A/N: Although this is not my first attempt at writing a fanfic, this is my first attempt at sharing one. I hope you enjoy and like everyone else, I own nothing, just wishful thinking.

"Danny, you ready for our weekend camping trip?" Steve asks, as they walk out of the Five-0 office, locking up as they go.

"Yeah Steve, I just need to swing by my apartment, pick up my stuff and change. I'll meet you at your place," Danny answers.

"Okay Danny. See you Monday," Steve calls to Chin and Kono as they separate in the parking lot.

"See you, have a good time camping," Kono answers. With a wave to Chin and Kono, Danny climbs into his silver Camero and heads for his apartment. Steve climbs in his blue Silverado, follows Danny out of the parking lot and heads for his house to load up the truck. Unseen by any of them, a gray mustang pulls away from the curb and follows Danny. Steve finishes loading the camping gear in the truck and returns to the house to grab a couple of sodas from the fridge. Danny parks his Camero in the drive just as Steve exits the house, locking the door behind him. Danny tosses his bag in the back of the truck and they both climb into the cab, Steve handing Danny a soda as they buckle.

"What's the name of this place again?" Danny asks as Steve pulls out of the driveway.

"Mokuleia Forest Reserve," Steve answers, glancing over at his partner. "They have some great hiking trails off the camping area."

"What's with the face?" Danny asks as he pops open his soda.

"What face?" Steve grins.

"That face," Danny answers with a sigh.

"I like the no tie, t-shirt and jeans look," Steve grins, taking a drink of his own soda.

"Why would I wear a tie now, Steven, I'm not going to work," Danny retorts, waving his hand for emphasis.

"I know, but I really like the white t-shirt, black jeans look on you. Definitely better than your shirt & tie look," Steve tells him with a grin.

"Well, at least I own other clothes, it seems all you own is t-shirts and cargo pants," Danny ribs right back, too busy teasing, and not expecting trouble, to notice the car still following them.

"Hey, I have button-up shirts too," Steve says, indicating the light blue shirt he has over his t-shirt.

"Yeah," Danny answers, raising his eyebrows. After a somewhat lengthy, but beautiful drive, Steve pulls into the forest reserve, showing his camping permit to the on-duty Park Ranger. Steve continues to drive until they reach their camping area, where he parks the truck and they start unloading the camping gear. While Steve sets up the tent, Danny gathers firewood for later and sets out the sandwiches and chips that Kono fixed for their supper.

"How about a hike before it gets dark, Danny," Steve asks, throwing their supper trash into a nearby trash bin.

"Sure Steve, that's what we came for, isn't it?" Danny teases with a grin. Steve and Danny check the contents of their backpacks, tucking their guns inside also. "Let's go Super SEAL," Danny says, shouldering his backpack and standing up. "Which trail tonight?"

"I think we'll take Mokuleia Trail tonight and tomorrow we can go up the Mokuleia Access Road," Steve answers, adjusting his own pack on his back. As Steve and Danny head up the trail, they do not see the man following quietly in the shadows. Off to their right the mountain slopes gently upwards, covered by lush green trees and other vegetation, while off to the left there is a gradual slope downwards, also covered by vegetation. As they hike, Steve tells Danny about some of the hikes that he went on with his father, mother and sister. Danny is not surprised to learn that the McGarrett family hiked quite a bit. "Well Danny, we've been hiking almost an hour, how about a short break before we head back," Steve says, walking over to a grassy area near the trail and sitting down. Danny sits down beside him and they each pull a bottle of water from their packs.

"How much of the trail do you think we covered?" Danny asks after several minutes.

"Almost half of it," Steve answers, "but if we don't head back pretty soon, we'll be hiking in the dark."

"Okay Babe, let's go," Danny says, standing up and dusting off his jeans. But before Steve can respond a middle age man with black hair jumps from the bushes, pointing a gun at Danny and Steve.

"Don't move, cop, or I'll blow you away," he growls, glaring a Danny with wild brown eyes. "You either," he adds, glancing at Steve who is still seated on the ground to Danny's right.

