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Danny stayed with him from the moment the infected man sank his teeth in Steve’s forearm. They flushed the wound and took Steve straight to the hospital quarantine unit and started treatment. When his fever soared and they strapped him down because he was snapping and flashing his teeth at the medical personnel, Danny stayed glued to his side, politely and not so politely (gloved hand on his holstered firearm) remaining at his ill partner’s bedside.

When his fever continued to rise, the doctors had no choice but to put him in a medically induced coma while they treated him with antiviral drugs and hoped that his body would rally and produce enough antibodies to fight the virus off. They were quite frank with Detective Williams - so far there had been no survivors of Viral R in the Hawaiian Islands. Commander McGarrett’s chances of survival were almost nil. Detective Williams, still polite, but with an unnerving, icy, blue-eyed stare told them to fuck off and come back when they could be of use.

He stayed with Steve while he was comatose, talking soothingly to him, bathing him with cool, damp towels, updating him on his treatment and how the team and HPD and the CDC were faring in rounding up the core group of infected that had arrived on Oahu from a tanker from China - packed and smuggled illegally in a shipping container. He rarely shut up or left Steve’s side, and slept curled up on a borrowed cot.

The world news called the virus the ‘Berserker Virus’ because, like the rabies virus, it affected the brain and drove its victims mad. It was thought to have originated on the steppes of Mongolia, among the fleas harbored by the packs of wolves there and spread outward. Incubation could take days or weeks, depending on the age and health of the victim. Fortunately, Hawaii was fairly isolated and thus not as badly affected as were many other densely populated areas. The Islands at least had had warning enough to prepare for an outbreak when it finally occurred.

They kept him unconscious for eight days, until actual signs of progress became evident. His temperature dropped, and the ugly, seeping bite wound on his arm healed almost overnight, leaving a faint, silvery scar. When awakened he proved to be alert and coherent, with no signs of brain damage. They kept him in quarantine for thirty days until they established his body was virus free, then removed him from isolation. During that time he endured rounds of questioning and tests because he was a rare survivor indeed. The very few who had survived previously had all suffered severe neurological damage, barely able to walk or function.

McGarrett on the other hand, healed swiftly, showed no signs of mental or physical incapacitation and was chafing to leave the hospital and return to his squad. If he was a tad short-tempered, and paced his hospital room restlessly, they decided that was a direct result of an active man being forced to remain sedentary and confined for so long.

Steve remembered everything.

Even deep in coma, he had heard Danny’s voice. When the virus had raged through his body and his fever soared, his senses had expanded exponentially. He could hear conversations and footsteps of the medical personnel on the entire floor - could recognize each nurse or doctor by their scent before they came in the room. He knew what the Special of the Day was in the cafeteria three floors down from the aroma. He had smirked silently to himself at some of Danny’s more voluble conversations with the medical personnel. He’d found himself struggling to respond to his partner’s encouraging words and gentle touches. The strong, constant thump of Danny’s heartbeat had lulled him into a healing restful place in his head each night.

He had overheard the acerbic argument one of the virologists had with his partner and found himself lazily contemplating how very enjoyable it would be to rip the face of that smug-voiced bastard off with his teeth. His dreams were of running into the wind, splashing through the surf, of hunting prey and tearing it apart with tooth and nail, of the warm splash and iron tang of hot blood. When he woke up, he woke up hungry, saliva pooling in his mouth at the warm meat scent that surrounded him. It was somewhat of a shock to him when he realized he was actually scenting the people around him - not juicy steaks in the cafeteria below. He hid his reaction instinctively behind a trained soldier’s blank face and instead of sinking his teeth into the plump arm of the nurse taking his temperature, joked with a smiling Danny and wheedled his partner into smuggling in a juicy, rare hamburger for his dinner. He had been trained for patience. He could wait.

Danny was so relieved when Steve awoke, coherent and blessedly calm, that it took a while before he started to notice the little changes in his partner. Steve was paler, his skin cool to the touch. His eyes had changed. In certain lighting they were almost silver gray. He seemed quieter somehow, and when he was still, he hardly seemed to blink or breathe, but when he moved - that was a different story. He moved with the smooth grace of a big cat pacing its cage, or more aptly the fluid, silent glide of a King cobra.

He was hiding behind his SEAL mask, too. He endured the long hours of questioning and medical tests without blinking or flinching and gave all the right answers, but there was a predatory stillness in his eyes that gave Danny the impression that Steve very much wanted to snap the head off the chief virologist with his endless drone of questions.

Steve was cooperating because he wanted to get the hell out of the hospital as soon as possible. Danny thought he saw a murderous glint once, when the team of doctors was once again dithering about his release date because they wanted more tests, but it was masked so quickly behind an expression of bland patience that he was sure after a few moments he had imagined it.

Eventually, the team of virologists was distracted by the influx of new data and patients - a large group of newly infected were admitted to quarantine, many of them military personnel or rescue workers who’d been working to contain the latest outbreak. Apparently the virus was mutating rapidly. The good news was that now most of those infected survived, the bad news was that there were alarming changes in their behavior. Most of them were having difficulty controlling their tempers - snapping and biting at the hands trying to heal them. In short, they were behaving like captured wild animals. Danny heard a rumor that one man refused all food except for raw meat. The strongest sedatives apparently had little effect on keeping their wildly fluctuating moods under control.

One afternoon, he and Steve were taking their daily stroll down the hospital corridor, Steve striding briskly along as usual, glad to be free from his room if only for an hour, with Danny almost trotting at his side when they passed a pair of burly orderlies transporting a newly infected patient strapped on a gurney headed towards quarantine. Somehow, the man, using almost superhuman strength, managed to work his arm and upper torso free of restraint and lash a big fist out towards Danny’s face, a vicious snarl twisting his stubbled, rage-filled face, froth dripping down his chin. Before he could connect with Danny’s person, Steve’s hand shot out and caught his thick wrist. This was where things got bizarre. The infected man raised his eyes to meet Steve’s steely glare, blinked and flinched, then dropped them quickly and tried to curl in on himself with a whine of fear.

Danny watched wide-eyed as his partner calmly and easily held the man still with one hand until he could be secured safely. During this time, the formerly violent patient was quiet, face turned away from Steve, whimpering softly to himself. This time Danny saw the tight flicker of rage on Steve’s face before he managed hide it. Steve gave him a tight smile as they continued on down the hall to the solarium, but it was a while before the raised hair on Danny’s nape relaxed, his flight or fight reflexes eased and he could bicker and exchange verbal barbs with his friend again.

That night when he reluctantly (it felt wrong to leave Steve) returned to his latest rathole apartment, leaving Steve at the hospital, he found himself dwelling a little too much on the memory of that long, lean body under his hands as Danny had bathed him, and the way the sinews on Steve’s leanly muscled arm had stood out as he dispassionately (and so easily) pinned the patient to the gurney until the orderly could secure him.

Disturbed, Danny took a cool shower and drank a beer before bed and made a mental note to call Gabby to see if she was free for Friday night. However, instead of calling her, he found himself making plans for Steve’s release from the hospital Saturday. Steve had pulled out the puppy eyes and shyly asked him to stay the weekend and bring Grace if he wished, and they would call the rest of the team over and celebrate with a barbeque and grill some fish. Danny was looking forward to it and he didn’t think to wonder why he didn’t invite Gabby as well.

Steve prowled the confines of his room most of his last night in the hospital. He had discovered he really didn’t require much sleep now - three or four hours a night at the most. Now he perched patiently by the reinforced window, waiting for the sun to rise on another perfect Hawaiian day and for Danny to return to collect him. It angered him that Danny had had to leave, but he couldn’t explain to his partner mine all mine why he objected to his absence and he didn’t want to give the doctors or psychologist assigned to his case the opportunity to keep him confined any longer in this stale room in this rank smelling, disease ridden building full of people that smelled like dinner.

He comforted himself with the knowledge that soon he would be home safe clean refuge and that his best friend partner mate mine would be with him along with little Gracie offspring ours as well as his team mates pack ohana subordinates. He would swim and clean his body of this hospital stench and finally feed on something besides the bland fare the hospital provided. His tongue flicked out and saliva pooled in his mouth at the thought of a slab of rare beef and fresh, raw tuna steaks and his stomach growled in anticipation. He needed to get far away from the vulnerable people prey here - the plump Hawaiian nurse who smelled sweetly of plumeria and pork, the young doctor whose salty tang of sweat reminded him of bacon, the female virologist who reeked of her seven month pregnancy sweet ripe tender.

Steve smiled at the thought of how happy Danny had looked when Steve invited him over for the weekend. Thoughts of Danny had kept him sane and anchored during his long illness. Even in the depths of coma he had retained some knowledge of exactly where Danny was in the room.

Danny’s familiar, musky male scent had filled Steve’s nostrils and Steve had learned to judge his moods by that scent - the sour reek of fear when Steve was at his worst, the salty tang of grief when he feared Steve would never awake, the sharp tang of adrenaline-fueled hope and joy when he realized Steve was awake and still sane and in control. A secret smile quirked the corner of Steve’s mouth and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath at the memory of the delicate, teasing scent of arousal that Danny always wore when he bathed Steve’s nude body. Danny wanted him. He just didn’t know it yet and soon Steve would claim him.

He stretched languidly and yawned, enjoyed the feel of relaxing his taut muscles, then reached down and absently palmed his half-hard cock before throwing himself down on the bed. He decided to nap for a couple of hours before Danno came for him. In the meantime, he stretched out on his back, hands clasped under his head as he contemplated how exactly he would get rid of Gabrielle Asano. Her scent had clung lightly to Danny’s shirt yesterday, a sign that he had been with her briefly she touched kissed mine before coming to the hospital and that couldn’t be allowed to continue.

He could dispose of her easily enough, but then a stubborn, relentless Danny would never stop searching. No, better to persuade her to leave his partner and move on to another job, far away from the Islands. Steve could make it happen. He had connections worldwide who owed him favors.

Steve yawned again, eyes heavy now as he began to doze lightly. He frowned as he fell asleep because he could hear the security guard flirting with the nurses down the hall and gave a small snort of disgust at the lines he was throwing out. Seriously, what intelligent female would fall for that crap? He slept and eased into now familiar dreams of the hunt. He wasn’t surprised when he realized his prey wore a familiar perfume and shrieked in agony when he brought her down and ripped open her tender flesh.

In his dream, Steve lifted his head and shook it in triumph, droplets flying as he relished the hot spray of blood painting his face and bare skin as he bared his teeth at the sharp white curve of the moon.

The night nurse glanced into his room briefly before moving on with her rounds. McGarrett was a handsome man, that was certain and her eyes lingered on the lean, sleeping body as she watched his hands twitch and his tongue dart out and flicker over his lower lip, a small smile on his sleeping face. He was having a good dream tonight. Reluctantly, she tore her gaze away from the half-naked, lean body sprawled on the bed and shut the door, never noticing the silver glint under slit eyelids reflecting the moonlight as he watched her go.

Danny happily collected Grace and Mr. Hoppy for the visit to Steve’s (the dog was on time out for attempting to use Mr. Hoppy as a chew toy), assuring a dubious Rachel that yes, his partner was completely fine and virus free and not a frothing maniac.

Privately, he thought the media was being particularly sensationalist about the growing number of survivors of Viral R. Yes, a surviving Marine in Oakland had turned a gun on his entire family, and another man in North Carolina had attacked a police officer and nearly torn his face off, but Danny was sure there were other mitigating factors involved. The Marine had come home to a cheating wife and the face-ripper in North Carolina had been drunk and under the influence of narcotics.

The growing societal backlash towards the survivors troubled him. He had heard from Kono that a woman EMT on Maui who had been bitten and survived had recently been evicted from her apartment simply because she had suffered from the virus, while another man had been divorced by his wife. People feared what they did not understand. Still, it was probably a good thing they had kept Steve’s hospitalization on the down low as much as possible. The head of 5-0 was reckless enough without people believing him to be a raving maniac.

He stopped at Whole Foods to grab a case of Steve’s favorite local brew and the disgustingly healthy snacks he favored, refusing to acknowledge his growing urge to pamper and protect his partner. He told himself that he was just being practical. A happy, contented Steve made Danny’s life much easier. He got a call from Lori and obligingly swung by her apartment to pick her up and give her a lift. To be honest, Danny had never really warmed to the woman, too aware of her real position - that of the Governor’s watchdog - to lower his defenses around her. Beyond her rather obvious, embarrassingly juvenile crush on Steve, she made no real attempt to assimilate into the squad, preferring to hang out with Max. She had even nearly alienated perpetually competitive Kono with her constant one-upmanship.

