A?N - This chapter is a bit short, but it wraps up our team's time away and sets the stage for a new adventure.
The story is AU but I've retained some of the elements of canon that I especially enjoy, such as the questionable motives of Gov. Jameson and the ongoing threat of an arch-nemesis (Novak is, of course, inspired by both Hesse and WoFat). I haven't decided whether or not the whole Doris story will bleed into this universe; that idea may be reflected in Jax's obvious parental issues instead.
#*#*#*#*#
When Steve woke up the next morning, the bed was empty next to him, and he had a moment of panic.
"Jax?" he rasped out, looking around the small but well-appointed room. He relaxed as his eyes fell on her, standing on the balcony just outside a set of sliding doors. She was wearing her brother's old FDNY t-shirt, clutching a cup of coffee, and watching, entranced, as the sun came up over the water. Her riotous red curls glinted with gold in the morning light.
She turned at the sound of his voice and smiled at him, still sleepy. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said.
"You didn't," he assured her, untangling his long limbs from the sheets and joining her, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling into her neck. He took the cup from her hand and helped himself to some of her coffee. "How'd you manage coffee?"
"I have my ways," she said, giggling as his morning stubble tickled her neck. "Okay, Chin had it sent up and left outside my door. I went to grab a t-shirt, and I could smell the coffee, and I found the coffee, and then . . . sunrise." She pointed in explanation at the water.
"It's beautiful," Steve agreed, taking another sip of her coffee.
"I like the sunsets better at our house," she said, "but yeah, it is."
Steve's arms tightened around her. "Our house," he whispered.
"Is that okay?" Jax asked, hesitant.
"More than okay; I want you to think of it as our house," he assured her, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her to show her exactly how okay it was. "We should paint something," he blurted suddenly.
Jax blinked at him. "Paint," she repeated. "Paint, really?" she asked, placing her cup on the balcony railing, and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Less talking more kissing, Steve's subconscious prompted him.
"Let's choose our own color, and repaint the bedroom," Steve said. "But let's talk about it later," he added quickly, tangling his hands in her hair.
He somehow managed to multi-task walking them backwards and settling in the comfortable wicker chair while kissing her senseless, and she followed his lead just as easily as she had on the dance floor the night before. When he felt the back of his knees hit the chair, he sat down, wrapping his hands around the curve of her hips and pulling her into his lap.
She leaned forward and kissed the little spot behind his ear, and grinned as his hands tightened around her and his breath hitched. It was almost wicked, really, how much she loved having him at her mercy with that square inch of skin, and it never got old.
"Remember when I said I went back to my room to grab a t-shirt?" she whispered in his ear, her voice full of innocence.
"Ummhmm," he mumbled, kissing across her collarbone.
"That's all I took time to grab," she informed him, sliding a little closer.
Steve forgot all about paint.
#*#*#*#*#
Steve had been the one to suggest showering separately, in their own rooms, in an attempt to actually make it out the doors to join the rest of the team. His plan backfired, however, when he wandered in search of his phone, back into her room, board shorts still untied and hanging low around his hips.
"Hey, have you seen -" Steve started to ask, and broke off, standing mutely as Jax came out of the en suite, hair damp and caught up loosely at the nape of her neck, wearing the royal blue bikini that he'd only seen from a distance, the stylized ink of the NYPD firehouse number just visible at the edge.
But it was her eyes, really, that stopped him in his tracks: flashing and sparking as she unapologetically stared right back at him. That, and the noise that she made as she dropped her towel and padded toward him, the familiar little sigh of appreciation deepening into something more like a growl and . . .
Holy shit, his subconscious supplied.
Later, as they untangled her bikini from his board shorts, and tried again to gather up sunscreen and water bottles, he stroked her cheek gently and tucked a wayward curl back behind her ear.
"This is . . . I haven't really seen this side of you until now," he said softly.
She bit her lip in uncertainty and looked down, fidgeting with the edge of her beach towel.
"What is it," he prompted, cupping his big hand around her jaw, and brushing his thumb over her lip,
She shrugged, still not meeting his eyes. "I told you, at the beginning . . . the person limping around bleeding in your kitchen wasn't me," she reminded him. "Then, New York was . . . I was still recovering. Now, today, New York seems like another life. I'm sorry if it's . . . if I'm not what you . . ."
"Hey," he protested softly, turning her face up to look in her eyes. "I'm not complaining, ku'uipo. Really, really not complaining. I just hope that . . . I didn't rush things, before. If you weren't ready."
She grinned. "I seem to recall demanding that you shed your soaking wet gear and have your wicked way with me, sailor," she reminded him.
"Yeah, there was that," he said, smiling as he kissed her again, soft and sweet. "You're shameless, really."
"Yep," she agreed readily. "Oh, God."
