/ / / Car \ \ \

Danny watched Steve talking to himself, he knew the situation was serious but watching him talk on the silly little ear piece always made Danny feel like he was watching Steve argue with himself. It amused him even more from where he had been shoved into the backseat by Steve's mother. It was silly really; he would have offered it to her but something in the way she had demanded it annoyed him.

Danny was curious about what Chin must have been like as a teenager, still remembered by Doris. He knew he shouldn't do it but he had to remind Doris that the nostalgic way she remembered Chin was her own damned fault. If she hadn't run away then she would have seen Chin become a cop under her husband's guidance. Chin didn't deserve to have had anyone see him like he was today at the hospital waiting for news with Malia caught somewhere between life and death as she was operated on.

"The chance of losing his wife like that…just…makes me think of Steve's dad. What he must have gone through."

Danny shifted and tried to hold in his annoyance at the way she dared to compare what Chin was going through to what her husband had gone through. Malia didn't actually have a say in what she was doing to Chin. Danny knew if it were up to her the surgery would be over and she'd be doing everything she could to make Chin feel better. Though he supposed if she had that power she would never have been shot.

"Yeah well, good thing for Chin he doesn't have any kids that are going to be asking when mummy is coming home." Though Danny sincerely hoped that if Malia survived this that particular circumstance would change.

Doris turned her full attention on him for the first time since the plane. She still looked like she was cataloguing and then judging every move Danny made and every word he said.

"Have you ever been married?" Doris asked staring at him like she was his own personal lie detector test and she was just waiting for him to fuck up.

"Yes, though not anymore obviously."

Doris nodded at Danny. "Do you have children?"

Danny nodded. "A daughter."

"Grace," Steve supplied and Doris' eyes slid to her son for a moment before settling back to Danny. Steve went back to his phone call but the message was clear, he was still listening.

"You ever think about going for round two?"

Danny looked at Steve. "Not really on the cards but Grace is the best thing that came out of my marriage."

"And now you're dating my son."

"I am."

"So you aren't gay?"

"I'm involved with Steve." Danny reminded her thinking it was a pretty obvious statement about his sexuality.

"That doesn't actually answer my question. Are you straight or gay?"

Danny looked at Steve who was still arguing with the governor but seemed to be thoroughly engrossed in his latest argument. Danny wasn't entirely sure what Doris wanted from him but the way she was interrogating him was making him feel mulish and much less willing to answer her questions.

"This is getting very personal don't you think?"

"You are dating my son."

"I've never really put a label on it." Danny said. He held in the comment about her losing the right to be involved in Steve's love life because nothing could stop him from wanting to know about Grace's life. If he gave Doris the benefit of the doubt and accepted that she was simply worried about Steve then Danny could respect that even if he didn't like the way she was going about it.

"Well why would you buy a cow when you can get your milk for free right?" Doris said with an unsettling smile. Danny realised that she wasn't just worried about Steve she actively didn't like Danny.

"I…" Danny looked at Steve and back to his partner's mother. He reminded himself that getting annoyed didn't solve anything and telling Doris to jump off a bridge would not help, especially not his relationship with Steve. "I wouldn't say I'm getting my milk for free. You know I am very uncomfortable with this analogy and the entire conversation but especially the way you are assuming I'm using your son for nothing but sex."

"Well you're the one who cannot seem to make a decision about this, don't you want your daughter to see you in a happy, healthy relationship. Shouldn't putting a label on it be important?"

Danny took a deep breath and moved in his seat. "I don't think you are in any position to be giving me parenting advice. As for a happy, healthy relationship your son and I live together and my daughter is very happy when she is there, just as she is very happy with my ex-wife so I don't think you should make a comment about the example I set for my daughter."

"It's very convenient isn't it Danno? That you are getting your enjoyment in the same place you work. Very convenient, maybe you're just afraid of going out and making a real commitment."

"I prefer Danny." Danny said trying to work out a way to get himself out of this conversation without slapping his partner's mother or saying something he would have to apologise to Steve for later. She knew jack shit about his life or his commitments, Danny took a deep breath and counted to ten again remembering all the anger management techniques the department psych had suggested when he was going through his divorce.

"Oh really, because that's not what my son called you." Doris said firmly. "He must think you like it."

"Well he has earned the right to annoy the crap out of my by calling me Danno because we are in a committed relationship. There is nothing convenient about what we have Doris. And I am fairly certain twenty years hiding from your family in Japan ensured you have no right to turn around and question my commitment abilities."

"Son of a bitch," Steve said and threw the Bluetooth down making Doris turn back around in the car.

"Steven."

"Yeah watch your mouth Steven," Danny said. The name felt odd in his mouth since he only ever used it when he really wanted Steve to pay attention to what he was saying.

