The Long Road (T-Rated Version)

by DivaLola

Steve thought his life was crazy before. Now that his childhood best friend Maddie is back in his life, will all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place? Will he solve the toughest & most personal case he & Five-O have ever had? Will he succeed before he loses her? Set in Season 2 & continues throughout the series. WARNING: stalking, mention of eating disorder.

29. Chapter 29 - Sabotage

DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Hawaii Five-O" or any of its characters. Also, I do not own the songs "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga and "Firework" by Katy Perry.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying the latest chapters. THANK YOU so much to all the reviews and PM's I've gotten. I appreciate all your feedback and ideas!

Anyway, there are some things I need to make you aware of. In this chapter her stage is talked about a little more. Her stage is huge. It's basically three stages. I refer to them as Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3. In this chapter, Stage 3 is not really talked about. If you picture a standard stage, that is, at least in a general sense, what Stage 1 looks like. Coming off the middle of Stage 1 is a catwalk. At the end of the catwalk is Stage 2. Stage 3 sort of comes off Stage 2, but I'm not going to worry about explaining that right now, since it's not talked about in this chapter. Does this all make sense to you guys?

There is a piece of her stage that is described in this chapter. I did my VERY best to paint the picture for you without it being confusing. Basically it is a small circular mini stage that is in the air. I refer to it often as the mini stage. Like I said, I describe it in this chapter. Please, please let me know if it makes sense, or if it doesn't.

Also, I use some stage terms in this chapter. Downstage is actually at the front of the stage. The part closest to the audience. Upstage is the back of the stage, closer to the backstage area.

Again, I want to remind you about the room they all tend to hang out in at the arena. It's a huge room and can be entered from right outside where the crew parks. On the other end of the room is a hallway that leads further into the arena, including Maddie's dressing room and eventually to the stage. When writing, I'm referring to this room as the "main room of the arena".

I told you many many chapters ago that when it came to Maddie's songs that sometimes I would write them and other times I'd use songs that already exist. For this chapter I am using songs that already exist. Most of the time that is what I will do because it allows you guys to know what the song sounds like. What the melody is, how it goes, etc. In this chapter I use the songs "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga and "Firework" by Katy Perry. I've also mentioned in the past that just because I use a specific artist's song, that doesn't mean that's what Maddie's voice sounds like.

As always, thoughts are in italics. Now, when it comes to things being in bold... In this chapter anything Maddie writes on the dry erase board is in bold. Also, text messages are in bold. Same with flashbacks and when she sings. You'll know which is which because I spell it out for you.

When she is singing and the words are in bold, you'll notice that there might be some words that are in parentheses. That's what's being sung by her background singers.

It is Tuesday in this chapter.

There are a lot of chapters coming up that are Steve and Maddie, since she will be with him for at least the next three weeks.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling and let you get to the chapter. It's a LONG one!

ENJOY!

xoxo,

DivaLola

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CHAPTER 29

Not even three hours after she'd gone to bed, Maddie's eyes flew open as tears streamed down her face. Disoriented, she glanced around the room looking for Steve. Luckily it didn't take long for her to realize where she was and that it'd been a nightmare. It felt so real, she thought, unable to shake the images of Steve's face. There had been such betrayal in his eyes as he'd been killed.

Maddie filled her lungs with as much air as possible before slowly exhaling every last bit of it. She repeated this numerous times, hoping it would help her relax. But she knew it didn't matter. There was absolutely no way she'd be able to fall back asleep. She was too scared and rattled. But what surprised her the most was that she was filled with immense guilt. It was just a dream. There's no reason to feel guilty, she told herself. However, it didn't work. She felt like the walls were closing in on her and she knew she needed to get out.

She pushed at what little bit of blanket still covered her. She must've been thrashing as it was mostly on the floor. Feeling sweaty and gross she quietly released her leg from the brace and clumsily tiptoed into the adjoining bathroom to take a quick shower. She knew she had to be quick so there was less of a chance Pete would hear the water run. She felt so guilty that, because of her, no one was really getting any rest. Just because she was too afraid to sleep and the head of the label had a personal vendetta against her, didn't mean everyone else had to suffer. When Pete had said goodnight she could see how tired he was. She wasn't necessarily trying to sneak away from him. Sure, she needed some time to herself, but she also just wanted him to get some rest.

Dressed in a pair of light wash, skinny jeans, a t-shirt, and black Converse Chucks, Maddie tucked a credit card into her back pocket, just in case, and walked back into the bathroom. She slipped her grey hoodie on and zipped it before standing on the back of the toilet. Trying to be as quiet as possible she opened the small window. She stopped, waiting to be sure she didn't hear anyone awake in the next room before carefully hoisting herself up. Knowing the landing would cause her immense pain she took a deep breath before dropping to the pavement outside. "Fuck," she whispered as pain shot through her foot, to her knee, to her tailbone, only for it to radiate back down her legs, up her back, and down her arms. Once she could breathe again, she glanced around, taking in the early morning darkness. She could tell the sun would rise soon, ready to wake everyone for another beautiful day in paradise.

There was nowhere special she wanted to go; she just needed to get out. Clear her head. Be alone. She slipped the hood on to hopefully keep herself from being noticed. She fought to keep from limping as she began quietly walking towards the outer fence. She knew if she did it would only draw more attention to herself. Studying her surroundings, she decided that walking out of the actual exits was out of the question. Not only were there a couple photographers at each one, but members of her security team as well. Pete is nothing if not thorough, she thought, annoyed. Careful to stay out of sight, she walked along the fence and took notice of its height. She knew she could jump it, painfully, but also knew it would be too obvious. The paparazzi and her security would definitely notice a woman climbing and hopping over it, and it wouldn't take long for them to realize it was her. There's gotta be another way, she thought as she continued to slink along the perimeter. A smiled mischievously as she caught sight of the small break at the base of the fence a few feet in front of her. Maddie laid flat on her stomach and crawled through. There are moments it pays to be tiny, she thought. After standing, she took one more glimpse of the arena before she walked in the opposite direction.

Better be back before anyone notices, she told herself. She knew if Pete woke and discovered she was gone he would lose it, especially after what happened with the roller skates. It was obvious it had rattled him, although he was hiding it pretty well. There was no doubt he was on edge more than usual, constantly surveying their surroundings more than normal, looking for even the littlest thing out of place or out of the ordinary. She'd even noticed him doing it in her dressing room at dinner. She wasn't sure how much Tina had picked up on it, but she definitely had. Maybe it was all the years she'd been friends with Steve, listening to him talk about things he'd learned or missions he'd been on. Well, what he could tell her anyway. Plus, the further he got in his career, the harder it was to read him, forcing her to adjust. John had also been teaching her things for years, always referring to them as "life skills".

With no destination in mind Maddie walked along the sidewalk, the arena growing smaller in the distance. As much as she hated it, her mind was on Steve. Could they ever get back to how it used to be? Before she'd realized how she felt about him? She wasn't sure. Guess that's why you don't fall for your best friend, she thought, rolling her eyes.

She was so lost in thought that she hadn't realized she'd found her way to the beach. She didn't want to think about why, out of all the places she could have gone, she'd automatically found herself at the beach. The place she and Steve had always gone growing up. The beach was their place, especially at night. She couldn't count how many times they'd snuck out to watch the sun rise over the water, exactly what she was about to do now.

Maddie plopped down in the sand and immediately toed off her sneakers. Peeling her white ankle socks from her feet she stuffed them in her shoes. Stretching her hands behind her, she leaned back and dug her toes in the sand. She winced at the stinging in her right foot, momentarily forgetting that sand probably wasn't the best thing to get in the cuts. "Oh well, too late now," she mumbled, pushing the discomfort from her mind. All she wanted to do was focus on the colors of the sunrise and try and remember a time she hadn't lived in constant fear. Or been heartbroken. She could definitely do without the broken heart.

Although she was still sad, Maddie relished the moment. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been anywhere in public alone. Completely alone. Without Pete, or Tina, or anyone from her team. And definitely without the prying eyes of photographers wanting to capture her every move. I missed home, she thought as she squished her toes further into the sand.

She basked in the gorgeous sunrise, reminding her how much she missed Hawaii. I wonder if they've noticed I'm gone? she thought absently. She debated heading back, but she wasn't quite ready to return to reality just yet. She figured if Pete knew, he was already mad. What would it matter if she stayed a little longer? It was worth it.

She sighed happily as she listened to the waves. However, her happiness was short lived. She couldn't help it, the beach reminded her of Steve and she suddenly found herself wishing he was there. No, Maddie, she told herself. She couldn't think like that anymore. He'd hurt her for the last time. Plus, it was safer for him if she kept her distance.

As much as she tried to fight it, his words echoed in her mind. Come on, Carl. You know we're just friends. But, it wasn't what he'd said that had hurt the most. It was the laugh. A laugh filled with disgust and disbelief, as if Carl had said the most asinine, hysterical thing possible. And then to top it off he'd added, "I mean, seriously?" Maddie opened her eyes as tears cascaded down her face. She hadn't really been alone since he'd said it. Sure, there were moments here and there she'd been by herself in her dressing room, but she was still surrounded by people. Here she wasn't. She was completely and utterly alone, so she let the tears finally fall. All she'd wanted to do when they'd driven away from the house Sunday morning was cry. But, she'd been in a car full of people. People that had just heard their exchange. So, to top it off, not only had the man she loved just broken her heart, but he'd done it in front of an audience. It made it all worse. She'd felt so much shame. So, she had refused to cry, and it had taken everything to hold those tears in. For days she'd kept them in and now that she was finally alone they flooded out. What started as silent tears had quickly become gut-wrenching sobs as she released the pent up emotions. Her face fell against her knees as her entire body shook with the heartache.

She cried and cried, the emotions and tears seeming to be never-ending. Finally, nearly twenty minutes later, she decided it was time to stop feeling sorry for herself and get back to the arena. She had a lot to do. Plus, she knew if she was gone too long Pete would call Steve. They were always telling her they received kidnapping and death threats often and with her stalker out there she knew he'd worry that she hadn't left voluntarily.

She slowly stood and began walking towards the pathway along the beach, brushing sand from her jeans with her right hand while her cut left hand carried her sneakers. "Ow," Maddie whispered, her face distorting in pain every time her injured foot made contact with the sand.

Once on the pathway Maddie walked to the rinsing station. Flipping on the excruciatingly cold water she began rinsing her feet. Once her left foot was clean she wiped the water off on her jeans and slipped her sock and shoe on. Using her fingers she did her best to clean sand and dirt from the wounds on her right foot, however touching them caused them to bleed. "Great," Maddie mumbled, annoyed and tired of having this inconvenient, extremely painful injury. Is it completely out of line to blame this on Steve? she wondered, chuckling softly. I mean, I fainted because he surprised me. AND... I was exhausted because I couldn't stop having nightmares he was being murdered… Yeah, it's definitely Steve's fault! She knew it really wasn't, but thinking about it made her laugh a little, something she desperately needed.

Although the cuts were still filled with sand and dirt particles, she knew it was as good as she was going to get it at the beach. She'd just have to clean it again when she got back to the arena. Carefully, Maddie slipped her sock on, wincing as the fabric came in contact with the bleeding gashes. Once her shoe was on she began the fifteen-minute walk back to the arena. She did her best to keep from limping, the pain in her foot significantly worse than it had been before she'd snuck out.

