thanks so much for the reviews and follow! really glad that you guys like it, i love hearing from you! i'm thinking that i'm going to write a few more chapters (maybe 2 after this one?) for this story, ending it with this past season. but obviously i'll still be posting on the future story lol hope you like this update! :)

All Gone Wrong

"Well, what did you expect Steve?" Alexia asked, sitting cross legged on their bed as he packed a duffel bag. He had picked his sister up from the airport earlier, telling her about their mother when he met her at baggage claim. She didn't want to leave the airport with him, taking a cab to a friend's house instead. She was mad at for not finding out sooner, but she was furious with Doris and refused to see her.

"I don't know," Steve sighed. "I kinda wish I could be around this weekend, to try to get them to talk."

"I'm glad you're going this weekend," Alexia smiled at him. Julia and Grace were both in Aloha Girls and Danny and Steve were going along with them and their camp leader on a camping trip in the jungle. Alexia, worried parent that she was, didn't like the idea of the girls going camping but she was glad that the dads were going along with them.

"Me too," Steve agreed, happy to spend some time with just him and Julia. "Just, promise something?"

"Sure," Alexia nodded.

"Try to get my mom and sister together?" Steve asked.

"I will try," Alexia told him. "But, I don't promise."

Steve left with Julia that afternoon to meet up with the other girls before going camping. Doris wasn't at the house and Alexia knew that Mary had been excited to see the new baby. With Julia camping with her father and Lucy at her friend's house for a slumber party, Alexia invited Mary to come over that night to see Jack. When Mary got there, Alexia had a blanket laying out on the living room floor, playing with her son again. Mary was immediately in awe of her nephew, adoring him.

"He's so sweet!" Mary smiled, sitting next to Alexia on the floor. Jack had a set of over-sized plastic keys that he loved playing with, waving them around and occasionally chewing on them. "He's like a tiny Steve," Mary said, making Alexia laugh. They heard the door open a little, with a slight knock as the person opened it. When they looked up, Doris was letting herself into the house.

"Hi Mary," Doris said, giving her a weak smile. Mary's head snapped over to Alexia, glaring in her eyes.

"Did you know she was coming over here?" Mary asked. Alexia shook her head, the look on her face showing that she had no idea. Mary got up and grabbed her bag to leave the house, but Doris stood in the door way. Mary rolled her eyes, going upstairs to avoid talking to her mother.

"Don't," Alexia told Doris as she prepared to go up the stairs to follow Mary. Alexia got up from the floor, scooping Jack up off the blanket.

"She's my daughter Alexia," Doris argued back.

"You can't keep crashing in and out of people's lives like this!" Alexia finally snapped at her. Though things had been tense between the two of them for weeks, Alexia had never actually yelled at her mother in law, though there were plenty of times she wanted to. "If you really think that, then you don't know what it means to actually be a mom."

Jack had started sniffling, hearing his mother raise her voice. Alexia took him upstairs to soothe him, not concerned with what Doris decided to do though she was happy when she heard her leave the house. She found Mary hiding out in the upstairs hall, inviting her into her and Steve's room to talk about what happened. Once Jack had calmed down a little, Alexia gave him to Mary to hold.

"I can't believe her," Mary grumbled, cradling Jack in her arms. "After all of that, the things she put my dad through..." She sighed. "I can't just forgive her for that, you know?" Alexia nodded.

"I have a hard time trusting her too," Alexia answered. She opened her mouth to say something, but she heard a crash downstairs.

"Julia!" Steve called, looking for his daughter.

The girls had been sitting around the fire, learning various survival skills from Steve. Julia had gone back to her tent to grab her jacket, but hadn't come back right away. Steve found her with someone off the path in the jungle who had been hurt. Steve went over to them as Julia described his injuries to Steve; he remembered her mother helping her learn so she could get her first aid badge.

"All right," Steve said, wrapping the man's leg to stop the bleeding. "Our camp's over this way, all right? We can call for help from there."

What Steve didn't expect was to run into a criminal in the middle of the camping trip. After having him lock the others in the supply shed, the man demanded that Steve help him find something back in the jungle. He brought Julia along to make sure Steve didn't try anything. Steve went along with what the man said, doing everything in his power to keep his daughter safe.

