Thanks a lot for all the reviews! It means a lot to me. I'm not gonna ramble, just enjoy reading.

Steve wasn't quite sure what was going on. The confusion was sweeping through him. He was in shock. It was almost as if he could see his life falling apart before his eyes. Everything he had come to know and trust, everything solid that he could grasp, was just not there anymore. Danny and Catherine were gone, lying motionless on the dirty floor and the last bits of sunshine in his life were gone with them.

Staring into the empty space blankly, salty tears wetting his cheeks, he ignored the chaos that had spread across the room. He just didn't care anymore. The only thing he could hear was a loud ringing echoing in his head, his vision fuzzy as much as his mind. Weird numbness had spread across his body, blocking out all the pain he'd felt before.

Blurry shapes of random people were moving around fast, opening their mouths, drawing their guns. But Steve couldn't focus on matching the faces with the names, neither he could make out the words coming out of their lips.

He was frozen in place. It was as if every wisp of air from his lungs was knocked out and he was hanging there, struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do anything. He tried to remember how to breathe, unable to speak, to think, totally stunned as the look in his loved one's eyes a second before the shots had been fired bounced around inside his skull.

It was over. He'd failed.

For a split second, Danny thought she'd really done it. That she'd let her men pull the trigger and end his misery. But then he'd realized he was still alive and neither of the gunshots he'd heard wasn't fired from the gun pressed into the back of his neck.

Instead, the sound came from upstairs, from the walkway above them. And in the exact moment he realized that, he let himself topple over, falling face down to the floor. He pressed his cheek to the cold concrete, his face turned to his right, where he saw Catherine doing the same.

He kept his head low and squeezed his eyes shut instinctively as the bullets around them whizzed dangerously close. The chaos of the gunfire exchanged between Esther's men and what he supposed was Five-0, took only seconds, but felt like ages.

As the gunfire slowed down and receded into somewhere in the distance, he took a deep breath and lifted his head just enough to see what was going on around them. Two men who were supposed to shoot them were laying on the floor in a puddle of blood, several holes in their dead bodies and there was another body of one of Esther's men laying beside the doorway. There was no more sign of threat nearby, so he dared to lift his head a little higher, searching for his partner.

Holding his breath, he looked up at Steve, hoping that he didn't get shot accidentally. He sighed in relief when he hadn't seen any blood on his friend. But there was something wrong. The look of utter desperation and defeat in Steve's eyes, the complete resignation radiating from his trembling body.

Danny wanted to call his name, but couldn't get a sound other than a muffled groan through the gag in his dry mouth.

The sounds of gunfire kept echoing in the distance, coming from different directions at a time.

"Danny? Catherine?" a familiar voice shouted their names. It was Lou. "Are you guys all right?"

He hung the rifle over his shoulder as he rushed toward them. Taking the knife out of the holster Lou approached Catherine first and cut the zip ties holding her wrists together, then he did the same for Danny.

They both removed the tape out of their mouth, grimacing in the process, and spat out the dirty cloths that were stuffed into their mouths. They exchanged glances with Catherine, reassuring themselves the other one was okay.

Catherine just nodded, pressing her fingers against her temples as though she had a terrible headache.

"Been better but we're fine," Danny replied eventually and returned his attention to his broken friend.

Lou turned around and rushed toward Steve, who didn't show any sign of acknowledging their presence. His body hung limp, his face pale as a wall, the blank look in his too glassy eyes.

"Steve?" Danny called out. "You okay?"

Nothing. His partner didn't even acknowledge him in any way, not a move, not a look. Nothing at all. It sent a chilly feeling down his spine. "Steve?" he tried again as his fingers gently lifted Steve's chin to look into his eyes but to no avail. "Buddy, talk to me. You all right?"

Lou passed the knife to Catherine, who seemed to be equally as horrified as Danny with Steve's lack of response. "Cut the rope, will you?" Lou said.

"Yeah," she agreed, taking the knife.

Danny stretched his arm around Steve's back, supporting him from the right side, while Lou did the same on Steve's left. They held Steve's weight as Catherine reached up and cut the rope, freeing Steve from the agonizing position. Steve's arms fell in front of him, still bound together - a movement that had made the SEAL groan in pain.

