Michelle adjusted the baseball hat on her head, shifting it back so she could see her eyes in the mirror but then shifting it forward to hide them. Neither was a good fit as she yanked it off and threw it in the bathroom sink at her waist, mumbling a few choice words as her husband appeared at the door.
"Having a little trouble in here?" He looked down and saw the hat he'd given her to wear. "Angry at my Navy hat?" he smiled. "I think I might have an old Army one in the garage that I use when I change the oil in the car if you really want to tear one up."
Michelle looked at him in the mirror and couldn't help but smile over his attempt to ease her temper. She focused back on her image and her smile faded. "I'm scared."
He stepped inside the bathroom and up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and rested his cheek next to hers, talking to her image in the mirror. "What are you afraid of?"
"That they'll be frightened by me."
Steve grinned, gently shaking her. "I've been afraid of you for seven years, I'm glad I'll have some company."
She smiled again, rolling her eyes at his playfulness, "I'm serious."
He turned her around so she was facing him. "Look at me," he said as she diverted her eyes down. "Honey, look at me."
She sighed but did as he asked.
He put a hand under her chin and lifted it up higher giving her a kiss. "You're Mom," he said to her, "they're going to be ecstatic to see you. The shock will wear off in about two seconds and both of them will be too busy hugging and kissing you to notice anything else."
She thought about how excited they always were when she came home from a trip. He was right, it was just her girls, and like him the love they had for her was unconditional. "I'm being ridiculous, aren't I?"
He put his arms around her and hugged her. "You're never ridiculous, but you are being incredibly silly." He groaned and tightened his stomach muscles as she playfully jabbed him in the gut with her fist.
"You're just full of one liners today aren't you?"
"Am I being ridiculous?" he teased her.
"Yes!" she laughed, pushing him off of her. "So stop wasting time and lets get out of here and go home." She grabbed his hand as she left the bathroom, pulling him along.
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"Are there two little girls that live here named Ellen and Elie," Steve shouted as he came in the front door.
"Where are my babies?!" Michelle shouted next.
They heard screams coming from the back deck and then saw both of them come running in the door and down the hall to them.
Michelle knelt down with her arms wide open, while Steve bent over, bracing his hands on his knees, grinning from ear to ear as they ran side by side, going to the parent that was directly in their path.
"Mommy! Daddy!" they screamed and squealed jumping into their arms.
Michelle hugged Elie, forgoing the pain in her shoulder as she squeezed her, rocking her back and forth. She couldn't believe the wonderful sensation that floated through her over being able to hold her daughter again. "I missed you so much," she said, "so, so much!"
Ellen wrapped her arms and legs around Steve's body as he scooped her up and held her tightly. "You didn't even miss us, did you?" he teased her, trying to push the thought from his head that he'd be leaving them again the next day.
"Yes I did!" she yelled, squeezing him tighter around the neck. "I missed you a whole bunch!"
"I missed you too Mommy," Elie declared as she began to cry, feeling that sentimental side appear that wasn't as apparent on her twin.
Michelle sat back on her heels as they looked at each other. It was then that Elie really got a look at her mother under the baseball cap.
Her bewildered and shocked eyes roamed over her face, seeing the cuts on her cheeks and the two dark circles around her eyes. She reached up and took the hat off her head. Michelle held steady, watching her intently. "What happened to your face and your hair? Did you fall down?" she put her hand on Michelle's practically shaved head. "Why did you cut your hair off?"
"Well, that's kind of a funny story," she said, looking over at Ellen as Steve knelt down with her. "Hi sweetie," she said, seeing literally the identical expression on her twin sister's face.
"Mommy," Ellen said, releasing Steve and putting a hand too on her Mother's head. "You look like Daddy."
She and Steve both laughed over that.
Elie gently touched her cheek that still had a lingering bruise on it. "Does it hurt?"
"No, not anymore." She looked up and smiled back at Clair who stood by the kitchen, letting them have their own private reunion.
Ellen was less physical with her, but still held that concern in her eyes, "Did someone hit you?" She looked over at her Father for answers, knowing if anyone ever hurt their mother that he would hurt them. "What happened to her face?"
He and Michelle had talked about it before arriving, not wanting the girls to know that an individual person had beat their mother, that was just too traumatic for two four year olds to digest. Instead she let him know that she had already decided on a tale to tell them that would satisfy their curiosity.
