Okay, I made you wait for this one (sorry, life's been pretty hectic lately) but I hope it's worth it. It's also the longest chapter of the story, so let's dive straight in.

It was Wednesday, 4:30 a.m. Steve thought he had gotten about two hours of sleep in the office after being forced to by his insisting friends. Not that he had a choice, really. He'd barely kept his eyes open at that point and despite nerve-wracking fear and worry, he'd fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the couch. Kono and Chin looked like they hadn't slept in a week as they gathered by the desk in Steve's office, eyes glazed over.

Hunched in the chair in his office, Steve stared at yet another footage from one of the hospital cameras. His eyes strained with the effort of detecting something that just wasn't there.

Danny and Jennifer were not caught on any cameras, or at least not the ones he'd checked so far, which were a lot. She hadn't come back to her house, which was being watched just in case she did, nor were they seen in any of the vehicles that were stopped by HPD for a random check.

Steve leaned back in the chair and ran a hand through his hair, tension gripping his body, his torso aching with each agonized breath. "They have to be somewhere," he said. "A woman with a 150-pound package wouldn't disappear into thin air! Maybe someone saw something"

"We've asked around already," Chin said, looking almost as defeated as Steve. "No one saw anything."

Steve sunk deeper into the chair, hundreds of possible scenarios going through his head. His emotions flitted between fear and anger every ten seconds.

He was tired. Exhausted to the bone and hurting. But not all the pain was physical. Somewhere out there was the most important person in his life, and God only knew what was happening to him. He wouldn't be able to rest until Danny was safe, but he had no idea how long he'd be able to keep going either. His body had been through a lot in the past days, and it was running on fumes. In fact, Steve was surprised he was even functioning at all at this point.

Kono let out a defeated sigh and crossed her arms. "Maybe we overlooked something."

"Maybe," Chin agreed. "But we checked everything. Looked everywhere."

Steve's eyes landed on a heap of photographs on his desk. He'd seen them all throughout the night so many times that it was hard to count. It was simply too much to take.

How did he not notice someone being so damn close to his partner this whole time? Hell, she's been working right under their noses and none of them suspected anything. Granted, she worked on the other end of the building, and according to her boss's description, she looked different at work than in the pictures they'd found. Steve's guess was that she was wearing a wig every time she came in, because he'd swear he'd noticed a janitor with long, braided ginger hair in a corner of his eye a few times. But he didn't remember seeing her up close and her face didn't seem familiar either. She's been avoiding them, that much was obvious. But she was doing her job and he was doing his, and he didn't really pay her any attention.

Maybe Danny wouldn't have gotten kidnapped if he did. So this whole thing was his fault too, because wasn't he trained to recognize a threat? Wasn't he supposed to notice something was off? That realization sent another surge of rage storming through his veins.

"So Danny is in the hands of a crazy woman and we've got nothing but a bunch of stupid photographs!" He growled as he swiped his good arm across the table, sending all the photos flying through the air.

He realized what a mistake the sudden movement was a beat too late, when white-hot agony stabbed through his chest. Struggling for breath, he sunk back in the chair once again, his eyes trailing the mess on the floor he'd just made.

Chin and Kono exchanged a quick glance.

"Steve, I really think you should go ba–" Chin started.

"Not going anywhere."

Trying to get a grasp of his emotions that were hard to keep under control, he stared at his partner, who was the center of almost all the photos. Except…

"Wait a second," he said, his gaze fixed on one in particular. It was too far for him to reach, and he began to stand so he could take it and examine it further.

Chin's firm hand on his shoulder pushed him back down with surprising ease. "What do you see?" he asked.

"The one with Jennifer and Jake." He pointed in its direction and waited for Kono to lift and pass it to him.

Once again, he studied the picture of a happy couple, that was obviously taken right after the engagement. But this time, his focus wasn't on the couple in the picture, but on the wooden cabin behind them and the thick forest surrounding it.

"If you want to propose, you do it at a place that means something, right?" he voiced the thought out loud. "What if this place is such a place?"

"It could be a rental or a romantic getaway." Chin shrugged.

