Thanks for reading! I got some positive feedback about Mary being in the story, so I decided to give her some space in the story as well. I hope you'll like it.

"Mom?" She called out into the darkness, but the only answer was the echo of her own, strangled voice. "Mommy?"

No one answered.

She sat up in a bed, snuggling her teddy bear to her chest. The door was half-open, and the light penetrated inside her room.

"Mom?" She tried again. "Dad?"

Nothing.

Keeping the bear close, she slid her feet off the bed and fixed her gaze at the door. She listened for the familiar sound of footsteps approaching, but the house was utterly silent. But the light was on, so someone had to be out there, right?

A careful step after step, she made her way to the corridor and looked both ways. Empty.

"Mom?"

Her chest tightened with fear. The living room downstairs was dark, and everyone knew the monsters lurked in the darkness. She looked at the door at the end of the corridor–an entrance to her parents' bedroom.

"Mommy!" A tear wet her cheek.

She put a brave face on as she neared the stairway that she had to walk by in order to reach the room. Her heart thudded in her chest when she glanced downstairs. She'd swear something moved down there.

That was it. Scared out of her mind, she sprinted toward the door and swiftly opened it up. "Mom? Dad?"

The light was on, and an empty bed made up as if no one had been sleeping there. Where were her parents? Her lip quivered when she tried the master bathroom, which was empty, too. The panic gripped her throat, and she ran to the other side of the corridor, to her brother's room. The same view offered itself. An empty bed, and her brother nowhere to be seen.

A lone tear quickly changed into a waterfall, and she returned to the corridor.

"Mommy!"

Where was everyone? What if they left? What if the monster ate them?

What if… she was all alone?

"Mary, wake up."

A soothing voice reached her terrified brain, but the words didn't register at first. Just when she felt a gentle touch at her arm, she snapped her eyes open, panting for breath.

"Shh, it's all right. It was just a dream."

She looked at the figure leaning over her, sitting at the side of her bed.

Steve?

He offered her a soothing smile. "It's okay," he said.

"Where's mom?"

His smile quickly faltered, and terrible sadness clouded his eyes. And then she remembered. Mom was gone. They said she was in heaven, but she didn't believe them for a second.

"A…nd dad?" Her voice trembled. "Did they leave us alone?"

"Dad had to go to work," Steve said.

Again? Why did he always have to leave? Why couldn't he stay and give her a hug she needed so much?

"Come here." As if reading her mind, Steve wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to bury her face into his chest. He rubbed her back, ignoring that she soaked his pajamas with tears. "Shh, I'm here."

He held her until all her tears finally dried off, then stood up and outstretched his hand toward her.

"Come with me," he said.

She took his hand, wondering where he was leading her. It turned up the final destination was Steve's room, and she glanced up at him with a puzzled look as he closed the door. Without a word, he turned a bedside lamp on and turned off the main light. Then he climbed into the bed, leaving some space in the front.

He tapped the bed. Mary accepted the invite and snuggled up to her brother, who threw a warm blanket over her and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder. Her breathing calmed somewhat by then, but he must have felt the tension in her muscles still present.

"You're not alone," Steve whispered to her. "And neither am I. We'll always have each other."

"You'll not leave me?" The words finally came out in a shaky whisper.

"I'll not leave you."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Her eyes stung from crying, and she was tired and missed her mom, but the fear was all gone, because she wasn't alone anymore. Not then, not ever, as long as she had her big brother by her side.

Steve's words from that terrible night echoed in Mary's mind as she listened to the steady beeps of Steve's heart rate monitor. A sad smile tugged at her lips, her heart bleeding for the only person who had always been there for her, no questions asked.

She'd lost her brother once, all those years ago, right when she needed him the most. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure she could ever forgive her parents for ripping them apart the way they had. It was their mom who had faked her death and left them, yes. But their dad was the one who shipped the two of them to different parts of the world as if they were some kind of a package. But they had somehow found each other again. And she couldn't lose him this time. Not again.

With concern lining her eyes, she fixed her gaze on Steve. His cheeks were flushed and hot to the touch. A tell-tale sign of a raging fever the doctor had told her about. The painful looking chest tube added to a number of other devices attached to him. Bruises of different sizes and colors decorated his fragile looking body and a white cast on his arm contrasted his tanned skin.

She's been sitting by his side for hours, ever since the late afternoon call from the doctor she had received earlier, about Steve's condition taking a turn for worse. The doctor's words replayed on Mary's mind over and over again.

"As you're already aware, your brother has developed an infection in the wound despite our efforts to prevent it. Unfortunately, he's not responding to the antibiotics so far. His temperature keeps going up and his blood pressure just dropped again."

"Does that mean…?"

"It means that if we don't get it under control soon, his organs might start to fail. His body has been through significant trauma and battling a nasty infection was the last thing he needed in such a weakened state. He proved he is a fighter, but I cannot promise anything just yet."