"Daddy and I were sent on this very important case."
"Uncle Danny said so too," Ellen blurted out, confirming the story. "He said you had to go to work someplace for a case."
"That's right," Michelle agreed. "It was in another country. Daddy and I were chasing some bad people and they ran into this big glue factory so we chased after them."
"Did they hide in the building?" Elie asked.
"Yes, but Daddy being the brave and smart police officer that he is, he found them really quickly and arrested them."
Ellen clapped her hands for him as she stood next to him.
He looked over at Michelle with a playfully puzzled expression wondering where in the heck she was going with his, she shrugged and winked at him.
"And when we were leaving the building I accidently bumped into a shelf…and down came a whole bucket of glue on my head." She used her hands to describe the mess and how it spilled over her.
Both girls put their hands over their mouths in shock, Ellen was the only one of the two that giggled, while Elie was sympathetic to the ordeal.
"I had it all over my hair and my face. I was walking around like this," she held her hands out in front of her as if she were blind. They both laughed at that as well as Steve now, enjoying the tale himself. "I couldn't see a thing and I ran right into a pole and BAM!" she slapped her hands together, "it almost knocked me out! That's how I got the black eyes." She put her hand on her head, "And the glue was so messy and sticky they had to cut my hair off to get it out."
Both girls began to giggle now just over the vision of it. Elie put her hand back on her mother's head. "Will it grow back?"
"Of course. It'll be long again before you know it." She put an arm around each one of them. Now, Daddy and I want to hear all about you two."
They both began to talk about the things they'd been doing with Clair and with Danny when he would come over. At first they talked over each other, but as the conversation evolved they began to finish each other's sentences, describing the many adventures they had themselves, forgetting already all about their Mother's hair and marks on her face.
Michelle glanced over at Steve as they listened to them talk. He looked at her in that same adoring way that he always had, which made her heart soar. She was home and just as he had predicted everything was just fine.
She wondered how in the world she was going to live without him day to day for four years.
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Steve tossed Ellen in the air as high as he could. She screamed with delight and plugged her nose at the last second just before she hit the water, butt first.
Michelle and Elie laughed as they both lay on a blow up raft, bobbing in the gentle surf.
"Do you want to try?" Steve asked Elie, making his way over to them in the waist high water.
"No, Daddy," she quickly replied, "I don't want to do it."
He knew of her fear of the water, "I won't throw you high, I promise, and when you come up I'll be right there to grab ya." He didn't want to push her too much, not wanting her to have any negative feelings of him while he was away. Once again he tried to divert those thoughts, not sure how he was going to break that news.
She looked uneasily at her mother.
"It's so fun Elie," Ellen said, swimming over to them, "I don't know why you're such a baby about it."
"Hey," Steve scolded her, "name calling doesn't exist in this family. She's not being a baby about it, she just doesn't feel as comfortable in the water as you do, there's nothing wrong with that." He looked over at her and winked. "She cautious, which is a good thing."
Elie smiled at him, not knowing what that meant but she knew it must have been something good. Her father was always sticking up for her in that way when Ellen would do brave stuff that she felt scared to. She looked out at the water and then back at him, "Do you promise not to throw me really far?" she asked, a hint of apprehension in her voice, but trusting him.
Steve made the sign of the cross over his chest. "I promise."
"You can trust Daddy," Michelle encouraged.
With those words her fear subsided. "Ok," she agreed, sliding off the raft as Steve reached out for her, carrying her away from the raft. "How high do you want to go?' he asked her.
"Not high like Ellen, but kinda high."
"Got it." He held her under the arms and counted down from three, tossing her up in the air as her arms and legs flailed about. She landed the same way as her sister and he quickly went to her, keeping his promise as she came up, taking her hand that came out first reaching out for him, knowing he was there without having to see him. He took ahold of it and pulled her up, pleased to see a smile on her face. "Was that fun!"
She nodded, wiping away the water from her eyes as Michelle and Ellen both cheered. "Can we do that again?"
Steve laughed, "As many times as you want." He pulled her in, getting her in position again. "Here we go, three, two, one...!" He went a little higher this time as she screamed like her sister had, landing safely in the water again.
She came up on her own this time and met him halfway. "Higher Daddy!" she commanded excitedly.
He happily did as he was told. Ellen swam over to him and they took turns being tossed into the water.