"What was that?" Mary whispered.

Alexia held a finger to her lips, happy that Jack was asleep now and wouldn't start crying. She reached over to turn off the light before tip toeing over to the master bathroom with Mary and Jack going in before her. She quietly shut the door, turning the lock with a click. They listened to someone rummaging around downstairs, like they were looking for something. Alexia pulled her phone from her pocket. Since Steve was too far away and was in an area with bad reception, she texted Chin for help.

The intruder had gone long before Chin got there, though he got there as fast as he could. He inspected the house, making sure no one else was there before he went upstairs to get Alexia, Mary, and the baby. Alexia carried Jack downstairs in his baby carrier while Mary carried the bag for her. She wasn't going to be staying at the house that night, not without Steve. She had packed some things for the weekend for her and the kids.

"Do you know what might have been under there?" Chin asked, leading Alexia over to the study. The floor boards had been torn up. Whoever had broken into the house knew what they were looking for.

"No," Alexia shook her head, staring at the damaged floor. She couldn't believe that this happened again, that someone had been in the house while she was with her children; it made her sick.

"Could Steve have kept-"

"No," Alexia shook her head quickly. "No, I would have known." Steve didn't keep secrets from her, not since he had come home.

"All right," Chin nodded in agreement. "At least let me drive you wherever you're going to stay tonight."

It was early morning now. Steve and Julia were tearing through the woods, running from someone else entirely. They had encountered their kidnapper's partner while in the jungle, the partner opening fire. Steve was afraid he might pull Julia's arm from the socket as he nearly yanked her from her feet as they ran between the trees. Feeling they had gotten far enough away, Steve pulled Julia off the path towards a thick brush nearby.

"I need you to stay here Jules," Steve tried to explain as she knelt down to her, though she immediately shook her head.

"I want to stay with you dad!" she protested, throwing her arms around his neck. He knew he couldn't keep running with her, that she slowed them down a lot and she was in more danger on the path with him. He hated leaving her alone though.

"Hey," Steve said, pulling away and giving her a comforting smile. "Sweetheart, you are doing so good. All right? But I need to lead him away to keep you safe. I'll circle back here and get you."

"But dad," Julia continued to protest. "What if he-"

"Jules," Steve started to promise her. "Everything will be all right." He gave her a half smile. "Your dad's seen stuff scarier than this guy, all right?" Julia nodded and Steve kissed her head before sending her off to hide. Once she was well hidden, Steve ran back to lead the man far away from his little girl.

Danny had managed to call for help, with Chin heading up to the jungle with back up to find Steve and Julia. Knowing that he couldn't keep it from her, Chin stopped by the room Alexia was staying in with Jack and Lucy to tell her what was going on; Alexia had been staying at the hotel Emily ran, feeling safer in a crowded building than alone in her own house. She immediately started to panic on the inside, keeping calm on the outside for the benefit of her five year old that was getting ready to go to the pool with her aunt.

Once Steve and Julia were found and checked out to be ok, Chin took them in his car to take them home. Steve wondered why they hadn't turned onto his street and Chin explained that there had been a break in the night before and Alexia had the kids at a hotel. He kept his voice low, not wanting Julia to hear that there had been a break in. Alexia had kept it from Lucy as well, since both girls still had nightmares about the first break in.

Steve ran into the hotel lobby with Julia, Emily immediately spotting them and pointing them in the right direction. She gave him a key to the room so they could just go in. Emily knew about break in the previous night and she was sure Steve was freaked out. She also knew that Julia had been missing the night before and Alexia was in a panic about that. Hearing the door open, Alexia jumped but felt immediate relief when she saw that it was Julia and Steve.

"Oh thank God," Alexia said, getting up and hurrying over to them, dropping down to Julia's level to squeeze her tight. "Julia, honey, are you ok?"

"I'm ok mom," Julia promised, hugging her back. She was glad to be back with both her parents now.

"Thank God you were with your dad," Alexia said, looking up at Steve. "Are you all right babe?"

