A'ohe hana i nele i ka uku
Related for Better or Worse
Part 4
Several weeks passed before the topic of the DNA test came up again. Danny wasn't prepared for it to be Grace who brought it up, not to mention at dinner with Mary and Steve present.
"Danno, can I ask you something?" Grace asked when there was a lull in the dinner conversation.
"You know you can talk to me about anything, Monkey." Danny said as he turned to face her. "What's on your mind?"
"Well...the other day I heard Mommy and Step-Stan talking about some test...," Grace paused.
"A test?" Danny asked. He hoped she hadn't overheard any of their discussions about her brother.
"It was something called a DNA test," Grace said. "We learned about DNA in school. About how there's a bit of mom and dad in their children."
Danny nodded his head and glanced at Steve hoping for a bit of help. He and Steve had yet to discuss what they were going to do, let alone how they were going to tell anyone else, especially Grace and later Charles.
"That's right, Monkey," Danny replied. "You know how when Nana or Papa tell you that you have my smile or when you visit your grandparents in England, they tell you that you have your mom's eyes?" Grace nodded her head. "That's the little bit of your mom and me in you."
"But why would Mommy and Step-Stan be talking about it?" Grace asked with a confused look on her face.
From the other side of the table, Danny could hear quiet whispering and he knew that Mary had put two and two together and Steve was further explaining things to her, but all of his attention was on Grace and how she was expecting some kind of answer from him.
The thing was, Danny didn't know where to start. It could have been because he hadn't entirely wrapped his mind around the idea that Charles could be his son, even though it was ruled that Stan wasn't his father...wasn't his biological father. That would only leave Danny. Unless there was someone else...Danny mentally shook his head at that option. No, Rachel wasn't like that. He wouldn't think that about her.
"Danno?" Grace questioned again bringing Danny out of his thoughts. "Why would they be talking about DNA tests?"
"I'm not sure, sweetheart," Danny replied," but I'm sure it's nothing you have to worry about."
Grace gave Danny an appraising look before nodding her head and finishing her dinner.
H50-H50-H50-H50-H50
When Steve heard Grace's question, he held his breath wondering where she was going with her inquiry. He wanted to pay more attention to their conversation, however Mary was giving him a look that said explanations were needed or she'd begin snooping.
"Just ask it, Mare..." Steve said with a soft sigh. "I know you're dying to ask me some sort of question."
"Why would they need a DNA test?" Mary asked. She pitched her voice lower, "Is someone doubting Grace?"
"Not Grace!" Steve nearly growled, "Charles."
"Charles?" Mary questioned. Steve nodded his head and Mary looked across the table at Danny and Grace. "Well shit..."
Steve shot her glare. "Mary, watch it, Grace is right there!"
Mary rolled her eyes as she picked up a piece of shrimp. "Oh please, like she hasn't heard worse between you and Danny."
"We try not to," Steve replied, "or we have to contribute to the monthly zoo trip jar." Mary laughed and Steve glared more. "You may think that it's funny, but I had to hear Danny complain for a week about not only having to put $20 in the jar, but also how Eric screwed up again!"
"No way did E-Train screw up again!" Mary said with a laugh. "When I saw him a couple months ago, things were going fine for him."
"You saw him a couple months ago? Where?" Steve all but demanded.
"Calm down, bro," Mary said as she pushed her chair back and stood up, "I went to New York and we hooked up." Mary smiled at the memory, then sobered when she saw the look Steve was giving her. "Really, Steve? You're going to go there? I'm like 10 years older than him and he's barely legal!"
Danny looked up when he heard Mary and raised his eyebrow. "Who needs 6 people at a dinner table when the two of you make enough noise for 10?" He leaned and loudly whispered to Grace, "See Grace, one day you and Charles will argue like that during a family dinner."
Grace laughed, "Don't be silly Danno, Charlie and I won't be like that. We love each other."
Mary looked at Grace. "Are you saying I don't love my brother?"
Steve clutched his chest in mock pain, "Oh Gracie! How could you say that?"
Grace laughed more, "Oh Uncle Steve...Auntie Mary...you're being silly now."
