious. "You know as well as I do that he would dismiss his own well-being and wouldn't be able to rest."

Kono's shoulder slumped in defeat. "I know. I just talked to the doc before she went inside. And based on what she's told me, I don't think Steve's getting out of the hospital bed anytime soon."

That wasn't what he wanted to hear. "What did she say?"

"A lot of stuff." Kono shrugged. "It seems the wound on his chest isn't healing as it should. He's developed an infection despite them trying to remove all the remains of the branch and getting him on antibiotics straight away."

Chin shook his head, worry eating at him. Steve had to be okay and they had to find Danny before it was too late. The lives of two of his friends, who were more like a family to him, were hanging in the air and it was incredibly difficult to focus and think straight.

"Look, Steve doesn't look good at all. Let's wait until tomorrow to tell him. Give him a chance to recover a bit more," Chin suggested. "I don't want him injuring himself by trying to get out of bed. Waiting another day will also give us some time to gather information, so we don't come to him empty-handed. Besides, maybe Danny will be back home safe and sound by tomorrow anyhow."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Come on." Chin wrapped his arm around Kono's shoulders. "Let's get back to work."

*to be continued*

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this fic at least half as much as I enjoy writing this. Please let me know- I'll be really grateful.

Also, I apologize if you think the updates take too long, but between two jobs and all the other crazy things going on it's not always easy to find the time. I'm sure you understand :)