Thank you so much for all the alerts, favorites and for your nice reviews. You really make my day! :-)

Just another short note to let you know that the story is complete by now, so there will be regular updates... hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter 3:

Danny's heart hammered painfully in his chest, he swallowed convulsively, trying to keep the panic at bay. His hand was clawed around the cyclic stick, visibly trembling, but somehow he managed to keep control over the helicopter.

Buck up, Williams, he reprimanded himself, taking several deep breaths. You've done this before, you know how to fly, no need to panic, he told himself over and over again.

Danny took another deep breath, trying to calm his frayed nerves, finally feeling a tiny bit of self-confidence return. He could do this. He had done this before, he had flown a helicopter. Well, not exactly with an unconscious partner in the pilot's seat, who was bleeding all over the place, but he knew how to fly. He was sure he could do this.

After what seemed like an eternity he noticed that his fingers no longer trembled and he sighed shakily, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants.

Good, now that Danny was reasonably confident that they weren't in immediate danger of crashing into the ocean he could turn his attention back to the most important task at hand, attending to Steve.

He threw a concerned look to the right where McGarrett hung limply in his seat, only the safety belt prevented him from slipping down any further. Danny had tried to wake him up after Steve passed out, but no amount of shouting, slapping or shaking on Danny's part had done any good, Steve remained unconscious.

If possible, Steve was even paler than before, his complexion waxen. The pallor of his skin worried Danny deeply, but after pressing his shaky fingers against Steve's neck, he was relieved to find a pulse, even if it was weak and much too fast for Danny's liking.

Williams leaned forward and watched the tourniquet on Steve's arm, it seemed to work alright for the moment, the gunshot wound had almost completely stopped bleeding. But Danny struggled to swallow down another onslaught of panic when he took in the amount of blood that had soaked in to Steve's clothes. He gritted his teeth, McGarrett needed professional help, quickly, but there was nothing more Danny could do at the moment.

Reluctantly he averted his gaze from his partner, staring out the window. Oahu was now clearly visible, not much longer and they would finally reach their goal. He pulled the cyclic stick a little to the right, if his memory didn't fail him the new course should lead them directly to the small airfield where they took off not long ago.

Danny looked at the cockpit controls, heaving a frustrated sigh when his gaze fell on the radio. He chewed on his lower lip, thinking for a moment about his next actions. There was no way that he was able to bring the radio back to life, one of Baines' bullets had probably destroyed the antenna.

God, how he hated Hawaii, these pineapple-infested pieces of lava in the middle of the ocean. Only here one had to use a helicopter to reach the next county. Normal people in normal states traveled by car, but no, in Hawaii it had to be a damn helicopter. Danny swore that he would never ever again complain about Steve's driving style if they just would survive the day.

Danny furrowed his brow, flying the helicopter suddenly felt different than a few moments ago, with every passing second it was becoming harder and harder to keep it straight. Williams glanced anxiously at the cockpit controls but as far as he could judge from his limited knowledge everything seemed to be fine.

Though Danny preferred to have both hands on the controls right now, he knew that time was slowly running out. He needed to call for help, so he clumsily fumbled his cell phone out of his pocket, praying silently that there would be enough reception in the air, somewhere in no man's land between Molokai and Oahu.

Danny breathed in deeply before he threw a look on the display, almost laughing out hysterically when he was greeted with one or two flickering bars. It was not great but it had to be sufficient for now. Swiftly he pressed a few buttons, putting on the speakers, carefully placing the cell phone in his lap.

"Whoa, shit!" Danny yelled when a gust of wind hit the aircraft, causing it to tilt over to the left. He gripped the cyclic stick tighter, barely managing to get the helicopter back on course. Great, a storm, that's exactly what he needed right now.

His chest felt suddenly too narrow for his frantically beating heart and his injured ribs throbbed painfully with every heartbeat. Sweat ran down his back, making his T-shirt stick to his skin, the blood rushed so loudly in his ears that he almost missed the voice coming from his cell phone.

"Kelly."

