Author's note: Unbetaed as I wanted to get this posted before Christmas. Technically it is Christmas here in the UK since it's after midnight but hey, I wasn't far off! Therefore consider all mistakes/typos unwanted Christmas gifts. The title is a line from REM's 'Losing My Religion'. Reviews are very, very welcome. Merry Christmas!
Disclaimer: Sadly not mine (unlike the mistakes).
Summary: Steve has never realised how lonely Danny is and vows to do something about it at Christmas. Set mid Season 1, it's definitely AU because this is their first Christmas as Five-0, but Steve has never met Rachel at this point.
Warnings: Bad language and an extra large serving of bromance. This came out much more sappy than I'd intended so pretending it's pre-slash won't be too difficult even though I didn't write it that way!
The Lengths That I Will Go To
Steve starts to notice something is wrong a couple of days into December. He's a smart man, so it doesn't take him long to connect the dots – that Danny's declining mood is directly linked to the approach of the holiday season.
Danny masks it well when he's with Grace; he feeds into the little girl's excitement, indulges her delight at all things 'Christmas', plays the role of a doting father to a standard beyond compare but when she's not there Steve sees that things aren't right no matter how hard Danny denies it.
He notices how Danny uses the communal areas at HQ less and less, preferring to shut himself away in his office, claiming a never-ending mountain of paperwork as his excuse. He winces as Danny tackles a fleeing perp with an almost manic intensity and scant regard for his own flesh and comes away with wrecked clothes, skinned knees and a nasty gash on his forearm that requires stitches to close it, which Danny sits through, his mouth set in a grim line as the doctor does his work.
He asks him what's wrong, of course he does, but Danny deflects, evades, equivocates until Steve wants to punch things in sheer frustration. When Kono mentions in passing that Danny has all but bitten her head off when she asked him if he'd seen the Derringer case file he decides he's done pussy-footing around, not that asking straight out could ever really be considered pussy-footing around.
"Danny," he says, barely over the threshold of his partner's office. "Come on, we're going to lunch."
Danny looks up at him like he's lost his mind but his expression changes when he realises Steve is telling and not asking. His posture is suddenly defensive but there's weariness too as he runs a hand across his hair because he knows these situations never end well, which would be with him telling Steve to fuck off and Steve actually doing it.
"Fine, but you're buying."
They leave HQ in silence, anticipation of their inevitable confrontation rendering the possibility of any small talk pointless as they walk side by side to Danny's car. Danny climbs into the passenger seat without complaint and stares straight ahead, his body so rigid that Steve makes a note not to brake too hard for fear that Danny might snap in two if he does.
There's no discussion about where they're getting lunch; Steve knows Danny well enough to know that, at best, all he'll get is a sharp shrug and an even sharper 'your choice' so he just drives and ten minutes later, they're pulling up outside the Surfside Diner, which Danny regularly proclaims does the best ham on rye on O'ahu.
They go to the counter and order, Danny briefly glancing at him when he states firmly that their food is 'to go'. Danny still doesn't say anything though and when their food arrives they head back to the car, still cloaked in the silence of those at odds with each other but unwilling to actually talk about why.
He knows Danny will desperately want to ask him what the fuck he's playing at but is stubbornly refusing to be the first to speak, so he also holds his tongue until they've arrived at his house and are both seated out back, a few feet away from where the North Pacific Ocean laps at the fine white sand.
He recalls the beers they shared on this exact spot not long after Danny had become his partner, admittedly under duress, when he'd felt the ice between them thawing a little as they started to better understand each other's motives.
Danny had shared why he was in Hawaii – not the facts, because they were obvious from the minute he'd seen Danny's sparse shit-hole of an apartment, but the emotions behind his decision to stay in a place he had no desire to be. He'd seen, heard, felt even, Danny's love for his little girl and he'd known at that moment that he'd found a man who would be fiercely loyal should he, Steve, be able to prove that he deserved such loyalty and would be able to offer the same in return.
