Rewrite
AvalonReeseFanFics
A/N: Guys! I can't believe we got to that many reviews! You guys are champions! So to reward you not only am I updating early... I'mma give you guys the chance to get a THIRD update this week! If we get to 195 reviews I will post again WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY! What do you think? Good idea? Okay, so this chapter is 11 pages long, I hope that's not too long. This chapter has more cute moments from Steve and Rowan, next chapter will have even more plus a super secret surprise twist! I don't think you guys are gonna guess what it is either! But feel free to try! I'll see you guys, soon!
Chapter 26
Max was called to check on Rowan because Steve knew he couldn't take her to the doctor without having to explain what happened to her. He did a full examination on her. First and second degree electrical burns, all as if the burns were caused from the inside out. Signs of the final stage of anorexia, protruding bones, blue tinge to her finger nails and soft downy hair growing in abnormal places, like in the wings of her collarbones. These signs take months or years to appear and she was exhibiting none of these signs when she was at Max's only four days ago. There was no way for her to have suddenly gotten all of them in that short of a time. There were wing shaped bruises spanning from her shoulder blades all the way down to her lower back. Her blood pressure was high, her blood thin, her heart beat weak and her breathing short and rapid.
Rowan was falling apart and Steve was about to have a damn nervous breakdown over it.
But Steve had a case. He had a missing politician to find. And his current girlfriend was having her own nervous breakdown over Rowan's little magic trick. He was being pulled in so many directions he was stretched too thin. At this rate he was going to burn himself out.
Why the hell had Rowan done it? He still didn't know. He just knew that he woke up to an empty bed and a pain in his chest. Rowan was flickering again. ROWAN WAS FLICKERING AGAIN. He had tumbled out of bed and sprinted downstairs to find that Rowan was in fact flickering in his kitchen and she had fucking taken Catherine with her. He had grabbed her, grounding her back in his reality and she just collapsed in his arms while Catherine collapsed against the counter tops.
Luckily Max had agreed to watch Rowan while Steve dealt with Catherine and his job. He had agreed to keep an eye on her vitals and for any other signs of injury as well, which was a weight off of Steve's already laden shoulders. Steve went and found Catherine who was sitting on his lanai in a seat that usually belonged to Rowan but he figured it would be wise to not mention that now.
"You okay?" Steve asked patting her on the shoulder. "It's a little jarring going into the void. Did you want me to ask Max to look you over?"
Catherine turned to him, her eyes wide, filled with confusion and questions. "She's actually not from here," she said and Steve nodded. "And that place… that void… it was so thick and empty and… and…"
"Amazing?" Steve offered. Because he too had been amazed and blinded by the twinkling lights that had swirled around them. Had been awed by the fact that he was traveling between realities.
Catherine nodded. "And you just grabbed her and ripped her out of it."
"Well, yeah, it's easy when she's not moving. When she's stationary like that, it's like she blinking in and out of the world. But usually it looks like she's in pain, like it's killing her. I've never seen her look so calm like that before," Steve said. "I think it's because she chose to do it. The first few times it happened it wasn't her choice."
"What, you mean like something pulled her in and you went and got her out?" Catherine asked.
"Yeah. I think… I think something was trying to pull her back home. But she was fighting it or she was stuck or something. And when I saw her, I just panicked," Steve explained. "Ever since then, whenever she flickers I feel it too."
Steve hoped she didn't see too much in the void. He hoped she didn't ask about the red strings the void kept tangling around him and Rowan. He hoped she didn't ask why he stopped her from going home. He hoped she didn't ask any technical questions. Because Steve didn't know a whole lot about what was happening here.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," Catherine said. "I should have realized that you wouldn't have just blindly listened to her. I should have realized you wouldn't have believe unless you had witnessed something."
Steve shook his head. "It's fine. It was a pretty crazy theory to begin with."
"Have you thought about contacting someone about this? A scientist maybe?" she asked.
Steve was just glad she wasn't trying to put Rowan into a padded cell anymore.
"I did contact someone. He's an expert in this sort of thing, apparently. And get this, his name is Professor Trenton Pierce," Steve said.
"Holy shit," Catherine whispered. "You don't think they're related, do you?"
