Spoilers/Warnings: This chapter gets pretty intense in some places, could maybe be considered an M-rating for some sections. B-I-G spoiler for 4.19 in this chapter, but I really hope you have all seen that episode by now because it was fantastic. Also a spoiler for events in 4.12, when Danny first meets Amber. Some more swearing in this one, because these guys are adults…very, very distraught adults. Mentions of PTSD as well. More notes at the end, but I won't get in your way here.

Many thanks to all of you who have taken time to review. I appreciate your kind comments and absolutely LOVE hearing all of your theories. All mistakes are my own. Onward!

Halfway CHAPTER 3

Danny Williams paced the waiting room endlessly. Amber had arrived to wait with him nearly an hour ago when Kono dropped her off on the way back to HQ. She and Danny hadn't yet spoken a word to each other and Amber couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"I'm sorry, Danny." He abruptly stopped pacing and turned to face her. "Maybe if I had gone to pick up Grace like I said I would, then none of this would have happened."

"No. No don't start that, please," Danny said as he finally sat down next to her on the hard plastic chair and put his head in his hands. "Grover was right. It's not your fault. And it probably isn't Steve's either. We don't even know what's going on yet. But why, Amber? Why didn't you just tell me that you couldn't pick her up? Why did you lie to me?" Danny lifted his head and sadly locked eyes with her. There was so much pain and sadness in his gaze - and betrayal, Amber was dismayed to see.

"Danny, that's not what happened. I swear," Amber defended. She was trying to figure out how best to broach the topic of her ex when Danny's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Amber, is something else going on? What is it?" asked Danny, his tone changing from accusatory to concern.

Amber looked over at him, completely astonished. How he had the capacity to worry about her with everything else going on was unthinkable. She knew she owed him the truth, just not all of it right now. "Danny, I – I didn't lie to you when I said I came to Hawaii for a fresh start. I did, and I really thought I would get it. And I have." She smiled at him and he gave a tiny, distracted smile in return as they both remembered their first meeting. "But, the reason I left, the reason I wanted a new start – well, I had a really messy divorce. I had to get a restraining order against my ex-husband." She looked up to see overwhelming concern in her boyfriend's eyes, and was so grateful that he wasn't angry with her for keeping any of this a secret. At least it didn't look that way. "I don't want to go into the details, not right now. There are more important things to worry about. But my lawyer called this afternoon, right after we talked and I had to go see her. I knew Steve wasn't at work, so I called and asked if he could pick up Grace. I would have called back to let you know, but you couldn't have answered anyway. And I know that you trust Steve completely, so I didn't think it would be a problem. I am so, so sorry that it turned out this way," she finished, looking away from Danny.

She felt a hand on her chin as Danny lightly turned her face back toward his. "Hey. Hey, it's okay, Amber." He grabbed her gently into a hug. "I'm sorry I blamed you, and I'm sorry I yelled." They separated after a moment and Danny spoke again. "I just – I don't even know what to feel right now."

"Danny, it's fine. It's okay. Really," she implored. "And I'm the one that should be comforting you right now, not the other way around."

With that statement, any concern that Danny had for Amber was buried as this thoughts returned to his injured daughter and lost, probably injured partner. He stood up in silence and began pacing again. "I should call Rachel and give her an update. Apparently Grover didn't give her any details. Just told her she needed to get back here."

Danny started fishing his cell phone out of his pocket, dreading the call he was about to make, but looked up sharply at the sound of footsteps on linoleum.

"Family of Grace Williams?"

…..

More bouncing. More Spanish. More pain.

Steve slowly came around lying, luckily, on his uninjured side in the back of a moving vehicle. SUV. Black interior. But there was nothing lucky about this situation. His hands we zip-tied behind him, which put a lot more strain on his broken collarbone than he was comfortable with. Not that it would have been comfortable anyway. His feet were zip-tied as well, and as he tried to shuffle and see how much movement he could get away with, he realized that his feet were tied to something in the vehicle as well. So much for any escape plan. He was well and truly stuck.

The SUV hit a particularly large bump and knocked Steve's head back to the floor. He was instantly reminded of his headache and the fact that he'd been kicked in the head two times already today. It was only two, right? He sucked in a sharp breath and was also unpleasantly reminded that his ribs were tender and sore. He could feel the deep bruises from the seatbelt, as well as some new scrapes on his back. Probably from his fun trip up the embankment back to the road.

A sudden thought had his heart pounding. Grace!

She wasn't here, was she? He hoped that these men didn't go back to get her after they dragged him up the hill. Steve twisted around, trying to see more of his temporary prison, grimacing as he did so. There was no sign of Grace, just the sound of the men's voices as they chatted away.

Maybe chatting wasn't the best word for it. Steve stopped moving and strained his ears, listening more intently. The rapid fire Spanish reminded him of birds or maybe squirrels. He could hardly catch a word every few seconds and even then it was useless because he couldn't understand it. But they didn't sound too happy. This certainly wasn't a casual chat between friends.

But then he heard it. Williams. The word didn't roll off the man's tongue smoothly at all. It stood out easily from the other monotone chatter.

So maybe this wasn't about him? This was about Grace – or Danny. These guys must be from Columbia, from Reyes' crew! Steve couldn't think of any other Spanish-speaking enemies that Five-0 had made, or that he had made.

As he tuned out the discussion and focused on this new information, Steve was simultaneously relieved and frightened. What these men had done to Matty… he shuddered. But what these men could have done to Grace! God, he hoped she wasn't in the car somewhere. He hoped that his wild goose chase had worked.

He tugged and strained against his bonds again, but it was useless. He was well and truly stuck. He figured he should take advantage of this time as much as possible and save his energy. Steve didn't know what was coming, but whatever it was it wouldn't be good for him.

…..

"Okay, go back a few more minutes. I've got a bad feeling about this…" Chin muttered while his cousin manned the smart table controls.

"What are you thinking, Cuz?"

"Right there," Chin pointed out the dark SUV on the screen. "Look at the time stamp. The SUV that followed Steve arrived a full 10 minutes before he even pulled up. No one got out, and no child ever got in either. They weren't there to pick up kid."

"So, what does that mean exactly? Maybe they just forgot something, or remembered that their kid had soccer practice after school today." Kono looked away from the screen for the first time in an hour to give her cousin a questioning look.

"It's possible. But here's what I'm thinking; Danny was supposed to pick up Grace but then asked Amber to do it, who then asked Steve. There is no way that anybody could have predicted those changes. Grace had to have been the target," explained Chin.

"But Cuz, everybody on the island knows about the Barrett case. It's been gaining publicity for years and it was hardly a secret that Five-0 got involved right before it wrapped. Anyone could have figured out that Danny would be in court. It's the third day of the proceedings. They could have had some simple surveillance outside the courthouse and figured that out. Maybe someone assumed that Steve would pick her up instead, he's done it before. Steve still could have been the target," Kono reasoned.

"But how could they know who it would be? Rachel sends the driver a lot or it could have been any one of us. I still say that Grace was the intended target," responded Chin.

"But why Grace? Was this a straightforward kidnapping then? And why take Steve instead? If they were only after Grace they wouldn't just take Steve in her place." Chin and Kono were still mulling over their myriad questions when Lou walked out of his office.

"Nothing new from CSU that we didn't already know. They confirmed both Grace and Steve's blood in the truck. And they weren't able to pull any prints off the guardrail. There were no tire tracks to get a mold of, and no other evidence of anyone else in the area. They have a few prints from the truck and the truck's tracking device that are going through the system now," he summarized for the cousins. "What did we get from the security footage?"

