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AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Happy Friday my wonderful readers! Are you guys excited for Monday and the start of the Marathon? Cause I am! This here is the end of the Halloween chapter, which means you guys are gonna be getting the Morocco chapters for the marathon, and I am so excited to share those chapters with you guys! I literally have SO MUCH going on between episode 7 and episode 8 I swear. It could have been it's own season. I'm really hoping you guys enjoy this. As always don't forget to review and I'll see you guys on Monday for our Marathon!

Falling Right Side-Up and High Guardian I've sent you both PMs to answer some of your questions, Falling Right Side-Up I kinda spammed you with PMs so I hope that's okay. Pretty please respond!

Chapter 325

They came out of the void and into the Palace because it was where she had left her car. She had been in her car, actually on her way back to Danny's, when Kono had pulled her to that little compound in the jungle. She had been really surprised and little confused but she got her shit together quick enough to help out. After she got Kono and Adam out of immediate danger she got back to her car did a U-turn and headed straight to the Palace to get Steve.

This was just a landing spot, she knew Steve would be back, and she was hoping to see him to talk to him about a few things. She'd be sending her boys in opposite directions as soon as she could, preferably before Steve caught up with them. But there was something she wanted to talk about with them as well.

"Everyone good?" she asked and the two of them nodded. Conejo was busy looking around the Palace. He never got a good look at what the offices looked liked and he was super curious. Wo Fat, however, was peering at her like he was confused.

"Why are you green?"

Ah, he didn't get her costume. "I'm the Wicked Witch of the West, from a prequel of the Wizard of Oz. Remember, I made you watch the original movie, you said it was ridiculous that the witch melted."

"Ah, right," he said. "It looks good?"

He said it like he wasn't sure if that was what he was supposed to say. But she knew that he meant it as a compliment so she just nodded and thanked him. Then she cleared her throat. "I was wondering if… before I send you guys home… if you wouldn't mind talking to me for a minute…"

Both men exchanged glances before both settling narrowed looks of distrust onto her.

"Okay? Are you okay?" Wo Fat asked.

"Is it more problems with Steven? Cause… if you wanna come with me to Cali, I'm sure Mackie will take you back."

Rowan shook her head. "No, I'm not trying to get back together with Mackie and Steve and I are fine…"

"Except he wouldn't wear a costume with you…"

She turned to Wo Fat with surprised eyes. "How did you know that?"

He shrugged. "Hazarded a guess, you sent pictures. You and Nahele is costume, Steve wasn't included in those pictures."

"Okay yeah, little miffed about that, but it's not relationship ending," she said. "No, I wanted to talk about us."

She had been looking at their shoes when she said that but when she looked back up to them, they had both drawn up their emotional walls.

"I've been thinking… thinking that… well… I never really stopped talking to you guys…"

"Course not," Conejo snapped. "You came back and immediately got into shit…"

"I didn't get into shit, a serial killer fucked with us because Steve was investigating her…"

"Rowan, you can't seriously be thinking about cutting us out now… not when you have Con haunting Dr. Grey and we…"

Yeah he didn't know how to end that sentence she could tell, because she and him weren't anything right now because he had been forced to cut her out by his girlfriend. Well… pretended to have cut her out, for someone who had cut her out he sure did see her a lot, and call her a lot.

"Well it's a good thing that it wasn't my plan," she said shaking her head at them. "I was thinking that… since I clearly can't live without you two and I never actually cut you out that I should probably just forgive you…"

Her two boys just stared at her, she thought they might be excited or at the very least relieved, instead they looked angry… or insulted.

"That was the shittiest apology I have ever gotten," Con snapped.

What the actual fuck. "Apology… Con… I'm forgiving you two for fucking with my life."

"I didn't fuck with your life, Rowan. He had a whole web of lies and he tied me up in it too…"

"Did you or did you not come down to Hawaii…" "—You fucking threw me against my will to Hawaii." "…and see Steven and find out that he wasn't married and didn't have Nahele and then didn't tell me!"

"I was going to tell you…"

"I cried on your shoulder, multiple nights, about how much I loved Steven and instead of telling me what you saw, you let Wo Fat trick you, you who's never been a follower before…"

"Never been a follower?" Wo Fat said with a scoff. "The man just does whatever anyone tells him to do!"

