I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or its characters, it belongs to CBS and its creators.

Chapter Twenty-Four

It'd been a few months since Alyx had gotten out of the academy, and things were getting slightly better for her. Heavy on slightly. A couple of cops were beginning to warm up, but they were still iffy. Although her skills were starting to get her a good reputation, she was still getting the cold treatment, and getting a lot of grunt work, while a few of the other graduates were already getting strong commendations and a few were beginning to work their way up.

Meanwhile, Alyx was stuck in a loop of non-stop grunt work and horrible treatment. It was clear it was taking a toll, not only on her body, but on her mental health as well. She wouldn't talk or say, but they knew it was taking a toll. They just knew.

Alyx finally had a day off in a while, and she decided to spend it sleeping and snacking. Which was a good idea, but Steve did want her to do some things.

Steve says as he puts the pot of coffee on, making Junior look up at him. Even Eddie tilted his head.

"Have you talked to her today?"

"Other than a few grunts? No, I have not." Steve clenches his fist on the counter, staring out the window at the ocean. "I just want to go down to headquarters and give them all a piece of my mind."

"A lot of people are still questioning why you took her in." Junior says. "They think you're highly insane."

"Yeah, so does Danny, but he's not shutting me out. He did at first, but now he's warming up to Alyx." Steve sighs, turning and crossing his arms as Junior pulled out the eggs for breakfast.

"Do you think she'll be okay? I really don't think she'll be okay in this line of work much longer."

"Neither do I." They go quiet, listening to the sound of the coffee being brewed before the sound of the doorbell made them look at each other. They look at each other, mildly confused, before Steve goes and opens it. Finn, along with three other people, a woman and two men, stood at the door.

"Commander." Finn gives a salute, and Steve returns it. The three follow and he eyes them carefully.

"Are you here for Alyx?"

"Yes, sir. This is Yasmine, Ivan and Ray. They're the other members of our team. Is Alyx here?" Steve glances up to her room, letting out a sigh. Maybe a day with her old team would be good for her.

"Yeah, she's in her room. Last door on the left." They nod in thanks, saying mumbled hellos to him before climbing the stairs to her room. He watches them carefully before they disappear down the hallway, meeting eyes with Junior, who frowns.

"Think it's okay for her?" Steve shrugs, about to speak when he hears squealing from upstairs and reaches for his gun, only to relax as Finn and the others usher out a still struggling to put on her button up Alyx.

"Okay, okay, where in the world are you guys taking me?"

"Just go and you'll see! We're taking you out for the day!" Ray says, handing her a hair tie. She pulls her disheveled curls up in a ponytail and quickly pulls on her shoes, laughing. It's like a golden ray of sunshine had lit up the house.

Steve's heart melts at the sight and sound. It'd been so long since he'd heard her laugh. He came to the conclusion that today would be good for her. Spending time with her old team sounded like what she needed.

"Is it okay if we go out?" Alyx asks quickly. Steve smiles, crossing his arms.

"Of course. You don't need my permission." She smiles at him so happily, wrapping him in a hug before they quickly leave out the front door, shutting it behind them. Steve turns to Junior, who shrugs.

"Well, guess it's just the three of us today, I guess."

Alyx breathes in the ocean air, the waves clashing against the rocks in a soothing manner. The food they got was absolutely delicious, and just being able to be with her teammates was fantastic. The weather was lovely, not a cloud in the sky, and even though the air was hot and sticky, the mist from the ocean gave them a little bit of a natural air conditioner.

"I have to say, I have missed food from Hawaii." Yasmine says, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

"Honestly." Ray agrees. "So, Silvertongue Ghost, how'd ya almost kill your dad?" Ivan punches him in the shoulder as Finn and Yasmine glare at him. Alyx sighs, shaking her head.

"You don't ask that question." Yasmine hisses.

"It's okay." She explains the story, starting from when she landed on Hawaii and was immediately given that horrendous job and so on and so forth. They listen until she finishes and Yasmine pats her arm.

"How come you couldn't decline it?"

"They showed me feeds of their homes in that moment of people trained on them. If I declined..." She heaves a sigh, but they nod in understanding. "I'd rather have taken a risk of killing him, then having them all dead. Wish I hadn't." She sighs, looking down. Finn sighs, adjusting his leg and shoulders.

"Okay, let's get off this subject, yeah? Ivan, how was Montana?"

Thankfully, the subject is ditched and they focus on what everyone else has been doing. Ivan was traveling like he had wanted to do, Yasmine had relented and was working in her family's shop, and Ray had been just kinda doing an all of a sudden road tip from Florida to California.

They sat in silence for a little bit, enjoying each other's presence, and watching boats come and go in the ocean. For the moment, it was peaceful and... Soothing.

That is until Alyx's phone begin to ring. Everyone looked over at her, eyebrows raised.

"Damn it." She pulls out her phone, dreading that it was going to be some call in for work, but instead...

"Hello?"

