A/N: Here's my first attempt at a one shot. Be warned there's a couple of swear words, but nothing too shocking. Hope you enjoy it.

As always my thanks go to Phoebe for beta reading this. You make editing so much fun.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.

You Do The Math

"Steven, don't let go." Danny's expression was one of pure fear.

"I got you." Steve gritted his teeth, and dug his fingers deeper into Danny's arm.

"Did they see?" Danny closed his eyes momentarily as if praying for the right answer.

"No, not yet. We're the wrong side of the building, buddy." Steve wished he could go back in time. Trade places with his friend, so this never happened.

"I can't hold on much longer." Danny stared at his gloved hand, which seemed melded to the piece of rebar. Heated by the midday sun, it burned through to his skin.

"Yes, you can. Focus on me. I'm not gonna let go." Steve could see where his partner's concentration was focused. He knew that piece of metal was what stood between life and death.

"Shit I'm scared. I don't wanna die." Danny's tear filled eyes met Steve's.

"You are not gonna die, Danny."

Ten minutes earlier.

"Fuck this Steve. I'm out of ammo." Danny groused out as the partners took cover behind an air conditioning unit.

"I've got two rounds left." Steve replaced his clip.

"You had better make them count. I don't want to be fighting hand to hand after running up forty flights of stairs. My knee's killing me."

"You counted them?" Steve looked incredulously at Danny.

"No, you goof. It's a twenty story building. Two flights per stairwell." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Forty one."

"What?"

"You forgot the flight up to the roof."

Their conversation was interrupted by more gun shots. Steve returned fire, but only managing to clip the edge of the concrete structure shielding their perps.

"I thought I said make them count."

"They're out of ammo too. You take the tall lanky one on the left." Steve holstered his SIG.

"Gee thanks." Danny grabbed zip ties from Steve.

The two men broke their cover. Danny moved across the roof of the unfinished office building. The perp Steve had referred to stood opposite, and tossing his useless weapon to the ground, the guy moved towards Danny.

"Get down on the ground, hands behind your head." Danny stalked forward, his knee hurt and he was in no mood to play this guy's game.

The man defiantly continued his path towards Danny. "Now, you know that's not going to happen."

"Really. We gotta do this?" Danny sighed loudly.

"Bring it. Cop."

Danny ducked the first punch, and then slammed his fist into the guy's side. Wasting no time, Danny used a low leg sweep to send his opponent sprawling. With the guy on his stomach, Danny squatted down to secure his hands. As he went to place his knee in the small of the guy's back a fist swung wildly hitting him in the jaw, jerking his head back.

With his would-be captor momentarily dazed, the man took advantage. Moving too fast for Danny, he spun around and lunged, throwing him onto his back. Danny rolled onto his side to avoid the onslaught, breathing hard, head and knee screaming. It was in this moment that he noticed just how close they were to the edge of the roof.

The perp came at him again. Danny kicked at the guy's knee in an attempt to bring him down, but his aggressor's reflexes were too quick. He latched on to Danny's ankle. Danny thrust his foot at the guy trying to break free, but as if in slow motion he instead watched him loose his balance. One arm flailing he fell backwards, dragging Danny along the rough concrete surface.

Danny tried to hold on to something, but there was nothing - just loose dirt and fresh air. The ground was rabidly disappearing from under him. One arm scraped painfully along the rooftop, the other scrabbled for a life line. His stomach suddenly jumped into his throat as he ran out of real estate. Pulled over the edge, frightened eyes searched for something to save him, anything. At the very last second, he noticed a piece of rebar protruding from the side of the building and he grabbed it, stopping his descent. The resulting jolt sent a shockwave of excruciating pain through his back and shoulder. Everything froze for a few seconds, and the pair hung there in some twisted suspended animation.

Then, the hand holding his ankle in a vice like grip suddenly let go. He shuddered when he heard the sound of a distant thud below. Danny squeezed his eyes closed, chest tight with terror. For a second he couldn't breathe. Adrenaline pumped through his body, his heart pounding against his ribs, at last he found his voice, and yelled to his partner.

Steve had just finished securing his perp when he heard his name screamed from the other side of the roof. He scanned the area. No Danny. Fear pulsed through his body when his new reality punched him in the gut - His best friend had gone over the side. In a split second he was on the move, running at full pelt towards where he'd last seen his friend. He dove for the ground, kicking up dirt and dust as he slid to the edge. He grabbed Danny's upper arm, his hand still clinging to the rebar for dear life. His other hand hung by his side. The effort from trying to reach up taking it's toll.

