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

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm sorry this chapter is kind of long. I probably should have made it 2 chapters, but I am sooo anxious to really get to the good part of the story. The parts where there's danger, adventure, romance, mystery, etc. The first 3 chapters are filled with background information and everything like that. The next chapter, chapter 4, will be full of excitement. I am dying to post it, but I wanted to give everyone a chance to read this one first. There's a lot of dialogue in this chapter, but I felt it was the easiest and fastest way to write it.

As always, thoughts are in italics.

Please let me know what you guys think! The more responses the sooner I will post the next next chapter, which is exciting!

xo,

DivaLola

CHAPTER 3

Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett walked into Five-O Headquarters feeling more at ease than when he left.

Chin Ho Kelly called out to Steve. "Hey McGarrett! Check this out!"

"What's up?" Steve approached him as the rest of the team gathered around.

"Hoping to find something to lead us to Wo Fat, I went back through the contents of his safe house we discovered a couple months back, particularly items damaged in the blast. I was able to piece together a couple receipts and a business card for a Thai restaurant in this area here." Chin pointed to an area on the screen in front of them. "I thought maybe someone from there might remember him. Maybe he goes there for business meals."

"Great job Chin! Why don't…" Steve began to say but was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Are you a Michael Jackson fan? 'Bad', is that your jam? How did I not know this about you, Steven?" Danny wisecracked.

The look on Steve's face was a mixture of shock and disbelief. With his heart pounding he snatched his phone from his belt, worried that if he waited too long to answer she'd chicken out and hang up. Picking up he said, "Maddie?"

There was no response.

"Maddie?" he asked again.

Maddie did her best to keep her crying silent, but it was becoming more and more difficult. Just hearing his voice triggered a fresh round of tears to run down her reddened cheeks. She tried holding her breath, but it seemed to only make matters worse, and a sob escaped.

"What's wrong? You okay?" She said nothing. "Maddie... answer me." Steve was trying his best to hide his concern, but it leaked into his words. Was she in trouble? Where was Pete? It had only been thirty minutes since he'd spoken to him, and he'd claimed everything was fine.

"Who's Maddie?" Danny asked quietly noticing the sudden tension that had appeared in Chin and Kono's bodies.

She was now openly sobbing on the phone, but still hadn't said a word. You idiot! Why'd you call him? It's just making everything worse! Now he's definitely not gonna let things go. You're just scaring the hell out of him. Hang up! Hang up the phone, Maddie, she told herself. Even though she knew she should, she just couldn't do it. She needed Steve. She needed to hear his voice. It had been too long.

"Maddie, talk to me... Where's Pete? I thought he was with you," Steve said to her, speaking a bit faster than normal, a small sign of the fear he was trying to hide. Still, only her tears and labored breathing could be heard. "Okay, if you won't say anything, at least cough to let me know you're safe."

He waited for what felt like minutes until he heard her cough. "Okay, there's something." A small smile briefly appeared on his face as he sighed in relief.

Maddie coughed more, this time not on purpose, and started to gag. Great! Just hang up, Maddie chastised herself.

Steve's worry increased. Something was seriously wrong for her to cry like this. It was rare she cried, and the few times she had, only a few silent tears would escape her eyes. He'd never heard her like this. "Maddie… take a deep breath. Just listen to my voice. I'm right here. Come on Mads… breathe."

Maddie's only response was more sobs, although she wasn't coughing as much. "Okay, you won't talk to me. That's alright... I'll do the talking." He knew he had to distract her. "Let's see. I know! Remember when we were maybe 10, and we decided to pick my mom flowers and try and make her a lei for Mother's Day?" Steve chuckled at the memory. "We scoured all over for the perfect flowers. When we finally finished and gave it to her, my parents got so upset. Not only did we put poison oak in it, but pot! My dad had us trekking through the forest scratching our poison oak covered bodies to show him where we found it. We were so miserable. We thought we were so cool back then, so grown up! Do you remember that, Mads?"

The rest of Five-0 didn't even bother pretending not to listen. "Who the hell is he talking to? Who is, Maddie?" Danny asked again.

"Yeah? Is it his sister?" Lori added.

"Not his sister," Kono answered, already knowing who it was.

