See ANs in Chapter 1

Smooth Ice (7/12)

Nonna's House

Grace's Room

8:00 A.M.

Danny opened his daughter's door before breakfast and found she was already dressed and busily texting Rachel more photos from Christmas and from the previous day's snowball battle.

He smiled to see her once again wearing a sweater very similar to the one Catherine had been wearing when she and Steve got in from Atlantic City the day before. "Get any dirty towels and clothes together, Monkey. We're gonna do some laundry."

"Laundry's all done," she announced as she put down her phone and looked at her dad. "I did it with Auntie Cath. I took yours, too." She nodded at the empty hamper in the corner of the room that he'd asked Nonna to put out for him and Grace to share.

Danny wasn't about to have his grandmother doing laundry for the two of them.

"Wow." He moved to give her a high five. "Good job!"

"Thanks, it was Auntie Cath's idea. We got up early and threw in a few loads before Nonna could try to do everybody's laundry," she grinned.

"And she absolutely would." Danny kissed Grace's head.

"It's probably dry by now," Grace guessed.

"Go see if Nonna needs help with breakfast," Danny said. "I'll go get the clothes out of the dryer."

"'kay. She's making pancakes!" Grace announced happily as she left the room before her dad and headed down the stairs.

Danny descended the stairs to the basement and walked up behind Catherine with a chuckle. "Nonna sees you doing towels and sheets you're in for a lecture." He nodded to the pile of folded clothes in front of his friend.

"Nonna always says we're family. Family pitches in," she smiled. "I left your laundry and Grace's in the basket." She tilted her chin toward the table Nonna used to sort clothes.

"Tell me you didn't fold our stuff." Danny shook his head.

"I didn't," Catherine assured him. "Grace said she wanted to do it. I just put it all in the basket."

"Wanna come by the house when we get home and work that magic?" Danny teased. "Because it's not like she doesn't do chores, but getting up early and offering to? That's all you, Auntie Catherine."

She laughed. "Yeah, well, I told her I was going to come do a few more loads and she said she'd do the same. I did sheets a couple of days ago but I wanted to help Nonna and do the towels today, too." She pulled out a set of sheets and a blanket and began to fold them.

"You did laundry already this week?" Danny asked.

Catherine nodded. "Just our sheets, before we left for Atlantic City. I knew Nonna would try to change the bedding while we were gone. I didn't want her to have to do that," she shrugged with a grin.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Of course you didn't," he smiled. "Believe me; Nonna's got you at the far end of the hall for a reason. For which I am eternally grateful and … "

He was interrupted by the sound of Steve's boots on the basement steps. "Shut up, Danny." Steve had overhead the end of the conversation and was smirking. "Cath? Need help?" He'd returned from a run he'd made to the bakery for Nonna to pick up fresh, hot bread for lunch.

"I'm finished." Catherine handed him the sheets and grabbed a laundry basket that was piled high with clothes and towels. "Go make the bed and we're done. Oh and here." She handed him corner straps for the mattress cover.

Danny exploded into laughter and Steve frowned at them.

"Those … hold the mattress cover in place so the sheets don't slide around. I guarantee Nonna put those on just for your visit."

Catherine gave Danny a teasing look. "Then maybe we need to buy some. You know, so the bedding doesn't get … untucked so easily."

Danny snorted as Steve gave him an unabashed grin. "Yeah, you do that. They sell them at 'my boyfriend is the luckiest son of a bitch on earth dot com." He slapped his best friend's shoulder as he hoisted the basket of his and Grace's laundry and headed for the stairs.

10:00 A.M.

Living Room

Catherine was sitting on the floor next to Nonna in the recliner and the two women were chatting amiably as they worked on organizing Nonna's sewing box. Grace bounced excitedly into the room carrying a flyer that had come in the day's mail.

"You know how to ice skate, right Auntie Catherine?" she asked.

"Well it's been a long time since I did it but yeah, I know how to ice skate. Why?" Catherine smiled at her niece.

Grace held up the brightly colored flier. "Floyd Arena has public skating from 1:00-5:00 today. I thought maybe if no one has any plans we could go."

Catherine looked at Nonna. "Well if there's nothing specific Nonna had in mind, I'm game."

"I've been to Floyd Arena before," Nonna smiled brightly. "They have a very comfortable seating area where guests can sit and watch the skaters. I'd love to go and watch you skate, bambina."

"YAY!" Grace gave an excited clap. "I'll go find Danno and Uncle Steve and see if they want to go."

Floyd Arena

1:00 P.M

Steve and Danny helped Nonna get settled comfortably into one of the observers' seats that surrounded the ice rink and then joined Catherine and Grace in the small changing area filled with benches and small lockers used by the skaters to store their shoes and secure their valuables.

"I'm still not sure how I let you talk me into this, Monkey," Danny grumbled good naturedly.

"Oh come on," Grace smiled. "It's gonna be fun!"

"Yeah, Danny, it's gonna be fun," Steve teased.

