A/N: After a pep talk from Qweb and a semi-productive week, I've managed another update. It's more than I anticipated this week.

In this chapter, we get to hear Lydia's side of the story.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting on this story. It means so much to me. I have heard your cries. I know that you want some Danny whump in this one. I am going to try, but I'm not going to promise anything. Why does everyone want to see Danny hurt so badly? The Danny in my mind is having enough problems with the serial killers I keep pitting him up against in most of my stories…isn't that enough – to know that he's tormented by the voice of Doctor Hannibal Lector - in my mind?

On that note – Happy reading!

Chapter 13: A Victim's Voice

"You don't get to talk," Danny stated as he and Violet walked into the hospital where Lydia was being kept and guarded. "You don't get to talk. You don't get to ask questions, hell, all you can do is just smile and nod. Unless I give you permission to do otherwise, you will be as silent as a mouse and as sweet as candies, and above all things, follow my lead."

"How will I know what you want me to say if I'm aloud to talk at all?" Violet asked grumpily.

"You'll know, it will be obvious, and it will be even more obvious when I want you to disappear into the shadows – figuratively speaking – you had better stay in my sight the whole time."

"Yes mother," Violet stated.

Danny glared at her and she smirked.

"Now we're going to be miss sassy pants," Danny mocked and put on a smile – not for Violet, but for the people who started to crowd the hallways as they passed through them.

Governor Denning was in the hall outside the room when they arrived.

"How's she doing?" Danny asked when Denning spotted him and looked at him feebly and then looked around for McGarrett, but when he didn't see the commanding officer, he looked to Danny with more questions than before. "It was her case to start with and Steve's busy with the crime scene and the man hunt. It seemed right to bring Violet," Danny explained and this time Violet was the one to look at him funny. "She's also on a time out."

"Time out?" Denning asked.

Danny nodded and Violet coloured.

"Still not cooperating with Five-O - are you?" Denning asked as she stood between Violet and the hospital room with his hands on his hips and accusations in his every tone.

Violet looked at Danny, he shook his head, and then she looked back to the Governor and smile – a very fake, but very silent smile.

Denning half chuckled, clapped Danny on the shoulder and moved aside. "Lydia is doing as well as can be expected give what she's been through," Denning answered finally. "Her parents have arrived from the mainland but she wants to talk to the man - the fatherly man - that found her. I assumed that was you."

"You were right, though Steve was there too."

"But you were the one to talk to her and you stayed with her. Although she couldn't respond to you, she heard you and wants to see you."

"She responded at first," Danny stated.

"But that was all you got."

Danny nodded and looked into the room to see the doting mother and the regal, upright, father. "Is she saying anything about her ordeal?" Danny asked to help him judge the state of the situation.

"She's a strong, level headed, girl," Denning answered, "she wants to tell you before she speaks to anyone else."

"Good," Danny said, changed the look on his face from concerned fatigue to optimism and something like compassion sparkled in his eyes. "Watch and learn, Rookie, but say nothing unless I give you permission," Danny said over his shoulder to Violet and then knocked gently at the open door.

5-0

Back at the office things were as busy as could be expected. Toast hummed to himself, spoke to himself and shuffled things around on the smart table and the other computers – mostly his laptop. Chin and Kono got used to the man's eccentricities because they were usually the ones stuck in the office with him. Steve, on the other hand was at a loss as he watched - distracted by the odd behaviour - and tried to follow along with what Chin and Kono were doing.

They'd all returned from the field, with everything under control by the people they had assigned to work the angles that Danny had divided between them, and now they were all back in the office - not that Toast had actually seen them come in.

"Don't worry about him, he's being productive," Kono said to Steve as she walked passed him and dropped another bag of lollipops down on the desk that Toast was working at.

Steve watched again and then silently walked off to his office. From there he continued his staring as Chin and Kono worked around the eccentric hacker.

"He's staring at me funny," Toast stated, pulled the wrapper off of another candy and jammed it in to his mouth. "Want one?" he asked his voice now muffled.

"Thank you," Kono stated with a smile, silently scanned the lollies and then chose one and unwrapped it. "And don't worry about his staring. He just doesn't get the chaos or how you remain so calm in the chaos."

"Chaos isn't chaos, if you know how to read it. It's all patterns," Toast stated, "and I'm high so I'll be calm no matter what."

"I know that!" Kono laughed.

"Tell Steve to look for rose bushes or rose gardens." Toast stated as he continued to type at the laptop.

"Why?" Kono asked and came around the desk and looked at the computer screen.

"Because, Steve mentioned gardening so I coded a program to link gardening with bodies found in other cases. There were two other incidences, in two other states, where new home owners uncovered bodies in their rose gardens. I'm cross referencing with Goldstein's movement as we speak."

"Using his other identities?" Kono asked.

"Yes, and running his image with other databases out side of the police force."

"Hey Steve, were there roses out at Goldstein's house?" Kono asked aloud as she called for her boss.

"Yes, why?" Steve asked.

"Dig up the roses," Toast stated and began typing faster.

"Roses aren't part of Violet's profile." Steve stated.

"She's also never found a body in this case." Toast countered. "I believe you will find the other missing girls buried in the rose gardens."

"What makes you so sure?" Steve asked as he stood in the doorway to his office.

