A/N: Here's the next chapter of Family Ties! I want to thank you all for the amazing response I've gotten to this story! I hope this chapter is as equally enjoyable as the past three have been, and you are all enjoying your special bonus scenes! The complete bonus scene from last week is posted in the companion story "The McGarrettWilliams Family Through the Years," so go check it out! As always, please read and review :)
Reviewers this week will get to enjoy the repeal of DADT and Danny officially adopting Avery! So let me know what you think of this story and then you get to enjoy that fun bonus piece!
Thanks, as always, to be awesome beta jerseybelle who dealt with all my crazy technology problems and got this back to me in record time!
*Danny's POV*
"Two weeks," Steve said as he stood up and walked towards the ocean's edge. Danny followed but stayed a few steps back, giving Steve some space.
Danny officially felt like an ass. He had suspected all along that Steve was going to be deployed; he could feel it in his bones. He'd also been with the man for over ten years and knew exactly how he processed deployments. It was always the same: Steve would need time to process it in his head, then he would tell Danny, and Danny would silently hold him and wait as Steve worked it all out aloud. Finally, after Steve and Danny had dealt with it, together, they would tell Avery and Grace. Danny should have known that Steve would tell him, eventually. But in his defense, Danny hasn't exactly ever been known to be patient.
"Do you know how long you're going to be gone?"
Steve turned around and gave Danny a 'Are you shitting me? How long have we been married again' look.
Danny smiled. "Stupid question."
Steve laughed a little and walked back a few steps so he could wrap his arms around Danny's smaller frame, "I've always been so proud to be a SEAL. I've always been so proud to tell people I'm in the Navy, and I've been proud to serve and protect my country. This is who I am, always has been. At least, that's what I thought. But, for the first time since I started at Annapolis all those years ago I don't feel that same rush of excitement or pride when a mission comes down. I'm not just a SEAL anymore."
"You were never just a SEAL," Danny said as he burrowed his head in Steve's neck.
"Maybe not now, but before, yeah I was. Now, I don't identify as a SEAL, you know. I'm a father and a husband; I'm the leader of 5-0. Sure, I still go by Commander, but very rarely do I ever actually tell people 'I'm a Navy SEAL' or 'I'm in the Navy' when they ask me what I do. I always say I lead the 5-0 task force. I just have a bad feeling this time, Danny."
"C'mon, Super SEAL, you can't talk like that." Danny was at a loss; he had never seen Steve so unsure of a mission before. Steve was always ecstatic when a new mission arose. Though Steve hated leaving Danny, Avery, and Grace behind, Steve was first and foremost a Navy man and he always responded when his country needed him. Today, though, Steve was distraught. It was obvious that Steve did not want to go on this mission, didn't want to go back to the land where grenades and K-Bars and AK-47 rifles were common accessories. He didn't want to join up with his crazy SEAL buddies who enjoyed armed conflict just as much as he did.
Danny was officially worried, a whole lot more worried than he was five minutes ago when Steve revealed that he was leaving. A distracted sailor was at a higher risk of injury and death. Steve needed to go into this mission with a clear head. And Danny cursed the heavens because, unfortunately, the task of making sure that Steve' head was clear fell on him. Why again did he agree to marry a military man? Oh, yeah, because he happened to fall in love with some homicidally-crazed Navy SEAL who enjoyed hiding military grade explosives and weaponry in their house and car.
"Steve," Danny started as he tightened his hold on Steve, "Being a SEAL is still a part of who you are. Being a father, being a husband, those are other things that make up who you are. And all of those things add up into an amazing man who has the strength to get through this, and will get through this. You are Super SEAL, and Super SEAL needs to come back to those he loves and be the husband and the father after he's done being the SEAL."
"Danno," Steve whispered.
"Shh, it's okay babe," Danny soothed. "Let's go upstairs. Where's Avery tonight?"
"Evie's house. I wanted to talk to you first."
Danny nodded and guided Steve towards the back door, inside the house, and up the stairs. "You get ready for bed and I'll go lock up the house."
Danny gave Steve a quick kiss before making his way back downstairs. "I love you, Steve."
"Love you too, Danno."
Danny made quick work of locking up the house and setting the alarm system. When he got back to their bedroom, Steve was already in bed, glasses perched on his nose, reading the most recent issue of Guns & Ammo. "Huh, really, Steven? I think you're just asking to get mocked."
