A/N: First off, I am so sorry for being a total jerk and making you all wait for this chapter. I won't bother with excuses; real life happened, the end. Secondly, thank you guys so so much for all of the awesome reviews! I was even more of a jerk not replying to all of them, but I guarantee you I cherished every single one of them. I read them over and over trying to get myself psyched up to finish this chapter.

WARNINGS and SUMMARY at the bottom if you'd rather skip the more icky parts.

Without further ado, a very Steve-centric chapter and we find out what Santos' real story is.

CHAPTER 9

"Just sleep off my daughter's death, pretend it never happened!? That would be so perfect for you, wouldn't it! You'd love that, wouldn't you! You might be able to pretend it never happened! Lock it up with all of the other horrible murders you've committed! Hell, you probably enjoy it by now you sick bastard!"

Danny's voice echoed in his head. But this was not his friend, Danno. This was the angry, drunk Danny from his nightmare. Why did he have to go through this again?

"It's my fault, Danny."

His own voice now, playing back like the worst home video ever.

"Say it again! SAY IT AGAIN!"

"IT'S MY FAULT THAT GRACE IS DEAD!"

Steve watched the scene play out in his mind. Danny, distraught and grieving, pounding Steve into his living room floor. There was so much blood. His blood. Danny's fists were covered in it. His own face was unrecognizable.

Just at the point that Steve remembered passing out, thinking that he would die there on his living room floor at the hand of his best friend, the front door slammed open and the cavalry arrived. Lou barged in first and manhandled Danny away from the pathetic form of Steve on the ground. Chin and Kono ran to his side, Kono letting out a gasp at the gruesome scene before her.

"Pulse is weak!" Chin called out to no one in particular. "Kono, call an ambulance."

Lou couldn't worry about Steve at the moment as he was too busy trying to wrangle Danny, who still had a mind to continue beating his friend to death. None of his methods were working until he slammed a huge fist into Danny's face. That stopped the shorter man on a dime, but didn't result in the outcome the team, or Steve, had been hoping for.

"He deserves what he got!" Danny started ranting and yelling again, still trying to manhandle his way back to Steve. "He killed Grace! He admitted it was his fault. I hope the bastard dies a slow, painful death!"

"Danny, you don't mean that?" Kono asked, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

"I do! I definitely do! He's killed so many people! It never struck me that we'd been hanging out with a murderer all these years!"

Danny continued to yell and scream to the shock of his teammates while Lou held him back. The ambulance arrived and Danny kept up his tirade and litany of obscenities despite the commotion. If anything, all the concern and attention for his former partner angered him more.

It was weird, Steve knew that he was watching his own hallucination. But that still didn't make Danny's words hurt any less. He heard and internalized every one, and recognized the basis in truth.

Steve had killed a lot of people. Sure, some were sanctioned missions, and some not-so-sanctioned. There were hits, and secret tasks and all manner of classified actions. But they were for the greater good, right? He was taking out bad people. He was making the world a better place. Right?

Of course you always try to make the world a better place, SuperSEAL. It's in your DNA, babe.

'Danno?'

Of course it's me, who else would it be? Didn't expect you to be back so soon. You okay, Steve?

'Yeah, yeah I think so,' Steve responded, wondering what the hell was going on. He hadn't hallucinated. Not really.

What did you see, Steven? Are you okay? Tell me, babe.

'I – uh, nothing. Just – just the same thing, I think.'

You think? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

'I dunno, Danny. It was like the same thing, but different. I think something's wrong, something's off,' Steve replied as he tried to figure out the puzzle. As he strained his mind to try and determine what was different, he started to feel dizzy again.

Whoa, Steven? You okay there, big guy?

"Dunno. Feels… weird.' Steve's head started to drop back to his chest as his headache spiked and talking became difficult. He didn't hear the rest of Danny's pleas.

Steve opened his eyes, but instead of seeing the blackness of a hood he saw the overwhelming white of what must be a hospital. He winced and shut his eyes tight against the brightness.

"Commander McGarrett? Sir, can you hear me?"

"Huh?" Steve tried to say, but it came out as something between a moan and an unintelligible grunt.

"Its okay, Commander. You're not going to be able to speak for some time. Your jaw was broken in several places."