"I told you those McGarretts are goofs, Monkey." Danny said with a laugh, "But we love them."
H50-H50-H50-H50-H50
The following week, Danny had a voicemail on his office messaging service. He'd been in court, with his phone off and didn't bother to turn it back on until he was back in the office.
"Daniel, Grace and Charles are visiting with friends this afternoon and Stanley and I would like for you and Steven to join us for a late lunch. I think it's time we discussed some things. Please let me know if this works for you."
Danny sighed. He knew what was going to be discussed. He'd gone two months without talking about DNA tests or Charles' paternity but now he was going to have to face it head on. He grabbed his cell phone to send a text to Steve.
Rachel & Stan want 2 talk. Lunch 2day in 1 hr.?
Danny pressed send and almost instantly there was a reply.
ok. 90 mins better.
'Right...meeting with Denning,' Danny thought to himself. He was tempted to send Steve another text about how it was rude to text while in meetings, but thought better of it. He needed to call Rachel back, then finish his and Steve's reports.
Danny picked up his phone and with a swipe of his fingers, Rachel's image was on his screen and the phone was ringing. On the third ring, the line connected.
"Daniel. Will we be seeing you for lunch?" Rachel said by way of greeting.
"Good afternoon to you too, Rachel," Danny said. "Steve and I will be there in an hour and a half."
"Great, we'll see you then," Rachel said before ending the call.
Danny resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room as he was cut off, though it was probably for the better. Without Steve or Stan there as a buffer, they would probably end up arguing. Now, Danny needed to put thoughts of potentially uncomfortable lunch meetings out of his mind for the time being. He still had work to do and he knew he was also going to have to listen to Steve's various complaints stemming from his meeting with the Governor.
"I'm telling you, Brah," Chin said as he and Steve entered the headquarters, "the Governor isn't completely off base in asking you to tone down the explosions...even if they are in rundown buildings."
"It's not like I do it on purpose," Steve replied as he stopped at the tech table, "That'd be like telling Danny to stop yelling or..."
"Or what Steven?" Danny asked as he walked out his office, "Please continue what you were going to say."
Chin slowly backed away from Steve and Danny and headed to his office. "I'll just be in my office getting those files for the Governor."
"Hey Danno...ready for lunch?" Steve asked with a bright smile.
Danny pointed his finger in warning at Steve before retreating back to his office. Steve followed him and closed the door behind him.
"What did Rachel want?" Steve asked as he sat in the chair in front of Danny's desk.
Danny turned off his computer and picked up his keys. "She didn't say. But we both know what this is going to be about."
Steve stood up, walked to Danny and pulled him into his arms. "Hey, it's going to be okay. Whatever comes up, we'll get through it."
Danny nodded his head against Steve's chest, gave him a tight squeeze before pulling away. "I know...I know. Let's go have our last normal meal for the foreseeable future."
Steve laughed, snagged Danny's hand and led him out of the office. "Family lunch with the Edwards..." Steve called out to Chin as he and Danny left, "Call if there's an emergency."
H50-H50-H50-H50-H50
The drive to Rachel and Stan's was unbearably quiet. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve could see twitching. Aborted moves to his cell phone sitting in the holder on the dashboard, running his hands through his hair. About a mile before they reached the house, Steve pulled into a parking lot and parked the car. "I know we didn't get the chance to talk about this before, so talk to me now, Danny, before everything changes."
Danny was quiet for a moment before turning and facing Steve as best he could in his seat. "Are you sure about this?"
"Sure about what?" Steve asked. "Sure that I want to know what's going on with you...my partner, boyfriend, my lover? Of course I want to know, Danny. For as long as we've known each other, when have I not wanted to know what's going on with you?" Steve gave Danny a smile.
"I don't know where to start, babe," Danny said softly. "It's all I've thought about for two months. Wanting to talk about it, but at the same time, wanting to forget. Now we bhave/b to talk about it and I'm freaking out."
Steve reached for Danny's hand. "Freaking out about what?"
