"Detective, I've found something!"

Danny spun on the spot and went jogging after his guide who hadn't even completely gone out of sight. He felt a little bad, he could hardly remember the guy's name, but he'd learn it and name his next kid after the man if they'd finally found something!

"See, here, and here," he was crouched low next to a tree.

It looked like every other in this never ending forest, but Danny bit his tongue hard to stop himself saying as much, instead encouraging, "you're sure it's Steve?"

After all, it could have been a hunter, or a lost tourist, or some other insane assassin trekking through this forest besides the one out here with Steve...or Steve. It was that last slim possibility that Danny just had to keep clinging to that had him out here for two whole entire days without a single care for a break. This was the third park ranger he'd been doing this with. There were over one-hundred sectors worth of vast forest area to be tracked, and Danny had kept count of every one he, Kono, and Chin had crawled through in search of their missing member.

"Not positive, no sir," he didn't even look up from where his eyes were focused, running his hand over the dirt. "But there's definitely someone Commander McGarret's size who's been through here, recently."

"Well then, lead the way," Danny bounced on the balls of his feet, not quite with excitement, but certainly more vigor than he'd felt ever since he'd left Steve's office two whole days ago.

It had been Brad something, he was sure of it. Bradly? Bradshaw? No, something to do with a tree...He stamped his feet more than followed along behind the mans wake in frustration with himself. He could recount the names of every collar he'd ever made, could list every time Grace and Charlie had laughed, and every moment he'd shared with Steve, but now he felt so turned around he couldn't even remember a mans name who he'd been traveling with for six hours now.

They reached the top of an incline, and Brad something stumbled. Several feet behind him, Danny only just saw the slim, nearly invisible wire tethered into the ground, but had not a second of breath to shout before he toppled out of sight. "Bradford!"

Danny was stumbling over just as fast now, not even realizing the name had finally come to him. Slipping and tripping dangerously after the man, Danny didn't even realize what he was about to run into until just a second too soon. He stopped as he saw the man at the bottom, his neck bent at an unnatural angle, and if that weren't enough, there was a long stick embedded into his chest for good measure jutting at the most unlucky of angles. Danny's heart sunk, he ran his hand through his hair and nearly began weeping on the spot.

Now, not only had a good man lost his life, but he was going to have to give up his search for the day, somehow find his way back to the rangers station alone and tell what had happened. This was likely to cause an even further delay as an investigation was pursed into the matter...and Steve would remain missing that much longer.

Missing. The word kept echoing in the back of his head no matter what else was in the forefront of his mind. He didn't have the exact minute when things had gone from annoying, to worrisome, to missing. It had happened gradually but in a very fast amount of time all at once.

He didn't want to miss anything else, but as he turned to make his way back up the incline something still was nagging at him now. Missing...or exactly in place.

Turning quickly back on the spot, Danny inspected the stick again and this time circled all the way around to get a good look...and realized it wasn't all a fate of misfortune. It was positioned. With a tipped point and wedged down into the Earth just so. A spear, meant to impale, like someone who would fall over a wire at the top of his hill and strike this spot.

Danny swallowed painfully, staggering in a direction even he didn't know. What did it mean? Was this Hollards? Someone else entirely?

"Keep your hands where I can see them and turn to face me, slowly."

Danny's heart leaped clean out of his chest, he was sure he screamed in fright as much as he did relief. He'd know that voice anywhere! "Steve?!"

The spray of bark lashing across his face confused him for a moment as did the loud ringing in his ears, he was sure he'd imagined both as his eyes struggled for a moment before locking in on Steve.

He was alive! That recognition alone stole his breath away, his feet were already propelling him forward to run to him before it happened again, except this time Steve actually did shoot him instead of just a warning shot for moving too fast.

It was just a graze across his arm, but now Danny had no choice but to come to a staggering halt and finally realize what he was seeing, or really, wasn't seeing. Steve stood before him in all his SEAL glory, with dirt caked into every crevice so that he blended entirely with his surroundings, icy thousand yard stare prepared to drop the enemy before they even realized what hit them, gun pointed directly at Danny's heart now.

"Steve?" It was probably the quietest Danny had ever spoken in his life, he likely mouthed the word than actually put any force into it.

"I told you not to move," he snapped, but it wasn't the usual exasperated 'I told you so,' he received a thousand times from his partner. It was a man simply stating a fact, and he continued in the same way. "If you do so again, I'll shoot you in the leg this time. You'll still be answering my questions."

"Steve, what-" Danny did get control of his voice this time, and he was terrified. He could count all of those moments too, and there were plenty to go around. This one was already ranking right up there with the time he'd feared for Grace and Charlie's life. Steve had his own list, and this was capping them all.

"Shut up, and stop calling me that."

It was hard to make out details with the mud obscuring most of his features, but Danny was positive his face was tense underneath that mask. For what he was doing?

"And what would you like me to call you?" Danny suddenly shouted, though he kept his hands carefully at his side, refusing to let even a finger twitch no matter how much everything in him was wanting to gesticulate wildly more than he ever had in his life. "Neanderthal? Goof? SuperSeal? Stevie? McDanno? Daddy? LoveMuffin? I need you to pick something babe, and talk to me! What the hell is going on?!"

He was sure of it this time, Steve's entire frame spasmed with pain. He rocked on his heels, more unsteady than Danny had ever known him to be while holding a gun. He quickly tried to press his advantage, losing the ability to remain still this time but using only calm gestures as he spoke, "Hey, look at me babe. Just me. It's Danny, you know that. I've been all over this godforsaken island looking for you, and this is the greeting I get? I've got to say, I'm disapoint-"

Another blast rent the air, and this time its aim was true. Danny howled in pain and kissed the green carpeted ground, as Steve looked wildly around for the enemy, gun now poised once again to find who'd struck.

Danny, the name kept echoing feverishly through his mind. Danny, he had to check on him...the how and why didn't matter. He had to take this man alive, he had answers, of that Steve knew with all he had. Answers to who was after him, why he was here.

Scooping up the cursing and protesting blonde under one arm and supporting most of his weight, he lugged him along without much care as he kept his gun poised ready to return fire and defend his claim. If they wanted to kill this one to stop him from giving answers, they'd have to go through him first.