What am I thinking? Starting another multi-chapter fic when I should really be working on my NCIS fic. Oh well, you know what they say about the best laid plans...

Inspiration for this came out of rewatching old episodes (specifically the one with Operation Payback) when I was ill and then I was totally blindsided by this evil little plot bunny. Set in season two after Kono gets her badge back, but it's AU from season one. Anything I've changed will be explained. It's basically a Steve-gets-recalled fic with a side order of Five-0 and a dash of McKono on the side. First time I've attempted a Hawaii Five-0 fic, so I hope I've done them justice.

Massive thank you to KTMrshall who checked this over for me. Seriously, what kind of friend disappears for three days then sends you a 30 page document with the words 'help? chapter five sucks'? I am forever in your debt for putting up with me!

Disclaimer – I don't own anything, I'm just playing with the characters.

They weren't expecting the call when it came. Although, in hindsight, it made perfect sense.

Work had been almost unnaturally quiet, but they were too used to this life. They embraced the calm before the storm instead of fearing what was on the horizon. It was a chance to catch up on some paperwork and go home early while they could.

And if Kono got to spend more time with Steve – away from the team, where she didn't have to pretend that all she was to him was another team member – then that was fine by her.

The only sign that something was wrong was that for the past week Steve had been more attuned to the news than normal. Apparently, there was something in that two minute clip of a forest fire that had sparked the interest of her SEAL. So he started digging. She'd shrugged it off, knowing that if it was important he would have told her at the time, and that he'd tell her anyway once he'd figured the details out himself.

It wasn't until the Friday night that the story broke. It was Danny's weekend for Grace, so Steve had invited everyone over for dinner. Steaks for the adults, pizza (normal pizza, with no fruit in sight) for Grace. Kono had been in the kitchen fixing the salad when she'd heard him curse quietly from his living room. Heading towards his voice, she found him leaning heavily against the back of the sofa with his eyes fixed on the TV screen.

"Things are getting messy," he muttered when he sensed her presence behind him, "The US won't stand for this, they'll send in the SEALs before long."

"What's getting messy?" she asked quietly, moving to stand next to him, "This what your little research projects been about?"

He smirked at her words, of course she'd notice.

Kono focused on the screen for a moment, reading the headline. A photograph of three girls – one blonde, two brunette – in prom dresses smiled back at her. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say there's more to this story than a Senator's daughter and her friends being kidnapped."

"The brunette in the green dress is Casey Wilson, the Senator's daughter. The blonde is Danielle Johnson, I served with her uncle. He'll want in on the rescue, but they won't let him because he's too close." Steve paused as the news story continued, now showing the families at a press conference. With a shrug he added, "I'd let him. He's one hell of a soldier, but right now he'll be like a one man strike team. The other brunette's Rachel Garcia, her parents are doctors. The girls were on vacation in Miami when they were taken as a warning to the Senator."

Kono frowned as she tried to remember some of Senator Wilson's policies, but drew a blank. California was a long way from Hawaii. Guessing, she asked, "Drug cartels?"

Steve nodded, "And human trafficking, and gun running, and just about every other illegal activity that comes out of Mexico and into California. Wilson's against them all."

"And how does this relate to the fact that you've been visiting CNN's website six times a day for the last week?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly, "There is no way you could've known someone was going to take those girls."

Steve was silent for a moment, and Kono suddenly wondered how much more he'd tell her. Sure, they'd come a long way in terms of communication since they'd first met – he now occasionally used words as well as actions to communicate, and she was almost fluent in Navy SEAL – but she understood that a lot of his life was still classified. Even to her.

It wasn't Steve who'd noticed something, it was Lieutenant Commander McGarrett. It wasn't a Five-0 case, but something that would be dealt with in the way he used to work. Anything he told her now would have to go through his things-that-you-don't-mention-in-front-of-civilians filter, because chances were there was a SEAL Commander out there looking at the same Intel and making life or death decisions.

However, despite her reservations, he just shrugged and turned away from the screen. "A few rich families in the middle of Mexico who support Wilson suddenly disappear, the border wars suddenly crank it up a notch, forest fires starting up in the wrong season? It's all linked. Someone was trying to tell Wilson to back off, and he didn't take the hint. But like I said, now they've got his daughter, the US'll intervene. And Sam'll make sure the Navy does everything possible to get his niece back. It'll be over soon enough."

And with that, he'd shrugged again and headed to the kitchen to get started on Grace's pizza, stopping to wrap an arm around her waist in a half-hug and press a kiss to her cheek. Smiling, she'd followed him without another word on the subject, instead asking if he thought she should put pineapple in the fruit salad to annoy Danny.

They both knew that she'd noticed the red flashing light on the cable box, telling her that he was recording the rest of the news programme. But she'd be disappointed if he didn't keep tabs on the case.

So really, they shouldn't have been surprised when the call came in two days later. He'd said the SEALS would be sent in to end it. And they were.

He just hadn't counted on being one of them.

So...good? bad? terrible?

I've written up to chapter 9 just now so I'll update every few days until I run out of chapters. Then the wait will most likely be longer. Actually no it definitely will. But on the plus side, I don't think it'll be too much longer than what I have written. Hopefully.