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A/N: Hello my wonderful readers! So we're finally done with this episode. This is the conclusion. Took long enough huh? I promise it ends on the cutest note ever. I know this update is late but I've been working so much lately that I just got too wrapped up to get it edited and up. I'll trying to get tomorrow out quicker. Don't forget to leave me a review, I love hearing what you guys have to say, and I'll see you guys tomorrow!
Chapter 184
It wasn't until they were ready to go that Wo Fat pulled her aside to talk to her, forcing Steven to go to the van he drove up in and leaving her behind.
She had already called Nahele to soothe him, to tell him she was fine and that they were on the way home. He was okay, thankfully, but she could tell he was desperate for both of them to come home, and quite frankly so was she. She had let Steve talk to him too so Nahele knew for certain that both of them were fine.
Wo Fat had given her a package she would need to hold onto, they had partaken in a meal at Armando's insistence and now, now they were finally on their way out of the compound. Wo Fat clearly wanted to give her a proper good-bye, he could tell that Steve didn't believe him, but Rowan had shooed him away so they could have some privacy.
As soon as Steve was a good distance away she hugged him, tightly. Because she had missed him, and she was going to continue to miss him. Despite being warm she was wearing Steve's jacket, it smelt of him and she needed that reminder, even though he was there, she could see him, his jacket, still holding his warmth and his smell reminded her that she was finally safe, because he had come to get her.
"Alright, do you have the package I gave you?" he asked. Rowan nodded. "Good, and if you see Alexander again, what do you do?"
"I give him the package," she answered automatically.
"I'm already researching other employers for him, be sure to mention that when you see him, and I'm sure you will if he's still alive," Wo Fat said. "Remember, that package gets you in the clear, okay? I've been told the Colombian's have already approved your exoneration and your exiting of the country, you call me right away if there are any problems at the border."
"I got it, Wo, I do," she said to him. "I promise."
"Speaking of promises, let me see it again?" he asked. Rowan immediately held out the hand with the ring on it and smiled at him. Wo Fat cocked an eyebrow at her, clearly unimpressed. "And this… promise ring… you're okay with that?"
"Yes why?"
"Because judging by his track record alone, I'm going to guess that it's going to take him years to actually propose and even longer to actually marry you. In fact, I wouldn't be surprise if he doesn't marry you at all and just ends up calling this promise ring, a symbol of your hypothetical marriage," he growled. "And I don't think you'd like it if he did that, but knowing you and your track record you'd let it stand because you…"
"Love him" she finished for him, glancing back to where Steven was leaning against the van waiting for her, his stormy blue eyes not leaving her once. It took her breath away the depth of the emotion, and how happy it made her to see him there, to feel his predatory glaze on her, ready to pounce if it looked like Wo Fat were to try and make off with her again. Her eyes caressed his features before she repeated it to Wo Fat, so he understood how real for her it was. "I love him."
Wo Fat balked at that confession. "Since when?"
But instead of answering she turned back to him. "Did you hear about Chin?"
"If that codename Shotgun on the app, then yes I did." he asked and Rowan nodded. "I had a feeling you'd be interested in his situation. Actually, I have someone in place to deal with the situation, I did provide him with the documents to clear Kelly, but I don't know if he's been released yet. I should check in see what info he's managed to dig up. But this is more your area, and since I have you here I might as well ask… is there anything specific you wanted done?"
"I want him unarrested," Rowan said and Wo Fat nodded as he took his phone out of his pocket. "And uh… I unno… I unno what's been going on with that… I've been kind of worried about myself. What do you think we should do, you probably know more about it than I do."
"You know how I like to deal with things, but this is your jurisdiction so your call."
"Why don't you get info and then update me and we'll go from there?" she offered and he nodded. That was fair. "You're also gonna update me on how things go with Jian, right?"
At that Wo Fat frowned and shook his head. "No… I…" "Why not?" "Because… despite all my hard work and effort, despite him needing me, he has not given me permission to continue to contact you, and… well… you love him and I don't want to… I strain an already strained relationship…"
Rowan glanced back to Steven. She loved the man, she did, but it wasn't Steven who had a tank roll up into a prison courtyard. It wasn't Steven who called up every Colombian favour he had to get to her. He had gotten the key to her keeping the CIA off of her back, but it was Wo Fat who did all the actual saving.
