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AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Happy Friday my wonderful readers! So what we have here, or for the next couple chapters is the rest of Episode one. Except we're not in the proper season, we're still in the summer months. We're going to be in the proper season I believe after episode 3 but I will keep you posted. In this chapter Steve and Rowan are going to be cute and Rowan's going to be up to her shady shit again, I know this seems like they're sliding back, but toxic behaviour is hard to combat if you're not really trying. Needless to say, everything that happens in this chapter and the next one is going to be addressed and resolved at some point before the two of them actually get married (which I still don't have a chapter for, but it's coming in between episode 7 and episode 8). We've got some time (I'm planning to rewrite all the way to season 10) so their flaws are not just gonna resolve themselves over one chapter, so be patient. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway, as always don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you Monday for the start of our Marathon!

Chapter 303

A body had been left in the palace. A dead one. With the note that read: "I've been a naughty boy." When they found the primary crime scene, they found that, while he was working at a car wash, he had a hotel uniform and he had hotel keys, one of which was splattered with blood. This told Steve that there was another crime scene as their victim had been chocked to death. Definitely no blood splatter in that murder. They went to the Palekaiko Resort and Spa, checked on the two cards, which were for rooms that were both occupied at that moment and the team split up.

Danny and Steve taking the 12th floor, and Chin and Kono taking the 21st. Both rooms had dead bodies in it. Both bodies had their eyes gouged out.

Yeah, that wasn't good. Their dead guy from the palace, Anthony Hein, was a serial killer.

And if things weren't bad enough, their newly elected Governor of Hawaii, Keiko Mahoe was demanding to meet with Steve about these murders.

Steve met her at the elevator, she didn't smile, she didn't shake his hand, it was straight to business with her.

"Are you sure these murders are connected?" she asked as she stormed past him and to the first room. He wasn't sure how she was going to handle the bodies but he was about to find out.

"Yes, ma'am. They're the same MO," he told her as he followed her in. He wanted to be right behind her in case she fainted. He'd want to catch her before she hit the floor. But she actually did very well. She glanced at the bodies got herself stable and then walked to stand in front of them. Steve took out his phone to show her the picture. "We believe it's the work of this man."

"Who is he?"

"I'm sure you heard about the body that we found at the Palace this morning."

"That was this guy?"

"Yes, ma'am. The lab found traces of all four victims' blood on his clothing. It doesn't appear that either of the couples knew each other. There were no valuables missing at either of the crime scenes. So far, everything's pointing towards this being serial."

She took that in stride as well. This was starting off good so far. "We believe it has something to do with the fact that they were tourists."

"Here to admire our beautiful island."

"Yes, ma'am."

She sighed deeply. "So, this guys murders four people with in days of each other at the same hotel, then turns up dead? What is going on here, commander?"

"We're not sure. It could be a vigilante, maybe this guy had a partner who turned on him. We just… we don't know yet."

Governor Mahoe took that in and then walked carefully out into the balcony to look at the ocean front view and Steve followed here. "We need to keep what happened here from the press. If people think they can't be safe in their hotel rooms, we jeopardize the one thing this island relies on the most."

Except Steve didn't agree with that. "We cover this up and another tourist is killed, then what? What do we do then?"

There was a heavy pause before she started talking again, one that made him nervous. "Commander, Governor Dennings told me three things when I moved into this office. The first was, never go to an event without two copies of a speech. The second was, don't ever underestimate the Five-0 Task Force. That's why I'm here to tell you that you have my full support. So do your job and make sure this doesn't happen again."

Well that was wonderful but he had a feeling that she was leaving something out.

Steve nodded. "And the third?"

She turned back to him. "The third was that you were absolutely insane when it came to Rowan Pierce, and that it was better for the task force and the island to keep her on my good side."

Well that wasn't good.

"I am willing to trust you this time, Commander. I'm willing to even give her a shot but…"

"Steven?"

Steve straightened. Oh no, no, why was Rowan here now?

"Shit, give me one second," he said to Governor Mahoe and then turned, he tried to get off that balcony before Rowan got there but she had already walked into the room.

"Hey baby," she said heading towards him with arms outstretched. It wasn't until he saw her that he realized just how badly he needed a hug from her at that moment. It wasn't like they hadn't just had breakfast with one another and Nahele that morning. It wasn't like they hadn't been having sex daily, sometimes more than twice daily. He just always missed her. It may not hit him while he was at work, but he always realized just how badly his body craved her the second she came into view.

