I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended. The same goes for the fantastic show and wonderful characters portrayed in Flashpoint.

Chapter 11

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

It was almost stupid; except Steve knew that Danny was injured and possibly quite badly by the looks of Ana's blood-stained hands, not to mention the traumatized expression on her face. It looked like a jealous boy wanted his girl back, but in reality this boy was soon to be a man and he embodied nearly every characteristic of a malicious stalker. Angry about the adult that had broken them up and kept them apart, Robbie thought that if Danny admitted he'd killed Ana's mother then he would have the pretty girl back in his arms. It would also destroy Ana's loving opinion of her beloved Uncle Danny which was equally important to Robbie. Except what he thought was the truth, could not be further away.

So Steve waited a split second and then sent a quick mental word of apology to his partner and best friend. Steve didn't know Ana and the truth could irrevocably harm her but he had no choice. He now was in the open and confronting Robbie head on and forcing them step by step, backwards towards Chin.

"I hope you're ready. We had the case files re-opened today and just found out ourselves. Up until now, only Danny and maybe one or two other officers knew what happened that night." He delivered the message loudly, but intentionally wasn't kind. The strength of its impact needed a certain clarity. He looked into Ana's eyes and tried to convey as much feeling as possible into his next words.

"There is no way that Robbie ever could have known the real truth. With official court-sealed records, it would have been impossible. And they were sealed all those years ago in order to protect an innocent child."

Steve stressed the two last words and Ana's eyes widened in surprise. She stopped struggling and was hanging on every word he uttered. And he took a deep breath before specifically searching out Robbie's face.

"The truth is that Ana killed her mother."

There was another moment of absolute silence and then the desperate whispers started. Robbie was whispering over and over to Ana that it wasn't true. And without taking her eyes from Steve's face, Ana was moaning in a fearful denial.

"Lies. All lies. You have to trust me, Ana. They want to keep us apart with these lies."

Struggling and now kicking fiercely, Ana finally got free from Robbie's stifling hand but he still held her tightly against his chest. But then her words were for Steve and she was shouting in a frightened anger that was aimed entirely at him. And he calmly accepted it all as she moved from Robbie and pointed her finger at his chest.

"I did not kill my mother. I didn't. Uncle Danny would have told me." Her resolve was very much like Danny's and Steve stifled a wry grin. And then he nodded in understanding because Danny hadn't tried to correct the allegations. He had continued to maintain his silence so Steve pushed because he needed them to understand. He needed Robbie alone and separated from Ana to rescue Danny. Reports from the team searching the too many rooms in the upper floors were all negative and valuable time was being wasted.

"Danny didn't tell you, Ana. He didn't tell you for all of these years because you were just a kid. He had the case files closed by court order; there's no way that Robbie ever knew. No one knew like I said. But do you remember the Cinderella poster?"

And then Ana practically stopped breathing as she went back in time. Her mother had made her crawl under the bed that night as the police pulled up to surround the house. Hiding there, she could hear the yelling before the gunfire started downstairs. But she could only see her mother's high heels and the corner of the Cinderella poster that was hung near the doorway. A mental light bulb went off on a faded and nearly forgotten memory. She audibly gasped as she completely jerked free from Robbie. Both hands went to her face and she kept backing up into the middle of the warehouse floor.

For years, all Ana could remember was her Uncle Danny reaching for her and then nothing. But now, that simple prompt made her breath catch in her throat and she began to tremble.

"I remember." She sobbed softly. Her mother had tripped and fallen in her haste to get away from whoever was coming up the stairs. Her mother's gun had fallen and slid across the old wood floor to land under the bed.

"Gimme the gun, sweetie. Ana, baby, give me the gun." And then Ana remembered everything. She had squirreled forward on her stomach and gotten the gun with every intention of handing it to her mother. But it had gone off and a flash of bright red blood had instantly splattered across Cinderella's beautiful cartoon dress.

There was so much blood. Her mother had fallen partially under the bed with her dead eyes facing Ana and the blood had pooled out across the floor to chase her further back under the bed. She couldn't even scream as the red lake came for her.

But then he had come. And he had taken the gun out of her small hands and pulled her into his chest. However instead of just Danny now, she also remembered the blood. And then there had been the sound of her mother falling and then the final glimpse of the blood-stained Cinderella poster from where she was snug up against Danny's chest.