"Steven doesn't get to make that decision," she said quickly turning back to Wo Fat. "But uh… until I get him on board we're going to need to be low-key, sound good?"
"Deal," he said probably a little too quickly for someone claiming to not want to strain their relationship. He then pulled her in for another hug. "You send me a message the second you land in Hawaii, I want to know that you're safe."
Rowan nodded, kissed his cheek softly and then rushed back to Steve. The second she was turned in his direction he went from leaning to rigid, his hands reaching for her the second she came within arm's reach.
"Are we good to go?" he asked and Rowan nodded. But the second she touched him she got a jolt. And new destination in her head.
Steve, who was now almost desensitized to her shocks, merely glanced down at the arm that received it and asked: "What was that?"
"Do you think we could stop off somewhere?" she asked and he nodded. She tried to smile encouragingly at him as he handed her up into the van where Danny and Joe White were waiting for her.
As the van left the compound, she watched in the side mirror as Wo Fat got smaller and smaller, but she didn't feel like he was getting father away from her, and when Steve handed her her phone, she knew her brother would never really be that far away from her.
Not anymore.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
Maybe it was because he had just recused her. Maybe it was because she looked fine as all hell in those short shorts and green sweater combo. Maybe it was because he had been so afraid, so worried he'd never get her back again. Either way, when his baby asked to be taken to a hospital, despite her not being injured enough to need one, he simply did as he was asked.
Danny and Joe White had waited in the van as Rowan had disembarked with him in tow and together they walked up to the front of the hospital. But they didn't go in. Instead they just stood there. As if she were waiting for something and Steve stood there just watching her.
Even before Steve had gotten her in the truck, Rowan had asked for his black jacket, and he had complied instantly. She wore it much like a cape, her hands disappearing underneath it to keep it closed and around her. He was certain she didn't need it for the warmth, because when he wasn't looking she would drop her face to her chest and he knew, he was 100% certain that she was simply inhaling his scent. Well if it made her feel better he wasn't going to take it away from her.
It wasn't until she straightened, and that Ice Queen mask of hers slipped over her features that he realized that whatever she was waiting for had arrived. And she was going to war.
"Hello Sam Alexander," she said in her fake perky voice. "You'll be glad to know that I finally figured out where I know your name from."
Poor Alexander had not been expecting her clearly. The man's face was practically swollen, he had his arm in the sling and looked as if a building had been dropped on him after being shot, and if Rowan's story was to be believed, that was what had happened to him. He continued to stare at Rowan as if he couldn't fathom how any of this had happened, or why she would be standing there smiling at him as if this were a normal social visit. When he couldn't do anything but stare at her in complete and utter shock she smiled and took a step forward, causing the CIA man to stumble back.
"Surprised? Yeah, me too. I had a feeling you were still alive," she said sounding quite disappointed. "Can you just… give me a bit of a moment, I need to make a call."
She then picked up her phone, dialed a number and then waited. "Hey. Yes Oz, I'm fine. No, I'm still here. No, everything is okay. I'm just calling to tell you that you didn't actually kill him. He's alive," she said and then waited for a response. "Yes, yes I'm sure. I'm looking right at him. No I have it. Yes I will. Oh did you get the info I asked for? Yeah? Oh… really? So he actually came back then? And after we were so kind to him last time. You're right it's unacceptable and very disrespectful. I agree, he should be disciplined this time. But you fixed the... uh… the problem, right? Oh… waiting for my say? Well… I say… tell him to do what he's gotta do… yep, love you too, bye."
Rowan turned back to the Alexander who was just standing there with panicked look on his face and she smiled widely at him.
"Sorry about that. Just dealing with some business, now, shall we tie up our loose ends?"
"You really do think this is all just some game, don't you?" Alexander asked. "You murdered someone Miss. Pierce. You bombed and escaped federal prison. You shot a U.S. Marshal…"
"Wo Fat shot you actually, I'm the reason he didn't finish you off," she said.
"Oh yes that makes it better, doesn't it? The point is, unless I get what I want, you'll never be able to go back home, not without getting arrested."
