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

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for all your awesome reviews! Things are picking up now and will be getting good! I know this chapter is really long (I probably should have made it 2). I also know Maddie was a mess in this chapter, but using flashbacks in the next several chapters, I'll be able to show how much she's changed.

Like always, thoughts are in italics. Flashbacks, or in this case the replaying of words, are in bold.

Thanks so much!

xo

DivaLola

CHAPTER 13

Steve was a mixture of confused, hurt, and angry as he drove to meet Lori at a local bar. If only he had waited to talk to her until work Monday instead of calling her. If he had, he'd still be with Maddie. As he sat at a red light, Steve ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He felt weird meeting Lori after making out with Maddie. "Why am I dwelling on this? Maddie doesn't seem into it at all, except for fun, so this isn't a big deal," he whispered to himself. When he pulled up to the bar, he took a deep breath. "Just enjoy your night. Forget about Maddie. Forget about everything regarding Maddie for the next few hours. Forget that she's in trouble and hiding something. Forget she's injured. Forget she was sick as you left. Forget the look on her face when you were on top of her." Pausing, he literally had to shake the image from his head. Just thinking about it caused his pants to tighten. What was he? A teenager? "She said it meant nothing. Just go have fun." Hoping his pep talk had worked, he exited his truck and walked to the front door of the bar.

"You stupid girl!" he seethed after watching the two in her movie theatre. Having Pete set her up and see Steve was one thing, but kissing Steve was another. That was her choice. He'd have to start his plan for Steve a little early, and he'd send her a little warning. He grinned at the thought of playing puppet master, and laughed as he envisioned his plans. "She needs to learn to obey me." As soon as she figured that out, he knew they'd have no problem being happy together. He'd always known he was much better for her than Steve.

Knowing he needed to hurry, he quickly jumped in the shower and got dressed. By the time he was ready to go he looked on the screens and saw Steve leaving her house. He'd overheard him tell Pete where he was meeting Lori, so he jumped in his car and headed that way.

The bar was a little closer to him, so he'd arrived before Steve. He sat in his parked car where he'd be able to see everything without being seen. "Pathetic," he said as he watched Steve sit in his car, obviously torn.

As a wave of nausea hit, Maddie pushed back the covers and scrambled out of bed. However, the dizziness was so intense that she sunk to the floor and was forced to crawl to the bathroom. She probably should have yelled for Pete but he was downstairs on the phone with Tina, her assistant, solidifying her schedule. She made it just in time to dry heave into the toilet. Once she was finished, she grabbed the trashcan from her bathroom and crawled back to bed.

As she burrowed under the covers, all she could think about was what happened between them. Although they'd just made out like teenagers, it was amazing. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like that when simply kissing. Actually... I've never felt like that, she thought. Sighing she flipped onto her left side. I can't believe I helped him cheat on his girlfriend! She'd always sworn she'd never be the "other woman", and was furious at herself. By the time her mom had been diagnosed with cancer it was already really advanced. It was as if one day her mom was fine and the next she was dying. It was hard on her as well as on her dad. While her mom was trying to fight the disease with radiation and chemotherapy, her dad decided to deal with his sadness and grief by having an affair. Just a sexual one, no emotions involved, or so he later claimed. But, he'd made a choice that had hurt his family. Because of that she always swore she would never be "the other woman". Knowing all this, how could Steve go through with it? she wondered. But she knew that wasn't fair. She was a grown woman and she'd egged him on. She didn't know what had gotten into her. Restless, she flipped to her back.

She'd lied when she told him it hadn't meant anything. Of course, it had. They'd been friends since they were four and had never kissed. They'd never experimented as teenagers even though most of their friends thought they had. Had she thought about it? Of course. She'd always wondered if he was a good kisser. If he was good in bed. But even then, she'd never gone there. "Why today, Maddie," she asked herself, "when you know there can't be anything between you?" It wasn't just that he had a girlfriend. Deep down she knew "Unknown Sender" would go after him. You can't go there again, she told herself as she rubbed her throbbing head.

Desperate for sleep, she forced herself to shut her eyes and within minutes began to doze. As soon as she was asleep, Maddie found herself in a long, dark hallway. Looking around, it seemed like she was underground, the walls and floor made of cement. It was cold and damp, with sporadic puddles of water lining the hall. Shivering, she began rubbing her arms hoping to warm herself even just a little bit. Hearing noises she began to walk towards them. The longer she walked the more it sounded as if someone was hurt. Someone familiar. Her blood ran cold at the possibility. No longer walking, Maddie ran and ran looking for the source of the noises. As she ran she noticed she never passed any doorways or saw anyone. All she could do was keep running hoping to eventually find whoever was hurt. After what felt like hours of running she saw him on his knees hunched over at the end of the hallway. He was holding his stomach as blood oozed from it. "Maddie? How could you let this happen?" he asked her.

"I'm so sorry, Steve," she sobbed as she ran towards him. However, no matter how fast or long she ran she couldn't reach him. The entire time Steve called out, begging her to save him. Although she could see him, she just couldn't get to him. She finally seemed to be getting a bit closer when the man stepped out of the shadows laughing maniacally.

"Please, let him go! You can have me! I'll stay with you. Isn't that what you've wanted this entire time? Just... let him go," Maddie begged the man.

"You don't get it! I already have you! I always have!" He smiled evilly as he lifted a gun to Steve's head.

"NO! Please don't!" Maddie screamed at the man, crying hysterically.

"Say goodbye." He laughed, obviously enjoying the pain he was causing them.

