A/N:

I may sound like a broken record but I'm very thankful to all of you who read, leave comments or favorite my story, who are still sticking with me on this ride and hopefully enjoy what they read.

As always, I don't own Hawaii 5-0, any and all mistakes are mine.

Summary:

Steve and Danny go on a fishing trip which goes horribly wrong leaving the two of them injured and shipwrecked.

oooOOOooo

It was just a few moments later that Lou's loud voice boomed through the office, "Guys, there's something here!"

The cousins came rushing back and stood with Lou at the table. All three of them looking at the monitors.

"A few miles out on the ocean?" Chin asked, his brows furrowed incredulously.

"That's the last know position. Both phones were located there", Lou nodded as he stared ahead trying to understand what he was seeing.

"That fits", Kono said as she rounded the table to take a closer look.

Both men turned their attention towards her, a questioning look plastered on each of their faces.

"Duke told me there was the owner of a boat rental who had called them earlier today. One of his boats is still missing. It should've returned by 6 pm."

"You think it's them?" Lou questioned with his eyebrows raised.

"Could be, couldn't it?" Chin assumed as he sent the information on Danny's and Steve's last known location according to their phones to each of theirs.

"There's more", Kono held up her hand to silence her coworkers, "Duke just texted me that a patrol car drove by the area and spotted Danny's Camaro."

Kono hadn't nearly finished the sentence as the three of them already dashed out the doors and towards their vehicles. Kono jumped into the passenger seat of Lou's car as Chin hopped onto his motorbike. Although neither of them was sure if there really was something up, they stepped on the gas and raced towards the marina sirens blaring.

"Thank you, sir, I appreciate it." Kono tucked her phone away. "I just talked to Mr. Kalali, the owner of KBR – Kalali Boat Rental."

"Very resourceful."

Kono ignored the sarcastic comment. "He told me that a Danny Williams rented a boat for today. He came along with another man. The description of them match Steve and Danny."

"Danny rented a boat? Wow! Finally getting accustomed to this place after how many years?" Lou shook his head in disbelief.

They arrived at the marina. After exiting the car and meeting up with Chin, Kono relayed her newly gathered information with him as well.

Lou couldn't stop shaking his head although he had heard the information before. "Danny rented a boat. Can you imagine."

"Alright, I'll talk to the man once more. Maybe he has more information. Kono, call Duke if they heard anything and call the Coast Guard if they have any news. Lou, take a look around, talk to the people around here if they have anything."

Nodding in agreement, the three departed and went their ways to accomplish their tasks.

oooOOOooo

Danny's head rested on his arms where he lay halfway up on the board but mindful to not tipping the thing over and having Steve or himself slip. He wasn't sure if he dozed off or passed out or he just lay there half-conscious.

Steve's eyes were closed and he only moved with the motion of the waves which hit their pathetic raft rocking it back and forth.

Although Danny's mind felt kind of numb, he felt exhaustion wash over him. He wished for nothing more than sleep but knew he couldn't let go. For either one of them.

The pain pulling in his shoulder brought him around every now and again as did the deep ache in his stomach. Steve's kick earlier had flared the pain intensely but he tried to tune it out as best as possible.

His hand roamed around the board until he found Steve's. He grabbed it and squeezed his fingers around it tightly.

Barely a whisper, he spoke, "We're gonna make it, buddy."

oooOOOooo

Steve woke to a wave that rolled over his legs and jostled his injured ankle painfully. He gasped trying to breathe through the pain.

As he lay there, he tried to catalogue his injuries. The worst seemed to be his left leg and ankle and his head. He shouldn't be in a world of pain and the world most definitely shouldn't be spinning this much. Every move of his leg, be it on his own account or by the rocking of the ocean, nearly blinded him with pain.

One of his hands wrapped around the edges of this make-shift raft, the other held onto the one that was already in his until the pain subsided.

Panting heavily, he gripped Danny's hand firmly. Danny barely returned the pressure.

"Danny?" Steve raise his head but he felt dizzy and sick and he didn't dare get up any further but put his head back down. It felt way too heavy as if it was filled with lead and his mind felt as if it was stuffed with cotton. What a contradiction.