Approaching the venue, she immediately noticed people running everywhere. "Yeah, they know," she whispered, cringing slightly at the lecture and rant she knew she was going to receive. Realizing there was really no need to sneak back in, she eyed the three different entrances, trying to decide which one to use. She chose the one that had no paparazzi, the one Billy was stationed at. That's weird. There was definitely one at this entrance when I left, she thought. However, she dismissed it, figuring they'd finally gotten a life and gone home to get some rest.

Billy spotted Maddie as she neared the entrance. He knew if he rushed to her the few paparazzi around would spot her and run towards her, so he remained in his position as he contacted Pete. "I've got Shorty. She's unharmed and approaching my entrance," he said into the small microphone coming out of his sleeve. He waited until she entered the gate and then nonchalantly began walking next to her.

"How bad?" Maddie questioned.

"He's been beside himself," Billy answered, his voice slightly cold. They'd all been terrified. "And rightfully so."

"I know." The two walked into the main room and Maddie's gaze immediately fell on Pete's angry and worried eyes as he stood on the other side of the room. His arms were crossed firmly as he gave her a disapproving look.

"I got her. You can all come back. Return to your posts," Pete spoke into the tiny mic at his wrist, never once breaking eye contact with her as she limped towards him.

When she reached him he joined her and they walked down the hall in complete silence. They turned and headed down another hallway before reaching her dressing room. Pete held the door open for her and she slid by him into the room. She immediately went to the couch, anxious to get off her throbbing foot. Hearing the door shut she steeled herself for what was to come.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Pete yelled as he stood near the closed door, his arms crossed.

Maddie placed her left foot on her right knee and slowly began to untie her sneaker. "I just needed some space," she said, her voice cutting out. Her sobbing had undone the little improvement she'd achieved the day before.

"Then you tell me! We would have gotten you out of here for a while. You don't just take off. Especially after what happened the other night. I know you don't want to talk about it, but someone tried to hurt you, Madeline! Intentionally! It's not safe for you to go off by yourself right now. And, you're injured! How would you have run if someone came after you?! This was such a stupid, selfish move!" Pete ranted as he began to pace. Finally he stopped and looked towards her and she could have sworn she saw steam coming out of his head.

For the first time since they arrived in the dressing room Maddie met his eyes. When she'd first gotten back he'd been across the room and wasn't close enough to really take her in. And honestly, he'd been too mad to study her except to see she was safe and unharmed. But now, as he looked into her eyes, he immediately understood why she had done what she'd done. He approached her, taking a seat on the edge of the coffee table directly in front of her. Her face was splotchy from crying and her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. His heart broke at the sadness he saw in her. It was written all over her. In the look in her eyes, the way her face appeared almost dull, the way her body was slightly slumped forward. There was no glow of happiness or joy present anywhere. Pete's face softened. He wished there was something he could do to make her feel better, but she wouldn't talk to him. She'd shut everyone out.

"I'm really sorry, Pete. I just needed some space," Maddie mumbled. "The walls were closing in."

"I know, Shorty. Just... next time, tell me and I'll figure out a way you can get space, but where you're still safe, okay? I promise." He reached his hand forward and placed it on her left knee. As he gently rubbed it he admitted, "You scared the hell out of me. I wasn't sure if you'd left on your own or if someone had somehow gotten to you."

"I should've told you. It's just that you were asleep and I knew how tired you were."

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. But next time, and there better not be a next time, at least make sure your phone's on."

Confused, she reached in her pocket and pulled out her cell. Seeing it was off, realization hit. "I forgot to turn it back on after you turned it off last night."

"Just so you know, I was just about to call Steve when Billy radioed. I mean his number was on the screen and I was about to click it," Pete told her.

Maddie averted her eyes. "Looks like I got back just in time then."

"Mads, ya gotta talk to him. I know what he said hurt, but I promise you, he didn't mean it. You can't keep going on like this."

Maddie ignored his statement, refusing to talk about Steve. It was what it was and there was nothing left to discuss. "I'm sorry I worried everyone."

Pete inwardly sighed at the way she'd completely ignored him. "It's okay, but don't do it again!" Standing he leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on her forehead, right at her hairline. "I'm gonna go get your brace." He disappeared into the other room, quickly returning with the ice tank and knee brace. As he placed it over her jeans and fastened it, he asked, "So, where'd ya go anyway?"

"Honestly, I just went for a walk. I ended up at the beach and watched the sun come up."

"Sounds nice. Feel any better?"

"Physically?" she asked.

"No," he answered, meeting her eyes briefly before returning his attention to the ice tank.

"Honestly? No." Pete froze, not expecting her honest and blunt response. He looked up, about to say something when she continued, "But, I don't wanna talk about it."

"Okay, fair enough. But if you change your mind... I'm here." Maddie gave him a tired smile before he finished attaching the brace to the tank. "Do I even want to know how much sleep you got?" he asked, worried by how tired she looked. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Pete sighed. "Nightmare?" Her lack of a response was answer enough. "You can't go on much longer like this, Mads. I mean, you need to sleep."

"I know. I'll figure it out," she replied, even though she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do. She knew Pete was right; she did need sleep. The only problem was, how was she going to get any with the recurring nightmares. The only time she'd been able to stay asleep in the last several months was when she was snuggled into Steve. When he was holding her, the nightmares either didn't come or they didn't stay long. But sleeping snuggled into him was no longer an option. It was too painful. She'd rather have the nightmares. She'd just have to keep going until she found another way to get rid of them, learned to not let them affect her so much, or they went away on their own.

Maddie was pulled from her thoughts by a body suddenly hugging her. "You scared the hell out of me!" Tina declared, her arms tightly wrapped around her.

"Sorry," Maddie mumbled, hugging her back.

Tina pulled out of the hug, and her happy, worried expression suddenly morphed into an angry one. "What were you thinking? Taking off like that with a stalker out there? We were worried he somehow got to you."

"I'm so sorry," Maddie repeated.

Just as Tina was about to continue her rant and lecture, Pete caught her attention, effectively sending her a signal to drop it. Catching on, she studied her friend, understanding Pete's silent message. "You must be hungry after your little adventure. Craft services is setting out breakfast. I'll get you something."

"Okay," Maddie mumbled. "Thanks." Once Tina was gone she looked towards Pete. "So... is Doc coming by before dress rehearsals start?"

Pete eyed her suspiciously. He assumed she must be in some serious discomfort to actually want to see him. "Yesterday he told me to expect him no later than 8am, so he should be here any minute. Why? Everything okay?"

Maddie paused, debating whether or not she should tell him the truth. She figured she owed him after nearly giving him a heart attack. "Actually... um, my foot really hurts."

Pete froze, speechless and shocked she'd confided in him. Finally he snapped out of it and approached her. "Let me take a look." As a SEAL he had some medical training, as did the other members. He took a seat on the coffee table and gently pulled her sneaker from her foot. "Oh, Mads," he whispered, seeing that her crisp, white sock was now brownish red.

"Yeah, I told you it hurts," she mumbled, nibbling her bottom lip.

Carefully, he peeled the sock from her foot and immediately gasped. "This is bad." He peeked at the biggest cut, making sure to not put too much pressure on any part so he wouldn't cause her more pain. "It's definitely infected." He looked up at her. "How long has it been like this?"

Raising her eyebrows, Maddie said, "It was red yesterday, but when I got dressed this morning I noticed it was worse."

Pete returned his attention to the wounds. "Did you take your shoes off at the beach?"

She scrunched her nose and, once again, bit her lip before responding, "Yeah..."

"Maddie! Beaches are so dirty and if it was already bad, why on earth would you put your bare foot in the sand?"

"Honestly, it didn't dawn on me. I was too distracted. And by the time it did, it was too late."

Just then Tina returned carrying two plates filled with breakfast. One for Maddie, one for herself. She walked to the couch and took a seat beside her. After handing her the plate she leaned forward wanting to see what Pete was doing with her foot. "Oh my God! That's nasty! That cannot be healthy," she exclaimed.

"Yeah... it isn't." Pete sighed, gently setting her foot on the table next to him. "I don't feel comfortable messing with it. Doc'll be here any minute." Standing he walked towards the door. "I gotta take care of a few things. I'll be back in a few. Mo's outside if you need anything."

---

Steve arrived at headquarters earlier than normal, having not been able to sleep well. It wasn't just that he was worried about Maddie, but also that he couldn't sleep without her. He'd discovered that all it took were those three nights of having her in his arms for him to not want to go back to sleeping alone. He wasn't sure why or what that meant and he didn't really want to think about it. All he knew was that he'd tossed and turned.

He was hoping that the fan mail he'd requested had arrived. However, 6:30am was a little early for it to be delivered. He'd already read and re-read the file way too many times to count hoping to find something he'd missed, but he was always disappointed. So while he waited he decided to go through the footage from the traffic cams and ATM's around the restaurant Jake's. It wasn't that he didn't trust Danny to do his job, he just hoped a fresh pair of eyes would lead to something.

"Morning, Boss!" Kono greeted an hour later. Steve was standing at the smart table going through the footage with Danny, while Chin was in his office secretly going through the footage from around the arena.

Steve looked up, flashing her a weary smile. "Hey, Kono." As she approached he asked, "Did you finish canvassing the dumpsters yesterday?"

"Almost. We're gonna head out and finish. Should maybe take us an hour or so," Lori answered.

He looked back, meeting her eyes. "Great! Keep me posted."

---

"Good to go," Doc announced. He'd been cleaning sand and dirt from her foot for forty minutes. "I can't believe you went bare foot in the sand with your foot looking like this!"

Maddie flashed him a cute, innocent, 'don't be upset with me' look, which although he pretended didn't work, it did. At least a little. "No more going barefoot at all," he instructed. "Kendall, can you grab me the antibiotic ointment, gauze, and wrap?"

"Sure thing, Dr. Warsten," she replied sweetly.

While he waited for the items, he met Maddie's eyes. "Mads, this is really serious. This is a terrible infection. I'm going to give you oral antibiotics and put some antibiotic ointment on it. Let's hope it looks better tomorrow. I'm gonna wrap it, and it has to stay on. You want to keep it as clean as possible. If you feel the wrap gets even the littlest bit sweaty or damp, tell me, and I'll redress it."

"Okay," she replied, coughing slightly.

Doc watched her worriedly. Upon arriving he'd immediately noticed she was quieter and more withdrawn. The more time he spent with her the more worried he became that she'd pick up old bad habits.

Kendall returned with the supplies, and he carefully bandaged her foot. "Alright, I wanna take a quick look at your vocal chords."

Maddie leaned forward slightly and opened her mouth. Using a tongue depressor Doc held her tongue down while flashing a light in her throat. "Even without using the camera I can tell it's not much better than the other day. Try only singing for one run through on new songs in rehearsals today." She nodded, not bothering to argue.

"How's the throat?" Doc asked.

"Okay," she mouthed as she tried to stifle a cough.

"Really?" he questioned. "It looks more inflamed than yesterday. Are you sure it's not bothering you more?" He handed her the dry erase board.

