An answer to the prompt -

Certain people have the ability to 'sing things into existence' (ideas like harmony, trust, and protection. And feelings). Steve is one of these people. He sings his love for Danny and Grace into existence in the form of some kind of protective 'ward' that keeps them safe.


Danny concentrates all the more harder but no matter how he strains his ears into the night, past this cell, out into the halls all he can hear is the odd creak and groan of the place they are in. Far off in the distance he hears the waves of the ocean. But nothing more extraordinary than that.

Danny wakes with a jolt, pain shooting sharp and aching through his shoulder. He grunts, holds in the yell he wants to let out and instead breathes through it silently. A heavy presence presses against his thighs and he doesn't want to disturb Grace's sleep. He drops his head back against the concrete wall of the 'cell' they've been locked in and frowns, trying to remember what woke him. Because it isn't the pain that now throbs through his arm and shoulder. It was something else, a voice maybe, a sound, seeping through his unconcious. He listens intently, desperately hoping the resuce has arrived because he doesn't doubt it's coming. Danny knows Steve won't leave them to this fate, he won't let the men who took him and his daughter in the dead of night win this cat and mouse game.

Sighing he pulls in a breath which makes him wince. One guy, a mass of flesh and muscle had busted his shoulder as he tried to fight them off. Then he'd received a few blows in the side as a warning to behave, bruising and perhaps cracking a rib or two. To make certain he'd not kick up any more of a fuss another muscled menace had appeared with Grace wrapped in one arm, a gun pressed against her temple. Danny had felt sick, dropped to his knees suddenly weak and begged them not to hurt her. To himself he swore he'd kill them, slowly, to satisfy his anger that they'd hurt his little girl. To them he swore he'd go along with whatever they wanted of him. He was more than surprised that this all was something to do as a revenge attack against Steve.

He'd been relieved they'd locked them up together, Grace a bundle of worry and tears as they'd huddled close. He'd promised her they'd make it out, that Steve and the team wouldn't abandon them. Promised she'd see her mother and Stan again. Danny promised her that bad people got what was coming to them eventually. But he couldn't shake the image of a gun muzzle pressed against her temple, how death had been as close as a softly pressed trigger.

'Fuck Steve where are you?' he silently asked into the darkness. He doesn't know how long they've been there, could have been only an hour or several. He remembered being passed out with the pain as they were brought here, remembers waking, Grace in tears beside him. He's calmed and reassured her, enough to get her to sleep against him before he passed out again.

He feels something, disconnected and distant, like static electricity at his fingertips only it's all around him. If he concentrates enough he feels like he could reach out and touch it. He pulls in another deep breath, wincing and moaning as he lets it out. He's surprised when the static seems to draw close to him and the pain eases. Just a little, enough to dull the ache to being bearable. Grace stirs beside him, twisting where she lies against his lap and he rests a hand on her shoulder. He'd prefer if she slept through this entire ordeal.

"Danno?" she asks into the semi darkness, he can barely make out her face but he brushes fingers against her cheek softly.

"Yeah, I'm here monkey," he assures her. She lifts up and presses into his good side, hand resting on his chest as she cuddles in.

"Uncle Steve's coming," she says contentedly.

"I know," Danny agrees, but he thinks maybe she sounds more sure than he feels. Like she knows it for a fact and he's lacking in the faith department towards his partner.

"You hear him too?" She asks, snuggling close and content as he wraps his good arm around her.

Frowning he shifts to rest his chin on the top of her head. "What do you mean?"

"I heard him singing," Grace says. "Didn't you hear him singing? Like he does at home."

Danny is surprised because in the few years he's known Steve he's never heard him sing, not really. Steve resoloutely refuses to stand up when they happen to have a karaoke night. He doesn't sing at drunken sing-a-longs at a bar. Danny hasn't even heard him whistle. Perhaps on the odd occasion he's heard him humming along to a tune, but never more than a mild sound on his throat and never for longer than minute or two.

"Steve sings to you?" Danny asks, part of him curious and part of him thankful they've found a subject to talk about. Keeping Grace's mind occupied on things other than their being kidnapped helps him keep her and himself calm. "When?"

