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AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Happy Monday my wonderful readers. So we have one more chapter of sadness before we head onto the Rowan chapters. This is going to be centered around Nahele and how he's feeling, which is going to be bad. Remember he hasn't really had time to grieve, and his life is getting pulled out from under him. But it's not all bad, you are going to see him nice and settled before we move on, so it's not all bad. Not going to lie the first couple of chapters with Rowan are rough, but it explains everything you guys have been curious about. Like why she isn't getting messages and why she didn't come back and all of that. Don't forget to leave me a review and I will see you guys on Wednesday.

Chapter 213

Hey mom… I… I know you're mad at dad… Steve… and I know he fucked up, but Brenda Dean came back and she knows you're gone and I think… I think she's going to take me from Steve. So… can you please come home and if you can't come home… can you just come and get me? Please mom? Please. I… I need you to come get me.

Nahele thought calling Rowan and telling her that he needed her would be what she needed to get her ass in gear and come back home, or at least come and get him. But Rowan never came, HPD did.

As soon as HPD showed up at the house, Nahele knew that Steve had failed. Brenda had already decided Steve wasn't getting him and she waited until Steve was in her office to get someone to collect Nahele. It was a good idea, it was probably to keep Steve from pitching a fit, and he would have, completely, probably would have pulled his gun and his rank and everything.

Problem was, when was Nahele going to get his things?

They dropped him off at the office, where he was told to sit while they coordinated a new place for him. He saw things printed on his file, like volatile and priority, which meant that this really had been a snatch and grab to avoid Steven's temper. But this move meant that they didn't have somewhere to put him… that meant he'd end up in somewhere worse than another home away from Steven who needed him, he was going to end up in a group home.

After that Nahele couldn't stay still. He was trying not to cry but he was on the verge. How could he not be? He had finally been happy, he thought… that this time… that his happiness would last, that he finally found his family, but here he was back at CPS because it hadn't worked out. And it hadn't been because he wasn't wanted or they wanted to send him back, but because something terrible had happened and Steven… well despite needing to, his priorities hadn't shifted. Work was still more important to him.

Nahele wanted to run away, but he had no where to go to. He didn't want to be homeless again, and he couldn't go back to Steve's. As much as he loved the man, it wouldn't have killed him to just… be home. He didn't want to be second best to Steve's work schedule. He wanted someone to notice that he had a bad day and ask him what was wrong. He wanted Steve to fight for him and that clearly hadn't happened. So why would he go back? Instead he had wandered around until he found himself in front of a vending machine. He wasn't hungry. He was just standing there staring, trying to not cry.

"I know man, sometimes I'm so unsure of what to buy I feel like crying too," a voice said. Nahele started not realizing someone was there. The man across from him had a flash of silver going through his black hair, he was in a nice grey suit with a white tee-shirt underneath. He smiled warmly at Nahele. "I mean, look at all the options they got! That's a junk food heaven in there. How do you pick just one?"

Nahele blinked his eyes, looked back at the vending machine and stepped away. "Sorry, you can… you can go…"

The man moved in front of the machine. "I've always like the Oh Henry's what about you?" he asked.

Nahele shrugged. "I unno… M&Ms?"

"Good pick," he said and then purchased a pack. He then turned that smile back on Nahele. "I know they say don't take candy from strangers but it looks like you need a pick me up," he said offering him the open pack. When Nahele just stared at him he added: "If it helps, I can introduce myself."

He offered Nahele his other hand and said: "I'm Kong Liang."

Nahele put his hand out to take the candy, threw them into his mouth and then said: "I'm Nahele."

Kong leant against the machine and offered him more of the M&Ms while swallowing his own handful. "So… whatcha in for kid? Getting shipped out or shipped in?"

"Shipped in," he answered softly.

"Ah… they going to ship you somewhere new then? Somewhere nicer?" Nahele shook his head, lowering his eyes. "No huh? Liked your old place, did you?"

The tears were starting again, and this time he couldn't hold them in. "Aw kid, it's okay," he said as Nahele sniffed. He put a hand to Nahele's shoulder and pet him softly. "I know it's hard, but it'll be okay."

"I was really, really happy," Nahele sobbed and then let him put an arm around him.

