The mood in the small office was impossibly tense. HPD had shoved the remainder of the 5-0 team into one room, much to everyone's annoyance.

Kono watched through the blinds as Danny spoke with HPD.

"I can't believe he can manage to stand there and be so polite to them," she muttered, voice almost dripping with venom. "Bunch of fucking idiots."

"Hey," Chin scolded her sharply. He was leaning against the desk, arms folded. "Watch yourself. Don't give them any reason to suspect you."

Kono sighed and drew back from the window. "Yeah, you're right."

The three retreated back into the thick silence.

"So…" Jenna Kaye finally broke it, attempting a wary smile in Kono's direction. "You and McGarrett, huh? I had no idea."

"Yeah," Kono replied shortly, gaze flitting up at the analyst. "I wouldn't go around advertising that in front of HPD, though."

"Cuz." Chin scolded her again, eyes glinting reprovingly.

As Jenna flushed in embarrassment, Kono sighed and ran her hands through her hair. She took a long moment to recompose herself, breathing in and out slowly. "I'm sorry," Kono finally apologized, gaze softening at Jenna. "Sorry. I'm – it's been a long day."

"I understand," Jenna responded generously. "I can only imagine how you must be feeling. It's been crazy."

"It really has."

The two women smiled weakly at each other, the moment only interrupted by the opening of the door.

Danny entered the room, sighing heavily and looking ten years older than he really was.

"So? What's going to happen? Do they really think McGarrett killed Laura Hills?" Kaye asked.

Danny clasped his hands together. "Right now it doesn't matter what they think, okay? It's all about the evidence. It's our job to prove that he didn't do it."

Chin, who had been shaking his head lightly the entire time, leapt up from the table, his silently fuming evidently bubbling over at last. "You know what? I'm not going to sit around and do nothing." He pushed open the door.

Kono watched her cousin go with a mixture of surprise and worry. "Chin, where are you going?" she called out, making her way to the door after him. "Chin!"

But she never got her answer, as a stout and serious-faced HPD officer suddenly appeared directly in front of her.

Shit, they must've heard me call them 'fucking idiots' was the first foolish thought that instantly flitted through Kono's head. Then, more lucidly, she heard:

"Officer Kalakaua. Detective Ahuna, Internal Affairs. I have orders to bring you in."

What? Why? Kono felt her heart sink and her skin break out in a cold sweat. "I already told your friends," she bit out, fighting to keep her tone steady, "that I don't know where McGarrett is."

"Actually. It's got nothing to do with the McGarrett situation."

At this, Danny stepped in front of Kono, knowing his teammate well enough now to recognize when she was about to lose her temper. "Alright, Ahuna," he replied calmly. "Then what the hell is this about?"

Detective Ahuna's gaze didn't leave Kono. "We got a witness that can place Officer Kalakaua at the scene of a break-in."

"What? What break-in?" Kono's voice went up angrily in volume.

"The HPD asset forfeiture locker."

Instant silence.

Oh.

God.

Fuck.

"Apparently you know about some money that went missing recently."

He could've heard a pin drop in the silence that continued. Kono swallowed imperceptibly.

Finally, Ahuna sighed. "Officer Kalakaua, I'm going to need you to come with me right now or face charges for obstructing an investigation."

Kono felt a sudden heat rise in her throat and press against her eyelids. Unsure about what to do, she glanced anxiously at Danny through the corner of her eye. Help me, was her unspoken plea.

Thankfully, Danny came through. "Relax, okay?" he appeased Ahuna, sounding a lot calmer than he undoubtedly felt. "She doesn't know anything."

To Kono, he tugged lightly on her shirt. "Hey."

She turned to him, wide-eyed.

"Uh, just keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything. We'll take care of it, okay?"

Kono could only nod stiffly, still speechless. It seemed that people had been promising her that all day. Before she could even answer him or Ahuna, she felt someone – she couldn't register clearly at this point anymore – push her gently out the door of the office.

Before she knew it, Kono was being shuttled out of 5-0, down the stairs, step by step, past dozens of uniformed HPD, out the building and into the sunshine. She shielded her eyes. It seemed amazing to her that all this could be happening while the sun was still beaming down on the happy island, that people were, at the very moment, going about their daily lives without a care in the world.