"What?" he asked, still dropping kisses across her collarbone.
"Do you think there's any chance the rest of the team is still sleeping?" she asked hopefully.
Steve looked at the time and groaned. "Only if we caught the wrong guy and they all got roofied."
It was almost noon before they managed to join the others on the beach, and Kono gave them a standing ovation.
#*#*#*#*#
Chin and Steve sat on their boards, past the breakers, looking back toward the others on the sand.
"So, things are obviously going well," Chin said, smiling at Steve.
Steve was watching Kono and Jax at the edge of the surf; Kono was still showing Jax some of the finer points of managing her board. The water here was rougher than on Steve's beach, but Jax didn't seem fazed.
"She's . . . recovered, or recovering," Steve said. "From a lot of the stuff that happened in New York; just before she came here. And before that."
Chin nodded. "I'm glad. Malia, of course, hasn't said anything specific, but I can read between the lines. I'm glad she's healing, physically and emotionally. The island and our ohana has been good for her. You've been good for her." Chin hesitated. "You understand, though, there will be setbacks?" he added gently.
"Yeah," Steve said, trailing his hand through the water. "I mean, shit, the PTSD from 9/11 is enough, even without . . . well. There's been a lot; more than any one person should ever have to deal with. But she's strong, Chin. Stubborn, even." He grinned, and Chin laughed. "Things have been . . . amazing, from the beginning. I didn't realize that it could get even better . . . but having her here, uninjured, rested, coming off a successful case . . . "
"That good, yeah?" Chin said. "I'm truly happy for you, Steve. Your dad would be so happy; he would have loved Jax."
"I want to repaint the bedroom," Steve commented. "I'd never even thought about doing that . . . I want to pick something together. Me and Jax. Is that crazy?"
Chin laughed. "No, Steve. It's about time you stop treating that house like a museum to your parents. I think it's a great idea. She's not the only one healing, you know. We're all happy to see you happy, Steve."
"Yeah," Steve said, ducking his head a bit. "Is it okay, you think? I mean, me and Jax - how does it affect the team dynamic? Tell me your honest opinion."
Chin nodded. "Valid concern, Steve, but I think we only have positive things to say. She has contributed so much . . . this is the second time she's been uniquely qualified to go undercover. And her work in taking down Dillon Rivera . . . she's more than held her own. And you know Kono loves having her on the team; I don't think Kono has ever had a close female friend before, and it's been great for her. Danny, of course, is pleased as punch, though I think secretly he's happiest to have her where he can keep an eye on her. She and Grover have been welcome additions to the team, Steve, and especially with . . ." Chin hesitated.
"What is it, Chin?" Steve prompted.
"Well, I hate to put any kind of damper on our amazing time here, but something came up in the interrogation yesterday that made me thankful we've brought Grover on, with his experience in gang-related crime," Chin said.
Steve nodded. He'd picked up on it as well. "Our guy kept talking about his dad and the 'old ways'. You think he meant Yakuza?"
"It crossed my mind," Chin said, relieved that Steve had already thought of it. "Or even older."
"The Company?" Steve guessed.
"The father, the original owner of the resort, would definitely be the right generation for that to be a possibility," Chin said. "And the youngest son, Kael . . . he went to college on the mainland, came back with all sorts of new ideas, and the resort started to prosper."
Steve looked sharply at Chin. "You think the resort didn't just start to profit because of his ideas?"
"He went to college in Los Angeles," Chin said.
"Shit," Steve swore, making the connection. "MS-13. You think the resort is tangled up in gang activity?"
"I have nothing but suspicion at this point," Chin pointed out, "but I think maybe . . ." He hesitated again. "Fai mentioned that he wasn't surprised that his father 'called in a favor'. I hate to even bring it up, but . . ."
"The owner knows the governor, and if they're tangled up in gang activity, she could be aware," Steve said bluntly. "Aware, or even complicit."
Chin looked at him, shocked. "You know something?"
"She made a power play in my office the other day; pulling us off the Novak case," Steve explained. "It raised . . . questions. I mentioned it to Danny; I wasn't going to tell the rest of the team until I had a reason to bring it up."
"Wow," Chin said. "What now?"
"We fill in the rest, and proceed very cautiously," Steve said. "But we proceed. I'm going to do the job the governor hired me to do - I'm going after corruption, Chin, even if it takes us straight to her office."
"Agreed," Chin said. "I'm sorry, Steve. I'm sure the idea of her being involved . . . it must feel like a betrayal."
Steve nodded; if the governor was indeed corrupt, there really wasn't going to be anything that anyone could say or do to make it sting less.
#*#*#*#*#
Grover and Danny were content in the shade, watching the others indulge in their enjoyment of the waves.
