Chapter 27

"I Don't Think That Was a Bug"

Steve reminded himself, more than once, he wasn't on a mission with his SEAL team. The people following him didn't necessarily have the same mentality as he did, or as much at risk. He couldn't expect them to go all day and night without stopping, but when Hamilton suggested a rest, he felt his frustration mounting.

Steve removed his pack and dropped it to the ground. He glanced to his left watching Danny carefully spread his poncho on the wet grass then lay on it. Rainy season had begun in Japan, and the short afternoon rain had drenched everything. Several feet away, Chin and Kono had settled on some rocks and were soaking their feet in the stream.

Steve turned his attention to the opposing half of the group. T.J. sat on a fallen tree, keeping a watchful eye on Keller and his right-hand man, Jonathan Quinn, whose release from prison had been orchestrated by Mr. Hamilton. Keller's constant threats and complaints about his injuries, since they left Hawaii had everyone on edge. At least for the moment, Keller was quiet while Quinn administered an injection to help lessen his pain.

Joe placed a hand on Steve's shoulder. "Patience, son. We'll get there."

"Not soon enough." Steve watched Mr. Hamilton check Nate's rib injury for swelling. "Something about this doesn't feel right, Joe. Why is Hamilton helping me? Just because Nate asked him? He doesn't strike me as the Good Samaritan type."

"Well, at least you're out of prison, and the U.S.."

"But if this goes bad," Steve shook his head, "I can't go home."

"We won't let it. Now grab something to eat and rest up."

Steve nodded, resigning himself to the fact he needed to eat and rest. He sat down next to Danny, who pulled out a large plastic bag with unrecognizable contents.

"Does anyone have a spoon?" Danny asked, as he swatted at the air. "Are the mosquitoes bigger here in Japan or is it just my imagination."

Steve rummaged through his pack and pulled out an MRE. "It's your imagination, Danny."

"Here, Danny," Kono said, tossing him some bug repellent. "See if this helps."

Danny glanced at the bottle, then sprayed himself.

"Hey, hey, hey," Steve snapped. "I'm trying to eat here."

"That stuff should not be classified as food." Danny frowned as he pointed to the brown plastic package in Steve's hand. "How can you eat that?

"You have to eat what's available when you're on a mission. It's better than whatever you've got in that bag."

"Better than peanut butter sandwiches? I don't think so. Even if it's..." Danny tried to find the correct words, "minimized for space."

"You mean smashed?"

"Whatever. It's still better."

Steve took a bite of his food. "You're gonna have to eat one of these eventually."

"I'd rather forage for nuts and berries than eat plastic food."

"It's not plastic, Danny."

The detective raised his hand. "Who else thinks this food is plastic?"

Steve's brow furrowed. "Does everything have to turn into an argument with you?"

"I'm not arguing, I'm merely asking a question. I'm a detective, that's what I do."

"Maybe we should have left you back in Hawaii," Mr. Hamilton spoke up. "There isn't much use for detectives out here."

"Well, what is it you do exactly that's of use out here?" Danny challenged.

The group fell silent as his words hung in the air.

"I'm the man who's going to clear your friend's name, so he can have his life back," Mr. Hamilton replied. "I think that's use enough, don't you?"

Danny cleared his throat. "Well, I'm here to make sure you follow through on that."

* * * * * H50 * * * * * *

Alex refused to dwell on the perils of Steve's mission. She was well acquainted with the dangers of hunting down terrorists and murderers like Wo Fat. But even in her refusal, Alex found herself weighing the possibility that Steve might not come back, and what that would mean for her and Natalie.

Alex thought back to the years they had dated. Yes, she had worried about him, but there had always been an assurance inside her of his safe return. Where was that now?

Alex rubbed the back of her head. She felt a dull ache inching its way up the base of her neck to the top of her head. Massaging the area didn't help, so Alex swallowed two Ibuprofen with a glass of water, and tried to focus on the task at hand.