Steve shrugged. "Rowan said she didn't have family here. If she didn't exist it was most likely because her family line didn't exist here either. But she also doesn't talk about her life before coming here so I don't know anything about her family in the first place."
"She talks like she knows a lot about alternate reality theories though," Catherine reminded him. "Could that be because she had a family member who knew a lot about them?"
"Maybe. But even if she is related to him, it's not her version of her relative, you know? And if she was, why didn't his DNA pop when I ran her's all those months ago?" he asked.
Catherine fell quiet and Steve did too. He tried not to look at his watch or pull out his phone. He was late, he had a case to get on, he needed to go but he didn't want to rush this. He also didn't want to leave Rowan but he couldn't say that to Catherine.
"Will she be okay?" Catherine asked breaking their silence.
"I don't know, Cath," Steve said. "I think she damn near killed herself trying to find her way home. You said the lightning was coming out of her, right? That would explain all of the scarring she had on her arms and chest and legs. Can you imagine how often she was trying, how long she was in there trying to find her way home? It obviously wasn't easy on her. She's lucky I even found her in the middle of the ocean."
Catherine shook her head. It was all too much, Steve could see it. There were so many unanswered questions, things he couldn't tell her simply because he didn't know.
"I have one last question."
"Shoot."
"Are we good?"
It was a good question. He wasn't sure. He knew he loved Catherine, but that feeling was starting to fade out a bit. Did that mean he wanted to end things? No. Right now he had one priority and that was to take care of Rowan. To make sure she didn't try to disappear on him again. To make sure she lived.
"Yeah," he said. "I forgive you. Just please… please don't make me choose again."
A strange emotion played across her features. One he didn't recognize. But she stood and hugged him and he enveloped her in his arms holding her to his chest. Wishing that he couldn't feel the echo of Rowan in his arms. Wishing he could stop comparing the two of them.
"I gotta run, thanks for understanding," he said before kissing her cheek and turning away.
He'd check on Rowan later.
H5O-H5O-H5O- H5O
As soon as Steve was back he interrogated a mainland school teacher whose only crime was screwing their dead hooker in a bar washroom whilst being married. Not their murderer. Not their kidnapper. Knew nothing about island politics, nor cared. Must like Steve, who had been distracted the whole time, losing his sentences, taking out his phone, certain that it was ringing. That it was Max telling him that Rowan had succumb to her injuries, or worse, had disappeared again.
Once they were out of the interrogation room, and Chin had confirmed the school teacher's alibi Steve had every intention of heading straight back to his house for a "lunch break." This so-called break would consist of him hugging Rowan until his heart beat went back to a normal arrhythmia, and then shaking her awake so she could tell him what had happened while they had been separated.
Kono had come down and dashed that dream. The missing chief of staff, Amy Davidson, had finally up and showed up. Okay, so no lunch break, he'd just go to talk to this Davidson woman, and then he'd take his break. Yeah, he'd stop off for malasadas, bring her some tea, she loved tea, and then do the whole hugging and shaking thing.
Steve checked his phone every five seconds while driving. Not safe. Not good. But he couldn't help it. He heard phantom vibrating, heard phantom ringing, and had an irrational fear beating in his chest. He'd be stupid if Danny hadn't noticed.
"She's fine, Steve, you found her," Danny reminded him. Almost sourly. His was still a little upset that Steve had called Chin instead of Danny.
"I know," Steve whispered. "But you should have seen her, Danny, she looks like she's been tortured for weeks."
He still couldn't get the image of her bobbing in those waves out of his head. How that spot light on the boat had picked up her red hair and then it was her pale face looking nothing short of spectral against the mountains of black tossing her back and forth. He had dived off the side with no disregard for his own safety, no life line or anything. His heart had all but stopped when the water sucked her under and then it was all about getting her back to the boat.
He had clung to her, both enveloped in scratching emergency blankets, until they got to shore.
"I couldn't have seen her, you didn't call me," Danny snapped and Steve rolled his eyes again. "Had to find out from Kono you got her back."
"Danny, I've already told you. I called Chin because he had access to the boat and you had Grace last night. Now let it go," Steve growled.