He did and he had countless times just as Danny had proven himself by backing his plays even when he didn't necessarily agree with them. He then finds himself thinking of his sister, when after she'd stopped laughing at Danny's dress sense, had told him that, honestly? She thought she was witnessing the start of the 'greatest love affair ever told'. He'd laughed at the time, called her a moron, yet despite her ridiculous description, he kind of gets where she was going with that.
So yeah, Danny getting all glum and snippy and a little bit reckless isn't the main thing that's bothering him – it's more that Danny hasn't told him why he's feeling like that that has led to them being here, in the middle of the day, about to get into it over ham on rye and a couple of Longboards that he snagged when they walked through the house.
He watches Danny unwrap his sandwich but it then sits untouched in his lap, his right hand moving to worry the clean white bandage on his left forearm instead. Time to stop circling and make the first move.
"You know why we're here, Danny," he says quietly, focussing on his own lunch to avoid antagonising his partner by inviting a staring contest. "I know something's wrong and I was hoping you'd have talked to me sooner but hey, when did we ever do anything the easy way, huh?"
He's relieved to see a slight smile pull at the corner of Danny's lips, but it's a brief reprieve before morose is back. Danny pushes at his rolled up sleeves, mindful of his bandaged arm, then reaches for the beer bottle at his feet and toys with it for a moment before he finally looks up.
"It's the holidays although I'm sure you'd already worked that out."
"I had guessed it was something to do with Christmas," he replies, seeing that Danny is waiting for confirmation of his stellar detective skills.
"Uh huh. Well, yeah, don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, or rather I did when I could celebrate it properly."
"You'll get to see Grace on Christmas Day, won't you?"
Danny snorts and makes a face that reflects his unhappiness. "I get to see her for five measly hours. Three hundred minutes on the best day of the year to be with your child, can you believe that?"
Steve shakes his head, certain there isn't anything he can say that will make Danny feel better.
"The thing is, after the divorce when I moved out here this compromise was supposed to be win-win, but as far as I'm concerned, those two things are mutually exclusive. I love my daughter, Steve and I would never pass on the opportunity to spend a single second with her, but I hate this arrangement because I get hardly any time with Grace and it means I can't see my family either."
He looks at Danny now and is hit sharply by the overwhelming sense of loneliness surrounding the other man. He's aware of a knot in his stomach and reluctantly acknowledges it as guilt, after all, he'd known Danny's situation and used it to his advantage when he needed to assemble a team to help him find his father's killer. His own words echo loudly in his ears.
You obviously moved here to be closer to your daughter, which means in between visits all you've got is your job and you take pride in it. That's what I'm looking for.
Despite Danny's somewhat abrasive manner he'd known back then that he'd struck gold, but now he realises he's always been taking the easy option, of glancing at the sunlight reflecting off the surface waters, at Danny the cop rather than wading into the colder, more painful depths of Danny the human being.
He knows he can attribute some of that ignorance to self-interest or singularity of purpose, which sounds a little less selfish. But maybe he's also been something of a coward – happy to call Danny a friend, to hang out, go for beers, but never really taking too detailed an interest in his life out of work.
His discomfort demands he holds Danny slightly responsible too, after all, his partner has never said that he needed an ear or a shoulder to cry on or whatever and, hey, even if tea and sympathy have never been his strong suit he'd have at least tried. So yeah, Danny could have said something, but he knows he's really just kidding himself because he's been a shitty friend and there's no sugar coating it, no matter how bad it tastes right now.
"Would your family ever consider coming out to Hawaii?" he asks.
Danny pokes at his sandwich for a moment, contemplating the question. "They say they want to, but it's not that easy, is it?"
"Is it money?"
"Yes and no... I don't know." He runs a hand across his hair – classic Danny frustration. "I've got a big family, see? There's my mom and dad, my two sisters and they're both married with two kids each and then there's my younger brother, Matty..." He pauses for a moment, lost in a memory of the special people in his life.
"Everyone's so busy with their own lives the rest of the year, it's almost impossible to get the whole family together so Christmas has always been sacrosanct. Even when I was down to work Christmas Day I'd still make sure I got over to my parents' place at some point. When Rachel and I split... that first Christmas, I'd have gone insane if it wasn't for my family.