"Hey!" Con snapped turning to poke Wo Fat's shoulder. "I don't take orders, I take contracts."

But Rowan was focusing on Wo Fat. He had grimaced when Con pocked his shoulder and that shouldn't have hurt him. She opened up her sense and saw that his strings were striped with a faded grey. Had he been injured?

"What's going on with your shoulder?" she asked. "Did you hurt yourself. You guys were on the roof how did you get hit?"

"I was not hit tonight. But Yes, actually I did get hurt. Con stabbed me like what, three weeks ago?"

He glanced to Con who nodded as if that were right, but she wasn't sure how that could be right because what the hell?

"I just keep reopening my stitches. Might have done so again tonight… Jian's gonna kill me if she has to stitch me up again."

Rowan turned wide eyes of surprise onto Conejo. "You did what?"

"Okay it was for a good reason."

"What? The only good reason for stabbing someone is if they're a bad guy!"

"Well…" Con started but Rowan shoved him before he could remind her that to most people Wo Fat was probably the biggest villain of any story.

"You shouldn't stab Wo!" she cried.

"Actually it was a great help," Wo Fat said. "He stabbed me so I'd have to see Jian, and we ended up back together because of it. And if you're worried, Con let me punch him, said I could mess up his face."

"And t hen he chose to nut punch me cause it would hurt more," Conejo said with a growl and Rowan just glared at them. Jesus Christ, she never should have left them alone. They clearly couldn't be on their own if this was the shit they did.

"That is fucked up," Rowan snarled and then pointed a finger into Conejo's face. "Don't you ever do that again."

Conejo shook his head and Rowan took a very deep, deep breath. "Okay. Look. You're my brothers. I love you. Am I still upset with what you two did? Yes. Am I aware that Wo Fat had a bigger part to play than you, Con? Yes. But he doesn't have regular people emotions and you do. You should have known better."

"Fine, you're right, I'll give you that," Con said.

"So… can you guys both say that you're sorry…"

"I am sorry," Conejo said. "I never should have let him convince me that you and Steve were better off apart, even though I saw the evidence of the shit he was doing to you before I came around and honestly, kid, it was scary. But it was my idea to get the two of you back together."

"What?"

Wo Fat nodded. "That is true. Had Steve not have had you arrested in the Bahamas, the plan was to have one last week with you and then bring him to the Bahamas to get the two of you back together. It's why I had Sandy and the Captain America Contingency Plan ready to go when we gave you back in Hawaii."

Rowan had not known that.

"And I'm not sorry," Wo Fat snapped.

Rowan scowled at him "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, I'm not sorry. I had to pull you out a basement and you were barely alive. I still have nightmares about it," Wo Fat growled. "That was very traumatic for me, Rowan."

"We've gone over this, Wo. You had the upper hand. After pulling me out of the basement Steve would have owed you our first born at that point," she said. "Going on the run with me was not necessary."

"Alright, yes," he said. "I'm sorry I kept you and Steven apart, I never should have. But I think we had a good time, and you are improved because of it."

"Yes, I will say there were some perks," she admitted. "I do feel stronger because of it. And I will admit that with Steven being the way he was I might not have ever learned my own strength so I will give you that. But what you did hurt me Wo. It hurt me a lot."

"Yes I know and while I'm sorry I caused you emotional distress, I do feel like it helped you with your other issues and you did learn how to control your powers so I can't be all that sorry for it."

"Okay fine. Well apology accepted," she said. "But you two aren't forgiven yet."

Both men exchanged glances.

It was Conejo that groaned and asked: "Then what was the point of this conversation, Ro?

"Well… because!" she cried but niehter of her boys seemed to get it.

"Because I obviously am not cutting you out so there's no point in saying we're not talking because I need to talk to you all the time. But because of everything, I never got the chance to stay mad at you, you know?" she said with a shrug. "And it's not fair to Steve for the two of you to go unpunished so…."

"Oh, here we go," Wo Fat said with a sigh.

"Since I've technically forgiven you, even though it will take me a long while, still, to get over this, neither of you were ever really punished."

"So what are you going to do? Give us lashes?"

"Well normally I'd just restrict your access to me," she said rather primly which got Con to scoff. Probably because it occurred to them that that was a really good punishment and it never would have been before.