Steve turned his focus inward as he heard the nurse start to detail his injuries: a broken nose, jaw, cheek and a concussion. He could feel every one. He tried to open his mouth, but was met with resistance and pain. He squeezed his eyes shut to block it out, which only made his headache come to the forefront.

"Commander? Commander, are you alright?" The nurse sounded concerned. Steve wondered why she was even bothering to ask him questions when he couldn't speak. He tried anyway, already forgetting his limitations.

"Wrrrgh."

"Here. Maybe this will help."

A pen and pad of paper was placed in his lap. Steve looked at it dumbly for a minute before understanding what he was supposed to do. He didn't realized how much moving his head even a fraction was going to hurt and another groan escaped as he looked down to his lap to grab the pen and paper. After taking a few seconds to grab the pen securely he scribbled 'water' onto the paper. Funny, it didn't really look like his handwriting. But then again, his eyes were barely open to slits and everything was a little fuzzy.

"Of course, Commander. Here's the straw," she said as she guided it to his lips.

Even moving his lips hurt. But he was thirsty. He pulled a couple of sips through the straw, but then the pain won out and he gave up even though he was still thirsty. He had other questions he wanted to ask.

'Team?'

"Your team? No one has been by since you were admitted two days ago, Commander."

No one?

Two days?

But, they had supported him after Gracie's funeral. They had rescued him from his raging partner. There was always someone by his bedside when he woke up, even when it was against hospital policy. There was always someone there for anyone on the team. They were ohana…weren't they?

His growing pain and confusion must have been obvious to the nurse, who spoke up. "A Mr. Grover called to check on you after you were brought in. We informed him that you wouldn't be awake and coherent for at least three days, so this is a pleasant surprise, Commander. You're doing very well," she added brightly, as if that was supposed to make him feel better.

His team had abandoned him.

But, maybe they were on another case and couldn't stop by. After all, they were now down two men. Yeah, that had to be it! They were just busy. There was no other reason that they would leave him to wake up in the hospital alone, especially after everything that had happened recently.

Now, with the assumption that his team was busy, he wrote another word on the pad of paper: 'computer'.

"Oh, I don't think so, Commander. You are still suffering from a moderate concussion. You need to rest your eyes, and your brain. Why don't you give me the pen and paper and go back to sleep? We'll see about that computer in another day or two, okay?" she asked with a sickeningly polite tone as she took the pen and paper from his hands. Steve didn't want to give up his only means of communication, but he was so weak and tired that his little bit of resistance went completely unnoticed. He closed his eyes in frustration and listened to the nurse exit the room. Having nothing better to do, he blocked out his most frustrating thoughts and willed himself to fall asleep. He swore he could hear Danny's voice yelling at him from the depths of his own mind, but considering their last interaction he decided to ignore it.

… … …

"Gracie, baby? It's Danno. Can you hear me?" After the brief excitement of Grace squeezing Kono's hand, Danny felt terrified and nervous to finally speak to his daughter. What would she remember? What wouldn't she?

"D-nn," Grace mumbled as she turned her head toward her father's voice.

"That's it, Monkey. Open your eyes." Danny was oblivious to Rachel's vice grip on his shoulder, to Amber standing awkwardly off to the side but with a tentative smile on her face, and to Kono's statement about going to find the doctor. All he could see were the beautiful brown eyes that opened up to meet his.

"Hey, Gracie. How're you feeling, baby?" Danny had a tight hold on her small right hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hursss, Dnnno," Grace's mumbled words cut right to Danny's heart. He couldn't think of anything to say.

"Gracie, honey, it's okay. The doctor will be here soon," Rachel's gentle voice drifted from over his shoulder.

Danny had no idea what to do until the doctor arrived, so he just held Grace's hand tighter and spoke soothingly, brushing her hair out of her face.

A woman Danny had never seen before showed up wearing scrubs and the stereotypical white coat. Kono trailed a few steps behind.

"Hello there. I'm Doctor Koning, Grace's neurologist. You must be her father, Danny Williams." The petite blonde woman held out her hand confidently.

Danny looked down at the offered hand, then back at his hands folded around his daughter's smaller one. He had no intention of letting go anytime soon. "Um, it's nice to meet you, Doc," he stated sincerely despite his rudeness.

