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AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: How did you guys like that last chapter my wonderful readers? I had fun with it and this chapter's going to be even more fun. So I hope you guys like this one too! The Christmas Season is before us, both in this story and in real life, are you guys getting excited? Let me know in the reviews!

Chapter 429

For a moment after the blast everything was black in front of his eyes with this high pitched whistle whine combo in his ears.

Then the world came at him all at once. His ears were ringing but even then he could hear the alarm blaring through it. The lights were flickering but the room was much darker than it had been when he had last had his eyes open.

Fear had a hold of him, everything in him was telling him to get up, get up now and that was when he felt the hands on him. Hands that weren't accompanied by Rowan's soothing aura.

This was someone else. Someone who did not mean him well.

He rolled over onto his back swatting at the hands coming towards him. It took a moment for his eyes to focus and then he found it was just Con crouched before him.

"Hey, hey, it's just me, it's me," he said. "It's me, Ro sent me."

Steve blinked his eyes at him and then looked around at the damage and for the people he went down there with. He could spot both of them, just a little ways away. He tried to lurch towards them, but Con's hands came out and got him back into a sitting position.

"The others… the others…"

"They got pulses, they're just out," he said.

Steve shoved his hands away and the forced himself to his feet. He was unfortunately rather unsteady so he had no choice but to accept the help Con was offering him, mainly because he pitched forward and into the man's chest.

Once Steve was steady on his own two feet he pushed Con away from him again. "Why aren't you with Ro?"

"She sent me down here, and honestly… I kinda wanna strangle her so it's probably better if I'm here."

Now that caught his attention, it wasn't like the two siblings to be at odds like that.

"Why?"

"Cause she didn't just sass the fucking bank robbers, she threatened them too. Look the lead guy dead in the eye and told him if he shoots her it'll be the last thing he does. I mean she wasn't wrong, it would have been," he said. He glanced back to Con, horror on his face. A look that seemingly confused the assassin. "What?"

"How did that work?"

"You mean, why didn't they just shoot her?" he asked Steve nodded. "Apparently the look in her eyes had him backing down."

My god. His wife had a fucking death wish.

"I'll talk to her when I get up there." Steve moved towards Adam first because he was closer. "Help me wake them up."

"Guys, guys," he said, and Adam lifted a hand, great he was okay. Junior was the one not moving. So he moved to him next. "Hey, Junior…"

He put a hand to his chest and guy jerked awake. He made sure that he was good, and then he went back to Adam, who Con had not helped at all. Adam confirmed he was okay and then someone else started moving.

The unconscious bank manager was starting to stir. Steve went over to him right away. "Hey, sir can you hear me?" when he nodded Steve continued. "My name is Commander Steve McGarrett with the Five-0 task force. Do you hear what I'm saying to you?"

He asked again cause the guy looked hella out of it, but then again his head was leaking blood, probably from the hit that knocked him out. He knew what Rowan was like with a head injury so he didn't really trust this guy to comprehend what was happening right now.

He waited for the verbal: "Yeah," to come out of him before continuing.

"I need you to get up. Can you get up?"

"I think so," he said. Then heavily leaned on Steven to get up. Steve didn't mind though, he leant the man all the help he could manage.

"I need you to pen that vault. Can you open that vault?"

The manager nodded and the hobbled towards the vault to do as he was asked. Steve turned back around to see if the men with him could help, at the very least Con who hadn't gotten caught up in the blast. He could Adam and Junior bracing themselves against their knees, obviously in pain from the shock wave and Con just… ignoring them. He was just leaning against the wall, his eyes turned up to the ceiling as if he was staring at Rowan through it.

Goddamn if he was that worried, why didn't he just go back up?

"What are you doing?" he asked him. "Are you even helping?"

Con jerked like he had forgotten any of them were there. He turned uninterested eyes to Steve before saying: "Hmm? Oh. Do I have to? I'd rather not…"

"What are you even looking at?"

"Uh, the cameras. I'm wondering if they're down, cause if he opens the vault, and there's been a robbery, no one's going to notice if I steal a few extra thou, you know?"