"Let it go. Let it go, he says," Danny sighed. "Fucking jumps off a boat in the middle of a storm to save the girl. The girl he sent off in the first place. Doesn't bother to shoot me a text saying he got her back. Why would I need to know that? Why would I care? It's not like I was worried about her too."
Steve shook his head and ignored Danny. Only Danny could make Steve rescuing Rowan about himself. Chin had been telling people the story. Great. That was all he needed. Steve rolled his eyes one more time and then picked up his phone again.
"Keep your eyes on the road you animal," Danny snapped. "If it rings and it's Max I'll pick it up for you, okay?"
How wonderful of Danny to have picked up on Steve's ticks and figure out that it was tied to Rowan. He was a detective of course, but Steve had hoped he was being a bit more subtle.
The rest of the drive was in silence and then the two of them were storming into Congressman Freed's campaign office.
As soon as they spotted Josh Steve pounced.
"Josh, where's Amy Davidson?"
The younger man frowned at them. "She's inside with Powers."
Powers? Freed's main opponent?
Danny caught that too. "Brad Powers. That's Freed's opponent. What's he doing here?" he asked.
Yeah. Good questions. Both Danny and Steve turned to Josh who looked less than pleased about this whole situation.
"He came by to discuss ground rules of the debate with the congressman. I was handling the situation. Then all of a sudden, Amy shows up," he snapped. Just the way he said it denoted just how happy he was about the situation. "Picks up right where she left off, like nothing even happened."
"Did she say where she was?" Steve asked.
Josh shook his head. "No, she didn't. She went behind closed doors with Powers and they've been there ever since."
Well, clearly Josh didn't care about anything else except that he had been iced out of that meeting. But when the doors came open he stood back and let the man in the suit and his crony looking men come forward. Clearly this was Powers.
"Josh, you disappoint me," was the first thing he said. Wow. What a douche. "I don't know what kind of campaign you're running. But I don't buy Amy's spin for a minute."
"We're not spinning anything, Mr. Powers," Josh said carefully, sounding ever so sincere. God, these political types had to be sociopaths to be able to lie so convincingly like that.
"Really, then what's Five-0 doing here?" Powers asked.
Ohh, he knew who they were. Steve loved it when people knew who he was before he had to introduce himself.
Still he ignored the little thrill he got from his minor celebrity status and said: "That's between us and the congressman, sir."
"Yeah? Well, when you see him, please ask him why he blew me off a night ago without so much as a phone call," Powers snapped.
Danny pounced on that immediately. "What time were you supposed to meet him?"
"Eleven o'clock," Power answered and then turned back to Josh. "I've known Chris Freed for fifteen years. He'd never pulled a stunt like that."
"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, sir," Josh said. But Powers wasn't having it.
"He said he wanted to run a civil campaign, one with mutual respect and all of that," he reminded Josh, his eyes wide with his anger and frustration. "This is a hell of a way to show it. I don't know what you people are hiding but I'm going to find out. And when I do, so will the press."
He left with that threat hanging in the air. Stormed off with his burly guy, who looked more like a bodyguard forced into a suit than anything else. Once he was in the hallway, Danny put a hand to Josh's arm.
"Okay. We need to speak to Amy now," he ordered.
Josh opened up the door that Powers had just come from, letting Danny and Steve through. "Amy? I've got Five-0 here. They need to talk to you," he told her.
The woman turned, her angular features pointed, a frown on her face. Steve stepped up quickly. He wanted to get this done and over with, he wanted to get back to Rowan and right now this woman, who had just been missing, was the only person standing between him and her.
"Miss Davidson, where's Congressman Freed?" Steve asked, straight the heart of the matter.
"I don't know, but I think he might have done something terrible," she told them. Well hot damn. Wasn't that a revelation?
"So, you don't know where he is?" Danny asked, clearly surprised. They had all be under the impression that Congressman Freed and his chief of staff had disappeared together as they had both been missing together. Had this been a separate issue all together? No, that didn't make sense.
Amy picked up a stack of papers and pretended to play with them. "Don't you think I'd help you guys if I could?" she shot back instead of answering Danny's question. "I just don't know where he is right now."
Danny sighed. "Okay. Let's start with you. Where have you been?"
Steve put his hands on his hips and stared her down. Not quite a glare but he wasn't smiling at her. This type of stare down usually worked for him, unless it was Rowan. She'd just start laughing at him and then he'd start laughing. The stare down was 100% less effective if one or two of the parties in the stare down were laughing.
