I stood there staring at the screen with a blank look on my face, or at least I hoped it was a blank look. I couldn't help the emotions that were raging just beneath the surface. Sean Reedus was the man who introduced the nightmares into my life. Maybe it was unintentional, or maybe it was a specific attack...perhaps I would never know which it was.

"A few B&E charges and two restraining orders," Chin ticked off as he read through Sean's rap sheet. "There are also a few disorderly charges and public intoxication."

"Sean Reedus was a P.I. based out of Los Angeles, but he spent most of his time here on Oahu," I stated refusing to draw my gaze away from the picture.

"Okay, so his profession probably explains most of those charges." Steve said without much thought.

"Jules," Chin's voice finally shattered my laser focus and drew my attention away from the picture.

I was staring at Reedus' dark beady eyes as they seemingly stared right back at me, almost as if to taunt me. The mug shot from a few years back was displayed on the monitors, clearly showing the face of a man I thought I'd never lay eyes on again. It was definitely him, and I couldn't help the chill that ran down my spine.

I pushed my body away from the table and stalked back towards the main doors. I had to get out of there. The familiar tightening in my chest was bringing back an eerie feeling that I thought I had moved past. I had finally gotten over having the nightmares, the last thing I wanted was my past rearing its ugly head and sending me right back to square one. How was this even fair?

"Jules!" I heard Danny's voice behind me, followed by his footsteps before he abruptly stopped as Steve said, "Give her a minute."

I made my way through the building on auto pilot, the noises of people going about their daily routines drowned out by the sound of blood rushing around in my head as my heart pounded furiously. There was this feeling, like a weight on my chest that grew with every step I took, and dozens of different scenarios were running through my head as I stepped out into the humid Hawaiian air. Last I heard, Reedus had died. How was he alive? What did Wo Fat have to do with all this? Did I have a camera watching my every move right now?

I was having a panic attack.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my arm. My body tensed, ready to fight, anticipating what would come next. My eyes locked onto Catherine's, who stood there next to me with a concerned look on her face. It was concern first and foremost, but I could see understanding dawn there as well.

There was nothing more I wanted to do than pull away from Cath. I was on edge, and she was the last person I wanted to take it out on. Looking from her hand to the ground, I took a deep breath placing my hands on my hips.

"He's alive, Catherine," I mumbled.

"I know," she said as she laid her other hand on my shoulder guiding me over to a nearby bench.

"I thought he died," I whispered, as I sat down before looking up at her again.

The moment she looked away from me, I knew that something was up. Cath was never good at keeping things from me, and I had no more success keeping things from her. Even the things we wanted to hide never really stayed hidden. She had a tell. When she was trying to hide something she would look away and brush her hair behind her ear.

"What's going on Catherine?"

She sighed before saying, "We knew Reedus was alive."

"I'm sorry, I thought you just said..." I started before I let the disappointment take over.

"We figured it was better for your mental state, if we let you believe he had died," Cath stated trying to justify her and Steve's actions.

"My mental state?" I snapped as I shoved away from the bench, needing to feel the air rush over my skin as I paced in front of her. "You have no idea what you've done, Catherine. You and Steve had no right to keep this from me!"

"You were in a dark place, Jules," She said as stood up quickly.

"That's no excuse," I shouted causing a few passersby to look in our direction.

"We knew the moment you found out, that you would go after him. You were in this state of mind where you felt like you had nothing to lose! You would have killed him in cold blood and the last thing Steve and I wanted to see was you spending the rest of your life behind bars!"

I wasn't sure whether to continue being utterly pissed off at her or not. What if this was all Steve's doing? I knew that he would do what he had to in order to protect his family, and that included me, but that was still no excuse to keep something this important from me.

Running my fingers through my hair, I looked around keeping my eyes anywhere but on Catherine. I knew she was waiting for me to say something, but what more was there to say? What was I supposed to do? Shaking my head and completely turning away from her seemed like the best way to go. Digging into my pockets, I felt for my car keys before pulling them out and stalking away. I knew it wouldn't be long before I heard her call out, but I planned to put some distance between us until she did.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere to clear my head!" I yelled back before I jerked open the car door. Climbing in, I turned on the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. I knew where I had to start.

Chin shook his head before pulling up some pictures from what looked like part of a police report. Reedus looked like he'd been put through a meat grinder. His cheek was a puffed up, purplish in color and fading to black surrounding his swollen eye. His nose was set to the right, clearly indicating his nose had been broken viciously, and there was a large gash running down the side of his face near his hairline.

"Looks like Sean Reedus had a gambling problem," Chin stated pointing to the screen. "Racked up close to $200,000 in debt to a man named Li Jun, a known affiliate of the local Yakuza."

"Yep, and it looks like Li came to collect," Kono said as she cringed looking at the pictures.

"This is nothing," Chin said as he pointed to the bruised and bloodied photo. "Li killed Reedus' wife, Annabeth. Left him on his own to raise his four year old daughter."

"Colleen Reedus just turned 15," Kono stated reading off what was on the police report.

"It gets better," Chin nodded towards the screen. "Li Jun did a lot of his imports and exports out of a warehouse on Sand Island through the Yakuza. He specializes in moving both people and materials. The Yakuza used Jun as a front to move their shipments on and off the island...Until a few years ago," Chin broke the silence, tapping on the table as he talked and flipped through the records before him. When he found something of interest, he made a swiping movement with his hands sending whatever he'd been looking at from the table to the screens.

"The warehouse Jun had been in charge of was sold to the PI business Reedus ran out of Los Angeles. Regular shipments still come in and leave from that warehouse on Sand Island," Chin continued.

"What would a PI need with an entire warehouse?" Kono pointed to a rather small warehouse right along the shore of the small island off the coast.

"Better yet, what is a PI doing trailing Jules?" Chin asked pressing his palms to the table.

Steve stood there with his arms crossed over his chest staring at the picture of Sean and his family before the Yakuza ripped them apart. This was a man turned to the dark side due to the circumstance, not at all unlike Jules.

"Do you wanna tell 'em or should I?" Danny asked as he pointed between himself and Steve. "We could have let Jules tell them, but you let her walk out."

"Tell us what?" Kono asked looking from Chin to Danny and Steve.

Steve parted his lips to answer Kono's question before the doors to Five-0 opened up. He turned to look, hoping that it was Jules, but instead found Catherine looking shaken up, and slightly guilty. She walked quickly towards the table nodding before she put her hands in her back pockets looking up to meet Steve's gaze.

