A/N: Ok so I know it's taken a long time for an update and I'm really sorry. I hope this chapter makes up for things. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. I hope you like it. Action to come shortly!
Enjoy!
Chapter 7: Veronica's Kitchen
The beautiful aromas of the house only seemed to get brighter and richer as night turned into morning, and although Steve was trained to fight through the jet lag, he allowed himself to stay comfortably tangled in the aromatic sheets until he heard movement in the rest of the house.
Veronica Williams was an early riser and knowing that she would soon have a full house once again, she made her way to the kitchen, rested and ready to start another marathon cook off. Steve joined her after a quick shower (one he let run a little long than his usual three minutes because, let's face it, he was on vacations) and he arrived just in time to smell the coffee brewing.
"Rise and Shine!" Veronica stated happily as she popped out of the refrigerator with a carton of eggs and a pitcher of milk. "I dare say you won't see Daniel, Patrick or Grace for another hour at least." She said joyfully as she stole a glance at the digital clock on the microwave.
"It is doubtful," Steve laughed as it was only just a quarter to seven.
"Any big plans for today, dear?" Veronica asked as she returned to the fridge, pulled out something already in a casserole dish and placed it directly into the oven.
"I believe Danny and Peter are meeting early to go over the case they have to take back to court. I have some friends I want to pop in on in the city and then I believe everything is a go for this evening." Steve explained as he took a seat at one of the bar stools that looked into Veronica's Kitchen.
"And Grace?" Veronica asked as she pulled a bag out from under the sink.
"I think Danny plans to let her sleep as long as possible so she can stay awake tonight and not feel too much jet lag." Steve answered.
"He is a good parent." Veronica smiled proudly and then turned to Steve, "You need to find yourself a wife Steven. You'd made a great father, and husband, and I want more grand kids. They are the best."
Steve blushed, (yes blushed) and cleared his throat as Veronica turned on him again and stared him down.
"Nervous?" she asked as she drummed her fingers against the counter top.
"I know where Danny get's his interrogation skills from." Steve stated and ran a hand through his still damp hair nervously.
"Ha," Veronica laughed, slapped the counter top and turned back to the stove, "it's what we old fashioned mothers do. If there is one thing we did it was parent, and once our children are grown our jobs change. It is now time to marry them all off and as I have done my best by my own, it is time to work on you. Now who do I know…" she asked herself playfully.
"I have a girlfriend," Steve stated trying to stem the tides of the Jerseyan mother.
"Is she a good sort of girl?" Veronica asked and Steve's nervousness came back.
"Yes, she's in navy intelligence."
"So you met her at work?" Veronica raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"We worked together in the beginning, but we are going in two different directions career wise." Steve answered.
"How often do you get to see her?" Veronica asked.
"Not really often," Steve sighed.
"Steven, you need to settle down." Veronica said shaking her head. "You are in the prime of your life, perfect time for children and houses and future planning."
"Ma, come on, I have lots of time for that, besides I feel like I'd be endangering people if I let anyone get too close." Steve stated honestly. "You know what I am dealing with."
"I suppose you are right, but don't wait too long. You aren't going to live forever and a good strong man like you needs a legacy." Veronica stated.
Steve blushed again.
"Well if you are going to remain in the kitchen you had better be prepared to be put to work or embarased. I'll assume you are looking for work or just more of my interrogations." Veronica added playfully to stem the tides of Steve's embarrassment as she placed a knife and a paper bag before him.
Steve laughed heartily as he looking into the paper bag, "I got really good at this in my navy days." He stated jokingly as he pulled a large potato from the bag.
Veronica smiled mischievously, "are you trying to tell me you were a bit of a troublemaker in your youth. What were you doing with this navy intelligence woman Steven?" She asked and placed a large pot of water before him.
"Nothing, I was not a trouble maker nor was I doing anything with the navy intelligence lady," Steve said sarcastically but the blush rose in his cheeks once more.
"Well you certainly didn't learn to lie in the Navy," Veronica teased. "I need four of those for breakfast and then fill the pot." She added with a laugh and dished out ordered as well as any naval galley chef.
"Yes ma'am," Steve winked and got to work as Veronica poured him a cup of coffee and then began her work with the brioche
By 7:45, Patrick Williams made his way into the kitchen looking rumpled and groggy.
"Coffee?" he grumbled but Veronica had heard him enter and had already started pouring the cup of the steaming liquid.
