Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

Disclaimer: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

Author's Note: Wow! Thank you to everyone who has followed this story over the chapters, given great feedback, and been so supportive. At long last, the final chapter. If you like my writing, or you like my characters, or you just enjoy reading Steve-centric stories, you will love the next story in the series - Fractured. Please follow me as a writer to see when I start posting it. It's in beta now, completely written - I will start posting it in about three weeks. I just want to re-edit, and re-edit... and re-edit! Fractured follows Steve as he struggles with his growing feelings for Julia, and his uncertainty with heading down an entirely unfamiliar path. Will his doubts and uncertainty come between them? I hope you'll read it and enjoy - but in the meantime, enjoy the conclusion of Captivated! Thank you! ~Aly

Steve pulled up outside of Julia's house, keenly aware again that he was being watched. Even though he understood Julia's need to protect Andy, he wondered if she'd received specific threats in the past, if something had happened to her to warrant such measures. Perhaps it was just her Secret Service training, or her maternal instincts. Either way, her home, while attractive and warm, was like a fortress.

He'd been worried about her all day since he'd had Chin take her home. He'd wanted to drive her himself, but with the aftermath of Tony Romano's suicide and his admission of heading up the counterfeit bond scheme, Steve had needed to stay on the scene and coordinate with the Crime Scene Unit. The only prints on the lancet were Romano's and his death was being ruled as self-inflicted. They'd never really know exactly what happened, but in the end, it probably didn't matter. They had the plates, they had the criminals in custody, and they prevented the release of possibly millions of dollars of counterfeit bonds.

After everything they'd been through this week, and this day, Steve needed to see Julia. There was something about his feelings for her that went well beyond just a physical attraction. She calmed him. She eased his mind in a way he never thought possible, and when he was away from her, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He needed to see her, even if it was only for a short while. He needed to know she was okay before… Inwardly he cursed at once again the terrible timing that seemed to keep coming between them.

Julia opened the door as he stepped up to the entrance. "Hi," she breathed, looking much better than he'd left her on the pier, though she was still terribly drawn and pale. She'd been shaken by the revelations that her mentor, one of her oldest friends, had turned and become a murderer and a thief. The thought was anathema to her, but she couldn't deny the evidence she'd worked so hard and sacrificed so much to obtain. Although she was a self-contained, independent woman, seeing Steve at her doorstep made her want to crumble into his arms. She invited him in, but before she could even kiss him hello, Andy raced into the room with his favorite action heroes, grabbing Steve's leg in a love hug that only a four-year-old could muster.

"Hey, pal. What are these? Are these your buddies?" Steve smiled broadly.

Andy laughed. "Dees are Rescue Heroes. I have a 'copter an' ev'ryting! Come play! Come, Mando Steve!"

Julia winced almost imperceptibly as she bent down to look Andy in the eye and ruffle his sandy blond hair. "Sweetie, Commander McGarrett is here to see Mommy. Maybe you can play a little later. Run upstairs and get on your bathing suit with Allison. We'll go out on the beach and you can play with your Rescue Heroes outside." She kissed him on top of his head and nudged him up the stairs. Once he'd barreled up the stairs into his room, she wrapped her arms around Steve, her fingers nestled in the hair at the nape of his neck, her lips brushing his. "I missed you today," she whispered. "More than you know."

Steve caressed her face then kissed her forehead. He held her closely, nuzzling her hair to smell the familiar and comfortable scent of shampoo and lavender. "I know, ku'uipo. I know. I wanted to get here sooner, but it was a mess. How are you feeling?" His fingers brushed carefully along the edge of a darkening bruise on Julia's cheek. "When I saw you…" he shuddered at the memory of her unconscious on the pier. The bile rose in his throat as he thought of Romano hitting her, kicking her in the ribs, and leaving her bleeding on the dock. If Romano hadn't killed himself, Steve would have made sure that he suffered for what he'd put Julia through.

Julia saw the worried look in his eye, and took his hand to softly kiss his fingers. "Hey, I'm okay. Shaken, numb… but you're here now, and for that I'm so grateful and relieved. Andy will be down in a minute – he's probably bringing his whole collection of action heroes. We just finished dinner, but would you like a plate? Barbeque chicken, cheese grits, and a salad. Nothing fancy, but it goes well with a Kona dark?"

"You're amazing. You track down criminals on cases you're not even supposed to be on, you take care of a four-year-old, and you still find time to make dinner. I didn't know I was dating superwoman," he chuckled teasingly, his hand brushing softly through her hair.

"Oh, so now we're dating? That's news to me. Is this because of last night?" she teased gently. Julia put together a plate for Steve, grabbed two Kona darks from the fridge, and headed out to the chairs by the water. Steve sat down in one of the Adirondack chairs and made quick work of his dinner, grinning but not commenting. Julia sipped her beer, watching him amusingly wolf down his dinner like a teenaged boy. Moments later, Andy blazed out of the house, Rescue Heroes in tow, running down to join them on the beach before flopping down on the sand to happily create sand fortresses for his toys. "Steve, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were avoiding my question." Julia directed a playfully annoyed look right at him.

He quickly but gently pulled her into his lap and kissed her deeply, sending shivers down her back. She returned his kiss with a similar level of ardor, keeping in mind that she had a junior chaperone not far away. Pulling away slightly, she brushed her lips barely against his. "Still avoiding," she reminded him teasingly.

He wrapped his arms around her, as she rested her head on his broad, warm chest. He hesitated, unsure as to what to do. "Jules, I'm not very good at the whole emotional communication thing. I'll try, but it's all new to me." He caressed her hair, running his fingers through the silky tendrils before kissing her temple softly.