"That's quite an officer you trained, there, Williams," Grover said, nodding in Jax's direction. "Though she and Kono together, man, they are gonna give us a heart attack one of these days. Look at them," he chuckled.
Kono and Jax were once again comparing their latest war wounds, completely oblivious to the effect their curious touches were having on several admiring onlookers.
"I hope those boys over there don't say or do anything stupid," Danny commented. "If there's anything left of them after Jax and Kono finish, Steve and Chin will throw the pieces to the sharks."
"I don't think Steve and Chin would even get a turn," Grover said. "I wish I could have seen Jax take that guy down yesterday. I mean, he may not have been trained, but still - he had a good six or seven inches and about seventy pounds on her."
"She's never let that intimidate her," Danny said, remembering. "Grace was the same way; I guess Jax picked it up from her."
"She picked a few things up from you, too," Grover assured him. "I'm proud to have her as my partner, Danny. You did good. I just live in fear of her being seriously injured on my watch; I don't want to have to face you and Steve when that happens. I still can't believe . . . man, I'm sorry about what went down at Halawa."
"You've got to stop second-guessing yourself on that, Lou," Danny said, his blue eyes crinkling in a sincere smile. "That's not on you. Besides, she and Steve are the same brand of crazy. Trying to keep them in one piece is pretty much a team effort. I'm hoping that having found each other, they'll have a reason to practice a little more self-preservation."
"I second that," Grover said, tipping his lemonade to clink against Danny's. "Self-preservation is something best learned by those of us who have children, though, don't you think?"
"Yeah, having a little monkey to go home to at the end of the day puts things in a different perspective," Danny agreed.
Grover looked at Jax, and past her to Steve. "You think - I wonder if McGarrett will ever settle down, start a family?"
Danny didn't reply, just grinned.
Grover raised his eyebrows. "Seriously? You think this will be the one?"
"He may have made a passing comment about a small version of Jax," Danny said slyly. "Not that he's had the emotional capacity or relationship skills to mention that to her, of course . . . but . . ."
"Jax is a small version of Jax," Grover said, laughing. "But how about that. Well, there you go. Wouldn't that be just something?"
#*#*#*#*#
The rest of the day and evening passed quickly, and after dinner, Steve located a small, secluded bar away from the resort and suggested the team go there for drinks and pool.
When Danny and Grover had finished neatly wiping out the rest of the team, Steve nodded his head toward a large corner booth, and the six of them filled in the comfortable seats, Longboards in hand.
"We need to discuss something," Steve said, apologetically. "And I needed to get the team away from the resort, and it's better to put this out on the table away from the office. I don't know the best way to go about handling this; I've never been in this position, and I hate to put you all in this position." He paused, and took a deep breath, as the rest of the team studied him with quiet concern. "When the governor pulled us off the Novak case, she did so in such a way that it made me suspicious of her motives."
"Can you explain that, Boss?" Kono asked.
Steve nodded. "It wasn't so much that she turned the case over to Naval Intel - there's definitely logic to that. I forget, sometimes, honestly, that I'm not still neck deep in the game. But it was how she did it. She came into my office, sat at my desk . . . classic manipulation tactics to put me on my back foot." He glanced at Jax. "She made a lot of references to the 'favors' she's done for the team, especially for Jax. I could be wrong - I hope I'm wrong - but it came across as a subtle threat. And then, we picked up on something in the interrogation of Fai Nani yesterday."
"He mentioned the 'old ways' of his father," Chin continued, as Steve took a long pull on his beer, and wrapped his hand around Jax's, which was clenched in a fist under the table. Chin glanced at Kono.
"Old ways . . . like Yakuza," Kono said. "Or The Company."
"And tangling with them means tangling with MS-13," Grover finished.
"And Mr. Nani called the governor to ask for our help," Danny put another piece together. "So you guys," he said, pointing to Steve and Chin, "think the governor is mixed up with gang activity?"
"The resort took a sudden turn for the prosperous when the younger son, Kael, came back from college," Chin said.
"In Los Angeles," Steve added.
Grover shook his head. "So it's possible that the MS-13 insurgence began here, on this island, even before Honolulu? That's a frightening possibility. Five-O has a wide range of operation, correct?"
"That's what I was told," Steve said. "With immunity and means; our original task was to rid Honolulu, and the island of Hawaii, from corruption, the likes of Hesse. So that means scum like Novak, and the gangs that often mutually benefit from arms dealers, should be our primary targets."
"But why would the governor hire you specifically to go after corruption, if she's corrupt?" Jax asked, her voice low.
"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer," Steve said. "Classic control and diversion. If - and it's a big if, at this point, you understand - she's in any way involved or complicit. She could be involved and not aware; or even if she is cooperating in some way, we can't assume that she's a willing participant. She could be under some sort of duress."