"Lieutenant Kyoshi. It's been awhile since we last talked."

It felt like her heart stopped. At first, she thought it was Sato. The smooth yet commanding voice... But there was no sharp edge to it.

She got up, nearly throwing herself off the edge in the process.

"Commander Royce." She hears the others hop over the seats to follow her, looking at her in concern.

"I understand that some things have... Occurred since you were discharged. I apologize for not reaching out sooner."

"It's fine, sir. I've... I've had a good support since everything happened." She bites her lip. "So, you know that I...?"

"Commander McGarrett reached out to me shortly after you were imprisoned. I was stunned by the news, but he explained everything to me. I understand you were put in an impossible position. But that's not why I'm calling. Do you remember the mission you and your team was assigned shortly before your release?"

"Yes. We weren't successful."

"As I recall, Lieutenant, you personally took down thirteen armed men and then carried your team out despite your injuries. Yes, you weren't successful in capturing the target, but you were a hero."

Alyx clears her throat, her face flushing a bit. It'd been awhile since she'd been praised for her acts in the service, and it'd been awhile since she'd been praised period. She put her hand on her hip, adjusting her phone to put it on speaker. "So, what about the mission?"

"As you know, the target was able to escape, and we lost him. Recently, however, we have discovered he's resurfaced. I know it was a mission that you all took personally. I am calling you all back for one last mission before Lieutenant Koto's retirement ceremony. I will be calling the others in a few now. Do you accept?" She looks up at all of them, and sees that Finn is glaring at the phone the most, his hand gripped tightly on the leg he lost on that mission. But there's a silent yet burning confirmation in his eyes.

"There's no need to call the others, they're standing right here with me." She looks at all of them, and at once, they nod their heads.

"We're in."

Steve was on the lanai with Danny and Junior when she got home, and once they saw the look on her face, they quickly scrambled and said they were going to grab some dinner and left hurriedly. Steve straightened in his seat as she sat down, clasping her hands together.

"Hey." He manages out.

"Hey." She replies. "I'm sorry I haven't been... The most talkative."

"Alyx, you've been working eighteen hour shifts for the past two months. I really don't blame you." She looks down at her shoes, flicking off some specks of mud.

"You want a beer?"

"I'm good." He nods.

They go quiet as she adjusts in her seat nervously.

"Um... So, you know how at my graduation I said I was still on active duty?" Steve nods.

"Yes. You were honorably discharged and put on leave, but are still on active duty."

"Yeah." She swallows thickly. "I got a call from my commander today, when we were hanging out. The last mission I was on before I was discharged was the same one when I took down the men and got my team to safety. The mission was to locate and capture a high ranked arms dealer and if we were able to capture him, it would reduce several thousand guns to known terrorists." Her hands clench and her eyes grow dark at the memory. "Finn was supposed to lead the mission. It was his findings that had led us to the target in the first place."

Steve frowns, seeing her mood sour. "It went wrong, didn't it?"

"We thought we had them by surprise. But one scout wasn't accounted for and alerted them. They opened fire as we were beginning to advance on them." Steve leans forward as her hands clench tightly. "Finn was shot. Three times in the leg and twice in the torso. His vest protected him from one bullet, but the other tore through one stupid open part of it. I don't know what happened. I... Blacked out." Steve furrows his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry? You blacked out?" She nods.

"I don't remember much, but when I... Woke up, I guess, I was standing... Standing there, dazed. I didn't know what was going on, but... I was sticky, like I had blood all over me. Then Ivan pulled me out of my daze, and we returned back to base. Finn was taken to immediate surgery. After that it was a blur. We heard that he needed immediate transport to an American hospital, or else he'd die. Let's just say I'm not on the greatest of terms with some of the officers now."

"Did you threaten them?"

"...Perhaps." Steve laughs, reaching over and laying his hand on top of hers.

"That's my girl." She blushes, then looks at him with a gaze he knows all too familiar. He softens.

"You said you got a call...?"

"Yes. The target was able to escape, and went underground... Until now." Steve breathes in. "They located him, and before Finn retires, they would like us to return for one last mission. It's going to be a personal one, but..." Steve nods.

"I understand." He lets out an unsteady breath. "When do you leave?"

"Next week."

"Next week?"

"Yeah." She says quietly, and for a moment, Steve forgets how to breathe. Okay, sure, he puts his life on the line every time they get a case. He's probably almost died like a thousand times in the years he's been in the Navy and on Five-0, but hearing his daughter risk her life was terrifying. Yeah, she got shot when protecting him, and that was heart attack inducing in itself. Sure, he knew she could handle herself, she's proven that. But... It was still terrifying.

"...Okay." Alyx looks at him.

"Okay?" Steve moves from his chair to in front of her and she looks at him with a scared look. He takes her hands into his and smiles.

"I know you can handle yourself. We'll make this next week one to remember, okay?" Alyx smiles happily at him, her eyes shining.

"Okay."