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AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Well hello there my wonderful readers! This chapter we have equal parts chaos and fluff! I hope you guys enjoy it! Only one more chapter before we start Season 8! See you next week!

Chapter 405

The last time they had done something like this had it had been a disaster.

This time, Steve had planned accordingly.

It was an established trail, not one he'd be making himself. It was a medium-difficulty trail, not too hard and not to easy. He had booked a camp site so it was all set to go with it's own designated fire pit, a gas barbeque and outhouse for them to use. All that any camper really needed to do was set up the tents and be sure to hide the food. Everything else was basically taken care of.

All he had to do, now, was get his family up this trail and to the camp site in one piece.

Originally, the trip was just supposed to be a father-son bonding activity. But then Nahele had asked if Rowan was coming, which she said she would love to. And that was when everyone else started inviting themselves on the trip.

He had managed to bargain it down to his immediate family only, much to his wife's brothers' dismay. Both were very concerned that Steve wanted to take their Ro into the Hawaii Jungle for camping. Especially with her track record. On the inside, Steve agreed with them, on the outside, however, he had to bluff and pretend that it was perfectly fine and he could manage her and her clumsiness.

There was about a seventy-five percent chance that she was going to get hurt, and out of that seventy-five there was a fifty percent chance that the injury would be a head injury of some sort. He was sure, somewhere on the island—probably between Kamekona, Danny and Grover—there was a betting pool on the outcome of the weekend, and just how injured Rowan would be when they eventually returned.

Still, despite, Wo Fat, Con and Steve intermittently attempting to talk her out of this, Rowan was determined to go. Even though she was a complete beginner hiker, and had the habit of falling down every trail Steve took her on, Rowan was coming with them. And why? Because Nahele wanted her to come.

Steve knew if Rowan got hurt on this trip, Wo Fat and Con would never let him live it down. He'd also never be able to talk them out of accompanying them on another hike or probably any outdoors-y type excursion.

So there was a lot of pressure resting on his shoulders on this trip going well.

They parked their car at the designated parking area, paid for the permit to leave the car there for the two days they'd be up in the jungle and then went about gathering all their supplies.

Just like last time, Steve had a bulk of the weight. Rowan had the least amount and Nahele was somewhere in between, leaning more towards the heavier side. There was no need for a machete this time, but Steve had been smart enough to pack more than enough water for Rowan, seeing as last time she had drank her entire supply before they even got halfway up the trail.

Steve turned around to look at the two people he loved more than anything, and who he had to somehow get up this mountain before it got dark. Then he really honed in on Rowan who had, honestly, packed a lot of shit she really didn't need.

"Did you have to bring the guitar?" Steve asked for the millionth time.

"We're doing a s'mores night right?" she asked and he nodded because she knew they were because she had packed the marshmallows herself. "Then yes, the guitar is needed."

"You could have left it home and then… you know…" he reminded her and she scowled at him.

"You said you wanted me to not use the void as much, remember?"

That was true, after the last void event, where Wo Fat said literal sparks were flying off of her, they had wanted her to slow down on the void use. She had agreed, only because she had said using the void had felt weird. Like a pressure had built up in her stomach for some reason. So with the sparks and the pressure combined they had all sort of agreed to lay off the void for a bit. Just until she felt better that is.

So once they were all set, Steve pointed out where they were going and then turned back to them. "We got everything? Everyone has a water?" Steve asked and they all nodded.

"And you're sure you want to do this mom?" Nahele asked but Ro just nodded.

"Yes. I'm sure. McGarrett Family camping trip. I want to go, let's do this," she said.

"Okay, cause… you know… if I call Con he'll come pick you up," Steve said. Which was also true, Con had told him that, repeatedly as the date grew nearer. Over and over he'd say: If she changes her mind, you call me, I don't care what I'm doing or how far up the trail she is, I'll come get her and take her home.

"No need to call the pessimistic brother, thank you very much. I have never been more ready in my life for this. I have trained for this moment. I am ready for this moment."

Steve glanced to Nahele who

And so they headed towards the trail.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

Twenty minutes later

Huffing and puffing, Rowan came to a halt in the middle of the trail.

And not just to a standstill, like a literal throw herself down to the ground situation.

Steve and Nahele stopped again and turned to her, both a little frustrated that she had stopped… again.

"This is it," she said breathlessly to them. "I can't go on. This is my life now. I have climbed this hill and now I will die upon it…"

"Mom… we've been hiking ten minutes…."

Steve tried very hard not to groan, but a little one got out. "Ro… I mean… we can still see the car!" he cried.

"You're going to have to carry me. Madam Zeroni this bitch!"

Steve immediately rolled his eyes. "Rowan… I'm not re-enacting Holes with you. Come on… you said you were ready for this."

"Fine. It's fine," she said. "Go on without me. Just leave me here to die, I'll only slow you guys down."

Nahele turned to Steve clearly exasperated and Steve sighed. "Okay… here… just… how about… do you think you could like? Pop to where we're going?"

"I don't know where we're going Steve," she cried. "I've never been there before! How am I supposed to know huh? It doesn't work if I don't know! Not to mention, we agreed I'd slow down on the void, remember?"

Steve just glared at her. "Fine, can you wait here until we get there and I unno, get our strings from there?"

"We're going to leave her behind?" Nahele asked before Rowan could answer. "That's not… I mean… that can't be safe."

Steve opened his mouth to say something like: "Oh it'll be fine, what's the worse that could happen?" but then he remembered that the last time he left her alone while hiking she sprained her ankle. So yeah. That wasn't going to work.

"You're right. That's not a good idea either." Steve looked around and then back to them. "Would it be alright if I go a head, and you two catch up?"

