The Professional
AvalonReeseFanFics
A/N: Hey there my wonderful readers. I know this chapter is HELLA late but it's finally here! Things are gonna get hairy for the next couple chapters, but we're coming close to the end of the story. Only 5ish more chapters and then we're done. Isn't that exciting? As always don't forget to drop a fav, a follow or leave a review and I'll try to see you guys next week!
Chapter 17
Three months.
That was how long it had been since he had last seen or heard from Rowan.
She never called when she landed wherever WITSEC had taken her, which he figured was fair. It probably hadn't taken Malcolm long to figure if Rowan never got a hold of a secure line she couldn't snit on his behaviour.
He had to hope that Trevor was making sure that Malcolm wasn't abusing Rowan again.
He tried to get the WITSEC director to give him some sort of update on her, to get her some kind of message, but they hadn't be very helpful. Steve never got his update and he wasn't sure if they were giving Rowan his messages for her either.
He was actually super annoyed.
However, one good thing had come from this. Mischief would now sit beside him. She still wouldn't get in his lap, but she let him pet her whole body now, and she liked to sit beside him on the couch and watch football.
He had gotten prone to leaving on documentaries for her to watch when he wasn't around. Which was probably silly but she loved them. Anything on birds and other cats got her super excited. She would zone in on that TV, eyes wouldn't leave it until the show was over or Steve turned it off.
He kept reminding himself, on the nights he worried he'd never see Rowan again, that he had her cat. Rowan had come back for her once, he was certain she'd come back for her again.
God he hoped so anyway.
He'd hate to have someone call him and say that she wanted him to send the cat.
He wanted to see her, face to fucking face and if he had to hold Missy ransom to get that then he would.
But every night was the same for him.
Steve would lie in his bed, he'd try to quiet his mind, but his mind always went back to Rowan. It didn't matter what kind of drama was embroiled in his life or what kind of case he was trying to solve. It didn't matter how he felt, or what he wanted to think about, at some point, lying there in his bed, his mind would turn to his memories of Rowan.
Of her lying in that bed with him. Of her snuggled into his side. Of him fucking her, her riding him. Their kisses. Their bodies intertwined, their hearts beating as one.
And as if that wasn't enough, when he finally managed to sleep, she was there too. In some way or form she was always in his dreams.
But that night, things were different because just as he began to doze, his phone rang.
The number on the screen was blocked, which was odd but he answered it anyway.
And three months of pining was rewarded, because it was Rowan's voice on the other side.
"Hey," she had airily whispered to him and his heart and jumped up into his mouth. "I… I didn't wake you did I?"
"No… no… uh… just got in. Late day, you know?"
"Yeah… big case?"
"Kinda," he said. "Uh… I've been sending you emails… uhm… about Missy… and I've been sending messages through WITSEC have you uhm… have you been getting them?"
There was a beat of silence that could have been interpreted one of two ways. One, she had gotten them and hadn't wanted to talk to him so hadn't responded, and the pause was cause she didn't want to tell him the truth. Or, two, she hadn't gotten a single one.
"No… I haven't been getting messages…"
And that answered that question.
"Is Malcolm in control?" Steve growled, because he had a feeling he'd make sure there was no way for her to communicate with him. "Is he abusing you again?"
"No… I'm fine," she said softly, but in a way that made him feel like she was lying to him. Something was off about her, something was wrong. "Well… I'm not fine…"
"What's the matter, are you okay?"
"No… I… the trial got moved up… I go in in two weeks and they've informed us that they plan to uhm… well basically rip me apart on the stand… and… and… well…"
"You're not a monster, Ro."
"No, I know you think that, but Steve… I've done terrible things… I'm not… I'm not a normal person and… I'm just… afraid."
"You're going to be okay. I know you are. It'll be okay…"
"Could you come?" she asked. "For the trial. Could you come?"
"Uh…"
"It's literally in two weeks. Two weeks to the day… I… I know you're working and… you probably can't get all that time off…"
"No, no," he said. "No. I'll be there."
"Really?"
"Yeah! Course," he said. Already mentally mapping all of this out. Who he'd ask to take care of Eddie, who he'd ask to come in and take care of Missy.
And while he was at it, he was already planning all he wanted to do when he saw Rowan again, what he wanted to say to her.
Starting with how he should have just gone on sabbatical and let WITSEC relocate him with her. He definitely would have been able to keep her safe from Malcolm, who he was certain was terrorizing her.
And that was going to be what he believed until he got eyes on her again.
"Will you be able to give me details later on?"