"And even if you're right, there are hundreds of cabins like that," Kono chimed in. "We don't even know it's been taken on Oahu."

"Except for her house, Jennifer doesn't have any other properties linked to her name," Chin added. "Her fiancee lived in a rented house when he was murdered."

"And her parents?"

"The same place she lives in now. They both died years ago," Kono said.

Steve recalled the photographs of Jennifer's parents that Kono had dug out and showed him earlier. It was hard to miss that they were local, while Jennifer's skin tone was several tones lighter. "She's been adopted, right?" he said.

"Yes."

"So what about her biological parents?" Steve looked up at Kono with hope in his eyes.

She shrugged. "Her biological father left them when she was seven. And her mother had a taste for a different lifestyle. I guess she didn't do well with being a single mom and she prioritized drugs and alcohol. Social Services took Jennifer from her two years after her father's death. She was adopted a few months later."

It made sense, in a way, that Jennifer didn't do well with rejection. After all, her own parents left her so early in life. It must have left a mark on the little girl's psyche. The one she'd carried into her adult life.

"Did you talk to them?" Steve asked.

"They both live on the mainland. I've tried to get in touch with them but I couldn't reach any of them," Kono said.

"Keep trying," Steve said. "Check if they own any property here on the island." It was a wild goose chase, he knew, but at this point, anything was better than sitting around doing nothing.

"On it." Kono nodded and made her way out of the office.

As soon as the door had closed, Chin looked Steve in the eyes, worry lining his tired face. "Do you really think it could be where she took Danny?"

Steve shook his head. He wasn't. But it was worth checking. It was also the only thing he had right now and he'd clung to it for dear life, otherwise he'd surely fall apart.

"I don't know," he admitted. But he wouldn't leave a single stone unturned.

For what felt like the millionth time, Danny tried to free his ankle from the cold grip of the metal cuff. To no avail. He swore out loud, frustrated to no ends, and sat on the mattress with his back to the wall.

He had to get out of here.

There wasn't a way to tell how long he'd been here, but he was tired of the indignity of being Jennifer's prisoner. And more importantly, he had to get back to his daughter, who he missed like crazy. He had to get back to his best friend, too, because not knowing whether Steve was even still alive made him sick to his stomach every time he thought about that possibility.

She let him wait longer this time for whatever reason. At least it felt like it. Danny's guess was that she was still upset after the last time, which didn't do him any good.

When she finally walked in, he was almost relieved. He stood up, the chain rattling with the move.

"Good morning, Daniel," she said with a soft smile on her face as she walked down the stairway and stopped just a few steps from him. "It's a wonderful day today. Too bad I can't take you outside just yet."

Danny glared at her, biting his lip to prevent a snarky comment that might turn her mood around in a split second. "You can't keep me down here forever."

"I won't, silly. Just until you realize what I already know."

"And what exactly is that?"

She held his gaze, warmth radiating out of her eyes. "That you and I are destined to be together."

Unable to resist, Danny rolled his eyes. "Come on, there is no such thing."

"Of course there is," she stood her ground. "Why else would you appear in my life just when I thought I'd never love anyone again? You came to me the same day Jake passed away."

"Who's Jake?" he asked, confused.

A hint of hurt flashed in her eyes, but it only took a moment. "He was my fiancee," she said. "But he destroyed everything." She paused as if thinking what else to tell him. "He thought he could use me and then leave me as everyone else did. But he was wrong."

Danny had a nagging feeling to ask the question that he was afraid he'd already known the answer to. "Jen, what did you do?"

"I killed him, of course." She shrugged, as if it was the most normal thing to do. "If he was going to leave, then it would be on my terms."

Danny swallowed a lump in his throat, trying to understand how anyone can speak so calmly about murder. Or was it meant to be an unsaid threat?

"But it's okay, because I met you just a few hours later and I thought that maybe Jake wasn't the one, you know?" Her smile widened, making this situation a whole lot more creepy.

It was impossible to ignore the fact that Jennifer had set her eyes on him after killing her fiancee in cold blood. And what was worse, he still had no idea when or where it happened.

As if reading his mind, Jennifer continued. "Kaka'ako waterfront park," she said, finally answering Danny's question. "That's where I saw you for the first time. I used to go there when I was upset or angry and that day I've been both."