"You wanna bet?" Rowan growled, her eyes narrowed in that challenging way of hers.
"We found the coke," Steve snapped stepping in.
Alexander's face lit up. "Where is it?"
"It's gone," Steve said showing him a picture of Wo Fat and the drugs. "He's sending it somewhere where you won't be able to get it. Probably going to sell it, which I'm not comfortable with but it got me my girl back so I'm prepared to ignore it."
"You just signed their death warrants. And this time… this time when we send you back to prison, you're going to stay there… and Williams is going with you."
"Oh that was just a wonderful show, but you've misread the situation darling. I've already gotten a lovely apology from the Colombian government. Apparently I never should have been brought down here, I've been fully exonerated and they've practically begged me to go home. I love the bravado though," she said, that same smile on her face and that same saccharine sweetness to her voice that was totally and one hundred percent fake.
"This isn't a game. You tell me where your brother is taking those drugs…"
"Oh calm yourself, you're practically foaming at the mouth. You were never getting those drugs," she said. "They went to the people who helped get me out of that prison in lieu of cash payment."
He glared at her while Rowan continued to smile. She brought a small black bound leather book out of her jacket. "Oh and to rescue this book…. And now it's not in my hands."
She looked up to Alexander who had snatched book right out of her hands. "Alright, alright, if you want it so much. You can have it. But uh… I'd make sure everything's in it," she said sweetly and his eyes whipped up to her again. Rowan blinked her eyes in the most innocent of manners. "You know… because I'm shady… and honestly I'm very vindictive."
He flipped through the pages and as he did so Rowan stared at him quite sweetly.
"You know, I knew I recognized your name. You see, when that journal was first found, my friends they went through it with a fine-tooth comb. And then they showed me. Your name, with big red letters saying CIA. Granted I had no idea what Sandpiper was, or why I needed to know that all these Colombian officials, US officials and well you… were getting paid off. But they wanted me to keep it, to use for later, but I never stored that information anywhere. Because, usually, I have morals and that was something I figured someone with morals wouldn't need. But then… oh… then you sent Reyes down to Hawaii to intimidate Danny over the missing drugs, and you figured, hey put enough pressure on Danny and he'll run to me and then I'll run to Wo and you'll get what you want. And sure, maybe you didn't think it would really affect me all that much, but it did and well… Wo took offence and sent you back the body in pieces when I told him to dump it. Regrettable, yes, and I can almost forgive you for putting us in that situation in the first place. Except that you then had to show up and arrest Danny in front of his daughter and her class. And then me. And you took me to Columbia, which, if I may remind you, no one wanted me to come to, and then you just wouldn't stop hitting me. And you know, somewhere along the way I got so mad that those few loose morals I have, yeah… well… they've flown out the window. And that… that does not bode well for you my darling," she said.
He was done looking through the book. Clearly something was missing, he watched her, something akin to fear on his face. Rowan carefully went back into the jacket where she pulled out a little manila envelope. She then carefully pulled a set of papers out and then she dangled them out for him to snatch up from her. Which he did, the second he saw them.
"Yes, and you may have those too," she said primly.
He looked them over for only a few seconds before he whispered: "these are copies."
"Oh yes, the originals have been secreted away. Somewhere even I can't get at them. I'd have to send someone," she told them. The next sentence was said with nothing but malice. "So, they're safe… for now."
Alexander glared at her. "What do you want?"
"Oh I don't want anything from you," Rowan said. "Precious thought though. But I will tell you that we have options."
"Options?"
"Mhmm. I like option A best," she said. "It's the one Wo is researching right now."
"Option A?"
"Oh yes," Rowan said happily crossing the distance towards him, her hands clasped neatly behind her back. "Option A is I take these documents, the ones that prove that you're a traitor to your country and I ruin you."
"Oh, you're going to ruin me?" he echoed. "You think I'm scared of you. You think I'm going to go to jail over you? I will vanish before that happens."
Rowan laughed, her sound her normal melodious laugh, but there was an edge to it that sent shivers up Steve's spine. She was circling him now, like a shark circled it's prey in the water. Her grin was just as toothy. "Oh sweetie, who said anything about jail time?" she asked and that smug smile dropped off of his face. "No, no, no, I'm going to do something so much worse."