"Give me your other hand." Steve's panicked cry caused two blue eyes to fly wide open.

"Can't." Danny's only response as he struggled to take in enough air.

"Daniel Williams. Take my hand. Now." Steve reached out. "That's an order."

Danny summoned his last dregs of strength, and reached for his partner. Steve let out a relieved breath when their fingers touched. With one last push forward, Steve clamped onto Danny's hand.

"I can't pull you up Danny. We need to hold on until Chin and Kono get here. Breathe through the pain, buddy. Me and you. We can do this."

Present time.

"I'm losing my grip on the rebar." Danny's face was lined with pain.

"Do not let go. You hear me." Seconds seemed to pass like minutes as Steve watched the empty service road below for the rest of his team.

"I can't...It hurts, babe."

"They see us. They're on their way. We can do this." Steve watched Chin and Kono almost stumble over the dead perp. Both immediately looking from the body up to where Danny was dangling.

Steve could only imagine what his partner was going through, the flesh on his own back and shoulders felt like it was being ripped apart.

"How long?" Danny seemed to rally with the knowledge that his friends would be there any minute.

"What do you mean how long?" Steve frowned.

"Two seconds per flight. Forty one. You do the math?"

"You're the one who minored in business."

"Not a test, you idiot." Danny huffed out a noisy exhale. "One minute, twenty two seconds."

Steve prayed his friend was right.

Present time. Stairwell.

"Go, go, faster Chin. Five...Six...Seven..." Kono was right behind Chin as they sped up the steps.

"Kono. You really have to count every flight." Chin used the handrail to propel himself around every corner and on to the next flight of stairs.

"Eight...Yes...Nine...We're not gonna make it in time."

"Yes we are. We have to."

"Ten..."

Present time. Rooftop.

"Do you think it'll hurt?" Danny sucked in another painful breath.

"Shut up, Danny."

"Or do you think I'll pass out on the way down?"

"Fuck. We are not having this conversation." Steve's voice was strained.

"I wonder what speed I'll be going when I hit the ground."

"I swear to God if you don't stop talking I'll let go."

"You're a SEAL. You should know."

"We use parachutes."

"I don't suppose you packed one." Danny let out a manic giggle.

"No Danno." Steve sighed heavily.

"Sixty meters. I reckon seventy miles per hour."

"Yes, you'll pass out."

There was a long pause, and the two friends held each others gazes.

"I'm sorry, babe." A single tear tracked down Danny's cheek.

"No. Don't you dare give up." Steve choked out.

"Look after Grace and -"

"That's your job brah." Chin hung over the side grabbing the back of Danny's tac vest, just at the moment Danny lost his grip on the rebar.

"We've got you, Danny." Kono helped pull Steve backwards.

The three team mates worked together to pull Danny back up onto the roof. Steve crawled to his friend's side. Danny lay flat on his back, staring blankly up at the sky.

"Danno, you okay?" Steve looked frantically down at his partner.

"I am now. But I think I may have developed a fear of falling."

"Acrophobia."

"No. It's not the same as fear of heights." Danny turned to look at Steve.

"They're one in the same."

"They're two different things my friend."

"When we get back to the office I'm looking it up."

"Google it all you want, babe. I know I'm right."

Chin sat down next to Kono and pulled her into his side. "Never a dull moment." Chin kissed the top of Kono's head.

Kono brushed a tear from her cheek. "Do you think we should interrupt them? I think our other perp is roasting in the sun."

Chin pushed up from the ground, and stood over Kono. He offered her his hand, which she gratefully received, pulling herself upright.

"No come on leave them. Let's get our guy downstairs, and send EMS up, so they can check Danny over."

Neither partner noticed the cousins leave. Danny sat up, and Steve started to check him over for injuries less evident than the cuts and grazes that covered both arms.

"Hey, watch the hair babe." Danny pushed Steve's hands away.

"I just want to be sure you haven't got an head injury."

"It's just my arms and upper back." Danny groaned when he tried to flex his shoulders.

"Yeah well I'm not surprised they hurt. You shouldn't have eaten that third coco puff on the way here." Steve grinned mischievously.

"Very funny, Steven. The steaks and beers are on you tonight."

"After what just happened, I'd buy you the whole cow." Steve slid his hand around the back of Danny's neck, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Let's not do this again."

"Dangling people off buildings was always your speciality." Danny smiled broadly. "Thanks babe."

"You're welcome, Danno."

~ the end ~