Doctor Koning flashed him an understanding smile before switching her focus to her young patient. "And Miss Grace, how are you feeling right now?" The doctor didn't seem too interested in waiting for an answer, and none was forthcoming as Grace seemed to have fallen asleep again. She moved swiftly to Grace's left side and took hold of her other hand. Danny was still unwilling to relinquish his connection to the other.

"C'mon now, Grace. Let me see those beautiful brown eyes," the doctor tried again. She looked over at Danny and Rachel and gave them a small nod.

"Gracie, honey, open your eyes," Rachel commanded gently.

"Hey, Monkey? The nice doctor came all this way just to talk to you." Rachel gave him a judgmental look that was quickly replaced by a smile when Grace opened her eyes again.

"Mmmm? Dannnn-?"

"Yeah, Monkey. It's Mom and Danno. We're here. Now, I need you to do what the nice doctor says, okay?"

"…'kay," came the delayed reply. Danny looked over at Doctor Koning, but the blonde woman was already focused back on Grace.

Everything's gonna be alright, Danno.

Danny smiled at Steve's voice in his head, and for once actually believed it to be the truth. He watched patiently while Grace squeezed the doctor's hand and answered all of her questions. He was dismayed that his daughter sounded so weak and confused, and that she spoke so slowly and seemed to struggle to find the right words. But he still believed Steve; it was going to be alright.

The doctor finished her tests and said she would come back later to discuss everything with them, but for now they should talk to Grace and make her feel comfortable and safe. The four adults were reassured that Grace was doing very well.

Danny was surprised when a chair hit the back of his knees and he fell backwards into it. He looked behind him to see Amber with a smile on her face.

"Talk to her, Danny. I'll see you again soon, okay? Keep me updated."

"No, Amber, you don't have to leave," Danny got up from the chair and finally relinquished his hold on Grace's hand.

"It's okay, I don't want to intrude," Amber said, looking increasingly uncomfortable. Danny glanced back to Rachel who had taken over his chair and his monopoly on Grace's hand.

"Please, Danny," she urged. "You and Rachel deserve this time with her. I don't want to be in the way. Just keep me updated, promise?"

"Of course," Danny immediately replied. "Amber, thank you so much for coming. It means a lot," he looked like he wanted to say more, but all of his attention was claimed by the next words that Grace said.

"Unc….Steeeeve?" Grace asked, looking right at her father.

Danny looked at Amber, terror in his eyes. He clearly hadn't been expecting this question so soon. He opened his mouth awkwardly but settled for squeezing Amber's hands before he turned back to the bed. Amber hovered in the doorway for a moment before exiting, feeling like such a stranger in this setting.

Danny only had eyes for his daughter as he squeezed her arm and leaned over her. "What's that, Monkey? You worried about Uncle Steve?" he asked with a false smile. "You know he's SuperSEAL and can take care of himself, silly."

Damn straight.

Danny didn't even try to respond to Steve's voice in his head, his entire focus on his daughter. He knew the SEAL would understand.

And Grace would not be deterred. "Buu…'s he…'kay?" she asked slowly and deliberately.

"Is he okay?" Danny repeated like a broken record. "What do you remember, Gracie?" No one knew how much or what Grace would remember from the accident, so this was quite a surprise. Danny was actually hoping that she would forget the whole thing and never have to relive it.

"Said," she gave a small cough before continuing. "Said to 'member…Danno lovesss m'..."

That was it.

His heart broke right there.

It caused such a collision of joy and sadness that Danny didn't know what to do.

Tears sprang to his eyes and didn't even wait for permission to start trailing down his face. He felt Rachel's hand on his forearm. For a moment his mind was completely filled with the implications of Grace's words.

His partner, his crazy Neanderthal, I-don't-need-emotions partner, had made sure that the last thing his daughter heard was that her Danno loved her.

God, he owed the man so much.

Don't owe me a thing, Danno. Now talk to her before she gets worried.

Danny gave a teary smile and finally choked out, "Of course he said that, Monkey. And you know why?" Danny paused and sniffled. "Cuz it's true. I love you more than anything in the whole world. And Uncle Steve's a smart guy, he knows it, too."

Grace gave a tired smile, the first one they'd seen since all of the drama started, and it warmed all their hearts. Rachel squeezed Danny's arm and Kono smiled broadly, giving Grace's other hand a gentle squeeze.