"I was out. Looking for him," she cried. "Look, you don't get it. This is complicated."
"Then speak slowly, all right?" Steve snapped back. He did not have time for this bullshit. "Because I need to understand why a man like Congressman Freed would risk everything to get serviced by a prostitute."
If Rowan were here she would have muttered: He's a guy. Most guys have their brains in their dicks. But Steve never got that mentality. Yeah, he liked sex, like any other guy did, but if he were in that position, where a prostitute could ruin everything, whether it be his career or his marriage, at no point was he going to chance it.
"To tell you the truth, I brought her to meet the congressman," Amy admitted.
Well that floored both Steve and Danny for a minute. "Wow. Well that's a smart move. Why'd you do that?" he asked, clearly trying to hard not to ask instead: "What you had a political death wish for him and wanted to speed it along? What's the matter with you?!"
That's what he would have asked if Steve had said that to him instead of this woman.
"It doesn't happen all the time, but he's under a lot of stress, and he's a single father, so he's on his own. I mean, besides his daughter, there's really no one else in his life. So sometimes he just needs a little companionship for the evening," she explained. With Danny nodding along like he understood but Steve could tell from Danny's face that he either didn't or thought this girl was dumb beyond belief. Good. Steve thought so too.
"So, you're chief of staff and part-time madam for him?" Danny asked. Yes. There was the sass Steve knew and loved.
"Come on, the guy's human," Amy growled. And there's Rowan's logic about the situation… if she were there with them to hear it.
"Amy, I have to ask you. To the best of your knowledge has the congressman ever hurt any of the women he's been with?" he asked. He had to. He hoped she wouldn't know, but he figured if anyone did it was her.
"Rough stuff doesn't seem to be his thing, but, you know, who knows what goes on behind closed doors?" she replied. Okay, it was official. Amy Davidson knew too much information about her boss.
"Well, something happened that night. Where'd you find Serena Andrews?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest.
"Picked her up at a place called the Liki Tiki Lounge and I dropped her off at the mansion in Kahala," she replied almost like a robot on script.
"No, you delivered her to the congressman, like a pizza," Danny, the sass master, snapped. Okay, it was starting to get to be a bit too much.
"Yes," Amy agreed, clearly done with Danny's sass. Steve breezed past that.
"What about the congressman's 11 o'clock with Powers? Why did he blow that off?" Steve questioned.
Amy sighed. "I don't know. That's why I went back to the mansion. But when I got there, he was gone and I found the girl in the bed."
"And being the pragmatic political officer that you are you go to the governor instead of the police?" Danny growled.
"Because I knew they were friends and I needed time to think," she explained as if it all made rational sense.
"To plan a cover-up," Danny filled in for her.
"No!" she cried. Even though that was probably it. "No. Look, something like this has national repercussions. Okay, you need to have a viable strategy."
Steve cut her off. "What time did you pick up Serena Andrews?"
"Nine. Nine fifteen. She was right on time," she replied. "Am I under arrest?"
And that was the end of their conversation. Danny and Steve left but it wasn't until they left the lobby that they started talking shop about their case.
"Amy might be a good chief of staff but she's a terrible liar," Danny told him as they walked through the door. "The professor was shot and off Serena in the bathroom stall at nine fifteen. She didn't leave the bar till ten."
That was true. "You're right," Steve admitted.
"If I'm right, then why isn't she under arrest?" Danny asked him.
Steve pulled out his phone again. He couldn't feign the need for a lunch break now. Not when Amy Davidson had pulled this crap. He needed to figure out why she was lying and if it had anything to do with wherever Chris Freed went. There were no calls from Max, so that meant that things were fine with Rowan, or she was still asleep. Fuck. Why was she still asleep?
"We have to find the congressman and if he's on the run, chances are he's going to reach out to her," Steve answered absently.
"So, let's sit on her phone, post a surveillance team at her door," Danny said. And that was why Steve couldn't go home for lunch.
"Exactly. And let Freed come to us. The thing I want to know is, why is Amy lying?" Steve replied, once again pulling out his phone to check it. His fingers itched to dial Max. Even if she was just sleeping there should have been some update, right?