"No, I… I had to steal the phone for this…" she started and then trailed off. "They have us in an apartment right now, but they're going to move us to a hotel once it gets closer to the trial to uhm… to have us close to the Court House and uhm… to go over the statements they want me to give and how they want me to answer things…"
"Right, well uh… okay, I'll figure it out, don't you worry," he said. "I'll get the info. I'll see you really soon, okay?"
"Okay… great… uhm… I missed you…"
"I missed you too"
Oh how he wanted to say more than that, but Rowan had to go and then he was left in his bed, alone again.
No longer worried, but instead burning with a shaking excitement.
This time, when he got to Rowan again, he wasn't going to let her go.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
Rowan had given him a specific day to show up, but Steve couldn't wait.
He left about four days earlier so he could spend some one-on-one time with Rowan before the trial, you know, to see how she was doing and soothe any fears. You know normal boyfriend stuff.
Steve was hesitant to call whatever was going on between them that. Firstly because he was bad at labels, and secondly because he had no idea what he and Rowan were all he knew was that he liked her and she liked him.
Danny was certain that if he could have Steve would have locked her down long before now. The only thing stopping him was the whole WITSEC thing and the fact that for the last three months he had no idea where in the world she was.
The problem was that Steve wasn't thinking with the head on his shoulders. He was thinking with the smaller one, in between his legs.
His dick. Danny meant his dick.
But being the good friend he was, he only said his piece once. Steve ignored him of course, but Danny got to feel better because he had at least tried to set his friend straight.
Then he drove Steve to the airport, because that was what friends did for one another, and he said goodbye like a normal person, and didn't bring up that this was absolutely stupid.
With Steve gone he could go to work, and for the first time he had something rare to look forward to.
It was his hope that he'd get one case, one case where he didn't have to deal with Steve's daredevil bullshit. A calm case, one that would illicit a lot of stress, because the thing that stressed him the most was flying to Toronto.
What he got instead, was a quiet few hours, with no case, just all of Steve's paperwork to finish because the Neanderthal had left it all for him, and a phone call.
A phone call from someone he didn't expect, but he picked up anyway cause it was weird for her to be calling him and if she was there had to be a good reason.
"Hey Cath," Danny said into the phone. "What's up?"
"Is Steve with you? He's not answering his phone."
"No, that shmuck is on a plane, he might have landed by now but I have a feeling he's more concerned about getting to that hotel…"
"Where did he go?"
"Toronto… why?"
"He's in Toronto?"
"Yeah… why?" he asked getting more and more worried now.
As Catherine explained that worry filled him right up to the brim. He never should have let Steve go alone.
Now Danny was going to have to get on the next plane to catch up.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
Rowan shouldn't have, but she had given him basic information about where she was staying. For a normal person that wouldn't have been enough to find her, but Steve wasn't normal. As a trained SEAL and his limited knowledge of Toronto he had figured out what hotel she was staying at and then booked himself in it.
When he got to the hotel, he got his room, went upstairs to unpack, put on his nicest casual outfit and then went downstairs.
The plan was to go to the desk, flash his badge and tell them he was here to see her. They didn't have to tell him where her room was, he just wanted them to call her and have her come down to the lobby, or let him talk to her so he could tell her which room was his and have her come to him.
He was standing in line diligently when he saw a familiar red head out of the corner of his eyes.
He turned and sure enough it was her. Same red in her hair except the blonde was gone and her hair was shorter. Not by much but enough.
Steve was out of line and heading for her right away. He noted right away that she was walking with Malcolm, though neither of them looked pleased by this. Steve figured he might as well rescue her from him.
"Rowan!" he cried and she turned around, a look of utter shock on her face.
"Steven… you're… here? Why?"
"Well you said you wanted to see me… and… I unno I figured I'd come early to see you before all the trial chaos," he said his eyes leaving her face to glance at Malcolm who was glaring at them.
"You invited the Super SEAL? Are you out of your mind?" he hissed. "At least we know how they figured it out huh?"
Malcolm had said that last bit lowly, so only he and Rowan could hear, but Steve had heard him and now he was confused. "How who figured out what? Are you in trouble?"
"No," Rowan said with a roll of her eyes. "He got in trouble again, he's figuring I snitched to you…"
Steve's glare intensified on Malcolm. "Were you abusing her again?"
Malcolm didn't answer him, he just held the man's glare.
"Uhm… Malcolm and I were about to… uh… go out, but maybe you'd like to come up to my room for a bit…"
"Rowan," Malcolm growled. "We don't have time."
Rowan then turned a sweet smile to him. "Or would you rather he come along?"
"Fine, you can have two hours max," he hissed and she nodded and then turned her smile up to Steve.
Steve was blinded by that smile he was actually super excited to see her. But things were awkward between them now. He didn't know what he was supposed to do.