"I knew it would never be the same when I came out to Hawaii but I thought it'll be okay, you know? I thought I'll have Grace, it'll make up for the fact that I won't get to see everyone else but... but, well, it doesn't."
He gets it then – Danny feels disloyal to his daughter admitting that he's unhappy and that the five hours he gets to spend with her aren't enough to relieve that unhappiness.
"Rachel wouldn't agree to you having Grace for longer?" he asks, determined to find some kind of solution.
Danny shoots him a look – annoyance, misery, defeat. "I've asked before and she's said no and there's no point trying to drag it back to court because she's got Lord Vader in her corner and if anything, me rocking the boat will only result in her trying to downgrade what I already get."
He's instantly pondering asking the governor to intervene again as he did after the football game debacle but Danny's already shaking his head.
"I know what you're thinking, Steve, and don't get me wrong I appreciate everything you did for me then, but that was about Rachel trying to stop visitation completely." He waves a hand to punctuate his seriousness. "This I hate, but I can live with it so please don't think you should involve the governor."
He gets Danny's unspoken message too: please don't because I might need that particular trump card for more serious matters as well as please don't risk making it worse and he wonders how Danny copes living on such a knife-edge with his ex-wife, where the slightest fuck-up could result in him never getting to see the most important person in his life, except when her highness decrees.
"Okay, Danno, but I still think there's gotta be a way."
Danny has known him long enough to recognise the glint of determination in his eyes and the hard set of his jaw people have told him he gets when he's consciously or unconsciously gone into mission mode but it's clear that this is one area of Danny's life where he holds no hope for a resolution, with the formidable Steve McGarrett on the case or not.
H50H50H50
The first hint of dawn has broken through the chink in the drapes when Steve realises that he hasn't spent a lot of the night sleeping. Danny's situation is frustrating because he hates anything that cannot be sorted with firm words, clear actions and a little bit of armed combat thrown in for good measure.
He doesn't want to risk making Danny's state of affairs worse because from all the telephone interactions he's witnessed so far between Danny and his ex-wife, his partner appears to be on permanent shaky ground before he's even opened his mouth.
In his family there was a huge sense of pride surrounding his father's occupation, but Rachel clearly sees cops as synonymous with intense and unending danger and doesn't want Grace to know any part of it, which would be sensible if it were true. The truth is that although their work is not always safe it is always worthwhileand he hates that Danny is denied the right to be a hero in his daughter's eyes, just as Jack McGarrett was in his.
So one way or another, he's making it his mission to do something good for Danny this Christmas, to show him he's appreciated and that people do care about him.
He's just not sure how.
H50H50H50
While Danny is attending court for one of their cases, Steve takes the opportunity to speak to Kono and Chin. He doesn't want to tell tales out of school but he feels he should at least give their colleagues a heads up as to why Danny is acting like he is at the moment in the hope that they will cut him a little slack when he's being a jerk.
They're both sympathetic, so he decides to pick their brains about what he could do to give Danny a boost, but aside from agreeing that he shouldn't risk upsetting the Rachel apple cart by trying to get Danny a little more time with Grace on Christmas Day, neither of them have any suggestions beyond inviting Danny to share in their own plans.
He's already considered this given that his own schedule for the day is light, but it's still not enough. Danny is family-orientated and there must be more he can do without having to resort to shoe-horning him into other people's lives when Danny wants nothing more than to share Christmas with his own loved ones.
A couple of days later, he's no further on aside from being even more determined to do something. Danny is currently yelling into the phone at some smartass lawyer who had clearly managed to push his buttons, which are frankly enormous and neon-lit at the moment, and he is switching between pushing back his hair angrily while he listens and then returning to emphatic gesticulations when it's his turn to speak again.
Through Danny's office window Steve observes the interaction. Normally it would make him smile; lawyers, especially the arrogant, self-important ones, bring out the pitbull in his second-in-command and siccing Danny on them is usually nothing short of good quality entertainment, but today it's... well, it's making for uncomfortable viewing.