"Chin?" Danny asked hoarsely, briefly closing his eyes with relief as he exhaled shakily. He cleared his throat before he shouted over the noise of the helicopter, "Chin? It was a trap. Do you hear me? It was a trap, Baines was there, you need to send a SWAT team as soon as possible."

"Hey, slow down, brah, I don't understand a word you're saying." Chin's voice came surprisingly clear out of the speaker. "What happened? Where are you?"

"We're on our way back to Oahu. It was a trap, Chin," Danny repeated hectically. "When we arrived at Mrs. Kalili's, Baines and some other guys were already there, they immediately opened fire. You need to send a SWAT team there, perhaps he's still around and they're able to catch him."

Whatever Chin had been doing on his spare Saturday when Danny's call reached him, he was enough of a professional to assess the situation in the blink of an eye. "Okay, understood, I'll arrange for that," he said matter-of-factly. Leaving Williams no time to interrupt, he swiftly added, "What else do you need, Danny?"

"I need you to have an ambulance waiting at the airfield where we took off this morning," the younger man replied immediately.

Danny clearly heard the concern in Chin's voice when he asked, "What happened? Are you alright? Is Steve alright?"

"I'm okay, I took a shot to the vest, maybe a cracked rib. But Steve…" Danny took a deep breath, glancing briefly at his partner before he continued, "he's not doing well. Chin, I think it's really bad. He took a shot to the arm, probably nicked an artery. He was barely able to apply a tourniquet before he passed out and I couldn't help him properly because there are so many instruments in this blasted helicopter, I just couldn't reach over. Chin, you need to make sure that the ambulance is there and that they have enough blood in store. God, he lost so much blood…" Williams struggled to swallow down his emotions.

The short delay in Kelly's reply didn't go unnoticed by Danny, telling him that his teammate was also deeply affected by the unexpected and unwelcome news. "I hear you, Danny, don't worry, I'll make sure everything is prepared when you arrive."

Danny nodded; he was aware that this was a useless gesture, but at the moment he simply didn't trust his voice enough to talk.

There was another short break before Chin asked cautiously, "Danny? If Steve is unconscious, then who is flying the helicopter? Is someone else with you?"

"I'm flying the damned thing. Chin, I can fly it but I have no idea how to land. I need someone who'll tell me what to do." Danny was suddenly unable to banish the fear from his voice, now that he had spoken it out, he truly realized for the first time the situation he was in.

"Shit, Danny," Chin exclaimed, but quickly finding his normal, placid voice. "Okay, brah, stay calm, I'm sure you're doing good, okay?"

"Chin, you know how to fly, you can tell me what to do," Danny pleaded. "Just tell me what I should do…"

"I know how to fly, Danny, but I'm no flight instructor," Chin encountered helplessly. "Hey, listen, let me call a friend, he'll be able to give you advice and help you land the helicopter. I'll call him and tell him to radio you immediately…"

"No, the radio's not working," Williams interrupted. "Baines shot at the helicopter, I think he hit the antenna or something. Chin, I can already see Oahu, I'm not sure but I think we're slowly running out of fuel. Besides, it's bloody windy up here, I'm really having problems keeping control over the helicopter." Danny's stomach cramped painfully and a cold shiver ran through his body. Unable to channel his feelings any longer, he shouted, "I fucking need you to tell me what I have to do, okay?"

"Okay, Danny, I hear you, but you have to stay calm. We'll manage this," Chin said slowly, trying to soothe the situation. "You'll manage."

Hearing Kelly's calm voice, Danny felt sorry, he knew he was unfair to Chin, but to tell the truth, he was just so damn scared, more scared than ever before in his life.

But fear wouldn't help him land the helicopter…

Danny knew that he only had one try to bring them down safely and the least he could do was make sure that his concentration was not stunted by his fears. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to take several deep breaths, trying to stow away all his doubts and fears in the darkest corner of his mind.

"Chin?" Danny asked quietly a few moments later. "Listen man, I'm sorry. I know it's not your fault we're in this fricking situation, it's just…" He swallowed, leaving the rest of the sentence trail off. Taking another deep breath, he said, "It would be great if you could call your friend, I need all the support I can get."