Danny was rewarded with a half-smirk that Steve was quite famous for. Danny pulled off his work clothes and dressed in a pair of sweats and a NAVY t-shirt.
"You know, I love it when you wear my clothes," Steve said with a smile as Danny snuggled up next to him.
"I know," Danny was kissing his way up Steve's exposed forearm, over his shoulder, up his neck, to the sensitive spot right behind Steve's ear.
"Mmm."
Jackpot.
"Danno," Steve was whining as the magazine fell from his hands. Danny smiled against Steve's sweet skin and continued his exploration of his husband's body. Danny finally made it to Steve's mouth where Steve responded hungrily, the magazine falling off his lap and onto the floor as he took over and turned Danny onto his back, pinning him down to the bed.
"Steven…" Danny began.
"No. Mine," was the only thing Steve got out before he captured Danny's lips in his own again. And though Danny had wanted to take it slow, remind Steve of their connection, their love, and Danny's unfaltering presence in his life, Steve was having none of that. And frankly, as Steve's skilled hands moved under the fabric of Danny's t-shirt pulling it over his head, Danny could care less as long as Steve's hands and mouth never left his body.
After Steve rid Danny of his shirt, he went to pull his glasses off, but Danny grabbed Steve's arm, "Keep 'em on."
Steve quickly acquiesced to Danny's request, and as he watched the be-speckled SEAL begin to work his way down his throat towards his collarbone, he relaxed into Steve's grasp, becoming malleable jelly under the control of Steve's willpower. Danny was a strong guy and he usually matched Steve's energy and strength, but today was about Steve and what Steve wanted.
Steve wanted to memorize Danny's skin, memorize the taste of his mouth, the rough feel of his calloused hands running along his body.
He wanted to spend the time taking in every inch of Danny's form in hopes of bringing just enough of the memory along to a war-torn country, far away from his lover, to get him through the long and lonely nights.
So, Danny gave in and let Steve take the lead.
*H50*
The next morning dawned bright as Danny felt the warm rays of sunlight stream through the curtains. He stretched his sore muscles and rolled over and came face-to-face with his smiling husband.
"Good morning, Steven," Danny said as he continued to work out his muscles; their love-making had extended far into the night and Steve hadn't given Danny enough time to come down before he was already at him for a second round.
Steve stole a quick kiss before he placed a steaming mug of coffee in Danny's hands. "Good morning, Danno."
Danny accepted the bitter liquid gratefully and took a giant gulp. The caffeine began to jolt his system awake as he took in Steve's recently washed hair and the pair of dry board shorts that hung low on his hips, "You already went for a swim, didn't you?"
Steve nodded, "Needed to get out some pent up energy."
"You still had pent up energy after last night?"
There was that damn half-smirk again. "No, last night was step one in releasing said pent up energy."
"Oh, there are steps involved?"
"Mhm. First step…"
"Sex."
Steve grinned, "Yup, first step is sex, amazing sex. That's really the key for step one. If the sex sucks then you really just end up with more energy, so you have to make sure to pick your partner wisely."
"How'd it work out for you then?"
"Incredibly."
Danny couldn't help the blush that began to form at the base of his neck and creep up towards his ears. Steve smiled and gave Danny another kiss. "Step Two is swimming, then?"
Steve nodded, "Well, step two is exercise, but I usually chose to swim."
"Okay, what's step three?"
"More sex."
"More sex, really? You still have enough pent up energy for more sex?"
"Danny, I always have enough energy for sex."
"That I know very well," Danny laughed. "So after more sex, what comes next? How many steps are there? Why are you going through these steps again?"
"Babe, one question at a time."
Danny rolled his eyes.
"After more amazing sex, remember the emphasis is on amazing, we finally get down to talking about whatever it is that is forcing me to have pent up energy. In this case, it's telling the girls I'm leaving. The final step is actually telling them. So in all," Steve counted on his fingers, "that's five steps."
"Okay, so sex then talking." Danny placed his now empty coffee mug gently on the bedside table before turning back towards Steve, eyes darkening with lust. "I can work with that, but you are wearing entirely too many clothes to successfully complete this step, and I would be remiss to hinder you in your attempts at working through these steps quickly."