"Go ahead and rest if you're sleepy, Grace," Rachel finally spoke, watching her daughter carefully. "We'll be here when you wake up. We love you."

The smile lingered on Grace's face as her eyes closed and her breathing evened out.

The three of them sat there in silence for a few minutes. It could have been an hour for all Danny noticed. He finally looked over at Kono. "We have to find him, Kono. We have to."

"We will, Danny. We always do."

"I owe him everything. This is all my fault, and I owe him so much. I can't-"

"Danny," Kono interrupted forcefully. "We'll find him."

Danny gave a sad nod and didn't say anything else. There were really no words to express the torrent of emotions he was feeling right now, but above everything was an immense feeling of thankfulness. He was so grateful that Gracie was alive and here in front of him. He truly had the best partner in the world. He hoped that the universe would be kind enough to let him thank Steve in person. Now that he knew Gracie was on the mend, that was his greatest wish.

… … …

Steve spent two more days in the hospital as a lonely prisoner in his own mind. Nurses and doctors came and went, but he never asked about his team again. Finally, a doctor came in carrying a laptop under his arm.

"The nurses tell me you've been asking for a computer nonstop. Now we're going to have to lay down some ground rules," the doctor began. Steve listened carefully as he detailed time limits and warning signs that Steve had no intention of following. He nodded his head vigorously after the doctor had finished his speech and realized too late that it was a terrible idea. He closed his eyes tightly and held a hand to his head and the other to his stomach, willing the nausea away. He had absolutely no desire to experience vomiting through a mouth that was wired shut. They had been pumping him full of meds for just that reason.

When the doctor looked hesitant to give him the computer, Steve quickly straightened and schooled his face. With a large sigh the doctor handed over the prize.

"Remember the rules," he stated firmly. "If my nurses catch you breaking them, it'll be no more computer for the rest of your stay with us."

Steve nodded again, more carefully this time, as his fingers closed in on the precious laptop. He wasted no time in opening it up and accessing the internet to install the necessary programs. His eyes felt fatigued after about ten minutes and despite his enthusiasm he took a break and set the laptop aside.

Where was his team? He had been afraid to ask anyone about them because he was afraid of the answer that he would receive. This wasn't normal. It wasn't ohana. At least someone should have visited by now. But surely the nurses would have told him if he'd had a visitor.

Steve's headache dissipated and he grabbed the laptop again. The program had almost finished installing while he rested. With a loud beep that he hoped wouldn't attract the attention of the nursing staff it signaled that it was ready. He opened the secure communication program and waited for the one person he felt he could talk to right now to answer his call.

Catherine didn't disappoint. Steve had no idea what time it was in Afghanistan and didn't feel like figuring it out. All he cared about was the face on the screen in front of him. At Catherine's sharp intake of breath he realized he must look quite a sight and immediately typed a message to console her.

"It's nothing. Just a case gone sideways," he typed.

"Steve," she replied, concern in her voice. "What happened? Surely you weren't already back on duty?"

Damn. He forgot that Catherine knew about his capture by Wo Fat and Gracie's death that came soon after. Why didn't he remember that fact? He didn't actually remember telling her about it. Maybe he just couldn't remember right now.

"Um, Danny and I had a bit of a disagreement," he replied. It sounded lame and sarcastic and not at all helpful.

"Oh my god! Are you serious? Danny did this? Are you okay? Is Danny okay?" The questions came tumbling out of Catherine's mouth.

"idk Cath. I haven't spoken to my team at all. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I don't know what's going on with them."

"What do you mean you haven't spoken to your team? When did this happen, Steve?"

"At least four days ago."

"They haven't even stopped by? That doesn't make sense. What did you do, Steve?"

Steve was surprised to hear that. Catherine's accusation hurt, and he hoped it didn't show on his face. He didn't want to fight with her, the one person who would talk to him right now.

"Nothing. I didn't do anything, Cath. I don't know what's going on. But I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" she replied after a delay, taking time to read his text.

"It's kind of a big ask."

"What is it, Steve. Just tell me."

"Well, would you come back?"

Catherine read what he wrote, but didn't react at all. Steve waited a beat, then continued typing.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I don't know what's going on with my team right now, and I really need you here."

As Catherine read the words Steve watched her face closely. He didn't like the pity he could see developing in her eyes.