Suppressing the tears that formed in the back of her eyes, she took Steve's clammy hand into hers. He stirred under a sweat-soaked blanket, a silent moan escaping his lips. He didn't seem to be asleep but not entirely awake either.

"Steve," she whispered. "I know you can do this. You have to."

Steve's eyelids fluttered, but remained closed.

"You remember that night after mom's death?" She gave his hand a light squeeze, goosebumps still appearing on her skin with the memory. "I was scared. Terrified I would be alone, with her gone and dad working all the time."

She ran her thumb up and down Steve's knuckles.

"You made a promise that night. And that promise was the only thing keeping me sane for as long as I remember, even when it seemed I might have lost you too."

A soft, barely audible murmur came from Steve. Was he listening? Was he actually trying to say something? She waited for a few moments, but Steve grew silent again, his rapid exhales matching the rise and fall of his chest.

"I need you to keep that promise, Steve." She blinked back the tear threatening to fall. "We all do."

A blanket of darkness wrapped an island in its claws, pulling it into the silence of another night. Kono stopped counting how long it had been since she ate. The only fuel she was functioning on was caffeine and a single piece of pizza her cousin had ordered earlier and forced her to eat despite her shrunken stomach.

Sighing in frustration, she stared at the screen. Her blond friend's blue eyes screamed at her among everything else as she tried to piece the puzzle together, hoping she'd discover anything new that might help to find him.

It was hard to say whether it was the lack of sleep, food, or gut-wrenching worry that clouded her mind and prevented her from focusing, but one thing was certain–Danny was running out of time. She might not have rich experience like her older colleagues, but even she knew that the longer Danny was missing, the lower the chances of finding him alive.

And then there was this lie her cousin dragged her into. Okay, maybe lying wasn't the best word, but keeping the truth from Steve wasn't really that much better. It made sense to keep their boss in the dark for a little longer, considering his dire condition, yet the feeling of guilt gnawed at her every time she thought of it.

Focus.

She rubbed at her temples, trying to expel the thoughts of Steve in order to think straight. It was damn hard, though, knowing the next call might be Mary announcing the news she wasn't ready for. But she couldn't afford to think about it. Not if she was supposed to find Danny.

Like one of her friends' life hanging in the air wasn't enough.

She lifted her gaze to find her cousin pacing in his office. From behind her laptop, she studied Chin's every move. The phone pressed against his ear, his eyebrows scrunched together, a hand brushing lightly over his tired eyes. It didn't take long before he ended the call and made his way to her.

With a soft knock on the door, he entered the office.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Duke." He stared at her, dark circles rimming his eyes. "We might have found John Kingsley."

"What?" She stood, nearly tipping the laptop over. "Where?"

Chin didn't seem to share her excitement for some reason. "HPD got called to a murder in the marina about two hours ago," he said. "One of the fishermen was returning home and found a body floating between the boats."

Her high hopes vanished as soon as they had emerged. Dead men didn't speak.

"According to Max, Kingsley's been dead for several hours. Cause of death is obviously a stab wound in his abdomen."

"Do they know who killed him?"

"No. But my guess is that it's not a coincidence that Kingsley turned up dead. So if we find his killer, then maybe we find the connection to Danny's disappearance."

"Yeah," she agreed. "And I bet Peter Kingsley knows something that could help us."

"Even if he did, I don't think he would tell us any more than he did," Chin said. "Not after yesterday."

It was true that maybe the two of them had slightly crossed a line during yesterday's interrogation. One might argue that their actions bordered on police brutality, but neither Kono nor Chin cared about that. The bastard deserved punishment for having his fingers in Steve's injury and they needed answers that only he could provide for Danny's whereabouts. But the suspect was no longer in their custody, and they couldn't apply similar measures with him behind the safety of plexiglass.

"He'll talk to us," she said. "I think he was just trying to protect his brother, so he only said so much. But with John gone, maybe he'll want to help us."

Chin shrugged. "I'll go talk to him."

"No. I will." She glanced at Chin's bruised knuckles, revealing proof of yesterday's events. "You see if you can find out more about the circumstances of John's death."

"Call me when you're done."

She nodded and made her way outside, hopeful for a possible clue, and thankful for the distraction.

Danny had no idea how long he'd sat there on the cold tiles, fighting the restraints uselessly, his mind in a whirl.

At least the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Steve never was a target. He was never meant to be hurt. It was him the whole time and Steve was the one who paid the price.

Gnawing guilt settled in his belly with the thought of his partner, who was in a critical condition. All because of him. What if… what if he wouldn't make it? What if he was dead already?

No.

Danny quickly expelled the thought. Steve would be okay. He had to be. He needed to tell him how sorry he was. Needed to hear his voice and see his goofy smile again. He wished he could find out how his best friend was doing at the very least. One way or another. God, he'd give anything for being by Steve's side instead of this crazy chic's bathroom.