Michelle watched with pleasure as he played with both girls, seeing the joy on all three of their faces, especially Steve's. She moved her hand down over her lower belly, feeling where his baby was growing inside of her. A warm feeling moved through her because of it and because she loved him so much. It was hard to fathom how the anger and fear of her ordeal had settled so quickly, contributing it mainly to him and the learning of the baby. She remembered the same warm rush sweep over her right after finding out. At first she was shocked and even terrified, fearing for just a moment that it wasn't Steve's but the monster's, but considering the time frame that fear quickly vanished, knowing that it was her husband's child. It was like a gift that had been given to them at the exact moment that something was needed to stop the madness in their relationship from going any further. This baby was more of a blessing than either had hoped for.
She secretly hoped for a boy, wanting to give him one so badly, but knew in her heart that he didn't care either way. He was a good man that way, and it was one of the reasons she did love him so much. He had risked everything to bring her home and now he was risking even more to keep her safe. That warm feeling was replaced with a cold shiver, recalling all those years before and seeing his code name across her computer screen and the word 'deceased'. It almost destroyed her then, not able to even comprehend what it would do to her now.
As if he could sense her anxiety he turned and looked over at her, seeing something in her eyes that didn't match the smile, knowing it was forced. He made his way over to her as the girls clung to him, one hanging on his back with her arms around his neck and the other holding his bicep with both hands.
"Are you feeling ok?" he asked, reaching up and touching her forehead with his wet hand, wondering if maybe the sun was too much for her right now with being pregnant and her body still recovering from the other.
She didn't answer him right away but just looked at him, overwhelmed with his ability to see her and know when she was hurting or scared like now.
He watched her eyes begin to fill with tears and he knew then what was troubling her. "It's going to be ok," he assured her in that calm soothing voice as they zoned out the girls that chatted and hung on him, only seeing each other.
"I love you," she said, feeling her emotions reaching a new high, contributing it to her hormones from the baby and just out of her sheer admiration for him.
It hit him like a bolt of lightening, never taking those words to heart as much as he did at that moment, even with the chaos around him, it was profound. "I love you too," he replied ever so sincerely. She was the love of his life in so many different ways he couldn't even count them. She was everything. He focused on the bruises that were fading even faster as her face tanned in the sun, but the damage to her hair and her spirit that this man had caused rose up in him with a vengeance that was even more determined than ever. He was going to find him and he was going to kill the beast that had tried to break her. He was going to kill him slowly and painfully.
"Steve," Clair yelled from the deck of the house, "there's someone here to see you."
They both looked in her direction.
"Who?" he asked, reaching around and pulling Ellen from his back.
"I don't know. He's military."
He and Michelle looked at each other with the same confused expression.
"Who do you think it is?" Michelle asked uneasily, "You don't report until tomorrow, right?"
"Right," he replied, setting Elie back on the raft .
Michelle reached out for his arm, "Steve," her voice stressing her words, "don't let them talk you into leaving today, ok?"
He smiled at her, leaning over and giving her a kiss, "Not a chance."
She smiled back, nodding her head, telling him that she believed him.
She watched him wade through the water and make his way up the beach and then the stairs toward the deck, admiring his build. To her joy that warm rush returned, looking forward to that night and being able to make love with him again.
He took the towel that Clair handed him, "Where are they?"
"He's in the office. He's very straightforward and not at all warm or courteous," she said disgusted.
He was a little surprised by that and why someone was even there to begin with. "Thanks, Clair."
He scooped up his shirt off the kid's picnic table and slipped it over his head as he went inside, running his hand over his hair trying to make himself as presentable as possible considering he just stepped out of the ocean. As he entered the house past the kitchen he smiled brightly, getting a whiff of dinner, knowing that Clair was cooking his favorite dish, pot roast.
The smile faded as he entered their home office.
"Commander McGarrett," the man said as he stood up. "You might not remember me, I'm…"
"I know who you are, Commander Benedict," Steve said to him, recognizing the man from his past naval days. They had both been Lieutenant Commanders and lead units at the same time, often meeting with several high-ranking officers to work on maneuvers and strategies for upcoming missions. They were never friends. Steve always had the feeling that he never liked him and he was getting the impression that this reunion wasn't going to be a friendly one either. "What can I do for you?"