Kono's vision was glassy as she was guided into the back of an HPD vehicle. No shoving, no forcing. This is so different. The thought floated dizzily through her mind in her half-lucid state. So different from our usual cases. I'm such a good suspect, aren't I? I didn't try to run. I didn't fight. No handcuffs necessary. Why couldn't all our suspects have been like me? This suddenly registered as ironic, and Kono chuckled bitterly to herself. Two days ago, I could've been driving one of these cars. Now I'm in the backseat.

And I'm guilty.

Then Detective Ahuna slammed the car door shut, and the whole nightmarish week continued spiraling towards its culminating end.


Steve grimaced as Chin roughly pushed his head down into the back of the HPD vehicle.

"It was Wo Fat," Steve croaked at Danny, hearing the pleading desperation in his own voice. "It was Wo Fat, Danny – you understand me? It was Wo Fat."

"Let him go," Danny demanded, voice so heated it was almost dangerous. "Chin, you let him go."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can! We have jurisdiction with 5-0. Get him out."

"You don't understand, Danny," Chin snapped, cutting him off coldly. "There is no 5-0 anymore."

The moment he heard Chin say this, Steve instantly lifted his head. As he silently gazed at the big yellow "HPD" letters scrawled across Chin's back, something occurred to him. Chin's helping me. He wasn't sure how exactly yet, but Steve recognized the slight catch in Chin's inflection, the way his hands balled once, then twice, as he stood there in front of the car. I think Chin has a plan.

Unfortunately, he was the only one who recognized this. Before Steve could shoot Danny a meaningful glance, the door slammed shut.

"What did you do, huh?" Danny heckled Chin, sounding utterly betrayed, hopeless. Even through the bulletproof glass, Steve could hear Danny's voice wobbling on the edge of anger and disappointment. "What did you do? You just – went back to them? After everything they did to you?"

Steve watched Chin carefully for his reaction. The Asian man didn't respond, only gazed calmly back at Danny before stepping into the passenger seat and shutting the door.

"Hey." Danny knocked on Steve's window. "Steve. Don't worry. I'll get you out of there. Hang in there, we'll get this thing straightened out, okay?"

You can do it, Danno. Steve stared back unseeingly as the engine roared to life. All the while, he kept his sight trained on Chin in the front seat. His ex-teammate, his ex-partner, his friend. Come on, Chin. Steve said a silent prayer. Come through for us. I know you can do it.

Then the car jerked forward in motion, and the whole nightmarish week continued spiraling towards its culminating end.


"Number 5, step forward please."

Kono swallowed. She stepped off the platform, gripping her number plate with numb fingers. There, in the cold dark lineup room, there was no Chin Ho to keep her grounded, no Danny to come to her rescue, and no Steve to unconditionally protect her. No ohana.

For the first time in a long time, Kono felt undeniably and irrevocably alone.

A hot tear rimmed against Kono's lids. She let one trail down her cheek before she – angry and embarrassed with herself – wiped it away with the back of her hand.


"Alright, get him to mug shots."

Steve swallowed. Someone pushed him roughly from behind, towards the cherry doors. He followed absentmindedly.

Because for the first time in a long time, Steve didn't have a plan. Didn't have that lingering hope in the back of his mind that someone was on the way to save him. Sure, Danny said he'd figure things out, but there was nothing he could do right away. Sorting through the evidence could take ages.

For the first time in a long time, Steve felt undeniably and irrevocably alone.

He clenched his jaw so tightly it hurt. He found himself missing Kono.


Kono watched in a daze as Ahuna scribbled something onto his log. She hadn't spoken a word to him since her arrest at HQ.

"You're going to have to turn in your gun and badge pending an investigation," Ahuna was saying, not looking up at her. "Miss Kalakaua." He emphasized the change in title to strike his point home. No longer Officer.

Kono squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, reaching back to unhook her badge from her belt. As she did so, however, she felt someone watching her intently. She turned.


Steve froze dead in his tracks, mouth slightly parted in disbelief. What the – is that–?

He wasn't sure if it was his exhausted mind playing tricks on him or his overwhelming desire to see her making him hallucinate… because there was no way that Kono Kalakaua could be standing across from him, in the same room, in the same police station, at that same time. Right?

Steve frowned, his eyebrows almost permanently drawn together as he inspected the girl across the room, using the last of his mental reserve to will her to turn around.

Same shoulder-length hair, same peach tank top that always hung ever so slightly off her tall thin frame, same endlessly long legs that ended in the same nervously shuffling Toms. No… that's definitely Kono. But what – why –

Then, as if right on cue, Kono happened to turn in Steve's direction, her face finally exposed from behind her dark sheet of hair.

