So sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I got involved in a new fandom, some of you may have heard of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (it's my new obsession), and my sister has been demanding that I write some stories about it. Also, I have been writing an original piece and that's been taking more time than I thought. On top of those two things, I have also been working two jobs so most of the time I'm too tired to do anything. However, those things are not excuses for the amount of time I've neglected this. I just hope that you guys can forgive me.

But I digress, here is the final chapter. It seems that the longest any of my stories will be is 16 chapters because that is the longest they have been so far. However, who knows what the future holds. Someday, maybe I'll write a 17 chapter fic. :)

I apologize in advance if this episode is weird or overly bromantic or whatever else it could possibly be. I wrote this chapter over the span of a few months, so I had to keep rereading it to make sure that it made some semblance of sense. Also, this last season didn't really help in the way of bromantic inspiration. It was pretty pitiful.

However, you guys are here to hear me complain and apologize and whatever else I'm doing. You came to read!

ENJOY!

Steve looked up from the plate in his hand to look over at the couch in his living room. Enemy Mine was playing quietly in the background and Steve smiled at the peaceful facade that his partner was putting off.

Danny was snuggled under a blanket, not necessarily because he was cold but, because he simply liked blankets. The windows were open, the doctor recommending that he breath fresh air instead of recycled air. It was better for his respiratory system. Along with that, they also lived in Hawaii and there was no reason to turn on the air conditioning. Placing the final plate in the dishwasher and starting it, he walked quietly towards the living room accompanied by the gentle thrum of the kitchen machine. Sitting in the chair beside Danny, he listened to his partners even breathing, reminded of the way that it had been not 2 weeks ago.

There were a number of simple realities that Steve could not escape from. He had had no partner for almost a month now, seeing as his was injured. But the need for a partner had not risen, seeing as how he had not returned to work. Every time he went in for a physical with the doctor, while Danny was still in the hospital, Steve had made up some ache or pain that kept him out of police work. The thought of working without his best friend . . . his brother . . . It was an understatement to say that it was unimaginable to the NAVY Seal.

And Danny? Danny was still injured. Steve was reminded of that every morning when his partner moved too quickly and gasped in pain. The bruises that had been on his back and all over his body had turned into mere shadows, but the broken bones beneath took much longer to heal. The ribs that had been broken still hurt and Steve had to remind his partner every once in awhile to "breath deep, Danny" or "don't be stubborn, buddy. Take your pills". The "take your pills" comment happened a lot more than the "breath deep" one.

The times in the past few weeks when Steve had seen Danny's torso, he had been surprised at the number of scars that adorned his partner, and there was guilt when he realized that most of those scars were his own doing. Not necessarily his own doing, but they were because of him. They were there because of him, because Steve was constantly leading Danny into dangerous situations. In turn, Steve fought over whether to have Danny come back and work with him at all. The fear that he would literally be the death of Danny was growing by the day in his gut. Every time he saw the scars, he was reminded of how close it actually was, and he wouldn't be able to live without Danny. So, there were two options: work without Danny or live without Danny.

To say the situation was confusing would be an minimization. To say that it was tearing him up inside? A gross trivialization.

Steve put his head in his hands and fought for some kind of control, his eyes tearing up as he thought about either situation. He didn't know what he was going to do. I can't do anything without Danny. I can't work . . . I can't live.

"What's the matter, babe? You got aneurysm face." Steve looked up from his palms at his friend, smiling at the almost child-like way that Danny was peeking out from underneath the blanket.

In the past few weeks, the bantering had tapered off, at least for the time being. They were more sincere and honest. They were simply relishing in the mutual survival, in the truth that they had both survived and they were both going to be ok. Now, they were just gentle.

"Nothing, Danniel. Just thinking."

Danny nodded, pulling the blanket further away from his face. "Uh huh. 'Bout what?"

"Don't worry about it, Danno. It's trivial. It's nothing." Steve started to stand, but stopped when a hand came out from under the blanket and grabbed the side of Steve's sweat pant leg. Sighing, Steve removed the hand from his leg and held it as he sat back down, his entire body turned towards Danny. "I've been thinking, Danny. Maybe . . . Maybe you shouldn't . . . shouldn't come back to . . . to Five-O with me. Maybe you should go back to HPD." Steve couldn't look up from the ground even as he clutched onto his brothers hand like it was a lifeline and the only reason that he was breathing.

