******* Please be forewarned that this chapter involves the 'death' of Steve McGarrett and is emotional ********

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The call woke Danny at a little after nine in the morning. Wiping the sleep from his eyes he took a deep breath and answered, "Governor, this is Williams"

"Danny, I need you come to my office right away please"
"Can I ask what this is about Governor?" The hesitation in Denning's voice spoke volumes and Danny asked firmly, "Is this about Steve?"
"Yes"
"Where is he? Is he alright?"

The tension in Danny's voice was palpable and the Governor spoke softly, "Danny, last night when you asked me if I had heard from Steve, I was not honest with you. I had received information on the whereabouts of Wo-Fat"

Danny jumped in, "Did he take off to Japan again? You let him go alone?"
"Danny, please listen. I did give Steve access to one of my planes and a pilot. Danny….the plane went down"
Danny felt the air suck from his lungs. It felt like he had been punched in the gut as he heard the Governor's next words, "I'm sorry but there were no survivors"

Danny was dizzy and light headed as those horrific words processed through his brain, "What? What are you saying?"
"Danny, I'm sorry…he's gone….he's gone"
"Oh my God no….oh my God"
"Danny, is there anything I can do for you? Should I contact Kono?"
"No, no…Kono's here"
"Can I help you in any way?"
"No….I'll call you later….." Without speaking another word, Danny hung up his phone.

'Steve was dead…..oh God, Steve was dead' The words echoed in his head. He had to be dreaming. This couldn't be real, not Steve, not Superman…..he had to get out of there. Racing from the couch, he grabbed his car keys and ran outside. Opening the front door of the Camero he was immediately brought to his knees by the stench coming from the car. The horrible, coppery smell of blood. He had forgotten their flak jackets in the back seat and the heat of the Hawaiian day yesterday had made the aroma overwhelming. He staggered to his feet and stumbled a few feet to the nearby yard where he again dropped to his knees, vomiting uncontrollably. It wasn't long before his stomach was empty but the heaving continued and as it eventually subsided Danny let out a cry of utter anguish. He screamed, he cursed and he cried for he had lost someone who was so dear to him. He cried for the loss of this special man. He cried for Kono, Chin, MaryAnn, Doris, Joe and Catherine….everyone who loved Steve….Gracie, oh God how was he going to tell Gracie that her SuperSEAL was gone…..dead. He lay down onto the grass, still slightly damp from the morning dew. He was curled into a fetal position as he sobbed, his stomach and head aching.

He wasn't sure how long he had been there, when he heard the soft, shaky voice coming from a few feet away, "Danny…"
The fear in her voice pulled him back to the present and he quickly pulled himself to his feet. He ran his hand across his tear-streaked cheeks, his eyes red and puffy from crying. "Kono…."

She knew. She saw it in his eyes, the loss was so apparent. She felt her knees buckling under her and Danny lunged forward grabbing her as she fell into his arms.

"Kono, Kono….I've got you" Holding her tightly he eased them both down onto their knees.
She pulled her face from his shoulder and looked into his pained, empty eyes, "Danny….."
His voice cracked with raw emotion as he answered through his tears, "He's gone….oh God Kono, he's …..gg..ggone"

"Nnnoo…nno Danny….please….nnno"
Danny held her to his chest and they both sobbed uncontrollably, comforting each other. They sat like this for more than half an hour before Kono said softly, "How Danny? What hhaappened?"

"It was a plane crash" Danny explained what Governor Denning had told him, adding, "I was quite shocked when he called...I still am. I didn't ask a lot of questions. I'll call Denning later" Keeping an arm tightly around her he stated, "You're shivering honey, let's go inside"
They stood and still clinging to each other they made their way back into the house….Steve's house…

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Danny guided Kono, who was clearly in shock, over to the couch and he covered her with blankets. "Let me get us something warm to drink Kono, do you want coffee or hot chocolate?"
"Umm, coffee Danny…cream and sugar, thank you"
"You're welcome" He leaned over and kissed her forehead before moving into the kitchen.