Kono turned back to the table and forwarded the video to when Steve pulled away from the school. "This SUV," she gestured, "pulled out immediately after Steve. No plates on it and no distinctive marks. It looks like two men in the front seats, but the windshield is tinted and we can't get a photo for facial rec. Then Chin noticed," she rewound the video to their previous point of discussion, "that it was parked at the school for a full 10 minutes before Steve even arrived and never picked up a child. Right now we think that Grace was the intended target."

"Why not Steve?" the former SWAT captain echoed Kono's earlier thought.

"Like I said to Kono, there is no way that anyone could have known that Steve was picking her up. Its Danny's weekend with her, which our mysterious attackers could have figured out either by getting ahold of the custody agreement or just following Danny for a while, and he had called Amber to pick her up, who then called Steve. But it could have been any one of us picking her up, and these people might have known that Danny was in court as well," Chin retold his theory.

Lou looked at the screen for a while and seemed to be thinking about Chin's explanation "Guys, I really hate to say this, but – what about Amber?" Lou asked gently.

"Lou." Chin narrowed his eyes, while Kono just looked shocked. "What about Amber? Do you think she could have been the target?" he asked the larger man with a warning edge to his tone.

"It's possible. But I mean, how well do we really know her? They've only been dating for how long?" Lou still looked guilty as hell, but was willing to press his questioning.

"I don't know, Cuz, like, five months you think?" Chin asked his younger cousin, willing to see where Lou's thought was going.

"Yeah, they had just started dating when Edward Cobb collapsed that parking garage on us to try and kill Steve," she responded. "I think Danny said they met at a gas station on the other side of the island, right before that whole debacle with the kid on the boat shooting Amber by accident," recalled Kono, trying to present as much information as she remembered.

"Look," Lou held up his hands, almost in defense, "I defer to you guys as far as Danny's character and who he would choose to date and introduce to his daughter. You've know him years longer than I have, but look at the facts; the only person who knew that Steve was picking up Grace was Amber," Lou pointed out, leaving the implications hanging heavily in the air.

"Shit," Kono breathed.

"Well, it's a valid theory, Lou. But we really don't have anything to go on yet," Chin tried to reason through the brutal thought. "We don't have any idea of the motivations for this, and hell, we're not even entirely certain that this wasn't an accident."

"Seriously, Cuz?" Kono asked, exasperated. "Steve wouldn't just crash his truck and then disappear."

Chin sighed and laid out the facts. "Look, we haven't found any solid evidence of foul play beyond the truck's tracking device being disconnected, which could have happened by accident." He held up a hand when Kono opened her mouth to protest. "We have no idea where Steve is or if he was actually taken. Maybe he's running around the jungle trying to find a way to get help because he couldn't make it back up to the road. Maybe he is concussed and confused and doesn't remember where he is. We also have no evidence that the SUV actually followed them after leaving Grace's school. And we can't get more footage until offices are open tomorrow," Chin listed everything he could think of, trying to convince himself that there could be some other option.

"Seriously, Cuz?" Kono asked again, this time just sounding disappointed. "What – do you think that the boss is so paranoid that he gets a concussion and then thinks that people are after him so he hides Grace and goes to ground? That he wouldn't see the rescue crew or wouldn't have sought us out by now?" Kono looked to Grover to back her up, but Lou crossed his arms and furrowed his brow in contemplation.

"Really, guys?" Kono asked again, now sounding unsure of herself and glancing between the two men. "I mean, we all know what he went through, but…" she trailed off. All three of them stood silently and avoided each other eyes, reliving the moment that they found Steve in that hellhole barely a week ago. As they thought about it more, the possibility that Steve had freaked and had some kind of breakdown seemed more and more plausible.

"Lou," Chin broke the awkward, sad silence, "you've probably talked to Steve the most. Do you think that something like this could have happened? I mean, the doctors cleared him. The drugs were out of his system, and he would never have risked hurting Grace."