"That goes for you too smartarse," Doris threw over she shoulder.

Danny opened his mouth to say something but when Steve looked at him he nodded and sat back in the chair. He knew he should have kept his mouth shut. Regardless of anything else she was still Steve's mum and Steve deserved more from Danny even if Doris didn't.

"I understand that but I'm not going to risk losing you again. You're going someplace safe and I've got just the person to make you stay that way," Steve said and Danny knew he had to try harder to be nice to Doris for Steve. It would be helpful if she would at least meet him half way.

Danny pulled out his phone and put a call in to HPD to organise a safe house and a SWAT rotation for the protection detail. Danny knew Steve would be calling in someone from his past to watch over Doris but since Joe had decided to leave when they arrived he wasn't an option. Danny hadn't met many of Steve's old colleagues since they were still on active duty but the few he'd met had been nice guys. They had the same sense of loyalty Steve displayed so Danny knew whoever he organised would protect Doris. Danny had been hoping, perhaps naively, that they would be able to keep Wo Fat when they finally got him. He did not want to have to go through all of this again and he really didn't want to lose Steve to catching him, he'd come to close last time.

They needed to get him and Danny desperately wanted to get him before he managed to leave Hawaii. Danny was pleased he didn't have Grace this weekend so he could spend the time chasing Wo Fat and Delano.

"The safe house on Leilehua Lane." Danny said as he hung up the phone. "There will be a group of SWAT officers for the house within the hour."

"Thanks Danny," Steve said. Danny looked at Steve's ear for a moment as though he could work out why Steve was calling him Danny.

Steve turned off the main street and headed for the safe house. Danny texted Kono to check on Chin.

Still no word - Kono

Danny sighed and shook his head at Steve in the rear view mirror. He didn't like the think about what Chin was going through, he knew the feelings all too well and no one should ever have to go through that.

They arrived at the safe house and Danny offered to do the initial check which would allow Steve to stay in the car with his mother. Danny checked the house and backyard thoroughly. He returned to the car in time for the first set of SWAT cars to arrive on the scene. Steve took Doris inside as Danny got the police rotations and positions organised.

"Danny," Steve said and grabbed Danny's arm to pull him outside and around to the back of the house when Doris was settled inside. "Cath is on leave from Naval Intelligence at the moment. I want to call her to look after mum."

Danny nodded.

"I wanted to let you know," Steve continued looking worried. "I know you didn't really like her being around last time."

Danny smirked at Steve. "You mean because I was jealous of her?"

Steve nodded and Danny could tell that Steve was biting back a smile.

"Call her so she can come and protect your mother." Danny said with a smile wondering what Doris' great powers of observation would make of Cath and Steve. He had the fleeting thought that the woman might try and get Cath and Steve back together since she didn't seem overly pleased with Danny as an option for son-in-law.

Steve pressed a little bit closer and forced Danny back until he was pressed into the side of the house. "You sure it's okay, I would hate for you to get all jealous and try to, what is that term you use, turn all caveman on me."

Danny curled his hand around Steve's hip letting his fingers slid under the band of his belt until he could feel soft skin. "Caveman is your speciality babe."

Steve beamed at him and kissed him, Danny let himself be lost in the kiss for a few minutes before he pushed Steve away.

"Call her."

Steve nodded and stepped away.

Danny watched him leave and stayed where he was. When he was sure Steve was gone he pulled out his phone and called Rachel. He really had been putting this off for too long.

"Daniel." Rachel answered quickly, her voice pulling him immediately out of the haze Steve had left him in.

"Hello Rachel."

"I'm assuming you are home from your trip."

"I am," Danny said and wondered if he should share the news of Doris' greatly exaggerated death with Rachel but knew that Grace deserved to hear about this from him and not from Rachel. Steve was a big part of Grace's life and she would be meeting Doris if the woman was going to be sticking around. He'd have the talk with Rachel after he'd talked to Grace. "Listen, we need to talk."

"About Stan and I going to Las Vegas?"

"Yes, I didn't want it to come to this but I have to contest the custody modification. There is zero chance I can let you take Grace away from me."

"I see," Rachel said in the tone he remembered from when they were married and he'd done something to annoy her.

"I can't let her go without a fight Rachel. This is her home and my home."

"So this is about Steve," Rachel asked.

"No, this is about Grace who thinks of Hawaii as her home. You made it her home when you brought her here and I don't want her uprooted again."

"My lawyer will be contacting you," Rachel said and hung up the phone.

Danny thumped his head against the wall behind him. The phone call had gone about as well as expected but he still wished things could be a little more civil. He really didn't want to go back into the house with Doris but he couldn't see another option.

As he was about to step into the house his phone rang again. When he saw Kono's name flashing at him he answered the phone hoping for the best.