Danny didn't say anything for a few moments, reading the emotions that were plain on his partners face. "Why?" He didn't say anything else, knowing that Steve wasn't actually trying to get rid of him in the way that people would think.

Steve stuttered, searching for an answer, searching for a way that he could explain it to his partner without convincing him to stay. Danny always had a way of turning an opposing argument in his favor. He had a reasonable argument up until the moment when he looked at his partner, gazed into those blue eyes of his partner's that always had a way of stripping him bare. A tear leaked out of his eye without his permission and he found himself saying, "I can't, Danny."

"You can't what?" Danny asked, gripping Steve's hand tightly.

"I can't be the reason you die. I can't be the death of you. I can't do that, Danny." Steve said, laying himself bare to this man that he considered his brother.

Danny nodded, appreciating the trust that Steve put into him. He knew how hard it was for the Navy SEAL to open up and he appreciated the fact that Steve would do it for him. However, that did not stop him from sitting up, with the help of his partner, and looking the SEAL dead in the eye. There was only one way to get things across to his partner.

He had released his partner's hand when he moved, but now, he grabbed Steve's hand again with both of his, holding it tightly as he controlled his breathing. There was something that he needed to get across immediately, but his physical condition was making it hard. His strength was quickly waning and he felt that he would fall unconscious any moment without any warning.

"These past five years, Steve, have been . . . well, they've been interesting. I don't know how else to describe it. I've been shot, stabbed, crushed, and numerous other things. And, I admit, some of those things weren't your fault. One of those things is what happened down in that labyrinth. You had no control over that." Danny said, trying to look his friend in the eye.

Steve kept on avoiding his gaze and couldn't understand why Danny was saying this. "But you could've died trying to save me and then I would be faced with the reality that I had caused your death. I can't do that, Danny."

"And I can't cause your death, Steve!" Danny yelled back. Steve finally met his gaze and they spent the next 15 seconds simply staring at each other. Danny took a deep breath, pushing his discomfort to the side and focusing on his partner. "If I went back to the HPD, I wouldn't be able to watch your back. How do you think I would feel if you were injured and I wasn't there? Or worse . . . What if you died and I was sitting back at the HPD doing paperwork? I would die. It would kill me, babe. Maybe not literally, but in every other way that matters. Steve . . . Just like you can't be the death of you, I can't leave you, so please don't ask me to. The answer will always be no." Danny smiled gently, happy when Steve didn't break eye contact.

Snickering, looking away, and then returning to his partner's eyes, Steve said, "Can't blame a guy for trying, can you?"

Danny shook his head, giving the SEAL's hands one more firm squeeze before releasing them and sitting back into the cushions of the couch, wincing. "No, I can't."

Steve's eyes narrowed when he saw the wince and he quickly stood, grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen table and the orange bottle of pills that sat on the counter before returning to Danny's side. "Here, Danno. You really gotta stop fighting that."

Danny sighed, but took the pills and the glass from his partner, downing them in one swallow. Smiling as he held the glass in his hands, Danny looked up and repeated what Steve had said only minutes before. "Can't blame a guy for trying, can you?"

Steve stared at his partner, expression unreadable, until Danny put the glass of water on the table, and then his face crumpled and he fell to the couch next to Danny, engulfing his partner in a hug. Danny folded into his partner's embrace, savoring the heartbeat against his ear in the same way that Steve thanked the even breaths against his arm, which sat on Danny's back.

Steve was about to pull away when he realized that his Jersey native had gone limp. Panicking for a moment, Steve reacted by checking Danny's pulse and only then realized that his partner had fallen asleep.

Smiling down at his friend, Steve relaxed and leaned back against the couch, supporting his partner's healing body. Sleep claimed him quickly with his stomach full of warm food, the danger taken care of, and his brother cocooned safely in his arms.

How was it? I hope it was ok! Please tell me with a review! I'm gonna try to get better about updating and stuff, so please be patient. Those of you reading By the End of the Week, just hang in there. I haven't given up, I'm just facing a little bit of writers block for that story. So hang in there! I'll try to update But if you Must as well, since I haven't updated that one in a really long time, but I'm not sure when that will happen. I have a vacation coming up, which means a really long, like 2 day, car ride which means A LOT OF WRITING! Thanks for everything guys! Have a great rest of the week!