"What happened?" Steve's quick question caused Cath to bite her lip gently.

"Jules took off."

"I'm sorry, I thought you just said, 'Jules took off'," Danny responded, his body immediately tensing.

Cath said nothing as she looked from Steve and Danny, then over to Kono and Chin. The guilt was evident on her face, she felt horrible about it.

"That's just great, I swear to God she's worse than you," Danny muttered to Steve as he rubbed his hand against his forehead.

Steve's forehead was creased in concentration as he looked from Catherine to the screens where the information on Reedus and Jun were listed. He knew her better than she thought. He didn't think she was stupid enough to chase this alone. Although, he wouldn't put it past her, but she was getting better and that was all thanks to Danny. She wouldn't compromise that progress and go at it alone. No, she'd go to the one place where she felt closest to what she had lost.

"I want manifests, anything to tell us what's been going through that warehouse," Steve stated as he walked briskly towards the exit of the offices.

"Where are you going?" Chin called out.

"To get Jules!" The doors of the office slammed right after he said that.

"I swear, those two are going to be the death of me," Danny muttered.

"Don't sweat it, brah," Kono patted his back as he pressed his palms to the table taking a deep breath.

"Who's sweating it? I'm not sweating it."

Chin smiled as he said, "the people we love the most tend to be the ones who irritate us the most."

"Love?" Danny stared at Chin like he had grown another head. "Do they irritate me, yes. Do I love them, absolutely not."

"We've seen the way you look at Jules...And the way she looks at you," Kono smiled.

"Deny it all you want, but that's the real thing," Chin agreed nodding his head, the smile on his face growing.

"Thank you for that in depth look into our nonexistent love life," Danny responded before pushing away from the table and heading towards his own office and slamming the door on the conversation altogether.

I sat there silently picking at the blades of grass in front of the stone. It still felt surreal at times. His name, birth and death date, it almost felt impersonal.

It was especially impersonal given that I knew Carson was not at rest beneath this ground. Instead, he was entombed in some remote bunker where we had been forced to leave him. If we'd brought him back with us, he would have undoubtedly been deemed a traitor for my actions and the rest of us would have gone down with him, I was certain.

I'm not sure I'll ever truly forgive myself for my part in his death, but what's worse is if he were still here, he would have found a way to forgive me for all of it. He had this irritating way of being so understanding, and nonjudgmental. The complete opposite of Danny.

Somehow, I had fallen for the hotheaded, loud-mouthed, Jersey native. His determination to get into my head was beyond annoying, as was his ability to get me to open up, even when I knew he was getting way too close. There was no denying that somewhere along the way we'd become friends, and recently that friendship had turned into something else entirely. Something akin to love, I think, though I've never really been in love...so what do I know?

There was always that feeling deep down. Danny was just there for me, and he had this way of getting under my skin, sometimes without even meaning to. He put me in my place more than once, and he brought me back from something that was threatening to swallow me whole when no one else could. As much as I wanted to hate him, or run from these feelings, I knew that I needed him more than I'd ever allowed myself to need anyone. Including Steve.

The sound of approaching footsteps met my ears as I continued to pluck blades of grass from ground, tossing them aside to catch in the light breeze. Glancing down at the holster on my hip, I finally stopped destroying the ground around me lifting my head to the tombstone.

"You know for a Navy SEAL, you really suck at sneaking up on people," I stated loudly, bringing my body up off the ground before turning to face the new arrival.

My eyes locked onto Steve standing there in his usual attire of cargo pants, a fitted t-shirt, and a pair of boots. Instead of the firm SEAL glare I usually got when I bolted, I received a more gentle, brotherly gaze, like he knew exactly why I was here. Hell, he probably did know! Steve and Carson had been friends long before I came into the picture. Steve was the one who introduced us.

"You know why I did it," was the first thing Steve said.

Shaking my head, I crossed my arms over my chest as I said, "No, Steve. Please enlighten me."

"I made a promise to him," Steve pointed to the tombstone. "I made a promise that I intend to keep. All he wanted Jules was for you to be happy, and you were miserable enough without knowing that Reedus was alive. You were finally starting to get past all of this! You were finally finding peace with your past!"

"And you seriously thought this wasn't going to come back around Steve?" I shouted hearing my voice carry across the cemetery.

"I knew you would have gone out and done something you would regret and I didn't want to see you go through that again, Jules! Something, even I couldn't undo. I love you, and I would do anything to protect you, but I need you to trust that I did the right thing."

I pulled the badge off my belt before holding it in Steve's direction, his gaze was locked onto the badge, his jaw clenched tightly. Steve's face was blank and it killed me that for once I couldn't get a read on what he was thinking.

"If we find Reedus...I just need to know that you trust me. No matter what happens," I watched closely for any sign of a reaction from my statement.

The problem with that was he knew me better than that, he knew the moment I got my hands on Reedus that there was no telling what I would do.

Hell, I wasn't even completely sure I trusted myself when it came to the possibility of being anywhere near Reedus. He was the reason Carson was dead. He was the reason I'd been pulled in so deep with Wo Fat, and the reason I was still on the rails today.

"I've done things I regret, Steve. Apart from you and Danny, Reedus is the only other person besides Wo Fat who knows what happened in Korea. He's the one that sold me out to Wo Fat, and I need to know why," I stated firmly, my gaze never leaving Steve.

He reached down pressing his fingers to the badge before taking my hand in his and closing it over the badge. He wasn't going to give up on me just yet, maybe not ever.

"I'm not letting you go after him alone," Steve affirmed.

We didn't have to share the same blood to know that we were family. Steve would be my brother and protector until the day we die.

I nodded letting my hand rest in his for a moment longer. We weren't the touchy feely type of people, but right now I needed it. Both of us needed it. Gaining the courage to pull my hand back I clipped the badge back to my belt watching it glint in the sunlight before turning back to Steve.

"Let's go catch us a criminal," I smirked nodding towards where our cars are parked.

Steve smiled motioning for me to go first which I obliged. As I moved through the headstones with Steve close behind me I heard him speak up.

"So what's going on with you and Danny?" He asked, but the grin on his face told me all I needed to know. He knew what was going on.

I felt the blush cross my cheeks as I said, "I'm not telling you."

I could feel the anxiety rushing through me. The drive there was silent, Steve hadn't spoken, and neither had I. Both of us were so wrapped up in our own thoughts, that the idea of speaking never really crossed our minds at all.

This was it. This was the moment where my past was going to come to light and I could either face it, or I could keep running. Judging by the people I've surrounded myself with, running was no longer an option. For the first time in my life, I had something worth holding onto...someone worth holding onto.