"When I stay at your house and he puts me to bed. He reads and then sings me to sleep sometimes," Grace explains. "When he sings it makes me feel - tingly. It's like the words wrap me in a blanket. Doesn't he sing for you too?"

"No," Danny replies meekly. "No I've never heard him sing."

"If you close your eyes and concentrate you can hear him," Grace tells him, innocently enough and he wonders if this is a game she's making up to protect herself.

She sighs content again, pressing in against him like she's heavy from slumber and Danny takes a moment to close his eyes and concentrates again.

"Don't you feel it Danno?" Grace asks him.

He wonders if she means that static he feels, the one at the tips of his fingers, the one that pushes in at his senses, like a soft buzz behind his eyes, the warmth that settles on his aching shoulder and makes the pain ease. The gentle caress that seems to enter his mouth and swoops into his lungs to help him breathe easier with his bruised ribs.

"Feel what Gracie?" he asks, more than a little freaked out but at the same time not unwelcoming to the relief that whatever it is that is happening is giving him.

"The tingling," Grace replies calmly, sitting up a little from him. "Don't you hear him? He's singing to us."

Danny concentrates all the more harder but no matter how he strains his ears into the night, past this cell, out into the halls all he can hear is the odd creak and groan of the place they are in. Far off in the distance he hears the waves of the ocean. But nothing more extraordinary than that.

"What's he singing Grace?" He asks her, not sure he quite believes what she's telling him but more than obliging to her whims. Because if it's keeping her calm and making her feel safe, then he's happy to encourage this little dalliance into make believe. He's surprised part of him wants to believe in whatever is happening, even if he doesn't understand what that is.

When she starts singing his heart stutters, like an arrow striking a target. Suddenly he doesn't hurt at all any more and he's more than a little freaked that her voice doesn't sound like it usually does when she sings. It's a much sweeter, more exquisite sound than he's ever heard before. At first she hums, than words form and he's transfixed by them, he's scared to breathe too loud in case he breaks whatever spell seems to have settled in the room. Suddenly his ears roar momentarily and he hears a deeper voice, a whisper on the air, all around them.

"Steve?" he asks into the darkness. He feels he could reach out and he'd be right there, hiding in the shadows. "Steve?"

He sits up suddenly, reaching out a hand towards the voice but it isn't there, not really. He's still in the cell, still surrounded by shadows, sitting in the cold dank room with only his daughter to keep him company. But he can still hear it, the voice, a whisper in the back of his head, singing to him. The static energy seems closer, surrounding him, them and he pulls Grace close, tight. She's stopped singing and rests against him, falling asleep again. He closes his eyes and drifts off himself and when he does he can hear Steve's voice all the more clearly. It's like Grace said, the energy wraps around them like a blanket, bundling them both up safely. His body doesn't feel much pain any more even though he's acutely aware he's still broken in places. He gives in to the feel and the sound, drifts with it, hoping the owner of that voice will find them soon.

He jerks awake a second time to the hollow 'thump thump thump' on the door. It's brighter now, the tiny window far up on the wall letting in the early light. Beyond the door he can hear voices shouting and Grace unfurls from beside him.

"Uncle Steve!" she exclaims, looking up at Danny with wide, happy eyes.

The pain is back and Danny can barely move but he yells back that they were in there and that they are okay. His reply must have spurred on his lover because the door seems no match to the brute force Steve hoists upon it and it's kicked open. Grace is wrenched from his arms and she wraps herself like an octupus around Steve's body as he holds her. Danny wants to do the same thing but he can't move much so he just stares up at his partner with grateful relief.

Steve sets Grace down as he falls to his knees, a hand cupping Danny's face as Chin and Kono appear behind him. Danny notices Chin gets straight on the phone and Kono bends down by Grace to check her over. Steve doesn't say or move much, just listens as Chin calls for the medics and stares into Danny's eyes to make sure he's okay.

There's the usual hustle and bustle of bodies as the cell is cordorned off for evidence, and the investigation team get into action. Steve helps Danny out into the hall and when the medics arrive he's handed over, lying down on the stretcher as he watches Steve pull Grace up into his arms again.

"You sang to us," Grace says, arms wrapped about his neck.