Ana was weak-kneed at the frightful memory as she shook her head and clenched fistfuls of her long black hair in her hands. "My fault. It was all my fault."

"No, it wasn't." Steve continued speaking as Ana's adult mind churned through the truth. He was still watching Robbie, though he was softer and maybe less aggressive based on Ana's reaction.

"Ana, you didn't mean to shoot anybody that night. The gun had a hair-trigger. It was an accident. And Danny didn't tell you because he knew what it would do to you. You were just a kid and you pushed it from your mind. It's understandable and it's okay. But Danny has been protecting you for years .. and he still is."

Ana started to sob harder because it was true and she remembered. Steve edged closer as he added the final key point. He was in striking distance and one eye was on Robbie Clancey.

"The poster. The blood on the poster meant the shot came from inside the room. The angle proved it came from the floor; but Ana, it was an accident."

Her sobbing intensified as another memory snicked into place. "Uncle Danny took the gun from my hand. I was still under the bed and he took it from me. And then he picked me up .. and we went outside."

"Come on! Faster!" Chin hissed the warning in Steve's ear and he nodded quickly because it was taking much too long but she was almost in the clear. He was almost there and in easy reach of Robbie. And Chin was readying himself to protect Ana.

"Ana, I know Danny the way you do. He had a good reason to not tell you then and he still didn't want to tell you today."

She was in the middle of the room now and backing towards Chin. "It was me .. it was never him! I remember. It was all my fault because I had the gun and I killed my mother!"

Steve didn't hesitate after that final outburst. Ana was in the clear and Robbie had begun to follow her with his hand out-stretched almost in apology. At first, he wasn't paying attention to where he was and he'd almost forgotten about the gun in his other hand. But Robbie suddenly caught himself and with a fierce glance towards Steve, he growled a warning to Ana. There was a new gleam in his eyes as Chin grabbed the girl and used his own body to shield her should something go wrong.

As Robbie's gun hand swung up to take aim at Ana, Steve lashed out once to fell Robbie like a tree. There was a loud crack as his femur broke under Steve's well aimed kick. There was only one surprised gurgle and he barely felt the pain as Steve's elbow found the base of his neck and he was instantly incapacitated. Without breaking stride, Steve had him cuffed in seconds under Kono's direct supporting cover.

Ana froze in Chin's hands as she watched Robbie collapse and she stared at Steve in total disbelief. She never heard him demand that Kono get additional assistance to remove the unconscious and now injured boy.

"Are you Steve?" Her voice was a strangled whisper but when he nodded, Ana pulled out of Chin's grasp and yanked on his arm.

"He's this way. Please .. hurry." She pulled and grabbed at his hand to lead him. She refused to let go or go back until she'd virtually dragged him and the rest of the team to the locked door.

All the way on the top floor now, Steve's fingers ran around the door frame and then he cursed at the broken door handle. "What's in here? What did Robbie do?"

"Gas and a timer .. Uncle Danny's hurt .. Robbie shot him and he's hurt!" Steve clenched his jaw as he began to viciously pummel the heavy metal door with his shoulder. Chin joined in and they began to alternate to well-aimed kicks by the damaged door knob.

"Ana, get out of here. We'll get him. Go and get out." She hesitated again until she saw his face. His look of raw determination made her spin around and Ana ran from the building to wait outside as she heard Chin, Steve and two other HPD officers using their bodies in a vain attempt to ram the door open.

"Battering ram!' The third officer had gone back out to get a manual, hand-held ramming bar with a blunt non-conductive flat end. "Use this!"

With Steve on one side and an HPD officer on the opposite, a count of two had them swinging the bar like the small battering ram it was, and they nearly fell when the door cracked and suddenly burst in on its hinges. Danny was still on his side and tied to the strong metal table leg with his hands behind his back. The team each took a goal and split up. The HPD officers began to turn off each and every propane tank, while Chin fell to his knees next to Danny. And Steve went for the timer and ignition device. He studied it quickly and didn't take the time to feel relieved when he found it to be incredibly rudimentary.