"Maddie, you'll be okay," Steve coughed, blood pouring from his mouth. "Just know that I always loved you. It was always you. You were the one... Never forget that. I love you…"

Finally, Maddie got to him, sobbing as she dropped to her knees. Reaching out, she caressed his beaten and bloody face. Although he was dying he kissed her. Kissed her like no one had ever kissed her before. He pulled away coughing up more blood. "I love you, too, Steve. I always did. I'm so sorry," she bawled. The next thing she knew the gun went off and Steve slumped to the floor. Covered in his blood she sat next to his lifeless body screaming bloody murder as the man hysterically laughed.

She screamed and screamed and screamed. Eventually he got tired of it. "Stop it! He's dead! I told you to stay away from him. You have no one to blame but yourself! His death is on your hands."

But Maddie couldn't stop screaming. Grabbing her by the throat he threw her against the wall. Unable to breath, she tried reaching out in hopes of hitting him. But she just couldn't quite reach as she continued gasping for air. He yelled at her, "Maddie!" Although his mouth was moving it wasn't his voice.

"Maddie! Wake up!"

Pete had just hung up with Tina after going over all the details of the next few days. How Maddie was exactly going to pull this off, he wasn't sure. He did know that Steve was not going to be happy when he found out.

"Speaking of Steve," he mumbled. He'd texted a few minutes after he'd left asking Pete if he'd text or call with updates. Pete could tell he'd been upset when he left. He didn't know exactly what went on between the two in the movie theater, but he definitely knew something had happened. He could tell Steve didn't want to go meet Lori, but instead preferred to stay with Maddie. But she had insisted he go, which was frustrating because he knew she was upset that he left. "God, I hope they figure out they're supposed to be together soon," he said aloud, "or this will be exhausting."

Pulling out his phone, Pete pressed "McGarrett" on his favorites list. As it rang and rang, he found himself growing nervous. He really hoped he wasn't doing something stupid. His eyes shut as he heard Steve's voicemail message. "You've reached Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett of the Five-O task force. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you."

"Hey McG! I'm just calling to give you an update... She got sick again shortly after you left. And I heard her again about 20 minutes ago. She's now in bed asleep. I'll wake her in 45 minu... What the hell?" Pete asked as a blood-curdling scream filled the house. Keeping the phone in one hand, he sprinted upstairs, his gun in his other hand. As he got closer to Maddie's room the screams got louder. Just as he reached her door they stopped. He pushed the door open, taking quick stock of the room and confirmed no one was there. He froze at the sight before him. Maddie was dead asleep, thrashing in bed as she gasped for air, tears rolling down her face. Rushing towards her Pete jumped on the bed dropping the forgotten phone next to him.

"Maddie!" Pete yelled. She continued to struggle for air.

"Maddie! Wake up!" Freaking out at the blue tint her face was beginning to take, he began shaking her. It was the only thing he could think of, aside from CPR. "God damn it, Shorty!"

Finally, her eyes flew open as she gasped for air. He'd woken her up from many nightmares over the last few months, but he'd never seen her eyes filled with so much terror. "You're safe… Everything's okay… Just take a deep breath. Shhh... shh." Rolling to her right she dry heaved in the trashcan next to her bed. "You're okay… You're safe. Everything's fine. Just take a deep breath," he repeated, almost as much for his sake as hers. As he held her hair back, Pete caught his cell phone out of the corner of his eye. "Shit," he mumbled as he grabbed it with his left hand. Putting it to his ear he said, "Uh... everything's fine. Don't worry. See you later." Well, at least we know he'll be back as soon as he listens to that, he thought as he hung up.

Pete held Maddie for forty-five minutes before she'd finally calmed down. Pulling back from her he said, "Shorty, you need to rest. You've got a big week coming up. Wanna try and go back to sleep?"

Just the thought terrified her so much she began gasping for air again. She violently shook her head, causing her to wince in pain. "Okay, okay. No sleeping. What do you wanna do? Watch TV?"

When Maddie nodded Pete reached for the remote on the nightstand and hit a couple buttons. A flat screen TV appeared out of the bottom of her bed. He channel surfed before he stumbled upon the show Friends. Knowing it always made her laugh, he set the remote down and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. While she was no longer sobbing, tears continued to fall. Where is Steve, he wondered. It's not that he didn't mind hanging out with Maddie, he just hated seeing her like this. She was like a little sister to him and as much as he wished he could make her feel better right now he knew the only person who would be able to was Steve.

The bar was incredibly loud and after two hours it was getting old. Not the company, just the inability to hear one's thoughts let alone what the other person was saying. "I'm over the volume in here… do you wanna get out of here and maybe come over to my place for a drink? We can actually talk then," Lori asked. She hoped that was the reason Steve seemed to be more reserved than he'd been the other night.

Looking at his watch he saw it was after 10:30pm. He really wanted to get back to Maddie, but she had told him to go have fun. It didn't mean anything, he heard her repeat. "Sure, that sounds great!" he said, before adding, "I can't be there too long, though." He stood and grabbed her sweater, helping her into it. He felt a pang of guilt as he took her hand and led them outside. "I'll follow you there, okay?" he said.

"I actually walked. My place is only a couple minutes from here," she told him.

"Okay then, hop in," Steve smiled as he held open the passenger door to his truck. Once she was inside he closed the door and jumped in the driver's seat. As he followed Lori's directions he never noticed the car following him five vehicles behind.

Pulling up to her house he parked and got out before opening the passenger door. Eyeing the condo and the surrounding neighborhood Steve commented, "Nice place!"

