Title: Come To the Rescue
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Steve McGarrett
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/Hawaii Five-0
Rating: PG-13
Table: Liquids, mission_insane
Prompt: 9, Magma
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Steve McGarrett, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***


Steve tried to keep himself from glancing downwards as he crept along the edge of rock that formed the lip of the volcano; he didn't want to think about what kind of fate could await him if he caught his foot under a root, or had just one small slip that sent him over the edge.

That was probably what Wentworth intended for both him and Greg, he thought grimly. He didn't doubt that they were both meant to die tonight, but he intended to prevent that. He and Greg would be going home safely -- and Wentworth would be the one to forfeit his life.

Normally Steve wouldn't have wanted to consider killing anyone -- it wasn't in his nature to take a life without it being self-defense, or knowing that taking one life would save a lot of others. But this time, he intended to put Wentworth down, with no mercy and no hesitation.

The bastard had crossed the line when he'd kidnapped Greg. This wasn't just a cop hunting down a criminal any more; by taking Greg hostage, Wentworth had made it personal. And Steve wasn't going to let him get away with any more crimes. Not on his watch.

He didn't want to think about the boiling hot magma that seethed within the volcano; he didn't want to think about what that deadly liquid could do to both him and Greg if either of them was pushed over that edge. He'd rather not think about the possibility of either of them dying tonight.

It wouldn't happen, Steve told himself firmly. He would manage to take Wentworth by surprise, somehow get Greg out of the way, and hopefully, he'd get in the one good shot that would take Wentworth down like the rabid dog he'd become. His death would be well-deserved.

Closing his eyes for just a moment, he sent up a prayer to any deity who might be listening that he would be able to get Greg to safety; he would only have a limited window of time to make sure that his boyfriend was safe and out of the line of fire.

He wasn't really worried about himself. He had faced situations like this before -- but none of them had been this close to this kind of danger. He'd never had to deal with the threat of something like a volcano, as well as gunfire and whatever else Wentworth might have in mind.

He was sure that the criminal he was chasing had a few tricks up his sleeve; he would just have to hope that he'd be able to anticipate those tricks, and ensure that the odds were on his side. At the moment, the odds definitely felt skewered in Wentworth's favor.

How could they not? As long as the bastard had Greg, he had the upper hand. The important thing was to get Greg away from him, make sure that his boyfriend wasn't going to be harmed. After that, it could degenerate into a free-for-all -- and there was every chance that would happen.

Just as that thought went through his mind, he heard the sharp crack as he stepped on a stick that was lying in his path; that sound seemed to fill the quiet around him, announcing his presence as nothing else possibly could. It had been too loud to ignore.

So much for being able to slip past Wentworth's guard unnoticed, Steve though, wincing inwardly. He'd lost the element of surprise now; Wentworth would be ready for him. There was no way that he couldn't have heard that sound, and known exactly what it meant.

As he stepped out into plain view, he took stock of the situation as best he could. Greg was lying near the lip of the volcano, bound and gagged, obviously unable to do anything to help him. Well, that didn't matter. He was here to rescue his boyfriend, not to get help from him.

Wentworth stood between Greg and the volcano, a macabre grin on his face. "So, McGarrett, you showed up alone. Good. At least that shows that you know how to do as you're told -- at least when the life of someone you love hangs in the balance."

"Get away from him, Wentworth." Steve raised his gun, keeping both his hands and his voice steady. He wasn't going to let this psycho know that he was almost paralyzed with fear; he knew that Wentworth could try to send Greg over the edge of the volcano at any moment.

"And just how are you going to make me do that?" Wentworth's smile grew wider as he took a step toward Greg. "All I have to do is push him, and he's gone. Then what will you have to live for, McGarrett? Your work? Your team? Life is worth nothing without the person you love."

Something in Wentworth's words made Steve hesitate, though he didn't let his guard down. "You know what that's like, don't you," he whispered, his gaze never leaving his adversary's face. "You've lost somebody close to you, so you want to make sure others suffer like you did."

He was sure that he saw a look of remorse flash across Wentworth's steely features before the man took yet another step towards Greg, his intentions clear. Steve didn't know what made him throw caution to the winds, go against all of his training and follow his instincts.

Later, he couldn't have said just why he threw his gun at Wentworth, instead of shooting at the man. But as he leaped towards Greg, hoping that he could reach his boyfriend before Wentworth did, he threw the gun at his adversary, hoping that it would distract him.

The gun hit Wentworth squarely in the chest, knocking him off balance. He had been standing near the lip of the volcano; when the gun struck him, it propelled him backwards -- and over the edge, screaming as he fell, the sound echoing through the night.

Steve wrapped his arms around Greg, rolling them to the right and away from the lip of the volcano. He could swear that he heard the boiling-hot magma far below them splash as Wentworth fell into it, but that could just be a trick his mind played on him.

For several long moments, he couldn't make himself speak, or even move; all he could do was lie there with Greg clasped safely in his arms, the knowledge that the two of them were still alive and that Wentworth was undoubtedly dead washing over him in a flood.

Slowly, he released his hold on Greg, reaching up to remove the cloth gag from his boyfriend's mouth. He ran his fingertips gently over Greg's lips, finally releasing a relieved sigh at the knowledge that his lover hadn't been harmed. "Greg, are you okay?"

Greg nodded, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. "I'm fine, Steve. He didn't do anything to me but tie me up -- and threaten me, but I guess that's par for the course. I never stopped believing you'd find me. I knew you'd show up. I was just scared that he'd kill you, too."

Steve ignored the "too" in Greg's words; he didn't like to think of the fact that his boyfriend seemed to have been sure he was going to die. "I'm just glad you're okay -- and that we're still here and he's gone," he added, not wanting to mention Wentworth's name.

He took out the Swiss army knife that he always carried, quickly cutting through the cords that bound Greg's wrists and ankles, then helping his boyfriend get to his feet. When he was sure that Greg was capable of walking away from here, he heaved yet another sigh of relief.

He himself had doubted that they would both walk away from this; he'd expected to be the one to die while rescuing Greg from Wentworth's clutches. Fortunately, things hadn't turned out that way, and he'd been able to come to the rescue, like any hero should do for his beloved.

That would come later, after they got out of here and were safely back at home. He wanted to take Greg to the hospital, too, just to have him checked out and to be sure that he was indeed all right. After all, he'd suffered the trauma of being kidnapped by a psychotic killer.

And he could very easily have met his death in a pool of hot magma, Steve thought with a shudder. He didn't want to dwell on that; the possibility had been there, but the deed hadn't happened, and he hoped that the two of them would be able to avoid volcanoes after this.

"Come on, babe, let's go home," he murmured, sliding an arm around Greg's waist. The two of them walked away from the scene without a backward glance, and Steve hoped that they'd both be able to put this episode behind them quickly and not have to look back on it any time soon.

***