"Con…"

"And if they are still working, I wonder if my mami will short them out for me. I'm willing to go halfsies on anything I grab, though if I'm bringing her in it I'mma use one of her door, easier to move more money that way, you know what I mean."

"Okay. No. You are not getting my wife to help you rob a bank," Steve snapped. "On me. Okay. You and Junior on me."

"What? Why do you need him? Between me and you, there's no need for extra help."

"He's gonna make sure you don't fucking steal anything."

"You are a fucking buzzkill McGarrett," he heard Con snarl but he didn't bother to turn back around. He moved towards the vault door, knowing that he'd have Junior and Con behind him.

"Adam as soon as he unlocks that door, I need you to open it."

Adam went to the other side of the vault, that was now unlocked. He nodded to confirm he understood and would do as he asked.

"You're going upstairs," he said to the bank manager. "You're gonna get medical attention right now. I'm guessing Ro called the cops?"

He asked Con cause, there was a good chance she sent him down there because he was a criminal and she didn't want the cops to arrest him, though none of the cops who knew Five-0 would bother touching her brothers if they weren't actually doing anything. He was also with her the longest, so he figured he'd know what she was up to, but the man just shrugged.

Damn what were the two doing up there other than not informing the three downstairs about a literal bomb in the building?

But the back manager left, and Adam opened the door. Steve waited to see if bullets would fly by but all they got was silence. Nothing was there. So he went in. All he found was smoke, ash and cash burning on the ground.

He hear Con's sigh of: "Aw what a waste of cash," and Steve found himself shaking his head.

He turned a corner and it all came together. Why they hadn't needed a getaway driver, why they hadn't seen them trying to escape, and why they set a bomb in the safe.

It was a hole.

A hole that lead to a tunnel that must have been very recently dug.

He felt it when they others joined him, as they silently took in what Steve was seeing too.

"Well that explains why they didn't keep the car empty," Junior said.

"They predug a tunnel."

"So we're dealing with mole men," Con said and Steve shook his head.

"You are just fucking useless, you know that?" he said. "Right, you two go topside. Find Grover. Tell him I'm in pursuit."

"Well, I'm coming with you," Junior said right away.

"Aces, you take the creepy tunnel I'm gonna head up and lecture my sister," Con said already moving to walk away.

Steve reached out and grabbed him. "Naw, I want you with me."

"What why? I don't wanna be in no small ass tunnel with you like some rat."

"Cause I don't want you to yell at my wife," Steve snapped. "She's traumatized enough."

"I don't think she gets to call it trauma when she did it to her fucking self," Con muttered but he was ignored.

"He doesn't want to go and I do. Let me go instead," Junior said.

"No. You're going with Adam, alright? You're gonna find Jerry, you're gonna have him track my cell and you're gonna follow me above ground. You understand me, Junior? That's an order."

Junior wasn't impressed but he did get a: "Yes, sir," from him. Steve immediately turned onto Adam. "Can you have literally anyone other than Tani take Rowan home?"

"Yeah heard about her not like Tani anyone know what that's about?"

"She says it's cause she's not Kono, and she's trying to replace Kono," Con said right away. "But I unno it's a lot a hostility for such a petty reason…"

"Well… she is kinda petty," Junior said and right away Con slapped him.

Like, the last word in that sentence dropped out of his mouth, and then bam bitch slap.

"Don't you ever talk about my mami like that," he said pointing a finger into Junior's face. "I can say it, cause I'm her brother, you don't. You got me? Say you got me cause the next time you do it I'mma stab you in throat."

"No he's not," Steve said pulling Con away from Junior. "But seriously, fucking watch what you say about Ro. Cause Wo would have shot you on the spot. You're lucky you got the nicer brother today."

"Stop calling me nice," Con snapped but Steve ignored him.

"Be careful in there," Adam said.

"Like I'mma let something happen to him. Ro would never shut up." Adam and Steve shared a bit of a look and Con nodded. "Oh. Aight, aight, I see what you saying. You meant me. You mean be careful cause I'mma stress him out or some shit. I see you Kono's husband. Liking you less and less, but I see you."

"You know my name is Adam."

"Yeah I just don't care," Con said and then climbed into the tunnel, Steve saw them off and then followed him.