"You've done well for yourself, Steve," he said as he walked to the door of the office, glancing out at the formal living room. "Nice house in Hawaii right on the beach." He looked over his shoulder at him as he continued on, "A nice cozy job working for the Governor. I've heard that you make your own rules, I guess they're still impressed by your tactics and let you have your own way." He never liked him, considering his ideas too broad and too risky, even so, they were seldom shut down by their commanding officers.
And there it was Steve thought, knowing his assumptions were correct. The sarcasm was evident. "I'm not clear on why you're here," Steve said. "I'm sure it's not to catch up on old times, and I'm pretty sure you're not all that impressed by my life, so why don't you just cut to the chase, Clint. I report for duty tomorrow and you're interrupting my time with my family."
"Yes," he said, moving away from the door, "I know you re-enlisted. I also know that they re-instated you to full officer status with all your security credentials restored."
"Yea, so. I think I earned the right."
"While you were away playing cop for Hawaii, I moved up in the ranks. I'm a Captain now."
Steve sighed, unimpressed, "Are you expecting me to salute, because I'm not official until tomorrow."
Benedict picked up a briefcase off the ground and set it on the desk, ignoring the sarcasm in his voice. His reason for being there would be a good enough reply to his smart-ass attitude, he thought. "I think I might have something that interests you." He pulled out a file from the briefcase. "About a year ago I took on an assignment to investigate some kidnappings that had been taking place along the Jordanian and Iraqi border." He glanced over at him, hoping for a reaction, but got none. He hated that McGarrett could be so fucking in control at all times, even now with the mention of that news. "I was told a couple of days ago that you would be taking over. You can understand my misgivings, giving the fact that I've been working diligently to catch the people responsible."
Steve raised an eyebrow over that. This guy had been working diligently for a year trying to track them, but yet he and Sean found them in less than two days, what the hell had he been doing the past year, taking notes instead of legwork? "So are you here to hand over the paperwork and the files, or are you here to inform me of those misgivings, because I'd rather have the files."
That was like a punch in the gut, so he decided to cut to the chase as requested. He opened the file in his hand and took out the numerous 5x7 photos and tossed them on the desk as they spread out. "I'm here about this," he barked. "Look familiar?"
Steve took a small glance at the photos of the compound, not needing to see more than one or two to know exactly what they were from. He didn't need to view them, he'd been the reason for them. "That looks like a mess," he said, commenting on the pictures of the numerous corpses in the same position he'd left them. "How'd it happen?"
"You tell me?" Benedict replied.
"How would I know, you're the head of the investigating team. You tell me."
"I know this was from you. I know you were in Jordan six days ago and I know you crossed the Iraqi border twice in the same day, the second time you came back was with a female American. Michelle McGarrett."
"I was there," Steve casually admitted. "My wife was in Jordan on business. She went across the border and I joined her in Iraq and then we both came home together. That's it."
"Then explain this…" Benedict said, reaching back in the briefcase. He took out Michelle's cell phone and set it on the desk by the pictures. "We ran the serial number of this phone we found at the compound, it belongs to your wife. The Sim card is missing, but the phone was hers."
"She lost her phone in Jordan," Steve lied. "It must have ended up there."
Benedict stared at him, not wanting to play the next hand, but knew Steve wasn't going to confess to him what he already knew. He didn't say another word, he just handed a white envelope to him and let him see for himself.
He kept the same composed expression as he took the envelope but his nerves began to unravel, not wanting to look inside at what it was he wanted him to see.
Benedict watched him as he took out the photos. He knew the one on top was the least disturbing of them all, but nonetheless, Steve's face went from unwavering strong to horribly painful in a matter of seconds. He knew he had hit his mark with him and turned his eyes away not needing to witness his anguish as he flipped to the next one, or the next, each one more disturbing than the last.
He felt his chest tighten as he viewed photos of Michelle taken by her captures. The first one she sat in a chair with her hands bound behind her back. Her tussled hair covered most of her face, but not enough for him to see the fear that she was so desperately trying to hide. He saw it only because he knew his wife. But it was the next ones that hit him the hardest, unable to hold in the sudden gasp that escaped from his throat that began to close up. Each picture revealed the anguish of her ordeal there. He had had a mental image of what it had been like for her, but seeing it first hand was like nothing he had wanted to imagine, knowing these pictures would be etched in his mind for the rest of his life.
He stopped halfway through and shoved them back into the envelope and went to the slightly ajar office door, closing it. He wanted to burn the photos, frightened now more than anything else that somehow she might see them.