Steve leaned forward and pressed his lips against Danny's as Danny's fingers found the tie on Steve's board shorts and began to tug them down.
*H50*
After a shower and a second cup of coffee (ninja-star had kept him up late last night), Danny was downstairs, tie hanging loosely around his neck, waiting for Steve to finish getting dressed for work. Danny glanced at the clock on the microwave; they had some time to talk before they had to leave.
Steve's steps gradually slowed as he came down the stairs and saw Danny sitting expectantly at the kitchen table. "Am I in trouble?"
The kitchen table tended to be their chosen venue for discipline problems in their family unit. Usually these discussions involved Danny and Steve on one side and one or both girls on the other. Occasionally, Steve was the offending party.
In this case, however, Danny just wanted to talk about how they were going to broach the subject of Steve's deployment with the girls. Honest. He was not, under any circumstances, going to chastise Steve for his career choices. No, not at all. In this moment he was not angry that the damn wonderful man taking a seat across from him had to be in the Navy. No, he wasn't thinking that at all.
Okay, maybe he was, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Steve know that. Steve didn't deserve that.
"No, you goon, you aren't in trouble. I just want to talk."
"Alright, what about?"
"You really have no idea as to what I may want to talk about?"
"Well, with you it really could be a myriad of things, but I'm guessing the safe bet is my deployment."
"I guess that means your particular brand of crazy hasn't completely fried all of your brain cells."
"Shut up, Danno," Steve replied good-naturedly.
"I just wanted to discuss, briefly, what you were thinking in terms of telling the girls."
Steve remained quiet across from him, sitting stiff and rigid in the kitchen chair. "I'm not sure. I sort of want to tell Avery separate from Grace, and please hear me out before you rant, I'm begging you, please, just this once."
Danny motioned for him to continue, biting down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Avery's birthday is in three weeks. I'm going to be deploying a week before, and you know that she's been talking about this birthday for months."
"Sixteenth birthdays are a big deal," Danny agreed.
"Right, well you know she's going to be devastated when she finds out that I'm not going to be there for her birthday or to see her pass her driver's test."
Danny nodded; Steve, so far, was being thoroughly accurate and logical.
"So, I thought, especially since the girls haven't been on the best terms lately, that maybe we could tell just Avery and do something special just the three of us for her birthday. And if she wants, maybe we could have a party or something with everyone before I leave. I just want to do something to make her feel special and that I won't forget her birthday and that I feel terrible for leaving seven days before she turns sixteen."
"Okay, sailor, I think that would be okay."
Danny watched Steve let out a breath he had clearly been holding, "But I do think that we should plan something, just the four of us, before you leave. The girls have been acting a little strange, I'll admit that, but they both love you and if our family is going to be missing one important member for awhile I know the girls won't want whatever is going on between them to get in the way of our family spending the last of your time here together."
"I think that sounds perfect, Danno," Steve said as he got up off his chair, gave Danny a quick kiss, and made his way towards the door, "C'mon, car's leaving and I'm not waiting for you."
"Bastard."
*H50*
Five-0 had been having a quiet week, and so the team spent most of the morning working alone in their respective offices. Danny was slowly working through his metaphorical stack of paperwork (everything was digitized now, something that Danny hated because electronic paperwork meant you couldn't actually see the pile getting smaller), Kono was running background checks on all the known accomplices of a drug runner they had spent days trying to build a case against, and Chin was installing updates to all of their electronic equipment. Danny glanced towards Steve's office to see what their fearless leader was working on because Danny knew that Steve was not working on paperwork since, somehow, all of his paperwork had landed on Danny's desk.
Danny wishes that surprised him, but it didn't.
But it did appear as if Steve was doing paperwork. Danny was a detective, and all the signs pointed to Steve doing paperwork: he was wearing his glasses (after years of squinting, Steve finally relented to Danny's constant ranting and started wearing his glasses at work), his hands were gripping his hair, trying hard not to pull it out, and his face was wearing his constipated look. Yup, all signs pointed to Steve doing paperwork.
Except Steve didn't have any paperwork, at least not for 5-0. So, Danny, being the ever-so-loving husband that he was, decided to go see what his man was up to. His walk across the office had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with his own curiosity. Nope, he was just being a supportive husband taking an interest in his spouse's current activity. That was a sign of a positive relationship, right?