She spotted him instantly.

For the long while that followed, they both seemed frozen in time. The rest of the station faded out. As if rooted to the spot they were in, they exchanged helpless glances of desperation.

It seemed like an eternity that Steve could only stand there staring back, stunned into knit-browed silence. Seeing Kono's pitiful expression – a mixture of guilt, confusion and fear – made his heart wrench. She looked so unnaturally small and vulnerable standing there that he wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms – to say or do something – anything.

The officer behind the camera said something, but Steve barely noticed.

All he could focus on then was the fact that the girl he loved was currently standing across the room, needing him. And he needed her too.

Steve didn't even want to question what exactly Kono was in for. His eyes hungrily raced over every detail of her face, heart sinking at the sight of the sorrow in her eyes. The playful glint that usually inhabited them was gone, replaced by haunting guilt. Steve felt his heart plummet even more. I'm going to get you out of this, Kono. Whatever this is. I promise.

"I said – turn and face the camera," the officer warned again.

Steve blinked out of his reverie. Still in a daze, he nodded stiffly and turned.

The ensuing camera flash left eruptions of light behind his eyelids. When he looked back in Kono's direction again, she was gone.


They passed again in the holding room. Steve was slumped on a bench against the wall, propped up by his elbows on his knees and hands resting wearily against his forehead. His handling officer was filling out paperwork behind the counter.

Kono walked in warily, barely even acknowledging her officer when he roughly instructed her to have a seat. All she could see now was the familiar man in black on the bench. She stopped short in the doorway.

"Steve." Her voice trembled in a shaky mix of apprehension and happiness.

Steve's head shot up instantly. "Kono." He quickly climbed to his feet and crossed the room in two easy strides. "Oh my God. Kono."

Kono felt warmth wash over her as their bodies met, as Steve's arms encompassed her, as he breathed her name again into her hair. Despite everything they'd been through, his embrace remained strong, and still made Kono feel as secure and safe as always. For a wonderfully fleeting second, Kono allowed herself to close her eyes and forget where she was. We're far, far away… She thought of crashing waves and pineapples.

Then Steve released her, his hands moving to her face. In one swift motion, he gently pushed her hair out of the way, tilted her chin up in his hands. "What happened?" he asked, blazing blue eyes bearing into hers. "Are you okay? Tell me who did this."

"I'm fine," Kono replied, placing her hands over Steve's and attempting a smile. It was the first full sentence she'd spoken since she'd entered the station. "I'm fine. I'm just, uh, under investigation." She glanced quickly at her guiding officer, who had been eyeing the two of them carefully. He shook his head once in warning.

"We can't talk about it right now," Kono replied, eyes dropping to the floor. "Steve. I'm so sorry."

"Forget that, forget that," he cut her off sharply. "So you're just under investigation? You're not going to jail, right?"

"Right." Not yet, at least.

"Oh God." Steve's face collapsed with relief, and he wrapped his arms around her again, this time giving her a long, heavy kiss that left Kono a little breathless.

"But." She finally whispered against his lips, her eyes still closed.

"But what?" he whispered back.

"They might."

"Might what?"

"Put me in jail."

At this, Steve stiffened and slowly pulled away. He shot the uniformed officers a cursory glance, then turned carefully so that the guards couldn't see them talking.

When their faces were hidden from sight, Steve leaned in close to Kono again. "This is about the asset forfeiture locker, isn't it?"

Kono gave a tiny nod. "Turns out there was a witness."

Steve groaned sharply. He looked exhausted. "Not the old woman."

"Bingo."

"Shit."

They pulled apart again. Steve paced around once in a circle, hand to his mouth.

Kono watched him with concern on her face. "Steve, please don't worry about me," she insisted. Instead, she took a deep breath and took a seat on the bench. "What happened with you?"

Steve stopped pacing. "They think I killed the governor."

His voice echoed loudly in the ensuing silence. The officers filling out paperwork looked up, glaring, but didn't say anything.

Kono was stunned. "What? Jameson's dead?"

"Yeah. And Wo Fat killed her."

"Oh God."

"There was no one on the property when HPD arrived. And he'd just discharged my gun. "

Kono felt bile rise in her throat. What do I possibly say to that? She looked down at her hands in disbelief. "But you couldn't have. I – I believe you."

Steve laughed derisively. "Yeah. Well. Tell that to your cousin."

At this, Kono's face paled. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. "No," she croaked dangerously, her vocal chords suddenly devoid of all function. "Don't – don't tell me Chin was reinstated."