"Patrick will be bright eyed and bushy tailed as soon as he gets through that first cup," Veronica whispered to Steve as Patrick moved out of the kitchen like a zombie and disappeared without even noticing Steve. "He's hardly human when he first wakes up."
"How did he manage in the fire house?" Steve asked with a laugh.
"Well, he was much younger then," Veronica answered in Patrick's defense, "but even then he hated to be woken up, from what I've heard from the others. He was a great firefighter though and when the adrenaline starts he's unstoppable."
"Like Danny," Steve smiled.
"He's just like his father," Veronica agreed.
By 8:30 the breakfast casserole was out of the over, the brioche French toast had found its way into the oven to keep it warm and bacon and hash browns were frying up on the stove top as Steve finished with the potatoes and was promoted to opening can after can of tomatoes.
Danny walked in much in the same manner as his father, rubbing his eyes and took a seat on one of the bar stools while Steve emptied cans into several different sauce pans and Veronica worked at the stove.
"Steve do you not understand the concept of vacationing?" Danny asked hoarsely as Veronica ducked under Steve's arm to bring a cup of coffee to her eldest son.
"I'm helping," Steve smiled over his shoulder and flipped the bacon in the pan before him, "besides, I slept in and I had an extra long shower."
"What five minutes instead of three?" Danny mocked.
Veronica shot her biological son a look that said, "leave him alone Daniel, it's nice to have help once in a while," as her son grunted and left the kitchen.
"You're right, just like his father," Steve laughed.
Patrick returned at almost the same moment as Danny was leaving. He placed a rolled up news paper, his empty coffee mug and a note book on the counter. He looked cheerful now. His hair was brushed and styled; he was dressed much like the Mr. Williams Steve remembered from their first meeting and he was much less the bear that he was when he first woke up.
"See Steven, it's a miracle elixir!" Veronica joked as she kissed her husbands cheek.
"I apologize," Patrick laughed, "but I've never been a morning person." He chuckled joyfully and grabbed the note book.
"Any luck?" Veronica asked her husband as he thumbed through the book.
"Not really," Patrick sighed mockingly. "What else can I do? Someone is bound to be unhappy and Grace demands that her Uncle Steve be on her team." Patrick laughed and opened his note book to an elaborately draw flow chart of the teams and game orders for the hockey tournament that was in the Williams family future.
"How long have you been planning this?" Steve asked eyeing the complicated diagram spread across two pages.
"In the beginning it's easy. The rules of the Williams Family New Years Eve Hockey Tournament are simply that the winning team from the year before is given the chance to play for the title again; so all members must remain the same unless someone isn't present. Last years winning team is intact." Patrick explained and sat down at the little table in the breakfast nook that opened up to the kitchen. "Then I divide up all the members of the family that have committed to playing. The children that have aged into the tournament are placed on mixed age teams for fairness and usually that is very simple."
"So where is the issue?" Steve asked as Veronica handed him a stack of plates and sent him toward the breakfast table.
"The issue is that no one in the family ever wants to play with Jean," Danny stated as he walked into the kitchen dressed and alert, and ready to face the day.
"Why, is he not much of an athlete?" Steve asked with a laugh.
"Oh no, if there is one good thing about the French man it is that he is a very good hockey player. He's just a jerk and never gets along with his team because, let's face it, we may play as a family but we're certainly not his beloved Montreal Canadians. And no one else can yell back at him in flawless French to end his ranting!" Danny explained passionately.
"Daniel that's no way to talk about you brother in law," Veronica scolded.
"And he's not the only issue," Patrick added and motioned at Danny.
"Oh people don't like playing with you either?" Steve mocked.
"On the contrary, my good man, everyone wants me on their team," Danny stated proudly. "I'm the ringer in this friendly, cut throat, tournament."
"Sure you are!" Steve laughed.
"He's right," Patrick sighed, "when Veronica made the announcement to the family yesterday, just before you arrived, there was mass hysteria and all my hard work was thrown out the window."
"You guys are pulling my leg!" Steve stated not sure if he wanted to believe all the hoopla surrounding his partner.
"Oh no Steven, it's all true." Veronica nodded. "Daniel's team will always win. It's like a prophecy or an omen, or perhaps divine intervention. Daniel makes a winning team."
"No other team in Williams's history has won as many times as mine." Danny smiled. "From 1993 to the new millennium we had an undefeated streak. Peter, me, George, Earl and Abby; we were the dream team." Danny said reminiscently.
"Then what happened?" Steve asked.