"Okay, that is it," Danny snapped. "I'm taking you home."
Steve paused. "Wait… what? Why?"
"You are obviously worrying about Rowan. The girl, according to you, is practically on her deathbed. And you want to go to her," Danny explained. "I can see it. It's why you keep checking your phone."
Steve sighed. Fuck. He really was that obvious. "We have a case," Steve reminded him.
"Yeah, and the rest of us can handle it for a few hours while you drop in and check on Rowan," Danny argued. "I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm dropping you off at your place. End of story."
Steve wanted to argue but his phone was ringing and it was Max. He didn't even tell Danny to wait, he just picked up the phone.
"Max, she awake?" he asked.
"Yes. She has finally awoken and has requested that I get into her bed and… cuddle with her. Is this normal?" Max asked.
Steve felt a twinge of jealousy prick his heart. Why the fuck was she asking Max to do what she usually got him to do? For fuck sake. "Yeah, it's normal. But don't worry about it, I'm on my way back, so I'll deal with it when I get there," he said.
"Okay. By the sounds of it she's currently in the shower, I will be in the kitchen making her something to eat," Max said.
"Okay, but Max, if you hear anything, go in there and check on her," Steve ordered.
"Oh, uh, well, I don't know about that. It seems improper for me to just barge in…"
Steve cut him off. "Max. If you hear something strange coming from that shower I am giving you explicit permission to go in there and check on her. And I will be very disappointed if you don't."
Max agreed and hung up the phone and tried to ignore Danny's triumphant smile beaming into the side of his face. "Shut up," he muttered before Danny could say anything. Right at that moment all he wanted to do was to get into the car and get to Rowan.
As quickly as possible.
H5O-H5O-H5O- H5O
Rowan awoke and it wasn't violent. Maybe it was because her limbs felt like lead, like the weight of the world had caught up to her and was sitting on her chest. She groaned and found Max standing over her, she tried to smile at him but her lips didn't work right.
"You should try to rest," he told her. "You've been through a lot. I'm not sure what it was that you went through to inflict injuries and symptoms such as these, but I'm glad that you seem to be recovering well."
She wouldn't have even known how to explain it to Max so she was glad when he didn't try to ask her about it. "Where's Steve?" she asked, almost grateful that he wasn't there as she probably looked like a swamp creature.
"He is working on his case," Max answered. "He has left me in charge of your wellbeing."
Aww poor Max. On Rowan-sitting duty.
"And Catherine? Is she okay?" she asked. Everyone else that had been pulled into the void, that one prison guard anyway, had not fared well against the harsh conditions. She sort of half hoped that something had happened but when she reminded herself that that was cruel she tried to hope that Catherine was okay.
"As far as I know Lieutenant Rollins left in perfect health, did something happen to her?" he asked.
Rowan forced herself to sit up, ignoring the burning in her arms as she did so. "We got in a fight. I thought I might have landed a hit but I guess she knocked me out before I could."
"Strange, you showed no signs of a struggle. Did she maybe surprise you with a blow to the back of your head? I must admit with all your other injuries I failed to check your head, shall I do so now?" he asked already standing up to do just that.
"It's okay Max, maybe I just fainted," she said waving his hands away.
"Regardless, Commander McGarrett was very clear that I was to make sure you were alright. I should check your head for any injuries," he said again and this time he didn't allow her to swat the hands away.
"I seem to remember you dating a nurse, while not as qualified as me, would you like me to contact him to give you a second opinion?" Max asked. "Or maybe just the company of your partner."
Rowan smiled up to him and shook his head. "No, thank you, Max. But Alex and I broke up."
"Is there anything I could do to make you more comfortable?" he asked.
"Yeah, actually," she whispered. "Could you get in the bed with me? I need someone to cuddle."
Max went an unnatural color, clearly he was surprised at her request. "I think it would be better if I called McGarrett or your nurse, broken up or no," Max said already beginning to stand, his hand in his pocket searching for his phone.
