This one is a little longer than usual, I hope you don't mind.

Thanks a lot for all the lovely feedback, it means a lot.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of H50.

The sun had long set by the time Danny returned to the headquarters. He just sat there in his Camaro at the car park, lost in his thoughts for a few moments, his fists clenched around the steering wheel and blank gaze fixed to the distance. How could they let this happen? His partner was gone for hours and after all this time of looking for evidence and questioning the witnesses, all they had was more and more questions. He took a couple of deep breaths before walking in, where the rest of the team already waited for him.

"Tell me we've got something. Please?" he pleaded. The grim expressions on his colleagues' faces were enough of an answer.

"Nothing," Adam spoke up first. "We've questioned all the witnesses, no one saw much, they were all scared for their lives, they kept their heads down. The thieves destroyed the security footage so that won't help. We're still checking the cameras around the city but we have no idea which exit from the tunnels they used."

"Did CSU find something helpful?" Junior asked. As long as they knew they had nothing but a bullet case from the dead security officer's body, which didn't really help much in tracking their suspects.

"No. No prints, no DNA, they were careful." Danny shook his head, regretting the movement straight away. A sudden wave of heat flooded him and pain exploded in his head and vision blurred out for a moment. His hand reflectively reached for the patched-up wound, like it was supposed to help with the pain. The reaction didn't stay unnoticed by his colleagues.

"How's your head, man?" Lou asked. "The paramedics said you should go to the hospital, you could have a concussion." The worried looks of all his colleagues were now all fixed on Danny.

"No, I'm good. I lost enough time with paramedics already. It'll be fine, we need to focus on finding Steve now." There was no way he would waste another minute knowing Steve was out there and he needed his help.

"Let's take it from the beginning again," Quinn changed the topic back to the case, which he was thankful for. "What do we know?"

The case. It was hard to think of it as a regular case. Danny's heart squeezed when he remembered whose life was hanging in the air.

Junior's voice brought him back from his thoughts. "Five masked men marched into the bank and took the hostages. The security officer, Jack Keane, tried to disarm one of them, he ended up with a bullet hole in the chest before we arrived."

"Then they made the branch manager open the vault. She said they knew exactly when does the vault unlock. She did as instructed and then they walked her back to the lobby, where they kept her with the rest of the hostages," Tani continued.

Crossing the arms in front of him, Lou joined the conversation. "So they might have some help from inside. What I don't understand is why didn't they leave after they were done? The manager said they were done before HPD came to the scene. And none of the bank employees raised the silent alarm, they must have done it themselves."

"So they took the money, waited for cops to arrive, then they asked for Five-0 to negotiate and as soon as they announced their demands, they blew up the floor and took off," Quinn chimed in.

"Why? I've never heard about the bank robbers who wait for the cops to arrive so they can chit-chat," Lou wondered.

"Well, they specifically asked for McGarrett to come in, right?" Adam said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "That makes me think he was their target from the beginning, the rest was just supposed to fool us."

"But why would you rob the bank if you want to kidnap someone?" Lou asked.

"It makes sense," Danny said, all eyes locked on him. "I mean, he is rarely unarmed and alone, right? They must have known he would come in if they threatened the hostages, so they used the chance. We need to find out who did he pissed off this time."

"It will be a long list, " Tani stated the obvious.

Danny remained silent for a moment. His mind shifted to Steve. What did he get into this time? He couldn't get rid of this feeling that they are missing something. This was not a usual bank heist MO. He zoned out for a moment, he could see the lips of his colleagues moving but he didn't hear what they said. They need to get him back fast. Steve was a tough guy but right now he was not in a good physical nor mental state to go through hell again, right after he lost his mother. And Danny wasn't prepared to lose his best friend, his brother from another mother. They just got him back.

Lou seemed to notice his thoughts are somewhere else. "Danny," he said, resting his hand on Danny's shoulder. "We'll find him. It's McGarrett, he will be fine." The look in his eyes was determined but worried.

"Yeah." Again this opinion that Steve is some kind of invincible superhero, but they didn't know him as much as Danny did. Steve was human, after all. And in the past years he's been through a lot, he couldn't keep up with his ten years younger self.