Rowan straightened herself up, looked him up and down like he was nothing but a piece of dirt and said: "No, I'm going to copy these documents and send them to the most powerful dictator I can find that needs an CIA informant on their payroll. Though, with these documents, you won't be getting paid. I suspect that whoever we pick can convince you to do the job for free… blackmail is like that." She then picked up her phone and stared at it absently. "In fact, in a few short minutes Wo will provide me with the name of your soon to be employer."
He looked shocked. Like Option A was obviously not the option he wanted. "And option B?"
Rowan looked up from her phone. "Hmm? Oh. No. Option B isn't any fun for anyone. I mean, it's a win-win situation for you and me, but Wo gets to have no fun and I don't want to take that away from him. He had a rough time with Steve and he's in a bad mood, Option A will cheer him up..."
"What is option B?" he asked between clenched teeth.
Rowan sighed. "Fine. If you must know. Option B is run." She snarled, no longer even pretending to be sweet. "You're going to get your sorry bribe-taking-ass out of the goddamn CIA. You're going to come up with a lie to cover up the missing drugs, I don't care what you tell them, you're a professional liar, come up with something pithy. You're going to retire and then you're going to forget about me, you're going to forget about Danny but you'll remember that if you so much as even whisper in our direction, if you even thinking about coming near me or my family again, I will take these papers and I will destroy you. I will send them to villain after villain until your hole is so deeply dug that you have no choice but to swallow a bullet. You get me?"
Sam Alexander stared at her. He glanced to Steve, who had made sure his face stayed stoically the same, despite being terrified by his girl, and then past Steve to where Steve assumed Danny and Joe were waiting. They must have gotten out of the van the second they realized that it was Alexander Rowan was squaring off against.
Those collective faces, and the weight of Rowan's threats, crumpled the man. He simply bowed his head and scampered off. Once he was gone, Rowan turned, Ice Queen gone entirely, to smile at Steven and the two other men waiting for her to be done.
"My mother called that the door-in-the-face manipulation technique," she said to Steve and then turned to Joe. "Remember how when we were in quarantine you remarked that it would be scary if I ever tried to use my powers for evil, well there it was, what did you think? Scary?"
"Absolutely fucking terrifying as always Rowan," he said and she smiled proudly and then turned back to Steve as if any of this could be a good thing.
When she focused on Steve she noticed the look on his face but other then looking concerned she just sighed. "I'm angry. I was left alone with criminals for too long. You know what I'm like," she said but when he just stared at her she said: "What? What's the matter?"
"What's the other problem?"
"What?"
"The other problem. You asked if he fixed the other problem, what were you talking about?"
Rowan's face changed. The Ice Queen which had been melting was back in full swing. "How are things going with Chin? Did you get IA off his back?"
"I was a little busy with you Rowan…"
"Yeah. I thought you'd say that," she whispered.
"What did you do Rowan?"
She just shrugged. "I made sure it was fixed. Forever." She then smiled her normal regular smile at him. "Can we go home? I wanna see Nahele. I wanna hug him and make s'mores and cocoa and then when that's done I want to get in a shower with you."
Steve half smiled at her. "Yeah, we can do that. Come on. Let's do that."
He decided to ignore the Chin thing, he figured, whatever Rowan did, would keep her in the clear and Chin out of trouble. And besides, Grover would have called if something had gone down, and with Rowan on her way back, he had a feeling that IA would just drop him. Because with the way things were looking for them, IA probably wasn't going to want Rowan and Steve knocking down their door to get back Chin. But they'd deal with all that when they got home.
When everyone got to go home.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
Montoya left to take a phone call four hours ago and never came back. From Gabriel's understanding Chin was still in holding until further notice and Coughlin was scrambling to keep him despite having proof that Chin did not have the money. Gabriel had a sneaking suspicion on who Montoya really was and he was hoping, hoping it wasn't who he thought he was.
But he had a feeling if someone as infamous as Sin Nombre was on the island he'd've heard by now. Also, Sin Nombre took only high paying high profile cases, this couldn't be either of those things. Could it?