"Laugh it up, partner," Danny said with a mock glare. "I know there are a lot of tools in your SUPER SEAL toolbox but I somehow doubt ice skating is one of them."

"I'll bet I fall less than you do," Steve smirked. He simply could not curb his competitive streak.

"I'll take that bet," Danny said. "And no fair holding on to Catherine the whole time."

"That's no fair," Steve winked at Grace. "Holding on to Catherine the whole time is the best part."

Danny finished lacing up his rented skates and pulled his pant leg back down. "Yeah, yeah. Let's hit the ice and see what ya got."

Danny hugged the ledge that ran around the outside of the ice and tried desperately to remain upright. His ankles were hurting and his knees were throbbing from repeated falls. If he wasn't positive he would never hear the end of it from his partner he would have happily joined Nonna in the observation area.

Steve was gliding carefully across the center of the ice, moving carefully and concentrating on remaining upright while Catherine helped Grace practice pirouettes nearby. Steve grinned as he watched them spin in their similarly colored sweaters and brand new matching scarves, purchased in the gift shop at the Borgata.

"Danno! Uncle Steve! Look at me," Grace called happily as she prepared to spin once more.

Steve turned a little too quickly to watch her and threw off his center of gravity. After gamely trying to regain his balance he ended in a heap on the ice.

Catherine immediately skated to his side and held out a hand to help him up.

"Ouch," he grumbled as he took her offered hand and allowed her to help him back to his feet and steady him. He could hear laughter from the other side of the ice and as he turned to glare at Danny he saw his partner lose his balance from laughing so hard, grab futilely for the ledge, and end up in a heap on the ice himself.

"Serves you right," he called with a smile as Grace skated to Danny's side and helped him up.

"Are you ok?" Catherine asked as she slipped her arm through Steve's.

"I'll probably be a little sore later. But maybe you can give me a massage and make it feel better." He waggled his eyebrows.

"You're incorrigible," Catherine grinned.

"And you love it," Steve said as he dropped his arm around her shoulders.

"You're right," she beamed. "I do."

Steve noticed Grace flashing a thumbs up towards the observation area and turned just in time to see Nonna holding Grace's phone aloft indicating that she had indeed gotten pics of both Steve and Danny on the ice.

"I'll bet those make an album," Catherine teased.

"Probably more than one," Steve sighed.

Nonna's House

8:00 P.M.

Grace sat at the dining room table between Nonna and Catherine. Steve and Danny sat opposite them. A large box of photos and several albums were stacked in the center of the table.

Grace loved to look through Nonna's photos and see the vintage images of people she'd heard so many stories about. She also got a huge kick out of seeing Danny as a youngster, and was leaning into Catherine, giggling at a photo of her dad circa 1992.

"Look at this one!" She held it up.

Steve snatched the photo before his partner could make a grab for it.

At Steve's laugh, Catherine said, "Always stylin', weren't you, Danny?" She pointed to the overalls Danny and his friends wore in a group shot of four teenagers with their arms around each other's shoulders, squinting into the camera.

"Absolutely," Danny said proudly.

"That's some … serious hair, Danno," Steve pointed out.

Danny took the photo from Steve and studied it with a grin. "1992." He confirmed by turning the photo over and checking the hand written date. "And what, you had better hair?" he asked.

Steve answered in total seriousness, "I had a crew cut."

Catherine smiled and glanced at Danny. "You were very Zack from Saved by the Bell."

"Says the girl wearing stone wash in the photo her dad showed us," Danny teased, "And a scrunchie I might add."

Catherine smirked, "That was a VERY stylish scrunchie, and I was rocking it." She high fived a laughing Grace.

"You guys looked so ..." Grace started to say.

"Go ahead, Grace," Danny smiled, "because in twenty years you're going to look back and say 'what was I wearing in 2014?' "

"Danno …"

"I'll have you know … ," Danny pointed at the picture, "that haircut was all that and a bag of chips."

Grace looked unconvinced. "Bag of what?"

Catherine and Steve looked at each other and laughed.

Grace turned to them. "I bet Uncle Steve looked cool in ninety two."

Steve's look of pride made Catherine grin and Danny snort, "You!" He pointed at his best friend, "Have brainwashed my innocent daughter."

Steve shook his head, "No, Gracie just knows cool when she sees it." He exchanged a fist bump with the laughing girl as Nonna looked on with delight.

Grace turned to Catherine. "What was Uncle Steve wearing the first time you met him, Auntie Cath, when he wasn't wearing his uniform, I mean?"

Catherine looked Steve over, pretending to contemplate before she said, "Pretty much exactly what he's wearing now."

Danny palmed his face. "Of course he was. And you'll be wearing cargos when you're eighty, and carrying a giant knife to go play cards at the senior center."

"And I'll be the most practically dressed old guy there, won't I?" Steve didn't even try to hide his smug grin.

Everyone laughed as Grace reached for another photo. "Look at this one, Auntie Cath, isn't her dress sooo pretty?" She held up a photo of a young woman in a 1940s style dress and T-strap shoes.