"You all right, buddy? Huh?" Danny kept asking all over again but still without success.

They lowered him carefully, leaning his back against the wall for the support and Catherine dropped to her knees, carefully cutting the rope on his bloody wrists.

"Steve, come on, say something," Catherine pleaded, caressing his cheek. But not even her touch seemed to do the trick.

Danny crouched right in front of his friend, holding his shoulder firmly, staring into his blank eyes. "You're all right, babe," he murmured. "You're all right." It was a lie and he knew it, but he needed to try and bring his partner back to reality.

Steve was sitting right in front of them, his skin ashen and lips almost blue despite the heat. His eyes and mouth were wide open in an expression of stunned surprise and although he was staring straight at Danny, Steve appeared not to notice him at all. His blank gaze was something Danny had never seen on his friend ever before and it scared the hell out of him.

"Damn," Lou said, staring at their leader with compassion in his eyes. "What did she do to him?" he asked, but got no answer.

"Lou?" Danny turned to his older colleague.

"What?"

"How did you find us?"

Lou's lips curved into a big smile, that turned into a laugh. "Ask your boy when we get out of here," he answered. "We would never find you guys on time without him making sure we would."

Danny looked at Steve, his brows drawn in confusion. So Steve actually had a backup plan. He couldn't wait to hear how did he manage to let Five-0 know their location so they could come to their rescue. He was grateful for whatever Steve did because it probably saved their lives.

Distant gunfire echoed through the place again, getting their attention. Lou looked in its direction, then back to Steve and his eyes landed on Danny in the end. "I should go help them," he announced. "Will you be all right here?"

"Yeah, go," Danny agreed.

Lou didn't hesitate and reaching for his rifle he ran off, disappearing in the distance.

A wave of anger washed through Danny for the state Steve was in. It was all Esther's fault and there was no way in hell he would let her get away with it. Not again.

He stood up slowly, grunting as his left leg threatened to give in under his weight. But he gritted his teeth, determined to push the pain aside, and reached for the rifle of one of the dead men on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Catherine asked, lifting her brow in surprise.

"Stay with Steve," he ordered. "I'm going after Esther."

"You're what?" Catherine barked. "Danny, no offense but you're barely standing. There is the whole Five-0 hunting her and her crew right now, maybe you should leave it up to them."

Danny glared at her for a moment, sharing his opinion about her suggestion without any words.

"Okay. How about you stay and I go help them?" she suggested.

"No," Danny refused immediately. "No offense but I don't think you're in the best shape either."

He gave Steve another thoughtful look, his heart breaking apart to see his friend so broken. "Just make sure you stay safe, all right? Both of you," he said, turning back to Catherine. Then he turned around and headed to the doorway, determined to find Esther and make sure she will never touch his best friend ever again.

Catherine had a sickly feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched Danny limp away. She knew he hadn't been in the condition to fight and she wanted to go after him but she couldn't leave Steve alone, not while he was in this state.

She leaned closer to his body, feeling the warmth of his skin on hers, gently wiping the half-dried tears away from his face.

"Steve," she tried to bring his mind into the focus. "Come on, sailor. We're all right, you hear me?" But there was no response, no change.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Catherine pulled him into a hug. At first, he was stiff, but then he melted into her body, his arms limp, dangling like a doll. Catherine's hand raised to stroke his back. The fingers of her other hand brushed through the hair on the back of his head, gently leading it closer to her and letting his face sink into her shoulder. He began to cry softly, wetting her shirt and it was breaking her heart to see him like this.

"Shh, it's okay. We're okay," she whispered, squeezing her arm around him a little tighter. She continued to make soothing sounds, her fingers stroking his hair the way she knew was comforting him.

"Catherine?" Steve spoke after a while, his voice trailing slowly. He pulled away, lifting his head to look into Catherine's face. There was sadness in his eyes, the blue too glossy. "Y… you…" he stuttered. "You're not dead."

Catherine shook her head, blinking away the tears that had been welling in her eyes. "No," she confirmed. "No, I'm not. I'm all right."