"I don't know. Danny's been practically living with him since he let the hospital. He might know McGarrett's state of mind better right now. But I agree with you that Steve wouldn't have put Grace at risk, for anything. If he didn't think he was well enough, he wouldn't have agreed to pick her up," Lou surmised.

"But that still leaves us with Amber," Chin reluctantly added.

"Do we really think that she could be involved in some way?" Kono asked, not sure of anything anymore. "What are we going to tell Danny?" she wondered, sounding incredibly worried.

"Right now we don't have to tell him anything. It's just a theory. And he's in no state to be assisting us with this investigation," answered Chin. "Look, it's getting late and we don't have anything else to go on right now. We've only got a handful of evidence and we can only go over it so many times. We'll come back with a fresh start in the morning. Hopefully CSU will have something soon, and as much as I hate to say it, we should start looking into Amber's background. Now, let's get to the hospital and see how Grace is doing," Chin didn't wait for the others as he retreated into his office to shut everything down for the night.

Lou and Kono looked at each other, then turned without a word and walked to their respective offices, accepting Chin as their leader in the absence of both Steve and Danny.

…..

Amber held Danny tighter when he nearly collapsed against her as they neared Grace's cubicle in the PICU. Her heart felt like it was breaking when he choked on a sob and would have fallen if not for the smaller woman struggling to hold him up. As it was, she couldn't support his weight and gently lowered him to the floor where he shook uncontrollably with the heartbreaking sobs that racked his body.

Having been so focused on Danny while she held him tightly and rubbed a soothing hand up and down his back, she hadn't yet shifted her gaze to Grace. But she did so now.

It was easy, too easy, to see why Danny was completely overwhelmed and distraught. Little Grace was dwarfed in the large hospital bed, so pale and still. Her face had been cleaned up, but there was an angry row of stitches where her head had impacted the window and worst of all was the large tube sticking out of her throat. A precaution, the doctor had said, to let her lungs and diaphragm heal from the impact trauma. Wires ran under her hospital gown to an array of equipment beside her bed. It was all so much to take in.

Amber felt the tears, which had been preparing for their chance at escape, spill over onto her cheeks. She didn't know what to do for Danny. She didn't have a child of her own, although Grace had wormed her way into Amber's heart already, and she couldn't possibly imagine what Danny was feeling right now.

His gut-wrenching sobs had quieted and the nurses had finally stopped giving them sympathetic and pitying looks as they went about their business taking care of their critical young patients.

"Okay," she heard Danny exhale, and thought that she could actually feel his resolve as his muscles tightened and he prepared to stand and face a parent's worst nightmare. "Okay," he said again, stronger this time. He sniffled and wiped at his face. Amber stood and helped lift him to his feet. She slid her hand into his for a brief moment, and he squeezed it in return, painfully hard, but Amber didn't mind and barely noticed.

Amber let her hand drift free as he stepped forward, wanting to give him this moment of feigned privacy with the little girl that was the center of his entire world.

…..

Danny continued to move forward, despite wanting with his entire being to run away and never have to face what was in front of him. He felt empty. Seeing his little girl lying in the too big hospital bed, tubes and wires going every which way, and words like traumatic brain injury, hematoma and bruised diaphragm echoing in his mind, it was all too much for him. He felt embarrassed at his very public breakdown a moment ago, and resolved himself to be strong for Gracie, and for Rachel when she arrived. This was going to kill her, too. This was their little girl. The one thing that they had done right in their relationship. The only thing that he felt he had done right in his whole life.

As he took her small hand in his, he felt his resolve already breaking. She was so cold. Too still. So small.

He heard a scraping sound and felt something contact the back of his legs. Then Amber's hands on his shoulders as she pushed him gently into the chair. Just in time, because he wasn't sure his legs could hold him up any longer.

Scanning Grace's bruised and battered face, distorted and stretched by the tube and the fucking machine that was breathing for her at the moment, he felt a surge of pure anger aimed at his partner and he gripped his daughter's hand tightly in both of his larger ones.