"About having a son! Explaining everything to Grace and Charles. If Charles will like me, let alone want anything to do with me. Wondering if Stan is going to treat them any differently." Danny was breathing hard by the time he finished.
"Hey Danny...look at me," Steve said and waited for Danny to look up. "Every single one of those things we can deal with. Together." He gave Danny's hands a squeeze. "For better or worse, you won't have to go through this alone."
Danny closed his eyes, took a deep breath and relaxed some. "Okay," he squeezed Steve hands back "Okay," he repeated with more confidence.
Steve pulled their hands to his lips for a soft kiss before releasing them. He started up the car, pulled out of the parking lot and continued to Rachel and Stan's house.
H50-H50-H50-H50-H50
When Steve and Danny arrived, the housekeeper led them to the dining room, where Rachel was giving the chef some last minute instructions about their lunch.
"I hope you're ready for lobster salad and white wine...," Stan said as he joined them. "Rachel has been going at this all day."
"Can't wait..." Steve and Danny replied at the same time.
"Daniel...Steven...thank you for coming on such short notice," Rachel said as she joined them once the chef went back to the kitchen, "Lunch will be served shortly."
"I got the feeling it was important," Danny said as he walked to the table and eyed the name cards with his and Steve's names on them. Steve joined Danny at the table and nudged him with his elbow. Danny nodded his head and rolled his eyes some.
"Rachel, these are lovely name cards. I see you've managed to put your calligraphy skills to good use," Danny commented as he pulled out the chair in front of Steve's name card, gave the man a smirk and sat down.
Rachel narrowed her eyes in a glare before responding, "And I see you're as perceptive as ever."
No other response was made as Stan cleared his throat and the chef entered with their food. Rachel, Stan and Steve took their seats and plates of food were put in front of them, Steve and Danny being served first followed by Rachel and Stan.
While they ate, they spoke of Grace's upcoming schedule, Danny asking for an extra weekend so that he and Steve could take Grace and Charles to see the newborn seals. Stan raised an eyebrow and Steve shrugged his shoulders some. Rachel and Stan agreed with the extra weekend in exchange for Grace joining Rachel at a Mother/Daughter luncheon at the country club during her week with Danny and Steve.
"Lunch was wonderful," Steve said after their plates were collected.
"Thank you, Steven," Rachel replied with a smile. "I thought it a good idea to take advantage of the fresh lobster I got this morning."
"Speaking of taking advantage..." Danny began as he placed the cream colored linen napkin on the table.
"You'd like to know why we asked you and Steve over for lunch, right?" Stan asked. Steve and Danny nodded their heads.
"We'd like for us to be able to...talk about the DNA test that was done," Rachel haltingly said. She took a deep breath and let it out. "I know that there are other things we need to talk about, and we will, I know we will, but I feel the test is the most important."
"Okay," Danny said in agreement. "The DNA test is important. But Rachel, it's been nearly 5 years..."
"Let's not get into about that right now, Danny." Steve suggested. "First we'll have a full DNA test and once we get the results, we'll go from there."
"I agree with Steve," Stan added. "I know...we know that Danny is the only other person, I'm not doubting that, but for everyone's peace of mind, it should be done."
Danny looked at Rachel and nodded his head. "Okay. When?"
"Tomorrow," Rachel replied. "Charles has a doctor's appointment in the afternoon and it can be done then. Will that work for you?"
"Tomorrow is my last day in court. I will call you when we break for lunch," Danny said.
With nothing else to talk about for the time being and desperate not to have to make small talk, Danny needed an excuse for him and Steve to leave. Steve's phone vibrated against the keys in his pocket and he excused himself to take the call.
"Chin...have we got a case?" Steve asked.
"Not exactly, Brah." Chin replied, "Officer Connelly just came in saying one Doris McGarrett was caught picking the lock to your house..." Steve could hear the amusement in Chin's voice as the man continued to speak. "Seems she tried to tell the good officer that she locked her keys in the house but when Mrs. Pekea across the street said she'd never seen her, naturally Doris was arrested."
Steve couldn't help but chuckle. He'd have to give nice Mrs. Pekea some nice chocolates as a thank you. "Thanks for calling, Chin. We were just finishing up here. Be there in 20 minutes."
