A/N: I have to say I'm a little worried about what you guys will think about the next two chapters. I've tried to stay as true to the show as possible, but I would be grateful to hear whether you guys think that Steve is still in character, and to what extent.
Grace wakes with a start as she wipes a stray hair from her face and looks around the room frantically. This isn't the first time that a noise has woken her in the middle of the night, and despite her best efforts to convince herself that it's nothing, she knows it won't be the last.
Cautiously – a victim of the foot-not-in-covers-foot-not-safe curse – she pulls back the sheet that covers her and gets out of bed. She slowly steps around the room, looking out of the window to make sure that the noises really are just her imagination reacting to unfamiliar surroundings. When she finds nothing out of the ordinary, Grace returns to the limited comfort of her temporary bed, pulling the sheet up high around her neck and shoulders.
But it's no good. Though Grace stays silent and still for at least another ten minutes, the creaks gradually begin to return, and though really it's just the sound of the old wood and the trees outside, to the scared seven year old, the sound resembles danger. As the fright begins to make Grace's body shiver, she clings to Mr. Stripes and once again pushes herself out of the bed.
She creeps towards the door, opening it a crack and peering through the small space for some indication that everything is okay. When she finds nothing that fits the purpose, she pushes the door open a little further and steps outside, her footsteps silent as she looks over the balcony to the first floor of the house. The room is empty, but a shadow cast by a tall tree outside of the house moves in the wind, and only just managing to prevent herself from crying on the spot, Grace ignores her efforts at silence and half-runs towards the room she knows to be Steve's bedroom.
The loud bang of the opening door to his room startles Steve, and he bolts upright, reflexively reaching for the gun that sits by the side of his bed. His hand pauses mid-air as the little moonlight that shines through the window casts just enough light into the room for him to make out the silhouette of Grace's figure. His arm continues in the direction it had started, instead reaching for the light switch, which illuminates the room.
Steve sits up in the bed and looks the girl in the eyes. "Hey Grace, what's up, can't sleep?"
At this point, the tears filling Grace's eyes overflow, and a few spill down her cheek. "I want Danno," she sobs.
Steve lets out a sympathetic sigh and reaches out a hand. He pulls her into his embrace, hugging her tightly as her sobs slow and eventually stop. "I know, I know. Listen, it won't be much longer, okay. I'll look after you, don't worry. Now, why don't you tell me what's up, and maybe I can go check it out for you."
He wipes the tears from her cheeks as she looks up at him with a somber nod. "I heard noises."
He nods. "From out there?" She nods again and he pulls her to sit next to him on the bed as he gets up cautiously. "Okay, how about you wait here whilst I go check it out." She nods nervously, and Steve takes the gun from the side of his bed as he backs out with a comforting smile; more than likely it's Grace's overreaction to being away from her parents (and understandably so), but all the same, Steve takes her concerns seriously as he sweeps the whole house, checking each room carefully and quickly, and returning to the bedroom a couple of minutes later.
As he re-enters the room, Grace jumps slightly. Steve swiftly deposits the gun back from where it came, and he lifts his hands in proof of innocence out of habit. He returns to his place next to Grace, wrapping an arm around her back as he assures her that there's no one here; everything is safe. He assesses her face in the light for a few more seconds; she is still visibly shaken, but she seems less upset than a few minutes ago. "You ready to go back to bed?" he asks.
Grace nods, putting on a brave face. But years of experience have trained Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett to spot a lie, and he pulls her back towards him. "Hey Grace, you want to stay in here with me?" Hesitating with indecision for a few moments, Grace finally gives a tentative nod as she still clutches Mr. Stripes in her goosebump-ridden arms.
Steve pulls back the sheet for Grace to slide into the bed, leaving the side furthest from the door open for her to sleep. It's usually his side, but he changes his sleeping pattern in the hope that being further form the door will make her feel safer. Ten minutes after he had first woken, Steve lowers his back to the mattress, turning to make sure Grace is okay before he makes any effort to go to sleep. She faces him, her eyes opening every few seconds to check the door for any sign of intruders, and Steve stays awake as her blinks grow further and further apart until, finally, she falls asleep; only then does he close his own eyes.
A/N: So, what do you think?