Danny dropped them at Steve’s house where Chin, Malia, Kono, Max, Charlie and Kamekona already had collected and were busily setting up Steve’s ‘surprise-welcome-home party’ - Catherine was the main surprise, on a week-long leave - and headed to the hospital to collect the man of the hour himself. He made a point of stopping at the hospital gift shop and purchasing a couple of pink-blossomed leis and a garish Spongebob Squarepants balloon before heading up to Steve’s floor. He figured his partner was about ready to pop open a window and ninja out of the ward by now, especially if he had been forced to deal with yet another endless round of blood work and stupid questions this morning.

Sure enough, Steve was standing stony-faced with well-muscled arms folded, staring down Dr. Phelps, who was clutching his ubiquitous clipboard and droning away with no clue whatsoever as to just how close he was to having his head twisted off. The relieved look Steve gave him when he interrupted, quickly followed by the scowl when he saw the balloon, made Danny’s day.

They had a brief slap fight over the car keys in the parking lot, which Steve won, damn his height and sneaky ninja reflexes and they bickered happily all the way to the house. Steve didn’t seem to be surprised to find his home full of food and people, but that was okay. He greeted Grace with a hug and swung her up in his arms to perch on his hip while he happily greeted Kono and Chin, and bumped fists with Kamekona and Charlie in some kind of ridiculous island ‘brah’ handshake and Danny was ridiculously pleased when he only gave Lori a polite nod of acknowledgement. He didn’t seem all that surprised when a smiling Cat appeared either, just grinned and kissed her cheek. While Steve was busy, Danny headed into the kitchen to grab a beer and steal a Peppermint Patty from the freezer.

Mr. Hoppy was ensconced on the side counter in his little plastic carrier, so Danny snuck him a celebratory carrot from the vegetable platter as well. He felt happier and more content than he had in weeks, pleased that his partner was well and safely home. He pulled out his phone and contemplated calling Gabby and having her join the party.

In the hematology lab at the CDC unit set up at Pearl, a technician stared at his slides through the microscope, wiped his eyes and stared again, before calling his superior over. The man peered through the lens, then froze in place and beckoned for the next set of samples. He studied them for a long moment, then raised his head and looked hard at the tech.

“These are from the same patient?”

“Yes, sir!”

“And you are certain the samples were not contaminated in any way?”

“No, sir! I did the blood work myself.”

“How in the hell is this patient even alive? Bring me the file.”

Frowning, he studied it for long minutes, then made a series of notations before reaching for the nearest phone, heart pounding with a growing excitement. If he was correct, nothing like this had ever been seen in the history of modern virology. This mutation was unprecedented.

Steve wasn’t surprised to find a party at his house, or seeing Catherine. After all, he had caught the mélange of their scents off of Danny’s clothes at the hospital. Granted, he was bit annoyed that he had not been consulted, but he understood they were relieved to have him back and wanted to celebrate. It did irritate him though, because he wasn’t exactly craving barbeque now, and with Catherine here, Danny and Grace would not stay the night.

He smiled and joked and bantered back and forth as expected before noticing his partner had vanished off the lanai and back into the kitchen. He told Cat he was going to grab a beer and left her there, bickering amiably with Chin and Kamekona over control of the grill, and slipped inside. Danny was leaning against the kitchen counter, chewing his lower lip, staring at the phone in his hand contemplatively. Steve hid his frown and smiled at his partner instead.

“Why don’t you invite her over? She hasn’t met Grace yet, has she?”

Danny raised his head and eyed Steve doubtfully.

“You think I should?”

“Yeah, sure, after all, you’ve been dating for three months now, right?”

Danny tilted his head and bit his lip, then nodded slowly.

“Okay. Okay, I will. It’s about time I introduced them anyway.”

He nodded thanks to Steve and strolled away towards the bathroom, scrolling down the contacts menu of his phone as he went. He didn’t notice Steve suddenly frown and freeze in place behind him, then sniff the air before slowly turning his head and focusing a laser gaze on the side counter.

Steve scowled as Danny walked off to call the woman. He would have to have a few words with Gracie before she arrived. After all, Steve had no intention of making it easy for Dr. Asano to steal his partner.

A mouth-watering, warm scent wafted under his nose and snagged his attention and he turned slowly to face the side counter. Grace’s pet rabbit sat inside a small plastic container nibbling on a carrot. The little animal smelled delicious and Steve could hear the rapid flutter of its heartbeat as it caught Steve’s predator scent and instinctively froze in fear.

Steve felt a slow smile of anticipation stretch his mouth and he licked his lips.

A short while later, Danny was sprawled on a deck chair, beer in hand, half listening to Chin and Malia discuss an upcoming visit from her mother while Kono and Charlie had their heads together over one of Kono’s surfboards. Gabby and Lori were sitting, chatting together on the sand near Grace’s abandoned sand castle. Grace was frolicking in the water with her Uncle Steve, and Danny kept a sharp eye on them both, although satisfied that Steve only had her out in a few feet of water.

Danny couldn’t figure out why Grace had taken an instant dislike to Gabby, but she had, which was rare for her. She had greeted Gabby politely enough, but in that distant, cool way that reminded him of Rachel when she assumed her most aloof, yet impeccable English manners when she really disliked someone. Gabby’s friendly smile had faltered when she attempted conversation, only to be rebuffed and have Grace abandon her the second Steve came out of the house. Danny had noticed that she had been sitting with him earlier, sharing a malasada, their heads close together. Everything had been fine then.

Later in the evening, after almost everyone had left, Danny drove Gabrielle home. Conversation was stilted and awkward between them for the first time in months. How could he apologize to the woman because his only child made it quite clear that she disliked her? It was what he had feared before he introduced them. He kissed her goodbye at her door, noticing that she coolly offered her cheek instead of her lips. Things only got worse when he returned to the beach house to find Grace in tears and Steve, Catherine, and Kamekona frantically searching the yard, beach and house.

Mr. Hoppy had gone missing.

His flimsy little plastic crate had been found tipped over, door cracked open, on the kitchen floor, empty. Despite their best efforts they didn’t find him and Danny had to cuddle his sobbing daughter and comfort her and promise that he and Steve would continue the search. He took her home to Rachel, spinning tales to her along the way of how Mr. Hoppy had probably seen a pretty lady bunny in the neighbor’s flower garden and gone off to have many happy adventures with her. He didn’t like to think of the obvious conclusion - the dwarf rabbit had escaped and would probably never be found before some hungry stray found him first.

Since Catherine was staying with Steve, Danny headed home to his apartment, still brooding a bit over the lost rabbit. He hated it when Grace was unhappy. Maybe he would buy her a replacement in a few weeks if Stan didn’t beat him to it by buying her a pony or something. He huffed out a breath and decided to send Gabby some flowers as an apology of sorts.

Catherine changed into a silky, dark blue camisole and matching lace panties and ran a brush through her hair. She frowned uncertainly at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and huffed out a sigh, still not sure if she liked her new haircut. Steve hadn’t even seemed to notice the change.

She waited upstairs in bed for a while before realizing that Steve was taking his sweet time. She chewed her lip thoughtfully. Steve had been a bit distant all afternoon. Other than the brief kiss when he greeted her, he hadn’t seemed particularly excited to see her and had spent most of his time with Grace and Danny.

Maybe he was just exhausted from his stay in the hospital and a bit overwhelmed by the surprise party. Steve was such a self-contained, private person. It had taken her ages to get him to loosen up a bit.

She had only learned of his quarantine upon arrival in Oahu when she dropped by 5-0 to surprise him. She had been a bit hurt that he hadn’t bothered to notify her that he had been so ill. Still, she supposed she should just be glad he was okay. She had the security clearance on medical reports regarding Viral R that had chilled her to the bone when she read them. McGarrett was lucky to be alive.

She hopped off the bed and went in search of her wayward lover. The house was dark downstairs and she had to grope her way down to the kitchen, where she flipped on the light. There was no sign of Steve in the house. She stepped out into the darkness of the lanai, inhaling the sweet fragrance of the plumeria and gardenias Steve’s mother had planted around the house.

“Steve?”

A flicker of movement at the edge of the lanai caught her eye, and she blinked, finally making out the outline of Steve’s lanky form near the corner of the house, almost concealed in the dark and tall fronds of the shrubbery. He turned his head and she caught a flicker of silver moonlight reflected in his eyes before he stepped closer, wiping the palms of his hands on his thighs.

“Did you find Mr. Hoppy?” she asked hopefully.

White teeth flashed in the shadows and then he stepped a bit closer to the lanai, a small smile quirking his mouth and she shivered a bit in the night breeze as he loomed silently. She could only see the barest outline of his silhouette there in the dark.

“No. Why don’t you go on up? I want to take another walk around the perimeter. He may come out of hiding now that it’s quiet and dark. I poured you a glass of your favorite tea. It’s on the counter.”

“Okay. Don’t be long, sailor.”

She smiled, touched by his thoughtfulness and threw a saucy wink over her shoulder as she went inside. The hibiscus tea was just the way she liked it - sweet with honey and a tang of fresh lemon juice. He had added something new though, because it tingled against her tongue and brought a rosy flush to her cheeks. She savored another delicious mouthful as she slowly climbed the stairs.

Steve waited, head tilted, as he listened to her return to bed and finish her tea. He heard the ice in the empty glass clink as she set it on the night table. He flicked his tongue out and ran it over his lips, making sure they were clean. He caught sight of a dark droplet on the back of his hand and absently licked it off, enjoying the metallic flavor. It was a pity that there hadn’t been more.

He waited a few more minutes until he was sure that the little something extra he had added to the tea kicked in before heading upstairs. He had something new he wanted to try, and Catherine would be a lot more amendable now. It still annoyed him that she was here, when he really wanted his partner mate, but he needed practice anyway so it would be good for Danny the first time, and she would do for the first trial run. He slipped silently up onto the lanai and into the house and made certain to grab a glass of the tea to rinse out his mouth before he glided up the stairs.

The next morning, he courteously called her a cab when she declined to stay the rest of the week and waved her off. She ignored him, eyes averted and shielded by dark glasses, clutching her duffle bag in her lap. He noticed her hands were still trembling slightly and made a mental note on dosage for the next experiment. She wouldn’t be back - last night had been a bit too... humiliating for her.

He had learned a lot, with this first, crude effort, not least that he needed to refine his technique. Lori, he decided, might do for the final trial run. Her obvious crush was annoying, as was the distracting, thick animal scent of her almost constant arousal. This way he would kill two birds with one stone. He would gain the data he needed and get rid of the governor’s watchdog in his squad at the same time, because like Catherine, she certainly would not want to remain around afterwards. And if she did, well, he would see that she was blacklisted out of the department. No one liked a woman who tried to sleep her way into a promotion.

He would drop a private email to the Governor tomorrow, a brief note mentioning his concern that Lori was compromising his team with her childish infatuation, so it would be on official record. And if she was foolish and became a nuisance, she would simply disappear. The ocean surrounding the islands hid a multitude of sins. Steve glanced at his watch to check the time and decided he had time for a post-coital nap before he called Danno and invited him to lunch. He hadn’t slept at all the previous night, intent on his experimentation, nor allowed Catherine to.

He headed back into the cool darkness of his house, whistling lightly to himself. He felt good, the blood humming through his veins. In the bedroom, he stripped the bed, wrinkling his nose at the lingering reek of Catherine’s perfume and sweat, mingled with the tiniest tantalizing hint of blood. Why did women insist on wearing heavy artificial scent when their own musk was much more appealing? He opened his bedroom window and inhaled the fresh salty air before flopping down and stretching out on his bed with a sigh. He closed his eyes and sleepily reviewed his plans.

He was pleased that the venom in his saliva had worked so well as a natural aphrodisiac. He had learned of his new talent in the hospital shortly after he awoke from his coma. Still weak and feverish and tethered to a sturdy IV board, he had been tormented by an inquisitive fly buzzing around his head while he was trying to doze. Danny had gone - off to take a break from the hospital and grab a meal and shower. The annoying insect had dive bombed him and buzzed his ears until he’d thought he might scream. The call button had been just out of reach on the side table and he even snapped at the damned thing with his teeth when it buzzed his face insistently. Instinctively, he had spat angrily at it, and to his amazement hit it dead on, knocking it out of the air onto the foot of his bed, where it had wandered in drunken, buzzing circles while Steve watched with interest. Finally, it had keeled over and died. That had given him much food for thought.