How could Steve have let this happen!? What the hell had he been thinking, picking up Grace when he was still healing from his own ordeal?

Danny blew out a heavy breath and lowered his forehead to his hands that held Grace's smaller hand in his. No, he couldn't blame his partner. They still had no idea what happened. Hell, they had no idea where Steve was or if he was even still alive right now. Still alive! His partner had to still be alive! Oh god, and a moment ago he was blaming Steve for this. And he was blaming Amber. And he was blaming himself. And he was so furious at the world. And so completely heartbroken and lost.

The only thing he knew was that he was not leaving his daughter's side. He looked up again at her face and listened to the whoosh of the ventilator and saw her chest respond to the air being forced into her lungs. He buried his face in his hands once more and sobbed silently into the sheets. He felt Amber hands on his shaking shoulders, providing what little strength and comfort she could, and he appreciated her presence.

A few minutes later, the exhaustion and stress caught up with him and he drifted off, holding tightly to his daughter's hand and begging for salvation.

…..

When Chin, Kono and Lou entered the PICU with a uniform trailing behind them, they stopped and took in the sight that greeted them.

Amber was standing over Danny, her hands on his shoulders, while he was sat in a chair with his head resting on the side of Grace's bed, her small hand disappearing under his. Amber heard the commotion of so many bodies entering the ward and turned around. Seeing the team keeping their distance she glanced back at Danny and then removed her hands carefully and walked quietly over to them.

"Have you found Steve?" she asked in a whisper, hopeful, but already knowing the answer from their crestfallen faces.

"No, and no useful evidence has been found yet. We just know that they were most likely followed from the school by someone, but we have no idea who," Lou was the first to speak up. He put a comforting hand on her arm, almost forgetting his earlier suspicions. "How's Grace? And how is he doing?" The father in him was concerned for Danny, knowing just how crushing and impossible this situation must be for him. And despite his reservations about Amber at the moment, Danny needed her there and he wasn't willing to take away that support just yet.

"He…he's not too great. He kind of had a breakdown when he first saw her. But there's been no change since the doctor spoke with us. She hasn't woken up yet, and they say we have to wait to see if there will be a secondary brain injury from the trauma." Her eyes glistened as they once again filled with tears when she looked back over to Grace and Danny. "He fell asleep a little bit ago. He's completely exhausted from everything," she said distractedly.

Kono and Chin moved to stand on the other side of Grace's bed. Chin put a comforting arm around his cousin and she melted into his embrace. For almost five years they had watched this little girl grow up and this scene was heartbreaking to them as well.

Barely a week ago the team had been holding vigil around another bedside in much the same manner, waiting for their leader to wake up. Another crisis so soon seemed unfair, and too much to handle. Especially for Danny. First his partner, and now his daughter. The universe was conspiring against them, him in particular. And they still had no clue what to expect when, or if, they finally found Steve.

The commotion eventually woke Danny, and he lifted his head to look at the cousins, then back to the face of his daughter. His eyes were red and puffy and he already looked like he hadn't slept in a week. Well, Chin thought, maybe he hadn't.

"Hey, Brah," said Chin quietly. "No good news yet, but we'll keep you in the loop. Hang in there." No more words were needed. Danny nodded his thanks in recognition of the brief update.

Lou stepped up behind the seated man and rested a giant hand on his small shoulder. "Rachel's flight lands in an hour. I'll get her and bring her straight here," he stated gently, but with a tone that left no room for argument.

"There will be a uni outside the ward until we know what's going on. Amber will have a protective detail as well. We don't know who was behind this or what to expect next," Chin explained further.

Danny just sat silently and nodded, accepting the information and refocusing his attention on Grace, her hand in his.

"Need anything else, Brah?" Kono asked tentatively. A tear spilled onto her cheek as Danny looked at her without answering and she saw the tears resume their silent tracks down his face. Chin held her tighter against his side. They all knew what he needed right now. The only thing he needed right now.