"What I'm going to do instead is… well… I'm going to give you a stipulation."

"Okay and what is the stipulation?"

"I will forgive, you, and keep you guys up to date on all aspects of my life, but in return both of you will owe favours… to Steven."

"What?!" Both men cried clearly not liking that at all.

"Well it's only fair, you caused the most hurt to Steven and he's going to be livid when he finds out I forgave you guys so easily for something that literally devastated him so…. So now, if Steven asks you to do something you have to do it. And you have to be nice. Until he says that you've made it up to him."

Wo Fat sighed heavily but it was Conejo who said: "Yeah…. I'm not agreeing to that."

Rowan was surprised it was Conejo who had the problem and not Wo Fat. "No, Steve is unreasonable. He gets himself into shitty situations, and if he knows he's got us in his pocket he'll exploit us…"

"So I don't tell him," Rowan said with a shrug. "He really only calls with favours regarding me, right?"

"Alright, say we agree to this," Wo Fat said which earned him a scoff from Conejo. "Just say. How much will be enough? Because… last time I had to tell you when I was done owing you."

"True, well I guess it depends on what Steve needs help with. I'm thinking two events like Colombia should make up for it."

"God so, she's going to have to get extradited twice for us to be considered properly forgiven? Fuck me," Conejo growled but Wo Fat just shrugged, clearly fine with the deal

"Right so we have a deal?" she asked and the two men, though they clearly didn't want to, nodded. "Alright, fine, then you two are hence forth forgiven."

Wo Fat just sighed. "Aww… come on…. You couldn't wait for a month or so to tell me that? Jian and I…"

"So do what I did and just don't tell her."

"That ended with Steven screaming for you to choose between me and him or he'd marry Catherine."

"Okay well if she does tell you to choose between me and her ex, don't get kidnapped. Because I might just come to rescue you and then go on the run with you…"

Wo Fat hit her with a dry: "Ha, ha," before pulling her in for a hug. "If it makes you feel better, I promise to never go on the run with you again… unless you specifically ask me to."

"Hey, if you're going on the run, you can't forget me," Conejo said. "God knows he can't handle you himself."

Rowan reached out and pulled him into the hug. For a long while the three of them stayed that way. All three of them had a feeling like it would be a long time before they saw each other again.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

By the time Steve got to the Palace, Wo Fat and Sin Nombre were gone and it was just Rowan waiting for him by her pastel purple car.

"I don't like it when you vanish through the void, you should know that," he said to her as he pulled her to his chest and held her close.

Yes, she had promised she would always come back to him 24but he still had that irrational fear of losing her. Of her jumping into a portal and disappearing and he'd never see her again.

"I texted you the second I came out of the void to tell you where I was," she said to him but he highly doubted that because she didn't text him for ten minutes after she vanished. It didn't take that long for her to get out of the void.

"Your brothers are gone, huh?"

"Yep, I sent them home," she said, "And uh… I was thinking that maybe me and you…"

Steve smiled down to her, oh how he wanted to kiss her again, but that green paint she had on was heavy duty, it took him five separate washes to get the first round of green pain off his mouth.

"I would love nothing more than to take you home and… but maybe after the green comes off…" Rowan made a little bit of a face, as if she hadn't just been suggesting that they take advantage of his empty house since Nahele would be off to his party tonight and not back until the next morning. Had he read the vibe wrong?

"Well… I was hoping that you'd put the costume on…"

"Aw come on, Rowan," Steve snapped because she knew how he felt about coupley costumes. He didn't like them and he wasn't feeling up to it this year. Why couldn't she just leave it alone?

"Yeah I know, you don't like matchy-matchy couples," she said with a sigh and then she got part of the: but out but he wouldn't let her finish.

"No Rowan, there's no point in the costume. Trick-or-treating is over and Nahele's at his party, okay? So what would I be wearing this costume for? And don't say for sex cause I'm sorry but I'm not interested in Oz the Great and Powerful roleplay. No matter how hot you make the Wicked Witch of the West look."

Rowan took that in with wide eyes and a simple nod like she understood everything he had said she just hadn't wanted to hear it. Steve sort of felt like maybe he went of on a tangent that wasn't appreciated.