A couple of minutes later, he saw Con climb out and judging by the splash he hit a puddle.

"Ugh, ew. If that's shit you owe me new boots."

Great.

Just fucking great.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

They were walking through the tunnel in silence. Silence that Steve demanded.

They had started the whole experience in the tunnels with an argument on who gets to go first, and how it should be Con who goes first cause he's the better shot. That started an argument about how that wasn't true with short range weapons.

Which lead to an argument about how Steve was just ready to get shot apparently. Was that how he was going to get vacation time?

Steve had just walked away. There he was in front. And when Con started muttering in Spanish he told him to shut up, and that he better not hear another thing from him until they found the robbers or how they got out of this warren of plumbing and puddles.

They were quiet all the way until a question popped into his mind and once it was there it wouldn't go away.

"Is uh… is Ro acting weird to you?"

There was silence behind him and when Steve glanced back he found Con glaring at him.

"Oh you mean I could talk now?"

"Okay, don't be a little shit," Steve snapped as he went back to walking. "It's a legit question, I'm worried."

Con sighed heavily but after a moment he said: "What d'you mean?" sounding like he was talking around a mouthful of food. Steve turned around fully that time and found him actually chewing.

"What… what the fuck are you eating? Where did you get food?"

From inside his jacket came a little plastic bag. He recognized them right away. They were Rowan's oatmeal chocolate chip walnut cookies.

They had officially ran out at the McGarrett house and she hadn't been in the mood to make more.

Steve went to snatch the bag but Con backed away. "Hey! Fuck off! These are mine and they're the last ones I got."

Steve scowled at him. "You're a goddamn toddler," he said and then went back to walking. They came to a corner and Steve peaked around it. Nothing. He waved Con after him. "Seriously though. Do you think she's acting weird?"

"Well it depends on what you mean. Do you mean how she suddenly likes seafood when the smell of it used to make her gag? Or her rolling mood swings? Or her sudden aggression? Or how she goes between wanting to fuck you or wanting to divorce you?"

Steve came to a standstill. "Divorce? What… what the fuck are you…"

"Yeah whenever you and her argue she starts shopping around for Divorce lawyers. Then she gets horny and changes her mind."

What the actual fuck?!

"When… when did that start?"

"I unno two months ago why?"

That's when the sea food cravings had started too. So… was that when she really started to get sick? Cause he remembered her throwing up earlier than two months ago. That had to be going on, what… three… four months now?

There came the clang of something against metal and both of them stopped. It was like a switch had flipped, they went from arguing in-laws to battle ready soldiers. Their guns came out and set themselves into defense ready positions.

Steve glanced around the corner first. All he saw was more pipes and metal. He gestured to Con that it was safe and he stepped out first. But it wasn't until Con came out that the gunshots started.

Right away Con slammed him into a wall, like straight shoved him into a tiny alcove. But he stayed out in the open as bullet came flying at them.

He was clearly attempting to figure out where they were coming from, but that was not how you did that. Steve grabbed him and pulled him in for cover.

"You good, you good?" Steve asked and Con nodded.

"Yeah…" he said softly. "There's a bend in the pipes… uh… the yellow ones. He's behind there."

"You sure."

"Positive. I could see the muzzle flashes."

Steve nodded. "Okay, you go low I go high."

"Why do I gotta crouch?"

"Cause your knees don't hurt from get thrown back in a blast," Steve hissed.

"Just tell me you're old," Con shot back and Steve fought the urge to shove him out into the open to get shot.

Steve didn't though, he counted down from three on his fingers and when he pointed forward they both jumped out of their hiding spot shooting a couple of times each.

It was after one of Steve's shots though that they heard the muffled cry of someone getting shot. They also heard it when the person hit the ground.

Con had a happy smirk on his face but Steve knew they weren't done yet. Together, with their guns still drawn they made their way over to where the man had fallen.

They found him face down on the ground. Con kicked the gun away from the limp hand and Steve rolled him over.

Neither of them were expecting to see a cop's uniform staring at them.

Steve was immediately horrified.

"No, no, no," he kept whispering.

"Well this is just great," Con snapped.

"I got an officer down. An officer down. A 10-15. I repeat. Officer down," cried into his comm, but heard nothing back.