The ringing of his phone interrupted the moment of silence. "Detective Williams," he answered. He patiently listened, hoping for some news to shed some light on where his partner might be. The call was over swiftly.

"It was Duke," he explained when the call ended. "There has been another robbery at exactly the same time today. The diamond exchange, Solitaire Jewelers. They just got the big delivery this morning."

"I doubt that's a coincidence," Quinn replied.

"No. The bank must have been the distraction," he said. "They were not there for the money. They left most of it there anyway. It was supposed to get the attention of as many cops as possible so they can rob the diamond exchange meanwhile, there is more money in it."

"Wait a second," Lou stepped in. "So was it a distraction and McGarrett was just unplanned hostage? It certainly doesn't look like that."

"It can be both, they got the diamonds and Steve at the same time, bastards," Tani added.

"How much did they take?" Adam asked.

"The value of stolen diamonds is eight million dollars. Duke said the delivery came in today, just three hours before they pulled this thing. So they had to know when it was coming in."

"Inside job?" Junior wondered.

"Maybe," Danny replied. "Adam, Quinn, you go and talk to the employees." He was irritated. Yet more questions, no more answers, no sign of Steve yet and a thumping headache to make it even harder to focus his thoughts.

"Will do."

"Junior," he turned his head to the young man. "You were able to find Steve in Mexico. Do your magic again."

"But it took me weeks to find him, Sir."

"We don't have weeks this time," barked Danny, realizing his reaction was not appropriate. His frustration was growing up every minute but it didn't give him the right to be an asshole to others who wanted Steve back just as he did. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "It's just…"

"It's all right, Sir. I'll do my best."

"I'll help him," Tani added.

Danny's phone rang again. Duke. Did he forget to mention something? "Detective Williams," he said again and listened for a moment. "Thanks, Duke. We're on our way."

The silent questions of the team hung in the air after the call. "Do you remember Luano Mahoe, the guy who got injured in the explosion? They want to keep him in the hospital for the night but he wants to talk to us asap. Lou, you're going with me."

"Let's go, man."

Danny and Lou stood next to Luano's hospital bed, the sense of urgency in their looks. They both desperately hoped he will tell them something helpful. And the first time that day, they got lucky.

"Detective Williams, thanks for coming. I'd like to thank you for helping us today," Luano started.

"You're welcome," Danny reluctantly continued with the pleasantries, impatience in him growing up. "You said you wanted to talk to us. What is it? We're in a hurry."

Lou took over after a brief look at Danny. "Detective Williams just want to say we would really need you to tell us everything you remember. We think Commander McGarrett has been abducted back in the bank and if you saw something or heard something, it might help us find him."

"Is he the cop who came inside?" Luano asked.

"Yes. So what did you want to tell us?"

Luano furrowed his eyebrows and scratched his forehead. "You told me to call if I remember anything. Maybe you already know this, I don't know…"

"Come on man, get to the point."

"Okay. Uh… one of the thieves, the one in charge I think. He took off his mask when Commander McGarrett came in."

He did what? Why didn't anybody tell them anything? They could have an ID on the guy by now, maybe Steve could even be back home if they knew who was responsible. "Go on," Danny encouraged him, trying to hide the fury raging inside him.

"I think McGarrett knew him. He addressed him with a name but I'm sorry I really didn't quite catch the name, I was just scared and…" Luano took a deep breath, thinking. "After that, the man took his mask off. I only peeked up a little, they said to keep the heads down or they would kill us. But I saw him for a brief moment."

Danny and Lou exchanged the confused looks, wondering. So Steve knew the guy who took him. A spark of hope brightened his mood with the thought they might even get a description of their suspect. "Can you describe him?" he asked and a short but confident nod of Hawaiian man was the answer. At that moment he picked up the phone and dialed the number. "This is Detective Danny Williams, I need you to send the sketch artist to Queens hospital, now!"

"Danny?" Lou turned to him with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Ms. Green told me they were all masked. But if Luano tells the truth and if they really took her to the room in the back…"

"She must have seen our guy without the mask," Danny added, finishing Lou's thought. "And they let her alive, seemingly shooting her. Do you think what I think?"

"Maybe she worked with them."

"Yeah, maybe. Let's pay her a visit."

Glancing at the clock on the wall he saw that it was 8:49 a.m., almost nineteen hours since Steve's disappearance. Nineteen hours, a long afternoon of desperately looking for cues, questioning the witnesses, a sleepless night, and they still didn't have anything. They didn't know where to look or who to look for. And the only person that probably knew the identity of their suspects was in the wind. Of course, she fled. They found no one and nothing at Alice Green's rented apartment. They got the sketch of their suspect a few hours ago but no one from the team recognized him. Junior has been trying to find that guy in the system for hours. Danny looked into the distance, his back leaning on the wall in his office. He was tired. Mentally and physically and he just needed to find his best friend. He just hoped it won't be too late by the time they find him. If they find him.

"I thought you might need this, man."

A voice from behind snapped him from his reverie. It was Lou and he had coffee. Danny gratefully took the cup, sipping at the contents. It was just what he needed.

"Thanks."

"How are you holding up?" Lou asked, noticing the pain and worry in Danny's eyes.

Danny ignored the question, stifling a yawn. The headache was subsiding and the overwhelming feeling now was one of tiredness and fear for his partner.

"We will find him, man. We will," Lou tried to ensure him again.

"Guys?" Tani shouted from behind the smart table. "I think I've found something."

That sentence was enough to flash some new energy through Danny's body. He and Lou rushed toward her.

"I've been trying to dig something up about our Alice Green."

"Go on."

"I mean… She obviously lied to Lou and now she is gone. And why did the thieves pretend to shoot her? They didn't hesitate to shoot the security officer, so I'm pretty sure they don't really care about the body count," she expressed her thoughts.

"It is weird, yes," Danny mused, gently blowing on the top of his cup.

"So I dug deeper and I found something." Tani's fingers danced on the table for a moment, before she pulled the information to the big screen with one graceful wrist movement. A picture of the young woman showed up there, her face familiar, the only thing different was her hair dyed dark red, she looked a few years younger on the picture. The name next to her face, however, was Veronica Miller.

"Looks familiar?"

Danny waited for a moment, letting the information sink in. "So Alice Green is a fake name, huh? What did you found out about her?"

"Veronica Miller was arrested a couple of times as a teenager on the Mainland, but nothing major. That's why she is in the system. And here is the interesting part - she used to work in the Solitaire Jewelers." Tani answered. "Does it sound familiar? She quit the job almost two months ago."

"Our diamond exchange. And she said it's been a month since she started her new job in the bank," Lou chimed in.

"Okay I don't think it's a coincidence that she forgot to mention the fact that her previous employer was robbed at the same time as the current one," Adam said.

"She also forgot to mention the man without a mask. It makes sense," Quinn finished the loop.

"She put on a hell of an act, I believed her. I'm sorry I should have known she was lying," Lou added.

Junior's voice interrupted Lou. He rushed toward them with a contented look in his face. "I've got him. We have a match."

Danny assumed he is talking about the man he's been trying to ID. Tani stepped aside and let Junior write something quickly before pulling the picture of their suspect on to the screen.

"Aaron Bennett," he said. He's supposed to be in Halawa but over two months ago he managed to escape. Part of his crew was arrested by Five-0 five years ago after they left a body behind during one of their usual bank heists. One of the crew members was also his sister, Esther Bennett. Who, unsurprisingly, escaped at the same time." A picture of a pretty brunette popped up on the screen next to her brother's picture. "Unfortunately, two other men who were in the jail with them both got stabbed to death just two days before the Bennett's escaped, so they won't tell us anything."

"Wait a minute," Danny interrupted him. "Five years ago? I don't remember these two."

"Neither do I," Lou added.

A puzzled look covered Danny's face for a moment as he tried to think. Looking at the date of the case again he realized it. "I was in New Jersey back then. We spent some time at my sister's place with Gracie."

"Damn. I think that was the week when I had to run some errands, I took a week off," Lou added.

That left Steve, Kono, and Chin solving the case and as neither of cousins was here anymore, Danny started to understand their possible motive to come after Steve. He was the only one left of the team that got them to the jail. Good old revenge, probably.

"Do you think they want revenge?" Tani asked, with hesitation in her voice.