"Well, that's the thing," she said. "Nahele never went to his party. I promised to take him trick-or-treating and he texted me a while back saying that the was out with Charlie and Jerry and the kid's not getting a lot of candy and he wants me to bring some…"

"He didn't go… why didn't he go to the party?"

"I unno, I guess cause I promised I'd come back and we'd go trick-or-treating together," she said with a shrug. "Steve… I'm worried that he still doesn't feel like he's part of the family."

But… he thought he had fixed that. After his dad had died they had told him that he was family, and that he wasn't alone and that they both loved him. Steve had literally said the words. How could he have gotten confused.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, he always seems to think that I'm going to give him back. Then his dad died and he you know… and I mean we told him that he was family but I'm not sure he believed it. Then he got jealous of Tommy and said something to that effect again and I thought… if we dressed up as a family this year that… maybe it would help him feel more like he's a part of it…"

So that was why she had been so insentient on the family costumes that year.

"Really? Wow… I guess… yeah… I guess I get it," he said. "Right so uh… let's go home…"

Rowan smiled up to him. "Really?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, you get this one year though, you got me?"

Rowan nodded and then the two of them got into her GTO. Tonight, they were going to make their kid happy and make sure he both knew and felt like he was part of the family.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Nahele watched Charlie go up to yet another house and he could just tell, by the way the kid's shoulders sank that they had once again not gotten a good haul. For christsake, poor Charlie. He wasn't going to get his happy Halloween, nor was he going to get two whole pumpkins full of candy either. Jerry never should have promised the kid he'd get that much candy.

But he turned around and cried: "Gracie you came!"

Nahele hadn't been expecting that, but when he turned, he found that Charlie was right, Grace was there. She was standing just behind him in a pink dress, a standard fake diamond tiara and a wand. He hadn't even noticed her walk up. She had dressed up as the Good Witch Glinda and come to join them after all.

"How did you guys do?"

"Not so good," Charlie said showing her his very empty bucket.

"I'm literally about to go evil flying monkey on some kids to steal their candy," he leant in to whisper that in her ear and Grace half smiled at him.

But she didn't say anything to Charlie, didn't throw it in Jerry's face. She simply said. "Well you're lucky you got that candy I heard there's a wicked witch flying around stealing kid's candy."

Charlie's eyes bugged out and behind them came a sort of wicked laughter that Nahele recognized immediately, because he had been hearing it all night. He turned to see a smoke bomb had gone off and in the middle of it was Rowan, still dressed as the wicked witch. She laughed for a little while longer and then started to cough.

"Oh god, bad idea, bad idea," she said.

"I told you it was a bad idea," Steve said appearing from behind her. He swooped up Rowan in his arms and carried her out of the smoke.

"Aww, my Great and Powerful hero," she said up to him and Nahele almost laughed in absolute giddiness, because Steve was finally wearing the costume.

His costume looked the best out of the three of them. Well probably because it was the most normal. He had black pinstriped pants, a specially tailored black blazer with coat tails, a green velvet waist coat, a white tux shirt and a bowtie. He even wore the top had and had the cane.

"You guys came," Nahele cried moving towards them, he almost felt like crying, he really thought it wasn't going to happen. He had resigned himself to missing his party and not getting the mother, father, child trick-or-treating experience he had always missed out on white growing up, but both of his parental figures were there, it was happening.

"Okay, Steve the Great and Powerful, put me down," she ordered and Steve obliged immediately. Rowan skipped past him patting his hat as she went while Steve came to stand beside Nahele.

"Sorry it took so long, had to deal with some Halloween pranks," he said. "But uh… things are okay right? Is there a reason you didn't want to go to your party?"

"Yeah everything's fine, I just promised Charlie I'd go trick-or-treating with him and Jerry wanted to go late…"

"Okay… okay…" he said as he carefully slung an arm over his shoulder, minding the wings, of course. "You get this for one night so take as many pictures as you can."

Nahele laughed already looking for his phone when he noticed his mom had a whole bag of candy, where… where had she gotten that?

"Look at this Charlie, I stole a whole pillowcase full of candy," she said. "Wanna split it with me?"

Charlie gasped and pointed at her. "Auntie Ro! You're the witch!"

"I am?!" she cried acting horrified.

Nahele turned wide eyes to Steve. "She didn't really, did she?"

