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A Small Price to Pay (1/1)

"I mean … I knew this day was coming. It was just a matter of time." Danny laid his head back against the couch in Steve's office and scrubbed his face with his hands. "I thought I had more time though." He rubbed his temples with the tips of his fingers. "One more year. Would that have been too much to ask?"

Steve closed the file he was looking at and turned his full attention on his best friend. "I can't believe it either." He shook his head sympathetically. "It seems way too soon for this."

Luckily Catherine, after a long afternoon of shopping and girl talk with Grace the previous day, had given him a heads up about the situation so he was prepared for what he was likely to encounter when he arrived at work.

Just as he anticipated he walked into headquarters to find Danny alternating between pacing like a caged tiger and sitting on the couch trying desperately to stop playing out worst case scenarios in his mind.

Grace … his little girl … who was looking at him with big doe eyes asking for permission to wear clear lip gloss what seemed like just days ago … wanted to go to a New Year's Eve party with her friends at an under 21 club in downtown Honolulu.

Correction.

Wanted to drive into Honolulu to go to a club with her friends.

And then because she knew he would be worried about her driving home so late, she wanted permission to spend the night in a hotel suite with seven of her friends. Luckily for the sake of Danny's cardiac health they were all females.

Grandma Josie had agreed to chaperone the hotel part of the evening. She had promised to be present enough to satisfy the girls' parents but discreet enough that the girls didn't feel as though they were being shadowed.

"She's only 16!" Danny moaned. "When I was sixteen, I spent New Year's Eve at Nonna's playing cards with my cousins. If I had asked to go into the city with my friends my parents would have had a cow."

"Sixteen is a lot different now than it was back then," Steve said. "And Honolulu is hardly New York City."

"You're defending this hare-brained idea?" Danny asked incredulously. "You think I should let her go?"

"I think … " Steve paused and chose his words carefully. "I think this decision is up to you and Rachel but all I can say is that Grace has a very good head on her shoulders and she's very responsible. Plus, you know all the girls she's going with."

Danny nodded. When Grace had presented him with the idea, she had given him a list of all her friends and classmates who were planning to attend as well as the names of the girls who would be riding into the city with her. They had chosen a hotel that was less than two blocks from the club and promised they would let Grandma Josie know when they were leaving and would talk to her on the phone all the way back to the suite.

She had prepared for every contingency.

Even arranged, with Rachel's help, to park in a well-lit overnight parking garage with security on every level. The space would be near the entrance and the girls had promised to park before dark, make their way to a trendy pizza place across the street for dinner, then into the club for the rest of the night until they headed back to the hotel.

They had all promised to stick together and keep an eye on each other. Grace was a cop's kid. She understood the importance of safety and of not letting your guard down. She had anticipated all his concerns and done her best to make a plan that would allay them. In short, she acted like a girl who was mature enough to be spending New Year's Eve out with her friends.

He sighed.

"If it helps, I made a few calls after Catherine told me what Gracie wants to do," Steve admitted. "The club has a great safety record. No reports of any kind of incidents. They have at least three security guards on duty at all times." He lifted a stack of papers off his desk. "I ran background checks on all the employees. Everyone looks clean. Still I thought it might not hurt to take a ride down there today and check the place out."

Danny sprang up off the couch and grabbed the papers.

Clean inspection report.

Exceeds required fire and safety standards.

No criminal history for any of the employees.

"I'm not saying yes yet but …" he double checked the background reports for any red flags and saw none. "I guess it couldn't hurt to go check things out just in case. I'll call Nonna and tell her I'm gonna be a little later than expected coming home."

"Speaking of Nonna." Steve smiled. "What does she think of the idea?"

"She's on Grace's side," Danny replied with a soft smile. "She said my daughter has a good head on her shoulders and it sounds like a fun time. She even offered to take her shopping for a new outfit."

"What about Catherine?" Danny asked. "Grace told me they talked about it while they were shopping."

"She understands why you might be hesitant," Steve responded, "but she said she thinks Grace and her friends are ready and this sounds like the perfect way for them to have some independence but still have Josie nearby if needed."

Danny nodded. He knew Catherine and Nonna were right. Grace was ready. He just wasn't sure he was.

"What are you and Catherine doing for New Year's Eve?" he asked. "I might need something to distract me."

"And someone to keep you from going into full surveillance mode on the club?" Steve teased.

Danny chuckled. "That too."

"We'll figure something out," Steve assured him. "That's what friends are for."

By the time Danny arrived at the beach house the next morning he was feeling much better. The visit to the club had eased a lot of his concerns. It was a well maintained, modern structure with the most up-to-date security procedures available, both electronic and human. The emergency exits were clearly marked, there were overhead sprinklers scattered throughout the venue, and several large flood lights illuminated the area outside the building. The owner, an ex-Marine, was dedicated to providing a safe space where kids in the 16-20-year age range could dance, mingle, and have a good time. Kids who were ready to start to exert their independence but still needed a degree of supervision.

The dance floor and DJ booth dominated one end of the main level. The booth areas were well-lit, and the owner assured Steve and Danny that his employees, while remaining unobtrusive, circulated through the crowd all evening looking for any signs of trouble. If anyone broke the 'no drinking, no drugs, no violence' rules they were ejected from the club immediately. When they first opened, they'd had some incidences of people trying to start trouble but as soon as word of their zero-tolerance policy got around the troublemakers headed elsewhere.

Danny wanted to be completely honest with Grace so when he got home, he told her he'd been to the club to check things out. Her sparkling eyes and excited smile when he admitted it was a nice place were etched into his brain. There was nothing he enjoyed more than seeing Grace so happy.

He was so lost in thought as he made his way up the sidewalk that he was almost at the front door before he noticed something was different.

Very different.

He looked around for a few seconds before letting out a low whistle.

"Wow!"

His tried not to laugh but failed miserably. "Whatcha doin?"

Steve was standing on the front porch surrounded by what appeared to be dozens of strands of Christmas lights. "What does it look I'm doing?" he responded.

Danny eyed the large wooden sleigh with reindeer on the front lawn alongside a life-size Santa and an assortment of elves and other holiday decorations.

Danny never remembered Steve and Catherine going quite so overboard for Christmas.

"It looks like Santa's workshop blew up in here." He chuckled.

"Very funny." Steve rolled his eyes. "Now that you're here you can help me get that sleigh and reindeer up on the roof," he added matter-of-factly.

"On the roof?" Danny eyes the sleigh warily. It looked heavy. "What is up with you this year?"

As soon as Steve plugged in another string of lights to test them Angie, who was playing happily on a blanket spread out on the porch, Cammie at her side as always, began to clap her hands and squeal with delight. "Dada! Eeeeee! Ah bah eeee!" she bounced excitedly.

Danny looked in his goddaughter's eyes and saw something very similar to what he had seen in his own daughter's eyes just hours earlier.

Excitement. Happiness. Love.

"You know what?" He smiled. "Forget I asked. Whatever you need … I'm here to help."

Steve nodded. "Thanks."

He knew that if anyone understood it was Danny. Angie loved the twinkling lights and all the decorations so even though it would all have to be taken down and packed away in a few weeks he was more than happy to spend the weekend transforming their house into a winter wonderland if it made his daughter happy.

Anything to see that look of pure joy on her face and hear her squeal with excitement.

Both men knew that someday it would take something more complicated to evoke that look. A party with her friends or some new adventure. But for right now all it was going to take was strings and strings of lights and enough decorations to open their own department store.

A small price to pay.

THE END

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