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A/N: Happy Monday my wonderful readers. Can you believe that we're 201 chapters in? Honestly I'm shook that I got us this far! This is the longest fic I've ever written. And we're almost there! In two more chapters things are going to HIT the fan. I want you guys to be very prepared for what's going to happen. I don't want you guys to freak out. I'd like to say there are some cute parts to the next two chapters, but there isn't all that much, other than Kono and Adam getting married. This is where it's going to become very obvious that Rowan and Steve are heading down hill.

Chapter 201

The day before Kono's wedding was an eventful one.

Chin finally confronted Adam about the photos of him with Goro Shioma. And he got a pretty good explanation and one confession. Goro Shioma really was asking him for all of his money in return for freedom from the Yakuza. And the only reason Goro Shioma was being patient with Adam's reluctance to turn over all his money was because Adam and thrown around Rowan's name. But both of them knew only that would last for so long.

Grover and Danny found out that Gabriel really was still on the island. Still on the island, still alive, and putting down drug smugglers. They came to the conclusion that with Wo Fat running him ragged at Rowan's behest, Gabriel had branched out into low level organizations trying to take down the competition to garner a bit of a name for himself, maybe get a little bit more money. Gabriel was either going to climb ranks, or he was going to find himself back on Rowan's radar and get beaten down or if they were lucky… put down. Only time would tell on the outcome of that one.

But it was what happened at the Pierce-McGarrett house that started the problem.

Steve had gone for his morning swim. Rowan had taken Nahele to school, as the poor boy was frantically trying to get himself prepared for his exams in two weeks. The plan, for when Rowan came back, was to go to brunch and discuss strategies to help Nahele with his growing stress. But when Steve came out of the water his towel was missing. Now that didn't make sense, he was certain he had brought it out with him. And he knew Rowan wasn't home, because if she was she would have been with the towel ready to help him dry off.

Steve tilted his chair back, the one he was certain he left the towel on, and then went to look under Rowan's when he heard a voice.

"Looking for this?"

Steve's head whipped up. Out of everyone he expected to be out on that beach with him, he never would have guessed Catherine. Nor would he have guessed that seeing her again would have filled his stomach with a typhoon of nervous butterflies.

Geeze, what the hell did that mean?

She was wearing ripped light blue jean shorts, a white tank top under an open light blue plaid long sleeved button up. Her hair was braided to the side and she was just standing there holding his towel and smiling at him. Steve couldn't help but notice how pretty she was, like he had almost forgotten that he once had found the woman in front of him attractive. His blood heated for all the wrong reason and though he knew he shouldn't have he found himself suddenly very happy that Catherine was there on that beach with him, and sort of filled with a stupid desire to kiss her.

"Hey sailor," she said when he could only just stand there and stare at her like a big buffoon.

Steve forced himself back into reality, forced himself to do something other than just stand there. "Catherine?" he said quickly. Which was stupid because obviously it was Catherine.

She took a few steps towards him, biting her lip in that way that really used to get him going, and seemed to be getting him going again. "Look, I know, I should have called and I wanted to, I just… I didn't know what to say. So I figured if I just came in person that it would just be…"

She got too close to him and without thinking he had reached out and grabbed her, pulling her in for a hug. Wet or not, she didn't seem to care but instead let him have it, hugging him tightly back.

The touch was what did it. What reminded him. Because her touch felt nothing like Rowan's. Electricity didn't skate under the surface of his skin leaving him tingling where Catherine touched him. She didn't fit right to him, she was altogether too tall, or he was too used to Rowan's height. Either way, it was all wrong and it was that that reminded why he was with Rowan instead of Catherine.

He pulled out of the hug and frowned at the sound of someone clearing their throat. He hadn't even seen Rowan arrive let alone heard her, and he usually at least felt her get close to him. It was like the second Catherine came around whatever connection was between he and Rowan was severed or at least muted.

