Chin had a pot of coffee on when Kono made it in. It had been weeks since he had seen her and even though he was exhausted, he wanted to be awake to greet her when she got home. They spent several hours catching up. The initial heaviness stemming from Steve's original prognosis had dissipated with the good news that he was expected to come through okay. Kono was up for talking and found it cathartic. She smiled broadly, sincerely happy for Chin, when he told her how content he was in San Francisco with his new family. Kono noticed how his face brightened every time he mentioned Abby's name. His pride was on full display as he, of course, had to work in how Sara had just won her school's geography bee in her grade level.

The conversation wound its way to cover his fledgling task force. Abby had been such a help to him in acclimating to the new locale, and even though he had gone through a few challenges in getting some of the others to accept him, he felt he had finally gained their respect and trust and had a solid team in place. Kono laughed when he told her about a team member from Memphis who, except for his dark hair and very southern accent, reminded him so much of Danny with his sarcastic quips and the way he couldn't talk unless his hands were moving. All in all, he felt they were making inroads into diminishing crime in their area of California.

Kono did not go into as much detail about her work, but she had experienced some highs and some lows in her quest to make a difference in breaking down the human trafficking business. Some large players had been indicted and would be out of commission for years. Her satisfaction in her work was evident, but Chin could also sense a forlorn subtlety hidden just below the surface that he couldn't quite put his finger on. After spending most of their time discussing the positive aspects of their current lives and avoiding the inevitable topic, they finally delved into the looming showdown with Gabriel. They winded down close to midnight and both decided they should try to get some sleep before going into work the next day.

Even as weary as he was, Chin found it difficult to fall asleep. His restless thoughts had him continuously moving, flipping, and searching for that magic spot where he could finally get rest. He had finally drifted off, but had not been asleep long, when he got the call. The sound of the buzzing caused him to jolt upright in the bed. The phone that had been confiscated from Tani was lighting up with 'John', the same name that had been entered when they met. Chin jumped up and grabbed the phone accepting the incoming call as he made a beeline for the back patio.

"Gabriel?" He slid the back door closed.

"Hello, Chin. Been a long time."

"Not long enough."

"So, your cousin decided to come back too, huh? I figured you'd be staying at her house, but didn't really expect two for one."

Chin's eyes darted around the outside surroundings. Nothing seemed out of order in the dim moonlight, but somehow, Gabriel knew where he was and that Kono was there too.

"Right now, you're talking to me. Leave her out of this."

Gabriel continued, "You're right. I'm not interested in her. It's you I've been wanting to talk to, but before we go any further, I need you to do something for me. Go outside and look under the picnic table."

"What?"

"Go on. I've got something there for you."

Gabriel must not have eyes on him after all, since he didn't know that Chin was already outside seeking privacy to keep from disturbing Kono. It was a short walk over to the table. The thought that there could be something like an explosive device waiting for him crossed his mind. He felt like he had to take the chance, though, to see this through.

When he reached the table, he squatted down, holding the top for stability. Instead of using the flashlight feature, he opted for the glow of the phone to light the area under the table. He didn't see anything on the ground but it didn't take him long to find something else. On the end that he happened to be at, he found a Ziploc bag duct-taped to the underside of the table. He carefully pulled the bag out and stood, shining the limited light onto its contents. It contained another phone.

"I've got it. What's this for? What kind of game are you playing?"

At that moment, the call dropped and the phone in the bag lit up. Chin opened the bag and removed this new device. He took a moment to glance back at the house which was dark and quiet and then he scanned the area around him. He laid Tani's phone on the table and put his hand on his hip as he calmly exhaled to compose himself, then answered.

"Like I said, what kind of game is this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've just got to watch out for myself. I know what you all can do with your technology nowadays. I wanted you to have one that only you and I know about. You may want to wait to give pretty little thing her phone back so no one questions."

"What makes you think I'll keep it to myself?"

"Because I'm asking politely… well, that and because if you don't, one of your buddies could be in for a little trouble."

"So, you're making threats now. What makes you think you could get to any of us?"

"I already did. Two of you, actually."

"And now, we're all on to you and there's no way you're getting past the security at the hospital."

"Is there not?"

"Would you just stop speaking in riddles, Gabriel? You wanted to talk to me. What do you want?"

"You're vulnerable, all of you. You'll see. Just keep our interactions to yourself and everything should be fine. I want to set up a time to get together, one on one. Keep this phone handy. I'll be in touch."

Chin's connection to Gabriel was gone in an instant. While still holding the gifted phone, he put his hand on his hip, mirroring the other arm. He wasn't in a hurry to go back in. The moonlit darkness and warm nighttime breeze were restorative after a long day and what was becoming a long night. His wandering thoughts were put to an end when he felt the phone once again demand his attention. This time it was not a call. He had received a text. The message was not written, but it was clear nonetheless. A series of pictures had been sent, each showing a member of Five-0, each seemingly unaware they were being photographed.

The first was Adam and most likely Junior, judging from the description of the young SEAL he had heard of, eating a meal at Kamekona's shrimp truck. The next was Renee helping Lou out of the Suburban, onto crutches, in the driveway of their home. He figured the next was Tani, stepping off her Vespa and having words with a young man that resembled her, probably the younger brother he had heard about. Jerry was walking from his parked van toward the Palace.

The last in the series was Danny standing on the steps of Rachel's house and Rachel could be seen in the doorway with Charlie leaning against her, his arm wrapped around her waist. The shot was close enough that Chin could see Danny wasn't yet sporting the two-day old stubble but did have his hand wrapped. He knew the photo must have been taken in the last forty-eight hours.

A separate text came through in the next minute showing Kono and Adam in what appeared to be a deep conversation standing outside her house. He knew this was just from a few hours ago.

"Damn it!" Chin was angry that Gabriel, or someone close to him in his organization, had been so close and he never knew it. He walked around to the front of the house and looked down the street in both directions, wondering if anyone had eyes on him right at that moment. He finally decided to go inside when he got the last text as he was about to reach for the door.

Unlike the others, the last photo was captioned with a message. || I forgot one. || This one was taken from inside of Steve's hospital room, with a clear picture of Steve sleeping.

~~~~H50~~~~~

"Hey, are you okay, cuz? You were pretty quiet the whole way here." Kono unbuckled her seatbelt and waited for an answer before getting out of the car.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, I guess. I'm not used to being up so late like last night." He displayed his trademark endearing smile, all the while hoping that his answer would be enough.

"Are we late?" Chin asked as they entered the bullpen area.

A cleanshaven Danny was the first to cross the room and meet Kono before she could get all the way in. Kono's smile mirrored his as he spread out his arms for a hug. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hey, yourself."

"Welcome back," he softly spoke through her hair before turning loose.

"Thanks. It's good to see you, Danny."

"You're looking better," Chin gibed at Danny as he passed by the pair to get to the others. Danny rolled his eyes for Kono's benefit as she giggled at the implication.

Adam hung back as the necessary reunions and introductions took place. He grinned as he witnessed how the Five-0 veterans had opposite effects on the two who had filled their shoes. Junior reverted back into what was ironically more comfortable for him in awkward social situations, his straight-laced formal self, complete with the 'sirs' and 'ma'ams'. Tani actually slipped into an even more relaxed, ebullient version of herself, laughing and acting as though she had known the pair for years.

Lou had gotten up, with the aid of his crutches, to get his hugs, but eased back onto his stool when the levity settled so the group could get back to business. "Well, before you came in," he began, "Jerry was just letting us know about the latest."

Jerry summarized what he had covered in the last few minutes then Danny took over. "Lou and Jerry are going to help us coordinate the big picture from here. Junior and Tani are going to head over to the hospital's security office to see if they've finished going through their videos. I thought the rest of us would split up, but you guys aren't technically Five-0 anymore, even though you always will be in my heart," Danny patronized. "You won't be able to act in an official capacity unless you're with a team member. It may be best if each of you stay with one of us."

"How 'bout it, Kono? Like old times?" Adam spoke up.

Kono smiled back. "Sure."

Danny felt a little relieved that he didn't have to make that call. "Okay, Chin. It's you and me." There was no response, so he turned toward his new, temporary partner. "Chin? Hey, Chin, you with us, buddy?"

"Um, yeah. Sorry."

"We were just picking teams. Sorry, man, you got chosen last. You ended up with me."

"Yeah, no problem."

"Adam and Kono, I need you to check out Kame's tip. Chin and I will interview the lifer at Halawa who claims he's got info."

Everyone nodded their agreement with the plan.

"Danny, have you heard anything from Steve?" Kono asked.

"Stopped by this morning. He's out of ICU and is in his full-on complaining phase."

"That's good… I guess," Kono reasoned.

"That's absolutely good," Lou added. "Means he's getting back to normal."

"He's thinking he's gonna be able to blow the joint in a day or two. The nurses are wishing he was right," Danny continued.

"Does he still have a guard posted at his new room?" Chin asked nonchalantly, having a two-sided objective.

"He does and he will 'til he's out or we have Waincroft in custody," Danny pledged, none the wiser to Chin's intent.

"Good," Chin concurred.

"Let's go, Juns." Tani was first to get going.

"Yes, ma'am." Junior raised his eyebrows at the others indicating he better obey or face the consequences.

"You ready, Chin?" Danny coaxed.

"Yeah." Before going, though, he turned to Adam. "Make sure to watch out for her."

Kono wrinkled her brow in confusion. The statement was peculiar for her cousin. They had been in these situations, countless times before, without such an appeal.

Adam turned from Chin to Kono. "Always."

If she was surprised by Chin's odd statement, she was even more taken aback by Adam's reply. It felt a little too 'comfortable'

Adam didn't know how he felt about the way she slightly dropped her jaw and became speechless, but he couldn't call it disappointment.

Chin doubted his judgment after observing the awkward encounter that had resulted from his instigation. He chastised himself for not keeping his mouth shut.

"That was weird," Kono said after Chin and Danny left.

"Give him some slack. This whole thing is weighing hard on him."

"Yeah, I guess. I hope that's all it is."

~to be continued~

\,,,/BronsonL