"What do you want James?" Danny asks, recognizing the man he arrested nearly two years ago. "I thought you were in prison?"

"Thanks to you I was for nearly two years, but I'm not now, am I?" James sneered at him. "You just thought you could lock me up for good, but I'm out and now you are going to pay."

"What, like your wife did for what she supposedly did to you?" Danny retorts, glancing over at Steve while taking a small step away from him. Understanding the silent message from Danny, Steve waits for James to be sufficiently distracted by Danny so he can tackle him.

"You don't worry about Diana, she deserved everything she got," James growls. "And she will pay for turning against me."

"No one deserves to be beaten, James, no one," Danny tells him, slowly taking another step to his left and away from Steve. "You will stay away from her."

"She is MY wife, you cannot keep me away from her. I will take care of her after I am done with you."

"No, no, YOU will leave her alone, you will never hurt her again," Danny demands with a wave of his hand. Slowly he takes another step to his left. James stays so focused on Danny that it seems as if he has forgotten that Steve is even there.

"You cannot tell me what to do with my own property," James screeches, glaring at Danny.

"Your prop... she is not your property, James. People do not own other people," Danny retorts with an angry wave of both hands this time. Steve keeps his eyes focused on James waiting for the right moment, but that moment never comes because suddenly James decides that he no longer likes this game and he pulls the trigger.

"Danny!" Steve screams as he rushes James and sees Danny fall out of the corner of his eye. Steve's tackle causes both men to tumble down the slope, tangling in the bushes and flowers as they go. Suddenly they crash into a large tree and for a moment neither one moves. When Steve gets his breath back he checks on James and when he finds no pulse he quickly scrambles back up the slope to the trail to check on Danny. "Danny, Danny!" he calls, looking around. Steve follows a path of broken bushes down the slope just yards from where he rolled down and finds Danny tangled in a clump of bushes. "Danny!" he cries, skidding to a halt beside him and pushing away some of the bushes. "Danny, can you hear me?" he asks, gently rolling him onto his back to check for a pulse. He receives no response, but the steady beating of the pulse below his fingers. Steve quickly examines Danny, talking to himself as he goes, "gunshot wound to the abdomen, possible broken ribs, possible concussion, numerous abrasions. Danny?" he tries again, gently shaking his shoulder. This time he is rewarded with a groan. "That's it Danny, wake up Buddy," Steve says, brushing Danny's blond hair off his forehead.

"Steve," Danny whispers, slowly opening his pale blue eyes. "James?"

"He's dead, Danny, he broke his neck when we fell," Steve answers.

"You - okay?"

"Yeah, Danny, I'm okay, but I've got to get you out of here," Steve says. "It will be dark in about an hour."

"What - happened - to - your - arm?" Danny asks, glancing down at Steve's left forearm.

"I must have scratched it during the fall," Steve says, noticing the blood on his arm for the first time. "Do you think you can walk back up to the trail if I help you?"

"I - think - so," Danny answers, struggling to sit up.

"Hold on, let me help you," Steve cautions, gently helping Danny into a sitting position. "Okay now, up we go," Steve says, throwing Danny's arm over his shoulder and grabbing the back of his belt. Steve and Danny struggle to their feet.

"Give - me a - minute," Danny says, closing his eyes against the spinning world.

"You dizzy?" Steve asks.

"Yeah," Danny answers, clinging to Steve for balance.

"It's okay, I got you," Steve answers, helping to steady him.

"Okay - I'm - ready," Danny tells him, slowly opening his eyes. Step by step the two men make their way back up to the trail, by the time they get back to the top, Danny is weak and shaky and Steve is almost carrying him. Danny groans in agony as Steve gently lowers him to the grassy patch where they sat earlier.

"Just relax now Danny," Steve soothes as he grabs his backpack, searching inside for his large knife and the first aid kit. Carefully Steve cuts Danny's t-shirt open with the knife and uses their meager first aid kit to clean and bandage the laceration on Danny's head and the bullet hole in his abdomen. "Easy, Danny," Steve soothes, as Danny responds to the pressure Steve places on the gunshot wound.