"Call it a hunch. We like those around here, don't we?" Toast asked with a smirk.

"Instinct is ninety percent of the job." Chin stated.

"I'll call back to the crime scene." Steve said with a sigh and went back to his office.

"Heads up Chin!" Toast stated and tossed a lollipop across the room.

"Thank you," Chin stated, unwrapped the candy and went back to work.

5-0

Senator Shepherd-Grey turned at the intrusion. Danny and Violet stood in the doorway until they were waved in by the regal man. They entered cautiously as the mother rose from the side of the bed and the girl in the bed turned weakly toward the sound.

"Good morning, I'm Detective Williams, Danny, and this is Detective Violet Austen." Danny said as he reached out to shake the Senator's hand.

"We were expecting...well, we weren't sure..." The Senator said awkwardly by way of greeting.

"I'm sorry that we are meeting under these kinds of circumstances." Danny responded to put the family at ease. "And I know you probably wanted the Navy SEAL, but he's occupied elsewhere trying to locate your daughter's attacker."

"This whole situation could have been so much worse," the Senator's wife stated, "but you found our Lydia and you saved her." she added as tears welled up in her eyes as she fell into Danny's arms. "How can we ever thank you?"

"It was all in a days work, ma'am, no need to thank us." Danny said and waited for the woman to release him of her own accord.

"But we must," the mother said through her tears as she held Danny at arms length, "we know others haven't been as lucky. We know that, but you saved Lydia."

"Yes, we did what we had to do." Danny said with a smile.

"Thank you," the mother whispered as she looked deep into Danny's eyes.

"You're very welcome." Danny smiled.

"If there is anything we can do to help with the case, or the task-force, you let us know." Senator Shepherd-Grey stated.

"Thank you, sir, for your support." Danny said and then turned toward the girl in the bed and smiled, "and how are you feeling? You look much better than when we found you."

Lydia smiled weakly. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Danny said.

"You are a father, aren't you Detective?" Lydia asked.

"I am, I have a little girl, her name is Grace and she's twelve. She's getting far too old, far too fast, and you can call me Danny, none of this Detective business. I think we're past all those formalities."

"I could tell, just by the tone in your voice when you found me. I could tell you had a daughter and that you were worried. I am grateful that it was father who found me and returned me to mine." Lydia said and reached out and grabbed Danny's hand.

"I get a little too attached when young women are involved," Danny admitted and squeezed her hand. "I always worry that something terrible is going to happen to my child and I can't help but do everything in my power to find them, and comfort them, and bring them home safely. I was scared for you, Lydia, and I had to find you."

"Thank you," Lydia said as tears welled up in her eyes.

"This is Violet. Her profile is what helped us find you. She's been working this case for a long time, trying to find the other girls." Danny said and motioned for Violet to come toward the bed, but he never let go of Lydia's hands.

"Hello," Violet said, but said nothing more because she was going to obey Danny's orders to the best of her ability. Hello seemed like enough and yet too much at the same time.

"They are dead," Lydia said as she looked at Violet, "the rest of the girls are dead and I was supposed to die to. I was supposed to be apart of his collection."

"Yes, I believe that is true." Violet admitted after making sure - through eye contact - that it was all right to speak.

"He told me," Lydia said and squeezed Danny's hand tighter. "He told me I was meant for his ancestry. He said I was one of this blooms - one of the ornaments of historical relevance. He said I would one day be like the diamond of the great monarchs."

"He was crazy, Lydia, and we will catch him." Danny said passionately. "You are safe now."

"How many other girls were there?" Lydia asked weakly.

"Three that I know of," Violet admitted.

"But we think there are more on the mainland." Danny added.

"You'll find them too, right, and give them back to their families?"

"We are trying to. We need Goldstein to tell us where he's buried them all, but we want to find them." Danny said. "Is there anything else that he said to you that may have given you concern, or that might help us to find him."

"No," Lydia said and there was fear in her eyes. "He just spoke in riddles about history and precious stones. He talked about gardens and flowers that have lasted for hundreds of years, passed on by clippings and how to care for them. He said I would last forever with the blooms of those who came before me, and that my bloom would never fade. Is it true all the girls look the same?"

"Yes," Danny said with a nod.

"They look like you, I look like you," Lydia said as she pointed at Violet.

"Yes," Violet nodded.

"Are you afraid?" Lydia whispered. "Are you afraid he's going to come after you too? Is that why you've been looking for him and profiling him, to catch him before he catches you?"

"I didn't think of it like that," Violet admitted honestly. "I didn't think he would be crazy enough to come after a cop."

"But you are now," Lydia stated.

"Yes, I am."

"Catch him before he gets to you. Stop him before he can do this to others." Lydia ordered.

"We're going to catch him," Danny stated and nodded, "we are going to end this once and for all."

"Thank you," Lydia smiled.

"You should rest now. You've been through a lot." Danny said softly and petted the top of the hand that he'd been holding. "Your parents are here, and the Governor is here, and HPD have you covered in this hospital, so you can rest easy. Please try and rest, and if anything else happens, I promise, to let you know."

Lydia nodded, "thank you again, for finding me and being so kind."

"You're welcome." Danny said, stood from his place where he'd sat down on the edge of the bed and led Violet out of the hospital room.