"Kono and Chin are out of the picture now, that's why they might be after Steve," Lou answered.

Danny glanced over the screen again for a moment, clenching his jaw. "Anything pointing to where we could find them?"

"Esther Bennett has a house in her name," Junior answered, pointing to the map on the screen. "And it's in a pretty remote location. It's worth the try."

Danny could feel his breath quickening with this new spark of hope. "Gear up!"

"Steve, wake up!"

The voice sounded distant, echoing in his head way too loudly, it intensifying the throbbing in his head. Part of him didn't want to open the eyes. The darkness was his only respite from his torment, he didn't want to wake up.

"Steve? I need you to open your eyes."

This voice again. Danny? Is he here? Did he find him? A wave of heat traveled through his spine despite the cold. He forced himself to open the eyes. Everything was fuzzy, but it was him, it was his partner, he just knew that.

"D'ny?" he whispered, unsure if Danny could even hear that.

"It's me, buddy. Hang in there. You have to fight, all right?"

Steve strained against the handcuffs helplessly. Fight? What the hell was he talking about? He was too tired to fight, he just wanted to get out of here, or to fall asleep again. Why doesn't he let him? His eyes fluttered shut again, ignoring his friend's voice.

"Open your eyes, Steve. Please?" Danny's voice again.

"Make it stop," Steve begged.

"Come on Steve, you'll be all right, just hang in there."

Steve remembered Danny was here before. But… Esther shot him, didn't she? How was he even alive? How was he talking to him? Why didn't he help him? There was only one reason why his best friend would just stand there, look at him and do nothing. "You… you're not here."

"No. No, I'm not."

So it was just another trick of his mind. Why did everything hurt so much? He couldn't think straight, he felt like his brain was on fire and he struggled to keep his eyes opened. "I… I can't," he whispered. Why dis his throat feel like he swallowed a bucket of sand? "I'm tired."

"I know, buddy. I know. But you have to hang in there for a little longer. You have to fight, it's who you are," Danny said. "You are a superSEAL, you don't give up, all right?"

Steve never said it out loud. But he started to be tired of endless fighting. Literally and figuratively. Everything he did just brought more darkness into his life anyway. Last time he decided to fight it was his mother who paid the price, leaving him to deal with it. Maybe if he let it go, she would finish what she started and she would return home. But he won't ever find out. He tried really hard but the more he thought about it, the more doubts he had. He knew one thing for sure - he was tired of fighting. "It hurts. Let me sleep, D'ny," he mumbled.

Danny walked toward him and rested his hand on Steve's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Fight it, Steve. You hear me?"

Fight what? Why did he keep repeating it? He was not really here anyway. Steve's vision started to clear up a little with the next time he opened his eyes. He saw Danny leaning toward him and reaching down for his arm. "Wh' you doin?" he asked. No answer. His eyelids fluttered and a sudden sharp scratch on his forearm made him wide open the eyes again. Looking down to check the cause of the sharp feeling, he jerked in panic as he saw a needle in his vein. "No. Don't," he mumbled. Why was Danny doing that? He was supposed to help him, not hurt him. He looked up at his friend's face again, but it changed. There was just Esther standing above him, Danny was gone. He was never there.

"You… You're not him," he muttered.

He caught a glimpse of her grin, an evil curve of her lips and felt her fingers brushing through his hair. "You must be tired. You can stop this, darling," she said. "It won't hurt anymore. Just stop fighting."

Steve could feel the serum crawling under his skin, making its way to the rest of the body, burning it muscle by muscle, bone by bone, accompanied by hot flashes spreading over his body. He wished he would pass out faster this time, to escape from the excruciating pain for a few moments. No, Danny was right, it doesn't matter if it was real Danny or not. He is not a quitter. A gasp of pain escaped his mouth, making Esther to smile even wider.

The sounds in the distance made her smile turn into a frown. She turned around and looked at the door. So the sounds he heard were real, she heard it too. Was it his team? Was it Danny? Did he really find him this time? Someone was yelling, but he couldn't recognize the words anymore. There was something about this noise in the background. He heard what he assumed was a gunshot before his eyelids fluttered shut again.

*to be continued*

I'd really appreciate if you took some time to let me know what you think :)