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She was lost in the dark void, searching, her rage the only thing keeping her seeking the thin trail of his light. How dare he leave her alone in the cold darkness! Finally she found him (living in a far, tropical land bright with sun, the sky laced with rainbows) using the treasured heirloom locket he had saved from her possessions for Grace as a focus. She rested for weeks in the shadows, weak from the loss of energy drained from her long search, gathering her strength--the strength born from the rage of a violent and untimely death--and she watched him.
She was dimly aware of the babe, the little one bore the same bright aura as her father, she was also vaguely aware that the child was hers, but felt nothing but indifference and a dim jealousy towards it. After all, its birth had been indirectly responsible for her demise. Besides, even if she wanted to harm it, drain its life force for her own, the protective wards carved on the crib kept her at bay as did the blessed crystals and the dreamcatcher, woven with spells, hanging above the little crib. She could only gain a semblance of form from the night shadows, too weak to bear the bright sunlight. Danny was very protective of his daughter, yet more fuel to the fire of her burgeoning rage. Why had he not protected her? Why should he live and not her? So, the thing that had once been Rachel Williams brooded and grew darkly swollen with hatred and rage, gathering strength.
Sometimes she hovered over his bed while he slept, a thin tendril of shadow, siphoning off his strength, filling his dreams with fear. Increasingly, Daniel Williams awoke after a night of tossing restlessly, no more rested then when he lay down, often more fatigued. He stoically forced himself to rise and tend to his child and go to his job, wondering if he was coming down with some tropical malady, because he remembered none of his nightmares. He was aware of the concerned look his boss and colleagues shot him, but said nothing. He needed his job, so he could care for his baby.
Finally, one night, the lich that had once been a loving, laughing wife and mother struck. Coalescing into a thick pool of midnight black rage, it spread over Danny as he slept and ruthlessly began to drain his breath away, greedily swallowing his strength as it did so, as he struggled weakly. It might have succeeded if little Grace had not sat up in her crib, dark eyes wide at the sight of the thing smothering her father and screamed like a small banshee. Not only did the baby scream--she called for help--to the one person she adored as much as her beloved father. Tall dark strong loves us smiles hugs gentle hands---Steve McGarrett.
Danny awoke gasping for breath and struggling weakly, clasped in strong arms. He stopped fighting the moment he recognized the scent and touch of the man holding him close stay still Danny! He could hear drumming of all things and the melodic sound of women chanting, the pungent scent of burning herbs filled the air. He opened his eyes and watched in disbelief as Kono and Jenna chanted and forced a angrily swirling pool of shadow into a circle of sea salt, which Jenna quickly closed up, drum set aside, then scrawled what looked to be chalked runes around the circle, reinforcing it. Lori stood to one side, green eyes narrowed with rage, fangs bared, a sniffling Grace held protectively in her arms. Jenna nodded at a fiery-eyed Kono, who held a black obsidian bowl of burning herbs and incense and was holding a locket on a thin chain above it. Kono raised her voice in a sharp command and dropped the necklace into the bowl. The thing trapped in the circle gave an unholy wail of pure rage and vanished in a puff of acrid smoke. Danny suddenly found he could breathe again and gulped in lungfuls of cool night air. Someone had opened a window, he realized--no someone, a certain Steven J. McGarrett someone, had smashed right through his glass patio doors. So much for his deposit.
"What the fuck?" he croaked, shivering with a sudden chill. He couldn't seem to get warm, despite the fact that he was practically in McGarrett's lap, the man's big hands gently chaffing his bare arms. He tried to sit up, only to reel dizzily back against Steve's chest. Blinking up into Steve's grim face, he tried to form questions but was too weak. Steve answered immediately, not in words, but mind to mind, a series of technicolor images flooding Danny's thoughts. Gracie calling afraid of the shadow devouring her father Steve jolting awake and diving for his phone to call for back-up Kono, Jenna and Lori converging with him at Danny's apartment smashing the doors the Priestess chanting as the Witch drummed and drew a circle of salt, Lori snarling as she moved to protect Grace, her fangs and claws already extended while Steve dove to snatch Danny from under the lich that was draining his life away late almost too late...
"C'mon Danno," Steve said tenderly as he gently gathered his partner up and stood, holding the smaller man easily, and ignoring his mortified thoughts and weakly beamed threats. "You and Gracie are coming home with me tonight." You want to keep her safe don't you? We'll leave the ladies to cleanse this place and make sure she can never latch onto you again. You can yell at me tomorrow.
Danny opened his mouth to reply, and yawned again, blinking sleepily, his rumpled blond head suddenly lolled against Steve's shoulder, as exhaustion claimed him. Steve smiled softly down at his unconscious partner and nodded at Lori to bring Grace and left Kono and Jenna to finish the cleansing. Not that it mattered now. As far as he was concerned Danny and Gracie were never coming back to this rathole. There was more than enough room at his house.
After tonight he didn't think it would be difficult to convince Danny that his kahuna blessed and protectively warded house was the safest place for them both. Malia and Chin would be waiting to check them over. Steps sure and firm, Steve carefully carried Danny out to his car, Lori padding silently at his heels to place the baby into her car seat before returning to guard the Priestess and the Witch as they finished their work.