"It's alright, brah," Chin reassured him. "I already contacted him, he's on his way to the airfield right now. He'll call you as soon as we stop speaking, okay?"

"Thank you," Williams replied gratefully. His fears were still present, but he managed to lock them up, all he felt was sympathy and concern for his partner as he added quietly, "Chin? Make sure the ambulance is waiting, okay? I'm really worried about Steve, he's lost a lot of blood…"

Danny never knew if it was another gust of wind or if he made an involuntary movement, but suddenly the helicopter tilted to one side, causing the cell phone to slid from his lap, skidding unstoppably to the far end of the cockpit.

"Nonono… shit," Danny hissed through gritted teeth, carefully pulling the cyclic stick to the left.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the aircraft react to his input only a few moments later. Danny licked his lips, trying to remember at least some of the things his former colleague Bruce told him about airstreams, atmospheric conditions and crosswinds but after a while he gloomily shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, can't be worse a few feet further down and besides, we'll have to decrease in altitude if we want to land anytime soon…" Danny murmured to himself, turning his head to the right, glancing at his unconscious partner. "Do you agree with me?"

But as expected there was no answer, McGarrett still hung limply in his seat; Danny took the time to reassure himself, just watching Steve's chest rise and fall for a few moments. "I take that as a 'yes'," he finally said, holding his breath as he pushed the collective stick down a little.

Once he was satisfied with the new altitude, Danny looked around until he found his phone, leaning forward as far as he was able without losing his grip on the controls. His mistreated ribs protested painfully, he only narrowly managed to suppress a moan, but his effort was to no avail, the cell phone was just outside of his reach.

"Bloody hell," Williams cursed furiously, desperately trying to suppress the panic that again arose inside him. He wasn't sure if the situation could possibly get worse, but considering his luck he wouldn't be surprised about some other fancy twists of fate in the near future.

Once more he threw a look at his partner, but soon dismissed the idea of using Steve's cell phone. He knew that McGarrett usually kept his iPhone in one of his right pockets, but there was no way Danny could reach them while he had to handle the aircraft controls.

Danny swallowed forcefully, he knew that he had no other choice than try to land the damn helicopter alone. Sure, he could wait for Steve to wake up but a look at McGarrett's prone form told him that this wasn't going to happen anytime soon. A glance at the cockpit displays confirmed his assumption that they would more than likely run out of fuel before long.

Well, the less fuel the smaller the explosion will be when we crash, Danny thought sarcastically. He nodded apologetically toward Steve, a wry smile on his lips, "You crazy SEAL would probably prefer a much bigger explosion. I'm sorry to disappoint you and spoil all the fun."

Heaving a deep sigh, Danny skeptically glanced at his cell phone. It lay face down on the floor, so he couldn't tell if he was still on the line with Chin or if the device was even working, but it was important that Chin knew what would happen. Danny took a deep breath and shouted over the noise of the helicopter, hoping that Kelly would be able to hear him, "Chin, listen, the phone fell down, I'm not able to reach it, so I'll try to land the helicopter on my own. I can already see the airfield, we'll reach it in a few minutes."

Danny cocked his head, he thought he heard a sound from his phone, but he wasn't sure, perhaps he just imagined it. He shrugged his shoulders and after a brief thought, he added, "Thanks for your help, my friend." Williams smiled sadly, hoping that this wouldn't be his last words for Chin.

He pushed the collective stick further down, and the helicopter smoothly went into a gentle descent. A short time later Danny could clearly see the small airfield with the numerous little hangars in front of him, his jaw dropped when he took in the scenery. He had no idea how Chin managed to organize all the stuff in that short amount of time since Danny called him, but obviously Kelly had been more than busy.

Seeing the amount of vehicles – Danny counted no less than two ambulances and three fire trucks next to the runway – didn't help at all to calm his nerves. On the contrary, it just proved that the situation was at least as bad as he thought.

He exhaled a shaky breath, retightening his grip on the aircraft controls. Briefly glancing at his partner, he said sarcastically, "Well, Steve, looks like I'm not the only one who doubts that I'm able to safely land the helicopter."