Danny watches Steve's face carefully for any kind of explanation. Steve just smiles and hugs her close and Danny isn't sure he really understands. Maybe it's just a game, a sort of secret between Steve and Grace. Maybe Steve does sing to her at bedtime and maybe it calms her so she just assumes that feeling is brought on by the singing. As he's wheeled away Steve says they'll be right behind and Danny just let's himself drift off with the painkillers being injected into him, happy with the knowledge Steve is protecting his baby girl.

As they drive to the hospital he remembers when they were in the cell and Grace started singing, the ethereal quality her voice had to it. It wasn't her, yet it was. He puts it down to just one of those things, being kidnapped, getting a busted shoulder, bruised ribs and the fear someone had nearly put a bullet into his daughters head had made him a little crazy.

He doesn't mention the singing in the days afterwards. He has to make statements about what had happened, but for some reason he can't remember making the decision to not mention the singing and the tingling or the moment he was suddenly surrounded by 'something' that made him feel safe and secure but he never mentions it once. He just knew it was something he needed to keep quiet about. He can't even mention it to Steve, a little concsious how stupid it will sound.

When he's allowed home he's ordered to rest and recuperate, an order Steve is determined he'll follow to the letter. Grace has spent the last few evenings with her mother but Rachel relents after Danny begged her to let her sleep over, despite the niggling worry that people could come for them again. Danny can't protect his daughter from the 'what if's', no matter how hard he tries and he needs to spend time with her after their ordeal. He's tired and when Steve says he'll put Grace to bed, Danny smiles, crashing out on the couch as they go upstairs. He closes his eyes and doses until a sound, a song, seems to bring his senses to life. Danny sits up, twisting his head as if to see the song drifitng on the air, it's so palpable, pulsing in his veins. That static is back, enveloping him like a blanket.

He's not sure what makes him do it but he heads for the stairs, creeping up them to Grace's bedroom. The closer he gets the more energy he feels and he presses the door open an inch to see Grace asleep, Steve sitting by her in the bedside chair. Singing. His voice is warm and deep, a soft lilting lullaby springing from his lips. Danny feels his heart beating hard in his chest, he doesn't understand it and backs away, like he's infringed on something personal and secret. But he stands out on the landing, unable to move too far because the sound is too inviting, too calming.

He sucks in breaths and leans against the banister as Grace's door opens and suddenly Steve is there, framed by the doorway. Steve is surprised and Danny stammers, shaking himself from the blanketed feeling of warmth that holds him.

"Sorry, I was just heading for bed," he stutters, pushing himself forward, his feet feel heavy and his steps feel like he's struggling through mud.

He reaches their bedroom, pushing open the door and then he's enveloped again, this time by strong arms. Steve presses into him, holding him as he kicks the door closed behind them and then his lips are at Danny's ear and a deep, mystical rhythm thrums through him. A panic rises through Danny because how can he trust this isn't him going crazy. But Steve holds him steady, voice singing in a whisper right against his ear.

"Steve," Danny breathes out low, hand wrapping around his lovers, holding on. "I don't - what is this? What happening?"

The singing stops but Steve doesn't let go, instead Danny feels Steve lips curling into a smile right against his ear.

"It's a gift Danny," Steve whispers, guiding them towards the bed but not letting go of Danny.

"I don't understand," Danny says honestly, shaking his head. He's never been one for all the voodoo mojo spiritual crap but he can't deny how Steve's 'gift' makes him feel.

"You don't have too," Steve shrugs against him, arms giving him a final squeeze before he pulls away so he can turn Danny in his arms.

"But I don't," Danny starts, staring at him. Steve watches him keenly, mouth curled into a smile, eyes soft and understanding of his confusion. "I need to understand this babe."

Steve huffs out a knowing sigh, because he knows Danny and knows Danny isn't the kind to just accept without all the details. Even if it takes him a long time to figure the details out. Steve stares off a moment, gathering his thoughts before looking at him again.

"When I was singing just then, what did you feel?" Steve asks him, watching him carefully.

Danny looks back at him skeptically but Steve waits for an answer, edging him further back towards the bed. Danny decides to go with whatever is going on for now.

"It's like, the words, no - the sound - just pushes everything away. I felt achy before and now I just feel, like I don't even hurt anymore. It's like a static electricity comes over me."