"Thanks! I like it! It's close to headquarters and there are a ton of cool restaurants and bars within walking distance," Lori explained as she unlocked her front door. As Steve followed her inside she turned, smiling broadly at him, "Welcome to my home!"

Glancing around he noticed the modern decor. It was put together well, it just didn't feel very comfortable. Not like his place. And definitely not like Maddie's. He didn't feel like he could lay on her sofa and snuggle with her. It seemed hard and uncomfortable.

"Do you want a beer or anything to drink?" Lori asked.

"Uh… sure, I'll take a beer."

"Great! I'll be right back! Feel free to make yourself at home," she mentioned as she walked down a hall, disappearing from sight.

"Yeah, make myself at home... right," Steve mumbled under his breath as he glared at the uncomfortable looking red couch. Not wanting to be rude he sat on it and immediately missed Maddie's couch. It felt as if he was sitting on a cement slab. Who would pay money for something like this, he wondered.

"Here you go!" Lori announced, handing him a beer and sitting next to him. A little too close to him.

"Thanks," he mumbled before taking a sip.

"It was so hard to hear over the crowd, but I wanted to see how your friend was. Everything okay?" Lori asked.

"Um… she's alright. I mean, she'll be fine… just not quite there yet. Thanks for asking," Steve awkwardly said feeling strange talking about Maddie. It wasn't just because he'd been making out with her hours before, but also because of who Maddie was. The public wanted to know anything and everything about her. He was overprotective of her before she became a huge star, but he'd only gotten more so as the years went by.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lori asked.

"I'll definitely let you know if anything comes up." He forced a smile before adding, "I appreciate it, Lori."

"If she ever wants a girlfriend to hang out with, I'd be more than happy to get together. You can never have enough girlfriends," she smiled.

"I imagine that's the case, however I wouldn't know," Steve joked. As he set his beer down on her strange shaped coffee table he suddenly realized she'd gotten even closer.

Now that his hands were free she leaned into him. "You are such an amazing friend, Steve." She bent forward and kissed him. His first instinct was to lean away, but he fought it as he remembered Maddie's words: It didn't mean anything. Forcing her from his mind, he kissed Lori back. However, he never used his tongue even when she tried to get him to. While her hands roamed, his stayed on her upper back.

As they kissed Lori straddled Steve's lap and began to grind into him. However, he found he had no desire to do that with her. He just wasn't up for this, even without Maddie's words echoing in his head. Unfortunately, he never noticed the guy hiding outside taking photos through the window. Suddenly he remembered the look Danny and Maddie had shared right before Danny had left, and realization hit him. He stopped kissing Lori. "Everything okay, Steve?" she asked.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "Can I use your restroom?" he asked.

"Of course!" Lori answered. "It's the second door on your left," she instructed, pointing down the hall.

"Thanks." As soon as Steve entered the restroom he pulled his phone out and called Danny, not bothering to look at the display.

"Hello, sunshine!" Danny greeted.

"Danny, I need to ask you a question."

"What? No, hi? Hello? How are you?" Danny joked.

"Hi," he growled. "Anyway, back to my question," Steve responded.

"What is it?"

"Did you say anything to Maddie about me talking to Lori on the phone? I mean did she know where I was?"

Thinking back to their conversation, Danny answered, "Yeah."

"What happened? What did you tell her? What did she say?"

"Just," Danny thought back to earlier that evening. "Well, Maddie woke up upset and,"

Steve immediately interrupted. "What happened?"

"She asked me not to tell you."

"Spit it out, Danno," Steve barked, anxious.

"She had a nightmare."

He figured that much from what she'd told him in the movie theatre. "Did she happen to give anything away during it?"

"Yeah," Danny replied. He paused before continuing, "She was begging someone not to hurt someone else. She said, 'I'll listen to you, just leave him alone.''"

"Then what happened?" Steve questioned.

"She woke up terrified. I mean it was all very real to her. She was confused. She looked around for you and when she didn't see you she panicked. It was like she thought something had happened to you."

"Did she say anything to you about what happened in the nightmare?" Steve asked, not liking what he was hearing.

"Yeah, she said 'he was hurting him'. I asked her, 'Who was hurting him? Hurting Steve?' and she nodded. You were being hurt in the nightmare, babe. She was begging someone to leave you alone."

Sighing he closed his eyes. "Yeah, I had a feeling." He'd deal with this later. Right now, he needed Danny to answer his initial question. "This is important, Danny. What was Maddie's reaction when you told her I was talking to Lori?"

Closing his eyes Danny tried to picture Maddie's face before he answered, "She kind of looked like I'd told her you were on the phone with your girlfriend."

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Steve shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Thank you, Danny!"

"Was that the answer you were looking for?"

"Yeah. I gotta go! See you tomorrow." After hanging up, Steve flushed the toilet and let the sink run for a second. He wanted Lori to believe he had actually used the bathroom. Sliding his phone in his pocket he didn't notice the missed calls or voicemails from Pete. Now understanding why Maddie had pushed him away, he felt less upset and just wanted to get home to her. He had to clear the air.

Walking into the living room he approached the couch. When he didn't sit, Lori stood, and wrapped her hands around his neck as she cooed, "Where were we?" Her lips moved to his neck.

Carefully, he pulled away. "Ya know, I'm so exhausted. I haven't gotten much sleep with everything going on," he explained. "But let's get together soon." He knew it wouldn't be for a date, but instead to talk to her and let her down. It was originally what he'd planned on doing tonight before Maddie had told him their make-out session hadn't met anything.