As though something had snapped inside him, Steve's gaze finally focused on her. It was still a confused look, but Steve was now aware of his surroundings. He pressed his forehead to hers as he raised his arms and cupped Catherine's face in his hands as though he needed to make sure she was real. "You're not dead," he repeated, holding her face for a moment before pulling her into a tight hug.

She pulled away after a few seconds, taking his hands into hers, their faces just inches apart. Tears were still welling in Steve's eyes, but unlike before, those seemed to be more from relief than anything else.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked, lightly tracing the bruise on her jaw.

"No, I'm okay, don't worry about me," Catherine shook her head.

"Where's Danny?" he asked, looking around in confusion, his breathing speeding up again. There was a hint of panic in his voice when he didn't see his partner anywhere.

"Danny?" he called out and began to stand up, using the wall behind him for support. He groaned as the effort sent a bolt of pain through his aching muscles.

"Easy there," Catherine said, holding her arm around his waist, helping him on his feet. "Danny is all right." She hoped it was not a lie, because in Danny's current condition the primary focus should be getting medical attention, not chasing the bad guys.

"Where is he?" Steve asked again, turning his head as a volley of gunfire echoed in the distance. "Cath? Where is Danny?" he repeated with even more urgency in his voice.

"He went after Esther," she announced.

Steve's jaw dropped and eyes widened. "He did what?"

Before Catherine could say something, she heard another gunfire, this time closer, coming from somewhere above them. "I could use some help over here!" she heard Tani's voice.

"Steve, there are a lot more bad guys here than those that were in this room," Catherine said, looking at him. "We need to help your team," she suggested, taking two rifles from the floor, handing one to Steve. "Can you do that?"

He took it but shook his head when Catherine edged forward, ready to move. "Wait," he stopped her. "You go, I need to find Danny. He's out there, hurt and without a backup."

Catherine stared into his eyes for a moment, happy to see the clarity return, and nodded. "Be careful, sailor."

"You too," he said and they both turned their backs to each other, rushing into different directions.

The pain flared through Danny again and every muscle in his body tensed up. Straining to keep standing he waited for the pain to subside, as it has done before. It was difficult to focus between moments of pain and the voices in his head telling him to stop. His entire body wanted to give up and find relief from the hellish feeling. But sick of having to deal with all this, sick of Esther messing with their lives, he decided to simply refuse to acknowledge the pain and keep moving, one step at a time.

He knew he had to be cautious, but he found it hard not to fall into a sprint to not to let Esther escape again. Unsure where exactly he'd been rushing, he headed outside, assuming she had an escape plan in case something would go south.

When he reached the entrance, he pushed the door open with the muzzle of the rifle, carefully slipping outside. The narrow alley between the two buildings was almost in complete darkness, the only illumination coming from the crescent moon.

Moving slowly and cautiously in the dim light, Danny crept past the wall and listened for any sign of the movement. And in a few moments, he heard it.

A steady hum, intensifying every second, coming from somewhere above him. He looked up and saw a small helicopter hovering in the air, approaching the warehouse. Danny didn't wait and rushed toward the fire stairs on the side of the building, heading to the roof.

As he reached the rooftop, he kept his head low, only peeking over the edge. The blades of the helicopter were now churning up the dust on the roof, although still a few feet above it. It was hovering in the air directly above the roof, ready to land.

And there she was. Danny's heart began to pound faster when he had spotted Esther, who was standing in the corner of the roof, two armed men standing by her side. Their eyes were up on the helicopter, which Danny used to his advantage.

He didn't hesitate at all but raised his gun and opened fire, sending one man down in a heap immediately. The other man and Esther quickly reacted and returned the fire. Danny ducked down.

But he didn't count on two men in the helicopter to start shooting at him. They opened the door and fired off a volley of rounds. Danny flinched as the booming sound coursed through his head. He kept his head low as the bullets whizzed around his head, way too close for his liking.

Refusing to give up and let Esther get away with what she'd done, Danny returned the fire. Several bullets hit one of the men in the helicopter right into the chest. The man screamed and lost his balance, falling head down toward the roof. His lifeless body thudded on the hard surface.

A pulsing pain crept up Danny's leg, increasing in intensity every second. His entire body was trembling now. Weak and exhausted it cost him all his remaining strength to keep fighting, to keep going.