"It's alright, let it all out," he said to him and he just let Nahele cry it out. All those frustrated tears, the tears over Rowan's fake death and then her leaving, all the tears he pushed away because Steve couldn't handle his own grief, he didn't think he could handle Nahele's too.

When he was finally ready to stop a woman had come up to them. She had platinum blonde hair, a short bubble gum pink dress and matching high heels. She was so fake tanned she looked bronzed, and it was clear she was a trophy wife as she was a good ten years or more younger than Kong.

"Oh… honey… I leave you alone for five minutes to park the car and you've made a kid cry?" she asked. "They're not gonna give us a kid if you're making them cry!"

"I didn't make him cry, he's had a rough day," Kong snapped. "Here M&M?"

"You're not supposed to be eating junk, honey," she scolded him and he sighed at her. He handed the bag to Nahele.

"Come on, now, honey, let's stop bothering the boy," she said trying to pull him away. "I'm sorry for whatever it was he did to upset you."

"It's okay, I think I'll learn to forgive him," he said with a smile and Kong shot a playful glare at him before ruffling his hair.

"Don't you worry it will work out, it may not seem like it yet, but sometimes things happen for a reason."

Nahele watched them go, feeling like falser words had never been uttered to him before in his life. Except for when, an hour later, it turned out that Kong Liang, and his new wife Brandi had decided to take him home on a temporary basis. Why did he sort of feel like this had been… set up?

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

The room that Kong had was clearly for a kid a lot younger than him. The bed was a race car, the walls were a pastel blue, with race car trim. Everything was small and fit for a little kid's height and grip. As soon as Nahele saw it he turned on Kong with a pained look on his face and found an equally pained one on Kong's face.

"Uh… maybe you'll stay in the guest room until we get this settled," he said. Nahele followed him to a second room, liking that this one was more to his size. Kong's house wasn't anything like the McGarrett's house. Granted he still had a beach but this place wasn't cozy, it was gargantuan. It was a goddamn mansion. He was afraid he was going to get lost in it.

"You didn't have to do this," Nahele said softly. "You're obviously in it for a younger kid…"

"Well yeah," Kong said. "But have you ever just clicked with someone before?"

Nahele turned to him with a patronizing glare. This wasn't a dog shelter or a blind date. Clearly he was not what Kong Liang and his wife were looking for.

"Okay, fine, you want me to level with you?" Kong said. "You're right, we were thinking more of an under five kid. And yeah, I'm not gonna lie, this is temporary. But I'm not lying about the click, I clicked with you kid and I asked what was going on with you and they told us how you're a flight risk and the family they were taking you from was volatile so it was a very last minute grab. They said you hadn't even managed to get your things and I unno… we've got more than enough room and we figured it would be a) good practice, and b) it would look good on us to take you in temporarily."

Yeah that sounded about right.

"But that doesn't mean we don't actually like you, you're a sweet kid, and we did actually wanna help," Kong said. Nahele nodded and the man sort of sighed. "Uh… I can set you up with something to sleep in and for now, and uh… well… we weren't expecting a kid tonight so we don't have anything good to eat and you don't want Brandi to cook so I'll order something in. What are teenagers gushing over these days?"

"Pizza is fine," Nahele whispered.

"Cool, pizza it is," Kong said. "Feel free to come down whenever you want. I got a games room in the basement if you want to check it out."

Nahele didn't want to check it out, he wanted to go home.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Nahele had an inkling that things weren't going to be as temporary as the Liang's said it was going to be when they started buying new things. Brandi had immediately gone into decorator mode, having decided to redo the childish room for a more suitable one for Nahele. She may have been stand offish the first twenty four hours, but once it became clear that she needed to go shopping she was much more interested in him. Shopping with Brandi was a lot like shopping with Rowan, except Brandi was all about the brand names and said things like: "Nuh-uh that does not fit in my vision board for the house" all the time.

Kong did in fact have a games room in the basement, which was essentially just an arcade, he also had a home theater with a popcorn popper in the corner. It was ridiculous, but Nahele was already thinking of inviting people over, his friends were gonna love this. But then he felt bad because he still missed Rowan, and he knew that Steve wasn't going to survive on his own. Not without Nahele to clean up for him. But he was fourteen. Was that really his problem?