Coughlin returned, paper in hand, and sat across from the couch that Gabriel had camped out on. He put the paper on the table in front of him and then smiled in that smug oily way that he had.
"It's all there," Coughlin said pushing the paper towards him. "Everything we agreed on, all it needs is your signature."
And then he offered Gabriel a pen. Gabriel looked it over. It was exactly what he said it was, the deal Gabriel had lied about being okay with. A safer, nicer prison, with a shorter sentence all he had to do was sign that paper to confirm that Chin came and asked him for money. Too bad that wasn't Gabriel's plan.
He twirled the pen in his hand, switched his grip on it and then lunged at Coughlin, shoving him back in the seat, the pen poised to go right into Coughlin's eye. But he never got a chance.
In a flash the man calling himself Montoya appeared, sliding into Gabriel, grabbing his arm and twisting until he let go. The pen dropped out of his grip and with one hit Gabriel was on the ground with stars in front of his eyes.
He rolled onto his back and then carefully looked at Montoya. He was still in the suit pants, but he was wearing black combat boots, a leather jacket with a black cotton shirt underneath. But it was his hands, he had leather gloves on his hands, and blood flecking up from his collar towards his cheek. His eyes narrowed at the something sticking out of the pocket of his jacket. Half a mask. Rabbit looking judging by the ears. It was then that he knew for sure who Montoya was.
He really was Sin Nombre.
He just didn't know whose side he was on. Because if he had to guess, just by the fact that he wasn't dead yet that Sin Nombre might not be there for him.
"Thank you… thank…" Coughlin started but Sin Nombre had his gun, and was carefully dropping garrotting wire on the table, dripping with blood.
He stared at the garroting wire, his eyes blinking as if not understanding. He turned his eyes back up to Montoya's impassive face. "Who are you?"
"Well, I'm not Indigo Montoya, I'll tell you that. I got that from a movie. Well… his name was Inigo, surprised you didn't catch on," he said. "No. I have no name."
And that confirmed it he was really Sin Nombre.
"Derrik! Jenson!" Coughlin shouted.
Sin Nombre laughed. "Your men are dead. I've killed them. No one is going to save you."
"What do you want? Why are you here?"
"I'm here because someone in the Yakuza has an invested interest in Kelly. I'm here because that same someone is finally out of a Colombian prison and has given me orders," he said. "Well that's not true, she just said do what I gotta do to make it go away, cause she nice like that. Her brother is not as nice. You see… I think… and this is just judging by the message, I think that you were told, Coughlin, you were told to stay away from Rowan Pierce and her friends."
Coughlin let out a strangled sob but Sin Nombre wasn't interested in him anymore. He turned on Gabriel, and the man actually flinched. Maybe he was here to off them both.
Instead he surprised Gabriel by tossing him the gun. "You, on the other hand, I've been told to spare. Something about no daughter deserving to live without a dad or some sentimental bullshit I'm certain came straight from that stupid girl," he said with the roll of his eyes. "But I do have a message for you. Run away, Gabriel Waincroft. Run far away and never ever come back."
For a moment Gabriel just stared at him, but Sin Nombre had turned back to Coughlin. As Gabriel got back up, Sin Nombre pulled the mask out of his pocket and slipped it back over his face. The white plastic rabbit face already flecked with blood, contrasting against everything else. It occurred to him that, now that he had the gun he could shoot him and not have to worry. He stood, gun in hand pointed in his direction and Sin Nombre merely shot a casual glance at Gabriel and scoffed.
"If you know what was good for you, you'd take that advice and run. She forgave you this time, but you're on thin ice. That girl is not as forgiving as her brother. You fuck up again, and you won't live to tell the tale."
He figured he'd cut his losses at that point, it would be easier to run instead of fight. Gabriel scrambled away from him, the gun in his hand, and his freedom in front of him. He was half way out the door when he heard Sin Nombre say: "Now, what's that catch phrase of hers? What is it that everyone says about her? Mm… that's right… Rowan Pierce is always right."