He peeked above the rooftop, his eyes searching for Esther and her remaining goon. Not seeing them, he decided to move forward, quickly, to get behind cover before the guy in the helicopter could resume the fire.

Rushing toward one of the huge exhaust fans, he ducked and leaned his back against its metal wall as bullets came in his way from behind another one of those, which Danny assumed they used as a cover. But the fire had been rushed and the bullets landed far from Danny.

He waited for a pause in their fire and leaped to the side, pulling the trigger, but nothing came out of the rifle. "Damn it!" he swore and ducked back, dropping the gun. His mind swirled and he began to regret his decision to go after Esther without a backup.

They seemed to figure out Danny was out, as no further fire was opened. Instead, he could hear two pairs of steps coming closer to where he was sitting as the helicopter was landing on the roof.

Not ready to give up, Danny waited for them to come closer. Swallowing the bile rising in his throat he got himself back to his feet and leaped out from behind the corner of the exhaust fan.

Danny grabbed the barrel of the man's rifle, pushing it away from him. He was banking on the man pulling the trigger, which was exactly what he did. Bullets sprayed out of the muzzle into the air. Danny did his best to force the barrel of the gun up.

He swiveled himself around, then put his body's weight onto his feet, ignoring the screaming pain in his leg. The man was still holding on to the rifle, still struggling to regain control. But Danny wasn't going to let him. He yanked down on the gun, at the same time reaching up and grabbing the man behind the shoulder. He kicked his leg out and pulled down hard on the weapon and on Esther's henchman. The momentum threw the guy over Danny's outstretched leg and into a heap on the floor.

The man's arm twisted around awkwardly as he fell and he let out a shrill scream. But he had kept a finger on the trigger. And when he fired a single shot, it caught Danny, tearing into his shoulder. The bullet went right through him and a spray of blood projected out behind him.

The shot knocked Danny off balance and he stumbled backward, falling to the floor.

Danny did his best to fight off the burning pain in his shoulder but combined with the blood loss he'd suffered it was just too much to keep him going, even with the adrenaline in his blood. He felt the searing pain in his shoulder, it was immense, sending shock waves all the way down the right side of his body. His world was going into the blur. He tried to lift himself up but failed. Just in front of him, Esther's man was getting to his feet and was soon above Danny, pointing the rifle right at him.

"What do you want to do with him?" he asked Esther, who stood right next to him.

Esther's lips curled into a smile as she looked deep into Danny's eyes. "Just kill him."

Still unable to completely shake off the feeling he'd lost two people he loved the most, Steve rushed through the corridors of the warehouse, gun ready in his hands. The image of both of them crumpling onto the floor when the guns were fired was flashing in front of his eyes. He shook his head, trying to bring himself back to reality and focus. It wasn't Esther's men whose gun he'd heard, Danny and Catherine were alive. But it was not over yet and he needed to focus.

His best friend was out there, seriously hurt and probably alone, hunting down Steve's enemy. He had to find him and give him a hand. That was a priority. But there was one more reason he wanted to find Danny before he will get to Esther. Esther was his.

He wanted his revenge. He wanted Esther dead. And there was no way he would let that lie.

Moving quickly but carefully he got out of the building, to the dark alleyway between the two warehouses, listening to distant sounds of gunfire coming from the inside, accompanied by shouts here and there. He'd recognized some of the voices that belonged to his friends and hoped they would handle themselves. Leaving Danny to be out there alone was simply not an option.

Steve tensed up, realizing he could hear a familiar noise coming from above him. He looked up and saw a helicopter hovering above the roof, churning up the dust into the air. The door of the helicopter had opened up and two men in it opened fire. Steve ducked instinctively, leaning his back against the wall, but then he realized he hadn't been the target.

His senses were heightened further when he heard gunfire coming from the roof. Without hesitation, Steve ran toward the fire stairs on the side of the building, a gun held in front of him. He was almost by the stairs when he heard a scream coming from above and then saw a man falling down from the helicopter.

The rifle kept ready in front of him, he rushed up, taking three stairs at a time. When he reached the rooftop, he peeked over the top, assessing the situation. The first thing he noticed was the landing helicopter, now only inches from the roof.