Although disappointed, she didn't want to make a big deal out of it. She could already tell he was tired, so it made sense. "Of course! I can't even imagine how tired you must be. We can definitely pick this up another time! Just let me know when."

"Thank you for understanding, Lori," Steve smiled as he walked to the door. Before exiting, he reached out and gave her a hug. However, she immediately noticed it wasn't the same kind he'd given her the other night. This was more of a "just friends" hug. She waited to see if he'd kiss her, but he didn't. Damn it, she thought. There is something going on between them.

As he walked down the path to his car he glanced at his watch: 11:20pm. He'd be home before midnight.

At 10:30pm Pete still sat with Maddie as they watched Friends. Although they'd been sitting that way for almost an hour tears still occasionally fell from her eyes. They'd slowed, but they'd never completely stopped. Worrying about her becoming even more dehydrated he said, "I'll be right back." Maddie's eyes bulged a little and her grip tightened on his arm. She'd never responded like that after a nightmare. What the hell happened in that one, he thought for the millionth time. "Seriously, right back," he assured her.

Seconds after he left the room, her cell phone chimed signaling a new text message. Grabbing it from her nightstand, she glanced at it and immediately felt sick. On the screen was a picture of Lori straddling Steve as they kissed with the message, "You should have listened to me. I'm only protecting you." Feeling the nausea return, she hobbled to the bathroom making it in time to throw up for the fourth time since Steve left.

Knowing it had to be from "Unknown Sender", questions filled her mind. Why had he texted her actual phone? He'd never done that before. He'd only ever used the pre-paid cell he'd left her months before. What the hell is going on? she wondered.

Suddenly the reality of the situation hit her. If he'd taken that photo, then he was in Hawaii. He knew she'd seen Steve. Was he going after him right now?"Steve…" she whispered as full-fledged panic set in.

Everything hit her at once. "Unknown Sender" was never going away. He was never going to let them be together. She didn't know if she could handle that. Before she figured it was just going to be for a while. That he'd lose interest or whatever, but it all began to sink in. I can't live without Steve. Not forever! For a few months? Okay. But not forever. I love him, she froze at the realization. She loved him. More importantly, she was in love with him. Maddie groaned as she vomited a fifth time. "Unknown Sender" was going to make sure they would never be together.

It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe. Her heart broke as she looked at the photo again. Regardless of how she felt, she was only ever going to be a friend to him, and not just because of "Unknown Sender". Even if Lori and Steve weren't dating, he sure hadn't taken long to "move on". Two hours?! she thought. Kissing her obviously hadn't meant anything to him. Feeling as if the walls were closing in around her, she began pacing her bathroom, her cell phone clutched in her hands.

As Pete walked into her room with toast and a 7up, he heard the hysterical sobs coming from her bathroom. His eyes widened as he watched her hobble and pace. Her eyes reminded him of a cornered animal. "Maddie? What happened?"

She couldn't answer him. If she was going to keep Steve safe she had to keep it a secret. But, if she kept it a secret forever she'd lose him. No matter what, she was going to lose him. It was a realization that made her cry harder. Picking her up he put her on the bed, sitting beside her. "What happened? Talk to me." He tried rubbing her back as he held her against his side. She grabbed her throbbing head, the sobbing obviously making it worse.

Fifteen minutes later, Pete had had absolutely no luck in trying to calm her down. In all his time knowing her, which had been longer than he'd been her head of security, he'd never seen her this upset, let alone even a fraction of it. Pulling his phone out, he called Steve hoping and praying he would answer. "Damn it! Voicemail!" he cursed, which made Maddie cry harder. She knew the reason he hadn't answered was either because he was having sex with Lori or he was dead. At the beep, Pete said, "Come back as soon as possible. Um... just... hurry up." Seeing Maddie's breathing become even more labored he knew he couldn't wait for Steve. He called another number.

"Hello?"

"Malia?" Pete asked.

"Yes. Pete, is that you? Is that Maddie in the background?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes, I was hoping you could come help me. I can't get her to calm down. She's been crying for hours."

"Of course, we're leaving right now." She hung up quickly.

"Everything's going to be fine. Malia's on her way over... Just try and relax," Pete coaxed. He felt horrible. All he wanted was to help her, but he didn't know what else to do.

Steve climbed in his truck anxious to get back home. Funny how I refer to her house as home, he thought. He quickly glanced at his watch. He never planned to be gone this long. Hopefully, she's gotten some rest. At that thought he realized that it was odd he hadn't heard from Pete. Intending to call to check in, he grabbed his phone. "Crap!" Steve cursed as he saw the missed calls and voicemails. He must not have been able to hear his phone in the bar. However, why hadn't it vibrated?

He listened as he pressed play on the first message. "Hey McG! I'm just calling to give you an update... She got sick again shortly after you left. And I heard her again about 20 minutes ago," Damn it, he thought. He was worried about her vomiting. He had to get food into her ASAP. The message continued, "She's now in bed asleep. I'll wake her in 45 minu... What the hell?" Steve froze, his heart stopping as he heard her scream followed by Pete trying to wake her. Flipping on the siren he pressed his foot on the gas, never letting up. When the message was done he listened to the next one asking him to come home. He could easily hear Maddie hysterical in the background.

At first he thought about calling Pete, but figured he'd be there in a few minutes. As he came squealing to a halt in her driveway he noticed Malia's car. Barely getting the car in park before jumping out, he sprinted into the house.

Chin and Malia had arrived twenty minutes after hanging up with Pete and hurried into the house. Hearing the commotion upstairs, they rushed up to her bedroom.

"Hey, Maddie," Malia greeted as she quickly approached her friend. "What happened? Did you hurt yourself?"