"Just for a little while. Please. I need your help, Cath. I need you." Steve knew he was bordering on begging, but he really didn't care. He felt completely alone and abandoned.

"Steve, I –" Cath started. His heart plummeted at the hesitation and sadness in her voice. "I can't leave right now. I'm – they need me here. I think I finally feel like I belong somewhere."

Steve just sat on the bed, his mind blank. His face probably reflected his shock, but he couldn't be bothered to care.

When Catherine didn't receive a typed reply, she continued. "I'm sure your team's just caught up in a case or something. You and Danny will work things out, you always do. I know it seems harder this time, and it is, but I know you'll get through it. You're strong, Steve," she finished lamely.

Steve still just sat, unmoving and unwilling to acknowledge the thoughts chasing around in his mind.

"I'm so sorry to hear about Gracie. I wish I could have come back, but-" she cut herself off, obviously not knowing how to finish that sentence. They sat in awkward silence for a while longer. Catherine not knowing what to say, and Steve not willing to say anything.

"Steve?" she finally asked.

"When will I see you again?" he typed.

"Steve, I – don't wait for me, okay?" Catherine's face held a look of sincere apology. Steve couldn't bear to look at it much longer. He sat still for what felt like five minutes, but was probably only one.

"Okay."

And then a moment later, "Aloha, Cath."

"I'm sorry, Steve. I'm really sorry." When Steve neglected to type anything back she replied, "Aloha, Steve. Take care of yourself."

Steve couldn't look at her for another second, the one person he had depended on to help him through this. He ended the video chat and closed the computer.

He knew it was a big ask. Catherine would have had to literally sneak back into the country, if she could even get out of Afghanistan safely. But that's how alone he felt, that's how much he needed someone to be with him right now. And now she was gone, maybe forever.

Don't wait for me, okay?

Was it really over? Could this really be the end of their relationship? Why did this have to happen now?

He wanted to throw the computer against the wall. He wanted to rage and shout and yell. But as soon as the emotions presented themselves, they were gone just as quickly. Steve felt so lost, so alone. He slowly set the computer on the bedside table and he just sat there.

He sat there without moving for a very long time. He barely even wanted to breathe. He replayed his conversation with Cath, then the abandonment of his team and the pain that had been in Danny's eyes: he started to dwell on all of the horrible things that had happened and he slowly broke down. Tears leaked out of his eyes and fell over his bruised, swollen cheeks.

Steve didn't even move.

He just sat there.

… … …

"Lou, heads up. We've got a video conference with one of Joe's favors in five minutes. Heard anything back from Ellie Clayton?"

"She checked in a few minutes ago. She hasn't been able to find anything useful from her contacts and she sounded really upset about it."

"Yeah, well, we all are," Chin replied unsympathetically.

Lou gave him a critical look. "That doesn't sound like the Chin Ho Kelly that I know. What's going on, man?"

"What's going on, Lou? Are you serious?" Chin looked up from the smart table angrily. "All of this shit just happened. We just got Steve back, okay. And now we're doing it all over again. That's what's going on."

"Yeah, Chin, I figured that part out. Now, why are you biting my head off about it?" Lou pushed back.

Chin deflated and took a moment to gather his thoughts. When he finally spoke it was uncharacteristically quiet. "How much more can we take, Lou? How much more can Steve take? Or Danny? This task force has done a lot of good, but we've all been through so much because of it. I lost my wife because of Five-0. My wife, Lou!" Chin quickly lost whatever steam he'd had. "Kono was in hiding for months, your daughter was kidnapped. Bad shit keeps happening, and I don't know how much more we can take."

Lou opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a beeping from the computer signaling that whoever Joe had connected them with was ready to talk. Lou closed his mouth and gave Chin a pointed look that clearly said they would continue this conversation later. Chin acknowledged the less-than-subtle glare and worked his magic with the computer until a video window appeared on the overhead screen.

"Hello. I'm Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly and this is Lou Grover. With whom are we speaking?"

The screen remained blank but the voice came through clearly. "I'm not at liberty to discuss my name or my whereabouts. I'm only talking to you because I owe Joe White a favor. You need information on a man named Santos?" The voice was male with some hint of a Hispanic accent.

"Yes, please. Our friend has been kidnapped by him, and Santos targeted the daughter of Danny Williams. All we understand from a sort of ransom phone call is that Santos is punishing Danny Williams for the murder of Marco Reyes." Chin glanced uncertainly at Lou to see if he wanted to add anything but the bigger man shook his head.