"What are you doing?"
Steve looked up with a face that was a cross between 'deer caught in the headlights' and 'thank god I don't have to stare at this paperwork for another second,' "Um, uh, paperwork."
"I know for a fact that you don't have any paperwork because it all somehow miraculously ended up on my desk, which we need to have another discussion about by the way."
"It's not 5-0 stuff."
"That what kind of stuff is it?"
"It's just boring paperwork, Danny; what's with the third degree?"
"Third degree? This is so far from my version of the third degree that it wouldn't even recognize the third degree if it made it there."
"Are you doing that stringing words together hoping they make sense thing again?"
"Nice try, buddy, distracting me by getting us off topic isn't going to work. Now, tell me what you're doing."
"Do you have to know everything?"
"I'm your husband and your partner."
"This does not entitle you to know every last detail in my life."
"It entitles me to know a whole hell of a lot."
"Well, this falls under the 'don't need to know' category."
"Steven."
"Daniel."
"Really?"
Steve raised one eyebrow in his direction, goading him to try to wear him down. "I'm not giving in, Steven, so put that eyebrow right back down."
"Danny, I know you won't give in," Steve laughed as he got up and walked towards his partner, "I was only hoping that maybe you could let it go for a few hours, let me finish this crap first."
"Talk now, finish crap later."
Okay, he was five, sue him, his husband was leaving for a goddamn desert in two weeks.
Steve sighed and rubbed a hand down his face, "Fine, but I'm warning you that I tried to convince you to let it go."
"Duly noted, please, for the love of god, just tell me what you are working on."
"My will."
"Oh." That sure stopped Danny in his tracks. "So, you couldn't wait 24 hours before preparing to die."
"Danny," Steve started, but Danny didn't give him the opportunity to explain because he was already out the door and out of the building before Steve had the chance to say his full name.
*H50*
Yes, Danny was well aware that he was a bastard. In fact, he hadn't made it farther than the sidewalk in front of the palace before his pace slowed to a walk and then to a complete stop.
"Ah, dammit," Danny cursed aloud to no one in particular.
"You know, I'm really not a fan of this new habit of yours."
Okay, so apparently Danny wasn't alone. Apparently, his husband had followed him outside and was actually acting like the sane and rational one in their relationship.
Oh, big trouble; Danny was in big trouble.
Danny turned around to look at Steve who was standing a few steps away from him, hands in his pockets, looking like he was teetering on the edge of a tall cliff, waiting to see if someone was going to be at the bottom to catch him if he fell.
Danny really needed to start acting like the mature adult he was. "Come here, Rambo," he said as he gestured for Steve to move closer. Danny saw his shoulders visibly relax and a smile replace the hardcore aneurysm face Steve had going on, "I'm sorry I'm such an idiot."
"S'okay, Danno."
"No, it's not," Danny started, hands moving around in front of him with a mind of their own, "I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have even gotten angry; I just don't know how to handle this part of it."
"I know. That's why I was trying to do it without you knowing."
Danny's pretty sure his heart just melted.
Yup, that pile of red goo on the ground was definitely his heart. "Babe, you don't have to protect me. I'm supposed to be protecting you, getting you ready for your mission."
"Danny, you aren't a normal Navy spouse and we are not a normal Navy couple, so please stop acting as if you have to be a forlorn Navy wife and just treat me the way you usually do."
Danny laughed, he couldn't help it. Steve had used forlorn in a sentence. "Pulling out the big words huh, sailor."
"Only to impress you, did it work?"
Danny didn't say anything, but he did press his lips against Steve's because words were failing him at the moment.
"D, I remember how you react to me updating my will and checking over all that paperwork every time I've been deployed. I was trying to prevent that from happening. I never meant to hide anything from you, and I was not making sure everything is in order because I'm leaving thinking I'm going to die. I just want to be prepared."
"You know I really hate it when you use reason and logic," Danny said. "I can't argue with reason and logic."
"Good."
"So, we're okay?"
"Yes, Danno, we're okay."
*H50*
"Hey, can we talk about something," Steve asked as he walked into Danny's office at the end of the day.
"Sure. Are you ready to go home?"