"We'll be by tomorrow Danny. And we'll keep you updated," Chin stated, hoping to hear anything from his normally talkative, rant-filled friend. With no answer, and no acknowledgement this time, he gave Kono another comforting squeeze and drifted toward the door.

Kono stepped forward and placed a small kiss on Grace's forehead. "We love you, keiki. Wake up soon, okay," she gently demanded and hoped that it proved true. She didn't know how much longer Danny could take this.

At her words, Danny lowered his head again and they saw his shoulders begin to shake with silent sobs once more.

Lou gave Danny's shoulder a final squeeze and said, "I'll see you in a bit, Danny." He let go and turned to Amber, "Another officer will arrive shortly to escort you home or assist the detail here, whatever you prefer." As he said this, Lou thought about the secondary task for the trusted officer; to keep track of her movements and note any suspicious behavior.

"Okay, thank you, Captain Grover." Of all of Danny's teammates, he was the one she was least familiar with. "I think I'll stay for a while, but I don't know if Danny and Rachel will want me here after she arrives," she stated sorrowfully.

"Okay, take care," Lou said and turned to join his teammates in the doorway. "I'll see you soon," he stated in farewell as the team turned and left her alone once more with Danny. As she looked back at the bed, he seemed to have fallen asleep again. She pulled a chair up beside him and rested her head on his shoulder with an arm around his back, wishing that she could do more for him and lamenting that all they could do was wait.

…..

"Get off of me!" yelled Steve as he struggled against the men manhandling him out of the back of the SUV. "Who are you!? What do you want with me!?" he demanded loudly as he awkwardly tried to support his weight on numb legs that had been cut free. He had been lying stationary in the back of the vehicle for a few hours and this sudden transition was not helping his headache or growing nausea. Or his mood. He hissed and then groaned through gritted teeth when the men held him tighter and began forcing him to walk forward, the pressure on his broken collarbone reawakening.

"Diego, informe al jefe que hemos llegado," said the man on Steve's right.

"A la orden, señor," was the immediate reply from 'Diego' as he ran ahead of them and the sound of his footsteps quickly faded. Steve was just beginning to get his bearings and look around when the man giving the orders spoke again.

"Carlos, la capucha, ahora!" and Steve tried to resist as a hood was forced over his head. His struggle was cut short with an unseen fist to his tender ribs. He leaned forward in his captors' arms, trying to catch his breath which only aggravated his collarbone further. From what little Steve had seen before the hood, they were in the middle of the jungle, and high up if the drop in temperature was anything to go by. That matched with the unbearably bumpy ride to get here. They had obviously left the main roads at some point over an hour ago.

"Adelante!" Steve was forced to stand up and move forward or face being dragged as the men started walking again. Only three men now, two at his sides and the third man somewhere ahead of them giving the orders. This may be his best chance, or his only chance. With his hands still tied behind his back, and his left arm more or less out of commission, these were not good odds. But the alternatives that lay ahead would only be worse if his treatment so far was anything to go by.

Steve pulled lightly against the men supporting him and feigned gagging. The men stopped and started to say something to the man in charge, but Steve leaned to the left then slammed his already aching head into the man's unprepared face. He simultaneously kicked the man on his right behind the knees and felt him go down. Unfortunately the man still had a tight grip on his arm and Steve was pulled down as well. He continued kicking wildly, trying to disarm the two men while he worked his arms down past his legs to get them at his front. He had to stop kicking momentarily as he successfully threaded his legs through the hoop of his arms, crying out as he did so as it was an unpleasant but necessary thing to do. It seems he had caught the men off guard as the blows he had been expecting to rain down on him never did. He ripped off the hood with his zip-tied hands and saw why there was no attempt to subdue him.

The leader of the small crew had a handgun levelled at his head, and the other two men had scooted away to get out of the line of fire.

"La capucha, Capitán," the man gestured to the hood in McGarrett's hands.