Rowan glared at him, nostrils flaring, fire in her eyes, her lips set in a thin frown. She was dressed sort of like Catherine. Light blue jean shorts, white tank top. The only difference was the button up she was wearing was one of his. His black one. Fuck he loved that girl in his clothes. Now he was heated in all the right ways.

"Okay…" Rowan said. She grabbed the back of Catherine's shirt and tugged her away from Steve. Once they were separated, she ripped the towel out of Catherine's hands. "When I shut the door in your face that did not mean sneak into the back yard to see him."

Oh great… So she knew that Catherine had showed up and not only had she turned her away, she probably wasn't about to tell him that Catherine had shown up in the first place. That was not a good thing. But Steve didn't want a fight today so he put out a hand to mollify Rowan. He took the towel from her to dry himself off, once suitable dry he reached out to tug Rowan to his side.

"You get the kid to school on time?" he asked softly hoping to distract her.

"Of course," she answered as he stooped down to press a kiss to her cheek. She accepted it though her eyes never left Catherine. Eyes that were narrowed into challenging angry slits.

Steve glanced back to Catherine. She had just shown up out of the blue, but that didn't mean he didn't want to talk to her. He just knew he wouldn't be able to do that with Rowan hovering.

"Do you think you could give us… uhm… some space to talk?" he asked Rowan. In that moment he saw Catherine bite back a triumphant smile while Rowan's face descended into something even darker than her usual Ice Queen mask.

"You promised me brunch, McGarrett," she growled in a low tone of warning.

Steve winced. "Rain check?" Rowan said nothing. She merely glared at him. "I just wanna catch up. Come on."

Rowan rolled her eyes, huffed out a very aggressive and aggravated sigh and then said: "Whatever."

"Babe, come on, don't be like that!" he called after her, but Rowan had already turned on heel and begun stalking away from him. As soon as she was out of ear shot he sighed: "I'm gonna catch hell later…"

"You're a grown man, Steven, doesn't she trust you?"

"I think we both know it's you she doesn't trust," he said. That earned him a pained look from Catherine and now he felt doubly guilty. Time to change the topic. "When did you get in?"

"This morning," she answered. Ah, so she hadn't been here long. He was probably her first visit. That shouldn't have made him as happy as it did. "I just came straight for the airport."

Ah-ha! He was right!

She smiled happily no doubt encouraged by his own grin. "I wasn't going to miss Kono's wedding, come on."

"Well, I hear it's going to be great. Rowan's been doing a lot of planning, that I have not been a part of," he said with a cheeky grin.

"Yes, I'm surprised she's not planning her own wedding with that rock she's got on her finger."

Damn her promise ring. Was it bad that Steven had sort of hoped that Catherine wouldn't notice that?

"Naw, we're not there yet," Steve said instead. Hoping that would be enough and he wouldn't have to explain. "Uh… well, how about I dry off, I throw some civvies on and take you out to breakfast… with Rowan of course, it'll be her treat, did you know she's a millionaire?"

Catherine blinked her eyes. "I'm sorry, what? Did she win the lottery?"

"Naw, she just gets really large royalty cheques. Turns out she's really good at writing and selling her songs," Steve said. "Just uh… give me a moment to kinda talk her down. Not gonna lie she's probably gonna be a bit pissed."

"Yeah that sounds exactly like Rowan Pierce."

Steve tried not to let that get to him. The problem was, that really was his girl. All they had done over the last week and half before Kono's wedding was argue. She was getting a call, same day, around the same time, once a week. She always brushed it off. Always had a good excuse. But Steve had a feeling he knew who it was. Because Wo Fat had always liked getting weekly updates from Rowan. And the more he felt in his gut that Rowan was in contact with her brother again, the more agitated he became. He kept trying to catch her in a lie, but she had gotten good, and he could no longer tell when she was lying to him. That sociopath was also coming out of her quicker. Another clue indicating that she was once again in contact, because she always got worse under his influence.

So they argued. And they fought. And then had amazing make up sex. But it was exhausting. It was starting to wear on him. And now with Catherine in front of him, he was reminded of when things were easier. When he was dating a girl who wasn't from another world. Who didn't get psychic visions. Who didn't have a psychopath for a brother.