"Punish. You got that right. How much do you know about Marco Reyes and his cartel?"

"Pretty much nothing," Chin admitted.

"Jesus, what do you guys spend all your time doing on that island? Didn't anyone bother to see what kind of fallout your friends caused?" the disembodied voice chastised.

"We had a few things come up." Chin was starting to get frustrated and his thoughts returned to the conversation he had with Lou just prior to this judgmental conference call.

Lou stepped in at Chin's silence. "What happened? What do we need to know?"

"Jesus," the voice said again, sounding exasperated. "Jesus," the man repeated. Chin and Lou waited patiently for the cocky asshole to continue his explanation. "After Marco Reyes was killed, there was a power gap to fill. And it got filled pretty quickly. Juan Carlos Santos was Reyes' right-hand man, but he was crap for taking over the business. Didn't have it in him. No one really knows why he was so close to Reyes in the first place. But Santos stepped up anyway and tried keeping business as usual. Of course, he had to find out who had wasted his friend, that was the first order of business, had to show he wasn't weak." Chin and Lou looked at each other, not liking where this was going.

"Anyway, he failed pretty spectacularly at that. He was asked to step down, multiple times. Which is weirdly polite for a cartel, right? Well, when Santos refused, things got…nasty."

"What do you mean, nasty?" Lou prodded after the man didn't continue.

"Nasty as in his rivals kidnapped his family and killed his 8-year-old son as incentive to step down."

Chin threw Lou a concerned look, which Lou returned tenfold. No one liked it when kids or families got dragged into this stuff.

"I have a feeling you're not going to tell us that he stepped down and that was the end of it?" Lou asked, his voice hopeful despite his words.

"Not a chance, man. Shit hit the fan. Santos went ballistic. Not totally crazy, but people close to him started to keep their distance, didn't want to be associated with him anymore. He tried to get his wife and daughter back, but like I said, he wasn't the right material for this job. Let's just say he fucked that up pretty spectacularly as well. They killed his wife next, and then they…" The man's voice stuttered and the two teammates could hear him take a deep breath. So far this man had been arrogant and cold-blooded. Whatever made him hesitant was incredibly concerning to the two men listening on the other end. "They raped his daughter almost to death. But they left her alive and gave her back to Santos. She's still alive, but Santos…he lost his shit, man. He was done for. No one heard from him after that."

"So no one knew he was in Hawaii? No one can tell us how he found out about Danny or anyone he may have contacted here on the island? Any known associates?" Chin was grasping at straws, any information might be useful.

"Not a clue, man. That's not what I called for. Joe said you needed to know who this guy was, what made him tick. That's all I got. He fell off the map, the cartel didn't even care about him anymore, so neither did anyone else."

Chin looked at Lou, who seemed to be frozen in place and leaning heavily on the smart table for support. "There's nothing else you can tell us?"

"That's the whole story. Um, good luck finding your friend," the man added awkwardly before the call abruptly disconnected.

"Fuck, Lou," Chin exhaled. When he didn't receive any sort of acknowledgment of his statement he looked up and asked, "Lou, you alright?"

Lou sucked in a deep breath and then met Chin's eyes. "No, man. No. I am not alright. Losing your family like that, it's my worst nightmare. If that ever happened to Samantha -"

"Don't go there, Lou," Chin commanded. After a beat he asked, "Now, what the hell are we supposed to do with this information? How does it help us?"

"I don't know, man. I feel like we're too close to this. I don't think I can look at any of this objectively anymore. Is that why the bastard wanted Grace? Is that what…?" Lou trailed off, not even willing to finish his thought.

Instead of reprimanding him again, Chin was distracted by someone entering the Five-0 bullpen. Lou watched as the Hawaiian's jaw went slack in surprise, but when he turned to look at their visitor he had no idea who he was looking at. He did notice that she didn't have a visitors badge on and that it was after regular business hours. How did she even get in here? Who was she?

Chin still hadn't said a word, his normal Zen-like calm completely obliterated after the conversation they'd just had with Joe's contact. Lou wasn't feeling any better and was frustrated by the lack of information he was currently getting. Just as he was about to speak up, Chin finally woke up from his shock.