I thought the drive was bad, but the deafening silence that was hanging over Five-0 Headquarters was even worse. There were five sets of eyes staring back at me, three of them full of understanding and support while Chin and Kono were just confused, but ready to listen. Taking a deep breath felt like the only preparation I could really do.

"I was two years into my rotation in the intelligence sector," I started pressing my hands to the monitor as I spoke. "There had been some chatter about the yakuza and someone named Shelburne. I didn't think much of it at first, until I started remembering things Joe used to say when I was younger. Things like he wanted the good ol' days before Shelburne, or Shelburne ruined everything. Anyways, I was on shore leave in Coronado when I had finally put the pieces together. It all clicked. Why Shelburne sounded so familiar. I knew Joe was the key to finding out who or what Shelburne was, and I needed answers."

9 Years Earlier

There was nothing like being in Coronado, California for a few weeks of paid vacation. The last semblance of a vacation I got, I had spent in Hawaii with John since Steve hadn't taken a leave in ages and Mary hadn't been to the island, on purpose for a long time at that point. There were just too many bad memories for her, I suppose.

As far as how I ended up in Coronado on that particular shore leave, there was an ulterior motive for that. I mean, it had been ages since I'd seen Joe, but I was on a mission to get answers and he was the only lead I had.

Joe had been stationed at the training facility for Navy SEALs for a while now, so I figured it was about time for a visit anyway.

Being officially off the clock in terms of work for the first time in ages, I hadn't wanted to waste the time to change out of my uniform before I headed to see Joe. So instead, I was walking out along the beach at Coronado in my working uniform.

I knew I should have changed, but I felt it would be better to talk to Joe before I settled in. Besides, I didn't want to lose my nerve. We needed to have this talk, and it wasn't going to be an easy one. So, I thought it was best to just get it over with.

My boots dug into the wet sand as I walked, the cloud cover was threatening rainfall and the wind whipped towards the shore line from the ocean, but I was too lost in thought to care.

I knew Joe would be done with his training session fairly soon. Any other time, I probably would have tracked him down wherever he was training them, but right now it didn't feel right to do that. Instead, I left a message for him and hoped he showed. I guess I could have gone to unpack first, but there was just too much pent up curiosity inside of me to be able to wait.

Sitting down in the sand I let my fingers graze over the wet, coarse sand.

Maybe I was overreacting? I mean I was just an engineer, the one people came to when their computers crashed or they lost files and needed them found before they were reamed out by their superiors. I fixed things.

A few weeks back, I had been on a work order to maintain some software programs, make sure that everything was up to working order. Usually I could go through the computers and find some interesting file that I would spend my time reading hoping to find some classified or sensitive material. Sometimes I would find files that may have been classified at one point, but nothing ultra current to catch my attention.

What did catch my attention at the time though was a conversation between two superior officers about something called Shelburne. They never said anything about it being a person, a place or even a thing. At first the conversation didn't interest me until they threw around that word a few times. At the moment it was just a word. A word that didn't mean much at first.

When I heard it a few more times after that it started stirring memories that I thought I had been long forgotten. Memories that included liquor fueled confessions from none other than Joe.

I remember just after going to stay with him things seemed normal until Doris faked her death. Obviously, at the time I had no idea she had faked her death, but looking back on it with what I know now I can see how this secret must have really taken a toll.

After that something had shifted in Joe that I just couldn't put my finger on. He would stay up late and look through pictures, while downing a bottle of Jack and mumbling things about Shelburne, and the good ol' days.

That was in the past though. A time long gone.

It had been at least a year or two since I had seen my guardian and mentor. Now, I was showing up out of the blue ready to ask him about possibly sensitive material in order to satisfy my curiosity.

I wasn't sure I wanted to bring this Shelburne thing up to Steve or Carson, that was asking for trouble, and it was possible that it could be nothing. I wanted to know what Joe knew before I made any decision on the matter. Before I risked my career on this person, or this thing that was Shelburne.

Shaking my head, I tore my gaze from the sandy shore out to the darkened waters. The waves were beginning to increase in size, I knew they were a precursor for the storm that was threatening to move in on the coast, but I didn't care. The water was soothing my somewhat frayed nerves.

At that moment, I heard the sound of someone approaching, before a body sat down next to me. I glanced over letting a small smile cross my face before looking back out at the ocean.

"You remind me a lot of your mother," Joe stated.

I shook my head before asking, "How've you been, Joe?"

"Busy training the future SEALs of the United States Navy," he motioned around to the beach. "I hear big things are coming your way."

I shrugged pulling the cap from my hand setting it down in the sand between us. I wasn't sure how I was feeling about where I was at in my career. I was two years shy of completing my bachelor's degree, and I still had many more to go if I wanted to go anywhere in the intelligence sector. I knew Joe would be proud as would John and Steve, but I was hesitant. What if people found out about my connections to Joe and Steve? I mean it was bad enough that I outranked most of the engineers I worked with, it would be a massacre if they found out I had even higher ranking connections.

"Okay," Joe nodded. "What's really going on?"

"You're better at this parenting thing than you think," I joked lightly as I looked up at him.

"Don't push it," he responded smirking as he did. "Is it Steve?"

"What?" I asked confused. "What would Steve have to do with anything."

"I just figured, it's been a long time coming and you guys have finally you know..."

"Oh my god, no!" I cried out laughing as I gently pushed at Joe's shoulder. "Ew. Off limits!"

I watched as Joe laughed whole heartedly as he adjusted after my push. I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face seeing him smile. It had been a while since I had seen him in this good of a mood. It made me feel slightly guilty that I was here for business rather than pleasure like he thought.

"I need to know what you know about Shelburne, Joe," I stated slowly keeping my eyes focused on the sand.

There was no point in prolonging the inevitable, the longer I waited the harder it was going to be to get any sort of information out of him. Hell, I wasn't even sure if I was going to be able to get anything out of him regarding the mysterious Shelburne.

There was just something about this word, or this person that had me on edge and I couldn't explain why. It had some tie to Joe and my past I just knew it.

"Shelburne?" Joe asked as the smile faded from his face. "What about it?"

"I need to know what you know," I responded strongly feeling my confidence pick up at his lack of denial.

"I think you've gotten your wires crossed, Julia," Joe stated firmly shaking his head. "I don't know anything about any Shelburne."