"Cuffed me and threw me in the back of the car himself."

There was a long silence.

Kono looked up at Steve, wide eyes silently pleading with him to tell her that this was all a joke. What the hell is happening to our team?

He gazed back down at her, eyebrows raised and blank-faced. Then, suddenly, he angled his head slightly to the left, nodded, then looked away.

Wait… what? Kono narrowed her eyes into the distance, her heart picking up pace. Her thoughts instantly returned to the day (it seemed like ages ago) that she went undercover at the Madame's. Steve had used that exact signal when he'd found her – tilt left, nod once, wink. To let me know everything was going to be all right.

Possibilities immediately began racing through Kono's head. Did Chin take his old HPD spot back to be able to help us from the inside? If he did… maybe we do have a chance after all. But how long would that take?

Wearily, Kono drew her legs onto the bench and draped her arms over her knees. She exhaled heavily, the stress of the day evident in her shuddering sigh.

Steve stood there a long while, gazing down sadly at his distraught teammate.

Finally, he pushed himself off of the counter where he was leaning and sat down next to Kono, wrapping an arm around her. She turned a bleary eye towards him and smiled. And they sat like that, in each other's arms, for a long time – until both of their heart rates returned to normal.

Steve tilted his head to find Kono's eye, his face serious. "Kono." He brought his face close to hers, so that his lips brushed lightly against her cheek. "Hey. I'm sorry you were put into danger today."

Kono looked up. She recognized these words – as if they were something out of a long-lost dream.

Steve continued in the same low voice, "We care for each other like a family, so please know we'll always do everything we can to protect you."

Kono laughed softly, and the hot tears that she had managed to hold back all day finally broke through the front lines, silently spilling over her lashes and unabashedly down her cheeks.

She remembered that day so clearly – when her days with 5-0 were just beginning, when she was still on the brink of some of the most exciting times of her life, when she knew almost blissfully nothing about the Yakuza or of Wo Fat.

Or of Steve McGarrett.

And Steve had told her the same phrase that day – standing in front of her in his crisp Navy uniform and hat tucked under his arm, his eyes locked as intensely on hers as they were now. It dawned on Kono; from then at the very beginning, through everything they had been through in between, and finally here at the end of it all – Steve had always been there. Always standing there in front of her, keeping the promise he'd made her that day.

Then Kono remembered being held hostage by the Russians that day, how anxious she'd felt handcuffed to that chair and constantly toeing the line being life and death, how there were moments when she'd started to doubt that she would get out of there alive. She and Steve had gotten out of it then.

And we're going to get out of this now.

She smiled as Steve wiped a tear off of her cheek, his laser-focused gaze so insistently trained on her that it seemed like she was the only thing in the world he could see.

Kono placed a palm on his warm cheek and kissed him lightly on the lips. "We're going to get out of this," she repeated aloud, softly.

"That's right." Steve kissed her back, the tension in his furrowed brow finally easing a little. "That's right. That's my girl." He rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Steve McGarrett?"

Kono and Steve looked up simultaneously at the HPD officer who had walked over. The small Asian woman, with her hair pulled back into a bun and a kinder face than most, almost looked sorry at having to interrupt.

"Yeah."

"Your paperwork is complete. Can you come with me?"

Steve's head whirled back around to face Kono as the officer helped pull Steve to his feet. His eyes were wide with regret.

No. Don't leave, Kono wanted to say, but didn't. Don't leave.

Instead, Kono only got to her feet too, folding her arms and giving Steve a small, grim smile. "Don't worry, Boss," she said, in a brave attempt at keeping her voice from shaking. And even though 5-0 was disbanded, she couldn't seem to drop the long-time term of endearment. "Danny and I will figure this out. You'll see us again soon."

Steve nodded, the muscles in his face tensing as he clenched his jaw. He opened his mouth to say something, but the officer was already leading him away.

And then, with a final disappearance around the corner, Steve McGarrett was gone.


(A/N) AHH! How was it? Do you hate me? I hope you don't, and that you liked it. haha. Please feel free to let me know what you thought! I'm thinking about a sequel when Season 2 starts up or maybe a happy epilogue chapter to wrap this fic up when our favorite couple finally gets out of trouble (and you know they will :]). So once again, it was absolutely amazing writing for you guys. Thank you AGAIN for reading this and sticking with me through all of this... words can't express how much I appreciate you all. See you in the fall!