"In the late fall of 2000 Danny was shot while on duty," Patrick explained. "We were just lucky to have him with us for Christmas. He wasn't back on his feet until March of 2001 and he wasn't fully recovered until August and then the world changed."
"2001 was a very solemn year for all of us after the World Trade Center." Veronica added.
"It was the one year we didn't play." Danny said softly.
"I can't imagine what you went through." Steve said sympathetically.
"Oh I'm sure if anyone can imagine it, it's you. In all your years of combat," Danny said, "I imagine that was what a war zone was really like and I never want to experience that again."
"It was the worst in all American history," Steve almost whispered.
"Never though anything would ever be the same again," Danny sighed.
"It won't be," Veronica said and petted her son's hair.
"I know ma."
"After all of that, life set in and started to take its toll on Daniel and his playing abilities," Patrick stated pulling them out of the darkness and back to the present.
"2002 and 2003 Danny's team started to win again, although it wasn't made up of all the same members from the winning streak. In 2004 Danny was distracted by baby Gracie and spent more time with her in his arms then out on the street playing hockey." Veronica teased.
"Sounds like the best excuse not to participate," Steve said and winked at his partner.
"Oh it was," Danny laughed, "but now Gracie is old enough to play and it's been years since we've been able to participate."
"So now I have to place the three of you." Patrick sighed.
"Two more players and we could be our own team," Danny said casually.
"True," Patrick smiled mischievously, "Danny, Steven, Grace, Cousin Jack and Jean."
"No Dad; come on not Jean!" Danny whined.
"Put him in goal, tell him to pretend to be Patrick Roy and you'll be good to go!" Patrick stated.
"On the bright sighed I can yell back, not in flawless French, but I know all of the bad words and most of the good ones." Steve said trying to ease his partner's discontent and the full on pout that had taken over Danny's face.
"Navy Intelligence, why am I not surprised," Danny sighed.
"You said yourself that Jean is a good hockey player." Steve countered, "Sounds to me like we have a winning team."
Danny rolled his eyes.
"Well that solves all my problems!" Patrick stated as he finished writing in his note book and closed it.
"Just in time too," Veronica said and placed a tray of French toast in front of Danny's face.
"Why can't I have mom on my team?" Danny said as he stood and kissed his mother's cheek.
"I'm too old for that now!" Veronica giggled, "Besides, I have to man the concessions as always." She added cheerfully.
"You have concessions at your street hockey tournament?" Steve asked with surprise in his tone.
"It's pretty much a revolving door around here." Veronica smiled. "I make hot cocoa, chilly and hot dogs all day, while game play is on going. The beer flows and the players that aren't playing will be well fed and ready to cheer you on."
"In other words don't have lunch while you're out in the city because the party will start at 3 and it won't end until someone wins." Danny laughed and filled his plate with the breakfast foods that had all made it to the table and Patrick, Steve, Veronica and Danny all settled in.
"Or until the clock strikes midnight!" Patrick laughed.
"And that is how we do New Years Eve in New Jersey!" Veronica smiled.
"I see," Steve laughed, "where do you find time for all this?"
"We have it down to a science now." Patrick stated. "When it's been a family tradition for as long as it has been, you get really good at it."
"So then what are the potatoes for?" Steve asked remembering the pot he'd filled earlier that morning.
"We have a full meal at midnight," Veronica stated with a shrug.
"Turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing; you name it, we'll have it at 12:02 on January first." Danny laughed. "And then we pretty much stay in a food coma until the next working week begins."
"Don't look so shocked," Veronica giggled. "I take care of the turkey, the potatoes and the stuffing, and everything else will magically arrive with our family."
"And it sounds like you've already done your share." Danny laughed, "So don't worry, everything is under control."
"This is crazy, you know that right," Steve stated.
"This is family," Veronica said softly, "you'll understand when you've experienced it."
"Until then please don't get into any trouble before you get back to Jersey," Danny warned.
"I'm on vacation, what kind of trouble could I possibly get into?" Steve asked with a laugh as he finished off his plate.
"So much, I'm sure, don't jinx yourself." Danny sighed.
"You want me to drive you to your meeting with Peter?" Steve asked with a wink.
"No, I'll walk!" Danny stated and started clearing the table for his mother.
"After dishes Daniel, don't you dare run away!" she ordered.
"I know the drill Ma!" Danny sighed.
"I know you do love," She laughed and kissed his cheek. "You can help Steven," she added and kissed his cheek as well. "I'll check on our little princess."
"Alright Ma," both boys echoed and got down to the business at hand so that they could carry on with the rest of their day.