His heart skipped a beat when he took in the scene on the other side of the roof. Danny was laying on the floor in a small puddle of blood, defiantly looking up into the muzzle of the rifle held by Esther's henchman. The man's finger twitched on the trigger. Esther just stood up next to him, with that annoying smirk on her face, staring at Danny.

Steve leaped out without hesitation, ignoring the possible threat by losing the cover, firing several rounds as he moved toward them. Three bullets hit the man in his back, sending him face down toward the floor. There was a surprise in Danny's eyes when he looked in the direction of the shooter. Steve would swear he could see a slight smile on Danny's lips.

An angry snarl lined Esther's face as she looked at Steve for a moment before she returned her attention to Danny and reached for the gun behind her waistband.

The adrenaline rushing in his veins, Steve readjusted the aim and was ready to fire when a panicked call came out from his friend.

"Steve, behind you!"

Steve ducked and turned around halfway, realizing he forgot about the guy from the helicopter, but he was too slow. A back of the gun hit him right into his face, throwing him off balance and sending him down on all fours, the rifle skating on the floor away from his reach. A deep gash opened above his left eye. Warm, thick liquid gushed out over his face as he tried to regain his senses.

His attacker turned the gun against him and fired, but Steve was fast enough to roll to the side, smashing his feet to the side of the man's knee. That distracted him for long enough for Steve to stand up and grab the man's rifle. With all the strength he tried to turn it against his attacker, who struggled to keep hold of it. A second later Steve pulled on the trigger, the gun pointed down, and the bullet hitting the guy's feet. He screamed in pain and let go of the gun. Steve used it in his advantage and grabbed hold of it, firing another two rounds into his attacker's chest.

He quickly turned around, his eyes searching for Esther and Danny. The two of them were both on the floor, grappling, trying to get hold of Esther's gun that was laying on the floor. Shooting now would mean Steve would risk hitting his partner instead of Esther. He dropped the rifle to the floor and ran in their direction as fast as he could.

Steve's eyes widened as he saw Esther lifting the gun and pointing it toward Danny's chest. Her finger was about to pull on the trigger when Steve barged into her from the side. They both fell in a heap to the floor.

He focused on the hand with a gun. He grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly, and snaked his left arm around her neck, standing up with her in front of him. Esther didn't stop squirming, trying to free herself from Steve's tightening grip, but she didn't have the strength to break free from an angry SEAL.

But she wasn't ready to give up either. She thrust her elbow into Steve's stomach with all her strength, followed by kicking back, right into his knee. Steve stumbled backward but didn't let go.

"Steve!" he heard Danny's voice and looked in his partner's direction. Danny was now standing up, hunched over in pain with fear in his eyes.

Steve didn't know what had scared his friend, he had in under control. But when another blow into his stomach came from Esther and he made another half a step backward, he understood. But it was too late. With the bulk of his and Esther's weight still in motion, he could do nothing to stop the momentum. His heels bounced into the edge of the roof and his back arched backward, Esther's weight pushing him further. He toppled over the edge, releasing his hold of Esther as they both fell over forty feet toward the ground.

"No!" he could hear Danny yell in panic as he was falling through the air.

Steve's left side crashed into the ground legs first, falling to the side, followed by the rest of his body. He could hear a crack and pain flared through his leg at the moment his feet touched the ground. Despite holding his arms up to protect his already concussed head, the shock of landing left him dazed, unable to move, struggling to draw in a breath. A familiar taste of iron filled his mouth. He could only briefly hear Danny's panicked shouts coming from the roof, his name bouncing inside his skull. Lying on his back, he turned his head to the side, his vision blurred. The sharp pain seared through his spine with the movement and nausea crept into his mouth.

It took him a while to recalibrate his sight, but his mind was still fuzzy. Beginning to slowly regain himself, he spotted Esther, who was already lifting herself up into sitting position, reaching for the gun that had fallen out of her hand during the fall.

Steve did his best to push the pain spreading through his whole body aside, knowing he had to move. He pressed the palms of his hands into the floor and lifted himself up on his elbows, drawing in shaky breaths. Each time he inhaled or exhaled a stabbing pain tore through his chest. He grunted as he turned around and hauled himself up on all four.