Maddie seemed to calm down a bit at Steve's story. He could've sworn he even heard a small laugh in there. She was still crying, but at least she wasn't sobbing. "There ya go... that's better. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, Mads." He paused, trying to think of another story. "What about when we were 12 and you insisted we add curtains to the tree house, and wanted them to be pink and sparkly? We argued about it until my parents intervened. Do you remember what you did? You snuck out that night and installed the pinkest and most sparkly curtains only to fall out the window and break your arm. I almost had a heart attack when I saw you at school with a cast, which of course was pink and sparkly, and you told me what had happened." He remembered it like it was yesterday. The idea that she'd been out there alone, and could have gotten hurt even worse had terrified him even at the age of 12. "Of course, the curtains stayed."

She knew he was trying to distract her to make her feel better, but the story only upset her more. What she'd never told him was how she'd actually broken her arm. She had kept that secret like she was keeping this secret. At the thought, her sobs worsened.

"Maddie... shhh… shhh. Breathe... take another deep breath." When she only cried harder, he said, "Talk to me... tell me what's going on." Steve's brows were furrowed in concern when she only cried harder.

The more she thought about the trouble and predicament she was in, the harder she cried. It felt like the walls were closing in around her as she sat in a puddle on the bathroom floor. The gagging returned and before she knew it, she was crying so hard that she vomited. Luckily, she was already in the bathroom and made it to the toilet in time.

Her sobs were ripping his heart out, and to make it worse, he wasn't with her. "Woah, Mads. Take a deep breath! You're okay. I'm right here. You're not alone." His eyes closed and his face tensed as she began gagging again, followed by her throwing up. He'd been concerned the last few months, but now he was scared. Something wasn't right. She was in trouble. He could feel it. "Maddie… you need to talk to me now! Whatever it is, I promise we can fix it. I'll help you. Everything will be fine."

Maddie wiped her face and leaned against the door again. Hang up... just hang up, she told herself. Knowing that's what she had to do she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and whispered, "I'm sorry" before ending the call.

Steve froze at the sound of her voice. She sounded so scared, so lost. He'd been there for her through all the difficult times, and there were some bad ones, but he could honestly say he'd never heard her like that. "What do you mean you're sorry? What for?" Steve heard nothing. No more sniffling, no more hyperventilating, and no more sobs. "Maddie?" His eyes closed and he pursed his lips as the reality sunk in. She'd hung up. "Dammit," he quietly cursed when he tried her back, only for there to be no answer. Without so much as a word, he hurried to his office. He had to call Pete back. Danny moved to follow him, but Chin stopped him. "Let me."

Standing in his office Steve held his cell to his ear with his right hand while his left rested on his hip. "Fuck," he cursed when she still didn't answer. It was his third call to her.

"Steve?" Chin said as he closed the door behind him. "Is she okay?" He had gone to the same high school as Steve and Maddie, and although they weren't friends at the time he remembered her. He'd been a senior when they were freshmen. Even though Maddie was constantly on the go she'd return home every so often. Although Steve no longer lived in Hawaii his dad did, and she always visited him when she was on the island. Chin had been partnered with John McGarrett, Steve's dad, and that was how he'd become good friends with her. They spoke every once in a while when she was on the road and they always saw one another when she was in town. They'd texted a couple times over the last four months, so she was aware he was part of a task force, but he hadn't told her about Steve or John. He hadn't felt it was his place.

"I don't know what's wrong, Chin. I just…" he sighed. "She won't talk to me."

Chin sat in the chair in front of Steve's desk and motioned for Steve to sit. "Well, why don't you tell me what you do know."

Steve sighed loudly as he sat in the chair behind his desk before running his fingers through his hair. "I called her when my dad died, when I came back to Hawaii. She didn't answer and I left her a message. She never called back. I've called her at least once a week since, and nothing. She never answers, and never returns my calls. Nothing. No emails. No text messages. I don't know what's wrong."

"Does she know what happened to your dad?"

"No," Steve said, shaking his head. "I didn't want to leave it in a message. You know how close they were. I wanted to tell her myself."

"So, she doesn't know you're back in Hawaii?"

"No."

"Well, when was the last time you spoke to her?"

"Over a year ago. I was so busy chasing Victor and Anton that it was hard to keep in touch with her. At first, I thought maybe she was mad about it, but I don't think she'd freeze me out over that. That's not how she is. I finally called Pete today." Steve filled him in on his calls with Pete and Maddie. When he finished he said, "Something's not right." He pulled his phone back out, clicked on Pete's name, and then held the phone to his ear.