But Steven didn't love Catherine. He loved Rowan. And that wasn't going to change just because he got a few butterflies around Catherine.

"Just don't go anywhere, I'll be right back," he assured her before jogging towards the house.

He must have snuck up on Rowan because this time, when he caught her on the phone she didn't say: I gotta go, call you later, and then hang up the phone like she usually did. In fact he actually caught a little bit of her conversation.

"No I'm serious, he's currently outside… with Catherine. Yes, that Catherine, Lieutenant Catherine Rollins, Catherine. Ex Catherine. Yes I know she was supposed to be in Afghanistan. Well I didn't know she was coming back! I thought you would know that… you were supposed to be watching her, how did you not know she came back to Hawaii?!"

"Who are you talking to?" Steve asked and Rowan whirled around.

She glanced to her phone and then said: "Kono." She put it to her ear and said: "Talk to you when I get to the venue, we can bitch then."

And then she hung up and hid her phone before Steve could see the screen. Yeah like that wasn't suspicious.

"Were you on the phone with Wo Fat?"

Rowan scoffed at him. "You got water in your ears? I just said I was on the phone with Kono."

Steve gave her a dry glare. "Rowan… are you lying to me?"

"You know what, I'm not doing this. Why the hell were you outside, with Catherine, whomst you know is to me what Wo Fat is to you, for that fucking long?"

Steve shook his head. "You're being ridiculous."

"Oh now it's ridiculous. When you've been giving me the third degree for every private caller I get?"

"Okay look, baby, I know how you feel about Catherine, but we both know I've only got eyes for you," he said and then tried very hard not to feel guilty or a little bit like he had just lied to her. "And she did just come back… and we do have a lot to catch up on."

Rowan knew him well, she understood where this conversation was going, because she was suddenly groaning and whining like a little child, which she knew he didn't like. At all. "No you did not invite her onto our breakfast date."

"Uh…"

"Oh my god Steven!" Rowan snapped. "Are you serious? I literally slammed a door in her face and now I gotta play nice?"

"Well you shouldn't have slammed a door in her face," Steve chided. "I'm gonna shower and get dressed. What are the chances of you joining me?"

He tried to pulled her into a tight embrace, to kiss her, to get her excited, to feel some sort of heat for her, but she pushed him away. "Catherine Rollins is on our beach and coming on our date. Chances are slim to none."

Fair but at least she had relented on Catherine coming on the date. He kissed her cheek, which she let him do, but didn't press into and then rushed away to get ready. Somewhat relieved that Rowan had turned down the offer to join him because now he could get ready even faster without Rowan distracting him.

Problem was as soon as he got to the stairs his phone rang. This was not the day or the time to catch a case, but he couldn't control crime on Hawaii.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Homeland security had gotten in touch with Grover about the plane that had landed in Hawaii with a dead pilot. They told them that the plane came from an area where unknown assailants had attacked a military transport convoy that was loaded with six W80 nuclear warhead, they had five out of the six, and it was it thought that the nuke had been on the plane. They had a Geiger counter brought in to confirm it and while it did prove that the nuke was on the plane Steve tried to look on the positive side of the situation. At least it was only one nuke on Hawaii.

"Rowan's gonna be so pissed that the bomb vision is coming true," Danny said with a sigh and Steve grit his teeth. He had been thinking it, but he didn't want her to be right, he couldn't take any more gloating about her visions being right.

"Now wait a second, I'm not entirely convinced this is the right vision."

"It's an explosive device the day before Kono's wedding. Guaranteed this is the vision she was talking about."

"No it's not. Rowan said bomb not nukes," "—Does your girl even know the difference? I sure as hell don't." "—And we're not at the wedding yet. There's a good chance it won't even effect the wedding."

"So call your girl and get a vision," Danny said. "You know, to be absolutely certain that this isn't going to be pulled into Kono's wedding."

Steve winced. "I… uh… can't."

"What why not? Rowan in the hospital again? She mad at you again? What? What happened to Rowan?"