Seconds later, he was down next to Chin who had already freed Danny's bloody wrists and was checking both the head and bullet wounds. His eyes were dark with worry as he cradled Danny's head and urged him to keep breathing. The body-wide tremble and clammy skin communicated all they needed to know about the level of shock he was in.

"Danny, hold on. We're getting you out of here. Hold on, buddy."

He roused then very briefly in the gas filled room and frowned at the faces swimming sickeningly above him. There was a long moment where Danny couldn't focus at all and the shapes dipped and wavered away from him. But he finally heard Chin and then maybe Steve though their voices were muted and far away as if in a surreal dream. Slurred and barely audible, Danny was just mouthing a few words. "Ana? Steve?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We got her and you. Just hold on." With that, he and Chin were pulling him up and slinging an arm over each of their shoulders. They tried to be careful but Danny was gagging and coughing not only because of the gas, but also because of the unfortunate change in position. The pain in his head was debilitating in its intensity and he was helpless in their arms.

Steve snagged a hand around Danny's waist to take more of his weight. He was limp and unable to walk as they dragged him forward. "We got you Danno, just hang on."

With a free hand, Chin was shouting orders to his cousin as they made their way down the long flight of stairs and then back across the main first floor of the old factory.

"Kono. We need two more ambulances ..plus a drug decontamination unit .. tell them to be ready for shock, head trauma and a GSW."

They got him out of the toxic environment as quickly as possible and laid him gently down by the assembled HPD vehicles. Danny's eyes were partially opened and he moaned in pain as Steve took the first aid kit to stem the bleeding from the gunshot wound to his side.

"Oxygen? Anyone got a portable?" He snapped out demands as he took over. But another HPD officer was already adjusting the mask over Danny's nose and mouth. He was then making a fuss over the deep bruising that ran along Danny's chin from Joe Clancey's solid blow and then the second head wound.

"These look bad, too." At that, Steve switched places with Chin to check Danny's head wounds.

"Damn them." He muttered worriedly as he thumbed Danny's eyes open one by one. "Pupils are uneven and unresponsive. Danny? You with us still?"

Ana was pacing a short distance away with Kono who was hesitant to touch the distraught girl. Her fingers were still running through her hair as she grabbed and released it clump after messy, black clump. Torn between remembering the truth of that terrible night and seeing Danny's injuries, Ana was inconsolable. Kono had called for two more ambulances as instructed by her cousin. And now, after seeing the girl's frantic state she was now glad that she had as distant sirens could be heard approaching the site.

On his knees holding thick piles of gauze to Danny's head wound, Steve was mere inches from his nose as he pleaded with his friend to open his eyes more.

"Danno? Come on, pal. Answer me. Are you with us?" The first ambulance was pulling in just as Danny's eyes tried to focus on Steve's face but he was forced aside by the first medical team. Over their backs Steve saw his eyes flutter once and then twice before they closed for good. He lingered worriedly just out of the way, as the medics performed a rapid and succinct triage. But Steve was shocked to see one run for a backboard and neck brace. His alarmed expression prompted the medic to offer a short explanation about the head wound.

"We need to immobilize his neck and head .. we aren't liking the looks of this. It will be much safer for transport." Steve shared a worried look with Chin before moving to give them yet more room to lift the board onto a wheeled stretcher.

And then Steve had to stop before getting into the ambulance because Ana clearly had the same idea and he was forced to catch her up in his arms. "Wait, Ana. You can't .. you can't go in there."

"No! I'm going with him. I need to be with him!" They gripped each other in the brief altercation; both upset and worried but Steve was adamant.

"Ana, you need to get checked out too. Stay with my officers." But it took both him and Kono a long few minutes to convince and insist that she get in the second or even the third ambulance. Still unconscious, Robbie Clancey was being cared for and stabilized by the second medical team for transport. And he was under heavy guard regardless of his medical condition. Ana followed Steve's hand and burst into tears when she absorbed part of the organized chaos taking place around them. The yard was swarming with police, medical teams, and other hazardous materials professionals and it was very overwhelming. But she wasn't willing to leave Danny.

"I can't." She cried harder as Kono anchored herself to the girl. She then waved frantically when the third EMT team arrived to draw their attention towards Ana. And then it only happened because Kono kept a firmly persistent hold on the girl's forearm and forcibly explained the need for decontamination.