"Do you mind putting him on speaker phone?" Chin asked. He cared deeply for Maddie. There was no one on earth like her. She was sweet, absolutely hysterical, beyond talented, and just wonderful to be around. Oh, and a spitfire. This behavior wasn't like her and that concerned him.

"No problem," Steve replied as he switched the call to speaker.

After a couple rings, he answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Pete... what is wrong with Maddie?" he asked, not beating around the bush. Irritation leaked into his voice. Pete hadn't been straight with him earlier when he'd asked about her.

"What do you mean?"

"Maddie called."

"She did? Great! You don't know how happy I am to hear that!" Pete sounded genuinely relieved. "How'd it go?"

"She didn't say anything."

"What do you mean she didn't say anything? You just told me she called." Pete was utterly confused.

"She was hysterical. Maddie literally sat on the phone crying. Hyperventilating. What the hell happened after I hung up with you?" Steve's voice rose a bit.

Pete rubbed his head and sighed, "I'm sorry, McG. That was my fault. I upset her."

"I've never in my life heard her like that. What the hell did you say?"

Pete proceeded to fill him in on his confrontation with Maddie including trying to bait her into revealing what was wrong. He cleared his throat, still shocked over her response. "She said she's protecting you, Steve."

There was complete silence for a moment as both Steve and Chin took in what Pete had said. "What?" Steve was shocked, and incredibly confused. "Protecting me how? From what?"

"My questions exactly." Pete relayed the rest of the conversation. "I don't wanna freak you out, but I gotta tell you, Steve… whatever is wrong… it's bad. Whatever she's keeping to herself you gotta get her to tell you. I can't explain it brother, but I have a bad feeling about this," Pete hesitantly admitted to his friend.

"Yeah, I know. My gut's churning, too," Steve disclosed as he rubbed his fingers along his forehead as if he had a headache. "Pete, you mentioned Maddie had been acting weird the last few months. What do you mean? What's she been doing?"

"Well for one thing, you know how she hates having security?"

"I've heard her mention that once or twice," Steve joked causing all three to laugh. Maddie hated having protection around her. She was always telling Steve that she could protect herself. "What about her hating security?"

"Well about three months ago, eight new guys showed up claiming they'd just been hired and that it was their first day."

"What?" Steve straightened, his eyes growing large.

"I went to Maddie, and she said she'd hired them."

"Maddie herself hired eight new bodyguards? And it was her idea?" Initially, Steve was stunned. Quickly, that turned to uneasiness. She had to be terrified to do that.

"Yes," Pete answered.

"She claims to be protecting me, but Pete, that means she's scared for her own safety as well. That's sixteen people on her security team now. Maddie's terrified! She's never been scared like that. It's always been me worrying about her. She never worries about her own safety and if she does, she hides it." Steve felt a tightness in his chest over the realization of just how scared she was. What the hell is going on? he wondered. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Honestly Steve, I didn't really know what was going on. I thought I'd suss it out before involving you. We've all been keeping a huge eye out. We haven't had any kind of incident."

"Alright… well what else has she been doing that's out of character?"

"She's not really sleeping. She's exhausted, and that's putting it mildly."

"Like she can't go to sleep?" Steve questioned. "Because she's always kind of been like that. Her mind runs a million miles an hour. She has a hard time turning it off at night. I mean she's been like that since we were kids."

"No, it's more like she falls asleep and then has some sort of nightmare. Then she's too scared to go back to sleep. Some nights she's asleep in her bed at the back of the bus while I'm in my bunk towards the front and her screams wake me up. I run back there and she's dead asleep tossing, turning, and crying. She's never able to go back to sleep after that. And, usually, the next night she seems too scared to even try and sleep."

"I don't even know what to say right now," Steve replied. "This isn't Maddie. It's like you're describing a completely different person to me."

"Has she said anything in her sleep during the nightmares?" Chin questioned.

"No, I just want to wake her up as soon as possible."

"Anything else?" Steve wondered.

"She's jumpy. Gets easily startled."