As the coffee brewed he moved onto the deck. Looking out over the Ocean that his partner loved so much brought a new wave of tears. His elbows rested on the deck rail, his hands wrapped around his head. His body shook as tears wracked his body and he whimpered softly, "Oh God, why Steve….why did you go alone..." After several minutes Danny stood upright and took a deep breath. He said softly to himself, "Get ahold of yourself Williams' you need to stay strong"

Moments later he was back at Kono's side handing her a cup of steaming coffee, "Here you go sweetheart"
She took the coffee into her still shaking hands and he quickly pulled the cup back from her, "How about we let it cool down a bit first?"
"Danny…are you sure about this? Could Denning be wrong?"
"He wouldn't have told me if he wasn't sure but I do have questions for him" Sitting next to Kono, Danny pulled out his cellphone and dialed the Governor.

He took hold of her hand as the phone rang, "Governor Denning"
"Governor, this is Danny Williams"
"Hello Danny, how are you?"
"Not good Sir. I'm having a hard time believing this is really happening"
"I understand fully. Steve is one of the finest men I've ever known" A soft smile crossed Danny's face as he heard the Governor speak of Steve in the present tense. He knew this couldn't be easy on him either.

"Governor, I've got some questions. Do you have a few minutes?"
"Of course"
"Where did the plane go down and who was on board?"

"Only Steve and my pilot were on board. A fishing boat about three hundred miles off the coast of Japan heard a loud pop and saw smoke coming from the plane's engine. It went into an immediate tailspin and crashed into the Ocean at a high rate of speed. The men on the boat saw the plane break up as it hit the water. They were a few miles away but they saw parts flying. They're stating no one could have survived that impact. They made their way to the approximate area the plane hit and the Japanese Coast Guard searched but found nothing. They are continuing to search with divers but so far they've come up empty"

"Could he have gotten out before the crash, parachuted?"
"From what I've heard, there was no time to eject"
"I need to go aid in the search. Are you sending any men out there?"
"Danny until they can narrow the search grid I don't think that's a good idea"
"I need….I need to make sure he gets home... Governor…he needs to get home"
"We'll see to it Danny. One way or another, Steve will get home"
"And they're certain….."
"As certain as they can be without a body. I'm so sorry Danny, I hate saying these things. Where is his Mother?"

"Good question. We haven't been able to locate her since she 'supposedly' left the Island three weeks ago. I'll talk to Joe and see if he can help us locate her. I hadn't really thought about any of this yet, but until we reach his Mother I think we should keep this out of the news"

"What about his sister?"
"I think we should find Doris first. Steve hadn't even told her yet that their Mom is alive... I'll take care of this Governor"

"Danny, I don't want any of you to worry about your jobs and the Task Force. I want the three of you to take whatever time you need. As long as you want to continue the Task Force, we will do so when you're all ready"

"Thank you for your support Governor and I'll let the others know. Please call me if you get any additional info"
"Will do Danny. Hang in there"
Danny hung up the phone and turned to talk to Kono. It was going to be a horribly long and difficult few days….

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Steve lifted his hands showing he was unarmed as the two henchmen stepped towards him.
Cordoba asked, "Where in the hell is Williams?"

Steve grinned, "Sorry, he had other plans and couldn't make it. He sends his love though"
That response earned the SEAL a blow to the back of the head from Alvarez's AK47. Steve fell to the ground but instantly he pulled himself to his knees. After a quick shake of his head to clear the cobwebs he jumped to his feet saying "Is that the best you've got big guy?"

Taking Steve's bait, Alvarez made a motion towards him but Cordoba hollered for him to stop, "Don't worry Bruno, you'll get plenty of 'play time' with Commander McGarrett" He motioned to the bag next to Steve, "Is that my money?"
"Yes"
Moreno picked up the bag and opened it. After closing it and tossing it to Cordoba he turned and shoved Steve towards a nearby tree, hollering at him, "Spread 'em"

Steve did as he was told and Moreno frisked him. As his hands moved up between Steve's legs he made the mistake of reaching up and grabbing Steve's crotch. Quickly throwing an elbow back Steve caught the large man square in the jaw. As he staggered back, Steve struck him with a karate kick to the chest knocking him back onto the ground. As Steve's feet hit the ground he was met with a blow to the midsection from Alvarez. As his knees buckled Alvarez's AK47 came crashing down onto the side of his head knocking him unconscious.

Cordoba was furious with Moreno, "It's your fault he can't walk…..so you carry him"
Throwing Steve over his shoulder the men began their trek into the forest.

********* Well ? Let me know what you think – lots more to come….. thanks for reading, and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated **********