Winds of Change

Fandom: Hawaii Five-O

Pairing: McRoll

Chapter 17:

Reader beware - Themes of torture and violence...

This had become a long-drawn-out process; it had taken two weeks for Harry Langford to find and locate Thomsen and it had taken another couple of days to get him to the states where he was now being interrogated by Steve. This, the torture... It was something he hadn't missed when he decided to take on the taskforce and become a reserve in the Navy.

It was getting to him; he knew it was, but he couldn't let Thomsen know it was getting to him, so he kept a stoic face every time he walked into that room... So, every night, he let Catherine take care of him in any way she wished, whether it was simply by making him dinner and holding him as he cried himself to sleep every night, or by making love to him, it was her way of saying she was there for him... He needed that, if she wasn't here with him, he might have given up by now...

She was his rock, and with all he had been through in the last several years, he knew that he couldn't be strong without her... It's why he called her, because he knew in his heart that he needed her to get this job done... Before he had always been worried about putting her in harm's way, however he knew she could take care of herself and that she was trained just as well as he was, and there was no one else whom he would rather have his back than Catherine.

"It's been a week, and still you haven't said a word... You think I'll kill you before you say anything, ohh I'm a patient man Thomsen, and you think that keeping your mouth shut will bring you closer to death, then you got another thing coming... You know my history; you know where I worked".

He walked around in his blind spot, the knife in hand, and empty look in his eye, Thomsen still didn't speak, "You know I've been trained to do this... I could do this in my sleep, that's how easy it comes to me... You think you know me... a righteous man". He held the knife to Thomsen's shoulder, prepared to cut away at the man's flesh, knowing all the areas to avoid cutting a vital area that could have him bleeding to death...

He moved in closer behind him, his lips close to his ear, the man slightly flinching now... "You don't know a thing about me... and neither does your client Omar Hassan... You don't know the lengths I'd go to just to avenge my Seal team's deaths, especially Joe White". He pushed the blade down further in a manner that nearly broke the skin, "I can do this all day, every day till you tell me what I need to know Thomsen... Every day you don't speak is another day of torture".

Thomsen spat blood out on the ground at that and laughed, "You will never get me to give you what you are looking for, you will have to kill me first". Steve had walked back around and was now standing in front of him, and he threw a bucket of freezing cold water over him, it was getting colder in Montana, and he wasn't wearing many layers, so Steve knew that the man wouldn't be able to take being out in the barn in the freezing cold sitting there soaking wet for too much longer...

Kneeling to meet Thomsen's eyes, he smirked. "You will wish for death. You will pray for its swift arrival but just know". His hand swiftly moved the blade of the knife and cut a small gash along the man's arm, watching as the blood began to slowly seep from the wound and Thomsen visibly flinched and groaned out in pain. "That day will never come Thomsen".

Standing up, he wiped the blade clean, not being phased by the blood anymore, and he turned to walk away, "Another week and I'll have you singing Thomsen". Walking out of the door, not even bothering to look back, he closed it and padlocked the barn door, breathing in deep and sighing as he rested his hand against the door, his head hung low.

Part of him wished he was back in Hawaii with Danny and the rest of his team, he wished it was all a dream. Though he and Joe had history and he wasn't always sure if he trusted the man, he loved him like a second father and his death just about broke him. He didn't want to be doing this, he hated this part of his job, however it was a necessary evil in this case. It was the only way he could get Thomsen to talk at all. He needed him to admit his part in it and then tell him where Hassan was.

A hand on his back brought him back, and as she spoke, he turned to face her, "Steve?", came the low voice riddled with concern. "It's getting late, why don't you take a shower and I'll get dinner ready". She carefully reached for his hand and her fingers found their way to his and laced around his own as she gently tugged him towards the house. He was getting frustrated; Catherine could sense that. A whole week had passed, and Thomsen still had barely said a word, "You'll break him, I know you will. another week of this and he will be begging to tell what he knows".

Nodding his head, he was tired, and he was sweaty, and he just wanted this to be over, but he knew it wasn't over till he found Hassan and then Greer. Letting her lead, him to the house, he wished Joe was here… God how much he wished he was still here. He thought he had said all he needed to say that day he died, but there was still so much more he wanted to say.

When they got back into the house, Catherine began to walk towards the kitchen to begin dinner, but Steve had other ideas, and he took her hand and pulled her closer to him, "Have a bath with me. We can make something easy afterwards", he didn't want to be alone tonight, and while he wasn't exactly thinking sex, he just wanted to be close to her, to feel her body enveloped in his arms.

"Sure, sounds good to me". If truth be told, she was tired as well, and while she would make as many meals for Steve as she could, she too just wanted to hold him, and be with him. She could sense the pain and the anger he held and knew he just needed this as much as she did as well. She knew Joe and it broke her heart as well that he had been killed, that call from Steve had just about broken her to hear his voice, it was almost too much for her.