"Steve."

"Easy Danny, I'm almost done."

"Unh," Danny groans, as Steve applies a little more pressure as he ties the gauze around the wound.

"I'm sorry, Danny, that's all now," Steve says, removing his button-up shirt and using it to wipe the sweat off Danny's face and chest.

"It's - okay - Steve," Danny mumbles softly, his eyes closed against the pain.

"Danny, you rest now, I'm going to see if I can make a travois to carry you down on. I'll be right back, okay?"

"K," Danny whispers, while keeping his eyes closed. Steve grabs his backpack once again and searches inside until he finds the rope and the blanket. Leaving the rope and blanket beside Danny he heads into the trees to find some small trees to use as the poles. After about twenty minutes, Steve has a crude, but workable travois with the blanket tied on it.

"Danny?" Steve says, kneeling beside him. "Danny, I've got to slide you onto this travois, okay?" Danny doesn't answer and Steve decides that maybe it is better to move him while he is unconscious because there is no easy or pain free way to do it. As gently as possible, Steve lifts Danny onto the travois, but the movement causes Danny to awaken, groaning in pain. "Easy Danny, the hard part is over," Steve soothes, wiping the sweat from Danny's face again.

"I'm - okay - Steve. Just - hurts," Danny murmurs, clutching his side and chest.

"I know, Danny," Steve responds, his blue eyes full of worry for his friend. He quickly packs up the remaining supplies, gathers the two backpacks and picks up the end of the travois before slowly walking back down the trail in the gathering dusk, pulling his wounded friend as gently as possible.

H

5

0

"Steve," Danny calls weakly. Steve stops walking and gently lowers the travois to the ground before kneeling on the dusty trail beside Danny.

"I'm here, Danny," Steve says, reaching out and brushing Danny's hair off his bandaged forehead, feeling his temperature as he does.

"Cold," Danny mumbles, his blue eyes bright with fever.

"I know, Danny, you've got a fever. I'll get the other blanket," Steve answers shrugging the backpacks off his shoulders. He gently checks Danny's wound, then covers him with the blanket. "How about a sip of water?" he asks. When Danny nods, he pulls a water bottle out of the pack and gently raises Danny's head so he can get a sip of the water.

"How - bad?" Danny asks, indicating his wound.

"The bleeding has slowed since I covered it, but it hasn't stopped completely, and it's getting infected. How is your breathing and your head?"

"Breathing - hurts - some, but - not - bad, - my - head - h-hurts."

"Do you still feel dizzy or nauseated?"

"A - little - dizzy - at - times."

"Let me check your ribs again," Steve tells him, lowering the blanket a little. Steve runs his hands along Danny's ribs as gently as possible, starting on the right side. "Right side feels okay," he says moving to the left side. About halfway down the left side, Danny flinches and groans as Steve hits a sore spot. "Yeah, there's a couple that are broken, but at least they haven't punctured your lung. Okay, Danny, I'm done, just relax now," Steve soothes, covering him back up with the blanket.

"How - long - have - you - been - c-carrying - me? You - look - tired."

"It's been about an hour, but it's taking longer having to pull you in the dark," Steve answers, glancing at his watch. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. You just need to lay there and rest and let me do the work this time."

"Unh." Suddenly Danny doubles over as a wave of pain assaults him. "Steve," Danny gasps as he wraps his arms around his abdomen and rolls to his right.

"Easy, Danny," Steve soothes, holding him as tightly as possible without causing further hurt. Then without warning Danny goes limp in Steve's arms. "Stay with me, Danny," Steve cries as he gently rolls Danny back over on his back and checks his pulse and breathing. "Stay with me," Steve whispers again to the quiet and still form of his partner, relieved that he is still breathing. After arranging the blanket once more, Steve shoulders the backpacks, grabs his flashlight, lifts the travois and resumes the long walk back.