I looked from him to the ocean out in front of me. He was lying. He had to be lying. There were times when he had explicitly said the word Shelburne, especially when he had a few too many on the rocks. He would talk about the good ol' days. I couldn't be fabricating a chunk of my teenage years...

"Don't lie to me," my voice was low as I spoke. "I remember those nights you nearly fell into those whiskey bottles you drank dry, moaning about how things were before Shelburne."

I tore my gaze away from the ocean as the first few raindrops touched my skin. My gaze met Joe's direct, stern look. He did know something and judging by the slightly angered and annoyed look on his face it was something big.

"Whatever you've heard about it, just let it go," Joe stated standing up. "You need to let it go before you get yourself into trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" I asked standing up quickly. "Joe, what, or who is Shelburne?"

"I said let it go!" Joe snapped before turning his back to me and stalking back up the beach.

Present

"At that moment the most important thing in my mind was finding out what Joe was hiding," I stated glancing over at our leader. "I had to know what he was protecting me from. I never quite understood why he wanted me to stay out of it...not until I lost Carson," I started looking up at the people around me.

The first person I looked at was Danny, he nodded slightly encouraging me to keep going. I looked over to Steve next who had a hardened look on his face, this was just his way of listening and I guess I should have expected that.

"I decided that I needed to know what Shelburne was. With all the increased chatter about it, I made up my mind. I didn't have high enough clearance to access any files regarding any information on Shelburne, if there was any. For a while I continued fixing the computer hard drives looking for any bit of information I could, but I wasn't getting anything. Since Joe wasn't being forthcoming with information, my first instinct was to hire a PI, and that was where Reedus came into play. I ran a background check and it came up clean, nothing to indicate he was in with anyone bad."

I stopped, feeling my heart beginning to beat a little faster. The feeling of a weight being pressed to my chest began to set in forcing me to look down to the table. Taking a deep breath, I shook it off before looking back up again.

"I gave him everything I had on Shelburne. We worked together, getting in and out of certain undisclosed locations where Shelburne may have been. What I didn't know was that Sean was giving all the coordinates to international arms dealers in payment for some gambling debts, too."

"The Hess Brothers," Kono responded staring wide-eyed.

"That's not even the worst part of it," I told her before glancing over at Steve. His jaw tightened noticeably. "I was using Lieutenant Commander Carson Riggs' security clearance to get to the coordinates the Hess Brother's were using. No one would take a second glance if it was Carson's name on the reports. So whenever I could get the private time for long enough I would access files through his station. That's why they came after him and not me. I got him killed."

I watched as they absorbed the information willingly. There wasn't a single look of judgment coming from Kono, Chin, Catherine, or Danny while Steve stood there with a stony look on his face. I felt the weight slowly being lifted off my shoulders, but there was that lingering feeling of doubt that had come to rest in my gut.

"Ok, so Reedus fed them intel that you supplied unbeknownst to you, and you think he's going to do something with this information now, after all these years?" Chin asked softly.

Biting my lips momentarily I turned so my back was to the five of them. I looked up at the computer screens seeing Reedus' face staring back at me.

"He knew that what I was doing was treason…" I trailed off before turning around to face them once more. "There's not a doubt in my mind that he still has evidence of that stashed somewhere that will send me to a military prison for the rest of my life. Probably Steve and Joe as well, since they helped me sweep it under the rug. There has to be something else in those files worth digging up the past for. This is personal," I finished.

I knew I had left out some chunks, but it wasn't necessary for them to know every little tidbit. They needed to know what was important to do this mission. The bottom line was Reedus needed to be captured and brought in before he started running his mouth to the wrong people.

"What's the plan boss?" Kono asked looking to Steve.

"We bring him in," Steve stated tearing his steely blue gaze from me to look around at the others. "I want every known location this man has frequented in the last two months."

"I'll check credit cards and bank statements," Chin said with a nod before splitting off from the group.

He walked by placing his hand on my shoulder and giving me a gentle reassuring squeeze before finishing his walk to his office.

"I'll check phone records, see who he's been talking to," Kono spoke up next before sending me a nod, too.

This left me, Catherine, Steve, and Danny standing around the table with Reedus' face staring back at us from the monitor. I placed my hands flat against the table before I felt Cath's hand pressed to my back in a soothing manner seconds before she moved away from me.

She headed towards Steve's office before Steve followed reluctantly behind her leaving me and Danny alone. Once Cath and Steve were behind closed doors, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding in.

"See that wasn't so bad…" Danny pressed his hands to the table as well looking over at me.

"Having two panic attacks in one day is bad enough Danny," I muttered. "Having you say I told you so, isn't helping."

"I'm not trying to attack you," Danny stated calmly, "I'm just trying to tell you that you are working yourself up for no reason. You know they understand. We're all here for you, no matter what. Your life would be so much easier if you would just wrap your head around that. I guess I just don't understand why you keep thinking you need to hide everything from us."

I wasn't sure how to react to that statement. I knew they were there for me I guess I just never wanted to admit it. I parted my lips to respond but the sound of my cell phone ringing cut him off. I breathed a sigh of relief not having to make any sort of response.

He rolled his eyes watching as I reached for the smartphone that was attached to my belt. Not recognizing the number I felt my brows furrow before I looked up at Danny. There was a feeling in my gut I couldn't explain.

"Koehler," I answered, my voice firm.

"The last time I heard your voice was what? Seven, eight years ago?" the familiar drawl came through the phone.

I could feel the anger shoot through me like wildfire as I heard his voice. I haven't heard it in over five years, but it was still recognizable. I looked up at Danny knowing something on my face had given me away.

"I never quite understood your accent Sean," I responded calmly, as I pointed from my phone to the table indicating for Danny to trace the call. I put the phone on speaker before setting it on the table. "You grew up here in the states, but you have this distinct Irish accent."

"Before you walk to that fancy table of yours to trace this phone call, I have a proposition for you," he stated, completely changing the topic.

I heard a chuckle on the other end that didn't sound like Sean which forced me to look up at Danny. I could see his fists were clenched as he listened carefully. There was something else going on behind all of this. Sean was trying to draw me out, but why? Why after all this time? Danny's blue eyes came up to meet mine as we listened.

"I don't have all day," I snapped a little louder than necessary getting the attention of both Steve and Cath from behind the glass doors where they seemed to be arguing.

"I have enough evidence to put you away for the rest of your natural life. I am willing to hand all those files over if you help me."

"Now why would I want to do that?" I asked tilting my head.

"Well now, that is something we're going to have to discuss in person sweetheart. Come to the warehouse. I'm sure you know all about my warehouse by now.. Come alone. You help me….you can have the files."