Steve was not a stupid man, far from it. He had known he was different somehow from the moment he opened his eyes in quarantine to Danny’s exhausted, worried face. The virus had changed him irrevocably and there was nothing to be done about it but adapt and learn. He had a lot of time to think in those sleepless nights in the hospital - to think and to make plans. He was nothing like the others - they, weak, undisciplined creatures that they were, merely survived - he had mutated into something entirely new, the first of his kind. For him, awakening had been a revelation, everything slotting neatly into place in his psyche.

First, mentally his focus was razor sharp, no longer clouded by emotion. His thoughts were crystal clear and he processed information much faster - he had discovered in the hospital that he could blaze through a book in less than an hour. He knew what he wanted and exactly how to go about procuring it. Second, physically he was stronger and faster, his sight and hearing more acute and he healed quickly. He suspected he would age slowly as well and was already pondering how to share these gifts with Danny.

Third, his need for sustenance had altered radically. His altered metabolism demanded animal protein. Meat that was as fresh as possible. Steve had always loved sushi and preferred his steaks rare - now he craved them raw. He only had to feed once every 24 hours, but when he did, hunger hit fast and hard like a Mack truck and demanded immediate satiation, or his mood altered radically. Only his years of strict mental and physical discipline had allowed him to control his hunger when he first awoke. Now he took pains to see that it was satisfied as discreetly as possible.

Danny was essential to his long term plans, because Danny was his. Steve suspected his kind mated for life, and having imprinted on Danny in the hospital, Steve intended that life to be a long, comfortable one. He was already working on an exit strategy for them when the time came to leave the Islands. It was only a matter of time before one of the virologists noted the differences in his blood samples and the government came calling. He could not resign from either the 5-0 team or the Reserves without sending up a red flag that he was about to run and then they would move swiftly to take him and spirit him away to some black ops lab for study. He was safe for now.

Steve knew how slowly the military worked. They would check and recheck the samples and run a multitude of tests on other survivors before they even dared approach him. So far, most of their data was based on conjecture. His rank and high profile helped - if he had been just a regular grunt, he suspected he would have disappeared into the back of a black van already. No, they thought he knew nothing and would survey him from afar first to try and ascertain if their findings were correct. He made a mental note to routinely check for bugs in his house, car and the 5-0 offices.

He had plenty of time to work the vast resources he had access to. He would have Kamekona keep his ears open for inquiries about him from outsiders, while he paid Toast to do some high level work on his computer so he could conduct his research and not be monitored, and to survey in turn the ones who had him under surveillance. He wasn’t worried about paying them - there was plenty of cash in HPD’s evidence locker and getting inside was still easy. That money would come in handy when they vanished from the Islands.

McGarrett was no longer restrained by either his conscience or the law. Wo Fat would eventually learn that when Steve took the time to deal with him. (He briefly considered the possibility that Wo Fat was like Steve, but dismissed it. Wo was simply a common, if extremely intelligent, sociopath.)

He had no doubt that Danny would come with him. Especially if he thought Grace would be endangered if they stayed in the Islands. After he’d been with Steve long enough, knew he was loved unconditionally and had shared enough of Steve's addictive kisses, Danny wouldn’t want to leave. More importantly to Steve, he wouldn’t be able to. Steve would irrevocably bind his partner to him with unbreakable chemical and emotional knots.

Steve pondered his upcoming nuptials contentedly. (Danny was old-fashioned, a ring meant forever to him.) After Gabby dumped Danny for the lucrative job offer he would arrange, Steve would swoop in and comfort him and sweep him off his feet with sheer affection. It wouldn’t be difficult, because he adored Danno and he knew Danny was attracted to him as well. Scent didn’t lie.

He would have to gently interrogate Danny in the next few weeks - discover where Danny would be happiest to live with Steve, learn the places he wanted to see. New Jersey (and the United States) was out of the question for now - maybe they could return in a few years after Steve did some heavy duty clean-up of medical records and other evidence - but the money Steve took would insure privacy and comfort wherever they chose to live. He would purchase modest, well-hidden safe houses in several different countries to insure that. Steve would show Danny the world, and in time Grace would join them.

The experiment with Lori could wait a couple of weeks. He didn’t want to move too fast and make a foolish mistake, and perhaps it would be wise to use a few anonymous encounters with men as well, to gather enough data and insure his venom did not affect the male physiology differently. Steve would not tolerate the slightest chance that Danny could be harmed.

First, today he would ‘break’ the news to Danny that Catherine had decided to end things with him and put on a stoic face and allow Danny to comfort him. Danny would immediately assume that it was because she secretly feared the virus, as so many people did - there were daily near hysterical news reports regarding outbreaks and the deadly results.

It would also be easy to use the break-up as an excuse if by some minute chance any of Steve’s planned sexual experiments came to light before he could claim Danny. Danny had a big heart and was a forgiving man, and he understood all too well how drink and grief as the result of the break-up of a long-term relationship unbalanced a person.

That was something else Steve was keeping a close eye on and that was the Viral R survivors (of which there was growing number). They were increasingly coming under fire from society. This was annoying, especially if registration and close monitoring became requirements and laws were passed to insure it. Steve would keep a sharp eye on the situation and have several clean sets of identification made for both he and Danny and he would set up safe offshore accounts for their funds. When the time came to move, they might be unable to access their regular accounts before they ran.

He stretched and yawned. His nights were going to be very busy for some time to come. This time when he drifted off, he dreamt of glittering golden rings and chains entwined around a nude, bright-eyed blond and Steve’s bite marks stippling broad shoulders. Steve smiled in his sleep.

Catherine shakily leaned against the balcony of her hotel room and wiped angrily at her eyes. She couldn’t seem to stop shivering or crying today. Her moods were fluctuating wildly. She had never felt so unbalanced in her life. She was cold too, even in the bright warmth of the Hawaiian sunshine. It was as though she had some weird strain of the flu. Also, she couldn’t stop thinking about that last disastrous night with Steve. What the hell had happened there?

She had been reckless, wildly uninhibited in bed in a way that was totally unsafe and totally unlike herself, while Steve on the other hand had been cool and in total control, almost clinical in their lovemaking. The sex had been amazing and she blushed, remembering how aroused and shameless she had been and how she had begged like a wanton slut for Steve to use her however he wanted - and he had. He had taken her at her word and done exactly that.

That behavior was the root of her confusion. He had flipped her over and fucked her ass, without protection or consideration for her comfort or need to climax. When she finally weakly protested at the discomfort despite her arousal, he’d simply put a big hand on the back of her neck, keeping her in position until he was finished, then had briskly brought her off with his fingers between her thighs before withdrawing and immediately climbing off the bed to go and clean up in the bathroom. None of the laughter or sweet delight he usually shared with her had been present in this encounter.

It had been like having sex with a stranger, yet as confused and humiliated as she had felt afterwards, it was still some of the best sex she had ever had with him, despite the pain. She felt her face burn as she remembered the words of need and love she had blurted out, expecting him to smile that familiar, sweet smile, to hold and kiss her in the afterglow. (Except there was no afterglow, or kisses or loving words.) Instead he had courteously brought her a wet washcloth to clean herself and questioned her repeatedly about how it had felt. Had it hurt? How badly? Did she think she would be able to sit comfortably today? Did she need medication? Would she like some analgesic cream and some Tylenol?

She dropped her hot face in her hands. Dear God, she distinctly remembered wrapping her arms around his neck and begging him to marry her and let her stay with him forever. Numbly she sank back down on the soft pillows of the chaise lounge and tugged a knitted throw over her shoulders. She had confessed her love for Steve and he had just calmly looked her in the eye and informed her that he did not feel the same way and it would probably be best if they ended their relationship since they wanted very different things.

If she didn’t know better, she could have sworn she had been drunk, but she hadn’t even had a single beer or glass of wine that night and she had watched Steve sip a tall glass of the same tea she had enjoyed. Instead of protesting, she had obeyed, her mind in a fuzzy, confused haze, and dressed and climbed into the cab he called. He had waved her off and turned back into the house and shut the door before she was even out of the drive. The cab driver had taken her straight to the Hilton, where she’d discovered that Steve had already booked and paid for a suite for her. She laughed bitterly. He had certainly been eager to be rid of her!

Later, for her own peace of mind and to clarify the situation - she was missing bits of time - when she tried to call his cell her calls went straight to voicemail and he didn’t bother to return them. Finally, she had gotten up her nerve and called 5-0. Danny had been the one to pick up, and from his first cautious, formal, “How can I help you Lieutenant Rollins?” she realized it was really over.

Steve had dropped her like a hot potato. She had stammered out a request to speak with Steve, only to be informed that he was still on sick leave and off surfing off the North Shore, and could he take a message? It was the polite tone you used when rebuffing a stranger and she realized Steve had probably told him everything. Embarrassed all over again, she’d quickly hung up.

Her phone rang and she jumped before snatching it up. To her disappointment, it wasn’t Steve. Her leave was being abruptly cut short and she was to report to Pearl for new orders of deployment immediately. Wincing, she stood and stumbled inside to pull herself together and pack, glad for the distraction. Maybe she would be able to clarify the situation with Steve at a later date, but at the moment she wasn’t sure she even wanted to try, or see him again. She was so confused. Maybe she really was coming down with something. She would pick up some flu medication at the Px at Pearl.

Steve was especially busy several nights later. After a refreshing run up the Koko Head trail stairs he had jogged back towards home via the beach. There, near a tent camp, he’d had a couple of quick encounters with a pair of surfers. The young men were nomadic, following the surf competitions and his chances of running into them again before they moved on were very small. His experiments were successful, they responded as eagerly as Catherine had and fell quickly asleep afterwards, saving him the annoyance of forcible rejection when he left. Pleased at his findings, he headed home, running lightly through ankle deep surf. He was only a half-mile or so from his house when a splash farther out in the water caught his attention and he dove and pounced.

The fresh meat from the young shark was delicious. He was still licking the blood off his fingers as he sedately walked up the beach to his lanai. He would sleep off his protein-heavy meal for a few hours, then rise for his morning swim and daily routine. Tomorrow was the day he’d return to work at 5-0. He was looking forward to running down some perps and spending the day with Danny.

If he had timed it correctly, Dr. Asano should have informed Danny of her job offer from a prominent university working a dig in the Aegean Islands by now. He hadn’t had to pull as many strings as he had thought. Her excellent credentials had helped a great deal and the job was legitimate. He was looking forward to comforting and distracting his partner. He wished he had the time to woo him longer, but he already had the ring and domestic partnership paperwork ready and there was no point in delaying longer than necessary. Once he had Danny to himself, he could give him a proper courtship.

He decided that, since his venom and refined technique had worked so well with the youths, that an encounter with Lori was unnecessary. He had no interest in her now unless he decided to study how an overdose of his venom worked on a healthy human. That knowledge might come in handy when his contacts finally located Wo Fat’s hiding place.

Catherine had proved annoyingly persistent in her attempts to remain in contact and he didn’t want to risk that with Weston. As wooden as she was personality-wise, Lori was doggedly persistent as well. Fortunately it had only taken a casually dropped word into the ear of a misogynistic admiral in administration who owed him a favor, to have Catherine shipped to a distant deployment in the Mediterranean.

He didn’t want to have to squabble with the governor about Lori; better the watchdog he knew in the squad. Chin could deal with her after Steve took Danny and left.

Danny barreled grumpily out of his office, a long overdue expense report to the governor in one hand while he straightened his tie with the other. He was due in court in less than an hour, Super SEAL was AWOL again, Rachel was being a bitch about his request to up his time with Grace, he had not taken lunch yet and Gabby had just graciously informed him this morning that she was dumping him in favor of a plum marine archaeological job off the coast of Greece. That information didn’t exactly come as a surprise, because Grace never had warmed to her despite Gabby’s best efforts, so maybe it was for the best anyway.

He huffed out an exasperated breath when Lori blocked his exit. Really, her not so subtle inquiries about Steve were getting as ridiculous as the steady stream of cute little gifts she had left at the hospital when Steve had been quarantined. Especially since the man himself was back at work and she could at least have the courtesy to moon over him in person instead of annoying Danny for updated news about his general wellbeing.

“Gotta be in court, Lori, lemme pass.”

She flushed, hand out to grasp his forearm.

“Sorry, I just wanted to know…”

“Lori, you’re on the Nelson case with Kono. She’s waiting in the parking lot. Snap to it.”

Steve interrupted her curtly, stepping suddenly out of his office and shouldering between them

Andrew Nelson was a retired counterfeiter whose mysteriously anemic body had recently washed up on the beach. Danny suspected that he had been murdered by the local Tong, after refusing to provide them with counterfeit identification documents. His daughter had insisted he was adamant about his retirement so he could enjoy time spent with his grandchildren.

