One Thing

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Hello there my wonderful readers! Are you ready for a super late, super long update? Cause you got it! This chapter is 14 pages long but a lot happens in it. I hope you guys like what happens in it, cause there a lot of little itneresting things that I think you guys might enjoy. As always don't forget to leave a review or drop a fav or a like and I'll see you guys on Friday!

Chapter 7

Steve had to leave Danny behind to take Rory home. And he knew, once he got her settled in, he couldn't leave for the night because she was a runner and there was no way he could leave her alone.

But when he got home and found Catherine still there he realized that he had promised to be back for dinner and that left her there the whole time… with his dad. Goddamn it that must not have been good. And that pretty much explained why she was glaring at him.

"Hey there son," John called from the kitchen. "Your girlfriend and I made some stew. It's on the stove for you…"

But at that point he had noticed Rory who was standing beside Steven her eyes looking Catherine up and down as Catherine was looking her up and down.

And then he got it.

It was the sexy girl he had brought back home in skin-tight red dress club wear, and his button up shirt around her shoulders because she was cold. He hadn't come home on time and when he did he had a very pretty girl with him. This very much did not look good.

Steve opened his mouth to explain but Rory cut him off.

"Wow you have a girlfriend and you go around kissing other people?"

Catherine turned wide wounded eyes to him and Steve colored. "No, now wait a second. Firstly she… you straddled me to a chair and forced me to kiss you and secondly her and I aren't official so technically I did nothing wrong," he said and the realized that he had 100% just made the situation much worse.

"You were clinging to me like climbing ivy and he thoroughly kissed me back, let me tell you, no resistance or complaining at all," she said as she was heading for the stairs. "He's a dog I tell you."

"Where are you going?" Steve thundered.

"To bed!" she cried back. "I'm tired and I want to get away from you!"

"So you're going to take my room? Where am I going to sleep?"

"I unno. The couch? The dog house? Not with me though!" she snapped and then she was gone.

"Well, it's the one on the left!" he called but there was no answer from Rory. He'd have to assume she found it. Or if she fell asleep in his dad's room he could just carry her to his.

And stupidly his body reacted to the idea of having her in his arms again. Her body hardened and a whole typhoon of butterflies swept through his stomach.

Steve shook his head and then glanced to Catherine who was staring at him like he had disappointed her and he probably had.

"Look, it's not what you think…"

"Who is that?" she asked. "Why is she here?"

"She's… okay, that's Rory. Hesse's Rory. She goes by Ro and she's the only link I have to Wo Fat."

Silence followed that announcement. Catherine's jaw dropped in shock, in the kitchen his dad looked passive though his eyebrows had shot up on his face. He was a hardened cop, used to hiding his emotions, like Steve was. But Steve could tell that his announcement had surprised his dad too.

"That's the girl they took down a platoon for?" Catherine cried. She then crossed her arm over her chest and sniffed in derision. "Hardly seems worth it."

"I really wish I could tell you why, cause I don't get it either, but all I can say is that they like her. They all fucking seem to like her. Which is so weird because that, what you just witnessed, she's like that with Wo Fat… and he let's her. I honestly don't get how he hasn't killed her yet, cause even I'm fucking contemplating it right now."

That enough should have conveyed a non-interest in the other girl, but Catherine just continued to glare at him. Right this wasn't good.

"Look, I need her okay," he said.

"Really? To make out with again or…"

"God Catherine, she surprised me, okay? And we're not official!" he cried but she was not having it. Before he could stop her, she had stormed passed him and out of the house.

He didn't even try to stop her. He fucked up, he could see that. The door slammed behind her and his dad officially came out of the kitchen.

"Well, you really put your foot in your mouth," he said.

Steve just shook his head, he knew exactly what he did, he didn't need the added guilt. "Yeah, I… I haven't really been having a good day, this isn't the first time I fucked up," he admitted. "Is there uh… anyway we can just eat the stew you guys made while I think of way to make it up to Catherine?"

"I'd love that son," he said and Steve nodded trying to move around him to get to the kitchen. "But I think we should probably talk about what you've done."