Steve really didn't want to tell Danny about what happened that morning. Especially since he had been going to Danny every other day to bitch about Rowan and their constant arguments. But he knew he couldn't just leave it at that, Danny wouldn't let him. So he bitterly admitted: "She's fine… she's just… mad at me."

"That is old news, she's always mad at you," Grover said and Steve frowned. It was true recently, the two of them hadn't really bounced back from what had happened the night they were searching for Kono and her missing out-rigger. But that didn't mean Steve liked hearing his friends point that out, because that meant it was obvious and Steve had been hoping that it wasn't.

"What did you do this time?" Danny asked and once against Steven bristled against the question. Another side effect of arguing with Rowan. Everyone's questions agitated him. But nothing agitated him more than being asked what he did, like Rowan wasn't being irrational. It wasn't always his fault, Rowan contributed to those arguments more than he did.

"I didn't do anything!" Steve cried even though that wasn't true. "It's just… Catherine's back…"

"Oh hot damn! That's not good!" Danny said with a laugh, completely contradicting his statement. He sounded way to happy about this turn of events for them not to be good. "So… how long is she staying?

"We didn't discuss that," Steve told him.

"Uh-huh… was that because Rowan was in the room at the time?"

It was but that Steve didn't want to say that. "No cause I caught a case, Danny."

"Okay, well, between the two of us we could probably reason it out. Was her suitcase big or was it small?"

"It was… uh… medium," Steve admitted.

"Medium. Is she staying with you or is she staying at a hotel?"

"Uh… she's at my place till Rowan finds her a room elsewhere," Steve said.

"Ah so Rowan won't let her stay, huh?"

"Rowan slammed the door in Catherine's face this morning, course she not going to let Catherine stay in the house," Steve grumbled. He noticed Danny's perplexed look and reminded himself that he shouldn't sound so forlorn and grumpy about Rowan not letting his ex-girlfriend stay at his house.

Danny seemed to recognize that the look on Steven's face was a guilty one because he immediately straightened and then clasped his hands on the hood of his car and leant forwards towards Steve. Danny could see it in Steven's face, both of them knew that whatever Danny was going to say next wasn't going to be well received. But that wasn't going to stop Danny from saying it. It never did.

"Look, I like Catherine very much, but I happen to hate how the way that she left things with you in fucking Afghanistan, and you know, we're all going to hate how annoyed Rowan is going to be over this," Danny said. "And now she comes back without so much as a phone call. Your girl is dropping not so subtle hints that she's not happy and you're ignoring them. That just doesn't bode well, you know. You and Rowan have been kinda… rickety recently. You know with your paranoia…" "—It's not paranoia I know she's talking to him again, Danny, I just can't prove it right now!" "… and you're constant arguing, and I just… I don't want this to be what ends you two, you know? Cause… you got a good thing going for you, and we both know if Rowan goes the kid will go…"

Steve turned a dark glare to Danny. "Shut up. For fuck sake. Danny. Shut up. We're not breaking up, she's not taking my son…"

"Whoa, your son?"

"Nahele, she's not taking Nahele, I will not let her take Nahele from me. Let it fucking go. Not another word, you got it?"

Danny leant back and digested the metaphorical bomb that Steve had just dropped on him. Steve thought of Nahele like a son. That was something they had all sort of assumed, but Steve had never voiced it before. It was gonna fucking suck if the two of them broke up and he lost Nahele and Rowan all in one fell swoop. Danny was gonna have to do a lot of damage control if that was the case. Just meant he was going to have to work extra hard to make sure that the break up never happened.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

After Steven had left, giving Catherine the direct order to not go anywhere, Rowan was left with a choice. She could kick Catherine out and into a hotel or she could be the bigger person and have her stay… at least until Steven came back or until she had to go pick up Nahele from school. She had even been nice enough to personally find Catherine a hotel suite in the hotel closest to the Royal Hawaiian Golf Club where Kono would be having her wedding tomorrow and she paid for it herself. Only fair since Steve had been adamant on letting Catherine stay with them and it was Rowan who wasn't letting Catherine stay in their house.