When Steve returned to the room, he and Danny said their goodbyes and saw themselves out. Once they got into the car, Steve relayed the call from Chin.
"So was it on the up and up, or Chin's way of helping us out?" Danny asked with a bit of a laugh.
Steve shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but it doesn't hurt to swing by HPD before going to HQ...," Steve suggested as he pointed the Camaro in the direction of the department.
H50-H50-H50-H50-H50
The following day, Danny met with Rachel at Charles' doctor to have the paternity test done and was told it would take three to five days for the results to come in. The rest of the week was swept up in a case that had the team going non-stop. They put in long hours during the day, and even longer hours at night on stakeouts.
"...and then the purple walrus and blue seal did this trick...," Kono said.
Danny scrunched his eyebrows. "Purple walrus...blue seal...what the hell are you talking about?" Danny asked.
"I've been going over the specifics of this case for the last five minutes and you're just zoned out," Kono said. "What's going on?"
Danny waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing. Just got sidetracked for a bit." He turned his full attention to her, "so you were saying that the victim's friend's alibi doesn't hold up?"
Kono and Danny continued talking about the case before the conversation turned to dumb criminals they chased in past cases. They still had about six hours before Chin and Steve would be there to relieve them.
Four hours into their stakeout out, Steve called to say they were switching partners for the rest of the shift because Rachel called. Danny scrambled to get some of his stuff together because knowing Steve like he did, he and Chin were probably a block away.
A short time later, the Camaro pulled up next to Kono's red Cruze and Danny was already waiting on the curb checking that he had everything in his backpack.
"How are things going?" Chin asked as he got out of the Camaro.
"It's been quiet," Danny replied as he stepped into the street. "The vic's been trying hard to get his friend to come by the house so they can talk things over. Might happen sometime today...depending on how believable everything was."
"I don't think we'll be back tonight," Steve said as Danny got in. "HPD can send someone in four hours to take over for you."
"And you know to call if the case breaks," Danny added.
"We got this covered," Chin said at the same time as Kono said, "Let us know when you get the good news!"
Danny and Steve nodded their thanks as Steve drove away. Once they were well away from the stakeout scene, Steve pointed the car towards their house.
"Rachel said Stan would be back on the Island in an hour, so that gives you some time to freshen up before we meet them at the doctor's office."
Danny nodded his head and slumped back in his seat. "What do you think the results are going to be?" he asked softly.
"What we already figured from the test Fong did," Steve replied. "I figured that after we get them, we can call Mr. Karaka to set up an appointment to work on a custody agreement."
Danny nodded his head. "Sounds good, but why don't we wait on calling him," Danny reasoned, "I don't think we'll have a hard time working out some sort of agreement...maybe something similar to what we have for Grace."
Steve pulled into the driveway and shut off the car. "Whatever you want, Danno. I'm behind you one hundred percent."
"I don't want you behind me," Danny said looking at Steve, "I want you standing next to me through all of this."
Steve smiled and leaned over the emergency brake to give Danny a soft kiss. "Whatever you need, Danno."
H50-H50-H50-H50-H50
Danny pulled the Camaro into the parking structure next to the doctor's office they were meeting Rachel and Stan at. He parked in the first spot he found that wasn't reserved for anyone. He shut off the car and looked at Steve. "I can do this, right?"
"WE can do this," Steve corrected as they got out of the car. He waited for Danny at the front and took his hand, "Let's go face our destiny."
They walked to the elevator that would take them to the second level where there was a bridge connecting the parking structure to the medical building. The doctor's office was close to the entrance, so within minutes of getting off the elevator, Steve was opening the door to the office.
"Oh, Danny, you're here," Rachel said when she saw Danny and Steve enter. "They just called our name and said it would be another five minutes."
"I guess we timed it right, then," Steve said. "How long have you been waiting?"
"About 15 minutes," Stan replied. "We came straight here from the airport. I probably still smell like recycled air."