Steve one hundred percent did not want to get another lecture, no doubt about Rory, but he was immediately distracted. Because he saw a flash of red dash past the kitchen window.

Fuck she had climbed down out the window and down the trellis.

"Shit!" he cried pushing past his dad. He sprinted out of the house via the kitchen and, even though she had head start he managed to catch up. She had already gotten around the house, so he had to practically tackle her to the side of the house to get a hold of her.

By then he had her up in his arms and was walking her around the font of the house as they were closer to the front door at this point.

He had her back to his chest because and she was squirming and struggling against him. Demanding to be let go.

But he wasn't letting her go. In fact, he was liking holding her all together too much.

Then he heard the engine.

"No! No! No!"

Steve watched a car practically peel away from the house. It hadn't been in the driveway but instead next to the lawn hidden by the tree.

And Rory was practically howling for it, a hand reaching out for the disappearing car. A bolt of electricity ran up his arms, and above him the porch light flickered.

That was all very weird but he had very important questions on his mind.

Someone was here to pick her up? Had she called someone?

"What did you do? Who was that?" he asked.

"I want to go home!" she cried. "I don't want to stay here I want to go home!"

"Well that's not happening," he snapped and then carried her the rest of the way into he house. He dropped her to her feet, but she refused to turn back to him. "Who was that? How are you contacting them?"

"Y'all have a house phone," she growled and Steve rolled his eyes. Fucking hell, she went into his dad's room and used the phone.

He made a mental note to call Chin or Kono and have one of the run the line and see what number she had called.

His dad was just staring at her. He had a strange look on his face. Steve wondered if Rory was what he had pictured, and he figured probably not. But when Rory suddenly sniffed he understood why his dad looked like that.

She was crying.

"Look I know this isn't ideal…"

Rory turned a dark glare onto Steve. "I should have let them kill all y'all," she snapped and then tried to storm right back up those stairs.

"Nope," he said grabbing her. "Kitchen table, where I can see you, right now."

Rory ripped her arm out of his grasp, a sort of darkness seemed to be twisting up her face as the tears trailed down her cheeks.

She had never looked so terrifying before.

A sort of static electric aura was creeping up around her and their lights began to flicker. IT was almost like her own rage was fucking with their electricity but that wasn't possible… was it?

His dad put out a hand to her and Rory jumped. The lights stopped flickering as she turned to him and the soft gesture.

"It's an old house, it does that sometimes," he said.

"You didn't tell me you were having issues with the electricity," Steve said, but he was ignored.

"I understand you've had a rough day. And it probably seems all very hopeless right now, but I think what's best for right now if we go to sit down. I'll get you some of the stew, you look like you could use a good hot meal, what do you say?"

Rory sniffed again but nodded and let his dad push her towards the kitchen.

"You go help yourself to whatever you want, I'm going to talk to my son and then we'll be right in, and we'll figure out sleeping arrangement and clothing and the like."

"I'm sorry," she eventually whispered. "I didn't mean it… about you… you didn't deserve to die and I'm glad I changed that." And then she turned an acidic glare onto Steve. "You on the other hand do."

That time, when she walked away, she went to the kitchen and since he could both hear and see her moving around, he felt a bit better.

He didn't like that she didn't like him anymore, but he had arrested her, so really what had he expected?

"You better explain to me how it's come to be she's in this house, and it better be good," his dad suddenly hissed and Steve was knocked sideways by the sudden change in behaviour. With the way he was talking to Rory Steve would have thought he liked her.

"Because I… she's the only link I have to Wo Fat and the Master," Steve said. "And I knew I couldn't just take her to a hotel, I needed her somewhere I knew… somewhere he couldn't surprise me…"

"That man took on the Navy and won. For her. You think our house is better fortified then a Navy Convoy?"

No, but Wo Fat, or someone who worked for Wo Fat had been outside the house and left when he saw him so he figured himself reasonably safe.

"Son, I don't think you understand the amount of danger you've opened us both up to. The truth of the matter is you don't know what she's capable of and I can see from here she's blinded you."

