Conversations with Grace – Daddy's Girl
Hilton Parking lot. Friday evening 8:30
…
After a dinner with her ohana where Grace Williams had Kono and Catherine's help with consuming a giant chocolate and ice cream volcano, the Five 0 family is saying their good nights.
"C'mon, I'll give you a lift." Chin tells Kono. "Save Catherine the trip to your place."
'Thanks, Cuz. And Cath, thanks for picking me up." The two women hug and everyone says goodbye.
As they approach the parking lot, Danny and Steve are each holding one of Grace's hands. She looks up at her dad and favorite Uncle. "Danno? Uncle Steve?"
"Yeah, Monkey?" "What, Gracie?"
"We need to talk."
Danny Williams and Steve McGarrett both knew that phrase, coming from a member of the opposite sex, rarely heralded good news. To hear it from the 11 year old stops them dead in their tracks. Catherine, who is walking next to Steve, his free arm around her waist, smiles at the guys' expressions.
"Is something wrong, Grace?" Danny asks, stooping down to his daughter's level.
"No. I just need to talk to you. You, too, Catherine. Can we?"
"Right now? Monkey, is everything okay? Do you want to go back inside, or can it wait 'til we're at home?" At her nod, Danny continues "We can go back to our place, sit down and you can tell us what's on your mind, alright?" He turns to Steve and Catherine "Can you guys follow us home?"
"Of course, Danny." "No problem." They say simultaneously.
"Thanks." At their cars now, Danny closes the door after Grace gets in and turns to his friends. "Steve, it's nothing horrible, you can stop with aneurism face."
"Are you sure?" Steve's furrowed brow illustrates his concern for his 'niece'.
"I'm sure if it'll keep for twenty minutes. Grace would tell me right away if it was anything I needed to freak out over."
"Okay, go. We'll follow you." Steve and Catherine get into her car and follow Danny out of the lot and to his place.
Williams' residence
Sitting next to her dad on the loveseat, Grace faces Steve and Catherine who are perched on the sofa, across from them. "I wanted to talk to Danno, but since I kind of need you to know about it, I though you should be here."
The calm, mature tone is all Rachel, Steve thinks as he holds his breath waiting for her to continue, but the expressive eyes … Danny's except for their color… and Gracie's gestures are one hundred percent his partner.
"Grace, you're freaking us out, here, Babe. What's got you going?"
"Well, I was listening to Mommy and Stan talk about her making a new will and ten…testament and I was worried that you didn't have one."
"What!?" Danny starts to color, but Catherine's and Steve's looks make him hold his tongue.
"I asked Uncle Chin today and he said you guys all had them. He also explained lots of stuff and said I should talk to you, Danno. So, I want to tell you guys something." She looks at each adult, takes a deep breath, and continues. "If Mommy…um…went to heaven… and then something bad happened to you, Daddy…"
Daddy, not Danno, Steve notices. Years ago he'd picked up on the fact that Grace used Daddy when she was afraid, or very serious. He saw his partner's eyes begin to cloud with emotion while he hugged his not-so-little girl against him for a second.
"Grace, please, Baby, don't…" Danny clears his throat, but Grace shakes her head and continues.
"No. I have to. Now, if that happened, I don't want to live with Stan. He's nice to me and he loves me" Grace feels her father stiffen "Daddy… he does … but he's not you. He's not my dad. I love Charlie, but I won't live with Stan just because Charlie would. And I love our family, Nonna and Pop Pop in New Jersey, but I live here, my brother is here and…"
"You'd want to stay in Hawaii, wouldn't you, Sweetheart?" Steve asks gently. "Did you think of this because of your friend, Linda? Her mom dying and her being afraid she'd have to leave?"
"Well kind of, and because of you, Uncle Steve. You got sent away and I'd hate that." Grace turns to face her dad. "I want you to fix that paper, the will and testament, so it says the right thing, because if I didn't have you, I want to live with Uncle Steve. I have to."