"Kaka'ako waterfront park?" Chill ran down his spine.

It was the beach park that he took Grace to sometimes. She loved the place ever since they accidentally found it one sunny afternoon. As much as he hated this island, his little one really enjoyed watching the waves crashing on the rocks, the boats sailing in the distance. It was a beach with incredible views, but far less crowded than some other beaches in Honolulu.

The thing was… he definitely didn't remember meeting Jennifer there.

"It was almost two years ago," she said. "I was thinking about Jake, just sitting on one of the benches. And when I lifted my head, you walked by and smiled, waving at me."

"What?" Jennifer was clearly delusional. There was no way he would wave at a stranger in the park, and even if he did, he'd certainly remember that. "You must've mistaken me for someone else."

She shook her head. "No, it was you. You were with your little one who joined you just a few moments later. Grace, right? She's a beautiful girl."

Danny's blood boiled with the mention of his daughter. He forced himself to stay calm, though. "No, no, I'm sure I didn't do that. I'd have remembered you."

"I don't care whether you trust me or not, but it's the truth." She shrugged. "Besides, I've been working in the palace for the past eighteen months and you haven't noticed."

"What?" Danny couldn't believe his ears. No. Surely she's been playing with his mind, wasn't she? Lying to him so she could manipulate him more easily. He wouldn't fall for that.

"That way I could stay closer to you, to get to know you better," she added.

Danny refused to believe it. "No."

"It was so hard to wait, but you're finally here. We can finally start over together."

"That's crazy. Jennifer, you have to stop th–"

"I love you, Daniel," she interrupted. "And I know you don't feel it the same way yet, but I believe you'll learn to love me back."

"That's not gonna happen!" Danny snapped. "Not until pigs fly."

She stiffened and stared at him in uncomfortable silence for a long moment.

"Don't say that."

"Jennifer, you're an attractive woman," he said, stepping forward as much as the chain attached to his ankle allowed him. "But you can't force someone to love you."

That wiped the smile off her face almost instantly. The corners of her mouth dropped, and instead, she pursed her lips together. "Am I not good enough for you?"

"That's not what I said."

"No, but that's what you think, don't you?" she snapped, her breathing speeding up. "You think I'm insane, just like everyone else does."

"I don't think you're insane." Danny tried to keep his voice calm and compassionate. "I think you're sick. But that's okay, because there are ways to keep it under control. You can still live a normal life if you just let me go so we can sort this out."

"Normal life?" Jenifer's eyes narrowed, forming an angry grimace on his face. "I'd be stuck in prison the moment I let you go. No, I'm sorry but I can't do that. That's not what I want."

"What do you want, then? You want to keep me down here forever? You expect me to be okay with that?"

She shook her head. "Of course not. I already told you it's temporary. I want you to realize that we belong together. That we can leave everything behind and fly somewhere far far away where no one will look for us. Somewhere we can start over."

Danny felt the goosebumps forming on his skin. "You don't get it, do you? That's not gonna happen," he said. "I can't do that."

"It's because of your daughter, isn't it?" She said, curling her lip in distaste. "Fine. We can take her with us if you insist. I'll arrange that."

"No!" Danny spat out faster and louder than intended, a chill running down his spine with the thought of Grace being dragged into this mess. "No, it's not that. I… I just can't be with you, Jennifer."

"Why the hell not?" Jennifer snapped, her patience dissipating at a surprising speed. "You can't just say no to me, Daniel. Don't you get it? We're meant to be together!"

"Jennifer," he started, thinking of a good thing to say, but she ignored him.

"You don't understand!" She growled, taking two steps back and stabbing her bewildered eyes into Danny's. "You just want to destroy everything. Everything we could have together."

The tension in his muscles doubled up. That didn't go well.

"You won't leave me!" she said as she backed up further to the stairway. "Not like everyone else did. I won't let it happen again."

Danny didn't think he could try to reason with her anymore. Not in her current state of mind. He had to calm her down before she did something irreversible.

"I'm not like everyone else," he said. "I'm not going anywhere, but you can't keep me here like this."

