DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Hawaii Five-0" or any of it's characters!

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thoughts are written in italics.

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DivaLola

CHAPTER 1

Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett sat in his office looking out into the main area of the Five-O headquarters as his team joked around with one another. It was good to have Kono back. He could've killed Fryer for what he'd done. How dare he mess with his team like that? Blackmail Kono into helping him? Putting her in danger without them knowing about it? Just thinking about it made his blood boil.

As angry as he still was about the situation, it was all in the past now. They were all back together, and with a new member. Lori Weston seemed to be a nice addition to the team. She brought her own set of skills to their task force. He had to admit he'd been wrong about her. Of course, he'd never admit that to anyone. Steve laughed to himself as he imagined how much shit Danny would give him if he found out.

Steve had thought having Lori there was going to be a nightmare, but the more time he spent with her the more he realized she was someone he could count on. He could tell she had developed some feelings for him, but he hadn't decided how he felt about her or if she was even someone he could be with in that way. Plus, they did work together and with the last few months being as hectic as they were, he didn't want to "rock the boat" when everything was beginning to look up. But the idea of having someone in his life romantically had its appeal. He was getting tired of being alone all the time. This thought caused his mind to wander to the person who had always been there for him. Maddie. Having to head out for a bit, he shook his head, knowing he couldn't think about her right now, couldn't worry about her. But Steve knew he'd think about her later, just like he had every day since they'd met.

Walking out of his office, he approached his laughing colleagues. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go grab a quick bite with Joe. I'll see you in a bit!"

"Sure thing, boss!" Kono smiled.

This caused him to smile. It was so good to hear her call him boss. He hadn't realized how much her absence had been affecting the team. "It's really great to have you back, Kono."

"Thanks, Boss!"

The rest of the team cheered. Even Lori joined in, more to feel a part of the team than anything he imagined. With that, he turned and headed towards his car.

Steve met Joe for a quick bite to eat at Kamekona's to see what he had on the video they'd recovered from the governor's office. The one of his dad, Wo Fat, and the governor.

"I have nothing for you yet, Steve. You gotta be patient," Joe told him.

He got the feeling Joe wasn't being straight with him. He just couldn't figure out what he wasn't telling him, or why.

"You did give it to your friend, right?" Steve questioned.

"Yes! They have a lot to do besides this, Steve." Joe paused before finally asking, "Are you sure you want to know the answers, son?"

"I need to know what my father was up to. I need to know who my father was," Steve insisted. He couldn't help but wonder why Joe was asking him this.

"I promised your father I'd look out for you. I don't want you making things worse with Wo Fat by uncovering this. We have no idea what this could lead to. I understand your feelings on this, Steve. I really do," Joe assured him.

"I have to find out, Joe. I'll figure it out with or without your help," he adamantly replied.

Sighing, Joe stood up. He knew Steve could be relentless and persistent, and this was one of those times. "Well then, I'll let you know when I get something."

"Okay."

"Bye, son," Joe said.

"Bye." Steve watched as Joe walked away, a feeling of uneasiness burning in the pit of his stomach. Something seemed off, but for the time being there wasn't much he could do about it. He hated when things were out of his control.

Standing, he waved to Kamekona and started towards the water. He walked along the beach, his mind wandering as he took in his surroundings. Just like every other time he was at the beach, he thought of Maddie. The way they'd sneak down to the beach at night as kids, just talking and laughing for hours. She'd always have her guitar with her "just in case inspiration hit". Steve smiled. Which was all the time, he thought, chuckling to himself as he reminisced.

He missed her. That was an understatement. They'd been through so much since they'd first met as kids, both good and bad. But they had always stuck by one another. He hadn't seen her in 2 years, hadn't spoken to her in over a year. It was a far cry from the days when they spoke every night, and that was when he was on the mainland, and she was touring the world. But then he joined the Navy, and it became increasingly more difficult to see and speak to her. It wasn't just his job that caused them to drift apart, it was hers, too. She was never in one place for very long, but they had still figured out a way to stay in touch. That is, until he began chasing the Hess brothers. They'd caused him so many problems! Not only had Victor murdered his father, but it appeared he'd lost the one person in the world he couldn't live without. He'd called her when his father had died (the first time in a year), but she hadn't answered. Steve had left her a message saying hi and that he wanted to catch up. He didn't mention that his father had been murdered. Maddie had been so close to his family, and it wasn't something he wanted to leave in a message. However, she'd never returned his call or the ones he'd left her every week since then. "There's no harm in calling again. Although I'm sure she won't answer or call me back," he mumbled to himself as he reached for his phone. His thumb hovered over "Mads" on the screen for what seemed like minutes before he pressed it. Holding the phone to his ear it rang and rang and rang. He couldn't help the stab of disappointment when she didn't answer. Even though he knew she wasn't going to he always felt a huge loss afterwards. He had wished and hoped she'd answer this time. He really needed to hear her voice.

"Hi! You've reached Maddie! I OBVIOUSLY can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name, number, and a BRIEF message I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Thank you and have a wonderful day!" Steve smiled at her sense of humor and her quirky inflections. Not many people could get away with a message like that and not be considered rude, but she came across as smiled sadly, and sighed. He missed her sense of humor.

As McGarrett waited for the beep he debated whether he should even leave a message. What was he going to say that he hadn't already said in the countless messages he'd already left her? In the end he figured it couldn't hurt to leave another."Hi Maddie... I don't know what's going on... I hope you're okay. At this point, I'm worried... Anyway, I just... I just need to hear your voice." He paused, closing his eyes. With a soft voice he finally said, "I just need you." With that, Steve hung up.