I looked up just as Steve reached the table. He looked between Danny and I as he pressed his hands to the table staring at the phone with an intensity that would scare any man. Reedus was waiting for a confirmation, but I couldn't give him one. I looked to Danny for support and he nodded his head slightly.

"You bring company, and I'm out. I mean it, first sign that you're ambushing me and whatever it is you need my help with is off the table. Take it or leave it." I said.

"Done." He conceded.

"Okay then, we have a deal. Bring the files, all of them," I responded.

"3 pm. Sand Island," was his response before the line went dead.

I watched as the screen flashed with the words "signal lost" and "phone trace incomplete" forcing a sigh from my lips. There was a calculating look on Steve's face as his eyes traveled from my phone up to my face. There was something he was holding back and it was beginning to worry me.

"Think you can handle this, because he's not going to be alone. You know that don't you?" Steve asked staring me right in the eyes.

I nodded once firmly and said, "Neither will I."

"Alright then...Let's do this," he said nodding his head.

"Reedus has known ties to the Yakuza," I stated to the team around me. "If there is someone in there other than Reedus you can bet it will be them, and they will be armed to the teeth, so we need to be careful."

Steve nodded, even though he gave me the lead on this, I could tell he wasn't the most thrilled about the arrangement. I knew Sean and Wo Fat, arguably better than anyone here and that is why he reluctantly agreed to let me take command of this particular mission.

It wasn't normal to take control of a case that was so personal, but this was different. Steve was trusting me to make the right decisions.

"Danny. Catherine. I need you to head in through the side exit here," I said, pointing to the exit on a blueprint of the warehouse. "Chin, you and Kono will head up the fire exits and enter in through these emergency doors on the second level. Steve will head around the docks and enter in through the back. I'll head in through the front, he needs to think I'm alone. No one intervenes unless shots are fired. Any questions?"

"How bloody is this going to get?" Danny asked looking from the blueprints then back to me.

I could see the concern flashing in his eyes.

"I need Reedus alive, the rest are fair game."

I tried to keep my voice even as I addressed him. Right now, I had to put aside my feelings. This couldn't fall apart, there was too much riding on it.

Turning away from them, I walked over to the truck with all the things in it we would need for today. I place my foot up on the bumper, rolling up my jeans to reveal the ankle strap. I knew if I went in there with a gun on my hip I would be shot down. I wasn't naive, I knew Reedus wouldn't be in there alone...and neither would I.

There were too many variables I didn't know about. Sean could be lying to me, in fact I was almost certain that he was. Criminals weren't exactly known for their honesty after all. His connection to the Yakuza was dangerous. It was possible this was all a trap to get Five-0 here to kill all of us, or Wo Fat could be lurking somewhere waiting for the moment to strike.

"Okay, let's do this," my voice sounded hoarse for a moment as I pulled my foot off the bumper letting my jeans over the weapon once more.

"Forgetting something?" Danny asked.

I tapped my hand nervously against my side noticing that Danny was holding a bulletproof vest in his hand. I had been debating wearing it the entire ride there. I had been hesitant going in there with a vest on just because I wanted to have freedom of movement. I knew it was stupid, but for some reason I was more afraid of dealing with Reedus one on one than in a gunfight.

"You go in with protection, or you don't go in at all," Danny stated firmly holding the vest out. Danny's lips formed a thin line as he clenched and unclenched his freehand. It had to be done this way and I think that is why Danny was so hung up over it.

"Now is not the time, Danny," I glanced over at Steve who was watching us a curious look on his face.

"No," Danny shook his head as he closed the distance between us. "You are going to wear it. I'm not going to lose you because you feel like being a kamikaze."

"Could you guys give us a minute?" I asked looking around at the other four.

Chin and Kono glanced at each other, as they gave knowing looks before stepping away.

Cath nodded slightly, but there was a twinkle in her eyes. Steve's jaw clenched seemingly unamused because of the situation we were in. Thankfully, Cath grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Danny and I.

I sighed seeing the look on his face. I knew he wouldn't go for the whole going in there solo with no vest. I walked towards him closing the distance between us before I placed my hands on his cheeks forcing him to look at me. There was worry in his eyes, that much was understandable, but what made my heart beat a little faster was the pure fear in those baby blue eyes of his.

"I'm going to be okay. We're gonna catch this guy and we will be that much closer to this being all be over," I said softly.

"You can't know that." Danny stated. "I am begging you, do not do this. The moment he sees you he could kill you!"

"Why do you care so much?" I asked shaking my head.

"Because I would really rather not have the woman I love getting shot in there," Danny admitted.

I stared at him for a moment the feeling of pure joy rushing through my body before placing my lips against his, I really didn't care if the team was watching at this point. I just needed him to stop talking. We all knew what could happen going in there vulnerable, that I could be walking into a trap I may never walk out of, but it was something I had to do.

I pulled back slightly breathless before saying, "I love you, Danno."

"Prove it," Danny held the vest between us.

Brushing my thumb against his cheek lightly, I slowly released him before taking a step back. As I did, I grabbed onto the vest before swinging it around so I could put my arms through the openings. Before I could close the vest, Danny's hands appeared closing the vest with the straps before he began checking to make sure it was snug enough. The vest was fit like a second skin over my tank top.

"There's a shirt in the back seat," I pointed to the car. "Can you grab it for me?"

Danny nodded before walking towards the back door. Opening it, I watched as he reached in and pulled out a quarter sleeved flannel shirt. Who wears flannel in Hawaii? I do. Maybe that's why it didn't bother me that Danny wore a button down and sometimes a tie in Hawaii.

He handed me the shirt, and I threw it on before quickly buttoning it up. Once my shirt was buttoned I shrugged trying to make sure it wasn't too bulky then I knelt down checking my ankle holster once more, almost compulsively.

The entire time, I could feel Danny's gaze on me and I knew it was one full of concern. I was taking the biggest risk, and everyone knew it. I stood up meeting his gaze, before I put my hand on his arm giving it a brief squeeze and stalked towards Steve who was watching us a cross between concern and annoyance on his face.

"Everything okay?" Steve asked as I moved past him.

"Let's go get this son of a bitch," was all I said as kept walking towards the warehouse.

I could feel the hidden pistol resting on my ankle as I strode confidently towards the double door entrance to the warehouse. The sounds of my boots hitting the solid concrete mixed with the crashing of the waves along the nearby pier.