But surely he wouldn't be here for long, right? He'd bide his time and grab the first opportunity for escape. And he was certain that Chin and Kono were already looking for him, too. So either way, he was getting away soon.

He held on to that thought as tightly as he could as he rested his head on the wall behind him. He tried to stay alert to listen for Jennifer's return or maybe his friends coming to the rescue, really for anything. Whatever was going to happen, he wanted to be ready. But the lack of sleep and stress of the recent events exhausted him, and eventually, he couldn't help it–he slept.

For quite a long time, he was pretty sure. Hard to judge the passage of time in the room without a window, but he woke up feeling more rested than he had since before this whole nightmare had begun.

Not much consolation, though. His shoulders ached from being locked in an uncomfortable position for way too long, intensifying the pain of the gunshot wound. His wrists were raw and bleeding from the constant effort to free himself. His stomach grumbled, and his parched throat longed for water, the filled plastic cup still mocking him just out of his reach. And he needed to pee, too.

Time dragged as minutes and hours bled one into another in silence. Until finally a sound echoed somewhere outside. He strained his ears, and… Yes. He'd heard something. Door closing? Footsteps? Yes. Getting closer. He fixed his gaze at the door. A soft click of the key turning in the lock confirmed it.

Someone was coming.

He didn't know how to feel about that. Should he be relieved? Or scared? Either way, he kept his chin up, ready for whatever was about to happen.

The door swung open and Jennifer waltzed in. Her look was almost as perfect as before, but she had switched the fancy dress and high-heels for a more comfortable pair of tight jeans and sneakers.

Danny's eyes immediately landed on her perfectly manicured fingers wrapped around a syringe. His stomach twisted and he tugged at the restraints instinctively, ignoring the pain it had caused. The ropes dug deeper with the movement, sending a warm streak of fresh blood streaking down his fingers.

"What is that?" he growled, hiding the concern behind a mask of anger.

Ignoring his question, Jennifer walked up closer and crouched right next to him. She frowned as she scanned her captive up and down, her eyes fixing on his blood-soaked bandage and bleeding wrists.

"What's that?" he tried again, gesturing toward the syringe, tugging at the ropes once again to no avail.

She met his gaze, and with a warm smile, she cupped his cheek, her hand soft and warm. "Don't worry, it won't hurt you."

Turning his head away, Danny withdrew from the touch. A hint of anger flashed through Jennifer's eyes. Before he had a chance to protest, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it backward. Holding his head firmly in place, she brought her lips close to his ear.

"But I will if you give me a reason," she whispered. "I'd rather not, though, so better be good."

He could feel her warm breath on his neck as he tried to break free, but it only made her tighten the grip even more.

"No point in resisting, Daniel," she said. Something in her voice made his skin prickle. "You're mine now. The sooner you accept it, the better."

"What are you talking about?" Danny spat out. "What do you want? Why am I even here?"

"What do I want? You, of course." She let go of his hair and chuckled. "Because it all fits. You and me, we belong together."

Danny shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"You might not see it yet, but you will. I'm doing you a favor. You haven't seemed very happy lately."

His eyes widened. Had she been watching him? For how long?

"Your ex-wife making your life miserable by keeping your little girl away from you. The job that you have never asked for. Your partner dragging you into dangerous, life-threatening situations. Your girlfriend choosing a career in Colorado over life with you."

Danny made up his mind–she's known a lot, if not at all. It was really unsettling. How did he not notice her earlier? How could he miss something like that?

"I'd never do any of that to you," she held his gaze, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I'd never hurt you as they did. You deserve so much more. This is your chance to start over. Without all those people holding you back. Just you and me."

"You're out of your mind. Insane!" Danny said, refusing to listen to any more of this crap.

She shrugged. "You're angry, I get it. But you'll come around eventually. I'll give you time, but now we have to go." She looked down and Danny followed her gaze to the syringe in her hand.

His muscles tensed up. "Don't–"

Too late.

She jabbed the needle into his arm and emptied the cold liquid until the last drop, ignoring his useless struggles. He glared at her, anger boiling underneath his skin. Once again, he gave his restraints a hard tug, knowing it wouldn't budge.

It only took seconds before his vision blurred and his head began swimming in the hazy fog swallowing everything around him. He felt his strength vanishing slowly and his eyelids growing heavy. Bile crept up into his throat, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut to ride off the dizziness that intensified every passing second, hoping it'd pass. But it only became worse.

"Wh'd you gimme?" He slurred, not sure if his words even made sense.

Jennifer didn't answer, and the world began fading. He was only briefly aware of a soft kiss on his stubbled cheek before the whole world turned into a fuzzy cloud.

*to be continued*

I'd really appreciate if you let me know what you think.