Lori dropped her head and mumbled assent and obeyed, hurrying out of the office as Danny grinned up at his partner, who was looking faintly pleased with himself. McGarrett was holding a tall cup of coffee, which he held out to Danny with a smirk.

“My hero. Thanks, babe. I haven’t had time to grab a bite yet. I didn’t know you were back from whatever mysterious errand you were on this time.”

He sniffed the steam appreciatively. It was his favorite Kona blend from the tiny shop on the corner.

Steve grinned fondly down at him, pale eyes warm in the afternoon sunbeams lancing through the windows.

“I know. Listen, I thought I’d pick you up after court and we’d go grab a couple of beers and I’ll treat you to dinner at Morton’s tonight.”

Danny beamed up at him, touched, knowing that Steve, in his own awkward, goofy way, was trying to make him feel better about Gabby dumping him. He smacked McGarrett’s shoulder fondly with the folder he held.

“You’re on, buddy, don’t forget your wallet this time! I’ll text you when I get out of court.”

He hurried to the exit, flapping his hand dismissively at Steve’s indignant squawk of protest behind him as he took the first sip of his delicious coffee. Steve had introduced him to this blend and he was rapidly becoming addicted.

If he had looked back, he would have seen Steve’s slow, satisfied smile. He had been bringing carefully dosed cups of coffee to Danny daily now for almost two weeks. Tonight was the night he was going to take their relationship to the next level. Danny was going to sleep in his bed for the first time and Steve planned on making him feel so good that he wouldn’t want to leave. Still smiling to himself, he turned back to his office.

He had received the first expected transparently casual email ‘request’ from the hospital to provide blood for a check-up following his release, so his time was running short. Fortunately, he already had stockpiled several pints of his own blood before he’d been infected, in case he ever needed surgery. He would see that the lab got vials of that instead of fresh samples. The simple ruse should give him more time and if they fell for it, it might even cause them to lose interest in him entirely.

Chin watched them from the tech table, amused as always by the way they danced around each other. He suspected that Steve’s brush with death had drawn them much closer than either of them realized and from his observations, Steve had finally decided to make a move.

Danny might still be clueless, distracted by his break-up with Gabby, but Chin had noticed lately that Steve’s entire focus was on his blond partner. He watched Danny constantly, knew exactly where he was at all times and was jealously possessive of his time. Steve, he suspected, was actually celebrating Danny’s break-up, not commiserating with him as Danny thought.

He kept his eyes thoughtfully on his boss for a few more moments. There was something different about Steve since his illness that Chin couldn’t quite pin down. He was more focused on the job, but less tolerant of Lori. He no longer spent time with her out of the office with good-natured offers to be her workout partner, much to her dismay. His reports were finished and filed promptly, he called for back-up when necessary and he practically preened when Danny beamed praise at him. Also, he seemed too busy to socialize anymore and he had cut back on the team barbeques at his house and Chin could barely remember the last time they’d gone spear fishing.

Chin frowned. Danny had quietly spread the word that Catherine had dumped Steve, so maybe his boss was just a bit depressed. Whatever it was, he never thought he would see the day when Steve McGarrett stuck to proper police procedure. Steve hadn’t threatened a perp with the shark cage in weeks. It was unnatural.

“Did you send him the notice about reporting in at the hospital at Pearl for follow-up bloodwork?”

“Yes, sir! We have the new blood samples on the way. He was quite cooperative. Said he couldn’t make the appointed date due to a court date, so he had his personal physician draw the vials and send them on to the lab.”

The tall man in the white coat nodded grudgingly.

“That will have to suffice. We don’t want him getting suspicious and we need to verify if there are the predicted mutated changes in his hemoglobin variants in the fresh blood before we take this program farther.”

He turned back to the latest surveillance report on McGarrett, more than a bit frustrated. So far there had been none of the changes the scientific team had predicted observed in the man’s behavior other than insomnia. He rubbed at the headache building between his eyes. Perhaps the same antibodies in McGarrett’s rare blood type that protected him from the virus had rendered the expected variants null and it would be best to cancel the potentially expensive program now before they invested too much money in it.

Lori pulled her car up in the drive outside of Steve’s house and nervously checked her hair and makeup in the mirror. She was finally doing it. Taking the bull by the horns and finally admitting to Steve that she was attracted to him and hoping that it was mutual. She remembered his admiring gaze on her legs when they’d first met in the Governor’s office.

He was attracted to her, she had not imagined that. He had even spent time outside of the office with her. If only she hadn’t sprained her ankle on the stairs, up on the Koko Head trail that day! To her bewildered frustration, he had avoided being alone with her since his release from the hospital, ignoring all her hints and invitations. When she’d learned that Catherine had dumped him, from a fuming Danny, indignant on Steve’s behalf, her heart had leaped. She was certain then, that she had a chance for a relationship with Steve. Instead, he barely seemed to notice her except to issue curt orders at work.

She took a deep, calming breath and stepped out of the car, wobbling a bit on the highest pair of heels she owned. She wore a thin silk blouse over a short black skirt. The whole ensemble flattered her slender body and drew attention to her long legs. Taking another deep breath for courage, she tucked the expensive bottle of Scotch she had brought under her arm and marched up to the front door.

Steve stepped out of the shower after a precise three minutes and briskly toweled off, whistling happily to himself. Danny had texted him earlier in the afternoon explaining he was going to be late getting out of court as the trial ran over a bit and Steve had responded telling him not to worry about it. This gave him time to dress up a bit for his man. It was dusk now and he expected a call anytime, so he hurried into his bedroom to dress.

He was going with the classic “GQ” look that Danny both admired and ridiculed him for. He eyed the sleek black suit laid neatly out on his bed with satisfaction and reached into the closet for a crisp, white dress shirt. He would even wear a tie for his Danno. Before he could start dressing, the doorbell rang. Hissing in annoyance at the interruption, he paused and tilted his head and listened hard. He snarled softly, lip curling, as he recognized the rapid, nervous heartbeat of his unwanted visitor. Lori - here, no doubt for yet another awkward attempt at flirtation. He didn’t have time for this. He was not going to be late to his date. Snatching up a pair of sweats, he yanked them up his lean hips and bounded silently down the stairs, ignoring the last six in favor of vaulting lightly over the banister to land catlike on bare feet in the foyer.

Ten minutes later, he slammed shut the lid on the chest freezer in the garage, drove Lori’s car inside and parked it beside the Marquis, disabled the GPS and then hit the remote that lowered the door. Wrinkling his nose in distaste at the lingering spicy floral scent of Lori’s perfume on his hands, he hurried back upstairs and took another three-minute shower before dabbing on a light touch of cologne and dressing. Just as he was tying his shoes, his phone blared “Sexy Eyes”. Smiling, he picked it up and trotted back down the stairs.

“Hey, D, I’m on my way. Yes! I have my wallet!”

Danny leaned against the roof of the car. The stars were swirling across the night sky above him and he tipped his head back to watch them and, yeah, he was more than a bit tipsy. Dinner had been great, the steaks thick and juicy, the vegetables tender and perfectly cooked, just what he needed to remedy a crap day. He burped appreciatively.

“‘Scuse me,” he mumbled, hearing Steve chuckle behind him, warm and close, as he briskly frisked Danny for the Camaro keys. He really should just give Steve his own set, because it made no sense to keep handing them back and forth. Steve drove most of the time anyway, the big control freak.

Steve had been the best date ever, attentive, funny and downright charming. He had listened to Danny’s rant about incompetent lawyers, his suggestions for the proper use of shark cages and laughed at all his jokes and he hadn’t mentioned Gabrielle once.

Danny appreciated that. He tried to turn around and tell Steve he appreciated that, but found himself listing sideways towards the ground. Whoa. He shouldn’t be this drunk, he had only had a couple of whiskey sours at the bar after dinner. Strong arms caught him and held him securely against a broad chest. Lagerfeld, for men. Danny inhaled deeply and leaned closer, pressing his face against Steve’s cool throat. Steve smelled nice. An amused chuckle in his ear told him that he had probably said that last bit out loud. Wow, he really was kind of drunk. He peered blearily up into his friend’s face.

“Steev, I shun be dis drunk…” he slurred, indignant. “I can hold my likker bedder then dis.”

He poked Steve aggressively in the chest to make his point and Steve caught his hand gently as he turned Danny around - and whoa, now the whole damned island was tilting - and carefully guided him around to the passenger door, one arm firmly around his waist, opened it and tucked him securely inside, one big hand cradling his skull gently so he wouldn’t bang it against the roof.

“Sure you can, Danno. It’s just been a long day,” Steve said soothingly as he buckled Danny in.

“Yeah,” Danny said a bit too loudly, frowning down at his clumsy, weirdly tingly fingers. He felt funny now, kind of hot and queasy and horny and he had that nagging feeling he was missing something important.

“Yeah.”

What had they been talking about again? He licked his lips, still thirsty, his mouth felt dry and his lips tingled. He needed something to drink. He tried to tell Steve, but Steve, his best buddy Steve, already knew and assured him that he had something nice and cool for Danny to drink at home.

“Okay. Okay,” Danny said agreeably.

He leaned back in the seat and shut his eyes for a few minutes. When he opened them again, he was naked in Steve’s wide bed and Steve was holding a tall glass of cool tea for him to sip. It was the most delicious drink Danny had ever had and he gulped it down greedily. Then they were kissing, deep, wet kisses and Steve was the most delicious thing Danny had ever tasted. They kissed and kissed and then things got warm and hazy and Danny kind of fell asleep in Steve’s arms and that was okay too, because Steve had his back, Danny trusted Steve.

Steve tucked Danny in and made sure he was soundly asleep before he headed out to wrap up his unfinished business. He dressed in his jogging gear pulled on a pair of gloves and made sure his ID and house key were safely in a zipped pocket.

After he dumped Lori, he would leave her car in one of the worse neighborhoods in Honolulu, unlocked with her phone and open purse in plain view on the seat. Then he would simply jog home. No one ever noticed or questioned a jogger in a residential neighborhood. He retrieved her corpse from the freezer and tucked it into the compact trunk, having to fold her up a bit to fit, ridiculous heels and all.

He climbed behind the wheel and shoved the seat back - he would reset it to her height before he abandoned the car - and contemplated the best place to dump the corpse. Ocean or mountains? He chewed his lip thoughtfully. Why not both? Yeah, that would work. He climbed out of the car and went to retrieve an old camp shovel and army surplus machete from the tool cabinet - common, untraceable tools easily disposed of. If he worked fast, he would be home in time to cook breakfast for Danny.

It was a pity that he didn’t have time to make love to his mate tonight, but he would later. Some things were worth waiting for. Danny now had quite a substantial dose of venom well into his system and it was best that he sleep it off. Steve would have to be more careful with his morning doses and give Danny’s compact body more time to adjust. Steve had miscalculated and used a bit too much venom in Danny’s drinks at the restaurant. He didn’t want to make his mate sick. It would probably be wise to run a few more tests - this time involving semen as well. It wouldn’t do if having sex nauseated Danny, or made his mate violently ill.

He paused at the garage door as it opened and stared down the street and listened hard. He was well aware that he was now under surveillance most of the time, but since he’d systematically removed all their listening devices they were reduced to observing from afar. Tonight he had apparently lucked out. The dark van that was usually parked two blocks down wasn’t there tonight. Pleased, he climbed into the car and drove off, heading up into the mountains.

Shortly after he left, the van slid into its usual spot and the men inside turned on their equipment, glad they had taken the time to stop at the local 7-11 for coffee and fresh pastries. They needed it to stay awake. This McGarrett guy was pretty damned boring. All he did was work, exercise, and occasionally sleep.

Danny woke with a hell of a hangover. It felt like an imp with a jackhammer had taken up residence in his skull. He winced at the bright sunlight filtering through the curtains and sat up, then blushed scarlet when he realized he was not only in Steve’s bed, but stark naked as well. He groaned and closed his eyes. Had they? No, he had some very hot memories of kissing Steve and then… nothing. Steve would never take advantage like that. Dear God, how had he gotten drunk on two whiskies and come on to his partner, his boss? Did he still have a job? A best friend? It wasn’t that he objected to sleeping with Steve, but he wanted it to at least be based on mutual attraction and to remember the experience when he did. Also, Danny had never dated a guy before and that took some mental adjustment.