But it was as if she didn't hear any of his words anymore. She shook her head, muttering something he didn't quite catch, and turned to walk up the stairs without giving Danny another look.

"Jennifer, wait!" he called.

She left the light on and shut the door with a loud bang. For a minute, Danny stared at the doorway, listening for the banging noises he could clearly hear on the other side. It sounded almost as if she was hitting something, which was not good, to put it mildly.

And it seemed he'd been right about that, because she turned up a moment later, knuckles of her right hand bleeding. But it wasn't that that got Danny's undivided attention. No, it was the gun that she casually held in the injured hand as she made her way downstairs.

His gut cramped. "Jen, what are you doing?" he asked, but got no reply.

She stopped about six feet from him and trained the weapon in his direction.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I hurt you," Danny tried to get through to her without success. There was anger and sadness in those gray eyes staring at him. "I didn't want that."

Nothing.

"Jen, listen." He turned the palms of his hands in a calming gesture. "I know you don't want to do this. Let's just talk about it like two adults, all right?"

Finally, she shook her head. "No, I'm done talking. You made yourself clear. You'll never feel the same way about me as I do about you."

Danny's gaze flickered between the muzzle of a gun and her eyes that watered up.

"You'll never really be mine, will you?" The gun trembled in her hand and her lip quivered.

"Jen–"

"Answer me!" she yelled, her hands trembling.

He could lie. He could force himself to let her believe that her twisted fantasy was possible. But she wouldn't believe him, he was sure of that. "No," he said instead, his hands still in the air. "But I can help you if you let me. Not like this, though. You have to let me go."

Danny noticed her anxiety was increasing rather than getting under control and the feeling of urgency to ground her before it was too late almost overwhelmed him.

"You meant a lot to me, Daniel," she said, ignoring his words completely. The finger tightened around the trigger. "I thought we could be happy together. But you don't care about me. You never will. I can see it now."

"That's not true. I do care, that's why I said I'd help you."

She snorted. "But you don't love me. You said you never will." It was a statement, not a question, and Danny said nothing to that. He couldn't think of a possible answer that wouldn't make things worse.

Their eyes met, and for a long moment, tense silence hung in the air. A lone tear ran down Jennifer's cheek, blackened from the mascara she'd been wearing.

"If I can't have you, then no one can."

He didn't have a chance to say anything before a booming sound of a gunshot echoed in the small room, accompanied by a white-hot agony spreading through his belly. His legs buckled, then gave in completely and his knees crashed onto the hard floor. Instinctively, his hand shot up to his abdomen, where the once-white shirt was now soaked with blood. The thick liquid oozed between his fingers, warm and sticky.

His thoughts ran to his daughter. His sunshine in a world full of darkness. His monkey, who he'd never see grow up. His little girl who'd grow up to hate him because he wouldn't be there for her. There was nothing in this world he wanted more than to see her cheeky smile one more time, but he knew it was just a wishful dream.

He was done, he knew that much. He was going to die.

"Guys!"

Kono's call forced Steve to lift his heavy head from the laptop on his desk. He'd spent the last hour or so struggling to stay alert and think, to try and find anything helpful. But at this point, whether he liked it or not, his mind was not really in the game. It was nearly impossible to even keep his eyes open and ignore the brutal pain racking through his whole body, let alone focus on linking pieces of a puzzle together.

The door to his office flew open before he had a chance to stand up. Kono barged in with Chin in tow. Both men stared at her in expectation, hopes running high. Something in her eyes, a spark that haven't been there before, told him she managed to find something out.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I just talked to Jennifer's biological father," she said, allowing herself almost a triumphant grin. "I sent him the picture and he confirmed that they vacationed there every summer. He said Jennifer loved the place."

"Where?" Chin asked with a glimmer of hope in his voice.

"Mokulēʻia Forest Reserve."

Chin shrugged. "Sounds like a good place to stay out of sight. Yet close enough should one need anything from the city."

"It's about an hour drive," Steve said, already bracing for another wave of pain and dizziness as he put weight on his feet and began standing up. It didn't disappoint. He squeezed his eyes shut as it came, clinging to the desk for dear life. He'd surely fall without its support.

