A/N: So, here's my second story... If you know the movie, you know what will happen in the end - if you don't know it, all the better ;) If you're too sensitive, better don't read - there will be dramatic events (So now you've been warned!). But I promise there will be a happy ending. Have fun!

English is not my first language; please forgive me for any mistakes.

I also wrote this story in German, so if you'd rather read that version, search for:

"127 hours oder die Tour ihres Lebens"

Disclaimer: None of the characters used belong to me, nor does the idea for the movie "127 hours".

Chapter One:

His feet hurt and his muscles ached. Hiking - adventure... and... Danny Williams. - These were two mutually exclusive worlds. He usually preferred to sit on his comfy sofa watching a football game. And again he asked himself: What am I actually doing here out in this desert?

Surprisingly, it was only the second time since the start of their tour that he had this little doubt. But the question was purely rhetorical, because of course he knew: his adventurous partner and best friend Steve McGarrett had persuaded him to go on this crazy trip after almost a year of talking about nothing else but the fact that they had to do this hike together.

Come on Danny, you'll see, you'll like it, we'll have a lot of fun together and the scenery is just gigantic! Steve had repeated this over and over again like a mantra until he believed it.

And although his feet had been aching for two days, he had to admit that Steve was right: the scenery was truly fantastic and even more beautiful than he had imagined, here in south-eastern Utah, in Canyonlands National Park. Only the terrain was much more challenging than he had expected. Steve had forced him up a mountain almost every weekend to prepare him for this trip, and yet he was finding it difficult to adapt to the new conditions. This place was certainly nothing like Oahu. Actually, they were already living in paradise, which even he, Danny Williams, who had initially described the island as a pineapple-infested patch of earth, was able to appreciate after many years. But far from home, they could escape the daily grind for a while. There were no bodies waiting for them, no bullets to dodge, no criminals to chase.

"Hey Danny, we should soon be at the place where there is an underground spring hidden between the rocks! We can fill up our water supply there and even take a bath. It's an insider's tip and thanks to me you're going to see it!" Steve still sounded enthusiastic after the hour-long day trip.

Water and swimming... - There were only a few things he hated more, and Steve should know, because he had told him years ago about his friend Billy, who had drowned in front of him while swimming as a child. But he had to admit that the prospect of cooling off was very tempting at the moment.

"I think we should be there in an hour." Steve tried again to motivate Danny for the last stretch.

When they arrived at their stop, they were rewarded with a breathtakingly beautiful rock formation. But first they had to climb a bit and scramble up between the rocks. It was tight and Danny's claustrophobia almost got the better of him. He wondered at himself when he finally made it.

"There you go, my friend - now all you have to do is let go ... WOAH... WOOHOOO!" Steve let out a scream as he hurtled downwards. Danny's heart dropped into his stomach. "STEVE! STEVE! - You alright?" shouted Danny in a panic. Steve's sudden maneuver had caught him completely off guard and at first he didn't know if it was intentional or by accident.

"Danny - come on, you just need to let go. It's safe - I promise." Steve's voice came in several echoes.

"Steve! Are you out of your mind?" Danny's pulse was racing, his emotions were split - angry and relieved at the same time - relieved that nothing had happened to his partner and angry that Steve had scared him so much.

Danny hesitated, but then he let go. He had no choice, did he?

"Then he dove feet first into the crystal clear, refreshing water.

"STEVE! What's the matter with you, huh? You scared me to death!"... Were the first words Danny said when he surfaced.

"But it's great, isn't it? You have to admit it was fun, right?" Steve looked at him with a wide, challenging grin.

And Danny's anger was gone. The water was really beautiful.

They stayed in the water for a while, splashing each other like two little boys.

"Steve, I hate to admit it, but you didn't promise me too much," Danny said when they sat down in the sun to dry off.

Steve looked at Danny with satisfaction and nodded knowingly.

"Of course not, did you think I was exaggerating?

"Well ... to be honest Steve ..." they both laughed. Steve was of course aware of his friend's doubts when it came to this tour. So he was all the more pleased that Danny was obviously enjoying it as well.

"Can't we spend the night here?" asked Danny, who didn't want to go any further.

"Buddy, if we stay here now, we won't make it to our next stage destination, and then we'll have problems with our schedule and therefore with our supplies, so if you don't want to starve at some point..."

"Yeah, okay, I understand," Danny interrupted him ... "The nearest motel isn't nearby by any chance?"

"Not really, but that's the charm of a tour like this, isn't it" Steve replied, putting his backpack on his shoulders and walking on.

"The charm, huh?...Okay, the tour is nice, but I wouldn't mind a hot shower and a bed at night." With that comment, to which Steve said nothing but grinned, Danny picked up his things and followed his partner. After another two hours they reached their destination for the day and set up camp for the night.

The next day they arrived at another of their main destinations: The narrow Bluejohn Canyon, where they planned to take their lunch break. The landscape here was characterized by rugged red rock formations carved out by a tributary of the great Horseshoe Canyon, surrounded by vast desert plains that framed the formations. It was pure wilderness, with no roads, cars, or services for miles around. There were hardly any people either - only those who were ambitious enough to make such a trip.

How many crazy people like his partner could there be who would voluntarily come here? Danny asked himself this question, especially in this area where they hadn't seen a soul since yesterday.

The passages were challenging and required a lot of technical skill and stamina. Danny was glad that he had been training with Steve for over six months for this very reason. Still, he would never have the confidence to rappel down such a crevice on his own. The desert sections were easier, but the heat was still tough. And it wasn't a sandy desert; it was a rocky desert where you had to be sure-footed. It was breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly exhausting at the same time.

But these were not the only features of this tour, no; it was on this afternoon that a fateful encounter with a rock was to give their hike a sudden turn.

Steve had gone ahead and was rappelling into one of the cleft of the canyon where they were going to continue to shelter from the heat. Then it happened:

A huge piece of rock became loose further up and was about to fall towards Steve!

"STEVE!... STEVE!... WATCH OUT!" Danny shouted down.

Danny could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins and his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

Hanging far above Steve on the rope, he could do nothing but watch in slow motion as the rock threatened to fall on his best friend.

"STEVE! STEVE!" ...

For a few more seconds Danny heard the falling debris until ...-... well, until he heard nothing at all... Just silence at the other end of the rope.

"STEVE!...STEVE?"

Danny couldn't see exactly where the rock had fallen. He just hoped that his partner was able to get out of the way in time. His panic grew when there was still no response from Steve. He tried to get down as fast as he could while the worst-case scenario played out in his mind...

TBC

A/N: And... Did I whet your appetite for more? I would be happy about your reviews… :)