Cautiously, he peered around. There was a neat pile of clothes on the foot of the bed. He tugged them over and found a pair of sweats and one of Steve’s Navy tee shirts - both garments worn soft with use. A muffled curse from the kitchen below revealed Steve’s location. Carefully, Danny dressed and levered himself upright to stagger into the bathroom. There he washed his face, ruthlessly used Steve’s toothbrush and tried to get his hair under control before heading downstairs to face the music. He caught the aroma of freshly brewing coffee and nearly tripped over the overlong sweats dragging over his heels in his haste to get down the stairs.

Steve was hovering over the stove apparently trying to set the curtains on fire in a rather pathetic attempt to make blueberry pancakes - Danny’s favorite breakfast. Danny felt a familiar surge of fondness at the big goof. His dark hair was still damp and curling at the nape and Steve wore only an old pair of faded board shorts and was barefoot. He must have recently returned from his morning swim. There was a fresh carafe of coffee burbling in the coffee machine. He turned around and gave Danny a hopeful look from under his lashes and an almost shy smile.

“Hey, Danno, I was trying to make… well, you can see for yourself.” He gestured helplessly with his spatula at the crisp, carbonized disk still sizzling and smoking in the pan.

Relieved at the open affection on Steve’s face and the lack of awkwardness between them this morning, Danny stepped forward and gently hip-bumped him aside and swiped the spatula out of his hand and grinned up at Steve although it hurt his face. Even his hair hurt this morning.

“Step aside and let the master work, Steven! And you dared dis my frittatas? You might be able to handle a boiled egg and oatmeal, buddy, but I am the expert pancake maker. Open the window and fetch me some Tylenol before my head falls off. Shoo.”

He flapped his hands at his partner and took over, tossing the burnt cake away, turning the heat down and reaching for the bowl of batter. He added a bit more mix and more blueberries and began to stir, very aware of Steve as he leaned over the sink and pushed the window open with a long, muscular arm. He shivered at the touch of warm breath on the nape of his neck as Steve stepped behind him and lightly placed his big hands on Danny’s hips and murmured in his ear, lips close enough to touch;

“We good, D?”

Danny sighed and relaxed, leaning back against his partner’s broad chest, eyes on his work.

“Yeah, but let’s take things slow, okay? Last night was kind of… unexpected, you know?”

Steve squeezed his hips gently.

“But not unwelcome?” he asked hopefully, as he pressed a tiny kiss in Danny’s unruly hair.

Danny smiled down at the circle of batter he was pouring in the pan. Steve’s hands felt good on his body and he smelled like sun and the ocean. Despite his headache, and his uncertainty about the whole situation in general, he felt warmth blossom upwards from his belly. It made him blush like a schoolgirl. It was time to acknowledge the attraction that had been there from day one.

“No, not unwelcome at all,” he murmured.

“I’m glad, Danny. I want to do this thing right,” Steve told him earnestly. He dropped a light kiss on Danny’s cheek and gave him another squeeze before dropping his hands.

“I’ll go get that Tylenol. I have a really good herbal hangover remedy too.”

“Thanks, babe.”

Danny felt a foolish smile split his face as he listened to Steve’s light footfalls as he headed upstairs to the medicine cabinet. He beamed out the window at the beautiful day even as he squinted painfully at the bright sunlight and satisfied that his pancake was cooking nicely, grabbed a cup of coffee.

As he inhaled the aroma greedily he noticed the new, unopened bottle of vintage Talisker sitting on the end of the kitchen counter. He whistled softly, remembering the price of the last bottle he had seen in a store. If Steve was contemplating hitting the sauce, at least it was the good stuff. He leaned back against the counter and took his first blissful sip of coffee and idly examined the special edition label on the bottle. He would have to talk his partner into sharing some hair of the dog later.

Kono leaned over the tech table and scowled, rubbing her tired eyes. The team had been searching non-stop for Lori for almost 72 hours now. Caught up in a violent hostage situation Monday, they had barely noticed Lori’s absence until mid-afternoon. Calls went directly to voicemail and her car’s GPS was no longer functioning.

An APB eventually found the car - being joy driven around the island by a pair of teen juvenile delinquents. They claimed they had stolen the car from a parking lot and admitted they’d used her cash and cards to purchase video games and weed, but never saw or interacted with her. Steve and Chin interrogated them both, frightening the younger so badly, he cried, and were convinced they were telling the truth. A search of Lori’s apartment revealed no foreign prints or signs of violence, and she kept it neat as a pin.

Kono in fact, had been one of the last people to see her. She had stopped after work at a high-end liquor store to pick up a bottle of red wine, because she was cooking dinner for Charlie, and bumped into Lori, dressed for a night out, purchasing an expensive bottle of Scotch. Kono had teased her gently about her ‘date’, but Lori had been coy and declined to say whom she was planning on sharing the whisky with. Kono had been pleased that she was finally showing signs of getting over her crush on Steve and moving on.

Kono had joined Chin that afternoon, in his mocking of their boss when Chin revealed that Steve had finally asked Danny out on a ‘real’ date. Steve had glared down his nose at them and haughtily told them to get some work done, before retreating into his office, but Kono had seen the pleased smile he was trying to hide. It was about time those two finally stopped dancing around each other and got together. Lori had been with Max at the time, seeing if he had any further information on Nelson’s death. Kono had hoped that shy, socially awkward Max was Lori’s date.

Despite the man hours they and HPD put in, and their determination to locate one of their own, there was the growing fear that Lori Weston was one of those young women who would remain forever among the missing, especially since the trunk of the car was revealed to have been expertly wiped down and the GPS disabled. They had nothing beyond her time-stamped liquor store receipt to go on.

Their worst fears would be confirmed three weeks later when boar hunters high in the mountains stumbled across a well-gnawed femur, the foot still encased in an elegant black stiletto. Despite a search, no other remains or evidence were found other than mud that matched some found on the tires of Lori’s car. Wild boars were notorious scavengers. They would eat almost anything.

Steve finally quietly confided to the team that he suspected Wo Fat was involved, as a neighbor had seen Lori talking with a tall Asian man shortly before her disappearance. The witness was elderly and her eyesight was bad, so she could not describe him further. Danny reluctantly voiced the unsettling idea that perhaps Lori, like Jenna before her, had been coerced by the man in his vendetta against Steve and something unexpected happened because of it. Perhaps Lori had refused to cooperate and he had murdered her to keep her silent and cover his tracks. Eventually, they were forced to reluctantly regulate the case to the HPD cold files and move on to more pressing cases.

Kono vowed to herself she wouldn’t stop looking until she discovered her friend’s murderer. She had quietly made a personal copy of Lori’s case file to take home and study. On nights she couldn’t sleep, she went over her notes again and again. There was a clue there somewhere, she just had to find it.

Joe White had been disturbed when presented with an unexpectedly distasteful assignment from his superiors, but since the target in question was like a son to him, and he had no choice, he remained silent until he had the details. He was simply to remain in touch and observe Steve McGarrett and report his weekly findings to a special branch office. The admiral who had outlined the case for him told him flat out that they were looking for any evidence that Lieutenant Commander Steven J. McGarrett’s behavior and physiology had been altered after his bout with Viral R.

They had a Marine survivor in strict confinement who would have made the perfect soldier - the perfect weapon - his senses and strength were enhanced to a fantastic degree - except he was now a homicidal psychopath. He had snapped and murdered his wife and young children with a K-Bar - simply because they were making noise when he was trying to nap.

He displayed no empathy or remorse and demanded all his food be raw meat. There was evidence that he had cannibalized his family’s remains after butchering them, then sated, gone up to bed and fallen asleep. He was on constant lock-down in solitary confinement in a special facility because he kept attacking his jailers and trying to bite them.

There was little hope for a cure; the virus had rewired his brain at a cellular level.

Steve’s schedule was especially busy now, but everything was proceeding according to plan as he wound things up. He had papers and travel money in a Go Bag, ready for when he and Danny had to flee. He had also arranged for the storage locker at HPD to be burglarized and there was enough money hidden in offshore accounts now to comfortably support them wherever in the world they chose to travel. His unfortunate accomplices had vanished on a celebratory cruise between the islands.

At first he had been pleased to see Joe again - until he caught faint, but familiar scents off of his clothes from the hospital at Pearl and of one of the virologists who had questioned him relentlessly during his quarantine. Still, better the devil you know, so he feigned happiness at seeing the man and let Joe coerce him into spending a few hours at the shooting range and at dinner. His subterfuge worked and Joe visibly relaxed after a short while spent in Steve’s company.

Steve, concerned for the wellbeing of his mate, had taken the chance of taking a tiny vial of his saliva to Charlie and having him analyze it so Steve could be certain he wasn’t harming Danny. He had noticed his saliva had changed in consistency, become less viscous. He told the lab tech that it was a sample of a new party drug that was about to debut on the club scene and asked him to keep his findings for Steve’s eyes only for the time being. Fong had cheerfully agreed, suspecting nothing.

He continued to dose Danny daily, but reduced it to almost nothing when he found that merely sharing kisses had a similar, gentler, much more subtle effect. Danny craved his company and touch, more reluctant to leave after each date they spent together.

Steve insisted they take things slow, which pleased Danny’s old-fashioned sensibilities regarding courtship rituals and insured that Steve finished his research before he mated with Danny. It was getting harder and harder to resist the blond’s charms and he had plans for wrapping up his extracurricular, late night experiments this weekend. So far, Danny stayed and slept in Steve’s bed most nights, but beyond some heavy necking, petting and frottage that always left Danny sleepy and blissed out, they had yet to actually have sex. Lori’s case had distracted and exhausted the entire team, especially Danny, with his vast empathy and compassion when it came to anyone he considered family. It frustrated the stubborn detective to the point of exhaustion when all their leads dried up.

To pave the way for their departure Stev had ‘confided’ in Danny that an old military contact had given him information that Wo Fat was planning to set Steve up for murder again - a charge more apt to stick if the fact that Steve was a Viral R survivor became public knowledge. As he had hoped, when he tentatively suggested to Danny that he move on, on his own, so that Wo Fat would not target anyone else on his team, Danny had vehemently objected, one strong hand firmly anchoring him in place while he used the other to jab at Steve’s nose and inform him that he was going nowhere without his partner and that he could just get that idea out of his head. Steve knew now his major roadblock would be convincing Danny to leave Grace, but he had an argument prepared that would persuade him when the time came.

All in all, Steve was pleased. As long as the government was kept at bay, there was no real hurry and Steve liked taking his time when he executed a plan. That way he insured there were no mistakes. If everything proceeded perfectly as planned, he would finish his business here on the islands before the month was out. A part of him regretted leaving his childhood home, but there were many other tropical paradises scattered around the world.

Devon paced along the wall inside Zanzabar, the beat of the music pounding along to his headache, dark eyes searching the crowd, ignoring the interested men on the dance floor who looked back. He wiped his mouth, then licked dry lips. He was thirsty, horribly so, but only one thing slaked that thirst - one man. He had to be here tonight. He had to be here. Devon had searched every bar along Ala Moana only to come up empty, and returned here where he’d first hooked up with Jack.

Devon had delayed flying back to New York, put his life on hold just for a chance to be with the man he was obsessed with after only a couple of fiery encounters. It had been the most passionate experience of his life and he had been devastated to wake up in his hotel room alone. Jack hadn’t even given him a last name, much less a number. The sex had been the hottest and the most dangerous he had ever experienced, Jack in total control, the way Devon liked his partners. He had been thoroughly used, and woken up sore and aching, his ass bruised and leaking Jack’s semen. He could feel Jack’s marks for days afterwards.

He had to see Jack again, had to taste more of that wicked mouth, that heavy cock. Devon had money, came from a wealthy family, he was good-looking with brown eyes and dark curly hair, if on the short side. Jack had smirked and assured him he liked his men shorter than he. Devon could make it work - he was a high-powered corporate attorney, persuasion was a skill for him - if Jack gave him a chance. He knew he could make it work. He would do anything for Jack. He was even willing to relocate to Hawaii if Jack was reluctant to leave his home.

He was fairly certain Jack was native born to the islands. He had overheard him speaking pidgin to the bartender the night Devon had rather tipsily approached him. He hadn’t been able to resist that haughty, brooding face, the hooded eyes, that long, lean body encased in a tight white tee and torn jeans. The powerful shoulders had flexed as Jack leaned against the bar and his mouth had watered at the glimpses of ink on the tanned, well-muscled biceps. He distinctly remembered offering to trace them with his tongue.

Jack had given him a single cool, measuring, up and down look, then taken him up on that offer.