"Steve?"

Come on, McGarrett. This is your chance. The best one you've had so far.

"Steve."

He opened up his eyes to the faces of his worried friends. Chin stood ready by his side should anything go wrong, Kono not much farther. "I'm fine," he said, trying to sound at least a little convincing.

"Far from that," Chin opposed. "You sure you can handle this?"

He had to. Had to! He nodded curtly.

To no surprise, none of his friends actually believed him. They kept hovering near him until they reached the car park and then Chin helped him to climb to the passenger's seat of Kono's car.

The ride was way shorter than he'd estimated, thanks to Kono's determination to get there as fast as humanly possible, which Steve was really thankful for. Patience had never been one of his strengths, especially when it came to Danny.

He'd give up his own life without a blink of an eye for his partner if he had to, no questions asked. The Jersey detective found his way into his life exactly when Steve needed it the most, and he'd been here ever since, making even miserable days way more tolerable. They had shared laughs and sorrows, standing strong when the other one needed it, all of it sometimes even without words spoken. That's how strong their bond was, and Steve couldn't imagine the emptiness in his life if something happened to him.

He'd known someone like that before. Freddie. His best friend had left this world way too early. The man who was like no one else Steve had known until then. And after his death, he thought he'd never meet anyone like that again. Who was supposed to know that one loudmouth blonde would prove him wrong and turn his world upside down?

Steve closed his eyes. Not again. Not Danny. He'd sworn a long time ago that no other person he loved would die on his watch. He hadn't been able to save Freddie or his own father. But over the years Danny had become the most important person in Steve's life and if anything happened to him, Steve wasn't sure he'd ever be able to get over it.

No, scratch that. He was sure that he wouldn't.

"You don't look so well." Genuine concern lingered in Chin's voice as Kono pulled up the car just out of sight. "We can handle this. Maybe you should let someone take you back to the hospital."

Steve's eyes snapped open, and he stared out of the window. There wasn't much to see, other than thick foliage and tall trees, and a gravel road disappearing behind them. A few gaps opened up between the branches, and provided a partial view of the small wooden cabin a mere seconds away. His heart began to pound faster, hope glimmering in his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Your chest wound is seeping."

He gave his chest a cursory glance. Spots of red dotted the navy blue cotton. "I'm fine. I'm not leaving Danny."

"We don't know if he's even in there."

A pent-up breath escaped Steve's lips in a trembling sigh. Agony stabbed at him, and a moment passed while he struggled for breath.

"He has to be."

"All right, I'll tell you what," Chin said, scanning Steve from head to toe as they climbed out of the vehicle, as if expecting him to collapse at any point. For a moment, his glance lingered on the weapon in Steve's hand. "We go in and clear the house, you stay in the car and I'll let you know if we find Danny, okay?"

Steve shook his head. "No. I need to–"

"Boss, you're gonna get yourself hurt," Kono voiced out loud. "And if we have to watch over our shoulders to make sure you're all right, it won't make it any easier to focus. In fact, we could all get killed."

He glared at her for a moment, slightly surprised that the youngest one of his team dared to tell him what to do. He opened his mouth to protest.

"You know it's true, don't you?" Kono added. "You're barely standing. What if shit goes down and you'll end up in a fight? Or a gunfight, really? You won't stand a chance in your current state. I know Danny calls you super SEAL, but it doesn't make you bulletproof. Please… please stay here and give us a few minutes to clear the house."

She was right and he knew that, but this was Danny they were talking about. If there was even the slightest chance he was in that house, he was going in. He checked his weapon and looked in the direction of the cottage, determined to end this nightmare.

"Fine, I'll stay behind you. Let's go."

He obediently put on the tac vest Chin had passed to him, and pretended he didn't hear Chin's quiet whisper to his cousin to keep an eye on him.

A soft indication of light on the ground floor further fired his hope up. Someone was there and it could as well be Danny.

Please, please be here, partner.

Ignoring the pain clutching his chest, he followed his team to the cabin, and after ensuring the front entrance was the only one, they'd gathered up by the doorway. Steve felt the effects of the strain even more than before, and he guessed the adrenaline was the only thing allowing him to function right now.