Following him to the bathroom, she watched him put the plug in the bath and then turn the taps on to slowly fill in the bath with water, he then slowly began to take off his clothes, and felt her body react to him undressing. Realising she needed to undress as well, she pulled off her jacket and shirt, and tossed them in the hamper, unbuckling her belt and then unzipping her jeans, and opening the button, Steve moving closer to pull her jeans and panties down.

Both stood there for a moment naked, looking at each other, just taking the other in and drowning in each other when she felt Steve take her hand and lead her to the bath, stepping in and sitting down, and then she did the same, her back pressing against his chest as he kissed her shoulder blade, whispering softly, "Thank you Cath".

"Of course, Steve, dinner can wait". Though he did want to thank her for that, that isn't what he really meant. He smiled softly, his kiss moving to her neck as he moved her hair away from where he was kissing with his fingers, "Well, thank you for that too, but I mean thank you for being here with me Cath, I know it was a lot for you to be able to take time off from work to come here, and I just don't know what I'd do if you weren't here.. I'd probably end up killing the guy if I didn't have you to talk me down".

Turning her head to look at him, she smiled softly, her lips pressing against his chin, "Nothing is too much when it comes to you Steve, nothing at all, and I'd never let you go into something like this alone when I know you need backup and moral support". Truth was, she hated being in the CIA because it wasn't what she wanted to be doing at all, she hated the fact that they practically forced her into working for them when all she wanted to do was continue working with Steve and living in Hawaii where her family was.

It was why she was already starting the process to unchain herself from the CIA, and working out what she needed to do to get the CIA to stay away from Steve and five-o. Her heart was always in Hawaii and if anyone asked her where home was when she was away on some CIA mission, she always said Hawaii. Wherever Steve was, that was her home. What she wanted to say most of the time was Steve, but most people wouldn't understand that if she said Steve was home to her.

Her nose was rubbing softly against his cheek seeing the haunted look in his eyes. "I know you gotta head back to the CIA and your open cases when this is all over, but you remember how I said before I couldn't wait for you anymore?", he asked her in a low voice, his eyes closed for a moment, inhaling her scent, and just committing to memory the way her body fit perfectly in his arms. Her heart nearly stopped for a moment when he mentioned that. It brought back so many painful memories, and while she knew she deserved that, it still hurt her that moment when he told her he couldn't wait. She was now waiting for the other shoe to drop and for him to repeat it again.

"I remember", her whispered voice as filled with sadness and sorrow, nodding her head. Opening his eyes, his fingers moved to her chin, and he moved her head, so she was looking into his eyes, and when she knew "When I called you, I promised myself I'd remain professional and not take this to a personal level again. but the moment you held me when you got here, I knew I was not going to be able to take my own advice. the truth is Cath, I've never stopped loving you and never fallen out of love with you, and no matter how long it takes, I'll be right here waiting for you".

Sitting there in the bath with him, feeling the softness of his fingertips as he brushed his fingers down her sides, she knew she felt the same and she smiled softly, "I've never fallen out of love with you either Sailor and I'll always come home to you because you are home to me. I promise I'll be coming home to you, that is my promise that I will not break".

Though Steve was still wary, he knew after his disastrous relationship with Lynn and how he couldn't commit when she was ready to commit to something more serious, that Catherine was the one, and even if he had to wait till, he was eighty years old, he would wait for her this time. He didn't care about one-night stands or short-term flings to make him feel good, only Catherine could make him feel the way he felt, and he knew that he needed to believe they would be together.

After all, he always believed she was the one that got away, and he refused to believe anyone when they told him that maybe she wasn't the one then if she got away. For now, though until that time when they could be together forever, he would settle for her anyway he could even if it was in the middle of avenging Joe and his other SEAL team's deaths.

Author Notes:

I'm sorry for keeping everyone waiting on this one for so long. I really hope you enjoyed it, it is getting closer to where Danny comes into it when he comes out to Montana so I'll see how much further I want to take this. I didn't want to go to too far into the whole torture scene but just give everyone a glimpse of this side of Steve, and I'm proud of how that part of the chapter came out.

SteveMcGarrettLover:

Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed that chapter and I really hope you enjoy this one just as much, I'm sorry this one hasn't been updated in a while, I was just focusing on some of my others.

Alex Lover:

Thank you so much, I am so sorry you had to wait so long to get an update on this one however I hope you really enjoy this one as well. Hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year too.

Guest:

Thank you so much, I am glad you enjoy my stories, I am trying my hardest to get updates done on a more regular basis now, and hope you enjoy this one update as well.

Sudewey1978:

You are very welcome, and thank you for the wonderful review, I am glad you are liking this story, feel free to check out my others if you haven't seen them, I wish their story played out better on screen too which is why I enjoy writing a better ending for them. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and Happy New Year to you too. Hope it's been a better one so far then last year.