I left my hair down allowing it to fall in its natural waves as opposed to putting it up in a ponytail where it was normally. I guess one of the benefits to working Five-0 was the ability to dress however I pleased, which in this case was just a simple pair of jeans and the button down, the vest resting tightly against my body underneath.

I would be a liar if I said I wasn't nervous. I was heading into a situation where I could possibly get hurt or someone I loved could get hurt. What I said to Danny earlier...It wasn't a goodbye, not by a long shot, but I knew he would be feeling that way. That was just how his mind worked. In our first public display of affection, he was thinking that I was saying goodbye. What a way to come out, huh? If we lived to see tomorrow, I knew I would be getting an earful about that from the team.

I opened the doors to the warehouse before stepping carefully into the darkened area. It was a drastic change from the bright sunlight outside, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim surroundings. Glancing around, I looked for any exits in case things went bad, and the team couldn't back me up. Catching a few cover spots in case gunfire ensued, I put my hands up in the air to indicate I was "unarmed" before I continued forward coming to a stop in the center of the large receiving area of the warehouse.

"Nice of you to join us," Wo Fat's familiar voice echoed through the large area.

I came to a sudden stop, my gaze shifting around quickly looking for the source.

"Why am I not surprised?" I called out. "I should have known you would have been lurking."

"You coming without your guard dogs is highly unlike you, Julia," Wo Fat responded.

I whipped around hearing his voice coming from behind me. Upon turning, I watched as Wo Fat stepped out of the shadows, but he wasn't alone. A severely beaten Sean Reedus was with him looking like he was barely able to stand on his own two feet. His cheek was puffed up along with his right eye, his nose was crooked and bleeding, and there were several gashes marring his skin.

Behind them, were three bulky men. Each of them holding a high caliber weapon. The sound of weapons cocking from all around me caught my attention. Upon glancing around, I noticed several men, each with a weapon in hand. Wo Fat pushed Reedus towards me watching as the man stumbled helplessly.

"Where is McGarrett? Five-0?" Wo Fat asked looking around.

As Sean Reedus continued to stumble towards me, I wrapped my arms around him to keep him from falling to the ground. Reedus had no energy, he was leaning heavily on me taking up a lot of my strength in order to hold him steady. Between his weight and the slight loss in my range of motion due to the vest, we were screwed if all hell broke loose. And I was almost certain it would at some point.

That's when it clicked. This was never about Reedus, this was about Wo Fat. He was used as a pawn to draw me out.

"They're around...Why? Are you scared?" I asked narrowing my gaze at him.

He smirked shaking his head, "Did you really think I wouldn't know about your little break in?" Wo Fat motioned between me and Sean.

"Why does it matter to you?" I snapped.

"He….wants the….files," Reedus grunted softly from next to me.

"Why?" I asked softly.

"Enough!" Wo Fat shouted before Reedus could answer me.

A loud shot rang out seconds before both Reedus and I were sent crashing to the ground. It wasn't long before even more gunfire rang out from above us, Five-0 to the rescue.

Even with a vest on I didn't want to run the risk of being shot. Keeping my body pressed low to the ground, I looked over to Sean who was gasping for air as he began spitting up blood. Seeing the bright red stain bloom across the fabric of his shirt near his left lung, I knew that we'd been thrown back by a gunshot. I quickly put my hand to the wound trying to keep the blood from seeping out any faster. The warm liquid spread quickly over my hands coating them in blood.

"Sean, you're gonna be okay. I need you to stay with me Sean!" I yelled over the gunfire.

I watched as his lips moved. He was trying to say something, but I couldn't hear anything over the shouting and gunfire. I leaned down so my ear was nearly pressed to his lips as I heard him stutter out the words, "H-help, C-colleen."

Pulling back slightly, I felt him press something into my hands before he took one more breath, his body shuddering before he ceased moving. I stared at his wide open eyes before my eyes shifted down to my blood stained fingers. In my right hand, was a small flash drive. Gripping onto the flash drive tightly, my head snapped up as the anger coursed through me. I looked around noticing Wo Fat was heading towards one of the side exits while Steve, Danny, Chin, Kono, and Cath were descending upon the goon squad Wo Fat had brought with him. Glancing around I noticed there were more men there than I originally had spotted. Noticing they were all too preoccupied with their own battles no one saw Wo Fat slip away.

Pulling the service piece from my ankle holster, I raised the weapon at the man who was closest to me letting off a round and watching as he fell to the ground. Standing up, I shoved the flash drive in my pocket, before I took off in a sprint after Wo Fat. I could hear someone yelling my name asking where I was, but I refused to stop.

As I threw myself out the exit, the bright sunlight blinded me momentarily before I could adapt to the change in lighting. I held my gun up looking both ways before noticing Wo Fat running towards the pier a few yards away. Aiming in his direction, I pulled the trigger and opened fire. The sound of bullets shattering wooden crates met my ears before I stopped shooting and took off again, sprinting after Wo Fat.

I reached the end of the pier, before the sounds of bullets landing nearby stopped me in my tracks. I started to dive for cover, but I was a second too late. I felt like someone had just landed a wildly painful punch to my side sending me sailing back into hard wood of the pier before I managed to pull myself behind some crates.

I was gasping for air from the force of the impact. Pressing my back to the crate I looked down to assess the damage.

I noticed the hole in my shirt on the left side of my abdomen. I carefully pulled back the fabric revealing the vest underneath. With my free hand, I pulled the bullet free revealing that the vest had indeed saved my life, stopping it from entering my body.

In that moment, I was silently thanking Danny for being so damn stubborn. He had just saved my life. Letting the shirt fall back down to cover the vest I shoved the smooshed bullet into my pocket as I searched wildly for my gun.

My eyes locked onto the weapon, which was a few feet away from where I was hiding. I would have to run out and grab it before diving for cover behind the crates on the other side.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed my body forward throwing myself out into the line of fire. The sounds of gunfire met my ears as I managed to grab the gun before throwing my body to the ground behind the crates as the tops splintered from the impact of incoming rounds.

Checking my clip, I then shoved it back into the gun. The one thing Wo Fat did by shooting at me continuously, was give away his position. Smirking, I brought my body up, placed my arms on top of the crate and steadied myself as I let out a few more rounds in Wo Fat's direction before I heard a shout of agony.

I ducked back down before looking around the side of the crate surveying the area. I watched as Wo Fat moved from his hiding spot and darted towards the other end of the pier. Pushing myself away from my spot behind the crates, I ran at Wo Fat with full speed knocking him to the ground. As both of us went crashing to the wooden surface of the pier, I couldn't miss the pain that shot through my side.