"I'll go with you. We'll all meet Danny at the hospital. But you do honestly need to get officially checked out." Kono got into Ana's space and forcibly guided her backwards to sit on the gurney. "Ana, I promise. We're wasting time and he needs to get there."

Without a backwards glance, Steve knew Kono had it covered as he dove in to take a seat next to his partner and placed his hand on Danny's shoulder. He was relieved to see Danny's eyes fighting to open, though he still wasn't focusing well or even trying to speak.

"Why didn't you tell me about Ana?" He bent down to mutter his worried questions. "Danno? Ana's okay .. she's fine."

Danny seemed to be breathing better now that he was in the ambulance but Steve's face was tight with stress. Something seemed off as Danny became more lethargic and the medics were running IV lines and relaying information incessantly to the emergency room. None of which sounded especially good to Steve's ear.

"What was the gas he was exposed to?" One of the medics was checking Danny's lung sounds and frowning at the oddly shallow breaths. "It's as if he's drowning .. there's no volume so to speak."

Leaning forward, he opened the oxygen full and attached a pulse oximeter to Danny's finger.

"Propane. He was exposed for about ten minutes." Steve explained and the medic's eyes widened in surprise. It was becoming almost too much as Steve pinched the bridge of his nose to fight the sudden flare of a headache.

"Why? He seemed better with the oxygen."

"I've never actually seen propane poisoning before." The medic was honest as he shook his head to disagree. Pausing, he went back to avidly checking Danny's lung sounds and oxygen saturation. His face was more serious as he noted the readings and then took a moment to finish his explanation.

"Propane takes the place of oxygen in the lungs, makes breathing difficult or impossible. He is breathing, but it's much too shallow. He's having a fair amount of trouble plus his heart beat is irregular too .. I don't like any of this." Steve closed his eyes tightly against the medic's warnings before leaning forward to whisper in Danny's ear.

"You're going to be okay, Danny." Steve gripped his arm gently as his eyes rolled alarmingly behind closed lids. He was taking measured breaths of oxygen but giving out with a harsh cough with every other shallow inhale.

He didn't think it was possible to feel so sick or to be so very disoriented as sounds fluctuated around him. He could feel movement and even sense the frenetic rush, but the white noise was only noise. Danny was unable to speak and even if he could, he knew that there wouldn't be a logical question his brain might be willing to construct. So he lay there in the ambulance and attempted to focus on one thing.

He was surprised when that one thing was his own name. But a cough rattled him and he scrunched his face painfully as it tore at his chest and then moved upwards to his head. He guessed he moaned then because he heard his name once more and fingers gripped the hand he had tried to lift.

"Danny?"

And Danny finally did hear him then. The splintered words from a haze of sound became a sentence that he could understand. However, the tone was distinctly worried. Danny also clearly heard that Ana was okay and he trusted that she was; if Steve was there then it also meant that Robbie was no longer a threat. But he was having trouble breathing and his head was a constant throb of aching pain.

"Steve?" He thought he managed to project Steve's name but then wasn't sure so he fought again. Danny fought hard to make his stubborn eyes open just for a few seconds to find Steve only inches from his face. And if not for the harsh cough, Danny would have managed the sketchy smile of success. Instead he merely blinked as Steve's mouth moved and a question was repeated.

"Ana's safe, Danno. But why didn't you tell me?"

Aneurysm face. Yes, Danny could see that too until he realized that he owed his very worried friend an answer and he seemed obligated to make his voice work. He didn't seem to be able to breathe comfortably which vaguely alarmed him. But then he couldn't remember the question and he frowned unhappily as his eyes dipped closed.

"Hey!" No, not yet." It seemed important to both Steve and the medics that he remain awake. But he was going to lose the battle regardless of his valiant efforts. Another cough shook him and jarred his head making him wince. The tightness in his chest was nearly overwhelming and he tried to suck in more air. But then Danny could feel Steve's fingers pressing tightly into his shoulder as he gave him a tiny shake.

"Why didn't you tell me about Ana?"

And then it was almost too faint as his lips twitched briefly into a ghost of a weak smile. His reply was equally too softly slurred behind the heavy oxygen mask and his eyes were sliding shut again. Steve quickly leaned closer and caught it though but the audacity of the simple words shocked him.

"It's .. classified."

~ to be continued ~