"Yeah, that's not normal for her," Steve replied. "I need you to bring her to me. Bring her home to Hawaii. I know you told me that she's scheduled to be in Hawaii in a few weeks, but I don't think we should wait that long. Is there any way you can get her here immediately?" Steve asked.

"After my confrontation with her, I knew I had to get her to you. I've been on the phone ever since trying to change her schedule."

"And…?" Steve asked, hoping Pete had been able to pull it off.

"It was a battle, but the earliest I can have here there is Thursday morning. The jet should land around 7 am. Maddie will have a couple interviews, but she should be done around noon or 1 pm. It was the best I could do."

That was so much sooner than Steve thought was possible. He was ecstatic, and relieved, not to mention a little nervous. "That's great! Thank you, Pete! How long will she be able to stay? Is there anything you need from my end?"

"As of right now, I was able to convince them to let her be there for a month. I told her manager and label that her health was in jeopardy and that she'd been losing her voice on and off for the last few weeks, which is true. I'm sure Johnny will be able to extend that if need be. You know how he feels about her," Pete informed them.

It was one of the reasons why Steve had always loved her manager. Johnny genuinely cared about Maddie. She was like a daughter to him. There was no doubt in his mind that Johnny wouldn't get her break lengthened if she needed it. "That's great, Pete! Thank you!"

"No problem. Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"She hasn't been to her house in at least 6 months. Would you mind going over there and getting it ready for her? Since she wasn't supposed to be there yet her house manager is out of town."

"Of course! What all do you need me to do?"

"I'll email you a list. You still have your key?

"Yeah, I go over there every so often and make sure all's well."

"Great! Well, I gotta get going. Showtime's in about an hour and a half and I gotta send hair, makeup, and wardrobe in there. But I better check on her first. Make sure she's alright."

"Keep me posted, Pete," Steve told his buddy.

"Of course! Later guys!"

"Bye," Chin and McGarrett replied.

"Well, at least we can start to figure things out," Chin voiced.

"Yeah. Definitely." Steve had a million different scenarios running through his head of what could be going on with Maddie. He was going to drive himself crazy. It was going to be a long two days. Needing a distraction he said, "Let's go work on finding Wo Fat." Understanding, Chin nodded as he stood.

"Everything okay, boss?" Kono asked as they exited Steve's office.

"Everything's gonna be fine, Kono. Thanks for your concern," Steve answered. "I'm just gonna run to the head and then we can get back to the Thai restaurant Wo Fat seems to frequent."

McGarrett was just washing his hands when Danny walked in. "Steve, what's going on? Who was on the phone?"

"It's a long story, Danny," Steve replied.

"Please, explain it to me. We're partners, but also friends. Whoever was on the phone upset you. Please, tell me about it." He had never seen Steve react the way he had to that phone call. Not even when Mary had been kidnapped.

Steve sighed. Danny was right, they were friends. He always pestered him about his personal life, so it was only fair he let him in on this. Plus, he was pretty sure he'd need Five-O's help.

"I met Madeline, Maddie, when I was four years old. I stood up for her and punched a bully in preschool. The school called our moms, and they became best friends. They were always together, which meant so were we," he began. "I was either at her house or she was at mine. We remained inseparable until my dad sent me to the mainland a little before I turned 16. Maddie had already left school by then and was spending a lot of time on the mainland. So, even…"

"Why did she leave school?" Danny interrupted.

"Since I first met her, she was always singing and making up songs." Steve smiled as he thought of her love of music. "At 14 she actually signed a big record deal in New York and left school to record her first album. She would come home every so often, and we'd spend every day together. When she was gone, we spoke every night on the phone. My dad wanted to kill us over the phone bills, but he knew we needed one another. Anyway, when my dad sent me to the mainland we still kept in touch and saw one another. We continued to speak every night and she'd come visit me. By that time, her album had been released and people liked her music. Because of that she was never in one place for very long. Once I graduated Annapolis, I became busy myself. It was harder to keep in contact, but we made it work. We didn't talk every night or anything, but whenever we could. Even when I was with the Seals we stayed in contact. Of course, I talked to her more than I saw her, but it was better than nothing. But chasing the Hess brothers around the world? That made things much harder. It was nearly impossible to see her, let alone call her." Steve paused, thinking about how much he missed her during that time.

"So, when was the last time you saw her?" Danny asked hiding the surprise at how much Steve was sharing. He thought he'd have to torture him to get him to tell him anything.