The doctor's office door opened and the familiar pediatrician motioned for them to join him in his office. Rachel hesitated for a moment, looking at Danny. They could still read each other well and could see the emotions flickering across each other's eyes.
"Danny?" Steve said softly as Stan said Rachel's name.
"Right then," Rachel said as she pulled herself together and walked into the office. The doctor moved to the side to let her in and Danny, Steve and Stan followed. The doctor closed the door behind them.
"Your results came in late last night, and I took the morning to review them," the doctor said once everyone took their seats. Rachel and Danny were in the middle with Steve and Stan on the outside.
"The results confirm the initial DNA testing done when Charles was kidnapped," the doctor continued. "Mr. Edwards isn't Charles' biological father. You are, Mr. Williams." He slid the file folder towards Rachel and Danny for them to look at.
Rachel didn't need to look at the file. Hearing the doctor's words were enough for her. She turned to apologize again to her husband, but he was already standing up and speaking to the doctor.
"Thank you Doctor Heioka," Stan said as he extended his hand to the doctor. The doctor stood to shake Stan's hand.
"Yes, thank you, Doc," Danny added as he took the file folder and read the words on the paper inside.
"The office will be closing for lunch in an hour, so you're more than welcome to remain here to talk," Heioka said. He could tell the others in the group were going to need some time to collect themselves before they were ready to leave. "I'll be at the receptionist desk if you need anything." He quietly slipped out of his office and closed the door.
Stan walked to Danny and waited for him to look up. "Where do we go from here?" Stan asked once Danny looked at him.
Danny looked at Rachel, then Steve and back to Stan before answering, "I thought the four of us could work together to come to some agreement."
"What do we tell Charles and Grace?" Rachel asked, her voice a bit shaky.
"I think once we figure out what we want to do, we can talk to them," Danny replied. "We need to give them honest answers other than 'I don't know' or 'we haven't thought about that' if they have questions."
Steve looked at the clock on the wall and noticed the time. Grace would be getting out of school and already had permission to stay the night at a friend's house even though it was a school night and it was easy enough to keep Charles busy in Steve's old room with some of his childhood toys okay for a 4 year old.
"Why don't you join us at our place for an early dinner and we can talk about this more," Steve suggested.
"I think that's a great idea, don't you, Stan?" Rachel asked.
Stan nodded his head. "It is. Thanks. We can be over around five."
Steve and Danny looked at each other and nodded. "That works fine," Steve said. "We'll see you then."
The group gathered their things and were about to leave when the office door opened. "Don't mind me. Just coming in for a medical journal." Heioka said.
"We were just leaving," Steve said.
"Okay, don't forget the test results," Heioka said as he handed a sheet of paper to Danny and Rachel.
"Thank you, again, Doctor Heioka," Rachel said as she took the paper.
The doctor smiled at them and watched them leave his office.
H50-H50-H50-H50-H50
Later that evening, Rachel, Stan and Charles arrived at Steve and Danny's for dinner and to discuss the next steps they needed to take. Grace was a bit upset to find out that both sets of parents would be having dinner together and that she couldn't be there as well, but they promised the next time they decided to have dinner like that, they would make sure she was there as well.
With dinner consumed and Charles in Steve's childhood bedroom playing with some of his kid friendly toys, the adults were able to sit in the living room and talk things over. The first thing they decided on was that they needed to tell Grace first, and they would do so the following weekend before Stan had to go to the Big Island for work.
"I don't want her to think that with me still having to go away, I don't want anything to do with her," Stan said as he leaned back against the couch.
"I think that's why we're all going to be there to tell her," Rachel said as she placed her hand on Stan's leg.
"Right. We'll be there to answer any questions she may have and assure her that we still love her and Charles." Steve added.
Stan was still unsure. While he'd been Grace's step-father for nearly 6 years, he was still unsure of his position in Grace's circle of loved ones. "Maybe I should change the date of this trip..."
"Why?" Danny, Steve and Rachel asked at the same time.
Stan blinked at them in surprise. "I'm just concerned how she's going to take my leaving right after telling her about...what's been going on."
Danny looked at Stan, "You know she'll understand that you have to work. She's used to that, like she's used to the fact that sometimes Steve and I have to cut our time short with her because we get called on a case."