It had been awkward with Catherine walking around like she owned the place, and Rowan sitting on the couch and trying to work on songs. They weren't talking to one another, except to ask close-ended questions like: would you like more tea or is it alright if I sit here? It was stupid, but Rowan couldn't help but be jealous. Here was the girl that eased through everything with Steven. She got the label Rowan wanted and fought for without even trying. She just seemingly fit with Steven, like people saw them together and thought, yeah that makes sense, they didn't think that when they saw her and Steven together. But she kept reminding herself that in the end, she won. Steven had chosen her. So why did she feel like she could see the regret on Steven's face when he looked at Catherine? Why did she feel like he was regretting fucking things up with Catherine to be with her instead?

That feeling got worse when Steven called Catherine about his case instead of Rowan. Rowan couldn't help but stare at Catherine almost accusingly as if it were her fault Steven went to her when he needed help in his case and not her, and it was because of that glare that Catherine put the call on speaker so both of them could hear what Steve was saying even though it was clear from his tone that Steven hadn't wanted Rowan involved.

"Look, whoever is behind this had to know that we would track that plane back to Garrison and learn about the stolen nuke," Steve told them after explaining the situation a second time so Rowan knew what was going on.

Steve really didn't appreciate her: So it's the bomb dream comment either.

"Okay, so either they don't care about getting caught…"

"Or they're not planning on sticking around very long," Rowan finished for Catherine. The two women shared a bit of a charged stare. Rowan wondered if Catherine thought she was being rude. Really she was just trying to be helpful.

"If their goal is to sell, I'm sure they're not gonna have a hard time finding a buyer," Danny said. "Ro, what's your brother up to?"

"Uh… last I heard he was going dark," Rowan answered before she could stop herself. She really hoped that Steven didn't catch that. "And he wouldn't bring a nuke on an island I'm on. He's not stupid."

Before Steve could say anything or ask her how she knew what her brother was up to, Catherine forged forward. "Alright, so Wo Fat is out as a viable option. I'll try and gather some intel, see if there's been any chatter about transportation or sale of a nuclear weapon."

Rowan opened her mouth to add something, and as if he sensed her about to do so, Steven suddenly snapped: "And don't you use your app!"

Rowan paused, she was literally about to pull Sandy up. "Why not? I could get better intel more quickly…"

"I told you, I've told you repeatedly that I don't want you on the app. It's just going to end badly."

"It never ends badly."

"It usually ends with you in the hospital!"

"Because you don't listen to me! You promised that you'd listen to me, McGarrett."

Steve's heavy sigh was a frustrated one. One that had Rowan's lower lip trembling and her eyes avoiding Catherine's knowing and smug stare. "Rowan. Please. Just once. Just once can you just sit at home and worry? So I don't have to worry?"

That was the shittiest fucking thing he had ever said to her. And she knew exactly why he had said it. Because he had Catherine now and he didn't need her.

"I hope you get shot," she snapped and then hung up the phone for Catherine. She glanced up to Catherine's shocked face and tried not to scowl. "Since you two wanna be team McGarrett so bad, go ahead. Why don't you go meet him at the Palace, lord knows he'd love to have you back on the team."

Yeah, let Catherine go off. Let Steve have his capable ex-girlfriend back on the team. She was just going to sit home, figure out where the nuke was, and see exactly how long it would take the so called Wonder team to figure it out.

As she stormed upstairs to her room, she brushed the first of her frustrated tears away just as her phone started ringing. Problem was, she didn't want to talk to Steven. She wanted to talk to someone who understood and appreciated her. Too bad he had just gone into a no-service zone for the next two weeks… if not longer.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

It wasn't an hour later that Catherine called him back. He was at the Palace with the rest of the team, including Kono who refused to take the day before her wedding off. Citing: if you're working, then I'm working. Steve got that so he said nothing but just let it happen. He didn't want any more arguing in his life anyway.