Grinning Steve pushes him to the bed and Danny lets himself fall, an arm secured around Steve who follows him down, planting a hand on the matress to hold himself up over his lover. Steve gazes down at him and starts the whispering hum again and Danny feels his heart jump again, like the sound is setting it racing. He has to admit it's one of the most amazing feelings he's ever experienced, but he feels overwhelmed with the emotion of it. He reaches up and cups a hand around Steve's neck, pulling him down, lips connecting with Steve's just to shut him up. His tongue laves into Steve's mouth and Danny aches to feel him closer but Steve pulls away.

"What did you feel?" Steve urges, bending his head down and kissing along Danny's exposed neck between the 'v' of his neck.

"I don't know," Danny says, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut before he gasps, sucking in a breath. Steve's lips move soft against his neck, singing, the words roll into Danny's brain but they make no sense. It's the sound, it seeps into his veins and sends his blood pumping with energy. Danny can't remember ever feeling so safe and content. "Steve."

"Tell me," Steve says, beginning to unbutton his shirt.

"I can't, I don't know how to describe it," Danny gasps in reply, it's frustrating because he wants to put into words what is happening. But he doesn't understand any of it. What it is or why it is.

Steve doesn't seem upset, pushing aside his unbuttoned shirt and licking over his chest slowly, teasing a nipple with the tip of his tongue. Danny relaxes under the touch, they've not made love since he came home, Steve insisting he rests his body. He's got brusies on his stomach and ribs and his shoulder is strapped with bandages for support. He breathes quickly again as Steve starts humming, a low tone emanating from the depths of his throat, the breath that carries them ghosting over his teased nipple and making it hard. Danny squirms, gasping and moving against his lover. The hum seems to reverberate it's way around his body with an added pleasure as Steve teases him.

"Steve," Danny says, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. This isn't happening, he's high on pills or something. But Steve leans back up to look at him, smile wide on his face, eyes dancing.

"Tell me Danno," Steve whispers before the whisper turns to a low lilt, making Danny squirm again, aroused and aching in a desperately turned on way. "Tell me how it makes you feel."

"I don't," Danny starts before he pauses, admitting to himself that when Steve sings something happens. It's familiar and stirs up feelings that have existed between them for a long while. He doesn't understand why but he knows it makes him feel good. It makes him feel - "Loved. It makes me feel loved."

Steve smiles and bends down to kiss him, slow and gentle. They stay connected like that for a long time, Danny feels like he's coming down from a high, lazily kissing his partner until Steve pulls back, settling his body heavy against his.

"But I don't understand," Danny sighs, brow slightly furrowed.

"It's a gift," Steve says again. "You don't have to understand it to accept it Danny."

"But, Steve you," Danny starts as Steve nuzzles against his neck again. "You sing and 'this' happens?"

"Yes, I sing and that happens," Steve replies, looking at him once more. "Which is why I don't sing often and certainly not for anybody."

"It makes no sense," Danny shakes his head and Steve stills him with a hand cupping his face.

"Don't try and make sense of it," Steve tells him. "Just accept it. Like Grace accepts it."

"She never said anything, not before we were locked up in that cell," Danny replies, staring into his lovers eyes. "She heard you. You sang for her didn't you?"

"I sang for both of you," Steve nodded, flushing slightly. "I didn't know if it would work but I needed to try something. She always says it makes her feel like she's in a bubble, wrapped up, safe and secure. I needed her to feel that until I found you both because I wasn't sure if you were okay. I wasn't sure you were together and the thought of her being alone -."

Danny feels the strongest surge of love wash over him, not brought on by a song or touch of a lover but because Steve looks so open and vulnerable. He knows how much Steve loves Grace but to hear him talk as he does, how protective he is. And not just because she's Danny's daughter but because Steve feels like she is his daughter too.

"She felt that, she was so calm, so brave. She slept most of the time and it wasn't because she was tired or weak, but because she could hear you. She could feel what you were doing for her, for both of us," Danny told him. "I didn't understand, I just thought it was some kind of make believe she was playing to help herself through the situation."