Devon closed his eyes at the memory and bit his lip hard. Dear God, the taste of that man. He paused and sagged against the wall, tears of frustration welling in his eyes. He blinked them back angrily. What the fuck was wrong with him? He had never chased after a man in his life. They came to him. But he burned for this man, and would give up his fucking trust fund in a heartbeat just for the chance to touch him again. His twin sister Ally was concerned, he knew. She always knew when something was off with him or he was unhappy. He had fielded calls from his office as well, inquiring as to when he was coming back.

Devon stayed until last call, than reluctantly left. He had questioned the bartenders, but Jack was not a regular. He walked unhappily along the beach back to his hotel in the growing dusk and went up to his room. The contents of his suitcase were scattered haphazardly around the room - totally unlike him. He flopped down on the unmade bed, still antsy (he had been wired ever since that night), and reached for the remote to flip on the local news. He was something of a news junkie; Ally teased him about it all the time. He licked his lips again and eyed the wet bar. It hadn’t helped that he had texted her babbling about Jack again earlier. Maybe he would just get wasted again and sleep off the day before searching later tonight.

The sound of shots from the TV caught his attention; the reporter was breathlessly outlining a hostage situation that had gone down earlier this afternoon. Devon watched with disinterest, wondering if it involved Berserkers, the nickname for those mentally unbalanced survivors of Viral R. There was an increasing concern over controlling these volatile people and rumors of certain legislature being passed to protect the innocent. There was a case coming up in court back in New York where a woman had shot and killed her husband, claiming he'd been attacking her. He was one of the latest survivors - a veteran EMT with no history of violence.

On the screen, a slim, attractive woman was guiding a burly, handcuffed man over to a police car, a grim faced Asian man with a shotgun pacing them. It was the men striding behind them that had Devon suddenly lurching off the bed to get closer to the screen. More specifically, it was the tall dark, tattooed guy in the tac vest who was smiling down at a short, attractive blond man also armed and vested, who was waving his hands around. Jack. It was Jack! Quickly he turned up the volume as the reporter approached the pair, microphone in hand.

“Commander McGarrett, can you give us an update on the situation?”

Devon barely heard Jack’s husky response as he absorbed the information, staring hungrily at Jack’s handsome face. McGarrett, Jack’s last name was McGarrett and he was a highly ranked police officer. His hands were shaking as he reached for his phone as the reporter concluded her interview and turned to face the camera.

“There you have it. Everything safely dealt with, thanks to 5-0, Jim, back to you.”

The news anchor faced the camera.

“Yes, Antonia, thank you. Good thing we had Commander Steven McGarrett and his team close at hand to handle that situation.”

In less than five minutes using a private database, Devon had Jack, no Steve’s phone number. Careless of the late hour, he punched it into his phone with shaking hands. It rang three times before it was picked up and a sleepy, gruff male voice answered - not Steve. Devon’s hand clenched hard over his phone and he cleared his throat and shakily asked for Steve. Not Jack, he reminded himself, Steve.

The guy responded sleepily, “Yeah, okay, buddy hold on.” Then faintly, as though he’d lowered the phone from his mouth, “Babe, you’ve got a call.”

Devon felt a white-hot surge of jealous rage rush through his body and he gritted his teeth. There was a man in Ja- no, Steve’s bed, and it wasn’t him. He took a deep breath. He could be calm about this. He just had to be firm.

“Hello?”

“Hi. It’s Devon, I need to speak with you.” He was proud of how calm he sounded. There was a lengthy pause.

“I don’t know a Devon.” Steve’s voice was cold.

“Yes, you do, Jack. We spent some time together at the Hilton last weekend. I really need to see you again.”

“How did you get this number?” The ice in Steve’s voice made Devon flinch. He took a shaky breath.

“I saw you on the news. Please. I just want to talk with you. It’s important.”

The pause was so long that Devon feared Steve was considering disconnecting, so he quickly blurted out,

“You don’t want me to call your boy toy back, do you?”

“Are you still in the same suite?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

“Thanks, Steve, I really mean…”

He was talking to dead air. Shakily, he put the phone down. Shit. He hadn’t meant to threaten Steve, to sound like a creeper. Devon understood what it was like to be closeted. He would be certain to emphasize that when Steve got here in… thirty minutes, he was going to be here in less than thirty minutes!

Suddenly aware that he stank of club sweat and beer, Devon ripped his shirt off, grabbed some clean clothes and ran for the shower. He had to be at his best so Steve would forget all about the guy he was sleeping with. When he stepped out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, dressed and toweling off his hair, it was to a darkened room.

The balcony doors were open and he could see a tall figure leaning against the rail. There was an open bottle of whiskey and a drink poured in a heavy glass from the bar, on the small table, and relaxing a bit at the implication of the lowered lights and liquor, Devon swallowed hard and approached his soon to be lover, hands shaking with the need to touch. He wanted to kneel at Steve’s feet, press his face against his groin.

Steve turned to face him and slowly raised his head and Devon froze at the cold focus of glittering silver eyes and furious face, as every hair on his nape rose. Abruptly, his lizard brain caught up with his dick as he noticed Steve was dressed all in matte black and wore gloves, and now suddenly, horribly aware of the danger he was in, he turned to run.

It was the last mistake he made.

The whole mess took Steve longer to clean up than he liked. He resented having to leave Danno sleeping alone and unprotected. His favorite thing now was to curl affectionately around his mate in the warm nest of the bed that now smelled of their mingled scent. He could lie patiently for hours like that with a sleeping Danny’s head on his shoulder, Danny’s warm breath against his throat, the heavy weight of a furry thigh thrown over Steve’s hip.

He pocketed Devon’s phone, and splashed whiskey around when he slipped into the room. He forced more down Devon’s throat when he emerged from the bath, and then deftly tossed the sobbing, pleading man off the balcony to thud and smash onto the concrete by the pool fifteen stories below, before he slipped silently away via the stairwell. He was secure in the knowledge that the electronic glitch he had caused in the fuse box in the basement temporarily disabled the hotel cameras and he was unobserved. He would have Toast wipe his number from Devon’s cell phone company’s database as well tomorrow.

He quickly stripped off his outer layer and gloves in the shadows under the palms surrounding the hotel, tucked them into his pack and jogged towards home along the beach, the direct opposite of the direction he had approached the hotel from. He had left Danny snug and sleeping, still blissed out from the leisurely blowjob Steve had given him before bed, but he had no doubt that his partner would question him about the call later. Danny was a smart guy, and Steve appreciated that. He looked forward to the day he could share all his secrets with him.

Devon had proved an unexpected annoyance. He’d been Steve’s final experiment, chosen simply because he was almost exactly Danny’s age, height and weight. Steve had spent more time with him than was usual, on a weekend where Danny was busy with Gracie, to specifically study the venom’s aftereffects.

Finally satisfied that Danny would be unharmed when he made love to him, Steve had left, expecting Devon, like the other tourists he had used, to docilely board a plane home as soon as his vacation was over. That he had not, bothered Steve. Apparently, the venom had lingered longer in the man’s system than expected. The devil was in the details, his old demolition instructor used to say, and the tiniest lack of attention to the details could fuck you up.

Steve wasn’t worried about his venom’s addictive effects on his mate, because Danny would never be forced to suffer through the pain of withdrawal. Steve would keep him well sated with daily kisses and frequent sex. Steve had carefully studied the analysis of his saliva that Charlie had worked up (he had entered the lab after hours and wiped the log information and Fong’s notes from the computer) and concluded that - as he had instinctively suspected - eventually, the slow build up in Danny’s bloodstream of Steve’s viral antibodies would turn him, hopefully without the high risk of the dangerous fever. Strong and fast like Steve - they would be lions in a world of lambs.

He thought he could maybe see the start of the change already, Danny was more energetic and his bad knee had not troubled him in weeks, he was so agile and fast on his feet that last week he had run down a fleet-footed suspect with a grace and speed that had left Steve hard and aching. He licked his lips in anticipation, remembering his lover writhing beneath his mouth, the sweet salt taste of him. He tasted so good. Steve would never have enough of him.

The fading scent of roast pork caught his attention as he jogged past the beach where a luau had been held earlier and he turned his head and sniffed appreciatively, saliva pooled in his mouth as his hunger rose. Steve pondered for only a second, before turning in country and heading up into the hills, heading into the wind. He could smell the rich blood odor of a wild boar sow and her piglets wafting down on the breeze from here.

Time to hunt.

Joe frowned as he watched Steve’s lean, black-clad figure fade under the trees only to emerge minutes later stripped to jogging shorts and tank and jog leisurely off down the beach. What was he up to? Before Joe could follow, he heard a woman’s ear-piercing scream from the pool area. He hurried over and found a small crowd gathering around a body lying on the paving stones. Frowning, he pushed forward to gain what information he could.

He didn’t think this looked good at all. Steve had been inside the hotel no longer then fifteen minutes, but that was ample time to murder someone if you were a trained killer. He stared down the beach and really hoped he was wrong, that the fallen man was strictly coincidental.

“Are you certain these samples haven’t been contaminated? There is no evidence of the virus in these antibodies at all.”

“Shall we test a second time?”

“Yes. If this sample turns up negative we may need to have the good Commander come in - in person - to have more blood drawn.”

“Yes, sir.”

Everything was going perfectly. Steve had given them the weekend off, every team member taking three personal health days at the governor’s direct order. He even invited the team over for a Friday night barbeque, something they had not done in weeks and it was a good night to decompress. What he didn’t tell them was that it was actually a farewell party.

HPD had investigated the death of Devon Hall and decided it was accidental. Apparently, Mr. Hall had been behaving erratically since his arrival in Hawaii. He’d unexpectedly extended his stay on Oahu without informing his employers, spent long hours out clubbing and drinking and sent strange, rambling texts to his sister Alicia. His room at the Hilton, upon investigation was revealed to be a pigsty, reeking of alcohol and weed. The concierge had reported Hall had returned alone very late the night of his death and appeared to be ill or under the influence, as he was pale and shaky. An autopsy had revealed traces of an unknown stimulant in his blood. His sister was flying out to collect the body as soon as it was released from the medical examiner’s office.

The party at Steve’s was finally winding down. Chin and Malia had already left, claiming fatigue. Danny drove Grace home and promised to stop at the store on the way back to renew their Longboard supply for the remainder of the weekend.

A slightly tipsy Kono was helping Steve with cleanup in the kitchen and drinking a tall glass of water, so she could sober up enough to drive home. She had plans for the morning waves at the North Shore. Steve had carried in the tray holding the last of the dirty glasses and taken a trash bag out to collect any debris or bottles left on the beach. Kono really hoped her next boyfriend was as much of a neatnik as Steve. Her small cottage could use a thorough cleaning.

She finished rinsing the last of the silverware and glasses and put them in the drying rack before collecting and re-corking the remaining unused wine and liquor bottles - everyone had been mainly content to stick with beer tonight. She put the bottles of wine in the fridge and carried the vodka and rum over to the liquor cabinet. As she placed them inside, a label caught her eye and for some reason, it seized her attention. It was a brand new bottle of Talisker. Where had she heard that word before? She picked it up to examine it more closely.

“Kono?”

She gave a small yelp and jumped and dropped the bottle, but Steve plucked it out of midair before it could hit the hardwood floor. Damn, he had reflexes! Maybe the man really was a ninja. She hadn’t heard him return. She really had to get him to teach her how to stalk perps like that. She turned and glared up into his amused face.

“Damn, Boss, give a girl some warning! I nearly dropped your fancy whiskey!”

He smirked at her and stretched out a long arm and replaced it on the shelf.

“Hey, don’t do that, it was a gift.” He closed the cabinet door and smiled down at her.

“How about I give you a ride home? I really don’t want you driving.”

“Ah, Boss, I’m not that ‘ona lama!”

He wrapped a big hand firmly around her slender bicep and steered her gently to the door.

“Oh, I insist, rookie.”

Danny walked Grace up to the door and gave her a final, lingering hug and kiss, holding his baby close and breathing in the sweet scent of her strawberry shampoo. It was the last time he was going to see her for a while.

“I’ll miss you, Monkey. Be good and say Hi to Nana for me. Send me a postcard from your vacation, okay?” He pressed one more kiss to her soft cheek and she giggled at the prickle of his stubble.

“I will, Danno! We can Skype and I’ll bring you a present from London!”

Stan and Rachel were taking a vacation to London, via New York, to show off baby Charlie to his grandparents. They would visit Stan’s wealthy parents in Connecticut before flying over to England to spend three weeks with Rachel’s mother. Grace had been so excited to go, he had not had the heart to protest. She was old enough now that travel interested her and she adored Rachel’s mother.