The sudden burst of pain caused me to lose my grip on the gun as it went sliding across the pier, it was too far for either of us to reach. I noticed there was blood blooming along Wo Fat's shoulder from where I shot him.

I was on my knees first as I threw a punch in his direction, satisfaction coursed through me when I felt my fist meet his cheek. His head snapped to the right before he quickly retaliated throwing his foot out and catching me in the gut. Grunting I felt my back and hit the pier before Wo Fat climbed back to his feet. I quickly jumped up before we faced each other, both of us preparing ourselves for the next blow.

He made the first move, swinging his fist out at me in a calculated manner. There was speed and force in the swing, but not enough to compromise his balance. Using my arm, I blocked the punch before throwing my leg up trying to kick at his solar plexus to knock the wind out of him. Instead, he wrapped his hands around my leg before swinging me around then releasing me. I went flying into some crates crying out in pain as I felt another sharp pain radiate down through my side.

Wo Fat walked towards me a feral look on his face. I couldn't move fast enough, as he reached down pulling me up out of the wreckage of the crates. Not being able to throw my hands up to defend myself fast enough, I felt his fist crack across my cheek bone. My head whipped to the side disorienting me for a moment before I faced him once more, just in time to feel another hit land against my jaw. I could taste the blood that was pooling in my mouth before I brought my arm up to break his hold on me. He hadn't anticipated the move, so it caused him to stumble back a few steps.

He came back at me with lightning speed, grabbing a hold of my shirt, and I kicked my foot out hoping my ankle would hook onto his calf, but instead he used my compromised balance to slam me down onto the pier.

Again, pain radiated down my back and side, leaving me gasping for air. I was out of my league. Sure, if it was Steve fighting Wo Fat he would have a chance, but even with all the training I had I was still no match for the man. Unfortunately the only man who really stood a fighting chance against Wo Fat had no idea I had chased the criminal out of the warehouse.

He raised his fist, a furious look on his face like he was going to end me right then and there, but the sound of shouting and gunfire broke his concentration. I watched as his head whipped around to see what was happening and took that as my chance. I broke his grip on me before using my feet to push him back and away from me.

I looked over noticing Steve and Danny were at the opposite end of the pier running towards us. Wo Fat didn't give me another look before turning and bolting towards the end of the pier and jumping off. He must have had a boat waiting.

Moments later, the sound of a boat engine confirmed his exit strategy as it rumbled to life. I brought myself to my knees just in time to see Wo Fat escaping on a speedboat.

The sound of rapidly approaching footfalls met my ears, forcing me to look away from the escaping convict. I looked down to Reedus' blood on my hands before wiping them against my jeans. Then, I glanced down towards my side unsure of what I might find.

There was no visible blood, so clearly the vest had done its job, but it still didn't do anything to lessen the pain the bullet left behind. My hand then went up to my face causing me to flinch as my fingers came into contact with what I was sure was a rather nasty gash on my face. Pulling my fingers back, I saw the fresh blood glistening atop Sean's blood which had already dried against my fingers.

"JULES!" I heard Steve's shout, pulling my gaze from the blood that coated my fingers back up to where he and Danny stood.

Both men had concerned looks on their faces. It was like everything was moving in slow motion, surreal even. Coming down from the adrenaline rush of my fight with Wo Fat, my body was finally beginning to protest in agony. I could hear someone trying to say something as hands gripped at my arms. Like a bystander, I watched as Steve flew past me almost in a blur of colors before I turned my attention to who was pulling me up from my knees.

Danny was standing there in front of me, a cross between relief and worry etched onto his face. Those seemed to be the looks permanently etched onto his face whenever we were out doing our job. Like he was always so concerned with my well being that he didn't care about anything else. Like now, I knew he was asking me if I was alright, just by the way his lips were moving, but I couldn't hear anything. Like the world was on mute. It was the adrenaline high that was wearing off.

"Jules! Come on, babe, talk to me!" Danny's voice came back to me like someone was turning up the volume.

"I'm fine," I responded hoarsely my hand going to his arm squeezing it tightly. "I'm okay."

"Jesus," Danny muttered taking in the cut on my cheek before pulling me into a tight hug.

I felt the sharp pain shoot through my side, but I immediately pushed it down ignoring it for the moment. I was alive and I was in Danny's arms. My eyes fell closed as I felt his hand come up to the back of my neck. My eyes immediately snapped open when I heard someone clear their throat. Pulling back, I saw Steve standing there a concerned look on his face.

"You okay?" He asked.

"I think it's time to brush up on my hand to hand," I joked, ignoring another jolt of pain that went through my side as I moved away from Danny.

"What in the hell were you thinking?" Steve finally shouted. "Going after him alone, do you have a death wish?"

"I don't think I could have said it any better myself," Danny nodding pointing to Steve before looking at me.

"I'm fine, I'm alive...And I have the files," I stated reaching into my pocket and producing the flash drive.

From that moment on things were a blur. Steve thought it would be best to get back to the others right away. We could send Chin with the flash drive back to HQ and get rid of whatever files were on that drive and try to find out if there were any more. I was hoping that flash drive would be the end of it. Something told me it wouldn't be, not with Wo Fat in the wind.

Once we got back to the warehouse, backup had arrived along with an ambulance given the likelihood of someone needing medical attention. Several bodies were being hauled away covered in white sheets, one of them being Sean Reedus. I could feel the guilt wracking my body as I thought about what he said before he died. 'Help Colleen.'

I knew I should have told Steve right off the bat, but it could wait until we got back to HQ. We needed to know if Colleen was actually in danger or if Wo Fat just led him to believe that. The longer we stood under the hot Hawaiian sunshine though I could feel my thoughts getting more and more jumbled. I figured it was just from the adrenaline, and that I was just overly exhausted after my bout with Wo Fat.

Watching everything going on around me wasn't helping in the slightest. I was sitting on the bumper of the ambulance getting the gashes on my cheek checked out instead of helping with the scene. Steve had barred me from going anywhere near the warehouse until they were done. They had CSI out on the docs and in the warehouse verifying what had actually happened and collecting any evidence left behind, but it didn't matter, I knew what had happened. Reedus had gotten killed, I had gotten shot at multiple times, and Wo Fat got away.

"You ready to go?" Danny asked breaking me out of my daze.

"Yeah," I muttered standing up quickly.

As I did, the weirdest feeling shot through my body like everything was suddenly off balance. It felt like the ground had moved beneath me sending me staggering into Danny. I felt a pair of hands wrap around my arms to steady me as I put my hand to my head. It was almost like a bottoming out feeling.