Three sets of eyes lock on her and Grace looks down at her feet. "But I wanted to make sure it's okay with Uncle Steve and Catherine." Grace turns to look Steve in the eyes. "Would it be? Because I was afraid that if Daddy was … you know… I'd just remind you of that and it'd make you sad, but Uncle Chin said that wasn't right, that I couldn't make you sad, 'cause we're ohana."
Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, head of the governor's task force, decorated naval officer and SEAL, cannot speak. Not a word. Clasping the fingers of the hand Catherine had slipped into his, he simply stares at the child of a man who he'd met at gunpoint. Who he'd hijacked into being his partner. Who'd told him 'I hate you.' so many times he'd lost count. The man he knew would always have his back, no matter what, was the best friend he'd ever known, and the brother he'd never had.
Danny looks at his partner, feeling an overwhelming need to hug his daughter and never let go. The guy who'd 'stolen his crime scene', who he'd thought was a crazy pain in the ass, had become not only his brother, but so important to his baby girl that she was asking him to be there for her if her father couldn't. His eyes slide over to Catherine's. Grace loved her, too. She trusted them to keep her safe, and Danny notices Catherine smile at his daughter, but her eyes are glistening when she looks up at him.
"Steve?"
"Uncle Steve?" father and daughter ask together.
Steve doesn't utter a sound. He simply holds out his arms to Grace and she leaves her Dad's embrace, taking a tentative step before flinging herself into them. 'Just like her first steps to me as a baby' crosses through Danny's mind.
"Gracie, Sweetheart, listen to me. I want you to know, I… we…" he looks at Catherine who is nodding "love you very, very, much and I'd never let anyone take you away from me, if …" he doesn't finish … "but" Steve pulls her onto the seat between himself and Catherine, who slides over to make room "I promise you, as long as I'm alive I will do everything in my power to make sure your Danno gets home to you, every single day of my life."
"That's what Uncle Chin said."
"Uncle Chin's a smart guy." Steve plants a kiss on her head. "But I think you need to hear what your Dad has to say, okay?"
Nodding, Grace looks at Danny, not knowing what to expect. "C'mere Monkey." She crosses back to him and he holds both her hands in his "You know if anything happened to me and you didn't have Mom, I've already made arrangements, years ago, for you to be taken care of…"
"But…"
"Wait. Listen, Babe. The arrangements are for your crazy, ninja Uncle Steve to take care of you. He may drive me nuts, but I know you wouldn't be safer with anyone, ever. And I asked Catherine a few months back, and she agreed so she'd be there for you, too. Now, promise me you will stop thinking scary things and concentrate on something happy?" Danny smiles at Steve and Catherine over her head, as she's wrapped in his arms.
"Danno, I can't breathe" she giggles. Typical for her age, once her fears are abated by the adults she loves and trusts, her demeanor is happy in an instant.
"Oh, really?" Well, how about you give your Uncle and Aunty a hug and go get ready for bed?"
"Okay, Danno." The hugs she gives Steve and Catherine are so heartfelt they just ooze 'Danny'.
"Goodnight, Gracie." "Goodnight, Grace." They tell her simultaneously, as she heads off to her room and Danny turns toward his friends.
"Guys, wow. I'm sorry. I didn't think she'd worry about that stuff for years or I'd have told her I'd named Steve as her guardian two years ago. God, it sucks that she's gotta think about this crap at all, but thank you, both, again."
"Are you okay?" Catherine places a hand on his arm. Knowing that worrying about a parent was just as scary for a cop's child as it was for a Navy brat, and that said worry went both ways.
"Hey, I'm good. How about you, there, SuperSEAL? You good?"
"I'm better than good, Danny, better than good." Steve smiles at him.
At the door, Danny hugs Catherine and turns to say "Well you made my baby girl happy, so…"
"It earns me a Williams hug?" The two share a patented Danny 'I'm from New Jersey, we hug everybody' hug, complete with a slap on the back.
"Now, get outta here and get some rest. Long day."
Closing the door behind them, Detective Danny Williams smiles to himself. Ohana, indeed.
End thanks for reading
Author's note: I wrote this one because several people requested a follow up to my Asking Uncle Chin story. Thanks everyone! and hugs from Danno's home state of NJ - Mari