"Lori!?" he asked incredulously. "Wha-? How? What are you doing here?"

"Chin, it's so good to see you." She walked right up to the man and hugged him, but he was still stiff with confusion, and Lou still didn't understand what was going on. "The Governor called, said there was a situation and that you were a few men short. He didn't explain anything, just told me to take an extended leave of absence and get on the first flight here."

"But when did he – I've been updating him, but – why wouldn't he have let me know?" Chin asked, dumbfounded while he fished in his back pocket for his phone. He looked at it for a few seconds before a small, "Oh," escaped his lips. Lori looked concerned now, not accustomed to seeing the stoic man so shaken. Lou was getting more frustrated by the minute.

"I'm sorry to be rude, but who are you?" he asked bluntly.

Chin and Lori shared a look before Lori stuck out her hand, "Lori Weston. I was on Five-0 a few years ago. The Governor obviously thought you might need me around, although why he chose to keep me in the dark is beyond me. So, what's going on? Where is everyone?" She was rapidly picking up on the tension in the room and the fact that something was very, very wrong.

"Lou Grover," he replied as he shook Lori's hand. "Heard plenty about you. We, uh," he glanced at Chin who didn't look like he would be forthcoming, "we just got some pretty disturbing news. There's a lot to catch you up on."

"Well, we probably don't have any time to waste. So please, cut the bullshit and tell me what the hell is going on."

… …. …

Babe? You back with me? Steven?

'Yeah, 'm here, Danny.'

What's wrong? What did you see? How are you feeling?

'Hey, one at a time. My head's killin' me.' Steve was still trying to wrap his mind around his last hallucination. Something seemed so familiar about it, but he just couldn't figure out what it was. His headache was also rapidly turning into a painful migraine which was making it hard to think.

Right. Sorry.

'Cath…team?' Steve mumbled in his mind as memories came back to him and his migraine got worse.

What's that, Steve? You're not making any sense, babe.

'I can't…' Steve tried to articulate his thoughts, but he was becoming more confused the longer he was awake. 'Where…? Wo Fat, Danny! What's going on?'

Hey, settle down, babe. Wo Fat's dead, remember?

'Dead?' Steve couldn't remember. Hadn't he just been in the hospital? Why couldn't he see anything? Where was Cath? Hadn't he just been talking to her?

Before Danny-in-his-head could explain anything else to him the door creaked open ominously and footsteps flooded the room. The sounds and echoes seemed unbearably loud to Steve and he cried out in pain as his migraine became even worse and his cry soon turned into a painful coughing fit. He was becoming increasingly disoriented. Why was he tied to a chair? What the hell was this?

"Capitán. It seems you are not faring well, yes?

Whose voice was that? He didn't recognize it. It didn't sound like Wo Fat.

"Who-?" Steve tried to speak but ended up coughing again. Why did his chest hurt so much?

"Oh, come now, Capitán. Surely you have not forgotten me? I need you to know why this is happening. We cannot have you forgetting. Maybe this will help you remember."

Steve only had a moment longer to ponder the strangely accented voice before 10,000 volts of electricity hit him in the gut.

He was completely unprepared. His jaw locked up. He sat up rigidly in the chair. His wrists and ankles pulled against the restraints. He couldn't breathe. He arched his neck back until he felt it would snap. The pain kept building. It wouldn't let him go. He could smell his flesh burning.

And then it was over. He struggled to breathe despite the waves of pain still coursing through him.

His mind remembered another time, another situation.

"I don't know…where…your f-father…is," he slurred, hoping for a reprieve.

Words were spoken in another language and before he was ready he was hit with the cattle prod again.

Every muscle strained to its limit. He wanted to shout his pain but couldn't find his voice. It hurt so much. Blood filled his mouth. Why was this happening? What did Wo Fat expect? His thoughts were beginning to white out. What had before been just a migraine was unlike any pain he'd ever experienced.

Just hang in there, Steve! It's almost over!

Danny? Why was Danny here? No! He had to keep Wo Fat from hurting Danny!

The cattle prod was removed and Steve slumped over in the chair. Everything hurt.

Someone said something. A voice, taunting. Steve's thoughts short-circuited and he spat out the first thing that came to his mind.

"She's not… your mother!" he yelled, his voice thick with disgust and horror.