Danny, who will be the first person to admit he is an angry man, would normally never let a lawyer - in his eyes a mere whisper away from jackals and hyenas in his natural order of things - get the better of him, but he's losing his shit and Steve's starting to think he needs to step in. Danny has spent the last hour with the shit-head lawyer's shit-head client and it's clear his patience has clocked off for the evening.
When Danny raises his hand again to punctuate whatever he's saying, he's concerned to see blood spotting the bandage on his partner's arm. Decision made, he walks over and enters Danny's office, waving a hand to get his attention. Danny shoots him an irritated look but seems to realise that he's going off the reservation and reins it in, ending the call abruptly before he blows their case completely.
With the wind taken out of his sails, Danny sits down heavily in his chair and lets out a sigh. "Whatever you're about to say, Steven, don't. I already know it, okay?"
Expecting this, he changes tack. "What happened to your arm?"
"What d'you mean?" Danny asks, then looks at the now-stained bandage and rolls his eyes. "Well that's just terrific."
"Tell me you didn't punch Amerino?"
"What? You think that's what this is about? I'm not an idiot, Steve. You think I want to see that scum-sucking lowlife go free because I couldn't keep my hands to myself?"
"Okay, okay," he says, backing off but not willing to let Danny off the hook completely. "But you know what his lawyer's like. Yelling at him's not exactly going to make our job any easier."
Danny huffs, but nods anyway, clearly willing to accept the criticism. "Yeah sorry. You know how lawyers bring out the asshole in me."
"So what happened to the arm?"
The look he gets is somewhat sheepish. "Let's just say it objected to something leaving my hand at speed."
"You mean you threw something?"
"Excellent deduction, Holmes."
"What was it?"
"A chair. Don't worry; although it was motivated by Amerino and his failure to comprehend that he is a complete and utter bastard, it wasn't aimed at him so no criminals were actually harmed in the making of this injury."
"Okay," he replies, relieved that the tension has been defused because he hates being at odds with Danny in ways he isn't always able to articulate. "But come on, we're going to get that arm looked at."
H50H50H50
It's Danny's misfortune to be treated by the same doctor he saw following the initial injury, so while he's given a new set of stitches he gets a free lecture about taking care of his body thrown in for good measure.
Danny's irritation almost matches the doctor's, and Steve can't help but think (but sensibly doesn't voice) that it's partly because this time he can't blame an insane partner who drives cars onto Chinese freighters.
All of this combines to ensure that Danny's not exactly in the best of moods so Steve hangs around to run interference while he's being treated, lest Danny punch anyone, which would result in him then having to work out how to get Danny out of jail for Christmas instead.
Once he's sure that no one's in any danger and Danny's getting his arm re-bandaged he excuses himself to go and make a call. He goes out to the car to do it but can't help his eyes flicking around guiltily, as if he expects Danny to magically appear in the passenger seat and catch him red-handed.
He knows he said he wouldn't, but Danny's unhappiness is so profound that he can't see any way to lift his partner's spirits without some real muscle behind him.
And so regardless of Danny's protests, he's enlisting the governor's help.
H50H50H50
The next couple of weeks in the run up to Christmas Day are a challenge, but he manages to keep Danny alive, out of jail and reasonably okay, even if 'happy' would be a stretch too far. As the twenty fifth draws near he finds himself growing nervous, which is frankly insane given the shit he's done in his life without a second thought.
After the millionth bout of 'what-ifs' he stops thinking about whether everything will go to plan and whether Danny will be pissed at him for involving the governor and focuses on work with a determination that causes Danny to start asking if he's okay.
His anxiety can finally be put to bed on the twenty third, when he receives a call to say everything is proceeding as planned. As he puts his phone down, he leans back heavily in his chair and stares out into the main office where Chin, Kono and Danny are discussing something over the main desk.
Chin says something and he watches Danny smile in response. He then finds himself trying to picture Danny's reaction to what he has planned and hopes, hopes, it'll confirm his suspicions that all the stress will be worth it.
