This fic started out as lead-in to a song I started working on to the tune of the Kingston Trio's "All Of The Hard Days Are Gone". (Yes, blame it on Qweb, I'm hopelessly infected with the song makeovers for 5-0 now.) But once I got writing it, the story took over and became something in it's own right. Now I'm not even sure I'll finish the song, because I think I might like the prose version better...

Anyhow, enjoy the latest vignette, and if you can think of a better title, let me know.

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The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

Danny relaxed in the Adirondack chair on Steve's beach and took a swig of his second Longboard, well on his way to boneless. "Aah. This is a perfect end to a good day."

"Yeah," replied Steve. "This was a great day. We should do this again tomorrow."

Danny was too comfortable at the moment to get up and wave his arms, so he settled for glaring at his partner until Steve got uncomfortable enough to meet his eyes and ask, "What?"

"We are not doing what we did today again tomorrow, Steven. Because tomorrow is Saturday, and I have Grace all day. It's the weekend. It's made for relaxing, okay?" Danny didn't give Steve any time to reply, but carried on in the quiet, serious tone, that was so unlike his normal rants Steve was afraid to interrupt. "Not like today. Today was Friday. A work day. So this morning, we went to a suspect's house to question him, and we got shot at. Today, we chased a suspect out into the street, and dodged moving cars. Today, we scared the crap out of said perp by telling him about the other venues for questioning you've used in the past when you didn't think a suspect would be willing to talk in an interrogation room. Then, we used the information he so freely gave us to go on a drug bust with SWAT as our backup, once again getting shot at in the process. None of this- you got that? - NONE of this is stuff I like to do with my daughter. It's not stuff I want her doing with you, either. So no, Steven, we will not be doing ANY of this again tomorrow. Okay?"

"Monday?" Steve couldn't help it, he had to ask.

"NO, Steven! For pity's sake, why can't you just lay here and look at the stars and the ocean like a normal person? Why can't you just enjoy the chance to relax?"

Steve was silent for a moment. "The only easy day was yesterday," he said quietly.

The way Steve said it, Danny knew he was quoting someone; but he hadn't the faintest idea who. "What?"

"The only easy day was yesterday."

"I heard you the first time. What is that, some kind of messed-up army motto?"

"Don't be insulting," Steve huffed. "That's one of the SEAL mottoes."

"Oh, and what's the other one? "If you're not crazy yet, we'll train you"?"

Steve gritted his teeth as he smiled back at his partner. "For your information, "It pays to be a winner"."

"Yeah, I knew that already."

"No, that's the other motto. "It pays to be a winner" and "The only easy day was yesterday"; that's what we SEALs live by."

"Yeah? Well you know why the only easy day was yesterday? Because you do everything the hard way."

"Do not."

"Do so. Nobody else I know has their friends- their FRIENDS, Steven, people who they've willingly entrusted their lives to in the past- come back into their lives and try to kill them. I know plenty of other people who also have enemies out there who'd love to make them pay for tossing their asses in jail, but you're the only overachiever I know whose friends have ever been out to get them. And that's just one example."

Steve's face fell. That was a little below the belt. Who'm I kidding, that was a lot below the belt.

Danny sat up and turned toward his partner, beer forgotten. "Oh, come on, Steve, don't give me the kicked-puppy face. You know I hate that face. Forget it, okay? Just forget I said that. I didn't mean it like that, it's not your fault the guy went crazy..."

Steve stared at his knees for a minute. "Danny?"

"Yeah, Steve?"

"Just promise me you won't ever try to kill me." He said it with a straight face and a serious tone, but cracked into a grin as soon as Danny leaned over and swatted him.

"Oh, you shit! I thought I hurt your feelings! Should've know they'd be buried under four layers of body armor and a tac vest! You know what? You know what? Just for that, I'm going home now." He stood. "That'll teach you. Teach you not to worry me like that. Taking my daughter along while we work, making me feel like a guilty ass for hurting your feelings..."

"You deserved that."

"...quoting insane army mottoes at me as a lame excuse for being an adrenaline junkie... well, I'll show you what happens when you pull stupid shit like that with me, Steven."

As the other man turned to go, Steve asked, "You safe to drive?"

"Yes, mother."

"Oh and Danno?"

"Yes, Steven?" Danny stopped walking and turned his upper body to look back at his partner.

"Just for the record, when I said we should do this again tomorrow, I was talking about the Longboards on the beach."

"Oh, you! You shit, you! I hate you so much! You just ..." Danny threw up hands and continued walking back toward his car, ranting the whole way.

"I heart you, too, Danno!" Steve called, just to make him turn one more time and glare. Nope, he was never going to live down that sign language on the cliff.