A small smile crept across her face. "I'm not sure why this is all new to you. You'll have to tell me at some point. But I can be patient… sometimes…." She shot him a flirty look before snuggling back into his lap, a small sigh escaping her lips. "I'm sorry I didn't call you before I went over to the dock this afternoon. I never expected…" she paused, a lump rising in her throat. Her voice softened to barely a whisper. "I never expected that Tony could be a traitor. I still feel so blindsided."

He tightened his arms around her, nestling her head under his chin. "Shh. You couldn't have known. Don't blame yourself. This was his doing, and it had nothing to do with you." He paused, struck by the sadness in Julia's eyes. He knew what it felt like to be betrayed, to trust someone and have them let you down. He was still struggling with the unknown questions he had about his father and Wo-Fat - he still could see that video of the two of them speaking in the Governor's office. Still, he hoped he'd have answers soon. Julia had all of the answers she would ever get about Romano, but still that couldn't ease her feelings of shock and deception. His voice was somber. "The fallout in Washington on this is going to be significant."

She nodded in agreement. "I imagine so. Wilson will get pushed out for not knowing what his own agent was up to. A little shake-up now and then is a good thing, I suppose." She sighed, quietly resting in Steve's arms as the sun continued to set. Silently they sat there, watching Andy play in the waning daylight, the waves softly licking at the shore as they savored the peaceful moment together.

"You still haven't told me why you brought a gun with you to see Tony." He watched as Allison walked by, smiling at them, to pick Andy up for his bath and bedtime. Andy came over and gave his crazy-big hug to Steve and Julia. Steve noticed her involuntarily wince from Andy's exuberance before she gently kissed her son sweetly on his head and sent him off to bed.

She was quiet for a moment after Andy had left with Allison. "I'm a pretty rational person, Steve. I've been trained to rely on facts and evidence. But the reality is that something has been niggling at the back of my mind. I don't know if it's a sixth sense or what, but I've been on edge the past few days, concerned about your safety, mine, and Andy's. I still don't know if I could've drawn my gun on Tony – I suppose if he'd threatened you or your team I'd have had no choice. But in spite of my reservations, I felt safer taking my weapon. It was as though at some level, I knew I couldn't quite trust him. Not any more. This whole thing with him – I trusted him. I trusted him, and yet he was a thief and a murderer. It's shaken me to my core. I feel like don't know what to think – rationally or otherwise," she said, protectively tucking her body into his.

He grudgingly admitted her explanation made a lot of sense. Tentatively, he continued. "What's your rational self think of last night?" he smiled, curious and surprisingly, a little nervous.

Julia grinned, her eyes darkening with the memories of their passion. She whispered hotly in his ear, "I only regret that we didn't get a second round this morning." She leaned her head against his chest and sighed. Everything was moving so quickly, and in spite of how vulnerable she felt, she knew what she wanted, what she needed to fix this unbelievably bad day. "Please stay with me tonight. I need you, Steve." Her fingers stroked the stubble along his jaw.

His arms wrapped around her tighter, her scent nearly overpowering him. He felt the familiar charge between them start to build, and as he held her in his arms, he couldn't bear to let her go. "There's something I haven't told you, Jules. I'm leaving for Japan in a few hours," he said quietly.

She sat up, surprised. "What? Japan? Why?"

He pursed his lips, looking into her deep hazel eyes. He tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as his hand softly caressed her face. "It's related to my father's case. Something to do with a man named Wo-Fat who ordered my father's murder. Joe has some information - I don't know what it will lead to, but I have to go. It's a lead I've been chasing down, and now… I know the timing is lousy, but I have to follow through. I have to know."

Julia shuddered at the mention of Wo-Fat. "I thought Wo-Fat was in prison. Didn't you capture him just before we met?"

"He is, and I did. How do you know about him? I've never mentioned his name before."

"Wo-Fat is well-known in my circle. We tried going after him a few years ago, but he's always managed to stay one step ahead. Please… please be careful, Steve. I know this is silly, my saying this given that you're a well-trained SEAL, but… I couldn't bear for anything to happen to you. Wo-Fat's reach is far and wide, and just because he's in prison… He still has an extensive network, unlimited resources, and an immense payroll." Julia held on to Steve tightly. She paused, her heart racing with concern for Steve.

She thought about what she needed to say. "There's something else. I've told you that I do some consulting. It's a bit more extensive than that. I have a number of contacts, not just within the Service, that are still active. If you get stuck in Japan, or anything happens, please call me or reach me somehow. I can't share details, but I can help. Promise me?" She looked at him, her eyes pleading.

"I will. I'll come home safe in a few weeks, I promise. This may just put everything behind me, my father's case, my mother's murder. I just need some answers. I hate to leave you now, I hope you know that. But I need to find out once and for all what this Shelbourne connection really is."

"I trust you, Steve. I hope you find what you're looking for. But most importantly, I hope you come back to me safely." She stroked his hair, kissing him softly.

"I will, baby, I will. Besides, as I see it, we have two hours until I have to grab a bag and head to the airport." He grinned his beaming grin at her, causing her stomach to drop in a free-fall.

"Two whole hours, huh? I think I can work with that." She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her, a kiss filled with growing emotions and need, a kiss that promised and tempted so much more.

Thank you for continuing to follow and review! Stay tuned for the next story in the Unbreakable series – Fractured! As Steve and the team tackle an emotionally charged case, he and Julia find their pasts colliding with their future. What happens when Steve tells her something that will forever change their lives?