"You expect me to put his back on willingly?" Steve asked venomously. The standoff continued and the man with the gun appeared to be getting very impatient. With a sudden swift movement he fired at the ground next to Steve's feet. Steve jumped back and looked around him.

A few more men had arrived, probably attracted by the sounds of the scuffle, but where they materialized from Steve had no idea. He knew he only had a few more seconds to look around and gather intel before his hand was forced and he was essentially blinded again.

There was more than one weapon pointed at him, and as Steve was frantically looking around and memorizing as much as he could, he failed to notice the silent footsteps behind him, only becoming aware when the cold barrel of another gun was pressed against the back of his head.

"I do not miss this time, Capitán," said the faceless voice.

Steve was out of options and completely outnumbered. He took a last look around and he slowly lowered his head and subjected himself unwillingly to the darkness and its limitations.

"Buen elección, señor," the faceless voice said, this time prodding Steve in the back with the barrel of his gun. He reluctantly stumbled forward with the cold metal between his shoulder blades as incentive. He felt the presence of his two handlers moments before they once again latched onto his arms, much tighter this time. Steve's thoughts turned dark and his heart plummeted as he realized there was no way he could escape with his life at this point. He would just have to go with it, and bide his time in hopes that a safer escape option would appear.

One week. He had enjoyed one week of freedom, and not even that since he was out of his mind, bouncing between realities when the drugs had been leaving his system.

"Más rápido," the man ahead of him commanded and Steve got lost in a haze of pain as he was practically picked up and marched forward at a brutal pace. He stumbled at the sudden change but was held up by the men holding his arms. He gagged for real this time as he felt his bones grate against each other once more. Luckily he had already lost whatever had been in his stomach and only a small stream of bile damped the hood over his head.

The men weren't going to fall for the same trick twice and forced him onward while he dry heaved.

Steve lost a few minutes of time but refocused as they slowed their pace on a steep downhill. He heard the scream of rusty metal and felt a rush of cooler air on his face. He heard echoing footsteps ahead of him and assumed they had arrived at some sort of bunker.

In the middle of the Hawaiian jungle.

Hours from civilization.

And no one knew where he was. He had no clue where he was.

His dark thoughts were interrupted as the men at his side disappeared and the gun barrel returned at his back.

"Adelante," he was commanded. Forward, he assumed.

"Ya know, I kinda like it out here in the fresh air," he said, trying to buy time. To what point and purpose he couldn't quite reason through, but he knew he didn't want to be trapped in this bunker.

"Adelante!" the faceless voice commanded again and the gun was pressed harder into his back.

He had no choice.

He stepped blindly forward and was surprised when his foot met nothing but air. He lurched downward, but caught himself on the steps, putting unnecessary force on his sliced shin and hissing as he twisted his ankle a bit.

The fun returned between his shoulder blades. "Okay, okay. I'm going." He reached his bound hands out, looking for a handrail and luckily found one. Stepping carefully downwards, mindful of his throbbing ankle now, he was again caught off guard when he suddenly reached the bottom.

The two goons that had been holding him returned and led him forward. Right turn. 20 paces. Left. The air was getting cooler. 40 paces. A large hallway, the footsteps echoed more. Right again. The hinges of another door screeched their lack of use. And he was shoved forward only to be caught by more sets of hands.

He instinctively struggled as he was slammed into a chair and his hands were cut free, only to be forced into restraints on the arms of the chair.

No!

Not again! He couldn't do this again!

He kicked out frantically, uncoordinated and was rewarded with a cry of pain, followed by a frustrated growl. It was soon returned with a fist to the face that made him see stars. Tears started streaming down his face as he realized he couldn't stop what was happening to him. He didn't even register the salty water on his face, just fought wildly without thought or coordination while the panic built up inside of him. The men were talking to each other, yelling as he increased his struggles, but he couldn't understand a word. Only that this was very, very bad.