Then two days after he had gone to the Liang house hold, Kong announced that it was time to go pick up his stuff from his previous foster. He had also hesitantly asked if he needed back up. Nahele wasn't sure but he had said no, because he really didn't want to scare Kong off and be sent to a group home. But honestly, he wasn't sure how Steve was going to react to this.

He had called Steve to tell him that he was on his way. Steve sounded… subdued and uncaring. Nahele was certain that it was a defense mechanism, but it hurt none the less.

He gave Kong the address, hopped into the man's Escalade and then they were driving to Steve's. Problem was as soon as they got there Kong looked utterly terrified.

"Wait, hold on a second. This is McGarrett's place," Kong said refusing to pull into the drive way. Wait a second Kong knew Steve? Kong turned suddenly surprised eyes onto him. "You're Rowie's kid?"

He knew Rowan. The man knew Rowan.

"Uh… yeah?" he said.

"Wow that girl never shut up about you," he said with a scoff and then turned his eyes back on the house. "And I cannot go in there. That man will arrest me on the spot."

"Arrest you for what?"

"Well my job ain't that legal kid," Kong said. "Let's just say my police reference check is a complete forgery and he's gonna know that. Everyone knows McGarrett ain't taking this whole Rowan dumped him stuff well and I don't want to get in the middle of it."

But he was in the middle of it. Because he had just taken in Steve's Foster kid. Nahele sighed. "Well you can wait in the car if you want, but he's going to find out eventually. Might as well be with me around so he can't get too mad at you. Or at the very least he can't kill you in front of me."

Kong hit him with a dry glare. "Wow, thanks," he said before reluctantly pulling into the driveway. Nahele was almost too scared to go up to the house, afraid of what he was going to find, but the second his feet was on that familiar gravel path, the second the door opened and Steve was in the doorway all that fear left him and he was running into Steve's awaiting arms.

They said nothing for a long while, just hugging each other again, that embrace being something they both needed in that moment. But it meant that Nahele felt when Steve clocked Kong because he suddenly went erect, spine straight, and when Nahele pulled out of the hug he could see that Steve's eyes were wide and his nostrils flaring.

Oh, this wasn't going to be good.

"No," was all he said, his grip on Nahele tightening.

"Steve don't," Nahele warned as Kong put up his hands in a surrender motion and said: "I didn't know."

Steve glared at him. "I don't believe you."

Kong stayed back. "Seriously, I had no idea the kid was yours," he said. "I met him like two days ago at the CPS office, took a shine to him and decided to give him a home, that's all."

"Bullshit! Is this part of the contingency plan? She said she'd make sure she took him, is that what this is?"

What the hell was the guy talking about?

"Okay… dad… Steve…" Nahele said stepping between them. "If mom… damn it… if Rowan was going to take me, she'd take me, right? That's what you said, right. Rowan Pierce lies. So, this isn't anything to do with you and her, it's a guy who wants me to stay with him until they find a permanent spot for me. So maybe don't scare him off cause I really don't wanna go to a group home."

Steve took that in with anguish on his face before he nodded and Nahele sighed. "I have to pick up my stuff. Did you pack the things I'm allowed to take?"

"I packed your clothes for you, and your picture frames… I reprinted the pictures for you but I couldn't remember what went where. Oh and your x-box. I didn't know what else you'd want to take so feel free to grab whatever you want."

"I've got an x-box at home already," Kong interjected. "No point in having two."

Steve glared at him but Nahele just moved aside. "I'll figure it out, try not to kill each other please."

As Nahele walked away Steve's shoulders slumped. Damn this had destroyed the man. He wondered if that was what Wo Fat wanted?

"Uh… you know… you can still see him," Kong said softly. "You can have excursions, you can take him out for movies or dinner. Just no over-nighters, at least right away anyway."

Steve blinked his eyes. "Yeah that was gonna happen regardless." Steve was silent a moment longer before saying: "How the hell did you pass the Police Reference Check."

"It's a forgery," he said. "Please don't tank this for me, cause if you thought Rowan was bad, Brandi will literally be out for blood and I will drive her here."

Steve half scoffed. Wow. Great. This was just great, more guilt, cause he needed that, right?

Steve promised himself he wouldn't do it but the second Nahele came back with the suitcase and the boxes, the second Kong moved to take it from him, Steve cracked. He waited for Kong to be putting everything in the car before whispering: "You know who he's connected to, right?"