She shrugged and wrote, Could be worse. She coughed, quickly clearing her throat to try and hide it.

"What's with the coughing?"

Just a tickle. It'll go away, she wrote.

"Let me know if it doesn't. You're body's been trying to fight off a bug for days." Rooting around in his bag, he pulled out a bottle of medicine that he'd had filled in case her foot got infected. He dished out a pill and handed it to her. "Take one pill twice a day." Doc watched her swallow the pill and asked, "Have you taken the prednisone today?"

Maddie shook her head.

He grabbed her morning dose and handed the pills to her. "How's the appetite?"

"Fine," she mouthed.

He glanced at her nearly untouched breakfast plate next to him. "Doesn't look fine."

"It's terrible. Nonexistent," Pete revealed between bites of his scrambled eggs.

Doc tried to make eye contact with her, but she refused, instead she looked down at her hands. The fact that someone else was telling him her appetite was gone as opposed to Maddie herself worried him. "Kendall, can you make Maddie a shake please?"

"Sure thing, Dr. Warsten," Kendall responded, hating that she had to do anything for Maddie.

At the mention of a shake, Maddie rolled her eyes. She erased her previous message and quickly wrote a new one. It's just the meds. I promise.

"I still want you to start using the shakes."

"What are they?" Pete asked.

"Two different powders. It'll give her the nutrients she needs without a full meal. Great when she has no appetite. They're small, but jam packed with everything she needs," Doc explained. "Tina knows how to make them."

"What time do rehearsals start?" Doc asked.

"As soon as she does a quick wardrobe fitting. They're just waiting for you to be done," Tina informed.

"Okay, we're done for now. I'll be here all day and I'll check your foot again a little later."

---

At 8am Lori and Kono headed out in navy blue, HPD coveralls, so they wouldn't get their clothes dirty. Right after they left four HPD officers came in pushing dollies. Each dollie held four, large boxes. "Commander McGarrett?"

Steve looked up. "Yeah?"

"You need to sign for these. Chain of Custody," the officer said, handing him a clipboard.

Steve already knew what was in the boxes, however they didn't. He'd made sure to keep the case and what exactly they were investigating confidential. He didn't want it getting out that there was an investigation surrounding Maddie. The press would have a field day and hound her, exactly the last thing she needed at the moment. Not to mention, Steve didn't want her stalker to know he was looking into things.

"Here ya go," Steve said, handing back the signed papers.

"They're all yours. Where do you want them?"

Steve looked around the room. "Over there." He pointed to the corner of the room, not far from his office and the round table he was planning on using to go thru the contents.

"Okay, sounds good." Quickly and efficiently the officers unloaded their dollies. "We'll be back. We gotta grab the rest."

"There's more?" Danny questioned. "Seriously?"

"Oh yeah," the officer smirked over his shoulder.

"This is gonna take forever. I mean months," Danny mumbled.

"It better not take months," Steve growled. He wanted to catch this guy and fast.

Fifteen minutes later, all the boxes had been delivered and were neatly stacked on the other side of the room.

"I wanna get started. Maybe we'll find something and be able to come back to this footage," Steve stated. Wasting no time he grabbed a box and set it in the middle of the table. Sitting down, he slid on a pair of gloves before reaching in and pulling out some of Maddie's fan mail. Danny immediately joined.

"Tell me we don't have to go through all those," Chin remarked as he entered.

"Take a seat, babe," Danny said and motioned to the seat beside him.

---

At 9:30am, Kono and Lori burst into the room. "We found something!" Kono yelled triumphantly.

Steve's head shot up. "What'd you find?" he questioned, standing and walking to meet them. However, as soon as he got close, he made a face and took a step back, bringing his hand to his nose.

"Hey! None of that! Do you know what we had to go through to find this?!" Kono glared.

"Yeah, babe, cause we can smell it," Danny retorted.

"Ok, enough," Steve snapped, not in the mood for any banter. He just wanted to find whoever was bothering Maddie. "What'd you find?"

"We found the two laptops," Lori answered, hoping this would win her some points.

"Great! Let's get them to Charlie and hope he can pull prints," Steve instructed.

"Sure thing, Boss," Kono replied as she and Lori began to leave the room.

"You know what? Chin, why don't you go ahead and take those to Charlie. Kono and Lori, why don't you go to the locker room and get cleaned up." Steve said nothing further as he returned to the table, sat down, and immediately dug back into the fan mail.

After all their hard work and dumpster diving the least he could have done was tell them they'd done a good job. Kono and Lori sighed as they headed off to shower while Chin left for the lab.

"Steven," Danny began.

Steve inwardly groaned, knowing that some sort of lecture or rant was coming by the sound of his voice. "Daniel," he responded mockingly without looking up from the current letter he was reading.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Steve asked, feigning ignorance.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"If I did I would admit it, that way this conversation would be ending sooner rather than later."

Danny nodded angrily, annoyed at his partner. "When was the last time you called her?"

"I'm going to need a little more information before I can answer your question," he replied. He was doing his best to avoid talking about Maddie as it was only a reminder that he'd messed up.

"Maddie! Maddie!" Danny yelled, extremely frustrated. For the first time since the conversation began Steve looked up and gave him a blank stare. "When was the last time you called MADDIE?"

"I don't know," he lied. He had tried to call her on his way to work, but, big surprise, he'd gotten her voicemail.

"So then, she still hasn't been home?" Danny asked, trying to get Steve to open up.

"No," Steve answered as he reached into the box and pulled out a new envelope.

Danny had had enough. "You know, I get that you're in Navy SEAL mode wanting to catch whoever is messing with the love of your life, but it's time you realize you're not in this alone. We've all been doing everything we can to help you. In fact, two members of your team have spent two days sifting through dumpsters... for you. In fact, they're the only ones who finally found something and you can't even thank them?"

"She's my friend. Not the love of my life," Steve responded.

"Is that all you got from what I just said?!" Danny exclaimed. He could be absolutely infuriating sometimes. "And wasn't it a similar statement that lead to Maddie not wanting to talk to you? Wake up, Steve!" Furious, Danny stood and walked towards the elevators, needing some space.

Steve rested his forehead on his hand, closed his eyes, and sighed loudly. Danny was right. Of course, he'd never admit that. He'd been an asshole and difficult to work with, and it wasn't just because he wanted this guy. He was constantly distracted, unable to think of anything or anyone besides Maddie. It was obvious by Gracie's pictures and video that Maddie was struggling. Things weren't like they were when he was with her at her house. There he had control over the situation. But now, he had none. He had no idea how she was doing, if she was getting any rest, if she was eating or drinking enough water.

"Where's Danny?" Chin asked, interrupting his thoughts as he returned to the letter in his hands.

"He'll be back soon," Steve replied.

---

At 10am Maddie, her band, and dancers were rehearsing the first few numbers, wanting to make sure the changes were okay before they began running the entire show in full costume. Because they weren't new songs, Tina, Pete and four other members of her security team were also present.

For the opening of the show Maddie was lowered from the ceiling on a circular mini stage as she sang the beginning of the first song. Right before she sang the second verse, she would jump off from a significant height. For safety reasons she was in a harness attached to two wires. During this part of the song, crewmembers were controlling the mini stage and her wires, so when she jumped down to the stage she was actually being lowered.

The beginning of the show always made her security team nervous. They always insisted on checking her harnesses themselves before every show. In fact, in every city Pete and the rest of the team would look over the stage, making sure everything was safe and that there was no way she, or anyone else, could get hurt.

Maddie was in her harness in the rafters getting situated on the mini stage while the band began playing the show's intro music. Pete stood near the stage, his eyes trained on the specific area she'd appear from. For everyone to rehearse they needed to hear the vocals, but because Maddie was under strict orders not to use her voice, her head sound engineer, Trent, played her vocal track. However, she'd told them she'd rather sound like crap than lip-sync for the show.

The song began and Maddie's vocals started to play, although she was not visible yet.

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance

Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Roma-roma-mamaa!
Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!
Want your bad romance

Members of her crew had been slowly lowering the mini stage while she mouthed the words. As she continued to "sing" she could suddenly be seen standing in the middle of the circle high above the stage.

Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Roma-roma-mamaa!
Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!
Want your bad romance

The stage was massive. Coming off the main stage (Stage 1) was a long walkway, or catwalk. At the end was a large, rectangular stage (Stage 2). She had designed it so she could get closer and interact with more fans. The circle started off above Stage 1, but as it reached a certain height it stopped and instead moved forward. Once it was over Stage 2 it stopped moving all together and stayed suspended in the air.

Maddie went into the first verse of the song, moving to the song, but not to the extent she would live. She knew she needed to save as much energy as possible whenever she could. They'd be running through the full show all day, over and over, until they ran out of time.

I want your ugly
I want your disease
I want your everything
As long as it's free
I want your love
(Love-love-love I want your love)

I want your drama
The touch of your hand
I want your leather-studded kiss in the sand
I want your love
Love-love-love
I want your love
(Love-love-love I want your love)

While she was "singing" and performing, the mini stage came to a complete stop above Stage 2. Her sixteen dancers were in their positions. Eight, including Ryan, were on the second stage, while Maddie was high above them. The other eight were spread out on the main stage (Stage 1) and the catwalk that connected the two together.

You know that I want you
And you know that I need you
I want it bad, your bad romance

As the song went into the first full chorus, Pete and Tina noticed the change in the choreography. "It looks amazing!" Tina yelled, trying to be heard over the music.

"Yeah, it does," he replied, his eyes never leaving Maddie.

I want your love and
I want your revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!)
I want your love and
All your lovers' revenge
You and me could write a bad romance

Joey, Hunter, and Cooper were the three crewmembers who controlled the mini stage and Maddie's wires. Cooper sat on a flat area that had been built in the rafters and scaffolding above the stage while Joey and Hunter were down below. Billy, one of Maddie's bodyguards, was also up with Cooper. They kept Maddie safe when she was up there as well as kept an eye out to make sure everything was running properly.

Maddie was "singing" and performing, still high above the stage when Cooper came over the headset. "Pete, something looks weird."

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance

Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Roma-roma-mamaa!
Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!
Want your bad romance

Pete didn't wait to respond or ask questions. Instead, he jumped on stage. Since she had just finished the chorus, he knew she was about to jump, relying solely on the wires to keep her from either seriously hurting or killing herself.

Knowing something was wrong Lyle yelled into the microphone he was holding. "Stop!".

A second before the band stopped playing Maddie jumped and the cables locked. Her body whipped back at the abrupt stop causing pain to course through her body. "Fuck," she hissed, forgetting her mic was on.

"You okay?" Pete yelled to her. He stood directly below.

"Yeah," she replied, looking around and realizing how high she was. Suddenly one of the wires snapped. "Shit," she exclaimed as she dangled on her side and halfway upside down.

"Get it moving, NOW! I want her down!" Pete bellowed angrily. Mo, Carl, and Frank rushed to Pete in case the other wire broke and Maddie fell.

"It's stuck! I don't know what's going on!" Joey exclaimed, panic in his voice.

"I don't care how you do it, just get her down!" Pete roared. "NOWWW!"