"She told me she could hear me, sense me," Steve nodded back. "She said you did too but when you didn't say anything I figured maybe you'd just played along because you didn't want to dissapoint her. But I knew when I saw you outside her room tonight that I'd touched you. I just didn't want this to break us Danny. I can't live without either of you in my life and i was scared how you'd react."

"I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure what I'd felt had been real," Danny admitted. "I still don't understand but I know it happened. Does anyone else know about this - gift?"

Steve grinned and pressed a kiss to his lips before he replied. "Just Mary and Grace and you now. My parents knew. My mom did a little research, said it's possible there are others with the 'gift' as you call it. I dunno, it's just something I've always had and up until now I've never wanted to share it with anybody."

"Why now?" Danny asked him.

"Grace had trouble sleeping one time so I sang her a lullaby," Steve shrugged, looking sheepish. "And it just sort of became a thing. I'm sorry, I asked her to keep it a secret, I said it would just be our special secret between us. I didn't want you freaking out and leaving me."

"Ah babe," Danny sighed, wrapping his good arm around Steve and pulling him down for a warm, lingering kiss. "Thank you, for helping her. I may be a little freaked out, but at the same time I'm fascinated by it. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Steve smiled, relief flashing through his eyes from his admission before he looked at Danny carefully.

"Your arm okay?" he asked him, glancing at the bandaging.

"You know, when you sing, the ache eases," Danny admitted. "When were in that cell it got to the point I didn't even feel the pain. Did you know you could do that?"

"No," Steve shook his head in surprise. "Do you need me too?"

"Only if you want - oh God," Danny said, heart skipping a moment as Steve didn't let him finish before he began singing again. He let himself relax into the sound, into the feeling it brought over him and the ache began to ease in his shoulder nce more. "Yeah, that feels nice."

He began to drift, the sound making him mellow and it felt like he could float away. Then lips kissed down his neck and over his chest again, making his heart beat hard and fast. It was strange, the sound changed as if to match their mood, it was deeper now, focused before it paused, Steve's voice silenced as he sucked Danny's nipple into his mouth. Danny let himself arch into the touch, riding the wave of static energy that surged through his veins.

"Fuck babe," he sighed content as Steve drew back and began humming again. He felt fingers unbuttoning his jeans but didn't move much, letting Steve indulge in him being half zenned out by the magic of his voice.

The air seemed to tingle now, that energy Danny had felt seemed to take on a life of its own. He opened his eyes to look down at his lover as Steve moved off the bed to get into a better position. Danny pushed up onto an elbow to watch as Steve pushed his legs apart and knelt down, leaning over him. He looked up at Danny, their eyes locking and began singing again, a deep, throbbing tune that sent another jolt through Danny. His cock twitched and ached and he fell back onto the bed as he thrust his hips up into the air.

"Fuck, Steve," Danny panted, heart pounding from the sound and he never thought of love as being so tangible. His fingers gripped into the sheets, intimately aware Steve had yet to touch him but his cock throbbed just from Steve's song. Danny squrimed and whimpered, gave himself up to whatever magic Steve was binding him in.

A warmth settled round his limbs, pulling him in safe and secure, the blanket Seve created. It cradled him and made him still and he huffed out a moan as lips encompassed his cock and the only sound in the room was his soft, gentle groans as Steve sucked him down. Danny revelled in the mystical energy supporting him, hips squirming under the onslaught of his lovers mouth.

"Steve, oh fuck babe," he groaned, the static began to ebb a little, Steve silenced by his cock. Danny thrust his hips up towards the wet heat and Steve obliged by swallowing him down. Danny's heart skipped again, beating hard and fast in his chest and suddenly everything was bright light, pleasure rippling through him in heavy waves as he came. His cock spasmed in the moist confines of his lovers mouth, milked by lips and tongue and as he came down from the high he was licked clean.

He zoned out, aware of Steve humming again, the sound making his skin tingle and his body completely relaxed as he was poked and prodded until he moved and found himself lying on the bed properly, drawn into his lovers arms and held. He knew it was selfish but instead of being eager to help Steve find some pleasure of his own, he settled into his hold heavily. The static settled onto his skin, any ache in his shoulder receding and Steve kept singing, the tune changing and softening as Danny drifted off to sleep, safe and content in his embrace.