He began to cough again and this time it wouldn't let up. He lost touch with what was happening around him for a few minutes until he was finally able to drag air into his abused lungs.

Babe, it isn't Wo Fat! He's dead, okay, you killed him. Santos! This is Santos, remember?

Santos? Who the hell was Santos? Why was Danny here? What did Wo Fat want with Danny? Steve's thoughts circled around each other as his mind tripped over the conflicting realities. Wo Fat dead? That didn't make any sense! The man was torturing him. Right now. That was impossible.

"Of what are you speaking, Capitán? You must have me mistaken with someone else."

Men were speaking to each other in a language that Steve didn't understand. Something was happening. Someone was angry.

C'mon, babe. Don't you remember? You killed the bastard. Wo Fat is dead! Don't you trust me, Steven? He's gone. He's dead and you killed him. He can't hurt you again, babe.

Where was Danny? What was he talking about? If Wo Fat was dead, then why was he still being tortured?

A gunshot startled Steve out of his confused thoughts. He heard a body drop. He could feel the tension in the air and was cognizant enough to know that silence was his best option right now. A man starting yelling again and Steve could hear footsteps scrambling away from him.

He squeezed his eyes shut and couldn't help the moan that escaped his mouth at the pain caused by all the excessive noise in addition to the gunshot still ringing in his ears.

"My apologies, Capitán. Apparently one of my men did not follow my instructions well. Do not worry. We will soon have the correct drugs." A single set of footsteps sounded their way toward the exit. "Besides, it will not be long now. You will not be my guest for much longer." A large metal door clanged shut and Steve winced as the sound cut right to his head.

Babe? You know what's going on? Steve?

'Wo Fat, Danny. It's Wo Fat!' Steve was so sure. Even though the accent was wrong. Even though he couldn't think clearly right now. He was certain that he was once again in Wo Fat's clutches.

But something Danny said came back to him. He'd killed Wo Fat. He trusted Danny. So Wo Fat had to be dead. But then what was happening? Why was he here? How could the man come back from the dead just to hurt him again? Why?

Why wasn't this nightmare over?

Oh, babe.

'Why, Danny? Why?' Steve felt so lost. He didn't understand what was going on. Now he remembered pulling the trigger, stopping to take a good look at the man as he lay on the wet floor, a perfect round hole in his forehead. But then the cattle prod of a few minutes ago leapt into his memory. He was being tortured by a dead man.

This pain should be over, but it wasn't.

It would never be.

As Steve tried to keep track of his own thoughts, a new smell assaulted his nostrils through the soiled cloth over his face.

Urine.

He must have pissed himself.

Steve hung his head in shame, even though there was no one there to see.

Babe, it's okay. It's not your fault. He had a fucking cattle prod, okay! This would have happened to anyone, alright? Let it go, babe.

But Steve couldn't let it go. It was more than just pissing himself. It was that he had no control. He couldn't stop this. He couldn't do anything to stop what was happening to him. He was being tortured by Wo Fat again. It was all happening again. And he had no idea why!

He heard Danny's voice shouting at him and wondered again why the hell Danny was here. But he didn't listen. He just wanted to world to go away for a while. So he let his head fall to his chest while he sat in his own piss and blood and willed himself to fall asleep or pass out, whichever would be kind enough to come first.

… … …

TBC

Surprise, Lori's back! I hope nobody hates me for that (keep the flames semi-nice please?). It just made sense to me, being down three guys. Chin and Lou were getting hit pretty hard and I thought they needed some help. Don't worry, she's not here as a love interest, just a friend who knows the way things work.

I also hope Grace/Danny's scene was okay. I think that scene was the reason I avoided writing this chapter for so long.

WARNINGS: Beware the cattle prod! Also, BRIEF mentions of raping and murdering children (Someone mentioned that cartel members are completely heartless, I agree)

SUMMARY (Steve's third scene): Santos continues to follow Wo Fat's methods and uses the cattle prod on Steve. Something is a bit off with the drugs and Steve keeps thinking that Santos is Wo Fat. Santos shoots one of his men and tells Steve that he'll be getting the correct drugs, and that this will all be over soon. Steve is left confused, still thinking that this is Wo Fat torturing him, back from the dead. He ignores Danny's voice and wills himself to pass out just so that he doesn't have to be awake and live through his nightmare any longer.