Maddie's eyebrows furrowed. She couldn't remember ever hearing Pete so angry. "Petey, I'm okay," she said into her mic, hoping to calm him down. Her discomfort kept her from panicking. When she was right side up the harness wasn't very comfortable, so being stuck in this crazy position was a lot worse. The straps were pinching and pushing against her thighs, butt, and waist. The pain in her tailbone was still excruciating, however she was thankful it had dissipated some.

Knowing something had to quickly be done, Hunter and Billy sprang into action. High above the stage Hunter began lowering Billy to Maddie. "Hey, Mads," he greeted as he reached her.

"Hey," she smiled from her awkward position.

"I'm gonna help straighten you out. Grab on to me and don't let go."

"Okay," Maddie whispered as she reached her left hand out to him. Once Billy began pulling her right side up she grabbed him with her right hand.

"All right, now I'm gonna take you down, but that involves unhooking your harness from the wire. So, this is how we're gonna do it. Wrap your legs around my waist."

"You know, normally a guy has to at least buy me dinner before we go there. Quite a few dinners actually," Maddie quipped, hoping to ease some of the tension and that it would let everyone know she really was okay. Although there were probably at least fifty crewmembers down below, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Laughter erupted from the arena at her comment. "Good to know. I'll keep that in mind," Billy chuckled. "Okay, wrap your legs around my waist." Maddie did as she was told and Billy wrapped his buff arms around her, holding her tightly to his body. "Now, use your left hand and unhook that wire." He felt her briefly hesitate. "It's okay, I got you. I'm not gonna let you fall. Do you know what would happen to me? McGarrett would murder me. Actually, he'd do something far worse... I don't even want to think about it."

"He's really a big teddy bear," Maddie responded. Billy laughed knowing Steve was only that way with her.

Slowly Maddie used her left hand and unhooked her harness from the remaining wire before quickly wrapping her arm back around Billy.

"Hello, Madeline. My name is Billy and I'll be your ride for this evening," Billy joked, earning him a giggle and an eye roll. "Okay, lower us down," he called up to Cooper. Immediately they were descending. However, Cooper was ready in case it locked again. He would be able to quickly manually override and lower them himself.

As Billy's feet touched the stage, cheers erupted from the crew. Maddie let go of Billy and was immediately spun around. "You okay?" Pete asked as he inspected her carefully.

Now that she was no longer dangling in the air, she noticed her heart was racing and she was shaky. She quickly realized that she had been terrified, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins had kept her from feeling it. Now that she was down, she felt it. "I'm fine," Maddie smiled, reaching forward and hugging him. She didn't realize how tightly she was holding on, but he did. That scared her, he thought. She's rattled. She didn't let go, hiding her face in his shoulder. Suddenly she realized how quiet the arena was. Maddie took a few deep breaths before raising her head and looking around. Immediately she realized everyone was staring. Embarrassed, she pulled away from Pete and joked, "What's a rehearsal without a little excitement?" Everyone laughed and one by one they returned to their individual tasks.

"Are you okay? What the hell happened?" Lyle questioned, his eyes wide and his words coming out rushed.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Maddie answered, forcing a smile. "I'm not really sure what happened." But that was a lie; she knew exactly what had happened. However, she was really hoping she was wrong.

"Let's take a break while we figure everything out," Lyle stated. Maddie nodded, anxious to get back to her dressing room. She definitely needed a few minutes to herself to calm down.

Lyle picked up his microphone and announced, "We're gonna take a break. We'll let you know when we're ready to resume rehearsal."

Pete and Mo flanked Maddie as she turned and walked down the walkway to the main stage (Stage 1) before exiting upstage. Although Pete was keeping an eye on their surroundings, he also kept an eye on her. He knew her well enough to know that she hated people worrying and fussing over her. He wanted to be sure that she was actually okay and not just saying it. He watched her try to steady her breathing and the way she clenched and unclenched her hands at her sides. If he hadn't already known she was hiding something about her stalker, he would by the way her eyes nervously darted everywhere. It was as if she was afraid someone was going to pop out at her. The question was, what did she know? And how were they going to convince her to tell them?

Wanting to help ease her fears, he stepped closer and laid his hand on her lower back. She immediately leaned into him slightly.

As they reached the dressing room, Mo stayed at the door while Pete and Maddie went inside. Just before the door shut behind them Pete turned to Mo and whispered, "I'm really hoping that was just a malfunction, but be prepared for anything."

"Sure thing," Mo nodded.

When Pete walked into the room Maddie was sitting on the couch and lost in thought. "Hey, Mads," he softly said as he sat on the coffee table in front of her. He waited for her eyes to focus on him and prepared himself for her reaction. "It's time to call Steve."

Her eyes immediately widened as she said, "No! It's not necessary."

"Are you kidding me? Do I need to remind you about what just happened?" he cried in disbelief. "Or what happened the other night?"

"I remember. Trust me," she replied.

"We need to call him. He needs to know what's going on," Pete stated calmly. It was obvious that raising his voice would get him nowhere with her right now.

"No, I told you I'd tell him after the show Wednesday. Plus, we don't know it was sabotage. Maybe they're worn out from all the shows."

"Fine, I'll go look." Pete turned and headed towards the exit, but turned back and shot her a deadly serious look. "Do not go anywhere. Stay in this room," he ordered. "In fact, why don't you lie down and try and get some rest. Take advantage of the break." He opened the door and began walking out when her voice stopped him.

"Pete?" Once Maddie had his attention she continued. "Promise you won't call Steve while you're gone."

He sighed and shook his head. Finally he said, "I promise I won't call him while I'm gone, but I'm not promising I won't call him at all." He didn't bother waiting for her response before he left.

---

Ten minutes later Maddie's dressing room door flew open and Pete stormed in, startling her.

"We're calling Steve," he nearly growled. Once again, he sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of her.

"What? Why?" Maddie questioned, panic in her voice.

"It wasn't an accident," Pete stated. "I don't like that someone has gotten in here twice while your entire security team has been here. Steve needs to know what's going on."

"There's no way this happened in Hawaii. It had to have been done before the stage arrived," she rushed out desperately. However, she knew that wasn't true.

"First off, you've rehearsed that beginning already and nothing happened. Plus, you know that we inspect everything before you ever use it, and it was fine then."

"Please don't do this, Pete," she begged.

He knew no matter what he said, she would still say no, but his job was to keep her safe. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

Maddie's breathing quickened as panic set in. "Pete... don't. Don't call him! Please!"

"There could be evidence that the stalker left behind that will help Steve find him." Pete unlocked his iPhone and pressed the 'phone' icon.

"Pete." Maddie inhaled sharply as tears slipped from her eyes. "Don't call him."

He looked up and the sight of her broke his heart. "Maddie, why are you so upset?"

"I can't see him yet. I'm not ready."

"What do you mean? You're gonna see him tomorrow. What's the difference?" Pete asked.

Her back and shoulders shook as she cried. "If you call him now and tell him what happened, you know he'll come. I'm not ready."

"Mads," he began, only for her to interrupt.

"It was just a mean joke to him. You heard him... the idea of us together is absurd and hilarious. Just the thought of me in that way is disgusting to him."

Pete's heart sunk. "Jesus! That's not true and deep down you know that. I didn't think you should talk to him before tomorrow, but I changed my mind. You need to talk to him. He needs to clear this up."

Maddie wiped at her runny nose. "No, Pete. I can't talk to him about this. I already feel stupid."

"So, then what are you gonna do? Not ever talk about it with him?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah. We don't need to make it worse and more awkward by addressing it. I just want to pretend like nothing ever happened," she admitted to him.

"No, that's not the way to handle this," Pete said adamantly. Even though he was pissed at Steve, he still wanted them to figure it out. Plus, he knew they had to clear the air if she was ever going to confide in him.

"Please don't do it. I'll tell him tomorrow night. I promise," she begged.

Maddie's devastated blue eyes were breaking his heart, and his resolve wavered. "He's going to lose his shit on me for not filling him in."

"I'll make sure he knows it was me. I promise! Please, Pete... I swear I'll tell him everything tomorrow night."

Pete shook his head, hating the situation. "Fine, Mads. I won't call him," he grumbled, going against his better judgment. Sniffling and hiccupping she gave him a small, relieved smile. "Wait! Before you get too happy... I have a condition." He paused. "I'm calling Chin. I don't want to lose any evidence that could help us nail this guy."

Maddie's eyes widened in alarm. "What if he tells Steve?"

"He obviously didn't tell him about the other night. If he had Steve would've already been here."

He's right, she thought. "Fine," she finally mumbled.

"I'm gonna call Chin and look over the stage and make sure nothing else has been tampered with. Mo and Jared will stay with you. Why don't you try and get some rest before you have to start rehearsing again? I'll turn the TV on and you can just relax," Pete suggested.

Maddie managed a small, sad smile as she wiped at some stray tears. She pulled her grey and teal Nike sneakers from her feet before laying her legs on the couch. As she laid down he grabbed the remote and began flipping through the channels. He finally settled on a station he knew she'd like and then placed the remote next to her hand. "Before I go I'm gonna put the brace on you."

"Do you have to?" she groaned as she hiccupped, occasional tears still leaking from her ocean blue eyes.

"Yes," he replied and got her all set up. On his way to the door he grabbed her cell and set it next to her. "Why don't you try calling him? Just talk to him."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow," she murmured.

"If you plan on acting like you're not upset, then you might want to call him." Pete fought to keep from smiling, knowing he was using her own reasoning against her. "By ignoring his calls you're giving the impression that you are upset." Knowing he had her he exited.

"Have Jared come take your place and then why don't you go in there and keep her company," Pete said to Mo. "I'm worried about how sad she is."

"Will do," Mo answered before radioing for Jared.

---

Maddie laid on the couch hating to admit that Pete was right. Ignoring Steve's calls was sending a message that she was upset. And yes, she was, but she just wanted to pretend like everything was fine.

Her heart felt like it would fly out of her chest as she picked up her phone. Her thumb hovered over his name, but she couldn't seem to work up the courage to call.

"Hey, Shorty! How ya doin?" Mo asked as he walked in and took a seat in the arm chair to her left. "That harness jerked you back pretty hard."

Saved by the bell, she thought, her whole body filled with relief. She wasn't going to call Steve when she wasn't alone, so she figured she'd text him. Plus, she knew he'd be able to hear her tears through the phone and that would open a whole other can of worms.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she responded as she opened their text conversation. It took longer than it should have to type the text. She'd finish only to doubt herself, delete it, and start over. After doing it five times, she sighed heavily, annoyed with herself. Stop over thinking! It's just Steve! she told herself. However, he wasn't "just Steve" anymore. That was the problem. He was now the man she loved. The man who didn't feel the same.

Before she could over think her latest draft she quickly hit send. Her heart raced as she waited for it to say "delivered". She swore she could hear her heart drumming in her ears.

---

So far the team had come across many different types of fan mail. There were the ones telling Maddie how much she inspired them or that her music had gotten them through difficult times. There were the ones from people who literally thought they knew her and others written by people who were in love with her. For thirty minutes Steve seemed to have a radar for choosing ones that were filthy and inappropriate, and it was testing what little patience he had.

With a frustrated sigh he opened a new letter and began reading. …when I see you I just want to throw you down and rip your clothes off before… Steve felt his blood boil. He grunted angrily and discarded the letter into the bin next to him. That's what they were doing with all the ones that didn't pose any kind of threat or problem. While it was filthy, there was no anger towards her.