Not again. Not again not again not again not again!

The mantra repeated itself so loudly in his head that he hardly noticed when the hands left him. The voices faded as the men turned away, leaving him alone in the middle of the room, in the bowels of a bunker, tied to a chair, in the middle of the jungle…tied to a fucking chair! The scenario was too reminiscent of what had transpired a week ago and he started hyperventilating under the hood.

Steve was aware of the tears streaming down his face now to mix with the bile that had soaked into the heavy hood, but he could do nothing to stop them. He was going to pass out, he realized. He had to slow his breathing somehow.

C'mon, Rambo. You know what to do. I'm sure the Army trained you for this sort of thing. What would your buddies think if they saw you now, huh?

"It's the Navy, Danny," Steve said through gritted teeth. He only realized after a beat that his partner wasn't there talking to him. His partner had no idea where he was. "Dammit, Danny," he said to the empty room. Talking to his non-existent partner, that was a great sign. He took a few more deep breaths and realized that his breathing was now nearly under control. Danny-in-his-head had actually helped.

He felt calmer and gave a chuckle at the ridiculousness of what was happening in his mind. At least it took his thoughts off of his current situation that had escaped from his nightmares and into reality.

"What's so funny, Capitán?" a voice asked out of the darkness.

Steve jumped in his seat. He hadn't realized that anyone was still in the room and cursed himself for his inattention.

Settle down, SuperSEAL. Let it go, it's in the past. Hakuna Matata, Grace would say. But pay attention now and get some intel. You need to know what we're up against.

We? …whatever.

"Who are you? What is this?" Steve asked, his head turning to follow the sound of the footsteps.

"Capitán McGarrett, you have not figured it out?" asked a heavily accented voice.

"What do you want with me?" demanded the former SEAL. Danny-in-his-head was right, he needed to know what he was facing.

"Well, Capitán. I am actually very disappointed to see you, you see. I had hoped my men would bring me the little girl, and maybe the woman with her. But I will have to make do with you now," was the terrifying response from the faceless, menacing voice currently walking in circles around the restrained man.

So Grace had been who they wanted. These people had been willing to kidnap a little girl, and probably bring her to this same place. And Amber, was that what he meant by 'the woman with her'? Steve wondered.

Steve didn't know how to handle the emotions flooding through him at this information.

Hey! Hey SuperSEAL. Focus on yourself. The girls are safe, you made sure of that. So you worry about you now, okay?

Danny-in-his-head sounded concerned. But again, he was right. Grace was safe. Hurt badly maybe, but hopefully getting the proper medical attention by now. Someone had to have found her, it'd been hours. Amber would have contacted Chin or Kono when she couldn't find Steve anywhere, and they would have started a search.

Steve! Focus!

Right. The man had been speaking, and he hadn't been listening. Steve had been too caught up in his relief that Grace wasn't here with him.

"Who are you!?" he asked again, more forcefully this time, interrupting the man's monologue that he had long ago lost track of.

"Capitán, I see you will not be deterred. Please, allow me to introduce myself." The footsteps halted directly in front of him, and Steve hoped that the hood would be removed so he could look his abductor in the eyes. No such luck, he was doomed to sensory deprivation and lacking the intel that would come with knowing the face of this man.

"My name is Juan Carlos Santos. And Marco Reyes was my best friend."

…..

TBC

Notes and Translations:

PICU = Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Informe al jefe que hemos llegado = Inform the boss that we've arrived

A la orden = at your order/service, a polite or military yes. "By your command" if you're a cylon.

La capucha = a hood (Big thanks to reader Sira for a correction!)

Buen elección = good choice

Más rápido = faster

Capitán = McGarrett's equivalent rank in the unspecified-but-totally-obivious-country's Navy.

Side note on translations: I speak Castillian or "Spain" Spanish, so I'm trying to figure out some colloquial terms for this story and not throw in the slang that I know by accident.