They had identified one of the people on the plane. Joshua Bennett from Ohio. On the outside he looked normal. Worked a nine-to-five, had a wife and two kids. He didn't look or sound like the kind of guy who would steal a nuke and transport it to Hawaii but he had. He also had attempted to get into the military almost 20 years ago only to be turned down for being a mental case. Yeah, like that boded well for them.

But then Catherine called and their lead got a little more solid.

"I think I found a buyer, I just sent you a file," she said just as his phone dinged again. Yes she had sent him a file. He pulled it up onto the smart table for everyone to read.

Sameer Hadad.

Kay well, his team didn't know who he was, but Steven and Catherine did.

"He's a high-ranking lieutenant in al Qaeda," Steve told them. "He's also on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list."

"Yeah, and six months ago, he tried to purchase a nuke from a group of Chechen rebels. CIA was all over it. They sent in a SEAL team. We recovered the warhead, but Hadad got away," Catherine explained.

"Right. And now, Bennett's gonna sell him one," Danny summed up with a sigh.

"Looks like it. Credible sources confirm chatter that puts Hadad on Oahu."

"How the hell's a guy like this get on the island?" Danny asked. Yeah that was a good fucking question.

"I got my guys looking into that. There may be a connection with a local shipping company," Catherine said. "Listen, this is the real deal, guys. Hadad made threats against the US, Israel, Europe, Jordan. We cannot let him get off the island. If he gets his hands on that nuke, you can bet he's gonna use it."

There was a moment of silence before Catherine added: "I know you don't want to hear this, but uh… we could really use Rowan right about now."

"Rowan? What the hell could she do?"

"I didn't really want to tell you this, but uh… not gonna lie, having Pierce the Destroyer as a name to throw around… that really helped when I was in Afghanistan. That app of her really is an information highway, Steven, and her name is like god over there. The school I was teaching at… we changed its name to Pierce's school, Taliban forces were so scared of offending her by accidentally catching the school in the crosshairs, they moved out of the area indefinitely. Gave us a twenty mile radius in all directions."

Why did hearing those things still surprise him? Was it because he never saw that in his girl. Sure he saw how capable she was, he saw her as Pierce the Destroyer, but most of the time she was just Rowan. His Rowan. Who baked cookies for Nahele's school craft sale and had to bake more mid-day as they had sold out so quickly and the demand for more was near riot-worthy. Who sang songs and danced around his kitchen in his shirt, short shorts and a pair of socks. It was hard to see that girl as the same person as Pierce the Destroyer.

Though he didn't want to get her involved he still said: "Okay so… so I guess we call her and ask…"

"Yeah I tried that. She's uh… she's not really cooperating."

"What she's screening your calls?" Steve asked. God he hoped that wasn't true because he was pretty sure Rowan was screening his too. She hadn't answered him since she had told him that she hoped he got shot. She had never said that to him before and it hurt to hear those words come out of her mouth, even though he knew her to just be mad, but not made enough to mean them.

"No, she's answered. She just wasn't very… uh… nice."

Goddamn it. Why couldn't Rowan just play nice for once? Just… for once?

"Okay, I'll uh… I'll see what I can do… might even be able to swing you an apology," he told her though he knew that was a hail marry pass.

He ended the call with Catherine and ignored the stares he was getting from both Chin and Kono. Neither of them looked impressed either and they were shifting that unimpressed stare between Steve and Danny. Danny, however, just stood there with a look that said: the shit I put up with on his face that Steve didn't appreciate.

Instead, ignoring all of them, Steve called Rowan. It rang twice before it went to her voicemail. Great, she was ignoring his calls too. "Call me when you get this, it's important," he said to her voicemail.

He was smart enough to know that she'd ignore that message and feign not knowing, so he also sent her a quick text. Just a quick and easy: Need Sandy's help with the nuke, ASAP. He figured, like the call he'd get ignored, but not seconds later Rowan had replied.

Your access to Sandy has been restricted. Get your help and intel from Catherine.

It was at times like these that he really, really hated his girlfriend.