The Winds of Change

Fandom: Hawaii Five-O

Ship: McRoll

Characters: Steve McGarrett, Catherine Rollins

Chapter 2: Meʻoe maʻaneʻi, hiki iaʻu ke ikaika

(With you here, I can be strong)

Ever since he had watched Joe White, his commanding officer and the man that was like his second father die in his arms, he had been wanting one person, the one person that could help heal him, the one person that could help him be strong. His girl, his Catherine. Even though they weren't together and hadn't been for a while now, he had never stopped thinking of her as his girl. Sadly, even when he was with Lynn, he was always thinking about Catherine.

It was why in the end, their relationship ended because Lynn knew she would never be able to compete with Catherine and Steve didn't put up any kind of fight when she suggested they end it. He had always kept her at arms length, always waiting, always hoping even if he had tried to make steps to move on, he hadn't in his heart. It was always going to be Catherine, his heart would never stop loving her if he tried.

It was why he made the call to Catherine first and foremost only hours after Joe's death. She was close to him as well, and he knew she would do anything in her power to be there with him in his time of need. He was hurting, it felt just as bad as the day he heard his father being killed by Victor Hesse over the phone, but at least this time, he had the foresight to tell Joe things that he needed to say, things he had wished he had said to his own father but never got the chance to while he was still alive.

It had been a feat but Steve had finally made it back to the ranch with both horses and Joe's body. He couldn't just leave him there. His body was sore and aching and what he wouldn't give for a hot shower right at that moment but he knew he needed to secure the perimeter, make sure that no one else had gotten onto the property and into the ranch. The mess that was everywhere, the damage done to the ranch.. It was all he could not to be sick to his stomach as he surveyed the place, making sure that no one else was there with him.

Getting rid of the bodies of the men that tried to kill him and had managed to kill his SEAL buddies and Joe was easy.. He took them out back and burnt their bodies to ash.. He didn't care about these men.. He wanted to cut off the head, He wasn't in Hawaii, he was not an office of the law in this state and his badge wouldn't give him special treatment here. If anything, the law may even put him under arrest as he was the only survivor of this terrible blood bath.

Laying his SEAL buddy and Joe White to rest, that was going to be harder, and much more emotional. He wasn't even sure what the man would have wanted to do with his remains, so he had moved them both to one of the many barns on the ranch and covered them with sheets for now, not quite sure what to do or who to call. Maybe Catherine could give him some thoughts, he wasn't thinking clearly right now.

Once he was back inside, he sighed, running his hands though his short hair, the bile rising up in his throat looking upon the mess that the bullets had made, the damage it had caused but nothing wanting to come out, the tears threatening to spill, but not quite ready to fall. Just as he was deciding what to do next or where to go from here, and if he should call Danny, he heard a noise out front.

A car pulling into the driveway of the ranch, Steve pulling out his gun, and crouching down near a window close to the door, not daring to look, too exhausted to think about the possibility of needing to fight for his life again. It was too much so soon, he didn't know how much fight he had left in him but then, just when he was preparing for a fight, his gun cocked, he heard her voice..

His breath was nearly taken away from him as he heard her say his name in a low voice, Before he even realized what he was doing, he was getting to his feet and holstering his gun, walking to the door and unlocking it, his eyes filled with tears. He had told her over the phone that Joe was gone and where he was, but not a lot else apart from Greer being involved. Seeing Catherine there, it was the most amazing feeling to him.

Though he had been involved with Greer as a friends with benefits situation, he had never trusted her enough to let her into his heart the way he had Catherine, and though Catherine had unintentionally done things that had hurt him, she had never meant any of it. Greer on the other hand had orchestrated all of this and though he had never had any true romantic feelings for her, he was still hurt that a woman he had let into his bed had betrayed him this way and that betrayal had led to the death of his second father and his other SEAL buddies.

Once he had opened the door, the first thing he observed was her scent.. It was just as it always was, that scent that was uniquely hers that always made him aware she was there even if he couldn't see her. Feeling her arms wrap around him, he couldn't hold it in anymore. He was beyond exhausted, having not slept now in over thirty six hours, and he broke down in her arms.

Reacting to her embrace, his own his arms pulling her closer to him, squeezing her a little, burying his head in her shoulder, the tears flowing openly now as he spoke, his voice shaking and slightly muffled "Cath.. He's gone.. We watched the sunset together as he died in my arms and there was nothing I could do.. I tried to save him, but I couldn't". It was like going through those moments when he learnt his mother died, what he now knows as a lie and again when his father was killed by Victor Hesse.

Author's Notes

Thank you for all the amazing feedback so far. I am so happy that this has been well received. All your encouraging feedback has made me so excited to continue this so I decided I couldn't wait a week to post another chapter.

At the moment, I don't have a big game plan on this, so it is just going to be what comes into my head and heart at the time I write out the chapter, but I am going to try to plan it out a little bit if I can get organised so I know where I am going and when I need to press the fast forward button a bit.

Steve might be a bit ooc here when he burns the bodies of the bad guys and doesn't call the local law enforcement, but I figure, we finally see the Navy SEAL side of him we aren't used to when he is torturing Omar's lawyer so why not show him as a man that isn't thinking like a cop and thinking more like a grieving son who wants answers and to avenge his second father's death.

I don't know about anyone else's thoughts on Greer but my thoughts is she wanted to be the woman that tamed Steve McGarrett into submission and is jealous of his relationship with Catherine. My thoughts are once he began to like Catherine in a romantic way, he stopped his little trysts with Greer and that made her jealous and part of why she outed Steve and his team was for revenge on that.

I did read one of you suggested flash back of when they did go out on their first date, and I am thinking I will include that. If you are all happy with flash backs, It may become something I do include throughout the story as well.

Shout outs:

Cath: Thank you, I glad you loved the first chapter. I hope you enjoy this one too.

Laura: Exactly the reason why I wanted to write something because as soon as I saw she was there before Danny, my head was spinning and wanting to know more.

Simbagirl: You are welcome and thank you for your encouragement, I appreciate it.

Zheth22: Thank you so much, I can't wait either.

wewerelegends: Thank you, I am really excited too especially after it being so well received.

Isabellaelisa: Thank you and I do love flash back scenes so that is a wonderful suggestion. I am sure I can manage to squeeze something like that in to the story.