"'m'ere, babe", Danny's mumbled reply could be heard, "How ya holdin' up?"

"Just fine, just fine", Steve breathed, "What about you?"

"Peachy. Am like Jack in Titanic after all."

"Just don't let go like he did, Danny."

"I have no intention of ending up like fish food."

"Fish have taste too."

Danny didn't answer which spiked Steve's worry. He squeezed Danny's hand again. "Hey, hey buddy."

"No need to yell. 'm not deaf."

"You went too silent on me there."

"You always complain I'm talking too much."

"Hence I worry when you grow quiet."

"Make up your mind." Danny's voice held no heat but slurred quietly. "The hit on your head must've been worse than-"

"Shhh, Danny." The urgency in Steve's voice and his own fatigue shut Danny up.

Steve's hand had risen into midair to put emphasis on his "Shhh" even though Danny couldn't see it from where he rested his head.

"Hear that?" Steve asked and looked over to the blonde shock of hair. "Danny, Danny." Steve shook his friend gently by the shoulder. But Danny didn't reply.

"Danny!" Steve exclaimed. He tried to roll over to his side to get a better look at his now too quiet and still partner. But moving his leg caused jabbing pain to take over his entire being and his head pounded in sync of the too fast beating of his heart.

"Danny," Steve barely whispered as he lay halfway on his side observing his partner. Danny's eyes were closed, his face a lax mask of his vibrant mimic art, his hands too still, his mouth too quiet.

Steve's instincts told him to grab the fabric of Danny's shirt and hold onto it for dear life. He wouldn't let his best friend slip. Not from the wooden plank and most definitely not from life.

"We're gonna make it, buddy", Steve whispered unknowingly using the exact same words Danny had used before.

oooOOOooo

"Anything?" Lou asked as he walked in big strides back from the landing stages towards his colleagues.

"No, Mr. Kalali was beyond angry for one of his – I quote – 'best boats' being missing. But other than that, there're no news."

Lou nodded understandingly. "No one I talked to has heard or seen McGarrett or Danny or the boat either after they left the marina earlier this morning. They seemed to argue as usual but nothing out of the ordinary."

Kono had only half-listened to their conversation because she was still on the phone. Her face dropped the longer the phone call lasted. Both, Lou and Chin noticed the change in demeanor in Kono. Stopping their talk, they looked over to her where she stood a few steps away from them.

"Will you please stay on the line", Kono said but took the device down and turned somberly towards the two men.

"What is it, cuz?" Chin asked worriedly.

"That's the Coast Guard on the phone. There was a big storm over the ocean earlier today. It never reached the shoreline and they hadn't had any mayday calls whatsoever. They passed near the area with a patrol boat to make sure but there was nothing."

"Where? Where was the storm?" Lou raised the question they all were afraid to ask.

Kono held her phone back to her ear and passed the query on. Both Chin and Lou picked up their phones with the details on their friends' last known whereabouts in the ocean.

Kono nodded and told the two men the coordinates of the storm as she had just received them.

Chin and Lou shared a troubled look which wasn't lost on Kono.

"It's exactly there, isn't it", Kono said fearfully. Though the words were a question, it was more of a statement.

Lou nodded as he inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Yes, it's their last known location."

Briefly closing her eyes, Kono sighed before she schooled her features and became all professional once again. "Sir, we need to get out there. Our colleagues and friends are out there!" A few moments of silence passed as the speaker on the other line obviously tried to talk Kono out of that idea. When Kono spoke up again, her tone was more forcefully, "Sir, I understand you checked. But it's about our team here. You never leave a man behind. That applies for you too, right? So, please, I'm asking you, I'm begging you."

After a short pause, Kono added, "Thank you, sir. We're at the marina. Pick us up in five."

When the Hawaiian woman ended the call, the two men looked at her with an irritated, proud, amused look on their faces.

"Well done, sista."

tbc…

oooOOOooo

Thank you for reading.

Have a great day.

Cheers

Biensche