Stan nodded his head accepting, if not fully believing, what Danny said.
The next thing they talked about was how they would tell Charles. While they couldn't decide how they were going to explain it to him, they were in agreement that they would tell him how much they love him and that wasn't going to change now that he had another daddy and Steve to love him.
"I think we should take our cue from Grace for telling Charles," Steve suggested. "I mean, obviously we won't tell them the same things, but she might have an idea of what to say so that he understands."
Rachel nodded her head in agreement. "I believe that's a good idea, Steven. We should include her in as much of this as is acceptable."
"I think, that is, if Grace is willing, that she should explain it to him," Stan suggested. "She'll know the right words to use so that he doesn't get too confused."
"I don't know," Danny said warily, "isn't that a bit much to put on her shoulders?"
"It could be, but if she agrees...if she feels like she can do it, I think we should let her." Steve replied. "We aren't forcing her to tell him so that we get out of telling him."
The last thing they discussed before the Edwards had to leave for the night, was a custody agreement. It was Stan who suggested that once Grace and Charles were told the news, they'd have a trial run with Charles spending a couple of days with Danny during some of Grace's time and if it worked out well enough, they could have the same custody agreement for Charles that they have with Grace.
"The custody arrangement we have with Grace is a good one, right?" Stan asked as he looked at Steve and Danny.
Danny nodded his head. "I'd love to have her 24/7, but that's not fair to you and Rachel or her, but Grace spends time with us whenever she wants and our schedules allow."
"I love being able to pick her up from school during the week so that we can have dinner together," Steve said.
"What do you think about having the same arrangement with Charles?" Stan suggested. "Maybe there's something you think he and Grace might enjoy doing and he can spend part of the weekend with you...?"
"I think Charles would enjoy spending time here," Rachel added. "He loves going to the beach and unfortunately we're not able to do that as much as we would like to."
Danny and Steve looked at each other, and with a series of raised eyebrows, half shoulder shrugs, and a final nod and smile from Steve, they agreed between themselves to give the plan a try.
"I think that will work for us," Danny agreed.
Rachel looked at Danny and Steve, "You're sure? If you'd like to try something different, we can talk about that."
Steve gave Rachel a smile. "I think this will work right now. It will give us all time to get used to the new arrangements."
"And for Charles to get to know us and for us to get to know him," Danny added.
H50-H50-H50-H50-H50
When the weekend rolled around, Danny and Steve headed to Rachel & Stan's to talk to Grace. The night before Danny was a ball of nerves and during his telephone conversation with Grace, she asked him multiple times if he was okay because he was so quiet. Danny apologized and said it was because his mind was still on a case, which wasn't a complete lie as Five-0 was pulled in to an ongoing racketeering case that the FBI was investigating.
Once at the Edwards' home, they had lunch on the patio and talked about Grace's week. Shortly after eating, Stan excused himself to take Charles up to his room as the little boy had started to fall asleep. Danny watched, with a wistful look on his face, as Stan left with Charles in his arms. When Stan returned, the group moved from the patio to the living room to talk about what Grace wanted to do while with Danny and Steve.
"Would it be okay if we did something with Charlie?" Grace asked unsurely. The adults were stunned into silence and Grace barreled ahead. "It's just that sometimes when I go away for my time with you, Danno," she looked at Steve and Danny, "he says that he wants to go with me."
"You wouldn't have a problem with him coming along?" Danny asked as he ran his hand through Grace's hair.
"I wouldn't have asked if I had a problem, Danno," Grace said with a laugh. "We can hang out on the beach, or go to the International Market Place."
"Charlie had a great time playing with some of my old toys, so I'm sure there will be something fun for him to do while he's with us," Steve added with a smile. Grace smiled back at him.
"I think...," Rachel began, tears gathering in her eyes, "I think that's a great idea, Grace."
"Really Mommy?" Grace asked, smiling more. "You won't be lonely without Charlie or Step-Stan this weekend?"
"I'll be a little lonely, but I think I'll get used to it," Rachel said. "Plus, I think it'll be good for your brother to spend some time with you and Danny."