That was true too. He knew it. But he couldn't bring himself to admit it.

"Dad… she had your toolbox," he whispered and John straightened. He guessed right away what the next question would be so he answered it. "It was empty, she was using it for her own thing, but she had it. It's in the lab right now being tested for fingerprints."

"Did she say…"

"She thinks Wo has the evidence, and I've seen him with her dad. He cares about her. He claims they're dating. He's going to give me that evidence for her, I know it. But I also know that he's not going to chance her getting hurt, so long as we have her, we're safe."

Except that wasn't entirely true. Because he had no problem firing a missile in Rory's general direction with no confirmation of which car she had been traveling in in that convoy. But he was hoping that if he sounded confident enough his dad would believe him.

John turned and together they just watched as Rory, in that red dress and Steve's blue button up shirt, sat at their kitchen table eating stew out of one of their bowls.

He had no idea what his dad was thinking, but he was wondering why the hell it looked so right to have that girl sitting at his kitchen table.

Why did it feel like she belonged there?

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

It was later decided that Steve would stay with Rowan in his room. This was because she wasn't trusted to try and run off in the night while they were sleeping. He told his dad that he'd stay on the floor, but that wasn't a viable option because he was worried he wouldn't notice when Rory tried to escape, so he stayed in the bed, with a pillow wall between them.

He didn't feel too bad about it because Rory also offered to let him stay in the bed too. Said his old back wouldn't be able to handle sleeping on the floor. The dig was not appreciated but the offer was.

In the morning he woke up to find her still asleep on her side of the bed but the pillow wall had been dismantled, and one of the pillows had ended up clutched to her chest in her sleep.

He had a call from Danny that hadn't woken her up, telling him of a break in the case which meant he had to go into the Palace where the Five-0 headquarters were. He had gotten up, gotten dressed and ready Rory still hadn't woken up.

He didn't really want to leave her alone though so he tried to wake her up.

And the second his hand touched her shoulder so he could try to shake her away, her hand whipped out and hit him. Right in the nuts.

Steve went down and he noticed that her eyes were opened in narrowed angry slits. He had asked her why she would do that to him but she had just said, rather sleepily at that, that it was an automatic reaction because she got grabbed a lot.

That was heartbreaking.

And she was clearly exhausted so he left her in bed, found his dad downstairs and asked him to just… sit on her for that day.

But then… then he thought about how easily Rory could get in and out of places and how sneaky and crafty she was and he wasn't certain his dad could really keep her in line. So he picked up breakfast and went to Catherine's.

She had answered the door in her pjs, which were white and blue stripped boxer shorts and a white tank tap. And she wasn't happy to see him, but he showed her the breakfast he brought, asked if he could come in to talk and she said yes.

He apologized, explained to her what was going on with Rory. Who she was, how he found her, how yes, yes she had kissed him, and he owned up to it happening twice, but both times she had blind sided him. And yes, he shouldn't have harped on them not being official but he thought to be true, was that not true?

She admitted that they were very much not official but it was still hard to hear that he was kissing other girls, especially ones as pretty as Rory.

He explained again that his interest in her was work related, was directly tied to getting anyone to return the evidence his dad had collected on his mother's murder, and to hurt Wo Fat in a way that hurt Steve. Granted he wasn't going to kill Rory but he figuring having her, keeping her from Wo Fat was going to hurt him.

And once she had the breakfast, had gotten a few bites, he dropped his favour.

He told her how crafty and slippery Rory was. He told her about the pick pocketing and the lock picking and how she was alone with his dad. He was worried that she'd trick his dad, but he knew she wouldn't be able to outsmart Catherine.

He promised her a home-made dinner, a real one, he wouldn't get distracted, he wouldn't immediately take her to bed. All she had to do was help his dad with Rory for the day.

It took a few kisses and few debonair smirks but she eventually agreed and that was him on the way to the Palace. Finally.

When he got there, the break in their case? It didn't exist. You know what he did have?