He took in another painful breath and began to lift himself up. Pressing the right foot against the floor, he lifted his head and saw a gun pointed at him. Esther stood about thirteen feet from him, hunched over in pain, the skin on her arms and neck covered in blood from the cuts caused by the fall.

Esther stared into Steve's eyes as if trying to burrow into his thoughts. Then the sides of her mouth crept up into a wicked smile. Before he realized the situation, a loud bang echoed in his ears, accompanied by a burning pain searing through his right side. A bullet had hit him right above the hip, making him scream despite trying not to.

He toppled over and dropped back to the floor, face down, with a painful moan. Blood seeped from his wounds and sweat dripped down his brow. The sharp, burning sensation was all he could focus on for a moment. But unwilling to give up he began to crawl toward the outside wall of the warehouse, where a piece of the plastic cord had grabbed his attention.

Steve felt sore all over, the stretched muscles, the exhaustion, the fall, the gunshot wound - all of it was taking its toll on his entire body. But he had to end this, he couldn't let Esther hurt the people he loved anymore. He took a deep breath and shifted his focus, determined to swallow the pain and keep fighting.

"Where do you think you're going?" he heard Esther's mocking voice. "You're done, it's over."

Steve felt the pain spreading through his whole body, but it was numbed by the adrenaline pumping through his veins. His mind raced, determined not to let Esther win. The only sound other than the crunch of Esther's footsteps walking gingerly over the concrete ground was the sound of his labored breaths. Not looking back, ignoring her footsteps coming closer every second, he put one elbow to the front, then the other one and pulled himself a little closer. He repeated it again and again and again until he could almost reach the cord.

Then he heard a crack and felt a sharp pain on his already broken ribs as the feet kicked him from the side, forcing him to stop crawling forward and turning him onto his back. Looking up he found himself staring into the barrel of the gun. Esther stood above him and stared deep into his eyes, holding one arm around her hurt ribcage and pointing the gun at his head with the other one.

"I'm in two minds here, darling," Esther taunted.

Steve remained silent, trying to keep his breathing under control, pushing the immense pain into the back of his skull.

"You see," Ether said. "On the one hand, I'd really like you to stay alive and suffer for what you've done."

She paused. Steve was listening to her, but he wasn't paying attention to the words. He was only thinking about what moves he could make, calculating the risks of each.

"But then I think I'd get quiet satisfaction from just killing you now, getting it over and done with. I mean, how many times are you and your friends going to spoil my party? It's just getting a bit of repetitive."

Steve's foggy mind whirred. "Go ahead," he encouraged her, his eyes ablaze with defiance. "Do it."

Esther hesitated, staring at him.

It was now or never. Using a short moment of her indecision Steve snaked his leg around hers and pulled, sending her feet into the air. He shifted himself a little closer to the wall, quickly grabbing the cord while she toppled over and landed on the floor face down with a gun still in her hand.

She had tried to readjust the aim and had fired two rounds at him, but he ducked and the bullets missed him. He was on her in a second, stepping over her, one foot on either side, then quickly dropped his weight to the ground, his knees pinning down her arms.

Steve wrapped the cord tightly around both of his hands, leaving just two feet of flex in the middle. Esther let go of the gun in the process, squirming for a second before Steve swept the cord under her neck. He used his left hand to wrap it around a full turn and then he pulled back and out, hard and fast.

She rasped, trying to shout out but unable to with the crushing pressure on her windpipe. She kicked and writhed and squirmed. But Steve wasn't about to play nice, not after all she'd done to him and to the people he loved. There was no way he would give her another chance to hurt them.

Esther coiled and bucked but Steve held firm. He pulled on the cord, using every ounce of strength he could muster, his arms, his whole body tensing and straining. His face turned red, his knuckles white. Veins throbbed at the side of his head.

Pained sounds escaped Ether's lips but they were quickly becoming weak, shallow. Droplets of blood dripped onto the ground beneath her. Soon she began to scrape and rake at Steve, but she was too far gone already for it to make a difference.