"Congratulations asshole, you got yourself dead. Why… why the fuck didn't you identify yourself?" he called down to the unconscious man.

"Con!"

"Well why didn't he?" he cried.

"Fucking HELP ME!" Steve shouted and Con rolled his eyes but he did stoop down to help him.

He heard from Jerry two seconds later that he was going to direct him, and that Adam and Junior were on their way with Steve's truck. With con's help they carried him down the different tunnels until they found an access gate. Con let go, letting Steve get the guy into a fireman's carry, and then he kicked the door through.

They got out into the sunlight and the sliver Silverado skidded through the dirt towards them.

"Come on, come on!" Steve cried.

Both Adam and Junior hopped out of the truck. Junior went to the back to the truck to get the truck bed open.

Steve dropped the body in, and got up into the truck bed with Junior followed.

"We're letting me drive," Con said and then before anyone could argue he got into the driver's seat, leaving Adam to get into the passenger.

The ride to the closest hospital was blur. Partially because Steve was too busy trying to plug up the wound in the cop's chest, with anything too. He had even taken shirts out Adam's carry on duffle and pressing it to the wound. Though the other reason it was a blur was because Con was driving so fast he could barely see anything.

But it didn't matter. It didn't matter that Steve put pressure on the wound, that he clogged it up with Adam's clothes. It didn't matter how fast Con drove.

It didn't matter, because he still died.

Steve had killed a cop.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

They had dug the bullet out of the cop at Con's insistence. He kept saying that it had to be him that shot him. He was the better shot after all, Steve wasn't nearly as good as him. To have made that shot, in the dark, when neither of them couldn't see that well, it had to be him, not Steve.

Forget that Steve had told him to go low when so Steve could aim high. He never listened to Steve anyway. And the bullet could have easier bounced of ANY of the pipes in there with them.

He even threatened to take the bullet out of the corpse himself if someone else didn't do it.

The bullet got expedited through and everything.

So Steve knew in rapid time that it was a bullet from his gun.

He had killed a cop. Him. Steven McGarrett, had killed a cop. He was a cop killer.

It was clear that he was struggling with this and everyone tried to talk to him about it. They all had such nice and positive things to say too, but it didn't help. Because he could see it in their eyes.

The truth.

The pity and pain, because he would be marked by this, for forever.

Steven McGarrett, the guy who killed people on his own team.

It was clear, when he wasn't receptive to their words, that they felt that they had to pull in the big guns.

So they called Rowan.

Rowan showed up at that hospital right away. She said nothing to him, didn't ask what happened, she just wrapped him up in a big hug and didn't let go.

And Steve held her. He held her and shook, trying so hard not to just burst into tears. He knew, when he told the family of this cop what he had done, that Rowan would be beside him. He wouldn't even have to ask her to come, she would just be there.

Steve would be the one to tell them, of course. It was his fault, he would take responsibility. He would let them yell at him, blame him, hit him, whatever they needed to help them grieve.

But even hugging her, even her whispering that it didn't matter, it wasn't his fault, and this wasn't going to change how she view him, hadn't helped him though. After a while, the hug, her soft words, they stopped being soothing and they started being something else.

Everyone's pity, it became like sandpaper to his skin, he needed to get away from it all.

But it wasn't until Con told Steve that the cop deserved to die because he was stupid, that he demanded everyone leave him alone.

Really, why had Con thought that that would make him feel better? Seriously?

He was a little more softer when it came to Rowan. He told her he was overwhelmed he needed space to think. She had nodded, said she'd be there for when he needed him and he went outside, found a quiet bench to sit on.

And that was where he had been for the last thirty minutes.

He could still feel Rowan's presence, so she hadn't left but she was giving him the space he wanted. He was at the point where he actually wanted her back, he was debating calling her over when someone else appeared beside him.

Usually he'd expect his wife, she was very good at sensing when he needed her. But it wasn't his wife. It was Wo Fat.

"For the love of god… why?" he found himself sighing, but Wo Fat ignored him. "I thought you were in Boulder… isn't that it? They sent you back to Nevada."