Danny has already agreed to come over on Christmas Eve; Chin and Kono will also be stopping by before heading off to a party held by one of the few members of their family who has not ostracised Chin since his dismissal from the Honolulu PD.
He's already bought beers and food and he's looking forward to getting the Five-0 ohana together, even if it's just for a couple of hours. Chin and Kono are also in on his plans, which will hopefully help defuse his nervous tension and stop him from giving the game away.
He's drawn from his reverie by Danny, who is beckoning him and he stands up promptly, heading out of his office with the fervent hope that he's not about to be told there's a serial killer or wanted terrorist on the loose, because that would seriously fuck up Christmas.
H50H50H50
"Steven? You're not gonna let this stand are you?" Danny's expression is so indignant that Steve is unable to prevent the laugh that forces itself up from his chest.
"You're kidding right?" he says, never one to miss an opportunity to pull Danny's leg when the results are always so entertaining. "Sorry, Danno but I'm with Kono on this one."
Danny's face is priceless. He turns his incredulous gaze on Chin, but the ever-wise Hawaiian has learnt the art of deflection when it comes to Danny and his rants and he's already on his feet, giving a trip to the bathroom as his excuse.
"You guys are nuts," Danny says, shaking his head. "I'm telling you, Scaramanga is the top Bond villain, bar none." He holds out his hand, ready to count off his fingers and Steve mentally winces when he realises they're about to get one of Danny's lists.
"He was an international assassin by age fifteen; he can shoot a friggin' cork out of champagne bottle; his mother was a snake charmer for Christssakes!" he enumerates.
"Don't forget his third nipple," Kono interjects.
Danny shoots her a look. "All the more reason to be an angry badass."
"Yeah, I mean, imagine the shit he got in the locker room at school," Steve adds, playing along. "That guy's gonna have issues."
Now the death glare is turned on him. "Fine. Name one Bond villain better than Scaramanga."
"Blofeld." Steve folds his arms across his chest and fights down the smirk that will tell Danny he's not taking this discussion seriously because there is nothing better than winding Danny up and watching him go.
"Blofeld? Now I know you're crazy. You're gonna choose an asshole who sits stroking a cat over a guy who builds a maze in his home to duel to the death with other assassins just for practise?"
"He is environmentally friendly," Kono says thoughtfully, "what with his solar power plant and everything."
Danny's rolling his eyes when Chin walks back into the room and by this point the other two are falling about laughing.
"Chin, man, you gotta save me from these two clearly insane people," Danny implores. "Next they'll be telling me remaking classic movies and TV shows is a good idea too."
"Come on, Cuz," Chin says, laughing, "we don't want to keep the family waiting."
Kono glances at her watch and jumps up but she's still grinning and Steve thinks yanking Danny's chain should be right up there with shooting pool and watching movies in terms of its entertainment value.
"Remakes aren't all bad," she replies, hugging first Steve and then Danny. She's still got her arms wrapped around Danny when she says, with a wink to the other two, "after all, everyone knows Vince Vaughn's Norman Bates is definitive."
Steve lets them out to the sounds of Danny's howls of outrage.
Once they've driven away he goes into the kitchen to get fresh beers. He glances at his own watch and feels a jolt of nervous excitement knowing there's less than half an hour until he reveals the sum of his scheming to Danny.
When he walks back into the living room, Danny is clearly over his indignation judging by the contented expression on his face as he drains the last of his beer before accepting the new bottle. There's a period of companionable silence, which Danny is the first to break.
"Thanks for this, Steve."
Having been about to say something himself, he looks at Danny and nods instead.
"For what?" he asks, after a swig of beer.
Danny shrugs, his eyes roving the room before settling on the drink gripped between his fingers. "For making Christmas a little less shitty, I guess."
Steve raises his eyebrows, knowing this is high praise indeed. It's also the perfect opportunity to segue into the real reason they're here.
"Glad I can be of assistance," he says with a smile and then he's on his feet heading round the back of the armchair to lift out a rectangular cardboard box with a bow stuck haphazardly on the top. He meets Danny's quizzical gaze and finds himself grinning like an idiot.