And then Gabriel disappeared into the darkness, Coughlin's screams chasing his heels.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
When they landed, Rowan had made a phone call. She wouldn't say to who, just that it was important. Steve had figured it was to Wo Fat. A courtesy call. To tell him that she had gotten home without a hitch. He figured he'd let her have it because Wo Fat had been a big help in her return to Hawaii but that would be the last time he'd be okay with her calling them.
Grover, Kono and Chin were all waiting on the porch for them, and the second Rowan got out of the car, Kono was rushing forward to hug her. Rowan let out a string of shaky laughs as she opened up her arms and let Kono bowl into her.
"We were so worried about you," she whispered and Rowan just hugged her back.
"I was pretty worried about me too," she said.
As soon Kono let her go Grover took her into his arms with a warm: "Welcome back little mama," and then Chin was across from her. He smiled happily at her and then he too had her wrapped up in a tight up.
Rowan got a little weepy as she was hugging Chin. But he was all smiles.
When he let her go he said to her: "I uh… I heard that you sent a lawyer my way."
"I did?" she asked glancing at Steve who nodded to her. Immediately Steve put a hand out to her, taking her hand in his and interlacing their fingers so she was close to him.
Chin didn't seem to notice her confusion about the appearance of the lawyer and just kept on talking. "I mean, it was a Yakuza lawyer, which doesn't make me look all that innocent but thank you for trying. I hear he was a pain in Coughlin's ass."
"Uh-huh… uh… where is…" Rowan stuttered. Steve knew she was asking about Rex Coughlin, but Steve didn't know the answer. When they had landed he had been told that Chin was free, and that he'd be briefed when he got back, so this would be when that was going to happen.
"He's dead," Kono told her and everyone went still.
Steve's eyes turned to Rowan, a look of shock on her face, her blue eyes blinking rapidly. But he was there when she told Wo Fat to do whatever he had to do in regard to the Coughlin and Chin situation. Dear god, what, what did he do? This was the whole Reyes situation all over again.
"Rowan…" he started but she cut him off with a wince and a: "Oh dear."
"No, they're 100% positive Gabriel did it. He killed Coughlin and escaped. But with no Coughlin and no Gabriel there's no case against me," Chin said quickly. Steve stayed quiet and didn't correct him and luckily Rowan said nothing too. If that was what HPD was going with he wasn't going to correct anything. Hopefully this one couldn't be traced back to his girl.
Maybe he'd use her phone to call Wo Fat to confirm.
"Pen to the eye right?" Rowan asked after a bit of silence.
"Well yeah, but you've were having dreams about that long before this," Chin reminded her and Steve had to nod along with that, that was true she had warned Coughlin about it when they first met.
Rowan scowled she shot a glance at Steve who was staring at her in what he thought was a concerned look but judging by the face she was making she must have taken that the wrong way. "Can I talk to you a moment?" he asked dragging her aside.
As soon as they were away from the she winced up at him. "I didn't say kill him, but I am regretting telling Wo Fat about that dream, even if it was months ago and I didn't think he'd remember."
"I know, I know but you have to see how bad it is that he just… you know… does these things. Uhm… you know… I know I said I didn't want you talking to him anymore but we may want to call him and just uh… confirm that this one can't be traced back to you…" he said and she nodded. He then looked down at where his hands were holding hers. "I… uh… I wanted to talk to you about something else actually…"
"Okay? What… uh… what is it?"
"Remember how I said that… there was going to come a day when you did something and I wouldn't be able to save you from it?" he asked. Rowan nodded. "Okay, well… this… this was it."
She winced again at him, tears forming in her eyes. "I know… I know Steven…" she cried.
"No, Rowan, you don't know. You don't know what it felt like to watch them take you away from me, in handcuffs, sending you half way across the world, not even regular Hawaiian jail, Rowan they extradited you and that… and that killed me. And I know that's selfish, I know I'm thinking only about what I felt but I can't help it, Rowan. Cause my job is to protect you and I failed…. I just keep failing…"
"I'm sorry," she near sobbed and he suddenly grabbed her, holding her tight to himself, just so he could feel her. To chase away the echo of that pain he had felt, drawn forth by the memory of them dragging her away from him.
"I know. I know that, but please, god, Rowan, please, please don't make me go through that again."
