Here we go, guys. Thank you so much for your patience. I've been having a really hard time. I lost my closest friend recently and that hit me really hard. She didn't die, but she moved away and we've just kind of grown apart, but it still hurts. On top of that, problems at work have forced me to go searching for a new job, which means leaving all my co-workers, whom I love, and I've been job hunting. Anyways, long story short, it's been kind of hard to write after that, especially about close friends, and I just feel like everything I write is horrible, but I decided to just post this anyways. I hope it's not too horrible.

I should warn everyone of the rating. It's rated T because this story has the potential to get a little rough. It's about fight clubs, so . . . use your discretion.

Onto the story! This story was inspired by the movie Cinderella Man. I've actually had it in mind for awhile but just never had the chance to put metaphorical pen to metaphorical paper.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, season 6 would be quiet different from season 5.

Enjoy!

"His name is Charles Xander. He has a PhD in history and used to have a family until his wife left him and moved to the mainland," Kono instructed, her fingers dancing over the screen of the table as she presented the information that she had found.

Their newest target was the head of a fight club. The best they could figure out was that he had become bored with the everyday trivialities and so decided to join the underworld. Now, because of his intelligence, he had become the most powerful man in the fight club world in Hawaii.

Steve McGarrett stood next to Danny Williams at the table, both surveying the information as their arms brushed against each others. Recent events, Steve's kidnapping by Wo Fat, Matt's death, etc., had drawn them closer together than ever before and they were barely separated by an inch these days; which is why Steve felt Danny bristle when Kono said that the man's wife had left him. It was a tender subject for the detective and Steve knew that Danny already felt just a little sorry for the man. Sometimes, he was just too compassionate.

"Do we have any whereabouts on Xander?" Steve asked, looking in between the screen and the table.

"The last place he was seen was the warehouse district, down by the waterfront, but they move after every fight, so they're probably gone by now." Chin interrupted, walking through the glass door of his office and entering the main area.

Steve and Danny exchanged a look, an entire conversation occurring in the span of a few seconds before they looked back up at the cousins. "Okay," Steve began, "Danny and I will go check that out. Kono, keep trying to find as much information on Xander as you can. I want to know everything about him. Chin, I need to you out on the street, shaking down every contact you have. See if you can get an address for the next fight."

Chin and Kono nodded, starting on their tasks as Steve and Danny left the office. The Camaro was waiting where it always was and Steve drove, sitting silently as he waited for Danny to put in his thoughts. When no thoughts came, he looked over at his partner, concerned. Maybe that detail of the guy being a father shook him up more than I thought it would. "Danny, you okay?"

Danny seemed to return from a trance and looked up at Steve. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking."

Steve nodded and returned his eyes to the road. "About Xander?"

Danny nodded. "Kind of. But also about the MO."

"What about it?"

"They move after every fight."

"So?"

Danny looked at his partner, wondering how he was the only one to have seen it. "This is a huge operation, Steve. It would take time to move. It would have to be crazy organized. Maybe they forgot something and left a clue behind. Hell! Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll have left a person behind!"

Steve smiled. "Good idea, Danny. I knew there was a reason I kept you."

"Uh huh. Very funny. If anyone's keeping anyone, I'm keeping you." By this time, the Jersey native was speaking animatedly, hands outlining his thoughts.

Steve smiled and looked over at his partner, eyes holding warm affection . . . and teasing. "I always knew you loved me."

Danny sighed and Steve only smiled wider.

Steve always wondered what the perfect car for police work would be and he knew that, as much as he loved it, Danny's Camaro was not it. The door closed too loudly. But he didn't have time to dwell on the thought as he saw some men moving boxes in the warehouse that had last been used for the fight club. Signaling his partner, they moved towards the warehouse, drawing their guns and sprinting towards the large doors.

The men moving the large boxes saw them coming, though, and dropped the crates, reaching behind their backs. "Freeze! Five-O! Put your hands where I can see them!" Steve said, sensing Danny stop next to him and aim towards a staircase on the side of the metal building.

Steve continued to cover the men but looked up as Charles Xander appeared in his sight.

"Charles Xander!" Danny yelled. "Freeze and put your hands where I can see them."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please. There is no need for this." The cocking of a shotgun resonated within the space, causing Steve and Danny to glance at each other, conveying the silent message that neither of them was going anywhere, before returning their attention to man in front of them. "That was the sound of a double barrel shotgun, gentlemen. Drop you weapons."

Another glance was exchanged before the put their guns on the ground, allowing for men to come forward and kick them away. Their handcuffs were taken from their belts and roughly secured around their wrists behind their backs. Next went their phones, thrown into the dirt side by side. "There. Was that so hard?" Xander asked, smiling. "Now, if you would please join me in my office."

Steve and Danny had no choice but to oblige and walked close together, not daring to let the other be more than a foot away. Steve leaned over, whispering to Danny, "Looks like you were right, Danny. It does take a long time for them to move." A rough shove came from behind, causing Steve to stumble. Danny watched him with concern, only moving when Steve nodded at him.

The office that they were ushered into was obviously the overseers office when the warehouse was used for more legal purposes. Sparsely furnished, all of its decorum could have been packed into a single box and carried out by one man. However, it was most definitely a room with a view. It overlooked the entire floor and Danny could just imagine a steel fight cage sitting in the center of the floor.

"So," Xander began, sitting down in a fold up chair and steepling his fingers, "now that you have found my little business, there is the question of what to do with you. I could probably just kill you and dump your bodies." He watched the partners for a reaction but saw none and smiled. "Excellent, absolutely perfect. I needed some new blood and here comes two Five-O men with some sand. To have just killed the two of you would have been such a waste anyways. No money in simply killing people." He fell into silence, looking them up and down and circling them like he was about to fit them for a suit.

He started with Steve, looking him up and down once before staring into his eyes. Steve held the gaze, fighting a silent battle of wills before Xander finally said, "Ex-military. What are you, 6'2"? 180 pounds? Nah. No good. No money here." Xander moved onto Danny, a small smile creasing his lips as he looked the detective up and down. Steve's heart leapt into his throat as he remembered something about needing new blood. Now the psycho was looking at his partner with a glint in his eyes. Nothing could have prepared him to what came next.

"You're not from around here. Good. New style. You must be around 5'5", maybe 150. Perfect. You'll be going in the cage tonight." Steve couldn't hear what else he said as he leaned forward and whispered something into Danny's ear, resulting in his partner to dart a glance at him, panic creasing his features.

Steve turned frantic, confused by the look in his partner's eyes, willing to do anything he had to in order to make that look never appear again. "Listen. I was a Navy SEAL. I'm a better fighter. Put me in the ring-."

"That's exactly why I don't want you in the ring. No sport. You're an ex-SEAL. However, I put a haole cop in the ring, especially one of his size, and, suddenly, the money starts flowing. No. My mind's made up. He'll be fighting tonight." Xander turned away and grabbed a circle of string with a tag on it off his desk, turning back around and throwing it over Danny's head. "Jerry! Take these two to the truck! The blonde one will be fighting tonight."

With that, Danny and Steve were pushed off to a truck, which quickly left, leaving the Camaro and an empty warehouse in its wake.

How was it? As I said above, I hope it wasn't too bad. Please tell me what you thought with a review. I would really appreciate some feedback.