Maddie's only answer was a shake of the head.

"Are you in any pain?" she asked reaching into her bag and grabbing a blood pressure cuff.

Nodding, Maddie held her head.

"Try and take a deep breath," Malia instructed as she attached the cuff to her arm.

Suddenly Steve came barreling in the room, rushing to Maddie's left, the opposite side Malia was on. "Hey, hey... What's goin' on?" he asked climbing on the bed. His heart broke at the sight of her. Her lips were dry and slightly blue from lack of oxygen, and her face splotchy from crying. All Steve wanted to do was pull her to him, but Malia was taking her blood pressure and pulse.

She looked at the results. "We gotta get these down."

"Baby, what is it? Come on now, just breathe. You're safe," he assured her as he reached out, brushing some hair from her face. As his hand made contact with her skin she pulled away. Steve's heart clenched. "Maddie?" he whispered, his eyebrows furrowed.

She closed her eyes, unable to meet his as she immediately saw the image of him with Lori. When he'd called her "baby" it just drove the knife in. She wanted him there, but she also didn't. She was hurt, and she was scared. Why did I have to realize I love him? she thought.

Steve looked over at Malia. "What's the plan?"

"First thing we have to do is get her to take some deep breaths. Here, hold this over her nose and mouth," Malia said handing Steve an oxygen mask. He immediately took it and did as he instructed.

Maddie shook her head, trying to pull away from his hands. "Stop," he whispered as she tried to push his hand away. Seeing her cell phone clenched in her injured hand he pried it away from her. Initially he hadn't wanted her to hurt her hand worse, but when she pushed the mask from her face and reached towards him, he felt a prickle of unease.

"NO! ... don't… give… it… back…" she gasped for air in between each word.

Realizing something was off, Steve backed away from the bed as he stared between Maddie and the phone in his hand. Although he felt bad for invading her privacy, he unlocked her iPhone, easily guessing her password. The picture immediately popped up, however he didn't get a good look as he heard Maddie's breathing worsen.

"Steve! Stop!" she gasped jumping from the bed and barreling into him. The hand holding the phone shot in the air where she couldn't reach it. She briefly grabbed her head, having moved too fast. However, she didn't let it stop her. She had to get that phone. Maddie jumped trying to reach for it, but nearly fell as her weight came down on her injured foot. She cried out in pain and Steve used his other arm to catch her and pull her to him. Knowing he had to get Maddie to calm down before he could even think about what was on that phone he looked across the room. "Chin, catch!" he called as he tossed the phone. Catching it, Chin put it in his pocket. There had to be a good reason for Steve to invade her privacy, but without knowing what it was, he wasn't going to look at it. He'd let Steve do it.

"No! Stop!" Maddie sobbed, trying to pull away from Steve and go to Chin. However, he was too fast, and too strong.

"Maddie, calm down… Please…" Steve whispered, his mouth touching her right ear, sending involuntary shivers down her body.

Knowing Maddie wouldn't let it go as long as she could see Chin he motioned towards the door. "I'll just leave you guys up here," Chin announced catching his boss' look.

Realizing at this point there was nothing she could do, Maddie stopped trying to get to Chin. He has my phone, which means he'll see the message, she thought, worried over what would happen. Would "Unknown Sender" find out? Suddenly she felt Steve lift her and place her back on the bed. Before she could fight him, Steve grabbed the oxygen mask and held it firmly to her face. She stared at him, eyes wild and terrified as she cried.

What the hell happened while I was gone? he wondered. Not once in all the years they'd been friends had he seen her like this. Not even when her mom sat on the edge of the bed holding the oxygen mask to Maddie's face. "You're okay, Mads... just breathe. Shh…. You're okay, baby. Everything's fine." The traumatic look on her face was breaking his heart. All he wanted to do was fix whatever was wrong, but how could he do that if she wouldn't tell him what it was? He knew there was something on her phone. He could see it was a photo, but he hadn't gotten a good look at it, and knew he wouldn't until he got her to settle.

"Is there anything you can do to help her calm down?" Steve asked looking over at Malia who pulled a vial from her bag.

Malia looked up and answered, "Yeah."

Maddie wasn't paying attention to what they were talking about. All she could think was what "Unknown Sender" would do when Steve saw the photo and message. Oh God, she thought as she reached out and gripped Steve's forearm of the hand not holding the mask.

"Shh… baby. Breathe... you're freaking me out," he whispered. Staring down in confusion, he looked back up at her. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you," he told her, his eyes filled with concern. Her grip loosened but her hands remained in place. Turning back to Malia, Steve asked, "What are you gonna do?"

"She was alert before you left, right?" she questioned.

Thinking back to the movie theater he couldn't help the smirk that briefly appeared on his face. However as soon as it appeared, it was gone. Malia might not have caught it, but Pete did. "Yeah, she was. Still in pain, but alert."

"Has she been alert the last couple hours?" Malia asked, turning to the bottom of the bed where Pete sat.

"Yeah, she was," he answered.

"Great!" Using a new syringe, she measured out a dose and stuck it in Maddie's IV. "This should help."

"You're sure she'll be okay? With the concussion and everything? I don't know if you know this, but she's sensitive to medication. I mean you give her half a Vicodin and she's super loopy."

"I know. She'll be okay, Steve. No need to worry," she smiled at him. He obviously cared deeply for her, especially since he'd called her "baby" multiple times. "We need to calm her down. Her pulse is racing and her blood pressure is through the roof. I wouldn't do this if I thought it would harm her," Malia told him as she emptied the syringe into her IV. Maddie winced slightly as the liquid entered her vein. "Sorry, Mads, I should have warned you that it burns for a second."