"I'm trying, I am," she whispered. "But I… the problem is when I get like that… I don't have a right or wrong, all I saw was that gun on Danny and I thought about Grace and Charlie and how they needed their dad and how you'd be so mad if something happened to him and I just… I just shot him. And then I kept shooting until he dropped…"
"Rowan, that's not what I mean," Steve said. "I understand that part, Rowan. I do. I saw a Chinese spy holding you down on the ground with a foot to your chest and a gun in your face and I saw red. I shot him more than five times and I didn't think twice about it. I get what happened on the pier, Rowan, because if it had been me I would have shot him 5 times myself. What I mean, Rowan, is that you didn't tell me it happened. You didn't tell me so I couldn't protect you when the time came."
Rowan hung her head. "I just… I…"
"You what?"
"I didn't want you to look at me any different. I didn't want you to look at me like I was…."
"Rowan, no. No. I told you. I told you, I don't think you're a monster. Those looks when you tell me things are cause I'm afraid. Of what's going to happen to you. I'm upset about your past because those things never should have happened to you. I have never once though you were monstrous, you are my saving grace… most of the time."
When she wouldn't look at him he took her chin in his fingers and forced her to look at him. "Rowan. All I want to do is protect you. But you need to trust me."
"I wanted to tell you, I did. But Danny… and I called Wo First… and I knew you'd be mad about that and… and you were… we nearly broke up simply because I called Wo Fat instead of you…"
"No, no, that is not why I got mad. Yes, you're right I was upset you called Wo Fat to help you instead of me, but I was mad because something happened, I knew, I knew something had happened and you, and Danny and Wo Fat knew what it was and you wouldn't tell me. So I know. I know that you were worried about what I would say and I get that because I've been pretty shitty and I am so sorry about that. But you should have told me that you pulled the trigger, just like I should have told you that Reyes was on the island. We're both at fault here," Steve said and Rowan let out a shaky laugh. "What I think… what I think we need… is to trust each other more. Okay? We really, really, need to start communicating better."
Rowan nodded. "Okay."
"And as much as I'd like to say that this won't happen again, I know you, and I know you can't make that promise. So what I want you to promise me instead is that if something like this happens again, that you'll tell me, I don't need to be the first person you tell but you have to tell me. Okay, and me and you, we'll figure it out together. Without your brother."
"I didn't call Wo, Steve, you did, remember?"
"Yes, I know but I called him cause I didn't have a choice. They had you, they wanted the drugs and he had them, and contacts in Colombia… and… I couldn't do it by myself, Rowan, I just couldn't. I told you Rowan, you're important to me. And there isn't a single thing I wouldn't do for you, which includes working with Wo Fat to get you back."
Rowan smiled up at him as if she didn't believe a word he was saying. But he knew, if he kept saying it sooner or later she'd believe him.
There's a sudden cry of her name and they both turned. Nahele had erupted out of the house and was sprinting towards them, jumping at Rowan.
"You're back, you're back," Nahele cried into her shoulder and Rowan held him a little more tightly. Properly crying this time as she hugged him back. He pulled his head out of her shoulder and looked up to her. "Can you maybe… just for a little bit, can you maybe stop getting into so much trouble?" he asked her. "You've been in and out of the hospital, you've been sick, stabbed, and now arrested… couldn't you… just please?"
"I second that," Steve said wrapping an arm around her. Nahele didn't drop the hug he had on her, but he did grip Steve's shirt which warmed his heart.
Rowan smiled at her two boys. "Alright, well do you want to get your stuff packed and we'll go home? Maybe I'll make cocoa?"
"YES! Mrs. Grover tried and I was super polite about it, but your cocoa is the best and nothing will beat that," he said. "Also my stuff is like right by the door, so like, let's go home. Oh… and can we go like… straight home? No stops at the Palace, no rescue missions just… go home right?"
Rowan turned to Steve who rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes, fine, straight home we'll go, but I'll have you know the rescue op I had planned at the Palace would have been spectacular. I had rappelling gear, and lasers and smoke bombs… and… you guys are just missing out, you know?"
Nahele laughed rushing off to get his bag from the Grover's house while Rowan nudged Steve in the ribs shooting him an amused smirk. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her to his side. God, after this he was going to have a hard time letting her out of his sight.