"Two years ago. I was awarded the Navy Cross and there was a big party. I asked Maddie to be my date." Steve smiled remembering that night before he caught the look on his partner's face causing him to quickly add, "as friends, of course... Anyway, she rearranged her schedule so she could accompany me."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

Steve's face darkened and his smile disappeared as he proceeded to tell Danny exactly what he'd told Chin.

Danny couldn't believe Steve had never told him about Maddie. It was obvious she was extremely important to him and was a huge part of his life, and had been for most of it. "I'm here to help in any way I can. Seriously. Anything you need," Danny said with a quick pat to Steve's shoulder.

"Thanks, Danny. I think I'm gonna need it."

"No problem!" Danny smiled. "Hey, do you have a picture of her?"

McGarrett grinned. "Yeah, I do," he answered as he pulled his phone out and began searching through it. Locating the photo that came up when she called, the exact same one she used, he handed the phone to Danny. "It's from the last time I saw her."

"Holy shit!" Danny yelled.

"What?" Steve asked, pretending as if he didn't understand his partner's response.

"Do you know who that is?" Danny's grin was so big it looked like it would swallow his whole face.

Steve laughed. "I just told you."

"You've been telling me about Maddie? ... Maddie, Maddie? One of the biggest stars in the world? Seriously, she's huge!"

Steve chuckled, his face filled with pride. He loved it when he heard people refer to her like that. She was so talented and hardworking, and he couldn't be prouder.

"Wow! I was upset you didn't tell me about someone that is obviously such a huge part of your life, but now I'm angry! I can't believe you kept this from me!" Danny joked.

"I don't bring it up unless it comes up. It's not something I really tell people with so much of her life being in the public eye. In fact, please, keep it to yourself," Steve requested. "Chin and Kono already know because they're friends. They met when Chin and my dad were partners."

"Sure, no problem," Danny responded, understanding his partner's reasons. "Did you know Gracie's a huge fan of hers?"

"I didn't. You can tell her, but wait until I get Maddie here and figure everything out. Then Gracie can come hang out with her. Maddie would love that!"

"Oh man! Gracie would love that! I can finally beat Step Stan at something! Thanks!" Danny joked.

Steve shook his head and laughed as they exited the bathroom. "Glad I could help!"

Once rejoining the team, Steve immediately got back to business. "Alright, so let's see if we can't find a contact of Wo Fat's that is still breathing. Chin and Lori, why don't you head over to the restaurant and see what you can find out. Maybe canvas the area a bit? Meanwhile Kono, why don't you leave off where Chin did and keep searching the damaged remains of the safe house."

"Sure thing, boss!" Kono smiled picking up where her cousin had left off.

Steve crossed the room and returned to his office. Sitting down at his desk he opened his email hoping Pete had sent over a list of what needed to be done before Maddie's arrival. "Perfect," he whispered to himself as he opened the email. He was so focused on it he didn't notice Lori was standing in front of him. She waited for Steve to acknowledge her until she finally gave up and quietly cleared her throat. His head shot up. "Hey, Lori!" he greeted.

"Hi! I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You seemed upset earlier." She was fishing. She had feelings for Steve, and was worried that whoever was on the phone might be a girlfriend.

"I'm alright. Everything's gonna be fine. Thanks for asking though!" Steve smiled at her.

Disappointed he didn't give more information, she said, "Ok, good. I'm so glad to hear that." She nervously paused before continuing. "I was also wondering, since it seems to be a little less hectic around here than usual, if you might wanna grab dinner with me tonight? I know it's last minute, but since I joined Five-O it's been nonstop craziness and I just feel I haven't really gotten to know you. It would just be two co-workers getting to know one another. Very casual. Plus, to be honest, it'd be nice to not have to eat alone."

"I know what you mean." He had so much to do before Maddie came that he was hesitant. But in the end, he figured he had to eat dinner anyway, and it would be nice not to have to eat alone. He could use some company, a good distraction from worrying about Maddie. "Yeah, I'd love that. Just let me know when and where, and I'll meet you there."

"Fantastic! I'll see you later then!" Lori happily replied, relieved he'd said yes, before turning and meeting up with Chin. Maybe she'd been wrong, and this Maddie wasn't anyone to worry about.