"I know, some of these are really disgusting," Kono said. "Does she go through these on a regular basis?"

"No," Steve answered. "She goes through as many as possible whenever she can, but there's too many for her to handle by herself."

Several minutes later an alert from Steve's phone interrupted the silence. Recognizing it as Maddie's text tone, his heart began to race. Calmly he picked his phone up and read the message. Hey! Got your messages. Sorry I haven't called, I've just been swamped. I don't know why you think I'm upset. I'm fine :o)

He knew she was upset. Tina had told him as much and he'd seen her face Sunday. It worried him that she was going to pretend like it hadn't happened.

Wanting to catch her while she was still with her phone, he quickly typed a message back. Hey! How are you? How's the knee?

He reread it numerous times, trying to decide if that's what he should send. It had always been easy and comfortable with Maddie, but things were different now. Not only was their relationship changing, but she was so stressed out that she was taking everything wrong.

Kono watched him stare at his phone, an unreadable expression on his face. "Everything okay, Boss?" she asked, effectively pulling Steve from his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine," he responded, quickly deciding to send the text. Setting his phone on the table beside him he picked up the fan letter he'd been reading.

He was doing his best to focus on the letter, but couldn't keep from glancing at his phone. He felt his stomach sink as minutes went by with no response back. Just as he thought she wasn't going to respond, his phone chimed again. Not wanting to appear anxious, he slowly picked it up and read the new message. Knee's not bad. No worries. He was filled with disappointment at how emotionally distant and short the message was.

Setting the letter down he took his phone in both hands and began typing only to erase the message and start again. He wasn't exactly sure what to say. Stop over thinking. Just say what you want to, he told himself. I thought you were going to come home every night. Baby, tell me you're actually sleeping. Steve quickly hit send and set his phone next to him on the table. He discarded the letter he'd read into the 'no threat' pile and grabbed a new one.

When Chin's phone rang he quickly removed it from his belt. He swore his heart stopped for a beat when he saw Pete's name. Oh no, I hope nothing's happened, he thought as he glanced over at Danny. He inconspicuously flashed the screen to him before answering. "Hello?" Chin rose and walked towards his office for privacy.

Oh shit, please let Maddie be okay, Danny thought as he watched Chin close his office door behind him.

Steve was too preoccupied to notice Chin had stepped away. While he continued to read mail, he was also casually and inconspicuously watching his phone. A little bubble would appear signaling she was typing, but then it would suddenly disappear. A few seconds later it would reappear and then once again disappear. Several minutes later the bubble stopped altogether. What's going on? he wondered. It was a simple question.

Danny had been subtly watching Chin in his office, trying to gauge what was going on by his body language. He unconsciously held his breath as he saw him hang up and head back out to them. As Chin met his concerned eyes Danny's stomach sunk. Something happened, he thought, reading his tight and worried expression.

Usually Steve noticed everything, but he was too distracted by thoughts of Maddie. In fact, he lost track of how many times he'd read the current letter in his hand. Hearing the chime he picked up his phone and anxiously read the next message. It's just been easier to sleep here. Why'd that take so long to write? he wondered.

Chin was grateful that Steve was distracted as it was a perfect time to excuse himself. After Pete had filled him in, he'd told him he'd go and process the scene. "I'm gonna run a quick errand. I'll be back in an hour. Two at the most."

"Everything okay?" Kono asked, knowing he never ran errands in the middle of a case.

Kono's question pulled Steve's attention from his phone for a quick second.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Chin replied.

Weird, Steve thought, however he didn't give it as much thought as he normally would have. As he watched the bubble reappear on his screen, he said, "Okay." Seeing she was typing, he was completely unaware that his co-workers were watching him. They eyed one another, not only shocked he didn't question Chin more, but that he was texting so much. He wasn't a huge texter, choosing to send a quick one here and there.

Steve didn't have to wait long for the next text. Anyway, I have to go. Have a good day! Wanting to catch her before she disappeared, he quickly texted back. You, too. Don't push yourself too hard. Hopefully I'll see you tonight.

As he returned his phone to his belt he tried to force her from his mind. There was nothing he could do for her in terms of her show. Pete was with her. But he could help her by finding her stalker.

---

Maddie reread his texts, her heart aching. If texting hurt that much, how was she going to survive seeing him? Why did I have to realize I'm in love with him, she wondered. Why did I have to instigate things in the movie theatre? If she hadn't done that she wouldn't know what it's like to kiss him. How right it felt. How the world seemed to stop moving. Maddie's eyes drifted shut as she thought back to their encounter in the theatre. How his lips felt against hers, and the way his body molded to hers. Great, now this is all I'm gonna be able to think about. She sighed, wishing they were still rehearsing.

"Why aren't you rehearsing?" George exclaimed as he rushed in.

"There was an incident on the stage," Mo explained. "They're looking everything over."

"I'm aware," he responded as if it had been no big deal.

"She needs a moment to herself. For God's sake, she could have been killed!" Mo said, his voice rising ever so slightly at the end, which surprised Maddie. Mo was a quiet, soft-spoken guy. Always had been.

"But she wasn't," George replied. "Maddie, you can't afford to be sitting on your ass. There's too much to do. From the little bit I've seen so far, you're sloppy out there. Not to mention, you're last couple shows were... well, you should be embarrassed. You're better than that!"

"George," Mo growled.

George ignored him and continued as Maddie just stared. "You're nowhere near ready for the show tomorrow. You haven't even started running the show in costume yet. How could you just be sitting around?"

"The stage is being looked over. She can't use it until Pete clears it," Mo growled.

George shook his head, irritated. "Of course! There goes Pete overreacting." He paused, obviously contemplating something. "I'll clear a space in the main room for you and the dancers. You guys can keep going over the choreography there until Mr. Paranoid clears the stage, which WILL be soon!" George turned and hurried to the door before saying, "You have five minutes and then you better be out there rehearsing." Without waiting for a response he walked out, no doubt on his way to give Pete an earful.

Maddie began tugging her sneakers on when Mo approached her. "Why didn't you say something? Tell him to go to hell... fire him... something! You've been rehearsing almost nonstop for over 48 hours. Sitting on your ass? He is lucky I didn't clock him!" Mo said angrily.

"It's okay. He's right... my last few shows weren't as good as they should be. And I'm not nailing this choreography," Maddie whispered, trying to use her voice as little as possible.

Mo shook his head. "Maddie, you're exhausted and hurt. That's why you aren't getting the choreography perfectly. If you'd just rest a little it'd help."

She gave him a sad smile. "Sometimes the show is more important than anything. And this is one of those times." She sighed before continuing. "Anyway, I have the next two months to rest. What's another day and a half?" She stood and he followed her to the door. With her hand on the knob she turned and added, "Plus, I welcome the distraction. It's just what I need right now." Before he could respond Maddie opened the door, walked out into the hall, and headed in the direction of the main room with Mo close to her side.

---

"God, I'm glad she's okay," Chin softly said as he looked over the device that helped lower Maddie. They had already looked at the wires that had been attached to her harness and bagged them. They could tell that something was used to wear down the one that broke.

"You and me both," Pete sighed, his eyes briefly fluttering closed as he saw her cable snap.

"How is she?"

"She's tired. And in a lot of pain. She's running herself into the ground," Pete answered.

"What did he do anyways?" Chin asked. "He's been a basket case."

As Pete filled him in Chin opened a piece of the device with his gloved hands. He wasn't seeing what had been tampered with on the outside, so he thought maybe it was on the inside.

"There's the problem," Chin whispered as he grabbed the camera sitting beside him.

Pete squatted down to look. "Oh man, someone really did a number on this."

"Do you have another one of these?" Chin asked, pointing to the entire device. "I want to take this whole thing back with me. Maybe by some miracle he left prints behind. However, I'm not holding my breath. This guy's too smart," Chin stated.

"Yeah, we do. And, what do you mean?" Pete asked.

Now it was Chin's turn to fill him in.

"Damn it! What the hell is going on?" Pete exclaimed as he stood.

Chin sighed as he bagged and tagged the piece of equipment. "I'll tell you that whoever this is…" He met Pete's eyes. "It's bad. For him to have gotten away with everything and not be seen by one person… he's been planning this. He's meticulous. The worst kind of stalker."

"Shit," Pete swore. "I ca-"

"Son of a bitch," Mo interrupted as he climbed on the platform.

Pete quickly turned to look at him, worry filling him. "What? Is Maddie okay?"

"Well, if you call George coming in and freaking out on her for resting for a few minutes okay, then yes!"

"What?" Pete asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, he came in asking her why the hell she wasn't rehearsing. That what happened was no big deal and she needed to get off her ass. He told her she was looking sloppy in her choreography and that she should be embarrassed by her last couple shows."

"Where is she now?" Pete asked, his face twitching in anger.

"She's in the main room rehearsing choreography. Billy's with her," Mo answered. "P, he's going to run her into the ground and she's gonna let him. I don't know how she's gonna make it to the show like this."

"I know. Next time George does something like that call me. I'll handle him."

"And how exactly will you handle me?" George asked from behind them.

"She's exhausted. If you want this show to happen, you're gonna have to back off a little," Pete angrily told him.

"She had no problem going out there and rehearsing. She didn't say a thing about needing rest," George smirked.

"You know that's not how she is when it comes to work. She's gonna rehearse herself right into the hospital and then you're gonna have NO show! You're supposed to be her tour manager. You're supposed to have her best interest at heart. Start acting like it!" Pete yelled as he fought the urge to punch him.

"I do have her best interest at heart. She has to get this show done if she wants that vacation time. You said she needs rest right?" George countered, grinning.

"What's wrong with you? She's exhausted," Chin said from his spot near the railings. He'd been looking for prints around the path the stalker would have had to take to tamper with the equipment.

"Who are you?" George asked, a bored look on his face.

"Detective Chin Ho Kelly, and a friend of Maddie's."

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching him sprinkle printing dust around the railing.

"I'm taking prints, hoping to find whoever tampered with the equipment," Chin explained.

"Well, hurry up. We need the stage for rehearsals. Pete, you have thirty minutes," George told him as he turned and headed back towards the stairs that led down behind the stage.

"We'll be done when we're done," Pete furiously called back. "And she'll be breaking for lunch."

"God he's a piece of work!" Mo grumbled.

"What the hell is wrong with that guy? Is he new?" Chin asked. "He wasn't part of the team the last time I saw Maddie live."

"Yeah, he's new this tour. Johnny, ya know, Maddie's manager? …Well, his wife has cancer and it's pretty bad. He usually tours with Mads a good chunk of the time, but understandably can't right now. Her usual tour manager had a sudden conflict and wasn't able to do this first leg of the tour, but hopefully he'll be available for the second leg. George was a desperate hire. We needed someone and fast. It's been a nightmare. It's making everything worse on the road. If Johnny was with her he wouldn't have let her run herself into the ground like this. But George? Well, he doesn't give a shit. He encourages it. He considers it a fantastic work ethic."

"Wow," Chin said, digesting everything. He was starting to see that Maddie wasn't just stressed out about the stalker. Thank God she's home, he thought.