In an attempt to keep her mind occupied, Alex had started cleaning Steve's house. She had taken down curtains, washed windows and woodwork, she had even cleaned out the kitchen cabinets. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it helped.

She tried to involve Natalie, but the little girl wanted only to sit on the couch and watch home movies of when she was little, and Steve was with them in Virginia.

Alex stood on a ladder, cleaning cobwebs from the ceiling, when she heard a knock on the front door. She hoped it wasn't the police again. They had interrogated her twice hoping to gain information on Steve, and each time she had told them what she knew, nothing.

Climbing down the ladder, Alex opened the door. It wasn't the police. It was a blonde haired woman wearing big sunglasses and a tie-dyed sundress.

"Hey. Who are you?" the woman asked, removing her glasses.

"I'm Alex. And you must be Mary."

"How'd you know?"

Alex smiled. "I've seen pictures."

"Oh. So you're her."

"Um...her?"

"You know, Steve's fiancé."

"Yeah, that's me."

"Hmm..." Mary gave Alex a look-over, then a second just in case she missed something. "You seem pretty normal."

"Ah, thanks?" The shorts, t-shirt and messy ponytail probably didn't make a great first impression Alex thought as she stepped aside allowing Mary to enter the house.

"Wow!" Mary exclaimed. "Are you cleaning?"

"Yeah."

"Steve can be pretty particular about things. Like this one time when I washed the dishes, and when I came back ten minutes later to get a drink, he was washing them again. He said I didn't do them right." Mary tossed her purse and suitcase on a chair, then noticed Natalie on the couch. "Hello there."

Natalie looked at the woman briefly before turning back to the television. Mary glanced at the screen to see what held the child's attention. She sank onto the couch, her mind numb with amazement. The movie playing showed Steve on his hands and knees while a toddler rode on his back. The pair's infectious laughter affected Mary, and she began laughing.

Glancing at Natalie, she asked. "Is that you?"

The next segment of the video showed Steve in uniform waving at the camera. "Bye, Natty," he said, blowing her a kiss. "Daddy loves you."

"Daddy?" Mary exclaimed. "I'm an aunt, and he didn't tell me!"

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

Kono tried not to notice Nate's downcast face, or the fact that he hadn't eaten any food when they stopped earlier in the day. And she tried to appear disinterested when he slipped away from the group that night. Nate had spoken little, and his blue eyes were dark and withdrawn, so unlike the usual warmth they held. Kono felt she had a right to be worried. Someone had to be.

Steve didn't seem to notice. Or he pretended he didn't. And the others, except Mr. Hamilton, paid little attention to Nate. Kono wondered if she just imagined it all because she was feeling guilty about the night she had slapped him. Whatever it was, Nate needed to know someone noticed. And that someone cared.

While the rest of the group made preparations for a few hours of rest, Kono slipped away to find Nate. She found him about to climb a tree. He stopped. Kono sensed he was waiting for her to speak, but now that they were alone she didn't know what to say.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. He sounded cool and faraway.

Kono tried to keep her voice even. "No. I thought you might need some company."

"Company?"

She thrust her hands in her pockets. "Yeah, to help you stay awake?"

He noticed the question in her voice. "I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine."

Nate let out an exasperated breath. "Kono, what do you want?" The edge in his voice cut through her.

"We haven't gotten a chance to talk since the other night."

"And now, when we're hunting down a dangerous criminal, is a good time?"

Kono thought he sounded like Steve, but he had a point. However, the thought that something might happen to them on this mission helped her to say what was on her mind. "I'm sorry about the other night."

"Just forget about it."

"Look, this may be ridiculous because we hardly know each other, but…"

Nate searched her face. "But what?"

"I really care about what happens to you. I think you probably figured that out by now."

Nate seemed to find something of interest on the ground, which he kicked with his boot. "You picked the wrong guy to care about. I'll only disappoint you just like everyone else."

His statement made the back of Kono's eyes sting. The fact he felt that way about himself only made her care about him more. She stepped closer to him until she was at arm's length. "You're more disappointed in yourself than anyone will ever be. You're letting that ruin your life."