When Steve felt the resistance from Esther wane, he only pulled harder. The cord dug into his hands, sending a shock of pain up through his arms. But he didn't let up - he just kept on tugging.

Esther's body felt limp and it flopped down, melting into the floor. Even then, Steve held tight a few seconds longer, keeping Esther's lifeless head suspended in the air.

When Steve finally released the grip, unwinding the cord from around her neck, Esther's face thudded down against the hard floor with a sickening crack. And then she was completely still.

It was over.

Steve rolled to the side, lying flat on his back, panting, sweat pouring down his brow. He unwound the cord from around his hands and rush of blood coursed through them, making them throb and sting. He saw several lines of indented red flesh on his palms and the backs of his hands where the plastic had dug in and cut into his skin. He dropped the cord and pressed his hand on the wound above his hip as he tried to get his breathing back under control. The warm, sticky blood was quickly oozing between his fingers despite the pressure. His whole body ached from the impact of the fall as well as exertion on top of the gunshot wound. With adrenaline leaving his system, he was now fully aware of his injuries and exhaustion. His head was in a spin and his ears ringing but he could recognize Danny's panicked voice anyway.

"Steve!" Danny screamed and Steve slowly turned his head in his direction.

Danny was limping toward him as fast as he could, struggling with every single step. Blood was seeping into his trousers and shirt, but his friend was too focused on getting to him to be bothered by that.

Steve wanted to say something, anything, but a pained howl was all he was able to manage as his body spasmed in agony and Danny's face became fuzzy along with everything else.

"Steve?" Danny dropped to the floor right next to him, his face pale and grimaced from the pain. His eyes were flickering as he was using the last bits of his strength to stay upwards.

"D'nno," Steve whispered, fighting to keep his heavy eyelids open. His wound was bleeding profusely and there was a sharp pain in his chest and spine, his breathing coming in short and rapid gasps. He felt beaten up, every bone and muscle in his body hurting. "You okay?" he managed to ask, the searing pain in his chest intensifying as he spoke. He could feel the strength in his body wane and his hand slipped from his bleeding wound.

Danny's eyes were glassy, he blinked away the tears that were welling in his eyes. "I'm okay," he murmured.

Steve knew it was a lie, his friend just wanted to tell him what he'd wanted to hear. He could see Danny was fighting to stay conscious himself.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Danny said as Steve's hand slipped to the ground and his eyes fluttered. "Keep pressure on it, will you?"

"Mh-hmm."

Danny lifted Steve's hand and pressed it to the wound on his hip and grabbed Steve's other hand into his free one, lightly squeezing it. "Hang in there, okay? The help is on the way."

" 'kay," Steve agreed, returning the squeeze, albeit weakly.

"All right." Danny's eyelids drooped and he took in a shaky breath, his face was covered in droplets of sweat. Steve could see he tried his best to stay awake, he tried to help him, but with the adrenaline slowly waning it was too much for Danny.

Unable to hold on any longer, Danny lowered his body and rested his cheek on the floor right next to Steve, laying on the side, still holding his partner's bloody hand. "You got her, Steve. It's over," he whispered and then his blue eyes fluttered shut.

Steve swallowed a lump forming in his throat. "D'nno?" he called his partner's name but there was no response other than his grip weakening slowly.

"Buddy," Steve murmured, trying to make Danny open his eyes but to no avail. He tried to push himself up, but the slightest movement sent a searing pain through his whole body, making him dizzy and nauseous. He grunted in pain as he tried again unsuccessfully. He was tired and all he wanted was to close his eyes, to get relief from the agony.

"Danno," he whispered again, still holding his friend's hand in his. "Hey, no sleeping. You hear me?"

Danny didn't react and Steve wanted to check for his pulse, but he couldn't make himself move anymore. Not releasing his weak grip on Danny's hand, he shut his eyes closed, listening to his ragged breathing.

He wasn't sure whether he imagined it or it was real, but he could hear Catherine calling his and Danny's name. And then other voices joined hers. It was the last thing Steve was briefly aware of before the darkness swallowed him, finally bringing the desired respite.

*to be continued*

So Esther is dead, but there is more to come.

I really hope you enjoy the story so far and I'd appreciate if you found a few seconds of your time to say what you think.