Disclaimer: I own no rights to Hawaii Five-0 or any of its characters. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement is intended.
A/N: This is part of my "It's About Damn Time" series that began with the story "Did You Mean It?" but it can stand alone. All you need to know is that Danny and Steve are in a committed relationship and are living together at Steve's house.
Danny pulled Steve aside, just slightly away from the pandemonium that always followed these types of arrests. "Hey, babe, let Duke book these guys, you go home and swim around the island and by the time you're done, the kids and I will be home. Okay? Will you do that?" He kept a firm grip on Steve's upper arm knowing his touch would help ground his partner. It had been a rough case; the kind of case that always hit Steve the hardest. A single father had been killed. The son had gotten in over his head with the wrong people and when they came looking for him, the father had been killed protecting his son. Even though the perpetrators had been caught, the son would have to live with the fact that his father was murdered because of decisions he, the son, had made. Yep, this is was exactly the kind of case that would stay with Steve long after the paperwork was done.
To make matters worse, Danny had to leave to pick up Grace and Charlie, so he wouldn't there for Steve when he had the inevitable adrenaline crash and his emotions set in. It was their week to have the kids, and while he knew he could call Rachel and have her pick them up, he also knew that spending time with Grace and Charlie would do more to help Steve than anything else. Danny knew the healing balm of children, even if his partner didn't.
"Steve, let Duke handle it. Okay? Lou can file the preliminary report and we can finish up the paperwork tomorrow." Steve glanced over towards the crowd of cops and other emergency personnel. There was one dead perp, two more who were wounded, and one SOB who was already in the back of a police car. When Steve glanced back at him and gave a brisk nod, Danny knew he'd won this round.
"Yeah, okay, you go get Grace and Charlie. I'll ride back to the Palace with Grover to get my truck." They'd driven into work separately because it made picking the kids up easier since it was usually difficult for them both to get away early when they had a case.
"Promise you won't go inside HQ ... that you'll get in your truck and go home. Please, Steven."
Steve looked down at him and Danny could see the pain in his eyes, but no deception. "I promise. I think you're right. I could use a swim. I bet Eddie could too."
Danny gave him a small smile, acknowledging the fact that not very long ago Steve would not have acquiesced so easily, if at all. "I love you. The kids and I will be home soon." Danny wanted to pull Steve into his arms and kiss away the hurt, the guilt, and the memories of John McGarrett's death, but he settled for giving his arm a squeeze instead.
"I love you, too."
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Danny was right, the swim did make Steve feel a little better. As he emerged from the water, Eddie at his side, he realized he was no longer feeling so overwhelmed by emotions he didn't know how to handle. He wondered if he would ever get past the guilt and grief he felt over his father's death. Whether cases like the one they just had would ever stop bringing those feeling back to the forefront. Really, it wasn't even so much about guilt anymore because he knew Hess hadn't killed his father because of anything Steve had done, no, WoFat would have had John McGarrett killed in his search for his own father regardless. So, it wasn't guilt Steve felt anymore, it was regret for all the years he'd missed with his father when he was younger and sadness for all the time they'd never have now. He let Eddie shake most of the salt water off himself before picking up the large bucket of clean water he had left sitting out. He slowly poured it over the dog while running a hand through his fur. Once Eddie had another shake, Steve walked over and grabbed one of the towels he's draped over his Adirondack chair and rubbed the dog down. Danny hated it when he let Eddie inside still wet and covered in salt and sand. To be honest, Steve really couldn't fault Danny for that. Once he deemed Eddie sufficiently clean and dry, Steve grabbed his own towel and started walking toward the house, drying himself off as he went.
As soon as he opened the door, he heard them ... Danny, Grace, and Charlie. Steve felt more of the darkness leave him and he just stood there for a moment listening to them moving around in the kitchen. Even though he couldn't make out what they were saying, he heard Charlie's childish voice, followed by Grace's soft reply, and then, there it was, Danny's low chuckle. His family was home. With that thought, Steve felt the coldness of his grief for the family he lost, for the family he never really had, being replaced with the warmth of love for the family he had now, the family of his heart, if not of his blood.
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"Danny?" Steve was sitting on the edge of the bed watching Danny through the open bathroom door as he brushed his teeth. The evening had been just what Steve needed ... full of children and laughter, cooking dinner together, eating outside on the lanai, watching a movie dog-piled on the couch, tucking Charlie into bed, getting a kiss on the cheek from Grace as she headed to her room for the night ... perfect.
"Hmm?" Danny asked. Steve watched as he spit into the sink and ran his toothbrush under some water before he placed it in the holder next to Steve's. After quickly rinsing his mouth out, Danny splashed some water on his face. He dried off with the towel hanging on the rack before he flipped the bathroom light off and walked back into the bedroom.
"Thanks for tonight," Steve told him as he watched Danny pull his shirt over his head and throw it towards the hamper in the corner. Now wearing just the sleep pants he'd put on earlier in the evening, Danny walked over and stopped in front of Steve were he sat on the foot of the bed.
"You're welcome, I'm not sure chocolate chip cookies really pair well with fish tacos, but Charlie insisted that warm chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven would make you feel better." Danny tilted his head and gave Steve a small smile that he knew meant Danny was going to let him decide whether the conversation would become serious or not.
"Charlie is wise beyond his years, but it wasn't just the cookies that made me feel better," Steve told him. By some unspoken agreement, they both crawled under the covers and moved to sit propped up against the headboard.
"No?"
"No. You knew the case had gotten to me. You knew I needed you and the kids ... that I needed to remember that even though my father is dead, my sister is thousands of miles away, and my mother is God knows where doing God knows what, I still have a family."
"You caught on to that, huh? And here I thought I was being so subtle." Danny leaned over and bumped his shoulder into Steve's.
"Yeah, ever since recognizing and admitting my feelings for you, I've gotten much better at figuring things like that out." This time it was Steve who leaned over and bumped Danny's shoulder.
"Still not going to let me forget that you realized your feelings for me first, are you?"
"Nope, never," Steve told him with a wink and a smirk before moving in for a quick kiss. "But, seriously Danny, I mean it. I realized something tonight. I realized that you, Grace, Charlie, and I are a family. I mean, I've thought of all of you as family for years, but thinking of someone as family, and actually being a family are two totally different things. Tonight, I finally realized the difference. Good times, bad times, bedtime stories, teenage angst, family movie night, homework, chores, tough cases, tears, laughter, fish tacos and chocolate chip cookies. We are a family."
"I know." Danny told him softly. The love Steve saw in Danny's eyes was his undoing and he felt a tear roll down his cheek. Danny reached over and cupped his cheek, rubbing the tear away with his thumb. "I've known for a while, I'm just glad you know now too. That you really believe we're not going to leave you like so many other people in your life have done. Me, Grace, Charlie, we're here to stay. The four of us, we are parts of a whole and you, my emotionally-stunted friend, are the final piece. You're stuck we us ... forever."
Steve leaned forward and rested his forehead against Danny's. "Forever."
Fin.
A/N: I've written so much fluff lately that I felt the need to post a little bit of angst, but as with all my stories, there's a fluffy ending. :-) Thanks so much for reading. You folks who make up the Hawaii Five-0 fandom and particularly the McDanno community are awesome.