"What do you want?" he asked, his voice mirroring his emotions that were in turmoil now.
"I know it was you that raided that compound," Benedict said calmly.
"What do you want, Clint?" he asked again.
"You act that as if what you did was completely justified."
Steve looked over at him appalled. His voice rising with his anger, "What the fuck did you expect me to do?! Sit on my ass and take notes like you seemed to have been doing over the past year while in the meantime my wife was being held captive and tortured!"
Benedict gritted his teeth, using his fingers as a diagram, "I was this close to moving in on that camp. What you did was not only morally wrong but against the law!"
"Against the law?!" Steve huffed. "What law?! Those people had no morals, and that place had no rules or followed no laws. I took action to save my wife's life."
"You just don't get it do you?" Benedict shook his head, angered that he had no regret over what he'd done. But it wasn't the lack of remorse that angered him the most, it was McGarrett's ability to swoop down on him once again and take over, leaving him looking like a failure, not wanting anyone to find out it was him that had beat him to the job. "You're not going to be able to get away with this." The arrogant actions that had taken place angered him. He also knew of Michelle's credentials, not able to fathom the egos between these two that resided in this house.
Steve held up the envelope, "Did you even look at these pictures?"
"Yes, they're very disturbing, I understand but…
"But nothing," Steve defended, "this is my wife! I did what I had to do," he tossed the envelope down on the desk, "and I'd do it again without even hesitating."
"That's what bothers me. Why did you re-enlist?"
He had no reply for him, not one that would satisfy his need to put this matter to rest. "What do you want, Clint?"
"Don't call me Clint again, Commander. I'm Captain Benedict to you now. You might have been able to slide by on some technicalities to get yourself re-instated, but I'm telling you now, you will not go unpunished for these crimes you've committed."
"What about the crimes and the threats against my wife?!" Steve shouted. "Where's her justice?! You can't stand there and tell me that if you were in the my position that you wouldn't do the exact same thing!"
"No," he said adamantly, "I wouldn't! There are ways of doing things and then there's this!" he held up the picture from the desk of the first man killed, lying next to the duffle bag.
Steve shook his head at him, stunned that he couldn't see his point on this. They both knew they had been sent out on missions before and killed the enemy for far less reasons than getting a loved one back. "I'm sorry," he said, not feeling one ounce of regret, "but I love my wife and there was no way I was going to leave her in that place for one second longer than I had too. If I interfered with your…investigation," he said sharply, "then that's just too fucking bad."
Both men held their ground, but it was Benedict that had the control over the situation and he knew it. He was in a position to do damage to his nemesis and had no qualm in doing so.
"I ask again," his voice low and threatening, "why did you re-enlist?"
Steve crossed his arms, "After that siege I got the itch to get back in the game."
"Bullshit. Bullshit!" he repeated louder. "Don't piss on my Navy uniform Commander and tell me it's raining, because that's exactly what you're doing! You're pissing on the flag of the United States, using it to fulfill your own personal need."
Steve leaned into him, pointing at his own chest, "Don't tell me my duty as a Naval Officer! The second I put that uniform back on that's exactly who I'll be! I'll defend my country just as strongly as I ever have."
"You mean defend your family, don't you Commander? Say it!" he snarled. "You know as well as I do the only reason you're back in was to go after the one that got away." He knew he'd proved his point of being there; seeing him flinch over that remark. He didn't need him to say it, he saw it loud and clear. "That's right, I know about the one that got away through the tunnel. We followed a trail of blood to the other side. He made it out you know, but I'm guessing that you already knew that. You didn't get a good enough shot to kill him, only clipped him." he held up the envelope with Michelle's pictures inside, "and the camera that was used to take these pictures, we got prints off of it, same person, but I'm guessing you already know that too."
Steve stood firm as Benedict walked around him, speaking to him as if he were a new recruit. He wanted to punch him to shut him up, but couldn't do or say a fucking word. Everything he said was the truth and he outranked him now as well, feeling his chances of getting the lead assignment he wanted slipping away.
"I'll work with you," Steve said, "I'll take a step back and follow your orders, just let me be on your team."
"I don't want you on my team," he said flatly. "I don't want you back in the Navy either."
Steve huffed, looking straight ahead as he stood behind him dangerously close, trying to unsuccessfully instill that fear of intimidation. "You seem to forget Captain that although you may outrank me, I have allies at the top that think I'm a pretty good soldier. I'm willing to work with you, even step back and let you take the lead, but don't think for a second that I'm backing down from this."