Danny was going to miss her, but he felt a little guilty because he was also looking forward to extra time to spend with Steve. He drove back to the house - he had not visited his apartment in days and most of his stuff was at Steve’s house. He felt a warm flush of anticipation spread through his belly. He was so in love with the big goof it wasn’t even funny. Danny planned on this night being special.

He couldn’t wait to get back to his lover because Steve had been teasing him all evening with little touches, a bare foot caressing his under the table, sultry glances from under his lashes and the flick of his tongue over his lips after sipping his beer, a heated, clandestine kiss snatched in the kitchen. He glanced at the pharmacy bag on the seat beside him and blushed a bit. He had spent ten minutes dithering over brands of lubricant before grabbing the unflavored tube. He hadn’t bothered with condoms. He knew both he and Steve were clean and he couldn’t bear the thought of any barriers, no matter how thin, between them. He licked his lips in anticipation and stepped on the gas a little.

Steve lit the final votive on the bedside table and waited. He had stripped the bed and replaced the linens with crisp white sheets. The scattering of blood red rose petals across them made a nice contrast. He tilted his head and studied the effect clinically. The romantic gestures would please and fluster Danny, no matter how much he teased Steve for making them.

The windows were open and a delicate gardenia-laced breeze wafted in. Steve was freshly showered and clad only in a pair of black silk pajama bottoms. He padded over to his dresser and removed the velvet ring box from the top drawer. He thumbed open the lid and stared down at the heavy platinum band set with five channel cut diamonds. Steve had chosen it specifically because it was a wide, heavy band that would be clearly visible on Danny’s small hand. His husband would wear other marks of possession on his person eventually, of course, but this would be the most visible warning sign for others to keep away.

Danny didn’t know it yet, but they were married. The civil union licensure paperwork already signed, dated and filed. It helped to know someone in the Health Department who was eager to make her son’s drug bust evidence vanish in exchange for helping the Commander of 5-0 keep his marriage secret. He closed the box and waited, head cocked. He could hear the muted rumble of the Camaro’s powerful engine turning in at the end of the street onto the cul-de-sac where Steve’s house was located. He took a deep breath and stood at the foot of the bed and forced himself to wait patiently and not pounce on his partner the moment Danny opened the door. It was important in this final stage of the plan that Danny came to him.

Danny strode into the dark house, clucking in annoyance over the unlocked door and the inactive alarm. He froze in the hallway, beer and pharmacy bag in hand and stared down at the tiny white votive candles spaced flickering through the hall and up the stairs. Was that a trail of rose petals? He swallowed hard, and carefully set the beer on the foyer table and followed the trail of flickering light through the darkness up to his partner.

Steve was waiting silently for him at the foot of the bed. There was a final scattering of petals across the sheets and a single tiny votive flickering by the bed. Danny raised his eyes from the ring box clutched tight in Steve’s left hand to his partner’s solemn face; he could feel his whole body flush with heat. Steve raised his chin in silent question and Danny swallowed hard before croaking out his answer.

“Yes. Yes, Steve.”

He walked into Steve’s open arms, to hungrily cup and pull down and kiss that long face now beaming down at him in that familiar goofy grin. He was laughing and crying a bit as he pulled back a little, grinning at the pleased smirk on Steve’s face.

“How many innocent flowers did you murder for those petals, you Neanderthal, you?”

“I’d murder more than that for you, Danno.”

Danny moaned helplessly from his position, pinned face down with Steve’s hard body draped over his back. He flung one hand out to grab the bed rail and brace himself against Steve’s hard thrusts, the other clawing helplessly at the sheets. He resisted the urge to sink his teeth in the pillow beneath his head and bit his lip instead. He could feel his orgasm spiraling inside his belly, building up to a white-hot explosion of heat and he sobbed out a mixture of pain and pleasure as the bed creaked rhythmically and the headboard thumped the wall as his lover savagely fucked him into the mattress.

When Steve growled in his ear and sank sharp teeth into the heavy muscle where it joined his neck he yowled aloud. Never in his life had he experienced such intense sex. He wouldn’t be able to walk or sit easily for a week after this, but damn, what a way to lose his virginity. He had never felt so claimed in his life.

Their lovemaking had started out as sweet and slow as their many long make out sessions in the past, Steve’s big, rough hands surprisingly tender on Danny’s body. Things had escalated quickly after Danny had slid down that lean torso and yanked black silk down so he could taste his lover’s arousal for the first time. He had always hesitated before, some remnant of heterosexual pride causing him to hesitate when it came to tasting Steve there, but that faded at the first tang of salt sweet pre-come that exploded on his tongue. Suddenly he was ravenous for that flavor, that pure essence of Steve.

Steve had held his head in his hands, guiding his hungry mouth, but before he could bring Steve off, swallow him down, he grabbed Danny’s shoulders and pulled him up, kissed him hard, then attempted to flip him over on his belly. Danny had objected with a growl of his own, needing more of that taste and fought to regain his prize. Competitive even in between the sheets, they ended up wrestling for dominance, rolling each other across the wide bed, biting and kissing and clawing, sweat-sleek limbs entangled, each struggling to top.

Steve won, combat trained as he was, and pinned Danny on his back, big hands pressing his wrists to the mattress above his head, as he held him down easily, despite his curses and struggles. When he leaned in to claim Danny’s mouth, Danny bit Steve’s lower lip hard enough to bring blood in defiance.

Steve just chuckled throatily and bit back, tiny starbursts of pain peppered on Danny’s lips along his jaw to his throat, where Steve latched on lamprey-like and sucked a blood-rich bruise, in the sweet spot behind his ear. Then he lazily nipped and suckled Danny’s hot, tingling earlobe, only pausing long enough to purr into his ear, “I’m going to take you, Danny, and you’re going to let me do it. You’re going to spread your legs for me and I’m going to come so hard and deep inside of you that you won’t know what to do when I’m not there, filling you up. You’re going to take everything I give you and scream for more.”

And he had.

Steve had been deft and gentle, using tongue and well-lubed fingers to open him up, but once he had Danny moaning for more, he had surged like the tide up over him and mounted him without hesitation, with a sharp snap of his hips. The sharp burn of penetration had segued quickly into pleasure, as Steve fucked him steadily; rough calloused hands clamped on his trim hips, holding him firmly in place while Steve took his pleasure. Danny had bucked back and demanded more from his lover and Steve complied, growling and grunting his pleasure as he pounded Danny into the mattress. They both climaxed within a few seconds of each other and collapsed in a sweaty, tangled heap, panting for breath.

Danny gave a breathless chuckle as Steve huffed out a gusty breath and nuzzled the nape of his neck, nipping it tenderly. He was going to wear Steve’s love bites on his neck and shoulders and fingertip bruises on his hips for days. His body was tingling and buzzing with heat and pleasure, and to his amazement, he found himself growing hard again in minutes. He hadn’t been this horny since he was sixteen. After Steve slid free from his body and checked him gently, they nestled together in the ruined bed, exchanging deep, lazy kisses until Danny couldn’t wait any longer and shoved Steve over on his back and climbed astride him, grinning down into surprised eyes.

“My turn, Babe.”

Steve slid smoothly from the bed, scooped his vibrating cell off the bedside table and padded silently into the bathroom, careful not to wake his exhausted, well-fucked, soundly sleeping mate. Mine. All mine now. Danny had turned the tables on him deliciously earlier and it had delighted him to yield his body to his lover. Especially when he saw the telltale flicker of silver in Danny’s eyes in the candlelight. Heterochromia iridum of the irises was the only visible permanent sign of the final stages of Viral R infection.

They had fucked most of the night and wrecked the bed and the room reeked of sweat, semen and the heady blend of their combined pheromones. Even Steve, with his enhanced stamina, had fallen asleep and dozed longer than he had in months. He stretched lazily, enjoying the throb of Danny’s nail marks on his back and shoulders, and the heady aroma of their mingled scent on his skin. Danny was his now, their bond sealed and unbreakable. What they shared now was on a cellular level.

He smiled when he saw the caller ID and read the brief text. It was a damned good night indeed. First he had claimed his mate and now he was going to finally claim the life of the man who had murdered his parents. How infinitely arrogant of Wo Fat to take up residence in a house less than a mile from Steve’s home.

How infinitely stupid of Wo Fat, but convenient for Steve in the end.

He padded silently down the stairs and vanished out the lanai door into the darkness, pausing briefly in the laundry room to pull on a pair of board shorts, his running shoes and tuck a hidden knife into his waistband. He would be back in his mate’s arms before morning.

This wouldn’t take long at all.

Across town, Kono awoke with a start, and sat up in bed, panting hard and staring into the dark corner of her bedroom. She leapt up from bed and hurried into her small, tidy office, slapping on the light as she entered the room. She grabbed the folder holding the copy of Lori’s file and rifled through it until she found the copy of the time-stamped liquor receipt. She stared down at it, finally remembering her interview with the owner of the store.

“Yeah, pretty lady. I remember her because she picked up a bottle of Talisker, from a 20 year bottling. I had to special order it for her from the mainland. Said it was a private gift for a very special guy.”

Kono swallowed hard, not liking the path her thoughts were taking. There had to be an explanation. Steve… Steve would never do that.

“Hey, don’t do that, it was a gift.”

Yet Lori had been kind of obsessive about Steve, and she had remained oblivious to the fact that Steve had eyes only for Danny… but if it was a gift from Lori, why hadn’t Steve mentioned it? Steve would never do that. She shook her head, as if she could shake suspicion out of her mind. She would have to talk to Chin in the morning. Chin would explain everything, because Steve was her hero. He was one of the good guys. There was no chance that Lori’s fingerprints were on the bottle in Steve’s kitchen.

She didn’t sleep the rest of the night.

Ally Hall paced her hotel room. She was dry-eyed now. She had claimed her brother’s body from the morgue earlier that day and read the autopsy report. There was no way in hell that Devon’s death had been accidental. She really wished she had not insisted on viewing his body.

Ah, God, Dev. Her beautiful, laughing brother was really gone. Their parents had already arranged for his cremation and for the ashes to be shipped home and placed in their family crypt in New Hampshire. No doubt her mother already had an invitation list written out for a discreet, tasteful memorial service.

She picked up her cell and flicked through her saved messages until she found the one she wanted. The one with the photo Dev had sent her two weeks before from a club called Zanzabar. In it, a photo of a dark-haired, lean man lounged at the bar, face half turned away from the camera and Devon’s message was: So hitting this, wish me luck. This was Jack. The mysterious Jack that Devon had been so obsessed with. The Jack whom Devon had raved about the next day, and wept over the days after that, so desperately in love that he was willing to lose his hard won job over.

Jack was at the heart of the mystery of her brother’s death, she knew it. And tomorrow the HPD would know it too. Her twin had been murdered and she was going to see his killer brought to justice, even if she had to search every damned bar on this island.

“We want you to bring him in. He trusts you. It’s important. The antibodies in his blood could provide a vaccine for Viral R. The virus keeps spreading and mutating and we need to find a way to stop it. There are countless lives at stake here and we need the answers that only McGarrett’s blood can provide now. Take a team with you and pick him up tomorrow morning at the 5-0 offices.”

The admiral dropped his eyes and shuffled the papers in front of him, before raising his gaze and staring hard into Joe’s eyes.

“Do I make myself clear, White?”

“Yes, sir. Perfectly clear.”

Lies, they need a guinea pig for their project. I’ll follow orders, but not before I give Steve a heads-up. He’s done nothing but serve his country with honor. He deserves better than to be treated as a prisoner of war in his own country.

Catherine stared out the plane window as it descended over the ocean. The lights of Honolulu strung like a string of bright jewels along the shore. It had taken her months to come to terms with what had happened to her and now she was here to face facts and confront her former lover. If she had to, she would speak with the governor himself. There was something wrong with Steve, his behavior had changed radically after his bout with the virus and something had to be done about it before he hurt someone else.

Danny awoke with a start, Steve’s hands on his shoulders, shaking him lightly. He groaned. His entire body throbbed and ached and he even had bite marks on his inner thighs. He wouldn’t be able to sit or walk easily for days. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and woke up fast when he saw Steve’s grim expression.

“Danny, wake up. Wo Fat has put his plan to frame me into play, we need to move now. Do you trust me, Danno? Will you come with me? I promise you will see Grace again as soon as it’s safe for her.”

“Of course, Babe. Hand me my clothes.”

“Here, put these on. There’s no time to pack.”

Danny gave him a grin as he yanked on the jeans and plain tee Steve handed him, and leaned up to give him a quick kiss. Steve cupped his jaw with one big hand and deepened it, taking his mouth, wet tongue plunging deeply, making Danny’s lips tingle. They pulled apart reluctantly with a wet smack and exchanged rueful grins. Danny found it ironic that he was apparently going to spend his ‘honeymoon’ on the lam, but where Steve went, Danny willingly followed.