"No," he said and then he too blinked his eyes. "I don't think so. You know… I don't know." Great his mom was a thief, she was literally out there stealing candy from children. Jesus.

Steve laughed at the face Nahele had made. "It's uh, it's our left-over candy stuffed in one of our pillow cases, don't worry. I wasn't about to let your mom take candy from a kid for real."

And then Nahele laughed. That was just like Rowan, to pretend to steal candy from kids.

"Come on Charlie, I know a house up the street that is always loaded," Gracie said leading them away.

"Wait, Gracie, you gotta take pictures of us together," Rowan called. "Cause I swear we're never going to get another chance like this. Steve's already put his foot down for next year."

Nahele couldn't help but grin ear from ear. This was the best Halloween ever.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Doris opened yet another update package from her handlers. She was hoping for more information on Wo Fat, who seemingly settled down with a Doctor in Japan but updates on him were few and far between. No, as per usual, the package was filled with updates on Steven.

Steve who had found Rowan again. Steve who had survived getting shot and seemingly healed well. Steve who had almost gotten killed by a serial killer. Steve who finally had the foster kid living with him again. A kid that had been officially adopted by Rowan, who was living with Steven.

There were so many pictures. Pictures of Steve and Rowan, of Steve and the kid named Nahele. She had a feeling she was getting updates on a future grandchild. It was only a matter of time before Steve and Rowan got married, and since Rowan had adopted him, he would become Steve's. You know if he was smart and locked her down before she vanished again.

She had just finished going through the package when the little light above her just blinked out. It wasn't uncommon for that to happen, she was in a little shack out in the wilds of Japan, her generator often blew lights like that.

She stood to change it but when she turned she found that someone was in her house. Doris yelped, she ducked away reaching for her gun, it took her a moment to realize that it was Rowan.

"What? How did you?"

"Void, come on I know Wo briefed you," she said taking her time to wander around the little shack. "Still here, huh?"

"What do you want, Rowan," Doris asked because she knew this wasn't a social call, none of Rowan's visits were ever social calls.

"You're thinking of going after Yao Fat, I can tell," Rowan said. "I need you to not do that."

Doris scoffed. "I can't expect you to understand."

"No, I suppose I don't. But I know if you go before it's time you die." She said it so nonchalantly that for a second Doris was taken aback.

"What?"

"I can see it in your strings, it's why I'm here," she said. "You're thinking of rescuing Yao Fat and now you're strings are striped with black. That means death. Now there's a right and wrong time to do things and now it's the time to go off to Morocco…"

Yeah there was a lot in there that Rowan had said that made no sense because while Wo Fat had sort of explained this void thing that had Rowan teleporting, he hadn't quite explained everything else that went with it. But there was something she had said that was must more important.

"Wait a second… Morocco?"

Rowan paused at that. "Well yeah, he's in Morocco."

"How do you know that?" Doris asked.

"I got pulled in by the CIA to have tea with him," Rowan said as if that were perfectly normal.

"Morocco? Where in Morocco?"

"Uhm… I unno… is Rabbit a place?"

Did she mean Rabbat? That's the only city in Morocco that sounded like Rabbit.

"But you can't go, that's what I'm trying to tell you."

But Doris was already forming a plan. "Don't worry, Rowan, I won't."

She smiled as assuringly as she could but Rowan would only stare her. For a second her eyes blazed a hot white and then went back to normal.

"Alright, if you say so," she said with a shrug. "Just… be careful… and… maybe… you know… I could take you to visit Steve one day, I know he misses you." She glanced down to the table where the package and its contents were strewn. "It would be better than pictures."

Doris said nothing but instead watched Rowan walk to the door. She put her hand to the knob paused for a second and then a second light in her shack went out, this time the one by the doorway.

"Call me if you change your mind," Rowan said and then she opened that door and disappeared. Doris rushed to the door and threw it open again. She expected Rowan on her stoop, or to see her walking down the path, or disappearing into the trees, but Rowan had just vanished.

Well, she had been right about one thing, Wo Fat had briefed her on her powers. Doris wasn't sure she believed them, even though she had witnessed them first hand. But Rowan had given her something even greater than void powers, she had given her the answer to a question she had been asking for years.

She finally knew where Yao Fat was.