He was right on every aspect of what he said, he hated it but he was right, that's why he came there that day with an edge, assured he would need it, and he was right. He walked around him and reached back in the briefcase for the other envelope that had been untouched. He took out the papers inside and set them down on the desk. "Sign it," he said, putting a pen next to them.
"Sign what?"
"They exonerate you from your duties. Let's just say I created a forty-eight hour window for you to back out. Sign them."
Steve shook his head, "No. I told you…
"I'm not asking you Commander, I'm telling you, either sign them or I'll take the information that I have and I'll go straight to the top with it. Don't be so naïve Steve to think that over the past nine years that I haven't developed relationships too."
"What proof?" Steve argued. "You have a lot of hearsay and assumptions but you can't put me there."
"No, I can't," he agreed, "but we ran prints in a room of the compound that was ransacked and they matched up with two enlisted men that we can put there. Ironically enough they were both on the same flight as you that left Hawaii, and when I dug a little deeper I found that three of your fellow police officers were also on that flight. I know you didn't work alone overtaking that compound, even you aren't that good."
He could feel the threat from him even though he hadn't expressed it yet. "And if I don't sign?"
"I'll put together a report that will bring formal charges up on you, Lieutenant Sean Hays and Lieutenant Commander Jordan. They'll be a trial and you know as well as I do the minimum punishment will be a dishonorable discharge for all three of you." He picked up the pen. "I'm giving you a chance to back out, only because you did serve your country so bravely at one time and I think you deserve it, but if you try to go head to head with me on this Commander, you will lose and so will your partners, that includes the ones you work with here in Hawaii."
He was backed into a corner and had no way out. "Don't do this, Clint?" he said almost breathless, feeling his chances of catching the threat against his family vanish. "He threatened my wife. He threatened my kids. I'm just trying to protect my family."
"You're going about it the wrong way. I won't get caught up in your vengeance nor will I allow any of my men to become subject to it. Now sign."
"Please, Clint. My family means…" he stopped mid sentence, knowing it wouldn't do any good to grovel or plea, he wasn't going to win this battle. He had no choice but to sign. Sean, Jordan, Danny and the others had already done so much to help him; he couldn't ask anymore from them and risk ruining their lives. But the worst part was the mention of the trial, he knew then that everything would come out, all the things that Michelle didn't want anyone to ever know, it was inevitable and he wouldn't be able to protect her from it, unless he signed.
He stared at the papers feeling as helpless as he did that day in the cell in the airport. He didn't feel that same rage now as he did then, he just felt afraid. He reached for the pen, pulling his hand into a tight fist to prevent the shaking as he leaned over the papers, resting his other hand on the top of the desk, holding the forms in place at the top corner. He stared at the spot where he would put his signature, picking up the pen as he wondered where he would go from here, setting the tip on the designated line. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes as he signed it.
Benedict picked up the form almost before he had finished crossing the t's. He folded it back up and set it in the briefcase, gathering up the photos on the desk as well. He held the pictures of Michelle in the white envelope and started to put them away when Steve reached for them, gripping the other half.
"I want these. I don't want them out floating around. My wife went through hell in that place and I don't want them surfacing where anywhere they could end up hurting her. She doesn't want anyone to know what happened there."
Benedict let go, not needing them anymore anyway but it wasn't his asking that gave way to his letting them up, it was the way he asked. He heard in his voice and saw in his pleading expression that concern for his wife. It sank in just then why he had done what he had. Even though it was over and done with, he was still trying to protect her. It made him feel guilty as a husband, realizing his duty as one wouldn't even have skimmed the water compared to how deep this man's had gone. He still didn't agree with his tactics but at least he had a clearer understanding now of why he had done what he had.
He picked up the briefcase and opened the office door.
Michelle stood up from the couch, focusing on her husband nervously, considering the time they spent talking as well as the heated words that were heard but not understood through the door.
Benedict was taken back by the woman standing before him; seeing the pictures of her was one thing, but seeing the real deal standing in front of him was something entirely different. She wore a baseball hat but he could see first hand the damage that had been inflicted.
"Is everything ok?" she asked, seeing her husband's grim expression.