Steve kept his eyes glued to Maddie, watching to see if it worked. "Everything's gonna be fine, baby. Just breathe." Suddenly Maddie's eyes fluttered closed only to open again slowly. She stared at him with half open eyes as he watched her face and body begin to relax. He felt her hands, still holding his forearm, relax. Steve smiled at her, "There it is," he chuckled, leaning in and kissing her forehead.

Steve watched as tears continued to stream down Maddie's face. While waiting for the medication to take full effect, Malia hooked a new bag of saline to her IV.

"Can you hold this for a second?" Steve asked Malia when she was done.

"Sure!" she replied as she held the mask to Maddie.

As Steve started to get off the bed Maddie gripped his arm tighter. "It's okay, Mads. I'm not going anywhere. I just want to get in a different position. Let go for just a second." When she didn't release him, he tried again, "I promise." Reluctantly, Maddie let go. Quickly Steve pulled his shoes off and then slid up next to her. He placed his right arm around her back and then pulled her tight against him. "Can you hand me that blanket at the bottom of the bed?" he asked Pete.

"Sure," Pete grabbed the big, heavy blanket. Handing one side to Steve, he helped lay it on the two of them.

"Ok, I can take it," Steve said to Malia as he took over holding the mask to Maddie's face with his right hand, the one that was wrapped behind her back. This kept his left hand free. As Maddie got comfortable against Steve he felt her relax a bit more. Under the blanket he grabbed for her hand and laced their fingers together. "Told you I wasn't going anywhere," Steve whispered to Maddie as he kissed the top of her head. She knew she shouldn't, but she snuggled closer.

Malia watched as Maddie's sobbing and hyperventilating lessened. Tears still streamed down her face, and she was still trying to catch her breath, but the medication seemed to be helping. Curious, she wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Maddie's arm again.

Once Malia was done, Steve asked, "Any better?"

"A little bit. Still pretty high though," she answered. "Look," Malia pointed to Maddie. "I think she's asleep, looks like the Valium did its job."

"She's not quite asleep, but she's on her way," Steve answered. A few minutes later he felt her body sag into him. While she still was trying to catch her breath, it had improved drastically. Carefully, he pulled the mask away and handed it to Malia. "She's asleep. Watch." He moved the teensiest bit, and felt Maddie cling to him. He immediately stopped and watched her move her head around on his chest. Once she was comfortable she made little sighing noises followed by two soft clicking noises in her throat.

"Is that what that is? She does that on the bus or in the car sometimes when we're driving?" Pete asked, laughing.

Steve smiled and nodded.

"Are you sure she's asleep? She's still crying," Pete asked.

"Yeah, she's asleep. I don't know about the tears, but she's definitely asleep," Steve answered watching tears fall down Maddie's face. He hated seeing her like this. It broke his heart. The amount of crying she'd done in front of him in the last twenty-four hours was more than he'd seen her do in more than ten years, telling him something was seriously wrong. "Can you get Chin back in here? I want that phone."

Pete left, and returned with Chin a minute later. Seeing Maddie asleep, Chin sighed, smiling. "Thank God! She okay? What happened?"

"Yeah, what happened? I mean she was upset with me when I left, but she wasn't like this," Steve said.

Pete shrugged his shoulders. "Everything was fine until she fell asleep. I called you to give you an update and the next thing I know she's screaming. I mean, screaming!"

Closing his eyes briefly, Steve recalled the sound of Maddie screaming on the voicemail. "Yeah, I know."

"Like I told you on the phone the other day, there's been times where she wakes me up screaming on the bus. Anyway, when I came up here she was no longer screaming, but instead couldn't breathe. It's like whatever was happening to her in the nightmare, she was actually experiencing it. It was so scary. She was turning blue. To be honest, I thought I was going to have to give her CPR. But, finally, I was able to wake her up. It took a long time to calm her down. And even then she never fully stopped crying."

"If she calmed down, what happened to make her so upset?" Malia asked.

Pete began to relay the evenings events. "I don't know. We sat and watched TV, and when I tried to get her to go back to sleep she refused. She was too afraid. I knew I needed to get fluids and food in her after she'd gotten sick so many times, so I ran downstairs to grab that," he pointed to the abandoned toast and 7up. "When I came upstairs she was in her bathroom hysterical, hobbling around and pacing. What happened in those couple minutes... I don't know."

"When you came back upstairs did she have her phone in her hand?" Chin asked.

Thinking back, Pete paused before answering. "Yeah."

"Let me see it," Steve said to Chin. Carefully, he let go of Maddie's hand under the blanket and brought his out to take the phone. Although asleep, she noticed the loss of contact and cuddled closer. He felt her wrap her injured left hand in his shirt while her right hand laid on his lower abdomen. Although he hated the circumstances, he loved feeling her body tucked into his. They'd never snuggled like they had been over the last day, and he was finding he loved the new aspect of their relationship. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he reveled in knowing she was safe in his arms.

Chin stood next to Steve as he waited for him to unlock the phone. Taking a deep breath, Steve typed her password in. As the phone came to life, the picture appeared. "What the?" Steve brought the phone closer to his face. His cheeks reddened out of shame and anger seeing Lori straddling him as they kissed.

"Woah… is that? Seriously?" Chin exclaimed looking at the photo. "So, if that upset her… what do you think that means, McGarrett?" He pointedly asked him, obviously pissed. "We warned you to be careful."