"Merry Christmas, partner."
Danny studies the box for a moment - a detective's focus looking for any clues about what it might contain. "I'm guessing it's not an engagement ring," he says eventually.
Steve places a hand on the box to stop Danny from opening it, needing the other man to look at him first and know that he's being serious.
"It's a thank you, Danno. For everything." When Danny doesn't say anything, he continues, feeling strangely laid bare.
"And it's also an apology. I know you never wanted to come to Hawaii but I guess I never really thought about what you've given up to be here and I'm sorry that I never noticed how hard it is for you. And I know you came here for Grace, but New Jersey's loss is Hawaii's gain."
He pauses again while Danny's gaze meets his. "It's also my gain. And I'm not sorry for that. So thank you."
Danny seems uncharacteristically speechless for a moment. He nods, as if he is taking it all in before he offers a smile that on anyone else would seem shy, but that's ridiculous because it's Danny.
"I know I complain... a lot," he adds when he sees Steve's 'no shit' face is fighting to put in an appearance, "but... but I guess it's not all bad. I mean, when I first came here, Grace and work really was all I had, but since Five-0...
"So yeah," Danny says offering Steve a sudden lopsided smile. "As much as I wanted to punch your lights out when you showed up like friggin' GI Joe and basically kidnapped me from Honolulu PD, I think... I think it turned out okay."
He watches as the humour fades from Danny's expression but doesn't interrupt because his partner clearly isn't done yet.
"And I miss my family, Steve. It hurts like fuck knowing they're not just round the corner anymore and after I'd been here a while, I started to doubt that I'd done the right thing. Do you know how bad that feels? That my daughter wasn't enough make being away from my family okay?
"But then you came along, like a fucking hurricane, and I realised that things were starting to change. I still miss them ridiculously but it finally feels like there's more here in Hawaii for me other than just Grace."
When Danny stops speaking they study each other for a moment, each seemingly satisfied that they've said what they need to say. Danny confirms this when he smiles, humour returning to his expression.
"So do I get to open this gift or what?"
"Be my guest."
Danny goes straight for the flap on the side of the box that has been taped shut, makes quick work of opening it and reaches in to pull out a laptop. Immediately his face creases in bemusement.
"Okay, it's a computer." He studies it for a moment, increasingly perplexed. "Wait, it's my computer." He looks up at Steve. "You know it's expected for employees to steal pens and paperclips from work but a whole computer is pushing it a little, don't you think?"
He laughs at Danny's obvious confusion as the other man holds the laptop as if he's not sure what to do with it. He takes it off him and sets in on the coffee table, opens it and powers it up but holds off on any explanation for a little while longer until it's ready for him to log in.
"You can relax, Danno," he says, signing into the guest account. "Your gift is on the computer."
"Okay," Danny says doubtfully, "but if it's a subscription to a porn site then you gotta know, my tastes are very specific."
Steve laughs and shakes his head as his fingers fly across the keyboard. "And that's definitely a discussion for another day." Once he's finished he looks back at Danny, aware he's eager to see the response.
"Okay, I gotta confess. I had a little help from the Governor with this." He holds his hands up to forestall whatever protest Danny is about to make. "It's nothing bad, so don't panic. She just helped me do this."
The timing is perfect; he stops speaking and a chime sounds on the laptop indicating that someone is attemping to open a connection via Skype. Before Danny can say anything, he clicks the connect button and the screen is suddenly filled with a host of faces, all peering outwards.
"Is this thing on?" a gruff voice says and Steve watches as Danny's face morphs from puzzlement to a mixture of shock and delight as a not dissimilar voice replies in disbelief.
"Dad?"
The webcam connection has clearly kicked in at the other end as grins break out amongst the large group and there's a jostle of bodies as everyone attempts to get closer to the screen. Voices vie for prominence as they all talk at once and Steve suddenly realises that there's a better than good chance that all the members of Danny's family are exactly like him, which is, quite frankly, headache inducing but the sheer happiness on Danny's face makes it more than worth it.