Body singing with tension, he watched Kono open the unlocked door. They rushed inside in considerable silence, weapons drawn, and started to search the cabin room by room. The ground floor consisted of a spacious but cozy living room and an adjoining kitchen. The standing lamp in the corner of the living room was on, but there was no one to be seen.

Chin gestured he was going upstairs and Steve nodded, watching Kono finishing up in the kitchen.

"Clear," she said.

Steve could barely see through the haze of pain he was in, but he willed his body to hang on a little longer. Now was not a good time for rest.

There was one more doorway to check off to his left. Did he just hear something behind it? He stopped to listen, but it was quiet, other than Kono's steps in the distance. Maybe his concussed brain had made it up. With a tip of his chin, he gestured he was going in as soon as he caught Kono's side glance.

His hand was trembling as he held the gun up. The agreement to stay behind his colleagues completely forgotten, he opened up the door. It took him longer than usual to realize that he'd been staring into a muzzle of a gun that Jennifer aimed at him from the stairway below.

"Steve, watch out!" Kono called out.

A split second later, two consecutive gunshots boomed through the air.

But he was pretty certain he hadn't pulled the trigger yet, and he wasn't hit either, was he?

Jennifer's light t-shirt stained red as she stumbled backward, dropping the gun. She made another half-step, a little over the edge, and tumbled down the stairway. With a thud, she crashed on the bottom and remained still, a pool of blood growing underneath her.

"You good?" Kono asked.

Steve nodded, dumbstruck. He had to admit that his reflexes were way too off. He'd probably never be quick enough to react before Jennifer would. "Yeah, thanks," he said.

He heard steps rushing toward them. "What happened?" Chin asked as he reached the ground floor. "You both good?"

"I got that bitch," Kono said, great satisfaction obvious in her voice.

Steve glanced down the stairway into what looked like a cellar and stepped forward, because as much as he wanted Jennifer's head, she wasn't what he was here for. If she was here, surely Danny would be, too, right?

"Danny?" he called out, but no response came. "Danny, are you here?"

With both of his friends just a few steps behind, he climbed down the first two steps and a small cellar opened up to his right.

The view that offered itself knocked the air out of Steve's aching lungs.

Danny, pale and unmoving. The bright crimson startling against the concrete floor.

No.

"Kono, get the EMTs in here!" Chin's panicked voice carried from behind him, but it sounded distant and almost surreal.

This wasn't happening.

"D-Danny?" His voice trembled when he rushed down the stairway, every step increasingly more and more difficult. His lungs burned from the effort. Clumsily, he stumbled on the steps, holding onto the damp wall to steady himself. He pushed the agony and exhaustion aside and focused on the bloody mess on the floor with his partner laying in the middle of it. "Danny!"

There was no reply and Danny's pallor terrified him as he inched closer–the only color in the detective's face was the feathery shadow of his lashes. Even his lips lacked color.

He looked… dead.

"Danny?"

Steve's world spun faster this time, and he'd lost the sense of the space around him. His leg slipped on the edge of the last stairway, and his hand shot up to seize the railing, but it was either out of reach or he'd estimated the distance incorrectly. The harsh move rocketed pain along his nerves.

With his eyes fixed on his unmoving friend, he was just briefly aware of his own name being called out, but it faded away as his weak knees gave in under the prolonged strain, agony stabbing through his torso.

Before he realized what had just happened, he sprawled onto the hard surface face down, his chest and belly taking the brunt of the impact. If he'd thought the pain couldn't get much worse than seconds ago, he'd been terribly wrong. It was overwhelming and got all too much too fast, and Danny's blood-soaked shirt blended with the rest of the fuzzy world that kept coming in and out of focus.

"D'nno?" he whispered, trying his best to push himself up and get to Danny, to check for the pulse he so desperately needed to still drum underneath that pale skin.

But no matter how hard he willed himself to do so, he couldn't.

With every single cell of his body on fire and the last reserves of strength, the darkness finally closed in on him and sucked him in completely.

*to be continued*

So, what do you think? Let me know. I appreciate every single one of your opinions.