Was he supposed to kiss her?
God he wanted to kiss her.
She offered him a hand that he took right away and let her lead him back to the elevators he just came up and then back to her room.
They were quiet the whole ride up to the sixth floor, where she then lead him to a room with two double beds. It was clear her brother was staying there with her but he wasn't there at that moment. Weird, where were Rowan and Malcolm going without him? And if he wasn't there, where was he?
"Uhm… so…"
"I missed you," Steve blurted out and Rowan paused in sweeping clothes off of her bed to drop into her suitcase to look at him. "Sorry… I just…"
But suddenly Rowan was smiling at him. "I missed you too," she said. "It's been pretty boring since I left Hawaii…"
"Yeah, it's been pretty boring for me too."
"How's Missy?"
"She's good. She still looks for you. Every time I come home without you she glares at me. She has a very good disapproving glare."
"She does, doesn't she?" she said with a grin. "I… I wish I could see her. You'll pet her for me won't you?"
"Course… uhm… though… I was sort of hoping that you might… come back… with me?"
Rowan faltered softly and right away he realized that he had miss read this somehow.
"I… god I'd love to do that but I promised I'd go home… I haven't been there is almost two years…"
"No, no I get it… maybe after?"
Her smile stayed that weak, watery smile, which meant when she said: "Definitely after," he knew she didn't mean it.
Steve tried to not show her that he knew, but he was sure his smile faded a bit too after that. They were quiet a moment before she took a step towards him.
"I… I'm really glad you're here," she whispered. "I've been… I… mean… I'm scared… Steve. I'm very scared Steve… and you… you make me feel… braver…"
Steve reached out for her, getting her just above her elbow and tugging her in to his chest.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, you're going to do great."
Rowan smiled up at him. "Thanks… would you… uhm… would you like a drink?"
Steve nodded. Yeah he needed one of those right now.
She pulled herself out of his grip, went to the minibar, which was a lot fancier than he was used to. She pulled out a coke and two little bottles of rum. She was sure to pour enough for the both of them then poured the rum into it.
"What have you been doing while I've been gone?"
"Honestly not much," he said. "Solving cases, going swimming… making Missy like me. She'll come and sit beside me now."
"Aw that's great… hey uhm… could you check my bag for my sweater?"
Steve turned right away to dig through the bag for her, handing her a sweater that she only half put on, as she handed him the drink.
He took a big gulp of it to soothe his nerves.
"What about you?"
"Oh you know… annoying my handlers, playing music… that sort of stuff…"
Steve nodded. "Giving Malcolm hell?"
Rowan's smile got a little more pointy. "You know it."
She continued to sip on her drink, while Steve downed his. "I uh… I'm sorry if this is awkward… I just… wanted to…"
She moved right away, planting a kiss to his lips. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered against his lips. His arms snatched her up and pressed her to him, pressing more insistent kisses into her lips, holding her close.
He was glad he was there too. Even if this was probably going to be the last time he saw her.
Their kiss became something more, they both got swept up in the passion brewing between them like a great big storm.
They tumbled down to the bed the world around them spinning… or at least it was for Steve.
Things were actually getting really dizzy, he suddenly realized that he was actually light headed.
He forced himself up, trying to prop himself up on his elbows above her. Why… why was the world actually spinning.
Rowan softly and easily rolled him off of her. The second he flopped down to the bed, the world basically went all fuzzy around him.
Oh god… was he… was he having a stroke?
"I'm sorry Steven," Rowan whispered to him and his eyes swung off the swirling white ceiling to Rowan. The light had gone all fuzzy around her giving her a red sort of halo.
"What… why…?"
But the words couldn't get past his heavy tongue. He wanted to know what she was sorry for.
"I didn't have a choice," she said and he realized that she must have slipped him something. For god sake why would she do that?
"Ro…"
"I need you to know that… that this isn't your fault okay? I… I really wanted to be the girl who stays forever with you. If I could… I'd never leave you…"
"Then… plea… don't…" he struggled to tell her, his grip on her tightening. But with the adrenaline and the fear came the darkness.
Whatever she had drugged him with was strong and it was dragging him down into unconsciousness.
"I liked you very much Steven… I may have even fallen in love with you… but… I… I have to go now…"
No, no she didn't. And why the hell did she have to talk to him like she was leaving forever? Where was she going? What was happening?
He wanted to tell her that if she just stayed with him, if she just told him what was going on he could help her. Save her. Like he was supposed to do.
"Please take care of Missy for me… I know my family won't… if you could please… just keep her for me?"
Then she was pressing a soft kiss to the side of his lips. He felt her calm soothing presence leave him. Heard the door close behind her.
And then all he knew was black.