"Angela! Deborah! Holy shit, Matty?"
"Language, Daniel!"
"Sorry, Mom. Hey, Angela, you changed your hair! I told you the bird's nest look had gone out of fashion."
"Merry Christmas to you too, you midget asshole!"
Steve laughs at the affectionate banter because he hasn't met a single soul, criminal or otherwise, who has had the balls to comment on Danny's height, or lack of it. He stands, which seems to remind Danny there's someone else in the room with him.
"I'm gonna do a food run while you talk to your folks. Pizza good?"
Danny laughs, half an ear on something someone's just said, before he turns to look at Steve properly.
"Hey, you set all this up? Does that mean you've already talked to my family or do I need to introduce you?"
"I've talked to them briefly," he replies," but obviously I've never met them."
"Okay," Danny says, beckoning him back so he is in view of the webcam. "Guys, guys. Shut up a minute; I need you to meet someone."
A miraculous silence descends as all eyes fix on the screen and Steve has the bizarre feeling of being studied as he sits next to Danny, like pandas in a zoo who, after years of lazing around in the sunshine eating bamboo and scratching their asses and basically doing fuck-all, have suddenly, to everyone's amazement, decided to give mating a try.
"Everyone. This is Steve McGarrett."
Steve watches as what appears to be an older, female version of Danny leans forward until her face fills the screen. "He doesn't look crazy," she says after a moment's contemplation.
Danny rolls his eyes.
"I'm guessing tact is a Williams family trait?" Steve asks Danny before he turns back to the screen and offers the assembled group a grin and a jovial salute. "Hi, all."
Danny visibly winces at the chorus of 'hi Steve's, then shakes his head in disbelief at the barrage of questions that follows.
"Did you really dangle a guy off a roof?"
"Danny says you keep grenades in your glove compartment, is he full of shit or not?"
"So come on, how'd you cope working with Danny? Angela reckons it's prescriptions drugs but my money's on alcohol."
And so on.
Eventually Danny looks at him in exasperation. "Feel free to make a run for it."
"Okay," he replies, "I'll go grab us some pizza, give you chance to catch up with your family. Later guys, it was nice to meet you."
He waves at the screen and stands to grab his keys but laughs when someone, he thinks it's Danny's brother, shouts, "Don't forget to get extra pineapple on Danny's!"
As he's heading to the door Danny calls his name. He stops and turns to be met by a look of sincere gratitude and, even better than that, happiness.
"Thanks for this," Danny says, gesturing at the computer. "Seriously. I can't tell you how much it means."
"You're welcome, Danno," Steve replies, thankfully out of earshot of the laptop so Danny's family don't hear either the use of Grace's pet name or the fondness with which it's said because he's certain neither of them would ever hear the end of that.
And then he heads out, a massive grin on his face because the best is certainly yet to come.
H50H50H50
"So how many times have the Fletchers called the cops this year?" Danny asks, settling back with his beer, aware that he's still grinning like an idiot, but frankly? This is fucking awesome.
His mom rolls her eyes and he's glad Steve's gone because even he can see that most of his mannerisms are ripped off wholesale from his parents.
"I keep telling Carole they should just move 'cause it ain't gonna get any better when the Reynolds boys become teenagers. I keep tellin' her – you should have lived here when my kids were teens."
He laughs. "Yeah, remember when Matty climbed that tree for a bet and couldn't get back down?"
"Hey, asshole," his younger brother chimes in. "You set me up!"
"I set you up? How is you being shit at climbing trees setting you up?"
"Boys!" his mother chides and for a moment he's back in Jersey, hell he's back in Jersey and thirteen years old again.
"So how's the job?" she asks and he notices other family members have stopped talking and are paying careful attention to his response.
"It's good," he says and belatedly realises that he means it rather than it being a verbal trick to prevent his parents from worrying about him. "Joining Five-0 is the best thing that could have happened to me."
"Why's your arm bandaged?"
He glances at the injury, should have known his mother wouldn't miss a thing. "Nothing serious," he assures, "just a little disagreement with the floor and an unfortunately placed piece of glass."