Grace looked at Stan, "You won't be upset if Charlie spent time with me at Danno and Uncle Steve's?"
Stan shook his head, "I think it's a great idea and I agree with your mother."
Grace jumped up and gave Stan a hug. "Oh good. I know Charlie will be happy he's not going to be left behind this time!"
Danny and Stan shared a look over Grace's head before Danny got Grace's attention. "Well, Monkey, Charlie might be spending a lot more time with us when you come over for your visits..."
Grace pulled away from Stan and looked at Danny, "What do you mean?" She looked at Rachel, "Are you going someplace, Mommy?"
"No sweetheart," Rachel said moving closer to Grace. "It's nothing like that at all."
"Remember when you asked about DNA tests and what they meant?" Danny said. Rachel raised an eyebrow wondering where Danny was going with this line of thought.
Grace nodded her head. "There's a bit of mom and dad in every baby they have."
"Exactly," Danny said with a nod of his head. "Earlier this week we found out that instead of there being a bit of Stan and your mom in Charlie, there's a bit of me and your mom in him."
Grace's brow furrowed in confusion. "So Step-Stan isn't his dad?"
"Oh no, Grace," Stan said reaching for the little girl. "I'll always be Charles' dad. It's just that now we know that Danny is his dad like he's your dad."
"I...think I understand," Grace said. She looked at Danny, "Are Nana and Papa his too?"
Danny nodded his head. "Nana, Papa, all your aunts, uncles and cousins in New Jersey are his too."
"So we're even more of a family?' Grace asked.
"Yes, Gracie. We're even more of a family." Danny agreed.
"And Auntie Mary and Mrs. McGarrett?" Grace asked sweetly as she looked at Steve
"Let's not go that far just yet, sweetheart," Steve said with an uneasy laugh. "We can talk to Mary about that this weekend."
At the mentioning of the weekend, Grace became serious. "Are you going to tell Charlie?"
Rachel nodded her head. "We do plan on telling him."
"How? He's not going to understand it the way you told me." Grace replied.
"How do you think we should tell him?" Stan asked.
Grace thought a moment. "I think he should be told how he and I more alike. That we both have Mommy and Danno, and Uncle Steve and Step-Stan." Grace looked at Stan, "Is that okay?"
Stan smiled and gave Grace a hug, "That's perfect, Grace."
From upstairs, Charles bumped around as he got out of his bed, walked to the door and pulled it open.
"Mommy? Daddy?" Charles called out from the top of the stairs.
Rachel, Stan and Danny looked in the direction of the voice. Rachel stood up and walked to the stairs.
"Are you finished napping?" Rachel asked.
"Yes, Mommy. Is Grace still here?" Charles asked as he slowly made his way down the stairs, with his hand on the railing.
"Yes, she's still here," Rachel said as she watched her son carefully.
Grace joined Rachel at the stairs. "Hey Charlie!" she said with a smile. "Did you have a nice nap?"
When Charles got to the last step, he jumped to the floor, ran to Grace and gave her a hug. "I did!"
Grace laughed and hugged him back. "I'm glad." She walked to the stairs and sat on one of the steps. "Guess what Charlie..."
"What Gracie?" Charles asked with wide eyes.
"You get to come with me when I go to Danno and Uncle Steve's!"
"Really?" he asked, "I do?" he looked at Rachel, "I get to go with Gracie?"
"If you want to," Rachel said. "Do you want to?"
"Yes!" Charles exclaimed. "I wanna go! I really wanna go!"
"Come on! I'll help you pack your bag so we can leave," Grace said with a smile. She helped her brother back up the stairs.
"Danno and Steve said its okay?" Charles asked as he held Grace's hand and walked back to his room. As they walked down the hall to Charles' room, Danny, Stan and Steve joined Rachel.
"Danno and Uncle Steve loved the idea!" Grace exclaimed. "I've got so much to tell you about what we'll be doing"
Thank you for reading, favoriting and commenting. This is the end of this part of the story, but there's more to come in sequel fic and a mini prequel fic.