Nate shook his head. "My life was ruined the day a police officer came to our door and said my mom was dead. Try not to let that ruin your life at seven years old."

Kono couldn't think of a response. But she felt one. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Nate, and to her surprise he didn't pull away, but stood there without returning the gesture.

That simple embrace impacted Nate more than he allowed himself to admit. Others in his life had used countless words and insightful reasoning in an effort to fix his shattered life, but it never helped. Yet somehow, Kono's arms around him began to fill the emptiness he had long been acquainted.

Kono wasn't sure what to make of the moment. She leaned back and looked up at Nate. He still hadn't moved away and she couldn't bring herself to either. There was something about the way he kept staring at her. His lips moved and she waited for him to speak, but no words came. Something changed in his eyes, she could tell he was battling with himself.

"Kono, I can't-"

She didn't let him finish, she moved closer, and kissed him. Kono felt certain he flinched, but then ever so slightly he leaned in, kissing her back, unsure, but gentle. His fingertips brushed against her cheek and her fingers tangled in his hair, as their kiss lingered a moment more. Then a branch snapped, and Nate pulled away, his eyes scanning the area.

"I need to go," he said, disappearing into the trees before Kono could utter a word.

She wondered if she had pushed things too far, but she was sure he had kissed her back. She didn't think Nate McGarrett would kiss anyone if he didn't want to. She allowed a smile to creep over her lips as she turned and headed back toward camp.

Kono noticed Mr. Hamilton some distance from the rest of the group, but didn't think anything of it until he spoke to her.

"Be careful with him," he said.

"Excuse me?" she replied.

"He's been hurt enough."

"I know that. I would never do anything to hurt him."

It was too dark to see his eyes, but his low, threatening tone said it all. "Make sure you don't."

Kono didn't know why Nate's boss took such an interest in his personal life, but she was sure that branch hadn't snapped by accident a few moments ago.

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

Steve woke up, not sure what had disturbed him. Scanning the area, he saw nothing unusual, but he sensed something wrong. The sky was still dark, and after checking his watch, he realized he had been asleep only a short time. The others seemed to be sleeping, except for Nate who had volunteered to keep watch for the first few hours. Steve remembered his brother's weary expression, and decided he needed to check on him.

He made his way to where he had last seen Nate, hoping it wouldn't be too difficult to find him. Steve remembered when they were kids, Nate could hide for hours during a game of hide and seek. After several minutes, Steve grew concerned. Either Nate was watching him at this very moment and didn't want to be found, or something was wrong.

A noise behind him caused him to spin around.

"Whoa," Danny said, holding up his hands. "It's just me, Steve."

"Don't sneak up on me," Steve answered.

"I'm sorry. What are you doing out here anyway? The designated bathroom is back that way."

"I can't find Nate. I thought I saw him come over here.

"I saw him circle back behind the camp before I fell asleep. He's probably up in a tree laughing at us right now." Danny's tone changed, concern heavy in his voice. "Are you okay, Steve?"

Steve wiped a hand over his face. "I don't know. This whole thing has me on edge. If we screw this up I can't go home. And I don't think I can live with that."

Danny put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "We're gonna get Wo Fat. We're gonna clear your name. And we're all gonna go home. Do you hear me? We're all going ho-" Danny slapped at his neck. "What was that? A giant mosquito?"

Steve peered at Danny's neck. "I don't think that was a bug."

"Whoa, why is the ground moving?"

Steve scanned their surroundings as he grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him back toward the camp. He felt a prick, then a stinging sensation pulsed through his neck.

"Why are there three of you?" Danny asked.

Steve fought the heaviness in his body as he tried to drag Danny along the uneven terrain. Voices echoed, and the dark night deepened as his strength left him. No longer able to drag his friend, he collapsed, his head hitting the ground. He forced his eyes open long enough to see a pair of boots coming toward him, and then he drifted off.

A/N: Thanks for sticking with me and asking for updates. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.