"Steve seems like a nice guy," his mother observes and he finds himself nodding in emphatic agreement. A doorbell rings in the background and he can only assume someone has gotten up to answer it since he can't see anything with all the people crowding the screen.
"Yeah," he says. "It's occasionally like riding shotgun with a lunatic ninja but he's a really good guy."
"You know it makes me all warm and tingly when you talk about me like that."
Danny frowns, knows Steve's voice anywhere but can't figure out why it sounds like it's coming from inside the computer and how the fuck did he get back in the house so silently anyway, unless he really is a ninja?
Then he realises that he didn't imagine it; Steve's voice is coming from the computer because suddenly, the crazy fucker is standing next to his parents, peering at him from inside the computer screen.
"Hey, Danny," Steve says and he's got the most ridiculously goofy grin on his face as he waves.
"What the fuck...?" he starts to say.
"Daniel!"
"Sorry, Mom, but... what the fuck?"
Steve's laughing along with the entire Williams clan, telling him that they were all in on it from the start. He has a sneaking suspicion that Steve will have found a way to record this conversation so he can take screen caps of his face at the precise moment he realised Steve and his parents were in the same fucking building, the sneaky bastard.
"Danny," Steve says firmly, pulling him from his trance. "Call a cab and get it to bring you to one oh five, Hokulewa Street. Should take about twenty minutes."
"But...?"
"I'll explain when you get here. You got that address?"
"One oh five, Hokulewa."
"Great. See you soon."
H50H50H50
They're waiting for him on the front lawn of a smart two storey home in a neighbourhood he's never been to before. He's barely out of the cab when he's overwhelmed with firm hugs and warm handshakes from parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews. Stood back watching all this is Steve, arms folded with a satisfied smile on his face.
He makes his way over to Steve after the greetings are over and people are making their way back inside. He knows he has a smile fixed to his face that will make his jaw ache for days to come.
"You did this?" he asks, not surprised to find his voice is gravelly with emotion.
Steve nods. "Like I said, I wanted to thank you."
Danny puts his hand out but when Steve takes it, he pulls him in for a hug instead. "Thank you," he says in the other man's ear. "This is... it's..."
"You're welcome, Danno."
He suddenly lets Steve go, a frown creasing his features. "Is this why you needed the governor?"
"Yeah. I talked her into letting us use Five-0's year-end bonus early to cover the flights and this house belongs to one of her staff who's gone back to the Canada for the holidays. Your family are here for the week and, providing there isn't a major catastrophe, you've got the week off to spend with them."
Danny shakes his head, then smiles again. "You know I'd tell you you were awesome but I wouldn't want it to go to your head."
"That's very thoughtful of you," Steve replies.
"Hey, are you two lovebirds coming inside?" Danny's sister hollers from the front step. She's waggling two bottles of beer at them enticingly.
They look at each other, simultaneously rolling their eyes before they fall into step as they walk up to the house.
"What is it with everyone and the marriage jokes?" Danny asks.
"I don't know but I get a feeling we're going to be hearing a lot of them tonight."
"We can save some of them for tomorrow if you'd prefer," Deborah says, having overheard their conversation.
It's Steve's turn to look a little perplexed now as it's obvious his plan was to reunite the Williams family and then leave them to it.
"She's right," Danny's mom says, joining in as they enter the house. "You're invited to Christmas Dinner, Steve and unless you have other plans you can't cancel then consider me deeply offended if you say no because what you've done for Danny, well in my book that makes you family."
Steve looks to Danny for support but they all know who the boss of the Williams family is so no one's prepared to come to his rescue. Studying the assembled group, the warmth they all exude towards each other makes him realise that he doesn't want to refuse the invitation.
He's spent so many years away from his own family, thought that was what he preferred, but realises now there's something special and unique about a family as close as Danny's.
"That's very kind," he says, "I'd love to come."
Besides, it'll be a really good opportunity to get to know Danny better because he's not prepared to be a coward any longer.
Good or bad, he wants to know it all.
The End