"Wait, I know Maddie… this wouldn't make her fall apart like this. Plus, who the hell took it and sent it to her?" Steve asked ignoring Chin's observations and questions.

"If she was in love with you it would," Chin retorted, not mincing words. Every time he'd brought the topic of their relationship up, he'd tried to beat around the bush. Not this time. He shook his head in irritation.

Wanting to see what the two were arguing about, Pete walked over and glanced at the picture. "Come on, McG! You seriously did that? After what happened with Maddie today?"

"What happened with Maddie today?" Chin asked.

Malia thought it was better if she just kept quiet, but she was enjoying listening to the guys give Steve love advice. She wished she could record this to show Kono.

How does he know something happened with us? Steve wondered. "Nothing. Can we please focus on the matter at hand?"

"I know you don't like talking about this, but if you want to figure out what's going on you're gonna have to get over it. I mean, it's not just why this was sent to her, but why is it a picture of you and Lori?" Chin tried to reason with him. "So, Steve, what happened with Maddie today?"

Sighing, Steve knew his coworker and friend was right, as much as he wished he wasn't. Looking down at Maddie, he watched her sleep, tears still occasionally falling from her closed eyes. Reluctantly, he answered, "Fine, we kissed. No big deal."

"Steven, Steven, Steven," came Danny's voice as he walked in the room. "Just one kiss?"

Chin and Pete stifled back laughter as Steve rolled his eyes. "Okay, who called Danny?"

The room became silent as Steve glanced around. "Sorry, brah. I did. I filled him in when I was downstairs. I mean figuring out what's going on… that's all of us. We're a team. I would've called Kono, but she's on a date. We can fill her in tomorrow."

"So, back to the kissing. What was it Steve?" Danny got back to the topic at hand.

If he hadn't been holding Maddie he would have walked away, but Chin was right, he had to be honest. Shaking his head, he answered his partner. "We… made out," he mumbled through clenched teeth.

The three men along with Malia smiled. "Fucking finally!" Pete exploded happily, causing everyone to erupt in laughter. Maddie stirred at the noise and Steve glared at them.

"Sorry," they mumbled.

"So, was it just the picture? Or was there a message with it?" Chin asked.

"What picture? Message? Ok, what'd I miss?" Danny questioned. Chin handed him the phone. Looking at the picture he said nothing. Walking over to Steve he smacked him on the back of the head.

"What the hell, Danno?" Steve growled rubbing the back of his head. "You're lucky I'm holding Maddie! You'd be on the way to the hospital. What is wrong with you?"

"NO! What is wrong with you? You're gonna mess things up before they even start," Danny exclaimed. "That is, if you didn't already. I mean, she already saw the picture and it obviously upset her... And, I told you not to call me that!"

"I know Maddie. It wasn't the picture, but something else," Steve tried to convince them, however even he wasn't buying it.

"Answer me this. How did she react when you got here? Was she happy to see you?"

Steve froze. Crap! he thought, remembering how she'd pushed him away. "No."

"Yeah," Danny replied shaking his head. "Seriously, Steve, what were you thinking?"

Irritated Danny was giving him a lecture, and worried that he was in fact right, Steve snapped, "You weren't here. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"So, explain it to me! I mean why would you go out with Lori anyway? Do you wanna screw things up with Maddie?"

"I met Lori to tell her I wasn't interested in pursuing anything. But then Maddie said she wanted me to go on the date."

"Steven, Steven, Steven… she was ly-ing!" Danny told him, his voice rising.

Steve rolled his eyes. "How would you know?" he scoffed. "Plus, she said it didn't mean anything, so I know it wasn't the photo that upset her." This statement earned him another smack to the back of the head. "Seriously. Don't do that again!" Steve growled, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Steve…" Malia said from her spot on the right side of the bed. Turning to look at her, she continued. "She was lying."

Steve's heart dropped as he unconsciously pulled Maddie closer. "You sure?" he quietly asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I just don't know why."

The room was silent as they allowed Steve time to process the conversation. Finally, he asked, "Can I have the phone back?" Danny handed it to him, and he once again unlocked the screen. As the picture popped up, he tried to ignore the tightening in his chest. Exiting out of the photo and back to the actual text message he saw that it came from a number not saved in her phone. As his eyes read the message he froze.

Noticing the change in demeanor, Pete said, "McG? What is it?"

Clearing his throat, Steve read the message, "You should have listened to me. I'm only protecting you." The air drastically changed in the room as they all took in the meaning.

"Looks like she's got another stalker," Chin said referring to the one she had years ago, right before Pete was hired on.

Steve was seeing red. He was mad at whoever was stalking Maddie, but he was also upset with her for not coming to him with this. I mean how long has this been going on? he wondered. "Damn it," Steve whispered. "Damn it," he said louder. "Damn it!" he shouted, fighting the urge to throw her phone.

At the yelling, Maddie rubbed her face against Steve's chest. Looking as if she might wake up Danny spoke, "I'm gonna head home, get some rest. But, we'll get to the bottom of this, Steve. I promise."

"Thanks," he muttered, subconsciously tightening his hold on her.

"I'm gonna head to bed, unless you need my help with anything," Pete told him.

"No, I'm fine. Good night."

"We're gonna stay here tonight... just in case," Malia informed him. "Any particular room we should use?"

"No. Anywhere is good. Thanks for coming."

"No problem! I'll come and check on her in a few hours. Night!" Malia left the room to go grab their overnight bag.

Chin stayed behind for a minute. "Steve... everything will be fine. At least you have some sort of idea about what's going on now. The faster we find this creep, the sooner she'll get back to 'normal'."