Steve smiled as he went toward her, having left the pictures in the office. "Everything's fine." he assured her, putting a hand on her cheek to ease her worry, knowing she'd be happy about the results. "This is Captain Benedict." He turned to him, "Clint, this is my wife, Michelle."
"Lieutenant Baker?" he smiled, "I read up on your service in the Navy, very commendable." He remembered reading where she had received the Navy Expeditionary Medal, and then suddenly recalled why; she had saved her Commander's life, Steve.
"Thank you," she replied graciously with a smile, "I haven't heard 'Lieutenant Baker' in a long time." she patted Steve's belly, "I like 'McGarrett' better."
Benedict was surprised by the calm interaction with his wife, having once again a false assumption that Steve would come out yelling over the events that had just taken place, but on the contrary the quick change in him was unexpected, not having to know him to understand once again that this wasn't some narcissistic man in which he had envisioned, nor was the ego in this house over inflated by two ex Navy Seals as he had presumed. Steve was acting solely out of the regards for his wife, simply because he loved her.
"Commander, could I see you outside for just a another moment please? Ma'am, it was nice meeting you," he said with a nod.
Michelle looked from Steve to the man and then back at her husband who continued to stare at her, she knew something was up and it wasn't good from what she could tell from his point of view.
"I'll be right back," he said to her, "go outside with the kids. I'll be out in a minute, and then we'll talk."
"Ok." She smiled at Benedict as she went past him back down the hall, looking over her shoulder at them while they exited the house. 'Please,' she thought, 'no curve balls, I can't take another hit.'
Once outside they stood by his truck. "What can you tell me about the man in the tunnel, Steve?"
He was a little hesitant about helping him, but put his frustration aside, considering any help he could give him would be a step closer to finding this guy. "He's an American, five ten, five eleven, bald, stocky, tattoos up and down his arms, about a hundred and eighty pounds. I'm pretty sure he has some kind of military background."
He nodded, getting a mental image of the man. That image also produced a visual of him hitting Michelle, which angered him. "The blood in the tunnel," he said to Steve, "we'll run some DNA tests on it and check the prints we found. If he's military we'll catch him. I'll let you know what we find out." He knew what he was doing was wrong, giving him this information but he felt he owed him something, especially Michelle.
Steve nodded, confused as to why he was throwing this gift out to him after all that had just happened, but he'd take it. "Thank you. I'd appreciate that." As he turned to leave Steve stuck his hand out to him.
Benedict glanced at it and then up at him, he managed to shock him once again. He took the gesture and gripped it tightly, "Commander."
"Captain."
He stood in the driveway until he left. He wasn't sure which emotion he should feel, angry, disappointed or relieved, but knew exactly which Michelle would. As he went back inside he studied the front door, never considering it sturdy enough compared to the size of the house. His reasoning beforehand was cosmetic, but now it was security.
Michelle came down the hallway greeting him while Clair and the kids sat on the lanai. "Just rip the band-aid off quick and tell me," she said to him.
"You want the quick low down?"
"Yes."
"I'm not leaving tomorrow…or today," he quickly assured her, "I'm not going at all."
Seeing her face light up over that was almost worth the whole thing. 'God she's beautiful,' he thought to himself.
"Oh my God, Steve, are you serious? I'm not even going to ask how or why," she said happily, feeling her nerves relax but her heart begin to jump for joy.
He opened his arms, "Show me how happy you are."
She leapt into arms, wrapping hers tightly around his neck as she squeezed him. "I'm so happy! I'm so, so happy!" she shouted, kissing his cheek over and over.
He laughed and hugged her back, seeing the girls come inside over hearing their mother's glee. They didn't care what it was about, all they saw was the their mother and father hugging, rushing in and joining the celebration, to them this was a clear sign that life was back to normal again.
It filled him with a happiness he couldn't even describe over the three women in his life hugging him so tightly. He put a hand on each of the girl's heads pulling them in closer as they laughed over the gesture that made them feel safe and secure.
The tension of having to leave them and worse yet, having to see the disappointment on their faces over it slid off his shoulders, but as he held them all tightly, a new stress took its place, the effort of trying to keep them all safe and secure from that moment on.
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Author note: Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I've never strayed from my own writing before to satisfy others until now. You wanted him to stay, so he's staying. I'm kind of taking this story in a new direction so the updates might be a little more spread out than normal. I have to write each chapter as I go because I deleted the others I had already written, so bare with me. (please don't take that as a negative, I'm enjoying this) Thanks for reading!