Steve nodded and waited as Danny closed up the last of his files and powered down his computer. Steve jingled the car keys, signaling to Danny that he was, once again, driving his car.
"Does the concept of my car mean anything to you?"
"But, Danno, I thought what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine?"
Danny rolled his eyes and settled into the passenger seat; there wasn't any use arguing about who got to drive, Steve would still win.
After they got underway, Danny asked Steve what he wanted to talk about.
"Oh, Avery's birthday present."
Danny's eyes narrowed, he knew where this was going. "No, Steven, no."
Steve attempted to his best at feigning innocence; Danny saw right through it, "No, we've already had this discussion. Avery is not getting a car."
"But, Danny, Grace has a car. How do you think Avery is going to feel if she doesn't get one?"
"That she's like every other normal teenager in this country who has to save up and buy their first car."
"Danny, we can afford to buy Avery a car. I'm not saying she needs to have a really expensive car like Grace's, but a nice, dependable car."
"It's the principle of the whole thing; just because we can afford to buy Avery a car doesn't mean we should."
"When I'm gone you will sure enjoy her having a car."
"How do you figure that?"
"If she has a car you will not have to do all of the carpooling and driving every morning and every afternoon."
"She gets a ride from her swim friends most afternoons."
"Fine, every morning then. If you agreed to let us get her a car you wouldn't have to wake up at the 'ass crack of dawn' every morning to take her."
So, Steve may have had a good point there, but he was not backing down on this one. "Steven, no car."
"Danno," apparently Steve was not above whining to get his way on this one.
"Why is this so important to you?"
"For a lot of reasons, the main one being that I got a car on my sixteenth birthday and I would like to give one to my daughter. And I'm not saying that she shouldn't have any responsibility in terms of the car, but I do think it will make our lives a whole lot easier, and she's a great student, she works her ass off at swimming, and she deserves it."
"When you say responsibility, what are you thinking?"
"She is responsible for keeping it clean, keeping the maintenance up, and paying for gas. If she gets a speeding ticket or into an accident, that's her fault, she has to pay for the ticket or damages and she loses the car."
"I think I can live with that."
"So, are you saying we can get her a car?"
"Yes, you big oaf, we can get her a car."
"Thanks, Danno."
"You're welcome, Steven."
Danny couldn't help at give in to Steve's request. Honestly, no one can resist the kicked puppy face he gets when something he's excited about doesn't go his way. Plus, Danny wasn't completely sure why he was so adamantly opposed to getting Avery a car. Steve was right, she was extremely responsible and barely stepped a toe out of line; they could trust her with a car.
Danny just didn't want her to think it was a bribe or a band-aid to soften the blow of finding out her father's being deployed, again. Avery never took her father's deployments well. Avery was first and foremost a daddy's girl and she always had been. Over the years Danny marveled at the uncanny similarities between his husband and their daughter. Avery opened up to Steve a whole lot more than most teenage girls do, and their shared passion for the water helped keep them connected through the years.
Danny knew that Avery loved him just as much, but there was always going to be a special place in her heart reserved only for Steve, and Danny was just fine with that.
"Steve, we need to tell Avery tonight," Danny said as they got out of the car. "You know she's going to be more upset if we wait and hide it from her."
"I know," Steve sighed as he opened the door, "It's just not a conversation I'm looking forward to."
"Then it's better to do it sooner rather than later, rip the band-aid off, you know."
"Alright, when she gets home from practice tonight."
"Tonight," Danny agreed. "I'll make chicken pot pie since it's her favorite."
"She's going to know the minute she walks in here and smells that that something is wrong."
"You think?"
"Of course I do, she's a McGarrett. We can smell a set-up from a mile away."
Danny laughed. "That you can, babe that you can."
And he set to work busying himself in the kitchen, putting together a home-cooked meal of all of Avery's favorite comfort foods. Maybe Steve was right, maybe she would be able to smell the cushion of food from a mile away, but Danny didn't care. He would do anything to make this even a tiny bit better for his little girl, even if she didn't appreciate it right away.
He would be there for her, always.
A/N: I know I told a lot of you that Avery's reaction was going to be in this chapter, but the muse didn't work out that way! But, I promise her reaction is in the next chapter and the whole chapter is in her POV so there will be a lot of insight to what's going on with her and Grace! Let me know what you thought of this chapter :)