Wo ignored him. He carefully went about setting himself down on the bench beside him. He unbuttoned his suit jacket so he'd be more comfortable and then leant back as he crossed his leg, resting it on his knee.

"Ro called me first," he said once he was comfortable. "Was worried about you." Yeah that sounded a little her. "Then Con called me, also very worried, and I knew it was serious." Con was worried? Really? He looked Steve over asked: "So… my understanding is that there was some friendly fire and the guy died?"

Steve just stared at him. "Why the hell did she send you?"

"I unno, I guess… because I've killed cops before… It's really not that big a deal if you think about it…"

Steve struggled not to huff. He understood that Wo was trying to help but honestly, it wasn't the same thing.

"You're a bad guy Wo."

"Yeah… that's true," he admitted. "If it makes you feel better, since joining up with the CIA I haven't accidentally shot anyone I've worked with. Though I have threatened to."

No it did not make him feel better. Now he just wanted to yell at Rowan for stupidly thinking that this was a good idea.

"Okay, where is my wife? I want to talk to her right now," he said. "Call her please. Tell her I want to talk to her about why she went up against a crew of bank robbers today."

Now that got Wo Fat's attention. He turned to Steve clearly confused. "She did what?"

"Oh neither she nor Con knew about that? And they didn't mention it to you?" he asked sarcastically. "Isn't that just typical?"

Wo Fat stared at him for a moment, clearly trying to decide which was more important at that moment. Yelling at his siblings for hiding something from him, yelling at Rowan for being so fucking stupid, or Steve's emotional break down.

And somehow, Steve's emotion breakdown won.

He settled himself on the bench and said: "You know this isn't your fault, right?"

Steve turned to him exasperated. "A cop died today. Because I shot him. Because I didn't have a visual."

Wo Fat took that in and then really seem to ponder it. "Must've been one hell of a shot," he said. But when Steve just glared at him his smile faded. "Right, you're right. Not the time. Uhm… Did you know it was a cop? I mean, did he identify himself?"

"Well no…"

"I already knew that. It was the first thing Con told me. That the cop didn't identify himself. So… how were you to know?" he asked. "Con says he just started shooting at you. No warning just bullets…"

"Well… yes… he did…"

"No cop just goes into a situation shooting without identifying themselves first," Wo said. "Not even you when you weren't really a cop. Are you sure this guy was a cop… or a good cop?"

Steve glared at him. "You're no help. You know that?"

Wo didn't seem the least bit surprised or hurt by that announcement. He simply nodded. "I told her I wouldn't be."

Steve turned away from him again, braced himself on his knees, and tried to reign in the guilt that was plaguing his system. God he didn't want to cry in front of Wo Fat but he honest felt like he might start crying.

They were quiet a moment before Wo Fat carefully dropped a hand to his back and pat him three times, slowly and steadfast. When he stopped his hand stayed on his back.

"Uh… I always tell Ro that she's entitled to her feelings, no matter how stupid I think them to be. So if you need to feel like this is your fault… you go ahead and do that," he said softly. "But I think, I think this is a classic case of self-defense. The man didn't identify himself and shot at you. Of course you were going to shoot back."

When Steve said nothing to that. "Fine. It doesn't matter what I think. My logic isn't exactly… moral anyway, but think about everyone else in your life. Everyone else who matters. None of them think that you did this on purpose. None of them blame you. They might think you're being dramatic or dare I say silly about this, but that's because they know you would have never done this on purpose. Even I know that, and I don't even like you."

"I'd like you to stop trying to make me feel better," Steve said, though, to be honest it actually had kind of worked.

Wo Fat nodded and went to move his hand. "I don't mind that though," Steve said and after a moment's hesitation, Wo Fat dropped his hand back to his back and rubbed him a bit.

"Thanks."

The two were quiet for a moment, Wo Fat rubbing his back in that rhythmic way. It was honestly a beautiful moment.

It kind of felt like the relationship between the two of them might have managed to turn a corner.

"Want some?"

Steve turned and found Wo Fat offering him his flask. He shook his head and Wo Fat took a swig.

"You know, I'm a little worried you're an alcoholic…"

Wo Fat turned to him a glare on his face. "Just… shut up…"

Well… it was almost a beautiful moment.