"Gorgeous." Noticing the resemblance, Catherine asked Nonna, "Is this one of your sisters?"

Nonna nodded "That's my sister Teresa; you'll meet her this week. That was taken at our cousin's wedding."

Grace was passing a photo to Steve, "Look, Uncle Steve, this is my Pop-Pop! Danno's grandpa, when he was in the Army."

Steve studied the image of a uniformed soldier with a huge smile and Danny's blue eyes.

"That's my Thomas," Nonna said proudly.

"Korea, right?" Steve confirmed what Danny had told him.

"Exactly. We got married right after he was discharged. That's where Danny gets those beautiful blue eyes."

Danny leaned across the table and kissed Nonna's cheek. Catherine and Steve shared a smile when Nonna patted his hand lovingly.

The next photo Grace pulled from the pile made her laugh out loud. "Is this you?!" she asked her dad with delight.

Danny rolled his eyes and Steve guffawed. There was eight year old Danny, with his happily posing little sister. They were seated at a table having a pretend tea party. Danny looked every bit like he wanted to bolt and run.

"That's your Aunt Angie, and she STILL owes me for that," Danny pointed out.

"Aw Danny, look at you, you were always good with kids," Catherine said and honestly meant every word.

"Nice tiara, Danno." Steve snorted.

"Don't laugh so hard, Steven," Danny snarked, but his eyes laughed at the memory and his best friend's teasing. "Like you never played dress up with Mary?"

Steve ran a hand over his eyes, wiping the tears of laughter, "I used to dress Mary as a soldier ... Mary would play anything as long as she got to wear jewelry. So I was commanding a three year old in a khaki shirt and pearls," he shrugged.

Catherine laughed, "I can totally see that. Because you never change." She leaned across the table and pecked his lips lightly.

"That a problem?" He took her hand and winked.

"Wouldn't want you any other way." Her tone teased, but a light squeeze to his fingers told him her words were sincere.

Catherine released Steve's hand, pulled out a five by seven photo and her eyes lit with mirth. "Prom?"

"Prom." Danny rolled his eyes. He was wearing a tux and had his arm around a girl with hair teased at least four inches high.

"Wait, wait, is this Angela and Sal?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah," Danny nodded. "Sal graduated with me. Angela was his prom date."

"Isn't that cute?" Grace interjected.

"Okay, that had to be rough." Catherine shook her head.

Steve studied the photo. "Why?"

"Because if Danny's my older brother and he's at my prom?" Catherine shuddered dramatically to make her point. "Rough."

"Correction," Danny said. "Angela was at my prom."

"So?" Steve looked at Catherine. "What's the problem? He kept an eye on her."

"Exactly," Danny agreed.

Catherine rolled her eyes, "That's the problem."

"Poor Aunt Angie!" Grace agreed, catching on to what Catherine was saying.

"Excuse me? I was being a good big brother," Danny said defensively.

"Danno! I remember you and Uncle Steve at Halloween," Grace said.

"Still don't see the problem." Steve looked at Danny who shrugged.

"And there, as I said, is the problem." Catherine slid her chair to the end of the table, closer to Steve, then leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Think of that scenario from Sal's perspective." At Steve's look, she laughed out loud. "Exactly."

Grace giggled and sorted to find another photo. "Here's my favorite!" she announced and held up a wedding photo.

"Ohhh," Catherine took it gently. "Nonna, you're beautiful," she said sincerely.

"Thank you, bella," Nonna smiled. She'd been enjoying the exchange over the photos and seeing Grace light up at the family stories. "That was 1953."

"Tell Auntie Cath about your dress," Grace prompted.

"Oh, Grace, right now?" Nonna asked. "Are you sure?"

"I'd love to hear about it." Catherine placed a hand over Nonna's.

"Okay," Nonna smiled. "That dress was a Pricilla of Boston, a bigwig wedding dress designer back in my day. It was more than I could afford. Thomas and I paid for our own wedding, you know. Our reception was at a local hall and my family made the food. Everyone did it like that back then."

She grinned as the memories flooded back. "So, my sisters chipped in a hundred dollars each to help me pay for the dress. I was the youngest and they wanted me to have a dress from a really nice store."

Catherine's eyes were sparkling. "That's a wonderful story. How sweet your sisters were that thoughtful … and generous."

"They were," Nonna agreed. "And many years later, Teresa's oldest daughter wore that very same dress. It's still in my closet."

"Isn't that the best thing, ever?" Grace sighed at the romantic notion. "Nonna said if I want to, maybe I can wear it someday," she informed Catherine.

"You absolutely can, mio bambina." Nonna was thrilled at the thought.

"In about thirty years," Danny added and Catherine saw Steve nodding seriously.

She winked at Grace, "Maybe in twenty, huh? After Danno and Uncle Steve get used to the idea."

"Then it's gonna be more like fifty." Grace sighed dramatically and got up to hug Nonna. "But thank you, Nonna, and I hope someday I look as pretty as you did."

END CHAPTER SEVEN

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