He had Chin tell him that the number that Rory had called was a toll-free line for something called Sanctuary. All it said was: Hello and Welcome to the Sanctuary network. Please enter your access code.

Great. So Steve was going to have to ask Rory about that one when he got home.

Then he turned his attention the case he was supposed to be working. The guy from last night, whom he had forced to drink a drugged drink was still out. Why hadn't they woken him up? They couldn't. They were waiting for the drugs to wear off.

Steve went down there with an airhorn.

There the guy was awake.

The guy admitted to roofie-ing the girls, but he didn't kill anyone. He handed the girls off to a man named Kang. This man gave him jobs, told him what girls to pick up, and in return this slime ball got five grand.

He didn't know why Kang wanted the girls, he didn't know Kang's last name or even in his number.

What he'd do is he'd get the girls, put them in a van that Kang parked in one of the lots and he'd take the van to Ala Wai, and park it by the canal. The next day it's back in the parking lot with whatever money he was owed in the glove box.

When was his next delivery?

That evening. 1 am.

They needed bait. Someone they could put a tracker and a wire on, and then they'd tail them back to wherever they were holding the girl.

It was obviously going to have to be Kono.

They were discussing the plan with her when Catherine showed up with Rory in tow.

"What the… what the hell is she doing here? Why are you here?" he asked them, glaring at Rory who was just smiling up at him.

She had changed out of the red dress into… what looked to be a pair of his shorts and one of his shirts.

And it looked good on her.

Why the fuck did his clothes look good on her?

"I'm here because I've been deemed too annoying so now I'm your problem," she said with a wide grin, like she was proud of this.

Steve turned to Catherine who simply continued to glare at him. "What she said."

"Aw come on Cath, she can't be that bad."

"Nope, I'm that bad," Rory said to him already moving towards his office.

As soon as she was away from them Catherine leaned in and said: "That girl is a fucking hazard. You should have warned me of what she's truly capable of. And you are going to owe me more than dinner, you got me?"

He called after her but Catherine still stormed away from him. All the way away from him and out of the office.

Great. Just fucking great.

Everyone was staring at him and he couldn't help but grind his teeth. Then before Danny could say anything he stormed away to his office where Rory was sitting in his chair, writing on a blank paper.

"What the hell did you do?"

Rory held up a single finger to pause him, but he wasn't letting her control him anymore. So he snatched the paper up off his desk and then glared at her as she cried out and turned her face up to him.

"What the hell did you do to Catherine?"

"Oh, I set her on fire," she said. "Can I have that back before I lose my mojo?" When Steve just glared at her she said: "Fine. I'll just get another paper."

"Why? Why would you set her on fire?"

"Well it wasn't on purpose," Rory said absently as she went about hunting through his desk for another paper. She found one in the second drawer. "John said it would be okay if I made smores and he helped me set up the fire and we were roasting and everything was going great. I love smores and they taste the best when they've been roasted on an open fire."

"Get to the point," he ordered and even though her eyes were pointed down he clearly saw the eye roll.

"Fine. My marshmallow went up in flames, I panicked, shook the stick to get it out, marshmallow was no longer at the end of the stick," she said. "I thought it went in the fire but I was wrong, it hit the girlfriend and poof."

The poof meant that Catherine had caught fire. Great.

"I uh… figured it out, tackled her to the ground and then kind of beat her with a towel until it went out and a little bit after because I couldn't quite tell that it had gone out."

Oh this was just getting worse and worse.

"I tried to say that I didn't do it on purpose but she didn't believe me, and now here we are," she said. "And I've lost it. Thanks McGarrett."

He wasn't even sure what she had lost

"Alright, you know what, how about I put you to good use huh?"

"What does that mean?" Rory asked looking him up and down. "If you want me that bad McGarrett you're going to have to wine and dine me like any other guy. Threats don't make me wet."

She turned her eyes back to her paper clearly trying to get her mojo down while Steve stood there wondering what the hell just happened. Did she actually think that he meant sex? How often was she propositioned like that?