As soon as he left to room to make the phone call Rowan was forcing herself up. She needed to shower, it had been days since her proper shower. Last night didn't count as last night's bath had been to wash the ocean off of her and to warm her up. As quickly as she could she got herself into the washroom and into the shower. The water running, Max would know where she was. Then she started to contemplate her situation
She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to stay, she didn't want to be a burden and make Steve's life more stressful. But yet, she didn't want to leave him. There was nothing she wanted more than to stay the way she had been when she woke up that morning. Forehead to forehead, Steve's arms around her. For a brief moment she had forgotten everything he had said and all about his girlfriend. For a brief moment she felt as if he could feel for her the way she felt for him. That moment was shattered when the pain sunk in, the burning in her limbs and in her chest. He had wanted her gone, that's why it hurt inside and out. But he had also come to save her that had to mean something, didn't it?
She had gotten up to make him coffee and breakfast, all she could do to show him that she was grateful. He'd want to talk to her, he'd want to ask her where she had been and what she had been doing other than trying to get back home. And then Catherine was behind her and the rest of her hope went up in smoke.
Catherine was angry, she could see it on her features. She wanted to send Rowan away, and not just to live with Chin, who could probably use the company. An asylum. Rowan didn't want to go to where they'd put her in a padded room or in a straitjacket. Why didn't Catherine believe what Steve had told her? Why not? Did she want to have him committed too? Well, she'd show her.
She had used all what had been left of her anger. She had pushed through the pain and the tiredness in her body and forced herself to find the doorway to the void. And then she had taken Catherine in with her. Maybe if she kept her there long enough the woman would go down like the guard had. Maybe she could leave her there in the void and tell Steve she had no idea what happened. Maybe she could send Catherine to her home instead to tell Rowan's family where she was.
But all of that came to an end the second Steve had a hold of her. And then she found that, after that last trip, she was too exhausted to do anything except collapse in Steve's arms.
What did she want now? She wanted Steve. She couldn't have him, but she wanted him. She wanted to go home, but she didn't want to leave Steve. Maybe that was why she couldn't get home, her feelings for Steve were keeping her there.
She wrapped herself up in one of Steve's many beach towels and returned to her room. It hurt her just to look at it. This room that he had done up just for her. He cared, she knew he did, not in the same way, but he did care a bit. And she needed to get away from it. She couldn't go home if she was tied to him so she'd have to sever whatever was between her and Steve, get over him and get home.
"Ro?"
Rowan turned and Steve was in the door way. His blue eyes searching hers, assessing her profile, looking like he was worried she was going to try and climb out her window again.
"Steve! What are you doing here?" she asked adjusting her towel even though the thing was a dress on her.
He crossed to her snatching her up and into his arms. Rowan melted into the embrace, hugging him back, digging her fingers into his back. His breath was hot against her neck, his arms just as tightly around her as hers were around him.
When he finally pulled away from her she saw a smile on his face that she wasn't quite sure she recognized but the way the sun lit up his face was enough to make her smile back at him. Why did he have to be so fucking handsome? Why did he have to be so kind and wonderful? Why was he the total fucking package? It wasn't fair. Because all it took was that hug and that strange smile for her to completely forget about getting over him and fall just a little deeper into whatever fucking emotion was rolling around in her chest.
"I thought you had a case?" she asked.
Steve shrugged. "I do, but I wanted to come check on you. Clear up a few things."
Ice filled Rowan's veins. She took a step back from him. She didn't want to have that talk. She didn't want him to tell her to leave again. The fear must have been apparent on her face for Steve's hand darted out and again and gripped her wrist before she could evade him.
"It's not bad," he whispered. "I'm not mad at you, or anything. I just want to apologize."
He wasn't… and he what?
Rowan looked up at him. She didn't trust him anymore. She could feel it, the knot of worry that ebbed softly into pain. Her heart was still cleaved down the middle and she didn't trust him not to smash her into a million pieces again. "Can I get changed?" she asked indicating to her towel.
Steve seemed to take in the towel for the first time and then backed away adverting his eyes probably to protect her modesty. "Yes. Of course. Sorry," he whispered. "I'll, uh… I'll wait for you downstairs."
As soon as the door shut behind him the proud lift in her shoulders sagged away. Rowan needed to end things with Steve. She needed to escape before he could do anymore damage to her. She couldn't stay trapped by her feeling for him forever, not if there was never going to be anything between them.
Rowan Pierce was going to have to break her own heart.