"I just wanted to check if you were still good for… AUGH?! Where are their eyes?!"

Steve got to Rowan and immediately turned her away. "I'm obviously not good for Lunch Ro," he hissed to her as she heaved into his chest. She blindly turned away from him and moved to the minibar where she took out a ginger ale.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist I'll pay for it," she said as she opened it up.

Steve didn't even get to finish his lecture. Governor Mahoe had joined them and was staring at Rowan with thinly veiled disgust.

"Oh, hello, I'm Ro…"

"I know who are you Miss. Pierce," she said primly shutting down Rowan's introduction. "And I can say that I'm really unimpressed with your continuing relationship with Five-0. I feel like with someone with your background… you're… tainting their good name, and therefore mine."

Rowan blinked her eyes. "My… background?"

Steve's eyes turned to the heavens, he knew who was going to be brought up next. "Your connection to your… brother in name only."

"Wo? This is about Wo? What does he have to do with anything? He's not even on the island."

"Everything. At this moment it is entirely plausible that, now that you've returned, Wo Fat now has Five-0 in his pocket."

Steve shook his head. It wasn't just that he was confused as to how Rowan knew where Wo Fat was at that moment, but he was absolutely outraged at the Governor's accusation.

"Excuse me… you think… you think that I'm going to work with Wo Fat? What give him a free pass?"

Rowan nodded. "Do you not know about all the bad blood between those two? I have always kept the two of them separate."

"And she's not talking to him anymore."

"That is true too, he spent a year lying to me so he and I are not okay, right now."

"Ever," Steve corrected.

"We'll argue about that at home, okay honey?" Rowan said between grit teeth. Her focus was still on the Governor "Does that… make you feel better?"

"And the Sanctuary app that you control."

"Oh no, no control. Wo Fat has control of that. It's running automatedly, right now, and it's only for protection."

"What?"

"Well Wo doesn't trust Steve with my safety," Rowan told her and Steve rolled his eyes.

"I can take care of you just fine, I've told you…"

"Sweetie, I know, I know. It's him that doesn't believe you, again, we can argue about this at home."

Governor Mahoe turned accusing eyes to Steve and Steve stepped away from his girlfriend. "I'm sorry. We had lunch plans, and the cops always let her by. Because she's dating me, not because of Wo Fat…"

Behind him came a coughing sputtering and Steve turned immediately to where Rowan was choking on her sip of ginger ale, her phone in her hand. That couldn't be good she must have had the app up. Though why she was going through that right now, in front of the Governor, made no sense to him. Couldn't she have waited to run a background check?

"Are you okay?"

Rowan gave him a thumbs up. "Just give me a minute." She went out onto the balcony and shut the door but not thirty seconds later he could hear her hissing angry voice lecturing someone.

"Okay, I'm gonna make this brief. Why the hell do I have a note in Sanctuary saying that we funded the new Governor's campaign?"

Oh good grief. Not only had she literally just called Wo Fat, she had shut the screen door not the sliding door. Everyone turned to where Rowan was pacing on the balcony, phone to her ear a dark scowl on her face.

"Okay, that's nice. But you did it with my money!" she cried. "No, I don't care about when you're going to pay me back! Wo! What were you doing funding the new Governor of Hawaii?"

Steve turned to the Governor who was standing there shocked, mouth open wide. Either she didn't know that or she didn't expect Rowan to know.

"Oh my god. Why? Why? Why would you want to shut Five-0 down? Okay I know why you'd want to do it then but why didn't you stop it when I… what do you mean you forgot about it? Wo you gave them over 10 million dollars, how do you forget about giving someone over 10 million dollars! Did all of that even go to the campaign? It didn't? Does she know her husband did this?"

"No but I'm guessing she knows now," Steve called and Rowan turned. She took in the screen door realized her mistake and then swore.

"I'm gonna deal with you later. I gotta go. I said I gotta go!" and then she hung up the phone.

"Thought you said you weren't talking to him."

Rowan glared at Steve. "Does it sound like I was talking to him Steven? Did that sound like a fun conversation? Cause from where I was standing it felt a lot like I was yelling at him."

Steve nodded, alright, that was true. "If you think that little show will intimidate me, you've got another thing coming. I know none of that was true!"

Rowan glanced up to Steve and then turned to Governor Mahoe. "Yep. You got me. All a big show," she said but Steve knew that wasn't true. "Do you… by any chance, happen to know who it was who donated most of your money?"