"No! That is obviously not what I meant!" he cried. "Bait. I'm going to use you as bait. We're going to let our human traffickers grab you and follow you back to wherever they take you and then we're going to come and get you out. Simple."

"Mmm, No. Sounds dangerous. Don't like it," she said.

"You don't have a choice."

Rory threw down the pen she had been holding. "Aw really? I don't like this protective custody thing, it's too much work."

"Would you switch to regular custody? We've got a cell all ready for you downstairs. No windows, no washroom, no way out."

Rory glared at him. "You're… You're… despicable!"

"Out, now," he ordered and Rory begrudgingly got back up and followed him out into the main area where he led her to others who were all watching very carefully. "We got our bait."

"You're a hoser."

All eyes turned to Rory and then to Steve to see how he was going to react to that blatant insult. And while it was clear from her tone that he had been insulted, he had no idea what that meant.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Google it," she snapped. "Can I vote that we don't send me?"

"We're sending you," Steve said. "Besides, with who you are, I'm sure no one will hurt you, and we'll be following the whole time. I promise."

She looks him up and down and then with narrowed eyes said: "Your word means nothing to me."

Steve had never had his word questioned before. His word was his word. He never broke his word.

And irrationally he felt like she'd never say that to Wo Fat. She seemed to trust him implicitly. And that hurt.

"Kono, can you set her up with a new outfit for tonight, and a wire to put on her?" Steve asked. "And uh… keep a hand on her at all times, she gets out of cuffs."

Kono nodded, taking a hold of Rory, not by the arm like Steve would have but by the hand. The girl actually just went with her, holding Kono's hand much like a lost child, but she didn't fuss at all.

See that had worked with his dad too.

She must only respond to soft and kind motions, because arguing sure wasn't working, neither was man handling her.

To distract himself he took a look at the paper she had been writing on, still crunched up in his hand.

There are ten million, million, million, million, million, million, million, million, million particles in the universe that we can observe. Your mama took the ugly one's and…

She was writing poems. Very mean, insulting ones.

There was something really wrong with this girl.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

They put her in the back of a van right at 1am. Steve had put an earpiece in her ear and they had a taped a wire to her cleavage. But she didn't feel good about this.

He went to leave her but she grabbed onto his arm.

"The last time I woke up in the back of the van they were threatening to cut my finger off and demanding half a mil for me back," she whispered. "I obviously have lingering… feelings about that situation."

She meant she had PTSD triggers specific to that situation, and Steve could see it too.

"Okay should have told me that before we got in the van, Rory," he had said to her, and then, just like her brother did he took her face in his hands to force her to look at him. "I'm going to be behind you in the car. The whole time. You say the word I storm in there to get you okay?"

"I don't know if I can trust you."

"You can, let this prove it to you."

So, she decided to let him prove it.

She lay in the back of that van, did her very best not to flinch when the car door opened and shut. She struggled to stay still as the car drove. It helped that Steve talked in her ear the whole time.

Telling her that he could still see the van, that she was doing good. HE was quiet for a while, but when he came back he told her that he had gotten a call from his dad and apparently he had bought her a whole bunch of clothes and other necessities for her at the advice of Steve's little sister Mary. She had almost laughed at that.

Thinking of John McGarrett in a department store picking out clothes and feminine hygiene products for her.

But it did give her something to look forward to.

When the van stopped two men came to get her out of the back. She was scared but she played up the drunk girl.

"Where did the music go?" she asked them as they took her inside.

"Don't worry the party's going on inside," one of them said.

"Try and see if you can spot Robin." Steve said from the earpiece her hair was hiding.

"I don't know who that is," Rory said right away and then winced, she then knocked her shoulder into the man to he left. "You, who is you?"

The man shook his head at her and just kept her walking.

She glanced into every room she saw. She saw men with guns, girls in tight outfits like hers on mattresses on the floor. In one room she clearly heard a man order someone to stop fighting.

She didn't like this.

This was exactly what she told her brother to stay out of. He told he had cut all people export from his smuggling lines, but she wasn't sure she believed him. It was a lucrative business after all and her brothers really only cared about profit. Profit and her.