"That's for sure," Pete smiled.

"Where to now?" Chin asked. "I gathered as many different prints as I could find. To be honest there wasn't much evidence here. The guy was definitely careful."

Pete exhaled, disappointed. "Let's head down and look over Stage 1."

"Alright, lead the way."

---

Pete, Mo, and Chin had closely and carefully inspected the entire stage, including Stage 1, 2, and 3.

"It looks like he just screwed with her harness system," Chin said. "I'm glad she's okay."

"I don't understand how someone got in here. I've had every inch of this place locked down," Pete grumbled. "I looked that system over myself when we got here Sunday." Pete shook his head, biting his bottom lip. "Everything was fine."

"Hopefully he left something behind that can help us," Chin said. "Is there anywhere else on the stage we haven't looked?"

"Yeah, let's look over the area under Stage 2." Pete walked upstage towards the backstage area with Mo and Chin following. Once they were backstage, Pete turned right and went down a small ramp which led underneath Stage 1. The three men had to hunch their shoulders slightly as they walked under the catwalk heading towards the area underneath Stage 2. They moved slowly, studying and scanning their surroundings.

"What's this?" Chin asked as they stopped under Stage 2. He was looking at a device that looked similar to a stretcher Paramedics used. It was attached to a track that ran from underneath the entire stage.

"There's not a lot of time for her to change and be at her next entrance in between songs. At times she is lowered underneath Stage 2 but then has to get to her makeshift dressing room under Stage 1 before coming back out… and she might have a minute and a half or two minutes to do it all. To help speed it up, someone is waiting under here and buckles her into this." Pete pointed to the flat bed and straps. "She then gets launched along the track. Someone is waiting at the end of the track under Stage 1 and unstraps her and gets her into the changing area. It saves us a good twenty/thirty seconds, which is a game changer," Pete explained.

"Wow, these shows are complicated. So many things I never would have thought about," Chin responded as he squatted down and began investigating the device. While he did that Pete and Mo looked over the track.

"What the?" Mo whispered, catching both Chin and Pete's attention.

"What is it?" Pete asked.

"See this?" Mo pointed to a specific part near the rails.

"Yeah," Pete said. However, he didn't need him to say anything else as he saw it too. "Damn it."

"When was the last time anyone was down here?" Chin asked as he took some photos of the tampered piece.

"This morning," Mo responded.

"And it was okay?"

"Yeah. It was fine. I'm sure of it."

"How the hell are they getting through security?" Pete asked as he unconsciously ran his fingers through his hair. "I've done extensive background checks on every member of the crew several times. They all come back clean. And majority of them have been working for her for years."

Chin set the camera down and began brushing the surrounding area with printing dust. Various prints appeared and he used his phone to take photos of them. "I'll have to get every member of the crew printed."

"They're already on file. I'll send them over."

"Thanks. That saves a lot of time. I don't want to be gone too long. I told Steve I had an errand," Chin said as he scoured the floor for anything that seemed out of place.

"He bought that?" Pete asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Chin answered, chuckling slightly. "It was perfect timing. He was really distracted. He was texting and it had his full attention." A huge, triumphant smile broke out on Pete's face. "What?" Chin asked, seeing his sudden shit-eating grin.

"He was talking to Maddie," he answered. "I finally got through to her."

"That's great!" Chin grinned.

"It's a start."

Using his gloved hands Chin unscrewed the tampered piece. "Can you hold open that bag?" he asked, nodding his head towards the bag in his case.

"Sure," he answered as he grabbed it and held it open. Carefully Chin placed the piece inside.

"Thanks," Chin said as he took the bag and wrote the needed information on the front before sealing it. "Everything else seems to be in working order," he stated as he packed his equipment and began to stand.

"Thanks so much for coming and doing this," Pete smiled.

"No problem. If anything else happens, just give me a call," Chin said as the two began walking under the catwalk and back to Stage 1. As they approached the door leading to the hallway, they passed crewmembers rushing in every which way.

"I've never seen it this crazy before," Chin stated as they entered the hallway.

"She's in crunch time right now. Too much to do in so little time," Pete replied as they walked down the hallway. As they passed Maddie's dressing room he looked to Jared in question.

"No," Jared said. "She's still rehearsing." Pete sighed, shaking his head.

"Are you gonna tell Maddie what we found?" Chin asked.

"No. There's no reason for her to know right now," Pete answered. "She's having a hard enough time. She doesn't need anything to upset or distract her further. And as much as she'll pretend it's no big deal, it'll scare her. Today's incident already rattled her," Pete explained. "To be honest, I'm not telling anyone except security."

"I understand."

The closer they got to the main room, the louder Maddie's music was. As they walked inside, they immediately saw her and the dancers rehearsing in the same corner they'd shot the filler videos in.

"She looks tired," Chin stated.

"She is." Pete sighed, his face filled with concern. "I just hope she makes it through the show."

"If anyone can do this, it's her," Chin assured him. However, he wasn't sure he believed it. He knew how run down she was before rehearsals had started, so he could only imagine how much worse it was.

As the song ended, Maddie caught sight of them. She flashed Chin a small, tired smile and waved slightly. She was just about to walk over and say hi when Lyle's voice stopped her.

"Mads, you're still not getting this part. Let's do it again," Lyle said, sounding irritated and tired.

Maddie flashed Chin an apologetic look before returning her attention to Lyle and the song.

"This is ridiculous," Pete whispered.

"It'll be over soon," Chin told him. "I gotta go, but don't hesitate to call if something else happens or if you need anything."

"Sounds good," Pete smiled, appreciative.

---

Starting the full dress rehearsals, the lights in the arena went out and all the stage lights came on. Every crewmember was in their designated spot while Maddie and her dancers changed into their opening costumes. While her wardrobe team, and Tina, helped her into the first outfit Pete stayed close, not letting her out of his sight.

As the back of her black, skintight bodysuit was zipped Maddie turned to Pete. "Hey, Petey?"

"Yeah, Shorty?"

"So, because we're running the whole show including the new songs, you'll have to step out when we're performing the new ones."

Pete's jaw clenched. "No."

"Yes," Maddie countered, just as insistent and forceful.

"Maddie, how can I protect you if I'm not with you?" Pete questioned, frustrated. He didn't understand why she wouldn't let him stay. Especially after the incident earlier.

"Pete, nothing that has happened would have killed me," Maddie told him stubbornly.

Pete scoffed. He couldn't believe her right now. "Did you forget about the cables?" he asked, his voice rising slightly.

"One of them was fine," she replied as if the incident hadn't scared the hell out of her.

"Are you kidding me right now?" he yelled, finally losing control of his temper. All he wanted to do was protect her and he didn't understand why she wasn't letting him.

Maddie chuckled. A dry, sarcastic chuckle. "You're overreacting."

"You're under reacting!" he exclaimed.

"Pete, in the end, this is my decision. On the new songs, go stand outside the backstage door. It's not that far and if I need you, I'll let you know. It's only on the new ones. The rest of the show you can be hovering and driving me insane."

"What is it about the new songs? Why won't you let anyone hear them?" Pete asked. He didn't understand why she was being secretive about them. She'd never done that before.

"I just want everyone to be surprised," Maddie smiled sweetly. In fact, Pete thought it was almost too sweet.

"You better not be up to anything, Madeline. This isn't the time to be playing jokes onstage." It had been a ritual for them since before he was hired. The last show always became a silly, prank fest and, technically, this was the last show. At least for a while.

"Who said anything about pranks? I just want everyone to hear the new material for the first time at the show. They're personal songs." Pete shook his head, not really believing her. "We're gonna start the show in a minute. Go out there. You have the new set list right?"

"Yes," Pete growled, angry.

"Okay, perfect. So where there is the word 'New' in place of the song title, step outside," Maddie explained as she stepped into the opening number's harness and buckled it. Pete took a step forward and tightened it, making sure it hadn't been tampered with and that it was secure. Once he was done, she gave him a knowing look.

"Fine," he grumbled as he turned and headed towards his position. "Be careful!" he called over his shoulder. She smiled, knowing she was lucky to have such a wonderful, trustworthy man watching her back. She knew it was his job, but she could tell that he genuinely cared a lot about her, that she wasn't just a job to him.

"Ready, Mads?" Tina asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Yep," she answered, following Billy so they could get up to the scaffolding for the opening number.

---

Before Chin went to headquarters, he knew he had to drop the evidence somewhere safe. It wasn't going to all fit in his locked drawer in his desk. Plus, he didn't know how he'd explain it to Steve if he walked by carrying evidence bags. "Yeah, that's not gonna work," he whispered to himself. He also needed to keep the chain of custody intact. His best bet was to take it to Charlie and tell him to leave it until Thursday morning. Chin went through the back door of the building and straight to the lab figuring he had a better chance of not running into Steve.

"Hey, Charlie," he greeted.

"Hi, Chin!" the young scientist replied, eyeing the items in his hands. "Do you guys have a new case?"

"Yeah, but this is hush hush," Chin said. "Can you put these somewhere away from prying eyes?" Charlie stared apprehensively. "It's just… Steve doesn't know about it yet. He'll find out late tomorrow night, so you can start working on it Thursday morning."

At the mention of Steve being in the dark, it all made sense. "Maddie?" Charlie asked.

"How'd you know?" Chin questioned, surprised.

"Kono was down here earlier checking to see if I'd gotten anything from the laptops. She told me a little bit about what's going on."

"Yeah, this involves Maddie."

"Is she okay?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah."

Charlie took a step forward and took one of the evidence bags from Chin. "Follow me," he said, walking across the lab to a closed door. He opened it and walked into the room. Chin glanced around and suddenly realized they were in Charlie's office.

"Wow, I've never been in here before. Nice office!" Chin said, pleasantly surprised at how large and lush it was.

"Exactly why it's a great spot for the evidence. No one knows about my office," Charlie laughed as he placed the bag he was holding onto his desk. "Why? I have NO idea, but it works in our favor right now."

"Great!" Chin said, following his lead and placing the evidence on the large desk. "I have another bag for you, but it's in my office. I can't get it to you now because Steve's upstairs. I'll bring it down the first chance I get."

"Okay, great!" Charlie smiled.

"Thanks for the help." Chin followed him back into the lab. "I'll see you later. Call when you have something on the laptops," he said before turning and walking the remaining distance to the door.

"Definitely!" Charlie replied. "Oh, and Detective Kelly?" he called out.

"Yeah?" Chin answered, turning back to look at him.

"Please let me know if there's anything I can do. Even if it's coming in in the middle of the night for something. Seriously, anything. This is important to me, too," he said. "I've never seen McGarrett like this. She's obviously really important to him."

"For sure, Charlie. We really appreciate it." Chin let the door close behind him and turned right towards the elevator.

What am I going to say if Steve asks where I've been? he wondered as the elevator took him to the 3rd floor. Taking a deep breath Chin exited the elevator and made his way down the hall. As he passed the team's offices, he noticed they were all empty. They must all still be reading Maddie's fan mail, he thought as he continued toward the heart of HQ. Entering the open space he spotted his team exactly where'd he'd left them two hours earlier.

"Hey, Cuz! I was starting to worry!" Kono smiled, having been the first one to spot him. The rest of the team looked up at him as he approached the table.