"I… of course not…"

"Kay well then you don't have to worry about it. I… I should go, Steve?"

Steve nodded going to show her out, she got out of the door and to the elevator he leant in. "He funded the new Governor to close down Five-0?"

"Yeah she's all about 'ohana or something. I unno it was his idea I didn't know about it."

"Any way you can get him to stop?"

"She's in office, Steve, not sure what we can do now," she muttered, her hands were playing with the collars of his light blue button-down shirt, she kept smoothing it out as if it were wrinkled. He was pretty sure she just wanted an excuse to feel up his chest and he was going to let her have it. "You're gonna be careful today, right?"

"Of course."

"No seriously. Steven, I know you don't like to hear this but you're still healing and we literally just popped your stitches two nights ago. So… please?"

They popped his stitches in what had to be some of the best sex he had gotten since she had gotten back. Seriously, two nights ago had been on a completely different level, one he couldn't recreate now that she was being super careful about his stitches. Damn he couldn't wait to get those out.

"Yes, yes I'll be careful," he said pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "Okay? I promise."

He let her hug him tightly before letting her go and letting her walk away. It was still hard watching her leave, but he felt better knowing that, when he got home tonight, she'd be there. Beer in hand, and a kiss just for him.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

They had a real problem. In the search for a killer, they had found another dead killer. This time the body was put into Grover's car after he had very nicely asked a reporter not to report on the recent murders in the hotel. Grover had said he should have brought Rowan as she was twice as intimidating even though he had the gun and the badge, and then bam there was a dead body in the SUV that Five-0 used as their own personal fleet.

This secondary body, who was a man named David Larson, lead them to a house in Manoa where they found another set of dead bodies. This time they found 8 in the basement. The smell of decay was so bad even Steve could barely stomach it.

It was another case of serial killer being killed by this new killer. And they had a feeling they knew how this vigilante knew too. Each killer they had found was sending pictures or audio recordings to an email they couldn't trace or break into. So, this person was either getting people to kill for him and then killing them in some twisted game, or they were luring in serial killers to kill themselves.

Either way it wasn't good. And when the news picked it up, he got called in to the Governor's office. At first, he was perfectly fine with the lecture he was clearly going to get, but when he got there and found Rowan waiting in the lobby, he was suddenly not happy.

She couldn't even tell him what the Governor wanted with her. Just that her secretary had called and asked her to come in, so she went. She had no idea that Steve was on his way either. She was once again dressed in the haut couture as if she were Wo Fat again, but he had a feeling that was more because Rowan was coming to meet the Governor. She had been mixing up her knew style with her old style quite nicely for him which was helping him settle down with her. Not that he really needed any help. He had been having nothing but good night sleeps since he had got her back and that was more than enough. But the hybridizing of the new style and the old was making him feel a little bit like he had the old Rowan back and that was definitely helping him.

They were called into the Governor's office together, and while Rowan had chosen to sit, he stood across from the Governor as she played for him what was running on multiple channels as if he had done this purposely just to spite her.

"It's all over the news. Every station. Networks on the mainland picked up the story and what happened at the hotel."

She let the news play, everyone was asking whether or not it was safe for them to travel to Hawaii, flights and trips were getting cancelled. None of which was good.

"Uhm… why am I here?" Rowan interrupted. "I… I don't have anything to do with that. And neither does my brother cause he's in Japan right now…"

Steve turned a dark glare to her. Wo Fat was not her brother and how the hell did she know where he was? He was willing to forgive it before because before she had just said that he was off island, which made sense. He wasn't going to stay on the island with Rowan mad at him and Steve still itching to make him pay for the year of pain, agony and deceit both he and Rowan had endured. But now she had a fucking location.

"I will get to you later," she growled and then turned back to Steve. "What the hell is going on here Commander. Were Larsen and Hein working together?"

Steve put his hands on his hips. "So far we have no evidence of that. Right now, the only thing connecting them is whoever killed them and dumped their bodies in our lap."

"Commander, is there a vigilante on the loose?"

"If there is, it isn't me," Rowan said and both Governor Mahoe and Steve turned a dark glare to her. She then lowered her eyes and mumbled: "Sorry."

"We're not sure yet."

"But both killers were murdered the same way, both asphyxiated. That's a pattern, right?"

"Well, we can't rule out a serial killer murdering other serial killers."

"You said you found photos on Larsen's phone," Governor Mahoe said leaning forward. "Tell me about those."