Nahele turned to him. "I know he knew mom, I know he's a got a less than stellar arrest record…"

"That man knew your mom but he worked for Wo Fat."

Nahele sighed oh, shit that wasn't good. It didn't look good. It put doubt in Nahele's already nervous blood but he couldn't let Steve see it because if he did that gun and badge would come out and then Brandi and Kong wouldn't be able to get any kid and that wasn't fair, since they were actually quite nice people.

"He didn't know," Nahele said. "I swear, he had no idea until we got here. So, you know… if he didn't know I doubt Wo Fat's sent him for me, you know?"

Steve said nothing but it was clear he didn't believe him. Which made sense cause Nahele only half believed it himself. After a moment of silence Steve pulled him in for a hug and when he was done he pulled back, put his hands the kid he had come to think of as his son and said: "Even though you're not living here I'm still here for you okay? You can call, you can visit, any time, okay?"

Nahele nodded. "Are you gonna be okay without me?"

Steve put on his bravest smile and answered with a breathy: "Yeah. I'll be fine. You?"

Nahele half shrugged and said fine like he meant it when he didn't.

And then both were going their separate ways, heart breaking, filled with longing, with tears in their eyes. Each wondering when the sun would shine on them again.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Kong left Nahele to unpack in his room, which was grateful because he spent the whole time crying. Crying for what he had lost and would never get back. He wanted to call Rowan, but he didn't want to leave another message on her answering machine. He wanted to hear her voice, he wanted to tell her what had happened so she could come home and make it right again.

By the time dinner rolled around Nahele was all cried out and didn't want to go downstairs. Brandi, who did not know how to cook, kept trying to make new things. He had gotten boxed mac and cheese, because he figured there was no way she could fuck that up but he wouldn't have put it past her to have found a way. So, when Kong knocked on the door, he figured it was to call him down for dinner.

"Hey kid, the mac and cheese was… well there's no nice way to put this but it was vile," he said. "I've got pizza coming again. But I feel like you're gonna get pizza'ed out. What are the chances of you making dinner and maybe teaching Brandi a few things? I can pay you… like an allowance kinda thing… not a child labour kind of thing."

"Yeah sure, whatever," Nahele sighed not bothering to get up off of his bed. He was really sad, but the bed also had sheets with a crazy thread count which made them really soft and comfortable.

Usually when he got into a funk, Kong would shut the door and leave him be. But this time he came into the room and then shut the door.

"Kay, kid, I know that today was hard for you, and I get that," he said. "So uh… I was gonna wait to do this, but I think… I think I should do it now. If you could please sit up so I could talk to you…"

Nahele blinked his eyes, surprised, but he sat up, surprised to find that Kong was now leaning against Nahele's desk and he tried very hard not to feel uncomfortable. It wasn't that Kong scared him but he had a feeling that there was an ulterior motive to this conversation.

"So, as we've established… I knew your uh… previous foster mom," he said and Nahele blinked his eyes at him. "You remember that app she had?"

"The Sanctuary app?"

"That's right, I coded that app for her," he told him and Nahele sat there not sure what to do with that information "I can see the look on your face, so I'mma try to be as clear and transparent as I can. Uh… how much do you know about Wo Fat?"

"Uh… that he was Ro's brother and Steve hated him…"

"Ever hear about what he did for a living?"

"He's a criminal right?" Nahele asked. "Steve mentioned that a lot when they argued. He also said that Wo Fat got Rowan away from the kidnappers, but Wo Fat also said she was dead…"

"Yeah… uh… it's a messed up situation kid I'm not gonna lie. But uh… basically what you need to know is that Wo Fat is the kind of man whose fingers are in everything. He builds empires, and topples them, and has a lot of people who will do his dirty work for him, though he's never cared about getting himself dirty when the occasion called for it." Alright so this guy was scary, he got it. "And he cares more about Rowan than you'd think he's just not above working outside the law to take care of her, you know?"

No, Nahele did not know. Once again he was wondering why this mattered. Kong let out a shaky sigh before saying: "Wow this is hard. Okay uh… so, to preface this, my wife and I were already in the process of becoming foster parents before he called us, so I don't want you to think you've been forced on us or anything, okay?"