"Aw, but… you were so excited to hike with Nahele," Rowan whined. "I'll be fine. Just go on without me I'll catch up."

"Do you remember the last time I went on without you?" Steve asked and Rowan sighed.

"Yeah, touché," she said and then forced herself up, and failed miserably. "Baby help me up."

She meant Steve, but as Nahele was closer, he was the one who reached out. Once she was on her feet she pinned a look on her husband and said: "Now, is there anyway that we could go slower? Or let me set the pace?"

"We won't get there before dark at that rate."

"You don't know that!" Rowan cried. "Beside, you said this wasn't that long of a trail, did you lie to me?"

"No! But we still need to move and set up before dark, Ro."

Rowan put her hands on her hips and he knew that this was going to be bad. "Listen here, McGarrett," she snapped and winced automatically. "You said it wouldn't be that hard. You said that it would be good for a beginner, and clearly that's not true."

"I think you're just horribly out of shape…"

"Did you just call me fat?!"

Nahele turned to him with wide eyes because even he knew that was dangerous territory to be in.

"No, I didn't, I just don't think you're ready for…"

"Look, I know I'm no Catherine, but I can do this. Its just my little legs can't keep up with yours. So we should go by my pace!"

"Actually that does make sense," Nahele said.

And of course Nahele agreed with her.

"Fine, fine, we'll do things your way, but if I have to leave you guys behind to set up our camp, I will."

Rowan just humphed at him in that prissy way of hers and then she started up again. Steve tried very hard not to roll his eyes. He should have tried harder to get her to stay home.

H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O

They hadn't actually gotten there that late.

They were definitely a lot later then Steve would have liked them to have been, but Rowan had made it worth it. She kept taking pictures of him and Nahele together, and pictures of the three of them. She had them singing along with songs they knew, and had them going through small talk to keep them going.

In fact, Steve barely noticed they were behind schedule until they got to the campsite.

She had made going slow and steady fun, and he was grateful for that.

When they got up to the campsite he made Rowan sit at the picnic table they had and then he and Nahele went about setting up the two tents.

One for him and Rowan and one for Nahele. He was a teenager, Rowan had said when Steve had asked why they needed two tents when the one he had fit four people. Nahele was a teenager who would no doubt want privacy, which reminded Steve that he would very much want privacy as well.

With Nahele's help he got their tents up in record time, then he went about using the provided grill to make them something to eat out of the meats he had brought with them.

Roasted hot dogs and buns with a side of roasted corn.

It was great.

When they were done eating Steve stoked up an actual campfire so they could make s'mores and Rowan could play her guitar.

It was just like what they did at home, but something about being out camping, out in the jungle, with only the three of them by themselves, made it feel special. Like Steve didn't have to worry about any of the world's drama out there with them, they could just be in their own little bubble.

After a while Rowan stopped playing the guitar, they were all s'mored out, and it came to the quiet part of the night.

None of them had wanted to turn in yet, so they were all just sitting by the fire, listening to it crackle, watching the flames dance as they basked in it's glow and in each other's company.

Nahele's eyes were turned to the sky where the stars were dancing above them.

"There's so many," he whispered after a while, and then both Steve and Rowan's eyes followed his upwards. "I swear, you can always see more when you're out in nature."

"Cause there's less light pollution out here," Rowan said. "We did a family trip once, all the way up to Dawson Creek, just to see the Northern lights."

"Dawson's Creek? Like the show?"

"No," Rowan said. "It's a town in BC, up by the Yukon border. We got to go to the observatory… cause my dad was working up there for a summer and my mom took us up to visit him. He had this room in the observatory, it had a glass ceiling around the telescope. He let us sit in there so we could see the stars and the Northern lights… and honestly, at that moment with all the quiet and clear skies, it felt like we were alone in the universe."

Rowan sighed deeply. "I don't think I've ever felt peace like that before or since."

That was probably the first nice story she had ever told of her other universe family. Everything else was chaos and preferential treatment and obvious abuse and neglect. But that story, that was nice. It didn't make him feel worried or upset. It filled him with peace too.

"Hey mom, do you think… you would have found us, you know… if you lived here?"

"She's dead in this world, 'Hele," Steve reminded him.

"Yeah I know. But if you weren't dead. If you weren't dead do you think you'd've found us?"

"I unno. But I know you would've find your dad," she said.

"Really?"

"Mhmm," she said right away. "Same way and everything. You steal his car, and he chooses to make you do community service, instead of arresting you. Makes you put the car back together and everything."

"How long does it take me to adopt me in that version?"

"Uh…" Rowan started and then glanced at Steve. "Well… uh… he doesn't… but I also think you're older in the TV show. You're more like a little brother to him."

Steve scowled at her. Wow. Thanks for that Rowan.

"But obviously, we did it better here in this universe."

"Yeah," Nahele said warmly. At least he wasn't phased by the TV show version of them and why would he? That version wasn't the version he was living, it wasn't the version that Steve would call true. "I like this version the best."

"I do too," Rowan said. "I think… out of all the strings to fall into, I really picked a good one."

Rowan then smiled at both her boys, first at Nahele and then at Steve. Steve couldn't help but echo the sentiment, though he was biased, of course, because she fell into his string. He was sure there were a bunch of other Steve's out there wondering where their Rowan was, but he wasn't. She was right there with him, where she belonged.

It wouldn't be until the next morning that Rowan would trip over her own guitar and end up crashing head long into the picnic table bench. Thus cutting the camping trip half a day short with yet another trip to the ER.

But at that moment, the family was together, the night was calm and peaceful and all was well.

Well, at least until the morning.