“Let me guess, you packed weeks ago.”

“Well, yeah.”

Chin stared across the tech table at the three women silently facing him.

He could barely believe his ears. His own cousin suspected Steve of being the prime suspect in Lori’s disappearance, Catherine was practically accusing him of rape, and Alicia Hall had a blurry photo of Steve on her cell and claimed he had something to do with the death of her brother. Alicia had taken her ‘evidence’ to HPD where one of the detectives had taken one look at the photo and sent her straight over to 5-0.

Kono’s eyes were bright with unshed tears, Catherine looked pale but determined, and Alicia’s dark eyes were burning with repressed anger. He sat down hard and bit his lip. Steve had a hell of a lot of explaining to do when he came in to the office.

His impending headache was interrupted by the entrance of Lieutenant Commander Joe White, marching into the office, flanked by two stone-faced, burly SEALS. Joe’s worn face was grim. He tossed an official-looking form down on the table.

“I need to see Steve. He’s being pulled back into active duty as of now.”

“We all need to see Steve. Get in line, White,” Chin answered curtly.

Steve never showed, nor did Danny.

Chin led the raid on McGarrett’s house, shotgun at the ready, Joe and his team and SWAT at his back, ready to take Steve into custody. He refused to allow anyone else to take custody of his friend - the only man who had believed him when he had said he was not a thief. The whole scenario was surreal to him. He felt as though the world had tilted on its axis. As though everything true in the world was proved a lie.

The house was unlocked. Steve’s truck was in the drive. They surrounded it and swarmed in like well-armed ants, only to find a silent, empty house. There was an envelope addressed to Chin on the kitchen table. Kono went straight to the liquor cabinet and carefully bagged the bottle of Talisker for evidence. Chin picked up the envelope and eased it open.

Don’t be stupid enough to come looking. Check the freezer in the garage. Smooth sailing. Goodbye, my friend.

S

He handed the note to the nearest tech to bag, then walked into the garage, Joe and Kono at his heels. Slowly, he lifted the lid of the old chest freezer. Beside him, Kono moaned and turned away, the tears finally beginning to fall.

Wo Fat’s ice-covered head stared up at them, face frozen into a visage of terror and disbelief. It was propped neatly between a carton of ice cream and a box of Peppermint Patties. It had been savagely ripped from his torso and later Max would find the imprints of human teeth on the torn throat that matched Steve’s dental records. The remainder of the body would eventually be discovered by the landlord of a rental house less than a mile away, after the scent of rot alerted the neighbors.

Chin quietly closed the lid and walked out on the lanai to stare out over the peaceful cove, blinking away the prickle of tears. Behind him, he could hear White quietly giving orders to his team. It already felt like the end of everything, but he needed to see this through.

The lab pulled a perfect set of prints off the bottle that matched Lori’s. Max found a single strand of blonde hair caught in the hinge of the freezer. Charlie Fong came forward and quietly reported to Chin that the unknown stimulant in Devon Hall’s body matched that of a sample that Steve had left with him a month ago. The records were missing from the lab’s computer, but Charlie had made copies of his own to study, intrigued by the odd components of the drug. The unknown stimulant was laced with McGarrett’s DNA. The remainder in the vial was quickly confiscated by the military.

Catherine quietly filed a detailed statement regarding the night she’d spent with Steve, his radical change in behavior and her physical symptoms afterwards. A blood test revealed a minute trace of Steve’s venom still lingering in her system.

The bartender and the hotel concierge both identified Steve as the man who they’d seen with Devon the night he met “Jack” for the first time. Max combed through Devon’s clothing with Ally’s permission and located a single hair on a shirt that matched Steve’s.

They were all afraid for Danny. He had vanished with Steve. When they finally located and contacted Rachel, they found he had not spoken to Grace since the Edwards left on vacation. His car was found down by the docks, the keys and both his and Steve’s IDs and badges neatly tucked in the glove compartment. The search of the islands and the airports came up with nothing.

Chin surmised that Steve had coerced Danny into going with him, that they had met a boat at the harbor and probably ferried out to meet a cargo ship heading away from the islands. The Danny they knew would never willingly leave Grace.

Governor Denning shut down 5-0 until it could be restructured with additional personnel of his own choosing. Chin was offered the position of team leader, and he spoke with both Malia and Kono before reluctantly accepting. He knew he and Kono would never be able to stop searching for Steve and Danny, and it was important to him that 5-0 - the team Steve had built - would be the one that helped bring him to justice.

Joe White had quietly confided to Chin that it was the virus that had caused the radical change in McGarrett’s behavior and that he and his team were under orders to pursue Steve and bring him in, because it was thought that his rare blood type held the key to a cure for Viral R. Chin privately thought there was a great deal more to it than that, but he said nothing.

Kono took a month off and spent a lot of time surfing in the water and drunk on the beach.

Finally, she pulled herself together and began research on the effects of Viral R upon survivors. She was determined to help find Steve and bring him back home to be cured, and find Danny and bring him home to Grace. She refused to believe that Steve may have murdered Danny and dumped his body in the ocean. They were out there somewhere in the world. She had a quiet word with Catherine, who agreed to keep her eyes and ears open for word of any future sightings of Steve.

Danny tossed restlessly on the hard bunk in the ship’s cabin, hot with fever and half seasick from the rough waves currently tossing the small tanker. Steve stayed with him, kept him hydrated and bathed him with cool water. The fever wasn’t as bad as the one that altered him, but still Danny would be weak and uncomfortable until it ran its course. Always bright, he had raged when he realized what was happening, that he was changing, and when it dawned on him that Steve had infected him deliberately, he had tried his best to tear Steve’s throat out with his bare hands.

Fortunately for Steve, he was too weak, and Steve had restrained him easily and held him tight while Danny wept for his lost life. Danny would forgive him once he adjusted. He had tried to refuse Steve’s kisses, turning his face away even as he shivered with fever and need, but Steve had persisted - not ashamed to beg, to shed tears himself and plead that Danny stay with him - that he love him. Finally, unable to bear Steve’s pain, Danny had yielded, opened his mouth for Steve’s eager wet kisses, for his tongue. Now he rested, feverish and subdued, and groggily allowed Steve to care for him.

Steve sat beside him, vigilant in guarding his mate until they reached their destination. He smiled down into dazed, silver-blue eyes, stroked wet, blond hair out of Danny’s face. The change was nearly complete now, accelerated by the exchange of fluids during their mating. His mate would be hungry soon. Already, he had snapped irritably - white teeth gleaming - at Steve when Steve had forced him to drink a mug of water earlier.

The sailors on this Indonesian tanker instinctively gave them both a wide berth and the captain was glad to be rid of his passengers when they finally reached the port in Macao. Despite the generous bribe for their transport, there was something about them that made his flesh crawl. He watched with a deep sense of relief as they vanished silently into the shadows on the dock, the tall one with the cold eyes carefully guiding the shaky steps of the small blond. He had been all too aware of the uneasy, superstitious mutterings of his crew, and that the fat, brown rats that usually plagued a cargo hold of rice - had vanished, along with the ship’s cat.

Epilogue: Budva, Montenegro: 2 years later

Gabrielle stepped out of her hotel room onto the balcony and peered down at the aquamarine pool below, and beyond that down to the white sands of the beach. The view was breathtaking and she was glad that Nick had talked her into taking a few days from the conference in Naples to vacation here. She loved her job, but it was painstaking and often tedious and she welcomed the break.

As she turned to go inside to freshen up, a long, tanned male body sprawled on one of the white linen-covered chaise lounges below around the pool caught her eye and she paused to ogle appreciatively. His skin was oiled and tattooed, his cropped hair dark, eyes shielded by shades as he napped in the sun, one arm folded beneath his head, the other hand resting possessively on the hip of the man who slept curled next to him with his head pillowed on his torso, bright waves of sun-bleached blond hair spilling across the brunet’s broad chest. They reminded her of two lions basking in the sun.

Gabby squinted hard at the couple, but she was too high up to clearly make out their features. They both looked very familiar. Well, there was one way to find out if she knew them. She went inside to put on her swimsuit.

Ten stories below, Steve sniffed the breeze and the familiar scent wafting down on it and cracked open an eye and watched her go inside. Interesting, to see her here. He wondered if she still considered Hawaii her home, if she had kept in touch with the news there. His stomach growled. Maybe he and Danny would hunt sooner than they had anticipated tonight.

Beside him, Danno grumbled in his sleep and shifted until he was nosing the soft skin of Steve’s belly, his ringed hand resting heavily on Steve’s thigh. His knuckles were still bruised from the fight he had gotten into on the docks last night. Steve ran a fond hand over his mate’s golden skin, idly tracing the Balinese tribal tattoo of a scorpion high on the curve of his hip above his swim trunks, glad that Danny didn’t burn in the sun now.

Danny was still adjusting to their new, nomadic life and Steve knew there were days when he longed to see Grace, but, ever practical, was too wary of capture to risk either of them. (He Skyped with her every now and then without Rachel’s knowledge and sent her little gifts from his travels.) He had been livid when he’d discovered that Steve had eliminated Wo Fat the night before they left Hawaii and lied to him about the reasons for their hasty departure.

They had fought about it viciously - Steve had nasty bite scars on his hip and shoulder, and pale claw marks across his ribs as a memento - and still ended up fucking like two cats in heat, because the virus sang in Danny’s veins now, too, and while he was pissed that Steve had lied, he also understood Steve’s reasoning. Neither of them wanted to end up in some clandestine Black Ops lab, dissected on the Altar of Science. Steve kept nothing from Danny now, because he knew his mate would leave if he did, and if anyone was stubborn enough to endure detox from Steve’s venom, it would be Danny. Steve was as addicted to Danny as Danny was to him.

He kept a sharp eye on his mate now, because where before Danny had merely been short-tempered, now he was volatile and could turn vicious in a heartbeat. They had been forced to flee Australia after a barfight near Bondi beach that left three men crippled and two dead. Danno did not tolerate midget jokes well now.

Contrary as always, the fact that he had lost control so easily had made Danny even more short-tempered, and, angry at himself, he had snarled and attacked Steve, forcing him to subdue his lover by dragging Danny into the surf and holding him under until he calmed down. As much as he had enjoyed the brawl and watching his mate tear the foolish surfers apart, even Steve acknowledged the need to keep a low profile.

They traveled when and where they pleased, the ultimate global nomads. Steve had caches of funds scattered over Europe and Asia and he delighted in showing his mate the world and some of the beautiful places he had seen. They had home bases in half a dozen countries and White, with all his resources, had yet to locate even one.

Berserkers, as they and their fellow survivors were widely known, had little rights left under new international law, and Joe White and his team still dogged them with Interpol’s aid. Steve knew, because he kept an eye on Joe’s team and enjoyed leading them a merry chase. Catherine Rollins was totally unaware that Steve kept a close eye on her, well aware that she had called in all her favors in her efforts to track him. Cat was smart, and not to be underestimated.

Steve had picked up a lot of clandestine information from the laptop he had stolen from Wo Fat the night he’d eliminated him. Wo Fat had his tentacles in a lot of businesses in Asia and Steve now used that information to his and Danny’s advantage, shifting and draining funds from his hidden bank accounts, as well as slowly selling off Wo’s assets and blackmail information bit by bit. The yakuza in Japan now owed Steve a very large favor that he kept in reserve until needed. He provided very well for his mate, as he would for their child when Danny decided it was safe enough to collect her from her mother.

Steve kept Toast on with a generous retainer and a steady supply of the finest pakalolo. He hacked into 5-0’s computers every now and then as well, to see what his former team was up to, and kept them under surveillance. He had always known Chin would make an excellent leader and he sometimes missed Kono’s sheer, youthful enthusiasm.

Chin had wisely backed off in his search for Steve and Danny after Steve sent him an unmarked packet of surveillance photos of a radiant, heavily pregnant Malia, and of Kono on her surfboard. His thumbprint sealing the crisp white envelope that appeared in the middle of Chin’s desk had been the only signature necessary to get the point across.

One day soon, when he and his mate were bored, Steve might drop a few breadcrumbs and let Joe catch up to him. He smirked in anticipation. It would be enjoyable to take on the finest soldiers that the U.S. Navy commanded. Men disappeared into the Amazon basin all the time, so maybe he and Danny would visit Brazil next. Danny had never been to Carnival, and the slums and jungles were fine hunting grounds. Maybe it was time they hunted some long pig.