"Fine Lex," Steve promised as Alexia backed away a little to check out Julia. He rested a hand on Julia's shoulders. "Jules did great, she was really brave."

"Mom, you're crushing me," Julia told Alexia as she hugged her again.

"I'm sorry," Alexia told her, giving her one more squeeze before standing up.

"Mom," Julia said curiously. "Why are we staying in a hotel?"

"Well," Alexia said, nervously glancing at Steve for a moment before smiling at her daughter. "Your Aunt Emily wanted us to try out the remodeled rooms and tell her what we thought. So, I told her we would check it out." Julia nodded. "Do you want to change in your swimsuit? Your Aunt Mary has your brother and sister out by the pool."

Julia changed into the swimsuit Alexia had packed for her, both parents walking Julia outside to the pool. Mary was watching Lucy play in the shallow end while she sat with Jack under an umbrella. Julia went over to swim with her sister and Steve and Alexia waved before going back inside to talk in private. Steve took Alexia's hand as he lead the way back to the room, unlocking the door and letting her go in first. She sat on the bed quietly and he sat next to her.

"What happened last night Lex?" Steve asked, looking to her for answers.

"I was upstairs with your sister and Jack," Alexia explained. "We heard a crash downstairs." She sighed. "Steve it wasn't just a random break in, someone tore up the floorboards in the study."

"What?" Steve demanded.

"Did you have anything under there?" Alexia finally asked. "I don't care if you did, I'm sure if it was a secret it was a good reason but-"

"No," Steve stopped her. "It wasn't me." He thought about it. "Maybe it was more evidence, from my dad?"

"Or your mom," Alexia offered softly. It all made sense to Steve now. His mother had something in the house. Someone must have found out that she was still alive and was searching the house for whatever it was.

"Steve," Alexia said as he got up to go. "Babe, where are you going?"

"To take care of this," Steve answered. He wouldn't live like this, not with this fear for his family.

Steve took Alexia's car, driving over to his mother's rental home. He marched up to the door, rapping on it several times. When she didn't answer right away, he let himself in as the door was unlocked. Doris had been in another room and had been coming to answer it. Seeing her son in the doorway, she smiled. As she studied his serious expression though, his arms crossed over his chest, her smile quickly faded.

"What is it?" Doris immediately asked.

"I'm only going to ask you this once," Steve said, his tone somber; Doris nodded. "Did you have something hidden under the floor at the house?" She didn't answer right away.

"Why?" Doris asked instead. That was all the answer Steve needed, because if she hadn't had anything there she would have just said no. Instead, she seemed concerned about whether or not he had found it.

"Dammit mom!" Steve finally exploded.

"Why are you yelling at me?" Doris demanded of her son.

"Because I can't do this anymore," Steve said crossly. "The lying and the secrets, it's complete bull shit." Doris opened her mouth to argue, but Steve immediately stopped her, continuing his rant. "And, you know what? I could handle it if it were just me. But I have a wife and three little kids to keep safe."

"Steve, I don't understand-"

"Well, let me help you," Steve cut her off. "Lex and Mary were alone with the baby last night when someone broke in to steal whatever it was that you left under the floor of my house."

"Oh my God!" Doris gasped. "Are they-"

"All right?" Steve offered. "They're fine. Except that Lex doesn't even feel safe enough to stay at the house alone." He scoffed. "I hardly blame her."

"What can I do Steve?" Doris asked, her voice pleading.

"I don't care what was under the floor," Steve told her, running a hand through his hair. "All I need to know is if it can come back to bite my family."

"No," Doris said, her eye lids brimming with tears. Though she didn't want to believe it, she knew what was coming.

"I think that you should go," Steve finally said, turning to leave the house. Doris's mouth dropped open in shock.

"You can't be serious," Doris insisted, following him over to the doorway. Outside on the porch, Steve turned back around to look at her.

"I love you mom," Steve promised. "And I missed you so much. But...nothing's been right since you've been back." He sighed. "I honestly think it was safer for everyone, including you, when you were gone."

"Steve-"

"Doing what you did to protect your family, you should understand what I need to do for mine," Steve told her before walking away for good.

thanks for reading! hope that you liked it :) let me know what you thought, please and thanks!