"Yeah, sorry I was gone so long," Chin answered as he sat and pulled on a new pair gloves.

Danny eyed him. He was dying to know what had happened with Maddie. However, he knew she was okay. If she wasn't, he would have told Steve regardless of whether Maddie wanted to keep it a secret or not.

"Where'd you go?" Steve asked, no longer distracted by his phone. Danny nervously looked between the two men, thankful he wasn't the one being asked the questions.

"Just a quick errand," Chin answered as he reached into the box and grabbed a letter.

Steve eyed him suspiciously. Wanting to know more he asked, "What kind of errand?"

Briefly meeting his boss' eyes he said, "Just a personal errand." Hoping that would put an end to the questions he returned his attention to the fan letter in his hands.

Steve unconsciously bit his bottom lip. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, no worries, brah," Chin smiled although he was filled with guilt. He's gonna be so mad when he finds out I was keeping this from him, he thought.

"If you need anything, please let me know," Steve told him.

Chin was surprised by his statement. It seemed Steve had slightly snapped out of his earlier mood. Probably because he finally spoke to Maddie, he thought. "I will. Thank you."

Knowing that Chin wasn't going to say anything more about his whereabouts, Steve returned his attention to the fan mail.

---

At 3pm they'd completed one run through of the show and were halfway through the second. Pete was in his usual position next to the stage near Maddie as he watched her. Standing on Stage 2, she lip synced one of the singles, "Firework", off her current album.

'Cause baby you're a firework

As Maddie began to sing the second chorus sparks began to fly out of the device in the chest of her costume, appearing as if she had fireworks coming from her heart. It was designed to send them out and away from her so that she wouldn't get burned. However, this time the device began to sputter and spew before it flamed out. Unfortunately, some of the sparks landed on her left arm. "Ow!" Maddie cried. The band quit playing and her dancers stopped as they looked in her direction. The vocal track cut off as Pete jumped on stage.

"You okay?" he asked as he reached her.

"Yeah," she replied, her right hand covering the area on her left forearm that was burning.

Noticing she was holding her arm, Pete used his flashlight to take a look as he pulled her right hand away. He tensed, immediately seeing the small burn the sparks had left. "Doc needs to look at this."

Pete wasn't taking no for an answer as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and began walking her backstage, not giving her a chance to object.

Maddie said nothing during the walk to her dressing room. She was too lost in thought. She knew it was "Unknown Sender". She thought he'd go after Steve and not her. But she was happy it wasn't him. She could handle a little pain. She couldn't handle anything happening to Steve.

Maddie was so deep in thought that she hadn't realized they were back in her dressing room until she heard Doc's voice.

"What happened?" he asked as he sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of her.

She glanced around, surprised to find she was sitting on the couch in her dressing room.

"Maddie? You okay? What hurts?" Doc asked, concerned by her lack of response.

"Sparks hit her, burning her arm," Pete divulged as he hovered.

Doc reached for her arm, but she wouldn't remove her right hand from it. She just stared at him, her eyes wide.

"Let go, Mads. Let me see it," Doc instructed. However, Maddie only continued to stare at him. He quickly turned to Pete as he pulled his pen light from his shirt pocket. "Did she hit her head?"

"No," Pete answered, worry evident in his voice.

"Mads, you okay? Talk to me," Doc urged as he began flashing the light back and forth between her eyes as he checked her pupils.

Maddie squeezed her eyes shut as the light became too much for her. "What?" she finally said.

"She speaks!" Doc joked, trying to lighten the mood. He could feel the tension and worry coming off Pete. "Let go of your arm. I need to see how bad it is."

"Oh, I'm fine. No big deal," Maddie responded as she tried to stand.

"Park it!" Pete ordered. "Let him see."

Not used to hearing Pete speak like that to her, she did as she was told. Carefully she uncovered her arm.

"Not too bad," Doc mumbled holding her arm as he inspected the injury. "Could have been worse." He glanced at Kendall and pointed across the room. "Can you grab me the burn kit in the bag against the wall over there?"

"Sure thing, Dr. Warsten!" she cheerfully answered before doing what she was told.

"Thanks." Doc applied ointment to the minor burn. "How does it feel? Is it really painful?"

"Not really," Maddie answered, trying to ignore the intense stinging. She wasn't lying. Sure, it was stinging and burning, but compared to all the other injuries she had at the moment, it wasn't terrible.

"That's good. The ointment might make it feel worse for a minute, but it won't last," Doc explained as he began wrapping gauze around the wound.

Maddie didn't say much as he finished bandaging her forearm. He was right, the pain increased.

"Okay, keep this clean. I'll check it again later tonight. If it doesn't calms down or becomes more painful, let me know. I'll be around," Doc told her after he finished wrapping it.

"Okay," she whispered, flashing him a pathetic smile.

Once everyone was gone Pete took Doc's place on the coffee table. Sitting in front of Maddie, he watched her quietly for a moment. Although she was trying to hide it, he could tell she was scared. She'd never admit it, but she was. After a few uncomfortable and quiet minutes he finally spoke. "Tell me what's going on, Madeline." The use of her full name did not go unnoticed by her.

"I don't know, Pete," Maddie responded.

He shook his head, trying to keep his temper and frustration from exploding. How can I protect her if she won't tell me what she knows? he asked himself.

"What won't you tell anyone? Does it have anything to do with what's going on here?" He questioned.

"It was an accident. Things happen. There are always glitches. You know that. That's why we always go through the show like this," she told him, her voice relatively calm for someone internally panicking.

"Who said this was an accident? Joey texted me while Doc was bandaging you. He and Derek looked at your costume and it'd been messed with. This is out of control," Pete told her, his exasperation evident.

Maddie had assumed it had been tampered with, but actually having it confirmed caused her heart to pound. However, she hid her uneasiness, cleared her throat and calmly said, "I better get back to rehearsal. There's still a lot to do." She carefully stood and walked towards the door.

---

For hours Danny had been trying to find an opportunity to ask Chin about what had happened at the arena. Finally his coworker stood to use the restroom. He waited a minute before nonchalantly excusing himself.

Entering the men's restroom, Danny approached the sink where Chin was washing his hands. "What happened?"

Chin sighed. "Someone sabotaged part of the stage. I processed the scene and brought evidence back."

"Is she okay?" Danny asked.

"Depends what your definition of okay is." Chin responded.

His stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"

"She's exhausted and running herself ragged."

"Damn," Danny muttered.

"We better get out there. Steve's already suspicious of my 'errand'."

With Chin's hand on the bathroom door, Danny said, "Yeah, seriously? That's all you could think of?"

"Yeah, yeah... I know," Chin smirked as he pulled the door open and exited the bathroom.

---

Maddie was three quarters of the way through her third run through of the show. She was under the stage in a costume change. While Tina was pulling her pants off and Sheila and Ally were getting her out of her top, Nikki and Lorali were touching up her hair and makeup. With the pants from her next costume change on she was able to sit down while they continued to pull at her, trying to get her dressed in time for the next song that was starting in forty seconds. Which meant she had to be at her entrance in thirty seconds.

Now that she had a moment to sit she noticed the intense aching in her body. Oh no, she thought. I almost made it. Feeling a tickle in her throat she quickly pulled her hand away from Ally and covered her mouth as she coughed, turning her head away from Nikki, who was fixing her makeup. As the coughing subsided she sniffled. All heads turned towards her.

"Crap," Tina mumbled, knowing exactly what was going on.

"It's fine," she assured.

"Fifteen seconds!" Mo called as he poked his head around the curtains that formed the dressing room under Stage 1. "She ready?"

"Almost," Tina replied as the women went into overdrive trying to get her ready. "There you go. Go kick some ass!" she told Maddie as she finished attaching her mic pack.

"Thanks!" Maddie replied as she rushed to Mo who escorted her to her next entrance. Normally her escort was a crewmember and not a member of her security team, but Pete was on high alert and had decided to change some security protocols for this third run through. He didn't ever want Maddie out of their sight. She wasn't thrilled with the change, in fact she found it out right annoying, but she knew she had to give him this one. If she didn't, she knew he'd call Steve and Steve's changes would be a whole lot worse because it would be him watching her. That was something she couldn't handle right now.

Listening to the band playing the lead in to her next song, she stood with Mo. He watched her rub her temples. The loud music was exacerbating her already pounding headache.

"Headache?" he asked.

She quickly dropped her hands and busied herself with her in-ears. With Mo on her right side, she looked straight ahead, avoiding eye contact. "I'm fine."

"Ready?" Joey asked, suddenly appearing from the shadows of the stage.

"Yep," Maddie replied taking a few steps forward as she listened carefully for her cue. She faltered slightly, briefly feeling dizzy. Mo immediately reached for her.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah. You know me, the definition of clumsiness." She forced a laugh, hoping to ease the sudden tension. Hearing her cue she entered the stage and began the next song. Joey and Mo exchanged a worried look as they watched her perform.

---

They had just finished the fourth complete run through of the show. As the lights in the arena came on Lyle walked towards the stage. With towels and robes in hand, Sheila, Ally, and Tina rushed to Maddie and her dancers. For the last song they basically sang and danced in the rain for three plus minutes. However, the water was set to 75 degrees, so they might be drenched, but they weren't freezing.

"Thanks, T," Maddie mumbled as she handed her the now wet towel. Sheila helped her into her robe.

"That was the best run through so far. It's almost there! I can't believe we're gonna pull this off," Lyle said excitedly as he climbed on the wet stage. Crewmembers were busy drying it for the next run through. "There are still some areas that need work, but we'll just keep running it." Lyle focused on Maddie. "Come with me for a second."

She nodded and began to follow him. When Pete joined, she said, "P, give us a few."

He squinted at her suspiciously. This wasn't the first time she hadn't let him near her during a conversation with someone. He was worried she was up to something. "Why?" he asked, looking between her and Lyle.

She smiled sweetly. "Just stuff about the performance to a new song."

"You're not up to no good are you?" Pete asked.

"Why do you keep asking me that? No, I just need to discuss the logistics of this song. Don't worry," she tried to assure him. "It'll only be a few minutes and even then, you'll be able to see me the whole time. We'll just be right over there." She pointed to the other side of Stage 2.

Hesitantly Pete stopped walking, staying behind like she wanted. He didn't need to tell her he didn't like whatever was going on. She already knew by his expression and demeanor.

"He's on edge," Lyle said to her as they walked away.

"Yeah," she whispered. Truth be told, she was on edge as well. She was just hiding it. "What's up?"

The two stopped and just as he was about to speak, Derek, the head of special effects for her tour, joined them. "I was going to fill her in, but why don't you go ahead, Derek."

"Sure thing," Derek said. "As you know I've been working on the concept for 'Love the Way You Lie'. It's definitely a hard thing to achieve. Especially in three days."

"So, it can't be done?" Maddie asked, really hoping that wasn't the case.

"It'll be ready for you to test tomorrow late morning or early afternoon," Derek estimated.

"That's cutting it awfully close," Maddie replied.

"I know, but if for some reason it doesn't work we have a backup plan, which will still look amazing."

"But not as cool, right?" Maddie asked, already knowing the answer.