"So, what do we do?" Kono asked. "We've got your back, Boss, just tell us what you want from us."
Steve smiled. That was Kono - fearless and loyal. "For now, we carry on, investigating everything that comes our way, just like we've always done. If anything - any shred of evidence, any witness statement, anything - leads back to the governor's office, bring it to my attention immediately. We'll handle it as discreetly as possible."
"To protect the governor's reputation?" Chin asked.
"To give her the benefit of the doubt," Steve answered. "But mostly to protect the team. If there is corruption at the highest levels . . . and there's a threat of exposure - we become targets. Professionally and literally."
The team sat quietly as they absorbed the information.
Steve rubbed his hand over his face. "I'm sorry, guys," he said. "I hate to put a damper on our well-deserved R & R. But I couldn't think of a better place, away from the office, to bring this up, so that we're all on the same page and keeping our eyes and minds open."
"You think the office is bugged?" Jax asked, slightly horrified.
Danny pointed at her. "That'll teach you to behave yourself in the armory, missy," he said, successfully lightening the mood as the team laughed softly.
"I'll be checking as soon as we get back," Steve said quietly. The team was somber at the thought. "Come on, guys," he added. "We don't know anything. All of this could be completely unfounded. We carry on with the business at hand. And right now, the business at hand is for some of us to try to redeem ourselves from getting slaughtered by the Jersey and Chicago pool sharks."
#*#*#*#*#
The moon was high over the water, and Steve still couldn't sleep. He crept out of the bed, hoping not to wake Jax, and stepped out onto the balcony, settling into the wicker chair. Despite the worry, he couldn't help a slow smile spreading over his face as he thought back to falling into that very chair earlier in the day.
He felt Jax's strong hands settle on his shoulders.
"I didn't mean to wake you," he said quietly.
"Nonsense," she retorted, pressing her fingers firmly into his tense and knotted muscles. "You're a mess," she pointed out. "Is it bad, you think? The thing with the governor?"
"I don't know," he said. "I hope not. If she's corrupt in any way . . . it diminishes what Five-O has accomplished."
"I refuse to accept that," Jax said, continuing to work loose the tight muscles, as Steve let his head fall forward. "The work Five-O has done stands on its own merit."
"I'm sorry I got you into this," Steve said. "I had no idea, I swear . . . when I asked you and Grover to transfer to Five-O, this had never crossed my mind."
"Shhh," Jax soothed, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. "Of course not. But don't go getting any ideas, McGarrett. I'm not going anywhere. You're not going to be rid of me that easily."
He reached behind him and wrapped her wrist in his big hand, tugging her around and pulling her down into his lap.
"What did I do to deserve you?" he whispered. "And such a loyal team. No one could ask for better."
"We're good," Jax nodded emphatically, "and don't you forget it. We've got your back, Steve." She ran her fingers through his hair, soothing him as if he was a skittish pet. "Don't go getting any more gray hair over this," she teased.
"Hey, most of this gray hair has to be your fault," he protested.
"How do you figure?" Jax demanded. "No way. You had some silver when I met you. I remember, in the Camaro when you picked me up from the airport. I thought it was sexy as hell."
"Yeah? Well I had more after the first case, when you stopped breathing, and a lot more after the Halawa mess, when I watched you flatline," Steve said. "If Danny wasn't blond, he'd be turning gray, too."
"You're picking up on the wrong threads of the conversation, Commander," Jax said.
"I am?" Steve asked, in mock innocence. "What thread should I be picking up?"
"Well," Jax whispered, kissing up the side of his neck, "probably not the one that involves you talking about Danny . . ." She stopped, pulling back, and looking into his eyes. "This is going to be okay, Steve. We'll take it as it comes, yeah?"
He nodded, holding her close and pressing his face into the crook of her neck, letting the familiar scent of gunpowder and honeysuckle soothe him. Her fingers continued to rub random patterns through his hair.
"Come back to bed," she whispered. "Get some sleep."
He was skeptical, but allowed her to lead him back to bed. The last thing he remembered was the brush of her lips across the back of his neck, and her arm wrapping around him as she sleepily ordered him to stop thinking and sleep, Commander.
And then, it was morning, and the team was gathering to check out of the hotel.
"Let's do this," Kono said firmly, as she hefted her bag and stepped onto the small plane that would take them back to reality, and one by one, each of the team members took their places.
"Look," Steve said quietly, as he fastened his seatbelt and glanced around at the team. "If any of you want to quietly transfer, I'll sign off on it. I would understand. You have careers and families to think about . . ."
"Right. We have family to think about, Steve. This family. Our Five-O family," Chin said, as the others nodded in agreement.
Steve felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.
Then he began thinking about where he needed to first sweep for bugs in Five-O headquarters.