Cautiously reducing the speed of the helicopter Danny set course for the runway, but just a few moments later he sensed that this first approach was no good. "No, no, no, this is not working," Danny chastised himself, slightly shaking his head. "We're still too fast and too high."

Clearly remembering Steve's advice, he didn't try to hover the helicopter but gently pulled the cyclic to the right, sending the aircraft on a big circle. He prayed that his next attempt of landing would be more successful, but if Danny was honest that delay came in quite handy, he wasn't keen on crashing.

Noticing that his hands had started trembling again, Danny took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "You know, Steve, now would be the perfect time to wake up," he said, not really expecting a response from his partner.

"Oh, and just for the record, I blame the whole situation on you. If you had worn your vest, we never had gotten into this predicament," Williams started to rant.

Without looking at his partner, he went on, perfectly imitating Steve's voice and tone, "I was hit on the arm, Danno, what use would a vest actually would have been?"

"Yeah, okay, for once you're right, McGarrett," Danny conceded grumpily. "But I'm just admitting that because you're unconscious and won't remember a word I'm saying."

Danny looked out of the window, estimating the distance to the airfield, before he once more carefully operated the controls, causing the helicopter to decrease in speed as well as in altitude. "Always keep the nose slightly below the horizon," he murmured, repeating Steve's earlier advice as he approached the runway.

He heaved a deep-drawn sigh, ignoring the pain from his busted ribs. Danny was no fool, he knew that his actions in the next few minutes would make the difference between life and death. But how the hell was he supposed to land a helicopter? He quite simply didn't have a clue what to do and he was scared right to the core about that fact.

Danny's gaze fell on his cell phone down on the floor and his heart wrenched painfully, he wished nothing more than being able to talk to Gracie or at least send her a text message, letting her know what she meant to him. He briefly closed his eyes, conjuring up an image of his daughter. "Danno loves you," he whispered, struggling to get rid of his emotions.

The runway came nearer and nearer, only a few more seconds before they would touch down and once more Williams reduced the speed until he had the feeling they were finally slow enough to attempt a reasonably safe landing.

He turned his head toward the right and his heart stopped for a second when he noticed that the tourniquet on Steve's arm wasn't doing its work anymore. Danny didn't know if it had slipped down or became loose somehow, but it really didn't matter at the moment, because there was not a single thing he could do right now. He gritted his teeth, swallowing down the curse that was on the tip of his tongue.

"Hang on, Steve, okay? Just a few more moments, you need to hang on just a few more moments," Danny begged hoarsely, licking his dry lips.

Throwing one last look at Steve's slack, pale face before he turned his attention back to the imminent landing, Williams smiled wryly. "It was an honor to serve with you, Commander," he said mockingly but everyone who knew Danny would never miss the hint of seriousness in his voice.

"Okay, here we go…" Danny exhaled and with a final deep breath he banned all the distracting images from his mind, all images of Grace, of Steve and the team, of his family, of everyone and everything he loved and cherished, completely and utterly concentrating on the task at hand.

There was no way back now.

Danny didn't look left or right, he didn't want to see all the people waiting for him to crash, or all the emergency vehicles, he just fixed his gaze on the horizon and on the runway. He was proud that he really managed to keep the nose of the helicopter slightly below the horizon just as Steve told him even if his instincts screamed to pull up the cyclic stick.

They almost reached ground level when the helicopter slightly turned to the right. Using the pedals, Williams desperately tried to keep the nose pointed forward but before the aircraft could react, the skids made contact with the runway and Danny was thrown forward in his seat, somehow maintaining his grip on the controls.

Like a giant rubber ball the EC 145 bounced back into the air, crashing down on the asphalt a second time when Danny moved down the collective stick. The entire helicopter veered off further to the right as it skidded down the runway in a frightening speed.

Danny slammed his left foot on the pedal to bring the aircraft back on course, but it was too late. The helicopter tilted over to the left and the next moment a cascade of impressions poured down on Danny.

A deafening noise when the rotor blades dug into the runway…

… a metallic screeching that set his teeth on edge…

… splinters of glass all around him…

… a sharp pain in his neck and back when his head was jerked to one side…

… and then – nothing.

(tbc)