"Yeah, I know," Steve mumbled.

"And in regard to the other stuff... just talk to her. Explain. She's always been very rational."

Steve nodded before saying, "Good night, Chin. Thanks for everything."

Now that it was just the two of them in the room he pulled her tighter against his side and laid his head on top of hers. "Maddie, why didn't you just tell me what was going on?" he whispered.

Deciding he better actually get her in bed, he carefully untangled himself from her. As he stood he gently laid her head on the pillow.

Quickly changing out of his jeans and polo, he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Just as he was finishing he heard soft crying. Flipping the light off he walked into her bedroom to see her moving around in her sleep obviously trapped in another nightmare. Not wanting it to get to the point it did earlier, he climbed on the bed. Lying on his stomach, his weight on his elbows and his head near hers, he gently shook her. "Maddie? Wake up."

He brushed hair to the side of her face as she opened her beautiful, but sleepy, blue eyes. He could tell by looking at her that she was loopy from the meds Malia had given her. He smiled at her as he brushed a few stray tears from her face. "Hey you…"

After watching him for a minute, she finally spoke, a slight slur to her voice. "Hi." She smiled slightly. "Sorry I ruined your date... that you came home early because I freaked out."

"You didn't ruin anything. I was already on my way home to come see you. I missed you too much."

He chuckled a bit as she blushed at his comment, averting her eyes. Suddenly serious Steve said, "Mads, we need to clear up a few things."

Turning back to him she said, "Everything's fine, Steve... I don't want to keep you from going out with your girlfriend."

"I knew it!" he cried, causing her to look at him in confusion. Wanting to clear the misunderstanding up immediately he continued, "I figured out why you were upset earlier. Of course, I should've picked up on it immediately. Maddie, she's not my girlfriend. I went out to dinner with her the other night as friends. There was a small kiss goodnight, but-"

"Steve, you don't owe me any explanation. It's your love life," Maddie interrupted. She didn't want to hear about this.

"Maddie, don't. Don't push me away. Don't put your walls up. You don't have to protect yourself. Not from me... Not ever..." Pausing he continued. "Anyway, my point is she is not my girlfriend... so, you didn't help me cheat on anyone."

She looked away. He had figured it out. At least part of it. I mean that's all I thought was bothering me at the time… before I realized I'm in love with him, she told herself.

"Look at me, Madeline," he said. The use of her full first name made her turn to him. He'd always done that when he was being serious. Even when they were kids. "I had no idea you thought she was my girlfriend. Plus... I can't believe you thought I'd cheat on someone. Let alone have you involved in it... I mean, I know what-"

"Sorry…" she mumbled interrupting him. Neither one liked to talk about her dad. Unsure of what else to say, she repeated, "Sorry."

They stared at one another before Steve finally spoke. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"You told me to go out with Lori. Did you really want me to?"

Maddie debated whether she should tell him the truth or not. Even though she knew she should lie, she just couldn't. "No."

"I told you I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay with you. If I had, you wouldn't have had such a rough night."

"You don't know that."

Steve's heart was pounding as he prepared to ask her the next question. "Did you really mean it when you told me it meant nothing?"

Maddie paused, quickly wiping at a few new tears. No, you dummy, she thought. I fucking love you. But she knew she couldn't tell him that. "Unknown Sender" was in Hawaii. He'd gotten close enough to Steve to take that photo, and it was apparent he'd had no idea. The photo of Lori straddling him as they kissed came to mind and her heart ached. She wished she'd never seen it.

Steve watched her, her mind obviously places she didn't like. When, after several minutes, she remained silent, he knew she wasn't going to answer. "Mads," he began. "About the picture..."

"I'm tired," she immediately responded, not letting him finish.

"Maddie," he started.

"My head hurts," she blurted, desperate to change the subject.

Knowing he'd hit a wall, Steve was forced to change topics. "Why didn't you tell me someone's been threatening you? Who is it?"

Maddie's heart raced as she tried to decide on a half-truth to tell him. She knew if she were to completely lie, he'd know. "I don't know who sent me that." She cleared her throat before continuing. "I've never gotten anything like that on my phone before."

Steve could tell she was being honest, but it made no sense. Not only had she been acting weird for months, but the message insinuated the sender was repeating themselves to her. Giving her a message they'd already told her. Changing tactics, he asked, "Then what are you so afraid of? What are the nightmares about?" Of course, he already knew the answer, but she didn't know that.

"They're stupid. I don't know why they get to me."

"Who are they about Maddie?"

She knew if she told him the truth he might start putting everything together. She just couldn't afford that. Not when "Unknown Sender" was in Hawaii. She had to lie. "Pete. They're about Pete."

Steve's heart dropped at her answer. "You're lying. I talked to Danny," he admitted. Hearing the hurt in his voice, her bottom lip trembled slightly as a tear made its way down her cheek. "Let me ask you a question? When did you stop trusting me? Was it because I didn't call?"

"Steve, you don't understand," she started, but he interrupted her.

"Yes, I do," he paused as he stood up. He knew he didn't mean a single word he was saying, but he was unable to stop himself. "You don't need me here with you. Not if you're going to lie to my face."

"Yes, I do," she cried, feeling the panic rise. But he either didn't hear her, or didn't care, because he walked out. At first she thought he just went to another room to sleep, until she heard the front door slam. Jumping up and limping to one of her windows she watched him get in his truck and drive away. She let the tears fall freely as she slid down the wall.

As he watched Steve storm off he smiled. "He's so predictable when it comes to her." He laughed at his easy victory, and what was to come.