Well that was a shitty preface.

"Wo Fat really did make you take me?" he asked cause if he lied to Steve about this the man was going to lose his shit.

"No, but he did ask me if I would," he said. "I told him I'd think about it, went and met you at the office like he told me to and you know… just as I said me and you… we clicked… in a completely non-weird way. I talked to my wife about you, we got more of your story and well… as you can see we took you."

Okay so what… what was that outburst in the driveway? Was it all an act? Well obviously, but there was no point in arguing about it now, he was already a liar, calling Steve wouldn't fix it now. So Nahele nodded, well at least he wasn't forced to take him, he'd feel even worse than he already did.

"Wait so this isn't… this isn't temporary?" he asked.

"Well… I don't know. Right now, yes, but I like having you here, honestly I think you'll be easier than a toddler, but Brandi may take some time to warm up to the idea," he said. "I know we're not the McGarrett's but I promise to be just as cool. You got bullies I can obliterate their online lives, set up a virus to leak their nudes and other embarrassing media… that's cool right?"

It wasn't and that must have been clear on Nahele's face because Kong switched gears.

"You miss her, don't you kid?" He nodded again and then Kong leant in and whispered: "And what if I told you I could put you in touch with her? What would you think then?"

"You could do that?"

"I could, but there are… terms and conditions you'd have to agree to first."

"Like what?"

"Well… uh… Steven McGarrett cannot, under any circumstances know about this. He can't know that Wo Fat asked me to take you in, he can't know that you're in contact with her."

"Fair," Nahele answered immediately, and he knew why that had to be.

"And Rowan… she thinks he's gotten back together with Catherine… and that you're with them…"

Now Nahele was confused. "Wait a second… why…"

"Steven had her brainwashed, from my understanding. Wo Fat wanted her safe from him and he knew that she would have gone back to him immediately, if only to get back to you. And well… this all would have happened all over again now wouldn't it?"

"So he's lying to her? But that's not…"

"You know McGarrett knew she was there right? He knew they were torturing her and he left her there because Rowan had the nerve to leave him."

"That's not true!" Nahele cried. "He was distraught when she left, he thought she was with Wo Fat. He loves her, I know he does. He misses her. If Wo Fat has to lie her maybe he should just let her come back!"

He was close to crying because it wasn't fair. He wanted Rowan to come home, he wanted that family back, but Wo Fat was lying to her and keeping her away from him. And he was alone again.

"He also bought another woman an engagement ring."

Fuck he had him there. But Nahele couldn't think of anything else to say, he just stared at Kong with a frantic tearful look on his face.

Kong sighed. "I see we won't be seeing eye-to-eye on this," he said straightening and going to walk away. Nahele realized that he wasn't going to let Rowan talk to him, that Wo Fat would come up with another lie to explain why he wasn't talking to her too. That just like Steve would have to lose Rowan and him, Rowan would lose Steven and him as well and if Steve wasn't coping he didn't even want to know how Rowan was doing with all of this, especially since she was the one who was really badly hurt.

"No! No! I want to talk to her," he cried. "I do… I won't… I won't give anything away. Please let me talk to her, please!"

Kong stepped back, leaning back against the desk and crossing his arms. "You mean that?"

"Yes! I promise. I just… I just want to talk to her."

He went into his pocket and pulled out a phone and tossed it to him. "It's your new number, the only way to get a hold of her," he told him. "She's out of it currently, but she's been asking for you, I expect him to let her put a call in to you by the end of the month."

Nahele looked it over, the background photo was of Rowan and him on the beach. Things were simpler back then he'd do anything to go back to that.

"So, let's go over the lies: where do you live?" "With Steven." "Who is Steven with?" "Catherine." "And what do you tell Steve?"

Nahele looked up to him. "Absolutely nothing."

Kong smiled. "Good job. Now uh… Brandi uh… Brandi's attempting to make you cookies to make up for the vile mac and cheese. But there's a good chance they're going to poison you, so take a bite, I'll distract her and you spit it right out, got it?"

Nahele nodded again and Kong ruffled his hair like Steve used to. He clutched the phone in his hand. That phone was the only link to the last person he had that cared about him and that photo was about as close as he was ever going to get to having a happily family. So why did he feel like he sold his soul to keep this little piece of it?