Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize…

A/N: Hey, guys! Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews and all the favs and alerts. Sorry for the cliffy, I know it was an asshole move but hey, new chapter so please love me a little. Lol.

Tell me what you think!

Much to her surprise Kono wakes up in a bed. She opens her eyes but she has to close them immediately because the sunlight almost blinds her. When the colorful, swirling circles behind her eyelids disappear she gives it another try, cracking her eyes open tentatively.

She realizes that she's in a hospital and someone is sitting next to her bed, broad shouldered, sullen looking.

"You know, I have other things to do than babysitting you." Steve says in a low voice.

Kono's vision is still a little blurry around the edges and the bed's spinning slowly under her as she looks around, she feels nauseous and her head hurts.

"Colin McRae is waiting outside." Steve speaks up again. "He wants an autograph."

"I hate you." She croaks.

"Yeah, okay." Steve shrugs nonchalantly.

"I feel awful." She complains and tries to sit up to settle her very upset stomach.

"Stay put." He pushes her back gently. "You have a concussion, which isn't a surprise at all. You should see your car."

"What time is it?"

"Around ten in the morning." Steve looks at her and she finds his staring very unnerving. "Can you focus for minute?"

"Not really." She answers after thinking it through.

"Try." He commands gruffly. What the hell is his problem? "When I ran after the eldest Hudson's killers yesterday, I recognized one of them, so I let them get away. Later I went after him with Chin because I knew that he's going to lead me to Sam Hudson and he did exactly that but you could imagine my surprise when he ended up before your place. I assume you invited Hudson up for a drink or something equally insane, right? When you and your friend got into your car we followed you from a distance. At the traffic light, Chin and Hudson fired at the same time so the two guy died immediately in the blue sedan and you two crossed the intersection. Hudson knocked you out then jumped out of the car and you crashed into the closest utility pole. We were more concerned about you so we lost Hudson again. Ana Yang got bored of waiting for you, so she put the kid in bed then left for her meeting. There was a party at the Handersons last night so no one noticed that someone took the kid until dawn."

"Sam." Kono mutters.

She feels sick, trying to sit up again but Steve doesn't let her. Holding her head she swallows a few times because it feels like her stomach wants to climb up her throat. Someone enters the room and sticks a needle into her thigh. She's asleep before it gets pulled out.

.

.

Her dreams are more like vivid hallucinations now, all swirling colors and patterns and when wakes up from time to time she isn't happy about it because her head pounds and she feels nauseous.

Once she sees Chin and her mother, standing beside her bed and she makes a clumsy motion with her hand to reassure them that she's okay. She feels sorry for her mom; this is the second time in a week she has to worry herself sick.

"I want to be a teacher." Kono murmurs before falling asleep again.

Her next dream is more real, she's sitting in her car, rushing towards a utility pole and she can't slow down because the car has no break. As she crashes into the pole the windshield breaks into a million sharp splinters, she can feel them scratching her skin everywhere then the blackness swallows her again.

She wakes up with a gasp and she finds Danny sitting next to her bed. He looks worn out but he smiles at her anyway, patting her hand affectionately.

"You know, one of these days you or Steve are gonna put me in an early grave." Danny grumbles, clearly offended by her almost death.

"Don't act like you'd truly miss me." Kono smiles weakly at him. "You just hate doing paperwork."

"Don't even mention paperwork." Danny frowns. "I'm way behind it because I had to sit there while you had your beauty sleep."

"I'm sorry."

She tries to sit up and this time Danny actually helps her to achieve the position, rearranging the pillows behind her.

"Your friend Ana is in a big trouble." Danny informs her. "I think they are gonna kick her out."

"She isn't exactly my friend." Kono shrugs. "What do you think when they are gonna let me go home?"

"No need to rush." Danny hands her a glass of water. "There's another sick pervert on the street already. I heard that they want to send you after him."

"No fucking way, brah." She shakes her head. "I'm done with being bait."

"Think about it. This man kills, with a knife. He hitchhikes on the highway and slaughters the lonely women who pick him up."

"Would you shut up?" Kono mutters. "I'd like to sleep tonight. I have bad enough dreams without your horror stories thank you very much."

"The HPD got the case but Steve wants you to work on it too."

"I have a suspicion that McGarrett has some regrets about hiring me." She shares her disturbing thoughts with Danny.

"You look like someone with regrets too." He grins at her.

"Nah, I just need a good night's sleep." She deadpans.

"You can't be serious even after almost dying and looking like a freaking zombie as a result." Danny shakes his head with a resentful look.

"I am serious." Kono grunts. "And don't call me Shirley."

"What?" Danny widens his eyes for a moment before catching on. "Oh, so you hit your head harder than I thought. Quoting bad movies is a new low for you."

"Danno, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye." Kono says in a flat voice.

"Seriously? Well, in that case, hasta la vista, babe." Danny stands, ready to leave and smiles at her wickedly when Steve steps into the room.

"What now?" She asks him rudely while Danny flees the scene. Traitor.

Steve just smiles at her, bending down to kiss her chapped lips then he pulls the chair closer to the bed and takes her hand in his.

"All roads lead to you." He states matter-of-factly. "I heard that you're feeling better."

"So much better that I wanna ask something."

He doesn't respond just stares at her seriously and she can't help but notice how long his eyelashes are, almost touching his cheeks when he blinks, softening his otherwise hard features and casting shadows over his impossibly blue irises. She has to turn her head away before she gets all emotional just by looking at him. That would be embarrassing and very counterproductive.

