Disclaimer: They aren't mine, and they never will be. Sigh. The story is mine as are the original characters.

Author's note: I use some original characters from a couple of my previous stories - "We've All Had Better Weeks" and "Career Day." It's not necessary to read those first, but it might help. It might also be a shameless plug by this author to get you to read my other stories.

Thanks: HUGE thanks to fifilla for talking me through this story and helping to give me a direction. Without her help this story probably would not ever have seen the light of day. Thank you also to wenwalke for her willingness to read this and catch my many mistakes. Any mistakes that remain are totally mine.

Danny Williams was enjoying an almost perfect day. He was still in Hawaii and not in New Jersey, but that was becoming less and less of an issue each day that passed. Not that he would admit that to anyone. He had a reputation to uphold after all. He made a mental note to complain about the perfect weather later when he saw his partner. The thought made him smile as the ensuing good natured argument ran through his head.

Danny glanced in his rear view mirror and his smile got even wider. The biggest part of his almost perfect day was sitting in the backseat of his Camaro. "What's the address again, Monkey?"

Grace Williams grinned back at her dad, "Danno, you already asked the address two times!"

"I just want to make sure I get you to the right house," he assured her. "After all, it would be embarrassing to show up for a birthday party at the wrong house."

"It's right up there," Grace pointed. "See. The gate's open. And there are balloons."

"Oh, right," Danny chuckled.

"You're silly today, Danno!" Grace pointed out.

Danny made a face at her in the rear view mirror as he turned right into the driveway of the very fancy house with a very long driveway. The house was huge, more of a mansion than a house really. He shook his head at the opulence, but glad that Grace's friends from school invited her to birthday parties and other events. He hoped the birthday present they had picked out together would be enough for her friend. On a cop's salary he was confident that he couldn't keep up with the other parents, but Grace had put a lot of thought into the present so he was sure it would be fine. Besides, they didn't need to know what the price tag said.

"C'mon, Monkey," Danny climbed out of the car and held his seat up for her to get out. "I'm meeting Uncle Steve down at the beach. I'll come get you when the party is over and then we're going to meet everyone at Uncle Steve's for a cookout. Sound okay to you?"

"Yeah!" Grace nodded enthusiastically. She chatted his ear off as they walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Just as they heard someone approaching to let them in, she exclaimed, "I forgot the present in the car!"

Danny rolled his eyes so his daughter didn't see, "Well, go get it then."

"Be right back!" She bounced away.

"Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?" A man in a formal suit opened the door.

"Hi, yes," Danny looked back over his shoulder for Grace. "My daughter is here for the birthday party. She had to run back to the car for the present. She'll be right back."

"Please come in."

Danny stepped into the entryway and tried not to gape at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The house was ten times fancier than Rachel's, and it made him uncomfortable. He nervously shuffled his feet and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a high-pitched sound from the back of the house.

The doorman turned, startled. He started towards the back of the house where smoke was starting to billow from a doorway, but Danny grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him towards the front door just as Grace burst through. Danny intercepted Grace and turned her around and back through the front door as he pointed at the doorman, "Call 9-1-1 and get the fire department out here."

"Daddy, what's going on?" Grace wondered as she let her father push her outside again.

"It's okay, Monkey," Danny soothed. "I'm going to go make sure everyone is out of the house. There's smoke so I'm going to go check it out. Why don't you go back to the car and call Uncle Steve and tell him I'm going to be a little late." At Grace's nod, he turned back into the house and ran towards the back as three people stumbled out coughing. From their clothing, Danny guessed they were a catering crew readying for the party.

"Is there anyone else in there?" Danny grabbed the nearest person by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"No," the woman coughed and shook her head. "We were the only ones in the kitchen."

"I think the others are down the hall," She pointed to the right of the kitchen.

"Do you know what happened?" Danny asked.

All three shook their heads, but the first woman spoke up again, "There was a high pitched screech and then the kitchen filled with smoke. I couldn't tell where it was coming from. The vents maybe or the stove. There was so much of it so fast. It wasn't us though. We didn't even have the oven on."

Danny nodded, "How many are in the other room, do you know?"

"A handful of kids and the owners of the house, I think."

"Okay, thank you," Danny gently urged them towards the door. "Help's on the way so go on out and make sure everyone is away from the house."

Without a second look, Danny dashed down the hallway towards the room where the caterers said others were waiting. That was quickly confirmed as the power went out with a sizzle and a pop and screams were heard coming from that direction.

Just as Danny reached the door, six kids burst through the doorway with a man and woman behind urging them on. The woman was near hysterics as she came through the doorway. "What's going on? There's smoke everywhere. So much smoke."

"Ma'am," Danny quickly led the small group back down the hallway as the smoke began to billow more and more from the kitchen and drift down the hallway in a thick, black cloud. "Calm down. Help's on the way. Let's get outside and wait for the fire department."

Danny took a deep breath of fresh air as they emerged outside and was grateful to be out of the smoke-filled house. He herded the little group towards the crowd gathered farther down the driveway.

Without warning, the near-hysterical woman, turned and ran towards the house again. Danny caught her just as she reached the front door, smoke already creeping out the top of the doorway. "I have to get in there! Let me go! I have to go back!"

"Ma'am," Danny tried to soothe her and steer her back away from the house at the same time. "Calm down, Ma'am. The fire department is on the way here. You can't go back in. What's the matter?"

"My baby!" she wailed. "My baby is still inside! She's upstairs taking a nap. Please, I have to get her!"

"Ma'am," Danny fought to keep the woman under control. "Where upstairs is she? I'll go get her, just tell me where she is."

The woman tried to control her hiccupping sobs as she pointed towards the upper corner of the house, "Up the stairs to the left and all the way down the hall. She's in the last bedroom. Oh, please hurry, please!"

"Ma'am, go wait with the others, when the firefighters get here, let them know what I'm doing." Danny quickly instructed. He glanced one more time at Grace before turning and rushing through the door into the smoke filled house.

Thanks for reading. Double thanks if you take the time to leave a review. This story is complete so I will be posting regularly.