They took her all the way to the back of this dingy little building where an older Asian woman was sitting there with her fluffy little Pomeranian.

Her hair was up in a typical Chinese bun, her eyeshadow was heavily put on, she was in garish colors and had been smoking.

She was also clearly the woman in charge.

She stood up right away. She took a hold of Rory's face to look at her. "Mm, pretty face," her hand went to her waist next. "Good proportions." Then she gripped Rory's arm. "And strong too. She'll make a good earner."

Rory was getting those flashes again. And Steve had gone quiet.

When she got nervous she sang. She couldn't help it. It would just come out of her. But there was one song, a specific song to her, that almost everyone knew she sang if she was upset. It was her calm down song.

And because she was panicking it came tumbling out of her lips before she could stop herself.

On a dark desert highway. Cool wind in my hair. Warm smell of colitis, rising up through the air.

"What is that?" the woman asked.

She put her ear close to the head that Rory was purposely lolling form side to side.

Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place. Such a lovely face. Plenty of room at the Hotel California. Any time of year… you can find it here.

She immediately reeled back and away from her.

She reached for her hand, her left hand, and quickly turned it palm upwards so they could see the dragon's face and the flames coming out of his mouth.

She swore in Chinese, Rory knew it was Chinese because her brother swore in Mandarin all the time. Mostly at her.

"You idiots! Do you know who this is?!"

At that she picked her head up and glared at her. No longer was she acting like she was drunk or high. She smiled that ice cold cruel smile she was known for and said: "Aw, you fucked up."

Just as Steve broke down the door.

They came in hot but there was no need to, no one was going to chance shooting with her near-by. The second Steve got there she smiled. The two men had let her go and they had just gotten down on their knees with their hands behind their head.

"Meet, Mrs. Liao, she's in charge," she said. "Can I go now?"

"No. Kevlar, now," he said taking the vest from Kono and handing it to her. "I want that on you now."

"What? Why?"

"Cause I don't trust you, put it on," he ordered. "I don't want to chance a shoot out, and if you run I want to be able to shoot you somewhere and take you off your feet instead of actually shooting you."

"That's fucked up."

"Put it on," he ordered.

"But it doesn't go with my outfit."

Steve glared at her, but she snatched the vest from him and put it on, and while he did he asked them about the girl.

The woman pretended to not know what was going on, but Steve put a photo in front of her.

"I've never seen that girl," the older woman said.

"Well seeing as you haven't even looked at the picture I would suggest you take another look, especially since her sister Amanda ended up dead yesterday morning," Chin told her.

The older woman turned on him immediately. "You should read me my Miranda right, preferably in Chinese. My English no good."

"Nǐ yǒu bǎochí chénmò de quánlì…" Rory started but Steve turned to her.

"You speak Mandarin?"

"Sorta? I know what's important."

"The Miranda Rights are important?" Steve asked.

"I live with two criminals," she said. "Yes they're important."

"Steve… focus please," Danny whined and Rory rolled her eyes. Steve was clearly gearing up to argue but Rory was tired and she wanted to go home, or to McGarrett's. She wanted to crawl into bed and sleep away the PTSD flash backs she was no doubt going to have.

"Just threaten the dog," she said pointing the fluffball she had in her arms. "It's obviously her weakness."

The woman gasped and clung to her little fluffy dog while everyone stared at her. Seriously, for cops and interrogators they weren't very good at this.

"You know what's going to happen, don't you?" Rory asked. "You're gonna go to jail and that little powder puff is gonna go to doggy jail and then be put down. Cause that's what happens to dogs people don't want."

Steve was looking at Rory now in a whole different light. How… how had she just come up with that? Was this what she did with her brothers? Identified weaknesses and stole things?

"If you help us, we'll make sure your little pupper gets a good home. Which I think is a fair deal."

Mrs. Liao looked at them and then looked at the others.

And then she decided to talk.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Mrs. Liao was a bust.