"Did you know that Sam Hudson was at my place?" She asks accusingly instead.

"I had a feeling that you are gonna ask me that." Steve lets out a deep sigh. "When I followed my guy I had no idea where he was going and I was surprised to see that he got into the blue sedan before your place. I wanted to go up anyway, not caring about them, but you and Hudson were already coming down."

"Interesting story." Kono huffs disbelievingly.

"Why don't you trust me, huh?" Steve finally snaps. "All I wanted was you not asking certain questions because the danger is impossibly high. I just want to protect you, believe me. What did Sam Hudson want?"

"A drink." Kono shrugs. "And to know how his sister died. Nothing more."

"You are lying. Do you like lying to me?" Steve's mouth twists into an amused half-smile.

"I'm telling the truth."

"Maybe you forgot but when you first woke up and I told you what happened to the Handerson kid you mumbled Sam's name."

Kono looks at him suspiciously because she's not sure that he's bluffing or not. It doesn't really matter; somehow he always knows when she's lying.

Damn.

"The Hudsons tried to blackmail Handerson." She starts to tell the whole story. "At least that's what both Tina and Sam vaguely mentioned. She ordered me to kidnap the kid in exchange for Sid and I think Sam wanted the same thing from me."

"That's all?"

"No. Tina and her lover were willing to share some intel on Handerson after I got the kid. To convince me, she mentioned the murder of a woman, Leilani Onakea. Unfortunately I couldn't find out what Lani had known that got her killed but I'm sure it's somehow connected to the kidnapping threats."

"I have a question." Steve looks at her seriously. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I had issues." Kono shrugs. "When we first started to work together it seemed like we're gonna get along nicely then something changed and I felt kicked to the curb, so excuse me if I didn't know that I could trust you or not. Did you talk to Ana Yang?"

"Yeah, she said that she waited like forty minutes for you then she took off. No one noticed her leaving because of the huge party. I find it more interesting that Caleb Handerson was the one who called the police when they noticed that the kid went missing."

"Why are you surprised?" She says nonchalantly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "The kid is his son after all."

Steve freezes for a moment and just stares at her unblinkingly before he lets out a laugh.

"Okay," He coughs to hide his amusement. "Next time I try to dismiss you, you can punch me in the face. You clearly weren't wasting your time. Is there any secrets I need to know about?"

"Just one." She grins.

"Yeah?"

"I won't tell until you get me out of here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. But I warn you that this secret has nothing to do with the Handersons or the case."

"I'm still interested." Steve smiles at her as he stands from his seat and motions her to get up.

Kono grits her teeth and gives it a try. She succeeds.

.

.

She wins the fight with her doctor and signs the papers that say she's leaving at her own risk with a satisfied smile and a grumbling Steve by her side.

She sees herself in the rearview mirror of Steve's truck for the first time since the accident and she winces a little. Her face looks like she'd been caressed with barbed wire. The scratches aren't too deep so she doesn't get very pissed off and her mind is occupied with entirely different things anyway. At the moment she doesn't give a damn about the Hudsons or the Handersons.

She tells exactly that to Steve too when they walk into his house but he seems reluctant to return her passionate approach as if he's afraid that she's gonna die or at least break from the lightest touch.

He's too careful and gentle and doesn't react to her mocking comments even though she swears that hot, intense sex actually has a healing side effect and from now on the only medicine she needs is an orgasm or two.

.

.

"I want you in the worst way." She confesses later when he rolls over to take his weight off her and lays down on his back beside her.

"That was your secret?" He turns on his side to look at her. "You can't convince me with words."

"Shame." She frowns. "It's easier to talk."

Steve laughs then gets up, pulls his new white linen pants on and disappears from the bedroom. Kono looks around, the room is plain, no unnecessary stuff just a few shelves, a dresser and the bed with two pillows and a thin blanket. She inspects his books and she's not really surprised that he's sleeping with such a serious company.

Eventually she gets up and pulls his discarded shirt over her head before she strolls around the house. His place is almost pathologically tidy and she doesn't know if it's because of him spending his whole adult life in the military or that he has OCD tendencies.

She halts in the living room, looking at the pictures there, all smiling faces, a truly happy family and she rubs her knuckles against the ache behind her sternum because now she has a few ideas why he is this overprotective. He never wants to lose someone close to him again.

"I'm thinking about making some steak." Steve appears in the kitchen's door. "Are you game?"

"Sure. I'm starving actually." Kono glances at him but doesn't move. "What's your sister's name?"

"Mary Ann."

"From the pictures it looks like she loved you very much."

"I'm very loveable." He flashes a cocky grin. "Come on, let's make some dinner."

Kono turns away from the pictures but there's a lingering weird feeling in her chest as she walks into the kitchen.

"Something's wrong?" Of course, Steve notices the change in her mood.

"I just had some stupid thoughts." Kono shrugs, not really knowing how to describe her feelings.

"Because of the pictures?" He raises a brow, looking a little confused.

"I feel like an intruder." She mumbles, staring at her bare feet but doesn't protest when Steve pulls her into his arms.

"Because you are one." He presses his cheek against hers, his voice a low, intimate rumble in her ear. "And I'm grateful for it because with you being here, this house doesn't feel like a tomb anymore. I didn't say it before but I want you in the worst way too. I hope that you understand now why I'm so protective of you."

Kono swallows hard and tightens her hold around his shoulders because she is so overwhelmed by his words she's afraid that her knees are gonna buckle in any moment now. She pulls back slightly; searching for his mouth with eyes still tightly shut and kisses him with everything she has.

She never felt more alive in her life before.