"It'll look great, but, you're right, it won't be as cool. However, I have concerns about this idea. It's a dangerous and risky idea. Especially only having three days to make it happen and work out the kinks. I mean, you essentially want me to cover the entire stage with fire while you're on it. I mean, Maddie... it'd be different if we had a few weeks to do this. Really make sure nothing can go wrong. But three days? It's risky," Derek stated honestly.

Maddie looked towards Lyle, wanting to know what he thought. "It's an awesome idea, Mads." He paused. "However, I have to agree with Derek. If we had more time…"

Both men watched Maddie, trying to read her as she processed what they'd just said. Finally she spoke. "I appreciate your honesty and concern, but do whatever you have to to make this work. Dangerous or not, risky or not, I want to do it. If you can get it working in time then that's what we're doing."

Both men sighed at her decision, however they weren't surprised. "Okay, we'll have it ready for you to test tomorrow when you get back from press," Derek told her.

"Thank you both," Maddie smiled before walking to Pete. Although he hadn't been right next to her, his eyes had never left her.

"Everything okay?" Pete asked.

"Yeah," she whispered, pulling her robe tighter to her body.

"Everyone's breaking for dinner, so why don't we head back to the dressing room so you can change out of that wet costume and then we'll join them."

Maddie nodded as the two of them began the walk back to her dressing room.

"From what I saw, the show looks great! You're gonna blow them out of the water tomorrow," Pete said, hoping to get her to smile. "I don't know how you've been able to pull this off with everything going on. I'm really proud of you, Shorty."

"Thanks, P," she mumbled. She felt terrible. Every part of her ached, her throat was worse, and she was finding it difficult to keep from coughing. There was no doubt in her mind that her fever was back.

Mo nodded at Pete as he and Maddie reached the dressing room, letting him know it was clear and safe for her to enter. He held the door open as he said, "I'll wait for you out here while you change and then we'll go grab some dinner."

"Okay," she whispered. Her throat was getting so bad that it was beginning to hurt even when she spoke.

While Maddie was inside changing Pete and Mo stood at the door. "She okay?" Mo asked.

Pete shrugged his shoulders as he sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. She seems off all of a sudden."

"All of a sudden?" Mo sarcastically asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

Pete briefly returned the smirk. "Okay, she's suddenly acting even stranger."

"Well, this will all be over soon and then McG will have her. He'll figure out what's going on."

"I hope so," Pete replied right before the door opened and a bundled up Maddie appeared, crutches under her arms.

"Wow, you put your brace on voluntarily?" Pete joked, trying to make her smile. She crutched a few steps forward, the door closing behind her. "Must be really bothering you for you to do that."

"Just following Doc's orders." She began crutching down the hall in the direction of the large main room with Pete beside her.

---

While everyone else chowed down, starving after rehearsing nearly non-stop all day, Maddie picked at the plate of food in front of her.

"You want something else, Mads?" Tina asked, noticing she wasn't eating. "I'll go out and pick you up anything you want."

"Nah, I'm okay. Just not that hungry. But thanks, T," Maddie whispered.

"Your voice sounds a little better tonight," Ryan told her, hoping it might cheer her up.

She gave him a small smile before returning her gaze to her plate. She continued to push her food around with her fork as she thought about Steve. She wanted him there with her, but it only reminded her of what he'd done. Maddie placed her chin on the palm of her bandaged left hand while the same elbow rested on the table.

"How long is the dinner break?" Pete asked, watching Maddie.

"An hour and a half," Ryan answered.

"Okay," he replied. Pushing his empty plate away, he stood and walked around the table. "Come on, Shorty. You have some time to just hang out."

Maddie didn't bother fighting or arguing as she slowly stood. Pete picked her crutches up and held them up in front of him to make it easier for her. She set her armpits on them and grabbed the handles from him before slowly crutching out of the room, Pete at her side.

As soon as they entered her dressing room, Maddie took her usual seat on the couch. However, instead of just sitting like she normally did, she laid down. She'd been doing a great job of fighting the tickle in her throat, but suddenly it increased and she lost the battle. Pete was filling the tank with ice water. "You okay?" he asked as he set the full tank next to the couch.

Maddie nodded as the coughing subsided and looked up at him.

With a furrowed brow he studied her face, especially her eyes. She looked miserable. He changed her knee brace and attached it to the tank before quickly covering her with a blanket. With his left hand Pete pulled his phone from his pocket while placing his right hand on Maddie's forehead. He immediately felt the warmth radiating from her skin. "Damn. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm okay," she mumbled.

"Don't even try that," he countered while he texted Doc.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Doc, Kendall, and Tina entered. While Kendall walked to the kitchen to grab some things, Doc sat on the coffee table across from Maddie. He reached his hand out and touched her skin. Feeling the warmth he said, "You're sick. I'm sorry. I did my best to try and keep this from happening, but unfortunately it didn't work."

"S'okay," she mumbled, slurring the two words together because her throat hurt so much.

"I can tell your throat's bothering you," he said, hearing the way she was speaking. "Can you sit up for a few minutes so I can check you out? See how bad this is."

"Here you go, Dr. Warsten," Kendall said, her voice super chipper as she handed him his supplies. In fact, she was suddenly so happy that Maddie swore it was because she was miserable.

"Open up and say 'ah'." She did as he asked and he looked down her throat with a light. "Wow, that got bad fast." He studied her throat. "It doesn't look like Strep. Any congestion?"

"Yes," Tina answered, figuring Maddie would downplay it. "I heard her sniffling during a couple costume changes."

"Coughing?" he asked.

Maddie nodded.

He placed his stethoscope in his ears and breathed on the chest piece, trying to warm it before putting it on her bare skin. "Still might be a little cold," he warned as he reached under her shirt and placed the end of the stethoscope against her skin. She winced slightly as the cold metal made contact. "Take a deep breath," Doc instructed as he listened carefully.

Maddie continued to breathe deeply while he moved the piece around, making sure to get a clear picture of what her lungs and heart sounded like. Satisfied, he took his hand out from under her shirt and pulled the instrument from his ears. "It's not bronchitis yet, but it's on its way. You need some rest." He turned his head to his right and met Kendall's eyes. "Can you grab me the ibuprofen?"

She immediately went into the kitchen and pulled the bottle from his bag before quickly returning with it. "Thanks," he said. He shook two pills into his palm and handed them to Maddie. "My gut tells me this is gonna get worse before it gets better, so I'll have antibiotics filled. You need to drink a lot of fluids and try and get some rest. Right now, rest is gonna help the most."

As soon as she took the ibuprofen, Maddie laid back down. "Since you were completely drenched, I'm gonna change the bandage on your foot." Maddie said nothing as Doc stood and took a seat on the couch near her feet. He carefully pulled the sock off to reveal the wet bandage and slowly began to unwrap it. "Oh man," he whispered, as he pulled the gauze from the infected cuts.

Maddie didn't need to see it. She already knew it had to be worse given the agonizing pain she was in.

"It's worse," Doc stated. Without having to be asked Kendall brought over what he needed to clean and redress it. As gently as possible he used a special solution to clean the wounds. As he did so, they began to bleed. He dabbed and held cotton to the lacerations. After a few minutes he lifted the cotton and took a peak. Satisfied the bleeding had slowed, he gently covered them with ointment and placed gauze over them. "How do they feel?" he asked.

"Eh," she mumbled, shrugging her shoulders slightly as she looked up at him. Just that one syllable made her throat hurt more.

"I'm gonna take that as they hurt," Doc said as he wrapped her foot and carefully stretched the clean, dry socks Tina gave him over the bandage. "She needs to take the antibiotic for her foot in a little bit."

"Will it help her sickness?" Tina asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Doc said as he covered Maddie with the blanket. Watching her snuggle into it he said, "Why don't you try and get a little sleep before you have to run through the show some more." Doc stood and glanced at his watch. "It's late and it's been a long day, so Kendall and I are going to head back to our hotel and get some rest. We'll be back here bright and early. I'll check you before you head out for press. But if you feel worse or need me for any reason before then, just call. Okay?"

"Mm hm," Maddie mumbled as her eyes began to close from pure exhaustion.

Once they'd left Pete said, "Mads, do you want to go lay on the bed or stay where you are?"

"Stay," she muttered, her eyes never once opening.

He dimmed the lights in the room. "T, why don't you get some shut eye in the other room."

"What about you?" Tina asked, concerned. She could tell he was exhausted himself.

"I'll crash on the other couch." Normally he would have gone to a bunk in the security room, but he wasn't letting Maddie out of his sight.

"Okay," she softly said as she watched him lay down on the big couch opposite Maddie before heading into the other room.

It didn't take long for the three to fall asleep.

---

Lately Doc was being flown out for a couple days every 2-3 weeks and because Kendall was his nurse she accompanied him. While she had access to Maddie's chart she'd always noticed Doc kept a separate smaller chart he said were his eyes only. She'd always wondered what was in it that caused him to be so protective. She'd never worked for a doctor that kept a chart nurses weren't allowed to see.

Everyone was so worried about Maddie that no one had been paying attention to Kendall. While she was in the kitchen cleaning everything Doc had used on the singer, the file caught her attention. Realizing no one was paying attention to her, she slipped the chart in her messenger bag. Not wanting Doc to realize it was gone before she had a chance to put it back, she packed all of his supplies and belongings.

An hour later she was alone in her hotel room and she reached into her bag and pulled the file out. Sitting cross legged in the middle of the bed, she slowly opened the front and began reading. It took only minutes for her to smile. "So, that's why he keeps it so guarded," Kendall said. Having an idea, she opened her laptop and searched for a specific phone number. She chuckled as she grabbed her cell and dialed *67 before the number, effectively blocking her own phone number. After all, she didn't want this leading back to her.

---

An hour and a half later Pete woke to screams. In a sleepy haze, he instinctively grabbed his gun off the coffee table, but as sleep cleared he realized it was Maddie. Returning his weapon to the coffee table he hurried to her.

"Don't!" she screamed as tears ran down her pale cheeks.

"Mads, wake up," Pete murmured as he gently shook her.

"What's going on?" Tina sleepily asked as she appeared in the doorway.

"Nightmare," Pete mumbled before trying again. "Mads, it's okay."

Not quite awake Maddie pushed him away not realizing who he was. Finally the haze lifted and she became aware of her surroundings. Immediately her cheeks pinkened in embarrassment as she coughed profusely.

"You okay?" Pete asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah, sorry," she whispered and sat up. "What time is it?" she asked, refusing to make eye contact.

"Almost midnight," Pete replied.

"Crap, we need to rehearse." Maddie began unfastening the knee brace and pulling on some shoes.

"Why don't you try and get some more sleep? Go through the show again in a couple hours. Doc says rest is the best medicine," Pete tried to reason as she covered her mouth and coughed.

"I'm okay. I don't feel that sick." She stood, making her more aware of just how awful she truly felt. "We really need to run the show a few more times," she said as she walked to the door.

Pete glanced at Tina and could see how exhausted she was. "Go back to sleep, T. I got this. I'll wake you in the morning." He knew Maddie would need her at her best tomorrow.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Get some rest," he told her as he heard the door shut behind Maddie. "Crap," he mumbled before holstering his weapon and rushing after her. If this is any sign of how she's gonna be tomorrow it's going to be a long day, he thought.