She was a sex trafficker that kidnapped and preyed on teenage girls and it was great that they shut her whole operation down, but she didn't have Robin Reeves.

She had helped kidnap her and her sister, but it wasn't for them. They had been paid to do it. She didn't know who, she only had the number he used to call her.

She was paid half a million dollars to get those girls.

Other then that they knew nothing.

They would have to do a bigger search later, but what he needed right now was to get Rory home.

Rory who looked so cute in that black sequined halter top and satin black hot pants. Rory who looked ridiculous in that Kevlar but still so fucking adorable.

He wanted to take her home. Yes he was busy, yes his case wasn't solved yet, but that wasn't Rory's fault. And she deserved a good night's sleep.

His phone rang and he picked it up right away with his typical: "McGarrett."

It was an unknown number but that didn't mean anything that could have been anyone.

But it wasn't just anyone.

"You have my girl."

Wo Fat. Wo Fat had called him. Holy shit.

"I… uh… yeah I do…"

"If this was supposed to be a ransom, you probably should have called me when you grabbed her. Giving me the chance to plan a counterattack was not wise."

"Well it's not a ransom," Steven told him.

"Ah. So this is something else. Let me guess, you think if you romance her a little bit she'll give me up? Good luck."

"She's already given you up. And all I had to do was threaten to arrest her," he said. "But hey, I've already gotten the toolbox from her, which we both know is going to have your prints on it. How about this? You return everything you took out of that toolbox and I'll let you see her before we arrest you. You can say one last good-bye. Maybe treat her to La Mer."

For a moment Wo just chuckled and Steve had to keep from not grinning. He had the man, he knew he did. Because Rory was his weakness, and now Wo knew that he knew it.

"That's a good plan, except you've seemingly overestimated how much I like that girl," he said, and apprehension climbed up Steve's spine. "And I'm not going down for the Master's little pet."

Well that wasn't good. But then he remembered what he had said. That not calling Wo Fat right away had meant he had time to plan a counterattack to whatever Steve was doing.

Which meant he probably knew where they were.

And Steve had just told him that Rory was going to betray him.

He half turned to Rory, tried to tell her to get down and then the gunshot was heard.

Rory was taken right off her feet, everyone around cried out, but it was Steve who screamed her name. He rushed to her side to make sure she was okay.

Luckily she was still in the Kevlar and it had hit her center mass, but it easily could have been the other way. They could have easily shot her in the head, he had no idea why they hadn't, maybe her brother's name had saved her there, but she was lucky either way.

Steve put the phone back to his ear, ready to yell at him but he heard Wo Fat say: "Next time I won't miss," And then he was gone.

Rory sat up gasping for breath her hands going to her chest. "He shot me!" she cried. Her wide eyes turning to Steve. "That bastard shot me!"

"You're okay, it hit the Kevlar, you're okay," he said, though he was mostly saying it for him and not for her.

"He shot me!" she nearly screamed, clearly freaking out more than he expected. "You said you'd protect me!"

She was staring at him, her eyes filled with betrayal. He had said he would and she did just very much get shot on his watch.

But she was okay.

"I'm sorry," he said before he could stop myself. "I didn't think he'd… that he'd…"

"That he'd try to kill me? You're using me against him of course he's going to try to kill me!"

"But… your brothers… you think they're really going to let him kill you? Won't they…"

A sort of strange look lit up on Rory's face and right away Steve got the feeling that she was lying to him, hiding something from him.

But before he could ask her about it she broke into tears.

"I just want to go hooommmeee," she sobbed. It was just like when she was in North Korea on the phone. Back then he couldn't do what he wanted to, but he could now.

He pulled her to his chest and just held her to him. "No, don't worry, I won't let that happen again. I promise, you're safe, you're safe with me."

Except he was starting to realize that he couldn't keep that promise. Not if Wo Fat was this determined to find a way to kill her. I mean, who came to a sting operation to try and snipe someone? He had to have followed them here. And he already knew they weren't going to find him.

But that that moment he had Rory in his arms, she was clinging to him tightly and everything was right in his world. For now anyway.