Title: And Your Enemies Closer
Author: sockie1000
Summary: The team is still reeling from the break-up and arrests. Can they come together to clear their own?
Author's Note #1: This story picks up where "Oia'i'o" (the season 1 finale) ends. It is also a sequel to "Keep Your Friends Close". You should be able to follow most of this story even if you have not read "Friends", but there will be references to events that occurred in that story. So, if you want the full effect, read it first or you can cheat and just read the epilogue.
(You can find "Keep Your Friends Close" by clicking on my name.)
Author's Note #2: This time, I am very happy to have Cokie316, my usual awesome beta, and well as Rogue Tomato, providing me her input. They are great, and as always, any mistakes are mine.
Author's Note #3: Yes, I did actually scream when Steve said the title to the stories in the finale last night. Sad, but true.
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Everyone else had left long ago.
Steve stood there, alone, his hands clasped in front of his body. He looked down at the ground and stared.
His eyes, ever focused on details, honed in on the edge of the boundary. The dark brown earth stood in glaring contrast to the lush green grass of spring; a stark line clearly delineating the land of the living from the land of the dead.
His eyes followed the line around and rested when they reached the center of the upper edge, where a small American flag swayed softly in the breeze. One day soon, the flag would be joined by a cold, marble stone, a permanent marker of a life that ended before its time.
A small bird flew into his field of sight and he watched as it landed in the grass. It chirped and hopped until it came to the border of the freshly turned earth. The bird stopped and its head darted around, looking for danger from an unseen foe. It looked up briefly at Steve, as if watching his silent guard. And then, after a few seconds, and presumably confident of its safety, the bird tentatively hopped onto the grave and resumed its song.
If only it was that easy for humans, Steve thought. But fields of vision were rarely that clear, nor enemies as readily apparent.
Steve shifted his weight slightly and heard a soft clink of metal. He remembered the first time he heard his medals clink on his chest. He had received a bronze star and a purple heart at the same time by rescuing several fellow SEALs who had been pinned down during a busted op. At the time, and still today, he felt he was just doing his job like he had been trained to do. The citations, while nice, were unnecessary. His true reward was in the safe return of his teammates and the pride and satisfaction that came from a job well done.
But today, the clink of metal did not remind him of his victory, but rather of his failure.
He heard a distant roll of thunder and knew the rain would begin soon. Storms formed and blew up quickly in the islands. It could be sunny one minute and literally be pouring down rain the next. The breeze picked up to a soft wind, carrying the fresh smell of rain to him. He inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet scent.
The smell of water had always appealed to him. Rain smelled clean, like newness. The ocean smelled salty, of course, but Steve had always equated it as both the comforting smell of his island home and personal freedom. The ocean had always been a place to which he could escape and truly be himself; as a child, spending hours, playing in the surf; as a teenager, swimming alone, pushing himself to see how far out and how fast he could go; and later as an adult, choosing the life of the sea as his profession. He sighed, knowing how much he was going to miss it.
The thunder rumbled again, this time much louder. The storm was getting closer and would be here soon. The little bird also noticed the signs and flew off to seek shelter in a nearby tree.
Steve turned to his left and saw Chin standing in the parking lot beside the car, dressed in his HPD uniform. Even at this distance, Steve could see the mixture of both patience and pity on Chin's face. Always calm and kind, Chin did not motion or gesture for Steve to speed things up. But Steve knew he would have to leave soon. He could only stand here, staring, for so long.
The wind began to blow more steadily and the first few raindrops began to fall. They hit his face and stung his eyes. The rain intensified and began rolling in rivulets down his face. He blinked a few times and wiped his face with his hand, grateful for the cover of rain.
Steve stared at the grave for another moment. His eyes gave testament to the depth of his resolve. He rubbed his hand over his mouth a few times and then dropped it back in front of his body. It was time to go. He had to say it now, while he still had a chance. He cleared his throat and then said, softy, "I'm sorry... I should have seen it, but I didn't." He cleared his throat again. "Thank you… I'm going to make this right. I promise you."
His words said, he looked at the flag, now whipping in the wind, one more time. Then he turned, his eyes downcast, and slowly walked to Chin and the car.
"Are you ok, Boss?" Chin asked, gently.
Steve could not meet his eyes. He managed a single nod.
Chin did not appear convinced, but let it slide. "Ok, then," he said. He opened the back door of the car and gently placed his hand on top of Steve's head. "Watch it getting in. Wouldn't want you to get hurt."
Steve allowed Chin to maneuver him into the car. Steve felt, rather than heard, the car door shut. He stared intently at his hands, still clasped together in front of his body, encircled by steel cuffs. The glint of metal stood out in stark contrast to the orange jumpsuit he was wearing.
Steve barely noticed that Chin was now in the driver's seat of the police cruiser. He started up the car and began to pull away from the cemetery. Steve wanted to look back, but could not bring himself to do so.
All he could do was stare at his cuffs and wonder, "how did it ever come to this?"
to be continued...
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