"Hey, hey what happened there?" Danny asked his eyes full of concern.

"Nothing, I think I might just have a bit of a concussion or something." I said as I shook my head before sending him the best smile I could manage.

"What is it with you and Steve, I swear you two are masochists," Danny stated pointedly glancing over to where Steve was talking to some officers. "Let's get you checked out-"

"They already checked me out, Danny, I'm fine," I muttered breaking away from his grasp.

"I'm not so sure, seems like whenever either of you say you are 'fine', you are most definitely anything but fine," he said as he shook his head before looking over to the paramedics.

I listened as he asked the men who had treated me if I was all good, and they said from what they could tell everything was okay. No sign of a concussion, though they did suggest someone keep an eye on me just in case. Not that he was planning to do anything else, I was confident that neither Danny or Steve would let me out of their sight for the next twenty four hours. Danny seemed satisfied with the okay from the paramedics, so we were headed back to HQ.

I had neglected to mention being shot, or the pain in my side though. I'd been hit in the vest before, it wasn't a big deal and I knew everyone would just freak the hell out. All I wanted was to go home, take a hot shower and curl up in my bed….not necessarily in that order. I knew if I mentioned any of that, I'd likely have a trip to the hospital in my future instead.

I could tell he was still wary about letting me head back to the office instead of going to the hospital. Hell, I was weary, but I hate hospitals. Still, something didn't feel right, but I did just go for what felt like ten rounds with Mike Tyson. I didn't want to worry Danny over a concussion or taking a hit in the vest. If necessary, I'd have Max check it out once I found out what was on that drive. He wasn't the greatest with breathing patients, but he'd do in a pinch.

Once Danny got the okay from Steve, he and I were headed back in his car to meet up with Chin. He was already on his way back to HQ. Kono, Steve, and Catherine were going to stick around to see if they could find anything else in the warehouse that could explain what had happened with Wo Fat and Reedus.

The ride back took almost an hour thanks to rush hour traffic. Danny had the air conditioner up full blast, but it felt like my body was on fire. There were a few moments where it felt like I was suffocating from the heat, but it quickly passed. My head wasn't helping the situation either, between the throbbing and the lightheadedness I was beginning to have. It was a woozy feeling like the one you get when your blood sugar drops dramatically.

I could feel Danny's eyes on me every now and then, but he never said anything. It was almost like he was just watching, looking for any signs of some sort of break. I was beginning to feel agitated as we pulled into the HQ parking lot. Not only did I feel hot, but I was starting to feel like I couldn't breathe again. As soon as Danny shut the car off, I was instantly out of the car, kneeling on the ground beside it. I could feel the concrete biting into my knee through the my jeans.

"Jules?" I heard Danny call out as he quickly got out of the car.

The lack of oxygen was beginning to make me panic as I gasped for air. To anyone else it may have looked like a panic attack. My hand immediately went to my side over where I had been shot earlier when a severe pain ripped through my stomach.

"Jules?" Danny asked as he fell to his knees in front of me. "Tell me what's wrong!"

"I can't breathe," I responded shaking my head fumbling for the buttons on my shirt.

"You still have the vest on?"

I nodded looking up at Danny with what I'm sure was fear on my face. Danny immediately tore open the buttons on my shirt sending them skittering across the parking lot before pushing it off to my shoulders letting it fall to the hot asphalt behind me. I found myself wishing the circumstances were different, until the pain drew my focus back to my current situation.

Danny told me to hold my arms out so he could undo the velcro and pull the vest off. As I put my arms out another pain shot through my abdomen forcing a cry from my lips. Danny pulled at the vest carefully, until he noticed the hole where the bullet had made impact.

"Were you shot?" Danny asked, his eyes full of fire as they met mine. "Julia, were you shot?"

"Wo Fat," I mumbled. "Danny, I don't feel so good."

I was beginning to have a hard time focusing on what was going on, almost like I was so tired I was struggling to keep my eyes open. Moments ago, I was completely awake and in pain, now I just felt like I wanted to fall asleep. The part that was really unnerving was that the pain was no longer registering.

It was almost like that statement sent Danny into a frenzy. He quickly began pulling the vest off in the most gentle manner he could, but it didn't matter. Either way it still hurt. Once the vest was off Danny tossed it to the side before he began pulling up the shirt I had on underneath revealing the skin beneath it.

Right above where the bullet had hit the vest there was a deeper purplish red bruise forming on my pale skin. It had spread out above the welt from the bullet, making that look like a pin prick in comparison.

I looked up from the bruising to see the horrified look on Danny's face. We all knew the risk when we put on the badge. Even if we were hit by a bullet with the vest on there was still risk for internal bleeding.

"We need to get you to the hospital," Danny snapped fiercely.

"No hospitals," I muttered as he wrapped his arm around my waist carefully helping me up, leaving the vest and flannel shirt on the ground. He pulled my shirt back down over my stomach to hide it from the people who had begun to take notice of the commotion we were causing. I was standing on my own two feet, but I felt weak.

"Danny," I mumbled before I felt my weight give from beneath me.

"JULES!" Danny yelled as he wrapped his arms around my body to keep me from falling.

"I'm fine," I slurred, my words not understanding why this was happening.

"I NEED AN AMBULANCE!" He shouted.

I could hear Danny's voice shouting frantically, but I couldn't see him clearly, just a blurry outline and a voice that was getting further and further away even though I could still feel the heat from his body scorching my side...or perhaps I was scorching his.

I wasn't sure if he was on the phone or where I was exactly. My body felt weightless. Then it was like it all came crashing down in a wave of pain.

I could feel someone pressing into my side right over where the bruises were. The scream that escaped my lips couldn't be stopped as I felt cold fingers poking and prodding at my skin.

The words "bleeding" and "hospital" tumbled around in my brain, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out who was talking.

There were more people around me now, but everything was turning into a blurred mess with no defining features for me to grasp onto. I could hear them saying things, but I couldn't make it out. The sound of blood rushing past my ears was making it hard to hear anything when I felt my body being picked up and set down once again. Pain rippled through my body with every movement. With the pain I felt the fear shoot through me.

I felt someone holding tightly onto my hand before I let my eyes slide closed and prayed that they would open again.

I apologize for the long hiatus! Now that H50 is back on TV and TOTALLY KICKING ASS, I felt it necessary to give my dedicated readers out there (the few there are) an extremely long chapter to hopefully make up for my absence. Please review I always love hearing from you guys.