He plopped down on the hot sand. At this point, he couldn't just pretend she was busy and that's why he hadn't heard from her. He needed to get to the bottom of why she wouldn't answer or return his calls. What if she wasn't okay? She'd always hated letting him know when something was bothering her. She'd always been stubborn like that. Maybe something was wrong and that's why she was avoiding him? But then, wouldn't Pete have called him? That's one of the reasons he'd gotten him the job. He knew he could trust Pete with Maddie's more he pondered Maddie's life. The more he pondered Maddie's wellbeing the more concerned he became. He had to know she was okay.

Steve quickly hit "Pete" on his favorites screen. It rang a few times before he heard a whispered husky voice on the other end of the line, "Been too long, bro!"

"Pete! How you been? How's everything?" Steve questioned.

"Hold on," he whispered. It was loud wherever Pete was. He could hear a ton of voices and wondered if she was there with him. Of course, she was. It was his job. Unless she'd fired him. Suddenly Steve felt a twinge of panic. Maddie had always hated having security. Maybe she'd gotten so frustrated that she'd let them all go. However, Pete's next words eased his mind. "Mo! I gotta take this call. I need you to take over for a few. I'll be back in a minute... Thanks man!" He had called in his backup, so he was obviously with Maddie. The voices began to fade before Pete came back on. "Sorry for that, bro. I just... uh...," he stumbled unsure of what to say.

"You didn't want her to know it was me," Steve guessed.

Silence. The only answer he needed. "Sorry, Steve," Pete quietly said. "I assume you wanna know how she is?"

It stung. The fact that she obviously didn't want to hear about him or know someone around her was talking to him hurt. Deep. She really didn't want anything to do with him. Of course, he had assumed that since she was ignoring him, but having it confirmed made it real. It just wasn't like her to "disappear" this way. The Maddie he'd known practically his entire life told you if you pissed her off. At least in situations like this. Sure, he figured she'd be mad she hadn't heard from him in so long, but she would not have "written him off" for it. "She mad I didn't call for so long? I couldn't. I called as soon as I could."

"No, that's not it. Honestly, Steve, she won't tell me what it is. I don't know man..." Pete cryptically said sounding as if he was holding something back.

Steve's Spidey senses pricked. He didn't like the way Pete had said that. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah ... Enough about Maddie. Where are you? Overseas still? How's Stilts? Buddha? Everyone?"

McGarrett chuckled at the use of the crazy nicknames they'd given to everyone in their unit. "Man, we had some great times! They're awesome! But I'm not with them. I'm actually in Hawaii. I'm on leave. Heading up a task force here."

"What? You're not running all over the world playing ninja with the others anymore? I can't believe it!" Pete teased.

"I know, right?"

"As long as you're happy McG, that's all that matters."

"Thanks."

"So, if you're in Hawaii I assume you've seen your dad. How is he? You staying with him?"

Steve paused while he decided how best to answer. He didn't want Maddie finding out about his dad secondhand, but having never lied to his friend before, he went with the truth. "He actually died. That's what brought me back to Hawaii."

"What? Oh man! Steve, I am so sorry! When this go down?"

"4 months ago."

Pete felt terrible. Why hadn't Steve told him? "What? Why are you just now telling me? I would've come out for the services."

"I know, but you have a much more important job to do, keeping her safe. Anyway, I didn't have anyone at the service. It was just me."

"Speaking of Maddie... does she know?" Pete could already guess the answer. He figured if she knew she wouldn't have frozen him out regardless of the reason, but then she hadn't really been acting like herself the last few months.

Steve sighed. "No. I called her when I got to Hawaii. I wanted her to know, but she never called back. It wasn't something I wanted to leave in a message. You know how close she was with my parents. She saw my dad more than I did the last 10 years. I know she'll be upset when she finds out, so please don't tell her. I don't want her finding out from anyone except me. As far as I know, she doesn't even know I'm back here."

"Well, I won't tell her, but I can guarantee if I did, she'd call you. She,"

Steve interrupted him, "But I don't want her to contact me because of that. Because she feels she has to. I want her to do it because she wants to."

"I get it, bro. I do. Well, I'll try and figure out what the problem is."

"Thanks, Nova," he said, using his friend's nickname. "I appreciate that."

"She's scheduled to go home soon. I can set it up where you just happen to run into her."

"Nah. No tricks. We'll just see what happens, play it by ear," McGarrett quietly responded.

"Alright, if you're sure. But if you change your mind, just let me know. Hey McG, I gotta go back to her. It's been..." Pete stopped mid-sentence, not wanting to let on that something was off with her. Steve didn't need to hear that right now. He had enough on his mind.

"I thought you said everything was fine. What aren't you telling me?" Steve felt his earlier concern over her wellbeing and safety return. He'd always worried about her.

"It's just been a long couple days. I want to make sure she gets some time to just relax before the show," Pete tried to recover. He wasn't exactly lying to him, he just wasn't telling Steve everything.

"Ok. As long as that's all it is."

"It is."

"Ok, go back. I'll talk to you soon!"

"You too McG! Sorry again to hear about your dad."

"Thanks. Later."

"Later."

Steve hung up feeling a bit better. At least she was safe, and she'd be home soon. He'd get to the bottom of things then. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he stood, brushed the sand off his cargos, and headed towards his car.