"David Larsen, photographed all eight victims before and after he killed them, also we believe that all of these vics were local."

"Why would he take pictures? For his own amusement?"

"It's possible. These images were… graphic, ma'am. Much like the audio recordings that Anthony Lee Hein made. And like Hein, we believe that Larsen was sharing these images with somebody, possibly the person who murdered him."

"But you can't be sure?"

"No, ma'am."

"But it's safe to say we have a serial killer on the loose, who's targeting people like himself, and somehow, he's onto them before our own damn police department."

Oh this was not going well. "Like I said, ma'am, we believe that he was working with these men, which would explain how he knows."

"Commander," she said standing up so she could stand in front of him. Steve immediately folded his hands into where his lap would be when he was standing. "I just spent the last three hours with my cabinet discussing putting a quarantine on this island, but if I do that, it'll be years before people think it's safe to come back here. So, before I bankrupt this place and put the fear of God in our locals, do for me what you did for Governor Dennings and make problems like this go away. Or it will be your department I shut down."

Steve nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"You can go, I'd like to speak with Miss. Pierce privately."

"No offense, ma'am but I'm not leaving Rowan here alone with you."

At that Rowan stood, she put a hand to Steve's arm and smiled up at him. "Don't worry, Steven, I'll be fine."

He looked down into her face and saw ice there. "Fine, but I'll be waiting by the car till you come out," he said.

She nodded to him, pulled him down for a quick and chaste peck and then watched him as he stalked out of that office. Only when he shut the door behind him did she sit back down, arrange herself elegantly in that chair and then hit Governor Mahoe with her trade mark Ice Queen glittering smile.

"You looked into your donors didn't you."

"Yes. My two largest donations came from two sources. Rory Wickerby and Anthony Shu."

"And you ran…" "—yes I ran background on them." "…kay just making sure."

"You were right, most of my campaign funds came from you."

"And your husband…"

"Has admitted that he pocketed the rest with the promise that he would convince me to do what was best for… your brother…"

"Okay, look, I didn't know about any of that," Rowan told her. "Honest. And I have talked to Wo Fat, and he has agreed that all favours be… well… they're going to be transferred to me. Did you talk to Dennings about the kind of favours I ask for?"

Governor Mahoe nodded. "I did, earlier this afternoon he and I spoke about your character and what you're like."

"So, there you go, you know that I'm not going to ask for anything… damaging. I figured it would be better for everyone involved, you, me and Five-0, if it stays that way. And, you don't have to worry about any of this coming out, he's not going to tell anyone and neither am I."

Governor Mahoe stared at her. "But you want me to keep Five-0 open."

"No. If you think the island would be better if you shut down Five-0, then you go ahead and do that. I just want you to think about it, and give them a fair chance. Because it'll look better on you if you've got the best of the best working on keeping the… 'ohana safe, then if you disband them and all hell breaks loose."

Governor Mahoe thought about this. "Alright, and what does your brother tell you about this?"

She had pointed to the screen where the News was on mute but still playing the same story.

"Nothing," Rowan said. "Contrary to popular belief, my brother doesn't know every criminal on this island. I will say that he's worried. He's requested twice that I leave Hawaii until this dies down."

"Why would he request that?"

"Because… this person seems to know that Five-0 is on the case and has been able to get into the office and their cars without detection. He's worried that I'll be targeted, as I'm Steven's girlfriend now. That's why he kept the app running. Steve's usually busy with his cases and I… I tend to get myself into trouble or involved in his cases and… yeah…"

"Commander McGarrett has no idea the two of you are talking, does he?"

"We're not talking per say. I called him back this afternoon to finish our conversation about you. That was strictly business, the request to leave the island is something he's pushing through the app. But Steve won't understand so… maybe don't… tell him?"

She sighed heavily. "I suppose if you keep quiet about the favours I apparently owe you, I could keep quiet about your continuing communication with your brother."

"How wonderful," Rowan said offering her a hand to shake. For a moment Governor Mahoe stared at it before she took it. "Trust me, you will enjoy working with me. I'm always so much fun."

She then thanked her for her time and left her office. Just as promised Steve was waiting, leaning against her car for her to come out. She told him the necessary lies to save both Governor Mahoe from shame and herself from an argument and then kissed the man she still loved with all her heart.

She probably should have been a little worried that she could lie to him so seamlessly. But then again, that was the side effect of living with criminals for a year. She must have picked up more of their traits than she thought.